The wedding date was set for 03/03. March 3rd. A symbolism of their third life together. 3 of 3 lives, no more than that. With the date and venue secured, so were the wedding invitations.

  Lina wanted a small wedding, but judging from the amount of cake, she decided to keep it traditional. Kaden limited the number of guests to no more than two hundred. Lina didn't have any personal people to invite, except Isabelle, her closest friend, and her brother, Milo. The rest was handled by Estella and Kaden.

  With the wedding invitation in her hands, Lina couldn't help but smile. She loved the design. It was as beautiful as a book, with transparent wrappings decorated with flowers and greenery that revealed the actual invitation. The invitation was written on rough paper that resembled letters, but the print of the information was like the first page of a paperback book.

  "I never used to understand people who spent a fortune on their wedding," Lina said to Estella with a humorous smile. "But who knew 200 invitations would be the cost of a decent car?"

  Estella softly laughed under her breath, nodding in agreement. "Even now, I still can't fathom spending that much money for a single day of celebration."

  "Luckily mine is a week," Lina mused, placing the invitation down.

  They were currently inside Lina's office in her house. She had cleared out a guest room that faced the backyard with the view of a beautiful garden. Whenever she opened the window, there was a gentle breeze and the distinct scent of flowers.

  "Oh!" Estella chirped, her eyes glued to her tablet. "I've just received word from Krystal's assistant that her contract has been signed."

  Lina raised a brow at the good news. She leaned back in her pink satin chair, smiling at the realization. The days of radio silence brought forth good news. She was glad she didn't reach out to Krystal so early, it would have made her feel rushed. With the contract in order, Lina knew she could proceed.

  "This is her version," Estella said.

  Lina glanced at the contract, where Krystal's father's signature was seen. When Lina had asked William to approve the collaboration on the day of the meeting, she then sent the signed version to Krystal. Now, both of the Chairmen were on board.

  With a slow nod of her head, Lina turned her attention out of the window. This was good news, but she didn't feel happy. Instead, her chest was tight with the realization of what was to come.

  "When the collaboration between our companies is revealed, it'll solidify both of our positions as Chairwoman," Lina told Estella.

  "All that is needed is a collaborative dinner to celebrate the good news," Estella agreed with a small smile. She lowered her gaze to the young woman in the chair.

  Estella couldn't fathom how such a young lady was shouldering the world. Estella was twenty-six this year, but never in her wildest dreams would she be able to live the same complicated life as Lina. Lina was only legalized to drink this year, at the youthful age of twenty-one.

  Estella remembered back then, she was still in her third year of university and suffering under the pressure of college assignments. Meanwhile, this heiress was preparing to take over a multibillion dollar company.

  Suddenly, a phone rang.

  Lina grabbed her phone and saw who was calling. Immediately, she picked it up.

  "Hello?"

  "Lina, hi! Congratulations on your wedding, thank you for inviting me!" Krystal greeted in an elated voice.

  "Of course!"

  "Did you receive the news?" Krystal asked with excitement in her voice.

  Lina wondered what it was like to genuinely want to take over a company. Instead of voicing the thought, she nodded, even though Krystal couldn't see this.

  "Yes, congratulations to both of us!" Lina chirped, even though her shoulders felt heavy. Her head was beginning to pound too. Ever since the cake testing day, she had horrible migraines that'd last for a few seconds.

  Lina wasn't sure what had caused the headaches.

  "We should hold a celebration dinner and invite our friends!" Krystal eagerly said. "That way, we can find more partners for the future. For example—"

  "Sounds great," Lina agreed. "Since you already have people in mind, would you like to plan it?"

  "Oh, could I? That'd be perfect because I already have a location in mind. What do you think about one of the Yang Enterprise's enormous hotels?"

  Perfect. Lina knew why Krystal wanted to hold the celebration at Yang Enterprise. It was to show off Lina's resources and Krystal's connection with her. It was funny how this world worked. The girl that was once bullied in high school was now the center of attention.

  "Sounds like a plan to me," Lina decided. "And leave the music up to me."

  Krystal laughed at the joke, her eyes twinkling with joy. Her chest felt airy and she was floating on Cloud Nine from the amazing outcome. Once it reached the media for the morning news, she could already envision the expression on her younger brother's face. Kane would be seething.

  "Of course," Krystal said.

  The more that Krystal looked into the traffic incident, the more she realized who was involved in it. She discovered Kane had tried to sabotage the budding relationship between her and Atlantis. If it wasn't for Lina's help, Krystal wouldn't have been able to look Atlantis in the eye anymore. But now she could. And their mutual friendship had been great ever since.

  "This celebration will solidify our position in the Heir Race of our companies," Lina realized, but she accidentally said it out loud.

  With this, Lina was beginning to have second thoughts. The celebration no longer felt enjoyable. It was a looming piece of information over her head. If Lina went through with this celebration, then it would be set in stone. She had made her bang. She had made her entrance. Everyone would be watching her now. Her name would leave the mouth of debating shareholders as William planned to make his retirement speech in a few years.

  "Of course," Krystal said. "With such a large collaboration that could generate hundreds of millions in revenue, this would be an achievement that not even our competitors in the race could fathom."

  "I don't know," Lina mused. "You should see what my cousin Cedrick has done."

  Speaking of which, with the current political climate, Lina was beginning to debate the social responsibility of Yang Enterprise. Two years ago, Lina wrote a detailed business plan advocating for social responsibility of Yang Enterprise. Through her hard work, they had finally adopted many of the models she set up for them. Now that time had passed, she'd need to check up on the plan and see if it was being followed as advised.

  "For a future candidate, he sure is flirty with both men and women alike," Krystal commented dryly.

  "Men?" Lina repeated.

  "Yes, I've seen him and Kane's bromance. Sometimes, it makes me gag," Krystal responded. "Though, you can't deny Cedrick's charisma. He can charm the pants off of anyone he comes across."

  Lina chuckled at Krystal's bluntness. She hated that she agreed. "It's a miracle he has that personality, considering who his father is."

  "Oh, who is it?"

  "You wouldn't want to know," Lina mused. "Anyway, I'll make preparations for the music and food, since I'm already in cahoots with the chefs in charge of my wedding meals."

  "Perfect, I'll call you soon!" Krystal hung up the phone after exchanging pleasant goodbyes.

  Soon, silence engulfed them. The second the call ended, Lina's smile fell. She took into heavy consideration everything. With the celebration dinner, Lina's position would be revealed. There was no backing out now. Everything would be set in stone.

  Lina Yang had officially entered the Heir Race. Was that truly what she wanted?

  Just then, a quick knock sounded in the room. Estella glanced at Lina who was lost in thought, a somber expression on her face. Estella didn't understand the sudden melancholy that came their way. She thought this was great news.

  A lightbulb went off in her head. Estella thought back to what Lina once told her. It was confidential information and she had kept her mouth shut about it. Lina was unsure of her entry into the Heir Race.

  Still lost in thought, Estella realized her boss didn't hear the knock.

  "Madam?"

  Lina snapped back to reality, her eyes shaking upon realizing she had spaced out. Turning to Estella, she offered a wry smile.

  "Sorry, what was that?" Lina asked, believing she heard Estella mention something.

  "The door, madam," Estella informed in a polite voice. "Someone knocked. Should we let them in?"

  Lina slowly returned her attention to the double white doors of the private office. She had purposely chosen a location far from Kaden's, so that there was no distraction from his end. She found it humorous that her office was bright and colorful whereas his was a cold elegance of steel and black wood.

  "Yes, come in!" Lina called out.

  The doors slowly opened and Theodore stepped inside. He bowed his head in greeting, a thick manilla envelope in his hand.

  When Lina saw the stamp at the top right corner, she instantly knew what this was. Especially from the infamous symbol of the hospital.

  "Madam," Theodore started off in a slow, aged voice. He offered her a gentle smile, his wrinkled face deepening with lines.

  "We've received mail from a hospital, Madam," Theodore informed her. "This is it."

  Theodore entered the room. With two respectful hands, he placed the thick envelope onto her desk.

  "Thank you, Theodore," Lina softly said, eyeing the material on her desk.

  Theodore excused himself and departed. Lina picked up the report. It was just paper, but it weighed like a tree in her hands. From this letter, she'd know who was infertile in their relationship.

  All it took was the flick of her wrist…… Such a simple action for such devastating news.