Chapter 1 Encounter

At a wedding that had turned into total chaos, a girl in a bridesmaid dress was being chased by a dozen men with guns. Suddenly, a loud "Bang!" echoed and the man aiming at her from behind burst into a spray of red. Celeste Sterling glanced up, meeting the deep, dark eyes of a man behind a mask. "Thanks for that!" she exclaimed. She had been deep undercover in the Black Bear gang for years, and today was the day it all went down. Without that timely shot from the masked man, she would have been dead or severely injured. She quickly moved towards him, noticing his intense and complicated gaze. "You—" His eyes first fell on the startling scar on her face, but then shifted to a red birthmark behind her ear. He was about to speak when Celeste spun around, kicked an attacker away, and with precise aim, shot the groom on the stage! Mission half done! Celeste flashed a grin, ready to make her exit, but suddenly she saw a gun pointed straight at them. Instinctively, she pushed the masked man aside as the bullet whizzed past, narrowly missing vital organs but grazing her, leaving her white dress stained with bright red blood! Just then, the sound of sirens filled the air. "Is someone injured? Quick, call a doctor!" "The boss is still on the loose, chase him! And him..." Celeste coolly briefed her backup team, looking up only to find that the man who had saved her had disappeared. From a hidden corner, a man watched as the girl was taken away, his gaze growing even more intense. He couldn't reveal who he was yet, and this girl with the red birthmark was possibly the only link to the truth about his parents' deaths. As the dust settled, a person looking like an assistant approached, taking the mask from him. "Mr. Ford, we should head back to our country." "Madam wants you back home for an arranged marriage." Nathaniel Ford snuffed out his cigarette with a grunt. His grandmother was terminally ill, and her dying wish was for him to marry. He'd need to leave soon. But first-- "Make sure that girl from the wedding is still alive. I need proof either way." "Understood." … Meanwhile, back at the hospital, Celeste had just woken up. Her face was clean, soft, and unscarred. "Congratulations, you've successfully completed your mission." "Really? So, can I finally live like a normal person now?" Celeste touched her face, relieved that her long stint undercover was finally over. However, the officer in uniform sternly denied her this possibility. "Uh, about that... the Black Bear gang leader is still at large. He knows who you are and he'll do anything to find you," he said awkwardly, coughing a bit. "You'd better adopt a new identity and help us track him down from the shadows." Celeste was speechless. "New identity? Why not just go home and be the Sterling family's 'precious daughter'?" After all these years, Celeste could hardly believe that her father, who had driven her mother out, would reach out to her. The reason? Years ago, her mother, once Mrs. Sterling, had saved the life of Mrs. Ford. And… Ford family? The richest family in the world. Mrs. Ford had been so grateful that she'd arranged a marriage. So now, Celeste was going back to fulfill that arranged marriage. It was pretty clear that the Sterling family didn't think she was a billionaire-wife material. ………… "Just take the money and scram. You really think someone like you could be Mrs. Ford?" Celeste’s stepsister, Ava said. Celeste barely glanced at the check thrown at her, her expression unchanging. "Half a million?" "Is that not enough? You're just a bastard, and honestly, the Ford family wouldn't care if I didn't give you a dime." In a flash, Celeste slapped Ava hard enough to cut her off, stuffing the check right into Ava's mouth! "What the—? You hit me? Are you out of your mind?" Another slap followed, and Ava looked up to meet Celeste's icy gaze. "With that filthy mouth, maybe I should start pulling those teeth out one by one?" Ava was petrified! She trembled all over, shocked by the cold, menacing look in Celeste's eyes. Was this really the simple country girl she thought she knew? Wasn't she supposed to be thankful for what was given to her?? Half a million!! Holding her cheek, Ava hissed, "How much do you want to call off this engagement?" "Ten million." Celeste dropped the number casually. "What?" Ava's eyes bulged. "Have you lost your mind? Why on earth would you ask for so much?" "Because my mom set up my engagement to Nathaniel Ford," Celeste replied with a cold laugh. Ava could never have imagined that Celeste, whom she thought could be brushed off with half a million, would boldly demand ten million! But then she thought, ten million might just be the price to marry into the Ford family and to the wealthy, handsome Nathaniel. After hesitating briefly, she signed the check... "Take the money and get lost!" Celeste flicked the check, a sarcastic smile playing on her lips. Originally, her mom was Edward's wife, but after they divorced, Edward ended up getting back together and marrying his ex-fiancée. In the end, they started calling her the other woman. After years of slander and humiliation, this ten million would serve as a little payback! "Mr. Ford has arrived!" Just then, a servant came rushing to announce. Ava quickly scampered off. Celeste walked leisurely behind, observing as the man got out of the car. He was impeccably dressed, with piercing eyes and a prominent nose, his build perfect from his broad shoulders to his long legs. Not bad at all, Nathaniel! "Mr. Ford, I'm Ava, the one you're marrying." Ava pushed her chest out and squeezed next to Nathaniel, trying to appear demure and flirty, which only made Celeste silently laugh. Ava had always relied on her figure, not realizing that for someone like Nathaniel, who was used to women throwing themselves at him, her usual tactics were utterly ineffective. Indeed, Nathaniel's gaze quickly swept past her, freezing Ava in her tracks. Instead, his eyes settled on the elegant girl standing behind her. Even in the simplest T-shirt, just standing there, the girl was enough to turn heads. Ava blocked his path, "Celeste feels out of place coming from a small town. She thinks she's not good enough for Mr. Ford, so she asked me to marry him instead..." "Really?" The man's steady gaze swept over everyone, making them instinctively look away. Only Celeste slowly raised her head, her eyes locking with Nathaniel's before she timidly looked down. "My sister said she'd take my place in marrying you. If I refused, she threatened to make my life hell." "You—Celeste, what are you up to? You just took the money!!" Before she could finish, Celeste's eyes reddened and she again hung her head, looking utterly downtrodden. Seriously? Was she really that upset? Sure, the threats were real, but she was the one actually taking the blows, right? Nathaniel had already decided. He opened the car door and settled into the back seat, leaving only a cold profile. For him, the identity of his bride was irrelevant. He had returned to Sea City primarily to investigate his parents' deaths. Marrying was just a means to fulfill his grandmother's wish and provide a cover for his activities. "Get in the car." "Sure, Mr. Ford." Celeste obediently slid into the car, her demeanor meek and gentle. Ava looked on, dumbfounded. The woman who had just fiercely slapped her transformed into a docile little bunny in Mr. Ford's presence! "Mom, she pocketed ten million—that's a lot of money—how could she—" "Don't worry! When your dad gets back, we'll deal with her!" Their curses grew fainter as the girl raised her head to catch Nathaniel's side glance, her eyes innocent and pure. Ridiculous. She knew all too well the difference between just ten million and be the Mrs. Ford! Marrying Nathaniel, and becoming the wife of a wealthy man—would funding for the orphanage still be a problem? Would her undercover investigation into the gang leader's whereabouts still be messy? Moreover, she was quite satisfied with Nathaniel—he was handsome and well-built.