“Randall, do you think that was funny?” I glared at him, wishing I could toss him right out of the car. “I wasn’t joking,” Randall replied matter-of-factly. I’d had enough; I slammed on the gas, shot up to a hundred miles per hour, and tore down the road with him in tow. By the time we reached the gates of the Imperial Pack estate, Randall had to steady himself against the car door before climbing out. “What’s wrong?” I asked with a smirk. He swayed on his feet, struggling to speak. “I get carsick.” I gave him a cold glance and walked straight into the house alone. Mr. Greg was sitting in the living room. When he saw I’d come back by myself, he frowned. “What happened? Where’s the person I told you to pick up?” I jerked a thumb behind me; Randall stumbled in, looking unsteady, and even tripped once. Mr. Greg stared at him, puzzled. “What… did you get into a fight?” Randall quickly explained, “No, I just got carsick.” He found a chair, sat down, and looked a little better. Mr. Greg turned to me suddenly. “Raelyn, why didn’t Aiden come back with you?” “Aiden went back to Varken,” I said flatly. “Besides, you don’t even like him—so why ask?” A hint of awkwardness crossed Mr. Greg’s face before he forced a smile. “Well, I’ve always said Aiden’s not reliable; his whole life revolves around work. Even if you mated with him, he’d still be the kind who doesn’t care about home. Now take our Randall—one phone call and he came right away.” I arched a brow. “If a man can so easily abandon his work, how am I supposed to know he won’t just as easily abandon me someday?” Mr. Greg choked on that and had no idea how to respond; his eyes darted to Randall in silent plea. Seeing the Alpha of the Imperial Pack get shut down like that made Randall chuckle. “I think Raelyn has a point; but what if I were the kind of man who could give you both emotional and material security?” I shot him a cold retort. “If you hand me everything, what’s left for me to earn? Isn’t that just your way of controlling me—so I’ll obey you?” Randall quickly waved his hands. “That’s not what I meant—I’m saying—” “Don’t bother. You and I aren’t a good match,” I cut in. Mr. Greg watched us sparring and looked far too entertained. “You two bickering like this really takes me back to my days with your grandmother.” I stood up. “Then stop reminiscing—Randall and I are never going to happen.” Mr. Greg’s mood flipped in an instant. “You’re just a young girl; what do you know? I’m doing this for your own good. That Aiden can’t hold a candle to Randall—stop being foolish!” I sneered. “If Randall’s so great, you marry him.” With that, I turned on my heel and left. Randall’s POV: Mr. Greg’s face was flushed with anger. I stayed calm, trying to soothe him. “Grandpa Jiang, don’t get worked up. I think Aiden’s actually a decent guy; the Eclipse Pack is ranked number one in Varken. Being with Raelyn isn’t beneath him.” Mr. Greg sighed. “Of course, I know the Eclipse Pack is respectable, but Raelyn belongs to the Imperial Pack. She can’t have any ties with them.” That caught me off guard. “Why not?” He glanced around to make sure no one was listening, then exhaled heavily. “The truth is, besides Raelyn’s mother, I had another daughter. She was quiet and kept to herself; people outside barely knew she existed, so everyone thought I only had one daughter. But…” His expression hardened into something fierce. “Aiden’s uncle got drunk one night and raped her; it drove her mad, and that very night, she jumped to her death! With a grudge like that, how could I let Raelyn marry him?” I was stunned. “This has been buried for years; I kept it quiet. Back then, I had Aiden’s uncle sent to prison, then sealed the matter away so the family scandal wouldn’t spread. None of the younger generation knows about it.”Mr. Greg’s voice was thick with pain as he finished. “It’s true this happened in the previous generation, and I shouldn’t hold it against Aiden himself; but in my heart, I just can’t let it go. I’ll never agree to Raelyn mating with him.” I let out a silent sigh. Such a deeply hidden tragedy wasn’t mine to comment on. I offered a few casual words of comfort, then took my leave. In the days that followed, Mr. Greg kept finding excuses to put me and Raelyn together; but the moment she saw me, she’d vanish, making me feel like some kind of stalker. The more she avoided me, the more I liked her. Eventually, fed up with Mr. Greg’s constant meddling, Raelyn simply moved into the hospital to take care of Wesley and stopped returning to the Imperial Pack villa. It was only then that I realized I’d been here all this time and hadn’t once gone to see him. We’d grown up together; yet because of Raelyn, I’d completely forgotten about him.