She Left Me for an Arranged Marriage

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The day before my college graduation, my girlfriend of four years suddenly broke up with me.

She left me a mansion, a brand-new Bentley, and eighteen million dollars in my bank account.

She said it was compensation for the last four years.

But the very next day, I saw her standing on an engagement stage, holding another man's arm.

I rushed into the venue to demand answers, but she just sneered at me in front of everyone.

"Dating is dating, Ethan. Marriage is different. A guy like you doesn't belong in my world."

She had no idea.

I had come today to tell her the truth. I wasn't some poor scholarship student.

I was the sole heir to the Vance familythe most powerful dynasty in New York.

I had even prepared to give her ten percent of our hundred-billion-dollar empire as a proposal gift.

But now...

She didn't even deserve to know the truth anymore.

My girlfriend got engaged today. But the groom wasn't me.

When I rushed into the engagement hall, the first thing I saw was Serena Sinclair standing on the stage.

She looked stunning in her custom designer gown and millions of dollars' worth of diamonds. She was elegant, beautiful, and completely out of place.

Because the man standing next to her was barely five-foot-three. He was incredibly obese, and his face was covered in greasy, angry red acne that looked ready to pop at any second.

My girl was marrying a guy like that?

Looking at her, last night felt like a lifetime ago.

Yesterday, when I came back to our place after my internship, Serena had pinned me to the bed the moment I walked through the door.

She kissed me hungrily, her voice raspy as she whispered in my ear, "Don't hold back tonight, baby."

It felt like she wanted to consume me entirely.

But when I woke up this morning, she was gone.

Her phone number was disconnected. Her Snapchat and Instagram accounts were completely deleted.

She vanished from my life overnight, leaving me completely blindsided.

Then, her lawyer knocked on my door.

It was noon when he arrived.

The lawyer told me Serena had specifically instructed him not to come any earlier because she didn't want to disturb my sleep.

Then, he handed me a stack of legal documents.

I stared at them, completely lost.

It was a deed of gift. Serena had transferred the ownership of our luxury villa, the Bentley, and eighteen million dollars to my name. It was a "thank you" gift for being her boyfriend during college.

So, she dumped me out of nowhere and paid me off like some high-end gigolo?

But I didn't need her money.

I had told Serena that before.

But she had just laughed and said with absolute confidence, "No matter how rich you think you are, Ethan, you'll never be richer than me."

I hadn't argued back. I loved her too much to care about who had more money.

But why the sudden breakup?

She was so passionate last night. She spent the entire night holding me and telling me she loved me.

How could she just throw us away?

I forced myself to calm down. I made one call to my family's private security team, and within ten minutes, I had the whole story.

That was how I ended up at this engagement party.

I could see the misery in Serena's eyes. Was she being forced into this?

"Kiss her!"

Someone in the crowd yelled.

The greaseball beside her reached out to grab Serena's hand.

Serena flinched, instinctively stepping back to avoid his touch.

The man's face darkened. His thick, wet lips curled as he spat, "Did you already forget what you promised me, Serena?"

Serena's face went pale. Slowly, she took a step back toward him.

She was definitely being blackmailed!

I couldn't take it anymore. I pushed through the crowd and shouted, "Serena! If you're in trouble, tell me! Don't do this to yourself!"

Every eye in the room instantly locked onto me.

When Serena saw me, a flash of pure joy crossed her eyes, but it was instantly replaced by a wall of cold ice.

"Who the hell is this loser?"

The groom glared at me. "You call my fiance by her first name so casually, huh?"

I opened my mouth to reveal who I was, but Serena cut me off.

She pinched her brows and said coldly, "He's just a simp who used to follow me around. Have security throw him out. Don't let him ruin our day."

A simp?

I could feel the wave of mockery and disgust washing over the room.

Of course. Nobody respects a pathetic simp.

But I wasn't one.

Serena and I met during a college club event.

I had just finished a brutal basketball game and was starving. I sneaked some chips from my roommate's stash.

My roommate caught me and teased me, saying, "Bro, call me your king and I'll let you live."

It was just typical guy banter, so I laughed and said, "Yes, my king."

But Serena had witnessed it. She stood up for me, lecturing my roommate about not bullying poor students, while also telling me I shouldn't steal food.

She was always like thatfiercely independent, righteous, and always fighting for the underdog.

After that, I played along. I pretended to be a poor, struggling student to get close to her. It didn't take long for us to fall in love. Soon, the whole campus knew I was her "toy boy."

People gossiped that she was keeping a pretty boy. Fearing she would lose face, I told her once that my family was actually insanely wealthy. But she just laughed it off, thinking I was trying to save my pride.

For four years, we didn't have a dramatic, toxic relationship. We were just deeply, quietly in love.

We barely even argued.

That was why I couldn't accept this sudden end. I needed to know the truth.

Ignoring the whispers, I took a step toward the stage.

Before I could say another word, the groom blocked my path.

He was so short that he had to crane his neck to look at me. I had to look straight down to meet his greasy eyes.

"You actually dared to walk up here, you piece of trash?"

He raised his hand, aiming a slap at my face.

I stepped back easily, dodging it. I ignored him and kept my eyes on Serena. "You dumped me for... this?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

Serena stepped forward and slapped me across the face.

I had dodged the groom's slap.

But I didn't dodge hers.

She was wearing high heels, and I was afraid that if I moved, she would lose her balance and fall.

Even when she was throwing me away, I was still worrying about her safety. I really was pathetic.

I touched my stinging cheek, my heart aching.

"So you're the charity case she kept in college?"

The groom sneered, stepping up beside her. "A kept man trying to play hero? Do you even know who I am? I'm Giles Montgomery. My family owns San Francisco!"

I didn't even look at Giles. I kept my eyes on Serena. "Leaving without a word... that's not fair to me, Serena."

"Fair?"

"I gave you the mansion. I gave you the car. I gave you eighteen million dollars. What more do you want?"

"Stop embarrassing yourself, Ethan. We're over!"

Serena stared at me, her eyes cold. "You know how families like mine work. Love and marriage are separate. Thank you for the last four years, but only a man like Giles is fit to be my husband. Understand?"

"Just tell me one thing," I said, staring into her eyes. "Did you ever love me?"

I knew all about arranged marriages.

My parents' marriage was arranged, too. But they were luckythey grew up together as childhood sweethearts.

As for me...

I was supposed to have an arranged marriage eventually, too. But my family's status in New York was so high that we didn't need a political alliance to secure our power. If I wanted to marry for love, no one could stop me.

"Love?"

Serena laughed, a sound completely devoid of warmth. "Don't be ridiculous, Ethan. I knew I was a pawn for my family since I was a kid. I don't believe in love."

"I only dated you because you were good-looking, poor, and easy to control."

"Now you have your answer. Get out."

So, the four years of warmth and love were just a delusion of mine.

To Serena Sinclair, I was just a handsome, obedient puppy she could show off and control.

How hilarious.

I nodded slowly. If that was how she felt, then so be it.

My chest burned with pain, but I wasn't the type to beg.

I came here to fight for her. But if there was nothing left to fight for, I would walk away.

I looked at her and forced a small smile. "Fine. I hope you have a great life."

I turned to leave the stage.

Serena's fists clenched tightly, and she looked away, unable to meet my eyes.

But Giles blocked my path again, a nasty grin on his face. "Since you're already here, you're staying for the show. Otherwise, you're disrespecting me. And disrespecting the Montgomery family means disrespecting the entire city of San Francisco!"

"Quite a big talker, aren't you?"

I chuckled.

I had heard similar threats before.

New York was a massive city, and not everyone recognized my face. Occasionally, some arrogant idiot would try to flex on me.

But after I broke a few of them, nobody dared to speak to me like that anymore.

Giles didn't catch the mockery in my voice. He clapped his hands.

Instantly, a dozen men in black suits emerged from the shadows, surrounding the stage.

"Kid, if I'm not happy today, you aren't leaving this building alive," Giles threatened.

Serena panicked. She rushed over and glared at me. "Get the hell out of here! I don't ever want to see your face again!"

"Did I give you permission to speak?"

Giles snapped at her. "Do you think I'm blind? You're obviously trying to protect this loser."

Protecting me?

I looked deeply into Serena's eyes and saw the sheer terror hiding behind her cold facade.

So, her cruel words earlier... were they just a lie to push me away?

Serena shook her head quickly. "I just don't want my past dragging me down. Today is our engagement party. Having my ex here is humiliating. How would it look to your family?"

She softened her voice, playing to his ego. "Giles, I'm doing this for your reputation."

Giles's expression softened slightly, but his arrogance remained. "I don't care about reputation. In San Francisco, I am God."

He pointed a finger at me. "Go sit in the corner and watch us."

I nodded, giving Serena a knowing smile, and walked down the steps.

The moment I reached the floor, four bodyguards surrounded me.

They escorted me to a table in the far corner.

They wanted to make sure I couldn't run.

From the stage, Giles called out, "Watch closely, kid. You don't leave until I say so."

"Don't worry," I replied smoothly, leaning back. "Once I settle in, you might have a hard time getting me to leave."

"Shut up, Ethan!" Serena yelled, her voice trembling.

I smiled and remained silent. If they wanted to play games, they would have to play by my rules now.

Giles sneered. "I heard you're from New York? Perfect. Some real VIPs from New York are arriving later. True elite royalty. I'll introduce you so you can finally see how the real world operates."

"I appreciate the charity," I said, barely holding back my laughter.

Soon, a group of wealthy-looking young guys walked over to my table. They had "arrogant trust-fund kids" written all over them.

No doubt, Giles's friends.

"Man, you really have a death wish, don't you?"

"Did you honestly think Serena could protect you?"

"To be honest, even if you hadn't showed up today, Giles wouldn't have let you live. You think he'd let the guy who slept with his fiance for four years walk free?"

"Hey, I've got my phone here. Want me to call 911 for you?"

The group burst into cruel laughter.

I kept my head down, scrolling through my phone, too bored to reply.

But one thing was certain now.

Serena was definitely trying to protect me.

The official ceremony ended quickly.

Next was the receptionthe networking phase where guests drank and mingled.

Giles led Serena from table to table, soaking in the flattery of the guests.

I had taken a quick look at the Montgomery family's background on my phone. "Richest family in San Francisco" was technically true, but they had zero class. They were classic new money.

Their rise to power was solely because of their connections in New York. They managed to secure some massive federal contracts, which skyrocketed their wealth.

But they had never been accepted into the actual high society of San Francisco.

The guests here were either their parasites or connections of the Sinclair family.

The Sinclair family, on the other hand, was an old-money family that had fallen on hard times.

This marriage was a simple transaction.

The Montgomerys wanted social statusmarrying a Sinclair daughter was their ticket into the elite circle.

The Sinclairs wanted money to save their dying business.

I had seen this kind of transaction a thousand times growing up. It was practically a business formula.

While I was lost in thought, a girl of about sixteen or seventeen sat down beside me.

She was pretty, with a bit of cute baby fat on her cheeks.

Her eyes looked almost identical to Serena's.

"I'm Sienna Sinclair. Your ex's little sister."

"Don't say a word. Just follow me," she said. Her voice was cold, contrasting with her cute face.

She grabbed my hand to pull me up.

But I didn't budge. "Did your sister send you?"

"What do you think?"

Sienna frowned. "Hurry up, or you're dead!"

Before we could move, the four bodyguards in black suits stepped closer, blocking our path.

Sienna let out a heavy sigh, releasing my hand. She sat back down, realizing it was too late.

"You shouldn't have come," she whispered, staring at the floor. "If it weren't for you, my sister wouldn't have agreed to marry that disgusting greaseball."

Because of me?

I opened my mouth to ask her what she meant, but a sudden commotion at the entrance cut me off.

Giles and Serena immediately hurried toward the doors, gesturing for everyone in the room to stand up.

A group of seven or eight young people walked into the hall.

They were young, but they carried themselves with the quiet, effortless confidence of true power.

Especially the leader. He was barely in his early twenties, but he commanded the entire room.

"Logan! You finally made it! The party wouldn't be complete without you."

Giles rushed forward, his hand extended for a handshake.

Logan Sterling didn't even look at Giles's hand. In fact, he ignored him completely. His eyes swept the room until they landed on Serena.

"Are you Serena Sinclair?" Logan asked.

Serena blinked, startled. "Yes."

Logan's cold demeanor softened into a polite smile. "Ethan kept you well hidden. Otherwise, we should have met a long time ago."

Giles assumed "Ethan" was some mistake, or perhaps Logan was talking about someone else. He quickly turned to the crowd, eager to show off.

"Everyone! This is Logan Sterling from New York. A true heir of the Sterling empire. And the Sterling family is the biggest supporter of my family's business!"