Chapter 1

Marriage?

My smile froze on my face.

The video kept replaying in my head, and I forced a bitter smile.

"Get married? But we've only just started dating," I said.

If I hadn't watched that video before my girlfriend, Vicky Donovan, asked me this question, I would probably have been over the moon by now.

After all, I'd been pursuing her for years, and she'd brought up the topic of marriage on her own. This was literally everything I'd ever dreamed of.

But after watching the video, the word "marriage" suddenly felt more like a death warrant to me, sending a chill straight down my spine.

Vicky didn't notice anything amiss. She just snuggled up to me, wrapped her arms around my waist, and cooed, "You've been pursuing me for three years. Don't you think that we already know each other very well by now?

"I only didn't accept your feelings before because I was just testing you. Now that you've passed the test, why don't we get married straightaway?"

I looked at Vicky in my arms and felt a flicker of hesitation.

Could she have really discovered that I was actually from a wealthy background?

Indeed, Mom and Dad left me a massive inheritance when they passed away. But my grandfather raised me, and my parents kept a tight rein on my allowance while they were still alive. As a result, I was used to living a frugal life.

I lived in a run-down neighborhood in the city, and I wore cheap polyester T-shirts I bought off Zamazon for just a few dollars.

Nobody could tell from my appearance alone that I had a wealthy background. Even my best friends didn't know, so how did Vicky find out?

At that thought, I decided to test her instead.

Thus, I looked at her and feigned a troubled expression, saying, "But Vicky, getting married costs a lot of money. I don't have much on hand at the moment. And I don't want you to have to suffer with me."

Vicky lowered her head and chuckled softly. Then she stared at me unblinkingly and said, "I don't care, Colin. I just want to be with you. It's fine if you don't have money. We can always start from scratch."

Her expression looked sincere, and I couldn't tell if she was faking it.

I felt a little touched. Vicky looked at me as though she genuinely loved me, not like the fraudster who'd scam me out of all my money—as the person in that video claimed. Could the video have been an AI-generated joke someone was pulling on me?

Even though I was sure Vicky wasn't the kind of person that video claimed to be, I still couldn't deny that the video looked too real to be fake.

And what if it was really telling the truth after all? Wouldn't that mean I'd still end up on the streets like that beggar?

I lay on the bed, unable to go to sleep. The video and Vicky's words wouldn't stop replaying in my head.

"Let's get married, Colin Atkinson."

"She will insist on a whirlwind marriage with you and steal all of your money before making a run for it, spending the rest of her days with her lover and leaving you with a mountain of debt!"

Two voices fought in my mind. One urged me to trust Vicky; the other warned me to be wary of her.