James's assistant hustled after him, nearly tripping over his own feet. "Hold up a second! Do you even know which woman you're supposed to marry? What if you grab the wrong one?"

A few strides into the corridor, James came to an abrupt stop, his jaw set as his attention drifted across the crowded room.

His gaze eventually hooked onto a young woman perched on a bench, a slim cane resting against her knee. A waterfall of glossy hair framed her face, and her plain white dress only made her look softer, almost fragile. She sat with quiet composure—gentle, obedient… and strikingly lovely. Everything he wasn't—wild, volatile, impossible to rein in.

Only a few steps separated them.

James lingered there, studying her with a faint, crooked smirk tugging at his mouth.

Poor thing—completely blind, and still clueless that her fiancé had dumped her off like some unwanted junk.

Leo, rattled by the spectacle James had just unleashed, seized his arm and hauled him toward a quieter corner. "Who told you to pull this stunt? One wrong move and you'll blow everything."

James let out a low, careless chuckle, rolling his shoulders as if none of this concerned him. "Chaos is kind of my signature. I'm tying the knot today—what's a parade of fancy cars to celebrate it? If you're that offended, we can call the whole deal off."

The threat made Leo's face drain. Losing James now would ruin everything. "Alright, alright," he blurted out, lowering his voice. "Just keep your mouth shut once we're inside. Don't say a word while we sign."

The Barnett and Elliott families practically carved up Oranbu between them, ruling nearly eighty percent of the city's economy—and despising each other while doing it.

James had never played by Elliott rules anyway. At twenty-eight, the pressure to settle down had become suffocating, and nothing delighted him more than the idea of bringing home a blind bride just to spite his iron-fisted father.

Leo, on the other hand, saw a way to discard Khloe and humiliate the Elliott family in one beautifully cruel maneuver. It made their partnership disgustingly convenient.

So the agreement had snapped into place with hardly any effort at all.

Khloe settled quietly on the bench, blissfully unaware of the storm swirling around her. When Leo approached, he slipped a hand under her elbow with practiced gentleness, murmuring, "We're the next—let's go."

After leading her forward, he eased her into a chair. A moment later, another figure lowered himself into the seat beside her. Broad shoulders brushed the air above her, and a clean, woody fragrance drifted toward her—strange, unfamiliar.

A faint smile touched her lips.

Whoever this was, it wasn't Leo. The scent didn't match his.

James let his gaze drift toward the petite woman beside him, a crooked smirk forming as he took her in. When that soft smile returned and two small dimples appeared, the unexpected sweetness threw him for a beat.

He lost focus—just a flicker—before catching himself and exhaling a dry, amused breath.

How pathetic! Sold off like nothing, yet she kept right on smiling.

Soon after, they drifted toward the clerk's desk to finish the marriage paperwork.

The three of them settled into the chairs, an odd little trio.

The clerk paused, eyebrows lifting—people didn't usually drag in an extra companion for their marriage registration.

He collected their IDs, tapped the details into his computer, and ran off a stack of forms. A moment later, he slid the papers across the counter for the bride and groom to sign.

Leo guided Khloe's hand to the page, his palm heavy over her knuckles as he eased her fingers toward the signature line. "Right here. And over on this line too," he murmured.

A quiet breath fluttered out of her as Khloe tightened her hold on the pen.

There was no turning back.

Once her name landed on that paper, she would have nothing to do with Leo.

From this moment on, they were essentially strangers walking opposite paths.

James finished scrawling his signature with broad, confident strokes, then flicked the pen onto the desk with a lazy snap of his wrist. He angled a look toward the pair beside him, a faint spark of amusement sliding through his eyes.

Marrying his rival's fiancée? The satisfaction was downright intoxicating.

Worried Khloe might falter, Leo eased her hand downward again, his voice soft but insistent. "Go on and sign. Once this is done, we're good. I'll bring you home."

Khloe released a small, almost weightless laugh, her tension dissolving at last.

As if accepting everything in one quiet breath, she guided the pen with steady, deliberate strokes, placing her name exactly where it needed to be.

When the clerk passed over the freshly certified document, Leo snatched it up with eager hands and slid it into the inner pocket of his blazer. "I'll keep this safe. Stay here—I'll bring the car around."

James lingered a few steps away, one hand buried in his pocket as he watched Leo jog off in excitement.

A sudden, dry chuckle burst out of him, edged with disbelief.

Was he for real? It was nothing more than a sheet of paper, yet he acted like he'd just snagged first place in a lottery.

His attention shifted back to the petite woman at his side.

She stood still with her cane resting against her palm, her composed expression carrying a faint, lonely quiet that tugged at something he didn't like to acknowledge.

For a man who prided himself on being hard and unsentimental, the reaction annoyed him.

Yet staring at this blind, unsuspecting woman, a thin thread of sympathy slipped through anyway.

He was supposed to keep his mouth shut for twenty-four hours—Leo's one condition—just until the wedding ceremony ended tonight.

But honestly? This was him. An unruly heir had never been good at following rules, much less honoring promises he didn't care about.

With a soft clear of his throat, he leaned subtly her way.

"Hey there," he inquired, voice dropping into an easy drawl. "Any idea who I am?"

Khloe answered with an even, unhurried tone, "Yeah, I know you."

A quiet beat stretched. "So who am I, then?" James murmured, leaning in just enough to test her.

"My husband."

When those two soft words left her mouth, something in James's face jolted. A startled twitch tugged at his lips, cracking his usual swagger. "You… you know?" he muttered, baffled.

He hadn't spoken a word during the entire registration process. How on earth could she possibly tell? Was she not blind after all?

To test her, he shot a hand forward, knuckles tightening as he threw a sudden feint toward her cheek—quick and sharp, like he wanted to watch her flinch.

Khloe didn't so much as sway. Not a blink, not a twitch.

He drew his hand back slowly, a deep crease cutting across his brow. She genuinely couldn't see a thing—she didn't give the slightest response.

Khloe lifted her white cane and eased forward, her steps deliberate and calm.

A moment later, the tip of her cane hit something unyielding—a broad hand stopping it mid-air, followed by the solid press of a hard chest blocking her path like a wall. "You figured it out," James noted, his voice low. "And you still signed anyway?"

Khloe's lips curved, the meek, pliant softness she'd worn all morning dissolving in an instant. A cool, distant elegance settled over her, shifting her entire presence as if she'd slipped into another skin.

"Because I'm blind."

The corner of James's mouth twitched, a faint pull of disbelief. Was she teasing him… or cursing her own fate?

With steady steps, Khloe slipped around James and carried on down the path.

She made it only a few paces before slowing to a stop. With a subtle turn of her head, she looked back, offering him a sweet, serene smile.

The expression unfurled like a sudden blossom—so bright and soft that James froze, caught off guard by the unexpected warmth of it.

"I'd like to extend a warm invitation to my wedding," she said, her tone almost breezy.

His breath caught as the meaning clicked into place. She was referring to the Barnett family's grand ceremony—her so-called wedding to Leo. Was she out of her mind?

He stood there, absorbing the audacity of it—this blind, delicate-looking woman inviting her own husband to watch her marry someone else?

When his gaze swept over her, he caught the quiet depth in her unfocused eyes, a darkness as calm and vast as open water.

"Are you coming or not?" Khloe pressed, her head tilted just slightly, as if she could sense his hesitation.

A slow, crooked grin tugged at his mouth. "Yeah," he murmured, voice low with amusement. "Count me in."

——

Khloe slipped out of the car beside Leo, her heels clicking softly as they crossed into the Barnetts' estate.

Inside the reception hall, waves of chatter rolled through a space already swollen with guests—nearly every influential figure in Oranbu had made an appearance.

The moment Khloe crossed the threshold, Paula Norris, her stepmother, swept forward first, smile stretched wide, with Elsie gliding in right beside her.

"Ah, Khloe, there you are. So? Did you and Leo get all the forms done?" Paula posed the question with an overly sunny smile, her silk dress swaying around her.

No one in that room wanted the wedding to collapse more desperately than Paula.

Back when Khloe was only five, her father, Benny Norris, had carried her through the front door like a secret finally exposed. Paula pretended to welcome the illegitimate child with gracious smiles, but once the guests were gone and the lights dimmed, she unleashed her fury—slaps, insults, and cold neglect behind every closed door.

Meals were a luxury Khloe rarely tasted in that house. Most days, she went hungry, bruises blooming along her thin arms as she slept on a dusty cot in the attic.

Elsie, meanwhile, lived an entirely different life. Paula groomed her daughter to become the perfect young socialite.

Khloe survived only three years under that roof before Benny died unexpectedly. Paula declared the little Khloe a curse and dumped her in an isolated rural orphanage, leaving her to fend for herself without a backward glance.

With Benny gone, the Norris family business spiraled downhill. Desperate to regain status, Paula threw all her ambition into marrying Elsie into the powerful Barnett family.

But fate turned cruel—at least for Paula—when Khloe suddenly reappeared and stole that coveted spot right out from under Elsie. It was a humiliation Paula could never swallow.

So now, when Paula pressed her with that pointed question, Khloe didn't falter. She lifted her chin and replied, "It's done."

Elsie lunged forward, fingers eager and trembling. "Do let me see!"

"No problem." Khloe slipped the clerk's copy from her bag and offered it to them with calm, unhurried hands.

Paula and Elsie bent over the page, their eyes darting straight to the names—Khloe paired with the notorious James. A ripple of smug delight lit their faces.

"Congratulations. Looks like luck's definitely on your side," Paula murmured, giving her shoulder a light, almost performative pat before passing the document back.

Neither one of them bothered masking the glee twisting at their lips. Why would they? Khloe couldn't see any of it anyway.

Khloe folded the paper neatly and tucked it away. "Elsie, grab my wedding dress for me. I'd rather not keep the ceremony waiting."

"Sure thing. I'll bring it over right now." Still intoxicated by the fantasy of becoming Leo's wife in a matter of hours, Elsie hurried off, blissfully unaware that the victory she savored was never going to be hers.

A moment later, Jared and Corrine came over.

"Kiki, how come you're not dressed yet? Leo already headed off to get ready," Jared urged gently, his tone warm as always. He'd never hidden the soft spot he had for Khloe.

"My sister went to grab the dress for me. I'll change in a moment," Khloe answered with quiet courtesy.

Inside the dressing room, Elsie located the garment bag. When she unzipped it, her breath stalled. Gone was the soft pink bridesmaid dress she'd seen last night. In its place hung a lavish white wedding gown—intricate beading, sweeping fabric, and unmistakably bridal weight.

Color drained from her cheeks. Why was it a white wedding gown? Corrine had definitely prepared a pink one for Khloe yesterday. Still… who cared? No matter how elegant her wedding dress was, Khloe would never got to be Leo's bride in it. That role, in Elsie's mind, was hers to claim.

Elsie strode back with the gown clutched to her chest, moving straight toward Khloe with an eager bounce in her step.

Jared, Corrine, and Paula lingered close, trading the kind of polished pleasantries only soon-to-be in-laws could muster.

Elsie hurried the last few steps. "Khloe, your dress is here. You should get changed now."

Khloe lifted a hand, fingertips brushing the fabric lightly before closing around it. She raised the gown and gave it a delicate shake.

A cascade of white shimmered—rhinestones catching the light—until the movement revealed jagged slits and torn seams, scattered across the skirt like claw marks.

Elsie went rigid, eyes blown wide.

She could've sworn the dress had been perfect when she'd picked it up.

Jared's temper snapped instantly. "What happened to this?" he barked, fury sharpening his words as his glare pinned Elsie in place.

"I-I don't know," Elsie sputtered, her face draining of color. "I just got it from the dressing room!"

Khloe's brows knitted, a faint crease forming above her delicate features as bewilderment washed over her face. "Mr. Barnett... did something happen to my gown?" she asked, her voice small but steady.

Corrine's eyes sharpened, catching the entire ploy instantly. With a tight smile, she hooked her fingers around Jared's arm. "Let's not make a scene," she murmured, giving his arm a subtle tug meant to rein him in. "There are too many people watching. We still have the spare dress—I'll have someone bring it over. The ceremony will go on."

Her gaze sliced toward Khloe, cool and assessing. Fortunately, she'd secured a duplicate pink dress so nothing could slip out of her control. A blind woman daring to be part of the Barnett family? Corrine intended to make sure every step of Khloe's humiliation unfolded perfectly.

"Well, what on earth are you standing around for?" Jared barked, his deep voice ringing with the practiced command of a man who'd led boardrooms and households alike.

A staff member hurried off to fetch the spare gown, leaving Corrine and Paula circling Khloe with soft, sugary voices, pretending to calm her while carefully steering the moment back under control.

Khloe hadn't meant to start a full-blown scene—she'd only intended to rattle Elsie a bit—but the storm she sparked looked ready to be patched over with practiced ease.

Right then, Leo strolled into the hall in a crisp black suit, nodding politely as he greeted the guests drifting past him.

Corrine's face brightened the instant she spotted her tall, impeccably groomed son. She swept toward him and pulled him over to Jared with barely contained pride. "Jared, doesn't our son look incredibly sharp today?" she remarked, almost glowing as she presented Leo like a prize.

Jared gave Leo, his dutiful, well-mannered son, a quick once-over. Compliments never came easily to him, so all he offered was a low, approving grunt.

Corrine, satisfied that most of the important guests had arrived, brightened and tapped Leo's shoulder lightly. "Go ahead and let your dad see the document you and Khloe picked up."

Khloe tipped her chin down, a thin, icy curve touching her lips. So they'd finally arrived at this moment.

Leo's gaze slid toward Elsie beside Khloe. Her eyes glimmered with a subtle red tint, the fallout from the ruined dress still weighing on her.

He'd find a way to soothe her later.

Pulling his attention away, Leo steadied his tone and addressed Jared with practiced ease. "Dad, I already tucked mine away. Khloe still has her copy—she can show you."

The document he'd secured earlier at the clerk's office had been passed to Elsie to entertain her.

Every head shifted toward Khloe.

Paula and Elsie traded a sharp, knowing look, their mouths pressed thin as barely contained excitement shimmered in their eyes. What a show this would be.

Khloe was moments away from being torn apart in front of the entire wedding party—ridiculed, humiliated, maybe even tossed out by Jared himself.

With a steady breath, Khloe slipped a hand into her handbag and produced a paper. She offered it to Jared with quiet composure.

"Here you go, Mr. Barnett."

While no one paid attention, Leo eased himself closer to Elsie, hovering at her side as if he were seconds away from proudly announcing their relationship.

Jared unfolded the document—and his entire demeanor shifted in an instant. A harsh shadow swept over his face, his features tightening as if struck by a sudden, violent storm.

"Khloe," he snapped, his tone slicing through the hum of conversation. "Why in the world are you married to James Elliott?" He hurled the paper back toward Khloe, the sharp crack reverberating across the hall.

Heads turned immediately, curiosity flaring as guests drifted closer, eager for the scandal about to erupt.