Someone was waiting for me at the airport when I got off the plane.
The Schneiders‘ butler held a photo of me and even compared it to me in person before finally confirming my identity.
“Miss Robinson, please follow me. Mr. Schneider is already waiting for you at home.”
I nodded and followed the butler out of the airport and into a Maybach.
The car drove smoothly, passing through the bustling heart of Los Angeles and then continuing to a quiet town.
Finally, the car stopped in front of a villa. The villa was from the last century, its front yard filled with flowers.
Hans was sitting in the front garden, leisurely brewing tea.
He saw me enter and gently motioned for me to sit opposite him.
“Hans, long time no see. You’ve changed so much, I almost didn’t recognize you.”
Hans chuckled softly and pushed a cup of flower tea towards me. “You’re still the same. I recognized you at first glance.”
Hans and I were old acquaintances. The Schneiders used to be in New York and they were a well–known, prominent family there.
Before the Schneiders moved to California, I would occasionally meet Hans.
However, he was the only son of the Schneiders, showered with endless affection and acted arrogantly.
My situation in the Robinsons was difficult; my father favored Clara.
My stepmother was always wary of me, constantly looking for opportunities to make trouble for
- me.
Clara was even more, needless to say. Over the years, she had taken away everything that belonged to me.
My father, my status in the family, my Tyler …
When Hans was younger, he would always find ways to tease me whenever he saw me, just to get my attention.
Knowing that I often followed Tyler around, he would mock me, telling me not to be a “simp” in
ove.
naturally didn’t like him. Eventually, I started avoiding him altogether, taking detours whenever I spotted him.
The turning point came three years ago when Tyler was about to marry me.
By then, he had already left New York and moved his entire family to Los Angeles.
The night before the wedding, I received a call from Hans.
‘Don’t marry him, you won’t be happy.”
Chapter 9
8:06 pm
Hearing that, I smiled softly, flashes of Hans teasing me running through my mind. “If I’m not happy marrying Tyler, will I be happy marrying you?”
Hans was silent for a while.
I thought he wouldn’t speak again, so I continued, “Mr. Schneider, all of New York knows you had an accident and are now impotent. I’d have better luck with Tyler than with you. At least he’s a normal man, right?”
Contrary to the rumors, Hans wasn’t angered by my words.
Instead, his demeanor was gentle and his voice soft as he said, “Clarine, if you’re unhappy, you can come to me. I’ll always wait for you. This is my promise and it will never change.”
I sipped the flower tea; it was my favorite flavor and instantly pulled me back to the present.
I hadn’t expected that Hans would still remember my preferences after all these years, even something as small as tea.
I gazed steadily at Hans, realizing he was different from the rumors.
He wasn’t short–tempered or easily angered, nor did he possess his former arrogance. Only his being in a wheelchair matched the rumors.
He seemed to guess my thoughts and spoke casually, “What? Are you surprised I’m not as furious and unapproachable as the rumors say?”
“A little, since your temper wasn’t like this before.“”
The air grew silent. Hans didn’t speak.
I met Hans’s intense gaze and pushed on, “But I don’t care what you are like. This marriage is a transaction. Mr. Schneider, don’t you agree?”
