Delusional

I frowned. "That's my engagement suit, Rachel."

She shrugged it off. "I'm busy. I don't have time for an engagement party with your family. And suits look better on Zacharias, not you."

Zacharias had his back turned to her, and the arrogance on his face was in full view for me. However, the words that came out of his mouth were filled with guilt. "If he won't let me have it, then it's okay. The suit looks expensive. A nobody like me can't…"

"You're not a nobody. You're the man I love. Sieghart? He only looks successful, but that's only because he relies on his parents. He's not nobler than you are."

Rachel did not even hold back. She handed the suit to the maker. The maker did not do her bidding. He was waiting for my orders.

Since his grandfather's time, my family had been their biggest client. However, his silence stoked Rachel's fury. "You…"

I interrupted, "If he likes it so much, I can give it to him."

That eased Rachel's expression. "Since you're being smart, I can have dinner with you once a month after we're married."

My God. That arrogant look of hers. She thought she was pitying me and giving me a shred of her love?

Ah, now I got it. No wonder she started to change the moment she found out my family was at the top of the line, while hers didn't make it to the top ten. I used to admire her fearless attitude. I used to admire her for never valuing someone for the money they had.

But since she found out my family outclassed her, and vastly so, she changed. She kept bringing up my family in every conversation. She kept telling me I only had what I had thanks to my parents.

Rachel kept nagging me and looking down on me. Just because I loved her, she did not hold back and hit me where it hurt the most.

At the end of the day, it was just her projecting her insecurity on me. And I laughed. "And what makes you think I'm marrying you, Rachel?"

Rachel sneered contemptuously. She looked like she'd heard the biggest joke ever cracked.

"You have followed me around since we were kids and wouldn't stop telling me how much you loved me. Every year, your birthday wish was to marry me when you turned twenty. Now you're finally twenty years old. There's no way you're giving up that wish to marry someone else."

Zacharias put his arm around her. He mocked, "Maybe. I mean, his family's at the top. The ladies around the nation are dying to marry him."

"And even then, he'll only take me as his wife."

Then, both of them left. Before they did, Rachel told the maker, "Send the suit to my place. And don't engrave any letters on that tacky necklace."

The maker saw them off, and he sighed. "Mr. Shaw, what will you do?"

"If she wants it, she can have it. Perfect reason for me to design a whole new one." I sat back down and worked on the draft. "You can ignore her suggestions about the suit. She's not my fiancée. She has no power here."

My friend was throwing a birthday party that night. We were already halfway through, and only then did Zacharias make his grand entrance. There were bodyguards following him.

One of them placed a red plastic bag beside my foot.

"You need the suit, don't you, Mr. Shaw? I was going to return it after the concert, but Rachel wanted to do it with me in the car. Well, you're a broad-minded man. You won't mind, will you?"

I stared at the suit. It cost 450 grand, but now it was crumpled up like some washcloth. There was some sort of white liquid on the fabric, and the sight of it hurt my eyes.

Some of the guests stood up for me. Some laughed at me.

"He's still so calm even when the other guy's challenging him openly. Guess he really loves Rachel."

"So what? She only loves Zacharias."

"Man, I can't believe the Shaws' only son is simping so hard. Guess he'll give his family's riches to the Osbornes."

I looked away. The sight disgusted me, and I had someone toss it out. "Glad you liked it, Mr. Newman."

My detached attitude obviously wasn't what he wanted. His bragging did not hit anything. The guy clenched his fists and went to the last table, where his seat was.

Abducted

Soon, Zacharias' social media account made it to top trending. The guy had millions of followers. He put up a photo of himself holding hands with Rachel. They were sharing a passionate kiss. The caption read, "The perfect day. I'm in my snug suit, holding my lover's hand, and attending a concert I love."

Then, tons of content creators found out about the confession post I uploaded. They compared it to Zacharias' post and grilled me openly.

Rachel liked the most trending comparison video. That excited the Internet. They made a meme out of me and called me a simp.

My face went dark. I deleted my account and told PR to do something about this. Less than ten minutes later, all the searches were deleted from the Internet.

It was a day before the engagement. I was going to work that morning, but the Osbornes' bodyguards took me to their villa against my will.

I was met with Zacharias looking out of it the moment I went inside. Rachel was trying to cheer him up gently, but when she saw me, her face fell.

"You're unbelievable, Sieghart! All Zacharias did was post something, but you told your men to ban all his socials! He's a content creator! You're destroying him!"

I was confused. "All I did was ask them to delete everything that had ties to me. I did not tell them to do anything else."

"Bullshit! No one else could've done that! You're jealous of Zacharias!" Rachel hissed.

"It wasn't me—"

Someone cut me off. A voice of disdain echoed from the second floor. "You're going against your wife even before you're married? This is how your family brought you up?"

Rachel's mother took her seat haughtily. She looked at me like I was beneath her. Rachel's father, a man who was nothing short of a sycophant a while ago, was putting one leg over the other.

"Sieghart, we don't recognize a spoiled rich boy like you, but since you insist on marrying my daughter, then we have to respect that. On some conditions. Your wedding gift must amount to half of your family's assets or more."

I sneered and was about to say no, but the bodyguard punched my knees. I gasped and fell to the ground face-first.

Rachel's mother asked her maid to bring us something hot. They came back with the thing she wanted. "You're going to be a part of the family, anyway. Serving me is your job, so pass me that cup of coffee."

The moment I touched the cup, I pulled my hand back, and it fell to the ground, smashing into pieces.

Rachel roared, "You can't even respect your elders? What are you, uneducated?"

I rubbed my reddened fingertips and shook my head. "I will never marry you, and they will never become my elders."

I tried to leave, but the bodyguards clamped down on my arms. I thrashed and struggled. "What are you doing? I'm the Shaws' heir! How dare you manhandle me!"

Furious, Rachel's mother strode ahead and slapped me across my face. Ah, I remembered this slap. It was one of the dozens she gave me in my past life. That made me freeze.

"The engagement is tomorrow, and yet you act so insolent! Rachel, this is the man you're marrying? He disrespects his elders and acts no better than a baboon!"

Rachel refused to look at me. "Hey, he insisted on marrying me. I'd rather marry Zacharias instead."

Zacharias sighed. "I'd love to marry you, Rachel. It's my dream. But my family is not even influential. We cannot cross the Shaws, or else…" Then, he turned to me. "I'm sorry, Mr. Shaw. Please, spare me. I worked hard to get my fans."

The guy started crying, and that made Rachel feel for him more. She approached me and looked at me like I was a stain on her house.

Duress

"You did everything you could, even pulled some dirty tricks, just to marry me. Fine, you get your wish, but I have my terms. You're never to interfere with any of my decisions after we're married. And you're forbidden from going home to your family. You will stay with mine and serve my parents like a servant. And you'll serve me and Zacharias!"

A maid presented us with a prenup. It clearly said '50% of the Shaws' assets. Wedding gift.'

I clenched my hands hard, refusing to sign the paper, and when I raised my head, my eyes were red with fury. "You're not the woman I'm marrying, Rachel!"

That was the chance her mother needed. She slapped me again. "And you call your family top of the line. You can't even control your emotions! I'm going to teach you a lesson! Your parents failed you, but I won't! You will not embarrass my family!"

And the abuse began. I suffered slap after slap until I lost count. And then I was forced to stamp the papers they gave me.

When they let me go, they ordered me to wear a plain suit the next day. Why? Because I wasn't allowed to outshine Rachel's father and Zacharias.

What a joke. Like I was going to listen to them.

…

The engagement party was the next day. I wore the black suit I designed anyway. My parents were talking to the Olivieras inside, while I was receiving the guests at the entrance.

It wasn't until noon that the Osbornes came, and they were surrounded by sycophants. They made sure they dressed to kill. Zacharias was holding Rachel's hand. He was in black, while she was in a white gown. They were the picture of a perfect couple.

Rachel's father would've been simpering at everyone at any other time, but this time, he puffed his chest out and thought everyone was beneath him. He thought he was the guest of honor here.

When they saw me wearing an eye-catching suit, Rachel's mother was black as thunder. "Where are your parents? I want to talk to them! You dare to disobey your elders! Your family's etiquette is questionable!"

I really did not want to start a scene here. The guests were rich, powerful, and famous. "My parents are inside. If you want to see them, go in—"

Rachel's mother jabbed my right shoulder with her nasty finger. "No, tell them to get out here to see me!"

I frowned and moved away. From the corner of my eye, I saw Rachel coming to me, but the look on her face was icy. She stood with me, obviously trying to welcome the guests as well. "You got your wish. I bet you're happy. But don't get too happy. You might've gotten my body, but you'll never have my heart."

The hatred in her voice could melt the ground around her. She made it sound like I'd ruined her whole life.

"You got it all wrong, Rachel. Today, I—"

"You're ignoring me? Did you forget how you begged for my favor yesterday?" Rachel's mother raised her voice. She scrolled through her phone and played the video of me prostrating before her. The woman made sure she held it up high for everyone to see.

The guests were shocked. Some even recorded a video with their phones.

The reporters were stopped before they could come in, but they noticed the commotion and broke through the line.

"Mr. Shaw, is this your soon-to-be mother-in-law teaching you a lesson?"

"Why did you prostrate before her? Does this mean you've submitted to her? Is your family submitting itself to hers?"

I inhaled sharply and summoned my bodyguards. Then, I pulled on Rachel's arm. "Tell your mother to stop that video!"

She pulled her arm away and adjusted her dress coolly. "Humiliating you isn't a bad thing if it means you'll learn how to respect your in-laws."

"Your family is unbelievable! A babbling, bumbling band of baboons!"

"You begged for my hand in marriage. You cannot mock my family!"

That was it. I had had enough. I grabbed the glass on the table and was about to hurl it at the bitch, but then someone held my hand. It was a gentle grip.

I turned around and was met with a woman in white. Seraphina. The look in her eyes was calm but sharp. "Ms. Osborne, how dare your mother make my fiance bow to her. She will wish she was never born."