Chapter 3

At my doorstep, the beach wedding photos Tillman and I had taken in the Maldives last month lay on the ground, my face in the photo marked with several shoe prints.

Voices came from inside the house.

"Tillman, he's not even worthy of carrying your shoes now. Even after you marry him, don't let him touch you."

"Of course not. I've been saving myself for you all along."

My temples throbbed.

We'd been together for three years, and Tillman had always played the innocent role.

She said she was a traditional woman, and that sort of thing had to wait until the wedding night.

Yet here she was, playing quite wildly with Harvey in my wedding suite.

I pressed my thumb on the touchscreen, but the door didn't open. The password had been changed.

I pulled out my phone and called the police directly.

"Hello, I need to report a crime. There are people in my house engaged in illegal trespassing and prostitution services."

I gave the operator my exact location, word by word.

As soon as I hung up, messages popped up from Tillman's bridesmaids group chat.

They were fawning over a series of intimate photos Harvey had posted.

Then came a string of messages @-ing me.

"The day before the wedding still counts as being single. It's not like Tillman's messing around with someone else—she's just comforting Harvey. Don't take it to heart."

Someone forwarded news of SSS Group's bankruptcy to the group.

"He's just a bankrupt old man who doesn't deserve Tillman at all. She's still staying loyal—he should cherish that!"

"By the way, bachelorette party tonight!"

I gripped my phone, trembling with anger.

Back when I was trying to please Tillman, when they were shopping sprees with my black card, they sure didn't act like this.

At that moment, Harvey sent a voice message, his tone extremely arrogant.

"Steve, stop pretending. If you really cared about Tillman, you would've called off the engagement yourself after going bankrupt. The only reason you're not breaking it off is because you're greedy for the Phillips family's power."

The bridesmaids all cheered in approval.

Tillman also sent a voice message, her tone brazen.

"I know you can't bear to let go of my family's wealth. That floor where my office is needs cleaning—from now on, you can come work at Phillips Group and clean toilets for me."

The Phillips family wealth? What wealth from a family that had always relied on my support?

A month ago, when SSS Group was in turmoil, I had assured Tillman it wouldn't affect our future quality of life at all.

Because at that time, the butler of New Jersey's richest man, Johnny, had found me with a DNA test report.

I wasn't sure what Johnny's attitude toward me would be, so I hadn't revealed everything.

But she hadn't listened to a word I said...

As I threw that wedding photo into the apartment complex's dumpster, the wail of police sirens reached the complex.

Even as they were dragged downstairs by police and property security guards, disheveled and half-dressed, Tillman was still shrieking: "How dare you touch me! I'm the heir to the Phillips family!"

Downstairs, the previously unshakeable Marcus and Judy's expressions changed as they rushed up to explain for the two.

Tillman's friends who had just arrived for the bachelorette party looked extremely shocked.

I raised my phone and captured this wonderful scene.

My phone buzzed with a new message.

Shakira: I'll marry you.

I was somewhat surprised.

Last week, when I went to New Jersey to meet my birth family at Johnny's house, this woman had suddenly given me a hard time, scaring me into returning to Atlanta overnight.

Later, when she learned I was getting married soon, she seemed relieved and flew over on a private jet early in the morning to apologize and congratulate me.

I typed suspiciously: Shakira, can you mess with someone else, please?

Almost instantly, she sent over a share transfer agreement.

"I'm serious. Look, I bought all the shares of SSS Group."

My jaw dropped.

I wasn't even planning to keep the empty shell of SSS Group. Anyone with eyes could see these were junk stocks. She was truly foolish enough.

But how could the heir to the Tony family, which rivaled the Johnny family, be a fool?

I gradually believed she was serious.

"Come to the wedding venue tomorrow. We'll get married."

As soon as I sent the message, a hand slapped my phone away.

The phone hit the ground, the screen shattering into pieces.

"Steve, are you sick? You actually called the cops on me!"

Tillman glared at me furiously, her chest heaving violently.