Chapter 1 At the altar, my husband-to-be fell in love with the maid of honor. Right there, in front of God and the entire Manhattan elite, Asher Sterling slid the Tiffany diamond onto Chloe’s finger instead of mine. I stood there in my Vera Wang gown, instantly transformed from the envy of the city into its biggest punchline. I was frozen, my brain short-circuiting, when suddenly, a row of glowing, holographic text floated across my vision like a glitched live-stream chat: 【 OMG don’t panic, girl! The male lead is just doing this to make you jealous! He wants to see you fight for him! 】 【 Exactly! He’s just a tsundere. Being mean is his love language. Just cry a little, and he’ll give you the world! 】 【 Snatch that ring back, Queen! Once you show possessiveness, he’ll put it on you willingly! 】 I blinked. I looked up at Asher. His eyes were shining with a twisted kind of expectation. I forced the corners of my mouth up. Ignoring the shocked gasps of the congregation, I grabbed the microphone from the stunned officiant. "Let’s give a round of applause for Mr. Asher Sterling and Ms. Chloe Evans! Wishing you a lifetime of happiness and eternal wedded bliss!" ... Asher’s arrogant, triumphant smirk vanished instantly. It was like someone had cut his strings. Both sets of parents looked like they’d swallowed lemons. The Sterlings, in particular, turned a lovely shade of purple. In the high-stakes world of New York old money, there are three major dynasties. If you want to rule the city, you merge. But among the Big Three, only my family, the Shaws, had a daughter. The Sterlings and the Pierces both vied for the alliance. I had chosen the Sterlings. I had chosen Asher. Today was supposed to be a formality. A coronation. No one expected Asher to pull a stunt like this to humiliate me at the finish line. The crowd erupted into whispers. The floating text—the "Feed," as I called it—exploded: 【 Wait, what? Is the heroine seriously letting the Prince marry the NPC? 】 【 Don’t be impulsive! Are you trying to kill the plot? He loves you to death, he just needs to see you cry! 】 【 This is why he acts out! You’re always so cold. You triggered this! 】 Asher’s face was dark enough to herald a thunderstorm. "Summer Shaw," he hissed, his voice dripping with menace. "What did you just say? Say it again." The Feed scrolled frantically: 【 He’s giving you a second chance! 】 【 Apologize! Look at his hands shaking, he’s practically crying from anxiety! 】 I looked away from the hallucinated comments and locked eyes with Asher. I enunciated every syllable. "I said, congratulations to you and Chloe. Happy honeymoon." Chapter 2 I didn't wait for his explosion. I turned my attention to Chloe, who was looking at me with a mix of smugness and confusion. "Chloe, honey, aren't you going to thank Mr. Sterling and his parents for making your dreams come true?" Chloe had always been obsessed with Asher. She was a scholarship student my family had sponsored—a classic charity case who used every opportunity to "accidentally" run into my fiancé. Normally, a girl with zero background cracking the Sterling family trust was impossible. But this? This was a once-in-a-lifetime lottery win. Chloe might see me as a rival, but she wasn’t stupid. She knew Asher was having a manic episode, and she needed to lock this down before he snapped out of it. She clutched the ring tight, tears welling up in her eyes—fake ones, obviously. "Thank you, Asher," she gushed, voice trembling. "And thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Sterling. I promise to be the best wife the Sterling family has ever seen!" This was not the script Asher had written in his head. With every word Chloe spoke, Asher’s face grew darker. He didn't even look at her. He was trembling, staring daggers at me. "Summer, stop screwing around!" I laughed. "Wait, I'm the one screwing around?" Asher choked. "I just wanted to..." "Asher!" His mother cut him off sharply. "Today is your wedding to Summer. Stop this nonsense!" Mrs. Sterling was scolding him, but her cold, judgmental eyes were fixed on me. "Summer, you are the future matriarch of this family. Even if Asher acts out, you should handle this privately. Making a scene? Adding fuel to the fire? Is this how the Shaws raise their daughters?" Classic gaslighting. She knew her son was a narcissist, but she expected me to eat the humiliation to save their stock price. She was threatening me. Fix this, or we both go down. Too bad Mrs. Sterling miscalculated. I’ve been sitting in boardrooms since I was twelve. I don't get played. Chapter 3 "Mrs. Sterling, you’re joking, right?" I put on my best innocent, wide-eyed look. "Asher and I grew up together; we don’t have 'issues.' And I’m certainly not fueling anything. I am genuinely happy for Asher and Chloe." I kept my voice loud enough for the front row to hear. "Since Asher put the ring on Chloe’s finger, she is the bride. She is Mrs. Sterling. If I pretended to be the lady of the house after that, the whole city would laugh at us. They'd say the Sterling family treats marriage like a game of musical chairs!" From her expression, I knew Mrs. Sterling had anticipated Asher’s little test. She had allowed it, probably to "humble" me. The Sterling family had been rising in the market lately. They thought they didn't need the Shaw capital as much as before. They wanted to knock me down a peg before I even signed the marriage license. If I swallowed this insult today, my life would be hell. I wasn't going to be their doormat. Mrs. Sterling looked like she wanted to slap me. The Feed started scrolling again: 【 OMG, the male lead is literally turning black with rage. 】 【 Asher: Can’t you just pout? Why do you have to destroy me? 】 【 Summer, stop being stubborn! He loves you! If you push him, he’s going to go full Psycho Mode! 】 "Fine. You think you're smart, Summer," Asher ground out through clenched teeth. "If that's how you want to play it, don't expect me to save face for you." "You forced my hand!" Chapter 4 He dropped the ultimatum. "Don't come crying to me when you realize what you've lost!" Crying? I was fighting the urge to pop a bottle of champagne. How confident was this man? Did he think he was God's gift to women? He turned to his parents, jaw set. "Mom, Dad, I’m not joking! I love Chloe. I truly love her. Please give us your blessing!" He shouted it, but his eyes were glued to me, scanning my face for a crack, a tear, a hint of jealousy. I just stood there, smooth as marble. Internally, I was cackling. Before he opened his mouth, this mess was salvageable. Even if I walked, there were plenty of other heiresses in the room who would marry a Sterling for the merger. But now? He’d publicly declared love for a nobody. He had to marry Chloe, or the Sterling family word would be worth nothing. The Feed was having a meltdown: 【 He’s about to explode! Why doesn't she get it? 】 【 Summer, don't get it twisted! He hates Chloe! He regrets it already! He just wants to make you jealous! 】 【 Just beg him! If you beg him, he’ll kick the girl out and marry you right now! 】 I ignored the floating text. I didn't care. Asher Sterling had crossed the Rubicon. We were done. But apparently, he wasn't done humiliating me.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "385819", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel