But Richard paid no heed. In his eyes, the fact that Emily said this only proved she truly wasn’t after his wealth. Since that was the case, he all the more wanted to leave everything to her and their child.
Emily read the will in a daze, unable to believe what she was seeing. Richard was serious—he even handed her his bank cards and passwords. When she checked the balance, she felt as if she were dreaming. She had never seen so much money in her life, but now, it was all hers.
Still dazed, Emily wandered up the mountain, where she found Sophia, who was just finishing up and preparing to close for the day. Seeing Emily, she asked, “What brings you here at this hour?”
“I wanted to talk.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Richard made his will.”
Sophia raised an eyebrow, surprised at first, but after thinking about it, she realized it must have been triggered by Livinus’s report to the authorities. Given Richard’s circumstances, it made sense for him to finalize his will. “How much did he leave you?”
“Almost everything.”
Emily suddenly laughed and looked up at the vast night sky. The stars twinkled against the dark expanse, seemingly close enough to touch. She hadn’t seen such a beautiful night sky in years. In her childhood in the countryside, she had watched the stars every night, but back then, she had been poor—who had the time to appreciate the stars when they were struggling to survive?
Later, when she moved to the city for school, she had fallen in love with a city boy. They had even discussed marriage, but his mother disapproved, and he quickly broke things off. That was when she realized that in this world, you had to rise above others. This was a society that mocked the poor but not the immoral. No one cared how you made your money, only that you had it.
Sophia was surprised—she hadn’t expected Emily to be this skilled, securing Richard’s entire fortune for herself.
Thinking of Andrea’s reaction, Sophia shook her head with a smirk. No matter how meticulously one planned, fate had its own way. Andrea had spent a lifetime scheming, yet in the end, her downfall had come at the hands of Richard himself.
“Take the money and live well,” Sophia advised.
Emily nodded, smiling as she left.
—
Because of the gossip surrounding Sophia and Livinus online, even her online store had become wildly popular. Her beauty cream was in such high demand that it was always sold out. The same went for her other products—red sugar, tonics, acne treatments—everything vanished as soon as it was listed. The store was perpetually out of stock.
Looking at the sales reports, Sophia smirked. She never would have thought that her scandal with Livinus would serve as free advertising for her business.
During this time, Livinus was focused on preparing their wedding.
A ceremony in their home city was a must. Given the Scott family’s influence, holding a wedding was a matter of social obligation. But such an event required them to entertain numerous guests, leaving the bride and groom exhausted rather than enjoying their own special day. So, Livinus decided to host a private wedding abroad, attended only by their closest family and friends.
Originally, he considered a beach wedding, but since it had become a cliché among the elite—renting a private island was no longer unique—he dismissed the idea. They could visit an island anytime; it didn’t feel special enough.
Instead, he decided on a hot air balloon wedding.
The ceremony would take place mid-air, with both the newlyweds and guests ascending in hot air balloons simultaneously. A pastor would officiate the ceremony as they floated above the land.
On the wedding day, all their friends arrived. Livinus had booked several hot air balloons, planned the flight schedule and route, and ensured everything was set. As the balloons lifted off, Sophia looked down at the breathtaking landscape of Turkey and realized—this was actually a wonderful idea.
She didn’t wear an overly extravagant gown, just a simple yet elegant wedding dress. Her hair was softly pinned up, with a loose curl draping over her ear, making her look effortlessly graceful.
The man before her, dressed in a tailored suit, held an enormous diamond ring—the size of a pigeon’s egg.
Sophia had always teased him for his straightforward, typical-male aesthetic. When it came to buying jewelry, he always believed “bigger is better” and never strayed from that idea.
Livinus appeared calm, but the trembling of his hands betrayed his nerves.
Their friends couldn’t stop laughing at him.
“Boss Scott! Keep it together! Don’t drop that pigeon egg!” called Elias.
“Yeah, man, we’re up in the sky! If you drop it, it’s gone forever!”
“Scott, want me to help you put it on for her?”
