"Really now?" Ace seemed conflicted, his lips curving upwards. "What should I do then? Should I crash the wedding in the name of love?"
Joanna's expression turned stiff for a moment, as mixed emotions welled up in her chest. 'So that means he really hasn't moved on from Cecilia.'
In a way, her heart was aching for both him… and herself. She realized that their three-year marriage truly was a mistake from the start. Even without Alice driving a wedge between them, there was no way that she could've won his heart over.
His first love had already taken over his entire heart, leaving nothing for her.
"If you really can't let her go, then have a good talk with Miss Cecilia about your feelings. As long as you do that before the ceremony, it wouldn't be too late to change her mind…" Joanna said, suppressing the bitterness in her heart. She acted as if she wasn't affected in the slightest, even going as far as to give him advice.
"Oh, and, if you really do love her, don't use such childish methods to annoy her. I could tell that she was very upset when we kissed. You may think you've won, but you could've lost her there."
Ace nodded with a serious face. "You're right. Thank you, I've learned a lot."
"But… this beach does look really beautiful, especially during the ebb tide. And there are a myriad types of seashells lying around in the sand. Why don't you come with me, and we'll go find some?"
"Me?"
"You're the only one who knows about my true feelings. That's why I need your help. I'd like to give her a surprise," Ace said. The arrogant undertone in his voice, however, did not sound like he was asking for help at all.
Joanna was extremely frustrated by this. 'What the heck?! Do I owe you anything, my man? Why would I ever go find seashells with you?!' she thought.
However, she still agreed to his request.
"I can help you… for a price. Fifteen hundred dollars for each minute, and I'll give you a twenty percent discount if we take more than an hour. And you'll have to transfer the money to me right after, deal?"
After hearing this, Ace chuckled lightly at the sheer ridiculousness of this. 'When did this woman much? She keeps talking about it no matter the conversation! Does she need money that much?'
With the amount of wealth he possessed, Ace was more than happy to use money to get this woman to 'obey' him.
"Deal!"
The two then immediately headed towards the beach opposite the hotel. This beach was known for its clear blue seas. Anyone who stood before it would feel as if they had been cleansed by the sea breeze, all their troubles dissipating in an instant.
"Hi, o' beautiful sea! How are you?" Joanna exclaimed as she spread her arms wide.
She loved the sea very much, and her mood was instantly boosted by the fact that she'd be earning money while enjoying a beautiful sea view.
Although the sun was shining bright above their heads, the sea breeze was cool to the touch. The temperature wasn't all that hot at all.
Joanna danced around the mild tides, feeling slightly guilty about this deal they had made. She turned to look at the man and grinned.
"Don't worry, Boss! I heard this beach has a seashell called the 'Heart of The Sea.' People who find it will be blessed with happiness!"
"I'II make sure to turn this entire beach inside out to find it for you and Miss Cecilia. Then you can just ask her to get back together with you by presenting her with the seashell! You'll succeed for sure!"
Ace raised an eyebrow. "Then you must find it for me. I really wish to start over."
Sticking to her principle of working hard for the one who paid, Joanna started looking for seashells with a serious face.
Ace, on the other hand, followed behind the woman from a short distance, as if he was her secret guardian angel, protecting her from afar.
With the light wind breeze, the two walked around the warm golden sand, leaving their footprints behind as their shadows danced over each other. The scenery was just wonderfully romantic, as though it had come straight out of a teenage romance film…
"Oh my god! I found it! I found it!" Joanna cheered excitedly after digging behind a reef.
Ace seemed amused and dumbfounded at the same time. 'So it really exists?'
He was someone who was solely aligned with materialism, and normally viewed things in a complete logically way. Hence, he didn't believe in myths at all.
Despite this, he somehow didn't intend to undermine the woman's efforts, seeing just how exhilarated she seemed. He even approached her, acting as if he was just as interested.
"What does it look like? Let me see."
"Look! This is the 'Heart of The Sea'! Doesn't it look like a heart? And it's pink too!" Joanna washed the sand off of the heart-shaped seashell. She then smiled very widely as she carefully held it up to show Ace what she found.
Under the sunlight, the pink seashell seemed to emanate a dreamy glow. The colors triggered a magical atmosphere that was filled with love.
"Ahem!" Ace cleared his throat, hoping that he could tell the woman that he'd seen seashells like this all over the place when he was on a vacation in Aleoha. It wasn't something she should cheer over.
However, he managed to hold in the urge to reveal this truth, going against his usual mindset, and replied softly, "Mhm, it's alright, I suppose."
He himself had no idea why he had suddenly become 'kind and considerate ' when he usually would just do whatever he wanted.
Ace then figured it was because the woman had rarely shown such a soft side, considering they always fought every time they spoke.
He simply wished to preserve this moment for the time being…
Just then, Joanna quickly went into professional mode and took her phone out, calculating the total time they spent.
"So it took us an hour and thirty-seven minutes to find this seashell."
"According to what we agreed, you'll have to transfer 145500 dollars. With the discount, your total amount will be 116400 dollars. I'll round the number down to 116 thousand, then. Pay up!"
After tapping on her phone several times, Joanna lifted her chin and flashed him a big smile. "How was that? Money well spent, right? Just get on one knee and present her with this seashell at the wedding! No woman could possibly resist this!"
Ace was speechless. 'Damn it. I was too careless.'
This woman is so calculative she can throw someone under the bus at any time! How could she possibly be a soft, adorable sweetheart?!'
Ace's dashing facial features were now plastered with a layer of frost. Just as he was about to leave, Joanna grabbed his hand and said, "Don't go just yet! Take the 'Heart of The Sea' with you!"
She then pried the man's hand open, placing the pink seashell right onto his palm. "You spent a lot just to get this love charm. It will definitely bring you luck."
Ace fell silent. He wondered if the woman was being sarcastic, and at that moment, he felt like lashing out at her.
The wedding ceremony was extraordinarily lively, with almost all the guests present in gorgeously tailored apparel, chattering around the church.
Christopher and the group had finally brought the bride over, and they were merely waiting for the ceremony to begin.
Ace and Joanna had arrived at the venue too, but their appearance together attracted quite some gossip.
"Hasn't your cousin divorced her? Why did they show up together? And why do they still seem pretty close?"