Chapter 2

When the guests drifted away, Adrian found me by the windows with two glasses of champagne.

“They should’ve saved you a flower,” he said. “I told them to.”

“Do you know what tonight means?”

He frowned. “A matchmaking party. It’s mostly for show.”

“An orchid means the heir is choosing a future wife.”

His face changed, but only for a second. “No one said the choice had to be final. I’ll talk to your family. They won’t marry you off.”

“Then ask Lillian to give the orchid back. I only need to take it home. I’ll return it tomorrow.”

He hesitated. “That would humiliate her. I can buy you another flower.”

“The orchid had a gold edge. You can’t buy another one.”

Lillian came back before I could finish. Her cake slipped from her plate and landed on her shoe. She blinked up at Adrian, eyes shining.

“I’m sorry, Cora. I didn’t mean to ruin anything.”

Adrian’s attention shifted to her. “It’s fine. Don’t cry.” Then, to me: “Cora, it’s one flower. Don’t make this ugly.”

He plucked a rose from a passing waiter’s tray and pressed it into my hand. Its stem had been snapped short, its thorns clipped away.

Around us, someone whispered that a casino bastard’s daughter had been pretending she could marry into the Huo family.

I dropped the rose on the table.