The person's grip slid higher, tightening around my throat. I struggled with all the strength I had, but I was no match for him. He didn't even budge.

The metallic taste of blood slowly crept up my throat. Just as I was about to pass out, he finally loosened his grip.

I turned away, clutching my neck as I desperately gasped for air. It took me a while to realize that it was Sebastian who showed up.

"Did this psychopath hurt you?" He was in a groom's suit, but not once did his gaze land on me. Instead, he gazed at Ruth, looking concerned.

She immediately turned to me with a look that seemed to be fishing for sympathy. "Forget it, Seb. She's the one Grandpa wants you to marry, after all."

Sebastian's gaze was akin to icicles that were sharp enough to pin me in place. "She's just an arranged fiancee. She's nothing compared to you."

I hadn't even said a word about being attacked, and they were already devaluing me. Swallowing my anger, I tried to speak calmly. "Sebastian Lambert, please get your facts straight. I am your fiancee. Just now—"

Clearly annoyed, he cut me off. "If you still want this wedding to proceed, crawl over and apologize to Ruth now."

I thought that he would at least be someone I could reason with, since he was the Lamberts' heir. It turned out that he was just another arrogant, irrational man.

I was frustrated and helpless. "If you have a problem with the marriage, bring it up with the others. Don't take it out on me just to please your little sweetheart."

Sebastian was just a husband that Dad had personally chosen for me. I didn't even mind that he wasn't acting like one. But now, he was expecting me to crawl over and apologize?

My expression turned ice-cold. "Besides, it was Ms. Lambert who attacked me first. Why should I be the one to apologize?"

"Why should you?" Ruth echoed my words mockingly.

She raised her brows as she glanced at my blood-soaked wedding dress. "Looks like someone's already acting like the CEO's wife before even marrying in. You're nothing but a filthy peasant. Even if Seb wanted you dead, you should be thanking him on your knees!"

Clearly enjoying her praise, Sebastian gave a small cough. He smirked as he glowered at me with disdain. "The old man said you'd kill yourself if I refused, and even threatened me with shares. If it weren't for that, do you think a nobody like you would even get close to the Lamberts?"

He scrutinized me mockingly. "Know your place. If you want to stay in this family, start by figuring out how to please Ruth."

His words were so absurd, I almost burst out laughing. I felt hopeless, as if I were trying to reason with an alien. "Sebastian, I don't know what nonsense you've heard, but you were never my only option."

Before I could explain further, Ruth covered her mouth as she tried to stifle a chuckle. "How foolish of you. Trying to play it cool now? You'll be clinging to Seb like a desperate simp once he actually dumps you."

She shoved me hard with a twisted expression. "Go on, then! Marry someone else! Why are you still here? Who's stopping you?"

I slowly lifted my head to glance at the smug pair before me. "Do you think the whole world has to kiss your feet just because the Lamberts made some money? Who do you think you are, barking away in front of me?"

As soon as the words left my mouth, the room erupted into laughter.

"Who let this maniac out? The Lamberts are literally on the list of the country's richest families! The audacity to question them!"

"She's done for. With Mr. Lambert's power, her entire family may even go down with her!"

"The Lamberts are more than generous to her. The wedding's being held in the world's most luxurious hotel. What's wrong with a little crawling? Is she going to throw her life away over her ego?"

"Exactly! Ms. Lambert's already being kind, and she still refuses to listen."

Generous? The Lamberts' entire business empire ran on patents developed by my family. However, in a week, the granted patent would expire. If they didn't renew it, they would lose access to our technology and go bankrupt.

I was my family's only daughter. Sebastian's grandfather, Theodore Lambert, had been begging at our doorstep every day, trying to marry his grandson into our family to secure the rights.

It just so happened that Dad wanted someone to take care of me as well. His only condition was that my future husband had to do whatever I said.

He heard Theodore boasting that his grandson was well-behaved, respectful, and had admired me from a young age. With that, Dad gave him the green light.

All I had to do was marry Sebastian today, and the Lamberts would maintain the rights to the patent and survive the crisis.

Theodore had been trying to flatter me to make this wedding happen. Yet, the moment Sebastian opened his mouth, he nearly wasted all his grandfather's effort.

When I didn't reply, Ruth took it as my intimidation. She crossed her arms and sneered. "Scared now? Too late for that!"

Sebastian pulled her into his arms and backed her up. "Crawl over, clean off the dirt you got on Ruth, and apologize. That's what you get for talking back. Otherwise, go back to whatever gutter you crawled out of."

Unfazed, I smoothed my messed-up hair. "Have it your way. Cancel the wedding."

Sebastian's expression darkened instantly. Veins throbbed visibly at his temple.

"Do you even know what you're saying?" he growled through gritted teeth. I wasn't sure whether he was just embarrassed by the scene or if he was furious that his shares might slip away.

Ruth quickly gazed at him with sorrowful eyes. "Seb, she's the reason you've become a joke in high society. What are you waiting for? If it hadn't been for her insisting on marrying you, I'd be the one standing here in a wedding dress right now!"

He gently stroked her face to comfort her. A hint of conflict flickered in his eyes. "Now's not the time, Ruth."

Noticing his hesitation, she swiftly clasped his hand and interlocked her fingers with his. "No, Seb, it's now or never! I found my birth parents. They're from the Schneiders—the richest family in the country!"

Gazing at him with her eyes full of bliss, she slowly tugged her neckline down. "Ten years ago, their daughter had been kidnapped. They only found her again thanks to a heart-shaped birthmark on her chest…"

There was the exact birthmark she described, plain as day, right on her exposed skin.

"I have that mark too. The daughter they found might be an imposter!" she continued. I was stunned. Did she seriously think she was Dad's biological daughter? The birthmark story was something he made up to protect me from being kidnapped.

Yet, Sebastian seemed to believe every word she said. He clutched her hand excitedly. Suddenly, he lowered his head and kissed her as if they were the only ones left in the room. "You're the only one who deserves to be with me. You're truly my lucky star, Ruth."

Only after his smooching session did he seem to remember my presence.

He waved me off dismissively as if I were some filthy beggar. "If it weren't for Grandpa, a lowlife like you wouldn't even get to see me, no matter how much you tried. Now, get lost. The wedding's still happening, just not with you as the bride!"

It was absurdly amusing to watch the two of them carry on like I didn't exist. "Well, I'm the one providing the venue. If you want to go through with this wedding, you'll need to find another hall."

The crowd scoffed in disbelief. "Of course, the broke peasant thinks the hotel's hers. Does she know she'll never get to rent this place, even if she worked her entire life?"

"Right? Mr. Lambert's the one who reserved the whole venue, and she's still talking big! She'll be lucky to crawl out of here in one piece."

Ruth leaned into Sebastian's embrace, sounding aggrieved as she spoke. "Seb, it seems like she's changed her mind, and she's refusing to leave. What do we do now?"

He snapped at me icily. "I know you must've taken a pile of money from Grandpa. I won't come after it if you get lost now. But if you keep pushing me, you won't survive the consequences."

I was sick of him not understanding plain English. "Mr. Lambert, my family's paying for this entire wedding. I have never taken a single cent from your grandfather."

His face grew even colder. "I even paid for your dress. Stop being stubborn!"

He waved someone over and had them shove a thick stack of cash toward me. "I'm marrying Ruth today, and that's final. Since I'm in a good mood right now, take the money and scram."

Shaking with rage at the humiliation, I clutched the money in my hand. My voice was colder than ever. "I'll say this one last time. This hotel belongs to my family. No matter how rich your family is, you don't get to do whatever you want."

The crowd erupted into laughter. "She's really getting out of hand. Even the guards don't know her, so what hotel is she claiming to own?"

"Exactly. If Mr. Lambert weren't being such a gentleman, he would've asked her to strip down on the spot. She's got no idea who she's messing with!"

Backed by the mockery, Sebastian looked even more smug. "Hear that? You'd better get lost unless you want to crawl out of here in your birthday suit."

I barely moved an inch, and his expression turned livid. He had the guards kick me hard in the knee before dragging me out.

After that, he called in a renovation crew. "I'll show you what it means to do whatever you want when you're rich. You kept insisting that this hotel belongs to your family, right? I'll destroy it, then."

I glared daggers at him as I coldly said, "You wouldn't dare. Do you even know whose hotel this is?"

Sebastian waved his hand impatiently, ordering people to cover my mouth. "Here in Hartvania, people exist just because I let them. I don't care whose it is. She's being way too loud. Throw her in the coffin."

This terrified the onlookers. Some of them tried to reason with me. "All you need is to apologize. Why would you give up your life over this?"

"Exactly. The Lamberts have powerful backers. If you don't apologize soon, no one will bat an eye even if your parents bring your corpse to the police station."

Ruth chimed in, saying, "Seal the coffin. Don't let her crawl out again and pester Seb."

I glowered at her icily. "I've got a tracker on me, and I've already contacted my family. I strongly suggest none of you touch me again. You won't be able to handle the consequences if you piss them off."

She scoffed and turned to the head of the renovation team. "Just do as we said. Seal the coffin shut. I'd like to see what kind of consequences she's talking about."