The Perfect Replacement Groom

When Cole Harrington ran away from our wedding for the seventh time because of his childhood sweetheart, the Harrington family personally came to apologize.

"We'll add another five kilos of gold to the bride price. Three buildings in the Southwest. And nine prime-location storefronts in the city center. Consider it the Harrington family's compensation."

Before the words had fully settled, a careless laugh from Cole came through the phone.

"Grandpa, do you really think she's worth that much? Believe it or not, I could pick up a random rock off the street and still coax her into being completely obedient.

"Instead of wasting all those assets on her, why not give them to me so I can invest them in Liv's gallery?"

Henry Harrington hurriedly hung up the phone, then looked at me with an awkward expression.

Soft snickers rippled through the crowd. Everyone was waiting for me to swallow the humiliation in silence, just as I had before.

But this time—

I had already received this kind of "compensation" six times. The novelty had long since worn off.

The same was true for Cole himself.

After a moment of thought, I raised an eyebrow and glanced toward the crowd—at the illegitimate younger brother whom Cole had always despised the most.

A smile slowly curved across my lips.

"The man that I marry becomes the heir to the Harrington family. That was our deal, right?"

Seeing I wasn't joking, everyone froze in shock.

After all, this wasn't the first time Cole Harrington had fled from our wedding. Back when "Monroe Heiress Abandoned" trended across social media and my family endured six months of ridicule, I'd never once mentioned calling off the engagement.

Henry Harrington rushed to soothe me. "Cole's just confused for the moment. Give him a little more time..."

He called Cole again, but barely got a few words out before being cut off.

"Stop trying to fool me. No matter how angry Avery gets, she'd never say she won't marry me. Besides, it's not like I'm breaking up with her. I'm just keeping Liv company while she clears her head. I'll be back."

In the background, Olivia Davenport's coy voice drifted through. "Cole, I'm helping you test her! If she still wants to marry you after being abandoned this many times, that proves her feelings are real!"

Listening to their brazen flirtation, I felt my lips twist into a bitter smile. "You're that confident I'll keep waiting for you?"

Apparently caught off guard that I was listening, Cole paused. When he spoke again, his voice softened. "Avery, you know how Liv is. She's depended on me since we were kids—she's having a hard time accepting my marriage. Can we postpone things a little longer? Once I've helped her through this, we'll start fresh."

Six postponements, excluding this one. Was that not enough?

When she first learned Cole and I were together, Olivia had rushed back to Baveloria and made a scene. He'd stood there stone-faced, swearing in front of me that he only saw her as a sister. But later, for this "sister" of his, he'd made me the laughingstock of Larklyn City.

Henry's voice crackled with frustration. "The wedding starts in three hours. I've booked your ticket—get your ass here now! There are reporters camped outside waiting for a scandal. Have you considered how this makes Avery look?"

"I—"

Hesitation crept into Cole's voice, and despite everything, my heart clenched.

Then Olivia's whine cut through. "Cole, I already bought the movie tickets. If you leave, I'll just find another man to watch with me. It's not like I lack options!"

"Absolutely not!" His voice sharpened with possessive irritation.

When he addressed me again, his tone dripped with weary resignation. "Avery, I really can't get away right now. You've handled this before—it's nothing you can't manage."

He dismissed it so casually, as if the humiliation I'd endured under those flashing cameras meant nothing. As if their jeers and pitying glances were trivial inconveniences.

My chest constricted with a dull ache. A bitter laugh escaped before I could stop it. "Do whatever you want."

Whether he came back or not no longer mattered.

Too eager to get back to Olivia, Cole missed the shift in my voice. "There, don't be mad. I brought you a present."

A photo pinged on my phone. A delicate chain dangled from his fingers.

Another piece Olivia had worn.

I'd become her dumping ground.

I remembered the first gift he'd ever given me—a red women's watch. Red was my least favorite color, but because it came from him, I treasured it. Until the day I took it in for repairs and learned from the serial number that its previous owner had been Olivia.

When I confronted him, Cole showed no guilt whatsoever. "I'm no good at picking gifts. Liv was just helping out. Don't be so petty."

He claimed he couldn't pick gifts, but everyone in Larklyn City knew better. Every year on Olivia's birthday, Cole booked the city's most expensive viewing platform and lit up the sky with fireworks that the whole city could see. Jewelry that belonged in auction houses flowed endlessly before her to choose from.

The thought he invested in me didn't amount to one ten-thousandth of what he lavished on her.

Now, he couldn't even be bothered to buy something new to placate me.

As if deaf to the bitterness in my words, Olivia chirped happily, "Cole's gift for you was my pick! Hope you like it. No need to thank me!"