“Babe, did you miss me?”

“Nate, what took you so long? I’ve been waiting forever!”

“I had to sneak past Gemma to get here.”

“Hehe, Nate, what do you think Gemma would do if she found out you’ve just been using her to get her mom’s shares, and the one you love is actually me? She’d probably lose it, huh?”

“You little devil, don’t forget I’m doing all this for you. Now, come here and make it up to me…”

Gemma Hart couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

If it weren’t for a quick favor picking up herbs for her teacher, she wouldn’t have caught her boyfriend Nathan Reed walking into a hotel room—not to mention overhearing this nasty little chat with her cousin Clara Hart.

And judging by how naturally they were talking, it clearly wasn’t their first time sneaking around.

Just thirty minutes ago, Nathan had told her he couldn’t wait to marry her.

But now, in the middle of June, all Gemma could feel was a cold chill running down her spine. How could anyone be this fake?

Inside the room, moans started to echo.

Disgust rolled through her, goosebumps prickling across her skin.

Had it not been for this coincidence, she’d still be clueless, thinking this man only had eyes for her.

Taking a deep breath, she glanced at the door, stepped back, picked her angle, and gave it a good, solid kick.

BANG—

The door blasted open. Clara’s scream tore through the air, followed by Nathan’s sharp voice. “Who’s there?!”

“It’s me. Gem-ma-Hart.” She said each syllable like a slap.

“Gemma?!” Nathan scrambled to pull on his pants.

Clara pulled the blanket up, making sure to show off her bare shoulder with a calculated smirk.

Gemma raised her phone and snapped two quick pictures before they could react.

“Gemma, what are you doing?!” Nathan lunged for the phone in panic.

BANG—

With zero hesitation, Gemma slammed her foot into his chest, sending Nathan flying back onto the bed. Clara let out a high-pitched, dramatic scream.

Gemma’s eyes narrowed as she delivered her warning: “Nathan Reed, we’re done. From now on, stay the hell out of my life. And you better tell the press that it was me who dumped you. Otherwise... I won’t play nice.”

She knew Nathan and her uncle were eyeing the shares her mom left behind—if word got out, they’d probably paint her as the selfish one, trying to steal from “family.”

“Gemma, how can you do this to Nate?” Clara half-whined, clutching the sheet like some damsel. “You’re being so mean… I was going to apologize to you, but clearly there’s no point. Anyway, now you know—Nate and I are really in love…”

Her chin lifted defiantly, as if eager for Gemma to expose the whole mess. That way, her own engagement to Nathan would be sealed, and the arranged marriage to the Blake family would be off her plate.

She’d already done her homework on James Blake. Word was, he was fifty-two, ugly and stuck in a wheelchair. Total waste of space.

So what if the Blake family had power? The heir everyone respected was actually James’s half-brother, not him.

No way was she marrying some old, disabled man.

“Heh… Well, you two better stick together for the rest of your miserable lives.” Gemma scoffed, gave the couple one last disgusted look, and slipped her phone into her bag before walking away.

Expect her to agree to be married off now?

Keep dreaming!

“Gemma, wait—!” Nathan quickly grabbed a shirt and chased after her.

He caught her wrist just as she stepped out.

“Let go. One, two…” She didn’t have to count to three. He let go instantly.He couldn’t explain it, but after Gemma Hart kicked him, something shifted—suddenly, he didn’t want to let her go. She felt different today.

The old Gemma was always gentle, always smiling the second she saw him, calling him “Nathan” with such warmth. They’d even dreamed aloud about their wedding day together...

But today’s Gemma? Cold, sharp—but somehow even more irresistible.

Gemma stormed toward the elevator.

Nathan Reed chased after her, unable to stop himself. “Gem, what happened with Clara wasn’t real. Just a dumb fling. Forgive me this once—our engagement still stands.”

He was just now realizing—compared to Clara, he actually wanted to marry Gemma.

If he married her, he could help her reclaim her shares in Moonlight Corp. After all, it was her late mother’s legacy. That made it more “legit.”

“Our engagement still stands?” Gemma sneered, her lips lifting in a cold, mocking smile.

That might’ve been the funniest thing she’d ever heard.

“Yes, it does,” Nathan repeated, like he was doing her a favor.

“Really? And what makes you think you’re worthy of it?” Her eyes held nothing but contempt.

“You do realize I’m the firstborn of the Reed family? Plenty of women would kill to marry me,” he said smugly, then added in a coaxing tone, “Gem, Clara meant nothing. It’s always been you. Don’t tell me you’re getting hung up on something so small.”

“Small?” Gemma laughed coldly. “Well then, I hope you spend your life with a parade of cheating wives. Every time you step in your house, there’s a new man on your couch. And I sincerely hope you’re big-hearted enough not to mind.”

Nathan’s face twisted in anger. “Gemma Hart, your family’s got a deal with the Blakes. If Clara doesn’t marry into their family, it’s gonna be you. And you know what they say—the heir James Blake is 52, disabled, and in a wheelchair.”

Just then, James Blake stepped out of a nearby room, overhearing every word. His lips curled into a cold smile.

Fifty-two? Disabled? Wheelchair?

He had only just arrived in Hengcheng, barely gotten his hands on the Hart family file, hadn’t even met his fiancée Clara yet—and she was already sneaking around behind his back?

Well, this was gonna be fun.

Gemma scoffed. “Even if he’s 52 and in a wheelchair, he’s still a hell of a lot cleaner than you! Besides, Clara’s the one with a trash fetish, not me.”

“Gem, you might not have a say. Your uncle’s running Moonlight Corp now…”

“Get lost.” Gemma raised her phone in warning.

Clear message—say one more word and she’d make those photos public.

Nathan opened his mouth to argue, but in the end stayed silent, brows furrowed tight.

Fine. Let her cool off. He’d deal with her later.

Gemma stepped into the elevator, ready to crouch down and just breathe for a second, but a shadow loomed in front of her.

She thought it was Nathan following her again, ready to explode—but then she looked up and was stunned to see a ridiculously handsome man looking down at her with a faint smirk.

Something’s definitely off with this guy, she thought. She instinctively took a step to the side.

But in the very next second, he moved again—this time boxing her in against the elevator wall.

“Cheating boyfriend?” James Blake asked, his deep voice laced with amusement.

Guess they were both in the same boat.

Honestly, with that comeback she gave the scumbag outside, he was pretty sure she was ten times the woman her cousin could ever hope to be.

Gemma, still fuming, snapped, “How is that your business?”

“Uncle hijacked your inheritance?” he pressed, same teasing tone.

Gemma had had enough. She turned her whole body away, ignoring the arrogant stranger.

Even in that moment of silence, one bitter thought crossed her mind—should she just marry someone, anyone, to stop her uncle from holding her mom’s company shares over her head?

“You up for a deal? Three-month marriage. I help you get your inheritance back, you help me keep the crazy exes away.” James was no longer smirking—his voice had turned serious and cool.