Chapter 1

I'd always been the stubborn type, taking everything way too seriously and never knowing when people were joking.

When my grandma said I was picked up from a trash can, I went out and bowed to every trash can I saw. I even handed out flyers looking for my "real mom".

A boy at school said my butt was big, so I'd probably have lots of kids. That same day, I marched over to his house, ripped his mom's pants, and checked if hers was any bigger.

After a while, nobody dared to mess with me anymore.

Whenever I was around, everyone suddenly got all nice and proper.

But then, right after I turned eighteen, my family decided it was time for an arranged marriage and picked a guy for me.

And this guy, James Eaton, had a childhood female friend, Erica Quinn.

At a party, we were playing Truth or Dare.

Erica shot me a sly grin. "Sandra, James has a mole on the inside of his thigh. It looks pretty good when he's moving around.

"You'll be lucky when you two do something together."

The room went silent for a moment, and then James's buddies cracked up.

I paused. Then I turned to James, who was holding his drink with his eyes downcast and a faint smile. "Take your pants off. Let me see if it's true."

*****

As soon as I said that, the lively atmosphere in the private room instantly froze.

Erica didn't expect me to be so blunt. She gave an awkward laugh. "Sandra, you're not mad, are you?

"Come on, we're just playing a game. I dropped some juicy gossip to spice things up. No need to take it so seriously. Now James is totally embarrassed."

I slammed my phone down on the table, hit play, and her last sentences started looping over and over.

Then, seeing Erica go pale as a ghost, I shot her a wide grin. "Sorry, but jokes don't exist in my world.

"If I pull James's pants down and it matches what you said, that means you two had an affair before our wedding. I'll send it to both our family group chats and let it play on loop."

I did just as I said, and the guys around all sucked in a breath.

James's face turned beet red.

James struggled like crazy to break free from me, and then snatched his buddy's jacket to cover up his torn pants.

He shot me a look like he was about to eat me alive. "Sandra, have you lost your mind?

"Erica and I practically grew up together. We even took baths together when we were kids. There's nothing she hasn't seen.

"Are you seriously going to blow up over a stupid joke like this?"

Wow, what a classic excuse.

It was like the word "joke" was some kind of magic shield. When someone used it as a shield, suddenly everyone had to suck it up and move on.

Too bad they still didn't really know me.

I tapped open the recording of the video call Erica had made to me yesterday.

On screen, Erica looked nothing like her usual tomboy self. She was lounging in a sheer, seductive nightgown, flaunting the man sleeping soundly beside her.

The guy's face was only half visible, making it impossible to tell who he was.

But Erica's attitude was crystal clear. Her eyes were full of challenge as she said, "Sandra, I heard you're about to tie the knot with the Eaton family.

"Too bad you'll never outrank me in James's heart. Bet you anything, even on your wedding day, he'll still be with me."

I air-dropped the video to everyone in the room, letting them take in every juicy detail.

"Is this supposed to be a joke, too? If it were you, could you handle your girlfriend having a male best friend like this?" I said.

The guys I pointed at stayed dead silent and avoided my gaze, not even daring to breathe.

I jabbed my finger at Erica. "You tell me.

"If your boyfriend had a female friend like this, could you really deal with it?"

Erica flinched, clearly rattled, and shot a desperate look at James.

But James stared back at her in shock. He clearly hadn't expected her to record a video like that behind his back.

Erica bit her lip.

Finally, as if she'd made up her mind, she bowed deeply to me. "I'm sorry, Sandra.

"That video call was honestly just a joke. I wanted to see if you'd always trust James.

"I didn't expect you to record the whole thing."

She emphasized the word "record", making it sound meaningful.

Seeing James's tense expression finally soften, Erica realized she'd made it through. Tears spilled down her cheeks.

She said, "I hope you can forgive me, Sandra. I swear I'll never mess with you again, and I'll keep my distance from James from now on."

Before I could say a word, James, my fiancé, rushed over and helped Erica to her feet.

He shot me a look with a hint of annoyance in his eyes. "Alright, Sandra. Erica's already explained herself, and you've made your point. Let's drop it, okay?

"Thanks to you, this whole party's been ruined. Isn't that enough?

"If you call off the engagement, your family's business is going to take a hit. So I suggest you behave and think about what's best for you."

With that, he led Erica, who looked like she was about to cry herself dry, out of the private room.

The rest of James's buddies glanced at each other, and then quietly slipped out of the room. The looks they left me were either full of pity, sympathy, or plain schadenfreude.

I sat alone in the mess and smiled.

James was right.

My family's business still needed him. This game between us was still far from over.