I Loved You Once, That's All

A few days later, I got a call from Zach. “Are you still on your business trip?

“Hurry back. Sienna just returned to the country and wants to get together with everyone. She specifically asked to see you.”

I frowned. “I’m still busy here. You guys can meet up without me.”

He sounded annoyed. “Can’t you put your work on hold?

“Sienna invited you, and you’re going to ignore it?

“Listen. Whether you want to come or not, you have to. If not, you can forget about the land in East District!”

I hesitated. I had worked hard on the building plans for that land, and they were halfway done. If Zach got upset, all my work would be wasted.

Fine, I would go. Our relationship was about to end, so I should take this opportunity to say goodbye.

I went to the hotel according to the address he sent me. The private room was already full of people. They were mostly Zach’s friends.

Zach and Sienna were sitting together in the middle. They purposely dressed in matching outfits, which made them look like a couple.

When Sienna saw me, she immediately stood up. “Yulia, you’re here.

“We’ve been waiting for you. Oh, did I take your seat? Sorry, I’ll move.”

Zach’s expression turned cold, and he stopped her. “Don’t move. It’s her fault for being late. She can sit in the back.”

“Sorry, Yulia.” Sienna sat on Zach’s lap with a troubled look. “Since Zach said so…”

I shrugged and pulled out a nearby chair. “It’s fine. I don’t mind.”

I was not going to care about what they did anymore.

Later, I went to the bathroom. When I returned, I overheard Zach’s friends talking.

“I think Sienna and Zach are the perfect couple. You’ve been together since childhood and have a strong bond.”

“Yeah, exactly. What’s so special about Yulia? She’s no match for Sienna.”

“Now that Sienna’s back, why don’t you two get back together?”

“Enough with that. Sienna is going to be a pianist.” Zach did not deny it and looked at Sienna with loving eyes.

How could I have fallen for a guy like him?

When I walked in, Zach’s friends were loudly praising him.

“I heard Zach bought a 200 million-dollar piano for Sienna’s concert. How generous!”

“Wow, such support! This must be true love!”

Zach looked down on me. His friends followed his example. They did not restrain themselves even when I was present.

“What do you mean by ‘support’? Sienna has the talent. She deserves it,” Zach said casually.

I looked down and smiled. Zach seemed to suggest that he and Sienna were indeed “true lovers.”

He then looked at me and added, “By the way, I’ve invested in the Jenkins family’s land too.

“Yulia, don’t worry. I’ll sign the contract when I get back.”

“Oh, I’ve heard about that,” someone quickly added, “But I heard you only invested 50 million.”

“Tsk, that’s just a quarter of the price of the piano!”

The room filled with quiet laughter. They were making fun of how little I had.

I could not help but laugh too.

What was I thinking before? Why did I waste time with someone like Zach?

Then, a woman pointed at the tiara on Sienna’s head and said, “Wow, Sienna, that tiara is gorgeous!”

She blushed and looked at Zach. “It’s from Zach. He gave it to me to wish me success for my concert.”

I immediately recognized it. It was the one I was supposed to wear at my engagement ceremony.

“Tsk, as expected from you, Zach. Always so generous.” I chuckled. “This was made from a sapphire that his parents bought at an auction ten years ago. It cost a fortune.

“It was supposed to be for their daughter-in-law. It looks like Zach really likes you, Sienna.”

The room instantly went silent. After all, I was still Zach’s future fiancee.

Sienna quickly reacted. Tears filled her eyes, and she tried to take the tiara off. “Sorry, Yulia. I know I don’t deserve something so expensive. I’ll give it back to you.”

She yanked it off and pulled some hair with it. A couple of tears dropped.

Zach was irritated and grabbed her hand. “When I give something, I don’t take it back. I gave it to you, so keep it.

“I want to see who dares to say otherwise!”

He turned to me with annoyance. “Yulia, why do you have to be so petty?

“Acting like my wife before we’re even married? Do you have no respect for me?”

I sneered and stood up. “I was just saying it casually. I never said it had to be mine. Why are you so upset?”

Sienna looked at me with a troubled look. “Yulia, I really love this tiara. Can I borrow it for my concert? I’ll give it back after.”

One of Zach’s friends, who had been supporting them earlier, spoke up. “Yulia, can’t you be more generous? You’re part of the Jenkins family.

“Sienna just wants to borrow it for a bit. Why be so stingy?

“You’re ruining the whole meal with this!”

I pushed the chair away. “I’m leaving. Enjoy your meal.”

My attitude probably angered Zach. He slammed the table and stood up. “Yulia, what’s with the attitude?!

“You’re going to be my wife! Can’t you even behave properly?!

“Apologize to Sienna right now!”

I almost laughed. “We’re not even engaged yet. What’s there to talk about?

“Sorry, let another person be your wife instead.”

Zach’s expression changed. He grabbed my hand and asked, “What do you mean? Are you calling off the engagement over something like this? Yulia, don’t you have any commitment?”

I pulled my hand away and opened Joel’s voice message. “Yulia, do you want lilies or roses for your engagement ceremony?”

“Lilies,” I replied. “They’ll match the engagement dress better.”

“What engagement dress?” Zach kept following me and grabbed my arm. “Yulia, have you already ordered the engagement dress behind my back?

“Are you that eager to marry me? How shameless can you be?”

I scoffed. “Please get this right. I’m the one getting engaged, not you!”

“Aren’t your engagement and mine the same thing? Everyone knows you’ve been dreaming of marrying me.”

My expression turned cold. “Zach, hasn’t anyone taught you how to respect others?”

Suddenly, the door slammed open, and a deep voice said, “Mr. Jefferson, please let go of my fiancee.”