CHAPTER 1: Seven Years Waiting for a Proposal

"If Zane still doesn't propose to me tonight, then maybe I will..."

Emma Penelope Reed whispered those words like a mantra inside the restroom of the five-star hotel where her best friend's wedding reception was being held. Her trembling fingers brushed against a small velvet box inside her handbag. It wasn't an engagement ring from a man. Instead, it was a pair of simple silver bands she had bought with her own savings.

Tonight marked exactly seven years since she had become the woman hidden in the shadows of Zane Blackwood's life.

As Emma stepped out and returned to the banquet hall, several old friends who knew about her relationship with Zane immediately nudged her arm.

"Emma! So, when are you two getting married? You've been together for seven years. Zane's definitely going to surprise you tonight, right?" one of them teased.

Emma only offered a faint smile, hiding the storm raging inside her chest. Seven years. A painfully long time for a secret relationship.

Her gaze drifted toward the VIP section, where Zane stood in a custom-made tuxedo that made him look like a Greek god. Perfect. Sharp jawline, athletic build, and a smile capable of melting millions of women. Emma knew every inch of that body by heart. The memory alone made her heart pound strangely.

In bed, Zane was an extraordinary man. He was dominant, strong, knew exactly how to satisfy Emma, and most importantly, he never demanded anything from her except her presence by his side. Their intimacy was always passionate, driven by a mutual need for each other. Emma, an orphaned girl who had once been on the verge of destruction while being chased by debt collectors before Zane came to save her, believed that his embrace and his body were the only home she had ever known.

Back then, Zane had been nothing more than an extra actor. Emma became his personal assistant, managing his schedule, cooking, washing his clothes, and accompanying him through endless filming days. Now, Zane had reached the pinnacle of fame as one of the industry's biggest stars, yet their relationship remained a secret.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's invite all the couples here tonight to come up onto the stage!" the MC's voice broke Emma's train of thought.

The friends around Emma began whispering excitedly, urging Zane to take Emma's hand. Her heart pounded wildly. When Zane walked toward her and gently took her hand, Emma felt her eyes sting with unshed tears.

Is this the moment? Is Zane finally going to acknowledge our relationship in front of the whole world?

But just before they stepped onto the stage, the phone inside Zane's tuxedo pocket vibrated.

Zane pulled it out. Standing so close to him, Emma could clearly see the name displayed on the screen.

~Baby

In an instant, the warmth disappeared from Zane's face. His hand slipped away from hers without hesitation.

"I have to go," Zane said coldly, not even looking into Emma's eyes.

"Zane? But—"

"It's an emergency, Emma. Stop acting like a child," Zane cut her off sharply.

Without another explanation, without even a trace of guilt, he turned around and strode out of the ballroom, leaving Emma standing alone beneath the bright lights, becoming the subject of sympathetic whispers from the guests.

Emma felt as though something invisible had smashed her heart into pieces.

An hour later, Emma sat alone at the corner of a noisy nightclub bar not far from the hotel. She hadn't gone back to the apartment they shared. Right now, she needed peace.

She had just finished her third glass of liquor. The alcohol had begun to make her head spin, yet the pain in her chest only grew sharper. Emma reached for her vibrating phone, hoping it was Zane calling to apologize.

Instead, a trending entertainment news notification appeared on the screen.

[HOT NEWS] Handsome Actor Zane Blackwood Spotted Once Again Leaving a Luxury Hotel with a Rising Young Actress After Leaving a Wedding Reception!

The photos clearly showed Zane wrapping a protective arm around a young blonde actress.

The same woman who had texted him during the wedding.

"Seven years..." Emma let out a hollow laugh as tears freely dripped into her glass of liquor.

"I waited seven years for you, Zane. And in the end, I'm nothing more than an assistant you can sleep with whenever you want."

With her judgment clouded by alcohol and overwhelming frustration, Emma opened her messaging app and typed with trembling fingers.

Zane... how much longer am I supposed to wait? I'm already twenty-six. I want a title. I want to get married.

His reply arrived within seconds.

Short.

Simple.

And enough to shatter every last piece of hope she still held.

Don't start this again, Emma. You knew from the very beginning that I'm not ready for marriage. If you're tired, no one's forcing you to stay.

No one's forcing you to stay.

That was the same sentence Zane always used whenever Emma brought up marriage.

Emma finally realized that Zane had never truly valued her.

He had only been taking advantage of her loyalty.

"Bastard," Emma muttered hoarsely as tears streamed down her face, mixing with the mascara running from her eyes.

Her mind, clouded by alcohol and heartbreak, had completely lost its reason. She wanted revenge. She wanted to prove to Zane that she could walk away too. That she wasn't so cheap and so easy to play with forever.

Emma tossed her phone onto the bar counter. The screen remained lit, displaying a job search page and an article she had come across a few days earlier. But this time, a pop-up advertisement caught her blurred gaze.

[Match-Prime App: Find a Serious Partner—No Games. Looking for a Flash Marriage with a Successful Man? Sign Up for an Exclusive Blind Date Tonight.]

Emma's drunken mind could no longer think logically. Her anger, her shattered pride, and her desperate longing for the status of marriage guided her trembling fingers.

"You don't want to marry me, Zane?" Emma whispered with a bitter smile.

"Then I'll marry another man. Anyone. As long as it's not you."

With only ten percent of her consciousness remaining, Emma tapped the registration button, filled in her personal information, and selected the option:

Agree to an Exclusive Blind Date and an Immediate Contract Marriage with the Top VIP Candidate.

Registration Successful.

Emma smiled bitterly before her head slumped onto the bar counter, completely unconscious from heavy intoxication.

She had no idea that the exclusive matchmaking system had just paired her with a powerful, mature man.