Gray Hair Is No Match for a New Love's Smile

: Rebirth

Ian Sutton and I shared a lifetime of love. From our youth to our twilight years, he had eyes only for me.

Reborn into this life, I stayed by his side as he went from having nothing to achieving fame and fortune.

For a full ten years, neither of us brought up getting married.

I thought it was our unspoken understanding.

But on the day his company went public, I didn't get the proposal I was waiting for. Instead, I received a wedding invitation for him and another woman.

Tears streamed down my face as I looked at the invitation, at his name perfectly matched with someone else's.

It turned out he wasn't against marriage after all.

It was just that in this life, there was no place for me in his plans.

I put the invitation away and silently signed the agreement to sell my shares.

"Ian Sutton, I'll give you what you want one last time."

'Letting you get away with your deception across two lifetimes.'

...

In my past life, Ian Sutton and I were a model couple.

He said I was his princess.

From the moment we were married, he truly doted on me like a princess.

He put up with all my moods and never missed an opportunity for a grand, romantic surprise.

Countless women threw themselves at him, but not one ever managed to even touch the hem of his sleeve.

Even when we were over seventy, I once casually remarked, "The Sweet Rice Cakes in Aethelburg are delicious."

He flew to Aethelburg that very night, bought the Sweet Rice Cakes, and returned the same day.

When he placed them in front of me, they were still warm.

Everyone said I must have bribed Cupid to be blessed with such a perfect love.

I believed it, too. That's why in this life, I waited for him, year after year, for him to come and marry me.

"Celia Sinclair! You're not happy with the men who've studied abroad, you're not happy with the ones from good families, you're not happy with the handsome ones, and you're not happy with the talented ones! Do you expect your old man to reach for the stars and marry you off to someone on Pluto?!"

Mr. Sinclair paced back and forth in the room.

I calmly took out my mother's photograph. "Dad, which planet was it that Grandpa wanted you to have an arranged marriage with?"

Mr. Sinclair's anger instantly deflated.

To marry my mother, he'd been chased and beaten by my grandfather more times than he could count. But tragically, my mother was frail and passed away when I was ten.

Mr. Sinclair swore he would take good care of me.

"Dad, for this year's entrepreneurial fund... can we invest in Heston University?"

The moment the words left my mouth, Mr. Sinclair's sharp gaze fell upon me.

"Is this for Heston University, or for that kid, Ian Sutton?"

"What's so great about that kid? His eyes are full of ruthless ambition. If I let you marry him, how could I ever face your mother?"

I wheedled Mr. Sinclair, and in the end, the investment went to Heston University's School of Economics and Management.

When Ian Sutton came to collect the fund, he looked more boyish than I remembered from my past life.

"Miss Sinclair, I hope we will meet again."

His way of thanking me was the same as with everyone else, and yet, it was different.

When he placed the "In the Name of Love" dessert on the table, his smile was as gentle as I remembered from my past life.

"Miss Sinclair, I hope you like it."

He took his leave respectfully.

I was never short on desserts, but the cake he gave me held a special kind of sweetness.

After getting the startup fund, Ian Sutton, just as I expected, worked hard and quickly began to make a name for himself.

I remembered him telling me in our past life...

...that when he first graduated, he had no connections or resources and had suffered greatly.

So, when he came to the company to discuss a partnership, contract in hand, I signed it without a second thought.

He wore the same faint, composed smile, and said the same thing: "Thank you, Miss Sinclair."

I couldn't help but let a smile grace my lips.

As we shook hands, I said softly, "To our first collaboration. I wish Mr. Sutton great success in his career and a happy home life."

His smile was gentle, and when he looked at me, his gaze was uniquely focused.

"Miss Sinclair, I'm not married yet. But I'll take your kind words to heart and hope that the woman I love can wait for me until I'm successful."

After he left that day, his voice echoed endlessly in my mind.

What I didn't see was his car parked downstairs, and inside it, a female secretary with her clothes in disarray.