Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Right before our wedding, my fiancé's first love was forced into an arranged marriage with Manhattan's most notorious playboy to save her family.

Lucas couldn't bear to see her suffer, so he crashed her wedding and stole the bride.

They even signed a marriage license that very day in front of everyone.

All of high society was waiting to laugh at me and the Mercer family.

Yet the next morning, the Mercer family's only heir blocked my office entrance with his Bugatti.

"Your fiancé stole my bride," he drawled. "It is only fair you marry me to settle the debt, right?"

Looking at his striking red hair, I smiled and nodded.

"Yes, totally fair."

...

Garrett Mercer raised an eyebrow when I agreed so easily.

The small stud on the arch of his eyebrow caught the morning light and gleamed.

To people like us, marriage was just a chip on the negotiating table, and it hardly mattered who sat on the other side.

After a brief second of surprise, his casual, devil-may-care smirk returned.

"Great. I will swing by tomorrow to talk details. I still have to go deal with those old fossils at home today. What a pain."

He grumbled, ruffling his messy curls.

I found it amusing, reaching out to tuck a stray red lock behind his ear.

"No rush. Just call me whenever you are free."

He seemed very pleased with my understanding attitude.

After exchanging a couple more words, he sped away in a cloud of exhaust.

I went home as usual, only to find an unappetizing figure waiting in front of my villa.

"What a leisurely stroll, Mr. Trent," I greeted coldly. "Instead of sticking to the main boulevard, you somehow wandered into my private gated community."

Lucas looked embarrassed and gave an awkward laugh.

"Farrah, don't be so sarcastic. I really had no choice that day..."

"You know how Savannah is. She always suffers in silence. If she married that Mercer playboy, God knows how many times she would get cheated on!"

"I just couldn't watch her jump into a pit of fire!"

My face remained completely blank.

He couldn't watch Savannah Cole jump into a pit of fire, but he was perfectly happy letting me, his fiancée, become the laughingstock of the entire city?

What kind of twisted logic was that?

I had no desire to waste words on him, so I stepped around him to head inside.

The next second, he reached out to grab my arm, but I dodged him smoothly.

"If you have something to say, say it. Keep your hands to yourself."

"Farrah... what is that supposed to mean? Are you trying to cut ties with me!"

"I might have signed the marriage license with Savannah, but I never said I wanted to cut you out of my life!"

"It is just a piece of paper. It doesn't mean anything. We can still be together, even if I cannot give you the title. You will have to make a little sacrifice..."

"Given our years together, I know you won't mind, right?"

Lucas looked at me with eager anticipation in his eyes.

I frowned deeply, utterly unable to fathom how a man could be so shameless.

Did he really just brazenly ask me to be his side piece?

I was so furious that I actually laughed.

"Lucas, you think way too highly of yourself. Everything between us is over. From now on, we walk separate paths and stay out of each other's way."

I was completely serious, but he actually thought I was just throwing a tantrum.

He tugged at my sleeve with a teasing smile.

"Alright, stop being so dramatic. I know you are mad because I married someone else. I promise I will balance the two of you perfectly and never take sides."

"You and Savannah are the two women I love the most. Even if she is my legal wife, I won't let her walk all over you, okay?"

It was like talking to a brick wall.

I honestly could not understand why my parents ever considered him as my fiancé.

Still, my upbringing prevented me from losing my temper at someone like him.

Checking my watch, I decided to take this opportunity to make everything crystal clear.

"Lucas, let me be blunt. I have no romantic feelings for you. We simply grew up in the same circle and were pushed together by our parents."

"All these years, I merely fulfilled my duties as a suitable match. It was never about love."

"Whomever you truly love or marry has nothing to do with me. You do not need to come here, and I will never agree to your ridiculous proposal."

"Am I clear enough? If there is nothing else, please leave."

I watched Lucas's expression shift from disbelief to raging fury.

His face flushed red with humiliation.

"Farrah, are you done yet? Do you really have to make up such lies just to spite me?!"

"I came here in person and apologized to you! What more do you want? Don't I deserve some dignity!"

"Even Savannah swallowed her pride and agreed to this arrangement. What right do you have to turn me down!"

"Offering you a place by my side was already doing you a favor! Ask anyone in this town―who else would want to associate with a new-money family like yours? I am the only one who didn't look down on you!"

"Refusing the out I gave you... just wait and see how you regret this!"

With that, he stormed off to his car and peeled away.

Watching the dust settle from his tires, I felt a complex wave of emotions.

To say there were zero feelings would be a lie, considering we grew up together.

Yet whatever affection I once had was completely worn away every time he abandoned me for Savannah Cole.