Chapter 1

"Ivy, your dad and I have reached out to top elite families across four different cities. All their eligible sons will show up, and you'll draw lots to choose your fiance." Listening to her parents' commanding tone over the phone, Ivy Bennett rubbed her temples and sighed helplessly. "Didn't I tell you I have a boyfriend?" "That delivery guy?" Richard Bennett and Evelyn Alger snapped. "You're an heiress who's destined to inherit Bennett Group. He's not your equal in any way. How long have you been pretending to be poor just to date him? We don't approve of this relationship!" "I've made up my mind no matter what you say, and I won't agree to this marriage draw," Ivy said, taking a deep breath. With that, she ended the call. Then, she hopped onto her electric scooter and rushed to her part-time job at the bar before changing into her uniform. As she carried a tray of drinks to the VIP dining room, she was welcomed with a burst of chatter. "Did you hear? The heiress of Bennett Group is drawing lots in two weeks to choose her fiance! Did you sign up?" "It's the Bennett family we're talking about; of course, we did." She heard someone laugh and ask, "What about you, Julian?" Ivy froze at the door. Peeking through the crack, she noticed that Julian West, who was supposed to be out delivering food, was leaning lazily against the leather couch. He was dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit and wore a luxury watch worth millions of dollars, exuding the arrogance of a man in power. Casually swirling the wine glass in his hand, he replied, "My dad signed me up. I'll just go through with it." "Damn, none of us will stand a chance if you show up. Ms. Bennett will surely choose you!" his buddies groaned. "Even if she chooses me, I'll just turn her down. There's someone I love," he replied indifferently. Silence fell over the room before someone cautiously asked, "Are you saying that… you haven't gotten over Sophia?" Julian didn't respond, but his expression darkened. "No wonder you went after that gig gal!" another said, as if everything suddenly made sense. "Sophia ran off with that painter, so you found yourself a poor bumpkin just to get back at her, right? I heard that she works ten jobs a day just to save up enough money to marry you. She probably doesn't even realize her savings can't buy a collar for your dog. "Hell, she doesn't even know her relationship with Julian is just part of a revenge plan to piss off Sophia!" The room erupted in laughter. Ivy went cold all over, and what made it worse was that Julian merely sipped his drink and said nothing. Unaware of her presence, the people in the room kept making crude jokes. "I've never had a taste of a poor bumpkin, Julian. Once you're done playing with her, why don't you give her to me? I wanna try too." Julian's expression turned cold at the words. His sharp gaze swept across the speaker, throwing daggers. "Touch her and see what happens. She's mine, and even if I don't want her anymore, no one else is allowed to lay a finger on her." The man paled in terror and began apologizing profusely, while the rest of the group scrambled to ease the tension. "Don't get so worked up, Julian. We wouldn't touch her even if someone paid us to. It was just a joke; that's all!" Ivy couldn't bear to stay another second. She turned and fled, stumbling away. Wandering the rainy streets with no destination in mind, memories flooded her mind. She was the only daughter and heiress of the Bennetts, which meant that she grew up pampered, adored, and protected. Four years ago, she ran away from her home in Hampson City and arrived in Joburg City, just because she was unwilling to be forced into a marriage alliance. To force her to yield, her family cut her off financially, and she started working to support herself. She was bullied while working her part-time jobs, and it was Julian who had stepped in to help her. That was how they met and gradually grew closer until they fell in love… Throughout all these years, they supported each other through hardship. Life was tough but sweet. Julian didn't have much money, but he gave her everything he had. When they were together, she never had to peel her fruits or pick the bones out of her fish. There was always an umbrella in her bag when it rained, and he gave her endless small surprises. They lived in a hundred-square-foot rented apartment. After long nights of passion, he would hold her tight and promise he'd save up enough money to marry her. She trusted him, and because of him, she refused to return to the Bennetts. She figured that since their backgrounds were mismatched, she'd give up her title as an heiress just to stay with him forever. But it turned out that while she was pretending to be poor, so was he. The little moments she had thought were real and the happy future she had been dreaming of were all a lie. She had given up everything for him, but to him, it was all just a game. Everything was just a revenge plan to get back at the woman he loved. The pouring torrential rain soaked her to the bone, drowning her heart in grief. After some time, she picked up her phone and called her parents. "I'll draw the lots, Dad." There was a pause on the other end of the line before Richard, barely able to contain his excitement, said, "Have you thought it out?" "Yeah. I just have to wrap a few things up here, then I'll go home," she said softly. "Great! I'll make the arrangements right away!" "But I have one condition." "Name it." "All the elite families may participate except for the Wests." Again, Richard paused. "I don't care who I marry as long as it's not him," she whispered. With that, she ended the call and turned to walk back toward her rented apartment. Just as she reached the stairs, someone suddenly threw a sack over her head. And before she could react, fists and kicks rained on her. She couldn't fight back or see who it was. All she could do was curl up and shield her head before blacking out from the pain. Eventually, they dragged her away and tossed her into a freezing river. As water rushed into her nose, she heard someone sneer. "Ms. Lane sent us. You don't have to know who she is, but remember that Julian belongs to her. You don't deserve him. You'd better disappear, or we won't go as easy on you next time."