The Marriage Bureau was a bland, bureaucratic box of polished marble and false cheer, but to Noah Li, it had always been the golden gate.
Today, April 25th, was supposed to be the day he finally proved his worth—not just to the world, but to the memory of his mother.
He stood by the designated door, the heavy silk of his custom-tailored white suit feeling less like a celebration and more like a shroud.
He was thirty minutes early. Kelvin, his fiancé of three years, was predictably late.
Noah smoothed the lapel of his jacket, checking his reflection in the protective screen of his phone. He looked composed, the classic image of a poised heir.
No one would guess the tremor running through his hands, or the quiet desperation in his chest.
"Just get through the signing, Noah," he murmured to himself, the echo of his deceased mother's voice a constant mantra: "Don't marry for money, don't marry for status.
Marry for safety, my child. Marry for peace."
He knew the lie was waiting to burn him. Months ago, in a moment of panic to placate his cold, demanding father, Noah had fabricated a detail: the requirement of a marriage certificate by his 25th birthday to secure his full inheritance.
It was a lie built on fear, meant to buy him time, but now it was the foundation of his wedding day. Kelvin knew it, and Noah hoped Kelvin understood that the marriage, though partly pragmatic, was entirely about the love he genuinely felt.
A burst of loud, familiar laughter drew his attention—a sound that, moments ago, would have made his heart leap with anticipation. Now, it made it freeze.
Kelvin did not arrive,he left.
Through the glass doors, framed perfectly by the marble archway, were two figures.
One was his fiancé, Kelvin, handsome and smug in an expensive suit that wasn't the tuxedo meant for this day. The other was Ella, Noah's stepsister, draped in a creamy silk dress that hugged a startlingly round abdomen.
They weren't just leaving; they were a tableau of casual triumph. Ella was glowing, one hand placed protectively over her pregnant belly, the other clutching a new, crisp marriage certificate.
Noah's lungs seized. The air turned to dust.
Kelvin stopped, catching Noah's eye through the glass. Instead of guilt or shame, a slow, condescending smile spread across his face. He lifted the certificate high enough for Noah to read the fresh ink.
"Oh, Noah!" Ella called out, her voice sickly sweet, as she and Kelvin finally stepped out of the building. She glided toward him, Kelvin's arm a proprietary weight around her waist. "Isn't this thrilling? Kelvin and I just made it official. We beat you to the punch, didn't we?"
Noah couldn't speak. He stared at Kelvin, searching for the man who had promised him forever under the weak light of a false inheritance clause.
"A little shocked, sweetheart?" Kelvin finally spoke, his tone dripping with the mocking endearment they used to share. He tapped the marriage certificate. "See, the thing is, Noah, I realized that getting the Li inheritance is a numbers game. You needed a wife to secure the future, right? And I needed you for that. But look at Ella. She's giving your father an heir and she secures the same legacy."
Noah's world was crumbling, but one thing still held the pieces: his self-respect. "You're wrong," he managed, his voice a low, strangled rasp. "I wanted to marry you, Kelvin. The clause… the clause was a lie."
Kelvin blinked, the smugness momentarily faltering, then returning with a sneer. "A lie? You mean that big, dramatic 'marry for the money' speech you gave me months ago? That was all for show? Who are you, an idiot?" He laughed, a harsh, dismissive sound that bounced off the marble walls. "Well, guess what? It doesn't matter. We used your drama, Noah, and now we're done. Say hello to your new stepmother-in-law, or whatever the hell you want to call her."
Ella, meanwhile, leaned in close, her eyes glittering with malice. "Oh, and darling brother? That inheritance clause you made up? Daddy is here, and he knows everything. You won't get a dime. Have a nice life."
Just as Noah's knees buckled under the physical weight of betrayal, the final nail was driven in. His father, Mr. Li, stepped out of a sleek black sedan parked directly in front of the bureau. He didn't look at Noah. He walked straight to Kelvin and Ella, placed a hand on Ella's belly, and gave Kelvin a proud, approving nod. Smug silence.
The betrayal was sealed, ratified by the very man Noah was trying to impress.
Flashback: It was raining. His mother, pale and fragile, on her deathbed. "Promise me, Noah. Don't repeat my mistakes. Don't let a man tell you your worth. And never, ever marry without love, even if it feels like the only way to survive."
He hadn't listened. He'd substituted love for survival, and now he had neither.
A deep, sickening wave of vertigo crashed over him. His vision tunneled. He felt himself pitching forward, the polished marble rushing up to meet him—the perfect final humiliation.
He didn't hit the floor.
A hand, firm and warm, shot out and caught his wrist just as his strength gave way. It wasn't the desperate, frantic grab of a bystander; it was a commanding, controlled grip that anchored him instantly.
He staggered upright, blinking the darkness away, and looked into the face of his salvation—a man he had never seen before.
The man was a stark contrast to Kelvin's easy charm. He was taller, broader, with an aura of absolute, terrifying power.
His suit was charcoal grey, immaculate, and his face was carved from granite—sharp jaw, high cheekbones, and eyes the color of dark, stormy obsidian that held no pity, only ruthless determination.
He didn't release Noah's wrist. He glanced dismissively at Kelvin and Ella, who had frozen, their triumph momentarily eclipsed by the sight of the stranger.
Then, the stranger focused those intense, dark eyes solely on Noah, his first words a low, electrifying command that cut through the silence, the heartbreak, and the dust of Noah's ruined life.
"Would you be my groom?"