Chapter 1 On my wedding day, my fiancé Julian’s childhood best friend, Chloe, demanded a Sudoku match against me. “Julian will set the puzzle. Whoever solves it first gets to wear the wedding dress.” “You’ve been a professional Sudoku coach for years… don’t tell me you’re scared?” I wasn’t scared. But Julian cheated. He had barely finished writing down the puzzle before Chloe scribbled the final numbers. She lifted her chin, looking at me triumphantly. “A bet is a bet. This wedding dress is mine.” Julian’s doting gaze shifted from Chloe to me, and he frowned slightly. “This is what you owe her from five years ago. It’s just a dress. Let her have it.” “Sure,” I replied calmly. Not only would I give her the dress, but I’d give her the wedding, too. Julian had no idea that last night, his best friend had called to warn me exactly what would happen today. I hadn’t believed him. So, he made a bet with me. “If you lose, come to this address tomorrow and marry me instead.” I lost twice in one day. I walked out of Julian’s wedding and went straight to another one. My role was still the bride, but this time, I wore a custom gown made exclusively for me. An hour before the ceremony was supposed to start, I still believed the scenario Liam had described wouldn’t actually happen. Until Chloe pushed open the door to my bridal suite. She wasn’t alone. Julian and a large group of their mutual friends trailed in behind her. “How about a quick Sudoku match?” Chloe asked, taking the lead. My heart dropped. I instinctively looked at Julian. He sat casually on the sofa, looking mildly exasperated but entirely unbothered. “Chloe never managed to beat you back in school. She’s been begging for a rematch.” Chloe pouted playfully. “I’m definitely going to win this time. Right?” Julian didn’t answer. “The ceremony starts in an hour. Are you sure you want to do this right now?” I couldn’t help but ask. My makeup was done. All I had to do was slip into the dress and pin my veil. “Don’t be a poor sport. If my Sudoku skills hadn’t been worse than yours back then, Julian and I might have ended up together,” Chloe suddenly remarked. Julian’s head snapped up. He looked at me, then quickly shifted his gaze back to Chloe. Chloe finally clarified, “Serena and I have a bet. If I lose, I’ll go back abroad and stop bothering you two.” “Wait, I never—” Before I could finish, Julian cut me off. “Then let’s play.” His tone was final. The look he gave me was chillingly cold. The words died in my throat. “Julian will set the puzzle. Whoever wins wears the wedding dress. You’ve been a professional Sudoku coach for years… don’t tell me you’re scared?” Chloe’s voice was teasing, dripping with absolute certainty. The friends behind her couldn’t resist chiming in: “Classic Chloe! Always so bold. But if you wear the dress, how are they going to explain that to the guests?” Chloe laughed lightly. “It’s not a big deal. I’m just wearing the dress. It’s not like I’m the one marrying Julian.” “But losing your own wedding dress to someone else? That’s so humiliating for the bride.” “And she’s about to join the national coaching team. If word gets out she lost to an amateur, her career is toast.” From their whispers, it was obvious they all knew the outcome was rigged against me. But I kept my eyes fixed solely on Julian. “What do you think?” More than Chloe and her entourage, his opinion was the only one that mattered to me. Julian just spread his hands, his voice indifferent. “Just play one round. Didn’t you use a bet like this to force her out of the country five years ago?” “Fine.” I smiled, adding quietly, “If I lose, how about I give her the wedding, too?” Julian frowned. Chloe immediately scoffed. “You’d actually give him up? Or are you just trying to manipulate Julian into helping you cheat?” Just like I did with Liam last night, I was giving Julian one final chance. But hearing Chloe’s words, he simply said, “Stop being dramatic, Serena. You know I don’t respond well to ultimatums.” “Julian, you can write the puzzle now.” He shot me a brief, apologetic glance before taking the pen and paper Chloe handed him. It was a diagonal Sudoku puzzle, competition-level difficulty. He had barely finished writing the grid before Chloe was furiously scribbling numbers into the boxes. In under a minute, she finished the puzzle and handed it to Julian. “Did I get it right?” Before he could speak, I capped my pen, pushing down the bitter ache in my chest. “You got it right.” I looked at Julian, completely baffled. To cheat this blatantly… he could have just told me he wanted Chloe to wear the dress today. “Wow, Julian isn’t even trying to hide his favoritism.” “Chloe should have at least pretended to struggle. She hasn’t touched Sudoku in years.” “But did you see the look in her eyes? She’s out for blood. She had to leave the country because of a bet back then. Now it’s Serena’s turn.” “But she’s marrying Julian today! What is she supposed to wear if not the wedding dress? People will laugh her out of the venue.” “It’s probably just a joke. Julian would never actually humiliate Serena like that.” “The guests won’t know the real story. If word gets out that a gold-medal coach lost to an amateur…” The gossiping stopped abruptly as Chloe shot a sharp look over her shoulder. When she turned back to me, her eyes were filled with triumph. “A bet is a bet. This wedding dress is mine.” “Honestly, I’m not a huge fan of this style. It’s too busy. Why so many diamonds? I’ll probably have the alterations team rip them all off before I wear it. I prefer a simpler look.” I followed her gaze to the wedding gown hanging behind me. It cost $400,000. Julian had it flown in from Paris. It was the exact style I loved, and yes, I was superficial enough to love the diamonds. I clenched my fists and looked at Julian. “Why?” Why did you help her cheat? He understood the real question hidden in my words and explained quietly: “You owe her this. It’s not a big deal to lose once. Besides, I’m still the one marrying you.” “No one helped me cheat five years ago. And we never even made a bet…” “Are you backing out?” Chloe interrupted, stepping toward me aggressively. Julian frowned deeply. “The Sterling family does not tolerate women who go back on their word.” The moment the words left his mouth, the atmosphere in the room turned heavy. No one expected this to be serious. Julian actually meant it. I stared at his face, swallowed every ounce of grievance and resentment, and slowly nodded. “Fine. A bet is a bet.” I had lost twice in one day. I lost my wedding dress, and I lost my marriage. A bet is a bet! I could no longer marry Julian. I was going to marry Liam instead. Thinking of this, I pulled out my phone and texted Liam. [I lost. I’ll be there in half an hour to marry you.] Liam replied almost instantly. [Okay. Waiting for you.] Attached to the message was a photo of a wedding dress. One glance, and I recognized it. It was the centerpiece gown from the exact same designer collection Julian had bought from. But this one was infinitely more complex, with master-level craftsmanship. Naturally, it was far more expensive, easily costing seven figures. At the time, I thought it was too much, so I never asked for it. “You can all leave now. I need to change into my dress.” Chloe’s voice snapped me back to reality. I locked my phone screen, stood up, and offered her my seat. “Wait. Aren’t you going to take your makeup off?” “With a face like that, won’t you look too overdressed in whatever normal clothes you end up wearing?” “You could wear a bridesmaid dress, I guess. Pink used to be the color for mistresses in the old days, but I suppose people don’t care about that anymore.” Chloe spoke with casual cruelty. She turned to Julian. “Since I won the dress, shouldn’t she give up the makeup look, too?” Only then did I realize her makeup was identical to mine. It was further proof that this entire “bet” had been premeditated. Everything Liam told me last night was true. The reason Julian allowed all of this to happen was because he blamed me for Chloe leaving five years ago. He thought I had schemed to get rid of her. “Take off her makeup!” Julian ordered coldly, leaving no room for argument. I reacted instinctively. “And if I refuse?” “Then you don’t attend the wedding!” I gasped, staring at him in utter disbelief. The tears I had been holding back finally broke. I pointed at Chloe, my voice trembling: “So she gets to attend instead? I’m giving you exactly what you want, aren’t I?” Chloe froze, a flash of pure joy crossing her eyes. But Julian closed the distance between us in two strides. He grabbed my shoulders and whispered fiercely: “Serena, stop this! When you used your Sudoku skills to bully Chloe back then, you should have known this day would come.” “Chloe suffered a lot abroad these past five years. Just let her vent a little.” “Besides, you’re still the one I’m marrying. You’re just not wearing the dress.” I tried to explain one last time: “Five years ago, she challenged me. I didn’t seek her out.” “And there was never any bet! I had absolutely no idea she was leaving the country!” Julian stared hard at me. Just as his expression began to soften, Chloe suddenly spoke up. “Forget it. There’s no point talking about this now.” “I don’t even want the dress anymore. Serena, you are incredibly manipulative.” “You saw how close Julian and I were growing up, and you did everything you could to trick me into leaving.” “I was young and naive, and I fell for it. But I never imagined anyone could be this shameless.” With that, she turned to leave, dramatically pushing up her sleeve to reveal an ugly, jagged scar on her wrist. Julian’s pupils contracted violently. Without another word, he grabbed a bottle of makeup remover and dumped it directly over my head. I couldn’t dodge in time. I could only hold my breath as the liquid cascaded down my face. He scrubbed his hand roughly across my cheeks. When he stepped back, my face looked like a smeared, horrifying clown painting. A wave of suffocating humiliation washed over me. He wrapped an arm around me, his voice suddenly sickeningly soft. “I’m sorry. I’ll explain everything to you later.” “Just have them redo it. Pick a look that fits your new outfit better.” The bridal suite fell completely silent. Chloe, claiming the room was too cramped, took her entourage and left. Naturally, they took the wedding dress with them. But the room felt massive to me now. So big that my breathing seemed to echo off the walls. I tried. I really tried to hold myself together. But when I looked in the mirror and saw the pathetic clown staring back at me, I finally broke down and sobbed. I realized that for the last five years, I had been nothing but a clown. When Liam called me last night, I thought it was a sick joke. I was even angry at him. “Impossible!” “Julian would never do that to me.” My confidence wasn’t baseless. It was built on everything he had done for me over the past five years. When I first started coaching and was being relentlessly harassed by a student’s obsessed parent, Julian spent half a month systematically ruining the man’s business until he went bankrupt. Back then, he said, “I will never let anyone hurt you.” When massive flooding trapped me in my hometown and the water rose to the roof, Julian appeared out of nowhere like a godsend in a rescue boat. Back then, he said, “I don’t even want to imagine how terrifying life would be if I lost you.” But now, he was actively helping someone else hurt me. He was no longer afraid of losing me. “Oh my god! What happened?!” A gasp broke through my thoughts. The makeup artist had returned. She looked incredibly awkward. “Mr. Sterling said you needed your makeup redone, so he sent us back…” I wiped away my tears and let out a bitter laugh. “Could you just help me clean this off first?” The makeup artist frantically started removing the smeared mess, her voice surprisingly gentle: “If a marriage starts off this miserable, I really think you should reconsider going through with it.” I murmured an agreement and looked down at my phone. I sent a text to my parents, who were currently waiting in the banquet hall downstairs. [The wedding venue has changed. Don’t tell anyone. Just bring our relatives and go to this address.] They replied with a string of question marks, followed quickly by an “Okay.” I didn’t have the energy to explain anything right now. When my face was finally clean, I checked the time. Twenty minutes left. I grabbed the makeup artist’s hand. “Will you come with me? I’ll pay double your rate.” She blinked, utterly confused. Right then, Liam called. “I’m here to pick you up.” I froze. He continued, “I thought about it and decided I couldn’t just wait. I came to get you myself.” His voice grew excited: “You haven’t changed your mind, have you? I’ve got everything set up on my end!” “You won’t be happy marrying a guy like Julian. Chloe came back specifically to steal him.” Before Liam could fully panic, I told him: “I’ll be down in two minutes. Did you bring enough cars? My parents and all my relatives need rides, too.” “Plenty! I brought the whole fleet. Dozens of cars.” Liam’s voice was practically bubbling with laughter. He sounded a little goofy. I hung up the phone and looked at the makeup artist, who was frantically packing her kit. “Say less, sis. I support you 100%.” “Let’s go get you married somewhere else. Sounds like this new guy actually values you.” But as we walked out the door, we ran straight into Chloe, struggling down the stairs in that massive, heavy wedding gown. Julian was right by her side, holding her arm, looking at her with total adoration. Our eyes met. Julian’s pupils shrank in surprise. “Why isn’t your makeup done?! The ceremony is starting in five minutes!” “Serena, are you trying to ruin this wedding?! I’m warning you, don’t push me.” Before he could finish his threat, he noticed Liam walking toward me. “Liam? Didn’t you say you had something extremely important to do today?” Liam stood by my side, a radiant smile on his face. “Yep. I’m here to pick up the bride. I’m getting married today.” “Married?” Julian repeated, entirely in shock. He looked around the empty hallway. “Where’s the bride? Who are you marrying?” Liam couldn’t suppress his grin. He looked at me, his eyes shining. Before today, Liam and I had barely spoken. He was part of Julian’s inner circle, but he spent most of his time abroad. I could count the number of times we had met on one hand. That’s why when he called me last night, my first thought was that it was a prank. But looking at him closely now, I realized he was strikingly handsome. When his deep, expressive eyes curved into a smile, it was almost impossible to look away. My heart gave an inexplicable, nervous flutter. “Don’t tell me it’s Serena.” Julian suddenly laughed, pointing a finger at me. His tone dripped with the absolute absurdity of the idea. I froze, looking back at Julian. Chloe chimed in: “Liam, don’t let her trick you. Today is her wedding with Julian.” “Trying to marry two different men on the exact same day? How desperate can you be?” Julian frowned at her words, but he merely glanced at Chloe and didn’t stop her. “Oh? If it’s her wedding, why are you wearing the wedding dress?” “What, couldn’t find a husband of your own?” Liam’s voice was sharp. Chloe’s face instantly went white. “Don’t talk to her like that,” Julian instinctively defended her. Chloe’s eyes welled with tears as she glared at me furiously: “Serena, aren’t you going to explain yourself?!” “You lost the dress in a fair bet! Whose fault is that?!” “Julian and Liam are best friends, and you’re trying to drive a wedge between them?! Do you have any idea how much damage you’re causing?” “Oh, right. You’re just a Sudoku coach. You don’t understand how business and networking work.” “If you ruin Julian’s relationship with Liam today, your life in the Sterling family will be a living hell!” She couldn’t lash out at Liam, so she directed all her venom and threats at me. “The ceremony is starting! The bride and groom need to enter the hall!” The wedding coordinator ran over, rushing them. Chloe lifted her chin and looked at me. “Aren’t you coming? Or do you expect me to walk down the aisle for you too?” Julian stormed over, his face thunderous, and grabbed my wrist. “Enough with the tantrums.” “Don’t forget, you were the one who wanted to get married!” I struggled against his grip, but he held on tighter. I stopped fighting and let him hold my wrist. “It sounds like you never wanted to.” Julian hesitated for a fraction of a second. “That’s not what I meant. Why do you always have to be so difficult?” “Your bride is right there. You’ve got the wrong girl, Julian.” I gestured toward Chloe with my chin. Julian’s face turned terrifyingly cold. “Serena Davis! Do not push my limits!” I met his fury head-on. “Who wears the dress is the bride. Do you really not understand something that simple?” A flash of pain crossed Julian’s eyes, but it was quickly swallowed by dark anger. “You lost the dress to her yourself!” “No. I simply stepped aside for you two. The cheating was so incredibly obvious you didn’t even try to hide it.” “Julian, if you wanted to marry Chloe, you could have just told me. It’s not like nobody else wants me.” With that, I took a deep breath and looked at Liam. One look was all it took. He immediately stepped forward and grabbed Julian’s wrist. While Julian was still processing the shock, Liam forced Julian’s hand open and pulled me behind him. “Did you not understand her, Julian?” “My wife is graciously stepping aside so you can be with Chloe. Now hurry up and walk down the aisle with your real bride.”
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