"What surprise?" He asked, but the only response he heard was the echo of his own voice through the phone’s earpiece as the line went dead.

What was Marianne up to now as she insisted that he pick her up at a jewelry store?

Just a few moments ago, Ryan had informed him that the bank had sent a notification of recent large transactions on his card. Upon learning that Marianne was the culprit, he hastily dismissed the issue.

Knowing his sister, she would not settle for a few thousand bucks when she was on a shopping spree. A few new clothes, shoes, and bags wouldn’t do.

Anyway, as long as it made her sister happy, he didn’t mind spending his hard-earned money. After all, Marianne insisted that shopping was therapeutic.

As he entered the posh and upscale establishment, his eyes immediately scanned the room, but to his surprise, he found his wife, instead of his sister, in the middle of a brawl with his ex-wife.

"What the hell!"

When he saw that Hazel’s arm swung toward Sophia, his instincts forced him to move at lightning speed, blocking Hazel’s attack and preventing Sophia from getting harmed.

"Nobody touches my wife." He glared at the two women who held Sophia in place, forcing them to release his wife in an instant, and stepped back in fright.

Behind him, he also felt that his ex-wife had frozen and fallen into silence. Probably shocked to see him. When he finally turned around, Hazel’s face was ashen white. Fear completely blanketed her face.

"Not even you, Hazel." If his eyes could slice through flesh, he would have skinned her alive for attempting to hurt Sophia. Luckily, he had arrived on time before it was too late.

Knowing Hazel, she could be mean and cruel. Just like the other people in their circle, who enjoyed bullying those who were less fortunate than they were.

It was the reason he had never liked Hazel in the first place. He knew that they were just too different.

For the same exact reason, he had always known that their marriage would never work. But for the sake of their son, he married her anyway.

But now, he was glad that he had already cut his ties with her and out of their son’s lives. He believed Caleb was better off not having a mother, if it was anything like her.

Unlike Hazel, Sophia had proven herself repeatedly as the better choice as his wife and Caleb’s mother.

"Are you ok?" He finally turned to check on his wife, who had remained silent through the confrontation.

Holding on to her shoulders, his eyes readily scrutinized her body for any kind of injuries. Thankfully, she seemed unharmed. No visible injuries so far.

"I’m fine." Sophia looked at him with a slight irritation in her eyes. "You know you didn’t have to step up. I could have defended myself." Clearly, she didn’t need any help from him.

Undoubtedly, she was indeed very capable of protecting herself. "I know, but I’m still your husband. It’s my obligation." She had shown that time and time again.

However, as her husband, he would not stand on the sidelines and watch his wife get bullied by anyone, even if that was his ex-wife or the daughter of the President of the United States.

"As for you..." He looked at the three women who tried to gang up on his wife. "Apologize to my wife." He ordered in a dictatorial voice, leaving them with no room to argue. "Or suffer the consequence."

Everybody knew that he never made empty threats. Unless they had a death wish, they should do what he asked.

The two minions who helped his ex-wife immediately got down on their knees, trembling and begging for forgiveness. They were clearly aware that crossing the Morton family meant the end of their life as they knew it.

If they lived to survive his wrath, they would basically have nothing left to show for. They would wish they had never been born.

"We’re truly sorry. We won’t do it again, Sophia." The two profusely bowed their heads and begged for mercy.

However, his ex-wife was something else. Hazel was tougher than her companion as she remained standing with no signs of remorse.

"How can you ask me to bow down to her, Oliver? I’m your wife. The mother of your child. How can you humiliate me like this?" Hazel ranted as if she had been the victim, not the other way around.

"First of all, you’re my ex-wife." He clarified, not wanting the people around them to get the wrong impression. "Sophia is now my wife." Firmly wrapping his arms around her shoulders to show everyone to whom he belonged.

"And don’t forget. You have lost the right to call Caleb your son when you abandon him." He would not let this woman use their son as leverage against him and his family.

As far as he was concerned, Hazel had no shame. She didn’t deserve to be called the mother of his child.

"If you refuse to apologize..." He would have no other recourse. But before he could finish his sentence, Hazel dropped to her knees, knowing she had lost this battle.

"I’m sorry, Sophia. I was out of line." Hazel bowed her head, but the hatred that reflected in her eyes showed exactly how she felt.

"Now, if you don’t mind leaving. My wife and I had some shopping to do." It was then that he realized that his sister had set him up with his wife.

As his ex-wife left, he gradually noticed the new look that his wife was sporting. The different shade and bounce of her hair. The new outfit that she wore.

It was not just a new wardrobe but a totally new style.

More daring. Far more alluring.

Damn!

After staring at her sexy outfit, he would admit he had only one thing on his mind as he felt the tightness in his pants.

He would carry his wife like a caveman back to his car and rush back into his apartment. Then, he would rip those clothes out of her body and have his way with her until the sun rose the next morning.

But, of course, he did no such thing.

Instead, he chose to be patient. "Have you chosen what you like?" He asked his wife, turning to the precious rings on display.

He suddenly understood what Marianne intended as she watched the surprise in his wife’s eyes. She deserved everything the world had to offer.

"But I already have a wedding wing?" Sophia pointed to the wedding ring that his mother had passed down to them for their fake wedding.

It was a beautiful family heirloom that had been with their family for generations. It was the mark of the new Donna in the family.

But—

As her husband, he wanted to give her a ring that was meant only for her.

"I want you to choose what you like." He insisted. "I want this to be the symbol of our union." Not the contractual agreement they had signed.

A symbol of their brand new start.

"But you don’t need to do this. I don’t need another expensive piece of jewelry to prove anything to me." Sophia glanced at the shiny stones for a brief second before returning her eyes to him.

"I know, but I still want you to choose one. This time, I’m not doing this as my duty as your husband." He took her hand and kissed her fingers with his soft lips. "I want you to accept this as my gift to my wife."

"Please..." He even pleaded, not wanting anything else but to give his wife the world if he could.

For a minute, she seemed to hesitate, but eventually, she finally turned to the various rings that lined up on the tray.

From blue to pink diamonds, princess to emerald cut, and 3 to 10 carats.

"Are you sure? This is what you want." But he was not surprised when she chose the simplest from the batch.

A 3-carat, pink, princess-cut diamond.

"I want something that I could actually wear every day without worrying that I might lose it." She explained as she picked up the diamond from the tray and stared at it. "Don’t get me wrong. I love what your Mom gave me, but it is just too distracting."

Looking at the large, bulky ring on her hand, he easily understood what she meant. The smaller pink diamond would fit better on her dainty finger.

"Then, let me try this on for you." He took her hand, slipping off the other ring and taking the pink diamond from her.

Unexpectedly, he found himself kneeling before her, doing what he should have done before they even got married.

Proposed properly.

"Will you be my wife?" In the true sense of the word.

As if caught by surprise, Sophia could only stare at him with those wide, teary eyes. Her lips opened, but no words came out.

"I think what you’re trying to say is yes." Of course, that was what he wanted to hear. But he already saw it in her eyes.

Around them, the entire people in the store held their breath as they waited.

When she opened her lips again, she finally said it.

"Yes, I do."

Cheers exploded around them. But he couldn’t care about any of them. All he could think about was the woman right in front of him. Without waiting for another second, he put the ring on her finger before standing up to envelop her in a tight embrace.

It was as if the ring had truly been made especially for her, as it fit perfectly on her finger.

"It’s perfect." They simultaneously agreed.

But behind the scenes, there was someone cheering for them and someone praying for their downfall.