Tangled Hearts

After returning home and explaining the situation to Mervin, I sat alone in the study room and started flipping through the list of potential brides for the following day.

It wasn't that I was desperate to get married under any circumstances; rather, the Hoyle family empire was vast and ancient, and as the sole heir, I needed a capable partner to share the immense responsibilities. Even more crucially, I needed an heir of my own to ensure the continuation of this colossal legacy.

As I scanned the names and photographs, my gaze suddenly locked onto one entry, and I found myself staring in stunned disbelief.

Mervin burst into the room, seething. "This is beyond outrageous! I can't believe all these years I've raised a pack of ingrates! Trying to take control of the Hoyle family? Ha! They can dream on!"

I clicked on a trending video of Dorothy holding a press conference. She faced the camera, accusing me, "To everyone watching, I've been with Finn Hoyle for so many years, but he's always been so domineering.

"Whenever things don't go his way, his attitude is awful, and he even meddles in the internal decisions of the Bryant Group."

Her tone suddenly shifted, a mix of resignation and warning. "Even so, I remain fully committed to honoring our engagement. I sincerely hope that Mr. Hoyle will arrive on time for tomorrow's wedding ceremony."

I glanced over at Mervin's livid expression, then shifted my attention back to the screen, where Dorothy's eyes gleamed with undisguised greed as she declared her intention to take over the Hoyle empire after the marriage.

A small, bitter laugh escaped my lips. Mervin glanced at me and asked, "Have you made your choice?"

I slid the page with the selected profile across the desk toward him, noticing a subtle shift in his expression. "Yes. It's her."

He stared at the name and photograph for a long time, frowning and sighing. "Well, this girl is fine. I've watched her grow up, knowing her background inside and out. But..."

He trailed off, clearly recalling the countless childhood memories of this girl bullying me until I dissolved into helpless tears.

Then he shook his head with a wry smile, but his voice carried an ironclad determination. "Wait here, son. I'll book the first flight to fetch her. I'll make sure she's standing at that altar tomorrow."

With the plan firmly agreed upon, he strode out of the room. All traces of his earlier bitterness had vanished, replaced by unmistakable excitement and satisfaction with the new partner.

The memory of Dorothy's press conference resurfaced. I immediately placed a call to my secretary and issued three precise, non-negotiable orders.

"First: terminate every existing partnership with the Bryant Group, effective immediately. Revoke all Hoyle-exclusive air, sea, and land transportation routes that we previously granted them.

"Second: send formal notices to every major global banking institution—freeze all of Dorothy Bryant's personal assets and every corporate account tied to the Bryant Group. Any company that maintains even the slightest ongoing collaboration with Bryant will be declared an enemy of the Hoyle family. Give them exactly one day to sever all ties completely.

"The Hoyle family will absorb one hundred percent of any contractual breach penalties incurred. Within a day, I want to hear confirmed reports of the Bryant Group's bankruptcy."

My assistant relayed the commands with rapid efficiency and then looked up to ask, "And the third matter, sir?"

Smiling, I stood up and tapped the photograph on the selected profile. "Third: everything we're stripping away from the Bryant Group goes to the Wright family. And make it one hundred times the original value."

"Miss Savannah Wright's family?" The assistant glanced at the photo, and his expression mirrored Mervin's from earlier.

He muttered under his breath with barely concealed schadenfreude, "If it's Miss Wright we're talking about, consider every detail handled immediately."

With all instructions issued, the sky outside was already beginning to lighten with the first hints of dawn.

After I finished issuing all the commands, it was nearly dawn. I managed to steal a brief hour of rest before heading to the island where the wedding was to take place.

I had only just emerged from the dressing room, freshly attired in my custom tuxedo, when a powerful grip suddenly clamped down on my arm.

"Just what in the world do you think you're doing, Finn?" Dorothy demanded. "Do you have any idea how much irreversible damage your childish tantrum has caused?"

Dorothy's words cut off abruptly as her eyes widened in shock at the sight of my wedding attire. The suit had been custom-made by the world's top designer, costing billions. Every gemstone embedded in the fabric was utterly unique, a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.

Beneath the venue's brilliant lighting, the impeccably tailored cut accentuated my height and physique, making me appear almost regal, as though I were bathed in a halo of divine favor.

But her momentary awe quickly twisted into a cold, mocking sneer. "After all this effort, you still just want to marry me, don't you?"

Rob, who had trailed in behind her, immediately allowed his eyes to well up with crocodile tears as he launched into another dramatic performance. "Finn, how can you be so selfish? Dorothy only tried to solve her needs, and you froze all her assets. It's unfair!"

He sobbed with exaggerated volume, yet his gaze remained fixed with burning envy on the exquisite suit adorning my body.

He continued, "Didn't you say you weren't going to marry Dorothy? Yet here you are, dressed in full wedding attire. Don't you feel the least bit disgusted with yourself?"

I ignored them, furrowing my brow as I strode toward the door. Outside, the bodyguards who had once fought alongside me lay in pools of blood, gasping weakly in agony.

I slowly turned back to face Dorothy and Rob, both of whom wore expressions of triumphant malice.

A cold, predatory smile spread across my lips. "Are you planning to offer your lives as a wedding gift to me today? Excellent! My wife and I accept it."