Chapter 4

That night, while handling pack documents in my study, Sebastian sent a video call request.

Though we were about to get married, I still felt nervous.

After the video call ended, I stood by the window for a long time.

Until the doorbell rang—it was Callum.

"Lucia, what was the meaning of today?" He walked straight into the living room.

"I said I won't marry you. You competed with my fiancée for a wedding package. Don't you feel ashamed?"

I'd just had a nice conversation with Sebastian and was in a good mood.

Now that he'd ruined it, I was annoyed.

"Callum, this is the last time I'm explaining this to you—the person I'm marrying is NOT you!"

Callum looked at me with contempt.

"Don't play games with me, Lucia. The person I love is my mate Lillian. I will never marry you."

"If you want to preserve your last shred of dignity, stop appearing in front of me!"

I was so annoyed by him that I angrily told him to leave.

He flaunted his limited-edition watch and stormed off.

His social media immediately updated with a new post:

"The 18th of this month, city hall, marrying my destined love."

The photo showed him and Lillian together on a yacht.

Coincidentally, that was also the day Sebastian and I had scheduled.

I arrived at the marriage registry half an hour early, wearing the custom gown Sebastian had prepared for me.

To avoid Callum and Lillian, I specifically chose a 7 AM time slot.

I didn't expect to run into them anyway.

At 6:55, Callum and Lillian arrived with a group of friends.

When he saw me, his expression froze instantly.

"You actually came?" He dropped Lillian's hand and strode over.

"Lucia, I've told you so many times—I won't marry you. What the hell are you doing?"

His friends started laughing mockingly.

"Callum, your childhood friend is pretty persistent!"

"Is she going to object at the ceremony?"

"Need us to call security?"

Lillian walked over and put her hand on my shoulder. "Blake, do you need me to introduce you to some reliable Alphas?"

"I told you," I pushed her hand away, "the person I'm marrying today isn't him."

Callum's laughter was sharp and unnatural.

"Then who are you marrying? At this time, in this outfit—"

He reached out to touch my dress. I blocked him.

"You're not going to say you've been waiting at the marriage registry since 6 AM in haute couture for some other man, are you?"

His friends burst into even louder laughter.

"Lucia, stop making a scene." One of the women patted my shoulder.

"We all know you and Callum had a twenty-year engagement. But now he's chosen his mate. You need to learn to let go."

"Yeah, want me to introduce you to some models? Better than making a fool of yourself here."

Callum laughed contemptuously.

"A woman like her? Forget it. Boring, rigid. I wouldn't want her even for free."

Hearing Callum's insulting words, I could no longer suppress my anger.

In my previous life, he used the same tone to tell Lillian, "Her? She's not my mate at all. She can't satisfy me."

I took a deep breath.

"Callum, can you not understand human speech? I've said it—the person I'm marrying was NEVER you!"

He laughed instead of getting angry.

"Lucia, who would believe that? You've accepted our arranged marriage since you were five, even using family pressure to force me into it!"

"So tell me, where is this person you're supposedly marrying? It's been so long—why hasn't he shown up?"

I glanced at my watch. Seven o'clock sharp. "He's never late."

Just then, a black SUV drove through the mist.

The door opened, revealing a pair of long legs.

A tall, well-built man stepped out, his features cool and handsome, yet softening slightly when he saw me.

"Callum," Sebastian's voice was low and gentle, "why are you making things difficult for my fiancée again?"