Page 30 of The Switch: A Friends To Lovers Romance

Luke’s jaw fell.

“It was arranged by our elders. My father wanted to align our families with the descendants of nobles. I was the only son, thus I was their only hope.” He stared through the windows as if seeing the past play out in front of him. “But a few weeks before my wedding, I met another woman.”

“Who was she?”

“She was a simple cloth maker. Her parents worked in a factory in a small, unknown province. She had little money, no education and definitely no noble blood.”

“Did you introduce her to the family?”

He nodded. “I told my father I would call off my engagement and marry her instead. He rejected me and cut me off. He tried his best to change my mind, but nothing he did shook my love for her. Eventually, I asked her to marry me.”

Luke leaned in, eager to hear what his uncle’s lover had said. As far as he knew, Eddie had been a bachelor all his life.

“She told me no. That she could never be happy if I gave up everything to be with her. I begged her not to worry. Told her she was all I needed, but in the end, she refused to choose me.”

“Do you still keep in touch?”

Eddie shook his head. “Last I heard, she was married to a man from her neighborhood. He was someone of a similar background and social standing.”

“Oh.”

“She is happy.” Eddie’s expression turned sad, wistful. “She is content with the path she chose. That is all I wanted for her.”

“I… had no idea. Mom never said anything.”

Eddie glanced up, searing him with an intense gaze. “Your mother was very vocal with her disapproval. I am sure that is a page of our history she would like to erase.”

Sounded like his mom. “The girl you loved… she wasn’t black though? She was Chinese?”

Eddie dipped his head.

Luke threw his hands up. “And they still had problems with her. My parents will never be satisfied.”

“That is not the point.” Eddie clasped his thick fingers together. “I’m an old man, Luke. I have seen famine and war. I’ve been in the depths of poverty and worked my way to a comfortable wealth. I’ve known love, the kind that transcends all limits. And I know what it is to lose that love.”

“Then you understand what I’m fighting for.”

“Yes.”

“So why give me the impression you were firing me yesterday? You said I had to choose between the café or giving into my parents.”

“I did.” Eddie said nothing more. Just stared at him as if waiting for Luke to figure it out.

“That doesn’t make sense unless… were you testing me?”

Eddie nodded again. “Whatever decision you made would have been my answer.”

“Answer to what?”

“The strength of your conviction. The depth of your love. If you had given in to your mother’s demands and chosen the café, I would know where your heart lies. Not in your woman, but in your ambition.”

“And then what? You would have helped her break us up?”

“Yes.”

At least his uncle was honest. “What if I’d deceived you all? What if I lied and told Mom I’d stopped seeing her but dated her secretly behind your backs?”

“Then you would not be the man that I know.” Eddie straightened the pepper sauce and said quietly, “Do you know why I’m leaving the café to you, Luke?”

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