Chapter 1

At our wedding, my fiancé took his childhood sweetheart by the hand and called off our engagement in front of everyone.

"Gwen, being with you will never make me happy. It's pure torture."

"I only want to be with Savannah. She's the true love of my life."

I took off my bridal veil and gave a cold smile.

Carter Shaw only had everything he owned today because of my family.

Chasing true love?

Then go chase it straight into the gutter.

My younger brother sneered, "Whoever dares to invest in the Shaw family is an enemy of the Prescotts!"

My older brother warned, "Mark, Lewis, think twice before doing any business with the Shaws."

My grandfather declared, "As of today, blacklist the Shaw family and cut off every single one of their business channels!"

1

Today was my twenty-seventh birthday, and it was supposed to be the happiest day of my life.

It was a milestone I had anticipated for years.

Instead, my fiancé walked into our wedding venue with another woman on his arm.

Watching them gaze sickeningly into each other's eyes filled me with pure disgust and fury.

Carter knew full well how much I despised Savannah Brooks, yet he blatantly chose her.

I was a rising star in high finance, deeply sought after across every elite circle.

Savannah, on the other hand, was just a pretty face scraping by on small deals without an ounce of real skill.

Even that was only because Carter had been pulling strings behind her back. Otherwise, she would have been chewed up and spit out of the industry long ago.

Everyone in high society knew Carter and I had been betrothed since childhood. For years, we were hailed as the golden couple, adored by everyone inside and outside our circle.

Everyone believed we would make it to the finish line together. No one imagined Carter would bring Savannah to our wedding.

I frowned and demanded, "Carter, what is the meaning of this? Why did you bring her here?"

My disdain for a freeloader like Savannah was no secret. Bringing her here was a direct slap in the face.

Carter smiled faintly without offering an explanation. Instead, he walked to the center of the stage and took the microphone from the officiant.

"Welcome, family and friends. I'm Carter Shaw, and I want to thank you all for being here today."

"Today was meant to be the wedding between Gwen Prescott and me, but before we begin, I have an announcement to make."

"Savannah, come up here."

Savannah smiled softly, wearing an identical pure white dress. She deliberately stepped between my fiancé and me, acting as if they were the true stars of the day.

Standing to the side, I suddenly looked like their bridesmaid, or worse, an unwanted extra.

Carter wrapped his arm around Savannah and pulled her close against his chest.

"As many of you can probably tell, I don't love Gwen. My true soulmate is Savannah Brooks."

"She is today, she will be tomorrow, and she will be for the rest of my life."

"So today, I am officially calling off my marriage to Gwen. I only want to pursue true love."

"Of course, Gwen and I grew up together. Even without this childhood betrothal, we can still remain friends."

"I hope no one reads too much into this. The Shaw and Prescott families remain strategic partners, and this is purely my personal choice."

Standing there, I almost burst out laughing.

Carter was actively digging his own grave.

He thought he was being bold and romantic, probably feeling like some noble hero pursuing true love.

What an idiot. He completely forgot that this wedding was never just between the two of us, but a formal alliance between the Prescott and Shaw empires.

Doing this didn't just humiliate me. It slapped the Prescott family in the face in front of the entire elite class.

My family was the leading dynasty in the city and one of the rare powerhouses in high finance.

Without the Prescotts, the Shaws wouldn't have a shred of their current glory. They would have gone bankrupt in some forgotten corner years ago.

Now that they thought their wings were grown, they believed they could kick us aside without consequence.

How pathetic.