Chapter 1

I woke up in the body of a tragic heroine in a novel, the woman Zachary Gray abandoned at the altar. The whole city watched as he left me for his first love.

But I didn't make a scene. After all, I wasn't the original owner of this body. Instead, I exposed his embezzlement in front of everyone and made sure it went viral.

While everyone expected me to fall apart, I took over a multi-billion dollar conglomerate.

As for Jackson, my arch-nemesis who had watched the entire spectacle unfold, started coming onto me and insisting we were a match made in heaven.

I scoffed. Men, especially dangerous ones like him, would only slow down my pursuit of money.

*****

[Here we go. The wedding of the century is live. Popcorn and soda for sale in the front row.]

[After today, Rachel, the number one socialite of Cloud City, will officially be Mrs. Gray. I'm so envious.]

[Envious, my ass. Did you just crawl out from under a rock? Everyone knows that Zachary's true love is Wendy Lewis. He's only marrying Rachel for her family's fortune.]

[Shh, keep it down. Don't spoil it. It's a big day, after all.]

When I opened my eyes, my mind was buzzing with those floating, translucent comments.

Crystal chandeliers scattered dazzling light everywhere, and the air was thick with the scent of expensive champagne and roses. I stood at the centre of an extravagant wedding, wearing a custom-made dress worth a fortune, its skirt billowing behind me like clouds.

Across from me, my groom, Zachary, was looking at me at what seemed like deep affection in his eyes.

He really was good-looking, tall and poised in a white suit, with refined features. In that moment, he looked as if he were about to say the two words: "I do."

But I knew all too well that those weren't the words about to leave his lips.

Just a few minutes ago, I was a high-flying investment banker, running on seventy-two hours without sleep for a merger deal.

Then, in a blink, everything went dark, and when I opened my eyes, I found myself in the shoes of the tragic heroine from an old-school melodramatic romance novel called The President's Runaway Wife. And the kicker? The heroine had my name: Rachel.

The original Rachel was Cloud City's number one socialite, hopelessly in love with Zachary, so much so that she lost herself completely, groveling at his feet.

She was a business prodigy, but she hid her brilliance for his sake, even pouring all the profits from her secret tech startup, Phantom, into Zachary's hands, just to help him secure his place in the Gray family and make him happy.

Today was supposed to be the day her patience finally paid off.

But it was also the day she became the laughingstock of the entire city.

[Countdown: Three... Two... One... Get ready for the classic jilted-at-the-altar moment.]

[Heads up. Drama alert. If you're not here for the chaos, better bail now. Our heroine's about to take a devastating hit.]

[Oh wow, Zachary's expression just shifted. He's staring straight at the bridesmaids. Is he really about to go through with this?]

The live chat was exploding, everyone getting hyped for the drama to hit its climax.

I followed Zachary's gaze.

Among the bridemaids, a woman in a pale purple dress looked at us with teary, helpless eyes. She looked so pitiful.

She was Zachary's first love, Wendy.

On Zachary's face, that carefully crafted affection vanished, replaced by overwhelming guilt and inner conflict. He tightened his grip on my hand for a moment, then let go.

"Rae," he said, his voice strained but clear enough for everyone to hear. "I'm sorry."

The moment the words fell, the entire party hall went silent. Every guest turned and stared at me: some gleeful, some sympathetic, others simply curious.

My nails pressed deep into my palm, the sting sharp. But honestly, I barely felt it. All I noticed was a rush of heat flooding my head, a loud ringing filling my ears.

Here it came the classic breakup scene straight out of the novel. Was I supposed to cry, ask "why," and faint on the spot, so everyone could laugh at me? Yeah, right.

I sneered inwardly, but outwardly, I remained composed.

Seeing no reaction from me only deepened Zachary's guilt. He stepped closer, trying to sound all sincere as he lowered his voice. "Rae, I know this is cruel. But I can't lie to myself. The one I love is Wendy. Let's call off the engagement. Please, let us be happy."

With that, he turned and, under the gaze of thousands of guests, walked straight toward the bridesmaids' section, heading right for Wendy, her eyes shimmering with tears.

He pulled a ring from his pocket and dropped to one knee. "Wendy, I was foolish and cowardly before. But today, I don't want to lose you again. Will you marry me?"

The crowd erupted into chaos.

Flashes began flickering furiously everywhere, and reporters swarmed like sharks drawn to blood, pointing their lenses at me, eager to capture any sign of me falling apart.

Wendy covered her mouth, tears spilling down. Her voice trembled with emotion, but her gaze slipped past Zachary's shoulder, giving me a barely-there, provocative glance.

[Damn. This is a meltdown for the ages. Absolutely insane.]

[The groom's proposing to the bridesmaid right in front of the bride? Even TV dramas wouldn't dare go this far.]

[Rachel is completely humiliated. How's she ever gonna show her face in Cloud City again?]

[Come on, cry already. Faint. Isn't that how the story's supposed to go?]