Chapter 1

"Where did this beggar come from? Who said you could touch my tuxedo?"

With the wedding approaching, I went to check out my custom-made tuxedo.

However, as soon as I had it in my hands, a foppish young man suddenly slapped me across the face and snatched the tuxedo away.

He slapped me again and yelled, "You lowlife! You've dirtied my tuxedo. You'll pay for this! Do you have any idea how much this tuxedo costs? You couldn't afford it even if you sold yourself!"

I stood there in shock.

Right then, the supervisor rushed over and apologized obsequiously to the young man.

"Mr. Norton, I'm terribly sorry. The new staff member didn't know that was your tuxedo, so he gave it to someone else."

The young man called Mr. Norton was now whining on the phone to someone he kept calling "honey".

"Honey, some beggar dirtied my tuxedo. What should I do? Honey, this was the tuxedo you had custom-made just for me!"

The phone was on speaker mode, and a voice I knew all too well came through the other end.

"There, now. Just have them redo the dirty part, and it'll be as good as new. You shouldn't let this stress you out."

Wasn't that the voice of my fiancee, Cynthia Norton?

I'd heard rumors that Cynthia had gotten close to some pretty boy while I was studying abroad.

I'd asked her several times, but she always denied it, insisting there had never been another man.

I even asked her parents, and they dismissed it as baseless gossip—just some minor celebrities trying to stir up attention by claiming a wealthy patron.

My family had arranged this marriage with the Norton family years ago, with the wedding set to take place as soon as I returned from abroad.

For this very reason, my mother, Sandra Logan, had commissioned a world-class designer to create custom wedding attire for Cynthia and me.

Yet now, the measurements of this tuxedo turned out to be someone else's.

The moment I took the tuxedo, I realized the measurements were off. I was in the middle of discussing the issue when Mr. Norton suddenly slapped me across the face.

Mr. Norton was still complaining to Cynthia on the phone, while the supervisor was already sweating nervously. The employee who had handed me the tuxedo kept apologizing profusely.

Afraid of offending Mr. Norton, the supervisor abruptly yanked me forward and even kicked me in the leg.

Caught off guard, I lost my balance from the pull. And with the added kick, I stumbled awkwardly to my knee.

"Where did this lowlife come from? How dare he touch the tuxedo meant for Ms. Norton's fiance? What are you waiting for? Get on your knees and apologize right now!"

"Oh, shut up," I said with a chuckle. "The union between the Emerson and Norton families has been publicly announced, and Mr. Norton is certainly not Gerard Emerson."

Mr. Norton immediately flew into a rage and stomped fiercely on my leg.

"Gerard Emerson? That old man isn't worthy of Cece. Cece watched me grow up, and she promised she would marry me!"