“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!"

I swept my gaze across the room, my voice turning cold.

"Everyone, this suit may not be worth much in price, but the meaning behind it isn’t something money could ever measure."

Even after hearing me, Ruth still didn’t seem to understand the weight of the situation.

"It’s just a lousy tuxedo. What kind of ‘meaning’ could it possibly have?"

She sauntered toward me, her voice sharp with sarcasm. "All this talking, aren’t you just trying to squeeze more money out of us?"

"Say it. How much do you want? A hundred thousand? A million?"

I forced down the fury surging in my chest, meeting her gaze head-on.

"Ruth, do you really believe everything in this world can be fixed with money?"

She raised her brows, her tone soaked in disdain.

"Isn’t that how the world works?"

"Michael, let me remind you, this is the capital. This is Ruiz territory."

"Do you believe I can’t make a single phone call and have the entire city become a place where you can’t even survive?"

I fought back the urge to explode, forcing myself to speak slowly, each word cutting with precision.

"Ruth, from the way you’re speaking, are you threatening me right now?"

Before she could respond, her assistant stepped forward, smug and unafraid.

"We are threatening you. So what?"

"If you’ve got the nerve, go ahead, lay a hand on me!"

I turned toward him, my eyes cold, my voice stripped of all warmth.

"Mister, do you honestly think being someone’s lapdog is something to be proud of?"

His face flushed an angry red. He pointed at me, stammering, unable to utter a full sentence.

Ruth immediately stepped in, shielding him behind her with an air of arrogance.

"Michael, who do you think you’re calling a lapdog?"

"Benjamin has been with me ever since he graduated college. At the very least, he’s half a member of the Ruiz family."

"If you don’t apologize to him right now, do you really believe I’ll let you walk out of here in one piece?"

In less than an hour, I had already been threatened twice.

It's not exactly how I pictured my first assignment after joining a top-secret unit.

I didn’t waste another breath. In full view of everyone, I pulled out my phone and dialed.

“Hello, Director? It’s Michael Reid.”

The voice on the other end came through, cheerful and unbothered.

“Well, if it isn’t Michael! Calling me at this hour, don’t tell me you’ve already met your bride-to-be. What do you think? Is she to your liking?”

I shot a glance across the room at the woman staring back at me. My lips curled into a cold laugh.

“Director, the wedding situation is complicated. But that’s not why I’m calling.”

“I have something urgent to report.”

“Someone threw away the suit. The one I had custom-made.”

Silence. Then came the explosion.

“What did you say?!”

His voice practically shattered through the phone.

“That suit had an honor medal pinned to it! Michael, tell me this is a joke!”

At that moment, the fire in my chest burned to its peak. "Director, I wouldn’t dare joke about something like this."

"And the one who ruined the suit not only refused to apologize, she even threatened to kill me."

I gave him a brief account of what had happened. On the other end of the line, I heard a loud crash. The director had slammed a cup down in rage.

"Who did this?!"

Just as I was about to respond, Benjamin suddenly reached out and yanked the phone from my hand.

"Hello? You’re this guy’s so-called leader, right?"

"I’m Miss Ruiz’s personal assistant, from the Ruiz family here in the capital. If you’ve got a problem, take it up with me!"

The director went silent. He had lived long enough, seen enough, and yet even he probably hadn’t expected anyone to speak to him like that. For a few seconds, there was only stunned silence.

"So you’re the one who threw away Michael’s suit and even had the nerve to threaten him?"

Benjamin still hadn’t realized who he was dealing with. His arrogance only grew.

"Cut the nonsense. Just spit it out. What the hell do you want?"

Even through the screen, I could feel the director’s fury boiling over.

"What I want, you’ll find out soon enough."

But Benjamin wasn’t done. Clearly rattled, he snapped again.

"You old bastard, what is this, some royal skit? You’ve been watching too many fantasy shows."

"I’d love to see who in this city has the guts to touch the Ruiz family!"

The call ended.

Benjamin turned around with a smug grin as if waiting to be praised.

Watching the scene, I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

"Ruth, you’ve really picked a gem of an assistant."

"I’ve traveled across the country, but I’ve never seen anyone quite this bold."

My kind reminder didn’t faze him one bit.

"I don’t care what kind of ‘leader’ he is. As long as President Ruiz is standing, the Ruiz family won’t fall!"

I curled my lips into a faint smile.

"Then tell me, do you believe the Ruiz family will still exist in the capital by tomorrow?"

Just as the words left my mouth, a sudden shout came from the crowd.

"Everyone, look outside!"

At once, heads turned toward the windows.

A fleet of black Jaguar XJs, all bearing one plate, rolled in with grandeur, over a dozen of them forming a striking procession as they approached the wedding venue.