"And honestly, Claire looks better in that dress than you ever could." Claire had her back to him. The smug look on her face said it all. Still, her words came out laced with guilt. "Miss Meyer, if you don't want to give it up, that's fine. A dress this elegant... there's no way nobody like me deserves to wear it." "Don't be ridiculous," Lucas said without hesitation. "The woman I love could never be a nobody. Destiny is just living off her parents. She's not so high and mighty herself." With that, he handed the dress over to the tailor. The old tailor didn't move. He stood there, calmly waiting for my instructions. After all, the Meyers had been this shop's top patron for generations, going all the way back to his great-great-grandfather. Lucas clearly didn't like that. "You-" "She wants it?" I interrupted Lucas. "Then let Miss Monroe have it." Lucas finally seemed satisfied. "Since you're being reasonable," he said, smug as ever, "I'll have dinner with you once a month after we're married." The way he said that was like he was doing me a huge favor. In that moment, something clicked. The change in his attitude had started the moment he learned the Meyers were the most powerful family in the country, while the Whitmores barely made it into the top ten. I used to love how fearless he was when we were younger, how he never measured a person's worth by money or status. But after that, he started using "you Meyers" like a curse. Constantly reminding me that I was nothing without my parents. Always putting me down, always mocking me, and using my love for him as an excuse to say the cruelest things. Truth was, he was insecure. The thought made me laugh. "Lucas, what makes you so sure I'm going to marry you?" ... Lucas smirked, like I'd just told the world's funniest joke. "You've been chasing me since we were kids," he scoffed. "Every birthday wish was the same-you wanted to marry me when you turned twenty. "Well, you're twenty now. Do you think you'll marry someone else?" Claire snuggled into his chest, a smug edge in her voice.