The Bride

YOUR MARRIAGE IS YOURbest cover-up story.

And your wife, your strongest witness.

But only if you marry the right woman.

The wise words of Ryu's mentor played in his mind as he studied the profile reports he had ordered from the matchmaking agency.

Hmm.

Only one girl caught his eye: twenty-year-old college student Summerine Chan, and it had everything to do with what she wasnot.

Zero job experience.

No particular achievement in academics or sports.

Parents frequently disparage their own daughter for not having a backbone.

Even better, his investigator managed to unearth evidence of George Chan's debts, which Ryu could then use as leverage to prevent his future in-laws from interfering in his marriage.

The life he wished to maintain required the utmost secrecy, which could only be provided by the illusion of a perfect marriage.

Pretending to be a fairytale prince was something he was used to. But Ryu also knew that such a role could only go so far.

Sooner or later, people would start wondering and asking questions...unless of course, he chose to pre-empt this by giving everyone something new to talk about. And was there anything more entertaining than news of a billionaire falling in love with a girl society least expected to catch his attention?

Ryu reached for the profile report he had been studying for the last hour.

Summerine.

Her name matched her delicate features, but why did he have a feeling that she was not at all like everyone assumed her to be?

Now or Never

I'M SORRY TO DO THIS.

But I have to.

I'm twenty, not two.

I'm a full-fledged adult with a fully functioning brain, and I respectfully decline to marry just because you want me to.

The words sounded good in Summerine's mind, but the moment she faced the mirror and allowed herself to imagine saying the exact same words—-

I can't.

Her courage dwindled into nothing in a nanosecond.

"I'm t-twenty, n-not t-two."

And it had her stammering like she often did when confronting her parents.

You have to say this,she reminded herself forcefully.

Because if you don't...

Bile rose from her stomach as she tried to envision the future her parents had cold-bloodedly arranged for her.