The Public Reckoning

Fourteen minutes before the ceremony feed went live, Lin Yue slit open the first envelope with her thumbnail. The vow page inside was not hers. It was printed on heavy ivory stock, her name relegated to a footnote, the language scrubbed of any operational authority. Someone had even trimmed the margins with a gold strip, as if humiliation became tasteful once it was bound in expensive paper.

She set the packet aside and opened the second envelope. Inside was a brief, handwritten note from Guang Zhen: For ceremony simplicity, remove the clause attachment. The bride will follow the revised order.

Lin Yue let out a sharp, cold breath. Across the bridal suite, He Liang stood motionless, clutching a

Preview ends here. Subscribe to continue.