Chapter 2

Not sure what the groom's mother said to him, but his face, which had been fine just moments ago, suddenly turned sour.

He moved to the side, looking like he'd just accepted his fate.

"Dear guests, please don't panic. There’s been a small incident today."

"The wedding will go on as scheduled, but the bride will be chosen right here, from among you all."

I rubbed my ear. Did I just hear her say that?

Were they seriously picking a bride right here, like it's some kind of raffle?

"We're picking the bride right here. Just toss the bouquet, and any single girl with no baggage or scandals can jump in."

Everyone fell silent.

"And there's a cash gift of 3 million dollars, wired to your account the next day."

Instantly, the whole room went wild.

Turned out, the way to fix a wedding disaster was just to throw an even crazier one right on the spot.

And to my shame, I actually felt a spark of excitement.

After years of grinding and toughing it out, competing with these fragile beauties for a bouquet was a piece of cake.

So, after texting Zoe, I jumped right in.

I snatched up that bouquet, no, I snatched up a fortune, or maybe, happiness.

The next second, I got hauled into the dressing room, with everyone staring at me in shock and confusion.

While I was getting my makeup done, someone asked for my personal details, saying they'd need to verify them later.

You picked me out of nowhere, and now you were suddenly all strict about checking my info?

Finally, she asked, "You can give me your bank account number later."

I held up my oversized dress and asked, "Can't I just give it to you now?"

She paused, looking a bit taken aback. "Sure, if you remember it."

After I recited my bank account number smoothly, she stiffly picked up her pen. "Sorry, could you say that again?"

Zoe was a bit taller than me, but our builds were similar enough that the dress barely fit.

The music started up again, and the spotlight landed right on me.

I really hoped they transferred the money as quickly as they handled everything else.

I wasn't bad-looking. Zoe always said I have a gentle and kind face that elders would like.

Sure enough, the groom's parents watched me go through the ceremony with clear satisfaction.

The groom kept his cool, mechanically repeating the ring exchange with a detached look, just like before.

But when I slipped the ring onto his finger, his eyes were glued to my nose.

When I looked up, I saw disbelief and suspicion written all over his face.

Why were you staring at me like that? I didn't owe you any money, did I?

You were not thinking of breaking my nose, were you?

"What's your name?"

I could feel him waiting for my answer, almost like he was hoping for something.

I tried my best to push past the awkwardness. What kind of bride and groom only learned each other’s names after the wedding?

"J... Jory Valment."

Another round of silence settled over the room.

It wasn't until I was ushered into the wedding car that I remembered something important.

"Hey, can I get my wedding gift money back? A bank transfer works for me."

I turned to look at the man with sharply defined features, thick brows, and bright, striking eyes.

"Short on cash?"

He didn't bother answering me, just tossed another question my way.

"Yes."

Why was I shelling out for my own wedding?

With that cash, I could finally get my family an air conditioner.

"I'll give you another 1.5 million dollars. Just divorce me."

He leaned lazily against the window, squinting slightly as he kept sizing me up.

I opened my mouth, didn't react, and blurted out what was on my mind.

"Wait, is this for real?"

He chuckled, leaned in close, eyes locked on my nose again. "In your dreams."

"Oh."

As long as I got that 3 million dollars, my family's debts would finally be wiped clean.

My dad used to work in construction, and our family was pretty comfortable back then.

Then he took on a project that was supposed to be a guaranteed moneymaker, invested a bunch of his own cash, and the boss just disappeared.

"Are you into gaming?"

Turned out, for someone who always looked so cool and distant, the groom was actually pretty chatty.

I admitted, "I used to play a bit, but honestly, I was kind of a noob."

He scooted a little closer. "What role do you usually play?"

I'm not good at lying, so I just told the truth. "Support or mage."

Before I met that top-tier jungler, I used to play mage, but I always got roasted for it.

Then my crush told me to switch to support, saying I could just follow him and ride his coattails to victory.

After that, I was hooked and became the ultimate support player.

"Got an account? Let's add each other in-game."

His expression tightened up a bit.

"Nope, I quit."

If I dared to log in, those debt collectors would crawl right through the internet and show up at my place.

He looked disappointed and a bit pissed off, all sorts of emotions flickering across his face.

He must really love gaming.

"No worries, you can just lend me one of your accounts."

But that didn't help at all.

He just crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and leaned back in his seat, like he was contemplating his entire existence.

Made sense. It was his wedding day after all.

I wasn’t as relaxed as him. I couldn’t think at all.

I was busy trying to explain to my boss how delivering takeout somehow ended up with me getting married.

I told him I got hitched, and the bride price was 3 million dollars.

My boss thought I'd lost it, sent me my pay for the last few days, and told me to go see a doctor.

And just like that, I got fired.

"Tristan."

Good thing he was just pretending to sleep.

"What?"

"Please, make sure your mom transfers the money to me as soon as possible."