From Blamed Bridesmaid To Billionaire's Bride

Synopsis

The day I served as Sophie Miller's bridesmaid, Sophie suddenly handed me an envelope stuffed with cash. Sophie looked at me with pleading eyes and said, "Lily, Jack got held up with an emergency and he won't make it in time for the ceremony. I need to borrow your boyfriend to stand in as the groom." I watched my boyfriend, Henry Shaw, exchange rings with the bride, and his face lit up with happiness as he pulled her into an embrace and kissed her. The whole church erupted in applause, but I stood frozen at the altar. After the ceremony ended, Henry tried to explain everything away. He shrugged and said, "The officiant told me what to do and I just followed along. You accepted Sophie's money, so I had to make it look real. Otherwise people would've known something was off." But I never agreed to any of this. In the months that followed, people kept pulling me aside with the same accusation. They would whisper, "Lily, why do you keep meeting up with Sophie's husband? Are you trying to steal him from her?" Henry heard the rumors, but he never defended me. He stayed silent every single time. I stared at the silver wedding band on his ring finger. He refused to take it off. I pulled out my phone and dialed a number I hadn't called in years. My mother picked up on the second ring, and I took a deep breath before speaking. I said, "Mom, you were right all along. Love doesn't pay the bills like a career does. I'm ready to come home and go through with that arranged marriage so I can inherit the family business."