She Said "Yes" to Me, but "Goodnight" to Him

Headlights flashed in the distance.

Ciara scrambled out of the car, panic flooding her face. "Carl! Are you okay?"

She threw herself at him, frantically checking him from head to toe. When she finally confirmed he had nothing more than a few scrapes, she sighed in relief.

But when she turned her head and caught sight of the blood streaming down my forehead, she instinctively looked away.

How could Carl be anything other than fine? I'd gotten that Maybach custom-fitted with the best safety features. Only the bumper was a little dented right now.

"You did it on purpose, didn't you, Julian? Carl's my brother! How could you be vicious enough to try and kill him by crashing into his car!" Ciara shrieked.

Snorting, I retorted, "Anyone with a pair of working eyes can see that he's the one who crashed into me, Ciara."

Pointing at the crushed emerald locket on the floor, I said sharply, "He destroyed the last keepsake my late grandma left to me!"

Ciara was startled when she saw the locket, but she soon let out a scoff. "It's just a broken piece of jewelry. Don't tell me you Spencers care about something like that. I'll just give you an even better one tomorrow. That should be enough for you, no?"

Staring at her, I started laughing until my tears blurred my vision.

Her response shouldn't come as a surprise to me. In her eyes, everything had a price tag attached to it. Everything from Grandma's last keepsake to my years of devotion was nothing compared to a fleeting moment of happiness for Carl, that insane brother of hers.

Alas, after being on her high horse for so long, she'd slowly forgotten that all of the money she could spend as she pleased came from me.

Hiding behind Ciara, Carl mouthed toward me, "You lost."

The pain made my vision darken, but I pulled out my phone with my violently shaking hands. It took a great deal of effort for me to call Henry.

"Tomorrow… the wedding will proceed as planned."

Carl immediately cackled. "Look at him, Ciara. Even though he's on the verge of dying, he doesn't even call an ambulance for himself. He's still so desperately keen to marry you."

Ciara crouched in front of me and asked, "Do you really want to marry me?"

Before I could say anything, she raised three fingers and carried on saying, "If you want to marry me, you'll have to agree to three terms of mine.

"First of all, you need to start a gaming company under Carl's name and invest a billion dollars into the company. Secondly, you need to give him that seaside villa of yours in Ausania. And thirdly, give him 30% of the shares in all of your companies."

Staring at my bloodied face, she continued, "Cash is too basic. I want to ensure that Carl never wants for anything in his life."

I simply stared at the unabashed greed in her eyes before wordlessly looking away. Once I heard the siren of the ambulance, I finally lost consciousness.

…

I opened my eyes to the blinding lights of the hospital. The doctor said I'd broken three ribs and a bone in my left leg. I also needed 15 stitches on my forehead.

On the side, Henry asked hesitantly, "Mr. Spencer, are you sure you want to marry Ms. Langston?"

I closed my eyes. "I've never been one to renege on any decision I make."

…

Ciara sat in the living room the entire night. Her phone screen remained lit up as it sat on the coffee table, but even until dawn, she didn't get a message from me.

Biting her lip, she kept trying to reassure herself, telling herself that I'd been too heavily injured. I was probably still unconscious. That had to be the only reason why I didn't get in touch with her.

Considering how badly I wanted to marry her, even if the wedding ceremony had to be delayed a few days, she had no problems waiting a little longer.

Beyond the window, the sky was slowly brightening. Carl, who was holding Ciara, slept soundly, but she didn't feel the urge to sleep at all.

At noon, the news of the extravagant wedding held by my family, the Spencers, went viral online. There was a photo of the church, with a red carpet running down the aisle. The bride's name was also given.

Her name was Serena Langston.