My Fiancée Chose a Rich Guy's Embrace

At a villa party, everyone suggests doing a "Blindfolded Couple Challenge". When it's my turn, I'm blindfolded, but I instantly recognize my fiancée of five years by her scent alone. When it's her turn, I eagerly hold out my hand. After she feels my hand, she walks straight toward Justin Sullivan, the scion standing nearby. He pulls her into his arms, shamelessly running his hands over her waist. As everyone bursts into laughter, she remains nestled against him for a full three minutes before taking off her blindfold and saying coyly, "Oops! I picked the wrong person." Noticing the wrinkles he has left in her dress, I calmly tell her I want to end our engagement. Her expression immediately turns cold. "Everyone is just having fun! I was only trying to liven things up! Do you really have to make such a big deal out of it? Fine! Let's end it! You can come back and beg to take me back when you learn to take a joke!" She thinks I am just throwing a tantrum. But this joke is one I can no longer take. Chapter 1 Ian's POV My fiancée, Vivian Leston, tossed her bag onto the couch and looked at me, arms crossed. "Ian, what's with your attitude this time? I spent the entire evening kissing up to Justin just to land him as a client. I'm exhausted. Can you stop making things difficult for me?" "A client, you say?" I frowned. All I could think about was how she had walked up to Justin Sullivan and let his hands wander all over her waist. The sight was infuriating. What kind of business meeting needed someone to offer herself up just to win over a client? I rubbed my temples, feeling a throbbing pain. "You know perfectly well how Justin feels about you, but you still resort to something like—" "That's exactly why I need to keep him on good terms!" she interrupted without hesitation. "Our company needs funding to expand. Do you even know what Justin's father does for a living? We just need to keep him happy, and we'll have tens of millions in investments coming our way. "I'm making this sacrifice for our future!" I was so exasperated by what I had heard. "So, your idea of a sacrifice is walking up to another man in front of your fiancé and letting him put his arms around you?" My question made her stiffen for a moment. Then, her embarrassment turned into anger. "Ian! Do you really have to make it sound so awful? It was just a game! Everyone was egging us on. If I hadn't played along, I would've ruined everyone's fun and offended Justin! Don't put your petty possessiveness above the company's interests!" "The company's interests, you say?" I muttered. "Vivian, we don't need his investment. I was already close to finalizing a deal with Ms. Sutton from Evandale Capital last week. The three-million-dollar funding should be secured soon. I was planning to discuss the remaining details with you tomorrow…" I thought she would be pleasantly surprised by the news, or at least feel relieved. But Vivian just pursed her lips, looking completely indifferent. "That's all?" She scoffed dismissively. "If Justin's family is willing to invest, they would offer at least twice that amount. Is it really worth offending an even bigger investor over such a small sum?" There was no way our argument could continue. I snapped, "You're impossible!" Judging by my reaction, Vivian probably assumed I was just being unreasonable. Irritably, she grabbed the bag she had just tossed aside. "I can't be bothered to argue with you anymore! Do whatever you want!" With that, she stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind her. The loud bang was so forceful that it seemed to shake the entire house. I stood there for a few minutes in shock until I heard the sound of an engine starting downstairs. I walked over to the balcony and pulled back the curtains. A familiar red Ferrari was parked below. Justin was leaning against the door. The moment he saw Vivian come out, he immediately opened the passenger-side door for her. She got into the car without even looking back. The sports car remained there for a few more minutes before its engine roared to life and it sped off into the night. I quietly watched its taillights fade into the distance, my heart feeling utterly hollow. Five years ago, I had had a falling out with my family and decided to leave home to make a name for myself. That was when I met Vivian, who had no one to turn to. Even when we suffered setback after setback in our business ventures, she always stood by me and supported me. Perhaps that was what love was all about. It was about standing together through both good times and bad. So, when our company finally went public and began to establish itself, I gave her the CEO position. She also showed just how ambitious she could be. And I chose to remain behind the scenes, supporting her every step of the way. Just like that, five years had passed. Perhaps I had grown so accustomed to struggling that I had almost forgotten who I really was. I picked up my phone and dialed a number I hadn't called in years. Dad's stern voice sounded both familiar and strangely foreign. "Well, look who it is! My loyal son who ran away from home has finally decided to contact a lonely old man like me!" I chuckled bitterly and swallowed. I said, "Dad, after all these years, I've finally realized how foolish I've been. I gave up my position as the heir and stubbornly refused to turn back until I had hit a dead end. I've made up my mind. I'm ready to come home and take over the family business." Chapter 2 Ian's POV After five years away, I finally returned home. Everything felt both familiar and unfamiliar. Dad's company, Apex Group, was one of the country's leading business empires. But back then, I had willingly given up everything just for the sake of freedom. Looking back now, my stubborn insistence seemed like nothing more than a childish joke. Dad was surprised by my change of heart, but more than anything, he was relieved. He didn't press for details about what had happened between Vivian and me. Instead, he immediately assigned me to the company's core projects division. He even handed me a challenging overseas merger and acquisition deal to cut my teeth on. "If you can pull this deal off, you'll have established yourself within the company." Dad patted my shoulder, his gaze deep and thoughtful. I nodded and threw myself entirely into my work. I had mountains of paperwork, video conferences across different time zones, and meticulous business negotiations. The demanding workload quickly took all my time and attention, leaving me with barely a moment to dwell on those unpleasant issues. After dinner, I finally took a short break and casually scrolled through X. Vivian's profile was at the top of my feed. She had posted her latest update just half an hour ago. I tapped on it almost instinctively. The pictures showed breathtaking expanses of snow. To my surprise, Justin had taken her to see the snow. She must be having a wonderful time. After all, snowy landscapes had always been her favorite thing to see. Just as I exited X, I suddenly got a call from her. I hesitated for a moment, then answered. I heard Vivian's voice on the phone, mixed with broken sobs. "Ian! Help me…" I felt a pang in my chest, and my grip on my pen tightened instantly. I asked, "What happened?" "Justin and I… O-Our car has broken down on the mountain. There's a heavy snowstorm, and the signal keeps coming and going… I'm so cold, Ian… I feel like I won't survive this…" Her voice grew weaker, as if she might lose consciousness at any moment. My first instinct was to think it was another one of her pranks. But then, the five years we had spent together crossed my mind. She was afraid of the dark and the cold. Whenever she fell ill, she would cling to me like a child. What if she was telling the truth? What if I refused to go because I was still upset with her, and something really happened to her? Could I ever live with myself? At the thought of her buried beneath the snow, her body growing cold in the darkness, every defense I had built up crumbled in an instant. "Vivian, just hold on! I'll be right there!" I yelled. I hung up, grabbed my car keys, and rushed out of the office without even bothering to close the project proposal. The mountain roads were slippery and treacherous at night, but I drove as fast as I could. A few hours later, I finally arrived at a secluded mountain cabin deep in the snow-capped mountains at 4:00 am with only the vague directions she had given me. But nothing resembled the emergency I had imagined. The fireplace blazed, and a group of men and women gathered around it, holding glasses of champagne and laughing merrily. Meanwhile, Vivian was nestled against Justin on the couch in the middle of the room. The moment I pushed the door open, covered in snow and gasping for breath, the laughter in the room abruptly died away. Chapter 3 Ian's POV When Vivian saw me, a range of emotions flashed across her face, but triumph overshadowed them. She pushed Justin away and smiled triumphantly. "Well? I won, didn't I? I told you he still has feelings for me. One word from me, and he'd come running, even if it means going through hell and back." Justin's expression turned grim. It was obvious he had lost their bet. He reluctantly took out a set of car keys and threw them at Vivian. "Fine, you win." She took the keys, then turned to look at me. "Ian, Mr. Sullivan and I made a bet to see whether you still cared about me. I didn't expect you to actually show up. It's snowing so hard out there. Thanks for making the trip." As she spoke, she even waved the set of car keys in front of me. The cold wind swept snowflakes into the warm cabin, sending chills through me, who had been worried about her. My gaze drifted to her empty ring finger. That was where the matching couple's ring I had given her should have been. I hadn't expected her to take it off just to please Justin. I said nothing. Instead, I took off the matching ring I had worn for the past six months. Then, I tossed it into the seemingly bottomless ravine. Vivian's smile froze. She rushed up to me, pointing toward the ravine in utter disbelief. "Ian, are you crazy? Don't you know that ring was something I…" She probably wanted to say she had made it with her own hands, but the words caught in her throat. I couldn't be bothered to listen to another word from her. I merely gave her a cold glance before turning around and heading back the way I had come. By the time I returned to the city, dawn was just breaking. I checked into a random hotel, took a hot shower, and changed into clean clothes. Then, I began tying up the loose ends I had left behind. I picked up my phone and called Isla Sutton, the CEO of Evandale Capital. "Good morning, Ms. Sutton. This is Ian Gardner. I'm very sorry, but we may have to cancel the financing deal we discussed earlier." A woman's composed voice came through the phone, tinged with confusion. "Did something happen? We've already completed the contract process on our side." "It's for personal reasons," I explained calmly. "I'll be leaving the company soon. The company's CEO will likely be replaced. I'm not sure whether the new management will continue with this project, so I don't want to waste your company's time." She fell silent for a few moments. Then she said, "I understand. It's a shame, but I respect your decision, Mr. Gardner. I hope we'll have another chance to work together in the future." "Of course." After hanging up, I felt as though a heavy weight had been lifted from my chest. This company was the fruit of both Vivian's and my hard work. But now, all I wanted was to make a clean break and sever all ties with her for good. Next, I called my assistant, Ezra Jones, and had him submit my resignation. The third call was to the wedding planner I had contacted two months ago. "Cancel the Beloria wedding we booked," I said. The wedding planner sounded shocked. "Mr. Gardner, are you sure? The themed surprise you prepared for Ms. Leston was so romantic. We've just finished the final design mock-up." I had heard Vivian mention countless times that her dream wedding would be somewhere with a view of the sea and the starry sky. To make it happen, I had poured a great deal of effort into working closely with the wedding planner. I had even used some of Dad's connections to secure a booking at that world-famous venue. I had planned to surprise her on her birthday next month. I replied, "Never mind. Someone else has already surprised her. I'll pay you back for the deposit and any cancellation fees in full. Thank you." After taking care of everything, I leaned against the hotel's floor-to-ceiling window and watched the city slowly come to life beneath the morning sun. Vivian had uploaded another post on X. The photo showed a boundless sea of red roses stretching all the way to the horizon. She stood at its center, smiling sweetly. The location tag showed that she was at the famous Rose Estate on the outskirts of the city, spanning a staggering 164 acres. As I looked at the photo, the final trace of heartache faded away, and I only felt numb. I went to Vivian's X profile. When the option to unfollow her appeared, I confirmed it without a second thought.