Chapter 5 Which Of Those Qualities Do You Even Come Close To Matching

Sabrina tilted her head, her smile sweet but laced with mischief. "Haven't you heard? I'm marrying Theo. I'll be your Aunt Sabrina soon."

For a beat, Vernon just stared, dumbfounded. Then a harsh laugh broke from him as he shook his head. "Are you out of your mind? Do you really think I'll buy into such ridiculous lies? I don't have the patience for your games."

He dismissed her words outright, convinced she was spouting nonsense and wasting his time.

In his mind, she had always been hopelessly smitten, finding excuses to keep herself amused while clinging to him.

With that thought, he turned to leave-only to stop dead in his tracks when another presence filled the space behind him.

"Uncle Theo?" His voice cracked with disbelief. "What brings you here?"

No one could say when Theo had arrived, but there he stood, tall and unreadable. His expression remained cold, his gaze brushing over Vernon as if he were insignificant before settling squarely on Sabrina. His eyes revealed nothing, offering neither warmth nor disdain.

Without hesitation, Sabrina hurried to his side, looping her hand through his arm and giving it a playful shake. "I was just about to go shopping. Will you come with me?"

Deep down, she still couldn't understand his reasons. Yet Theo had chosen to back her again, just as he had once risked his very life for her in another time. That could only mean she held something he valued. And now, she had no choice but to wager everything on the hope that he would keep standing beside her.

Theo caught the faint trace of her fragrance again, the same intoxicating scent that had haunted him through the night. His throat tightened, and his Adam's apple shifted before he could suppress the reaction.

Vernon, clearly rattled, snapped, "Stop this nonsense, Sabrina! That's my uncle you're clinging to."

He was certain she had lost her mind. Didn't she understand? The last woman bold enough to touch Theo like that hadn't lived long to tell the tale.

But the shove he expected never came.

Instead, Theo's gaze lingered on her, softened by an indulgence that stunned Vernon. Then, lifting his eyes, he said coldly and absolutely, "Didn't you hear her? I've agreed to marry her. In the future, she will be your aunt. Speak to her with respect."

Vernon's eyes widened, shock painted across his face.

A memory flashed-an old photo glimpsed once in Theo's wallet. As he looked between Theo and Sabrina now, fury boiled in his chest, twisting into something he couldn't name.

No. It couldn't be true. It was impossible.

His uncle was the man everyone whispered about, the one said to be impotent, untouched by romance, and disinterested in marriage.

"Sabrina, what filthy schemes did you use to win him over, you shameless bi-" His words were choked off by a sharp pain as his uncle ground his heel down hard on his shoe.

"I've already explained our relationship and warned you to show her some respect," Theo responded, his voice like iron. "And yet you still insult her? You will apologize. Now."

Vernon let out a strangled cry, the agony in his foot making it feel as though the bones were splintering apart. His complexion drained of color until he looked ghostly pale.

The reality pressed in on him, bitter and undeniable, though every part of him wanted to reject it.

With his pride swallowed, he forced down the surge of fury in his chest. His eyes reddened with a mix of grievance and desperation.

"Sabrina," he pleaded, voice trembling, "I know you're angry with me, but marriage isn't some childish prank. Don't throw your life away on a whim. You and I grew up together. No one knows you the way I do. Please-think carefully before you ruin your future."

His hand lifted slowly, reaching toward Sabrina as though offering her one last chance. If she took it, he believed she could still have everything she once dreamed of.

In another lifetime, such words would have broken Sabrina's defenses, and tears might have spilled down her cheeks. But those past memories cut too deep now. The betrayals, the pain-they had scarred her beyond repair. She wouldn't walk blindly into the same trap twice.

Sensing the tension in Theo's frame beside her, she slipped closer into his embrace, her tone suddenly playful.

"Just listen to him, Theo," she said, her lips curling with mockery. "He seems to believe that growing up together automatically equals destiny in love. Well, by that logic, you and I are just as destined. We grew up together, too, after all. Remember when I scraped my knee as a kid? You carried me home. That makes you the first boy who ever carried me on his back."

Theo's rigid frame gradually relaxed, and then his arm slid firmly around her waist. "So you still remember that?"

"How could I forget?" she replied without hesitation.

She lifted her chin, her smile radiant as she leaned into him, then turned her gaze toward Vernon with open scorn. "You told me to reconsider, and I did. I weighed my options carefully. Theo is rich, striking, and he actually values me. Tell me, Vernon-which of those qualities do you even come close to matching? And as for his body-"

Her hand trailed deliberately across Theo's waist, her touch lingering just to drive the point home.