Chapter 1
I time traveled the exact moment Jason ditched our wedding for Mira.
In my previous life, I searched the whole city in my wedding dress, only to find him at the hospital donating blood to Mira.
He didn't just miss our ceremony. He completely drained my company to fund Mira's medical treatments.
The day I went bankrupt and jumped off a building, he was at Mira's celebration party, sighing to the press, "If I hadn't married that domineering woman, Mira wouldn't have suffered so much."
Now, given a second chance, I looked at the empty altar and the sea of whispering guests.
I picked up the mic, smiled at Jason's ultimate nemesis in the crowd, and asked, "Oliver, the groom's gone. Care to take advantage of this situation?"
*****
Sweat beaded on the officiant's forehead.
His voice trembled as he held his mic. "Excuse me. Is the groom, Jason, on his way?"
The guests started whispering to each other.
Jason's parents sat rigid, their faces ashen with anxiety.
My parents, on the other hand, watched me with worry in their eyes.
Standing there in my custom-made wedding dress, I felt like a total joke.
It was just like my previous life.
Back then, I lost my mind, ran off the stage in tears, and scoured the city for him, only to find Jason in a VIP hospital room, giving blood to Mira.
As the blood drained from his arm, he spoke to Mira gently, "Hey Mira, don't be scared. I won't let anything happen to you.
"If it's for you, missing a wedding is no big deal."
This time, I wasn't going to be a fool again.
I looked down at the crowd calmly.
My eyes skipped past all the whispering guests and zeroed in on one man, Oliver.
He was Jason's arch nemesis and the only one here today who wasn't really here to celebrate.
Oliver sat in the corner, long legs crossed, an undisguised smirk of amusement on his face.
I took the mic from the petrified officiant.
I cleared my throat.
"Ladies and gentlemen," I announced.
The whole room instantly went quiet.
Every single pair of eyes in the room was on me.
Some felt bad for me, some pitied me, and some were just here for the drama.
I smirked, raised the microphone, and locked eyes with Oliver.
Then I said, "Oliver, the groom's gone. Care to take advantage of this situation?"
An uproar swept through the room.
The smirk on Oliver's face froze.
His assistant nearly jumped out of his skin.
Jason's parents shot to their feet, his mother jabbing a finger at me.
"Tina, have you lost your mind? Do you even know what you're saying?" Jason's mother shouted.
I ignored them.
I kept my gaze fixed on Oliver.
He uncrossed his legs and straightened up.
His eyes were appraising me, like he was judging my worth.
A few seconds later, he smiled.
Oliver stood up and adjusted his suit collar.
He walked through the stunned crowd, step by step, and made his way up to the stage.
He took the microphone from my hand.
He looked out at the guests, then turned to Jason's parents. "Deal."
He only said one word.
Then he turned to the officiant.
"Go ahead," Oliver said. "New groom now."
Jolted like a machine hitting reboot, the officiant stutteringly resumed the ceremony.
During the ring exchange, Oliver took out one of his own cufflinks.
It was a black obsidian cufflink, and he slid it onto my ring finger.
It was pretty loose.
I had to clench my fist to keep it from falling off.
As the ceremony ended, the guests applauded with mixed expressions.
Jason's parents had already left the venue, furious.
Oliver leaned in and whispered in my ear, "Jason will regret this."
Back in what was meant to be Jason's and my bridal suite, which was now mine and Oliver's, Oliver sat on the couch, loosening his tie.
"So, what are your terms?" he asked.
I slipped off my heels and sat across from him.
"I want Jason bankrupt, and Mira completely ruined," I said, my voice cold and steady.
Oliver raised an eyebrow.
"That's a pretty big ask," he said. "Why should I help you?"
I looked straight at him and said, "Because I know the city's west side plot is getting rezoned as a commercial district next month."
Oliver's gaze shifted.
That plot was the hot property he and Jason were both battling for.
Everyone believed it was zoned for industrial use.
"Is your intel solid?" Oliver asked, eyeing me carefully.
"You've got a month to verify it," I replied.
"If I'm right, our marriage contract officially takes effect," I said.
"If I'm wrong, I'll walk away with nothing. Everything my family owns is yours to do with as you please."
Oliver went quiet, thinking it over.