"Victor still refused to marry Josephine," Ms. Langston says. "He and Emily were planning to flee, to escape his parents' wrath. They did, but then the car accident happened."
Ms. Langston chokes at the end of her sentence and closes her eyes, covering her mouth with her hand. "I'm sorry," she rasps. "It's just...too painful to remember this tragedy." Her voice is hoarse.
I swallow. I can feel the pain from the story too. "And then Aiden was born," I whisper.
Ms. Langston nods, still closing her eyes. When she opens them, they are glistening with tears.
Now I know why Luke hates his parents so much. He thinks that they're the cause of Victor's death.
I feel sorry for judging him before, telling him how crazy and ruthless he was. It turns out there are so many things about him that I didn't know.
I know that Ms. Langston is almost crying, but I just can't help but ask the next question, "What did Luke do after that?"
Ms. Langston lets out another sigh, composing herself. "After that accident, everything was in chaos. The family's business kept crumbling down. Josephine was the most horrible woman that I've ever met. She's obsessed with the Klein brothers. Once she knew that she couldn't get Victor, she aimed for Luke. She told Luke that he had to marry her if he wanted to save his family, just like she told Victor before, over and over again. She even threatened Luke that she would brainwash her parents—who owned a powerful business that could be classified as Klein Enterprise's competitor—to ruin Klein Enterprise if he didn't marry her."
I gasp. So Luke's ex-fiancée was his own brother's ex-fiancée? I've never heard of any woman this crazy—the only thing I knew about her before was that she's hot, based on her magazine cover shoot.
"But Luke would never do that," Ms. Langston says. "He was disgusted by that cunning woman. Luke is an intelligent and hardworking young man, and he's gifted with such an outstandingcapability to solve business problems. It still amazes me that he has turned the tables and has made Klein Enterprise one of the most influential companies today."
I must admit that Luke deserves all of those compliments. Hearing this story makes me respect him. I feel like my struggles are nothing compared to his.
"But it wasn't easy for him," Ms. Langston adds. "He had to go through many obstacles first before achieving his success. It was like hell for him—I know it so well."
So, Luke was in that kind of hell. How clueless I was. I thought that it was only me who was stuck in hell. How wrong I was.
I suddenly remember the words he said to me.
"You're such a weakling that people can't help but use you."
While I'm drowning in my agony of not feeling wanted and loved, letting people use me to gain that kind of love, Luke gets rid of people who destroy him.
How ironic. We are so different.
I heave a deep sigh, and that's when another painting catches my eye. Beside the painting of Emily stands a painting of a hypnotizing scenery. It's a painting of a small town next to a beautiful lake during winter, a snowy mountain in the background—it looks like somewhere in Europe.
There's something about this art that pulls me in and takes my breath away. Walking closer to it, I notice small handwriting at the bottom right corner of the canvas.
Hallstatt, Austria.
Isn't that where Luke's parents stay now? But why have I not heard anything about them, even after our wedding took place?
Are they not mad at us right now? Why didn't they unleash their wrath against us?
And where is Josephine? Wouldn't she want to confront me? Hell, she might even want to kill me after I stole her fiancé.
While I'm deep in thought, I realize that there's still so much more about this family that remains a mystery to me.
My eyes can't seem to stop staring at the painting of Hallstatt. A sudden sense of longing fills my heart—it even brings slight pain. I wonder how that's even possible because I've never been there. As far as I can remember, it's not one of the cities I've visited during my tours.
So, why doesit feel so familiar?
19
________
CASSIE
"That's a wrap," the photographer, Ian, says as I finish posing on the couch, showcasing my latest Swarovski necklace hung beautifully around my neck.
