Chapter 1

“Mr. Rivers, do you take Miss Wills to be your lawfully wedded wife, for richer or poorer…”

“I… do.” The man’s voice came through the mask, low and slightly muffled.

The guests below the stage whispered among themselves, all marveling at how deeply Mason Rivers cared for me.

“Mr. Rivers is truly devoted. I heard he came down with a sudden high fever last night, and even today he insisted on going through with this wedding, mask and all, just so he wouldn’t disappoint Yuna Wills, his childhood sweetheart.”

“Exactly. There’s nothing quite like growing up together. And with the Rivers and Wills families joining forces, the entire Southvale business world is bound to feel the impact.”

Listening to the praise from below, I felt nothing but disgust.

Because the comments flashing before my eyes were scrolling wildly:

[What devotion? Mason’s at a hillside villa outside the city right now, holding Joyce Lowe while watching the wedding livestream. The two of them are sipping wine and laughing at the bride like she’s a joke.]

[That stand-in groom really got the short end of the stick—twenty grand to be the fall guy. Just wait, the female supporting lead is about to humiliate him in front of everyone.]

[New readers wouldn’t know this, but that stand-in is actually the biggest hidden boss in the whole story—Edwin Walker, the invisible billionaire!]

[He’s been secretly in love with Yuna for ten years. Later, to avenge her, he wipes out the entire Rivers family without leaving a trace. Absolute tragic romantic.]

My heart jolted violently.

Edwin Walker?

The mysterious tycoon who controlled a vast business empire.

He was in love with me? And he came here to be my fake groom?

I took a slow breath and raised my hand, cutting off the officiant. “Wait.”

The entire hall fell silent in an instant.

The man in front of me avoided my gaze, a fine sheen of sweat forming on his forehead, his breathing growing uneven.

I curled my lips into a faint smile and asked gently, “Mason, you don’t look well. Did you forget your medication while preparing for the wedding?”

He coughed nervously, his throat bobbing. “Yes… I’m not feeling too great.”

I went along with it and turned to the officiant and the guests. “I’m sorry, everyone. The groom isn’t feeling well. I’ll take him to the lounge to get some medicine. We’ll pause for ten minutes. Please enjoy the champagne.”

With that, I grabbed the groom’s wrist and pulled him toward the backstage lounge.

The moment the door closed, the phone on the table vibrated.

I picked it up and saw over a dozen unread messages, all from Joyce.

[Yuna, you’ve figured out the groom is fake by now, right? Surprise? Mason and I are watching your wedding livestream.]

Attached was a high-resolution photo: Mason had Joyce wrapped in his arms, his chin resting against the top of her head, both of them smiling sweetly.

[Forgot to mention, this was my idea. Mason said that even though you grew up together, I’m the one he truly loves.]

[This wedding? It’s just a game he put together to make me happy. You’re not mad, are you, Yuna?]

I let out a cold laugh, my fingers flying across the screen as I shot back:

[Really? Then do you believe that with just one phone call from me, he’ll drop everything, come running back, and beg at my feet?]

Sure enough, the other side went silent for a long time.

Good. She took the bait.

I turned to look at the silent groom beside me.

He glanced at me, a little flustered, his voice low and hoarse. “Yuna, actually I…”

I patted his shoulder. “Edwin, relax.”

The comments exploded in confusion: [Cover blown! Why isn’t the female supporting lead following the script?]

Edwin visibly relaxed. “So, you already knew.”

After a brief silence, as if he had made up his mind, he took a deep breath.

“Mason isn’t worth marrying. Today, he just wanted to humiliate you on purpose.”