Jessie Sterling clicked on Victor Morgan's profile picture. It looked a little familiar. A quick search confirmed it: the Morgan Group's logo.
Jessie Sterling: "..."
She opened his feed. Unlike most young people nowadays, Victor Morgan didn't have his posts set to be visible for only three days. You could see everything.
Jessie suspected he simply had no idea how to change the setting.
Even with everything visible, Jessie scrolled through a couple of times before losing interest.
It was almost entirely reposted news about the Morgan Group. She felt like she'd stumbled upon an official state media account.
Jessie was soaking in the bathtub with a sheet mask on her face. The room was filled with a faint fragrance from the aromatherapy diffuser. She scoffed. 'What a stick-in-the-mud,' she thought. 'Even his feed is boring.'
It was just like her dad's feed. At least her dad's would occasionally feature her mom, herself, or her younger brother. On Victor Morgan's feed, there was no trace of his family, or even himself.
'Truly a "dedicated and professional" corporate account.'
A message from Victor Morgan came in right then.
Jessie nearly jumped, thinking he had somehow psychically detected her "stalking."
She opened his message and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
At dinner today, Mrs. Morgan had mentioned showing Victor the night view of Southaven. She'd also said that when Jessie went to Aethelburg, she'd have Victor make proper arrangements to show her around for a few days.
Victor was now asking if there was anywhere she wanted to go.
Jessie rarely traveled within the country. She didn't like traveling alone, and the only person she really enjoyed going on trips with was Lynn Jennings. Lynn was a total island fanatic who loved all sorts of extreme sports and scuba diving. Jessie was the type who was fine going anywhere, so she had rarely set foot in the country's inland cities.
Jessie sent a sticker of a cat deep in thought.
Victor might not have experience taking people on tours, but he was clearly used to making decisions.
Seeing Jessie's indecision, Victor directly sent her a few attractions near his home, complete with concise notes on how long to spend at each and what made them fun.
At the end, Victor added another message.
[Victor Morgan: When you get to Aethelburg, we'll go see the marital home first. We can add anything else you need. The house is ready to be moved into anytime. If you want to visit all these places, you can just stay and go whenever you feel like it.]
Jessie wasn't sure if it was because the bathroom was getting a little hot, or if it was seeing the two words "marital home" in Victor's message that made her face flush.
Jessie knew the Morgan family had already prepared the marital home for her and Victor. At dinner tonight, his parents had mentioned that she should go take a look whenever she had time. If anything needed to be changed, she should bring it up so Victor could have it done to her liking before the wedding.
After the Morgans said that, her own parents declared that next week would be fine.
And just like that, feeling a bit dazed, the elders in her family had made the decision for her: she was going to Aethelburg next week.
Now, with Victor bringing up the topic of their marital home so suddenly, she finally felt a flicker of 'I'm really getting married.'
[Jessie Sterling: Got it.]
After sending the two words, Jessie put down her phone and stood up from the tub.
Her young body was perfectly proportioned, fair-skinned and firm—an almost perfect hourglass figure.
Quickly, Jessie grabbed a bathrobe, put on a shower cap, and walked out.
It was still early. Remembering the little bear profile picture Quincy Sterling had mentioned that afternoon, Jessie grabbed her tablet and drew for over an hour before finally getting ready for bed.
This trip to Aethelburg was a case of being rushed into things.
As for Jessie herself, she wasn't entirely unwilling.
The Morgan family's suggestion that she go see the marital home first to see if any changes were needed was very considerate. After all, the new house was a place she would likely be living in for a long time. She was the mistress of the house, so her opinions and preferences were especially important.
At the end of July, Jessie arrived in Aethelburg.
Her timing wasn't great. Aethelburg was hosting a global summit in July, and she arrived on the very first day of the event.
As the current de facto head of the Morgan Group, Victor Morgan had to attend.
Jessie didn't mind. Victor had already given her the passcode to the new house, so she could go take a look on her own first.
"Jessie—"
Just as Jessie walked out and was about to wait for her luggage, a familiar voice suddenly reached her ears.
In the past, hearing that voice might have made Jessie ecstatic.
But now...
Jessie turned around slowly. Looking at the man who had strode up to her, she put on a surprised expression. "Julian Grant?" she called out.
Julian Grant was dressed in a sharp suit, with an assistant-like man by his side. It looked like he was on a business trip.
Jessie suddenly remembered the summit Victor had mentioned. 'He must be here for that too,' she figured.
"What are you doing here?" Julian was also stunned for a moment when he saw Jessie. He knew, of course, that she rarely flew to inland cities. Even for vacations, she was almost always with Lynn Jennings, heading to islands around the world. "Isn't Lynn Jennings with you?" Julian asked, not seeing her anywhere.
His tone was that of a caring, boy-next-door type.
But hearing that voice, Jessie couldn't help but feel a sense of repulsion.
'Julian knows perfectly well that I used to like him. If he has no feelings for me, why put on such a pretense? Since he's not interested, shouldn't he keep his distance? Is it just because our families are a good match that he wouldn't mind being married to me?'
'Isn't that a form of selfishness in itself?'
Jessie pursed her lips and shook her head, then broke into a brilliant smile. "I'm here to see Victor Morgan. Why would Lynn come with me?"
The smile on Julian's face froze, as if he was only just now connecting the person in front of him with the name "Victor Morgan."
It wasn't that Julian hadn't heard his mother mention the Sterling family's intention to form a marriage alliance with the Morgan family of Aethelburg these past few days, but he had always thought it was unlikely.
'Jessie doesn't want to marry someone so far from home. Besides, does she even know what kind of person Victor Morgan is, what he's like?'
But now, seeing Jessie at the Aethelburg airport and hearing her reply, Julian suddenly felt a pang of discomfort.
"Jessie, marriage is a serious matter, not child's play," Julian said. "If you have any second thoughts, you can talk to me about them."
Jessie looked at him, feigning confusion. "Hm?"
Julian reached up and tugged at his tie, perhaps because the northern air was too dry. "About Arya Thorne and me, you might have gotten the wrong idea. I didn't get a chance to explain at dinner that day. Why don't I give you a ride now? We can talk on the way."
Julian had never imagined Jessie would accept a marriage alliance with the Morgan family in Aethelburg. In his eyes, Jessie was still just a little girl. Even if she were to get married, a pampered princess like her would never be willing to leave home.
He had never taken the Morgan family of Aethelburg seriously, but now, the moment Jessie appeared at the Aethelburg airport, everything seemed to have been thrown into chaos.
Julian had originally planned to find Jessie and explain things properly after he was done with his current busy spell. He was well aware that the girl next door had a crush on him.
He didn't have any particular romantic feelings for Jessie, but if he had to choose someone from their circle for a marriage alliance, he wouldn't refuse one with the Sterling family.
There were no secrets in their circle. Everyone knew perfectly well who had messed around while studying abroad and who had just obediently attended their classes.
Even Lynn Jennings, who was always by Jessie's side, wasn't the same type of person as her.
'Guys like us can play around as much as we want on the outside. We can change girlfriends like we change clothes, several in a day if we want. But when it comes to the woman you marry and bring home, who doesn't want a clean blank slate?'
'In this big dye vat of a world, Jessie is that rare blank slate.'
Julian assumed Jessie wouldn't refuse him. Even if their families couldn't form an alliance, they were still childhood sweethearts.
"No, thank you." Jessie shook her head decisively. When she spoke again, her tone was a little smug. "Victor Morgan arranged for his driver to pick me up at the entrance."
'Before, I thought Victor was making a fuss over nothing,' Jessie thought. 'I'm not a three-year-old. It's not like I'm going to get lost in Aethelburg, right?'
'But now,' Jessie mused, 'I'm starting to think this man has his uses.'