3: 3

I led Lola inside.

Picking up the teacup, I went first to my mother-in-law.

"Mom, please have some tea."

She took the cup at her leisure, sipped once, then fished a red envelope from her pocket and tossed it at me.

An aunt beside her laughed at once. "Go on, open it! It's got to be a big one!"

I opened it in front of everyone. Inside lay a single crumpled five-dollar bill.

The room went dead silent, then broke into laughter.

She lifted her chin and cleared her throat. "The title-change gift is just a formality. What does a man need all that money for? I'm giving you five dollars so you'll remember, every cent you earn goes to my Lola!"

A relative chimed in. "That's right! Landing a wife as good as Lola, you came out ahead! And you're haggling over a title-change gift?"

I closed my hand around the five dollars and said nothing.

Then Lola went to serve tea to my parents.

She had just lifted the cup when the mother-in-law spoke up. "In-law, where we come from, the title-change gift from the mother-in-law to the daughter-in-law is a matter of face! I won't ask for much. Just eighty-eight thousand!"

My mother's hand stopped short. "Eighty-eight thousand? When we talked it over before, nobody said anything about a number that big..."

"Before is before!" She rolled her eyes. "What, you can't even part with eighty-eight thousand? My girl marries into your family and you can't even come up with the title-change gift?"

"Exactly. Is eighty-eight thousand really so much? Nobody takes a wife for under a hundred grand these days!"

"If you can't afford to pay, don't take a wife!"

The words landed like slaps. My father's face flushed dark red, and my mother's lips were trembling.

Anger shot up in my chest, and I was about to speak.

Lola quickly caught my wrist.

She lowered her eyes and whispered, in a voice only the two of us could hear,

"Leon, just pay it for now. I'll make it up to you later, in private. I'd never let you suffer for it!"

The pleading in her eyes was the same as every time before.

I used to ache for how thoughtful she was. But now...

The moment I thought of those so-called "designer" gift boxes, my heart turned cold.

"All right."

I took out my phone on the spot and transferred eighty-eight thousand over.

The mother-in-law's face bloomed into a smile. "There! Now that's more like it!"

The whole room filled with laughter. My mother turned her face away and quietly wiped a tear with the back of her hand.

It's fine. Just endure a little longer.

My eyes had gone cold and dark.

The tea ceremony done, the motorcade rolled out to the hotel in a long line.

The moment I stepped into the lobby, Mason grabbed hold of me.

His knee was still bleeding, but the sweat on his forehead was from panic. "Leon! Snap out of it!"

"This family is a pack of bloodsuckers! They fleeced you for over a hundred grand just getting the bride, and who knows how much they'll squeeze out of you later! You can't go through with this wedding!"

I was about to answer when sound carried over from the corridor next door.

The mother-in-law was laughing, pleased with herself. "What did I tell you! My Lola's got real talent, she's got that boy wrapped around her finger! Over six hundred thousand all told, and he handed it over without blinking!"

"You're something, sis! Your family really knows how to work it!"

"You bet! Once the ceremony's over, we'll sweet-talk him into signing the house over too. Every last thing he's got will be ours! Landing my girl is the luckiest thing that'll ever happen to him. So he spends a little money, so what?"

Mason went white with rage, fists clenched, ready to charge over there again.

I caught him by the arm.

He stared at me in disbelief. "You heard all that! What are you still putting up with?"

I leaned against the wall, my fingertips brushing lightly over my phone.

I looked up and gave him a small smile, my voice calm. "I heard. I love her."

"Love?" Mason jabbed a finger at me. "You threw your parents' entire life savings away for a woman like that! Leon, I was really wrong about you!"

He clenched his jaw and walked off, disappointed.

I didn't explain.

I only kept my eyes fixed on the wedding countdown on the electronic screen in the lobby.

Soon.

Seven minutes left until it began.

4: 4

The spotlights swung together onto the stage, and I took the microphone.

My eyes settled on Lola.

"Lola, it's been eight years. From meeting online to standing here today, I've never once regretted it. People call me a fool, they say I'd spend anything on you. But I know you're worth it!"

The crowd broke into cheers and clapping, and Lola's eyes went red.

I reached into the inner pocket of my suit and drew out a bank card. "This holds every cent I've saved in over ten years. Three million, six hundred and eighty thousand dollars!"

"From today, it's yours! From now on you'll handle all the money in this house. Everything I earn is for you to spend!"

The words were barely out before the whole hall erupted.

"My God, he handed over the whole three-plus million? This guy has really lost it!"

"That woman's got some kind of talent! She's got him wrapped around her finger!"

The mother-in-law was shaking all over with excitement. "Over three million, all his savings... our Lola's about to strike it rich!"

Only my mother had gone white. "Leon, no!"

She shot to her feet and started for the stage, but the mother-in-law yanked her back hard. "Hey now! What do you think you're doing?"

"Your son's giving her the money of his own free will, we're not robbing anyone! What, your boy loves his wife, and that's a problem for you? Don't be so petty, you're his mother!"

"Exactly! It's a beautiful thing, the kids caring about each other beats anything!"

"You're one shameless mother-in-law, can't even bear to part with this little bit!"

My mother's lips trembled with fury, and the tears fell right there.

Through the blinding lights, she shook her head at me, desperate.

But I turned my face away as if I hadn't seen a thing, and pushed the bank card a little closer.

Lola's face flushed deep red, her breath coming fast, her hand already reaching. A second before her fingertips touched the card—

I twisted my wrist away. "Wait."

Her head snapped up, the joy in her eyes not yet faded. "What is it, Leon?"

I smiled at her. "Lola, I know you're a good girl. I'm willing to hand you everything I have because I know you love me back. But they don't know that!"

I turned and pointed at the crowd below. "Today, in front of every friend and relative here, I never want you to feel slighted again. I want everyone to see that we gave each other our whole hearts, that this goes both ways!"

"I'm giving you all three million, six hundred and eighty thousand. So why don't you hand me your savings in exchange, let everyone see that you love me every bit as much as I love you!"

Cheers went up from the floor at once.

"Yeah! Let's see the bride step up too! Give us a show!"

The smile froze on Lola's face, a flash of panic crossing her eyes before she forced herself calm.

She shot a quick glance down at her mother, her mind racing.

Even if she wired over every cent she had, it still wouldn't come close to the three million, six hundred and eighty thousand on my card.

Any way you sliced it, she came out ahead!

And with all these eyes on her, if she refused, and I caught the guilt on her face, she'd have nowhere left to cry!

So she shot me a pouting, sulky look, her voice going soft and sweet.

"You're awful, testing me in front of all these people! My money's your money anyway, of course I'll give it all to you!"

"I want everyone to know I love you for real too!"

She pulled out her phone right then and, gritting her teeth, tapped through the transfer.

Two seconds later, my pocket buzzed.

I dropped my eyes to the screen, the deposit alert plain as day. One million, seven hundred and ninety thousand dollars!

All the money she'd conned out of me over eight years, plus every last cent she'd saved of her own.

Not a dollar short.

A cold smile tugged at the corner of my mouth, and when I looked up again, I gazed at her, moved.

"So can that bank card come to me now?"

She sidled up and hooked her arm through mine, her voice all excitement and expectation.

I held out my hand to her. "Of course."

Her pupils blew wide, her fingertips trembling wildly.

The instant she closed her hand around the card, I let my lips curve just slightly:

"This wedding's off."