Part 1She Dumped Me for Being Poor, Then Begged Me Back

The custom-made gown, a masterpiece crafted over six months and valued at a million dollars, now adorned the rising star, Kaden.

The store was thick with perfume, but all I could smell was humiliation.

The store manager, seeing Cora lounging on the sofa, was drenched in a cold sweat.

Cora rose, her red-soled heels clicking on the floor, and personally straightened Kaden’s bowtie.

“Kaden’s walking the red carpet at Cannes next week, and he needs a show-stopping outfit. What’s the big deal about him borrowing yours?” Her tone was dismissive, as if shooing away a fly. “Just pick out something off-the-rack, don’t make a scene.”

Under the glare of flashing lights, Kaden preened in the perfectly tailored suit, a smile playing on his lips, and a defiant glint in his eyes darting towards me.

I looked at my own reflection in the mirror, clad in a worn, pilling old shirt, clutching a takeout bag with her favorite congee—a stark contrast to the opulence around me.

This wedding, a year in the making, was nothing but a cruel joke.

I didn’t explode. Instead, I calmly placed the insulated container down and slipped the engagement ring from my finger, setting it gently on the coffee table.

“Cora’s right, off-the-rack can be pretty good.” I lifted my gaze, all warmth gone from my eyes. “So, I’ll find a bride who’s willing to wear off-the-rack with me.”

…

The bridal boutique fell silent.

Cora’s hand, poised to adjust Kaden’s tie, froze mid-air.

She slowly turned, her shrewd eyes narrowing slightly as she scrutinized me.

“Lucas, what did you just say?” Her voice carried an icy edge.

Looking at the face I’d spent five years building into a star, a wave of nausea washed over me.

“I said, there won’t be a wedding.” My voice was unnervingly calm.

“Pfft.” Kaden, still by the mirror, suddenly covered his mouth to stifle a laugh.

He walked toward me, still wearing the suit that should have been mine.

“Come on, Lucas,” Kaden said, batting his eyeliner-enhanced lashes, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Cora just feels bad I don’t have something killer for the red carpet next week. This custom piece, on me, that’s how you make headlines, how you get commercial value. You’re so good at cooking and cleaning at home, why are you suddenly so clueless when it comes to Cora’s business?”

He purred “Cora” like a lover, sickeningly sweet.

I stared at him, my gaze a cold blade. “Take it off.”

Kaden flinched, shrinking behind Cora, his eyes welling up instantly. “Cora, Lucas is being so mean! I’m scared.”

Cora shoved Kaden behind her, her eyebrows fiercely knitted together. She strode toward me, her eyes blazing with disgust.

“Lucas, have you had enough of this tantrum?”

Her voice was condescending, her words sharp as daggers: “Kaden is the company’s cash cow. I give him resources for the sake of the Crawford Group, for our future. You, a jobless freeloader who only knows how to hover over a stove at home, who are you showing off this expensive gown to? Do you even deserve to wear it?”

Five years of devotion, and all it earned me in her eyes was “freeloader” and “do you deserve it?”

I took a deep breath, hands shoved into my pockets.

“Cora, this is a custom suit I waited six months for. You just ‘borrowed’ it? Did you even ask me?”

Cora scoffed as if I’d told a hilarious joke, then stepped closer, her perfume enveloping me.

“Ask you? This suit cost a million dollars, charged to my credit card. What you wear, what you use—what isn’t paid for by me, Cora? And now you’re talking about having an opinion?”

She extended a finger adorned with a diamond ring and jabbed it forcefully into my chest.

“Lucas, you need to learn gratitude. Don’t think that just because I’ve been taking care of you, you can throw your weight around in front of me.”

I looked at the arrogant woman before me, my heart turning to stone. She genuinely saw no wrong in snatching her fiancé’s wedding attire for another man. In her eyes, I was merely hired help.

I was done wasting breath on her and turned to leave.

“Stop!” Cora shrieked. She lunged forward, grabbing my wrist with a death grip, her nails digging into my flesh.

“Lucas, don’t be ungrateful. Go pick out an off-the-rack suit, the wedding is still on next week. If you’re obedient today, after Kaden walks the red carpet, I’ll get you a three-hundred-thousand-dollar car.”

She paused, her eyes turning cold and menacing. “But if you dare walk out of here today, I promise you, no company in all of New York will dare to hire you. No one will lend you a single cent.”

I let out a cold laugh, forcefully pulling my hand free.

“Cora, you sicken me.”

I didn’t spare her another glance, striding out.

Behind me, I heard Cora’s mocking laughter and the click of the glass door locking.