Chapter 2

At Velvet nightclub, Ethan sat with his signature pink hair, staring at his phone in complete bewilderment.

Why on earth was Sophia sending him such a random message?

Then it hit him.

Benjamin had sent Sophia that Buccellati moonlight bracelet this morning—the one he'd bought at auction for fifty million dollars.

But why was Sophia thanking him instead of Benjamin?

He stepped outside and called his uncle.

"Uncle Benjamin, I need to tell you something important."

Ethan leaned against the wall, casually dangling a cigarette from his lips.

"Speak."

Ethan cleared his throat. "Uncle Benjamin, when you met with Sophia to discuss the wedding arrangements, you didn't actually tell her she was marrying you, did you?"

The silence on the other end confirmed his suspicions. "Uncle Benjamin, Sophia thinks she's marrying me! She thinks the gift was from me and even sent me a thank-you text! You..."

"You can pack your bags for coal mining duty in Marigoldia."

"What! Uncle Benjamin, let's discuss this rationally. Talk I..."

The line went dead.

Ethan stared at his phone in despair. He should have known better than to mock Benjamin.

—

Sophia decided to leave Wilson Group and went to the office to collect her things. As she finished packing and prepared to leave, she ran into a group of people at the corridor corner.

"Sophia?" Someone with sharp eyes spotted her standing at the corner.

Daniel lounged against the wall, lifting his eyelids at the commotion, his lips curving into a knowing smile.

So Sophia was pretending to give him the cold shoulder. All it took was one ambiguous social media post about celebrating Alice's birthday, and she couldn't control herself anymore.

Alice followed his gaze and deliberately touched the necklace at her throat, her voice deliberately provocative. "Are you here for my birthday party, Sophia? Sorry, we didn't arrange a seat for you."

Alice Green was Daniel's longtime crush. Their relationship had always been ambiguous, and Sophia had fought with Daniel countless times over her, but nothing ever came of it.

Sophia's gaze lingered on the necklace—her original design, which she'd worked three sleepless nights to create. Now the alexandrite stones had been replaced with cheap crystals.

She looked up at Daniel, her lips curving into a mocking smile.

Back then, she actually gave up the opportunity to study abroad for such a terrible man."Not necessary," her voice was cold. "But there's one matter I need to address."

She walked toward Daniel, her gaze sharp. "That necklace design is my intellectual property. Alice's unauthorized reproduction constitutes copyright infringement. For old times' sake, I'm requesting payment of design fees and compensation totaling two million dollars."

Daniel suddenly grabbed her wrist, lowering his voice. "Sophia, enough. My patience has limits."

This was going too far! It had been three days and eight hours already.

They'd never fought this long before.

For three days, he couldn't reach her no matter what he tried. He'd sent her a gift, and she hadn't responded with so much as a text.

He knew Sophia always paid attention to his social media, which was why he'd agreed to attend Alice's birthday party—to make her see him being intimate with Alice.

"Let go." Sophia pulled her hand back forcefully, her expression resolute. "We're over. I'm the one who broke up with you. Understand?"

Daniel looked at her determined face and laughed coldly. "Did you find yourself a new boyfriend?"

"Takes one to know one." She glanced at Alice. "Haven't you also made your relationship with Alice public?"

Alice quickly stepped forward. "Sophia, you're misunderstanding..."

"Misunderstanding?" Sophia cut her off. "That's what he said last Tuesday, too."

She stepped back, creating distance between herself and Daniel. "Please arrange payment promptly, or you'll receive a court summons tomorrow."

Watching her leave without hesitation, Daniel stood frozen.

Alice tried to say something more, but he interrupted her. "Go to your birthday party without me."

He stared at the empty hallway, his expression complex.

Sophia never really left for good. This time was just another tantrum that needed some coaxing.

The next morning, Sophia dressed carefully and waited by her door.

This would be her first formal meeting with her fiancé in ages.

A black Rolls-Royce glided silently to a stop in front of her building.

As the window lowered, she instinctively bent down. "Ethan..."

Her words died in her throat as she froze.

In the back seat, Benjamin sat properly dressed in a dark suit, his demeanor cool and composed. Morning light filtered through the window, casting soft shadows across his sharp features.

"Get in." Benjamin's voice was calm.

Sophia hesitated for a moment before sliding into the spacious backseat, where only the two of them sat.

"Ethan... why didn't he come?" she couldn't help asking.

She'd thought the couple should at least meet before such a major life event.

When she'd received that expensive and thoughtful bracelet yesterday, she'd assumed Ethan took this arranged marriage seriously. Apparently, she'd been overthinking things.

Benjamin's gaze swept across her confused face without directly answering. "We'll discuss it when we arrive."

"Arrive where?" Sophia asked instinctively.

"City Hall." Benjamin's gaze moved away from her face as he answered matter-of-factly.

City Hall? Sophia was stunned. But Ethan wasn't even here.

Could people really send representatives for marriage registration these days?

Sophia opened her mouth to ask, but the man beside her had already lowered his head to review documents on his tablet, completely ignoring her presence.

She could only close her mouth awkwardly. No wonder he was called the Financial Devil—his aura was overwhelming!

Benjamin noticed Sophia's mood shift and paused his finger mid-scroll across the screen.

He turned his head, his gaze falling on her slightly furrowed brow. Had his focus on work made her feel neglected?

He set down the tablet, his eyes scanning her bare wrist before asking, "Don't you like the bracelet?"

Sophia hadn't expected him to ask about that and quickly nodded. "I received it. I love it."

Benjamin watched her respectful demeanor, feeling somewhat helpless, and decided to be direct. "I chose the bracelet. If you like it, there's a matching necklace. I'll get it for you next time."

Sophia stared blankly for a moment. Last time, Benjamin had said he would handle all the wedding preparations. She hadn't realized that even giving gifts to the fiancée was something he'd handle for Ethan.

Was Benjamin and Ethan's relationship really that close?

A series of questions exploded in Sophia's mind, but before she could think them through, the car had already arrived at City Hall.

Staff members who had been waiting handed them the forms. Sophia picked up a pen and habitually looked for the signature lines first.

Benjamin's name in the spouse name field appeared clearly and boldly before her eyes. Sophia froze on the spot.