LOGINThe wedding day arrived right on schedule.As I touched up my makeup backstage, I stared at my reflection in a daze.The sea breeze, the setting sun, the white gown, and the flowers were exactly as I had always imagined.‘Turns out, this is all I ever wanted. I don’t have to keep swallowing my hurt or bending over backward to please others. I can have what I want without being toyed with or deliberately given a hard time,’ I thought.A noise behind me pulled me out of my reverie. I turned around with a smile, thinking it was Heath.“Weren’t you supposed to pick up our parents? This is already your eighth time coming back here. Can you stop—”I froze when I turned fully and met the eyes of the person standing behind me, my smile stiffening.It was Hunter.I had no idea how he had managed to sneak inside.The man who had always been obsessed with his appearance and was practically a clean freak looked like a beggar. He had disheveled hair and grimy clothes.I could barely recog
Hunter’s injuries were so severe that doctors rushed him to the ICU.When he finally regained consciousness, he found Candace sitting beside his hospital bed, crying her eyes out.“Hunter, you’re finally awake.”He stared at her with a hollow, lifeless expression.“How dare you show your face here?”Candace froze for a moment. Then, she held up her hand, displaying the diamond ring on her finger.“Take a good look, Hunter. I’m your fiancee now. You said you’d take me to make our marriage official a week later. Well, the time is up. Let’s get married.”Hunter stared at her, then lunged forward like a madman to snatch the ring.“Give it back! This is all your fault, you wretched woman! If you hadn’t seduced me, I wouldn’t have ended up like this or lost Jocelyn, the best woman I could ever have asked for!”Hunter lost control in a fit of rage and forcibly broke Candace’s finger. Her piercing screams filled the hospital room.He cradled the ring in his hands, his expression wild
Dad had noticed I was still struggling to get the hang of running the company, so the next day, he mysteriously told me he had brought in someone to help.I assumed he was joking and nearly forgot about it until Heath showed up.“What are you doing here?”Heath stood before me in a sharp suit, looking just as infuriating as I remembered him from years ago.“Mr. Gluckstein said you’ve been swamped lately, Miss Stroud, so he specifically asked me to come lend a hand. It’s also a good opportunity to get closer to my fiancee.”I shot him a glare, then turned and entered the conference room.After a whole morning of meetings, I had barely stepped into my office when a flustered receptionist hurried inside.“M-Miss Stroud… D-Downstairs…”The morning’s meetings had left me with a slight headache. I rubbed my temples and glanced at Heath, who was standing by the window, before turning back to the young receptionist.“Take your time. What’s happening downstairs?”Heath turned around,
Hunter and Candace froze, utterly shocked.Candace stared at me, her legs giving way beneath her as she sank to her knees.Hunter stepped forward and reached for me.“Jocelyn, y-you’re joking, right? Are you actually Gluckstein Group’s heiress? No, it can’t be. You’ve never mentioned it to me before.”Dad kicked him aside.“How dare you even ask that? If she isn’t Gluckstein Group’s heiress, does that give you the right to bully her?”Candace’s face drained of color as she slumped to the floor. She crawled toward us, finally facing reality and fearing the consequences of everything she had done.“Jocelyn, it was all a misunderstanding. So many things have gotten twisted between us. Please, let me explain. Aren’t we best friends? You can’t treat me like this.”I sneered.“Misunderstanding? Is that what you call all those pranks and humiliations? Was crossing the line and deliberately provoking me under the guise of friendship a misunderstanding, too?“I’ve had enough of you, C
Both Candace and Hunter looked astonished when they saw me, but after hearing what the person beside them had said, they scoffed.“Jocelyn, where did you find this person to back you up? You knew today was an important day for both of us. It’s our first day at the company, so why did you have to come here and cause trouble?”As he spoke, Hunter grabbed my arm and tried to drag me outside, but I struggled to wrench myself free.Candace suddenly appeared out of nowhere, aiming her phone camera directly at my face.“Jocelyn, you can’t deliberately choose today to cause trouble just because you’re jealous we got into such a big company. “Gluckstein Group has plenty of security guards, and they hate dealing with troublemakers. “Leave now. I’m just looking out for you because I’m worried they might hurt you.”Her voice quickly drew a large crowd around us.“I can’t stand people like her. She’s shameless and impossible to shake off.”“This is Gluckstein Group. Does she really think
The next day, I returned to the house Hunter and I shared to pack my belongings. To my surprise, he was there with Candace and their entire group of friends.Candace stood in my way, wearing a victorious smile.“Jocelyn, don’t rush off just yet. You can keep living here if you want. Hunter and I are starting at Gluckstein Group next week, and we’ll probably move closer to the office after that.”One of Hunter’s friends immediately chimed in, saying, “Candace, why do you have to be so soft-hearted? After the way she treated you, you’re still thinking about her.”I picked up my ID and tried to walk around them, but Hunter blocked my path. “Jocelyn, I’m giving you one last chance. Apologize to Candace.”I looked at him. My throat felt as though it were filled with glass shards. Every word was painful to force out.“I did nothing wrong. Why should I apologize to her?”The moment the words left my mouth, someone kicked me hard in the knee. I was already injured, and the unexpecte







