Chapter 2

The live chat was even more excited than the guests in the hall.

I lifted my chin and flashed a flawless smile at Zachary and Wendy.

"Alright," I said. "I agree."

My voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly across the entire party hall.

The whole place went dead silent again.

The affection and joy on Zachary's face turned to pure shock. He obviously hadn't expected me to respond this way.

Wendy's sobs stopped abruptly, and she stared at me, completely stunned.

I lifted my dress and strode toward them, each step making my heels click sharply on the marble floor. Every echo struck at everyone's nerves.

"Zachary." I stopped in front of them, towering over him as he knelt. "Since you've made your choice, I will let you go. After all, love can't be forced."

Zachary let out a breath, guilt washing over his face. "Rae, thanks for being so generous. Don't worry, even if we can't be together, I'll still..."

"Stop." I raised a hand and cut him off. "No need for thanks. But before I give you my blessing, I've got a wedding gift for the two of you."

A wedding gift?' Everyone was stunned.

[Wait, what? This isn't how the story's supposed to go. Isn't the heroine supposed to be devastated? Why is she giving them a gift?]

[Did she snap from anger or something?]

[I've got a really bad feeling about this...]

I turned and snapped my fingers at the tech guy backstage. "Please play the video I prepared. Right now."

The emcee looked completely baffled and glanced at Zachary.

Zachary frowned. "Rae, what did you prepare? Why am I only hearing about this now?"

"It's a surprise," I replied, my smile growing even brighter. "You'll see in a moment."

Zachary was about to say something else, but the big screen suddenly went dark.

Everyone thought they were about to see some sweet memories of the couple. Instead, when the screen lit up again, it was crystal-clear screenshots of bank transactions.

Every single payment went to the same account.

And that account belonged to Wendy.

"Ladies and gentlemen, honored guests, and members of the press," I said, picking up the microphone from the podium. My voice was icy and clear as it rang through the hall.

"Most of you probably might not know about this, but the man kneeling here, Zachary, has been quietly siphoning off a total of 100 million dollars from both my personal accounts and the Smith Corporation over the past three years, all under the pretense of 'project investments.'"

"""Not a single dollar ever went into any real project. Every bit of it ended up in the private account of our lovely Miss Wendy— funding her custom-made gowns, limited-edition handbags, and...sustaining her 'V-Light Design Studio.'

""It is a company that's been losing money for three years straight and only survives thanks to this endless cash flow."""

With each word, the color drained further from Zachary and Wendy's faces.

After the bank transaction screenshots, the big screen started playing a series of videos and audio recordings.

There was a phone call recording of Zachary coaxing me into transferring money. In the recording, he said, "Rae, this project needs a little more funding. Help me out one more time, okay? Once we're married, everything I have will be yours."

Then, security footage of Wendy splurging at a luxury store showed on the screen. In the footage, she said, "This one, this one, and that one. Wrap them all up for me."

There was even a crystal-clear video of the two of them making out in an underground parking garage, plotting how to squeeze more money out of me.

In the video, Wendy was snuggled up in Zachary's arms, her voice all sweet and coy. "Zachary, Rachel is so easy to fool. Once we get that last payment and turn the company around, you'll finally tell her the truth, right?"

Zachary gently tapped her nose and affectionately said, "Of course. You're the only one I love. Marrying her is only because she and the Smith Corporation are still useful to us."

The evidence was undeniable.

The entire party hall fell into stunned silence.

Everyone was so stunned by this bombshell that they couldn't even react.

The reporters' cameras flashed wildly again, but this time, every lens was locked onto the two of them, their faces drained of all color.

"""Zachary,"" I stepped closer, watching his lips quiver and his eyes fill with terror. Every word I spoke was cold and precise.

""You played with my feelings, scammed me of my money, and now you want me to bless your so-called 'true love'? Do you have any shame?"""

"No, Rae, please, let me explain..." Zachary stammered. He tried to stand, but his legs buckled and he collapsed back onto his knees.

"Explain?" I sneered. "Save it for my lawyer and the police."

I pulled my phone from my purse and, right in front of everyone, tapped a number on speed dial. "Hey, Attorney Zimmer? Submit the materials I asked you to prepare. Yes, press charges against Zachary for embezzlement and fraud."