My half-sister was dying of cancer, and she had one final wish: to steal my life.

She demanded my wedding, my fiancé, everything. So I watched as she walked down the aisle in the dress I designed myself, on the arm of the man I loved, into the wedding that should have been mine. For a dying woman, I could bear it.

But when she came for the heirloom bracelet my late mother left me, something inside me snapped. At the auction, I watched my ex-fiancé, Jasper, shield her as they drove the price up to a staggering 200 million. Bled dry by my own parasitic family, I was helpless, forced to see my last connection to my mother fall into their hands—

Until a calm, commanding voice cut through the room: “300 million.” The entire hall fell silent. Mack Ben, the notoriously private and influential head of the Ben family, had made the bid. “A gift,” he declared, his gaze finding mine, “for Miss Colby.”

After I retrieved the bracelet, I promised to repay him. “Mr. Ben, I’ll find a way to pay back the 300 million.” He simply studied my face, a slight frown creasing his brow. “Freya Colby,” he asked softly, “have you forgotten me?” Me: ?

My consciousness drifted into sleep, where dreams merged reality with desire. Perhaps it was my conversation with my best friend, or maybe the growing fascination I felt for Mack Ben, but he invaded my subconscious that night.


The dream unfolded like a fantasy I never dared imagine while awake.


My wedding with Jasper Tristan proceeded without the chaos that had destroyed it in reality. I glided down the aisle in a gown I had crafted with my own hands, each stitch a labor of love. The guests murmured their approval as I moved toward my supposed destiny.


But when I reached the altar and my groom lifted the delicate veil from my face, Jasper Tristan had vanished. Instead, Mack Ben stood before me, his eyes holding mine with an intensity that made my heart race.


Chapter 31 - Chapter 31 Reality Shatters Dreams