Mrs. Jade tried again. "Have you thought this through? With those shares, we can merge with the Rocelyns and take over Star City. Eclipse was wrong first, so even if you marry her and don't love her, she can't complain. Besides, no one has to know about the marriage. This way, you're not going back on your word."
"She's crazy about you. Just say a few nice things, and she'll give you those shares willingly. Once you have the shares, we can do whatever we want with her," Mrs. Jade finished, her voice sly.
Meanwhile, outside in the garden, Eclipse sat on a bench, her legs stretched out as she lazily enjoyed the sunlight.
She looked up at the blue sky and sighed softly.
A nurse came running over and handed her something. "Miss, your things are here."
At the same time, Robert and Mrs. Jade were startled by a noise and looked over.
They saw a woman sitting on a bench nearby, her long hair flowing over a white silk dress, her legs smooth and pale like marble.
She wore a sun hat to block the sun, hiding most of her face, but her delicate chin was visible.
Even though they couldn't see her full face, her posture and air made them feel she was someone important.
There were several cups of milk tea on the bench next to her, so she'd been sitting there for some time.
Not wanting to attract attention, the Jade family mother and son quickly moved away.
But before leaving, Robert glanced back. He watched the woman raise her hand and accept something from the nurse — a red-covered household registration book. He assumed she was getting married...
For some reason, Robert felt uneasy. He frowned, thinking hard but couldn't figure out why. He looked at her one more time before leaving.
"Miss Eclipse, why do you have a household registration book?" the nurse asked curiously.
Eclipse smiled darkly, her eyes filled with determination. "Because I'm getting married."
***
Five o'clock.
In front of the Civil Affairs Bureau.
Eclipse sat on a bench, watching people come and go.
Her mother did leave her 20% of the Rocelyn family shares, but she could only access the money after getting married.
Given her situation, marriage seemed like the fastest way to gain control of her life.
She didn't care about staying connected to the Rocelyns or Star City — she had bigger plans.
After everything was sorted, she'd make sure her partner was compensated, and she'd leave Star City behind without looking back.
Today wasn't a busy day at the Civil Affairs Bureau.
Most of the people were there to get divorced, not married.
Eclipse was getting sleepy waiting for someone suitable.
At 6:00 pm, as the crowd started to thin, she was about to leave when a tall figure approached her.
She paused, surprised by how striking they looked.