He Took My Wedding, I Took His Enemy

Three days before my engagement to Adrian Lamberto, I received a message from him postponing it. It was the seventh time. Adrian: [Something came up. Let's do the engagement another day.] Before I could ask what was going on, my younger sister, Livia Rossi, sent me a video. In it, she wore a white dress, her arm linked through the arm of the man I had loved for seven years. "Selena, let me borrow Adrian for three days. "The trust our grandfather left behind says I have to get engaged before I turn twenty-eight to receive my inheritance. The deadline is three days from now." Adrian chipped in gently, "It's only a temporary arrangement. Once she gets the trust fund, I'll break off the engagement with Livia right away and come back to hold a proper wedding with you. You know you're the only one I love." Watching them stand there so close together, I held back my tears. "Fine. You two go ahead and get engaged first." Adrian breathed a sigh of relief. "I knew you'd understand." When the call ended, I set down the proposal ring he'd given me seven years ago and dialed another man's number: Matteo Cassano. "Matteo. About the marriage alliance, I accept." Chapter 1 My mother, Beatrice Rossi, was there, along with several of the Rossi family's longtime advisers and the Lamberto family's lawyer. Red wine and a cake sat on the table. The cake read: Adrian & Livia. Livia Rossi sat beside Adrian Lamberto, the Rossi family heirloom pinned to the chest of her white dress. My expression turned to ice. That heirloom was what my father, Lorenzo Rossi, had left to me. Half a year ago, Adrian had said its hidden clasp was worn and needed to be sent out for restoration. He'd also promised to return it to me himself on the day of our engagement. Now it was on Livia. Anger surged up in my chest. I nearly demanded right then and there why he would give her even the one thing my father had left me. But everyone in the living room looked perfectly at ease, and Adrian showed no sign of intending to explain. When my mother saw me, her tone was casual. "Selena, come here. Your sister's situation is settled. We're finalizing the engagement ceremony for three days from now." I looked at Adrian. He avoided my eyes, and the anger in my chest only grew heavier. My mother followed my gaze and frowned. "It's only for a month. Livia has been frail since she was little. She's never been able to take part in family affairs the way you have. "The trust fund your grandfather set up is the only thing she can count on. "Besides, Adrian has promised he'll come back to you once it's over. You two have been together for seven years. One ceremony won't make a difference." I let out a cold laugh. "And you're throwing them an engagement ceremony too?" Livia clutched Adrian's sleeve. "The Trust Board only recognizes a public engagement ceremony. The paperwork alone isn't enough. "Selena, the venue, the band, and the dress you ordered are all perfect for it." She paused a while, her tone pleading. "Let me borrow it for one night, okay?" No one in the living room said a word. As I looked at them, all I could feel was how absurd this was. They had worked out the entire program before bothering to call me back to hear the verdict. I had no interest in playing the loving sisters in front of all these people, so I turned and went upstairs to my room. Adrian followed me in and shut the door. "Selena, don't make this ugly." I opened the closet and pulled down a suitcase. "So?" "Let her have the ceremony. In a month, I'll make it up to you with an even better one." I opened a drawer. Inside were three engagement ceremony planning binders. The guest list, the seating chart, the entrance order for the family representatives. I had written every page by hand. Adrian had never once looked at them properly. I had meant to spell it out for him: this was my engagement ceremony, the one I had waited seven years for. But when he looked at me, there was nothing on his face but impatience. I tossed the binders into the trash and said with a shrug, "Cancel it." His face darkened. "Are you done making a scene? If Livia doesn't get the trust fund, the branch families will immediately petition for an audit of the Rossi assets." I looked at him and scoffed. "The Rossi assets? Does the heirloom my father left me count as a Rossi asset? Who said she could wear it?" Something flickered in Adrian's eyes. "That's... she's only borrowing it. She needs something that proves the Rossi family recognizes her. "Besides, I'm still going to marry you in the end. Do you really have to nitpick over these little things?" Marry me? I laughed to myself. What he didn't know was that in three days, I would be someone else's wife. Chapter 2 I couldn't be bothered to argue with them anymore. Even if I won, all I'd get back was what already belonged to me. It was pointless. I nodded and shrugged, brushing him off. "You're right." The words had barely left my mouth when my phone buzzed. Matteo had sent over the marriage alliance confirmation. Without hesitation, I signed my name on the last page. Adrian caught sight of the surname on the screen. "What did you just sign?" I turned off my phone. "You'll find out soon enough." That night, laughter from downstairs woke me. When I went down for a glass of water, the engagement planner was presenting new mockups. "The couple's names have been changed to Mr. Lamberto and Miss Livia. Everything else follows Miss Selena's original plan." Standing on the stairs, I felt that wave of nausea rise in my chest again. So me saying "cancel" had meant nothing at all. All it took was Adrian signing again, and everything I'd prepared could be swapped over to Livia's name. "I already canceled it." The planner looked embarrassed. "Mr. Lamberto signed a new authorization this afternoon. He said you were just in a bad mood and told us to go ahead." Adrian set down his wine glass. "It's too late to change venues now. If you don't want to attend, stay upstairs." Livia lounged on the sofa, swiping through a tablet. "You designed it so well, Selena. Especially the entrance music. I love it too." Her tone was nothing short of provocative. I stared at the family heirloom on her chest and said coldly, "You can have the ceremony. Give that back to me." Livia immediately clapped a hand over her chest, and Adrian stepped in front of her. "The ceremony needs something that represents the Rossi family. You'll get it back afterward." "That was my father's. He left it to me." "I know. Like I said, Livia's only borrowing it for one night." I clenched my fists, turned, and headed to the study. The moment I walked in, I found my father's documents scattered all over the floor. The anger I had just tamped down flared right back up. Even the voice recorder he'd left behind before he died was gone. I turned around. "Who touched this?" Livia leaned against the doorframe carelessly. "I took a few of Dad's old recordings. The engagement ceremony needs a memorial video. We can't go without a blessing from the family elders, can we?" My expression blank, I held out my hand. "Give them back." She ducked behind Adrian at once. "I'll return them when I'm done." Adrian's tall frame shielded her as he eyed me warily. "Selena, don't be so petty. Livia just wants the ceremony to be perfect." I glared at the two of them, my nails digging into my palms. After a long moment, as though resigned to it, I crouched down and gathered the scattered documents back into the box, one page at a time. Early the next morning, I went to visit my grandmother, Carmela Rossi. She was staying in the Rossi family's private medical wing and was scheduled for heart surgery the following week. Standing outside her room, I heard her showing a nurse the engagement photo of Adrian and me. "They're holding their engagement ceremony tomorrow night. Once my surgery's over, I'll get to see Selena take over the family." She was beaming. Standing outside the door, I felt a painful ache in my chest. Last night, I could still lash out at Adrian and Livia. But in front of Grandma, I couldn't bring myself to say a single true word. I had no idea how to tell her that the engagement ceremony wasn't for me. Or that after tomorrow night, I would be marrying another man. Chapter 3 It wasn't until the doctor asked me to confirm the surgery deposit that I discovered my account had been frozen. The night before, my mother had transferred most of Grandma's medical guarantee fund to pay the down payment on tomorrow night's ceremony. I called her, and she didn't sound the least bit guilty. "Livia can't wait. But Adrian has money. Have him cover it." "Grandma has her pre-op exam the day after tomorrow." "That's two days away." Her tone was impatient. "Livia's trust is more important. Stop getting your priorities all wrong." She hung up. I stood at the payment window, staring at my account page, so furious my head was spinning. She actually believed Livia's engagement ceremony was more urgent than Grandma's life. Seven years ago, I had stayed with the Rossi family. Because Grandma's health was poor. Because Adrian said Livia couldn't manage without us. Because my mother said the family needed me. As it turned out, all they needed was my money and my silence. I didn't want to ask any of them for anything ever again, so I called my late father's lawyer. "Release the reserve fund in my name." The line went quiet for a few seconds. "Are you sure?" "I'm sure." "But your father said that money was only to be touched when you had nowhere else to turn." Through the window of the hospital room, my gaze settled on Grandma's face. "Then that time is now." I paid the surgery deposit in full, then contacted the Cassano family's hospital to arrange a transfer. I had barely finished settling the surgery fees when a message from Livia came in. Livia: [Selena, we're still missing a witness for tomorrow night.] Livia: [You should come.] Right after that came a video. Grandma sat in a wheelchair, holding an invitation in her lap. Livia's voice came from off camera. "Grandma says she absolutely has to see Adrian get married with her own eyes." My grip on the phone tightened. Livia knew perfectly well that Grandma couldn't handle any kind of shock, and she had still brought the invitation to her hospital room. This time, whatever sisterly feeling I had left for her was gone for good. I called her. "What do you want?" Livia's voice came through, sickly sweet. "I just want the ceremony to go smoothly. Selena, as long as you come, Grandma will never find out the bride was switched." I closed my eyes, the rage pressing on my temples until they throbbed. But I couldn't afford an open fight with her right now. She still had Grandma in her grip. "Fine. I'll come." As soon as I hung up, I confirmed the transfer vehicle and a private doctor. The moment the ceremony ended, Grandma would leave the Rossi Estate for good. I wasn't going to let them use Grandma to threaten me a second time. Not long after, Adrian showed up. He set a gift box in front of me. Inside was a long charcoal-gray dress. "Livia said you look good in this. Don't make a scene tomorrow night." I looked at the dress and let out a cold laugh. He'd taken my engagement ceremony, and now he wanted me dressed like a prop standing next to her. I folded my arms, unmoved. "I'm the witness." "That's just a title." His tone cooled. "This is the most important day of Livia's life. What's so wrong with standing next to her?" I looked at him, a mocking gleam in my eyes. "Adrian, do you even remember who the bride was supposed to be?" He froze. After a moment, his voice softened. "Selena, just this once. Once Livia gets the trust fund, I'll make up for everything I owe you." I didn't answer. I was tired of listening to his promises. Before that phone call, he might still have had a chance to make things right. Too bad. Once I had promised my hand to someone else, nothing he did to make amends was worth anything anymore. Chapter 4 I didn't touch the gift box again. Instead, I went straight back to the main house for my father's documents. In the study's wastebasket were a few torn-up printouts, and at the very bottom lay a payment receipt. The payee was an audio studio. I stared at the receipt as a chill ran down my spine. Just as I'd suspected, Livia hadn't taken the voice recorder for any memorial video. She wanted my father's voice to vouch for her at tomorrow night's engagement ceremony. I snapped a photo and sent it to my father's lawyer. I wrote: [She's doctoring my father's recordings.] The lawyer replied at once: [I have the original audio. If we get hold of the file they play at the ceremony, we can have it authenticated.] I sent him the address of the engagement ceremony. Me: [Bring your people tomorrow night.] He replied: [Understood.] Me: [Don't tip them off.] I put the torn paper back where I had found it. Just as I was about to leave, my mother pushed the door open. She handed me a program. "You'll be giving the witness speech tomorrow night. Livia says that as long as the ceremony goes smoothly, she won't upset your grandmother again." I took the program. My anger had reached its limit, but my face showed nothing at all. "Don't worry. I'll be there." My mother left, satisfied. At the same moment, my phone screen lit up. [The forensic examiners will be there tomorrow night.] Only after reading that message did I slowly fold up the program. They wanted me to be their witness. Fine. I would make sure everyone heard loud and clear exactly which engagement I was there to bear witness to. … The next evening, the Rossi Estate was packed with guests. The Trust Board, the Lamberto family, and the Rossi branch families had all come. Livia wore my dress, with my father's family heirloom pinned to her chest. Adrian stood beside her. When he saw me, his expression relaxed a little. He probably thought I had finally learned to do as I was told. My mother shoved the witness speech into my hands. "Read it exactly as written." I walked up onto the stage and looked down at Adrian and Livia. In that moment, I wasn't angry at all anymore. I'd used up all my anger yesterday. Now my head was perfectly clear. I set the speech aside. "Good evening, everyone. I'm Selena Rossi. Tonight was supposed to be the engagement ceremony for Adrian Lamberto and me." The banquet hall fell silent. Adrian's face changed abruptly. I went on, "But yesterday, to help my sister Livia secure her trust fund, Adrian got engaged to her at the last minute." The Trust Board members began murmuring among themselves. Livia clutched her skirt. My mother shot to her feet. "Selena!" I didn't stop. "Since they asked me to be their witness, naturally I have to tell the whole truth. As of this moment, my seven-year engagement to Adrian Lamberto is over." Right on cue, footsteps sounded at the entrance. Matteo's father made his way through the crowd and stopped in front of the stage. I looked out at everyone and said solemnly, "At the same time, I accept the marriage alliance with the Cassano family."