Chapter 1

On the day of our engagement party, Julian abandoned me in front of hundreds of guests to comfort his childhood friend, Vivian, who claimed her "depression" was acting up again.

Everyone expected to see me fall apart in disgrace. Instead, I turned around and married his older brother, Dominic Sterling, the heir to the Sterling empire.

At our first high-profile charity gala as husband and wife, Dominic fastened an exquisite necklace of his own design around my neck under flashing cameras.

Across the ballroom, Julian's face turned deathly pale. He crushed the wine glass in his bare hand.

Everyone said I was the luckiest woman in the city. An orphan with zero connections, instantly elevated to Mrs. Sterling.

Even I began to believe that someone had finally chosen to love me for real.

Until the day I went to surprise Dominic at his office.

The door to his private suite was ajar. Through the crack, I heard Vivian's coy, teasing voice.

"Dominic, you parade her around every single day. I'm actually getting jealous."

"You haven't actually fallen for her, have you?"

Dominic's deep voice was calm, dripping with indulgence.

"If I don't sell the happy marriage act, how else would Julian lose his mind and screw up his board presentations?"

"How else would our father completely write him off?"

"Relax. Once the CEO position is permanently mine, she won't be of any use anymore."

Through the crack in the door, the man who had been nothing but tender and protective of me was leaning down, kissing Vivian.

My entire marriage had been a setup from day one.

And I was merely their most convenient pawn.

Standing outside the door, my heart went completely numb.

I used to think that even if Dominic didn't marry me for love, he had at least done it out of chivalry, saving me from public humiliation.

For over a year, he had been attentive, considerate, and impeccably sweet.

He was naturally quiet, which I took as his reserved demeanor.

We had evolved from polite strangers into a seemingly warm, loving couple.

I truly believed our marriage was blossoming into something real.

I never imagined it was all just a calculating scheme.

When my shift ended, I went back to the penthouse, hollow and drained.

I opened my laptop. On the screen was an offer letter from one of New York's top jewelry design houses.

It had been my dream job since college.

Sitting in my draft folder was a polite rejection email set on a timer.

I opened the draft, hovering my cursor over the delete key, when the bedroom door opened.

Dominic walked in.

"You're back. How did it go with the bridal boutique?"

I shut the laptop, took a breath, and turned to face him.

"I didn't pick anything."

Dominic paused, a slight frown touching his brow.

"Didn't you go to put down the deposit today?"

Looking at him, my mind drifted back to a year ago.

Our wedding had been so rushed that we never had a proper reception, let alone professional wedding photos.

Back then, he said:

"When things settle down, we'll make it up to you."

That promise had hung in the air for over a year.

Just a few days ago, he had brought it up out of the blue.

"Nora, let's do a proper bridal photoshoot."

He had been smoothing a stray strand of hair behind my shoulder when he said it.

"We rushed into this. You never got the fairy tale you deserved."

"This time, I want to give you a real wedding."

My heart had melted.

I spent sleepless nights researching dresses, scouting locations, and designing every detail.

I genuinely believed he was finally committing to us.

Then, just as I was about to leave this morning, Vivian called.

She claimed she and Julian had gotten into another fight.

Without a second thought, Dominic left to comfort her, telling me to go to the bridal shop alone.

Remembering this, I caught sight of Vivian lingering in the hallway behind him. My voice turned cold.

"What are you doing here?"

Vivian's face pinched in annoyance.

"This is Dominic's place. Why can't I be here?"

Seeing her irritation, Dominic stepped in, casting a displeased look my way.

"Vivian isn't feeling well today. I brought her here so she wouldn't be alone."

Staring at Dominic's face, I let out a soft, humorless laugh.

Over the past year, how many times had he used this exact tone with Julian?

Whenever Julian tried to talk to me, Dominic would show up, wrapping his arm around my waist, coldly reminding Julian that I was his brother's wife.

Julian had lost his temper over that title countless times, causing scenes that deeply disappointed their father.

Turns out, that was my only purpose in Dominic's life: a trigger to provoke his brother.

I had been blind not to see it.

Dominic reached out and patted Vivian's head soothingly.

"Don't be upset. If it bothers you, we won't do the photoshoot."

My chest tightened, a sharp, searing pain ripping through me.

Such an offhand, casual dismissal.

All my excitement, my late-night planning, turned into an utter joke in a single breath.

I meant that little to him.

Vivian threw me a smug, triumphant smirk before sauntering down the hall.

Taking a deep breath, I turned back to my laptop.

I deleted the rejection draft and typed out a new reply:

"I am thrilled to accept the offer. I will report to the New York office in one week. Looking forward to working with you."