To pay off our family’s debts, my sister Daisy James and I, Vanessa James, are about to marry the twin sons of New York’s wealthiest family, the Hoffmans. I’m supposed to marry the cold older brother, Colton Hoffman, while Daisy is set to marry the playboy younger brother, Marcus Hoffman. We thought this would be our fate for life, but unexpectedly, the day before our wedding, both of their first loves returned to the country. After we met to discuss it, our thoughts were surprisingly aligned. “Let’s run away!” “I want to run away too!” On the wedding day, we put on our wedding dresses and prepared to flee abroad, but we were caught red-handed. Colton grabbed my wrist and sneered, “Marcus went to find his first love, but I didn’t go anywhere. What are you running from?” ***** Everyone knows that the Hoffman family controls New York’s top-tier power and resources. Everyone also knows that both Hoffman sons have their own deeply beloved first loves. After Daisy and I from the James family were sent to the Hoffman estate, we unexpectedly ended up dating the two brothers for two years. The outside world was full of rumors that this was just the brothers’ momentary whim, using us for entertainment. Once the novelty wore off, they’d throw us out like trash. But just a week ago, the Hoffman family sent out wedding invitations to all of New York’s elite families. Daisy and I are getting married tomorrow, officially joining the Hoffman family. I’m marrying Colton, and Daisy is marrying Marcus. Suddenly, news headlines were everywhere, and everyone knew about it. My phone kept buzzing with related news notifications. These past few days, Daisy’s and my names have been appearing frequently in various news headlines. I heard Daisy let out a long sigh beside me. Right now, we’re sitting in a coffee shop, fully disguised with hats, sunglasses, and masks. Daisy said, “Vanessa, last night when Marcus was showering, I accidentally saw Dianne texting him, asking him to pick her up at the airport. She’s coming back today. I just called Marcus, but he didn’t answer. He’s probably already on his way to the airport.” I remember that Dianne Stewart is Marcus’s first love. They grew up together and have deep feelings for each other. Colton and Marcus have completely opposite personalities. Colton has always been aloof and uninterested in women. Even when we’re lying in the same bed, we don’t exchange more than five sentences. Marcus, on the other hand, is completely different—a total playboy with countless women around him. Although we were initially sent by the James family to pay off debts, I have to admit that in the eyes of outsiders, Colton treats me with more respect. Daisy’s voice grew quieter, and I knew she was hurting inside. Even though we both knew this relationship was just a transaction, after two years of being together day and night, it was impossible not to develop feelings. Even I wasn’t an exception. I said, “Actually, Rebecca is coming back too. I just saw her social media update.” According to rumors, Rebecca Lynch is Colton’s first love. When I was first sent to the Hoffman estate, Rebecca, who was abroad at the time, immediately added my contact information after learning the news and boldly challenged me. I could tell she had gotten my contact through a mutual friend’s referral. And that mutual friend could only be Colton. Thinking about this, my heart sank bit by bit. This was the sense of security he gave Rebecca. Daisy said, “Since both of their first loves are back, we’ll be kicked out soon anyway. Instead of being publicly rejected at tomorrow’s wedding, why don’t we run away first?” Hearing Daisy say something so bold, I couldn’t help but look around nervously, afraid someone might overhear. I quickly said, “Daisy, don’t talk nonsense. If we run away, what about the James family’s debts? Not only will the Hoffman family not let us go, but even Mom and Dad won’t help us.” I lowered my voice, reminding her of the possible consequences. Daisy said, “I’m really hurting. We clearly agreed from the beginning that we would never fall in love with anyone from the Hoffman family, but I still couldn’t control my feelings.” Growing up, Daisy and I have always depended on each other. We also have a younger brother, Wyatt James. Our parents have always favored Wyatt, while Daisy and I are nothing more than tools in their eyes. Hearing Daisy’s choked voice, my heart ached along with hers. Anyway, Colton never loved me. He’s always been decisive and efficient in everything he does, never dragging things out. Now that Rebecca is back, he probably hopes I’ll leave on my own. With this thought, I said, “Alright, I’ll take you away.”
The entire villa was empty except for the servants and me. Colton had bought this house specifically for me after we started dating. It was close to downtown, but he rarely came here himself. Tonight, he probably wouldn’t show up either. Daisy and I were plotting our escape route for tomorrow’s runaway plan. To completely avoid being tracked down, I’d need to leave New York at the very least. The Hoffman family had eyes and ears everywhere in this city. “Why don’t we just go abroad? Didn’t you always dream of traveling the world when you were little?” Daisy suggested excitedly. That had indeed been my lifelong dream, and now I could use this opportunity to make it happen. If I really went abroad, I wouldn’t even need to make plans. The travel routes for every country were already deeply etched in my memory. I quickly worked on my computer, using my passport to book a flight for tomorrow. Just as I was about to take a screenshot to send to Daisy, the bedroom door had somehow been opened. “Vanessa, what are you doing?” Colton’s icy voice came from behind me. “Nothing, just browsing around.” I instinctively snapped the laptop shut. Being caught red-handed made me tense up completely. Colton had always been suspicious and would never easily believe my excuse. He walked toward me step by step, leaning down close until he was almost touching my face. Just as he reached out to open my laptop, I suddenly threw my arms around his neck, stopping his movement. “What brings you here today?” I asked. I rarely took such bold initiative to get close to him. For a moment, the room seemed to fall into a brief stillness. “To see if my bride-to-be would run away tomorrow,” he said. What? He knew I was planning to escape? I jerked my head up, and my lips accidentally brushed against his. The next second, Colton kissed me forcefully, as if he wanted to devour me completely. At that moment, thoughts of running away had already vanished from my mind. All I knew was that Colton had always had incredible stamina, and when I woke up tomorrow, I’d probably be sore all over again. Though he was indeed cold, he wasn’t as uninterested in women as the rumors suggested. Fortunately, since we were getting married tomorrow, Colton didn’t demand more. After his shower, he lay down beside me without a word and didn’t say another thing. Before bed, I habitually picked up my phone to scroll through Instagram. After flipping through just a few pages, I saw Rebecca’s latest post: [Someone picked me up right after landing. So blessed.] The photo was a selfie of her in a car. From the understated luxury of the black interior, I immediately recognized it as Colton’s car. So he had gone to pick up Rebecca before coming here. The man beside me was already asleep, and he had never mentioned anything about Rebecca to me. I gazed at his profile, silently saying goodbye to him in my heart. A man like Colton was never meant to be mine. Now, it was time to return him to his rightful owner.
When I woke up the next morning, Colton was already gone. The butler came to wake me up, urging me to start getting my makeup done and change into my wedding dress for today’s ceremony. When I picked up my phone, I noticed it was flooded with messages from Daisy. To put Daisy’s mind at ease, I immediately called her. I said, “Colton suddenly came over last night, so I didn’t dare check my phone in case he found out. Everything goes according to plan today.” Daisy let out a heavy sigh of relief. “That’s good. Marcus spent the entire night with Dianne yesterday.” “How do you know that?” My voice carried a hint of agitation. The makeup artist working on my look was startled and quickly stopped what she was doing. I knew Marcus had always maintained connections with other women, causing Daisy countless heartaches. But I never expected that on the night before our wedding, he could be so inconsiderate of Daisy’s feelings, spending the entire night with another woman. Daisy said, “Dianne sent me a text in the middle of the night using Marcus’s phone. Vanessa, never mind about me. Are you really going through with this? Actually, even though Colton is cold, at least he’s not like Marcus.” Initially, I wondered if I was being too impulsive, but the photos Rebecca posted on Instagram had already made the decision for me. With so many people around, I didn’t say much more. When I opened my eyes again, even I was stunned by my reflection in the mirror. My hair and makeup were complete, and the haute couture wedding dress perfectly outlined my figure. Usually, I only liked wearing loose clothes for comfort and ease. This was the first time many people would see me so carefully dressed up. Soon, someone sent the photos to Colton. The next second, his text arrived. [Looking good. Seems like last night didn’t tire you out too much.] [Be a good girl and wait for me.] Those words gave me goosebumps all over. Colton almost never contacted me directly. Usually, he’d relay messages through his assistant or come straight to the villa to find me. Let alone hearing such intimate words from his mouth. But now, I didn’t have time to overthink it. I was already sitting in the wedding car heading to the ceremony venue. And this was the most crucial part of Daisy’s and my escape plan. I had already used the allowance Colton gave me over the past two years to bribe both drivers. When I made the transfers, I was grateful that Colton hadn’t shortchanged me these past years. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have had the money to buy off the people around him. Once we reached the next intersection, the driver would take us straight to the airport. The red light had started its ten-second countdown. Three, two, one. I had been so nervous that I hadn’t noticed the driver was in the straight lane. To get to the airport, we should have turned left, but the car continued straight ahead. “Asher, aren’t we supposed to go to the airport?” I called out in panic. Driver Asher Green apologized to me but couldn’t bring himself to look me in the eye. He said, “Ms. James—no, Mrs. Hoffman—I really can’t do this. If Mr. Hoffman finds out, I’m finished.” Now, the one who was finished was me. I didn’t blame Asher. After all, in New York, many people’s fates were in the hands of the Hoffman family. Let alone a mere driver. Since Asher had made his choice, it meant Colton had already caught wind of this. So was his earlier text a warning? Or was he trying to keep me? Watching my phone vibrate continuously, I knew Daisy must be in trouble too. [I’ve been exposed. We’ll have to play it by ear from here.] My heart was pounding, filled with anxiety and unease. As we got closer to the wedding venue, I could almost picture Colton’s face—cold enough to freeze over. After causing such a huge mess this time, the James family would definitely abandon Daisy and me to save themselves. After all this chaos, we were definitely done for. Arriving at the wedding venue, I stepped onto the red carpet in my diamond-studded heels. Nearly every reporter in New York was there, and the camera flashes were so bright I could barely keep my eyes open. In the distance, Colton was already standing at the entrance greeting guests. I slowly walked toward him, each step feeling like I was walking on cotton, ready to fall at any moment. Finally standing in front of Colton, I forced a smile and naturally linked my arm through his. I said, “Let’s go, let’s head inside.” I wasn’t sure if I was seeing things, but Colton’s lips seemed to curve up slightly. He said, “You’re not running away anymore?” I pressed my lips together and looked at him, deciding to put my plan on hold for now. I said, “I’m not running anymore. I was wrong. It’s all because your first love came back, and I…” Before I could finish, he suddenly stopped, grabbed my hand, and pulled me into his arms. He said, “Marcus went to find his first love. I didn’t go anywhere, so why were you running?” This move immediately caught all the media’s attention—no one had ever seen Colton so intimate with a woman. Embarrassment made my cheeks flush red. How was this man getting more and more subtly flirtatious? After a busy night, the wedding ceremony finally ended. I quickly removed my makeup, changed into comfortable pajamas, and lay down on the bed. This was the riverside penthouse Colton had bought. Looking at the interior design, it was definitely Colton’s style—truly generous with his spending. As long as he could buy authentic, high-quality materials, he would never consider imitations. Only Colton and I were left in the room, and it was finally quiet. In front of me was a huge floor-to-ceiling window with the curtains left open, reflecting both Colton’s and my silhouettes. Through the window, I noticed he’d been staring at me the whole time. I said, “Everyone’s tired today. Let’s get some rest early.” To avoid discussing the runaway bride incident, I got up to head to the bathroom for a shower. Colton pulled me back, pressed me down on the bed, buried his face in my neck, and his warm breath made me shiver. He asked, “Tell me, why did you want to run away from the wedding? Just because Rebecca came back to the country?” Tonight, with a “whatever happens, happens” attitude, I had accepted every toast from the wedding guests. If Colton hadn’t quietly had the staff replace the alcohol with drinks, I would probably be drunk by now. It was precisely because I was a bit tipsy that, although I hadn’t wanted to bring this up, when he mentioned Rebecca, all my grievances instantly welled up. I said, “You’re still saying you didn’t go find her? But you clearly went to pick her up from the airport.” I deliberately turned my head away, not wanting him to see the tears in my eyes. Colton asked, “When did I go pick her up? Who told you that?” “You’re still denying it?” I pouted, huffily grabbed my phone from the nightstand, and showed him Rebecca’s Instagram. “Isn’t this the car you usually take to work? Besides you, who else would have the right to use it?” Colton frowned slightly and made a phone call right in front of me. “Explain what happened yesterday, or you can get lost and stop working for me.” The person answering was his assistant, Ivan Bishop. He’d been working for Colton for eight years and could immediately tell from his tone that he was angry. After all, no one would normally call their subordinates on their wedding night to demand explanations. The usually articulate Ivan was so scared he couldn’t even form complete sentences. He quickly said, “Mr. Hoffman, Miss Lynch recognized your aunt and insisted on getting in the car, saying she wanted us to give her a ride.” Hearing this, both Colton and I immediately understood what had happened. He raised an eyebrow at me. Realizing I had wrongly accused him, I quickly found an excuse. “Well, didn’t you give her my WhatsApp in the first place, letting her say all those weird things to me?” My phone was still in Colton’s hands, and he casually opened my chat history with Rebecca, finally seeing her provocative messages from two years ago. [You don’t really think you’re the ugly duckling from a fairy tale, do you?] [Everyone knows Colton only has me in his heart. When I come back, you should disappear on your own.] Just as Colton was about to look down and explain, a new message from Rebecca suddenly popped up on the long-inactive chat page. [Getting married doesn’t mean anything. I’m the only one who can be Mrs. Hoffman.] [You bitch, stay away from Colton.] I could clearly feel the temperature around Colton drop several degrees. He took my phone and sent Rebecca a voice message. “Get lost. My wife can only be Vanessa. What makes you think you’re worthy?” Then, without hesitation, he blocked her.
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