My job was of a special nature, so I rarely had the chance to interact with the outside world.

My mother, worried I might have issues with my sexual orientation, forcibly arranged a marriage for me.

The other party had excellent conditions. Besides being good-looking, she was also the daughter of the richest man in the area.

Since I had been stationed at my post for years and barely bought any clothes, my superior had a suit custom-made for me.

On the day of the wedding, just as I was about to change and go on stage, I found the suit had been tossed into the trash.

Before I could even react, my fiancée’s assistant arrogantly handed me a groomsman’s suit.

“What are you staring at? The wedding’s about to start. Hurry up and get changed.”

I swallowed my anger and forced a protest. “I’m the groom today, and you want me to wear this?”

The assistant looked at me with nothing but scorn.

“I told you to change. Why all the noise?” she snapped. “Miss Ruiz specifically instructed that I’m in charge of everything today.”

I froze for a moment, disbelief crashing over me, then reached for my phone and dialed my fiancée.

“Ruth Ruiz, don’t you think your family owes me an explanation for this sudden groom switch?”

——

This wedding had been approved through multiple layers at my unit. If the higher-ups learned I’d been replaced at the last minute, the fallout would be unimaginable.

If they admitted fault sincerely, maybe, just maybe, I’d let it go.

“Explanation?” Ruth’s voice on the line was dripping with disdain. “What exactly do you want me to explain?”

“Miss Ruth, we may have never met in person, but I’m still your future husband.”

“Having someone else take my place at the wedding, don’t you think that’s a little ridiculous?”

Before I could finish, I heard the busy tone on the other end.

I stood there, dumbfounded.

Was this how all wealthy heiresses behaved?

Seeing the scene, the assistant immediately sneered.

“Mr. Reid, I suggest you just change your clothes.”

“With Miss Ruiz’s status in the capital, marrying into the Ruiz family should be enough to make your ancestors’ graves smoke with luck.”

He looked down on me entirely, judging me by my youth and plain clothes.

“I’m the groom today. No way I’m changing!”

Halfway through my sentence, I pointed at the nearby staff. “If you keep acting out, believe me, I’ll have security throw you out!”

Instead of backing down, he grew even more arrogant.

“You brat, save it already.”

“This is the capital, the Ruiz family’s turf. You think anyone here would help you?”

The more he talked, the more aggressive he became. Spit even flew onto my face.

I clenched my fists, eyes cold.

“Under the government’s nose, a mere businessman dares to act like a king? Laughable.”

As soon as I finished, the assistant shoved me hard.

“Where did this loser come from? Daring to act up on Ruiz family turf!”

“I’m warning you one last time: if you don’t change your clothes, I’ll turn your wedding into a funeral!”

Since graduating from university, I’d been stationed at my unit, rarely appearing in public.

No one had ever dared to threaten me to my face before.

Seeing how arrogantly he strutted, my fury surged higher and higher.

“I don’t! Believe it!”

The moment those words left my mouth, the nearby staff gasped.

“Damn, this guy’s got guts! Talking back to Assistant Benjamin? He’s asking for it!”

“It’s just a suit. It’s not like he’s losing a limb. If the wedding’s called off, he’s the one who’ll suffer.”

“Exactly. Marrying into the Ruiz family is already a once-in-a-lifetime blessing. Why care who the groom is anyway?”

As the chatter around us grew louder, the assistant’s face grew smaller by the second.

“Hear that? A useless loser like you, with no ability, no background, still dreaming of being the groom? Keep dreaming!”

Faced with all the mocking, I didn’t care at all. In fact, I even found it a little amusing.

“Assistant Benjamin, right? This is my final warning to you.”

“Give me back my original suit!”

“Screw you, motherf—!”

After cursing me a few times, and as if that wasn’t enough to vent his rage, he rolled up his sleeves and lunged at me again.

“What now?”

“A Ruiz family lapdog ready to throw hands at the drop of a hat, is that it?”

He swung at me several times but couldn’t even graze the hem of my clothes. Frustrated beyond reason, he flew into a rage.

“You little bastard, try dodging again and see what happens!”

“Believe it or not, I’ll call Miss Ruth right now!”

Despite all his provocations, I never raised a hand. I simply kept my composure.

It wasn’t because I was afraid of him. Before I left the unit, my superior had reminded me again and again.

“Your words and actions represent the image of our unit. Don’t get into any conflicts outside.”

Besides, I didn’t know how to fight.

If I ever struck, it would be a one-hit kill.

Seeing me silent, the assistant assumed I’d chickened out. He raised his fist and lunged at me once more.

Just then, a sharp voice cut through the air.

“Stop!”

A tall young woman stepped in from the doorway, bodyguards trailing behind her.

“Benjamin, you’re my personal assistant. How can you start a fight in public?”

“You’re Ruth Ruiz? The bride today?”

I gave her a once-over. I had to admit, my mother had good taste.

She stood nearly 1.7 meters tall, her white wedding gown hugging her elegant figure perfectly.

If I had to pick a flaw, it would be the coldness in her eyes when she looked at me.

“Miss Ruth, it’s our first time meeting. Please allow me to briefly introduce myself.”

“My surname is Reid. Given name, Michael. I come from….”

“No need.”

Before I could finish, Ruth impatiently raised her hand, cutting me off.

“I have no interest whatsoever in who you are.”

For a second, I thought I’d misheard her.

I was supposed to be the Ruiz family’s future son-in-law, her future husband.

And before the wedding even began, she was humiliating me in front of everyone. Who could possibly endure that?

“Miss Ruth, although we’ve never met and this marriage was arranged by our parents, you won’t even let me finish a sentence. Don’t you think that’s a bit rude?”

The moment I finished, Benjamin’s face changed instantly.

“Rude?”

“Michael, go take a piss and look in the mirror. You think you’re good enough for me?”

Ruth shot me a contemptuous glance, snorted, and said coldly, “Let me make this clear: if my father weren’t forcing me to marry you, I wouldn’t even waste a glance on a leech like you who lives off women!”

Then, she suddenly raised her voice, turning toward the crowd.

“And don’t get any ideas. Just because there’s a wedding doesn’t mean you’re part of the Ruiz family. In this lifetime, I won’t even let you touch me!”

Hearing that, I simply waved my hand, my expression calm.

“Well, since Miss Ruiz has made herself so clear, I won’t insist any further. However…”

As I spoke, my tone suddenly dropped, colder than before.

“There’s really no need for this wedding to go on today, is there?”

I had originally wanted to end things peacefully, but the self-righteous woman before me refused to listen, thinking I was just playing hard to get.

“You pathetic loser, stop with the push-pull games!”

“Do you have any idea how many men in the capital would kill for a chance to marry into the Ruiz family?”

I laughed, not out of anger but sheer amusement.

“Miss Ruiz, I don’t care what others think. I just don’t want anything more to do with you.”

“As for the Ruiz family, you keep flaunting; all I can say is, damn.”

The moment those words left my mouth, the entire dressing room erupted in chaos.

“Oh my god, this guy’s too arrogant! He actually dared to go head-to-head with Miss Ruth of the Ruiz family. Is he out of his mind?”

"Exactly! Ruth is the dream girl of every man in the capital. That idiot has no idea how lucky he is."

"If it were me, I wouldn’t care if I were dressed in rags. As long as I could marry into the Ruiz family, I’d be set for life!"

The whispers of envy and disbelief kept echoing around me, but I didn’t care in the slightest.

In the capital, the Ruiz family truly held prestige. Its businesses stretched across the nation like an empire.

But what good was all that wealth?

In the face of true power, money was just ink on paper, meaningless.

I still remembered clearly how Ruth’s father, the mighty chairman of the Ruiz Group, had bowed and scraped before my superior.

In less than half an hour, Samuel’s crisp white shirt had turned damp with sweat. He was trembling, terrified of saying the wrong word.

He probably still didn’t realize that all the wealth he fought tooth and nail to build… was now being burned to ashes by his own daughter.

"Michael! I'm asking you one last time: are you really calling off the engagement?"

I met Ruth’s gaze directly and answered without hesitation.

"Absolutely."

Ruth clearly hadn’t expected me to be so resolute. Her face twisted slightly, a hint of unease creeping in.

Sensing the tension, her assistant immediately stepped forward.

"Ruth, don’t worry. I’ll explain everything to Mr. Ruiz for you."

"A man like him, living off women, offering nothing, he’s not worth marrying anyway!"

Ruth gave a slight nod, though her eyes flickered with hesitation.

"But the invitations have already been sent out. If we call off the wedding now, it might hurt the Ruiz family’s reputation."

No sooner had she spoken than her assistant thumped his chest with conviction.

"Ms. Ruiz, I’m still here, aren’t I?"

Ruth’s eyes suddenly lit up.

"Benjamin, are you saying…?"

He nodded repeatedly, his face brimming with excitement.

"The wedding goes on. I’ll be the groom!"

Ruth was nearly moved to tears.

"Benjamin, thank you so much for this!"

"Don’t worry, once this is over, the Ruiz family won’t forget what you’ve done!"

Watching the scene unfold, I let out a cold, mocking laugh and finally spoke. "Alright, that’s enough."

"Ruth, now that the wedding’s been taken care of, shouldn’t we talk about compensation?"

I pointed directly at a nearby trash can.

"My suit, custom-made by my superior, was thrown away. You owe me an explanation today."

The moment I said that the crowd burst into laughter.

"Is this guy out of his mind? It’s just a suit!"

"Exactly! The Ruiz family’s wealth rivals that of a small nation. Even if they gave him a hundred, no, a thousand suits, it wouldn’t make a dent!"