Chapter 1

Holding my arm, which was sore from the push Richard had given me, I watched coldly as Vivian nestled in his embrace.

"Vivian, I gave you love and respect, yet you shamelessly chose to be his lapdog?"

Across from me, Richard toyed with Vivian's cheek flirtatiously as he shot me a taunting look.

Vivian blushed at his touch, but she just gave me a cold look and said, "Isaac, you don't get to decide what I do with my body. After all, you're only my fiance in name."

After she finished speaking, Richard spread his hands helplessly and sneered at me. "You heard her, Mr. Big Cheese. Vivian is doing all this willingly. As the richest man, you can't even keep your money in line? How lucky for me."

Watching them play off each other, I felt a sharp pain in my heart. I rubbed the contract heavily in my hand and said, "Vivian, don't forget that without me, your family would've been finished long ago."

But she remained completely indifferent upon hearing my words. "So what? Mr. Ferguson Senior said your family would take care of my family forever. Do you dare to go against your grandfather's wishes?"

With that, she raised an eyebrow at me defiantly. Then, she took a photo of the contract and sent it to her close friends' group chat.

"As long as you train them well, having two husbands isn't a problem. Look, my two men are coexisting peacefully."

The group instantly erupted.

"When it comes to training men, you've got to hand it to Vivian. Even the heir to the infamous Ferguson family fortune is groveling at her feet for a little attention."

"This is so satisfying. Vivian, can you write a ten-thousand-word tutorial so we can learn too?"

Pandemonium broke out at the venue. The crowd's gazes swept over Vivian before finally landing on me, brimming with derision.

The sounds of ridicule washed over me like a tidal wave.

"The Ferguson family has dominated Havenport for nearly a century. Who would've thought their heir would be this spineless?"

"Looks like the Ferguson family's days of glory are numbered."

"What do you people know?" A voice of dissent rang out from the crowd. His tone was low but carried deep reverence. "The Ferguson family's influence runs far deeper than what's visible on the surface.

"Back in the day, a single word from Mr. Ferguson Senior was enough to trip up even the Havenport bigwigs, and those families implicated in the fallout still haven't recovered to this day.

"You all lived peacefully for too long if you actually think the Ferguson family is something any of us has the right to gossip about!"

The murmuring crowd fell into an unusual silence upon hearing these words. When they looked at me again, their expression shifted to sudden alarm.

But I paid no attention to any of this external noise.

As Vivian, a smirk playing on her lips, was forcing me to accept the master-servant contract, the hall doors suddenly swung open the next second.

In walked Arlene Safer, my childhood friend who had rushed back from the Alluvial Flats to attend my engagement party.

"How odd. People are actually lining up to be lapdogs these days?"

Arlene strode in boldly, the very air seeming to part ways for her. She gave Vivian, who was standing nearby, a cursory once-over before turning to me with a look of disapproval.

"Isaac, a woman like her doesn't deserve to marry into your family. Even if Mr. Ferguson Senior were here today, I'd still say the same thing."

To others, Arlene's words might simply imply that my family, with wealth rivaling nations, looked down on the insignificant Vega family.

But Arlene was the only one present who knew my true identity, so I understood exactly what she meant.

Given that my family controlled the financial reins, we truly needed a mistress of status.

Upon hearing this, Vivian folded her arms and let out a low chuckle. "Oh? And what kind of woman am I exactly? I'll have you know, my grandfather saved Mr. Ferguson Senior's life. Who do you think you are, spouting nonsense here?"

Instead of answering the question, Arlene simply retorted, "So what if your grandfather saved Mr. Ferguson Senior's life? If it weren't for Isaac, your family would've married you off long ago in exchange for resources.

"You wouldn't even have the right to be yapping here today."

Before Vivian could speak, Arlene turned and pointed at Richard.

"And you!" she uttered sharply. "You're nothing but a kept man who got his start by stealing Isaac's project documents through Vivian. So, what's with this little act of undying devotion you two are putting on here?"

As I watched Vivian's face gradually twist with distortion, I felt a momentary daze.

Back when her family tried to force her into an arranged marriage, she came to me begging for protection.

Like a little stray cat, she retracted all her claws and hid in my arms, sobbing softly. The tear she let fall onto my neck that day as she declared she'd never marry another still seemed to burn against my skin.

"Isaac, you're the only one in this world who's ever been good to me. Let me be your family. I want to protect you too."

Yet now, she'd chosen to stand against me without hesitation, all for the sake of another man.

Arlene saw through Vivian's audacity at a single glance and let out a cold sneer.

"Vivian, are you 100% sure that Isaac can't live without you? Once you lose the Ferguson family as your backing, let's see if Richard still wants a lapdog like you."

Unable to tolerate anyone speaking ill of Richard, Vivian flew into a rage. She grabbed a glass from the coffee table and hurled its contents at me.

"Isaac, you really have raised yourself a fine lapdog. Have this tramp apologize to Richard right now, or I'm leaving with him today!"

I lowered my gaze slowly, wiping the water from my face.

Today was supposed to have been our most beautiful day. Yet, the woman I cherished most willingly became someone else's lapdog, making me the ultimate laughingstock of aristocratic circles.

All of a sudden, I felt tired. Without looking at them, I said to Arlene, "Let's go, Arlene."