All Chapters of Pranked on Halloween, Missing by the Wedding: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

"This paint is too corrosive. It won't wash out. If you want to cover it, we'll have to dye it all dark brown."The stylist at the private salon gave me a helpless shrug.I looked at my matted, straw-like blonde hair in the mirror and just nodded. "Do it."I remembered seven years ago, when we were cornered on the street by a rival family.Gideon shielded me behind the armored car. Through the smoke, he kissed my blonde hair."Briony, your hair is like sunshine."It was his favorite.Now, the dark brown dye slowly covered up all that "sunshine."I closed my eyes and realized, to my surprise, that I didn't feel a single shred of regret.When I got home, the garage was empty. The four supercars usually parked there were gone.I pulled out my phone. Two minutes ago, Ryn had posted a new story.In the photo, she was sitting like a princess in a sea of luxury shopping bags. Standing beside her, looking on dotingly, was Gideon.The caption read: "A perfect family weekend."I put my phone awa

The day I left was the day before the wedding.I walked down the stairs, pulling my black suitcase behind me.In the main hall, Ryn was excitedly setting up several cylindrical devices.She was whispering to Elena. "When Briony walks down the aisle, these cream bombs will all go off at once. It's going to be epic!"Elena put down her coffee cup and just gave a tired smile."Ryn, don't take it too far. Just get her dress dirty. Don't actually hurt her.""Don't worry, Mom," Ryn said with a smug arch of her eyebrow. "Briony won't get mad. When has she ever stayed mad? She always just swallows it."This version is direct, punchy, and uses common but effective slang to capture the "mafia" feel.She’s talking about when we were kids.Ryn broke my favorite teddy bear. All she did was shrug and say she didn't mean it.Elena jumped in front of her. "It's just a toy. So it's broken. Big deal."What she forgot was, she was the one who gave it to me. For my birthday.Then Riccardo got on my case,

Wall Street. The New York headquarters of the top investment bank.Radiating pure fury, Gideon kicked open the door to the executive's office.Behind the desk, Briony's old university mentor, now the bank's Head of North American Operations, calmly adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses."Why did you transfer her?" Gideon's eyes were bloodshot, like a cornered animal's. "You knew she was about to marry me. Why would you give her a position in Zurich now?"The mentor closed the folder in his hands and looked up, his eyes filled with undisguised contempt."Mr. Rossi. I never thought I'd see the day the heir to the Rossi empire lost his composure," the mentor sneered. "You ask me why? Because I'm someone who actually values her talent, while you are nothing but a worthless bastard.""Shut your mouth!" Gideon roared."Should I?" The mentor stood up, staring him down across the desk. "Three years ago, when Briony pulled four all-nighters to launder your family's dirty money and ended up in the ER

A week later in Zurich, I had just finished a three-hour M&A meeting and was walking out of the bank, rubbing my sore neck.I stopped the second I pushed open the main doors.At the edge of the plaza outside, a familiar black sedan was parked.Standing beside it were two people I thought I'd never see again—my father, Riccardo, and my mother, Elena.They had clearly been waiting in the cold for a long time.Elena was wearing an expensive fur coat, but her face was pale from the chill. Riccardo was pacing anxiously.When they saw me, Elena rushed over, her eyes instantly turning red."Briony..." Her voice trembled as she tried to take my arm. "How could you be so cruel? Blocking all of us, not leaving a single word... Do you have any idea how worried I've been?"I stepped aside, avoiding her touch, my gaze calm. "I thought I made a clean break. I assumed you'd be pleased.""What kind of thing is that to say?" Riccardo said, walking over with a dark expression, instinctively falling back

A year later, it was Halloween again.I stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at my reflection.The dark brown hair I'd been forced to get to cover the paint had grown out. My natural blonde had returned, and I'd had it styled in loose, confident waves.I was wearing a black velvet gown that clung to my curves, its embedded crystals glittering under the chandelier.No one would ever dare throw paint on this dress.My life was unrecognizable from a year ago.In Zurich, the global center of capital, I moved with ease between Wall Street and the European markets, guided by my sharp instincts and ruthless decisiveness.At the start of the year, I led the successful acquisition of two aggressive hedge funds, not only bringing in billions in profit for my firm but also making me the youngest senior partner in its history.With my own money, I bought a private estate in the Alps, with a view overlooking the magnificent snow-capped mountains.My connection to the Rossi family in Ne