chapter two

Madison’s POV

I stood in front of the mirror, holding a bouquet as the boutique staff adjusted my dress.

Expressionless, I turned to William—still glued to his phone, his disinterest in our so-called wedding impossible to ignore.

When he finally noticed me, he looked up and gave me nothing but a nod.

I scoffed, rolling my eyes.

“Give me a pen,” I said to one of the assistants.

She looked puzzled but handed me a ballpoint pen from her pocket.

Without hesitation, I ripped the dress from thigh to ankle, creating a bold, jagged slit. Gasps filled the room.

I strode over to a stunned William and threw the bouquet in his face.

“What the hell is this?” he snapped.

“Oh, you want the meaning?” I sneered. “It means the wedding’s off.”

“What?!”

“Yes. As of now, we’re strangers. Got it?”

I didn’t wait for his reaction. I walked straight to the front desk, paid for the dress, and headed out.

He ran after me, catching my wrist. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry, whatever I did. Just stop being moody—let’s go try on my tux.”

I stared at him. Then...slap_my hand connected with his cheek.

“You lying, cheating bastard! Get your filthy hands off me!”

He recoiled, holding his face. “What the hell was that for?!”

“You really thought I wouldn’t notice? You love Sophia, not me! You imbecile.”

His face flushed red—embarrassment and fear.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about. I love you.”

I stared him down. “Well, I don’t. Not anymore.”

I yanked my car keys from his hand—my car, after all...and sped off, leaving him in a cloud of dust and confusion.

When I got home, I intended to tell my family everything. But as I entered, I overheard voices coming from the living room.

“Really?!” Sophia squealed. “A blind date with Richard Benjamin?!”

“Yes, dear,” came my stepmother’s voice. “A business friend of mine knows his mother and arranged it. You’re meeting him tomorrow at 6 p.m., dinner at one of his hotels.”

“If it goes well… I might marry the richest bachelor in the country!” Sophia gushed.

“You might even marry before Madison,” my stepmother said smugly.

“Oh, I will. That’ll prove I’m better than her.”

“You were always better than her, darling,” my stepmother agreed without missing a beat.

None of this surprised me. She never treated me like her daughter. Never even tried.

I stepped in, cutting their celebration short.

“Sis! You’re back early,” Sophia said, voice dripping with fake sweetness.

“That’s because I cancelled the wedding.”

Their faces fell.

“What?!” they both gasped.

“But your wedding is in two months!” my stepmother barked, face tightening with fury.

“Because he doesn’t love me,” I said flatly.

Sophia blinked. “What are you saying? William loves you.”

I met her eyes, seeing right through her. “We both know that’s not true.”

She tensed, but before I could say more—smack...my stepmother slapped me.

“You ungrateful brat! How dare you speak about my daughter like that?!”

“She knows exactly what I’m talking about—”

Smack. Another slap.

“You’re marrying William whether you like it or not!” she screamed.

“It’s my wedding. My life!”

But nothing I said mattered. She snapped her fingers, and her bodyguards dragged me away, locking me in my room.

This wasn’t new.

Even as a child, the smallest mistake meant being locked in this room—smaller, colder, and emptier than Sophia’s.

Sitting on my bed, I pulled out my phone and typed:

“Richard Benjamin.”

I’d heard of him...everyone had—but I wanted more. I needed to know who he really was.

Turns out, he’s thirty. CEO of R&B Publishing, William’s boss.

Youngest son of the powerful Benjamin family—the same family that owns the country’s largest pharmaceutical empire.

At nineteen, he walked away from it all and built his own company from scratch. Now, he runs multiple branches, hotels, and shopping malls.

They say he’s cold. Authoritative.

They also say he’s stunning...raven-black hair, piercing blue eyes, and impossibly tall.

Perfect.

Because if I have him, Sophia will break.

And when Sophia breaks, William and my dear stepmother will crumble with her.

Game on