Chapter 3 THE BRIDE NOBODY WANTED

​"What are they hiding?"

​The question haunted Dizer for the rest of the night. It consumed her thoughts long after the engagement dinner ended, after the wealthy guests left, and after she finally returned to the empty walls of her apartment. She couldn't shake the memory of the sheer terror on her parents' faces. It wasn't embarrassment or stress; it was real, visceral fear, and it was undeniably tied to Liam Oscar.

​The following morning, Dizer got her answer. Unfortunately, it was far worse than she could have ever imagined.

​"Dad, what happened?" Dizer demanded, marching into Kendall's executive office.

​The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife. Javier was sitting on the leather sofa, her face entirely drained of color. Kendall stood rigidly by the massive window, his jaw clenched so tightly a muscle twitched in his cheek. Neither of them looked up when she entered.

​"Dizer," Kendall said, gesturing toward an empty armchair without looking at her. "Sit down."

​Her stomach immediately dropped. Whenever her father used that specific, heavy tone, ruinous news followed. She remained exactly where she was. "I'll stand. Just tell me."

​Kendall sighed, running a hand over his face. "As you wish."

​A suffocating silence stretched between them until Javier finally broke it, her voice trembling. "Liam came to see us early this morning."

​Dizer frowned. "So? What did he want?"

​Kendall's expression darkened into a scowl. "He wants to cancel the wedding."

​For a second, Dizer simply stared at them. Then, a sharp, bitter laugh escaped her lips. She wasn't laughing because it was funny; she was laughing because she had completely expected this. Of course he wanted out. She was just the unwanted daughter, the spare tire, the backup option, and the sacrificial lamb. Why wouldn't a billionaire billionaire want better?

​"Fine," Dizer said, shrugging her shoulders.

​Kendall looked up, genuinely surprised by her lack of tears. "Fine?"

​"Yes, cancel it," Dizer said, folding her arms tightly. "Honestly, Dad, you're doing me a massive favor."

​Javier looked away, burying her face in her hands. Kendall's face hardened further. "The problem, Dizer, is that he doesn't want to cancel the financial alliance between our families."

​Dizer blinked, her mind scrambling to connect the dots. "What are you talking about? If the wedding is off, how is there an alliance?"

​Nobody answered her. The room went dead silent again. And then, in a horrific flash of clarity, Dizer knew. The sickening realization hit her before they could even formulate the words.

​Her heartbeat accelerated to a frantic pace. "No," she whispered.

​Javier closed her eyes tightly. "Dizer, please..."

​"No!"

​Kendall finally spoke the words aloud, cutting through the air like ice. "He wants Camille."

​The room became perfectly, horribly still. Dizer stared at her father, then at her mother, waiting for someone to deny it, to correct it, or to laugh and say it was a cruel misunderstanding. But nobody did.

​A hot, agonizing wave of pure humiliation burned through her veins. He wants Camille. Hearing the words spoken aloud made it real. It made it cruel.

​Kendall nodded slowly. "He believes your sister is far better suited for him and his public profile."

​A broken, sharp laugh escaped Dizer's throat. "Better suited."

​Javier stood up quickly, taking a step toward her. "Dizer—"

​"No!" Dizer thrust her hand up, stopping her mother in her tracks. Her eyes stung fiercely, but she fiercely refused to cry. Not here. Not in front of them. Not ever again. "So let him marry her. Take me out of the contract."

​Another heavy silence descended on the room. Then, Kendall said something that genuinely shocked her: "We refused his request."

​Dizer blinked, utterly bewildered. "What? You refused? Why?"

​Neither parent answered. Always secrets. Always a wall of silence.

​"Why, Dad?" Dizer demanded, her voice rising in pitch. "Why refused?"

​Javier swallowed hard, her voice cracking. "The original legal agreement was made specifically for you, Dizer."

​"But why? If he wants Camille, and you want his money, why does it have to be me?"

​"Dizer, it's incredibly complicated—"

​"WHY?" her voice echoed violently off the walls of the office.

​Kendall rubbed his forehead in sheer frustration. "It's just complicated, Dizer. You wouldn't understand."

​Dizer laughed bitterly, shaking her head as a tear finally spilled over her lower lid. "No. No, it's not complicated at all." She pointed a trembling finger at her own chest. "I spent ten years of my life building your goddamn company from nothing. And now, a man walks in and wants my sister instead." Her voice cracked, raw with emotion. "And somehow you're surprised that I'm upset?"

​Nobody answered her. The silence hurt far more than any cruel words could have. Finally, Dizer turned around, her posture stiffening. "I'm leaving."

​"Dizer, wait!" Javier cried out.

​She ignored them completely, throwing the heavy office door open.

​"Dizer!" Kendall called out commandingly.

​She slammed the door shut behind her, the loud bang echoing down the executive hallway.

​Meanwhile, across the city in a high-rise penthouse, Liam Oscar wasn't having a pleasant morning either.

​His younger brother, Noah Oscar, was sitting across the breakfast table from him, staring at him in utter disbelief before bursting into a loud, mocking laugh. "So let me get this straight."

​Liam glared at him over his coffee cup. "Noah. Shut up."

​"No, absolutely not," Noah said, raising both hands in mock surrender. "I need serious clarification here. You met one sister, Dizer."

​"Yes," Liam grunted.

​"You instantly fell for the other sister, Camille, when she showed up."

​Liam's jaw tightened. "Yes."

​"You discovered you're legally engaged to the first sister, and now you're trying to pull a fast one and completely switch brides at the altar." Noah grinned like a maniac. "Am I missing anything?"

​Liam leaned back in his chair, looking deeply annoyed. "Essentially, yes."

​Noah burst into another fit of laughter, shaking his head. "You are completely unbelievable, Liam."

​"It's not funny, Noah."

​"It absolutely is. What the hell is wrong with Dizer anyway?"

​"Nothing is wrong with her," Liam admitted, his expression darkening.

​"Then just marry her!"

​Liam stared down at his hands. "I don't know her. Every time we're in a room together, everything feels tense, defensive, and incredibly complicated. But with Camille... everything just flows naturally. It's easy. And I absolutely hate complications."

​Noah smirked, taking a bite of toast. "Personally, I think you're being a total idiot."

​Liam ignored the comment, but before he could respond, his mother walked into the dining room. Judging by the sheer storm cloud on her face, she already knew exactly what he had done.

​"Liam Oscar," she said, her voice dropping an octave.

​Noah immediately stood up from the table, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "I suddenly remembered I had an emergency at work. Goodbye!" He disappeared down the hall like a coward.

​Liam sighed, bracing himself. "Mom."

​His mother sat down in Noah's vacant chair, her movements dangerously calm. "I heard about the pathetic stunt you pulled with the Shanks this morning."

​Liam remained silent, staring at his coffee.

​"You have completely embarrassed our family name, Liam."

​"I was just being honest about my preferences," he defended quietly.

​"You were being incredibly childish," she snapped, leaning forward. "You gave your word to that family, and to Dizer."

​Liam's jaw tightened. "Circumstances changed."

​"No," his mother's gaze sharpened into ice. "You changed. The wedding is proceeding exactly as originally planned, Liam. Do not make a fool of this family again." She stood up and walked out of the room, leaving Liam alone with his brewing frustration.

​Three days later, Camille sat inside a highly exclusive luxury café, a sweet smile spreading across her lips as she watched Liam approach her table. The moment he sat down, she let out a soft laugh. "You look completely exhausted, Liam."

​Liam offered a faint, strained smile. "It's been an incredibly difficult week."

​"I heard all about it," Camille said softly.

​Liam’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. "You heard?"

​Camille nodded, reaching across the small table to gently place her hand over his. It was a simple, practiced gesture, but it was highly effective. Liam’s heartbeat unexpectedly accelerated at her touch.

​"My parents told me everything," Camille whispered, lowering her voice to an intimate level. "Liam, you shouldn't be forced into this. Nobody should be forced to marry someone they don't want."

​Something complicated twisted painfully inside Liam's chest. "What do you mean?"

​"The marriage," Camille said, her eyes softening with faux sympathy. "People deserve to marry the person they actually choose. It's just so unfortunate..." She looked away, painting a perfect picture of a vulnerable, delicate woman caught in a tragic situation.

​It was exactly the image she wanted him to see. What Liam failed to notice was the dark spark of deep satisfaction hiding beneath her flawless performance. Camille wasn't upset about the situation at all; she was thoroughly enjoying every single second of it. She loved the high-profile attention, she loved the undeniable attraction, and above all, she loved the power. She especially loved knowing how much Dizer would absolutely despise it.

​That same evening, Dizer arrived back at her apartment, completely drained of emotional energy. All she wanted was a hot shower, a quiet meal, and a dreamless sleep. Instead, the moment she walked into her living room, she found Camille waiting for her. Her sister was comfortably curled up on the sofa, sipping tea as if she legally owned the place.

​Dizer stopped dead in her tracks, her keys clutching tightly in her hand. "What the hell are you doing here, Camille?"

​Camille set her teacup down on the glass table with a soft clink. She looked up, her smile widening into something viciously satisfied. "I just wanted to see you. And to tell you that Liam kissed me this afternoon."

​The room went entirely silent. Dizer stared at her sister, her breath hitching in her throat.

​"He kissed me, Dizer," Camille repeated, her voice dripping with malice. "Right on the lips."

​A sharp, stabbing pain hit Dizer's chest. It wasn't out of love for Liam; it was the relentless, suffocating weight of the humiliation. Every single time she thought her family couldn't possibly degrade her any further, they found a way to dig a deeper hole.

​Camille slowly stood up from the sofa, smoothing down her designer skirt. "You really should just cancel the wedding yourself, Dizer. It's blindingly obvious that he wants me, not you."

​A hot, roaring surge of pure anger finally overtook Dizer's sorrow. For the first time, she felt genuine rage instead of disappointment. "And what about you, Camille? What do you actually want?"

​Camille laughed, the mask dropping completely. "I want him."

​The sheer honesty of the admission caught Dizer off guard. Camille stepped closer until they were standing mere inches apart. "He deserves to be with someone he actually loves, Dizer. And that person is clearly me."

​Dizer stared into her sister's cold eyes. "Do you genuinely enjoy this? Hurting me?"

​The answer came without a single shred of hesitation. "Yes. I do."

​The living room became deadly quiet. For the first time in their lives, Camille wasn't pretending to be the sweet, innocent victim for their parents. The performance was over, and the raw truth underneath was far uglier than Dizer could have ever imagined.

​Camille leaned in closer, whispering into Dizer's ear, her breath hot against her skin. "You still have absolutely no idea why they chose me over you, do you?"

​Dizer froze, her heart slamming violently against her ribs. "What are you talking about?"

​Camille backed away, heading toward the front door, looking thoroughly pleased with herself. She paused at the threshold, delivering a final, devastating blow: "The real reason Dad picked me over you has absolutely nothing to do with business, Dizer. And the truth would completely destroy you."

​Before Dizer could move to stop her, Camille slipped out of the apartment and closed the door, leaving behind a stunned, ringing silence—and a terrifying question that Dizer could no longer afford to ignore.