Chapter 1

The day Brianna Lindt is supposed to meet my adoptive parents, her phone stays off the entire day.

Just the night before, she confidently promises that, as their future daughter-in-law, she'll win Mom and Dad over.

But even after the server comes in for the sixth time to refill our drinks, I still can't reach her.

A few hours later, I stumble upon a new post from Brianna's assistant, Elliot Collins.

In the photo, Brianna is surrounded by shopping bags full of high-end gifts as she chats over drinks with his family.

The caption reads, "My family's been hounding me to get married, so huge thanks to my boss for coming to the rescue and pretending to be my girlfriend."

Brianna finally arrives at the restaurant that evening.

"Michael, I'm sorry I'm late. Something urgent came up at work, and I had to deal with it."

She takes my ice-cold hand in hers and soothes me in a gentle voice.

"Knowing I was meeting Mr. and Mrs. Pearson today made me so nervous last night that I completely forgot to plug in my phone, so it stayed dead all day. Can you reschedule with your parents for another time, please?"

We've been together for seven years, yet she can't even tell me the truth.

Furthermore, the so-called work emergency is merely pretending to be Elliot's girlfriend so he can get his family off his back.

Years of built-up disappointment finally spill over.

I gently pull my hand away from hers, slip off my engagement ring, and say, "Let's call off the wedding. You can play his girlfriend for the rest of your life."

Chapter 1

Brianna Lindt froze, staring at the ring in my hand as her brows pulled together. "Michael, what are you talking about? What do you mean for the rest of my life? Didn't I just tell you that an urgent matter came up at the office?"

She reached out, trying to slide the ring back onto my finger. "Stop throwing a tantrum. I'll apologize to Mr. and Mrs. Pearson. I promise I'll make a great impression next time."

However, I yanked my hand back out of her reach, looking her dead in the eye.

"Something urgent at work? What kind of work emergency requires you to show up at Elliot Collins' place with gifts and pretend to be his girlfriend?"

Brianna's hand froze in midair.

Pulling out my phone, I brought up the screenshot of Elliot's Instagram post and slid it across the table toward her.

The screen's glow cast a harsh light over her features.

In the photo, she was sitting in Elliot's living room, patiently making coffee for his grandmother with a gentle expression.

I'd spent an entire month persuading Mom and Dad to agree to this meeting.

The Pearsons had strict expectations when it came to marriage. They'd always believed Brianna came from too ordinary a background and carried herself with too little maturity.

I was the one who fought against everyone's objections, promising them that she treated me well and was a partner I could truly trust, which was the only reason they finally agreed to clear their schedules.

In the end, we'd waited in that private room for three hours.

When the server came in for the sixth time to refill our drinks, Dad slammed his glass onto the table and walked out without saying a single word.

Meanwhile, my fiancee was busy keeping someone else's grandmother company.

Brianna's face fell the moment she saw the screenshot, but she quickly regained her composure.

"Michael, I can explain. Elliot's grandmother isn't in good health. Out of nowhere, she started pressuring him to bring a girlfriend home, and she refused to take her medication unless she saw her grandson settling down. I was only helping him out as his boss and went along with it for a little while."

She softened her tone. "We just had a quick dinner, and absolutely nothing happened. You're usually such a compassionate person, Michael. You wouldn't want me to just stand by and watch an old woman suffer, would you?"

I stared at the certainty in her eyes, unable to find any humor in the situation.

"So, you bailed him out and left me hanging instead?" I retorted.

Brianna faltered. "I didn't mean to. I wanted to text you to let you know, but I forgot to charge my phone last night, and it went out of—"

Before she could finish, her phone suddenly lit up.

Accompanied by a chime, a text notification popped up on screen.

"Thanks for everything, Ms. Lindt. Grandma's getting a good night's sleep."

The private room fell dead silent.

I stared at the glowing screen, the sheer absurdity of the situation washing over me.

Brianna hesitated for a second, guilt clearly getting the better of her.

She flipped the phone face down onto the table, a flicker of panic crossing her features. "Michael, I—"

At that moment, I stood up and walked right out of the room.

The moment I stepped out of the restaurant, I spotted the familiar black Maybach parked at the curb.

The window rolled down to reveal Mom sitting in the back seat, her expression unreadable.

"Get in," she said flatly. "We're going home."

Anxiety gnawed at me as I opened the door and climbed into the car, keeping my hands tightly clasped in my lap.

The Pearsons had adopted me when I was 12 years old.

Their biological son had tragically passed away in an accident that same year, driving Mom to a complete mental breakdown. Dad had selected me from the orphanage simply because I bore a slight resemblance to their late boy.

Over the years, they provided me with everything I needed and gave me the best education money could buy, yet they always treated me with polite distance.

They never asked what kind of friends I made, nor did they care where I ranked in school.

I'd always assumed this distance existed because I was an outsider who didn't deserve their guidance or expectations.

Moreover, I'd embarrassed them by letting my fiancee stand them up.

When we returned to the Pearson residence, I stood in front of the coffee table with my head bowed, bracing myself for Dad's fury and disappointment.

After all, they'd canceled a multi-million dollar business meeting just for me, only to spend three hours waiting for someone who never showed.

But the explosion never came.

Dad merely rubbed the bridge of his nose, stood up, and went upstairs to his study.

Meanwhile, Mom removed her shawl, letting out a quiet sigh. "Get some rest. We'll talk about this tomorrow."

Nobody yelled at me, and nobody even bothered to ask why Brianna failed to show up.

Standing alone in the middle of the empty living room, I felt a chill run through my body.

They didn't even care enough to be angry with me.

Chapter 2

My phone vibrated the following morning.

Brianna had sent a text.

"Michael, have you had a chance to calm down and clear your head after last night? Elliot feels terrible about what happened yesterday, too. His grandmother was in really bad shape, and I just couldn't pull myself away. Let me take you out to that steak spot you love tonight to make it up to you, okay?"

Staring at the words, I didn't reply.

She genuinely thought this was just a typical instance of running late, a minor hiccup that could be brushed aside with a dinner date and a few sweet words.

I took half the day off from work, grabbed my spare key, and took a taxi to Brianna's apartment.

Half the items in that place belonged to me, and I intended to pack up all my clothes and personal belongings to clear myself out of her life.

The door lock clicked softly.

As I pushed the door open, however, my footsteps ground to a halt right in the entryway.

Sitting neatly by the shoe rack was a pair of men's dress shoes, and they weren't my size.

A moment later, the guest room door swung open.

Elliot stepped out, casually fixing his hair. He wore a dark gray cashmere cardigan layered over a white t-shirt and pants.

That exact cardigan was the birthday gift Brianna had meticulously picked out for me just last month. She'd told me to wear it whenever the weather turned cold. But now, it was draped over Elliot's shoulders.

Elliot froze when he caught sight of me, instinctively pulling the cardigan tightly around himself. "Michael… What are you doing here?"

The master bedroom door opened next.

Brianna walked out in her loungewear, and the second she spotted me standing in the entryway, the color drained from her face.

"Michael?"

Staring at the two of them, I felt a wave of nausea hit my stomach. "Is this how you make things up to me? By bringing another guy into your apartment?"

Brianna rushed over, reaching out to grab my hand. "Michael, calm down! Just let me explain!"

I took a step back, dodging her touch. "Explain what?"

I pointed a finger at the cardigan Elliot wore. "Explain why he's walking out of your guest room or why he's wearing the clothes you bought for me?"

Brianna's brows furrowed, a defensive edge creeping into her voice.

"Can you please stop being so insecure? Elliot passed out from low blood sugar in the hospital hallway last night after taking care of his grandmother.

"I couldn't just leave him stranded on the street, could I? His clothes had vomit on them from last night, so he just grabbed something random from the closet."

Something random?

That cardigan sat in the most prominent spot in the closet, sealed inside a protective garment bag.

Elliot's face remained pale, yet he offered a calm explanation.

"Michael, please don't get the wrong idea. Ms. Lindt stayed up late talking to my grandmother last night. She didn't feel safe letting me drive home alone, which is the only reason she let me crash in the guest room for the night. My clothes got ruined, so I just borrowed yours for a bit."

As he spoke, he raised his hands to slip off the cardigan. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know Ms. Lindt bought this specifically for you. I'll give it back right now. Please don't be mad at her."

Brianna immediately grabbed his wrist to stop him, throwing a sharp, disapproving glare my way. "That's enough, Michael! He just got back from the hospital. If you make him take that off, what is he supposed to wear?"

I watched in silence as Brianna shielded him.

Seven years.

I'd stayed by her side from the early days of her startup, pulling all-nighters to draft business proposals, all the way until she became the fierce CEO she was today.

I'd genuinely believed what we had was unbreakable.

As it turned out, all it took was a bout of low blood sugar, a request from an old woman, and a soiled shirt to shatter my seven-year relationship into pieces.

Pulling the spare key from my pocket, I slammed it onto the entryway shoe rack. "Keep it. It's ruined anyway."

Turning on my heel, I pushed open the apartment door and walked out.

Panic finally set in, and Brianna chased me down the corridor.

"Michael, wait! Don't leave! I'll make him pack up and leave right this second," she yelled after me. "I swear I'll keep my distance from him from now on. Please don't do this!"

Chapter 3

The elevator doors opened on the ground floor.

Brianna held onto my arm, refusing to let go. "Michael, we've been together for seven years. Are you really going to throw all of that away over a stupid misunderstanding?"

Staring at her bloodshot eyes, I opened my mouth to reply, but the other elevator door suddenly burst open.

Elliot came sprinting out after us, barely keeping his shoes on his feet as he clutched his phone, panic flickering across his features. "Ms. Lindt!"

Brianna instinctively turned around. "What is it?"

Elliot tightened his grip on the phone, his voice raw and frantic. "The hospital just called. They placed my grandmother on life support. The doctor said her organs are failing, and she might not even survive the month…"

He pressed the back of his hand to his forehead, desperately forcing himself to stay composed.

"She woke up for a brief moment just now and told me her final wish is to see me get married before she passes. But where am I going to find a bride on such short notice?"

The tight grip Brianna had on my wrist loosened the moment she heard the words "life support". She turned to face Elliot, her eyes softening with sympathy as she took in his distressed state.

I stood there in silence, looking down at the red marks her fingers had left on my skin.

Brianna, who had sworn just seconds ago to throw him out and keep her distance, had completely shifted all her attention to another man.

She remained quiet for what felt like an eternity before she finally turned back to look at me.

"Michael, it's a dying woman's final wish to see her grandson settle down. I promised Elliot I'd help him pull together a fake wedding this weekend. It's just to give her some peace of mind."

I stared at her in disbelief.

"Can you do me a favor and lie to Mr. and Mrs. Pearson to cover for me?" she asked. "Once the weekend is over, I promise I'll go to your place to apologize and formally plan our wedding. Okay?"

She wanted me to lie to my own parents to cover for her while she played the bride for another man. Looking at her, I felt such a profound sense of exhaustion that even anger felt like a waste of energy.

Seven years ago, when I was being ostracized at school, I used to hide in the furthest corner of the track field. She was the one who walked up to me back then and said, "Don't be scared. I've got your back from now on."

The sweet girl who had once saved me had apparently died somewhere along the way during these seven years.

"Brianna, do you think I don't have feelings?" I asked, my voice flat.

Brianna's face turned pale. "Michael, it's just acting! The wedding isn't real! Why can't you just be a little more understanding?"

"Go ahead and enjoy your performance," I said, taking a step back to put some distance between us. "I'm not sticking around to watch."

With that, I turned on my heel and walked out of the apartment building.

Brianna chased after me once more.

Just as her hand was about to brush against me, the sharp screech of tires echoed through the air. A silver Aston Martin whipped around the corner and slammed on the brakes right at the curb.

The driver's door swung open.

Winona Pearson stepped out of the car, wearing a long black trench coat and high heels. She was my adoptive sister, the true biological heiress to the Pearson family.

Growing up, she'd always treated me with a cold, detached indifference, and even the rare times she called me her brother sounded purely transactional.

I'd spent my entire life assuming she despised me for being an impostor who took her late brother's place.

But at that moment, she shielded me behind her as she slapped Brianna's hand away.

Her gaze was razor-sharp, her presence dominating.

"Who do you think you are, taking advantage of my brother's compassion to play the dutiful daughter-in-law for someone else?"

Brianna froze. She had never met Winona before, so she furrowed her brows and demanded, "Who are you? This is between Michael and me."

Winona let out a cold, mocking laugh. "You don't even know who I am, yet you dare to claim you're going to marry him?"

Chapter 4

Winona didn't waste another word on Brianna. She turned, opened the passenger door, and spoke to me in a slightly gentler voice, "Get in."

I stayed where I was, still trying to process the fact that Winona had actually stepped in to defend me.

When I didn't move, she simply took matters into her own hands and pushed me into the car.

As we pulled away, I glanced in the rearview mirror. Brianna was still standing there in shock, while Elliot hurried out of the building and caught her by the arm.

After Winona brought me home, I spent two days locked in my room to decompress, which gave me the space I needed to completely untangle my feelings about the relationship.

On the third day, I drafted a formal resignation letter and mailed it directly to the HR department at Brianna's company.

Not long after that, our butler, Kevin Perry, knocked on my door and told me Dad wanted to see me in his study.

When I arrived, Dad was seated behind his mahogany desk. A gold-embossed invitation lay in front of him.

"Sit."

His tone was as detached as ever as he gestured toward the chair across from him.

I sat down, my attention immediately drawn to the invitation.

Dad picked up his cup, blowing lightly across the steam on the surface. "There's a rising business owner named Brianna Lindt holding a wedding reception today.

"She's been trying to get involved with one of Pearson Group's projects, so she had someone send us an invitation. Apparently, she's hoping to get on our good side."

Hearing her name made my heart skip a beat.

Dad studied me for a moment before saying, "Michael, you'll attend on my behalf."

My head snapped up. "Me?"

"Yes," he replied, setting his cup down. "Consider this your official introduction to the corporate circle as the Pearson family's heir."

For a moment, I couldn't even process what he'd said.

The Pearson family's heir.

I instinctively turned toward Winona, who was leaning against a bookshelf with her arms folded across her chest.

If anyone should've inherited the Pearson family, it was her. She was their biological daughter.

But when our eyes met, my usually aloof sister surprised me with a warm, genuine smile that even seemed encouraging.

Only then did realization dawn on me.

They had never thought of me as an outsider.

They stayed out of my personal life because they respected my choices, and they hadn't scolded me after Brianna stood us up because they genuinely felt for my situation.

I looked down, finally reading the names stamped onto the elegant wedding invitation.

"The bride, Brianna Lindt, and her groom, Elliot Collins, wish to extend an invitation to their wedding reception."

A bitter ache spread through my chest.

So much for a simple staged ceremony to fulfill an old woman's dying wish.

Brianna had turned it into a full wedding reception, invited a roomful of guests, used the occasion to make business connections, and even sent an invitation to the Pearson family.

She certainly knew how to kill two birds with one stone.

My initial instinct was to refuse, but looking at the quiet expectation in Dad's eyes and the encouragement from Winona, I reached out and took the invitation.

"Alright," I said. "I'll go."

The reception took place in the main ballroom on the first floor of the hotel.

Brianna stood by the entrance greeting guests, looking stunning in an intricately tailored white wedding gown. Despite her appearance, she seemed completely restless.

She kept checking her phone, her brows furrowed in a tight frown.

She had just learned that my phone number was no longer in service. My resignation letter had also been delivered to the company.

Until then, she'd been certain that I was only angry, believing that giving me the silent treatment for a few days would make me crawl right back to her.

Now, a sudden surge of panic gripped her, making her realize she might've actually lost me for good.

Just then, the ballroom doors swung open once more.

Brianna instinctively looked up and froze.

I walked in wearing a tailored black suit that Mom had personally picked out for me, my hair styled flawlessly without a single strand out of place. Fastened to my lapel was the Pearson family's heirloom crest.

The hotel's general manager personally escorted me into the ballroom, and Brianna's initial shock quickly turned to alarm.

Apparently convinced I'd come to disrupt the wedding, she abandoned the guests around her, hurried over, and seized my wrist, dropping her voice to a harsh whisper.

"Michael, you quit your job just to get back at me, and now you've dressed yourself up and come all the way here to make a scene."

Her gaze fixed on the Pearson crest pinned to my chest.

"Where did you even get the money to rent something like that? Do you have any idea who some of the people in that ballroom are? Stop embarrassing yourself and get out of here right now!"

Throughout our seven years together, I had never once revealed my true identity to her. I had always viewed myself as just an adopted son, believing I had no right to throw the Pearson name around.

I yanked my hand out of her grip, reaching into my pocket to pull out the gold-embossed invitation she had worked so hard to deliver to my family.

"Ms. Lindt, you've got the wrong idea," I said. "I'm not here to ruin your wedding. I'm here on behalf of Pearson Group and my father to congratulate you."