I grabbed a tablecloth and wiped the wine from my eyes—only to see a man in a white suit, a crimson rose tucked into his breast pocket.

Tall, refined, and elegant, he stood at the center of attention. The crowd around him seemed to orbit his presence, as if he were the very sun and they, a galaxy of stars.

My grandmother knew me well—this man was practically crafted to my taste.

Yet the warmth I expected vanished the moment he turned, his brow knitting tightly as he looked at Seraphine.

"Seraphine, what are you doing? It's my wedding day, and I've been running myself ragged. Must I chase after you too? Can't you spare me even a little trouble?"

Seraphine's face crumpled into practiced grievance. "I only wanted to settle the ring matter before leaving, but that wretch wouldn't stop making a scene. Not only did she steal your family's diamond, she even demanded a twenty-carat ring as compensation."

The sheer audacity left me reeling.

I straightened, ready to defend myself, but Owen's voice cut in first, sharp with disdain.

"Who let the cleaning woman in here? Get out now! You'll ruin my wedding."

I drew a steadying breath, forcing calm. "Owen, it's me, Rachel Waitrose, your bride. You took the ten-carat pink diamond I sent and promised it would be made into my wedding ring. I—"

"Enough." His voice cracked like a whip. "The Buckley family doesn't need a shrew, much less a country bumpkin who doesn't know her place. As of now, the wedding will be handled by Seraphine. I'll explain everything to both families. Don't embarrass yourself further."

The words stunned me. His secretary had provoked this entire mess—yet he cast all blame on me.

"But it was your secretary—"

"Oh, right." His eyes, suddenly cold as knives, pinned me like I was vermin crawling out of a sewer. "I nearly forgot. Today's guests include titans of industry and renowned jewel designers. You wasted my secretary's time and prevented her from assisting me with our distinguished guests. That delay has harmed Buckley Group's interests."

His next words struck like ice. "She's upset now. Go on—strip and dance for her, let her vent her anger."

I choked on disbelief. Her mood? How was that my responsibility?

"Rachel," he sneered, "my grandfather said you were attractive. But seeing you now—you're nothing but a toad. I can't fathom what trick you pulled to blind him."

I stood frozen, numb with shock. It took me a long moment to find my voice. "Owen… after everything you've said, what makes you think I'd still marry you?"

He tilted his head, as though I'd uttered a joke, and the crowd roared with laughter.

"Plenty of women want to marry Owen. If not for Owen's grandpa threatening his own life, do you think some no-name toad like you would be worthy?"

"My uncle belongs to Seraphine! You don't deserve to even speak to him, tramp!"

"If you're smart, you'll start stripping now. Otherwise, we'll be happy to help."

A pack of beasts—every last one of them. Not a shred of decency in the Buckley family.

"I won't stay for this wedding. And I certainly won't marry you, Owen. But one thing—return my ten-carat pink diamond. You're the CEO of Buckley Group; surely you wouldn't stoop so low as to covet a country girl's stone."

For the first time, his expression faltered. "A single diamond? The Buckley family doesn't even care for such trifles."

With that, he snatched the Hello Kitty ring and tossed it at my feet. The pink gem clattered across the floor, rolling to a stop before me.

"There—take your diamond. Now dance, or stop wasting my time."

I bent to examine it. At a glance, the color and facets seemed right, but the fire, the brilliance—it was all wrong. This wasn't my diamond.

It was nothing but a pink padparadscha sapphire.

I drew a long breath. "I told you, I won't marry you. And another thing—"

Seraphine cut in with a theatrical snort. "Who asked your opinion? You're just a pawn Owen uses to show filial piety. If his grandpa hadn't insisted on you, you wouldn't even be standing here. Don't act self-important.

"Be clever—flatter me, and maybe I'll let you have the honor of appearing beside Owen on the marriage certificate. Otherwise, there are plenty waiting to replace you."

I gave a short, bitter laugh, though my temper was slipping fast. "Then let them replace me. For now, return my diamond. That stone is not mine."

I pulled out my phone to call my superior, intending to cancel the wedding on the spot.

But Seraphine lunged forward, snatched it from my hand, and smashed it to the ground. "Trying to run? Not a chance. You'll apologize to me today!"

The crowd jeered, voices overlapping in disdain.

"Rachel, hurry and apologize. Seraphine can close deals worth ten times more than your diamond in minutes. You've wasted enough of her time."

"Owen is far too patient, indulging a toad like this before the marriage even begins."

"She's just playing hard to get, banking on Owen's filial piety. Typical scheming tramp."

"Exactly. The moment she saw him toss the diamond back, she tried to bolt. She just wants his attention."

Me? Trying to catch Owen's attention? The thought was laughable.

I raised my voice. "First of all, the diamond you took is worth fifty million. It's a rare vivid purplish-pink stone. This Hello Kitty ring is a padparadscha sapphire, barely three carats, poorly cut, worth at most a few ten thousands. Owen, I don't care for your worthless stone. You will compensate me with the original diamond—intact."

Seraphine's eyes narrowed. She leaned toward Owen and whispered something.

His face darkened with fury. "Rachel, don't mistake my kindness for weakness!"

I had a hunch that Seraphine must have slandered me.

Sure enough, Owen spoke, confirming my suspicion.

"What you sent over was nothing but a piece of pink glass. That padparadscha sapphire? Seraphine bought it herself to cover for you. Instead of being grateful, you have the audacity to brag about some fifty -million pink diamond rough?"

Impossible. When I shipped that diamond, I entrusted it to a specialized escort agency. Delivery would only be valid if Owen signed for it in person.

"That stone was transported by dedicated guards and vehicle. Since you signed for it, there's no way you could mistake it. It was a pink diamond rough."

But Owen only frowned in irritation.

"I don't have time to fuss over some worthless rock you mailed. As soon as it arrived, I gave it to Seraphine to handle. If she says it's a piece of glass, then that's exactly what it is."

Seraphine seized the chance to press harder.

"If I hadn't switched the glass, do you know how much humiliation Owen would've suffered today? Besides… my dream has always been to marry with a pink padparadscha sapphire. I gave that dream to you, and you don't even know how to cherish it."

Owen's expression darkened further.

"Rachel, get over here and kneel before Seraphine. Apologize! I wouldn't dare let her suffer even the smallest grievance, and yet you dare disgrace her like this?"

Seraphine threw herself into his arms, trembling like a delicate bird. Her lips brushed faintly against his cheek as she whispered, "Owen, for you, I don't mind anything. But… for her to cause such a scene at your wedding, that's truly too much."

I picked up the padparadscha sapphire from the floor and hurled it at them.

"I did nothing wrong, and I will not apologize. I said it before. Compensate me for the pink diamond and let me walk away, or no one will be leaving this place."

Seraphine let out a mocking laugh.

"Of course no one's leaving. We'll make sure everyone sees you for the fraud you are!"

With a snap, she tossed out another piece of pink glass.

I dodged, and the shard shattered into fragments on the floor.

"Hmph. So this is your so-called fifty-million pink diamond? The truth is right here. What else do you have to say?"

I stared at the glass for a long moment, then suddenly laughed.

"Seraphine, weren't you the one who first accused me of stealing the Buckley family's diamond? How did the diamond suddenly turn into glass? Unless… the Buckley family has been peddling counterfeits all along?"

For a brief second, Seraphine faltered, but she quickly recovered.

"That's because we've always guarded against thieves like you. The Buckley family's diamonds are locked in a secure vault so you'd never have the chance to steal them. That glass is just bait, to trap greedy women like you."

"Enough!" Owen barked. "A vain woman like you is unworthy of joining the Buckley family."

He was about to continue when his phone rang.

Seraphine naturally answered it.

From the other end, a voice said, "Is this Owen Buckly? Rachel should already be at the wedding. Why did her call suddenly cut off, and now we can't reach her?"

"Oh, so the old fraudster the little liar invited finally shows up." Seraphine put the call on speaker.

"Listen, old man, your little scammer is about to strip for us as entertainment. What are you waiting for? Get over here and serve us tea, or I'll make sure your whole family rots in prison!"

The voice on the other end stiffened.

"Who are you? Isn't this Owen's phone?"

"And if it is? His phone is mine now. You think you can scam us? Let me tell you, it's useless. I've seen plenty of cheap cons like yours."

The caller's tone hardened.

"Show some respect. I am not a fraud."

"Oh? Are you going to claim you gave Rachel a pink diamond rough worth fifty million?"

"Of course. That diamond was a gift to Rachel—"

"Perfect. You admit it. Old fraud, just wait. I'll have the police here in no time. How dare you use a chunk of glass to swindle the Buckley family? That's marriage fraud, outright fraud—you deserve to rot in prison!"

But what she didn't know was that our institution is revered wherever we go. Financially, no one can rival us. Other divisions begged us when they ran out of funds.

"Where's Owen? Where's Rachel? I need to speak with them," the caller demanded.

I sighed and answered, "Boss, Owen said I was nothing more than a pawn to curry favor with his grandpa. They switched the diamond you gave me for a padparadscha, slandered me, and even ripped off my gloves, crushing the bones in my fingers."

For a moment, he thought he'd misheard, then his voice sharpened with alarm.

"Rachel, are you alright?"

But Seraphine cut in before I could reply.

"Alright? She won't be for long. You won't escape either. Crawl to me on your knees, or I'll see to it you can't survive in this city!"

As she spoke, she shoved the phone into my face, snapping picture after picture.

"If you beg nicely, maybe I'll take Rachel's place at the altar and marry Owen myself. Now hurry up, don't make me say it twice!"

With that, she hung up and switched off the phone.

"Come! Break her knees and make her kneel. I'll have her and her con-artist boss bow together to celebrate my wedding with Owen."

I lifted my gaze to the clock on the wall. It was precisely 4:36 p.m.

"You're out of time, Owen. I told you—you would pay the price."

At that moment, sirens wailed outside. Police escorts cleared the road as one after another, convoys with special license plates pulled up at the hotel entrance.