I had agreed to pay 10,000 at the wedding. At the very last minute, my mother-in-law, Alice Thompson, suddenly raised it to 500,000.

I went to confront them.

My husband, Dylan Forrest, kept his head down, pretending not to hear a thing as he looked at his phone.

Alice rolled her eyes, clearly about to brush me off with some excuse. But instead, the truth spilled out of her mouth against her will.

"Of course we have to take advantage of you being pregnant and unable to run to squeeze as much money as we can. It's the perfect timing to use it to buy Gideon a house, paid in full!"

The words were like a silent explosion.

I was so furious I actually laughed. "So, that's the plan? You're trying to strip me for everything I have? If I don't pay, does that mean there's no wedding?"

Alice clamped a hand over her mouth, panic flashing across her face. But her voice came out louder than ever, like it was blasting through a speaker.

"If you don't pay, then get lost! You're just a pregnant, used woman. Who else would want you besides Dylan?"

The guests erupted instantly.

Dylan's face went pale as paper.

I smiled.

Then a mechanical voice rang in my head. "Honest Lies System activated. Malicious fraud detected. Reward granted: 100 billion. Match assigned: the richest man in Lumeria at the next table."

"Fine," I said softly. "You said it yourself."

I wanted to see just how the Forrests planned to show their faces tomorrow after every ugly truth they'd tried to hide was dragged out into the open.

A Price on Dignity

The wedding hall was bathed in a harsh, blinding light.

The emcee smiled brightly and handed the microphone to Alice. "Come on, let the bride change how she addresses you. She should call you Mom. The gift is just symbolic—10,000 dollars with best wishes!"

I held the wine glass in my hand, ready to propose a toast.

Alice sat in her chair, eyelids half-lowered, clutching the money without moving a muscle.

"Ten thousand? That's history."

She curled her lip, her voice ringing across the entire hall.

"If you want to marry into the Forrest family, you follow our new rules. Frankly, I don't see any sincerity from you. Let's round it up to 500,000."

The room fell dead silent.

The emcee froze, microphone still raised.

My hand stiffened midair. I turned to look at Dylan.

He stood there in the suit worth 30,000 I had bought for him with his head down, eyes glued to his phone, acting like none of this concerned him.

I took a slow breath, forcing down the anger rising in my chest. "Mom, the gift is usually from the mother-in-law to the daughter-in-law. I didn't even ask for a wedding gift. I paid for the house in full myself, and my family covered the entire wedding banquet.

"You insisted on 10,000 before, and I agreed. Now, you're suddenly demanding 500,000? Don't you think that's too much?"

Alice rolled her eyes and opened her mouth.

A sharp chime rang in my head.

"Malicious fraud detected. Honest Lies System activated. Target: vicious mother-in-law. Penalty: forced truth-telling."

Alice's lips trembled, then she spoke. "What do you mean by that? If I don't drain your pockets now, how is Gideon supposed to buy a house outright? You expect him to take on a mortgage? That'd be exhausting!"

The room exploded into conversation.

Guests exchanged shocked looks, whispers spreading like wildfire.

"Oh, my God… She's squeezing the daughter-in-law dry just to buy her younger son a house? That's shameless…"

Alice slapped a hand over her mouth, eyes wide in horror, as if she couldn't understand why she had just blurted out her true thoughts.

Dylan finally looked up, his face ashen. He tugged at her sleeve. "Mom, what did you just say?"

I let the wine glass fall from my hand.

It shattered as it hit the floor, wine splashing onto Dylan's pants.

"So, that's the plan? You're trying to strip me for everything I have?" I looked at them, my voice cold. "If I don't pay, does that mean there's no wedding?"

Alice opened her mouth again, but her response was no longer under her control.

"If you don't pay, then get lost! You're just a pregnant, used woman. Your belly's already showing. Who else would want you besides Dylan?

"You're the cheap one here, throwing yourself at us! Once you marry in, your money will be mine, the house will belong to Gideon, and you'll spend the rest of your life serving our entire family!"

A Wedding Rewritten

Everyone present fell silent, shock written all over their faces.

Dylan's face went pale. He rushed forward to clamp a hand over his mother's mouth, but it was too late.

All I felt was disgust as I looked at the mother-and-son duo.

A voice rang out again in my mind.

"Your awakening was detected. Reward: 100 billion. Mission issued: Humiliate the villains. Reward: Matchmaking with Lumeria's richest man, Gabriel York, at the next table."

I let out a laugh. "Fine. You said it yourself."

I yanked off my veil and flung it straight at Dylan's face. "Dylan, we're done. This wedding is off!"

He tore the veil away and roared, "Summer Rhodes, have you lost your mind? You're carrying my child! If you walk out that door, don't ever come crawling back! I won't take you!"

I shot back, "We'll see who ends up begging."

I turned, my gaze landing on the VIP table. A man sat there in a tailored suit, lazily swirling a glass of red wine.

Gabriel York was Lumeria's wealthiest man and the company's biggest investor.

Lifting the hem of my dress, I walked toward him under everyone's watchful eyes. He looked up, studying me with clear interest.

"Mr. York." I took a deep breath and said loudly, "The banquet's already paid for. Since the groom is trash, would you like to replace him? I've got 100 billion in assets, and I can promise you a lifetime of absolute devotion."

A collective gasp swept through the room.

Dylan pointed at me, shouting, "Summer, have you lost it? Do you even know who Mr. York is? You think he'd want a pregnant woman like you? Stop humiliating yourself!"

Alice spat, "Shameless slut! You're so desperate to marry a rich man that you've gone insane!"

Gabriel set down his glass and stood. At nearly six-three, his presence alone was suffocating.

He didn't spare Dylan a glance. His eyes lowered to me, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

"One hundred billion?" His voice was low and steady.

I straightened, meeting his gaze head-on. "That's right. At least that much."

I had no real certainty, but the system had given me the reward, and I was willing to bet on it.

Three seconds passed.

Gabriel reached out, his fingers brushing my bangs into place. "Deal."

He turned to the stunned emcee. "What are you waiting for? Announce that the wedding is continuing. Change the groom's name to Gabriel York."

Dylan lunged at me, trying to grab me, but Gabriel's bodyguards blocked him instantly.

"Summer, are you really going to cheat on me?" Dylan's eyes were bloodshot. "You're carrying my kid! You're making Mr. York raise another man's child? Have you no shame?"

I looked at him.

A child? Please.

My hand rested on my stomach.

Yesterday, I went to a private hospital for a full checkup.

The report was still in my clutch: no gestational sac, normal hormone levels.

The "pregnancy" had been Dylan's doing.

For the past two weeks, the nutritional soup he made me every day had been laced with emetics. On top of that, his cousin—the nurse—had faked the pregnancy tests.

He wanted all my money and planned to nail me to a cross of shame with a fake pregnancy.

But I wasn't revealing that yet.

I slipped my arm through Gabriel's, my resolve firm.

"Dylan, the moment your mother demanded 500,000 for Gideon's house, we were already over. As for the child…" I smiled faintly. "That's my business. None of yours."

Gabriel didn't even look at Dylan. He took my hand and led me down the aisle.

Though stunned, the guests broke into even louder applause. Gabriel's status left them no choice.

By the time the ceremony ended, it had turned into a spectacle of power and prestige.

The Forrests were escorted out by hotel security. Even then, Alice's shrill curses still echoed from outside.

"Let her enjoy it while she can! Once her stomach starts showing, we'll see if Mr. York still wants her!

"She'd better not come crawling back to beg me!"

Taking Back What's Mine

I sat in Gabriel's car. The only sound in the cabin was the hum of the AC. The courage I'd had on stage faded fast, replaced by an awkward silence.

"Um… Mr. York, thank you for stepping in back there." I muttered as I shrank father into the seat.

The system said we were a match, but this whole thing still felt unreal.

Gabriel glanced at me, his fingers tapping lightly against his knee.

"It's a mutual benefit, nothing more," he said evenly. "Ms. Rhodes, since the system brought you to me, we're going to play this out properly."

I looked up at him, stunned. "You… You know about the system?"

He raised a brow and tapped his temple.

The car pulled up in front of a villa. Before getting out, Gabriel commented, "You'll stay here for now. The Forrests will definitely come looking to harass you. As for your reward of 100 billion, the system has already transferred it under your name. You can check it anytime."

I stared at the banking notification on my phone. That long string of zeros made my breath catch.

With so much money in my bank account, why would I be afraid of them?

The moment I stepped inside, my phone started buzzing. It was Dylan in the "Happy Family" group chat.

I tapped on a voice message. Dylan's voice came through, sharp and furious.

"Summer, don't think landing a rich guy makes you untouchable! Mr. York's just playing around with you. You're a used woman carrying someone else's kid. Why would he take you seriously?

"I'm telling you, get your ass back here, apologize to my mom, and pay up the 500,000! Otherwise, I'll freeze the secondary card I gave you! Let's see how you survive out there!"

I rolled my eyes. That card had a monthly limit of 5,000. Big threat.

Gideon jumped in next.

"Summer, you're being ridiculous! You've driven Mom's blood pressure through the roof! Get back here and pay the down payment on the house, or I'll go to your company and make a scene! I'll make sure everyone knows you're a gold-digging slut!"

Then Alice sent a voice message.

"If you don't come back, I've got a hundred ways to make sure that thing in your belly never sees the light of day."

I stared at the messages. But this time, I didn't shake with anger. I felt calm.

I opened my banking app and froze the secondary card. Then I typed in the group chat.

'You don't need to come looking for me. I'll be back tomorrow to get my things. I won't leave a single thing of mine behind for you.'

After that, I exited the group and blocked them all.

…

Early the next morning, I returned to that home with two bodyguards.

That house was my premarital property.

The lock had already been changed. From inside came the sounds of things being moved and Gideon shouting.

"Mom! This TV is the latest model worth tens of thousands! Move it to my room!

"This couch is pretty good too. We can sell it secondhand and make a decent amount!"

I let out a cold laugh and gestured to the bodyguards. "Kick it in."

The security door burst open.

The Forrests who were inside the house froze in shock.

The living room was a complete mess. My belongings were scattered everywhere. Gideon was stuffing my speakers into a box.

Alice sat on the floor as she went through my jewelry box, my emerald necklace hanging around her neck.

The moment she saw me, she froze before scrambling to her feet. She pointed at me, cursing, "You jinx! You've got the nerve to come back? And you brought some random men to tear the place apart?"

She shrank back slightly when she noticed the bodyguards, but quickly puffed herself up again.

"Good. Since you're here, hand over the property deed! The wedding's off, so this house counts as compensation for our emotional damages! After all, you're carrying Dylan's child. This house will belong to my grandchild sooner or later!"

I slowly scanned the wrecked home as my hands clenched into fists.