Chapter 1

The night before my wedding, as I was trying on my bridal gown, a line of floating text suddenly drifted across my vision.

[Stop smiling. Tomorrow, right in the middle of your vows, the groom is going to bolt for the airport to pick up his first love.]

I figured I was just hallucinating from sheer exhaustion until a second text flashed before my eyes.

[She spent nine months planning this entire wedding, but he swapped out the ring for his first love's finger size ages ago.]

I flipped open the ring box, and sure enough, the diamond band inside was a size too small.

The next afternoon, the cathedral was packed with guests. Right as the officiant asked if Victor Bates took me to be his lawfully wedded wife, his phone chimed.

The second he saw the caller ID, he turned on his heel and headed straight for the exit without even removing his lapel mic.

"Hold on a second. Something came up with Sallie. I can't just ignore it," he said frantically.

I tried to chase after him, but his mother grabbed my arm. "A man showing loyalty and compassion is a good thing! Don't throw a scene on your big day."

My best friend chimed in, "Look, he's going to come back and marry you eventually anyway. Isn't securing the official title enough?"

The entire room waited for me to swallow my pride and endure it. Meanwhile, the floating texts flashed across my field of vision in a frantic frenzy.

[Here it comes! She's finally waking up!]

I lifted the heavy train of my gown, stepped up to the altar, and took the microphone right out of the officiant's hand. I announced, "The wedding goes on. We're replacing the groom."

[Holy shit! Total queen moves! She is killing it!]

Sitting in the front row, a man slowly raised his head and buttoned his tailored suit jacket.

Chapter 1

Alexander Mercer stood up and took confident strides straight toward the altar.

The entire cathedral instantly erupted into a frenzy of gasps and whispers. Victor Bates froze in his tracks, spinning around to glare at Alexander and me.

"Veronica, haven't you thrown enough of a scene?" His brow twisted into a tight knot, his voice dripping with annoyance. "Sallie just slit her wrists and is in the emergency room! Her life is on the line, and you choose today of all days to throw a tantrum?"

[Classic line! Slit her wrists yet still had enough strength to dial his number. What a miracle!]

Reading the bright gold text drifting past my vision, I let out an icy laugh. "I'm not throwing a scene. I'm granting your wish."

I handed the microphone to Alexander and turned my cold gaze back onto Victor. "The exit is to your left. Don't let the double doors hit you on your way out."

Victor turned livid with rage. He rushed back to the altar and clamped his hand around my wrist.

"Stop acting like a child, will you?" His voice dropped low, laced with his usual patronizing tone. "I swear this is the last time. The second Sallie stabilizes, I'll come right back. It's our big day. I would never miss it."

I yanked my arm out of his grip and took a step back with explicit disgust. "No need. My wedding already has a groom."

Victor looked at Alexander in disbelief, a flicker of deep-seated dread flashing through his eyes. Alexander was infamous throughout Moonaiholt's elite circles as a ruthless shark, and he was the one business rival Victor feared the most.

"This is a private matter between me and my fiancée. What makes you think you can crash the altar?" Victor demanded, gritting his teeth.

Alexander casually adjusted his grip on the mic, his penetrating eyes filled with unreserved mockery and disdain.

"Ex-fiancée," he corrected smoothly, wrapping a protective arm around my waist. "As of right now, she is my fiancée."

Shockwaves rippled through the audience.

[Yes! Mr. Mercer is GOAT! His aura is literally embarrassing that trash bag by ten miles!]

Victor let out a frantic, incredulous laugh, pointing a finger straight at my face. "Veronica, you go to such absurd lengths just to force me to stay? Making up a ridiculous lie like this? Do you really think grabbing any guy who walks up here will make me cave?"

His mother, Eleanor Bates, rushed up the steps of the altar, her finger hovering inches from my nose as she screeched in outrage. "Veronica, have you lost your mind and your shame?

"We poured millions into funding this lavish wedding, and you're humiliating us in front of all of Moonaiholt? My son is acting out of noble compassion to save a human life. Not only do you show zero understanding, but you're up here behaving like a shameless whore!"

My best friend, Harper Perez, hurried over, tugging anxiously at the silk train of my gown.

"Veronica, don't do something you'll regret!" she cautioned. "Victor hates being threatened more than anything. Just swallow your pride and apologize now. When he gets back from the hospital, you'll still be Mrs. Bates!"

As I looked at this hypocritical troupe in front of me, a violent wave of nausea swept through my chest. Just half an hour ago in the bridal suite, I received a text from Sallie Kemp.

[Veronica, I'm so sorry. I was just terrified... Only Victor can make me feel safe.]

Attached was a photo of her wrist sporting a tiny, ridiculous Hello Kitty Band-Aid, with the background clearly showing the leather passenger seat of the limited-edition sports car Victor had bought just last night.

[What a textbook guilt-trip! If she had waited five more seconds to slap that Band-Aid on, the cut would have healed on its own!]

I locked my eyes with Victor, my gaze ice-cold. "Do you genuinely believe that I can't survive without you? You harbor Sallie, letting her trample all over my dignity time after time. Did you really think I was blind?"

Victor's gaze flickered with guilt, but he quickly reclaimed his arrogant, self-righteous stance. "Sallie suffers from severe depression, and her brother gave his life to save mine! What on earth is wrong with me taking care of her? When did you become so heartless and cruel?"

He glanced down at his watch, his impatience worsening by the second. "I don't have time for this ridiculous melodrama. Tell Alexander to get off the stage right now and finish these vows like a good girl. Otherwise, even if you beg on your knees in front of my doorstep later, I will never marry you!"

Alexander chuckled under his breath. Reaching into the inner pocket of his tailored suit jacket, he pulled out a document and tossed it onto the ground right at Victor's feet.

"If your eyesight is deteriorating, Mr. Bates, I suggest getting it checked," Alexander said smoothly. "This joint development agreement for the Southside Waterfront property... Miss Norris has already signed it."

The legal papers landed with a crisp snap, flipping open to the signature page where my name and Alexander's were printed side by side in bold ink.

Victor's face turned deathly pale. He stared at the contract on the floor, his body trembling uncontrollably.

The Southside Waterfront project was a prime commercial real estate venture Victor had been scheming to acquire for three years. He had always taken it for granted that I would bring that lucrative contract into the Bates family.

"No... That's impossible!" Victor stammered. "Veronica, you gave that land rights deal to him? Have you lost your mind?"

I watched his frantic, desperate breakdown with cold indifference.

"If you can swap my engagement ring for a smaller size meant for Sallie, why can't I swap you out for a real partner?" I raised my chin slightly. "Victor, take your pathetic savior complex and get the hell out of my wedding."

Chapter 2

Victor's phone chimed again, ringing like a relentless death knell. The sharp ringtone echoed gratingly through the silent cathedral.

He clutched his phone in a white-knuckled grip and glared at me in a way as if he wanted to tear me apart.

"Fine! You've got guts," he spat. "Just to spite me, you handed over your biggest bargaining chip. Let's see how long you can hold out with that stubborn pride of yours! Don't you dare regret this!"

He spun around, shoved his way through the stunned crowd, and stormed out of the cathedral without looking back.

Seeing her son leave, Eleanor trembled with rage. She pointed a finger at my nose and cursed before rushing out after him.

Harper shook her head, looking at me with deep, exasperated disappointment. "Veronica, you're ruining everything. You're going to push Victor away for good with these games."

In her high heels, she turned and left the venue as well.

[Her best friend is a total idiot. I suggest bundling her up and throwing her straight into the trash.]

The cathedral fell silent, every pair of eyes fixed on Alexander and me standing at the altar. I took a deep breath and looked at the officiant.

"Resume the ceremony," I said.

Alexander looked down at me, a trace of warmth flashing in the depths of his eyes. "Miss Norris, a pleasure doing business with you."

My voice dropped to a whisper, audible only to the two of us. "Tomorrow morning at eight, I'll be at Mercer Group headquarters with the complete technical architecture."

This farce was nothing more than a transaction between Alexander and me. It was my way of cutting Victor out of my life for good.

I wanted Victor thoroughly ruined, and Alexander needed my tech team to supply the core engineering for the Southside Waterfront project.

This was a mutually beneficial deal. Nothing more.

...

That evening, after the wedding reception wrapped up, I returned to the penthouse Victor and I had shared.

The cool night air cleared my head. Standing at the entrance, I pressed my thumb against the biometric scanner as I had thousands of times before.

The smart lock issued a cold, automated prompt. "Beep! Fingerprint not recognized."

I froze, then typed in the passcode based on the date we first met.

"Beep! Incorrect passcode."

A year ago, Victor had personally burned my fingerprints into the system, swearing this place would forever be my haven. Now the keypad locked me out without hesitation.

Staring at the flashing red light on the digital screen, I suddenly found it hysterical.

Right on cue, my phone rang with a call from Victor. "Veronica, haven't you thrown enough of a tantrum yet?"

Over the receiver, his voice was laced with exhaustion and his signature condescending benevolence.

"Sallie just fell asleep. I'm on my way back to pick you up. Void that agreement with Mercer, and I'll pretend today's disaster never happened."

I stared at the locked door, my tone flat. "Why did you change the front door passcode?"

He paused, his voice turning slightly defensive. "Sallie came by a few days ago to grab some things and felt the old passcode wasn't secure enough, so I went ahead and changed it to her birthday.

"Can you grow up for once? Do you have to make a huge deal out of every petty detail? She's sick. What are you even competing with her for?"

[Unbelievable! Changing the marital apartment code to his crush's birthday and then blaming his bride for being unreasonable? This scumbag is a master at gaslighting!]

Not mincing words, I hung up right in his face.

Seconds later, my screen lit up with a text notification. It was a photo sent by Sallie, wearing the silk nightgown I had personally ordered and lying across the plush duvet in our master bedroom.

The caption read: [Victor said this nightgown complements my skin tone so well. You don't mind letting me borrow it for the night, do you?]

I took a deep breath and dialed an emergency locksmith. Ten minutes later, a locksmith arrived carrying his heavy toolkit.

"Ma'am, this is a top-tier security lock. If I force it open, it's going to destroy the door frame," he warned, hesitating.

"Drill it," I said without batting an eyelid. "I'll pay you double."

The screech of the power drill echoed through the hallway. Ten minutes later, the solid-wood door that once symbolized "home" collapsed inward with a thud.

Stepping across the splintered debris, I walked inside. Sallie's personal belongings were scattered all over the open living room. Her designer handbag was tossed on the sofa, and her antidepressant bottles sat on the coffee table.

I walked straight past the mess into the study room and pulled my handwritten Startup Logbook from the bottom drawer of the desk.

This notebook contained every core algorithm, data structure, and system architecture Victor and I had built during our early startup days.

He used to keep it locked inside a safe; now it was just tossed carelessly into a corner, its leather cover stained with a dried coffee ring.

I pulled out the tissue, carefully wiped the cover clean, and tucked it safely into my handbag. Next, I powered on my computer in the corner.

Entering the administrator password, I opened the hidden drive partition and clicked Format Drive. The progress bar swept rapidly across the screen.

Within seconds, the core proprietary data that Victor had lusted for years, the pitch data he planned to show venture capitalists tomorrow, vanished into nothingness.

[Yes! Now that is how you pull the rug from under his feet! That scumbag is gonna be crying tears of blood tomorrow!]

Chapter 3

I unplugged the backup flash drive. Just as I was about to leave, Victor's assistant pushed open the door and walked in.

Seeing the demolished front door and me standing in the foyer, Chris stumbled back two steps in shock. "M-Ms. Norris... what are you doing here?"

"This is my penthouse. Why can't I be here?" I said flatly.

He swallowed hard, avoiding my eyes. "Mr. Bates asked me to... pick up a few changes of clothes for Miss Kemp."

I pointed toward the master bedroom. "Go ahead and get them. And while you're at it, tell Victor I'm putting this place on the market tomorrow morning. Tell him to clear Sallie's garbage, along with himself, off my property."

His eyes went wide. For a long while, he couldn't utter a sound. Grabbing my handbag, I walked out of that suffocating penthouse without looking back.

Standing downstairs in the cold night air, I dialed Alexander's number. "Mr. Mercer, I've got the core technical architecture."

Alexander's deep, velvety chuckle vibrated through the line. "Well done! I can't wait to see Mr. Bates's face at tomorrow's board meeting."

I ended the call and looked up at the night sky.

"Victor, you really think I'm just throwing a tantrum? No. I am severing every tie, tearing you out of my life once and for all."

...

The next morning, I showed up right on time in the boardroom at the Bates Group headquarters. Today was supposed to be the final handoff meeting for our flagship initiative, Starry Sea.

The doors of the boardroom swung open, and Victor walked in. Trailing right behind him was Sallie, her wrists wrapped in thick layers of gauze.

She wore an ill-fitting designer suit, her face pale. She looked like a fragile flower that would break at the slightest breeze.

Victor carefully helped her sit down right next to the head of the table before sweeping a glare across the room to me.

"Veronica, I haven't settled the score with you for yesterday's disaster, so you'd better behave yourself today," he said, slamming an appointment memo onto the conference table. "As of today, Sallie is taking full control of Starry Sea.

"Hand over the core data architecture and system credentials to her. Then go to HR to claim three months of paid leave and reflect on your behavior."

The executives in the room exchanged stunned looks, none of them daring to make a sound. Sallie stood up timidly, her eyes brimming with fresh tears.

"Veronica, please don't be mad at Victor. I just wanted to take some of the pressure off him. If you don't want me here, I'll leave right now."

She made a motion to turn toward the door, only for Victor to instantly pull her back into his arms.

"Where are you going? This project needed someone detail-oriented to manage anyway." Victor turned back to me, his tone dripping with an unyielding command. "Veronica, you made such an ugly scene at the wedding yesterday. Handing over the project now will count as making up for your mistakes."

This boardroom was where the two of us had pulled three all-nighters straight to secure our first round of venture funding years ago. Now it had degenerated into his bargaining chip to humor his damsel in distress.

Looking at his smug face, I suddenly found the whole thing hysterically absurd. "Sure."

With crisp efficiency, I pulled a flash drive from my bag and slid it across the conference table right to Sallie's hands. "All the project files, client directories, and underlying source code are right here."

Victor froze, surprised that I had conceded so easily. His gaze softened slightly, and he adopted a patronizing air of approval.

"Smart move. I knew you'd see the bigger picture eventually." He stepped forward, reaching out to wrap me in a condescending embrace. "Once Sallie gets the hang of things and smooths out the project, I'll take you to the Maldives for our honeymoon."

I pivoted away to dodge his arms, pulled another piece of paper from my folder, and set it lightly on the table. "No need. That's my resignation letter."

Victor's arms froze in midair, the smug smile on his face instantly shattering into pieces.

"What kind of tantrum are you throwing now?" he growled through gritted teeth. "Handing the project over to Sallie is only temporary! Is it worth threatening me with your resignation?"

[The scumbag is totally breaking down! He thought she couldn't live without him, but she just flipped the table!]

I looked him dead in the eyes, my tone eerily calm. "I'm not threatening you, Victor. I am dumping you. As of today, I have zero ties to the Bates Group."

Chapter 4

Victor glared at me, pure rage burning in his eyes.

"Veronica, don't push your luck!" he hissed. "You think you can survive in this industry on your tech skills alone? Without the backing of the Bates Group, you're nobody! If you walk through that door today, I'll have you blacklisted in the entire industry!"

I gave a thin smile, turning to leave. "We'll just see about that."

At the door, I paused and looked back at Sallie, who was clutching the flash drive with a smug, hidden grin. "Miss Kemp, Starry Sea is a massive undertaking. I wish you the best of luck."

She had no idea that the flash drive I handed over didn't contain any core data at all. Instead, it held a gutted shell whose underlying logic had been dismantled.

It was a mess waiting to crash at the worst possible moment. As for my core technical team... I had secretly transferred them to Alexander's command last night.

Victor thought he held all the cards, blissfully unaware that he was inheriting a ticking time bomb.

...

The moment I stepped out of the office building, the afternoon sunlight stung my eyes. But for the first time in years, I felt free.

Two weeks later, a premier charity gala was held at the Hilton.

Gathering every titan of Wall Street and Moonaiholt, the event was also the grand stage where the Bates Group planned to announce the launch of Starry Sea.

Sitting in the back of Alexander's Maybach, I watched the neon city lights flicker past the tinted window.

"Nervous?" he asked, handing me a glass of champagne with a faint smile in his eyes.

"I'm only worried Victor's going to cry too loudly later," I replied, taking the glass and lightly clinking mine against his.

Over the past two weeks, the private investigator I hired had finally made a massive breakthrough.

...

Inside the grand ballroom, high society radiated in diamonds and designer tuxedos.

Victor stood in the center of the crowd wearing a bespoke suit, practically glowing with arrogance. Beside him, Sallie wore a cocktail dress that looked painfully familiar.

It was the custom bridal gown I had spent nine months designing. Now its long train had been chopped short and altered into a party dress for Sallie.

[GROSS! Wearing someone else's wedding dress? Is this girl a dumpster diver?]

Holding a champagne flute, Victor was boasting to a group of venture capitalists.

"Veronica was just throwing a tantrum. Once she hits a wall out there in the real world, she'll come crawling back to beg for my forgiveness. Sallie is heading Starry Sea now, and everything is running smoother than ever. We'll be turning a profit by next month."

The moment the words left his mouth, the doors to the ballroom swung open. Every eye in the room instantly shifted toward the entrance.

Arm in arm with Alexander, I stepped onto the marble floor in five-inch heels. I wore an exclusive Parisian haute couture galaxy dress that Alexander had flown in just for the occasion; under the chandeliers, the fabric shimmered like a night sky.

The smug smile on Victor's face froze. His hand jerked, sloshing champagne all over his shirt cuff. He stared at my hand wrapped around Alexander's arm, pure jealousy and rage threatening to erupt from his eyes.

Storming over, he blocked our path. "Veronica, what are you doing with him? Do you have any idea what kind of event this is? Did you bring him here on purpose just to embarrass me?"

Alexander shifted subtly, shielding me behind his shoulder as his cold gaze cut through Victor like a blade. "Watch your tone, Mr. Bates. Miss Norris is now the Chief Technology Officer at the Mercer Group."

Victor froze, staring at me in disbelief. "Chief Technology Officer? Veronica, have you lost your mind? You sold our life's work to our biggest rival?"

[Major drama ahead! The scumbag is about to shatter! Slap that evidence right in his face!]

Granting their wish, I pulled a dossier from my clutch and slammed it right against Victor's chest.

"Open your eyes and look closely," I said, my voice echoing across the ballroom. "This isn't a sale. It's a total divestment. Furthermore, I am reporting you for embezzling 30 million dollars from Starry Sea's funds to buy Sallie a luxury oceanfront villa in Mararinmere."

Dead silence fell over the room, followed immediately by an explosion of shocked whispers.

Victor's face turned ghastly pale. He scrambled to gather the scattered documents off the floor, his hands shaking violently as he took in the wire transfer records.

"How... how did you get your hands on this?"

Realizing the tide had turned against them, Sallie immediately clutched her chest and collapsed weakly into Victor's arms. "Victor... my head is spinning. I can't breathe..."

Grasping at any straw to deflect, Victor wrapped his arms around Sallie and barked at me. "That's enough, Veronica! Sallie can't handle this kind of trauma. Are you really not going to stop until you've driven her to her death?"

I sneered, ready to play my final trump card.Drive her to her death? I'd love to ask her who really drove your brother to his death on that upstate mountain road years ago!

"Victor, this precious damsel you've spent years repaying wasn't your brother's innocent fiancée at all. She's the sister of the drunk driver who killed him!"