Chapter 3

3

Joelle curled her lip in a smirk. She looked like she had just heard the stupidest joke in the world.

"You've been following me around like a puppy since we were kids," she said. "Every birthday wish you ever made was about marrying me."

"Now that you're finally twenty, you think you can just pivot to someone else?"

Kian leaned into her, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Maybe he's right, Joelle. With the Sterling name, I'm sure girls all over the country are lining up to be his bride."

"Even if every girl in the world wanted him, he only wants me," Joelle said confidently.

The two of them turned and walked out.

Before she left, she looked back at the jeweler. "Send the suit to my house. And fix that tacky necklace. No engraving."

The jeweler sighed as the door closed.

"Mr. Sterling, what should I do?"

"Let her have it," I said, sitting back down. "I'll just design something better from scratch. And ignore her about the suit. She isn't the bride. She has no say."

That night, I went to a friend's birthday party.

Halfway through the night, Kian strolled in with a couple of Joelle's bodyguards behind him.

One of the guards dropped a red plastic bag at my feet.

"Sorry for the wait, Mr. Sterling," Kian said loudly. "I was going to return the suit after the concert, but Joelle was… busy with me in the car."

"But you're a big man, Sterling. You don't mind, right?"

I looked down. The five-thousand-dollar suit was shoved into the bag like a piece of trash.

It was stained with white fluid. It was disgusting and intentional.

The room went quiet. Some people looked sorry for me, but most were just waiting for the drama.

"He's still just sitting there," someone whispered. "He really is obsessed with Joelle if he takes this kind of crap."

"Too bad she only has eyes for Kian," another person snickered.

"The Sterling heir is basically Kian's doormat. One day the Sterling business will be the Jones business."

I didn't even look at the bag. I just signaled a waiter to take it to the trash.

"I'm glad you enjoyed the suit, Kian," I said flatly.

My lack of a reaction frustrated him. His smug look faltered, and he stomped off to a table in the back.

An hour later, Kian's Instagram―which had millions of followers―hit the trending page.

"A perfect day: a custom suit, the girl of my dreams, and a beautiful concert."

He posted a photo of him and Joelle locked in a passionate kiss.

Gossip accounts immediately dug up my old posts where I had confessed my love for Joelle. They compared my old photos to Kian's new one, dragging me through the mud.

Joelle even liked the most popular video mocking me.

The internet exploded. "Sterling the Simp" became a viral meme overnight.

I felt a cold flash of anger. I deleted my social media accounts and sent a quick text to my company's PR department.

Within ten minutes, every single post, video, and hashtag about me was wiped from the internet.

The day before the engagement party.

I was at the office when Joelle's bodyguards cornered me and forced me into a car. They took me straight to the Jones villa.

When I walked in, I saw Kian sitting on the sofa looking distressed.

Joelle was hovering over him, whispering sweet nothings. She turned to me, her face red with fury.

"Sterling, you've gone too far! Kian just posted a photo! How could you have his social media accounts banned? He makes his living on there! You're trying to ruin him!"

I stayed calm. "I only had my name removed from the trending topics. Whatever happened to his account isn't my problem."

"Liar! Who else but a Sterling could do that? You're just jealous because she loves him!"

"I'm not―"

Before I could finish, a sharp voice cut me off from the stairs.

"Starting a fight with your wife before the wedding? Is this how the Sterlings raise their sons?"

Joelle's mother sat down across from me with an air of supreme arrogance.

Her father, who used to bow to me, was now sitting with his legs crossed, looking down his nose at me.

"Sterling, we don't like you. You're just a spoiled brat," her father said. "But since you're obsessed with our daughter, we'll allow the marriage."

"However, we have conditions. The dowry must be at least fifty percent of the total Sterling family assets."

I almost laughed. I started to shake my head to say no.

Suddenly, a bodyguard punched me in the back of my knee. I cried out as I hit the floor.

Joelle's mother signaled a servant, who brought over a tea set.

"You're going to be my son-in-law anyway. I should get my respect now," she said.