Chapter 3: The Marriage Arrangement
Daniel stared at the paper in his hand.
For a moment, he couldn’t understand the words.
Not because they were complicated.
Because they were impossible.
*Marriage arrangement proposal — approved target: Daniel Williams.*
The ballroom lights blurred slightly.
The voices around him disappeared.
All he could hear was his own heartbeat.
“What is this?”” he asked.
Nobody answered.
Not Lauren.
Not Richard.
Not anyone.
Daniel lifted his eyes slowly.
“Lauren.””
She looked away.
That was all he needed to see.
A person who was innocent would have fought.
A person who was confused would have asked questions.
But Lauren stood there silently.
Like she had been caught.
“Tell me this is fake.””
Her lips parted.
“Daniel…”
“No.””
His voice shook.
“Don’t say my name like that. Just tell me it’s fake.””
Lauren looked around the room.
At the guests.
At the cameras.
At the people who had come to celebrate her marriage.
Then she looked back at him.
“I can explain.””
Daniel gave a quiet, painful laugh.
“That’s what people say when there’s something to explain.””
Margaret watched her son carefully.
She had seen Daniel angry before.
When he was a teenager and someone bullied a younger student at school.
When he was twenty and his boss tried to take advantage of an employee.
But she had never seen him look like this.
Not angry.
Broken.
Richard stepped closer.
“I’m sorry you had to find out this way.””
Daniel looked at him.
“How long have you known?””
“About two months.””
“And you waited until my wedding day?””
Richard lowered his eyes.
“I tried to tell you earlier.””
Lauren immediately said:
“He’s lying.””
Richard looked at her.
“You know I’m not.””
Daniel turned toward Lauren.
“Who is he?””
She hesitated.
That hesitation answered more questions.
“Lauren?””
She swallowed.
“Richard was someone I worked with.””
Richard shook his head.
“Not exactly.””
Daniel’s jaw tightened.
“Then what exactly?””
Richard took a breath.
“I was Lauren’s financial consultant.””
The guests began whispering again.
Daniel looked confused.
“She has a financial consultant?””
Richard nodded.
“She had several.””
Lauren’s face hardened.
“You’re making this sound worse than it was.””
“Because it was worse than you want him to know.””
Daniel looked down at the documents.
The words suddenly felt heavier.
“What does ‘approved target’ mean?””
Nobody spoke.
Then Richard answered.
“It means Daniel was selected.””
Selected.
The word felt disgusting.
Daniel looked at Lauren.
“Selected for what?””
Richard’s expression turned serious.
“For access.””
A silence followed.
Daniel’s hand tightened around the paper.
“Access to what?””
Richard looked toward Margaret.
“The Williams family assets.””
Margaret felt her stomach drop.
Daniel immediately stepped between them.
“My mother has nothing to do with this.””
Richard looked at him.
“That’s exactly why Lauren needed you.””
Daniel frowned.
“What does that mean?””
Richard opened his briefcase again.
He pulled out another folder.
“Your mother’s property is only one part.””
Daniel stared.
“What other part?””
Richard placed the folder on the table.
“Your inheritance.””
The room went silent.
Daniel froze.
He had almost forgotten about it.
After his father’s death, a trust had been created for him.
Nothing extravagant.
At least, that was what he believed.
His father had owned a successful construction company before he passed away. Most of the business had been sold years later, and Daniel had always assumed everything was settled.
“What inheritance?””
Lauren’s eyes moved toward him.
And for the first time, Daniel noticed something.
She wasn’t surprised.
She knew.
His voice became quiet.
“You knew about that?””
Lauren immediately shook her head.
“Daniel, listen—”
“You knew.””
“I knew there was something.””
“What does that mean?””
“It means I knew your family had money.””
Richard interrupted.
“She knew much more than that.””
Daniel looked at him.
“How much?””
Richard handed him another document.
Daniel read it.
His expression slowly changed.
Because there it was.
A detailed summary.
His father’s remaining assets.
Trust information.
Property values.
Even the estimated amount Daniel would receive after a certain age.
Someone had gathered everything about him.
Not because they loved him.
Because they studied him.
Daniel looked at Lauren.
“How long?””
She stayed silent.
“How long have you known?””
“Daniel…”
“How long?””
Her voice dropped.
“Before we started dating.””
The words hit harder than the slap.
Margaret covered her mouth.
Daniel looked away for a second.
The woman he had planned to spend his life with had known more about his finances than his dreams.
He remembered their first meeting.
A coffee shop.
A rainy afternoon.
Lauren sitting alone by the window.
She had seemed kind.
Interested.
She had asked him questions.
So many questions.
At the time, he thought she was curious.
Now he wondered.
“Was any of it real?””
Lauren looked hurt.
“Yes.””
Daniel stared at her.
“Which part?””
She didn’t answer.
That silence destroyed whatever hope remained.
“You knew everything about me.””
“I loved you.””
“You knew what I owned before you knew what my favorite food was.””
“That’s not fair.””
Daniel looked at her.
“Fair?””
His voice rose.
“My mother grew roses for you.””
He pointed toward the crushed flower still lying on the floor.
“She spent weeks preparing something from her own hands.””
Lauren glanced at the rose.
For the first time, she looked uncomfortable.
“And you…”
Daniel stopped.
He couldn’t finish the sentence.
Because he had almost married someone who saw his family as an opportunity.
Richard quietly said:
“There’s more.””
Daniel closed his eyes.
“Of course there is.””
Lauren stepped forward.
“No.””
Her voice cracked.
“Daniel, please. Don’t listen to him.””
Daniel looked at her.
“Why?””
“Because he’s angry.””
Richard looked offended.
“Angry?””
“Yes.””
Lauren pointed toward him.
“He lost money because I ended our professional relationship.””
Richard’s face changed.
“I didn’t lose money.””
“Then why are you here?””
“Because I found out what you were planning.””
Lauren laughed bitterly.
“You’re pretending to be a hero now?””
“No.””
Richard’s voice became firm.
“I’m here because I made a mistake.””
Everyone looked at him.
“I helped you.””
Daniel frowned.
“Helped her do what?””
Richard looked ashamed.
“I gave her information.””
Lauren’s expression changed.
“Richard.””
“I thought she was simply protecting herself financially.””
Daniel stared.
“And then?””
Richard looked at the floor.
“Then I saw the messages.””
“What messages?””
“The ones where she discussed you with other people.””
Daniel felt a cold sensation move through him.
“What people?””
Richard hesitated.
“Her friends.””
Lauren immediately interrupted.
“Those were private conversations.””
Daniel looked at her.
“Private conversations about me?””
She said nothing.
Richard continued.
“She didn’t call you a person.””
Daniel’s face tightened.
“What did she call me?””
Richard looked uncomfortable.
But he answered.
“A safe investment.””
The room erupted in whispers.
Margaret closed her eyes.
She had always worried about Daniel getting hurt.
But she never imagined someone could hurt him without ever raising their voice.
Lauren stepped forward, tears appearing in her eyes.
“Daniel, please. You’re making me look like a monster.””
He looked at her.
“I didn’t make you do anything.””
“I made mistakes.””
“No.””
He shook his head.
“Mistakes are forgetting an anniversary. Mistakes are saying something hurtful when you’re angry.””
His voice became quieter.
“This was a choice.””
Lauren wiped her tears.
“I was scared.””
“Of what?””
“Of having nothing.””
Daniel stared at her.
“So you decided I was something to own?””
“No.””
“Then why did you call me an investment?””
She looked away.
Because there was no answer.
The wedding guests slowly began leaving.
One by one.
The celebration was over.
The music was gone.
The flowers that had taken months to prepare stood forgotten on the tables.
Daniel walked toward Margaret.
“Mom.””
She looked at him.
“I’m sorry.””
She shook her head.
“You don’t have to apologize.””
“I brought someone into our lives who hurt you.””
Margaret reached for his hand.
“Daniel, you cannot blame yourself for someone else’s choices.””
He looked down.
“I should have protected you.””
“You did.””
She touched his cheek.
“Tonight, you did.””
For a moment, they stood together.
Then Richard’s phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
His expression changed.
Daniel noticed.
“What is it?””
Richard answered.
He listened for several seconds.
Then his face turned pale.
“No.””
Everyone looked at him.
“What happened?”” Daniel asked.
Richard slowly lowered the phone.
“I thought Lauren was working alone.””
Daniel felt his chest tighten.
“What does that mean?””
Richard looked at Lauren.
“She wasn’t.””
Lauren’s face drained of color.
Daniel turned toward her.
“Who was helping you?””
She didn’t answer.
Richard took out his phone and showed Daniel the screen.
A message was displayed.
One sentence.
One name.
And Daniel felt the world shift beneath his feet.
May you like
Because the person who had helped Lauren plan everything…
Was someone Daniel had trusted his entire life.
