"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."

"I came here today just to marry you!" Dorothy's expression hardened into a mask of grim determination.

My icy tone and murderous glare transported her back to the blood-soaked nightmare two years ago. Dorothy had leveraged my family's immense influence to seize control of numerous competitors' assets and market share, inevitably provoking deadly retaliation from those she had ruined.

Every single bodyguard stationed there was slaughtered without mercy. The entire estate was soon engulfed in roaring flames. In the end, only Dorothy and I remained alive amidst the carnage.

I had shielded her severely injured body with my own, my eyes bloodshot with rage and desperation as I faced down the attackers, ready to fight to my last breath.

With that same look and in the same tone, I had whispered, "Dorothy, close your eyes. I'm going to fight them to the end."

The Hoyle family was noble and untouchable, and I was never short of loyal protectors willing to lay down their lives for me. Yet that night, warm blood had dripped steadily from my fingertips, pooling on the marble floor.

To this day, I couldn't recall exactly how I managed to hold them off until the police finally arrived. All I remembered was the piercing wail of sirens cutting through the smoke.

Besides Dorothy and me, not a single soul in that inferno had survived.

Dorothy's furious shout yanked me violently back to the present. "Are you marrying me or not? If you dare hurt Rob, I'll never forgive you."

The metallic tang of fresh blood hung thick in the air. My eyes blazed red with fury as I lunged forward, seized her slender throat in an iron grip, and slammed her backward into the dressing room with brutal force.

Mirror after mirror shattered into a cascade of glittering shards. Dorothy's body crashed heavily against the far wall, her face instantly congesting to a deep, livid purple.

But before I could tighten my hold, her guards burst into the room and delivered a series of powerful kicks that sent me sprawling onto the jagged carpet of broken glass.

Blood streamed from the deep gashes on my elbow, soaking through my white suit.

The injuries I had sustained during that night two years ago had not only left me with chronic internal damage but had also significantly diminished my overall physical strength and resilience.

Looking at Dorothy's grotesquely twisted, rage-contorted face, I mustered a bitter smile.

From the very beginning, every sacrifice I had made for her had been built on nothing but her endless web of lies. An investment this misguided was doomed from the start to yield nothing but ruin.

"Dorothy, are you okay? Did he hurt you?" Rob rushed forward in a frantic display of concern, clutching at her arm and fussing over her.

"Finn Hoyle!" Dorothy snarled, rubbing her bruised neck. "Don't test my limits! If you still want to marry me, then behave yourself! Do I make myself clear?"

"Marry you?" I sneered, pushing myself up against the wall. "I already told you, I will never marry you."

Her eyes flared red again, and I continued, "Quit dreaming. There's only one thing that's happening tonight. You're not leaving this place alive!"

"Big words!" she hissed, veins bulging in her neck. But then, she unclenched her fists and scoffed, "Who else could you marry? I'm the richest woman in the city. Name one woman in this world who could be more accomplished than I am."

"More accomplished?"

A face flashed through my mind—a girl who used to make me cry as a kid, yet always stood up for me at critical moments.

I laughed, "The richest woman? Next to my wife, you're nothing."

The groomsmen finally managed to force their way into the corridor to escort me to the ceremony, only to be blocked by Dorothy's wall of bodyguards.

She raised one hand in a lazy, mocking gesture. "Let him go. I'd like to see how his little wedding goes without me. A woman more accomplished than me? Good luck with that."

I ignored her taunts, pulling my blood-soaked jacket back into place. Step by step, I walked away, my groomsmen trailing behind in uneasy silence.

Dorothy and Rob followed close behind, their confidence and arrogance practically radiating as they trailed me like victors.

"Finn, you can't escape me today," Dorothy declared with a smirk. "You can scream about reducing me to nothing all you want, but we both know this entire spectacle is just an elaborate act to force me into marrying you."

I tuned out their incessant gloating, my focus fixed solely on the grand double doors of the banquet hall ahead.

I waited patiently as the seconds ticked by, but the doors remained firmly closed, showing no sign of opening.

Dorothy threw her head back and let out a triumphant peal of laughter. "Well, well, where is that perfect bride of yours? In the end, it seems you have no choice but to settle for me."

She adjusted her dress and began to stride confidently toward my side. "As long as you promise to coexist peacefully with Rob from now on, I'll go through with the ceremony and help you manage the household."

Her words were cut off by a deafening sound. The massive banquet hall doors flung open, and framed perfectly in the glowing backlight stood a woman of breathtaking, almost otherworldly beauty.

My eyes instantly burned with unshed tears. I stepped toward her, my voice breaking but firm. "Savannah, you're late."

The instant our hands connected, we turned together to face the dumbfounded pair.

"You two are so desperate to claim the Hoyle family empire for yourselves?" I said quietly. "Then prepare to die."