Chapter 1
My college roommate decided to get married when I was completely broke and invited me to the reception.
Drowning in debt, I still scraped together a generous cash gift, practically in tears.
Then she dumped her childhood sweetheart, the groom, and ran off with another man.
So… could I get my gift back?
The groom’s mother said, "It doesn’t matter who he marries. What matters is that the wedding goes on."
Right there on the spot, they turned it into a bouquet toss to pick a bride, and casually announced a three-million-dollar wedding fund.
The groom was handsome, well-built, and apparently had only ever had one short-lived online relationship.
So I took a running leap, and caught that once-in-a-lifetime chance.
One by one, I swiped away those pesky red dots on my phone, each one a reminder of a debt collector.
These debt collectors really didn't care about timing.
Today was the best day for tying the knot, and everything's supposed to go smoothly.
My college roommate got married young.
Today, I was going to her wedding ceremony.
She was a total rich beauty, but honestly, she was a bit silly.
For the twentieth time, I checked my bag to make sure the wedding money was still there.
I breathed a sigh of relief.
To pull together this cash gift, I had to take on two side jobs.
My roommate was always nice to me, never called me a noob when we played games together.
She even showed me how to chat up those pro jungler guys online.
Come to think of it, that was my first love.
But we just weren't meant to be. Our relationship fizzled out before it even had a chance to see the light of day.
I pulled up the wedding invitation on my phone to check the location.
Not gonna lie, the groom was pretty handsome.
It looked like they were childhood sweethearts, too.
I wished you two a lifetime of happiness, and I hoped my tearful cash gift was worth it.
What a powerhouse duo.
The church was massive and lavish, filled with guests from every background and ethnicity.
"Sorry, miss, we don't allow food deliveries here. Please step outside."
Just then, a staff member in uniform stepped in front of me.
With no other option, I took off the orange delivery uniform I hadn't had time to change out of.
The waiter glanced at my beat-up T-shirt, which looked even worse than the uniform, and paused for a moment.
Then he smiled and made a “please” gesture toward me.
He was surprisingly super polite.
"I'm here for the wedding, not a delivery," I said.
His eyes widened, and he asked for my invitation.
Since I didn't want anyone tracking me, I never gave them a mailing address.
"Is a digital invite okay?"
My voice was soft and lacked any confidence.
Honestly, I managed to charm that pro jungler guy just by acting cute and playful.
"Wair, let me call the bride."
I wasn't even sure she'd answer.
After my family went bankrupt, I pretty much dropped off the face of the earth, and she was the only one who has my new number.
But we hardly ever talk.
Just as I expected, no one answered.
"I promise, I'll just hand over my cash gift and leave right away. Could you please let me through?"
He kept that professional smile plastered on his face. "Funny, that's exactly what the last wedding crasher said."
Just as I was desperately redialing, a deep voice came from behind me.
"Let her in."
The man was rocking a sleek, expensive black suit, striding past me with a casual swagger.
I hurried after him inside.
"Thanks! Are you here for the wedding, too?"
I forced some small talk just trying to keep things from getting awkward.
He suddenly stopped, turned around, and stared straight at me. "I'm the groom."
Oh man, this was so awkward. Even the groom was running late?
"Haha, congrats!"
Awkwardly, I forced myself to congratulate him, hoping I didn't sound too weird.
He just gave me a quick look and walked straight to the altar.
Just then, the bride I'd been trying to reach finally called me back.
Girl, if you'd called just a minute earlier, you could've spared me all this hassle.
"Hey, Jory! You made it?"
My name's Jory Valment, but she always used that nickname for me. It made us feel closer.
"No worries, your husband was the one who brought me in."
She hesitated for a moment. "Wait, my husband? Oh, you mean Tristan?"
I was really starting to worry my money was just going to waste. Why did she sound like she didn’t even know her own groom?
"Congrats on your wedding, Zoe!" I said, genuinely happy for her.
"Thanks! I'll come find you as soon as I'm done here. Be a good girl and wait for me!"
"I have to get back to my delivery job soon, so I might not be able to stick around... "
But before I could finish, she hung up on me.
Three years ago, she stepped in and paid my father's hospital bills for me.
Without her, my family would've been torn apart.
So there was no way I'd skip giving her this gift no matter what.
After signing in and handing over my cash gift, I slipped into the most inconspicuous corner of the venue.
Watching the dazzling lights shine down on Zoe, I couldn't help but remember all those late nights we spent together, slapping on face masks and gaming until dawn.
She seemed to be scanning the crowd, and finally, our eyes met.
She mouthed my nickname, "Jojo."
I smiled, my eyes crinkling. No one had called me that in forever.
The background music slowly filled the hall, and the romantic lights danced around the room.
In the crowd, people were so touched they covered their mouths, some even tearing up, while the couple on stage stayed calm and collected.
I couldn't help but admire them. Even at their own wedding, these two were rock solid.
The groom pulled out the ring like he was on autopilot, sneaking a couple of glances toward the door.
Almost in slow motion, the bride slowly held out her finger, her eyes also drifting toward the entrance.
Seriously, was that door made of gold or something?
"I object!"
The giant doors were slammed open. Wait., the priest didn't even ask if anyone objected.
A guy just as tall and impressive as the groom burst into the church.
With everyone watching, he picked up the bride and just walked out with her.
Why did the groom look even more thrilled than the guy who just crashed the wedding?
That guy looked oddly familiar, and my eyes popped open in surprise.
Wait, wasn't that the campus heartthrob from Harrow Univeristy?
He once publicly rejected Zoe's confession in front of everyone.
No wonder Zoe was so chill about her husband earlier.
While chaos erupted all around, I just quietly watched the gift table from the sidelines.
Since the wedding crashed and burned, was there any chance I could get my cash gift back?
Just my luck. Bet I would have to shell out another one next time.