Chapter 1

My boyfriend, Don Adrian Black, had a childhood friend named Lily who loved playing the "catch the mistress" game.

Every time I switched companies, she'd come and make a scene.

The first time, I got questioned by upper management because of her little drama, and I was fired that same day. Furious, I went to confront her, but Adrian shielded her behind him and explained calmly, "Lily just likes to stir up trouble. Don't make a big deal out of it."

The second time, I couldn't stand the whispers behind my back from coworkers, so I resigned on my own. Adrian said I was too fragile.

"You didn't do anything wrong, so why are you afraid of what people say?"

Then I got hired at the company I'd been dreaming about for years, and Lily pulled the same stunt again, this time bringing people along with her.

This time, I called the police directly.

Adrian and the police arrived almost at the same time. He looked at me, and I saw nothing but reproach in his eyes. "Lily was just joking around with you. Did you really have to make such an ugly scene?"

"Besides, she wasn't wrong. You are the other woman."

He said it calmly, like he was stating a fact he had no doubt about.

The room went dead quiet. The coworkers who had been defending me moments before changed their expressions instantly.

I stared at him, my voice tight. "Adrian, what the hell are you talking about?"

"I know you want to get Lily out of this, but you don't need to lie like that."

He ignored me and pulled a marriage registration certificate straight out of his pocket, handing it to the police.

"This is proof of my marriage to Lily."

My mind went completely blank.

Lily grabbed another document smugly and waved it in my face.

"Adrian said that if you're going to accuse a woman of being the other woman, you need a legitimate reason. So he took me to register."

"Sorry, Elena. This time, it looks like you really are the other woman."

The police checked the documents, returned them to Adrian, and warned me before leaving. "Filing a false police report is illegal. If this happens again, we won't let it slide."

The HR manager, who had personally come downstairs to welcome me just minutes ago, now had not a trace of warmth on her face. She looked like she wanted to distance herself from me as fast as possible.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Stone, but the company may need to reevaluate your appointment. We'll pause today's onboarding process. Please go home and wait for our notice. We'll contact you as soon as we have a decision."

She turned me down politely enough. But standing there, I felt like I'd been slapped across the face in front of everyone, both stinging and humiliated.

Adrian saw this and reached for my hand, trying to lead me out. "Since you don't have to work today, I'll drive you home. We're heading the same way anyway."

I shook off his hand, my voice trembling. "When did this happen?"

Adrian pressed his lips together and avoided my eyes. "We'll talk about it at home. Do you really want people laughing at you with this many eyes on us?"

I stared at him hard.

"If you've already registered a marriage with Lily, then why did you propose to me? Why did you promise to hold our wedding by the end of the year?"

Before Adrian could answer, Lily suddenly burst out laughing.

"You mean the bet we made?"

A chill ran through my body, and my voice dropped. "A bet?"

Lily reached out and wrapped her arm around Adrian's. He didn't pull away.

She laughed even brighter. "Everyone kept saying you were desperate to marry Adrian, so I just wanted to know if it was true. But I never expected you to be this cheap."

"He proposed with a plastic ring, and you actually said yes."

"So cheap."

My face went pale, and the hand hanging at my side clenched into a tight fist.

Because of that plastic ring, I'd had doubts about his sincerity too. But Adrian had looked at me then, guilty and earnest, and said, "The custom ring hasn't arrived yet, but I couldn't wait any longer to marry you. Elena, would you think less of me for this?"

I'd looked into his eyes and accepted his proposal.

In the end, I never got the ring he promised to make up for it.

What I got was his marriage certificate with Lily.