“That bitch, Lauren! She thinks she is all that but she won't know what hit her when we’re done with her!”

“Don’t stress yourself, honey. She isn't worth your anger. And as for her, I’ll make sure she can't stand up again when we take everything from her.”

Outside the office, a woman stood there trembling like she had been soaked in ice for days. Her eyes were bloodshot and the back of her clothes was soaked in her cold sweat.

She stood outside the office but could hear everything that was said about her. She didn't need to strain her ears to listen as the couple inside wasn't even trying to lower their voices as if they didn't care if she heard.

Yes, the woman outside is the Lauren that was mentioned, and the couple inside the office are the two people she thought were as close as family to her—Her fiance and her best friend from college days.

Lauren felt her head spin as she listened to the mockery that came from inside the office. She felt like she wanted to disappear from that place, she wished it was all a dream, but as she stood there, the couple’s voices still rang out as if telling her how stupid she was.

The female voice which Lauren recognised as Celine, her best friend continued with the conversation.

“But, Julian, when will all this end? When can we take everything from her? Especially the designs? And when will you break up with her?” She whined, then continued, “That dumb bitch stole my man! I have been good to her enough by allowing her to have you for years while I act like a best friend to her, but I'm tired. I want you back…”

Lauren, who had become so weak that she had to rest her back on the wall, felt everything was ridiculous.

Her lips twitched but her eyes stung as tears poured out like they had been waiting for that moment. She parted her lips, but immediately covered her mouth with her palm as she didn't want to attract the attention of the couple who were still oblivious that their plans had been heard.

Lauren couldn't believe the words she heard.

What did Celine mean by Lauren stealing her man? How ridiculous!

Lauren had met Julian when she was 19 years old and in college. That moment was the darkest moment of her life—the period when she lost her mother who is said to have committed suicide.

At that time, Lauren had considered Julian who had burst into her life as a light she could hold onto. Julian had pursued her for months, and he stayed with her when she fell ill due to the news of her father bringing in a new wife just days after her mother’s death.

She had thought he was the best man she would ever meet and when she heard he missed his exams for her which made him repeat another year, she fell totally for his selfless act.

And that was also the time when she met Celine too and they all became close friends.

Though she was dating Julian, Celine would always be seen everywhere with them and sometimes, even on a date with Julian but Lauren had never considered it strange, but now, Lauren could finally understand—All along, she was the fool.

Lauren closed her eyes tightly and memories of when she met Celine having a meal with Julian privately and how Julian would always buy the same gift for her and Celine, and even how the apartment she and Julian lived in now was chosen by Celine, even the name of this company that was started with her ideas, money and designs was chosen by Celine.

All this while, she thought it was because Celine was more fashionable and jovial, she thought it was because Julian felt that she was special in their lives, she thought Celine was the friend that loves her so she had never suspected anything and even showed care and supported her.

“A fool! Such a big idiot!” Lauren muttered to herself as she slapped her cheeks quietly.

Tears ran down her face as she heard the conversation, but she tried not to cry out loud. She didn't know how to face the betrayers, she wished she could barge in and hit them! She wished she could slap their faces and show the world how much of a betrayer they were, but Lauren wasn't someone who would act like a shrew.

She bit her lips to stifle her cries, then continued to listen to the conversation that didn't seem to end soon.

Julian’s voice sounded, “Oh my dear Celine, I understand that you have endured so much and you did all this for me. But give me some time. You know I'm doing this for our future?” he said, his voice gentle and sweet, one he had never used on Lauren before.

Lauren’s lips twitched. “Now I know the difference between real and fake.” Her lips curled up but her eyes were filled with pain.

Julian had never spoken so gently with her, and she had taken his calmness with her as gentleness.

Lauren closed her eyes and didn't want to listen anymore. She felt as if her heart was being pierced but as she struggled to stand up and leave, she heard the next words that shattered her whole being…

“We’ll give her just 3 months to enjoy her days and after we take away all her designs and used it to get a place for you in the upcoming national design competition, I’ll make her transfer the rest of her properties to me and also seize her designs catalogue then put them in your name and then, you can do anything you want with her. Well, she doesn't have anyone to rely on, so,” he paused for a while and what followed was a vicious voice that came like a bullet that went straight to Lauren’s brain;

“…Make her fall sick and die a natural death so no one will suspect us. We can just say she had cancer or anything.”

****

Days later…

In front of a building that had a huge signboard with the words “Marriage Registry” written on it, was a woman dressed in a white corporate gown. She stood there with a phone to her left ear as she called a number, but her face was so calm—The woman is Lauren.

Days had passed and Lauren still couldn't believe that the man she had loved and lived with for years had betrayed her and even planned to kill her after seizing her remaining properties and lifetime designs.

She had cried and hoped everything was a dream but every morning when she woke up to see the empty house, Lauren’s heart became calm and solid and now, she wished to confirm everything one last time.

On that day when she had visited Julian’s office, Lauren had planned to tell him about his promise to get married to her before her 25th birthday.

Turns out that before Lauren’s mother died, she had locked an important parcel for Lauren in the bank and it could only be opened if Lauren brought a marriage certificate before her 25th birthday. Lauren had kept this secret to herself and only her mother’s lawyer knows this. Before then, she had talked to Julian and told him how she wished to get married before her 25th birthday, and he had promised her.

But as it turns out, Lauren coincidentally heard the confession.

“Ring Ring Ring!”

The sound of the call ringing was heard from her phone, and finally, the call never went through again. Lauren smiled calmly and her eyes became sharper but calmer.

She had wanted to give Julian one last chance and hoped everything was a lie, but she had been calling him since morning, and he only picked up her call once which he told her he was on his way but it's been 6 hours and he was still not here.

Lauren looked at the sky and knew it was almost the time when the registry closed and if she didn't get married before tomorrow, which was her 25th birthday, she would lose the relics her mother had kept for her.

“Tsk.” Lauren sneered, “I gave you one last chance and now, I have confirmed that I’m a fool but I, Lauren Sterling will no longer be that fool. I’ll make you all regret ever doing this to me! I’ll return everything you planned to do to me in a thousand folds! I’ll take back everything I have given to you both—The company that was built with my savings and designs, the reputation and even your lives!”

After her ruthless vow, Lauren’s gaze turned calm and her mind became clear.

She looked around, then at the document in her hands. She knew she had to get married today and even if she had to marry a beggar on the street, Lauren wouldn't miss this chance!

Lauren stood before the marble steps of the marriage registry, the sunlight reflecting off the glass doors and painting her face gold but her glow was nothing but a mask. A smile sat on her lips, stretching across her face and making her look like the happy bride she could only imagine but her fingers trembled as she unlocked her phone again, pressing the familiar number. But again, the call went unanswered.

The silence that embraced her even in this noisy court house was louder than any rejection she has gotten in her life. Her chest tightened as she stared at the phone, willing it to ring, to prove she wasn’t the fool they’d called her.

But her screen remained blank and with every passing second, the bright red dress she’d worn so hopefully seemed to lose its color. The fabric clung to her like a cruel reminder that she was holding on to the things she badly wanted to believe in.

“You really outdid yourself this time, Lauren,” she whispered to her reflection in the glass door that was staring back at her with glossy eyes and trembling lips.

For the first time that morning, a tear broke free tracing an ugly path down her cheek.

“Miss Sterling?”

She was startled at the sound of a woman’s voice. A clerk stood by the entrance, smiling politely at her. “It’s your turn now, ma'am. Is your groom still not here yet?”

Lauren’s throat tightened as she gave an embarrassed nod, forcing her lips into a curve that didn’t reach her eyes.

“He’ll… he will be here soon.” She managed to say but even as she did, her fingers curled around her phone in quiet despair. She already knew the truth.

She had wanted to give Julian one last chance, a final chance to prove that the man she’d once believed in still existed somewhere beneath this betrayal. She hadn’t confronted him about the conversation she’d overheard in his office but instead, she’d gone to him quietly, asking him to keep the promise he’d made to marry.

That had to be the hardest thing she had ever had to do. Walking to a man who was a betrayer through and through and talking about a future together felt like bile on her tongue. But playing dumb had been the only option for her.

Julian had smiled, assuring her he’d be there but he wasn’t and at that instant she realised she had been a fool to even believe another word that came out of his gutter mouth.

Lauren turned slowly, her gaze sweeping across the decorated hall and the soft music blaring through the speakers. The white balloons hung in contrast to the emotions she was feeling. Her choice of a red dress was rather symbolic, reminding her that she was bleeding while everyone else thought she was celebrating love.

A shaky laugh bubbled up her throat.“I gave you a chance,” she whispered under her breath, eyes welling up. “One last chance to change my perspective and show me what I heard was untrue, but…” Her voice broke as steadied herself and in a low and firm voice, looking straight ahead she whispered. “Now I know, everything has been a lie from the very start and I won't let you ruin my life.

“Today, I’ll get married. Even if I have to marry a beggar, Lauren will do it."

Her heart stilled as the decision settled. The pain didn’t vanish but it helped harden her resolve. With her chin lifted high, she turned away from the registry hall and stepped into the courtyard. Her heels commanded attention with each heavy step she took.

All she needed was a name on that paper and she would get it.

Tears were coming again, but Lauren felt better. One month, she told herself. She could pay a man to wed her for a month and after that, walk away. After all, what she needed was time to claim the safe her mother left and that was more than enough.

Her gaze swept across the small parking lot desperately searching for a “victim” of her circumstance and finally, her gaze landed one a prospect.

A few feet away, parked beside the curb, sat a sleek black car. Inside, a man leaned back in the driver’s seat. His well tailored suit hugged his broad shoulders and his jawline looked sharp beneath the slant of sunlight. There was a quiet power in his stillness, like he was someone used to being obeyed without question and his aura drew her in.

Next to him, a man paced anxiously, phone pressed to his ear. Lauren held her breath as she studied him. Something about the way he sat with quiet authority in the air around him made her hesitate but then the assistant’s voice carried across the lot.

“Boss, Miss Vivienne still isn’t picking up.”

The man in the car exhaled slowly, eyes dark and cold as he turned his head. “Since she doesn’t want to get married,” he said calmly, “cancel her from the plans. Let’s go.”

The assistant froze immediately, panic flickering in his gaze. “But, President,” he stammered, “you have no other choice. You need the certificate. If you don’t get married today…”

Alexander’s jaw tightened. His fingers drummed against the wheel, irritation flashing across his features. “I know.” He cut him short.

He didn’t need the reminder. His board was on edge and the investors were restless. And with his family whispering around, convinced that his bachelor life and absence of a female was the stumbling block he needed the marriage certificate to shut them up and restore his peace. But the bride he’d chosen for convenience had just proven unreliable.

Calculating his next move, a rich feminine voice broke the silence beside him.

“You seem to also be missing a bride, sir.”

Alexander turned, brows narrowing. A woman stood a few steps away. Dressed in a red dress, she looked delicate yet composed but something in her eyes looked fragile and fearless all at once.

Lauren’s heart pounded. She could feel his gaze sweeping over her, weighing and assessing and every instinct screamed at her to step back or just walk away but something deeper and desperate pushed her forward. Desperate situations call for desperate actions, they say.

Her fingers gripped around her phone tightly as she looked directly in his eyes.

“You need something?” he finally asked.

She drew in a breath, lifted her chin, and maintained the contact. “It seems we’re in the same situation,” she said softly. “Your bride is missing… and so is my groom”

She gave him a moment to digest before picking up from where she stopped. “So… I am proposing we get married?”

If a pin had dropped at that moment, no one would have missed the sound. Alexander blinked, his eyes narrowing as if searching for a sign that she was joking. Even the assistant stopped moving but she didn’t flinch. She just stood there, offering him exactly what he needed.

He leaned back slowly studying her. Then turned to his assistant. “I need her information in ten minutes.”

Lauren’s heart lurched. Was that… agreement?

He looked back at her, expression still cold. “Why should I marry you?”

Her throat instantly went dry, but she straightened her spine and forced the words out. “Because I’m the most perfect option you’ll find today, sir.”

The corner of his mouth twitched hinting amusement but he fought hard to keep it in check. “Confident, aren’t you?”

“Driven, I would say.”

His assistant returned moments later, a folder in hand, whispering something into his ear. Lauren swallowed hard, nerves fluttering in her chest as she watched him read. She had no wealth, no reputation and completely nothing to make her a worthy match.

But she had today, and she wasn’t leaving empty-handed.

Alexander’s gaze lifted from his assistant. His cold eyes locked with hers, assessing carefully.

Then his lips parted. “Miss Sterling—”

“Lauren Sterling. Heiress of the Sterling family. Former renowned jeweler and fiancée of Julian Drake.”

Alexander’s calm voice sliced through the silence.

Lauren froze. Her eyes widened slightly, the edges trembling with disbelief and slowly, she turned to him. His expression was calm and almost unreadable. She had known from the beginning that he wasn’t an ordinary man, but for him to uncover her past this quickly screamed of power that reached farther than she had imagined.

Her fingers twitched against her skirt, and a faint, bitter smile touched her lips. “You really don’t waste time, do you?”

But Alexander didn’t smile back. His eyes were cold and sharp, fixed on her as though he could see through the layers she tried so hard to hide.

“Do you understand what you’re doing?” he asked quietly.

She knew what she was doing but whether she understood it or not didn't matter to her. She needed it, period. She had made her choice, and turning back was no longer an option.

Lifting her gaze and gathering as much confidence as she needed, she cleared her throat. “I know what I’m doing,” she said softly. “And I won’t regret it.”

Approval flashed in his eyes but it vanished as quickly as it came. He gave a single nod, signaling the registrar to proceed.

When her name was called, Lauren stepped forward, her heels echoing faintly against the tiled floor. The pen felt heavy in her hand as she signed her name. The moment she finished, the clerk handed the papers to Alexander, who signed his name with effortless precision, as if this were nothing more than another business deal.

Lauren glanced sideways at him and wondered how he managed to be so calm and detached even under such circumstances. She wondered if marriage meant anything to him at all. For her, this wasn’t love. This was survival, revenge, and a chance at carving a new name for herself.

“By the power vested in me by the state, I now pronounce you husband and wife.” The judge's voice rang out, drawing her back from her land of thoughts.

In spite of herself, the term “Husband and wife” gave her such a thrilling effect. She could finally get the most important piece of belonging she had and she had bagged a wealthy man as an icing on the cake.

Julian would be so devastated when he finds out what he lost. Good radiance to bad rubbish!

Minutes later, they stepped out of the registry office. Lauren blinked as the bright sunlight almost blinded her vision and she reminded herself for the tenth time in twenty four hours to not forget her glasses next time she is leaving the house. The city buzzed around them, cars honking as they drove in and out of the premises and yet, for a fleeting second she felt detached from it all. It was as if she was watching a scene from someone else’s life. Her fingers tightened around the document in her hand taking her train of thoughts back to the reckless moment that has resulted in this.

Lauren looked down, finally staring at the certificate in her hands and the words written across. It felt surreal.

The certificate read; Marriage Certificate for Lauren Sterling & Alexander Ashford.

She froze, her heart almost stopping as her eyes lingered on the name beside hers. She looked up at him, disbelief flashing across her face. How didn't she know?

“Alexander… Ashford?” she whispered. Her voice trembled slightly.

She had heard the name countless times before. Everyone in the city had. He was the CEO of the Ashford Empire and his wealth and influence were used to tell stories and instill fearful respect. A man like him didn’t just exist but he controlled others' existence too. And now, somehow, she was tied to him by a signature on a page.

Her lips parted in quiet amazement. “So it’s you... Alexander Ashford.”

“Flesh and blood.” He nodded.

A soft, humorless laugh escaped her mouth. “You hide it well.”

Alexander turned to meet her gaze, his eyes cool and calculated. “Is that a problem?”

Lauren shook her head slowly. “No. It changes nothing.” She said, forcing her tone to stay even, but deep down, the realization had set her thoughts spiraling. She had married not just a stranger but a man powerful enough to destroy her if he wished.

Taking the certificate from her hand, Alexander placed it neatly into a folder and his eyes met hers again. This time, there was fire in them.

“I need you to understand something, Lauren,” he said quietly. “Now that we’re married, there’s no turning back. I don’t believe in fake marriages and as far as I’m concerned, this is real.”

His words sank deep causing Lauren to panic for a bit. She only wanted her safe but the finality of his words made her question the possibilities. Whatever this was and whatever it would become, as long as Celine and Julian felt the heat, she was all for it. Her pulse steadied and a slow resolve formed beneath her fear.

“I understand.” She said calmly.

“I’ll give you a day to pack your things,” he continued. “My assistant will pick you up tomorrow.”

She nodded slowly. “Alright. But I have one condition.”

One of his brows lifted slightly. Alex wasn't used to people demanding, he always set the conditions.

“Which is?” He said, deciding to humor her.

“I don’t want our marriage public for now.” Lauren said and her tone sharpened instantly. Alex noticed the coldness in heeyes.s and for a moment, he wondered the cause of it. “I have things to settle first. Some debts need to be repaid so until then… this stays between us.”

Beneath her calm exterior, there was more. Hatred and determination burned and it intrigued him. He didn’t ask what she meant by all the jargon she had said and simply just watched her.

“Three months,” he said finally. “I’ll give you that long to handle your affairs. After that, if you haven’t finished whatever you need to do, I’ll make our marriage public myself. I don’t hide what belongs to me.”

Lauren’s lips pressed into a thin line as she weighed his words. “Three months is enough.” She finally replied.

Satisfied, he gave a brief nod. “Good. I’ll be away for a few days. Take care of what you must before I return and if you need to reach me, go through my assistant.”

Lauren didn't mind and thought that was do-able so she finally settled, willing herself to enjoy the ride.

The silence that followed was comfortable and for some reason it felt almost wrong to her. She had just married a total stranger, how was she so calm and relaxed?

Her phone buzzed in her hand and the vibration startled her, pulling her back to reality. She looked down at the screen with a broad smile, sure that that was her lawyer but her blood instantly ran cold as her eyes landed on the name on her screen. Julian.

For a moment, she considered ignoring it but didn't see the point. She would eventually have to talk to him, anyway. She also wanted her new husband to know she didn't have skeletons in her cupboard.

“I have nothing to hide,” she murmured, and hit the green button.

“Lauren! Where the hell are you? I’ve been calling you!” Julian barked, his voice so loud she had to move the phone from her ears or it would have bled.

She stared into the distance, her tone flat. “Do you remember what day it is, Julian?”

He paused for a moment and then stiffened a chuckle. “I’m… I'm sorry babe, I got caught up in work. The national jewelry competition is coming up and Celine needs me to help her prepare. I’ll make it up to you, okay?”

“Can you hear yourself speak? You missed your fucking wedding, Julian.” Lauren fired back, losing her calm.

“And I said I will make it up, woman. You can always reschedule a wedding but a competition has a time frame. If you think of it, it is not that deep.”

Lauren’s hand tightened around the phone. She couldn't believe her ears. She couldn't believe that a man who had showered her with so much love could turn into a cold and nonchalant human under her watch.

“Right,” she simply said, too tired for his bullshit. “Take your time.”

She ended the call before he could respond and for a long moment, she could say nothing. Thankfully, Alex did not push.

He straightened his sleeves and cleared his throat “You’re leaving now?”

Lauren nodded. “Yes.”

She turned to go but before she could walk away, his voice called her back.

“Lauren.”

She stopped and turned, confusion flickering in her eyes.

Alexander’s gaze held hers, steady as ever and then, for the first time, something softened in his tone. His lips curved slightly, not into a full smile, but something close.

“Hello, Mrs. Ashford,” he said quietly. “Please take care of me.”