After completing my studies overseas, it's time for me to marry Cynthia Norton, my childhood sweetheart.

But on the day I'm supposed to pick up the wedding tuxedo, I see my tuxedo, which is a custom-ordered suit that's worth a million dollars, being worn by Theodore Hasting, the low-income student Cynthia is currently sponsoring.

When I demand that the tuxedo be returned, I get called the homewrecker instead. People even mock me for being a boy toy who wants to take the shortcut by clinging to a rich woman.

Cynthia tells me Theodore has never experienced wearing a wedding tuxedo before, so she wants me to graciously give him the chance.

I like doing charity work the most. Since I can give a million-dollar wedding tuxedo away, I should just give the marriage contract away too.

Then again, not anyone can simply accept the marriage contract meant for me, the heir of the Emerson family.

"Where did this beggar come from? Who said you could touch my tuxedo?"

With the wedding approaching, I went to check out my custom-made tuxedo.

However, as soon as I had it in my hands, a foppish young man suddenly slapped me across the face and snatched the tuxedo away.

He slapped me again and yelled, "You lowlife! You've dirtied my tuxedo. You'll pay for this! Do you have any idea how much this tuxedo costs? You couldn't afford it even if you sold yourself!"

I stood there in shock.

Right then, the supervisor rushed over and apologized obsequiously to the young man.

"Mr. Norton, I'm terribly sorry. The new staff member didn't know that was your tuxedo, so he gave it to someone else."

The young man called Mr. Norton was now whining on the phone to someone he kept calling "honey".

"Honey, some beggar dirtied my tuxedo. What should I do? Honey, this was the tuxedo you had custom-made just for me!"

The phone was on speaker mode, and a voice I knew all too well came through the other end.

"There, now. Just have them redo the dirty part, and it'll be as good as new. You shouldn't let this stress you out."

Wasn't that the voice of my fiancee, Cynthia Norton?

I'd heard rumors that Cynthia had gotten close to some pretty boy while I was studying abroad.

I'd asked her several times, but she always denied it, insisting there had never been another man.

I even asked her parents, and they dismissed it as baseless gossip—just some minor celebrities trying to stir up attention by claiming a wealthy patron.

My family had arranged this marriage with the Norton family years ago, with the wedding set to take place as soon as I returned from abroad.

For this very reason, my mother, Sandra Logan, had commissioned a world-class designer to create custom wedding attire for Cynthia and me.

Yet now, the measurements of this tuxedo turned out to be someone else's.

The moment I took the tuxedo, I realized the measurements were off. I was in the middle of discussing the issue when Mr. Norton suddenly slapped me across the face.

Mr. Norton was still complaining to Cynthia on the phone, while the supervisor was already sweating nervously. The employee who had handed me the tuxedo kept apologizing profusely.

Afraid of offending Mr. Norton, the supervisor abruptly yanked me forward and even kicked me in the leg.

Caught off guard, I lost my balance from the pull. And with the added kick, I stumbled awkwardly to my knee.

"Where did this lowlife come from? How dare he touch the tuxedo meant for Ms. Norton's fiance? What are you waiting for? Get on your knees and apologize right now!"

"Oh, shut up," I said with a chuckle. "The union between the Emerson and Norton families has been publicly announced, and Mr. Norton is certainly not Gerard Emerson."

Mr. Norton immediately flew into a rage and stomped fiercely on my leg.

"Gerard Emerson? That old man isn't worthy of Cece. Cece watched me grow up, and she promised she would marry me!"

The old injury in my leg flared with searing pain, and I shoved Mr. Norton away.

He fell to the floor and immediately started cursing from where he sat.

Annoyed, I called Cynthia straight away.

She picked up quickly, but her tone was sharp with impatience. "Gerard, I'm very busy right now. The company just landed a major project. Didn't you say you were going to check on the tuxedo yourself? Why are you calling me then?"

"Cynthia, get your ass down to the boutique now! How dare some pretty boy you're keeping lay a hand on my suit?"

Cynthia paused briefly, but she didn't seem concerned. Instead, she said dismissively, "What are you talking about? Who's been feeding you nonsense again?

"I know you're upset that I didn't go with you to try on the tuxedo, but this isn't the time to be difficult. I'm busy. I have to go."

With those final words, she really hung up on me.

I clenched my fists tightly.

Fine. Since Cynthia brushed me off like this, there was no way I was ever going to wear the dirty tuxedo.

However, she owed me an explanation.

Struggling to my feet, I felt a pang of regret. After all, Mom had put so much heart into the tuxedo.

However, now that the tuxedo had been tainted, I couldn't possibly keep it.

The tuxedo lay on the floor. I stepped forward and randomly grabbed a corner of it. Then, with one sharp pull, I tore it clean in two.

When he saw what happened, Mr. Norton's eyes immediately turned red as he lunged at me.

"My tuxedo! You lowlife! I'll kill you! Do you even know who my wife is? She's the CEO of Norton Group! I'm calling the police!"

I just smiled coldly and dialed 911 first.

Since the tuxedo was worth a million dollars, this counted as a serious crime. Thus, the police arrived swiftly.

It was only then that I learned that the young man's last name wasn't Norton at all, but Hasting. His real name was Theodore Hasting, a financially struggling college student whose education was funded by the Norton family.

After graduation, he had remained by Cynthia's side as her personal assistant.

Though the nature of their relationship was an open secret, with my imminent return, Cynthia had publicly introduced Theodore as her adopted younger brother. That was why he was often addressed as "Mr. Norton" in social settings.

Theodore angrily appealed to the officers. "Officer, a month ago, my fiancee told me she ordered a custom wedding tuxedo for me at this boutique and asked me to come for a fitting.

"That's why I'm here. This tuxedo has been tailored to my measurements over the past month, and she even paid the deposit already. Now this jerk has ruined it. You'd better make sure he doesn't get away with this."

The supervisor quickly stepped forward to confirm this with the police.

"That's right. This gentleman is Ms. Norton's boyfriend. She often brings him to our store. This tuxedo has been adjusted to Mr. Norton's measurements for quite some time.

"Who would have expected such a mix-up today? The store has nothing to do with the damage to the tuxedo. It was all this man's doing."

The supervisor pointed at me, and the police then approached me.

"Sir, you claim this tuxedo belongs to you. Do you have any proof?"

"Of course, I do. This boutique is the personal brand store of a world-leading designer, who personally tailored my tuxedo. To prevent counterfeiting, there's a chip sewn inside the garment.

"A simple scan will reveal the owner's identity, and this wristband I'm wearing is precisely the device designed to scan that chip."

I handed the wristband over to the officer, who promptly located the chip. Once scanned, it displayed my identity information.

"Mr. Norton—or should I say, Mr. Hasting—do you see this? This tuxedo belongs to Gerard Emerson. It is my personal property, valued at a million dollars. Since you're the one who had it altered beyond recognition, it's only right for you to bear the full cost of all damages."

Theodore was immediately stunned.

He had spent so long having the suit altered and had never noticed there was a chip inside.

As for the supervisor, he was so frightened that his face turned white as a sheet. At the same time, he kept wiping away the sweat from his brow.

However, Theodore still refused to back down.

"This is fake! This cheap loser is trying to steal my tuxedo. He must've planted the chip here beforehand. Otherwise, how could the boutique staff have altered it so many times without noticing?

"He shows up once, and suddenly there's a chip? Something's clearly going on here!"

Afraid of offending anyone and desperate to avoid being implicated, the supervisor quickly backed Theodore up.

"That's right, he must've set this up! Mr. Emerson has been abroad for years and never mentioned returning, whereas Ms. Norton has brought Mr. Norton here many times.

"Officer, our store is fully monitored. The footage can prove that Mr. and Ms. Norton are the actual couple, and they did come in to view the tuxedo."

With that, the supervisor voluntarily submitted the surveillance footage.

I couldn't help but laugh at how foolish these two were acting. They could check the surveillance footage all they wanted to see whether I had actually tampered with anything.

However, thinking he was being clever, the store manager claimed the cameras had malfunctioned that very day.

In the end, due to the high value involved in the case, we were all taken to the police station.

My parents were currently abroad, so I called my butler, Mitch Eade, to come pick me up. Meanwhile, Theodore called Cynthia.

At this point, Cynthia was too afraid to show up. Instead, she sent her assistant, Rowena Ingram, to deal with it.

Upon seeing me, Rowena first bowed and offered an apology.

"I'm truly sorry you had to go through this, Mr. Emerson."

"Where's Cynthia?"

"Ms. Norton is currently occupied. The company has several ongoing projects, so she simply couldn't get away. That's why she asked me to come pick up Mr. Norton instead."

I let out a cold laugh. "Do you really think this pretty boy can just walk away?"

Rowena quickly dialed Cynthia's number and handed the phone to me.

"Mr. Emerson, Ms. Norton would like to speak to you."

I wanted to hear Cynthia's stance for myself, so I took the phone and put it on speaker.

The moment she spoke, her tone reeked of arrogance.

"Gerard, you're to stop this right now. Theo is a scholarship student sponsored by my family. How would it look if word got out that a corporation as large as ours was bullying a young man?

"We're about to get married, so shouldn't our shared interests come first? Just come back already. It's just a tuxedo. How did you manage to drag this all the way to the police station?

"You've really become unruly after all those years abroad. Once we're married, you'll need to work on that temper of yours."

I laughed in disbelief. All these years, I had never truly seen this side of Cynthia.

"Cynthia, do you realize what you're saying?"

She fell silent after my sharp retort.

If she were half as clever as she claimed, she would have understood that between the two of us, I was the one truly in control.

Sadly, years in the CEO seat seemed to have rotted her judgment.

"Gerard Emerson, is this how you speak to the head of this family? Where are your manners? Clearly, you need to be taught a lesson before the wedding!"