Rebirth Swapped Bride; Married to the Ruthless Cursed Billionaire-Chapter 432: You have a fiancee?

"What’s this?"

Calvin lounged lazily in his chair, a flicker of surprise dancing in his mesmerizing peach-blossom eyes.

"Could it really be because of that?"

The corners of his lips curled into a faint smirk.

"I thought you were so scarred by that man-eating flower that you’d sworn off love and resigned yourself to a lonely old age."

All these years, Taylor had poured every ounce of his energy into the Taylor family and Melissa, never sparing a thought for himself.

When it came to matters of the heart, he had shut the door completely.

Whether it was deliberate advances or chance encounters at banquets, he left no room for anyone to get closer.

Calvin gave off the air of someone who had transcended worldly desires, as if he might take monastic vows at any moment.

And yet, here he was, admitting that a livelier atmosphere might be nice. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Seems that the woman’s return had left quite an impression on him.

"I did consider growing old alone," Taylor retorted coolly, shooting Calvin a sidelong glance.

Wisps of pale smoke drifted from his lips and nose, veiling his jade-like features.

"But it had nothing to do with her.

It was my own choice."

"Alright, out with it.

What’s going on?"

Calvin took a sip from his glass, arching an eyebrow as he waited for his friend to continue.

Taylor exhaled a slow stream of smoke, his usually warm eyes narrowing slightly before he began recounting the story—briefly, matter-of-fact—about the fiancée from E-country who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

His tone was detached, almost indifferent, as if he were narrating someone else’s life.

"Fiancée?"

Calvin straightened in his seat, his piercing gaze locked onto his friend, skepticism written all over his face.

"You’re serious?!"

It had only been a few days since they last spoke, not years.

The turn of events was absurdly sudden.

"No."

Taylor lowered his eyes, flicking the ash from his cigarette.

His expression remained composed, betraying nothing.

"Just kidding."

Calvin knew his friend too well.

That demeanor told him everything he needed to know.

"So it *is* true.

Quiet as always, but when you do make a move, it’s a bombshell."

A low chuckle escaped him, his strikingly handsome face lighting up with amusement.

"Always the quiet ones—just like Sinclair, you’ve been holding out on us with a big surprise."

At this, Calvin let out a couple of impressed chuckles.

Calvin couldn’t wrap his head around it.

The three of them had grown up together, yet somehow these two had managed to arrange a marriage behind his back—and kept it airtight?

"Spare me the sarcasm," Taylor said coolly, stubbing out his cigarette before lifting his gaze to meet Calvin’s.

His voice was calm, measured.

"Sinclair deliberately kept it under wraps.

As for me, I only found out recently."

Meanwhile, Sinclair, currently in Country E: "..." "Something this huge, and there wasn’t even a whisper of it before?"

Calvin swirled his glass, eyes alight with amusement.

"Those old fossils in the Taylor family—they actually managed to keep you in the dark for this long?"

Taylor’s dark eyes narrowed slightly, the faint curve of his lips edged with mockery.

The engagement had been arranged by his parents when he was five, with the daughter of his mother’s close friend.

Only a handful of people had ever known.

After his parents’ accident, those who remained—whether assuming he wouldn’t live long, fearing he might seek help from the other family, or for reasons of their own—had all chosen to bury the secret.

Deliberately.

The secret had been well kept—at least, in all the years since he took over the Taylor family, he had never heard a whisper of it.

It wasn’t until recently, when he was poisoned and purged a number of people in retaliation, that the truth came to light.

Calvin hadn’t given the matter much thought, but unexpectedly, the other party chose this moment to reach out, bringing up the arranged marriage.

Calvin swirled the wine in his glass, listening in silence.

His strikingly handsome face remained impassive.

The warm glow of the lights reflected off the crystal glass, casting shimmering ripples in his cold, peach-blossom eyes.

Families like theirs might appear glamorous on the surface, but beneath the façade lay nothing but filth and rot.

So no matter what those people did, nothing would surprise him.

What surprised him was the family involved in Taylor’s betrothal.

"That family has been silent all these years,"

Calvin remarked, his lips curling with a hint of something unreadable.

"And now, just as you’ve recovered, they suddenly reach out?

Quite the calculated move."

"Their motives don’t matter," Taylor replied, lifting his glass and taking a slow sip.

The warm light softened the sharp lines of his refined features, blurring them slightly.

"I’m going to E-country to break off the engagement."

Taylor currently had no plans to settle down.

At least, not for now.

"Don’t be so quick to dismiss it," Calvin drawled, lazily reclining in his chair.

His eyes, slightly glazed from the alcohol, held a faint smirk as he regarded his friend.

"The family might not be much, but the girl could be different."

"Go take a look first," he added, the amusement in his voice giving way to something more earnest.

"Who knows?

You might end up like Sinclair meeting someone who steals your heart at first sight, someone whose soul just... clicks with yours." Love at first sight?

A soulmate?

Taylor narrowed his eyes, his gaze drifting indifferently over the lively crowd below.

A cool, detached smile played on his handsome, refined features.

"In matters like this," he mused, "I don’t think I’ll be as lucky as Sinclair" On the central stage downstairs, the lead singer’s raspy voice wove through the familiar melody, soft yet haunting.

*"Some attachments linger like old scars..."*

"The more you avoid them, the more they ache in the dark...

"I said I forgot, so it doesn’t hurt anymore." "Because you loved too deeply and understood too well."

"I smiled and forgave—for you, it was worth it."

"Is it that you don’t believe you deserve this kind of luck?"

A cryptic smile played at the corners of Calvin’s lips as he watched Taylor, his voice deliberate.

"Or is it because you still can’t forget Voilet?"

"Calvin."

Taylor pressed his lips together, his tone icy and unreadable.

"What’s past is past."

After all these years, he wasn’t even sure anymore—was it her he couldn’t let go of, or the person he had been back then?

Some things, some people... perhaps it was time to truly close that Chapter.

"Oh?"

Calvin’s gaze sharpened as a familiar figure suddenly appeared in his line of sight.

Amusement flickered in his dark, narrowed eyes.

Speak of the devil.