Second, Stephanie had always been searching for her fiancé, a fact well-known in the entertainment industry. Claire Wilson hadn’t connected it to Charlie wade before, but now she wondered if it had something to do with Charlie wade’s disappearance from his original social circle as a child.
Finally, Stephanie’s performance at the concert: she wore a wedding dress and sang *Tomorrow I’ll Marry You*. Claire Wilson hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but now, considering all these points, it seemed the wedding dress was for Charlie wade, and the song was sung for him.
Just now, when she told Stephen Thompson she wanted to celebrate Charlie wade’s birthday before disappearing from his side, she suddenly recalled that concert, and the more she thought about it, the more something felt off.
Stephen Thompson was somewhat surprised that Claire Wilson would ask this question.
After a moment’s thought, he sighed and said, “Since you’ve asked, Mrs Wade, I’ll answer truthfully. Miss Stephanie’s parents were close friends with the young master’s parents. The two families arranged a marriage when they were young, betrothing Miss Stephanie to the young master. Even after the young master went missing early on, Miss Stephanie has always believed she is his fiancée.”
Claire Wilson’s heart was struck with shock. The answer didn’t surprise her, but it left her deeply pained.
It wasn’t just that Charlie wade had hidden his identity and background from her, but that she knew Charlie wade and Stephanie had already reunited! Otherwise, why would Charlie wade have taken her to dine with Stephanie?
At that moment, Claire Wilson’s emotions grew even more complex.
She could, to some extent, understand Charlie wade keeping his background a secret, but him meeting a fiancée and bringing her along while keeping her in the dark was something she found hard to accept.
She knew her own background couldn’t compare to Charlie wade’s. Even her grandfather was merely a servant to Charlie wade’s family back then. Moreover, Charlie wade didn’t just have the Wade family background, his mother’s An family was even more powerful.
The gap between them was almost like the antipodes in geography—the point on the opposite side of the Earth, the farthest distance possible.
Looking at Stephanie, even Claire Wilson felt she was the one truly suited to Charlie wade.
Not only did she come from an illustrious family, but their families were old friends, they grew up together, and they were bound by a betrothal. No matter how you looked at it, she was far more suitable for Charlie wade than Claire Wilson.
Claire Wilson’s mood plummeted. In front of Stephanie, she felt utterly inferior, unable to compare.
If that was the case, what was her marriage to Charlie wade?
When she married him, she didn’t love him.
It was only because she promised her grandfather, so she never considered divorcing him.
Now, it felt more like fulfilling a promise to her grandfather.
Back then, she had clearly told Charlie wade privately that she was marrying him only because her grandfather insisted, and there would be no real marital relationship. If Charlie wade agreed, she was fine with it; if he didn’t, she wouldn’t force it.
In truth, she had said that partly hoping Charlie wade would back out, but to her surprise, he agreed without hesitation. Even years after their marriage, sleeping on the floor without complaint, he never crossed the line.
Over the years, Claire Wilson’s feelings for Charlie wade had grown from nothing, gradually warming, but she always saw him as family, unsure if it was love.
But at this moment, she suddenly felt a pang of heartache.
It was only now that she realised, at some point, a shadow of love for Charlie wade had taken root in her heart…
