On my wedding day, I was waiting in my gown for Bill to pick me up. But with the ceremony about to start, he finally called. “Cora gets carsick. She can’t ride in anyone else’s car, only my Cullinan.” “I’m driving over to get her now. It’s out of the way to swing by for you, so just grab a bike-share and head to the hotel. You ride one to work all the time, anyway.” On our wedding day, the groom wasn’t picking up his bride. He was picking up his childhood sweetheart. It was a slap in the face, plain and simple. I opened a group chat called “The Kingmakers” and sent a selfie of me on a bike-share, wedding dress and all. An hour later, the heirs to the city’s most powerful families started arriving at the wedding, all of them on bicycles. My own childhood friend, Sebastian, the wealthiest man in Seacliff City, dismounted with a grim expression and knelt before me on one knee. “Marry me instead. I’ll buy out his company and give it to you as a wedding gift.” 1. The ceremony was in an hour. If Bill didn’t show up soon, I was going to be late. Just then, my phone rang. It was him. I snatched it up, my voice tight with anxiety. “Honey, where are you? Why aren’t you here yet?” Bill’s voice was laced with a casual apology. “Sophia, I don’t think I can make it to you. Cora gets carsick—she throws up in any other car. She’s only okay in my Rolls-Royce Cullinan. I just picked her up, and your place is completely out of the way. Why don’t you just grab a bike-share and meet us there? It’s not like you don’t ride one every day.” I froze, a hot surge of anger rising in my throat. “Bill, are you insane? Today is our wedding, not yours and Cora’s! You’re ditching your bride to go pick up your little sweetheart? Who exactly are you marrying today?” “I’m in my wedding dress! You want me to ride a bike-share in my wedding dress?” A heavy sigh came through the phone. “It’s just a mode of transportation, Sophia. Look, I know you come from a poor family and you’ve never been in a luxury car before. You just want to ride in my Cullinan to show off to your friends that you married a rich guy, right? I’ve been meaning to talk to you about this. You’re getting a little materialistic.” Then, a delicate, timid voice piped up in the background. “Bill, is Sophia mad? Maybe you should just drop me off here. I can call someone else. I might get sick, but I don’t want her to misunderstand. Today’s supposed to be a happy day. You should just give in to her.” “It’s all my fault,” she continued, her voice trembling. “I knew she gets the wrong idea about me, but I still got in your car.” Bill’s tone softened as he soothed her. “It’s not you. She’s just being materialistic, wanting to show off the car to her work friends. I’m not going to enable that kind of behavior.” His voice hardened again as he addressed me. “The only reason she even needs a monthly pass for the bike-share is because she’s always hunting for coupons. Marrying her is my way of pulling her out of that pathetic life. She shouldn’t get entitled and think that just because I agreed to marry her, she can do whatever she wants.” After comforting his precious Cora, his voice turned to ice. “Sophia, we’re getting married today. I don’t want to fight. If you still want to marry me, you’ll ride your bike to the hotel. If you keep throwing this tantrum, you can deal with the consequences yourself.” He hung up. I stared at my phone, at the wedding group chat he’d created. It was filled with his and Cora’s friends. Someone had posted a video. The procession of luxury cars was cruising down Central Avenue, led by Bill’s gleaming Cullinan. “Bill would still drive an hour out of his way for Cora. He can’t stand to see her suffer for a second.” “Sophia’s so dramatic. Marrying Bill is the biggest upgrade of her life. What more could she possibly want?” “I always said she wasn’t good enough for him. If Cora hadn’t gone abroad, she never would’ve had a chance. The one who isn’t loved is always the other woman. Everyone knows Cora is the one Bill truly loves.” Cora quickly sent a voice message. “Guys, don’t say that. Sophia’s in the chat.” She then tagged me directly. “@Sophia, don’t mind them. They just think Bill and I are a better match. No, no, that’s not what I meant! I mean, once they get to know you, they’ll see you two are perfect for each other too.” 2. A moment later, Cora posted a selfie of herself and Bill in the group. She was leaning against his shoulder, her eyes tinged with red, her lips swollen and glistening. The caption read: Let me be selfish one last time. After tomorrow, you’ll be another woman’s husband. Those were the unmistakable lips of someone who had just been thoroughly kissed. The intimacy was suffocating. I let out a bitter laugh. This was his innocent childhood friend? No wonder he’d drive an hour out of his way to pick her up. I sent a voice message, my tone dripping with sarcasm. “What a pure and innocent friendship. Do you two seal it with a kiss, Bill? Truly eye-opening.” The chat erupted. Cora immediately replied with a tearful voice note. “Sophia, please don’t misunderstand that picture. I just bit my lip, that’s all. I know I was his first love, and I know it hurt him when I went abroad and he got with you, but he promised to marry you and take responsibility. I truly wish you both the best.” Her voice was thick with manufactured sobs. Immediately, his friends started piling on. “See? People from the gutter have no class. Can’t take a joke, so thin-skinned.” “How did Bill end up with a wife like this? Hope he doesn’t bring her around us.” “Exactly. Every time she’s here, she makes Cora feel awful. What right does she have? Doesn’t she realize she’s the one who broke them up?” Blood rushed to my head. Bill’s friends had looked down on me from day one, constantly putting me down to feel superior. I couldn’t hold back anymore. I typed furiously: All of you need to shut up. You love simping for Cora so much? Well, now’s your chance. Bill’s getting married, so she’s single. Go shoot your shot, you pathetic lapdogs. Bill immediately started a voice call in the group. “Sophia, apologize to my friends right now. You have no class.” I scoffed. “Oh, so you’re alive now? Where were you when they were tearing me apart a minute ago? You were playing deaf then, but now you want me to apologize?” Bill’s voice rose to a yell. “Do you have any idea how much you’re hurting Cora? She’s a pure soul from a sheltered home. She’s not like you, who grew up fighting for scraps in some slum. She’s not from your world! Do you realize the damage your words can do to someone like her?” In the background, I could hear soft weeping. It was Cora. “I just took a ride in your car,” she whimpered. “Why is she saying such awful things about me and my friends? I only see them as friends.” “Why would she slander me like this? Just because I rode in your car? But her apartment is so close to the hotel, a bike ride would be faster and there’s no traffic. Is her vanity really so important that she has to hurt people like this?” Bill’s voice was a low murmur, comforting her. “Don’t worry. If she wants this wedding to happen, she will apologize to you and my friends. Otherwise, she doesn’t have to show up at all.” Then, turning his attention back to the call, he addressed me. “Sophia, this is your last chance. Did you hear me? Apologize to Cora and my friends before the ceremony, or this wedding is off.” I laughed, the sound sharp and brittle. “Fine. Wait for my apology at the venue.” Cora’s voice, now laced with a triumphant little giggle, purred in the background. “Bill, she really does love you. The moment you get angry, she gets scared. Looks like she’s desperate to marry you.” I ended the call and glanced at the chat, where his friends were already gloating. “Who’s the real simp now? Sophia, willing to lose all dignity for a payday.” “She was acting so tough a second ago. Bill threatens to call it off and she folds instantly.” “Well, marrying into the Thorne family is probably the luckiest thing that will ever happen to her family. They probably think they’ve hit the lottery.” I closed the wedding chat and opened another one: “The Kingmakers.” I snapped a picture of myself in my wedding dress, perched on a bike-share, and sent it with the hotel’s address. Then I typed: My wedding. All guests are requested to arrive via bike-share. The group exploded. “Holy crap, Princess, you’ve been off the grid for two years and this is how you resurface? How’s life as a commoner treating you?” 3. “Anything you say, boss. But… bike-shares? Is that some new trend we missed?” “Quit asking so many questions. If Sophia says we ride bikes, we ride bikes.” “On my way. I’ll be there.” Only Sebastian, my childhood best friend, sent me a private message. “Who are you marrying? Bill Thorne? He’s not worthy of you.” He clearly knew exactly what I’d been up to for the past two years. I typed back: If a certain gentleman were to show up on a bike and propose, I might just say yes. I put my phone away and grabbed the long, heavy skirt of my wedding gown. With a satisfying rip, I tore the fabric, transforming it into a short, rebellious dress. This gown was Bill’s choice—or rather, Cora’s. When it had been delivered, I’d frowned at the style, which was nothing like what I wanted. “This isn’t the short dress I picked out.” Bill had waved it off. “Cora picked this for you. She said it would suit you best. You have to trust her taste; she’s a fashion designer. You can’t possibly know better than a professional. It’s haute couture. You’ve never worn designer brands, so you just don’t get it. Just listen to Cora.” Cora had added, with a sickeningly sweet smile, “Sophia, you might not understand what’s fashionable in our circles. It’s different from your world. You’ll just have to adapt. This dress is the most suitable for you.” Suitable for me? She’d deliberately chosen a style that highlighted all my flaws. And by having it delivered the day before the wedding, she’d made sure I had no time to change it. She wanted me to look ridiculous. I’d met Bill at the Sterling Corporation. He’d pegged me as a low-level employee from the start. It was the company’s Family Day, so we were allowed to bring guests and dress casually. I had just ridden a bike-share back from the store with a huge bag of snacks for my colleagues’ kids. At the entrance, my bike scraped against his car. He claimed it was love at first sight and began pursuing me, insisting my background didn’t matter. At the time, I was in the middle of a two-year bet with my father. He didn’t think I had what it took to handle hardship. So, I’d agreed to work my way up from the bottom of our own company, Sterling Corp, under an alias. If I could last two years without quitting or getting fired, I would prove my worth and become the official heir. The rules were strict: no help from my old life, no contact with my friends. I lived on my entry-level salary in a tiny apartment, commuting by bike-share every day, grinding away in different departments. But it worked. I learned the ins and outs of the company, earned my superiors’ respect, and was even promoted twice. Bill had been good to me, relentlessly pursuing the “ordinary office worker” he thought I was. I’d let my guard down. After a year, he proposed, and I accepted. Today was supposed to be the end of the two-year bet. Today, I could finally reveal who I really was. I had planned to tell Bill, too—to let him know that the Sterling connection he was so desperate to forge was already his. But now? Now I was grateful I hadn't. A man like him would never be a partner to Sterling Corporation. Riding a bike in a wedding dress drew stares from everyone on the street. In the distance, a car sped toward me, deliberately swerving to plow through a large puddle at the side of the road. A wave of filthy water erupted, drenching me. I swerved to avoid it and tumbled to the pavement. Scrambling up, I heard a chorus of cruel laughter. I looked up and saw Bill’s wedding motorcade. The car that had splashed me was driven by one of Cora’s friends. It was intentional. They wanted to humiliate me. By the time I arrived at the hotel, disheveled and riding a mud-splattered bike-share, Bill’s Cullinan and the rest of his pristine procession were just pulling up to the entrance. I locked the bike, and a loud, electronic voice announced: “LOCK SUCCESSFUL.” The sound drew their attention. They turned, saw me, and burst out laughing. “No way. She actually rode a bike-share here.” 4. “Whoa, did you take a swim in a sewer? You have no shame, showing up in public like that.” “Bill, your girlfriend is really committed. This is the first time I’ve ever seen a bride arrive on a rental bike.” “Is that dress ripped? Did you tear it just so you could ride that thing? How embarrassing, hahaha!” Cora, dressed in a designer cocktail dress that made her look more like the bride than I did, clung to Bill’s arm and wrinkled her nose. “Sophia, you look like a mess. I should have just sent one of the cars for you. It’s all my fault. This only happened because of my carsickness.” She tilted her head. “But… why didn’t you change before coming out? You’re not planning to get married looking like that, are you?” I gritted my teeth. “This is your doing.” She stepped forward, reaching for my hand. I yanked it away. Her eyes immediately welled with tears. “Sophia, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you were too cheap to even call a cab. It would have been, what, twenty dollars? Why be so frugal? Doesn’t Bill give you enough money?” Her voice dripped with false concern. “And showing up like this, on a bike… there are reporters everywhere. What will people think of Bill when they see the pictures?” “He has business partners to meet. They’ll laugh at him! You just don’t understand. If you’re going to marry Bill, you need to learn how to support him, not drag him down.” She leaned in close, her voice dropping to a venomous whisper. “A broke nobody like you thinks you can marry into the Thorne family? Dream on. That position belongs to me.” Then, she grabbed my hand again, her long, red nails digging into my arm as she turned to Bill and his friends with a bright smile. “Bill, don’t Sophia and I look like sisters in our matching outfits?” One of his friends snorted. “Sisters? More like a lady and her maid.” “Yeah, she’s got that desperate, working-class vibe down perfectly.” I ripped my hand from her grasp. “Enough. I’ve had enough of your toxic act for one day.” Cora stumbled back dramatically. “Oh! Sophia, I’m sorry, I was just joking! I didn’t want Bill to be in an awkward position, I thought if we could be friends, he’d be happy.” Bill rushed to her side. “Cora, are you okay?” She shook her head, grabbing his arm before he could turn on me. “Don’t be mad, Bill. She’s the bride, and she had to ride a bike to her own wedding to save money. It’s only natural she’d feel a little humiliated.” She opened her clutch and pulled out a necklace. “Your dress needs a little something extra. I picked this out for you. Let me help you put it on.” She dangled it in front of me. “Be careful with it. It’s worth over a million dollars.” I glanced at the strand of cheap glass. “Is that so? Your family must pay a lot for glass if you think this is worth a million.” One of her friends jumped in. “You’re just a broke girl, what would you know? Apologize to Cora right now!” Bill’s voice was stern. “Sophia, I don’t care what you’re upset about, but you need to act with some grace. Apologize to Cora. Now.” I looked at him, pointing to the scrapes and bruises on my legs from my fall. “You see me like this, and you still don’t know why I’m angry?” He flinched at the sight of my injuries, a flicker of concern in his eyes, but Cora’s words had already taken root. His face hardened. “Go inside and change. Haven’t you caused enough of a scene? If the paparazzi get a shot of this, our PR team will have to clean up your mess.” He looked at Cora. “You’ve always been so sweet. After the ceremony, I’ll have her serve you tea as an apology.” Cora bit her lip, the picture of demure grace. “It’s fine. I’ll be staying in the country now, so I can take some time to teach her proper etiquette. I’m just worried she’ll embarrass herself during the wedding.” I laughed coldly. “Whether I embarrass myself at my own wedding is none of your business.” “That’s enough, Sophia!” Bill snapped. “Where are your manners? You’re acting like a shrew. My patience has its limits. If you don’t apologize to Cora this instant, the wedding is canceled.” I stared at him. “Cancel your wedding? What does that have to do with me? I’m not marrying you.”
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