Matthew slowly pointed toward Serena, who was sitting on the stage floor, wincing as she gently rubbed her ankle.

An elegantly dressed older woman stood up from the crowd, face full of fury. "This is absurd!"

All eyes turned to Serena.

What the heck is going on? She pointed at herself in disbelief, totally confused.

That expressionless man didn't care about the gasps or stares. He strode up to her with those long legs, scooped her up without hesitation, and coldly muttered, "What took you so long?"

"Wait... what do you mean by that? Was I supposed to be here or something?" she thought, completely baffled.

There's no way he was in on the original wedding plan, right? The guy she was supposed to marry was old and round-this one, at least, looked like he walked out of a movie.

Tears spilled from the bride's eyes. Her voice trembled as she whispered, "Matthew, how could you do this to me?"

But Matthew didn't even flinch. Without a glance at her, he signaled to the men at the side of the stage, holding Serena like it was no big deal as he walked off.

She hadn't even wrapped her head around what was going on before she was whisked away like some kind of package.

"Hey, hey! Put me down already!" Serena frowned and shot him a glare when they got to the rooftop of the hotel.

"What's your problem? You just ditched your own wedding and now you're dragging someone else into this mess? So irresponsible!" Her words rushed out, a desperate attempt to regain some dignity.

"And you're one to talk?" His lips curled into a smirk full of sarcasm.

She instantly deflated. Yeah, she did run off her own wedding at the last second. Her mouth opened, then closed again. She couldn't argue with that, not with his overwhelming presence.

Matthew glanced at her-head lowered, fidgeting with her wedding dress, lashes trembling slightly, her narrow shoulders making her look pitiful.

His tone softened just a bit. "You can go now. I'll wire you the money. Give me an hour."

"Money? What money?" Her head snapped up, suddenly interested.

"Even if you were late, you'll still get paid." He looked at her like she was transparent, tossed the words over his shoulder, and turned to leave.

She was totally confused, completely lost. But when she remembered that she'd run off from the wedding, she realized that middle-aged man wouldn't let her go easily, and the hotel downstairs was probably crawling with people looking for her.

This arrogant guy in front of her looked like someone important. Maybe clinging to him was her only shot at getting out of here.

She rushed after him and wrapped her arms around Matthew's arm. "I don't want money, just get me out of here."

"Heh... you wouldn't believe how many women want me to take them away."

Ugh, there he goes again with that cocky attitude. Seriously, does he think he's some kind of heartthrob or what? But whatever, survival first.

Serena's eyes immediately filled with tears as she pleaded, "Please. I don't need money, I just need your help."

"Let go."

Wow. Not just full of himself, but stone cold too.

Just then, a man around Matthew's age in a black suit came over, bowed slightly to him, then leaned in to whisper something. Both of them glanced at Serena with oddly complicated looks.

Serena kept looking innocent and kept holding on to Matthew's arm, her voice soft and begging.

"You're the runaway bride from the 58th floor?"

She sneaked a quick guilty look up and nodded. "Uh... yeah? Is something wrong?"

"Because of you, the whole hotel's elevators and stairwells are shut down. Nobody we sent in could get through. You almost wrecked everything," the man in black said flatly, face stiff and voice colder than iced water.

Serena realized she'd really messed up and lowered her head in silence.

"What's your name?"

"Serena."

"Sounds peaceful."

"Yeah? Guess my parents were optimists."

A little flattery never hurts when you're trying to escape.

"No wonder you don't care about weddings. Even your name sounds indifferent."

Another stab of sarcasm from Matthew, spoken with that signature chill.

"Well, you're no better." Serena couldn't resist snapping back.

The man in black gave her a nervous glance and whispered, "Ms. Dawson, this is the CEO of Quinn Corporation."

Wait, what?! The guy who dumped the bride at the altar just so happened to be the big boss of Quinn Corporation?!

Since he's the CEO of Quinn Group, that whole cocky vibe and bossy attitude he had earlier suddenly makes a lot more sense.

Serena hadn't really looked into this guy before, but she knew about Quinn Group. It was the powerhouse in Westbridge's business world, basically running the show when it came to the local economy. Any big-name company probably had their investment backing.

Back when Serena took econ as an elective, the Quinn Group came up so often in case studies that she still vaguely remembered some things.

But now wasn't the time to overthink it. She knew full well she needed Matthew's help to get out of here, so she instantly gave in and put on her most pitiful act-teary eyes and a trembling voice: "I'm sorry, Mr. Quinn, I didn't mean to talk back to you. I've just always been a bit... reckless with my words. Too used to doing things my own way. Please don't take it to heart. You're generous, I'm sure you'll let it slide..."

"Enough," Matthew interrupted, clearly over her drama.

"What's the situation at the venue now? And that woman...?" His voice was cool, detached.

"Madam Quinn probably got worked up and didn't feel well, so I had David take her home. I've called for Dr. Eric to be there to check on her. As for the guests, I had Connor stay behind to handle things," the man in the suit reported smoothly.

Matthew nodded, satisfied with the update.

"But... Madam Quinn made it clear before she left-you have to return home tonight. If you don't show up yourself, there'll be trouble," the man added, glancing toward Serena with a very telling expression.

Matthew thought for a second, then casually threw an arm around Serena's shoulder and smirked, "I'll just take her back with me."

"Perfect, sounds great!"

Honestly, Serena didn't care what his deal was. As long as she got out of here, it was all good.

"Lucas, get the car ready in the underground lot. I'll take her to change and we'll take the private elevator down."

With that, Matthew and Serena exited The Grand Court Hotel. Since it was the Quinn family's vehicle, no one dared stop them, and Serena finally got away from the mess.

Just a few minutes after leaving the hotel, Serena caught sight of the subway station ahead and quickly perked up. "Hey, Lucas, right? Can you pull over by the subway? I can take it from there."

Lucas didn't respond. Instead, he glanced into the rearview mirror, silently waiting for direction from Matthew in the back seat.

"Trying to ditch me that fast?" Matthew said casually. "Turn around and take Ms. Dawson back to The Grand Court Hotel."

Serena's survival instincts kicked in immediately. "No!" she blurted out, then scrambled to gather herself and forced a sweet smile. "You're my life-saver, Mr. Quinn. Whatever you say goes."

Matthew raised an eyebrow, his voice cool. "Come home with me."

Serena froze. "Huh? Go... home?"

"You just said I'm your life-saver," he said, his tone teasing. "So if your rescuer's in a bit of trouble, shouldn't you make a tiny sacrifice and help out?"

Seeing the mischievous look on his face, Serena instinctively hugged her arms and narrowed her eyes. "What exactly do you mean by help out...?"

Matthew leaned in slightly, lifting her chin with his fingers. "Offer yourself to me, of course."

"Pervert!" Serena snapped, shoving his hand away, her cheeks flaming red. She shot an annoyed glare at Lucas, who was clearly trying to stifle a laugh.

Matthew couldn't help but chuckle. Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, blessed with both looks and status, he had women falling for him left and right-elegant socialites or sultry vamps who all knew how to play the game. But this bashful, honest girl? He'd never met one like her.

Serena felt so thrown off by his teasing that she couldn't even get a word out, and just stared out the window in silence.

The car slowed briefly as a soft "beep" sounded, and the automatic gate began to slide open.

It was only then that Serena noticed how dark it had gotten. The car had pulled into a massive courtyard, right next to a fountain between the gate and the villa.

Before her stood a standalone white mansion, five stories tall, lined with crabapple trees along the walls. Smack in the center of the grand entrance was a huge golden "Quinn" emblem.

Serena looked up at the imposing house, her legs suddenly a little weak. The walls looked over two meters high-good luck trying to climb out if she needed to flee.

As soon as the car stopped, two tall young men in black suits and white gloves stepped out from behind the gates and opened the door with a polite greeting, "Mr. Quinn, Mrs. Quinn."

Serena was startled by the title and quickly waved her hands. "No, I'm not, I'm not."

Matthew immediately grabbed her hand, fingers tightly interlocked, and said in a low voice, "Shut up. From now on, you're Mrs. Quinn."

The second they walked in, Serena was stunned by the sheer luxury inside the villa.

Past the entrance garden, they stepped onto a massive rug that had to be over twenty square meters. The traditional-style sofa set and the tea table by the side looked expensive-not that Serena could tell what material they were made from. Nearby sat a marble dining table, and the staircase winding upstairs was tastefully matched with the overall color theme-low-key but high-class. Huge, blinding light fixtures lit up the space, and in one corner, there was even a private elevator.

Serena's eyes darted around the hall. The lighting made her a bit dizzy, making everything feel so surreal. She gave her thigh a hard pinch.

Ouch... Definitely not dreaming.

A middle-aged woman greeted them with a warm smile. "Mr. Quinn, Mrs. Quinn, welcome back," she said, taking the bags from Matthew and Serena.

Matthew gave a calm nod, "Hi, Susan."

Susan smiled kindly. "Mrs. Lawrence Quinn is waiting for you and the young lady upstairs, sir."

Serena glanced nervously up at Matthew. She suddenly remembered how on the rooftop Matthew had referred to Madam Quinn as "that woman." This kind of big family stuff seemed messy. Who knew what was waiting for her?

Matthew never let go of her hand. He leaned in and said quietly, "Don't panic. Just play along and don't say anything weird."

Serena nodded, worried sick.

"Mom, I brought Serena to see you." Matthew managed to force a slight smile as he greeted Vivian Moore.

Vivian's eyes shifted to Serena. At the same time, Matthew subtly tapped Serena's hand, as if nudging her to start acting.

"Hi, I'm Serena." Her voice trembled from nerves.

Vivian's face wasn't exactly welcoming, but she gave a polite nod and then turned to the maid beside her. "Okay, Susan, show Ms. Dawson around. Let her get familiar with the place. Matthew, stay and talk with me."

Serena's eyes lit up with relief. "Thanks, Susan," she said, immediately letting go of Matthew's hand and trying to leave quickly. But Matthew pulled her back into his arms and gently kissed her forehead with an unusually soft tone. "I'll catch up with you later after I talk with Mom."

That kiss and his strangely tender tone totally threw Serena off. Was he overdoing it or what? Her brain short-circuited, but she managed to nod, playing the part.

Vivian's face darkened. "You set the wedding up at The Grand Court Hotel, picked today on purpose, and blocked out all media. Only close friends from the Quinn and Garland families were invited. You did all that intentionally, didn't you?"

Matthew raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly, which said it all.

Vivian's hands trembled with anger. "From the beginning, you never planned to marry into the Garland family, right?"

Matthew shrugged, clearly unfazed. "Didn't you kind of push it yourself? You were the one who tried to set that up, not me."

Tears suddenly welled up in Vivian's eyes. "If I were your real mother, would you still treat me like this? Are you really still holding a grudge?"

Matthew dropped the casual attitude, now serious but still icy. "You took it too far. I'm heading to the first-floor study-need to talk to David."

Then he turned and left without another word.