Chapter 1

Not long after I left Carlton Corporation, Ivy Carlton sent me the address of a castle in Staravia, along with a photo of it. It was a cream-colored castle with limestone walls and a red and gold dome. It looked extremely opulent.

And right in the center of the photo was Jonah Jennings, wearing a white T-shirt and jeans, standing tall and straight.

My finger lingered on Jonah's smiling face for two seconds, and a wave of absurdity washed over me.

I was supposed to be the groom, and this was the wedding venue Ivy had chosen for us. Yet, the star of the photo she sent me was her "childhood friend" whom she had always told me not to worry about.

After that, Ivy went silent. I knew her well enough. She probably figured the wedding planners had already contacted me, so she just simply sent me the address, as if afraid I wouldn't know where to go when rebooking flights.

There was a tight knot in my chest. I could not understand it. She had already agreed to hold the ceremony at my grandfather's home. So why did she change everything just because Jonah liked it?

By the time I got home, it was already dark. I happened to overhear Ivy snapping at the housekeeper.

"Theo isn't a child. Why does he have to bother me just because he got back a little late?"

"But Mr. Sterling received a call from the wedding planners this afternoon and left right after. I was worried he might get angry and…"

Ivy let out a mocking laugh. "He went out to deal with visa paperwork and rebooking flights. With the Sterling family's size, it's not a simple process.

"Relax. Theo dreams of marrying me. He'd die if he left me. Even if I booked the wedding venue on a glacier in Arendia, he'd crawl there for it, let alone a Staravian castle that Jon personally selected."

The housekeeper said nothing more. Instead, Ivy muttered to herself, "It's already been five minutes, and Jon still hasn't replied… I should go check on him."

When she rushed out of the villa, I was already gone.

That villa had always belonged to the Carlton family. It was never my home. For convenience during wedding preparations, Ivy had suggested I move in.

At first, we were like any other engaged couple, sweet and inseparable.

Then, one day, Jonah returned to the country after a breakup. Ivy said she needed to comfort him, and that comforting lasted four months. Whenever Jonah was upset, she'd drop everything and run to him.

I was left to handle all the wedding preparations alone. From sourcing the attire to personally designing the layout of my grandfather's courtyard, I dealt with every detail while she remained completely absent from the process.

When I voiced my dissatisfaction, she didn't even look up—just tilted her head away from her screen, mid-chat with Jonah. She sighed, her voice laced with irritation. "You only want to marry me to save the Sterling family's business."