On the night before our wedding, my fiancée's ex-boyfriend lost in three rounds of Truth or Dare.

Round One was Truth. He had to confess the most intimate thing he'd ever done with the opposite sex.

Rob Ross shot me a wink. "That scar on Dorothy's thigh? I accidentally bit her there."

Round Two was Truth again. He had to reveal a secret no one else in the room knew.

He blushed a little. "When Dorothy was fast asleep, I took care of her physical needs for her."

Round Three was Dare. He had to kiss a lady in the room for a full ten seconds.

Without hesitation, he turned and kissed my fiancée, Dorothy Bryant.

Dorothy froze for a moment, then held the back of his head and kissed him back. As the room watched in shock, she pulled Rob behind a screen, and they proceeded to entwine passionately, oblivious to the stares.

The entire room fell into a stunned, suffocating silence. Every pair of eyes swiveled toward me. They all braced for an explosive outburst.

But when the pair finally emerged from behind the screen, still lost in each other, I was the first to break the tension by clapping enthusiastically.

"Such being the case, why not make him the groom tomorrow?"

...

Dorothy Bryant's pupils contracted, her body stiffening. She opened her mouth to explain, but Rob Ross's hand remained possessively draped around her waist.

"You're as sweet as you were ten years ago," he said playfully.

Dorothy shoved him away and stumbled toward me, her words spilling out in a frantic rush. "Finn, please don't misunderstand the situation. I had too much to drink tonight. I thought it was you I was kissing."

She shot a glance over her shoulder, and behind her, several prominent figures from the elite circle stepped forward, trying to diffuse the tension.

"Take it easy, Finn," one said. "The lighting in the room is dim. It's an honest mistake anyone could make."

I sized up Rob, whose features and overall build did resemble mine somewhat.

He raised an eyebrow with provocation, as if declaring, "You lost. She's mine, and she always will be."

I couldn't suppress the cold laugh that escaped my lips. "If she can mistake you for me so easily, then by all means, why don't the two of you take the altar tomorrow instead?"

Dorothy's face darkened. "It was nothing more than a single mistake that any woman could make under the circumstances. If you're going to throw a tantrum, at least choose the right moment! I broke up with him ten years ago. He just returned to the country, and you're causing this scene? How is he supposed to live with this? I never knew you were this petty."

The guests exchanged silent glances, knowing it was Rob who had initiated the flirtation, and Dorothy had eagerly followed his lead.

Pitying, almost sympathetic glances now rained down on me from all directions.

As Dorothy's anger boiled over, Rob flashed me a grin. "Dorothy gave me her heart when she was 18. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself. You insisted on waiting until the wedding night. Have you ever stopped to consider how difficult these past few years have been for her, holding back like that?"

My laugh grew colder, edged with ice.

A flicker of guilt crossed Dorothy's eyes, but it vanished almost as quickly as it appeared, erased by Rob's provocative words.

She regarded me with growing impatience, utterly convinced that I would eventually explode in a jealous fit.

From the very beginning of our relationship, we had made a solemn promise to each other. We would save our most precious first experiences for our wedding night.

Whenever passion threatened to carry us further, and she tried to push past that boundary, I had always gently but firmly refused.

I had attempted to ease her frustrations in other ways, but those efforts only ever earned me hysterical outbursts of anger and an endless barrage of accusations.

She would insist that she already saw me as her future husband and lifelong partner, that she was more than ready to give herself to me completely.

She would argue that since we were going to marry anyway, sooner or later made no difference.

No matter how eloquently or persistently she pleaded, the strict moral upbringing instilled in me by my family always held me to that line.

During our most heated arguments, I had even threatened to end the relationship entirely.

Yet every time, all it took was one thoughtful gift from her or a single softly spoken word of concern, and I would come crawling back, forgiving everything like the lovesick fool I was.

The person who fell in love first was always destined to be the one in the weaker position, but that ended tonight.

Dorothy hadn't merely cheated on me. She had been lying to my face for the past three years, pretending to uphold the very promise she had already shattered long ago.

I pulled out my phone and dialed my father without another word. My voice remained calm yet unmistakably resolute. "Dad, I need to change tomorrow's bride. Yeah, Dorothy cheated on me with her ex-boyfriend."

"Finn Hoyle! Are you out of your mind?" Dorothy lunged forward, snatching the phone from my hand.

All traces of her earlier confidence and righteous indignation were gone in an instant.

Her face was a mask of sheer terror as she babbled into the receiver, desperately trying to placate my father on the other end. "It's nothing serious, Mervin. I just upset Finn a little. Please don't worry; I'll calm him down right away, I promise."

She hung up the call in a frantic rush, terrified that my father might learn the full extent of what had just happened.

Dorothy's family might be crowned the city's richest, but my family had been standing tall for hundreds of years. To us, money was never the point, and marrying me was a privilege.

In fact, her family had risen because of my family's support.

Everybody in this city knew that I had fallen for her at first sight, getting anything she liked at auctions and buying her exotic cars without batting an eyelid.

Anyone who disparaged her lost more than words; I made sure of that.

In the matter of a few months, the obscure Bryant Group ballooned into one of the nation's largest conglomerates. Dorothy, at 27, became a titan of industry, admired and feared.

I prided myself on having given her my whole heart, never expecting her to betray me.

"Innocent? The first time?" I scoffed inwardly.

Perhaps I should have realized when Rob first appeared and Dorothy's scent seemed to hang on him like an accusation that she had been tainted.

"Haven't you caused enough of a scene already?" she snapped. "Need I remind you who it was that chased after whom like a pathetic, lovesick puppy?"

Her voice dripped with overconfident scorn as she attempted to drag my thoughts back to the present.

When she saw that I remained coldly silent, her eyes flickered with uncertainty, and she opened her mouth to say something more, only to be interrupted by Rob.

He slung an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close with smug satisfaction. "Come on, Finn. Is the only card you have left to play the Hoyle family name? Dorothy is the richest woman in the city now, so why pretend to be so noble and untouchable? If you won't marry her, then step aside. I certainly will."

Dorothy's eyes betrayed a flash of genuine fear at that; she was fully aware of just how far the Hoyle family's influence extended.

But before she could utter a single word in response, Rob chuckled behind his hand in mock innocence. "Just kidding. I wouldn't be the other man. But hey, here's an idea. Forget tonight and reconcile with Dorothy in no time."

Dorothy's eyes lit up with his words, and Rob winked at me with exaggerated mischief. "Just sleep with her tonight. First time? Who cares about that anyway? Let me tell you from experience."

He paused, licking his lips with a suggestive grin. "The feeling is absolutely incredible. One taste, and you'll be begging for a second round. Who knows? Maybe you'll even drag me into it."

Dorothy seized my hand, still with that proud look. "Rob is right, Finn. We're getting married tomorrow anyway. What's with one night sooner?"

I pulled my hand free and slapped her. "Get your filthy hands off me!"

The force made her cheek blossom red. Rob let out a theatrical wail and threw himself protectively in front of her. "What is wrong with you? How could you..."

"Shut your mouth as well!" I cut him off with a cold snarl and backhanded him across the face with the same force.

Jerks and their enablers were dealt with equally.

Rob collapsed dramatically into Dorothy's arms, clutching his swollen cheek and sobbing theatrically, "Break up with this lunatic! You have all the money in the world; you don't need him. Even without his support, you will thrive."

Dorothy's fury flared like a torch as she looked at his swollen face.

"Don't push your luck, Finn! What Rob said is true. I've clawed my way to this spot. You and your family can't touch me!" she growled. "I am no longer that pathetic girl who had to lower herself to groveling, licking your boots, and coaxing you just to survive in this world. This entire mess is your fault to begin with! I poured every ounce of my time, energy, and focus into you, and you still refused to give me what I needed. Why?"

Dorothy's voice rose into a shrill, hysterical crescendo. She seized a nearby wine bottle and brandished it at me, her face a mask of bitter grievance and righteous indignation. "I am a normal woman with normal needs that demand release! What kind of men bar their fiancées like you did? Why couldn't I have you when I was supposed to be yours?"

Her lines about pride and humiliation sounded absurd. So, these past three years had been agonizing for her.

In the very next second, I wrenched the bottle from her grip and smashed it down across her head. A red liquid ran down her stunned face. Wine, or blood, I couldn't tell.

"Shut up and drop the hypocritical act!" I roared. "I've been your clown for three years, and you have the nerve to accuse me? One more word, and I'll rip off your mouth!"

Ignoring the fury and disbelief on her face, I lurched out of that rotten house of deceit and betrayal. Dorothy screamed after me, half warning and half grievance for her lover.

Without looking back, I raised a hand. "From this moment forward, the Bryant Group ceases to exist in this world! To hell with your so-called fortune! I can build you up and bring you down as well!"

The instant I stepped fully outside, a sharp ache stabbed at the bridge of my nose. Tears welled up and fell without warning.

I wiped them away and clenched my jaw. "Consider my three years wasted on an ingrate. Now open your eyes wide and watch how I strip you of everything, you disgusting liar!"

After returning home and explaining the situation to Mervin, I sat alone in the study room and started flipping through the list of potential brides for the following day.

It wasn't that I was desperate to get married under any circumstances; rather, the Hoyle family empire was vast and ancient, and as the sole heir, I needed a capable partner to share the immense responsibilities. Even more crucially, I needed an heir of my own to ensure the continuation of this colossal legacy.

As I scanned the names and photographs, my gaze suddenly locked onto one entry, and I found myself staring in stunned disbelief.

Mervin burst into the room, seething. "This is beyond outrageous! I can't believe all these years I've raised a pack of ingrates! Trying to take control of the Hoyle family? Ha! They can dream on!"

I clicked on a trending video of Dorothy holding a press conference. She faced the camera, accusing me, "To everyone watching, I've been with Finn Hoyle for so many years, but he's always been so domineering.

"Whenever things don't go his way, his attitude is awful, and he even meddles in the internal decisions of the Bryant Group."

Her tone suddenly shifted, a mix of resignation and warning. "Even so, I remain fully committed to honoring our engagement. I sincerely hope that Mr. Hoyle will arrive on time for tomorrow's wedding ceremony."

I glanced over at Mervin's livid expression, then shifted my attention back to the screen, where Dorothy's eyes gleamed with undisguised greed as she declared her intention to take over the Hoyle empire after the marriage.

A small, bitter laugh escaped my lips. Mervin glanced at me and asked, "Have you made your choice?"

I slid the page with the selected profile across the desk toward him, noticing a subtle shift in his expression. "Yes. It's her."

He stared at the name and photograph for a long time, frowning and sighing. "Well, this girl is fine. I've watched her grow up, knowing her background inside and out. But..."

He trailed off, clearly recalling the countless childhood memories of this girl bullying me until I dissolved into helpless tears.

Then he shook his head with a wry smile, but his voice carried an ironclad determination. "Wait here, son. I'll book the first flight to fetch her. I'll make sure she's standing at that altar tomorrow."

With the plan firmly agreed upon, he strode out of the room. All traces of his earlier bitterness had vanished, replaced by unmistakable excitement and satisfaction with the new partner.

The memory of Dorothy's press conference resurfaced. I immediately placed a call to my secretary and issued three precise, non-negotiable orders.

"First: terminate every existing partnership with the Bryant Group, effective immediately. Revoke all Hoyle-exclusive air, sea, and land transportation routes that we previously granted them.

"Second: send formal notices to every major global banking institution—freeze all of Dorothy Bryant's personal assets and every corporate account tied to the Bryant Group. Any company that maintains even the slightest ongoing collaboration with Bryant will be declared an enemy of the Hoyle family. Give them exactly one day to sever all ties completely.

"The Hoyle family will absorb one hundred percent of any contractual breach penalties incurred. Within a day, I want to hear confirmed reports of the Bryant Group's bankruptcy."

My assistant relayed the commands with rapid efficiency and then looked up to ask, "And the third matter, sir?"

Smiling, I stood up and tapped the photograph on the selected profile. "Third: everything we're stripping away from the Bryant Group goes to the Wright family. And make it one hundred times the original value."

"Miss Savannah Wright's family?" The assistant glanced at the photo, and his expression mirrored Mervin's from earlier.

He muttered under his breath with barely concealed schadenfreude, "If it's Miss Wright we're talking about, consider every detail handled immediately."

With all instructions issued, the sky outside was already beginning to lighten with the first hints of dawn.

After I finished issuing all the commands, it was nearly dawn. I managed to steal a brief hour of rest before heading to the island where the wedding was to take place.

I had only just emerged from the dressing room, freshly attired in my custom tuxedo, when a powerful grip suddenly clamped down on my arm.

"Just what in the world do you think you're doing, Finn?" Dorothy demanded. "Do you have any idea how much irreversible damage your childish tantrum has caused?"

Dorothy's words cut off abruptly as her eyes widened in shock at the sight of my wedding attire. The suit had been custom-made by the world's top designer, costing billions. Every gemstone embedded in the fabric was utterly unique, a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.

Beneath the venue's brilliant lighting, the impeccably tailored cut accentuated my height and physique, making me appear almost regal, as though I were bathed in a halo of divine favor.

But her momentary awe quickly twisted into a cold, mocking sneer. "After all this effort, you still just want to marry me, don't you?"

Rob, who had trailed in behind her, immediately allowed his eyes to well up with crocodile tears as he launched into another dramatic performance. "Finn, how can you be so selfish? Dorothy only tried to solve her needs, and you froze all her assets. It's unfair!"

He sobbed with exaggerated volume, yet his gaze remained fixed with burning envy on the exquisite suit adorning my body.

He continued, "Didn't you say you weren't going to marry Dorothy? Yet here you are, dressed in full wedding attire. Don't you feel the least bit disgusted with yourself?"

I ignored them, furrowing my brow as I strode toward the door. Outside, the bodyguards who had once fought alongside me lay in pools of blood, gasping weakly in agony.

I slowly turned back to face Dorothy and Rob, both of whom wore expressions of triumphant malice.

A cold, predatory smile spread across my lips. "Are you planning to offer your lives as a wedding gift to me today? Excellent! My wife and I accept it."