The treasure hunt began. First, she needed to find a large windmill.

The windmill was easy to find, even at night, because it was decorated with twinkling lights. Yvonne Sutton stepped ashore and walked along the water for about ten minutes, finally arriving at the base of the large windmill.

"To the southeast of the windmill, there’s a flight of stairs. Follow them up."

Yvonne circled around to the southeast of the windmill and, just as the message said, found a flight of stairs. Lampposts lit the way. She followed the steps up and saw a house with white walls and a blue roof.

"Now you need to find a very special tree near the house."

"A special tree?"

"Yep."

"No hints?"

"None."

Yvonne glanced around the house. There were so many trees—pines, wax trees, iron holly, and more. Then she spotted a ginkgo tree. At this time of year, its leaves had all turned a brilliant, golden yellow.

What made this tree special, however, was that it had been struck by lightning. Its core was hollowed out and charred, yet it was still alive and flourishing.

"There’s an iron box in the hollow of the tree."

Yvonne switched on her flashlight. Sure enough, a rusty iron box was tucked inside. She pulled it out and struggled for a while before finally prying it open.

Inside was a princess wand. That’s right, a toy.

"This princess wand is magical. Press the button on it if you don’t believe me."

Yvonne laughed. ’This is so childish.’ But she did as Wyatt Shaw said, picking up the princess wand and pressing the pink, heart-shaped button.

In an instant, countless colorful lights switched on, and music began to play.

She didn’t know much about music, but she knew this melody was warm and light, evoking a feeling of pure happiness. As the music swelled and softened, the lights changed color in time with it. She felt like a real fairy-tale princess, the scene before her utterly dreamlike.

"There’s another surprise in the wand’s crystal ball," he texted.

The crystal ball was flashing. She twisted it open, and something fell out. She scrambled to catch it and thankfully did. Opening her hand, she found a ring nestled in her palm.

"Yvonne Sutton, marry me."

Staring at the message, Yvonne was stunned for a long time. ’He’s actually proposing.’ They had already set a wedding date, so this step could have been skipped, but he had still proposed.

And in such a beautiful place, with so much care.

’Wait a minute,’ she thought. ’He must have prepared all this a long time ago, back when he didn’t even know me. Was this originally meant for another woman? Clearly, that proposal never happened, so now he’s using it on me.’

To be honest, a pang of discomfort hit her. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"There was no one else. I just prepared this while daydreaming about my future love," he texted, as if he’d read her mind, quickly adding an explanation.

Yvonne’s heart fluttered. He was always so considerate of her feelings.

"The ring might not be the right size. If it doesn’t fit, I’ll have a new one made for you when I get back."

Yvonne looked at the platinum ring. It was a simple, yet beautiful, design with a single diamond. She tried slipping it onto her middle finger, and surprisingly, it was a perfect fit.

She took a photo and sent it to Wyatt Shaw. "It’s a perfect fit."

Wyatt Shaw: Maybe it was fate. You were always destined to be my bride.

Yvonne sat down on the steps, gazing at the colorful lights, the house with its white walls and blue roof, and listening to the distant crash of waves. Everything was perfect.

’Still,’ she couldn’t help but wonder, ’isn’t this the Rhodes family’s private island? Has Wyatt been here before? Not only that, but he was able to set up this whole surprise and keep it here. He must be more than just a guest...’

But she didn’t ask. It wasn’t really important.

On the way back, Yvonne felt a new spring in her step. She realized she had been a little lonely during her walk on the beach earlier, but now, her heart was full.

When she returned to the villa, Chloe was waiting anxiously for her.

"Miss Sutton, you’re finally back! Quick, come inside and change," Chloe said, ushering her into the house.

"Change into what?" Yvonne asked, confused.

"The clothes our young master prepared for you. He said he wants to thank you for saving his life earlier."

Yvonne was completely baffled. ’How did I save his life? The snake that bit him wasn’t even venomous.’

But before she could protest, Chloe had already started helping her out of her clothes.

"I can do it myself!" she exclaimed.

A white slip dress was laid out on the bed, its fabric smooth and fine to the touch. Beside it lay a pearl necklace and matching earrings. She changed into the dress, applied some simple makeup, and followed Chloe deeper into the villa.

Just then, the party music stopped. As the main doors opened, Chloe pushed her inside, and every eye in the room turned to her.

"Chloe, I should just wait for Mr. Rhodes out here..."

She felt uneasy and tried to back out, but Monica Lynch’s voice stopped her.

"Well, look who it is! Yvonne Sutton, how could I forget about you? Come on in!"

Monica Lynch clicked over in her high heels, a cryptic smile on her face. She came right up to Yvonne, grabbed her arm, and yanked her into the room.

"Everyone, let me introduce you. This is my old college classmate, Yvonne Sutton. None of you have met her, but you might have heard her name. After all, she was trending online for quite a while recently. She was later fired from her hospital, but Wendy, holding no grudges, hired her as a private doctor."

At the mention of her trending online, everyone immediately understood and turned to stare at Yvonne with mocking expressions.

"Please forgive her," Monica continued. "She’s from the countryside and doesn’t get out much. She’s quite the schemer, though—already had a gown prepared. I got so busy I completely forgot about her, but look how shameless she is, showing up uninvited anyway."

Every word dripped with sarcasm. Yvonne frowned and yanked her arm free from Monica’s grip.

"I’m not here for your birthday party. I’m—"

"Of course you’re not. Are you here to hunt for a man? After all, now that Mr. Reed has dumped you, you’ve got to find a new sugar daddy quick. Who else is going to support you?"

As Monica Lynch’s words rang out, the people around them erupted in laughter.

Just then, Vincent Reed came over, his face grim. "Who let you in? Get out!"

Wendy Winters followed, still wearing her mask of fake benevolence. "Yvonne, everyone at Monica’s party is a person of status. You... your presence isn’t appropriate."

Yvonne was speechless. ’What status? And what ’status’ do they have?’

Just then, someone called out, "Mr. Rhodes is here!"

Everyone turned to the front. As soon as Silas Rhodes appeared, they broke into applause. Yvonne looked over too and saw that Silas had changed into a white suit. He looked elegant and dignified, as if he weren’t the same person who had been rolling on the ground, wailing in terror just moments ago.

"This is no place for you," Vincent Reed hissed, stepping closer to her.

Yvonne took a step away, ignoring him.

"And that dress... you really think you’re fit to wear it?"

"Vincent Reed, are you nuts? Your fiancée is right over there. Why do you keep bothering me?" Yvonne said in disgust.

Wendy Winters glanced in their direction and sighed softly. "Yvonne, why must you do this? You’re making a fool of yourself."

At the word "fool," those nearby who overheard began to snicker.

Monica Lynch scoffed. "You’d better leave now, before I have someone throw you out. That would be truly humiliating for you."

The moment she finished speaking, the music started up again. It was time for Silas Rhodes to lead the first dance.

Monica Lynch quickly smoothed her dress, ignoring everyone else as she waited for Silas to ask her to dance. After all, she was the birthday girl, not to mention his rumored girlfriend.

When Silas Rhodes’s gaze fell in her direction, Monica Lynch eagerly started to walk toward him.

"Miss Sutton, may I have this dance?"

Silas Rhodes’s gaze swept past the crowd, finally landing on Yvonne Sutton.