The video was playing on a loop at our wedding, and every guest had their eyes glued to the screen. Alan was supposed to be saying his vows to me, but instead, he was telling someone else that he was only marrying me for business. “Alan, are you seriously going to ditch me? ” a woman’s voice asked from the video.
“Why would I? I’m marrying her because it’s good for business,” Alan replied. The room erupted. Someone screamed for the video to be turned off, but it was too late.
Everyone had seen it. Rebecca, my own bridesmaid, was the woman in the video. She had history with my groom, and he was marrying me just to use me. I confronted him.
“Alan? Rebecca, how can you do this behind my back? ”
“Katherine, it’s not what it seems. We were just—” he stammered.
“Shut up. The wedding’s off, and you’re paying the bills. ”
He tried to brush it off. “Haven’t you had enough drama?
That was just goofing around. Why are you making such a fuss? ”
“Save it for my lawyer. ”
“Fine.
Don’t marry me then. We still need to finish those projects. ”
“Do you think I’m stupid or what? ”
Rebecca had the nerve to insult me.
“You should be grateful he even agreed to marry you. I mean, look at you. Who would want to marry someone like you? ”
A man I didn’t know stepped forward.
“If he doesn’t want her, I’ll take her. ”
Alan’s friend snapped back. “You want Katherine as a side piece? Are you sure your body can handle it?
I mean, I understand having a fetish for younger women, but opting for such a cheap—”
I fired back at Rebecca. “I truly pity you. You love the guy that I dumped. Maybe you’re the real rag picker here.
”
“You are just so full of—”
“Empty vessels make the most noise. ”
An old man, a guest I barely knew, came to my side. “Don’t worry, Catherine. My grandson will soon be here.
”
“Your grandson? ” I asked, confused. Just then his phone rang. “Mr.
Hanson, the Arbutus Group is after that plot of land on the east side of town. ”
“So, we raise our bid. ”
The man clutched his chest. “Emergency here.
Please come. ”
He spoke into the phone again. “Got it. I’ll be right there, Grandpa.
”
I stared at him. “Don’t you think he’s a bit old for you, Grandpa? ”
He laughed it off. “Who is this old man?
”
I rushed to his side. “Grandpa, are you okay? ”
“I’m fine. Look, I found you a bride.
”
“A bride? Come on, Grandpa. Cut it out with the bride talk. ”
“Last time I tripped on the sidewalk, Catherine escorted me to the hospital.
She’s a kind and sweet girl, just perfect for you. ”
“Well, it seems like I’m doomed to spinsterhood without your matchmaking, Mr. Hanson. Let’s get you to the hospital, okay?
”
But he was insistent. “Catherine might struggle to accept my proposal. Johnny’s clueless with girls. I’ll have to handle this myself.
Hospital can wait. You’re my future granddaughter-in-law now. Take this. $10 million.
Consider it a wedding gift from me. ”
“Grandpa, please stop this nonsense. ”
“I’m sorry, miss. My grandpa’s a little bit delusional.
The truth is we’re not rich at all. I don’t know who’d want to marry a loser like me. ”
“Mr. Hanson, I’m sorry,” I said.
“Good lord. If you two don’t tie the knot, I fear I won’t last much longer. ”
That’s how I ended up married to a man I’d known for about ten minutes. Unbelievable.
After the ceremony, I caught up to him. “Hey, wait up. Here’s the bank card your grandfather just gave me. I assume it has pension funds.
Should I give it back to you? ”
He eyed it. “It’s a limited black card. As a total gold digger, shouldn’t you have recognized it as a true luxury?
”
“I don’t know how you managed to charm my grandpa so much, but believe me, I’m flat broke. I don’t have any money. ”
“It’s Catherine, right? Let me make this clear.
I only married you to ease my grandpa’s mind. So cut any ideas, all right? ”
“Please, what a narcissist. ”
Later, his friend brought me to Johnny’s apartment.
“This is your home now. ”
“What? ”
“Hey. What is on your mind?
You’re not planning to try to take advantage of me, are you? I’m warning you. Don’t try and seduce me. ”
“Are you out of your mind?
Why would I do that? ”
“Are you serious? This is my room. Let me in.
Get out of my room. ”
“Okay. Clearly, you were trying something. ”
“Why would I try to seduce a guy living off his grandpa’s pension?
Are you kidding me? ”
“You’re living under my roof now. ”
“Wait. What?
Did you pack my suitcase? ”
“No, my grandpa packed that suitcase cuz I had no idea. ”
“Save it. And don’t even think about it.
Go away. I have to sleep. I have work tomorrow. ”
The next morning, he said, “I’m hitting the golf course tomorrow.
”
“Hitting the golf course? Why are you playing such an expensive sport? ”
“Well, actually, I’m working there as a caddy. ”
“A caddy?
”
“Yeah, I just picked up a part-time job to help make ends meet. ”
“Well, good for you. Can’t live off your grandpa’s pension forever. Keep it up.
”
At work, I was prepping a big proposal for the media briefing. My colleague Rebecca, the same one from the wedding, kept stealing my ideas and presenting them as her own. When the big client, Mr. Hanson, came to review proposals, Rebecca’s—which was really mine—got picked.
“Mr. Hanson has picked Rebecca’s proposal. She’ll be taking care of the media briefing,” his assistant announced. Rebecca gloated.
“It’s like I knew it. Unlike some people who are just too full of themselves. ”
I went after Mr. Hanson.
“Mr. Hanson, I have some questions about the proposal. Can I come in? ”
He didn’t answer, but I heard him mutter, “That voice sounds familiar.
”
I confronted Rebecca. “You and Alan were acting shady yesterday. You kept me away from Mr. Hanson because you stole my proposal.
”
“That’s crazy. Where’s your proof? ”
“Fine. Go ahead and give your speech.
We’ll see who wins at the media briefing. ”
On the day of the briefing, Rebecca took the stage. “And well, that’s my whole speech. Thank you so much, everyone.
”
The client, Mr. Hanson, asked her, “Ms. Lloyd, where did you get the foot traffic data for your proposal? ”
“Well, yes, you see, it’s very simple.
Foot traffic, you just kind of eyeball it. ”
“And the estimated annual profit, how did you calculate that? ”
“Were you even listening to my speech? ”
“Ms.
Lloyd, did you create this proposal all by yourself? ”
“Yes. Who else? ”
I couldn’t take it anymore.
I walked on stage. “Ms. Lloyd, I warned you it would be a disaster if you couldn’t handle it. I’ll answer the questions.
”
I handled every question. The clients were impressed. “She’s awesome. I can’t believe I didn’t know my wife was the one that wrote this proposal and it was stolen.
”
Rebecca was fired on the spot. Later, I was told to host a client, Mr. Sullivan, at home for dinner. I called my husband.
“Johnny, I’m bringing a client home in an hour. Don’t answer the door if you’re there. ”
“Why not? ”
“They want red wine and we don’t have any.
Just don’t answer the door under any circumstances. ”
But when I got home, Johnny had a full wine cellar set up. “Tony, what is going on out there? Where did you get all this?
”
“I borrowed them from my boss. ”
“Your boss is that generous? ”
“Maybe he’s happy with how I’ve been working. ”
The client was impressed.
“Your wine collection is amazing. These bottles are too fancy for me to drink. ”
Johnny knew his wines. “This is a 2012 Romanée-Conti.
And this is a Margaux 1855. ”
“You are serving Mr. Sullivan with these cheap wines? ” I whispered to Johnny.
“These are all valuable wines. Each bottle’s worth over $100,000. ”
“Don’t worry. I can only serve the cheap ones to your clients and I’m going to return the rest when we’re done.
”
The evening went well, until Rebecca’s new man, Mr. Alvarez, showed up. “We’re going to have a real good time, Catherine. ”
Johnny appeared.
“Mr. Buckley, this attacked me. Arrest him. ”
“Mr.
Hanson, I did it by mistake. It was a momentary lapse of sanity. I feel so hot. ”
Johnny dropped the act.
“Mr. Hanson, blacklist Alan. Anyone who works with him is an enemy of the Hanson Group. ”
“Got it, Mr.
Hanson,” his assistant replied. Later, at a fancy restaurant, Rebecca was there celebrating her pregnancy. She saw me and started in. “Can’t you believe it?
And you, you’ve been married to that loser for a while now and still nothing? Wow. Guess I’m ahead of you again. ”
A man with her, Rylan Payne, tried to hit on me.
“Katherine, this is Rylan Payne. I would love to get to know you. ”
“Keep your hands off of me. ”
Rebecca pushed me into a display, shattering a bottle of expensive wine.
“That was a hundred thousand dollar gift from Mr. Payne. I hope you brought your money, girl, because you’re not leaving until you pay for it. ”
“It’s just a hundred thousand dollars.
You know what? I’ll let this one slide if you could walk barefoot on those pieces of glass. ”
Johnny showed up, backed by his boss’s authority. He made them apologize.
Rylan’s father, a powerful businessman, showed up too, but even he bowed to Johnny when he realized Johnny was connected to the Hanson Group. “Apologize right now, or you’re no son of mine,” Rylan’s father shouted at his son. “Apologize. Sorry, Ms.
Hanson. Shouldn’t have done those terrible things. ”
At home, I started noticing things. Johnny was always busy with “meetings.
” Emily Curtis, a beautiful woman from a rich family, joined the company. She claimed she was Johnny’s ex. “Johnny, you said you were going to marry me. Remember?
”
“No, I don’t think so. ”
She cornered him. “I know you love Catherine, but she’s not cut out for business. You can marry me and keep her on the side.
”
“Have some respect. I wouldn’t even tolerate you if it wasn’t for your family’s medical help with my grandfather. ”
I heard part of this and stormed off. Johnny ran after me.
“Catherine, you only heard part of the conversation. I said I didn’t like you because because I love you. I know I rushed into this marriage to please my grandpa, but I’ve fallen for you in the process. ”
I wanted to believe him.
“From now on, I’ll keep you informed about what I do and where I go. You can even put a tracker on my phone. ”
But Emily wasn’t done. She sabotaged my work, she spread lies about me, she even pushed herself down the stairs and blamed me.
Johnny saw through it, but it was tearing us apart. Then Grandpa Harold collapsed. “It was a sudden heart attack. Surgery is needed for him to recover,” the doctor said.
“Okay, let’s get it done then. I can pay for it right now. ”
“It’s not about the money. The surgery is complex.
It’s beyond our capabilities. Only Dr. Roland Curtis can do it. But he’s top-notch and sought after by everyone.
With no connections, it’s almost impossible to reach him. ”
Dr. Roland Curtis was Emily’s father. I swallowed my pride and went to her.
“I need a favor from you. I know your father is a top surgeon. Please, talk to him about operating on Harold. ”
She laughed.
“You want me to speak to my father for you? Fine. Find my ring, and then maybe I’ll talk to my father for you. ”
She threw her ring into a huge, cold swimming pool.
“No ring, no entry. ”
I dove in. I searched and searched, freezing, until my fingers closed around it. I brought it back to her, soaked and shivering.
She looked at it and shrugged. “You’re persistent. I’ll give you that. Unfortunately, it’s dirty and smelly and I don’t want it anymore.
”
“I did what you asked. What about your promise? ”
“Chill. I’ll ask my father about the surgery.
You do one last thing for me. Call Johnny up right now. Divorce him. ”
“Are you heartless?
Harold is laying in the hospital bed and needs treatment and you’re using him to force me into this. ”
“It’s up to you. But, he might be running out of time. ”
I had no choice.
I signed the divorce papers and sent them to Johnny. I couldn’t tell him the truth. Emily had me trapped. Then I found out the truth.
Emily had swapped Grandpa Harold’s medication to make him collapse, all so she could blame me and force a wedge between me and Johnny. She’d even had me kidnapped and tied up. “You fool. Haven’t you realized by now?
I swapped his medication so he’d pass out so I’ll blame you. Unfortunately, you rushed him to the hospital, so I’ll have to figure out something else. ”
“You’re a monster! ”
She laughed.
“You’re going to die anyways, so I might as well tell you one more thing. Johnny was the one that made me snatch you. ”
“You’re lying. ”
“He despises you.
Thinks you tried to off his grandpa. ”
But she’d miscalculated. Johnny had already suspected her. He’d wired me with a recorder and had the police on speed dial.
They stormed in and took her away. Johnny found me. “Catherine, you’re safe. I’m so sorry.
”
Later, he was holding me close. “Catherine, we got pretty lucky, huh? Your grandpa’s surgery went really well. Cassius Stag was able to pull through for me.
”
“So, you used the help of your romantic rival after all? ”
“Whatever. It’s no big deal. ”
“There’s one more thing.
”
“What is it? ”
He smiled. “We need to start planning our wedding. Can’t be delayed any longer.
”
