Chapter 1

I was in a daze when I saw my girlfriend, Hannah Jennings, on the digital billboard. She was wearing elaborate makeup.

A colleague next to me elbowed my arm and said, “Gosh, this woman is really going all out. Renting this digital billboard on New Year’s Eve has to cost at least ten thousand dollars for just half an hour.

“I heard she already booked this billboard with our leasing team a whole month ago. She really can’t wait to marry her boyfriend.”

I was in disbelief. Hannah said she was travelling to a different city for business tonight and would not be back until next month at the earliest.

Yet there she stood in front of Damon Sheern, the impoverished student my family had sponsored, acting like a desperate lovesick puppy.

I told Hannah before that I worked at a mall. She never asked which one.

Come to think of it, that was ridiculous. She probably never cared.

When there were only five minutes left until the New Year’s countdown, Hannah pulled out a diamond ring the size of a pigeon’s egg from her purse.

She sobbed and said, “Damon! I can’t wait any longer. I want to marry you!”

The mall’s ceiling lights blazed on. Colorful balloons descended from the ceiling. Screams erupted from the crowd around me.

The most ironic part was that I had stayed up several nights in a row to finalize the proposal for this very event.

I only knew there would be a grand marriage proposal event around midnight tonight. However, I never imagined that the person who would propose would be my girlfriend of six years.

Damon’s silhouette was backlit. He touched Hannah’s face.

“Hannah... what am I supposed to do with you...?”

The crowd below began to chant, “Propose! Propose!”

A colleague looked envious and whispered, “I heard the guy is the mall owner’s son! A rich heir and a rich girl. They’re such a perfect match.”

The mall owner’s son?

Did I have a brother I was not aware of?

Seeing Damon frozen in place, Hannah simply put the diamond ring on her own finger. “Damon, I’ve been planning this for a long time. Only this one-of-a-kind diamond ring deserves a love like ours.”

My breath caught in my throat when I saw the close-up shot of Hannah’s hand. That ring was clearly the one my father had specially bid on at an auction last month to give to me. I had planned to use it to propose to Hannah.

How dare she steal my ring to propose to another man?

Damon became so emotional that he stumbled over his words. He said in a choked voice, “I never thought you’d propose to me here. This is where the Sheern family built their business. My dad is going to be so happy when he finds out.

“Our five years together have finally paid off.”

How ridiculous. The two of us had been together for six years, while they had been cheating for five.

At that moment, my blood ran cold. They had hidden this from me well enough.

“Hannah Jennings, will you marry me?” Damon asked at the top of his lungs. Hannah nodded vigorously.

After the successful proposal, the mall staff followed the prearranged plan and set off a confetti cannon. Hannah cried out in surprise and threw herself into Damon’s arms.

The two then kissed passionately in front of envious onlookers as if no one else was there.

The midnight bell rang. Gorgeous fireworks lit up behind them. The mall’s public address system announced at the right moment, “Congratulations to this beautiful couple for winning our mall’s Best Couple prize. The prize is a five-day, four-night luxury honeymoon trip worth twenty thousand dollars!”

I took a deep breath and said to my colleague, “I’ll present the award to them.”

I picked up the prize voucher and walked toward the two of them. They were still gazing deeply into each other’s eyes and did not notice me at all.

I said coldly, “Congratulations, Ms. Jennings.”