Chapter 3Marrying Her Rented Groom

Leo took the wine glass from my hand and offered me a slow, unreadable smile.

"Ms. Brooks, since we’re getting married anyway, doing everything for real makes it look a whole lot more convincing."

My throat felt tight and constricted. Throwing caution to the wind, I tilted my head back and swallowed half the glass in one sharp gulp. "Fine. Let's go get the marriage certificate right now."

I should have figured it out much sooner.

Mandy asking me to stay home and watch Logan, only to send this hired rent-a-groom right to my doorstep, was no accident.

There was never a real groom for her ninth wedding, just like there was never one for the previous eight.

From start to finish, it was always just a messed-up game of emotional tug-of-war between her and Logan.

I was sitting right in the middle of it, playing the part of the absolute idiot.

Sending Leo to my front door was Mandy’s twisted way of throwing it in my face. She wanted me to know that she was one of the masterminds behind this whole setup.

Since they went to all this trouble to set the stage for me, I might as well play along.

When we walked out of the county clerk's office, my phone vibrated in my hand. It was a message from Mandy.

First came a shaky video clip. Logan's familiar profile was painfully clear on screen, making my eyes sting like crazy.

Then came her text message.

[Maya, I’m taking Logan for myself. Think of that college guy on your doorstep as my makeup gift to you. He’s got the face and the body, so you’re not losing out, right?

[Honestly, all those weddings I planned over the years were just for him. I wanted to see if he gave a damn about me.

[I never expected him to show up today and actually marry me. It wasn’t until this exact moment that I finally realized I love him too.

[Also... About his best friend who died because of me? That was just his family dog.

[When you told me years ago you wanted to date him, I didn’t hold a grudge. We’ve been best friends forever. You’ll forgive me just like I forgave you back then, right?]

I stood outside the clerk's office as the cold wind whipped against my cheeks. I was completely frozen.

Ridiculous.

It was all so utterly ridiculous.

Eight years of dramatic, toxic battles, eight chaotic weddings ruined, years of his intense hatred and years of her keeping secrets.

The best friend who supposedly died because of her was literally just a dog.

My five years of pure devotion, and every single wedding I tried to protect her from, were built on a pile of absurd lies.

Now she had the nerve to ask for my forgiveness.

A sudden laugh bubbled up in my chest, spilling out until I could not stop.

Forgive her?

I was going to give both of them the biggest, most unforgettable wedding gift of their lives.

Back at my apartment, the “Operation Cover-Up” group chat was still popping off on my laptop screen.

Tyler: [Logan, your girl is insanely obedient. You give her one lame excuse and she doesn’t even question you all night? You seriously need to write a playbook.]

Logan: [She’s head over heels in love with me. You guys wish you had it this easy.]

Ethan: [Logan, you better hurry back home and check on my sister. My heart is beating super fast right now, like I have some bad gut feeling.]

Justin: [Chill out. It’s not like your sister hasn’t been taking this quietly for years. She’s just scared Logan will dump her if she makes a scene.]

Logan: [Ethan, stop worrying. I’m not dumping your sister.

[I can handle both sides. Once Mandy finishes her wedding visit with her family, I’ll settle her in Auckland. She gets a share of the villas and real estate here.

[As for your sister, I’ll take good care of her back home. The first thing I’ll do when I get back is to marry her. She has been waiting for this for years anyway.]

Tyler: [Take it easy, man. Mandy’s gonna wear you out over there. How are you gonna perform when you get back home to your girl?]

I stared at the screen and let out a cold, sharp laugh.

Logan really outdid himself, playing both sides with such calculated effort.

In our third year together, I had subtly brought up the topic of marriage, but he always brushed it off, saying there was no rush.

A few months ago, I caught him staying up late in his study looking at wedding dress designs. My heart had soared, stupidly believing he had finally decided to settle down with me.

Looking back now, he was not picking a dress for me at all. He was choosing one for today's bride.

I remembered leaning over his shoulder that night, pointing at the screen like an idiot. "I love this off-the-shoulder gown. It looks so elegant."

He had paused for a second before reaching out to ruffle my hair.

"Yeah. The dress, the venue, the ring, I want to take my time planning all of it.

"My princess deserves the absolute best and most perfect wedding in the world. No rush."

The main point was always "no rush."

Back then, I thought it meant he treasured me and took us seriously, so I played the good, understanding girlfriend and never pushed him.

In the end, my patience only gave him the perfect chance to pursue someone else behind my back.

His proud trick for keeping a girl obedient was nothing more than walking all over my heart and self-respect.

Now that he had already married Mandy overseas, he was casually offering to marry me as if I were nothing more than a consolation prize.

Trying so hard to satisfy both his heart and his body at the same time must have been exhausting.

Too bad for him, I was officially off the market now. He did not need to trouble himself anymore.

As I stared blankly at the screen, a pair of warm hands suddenly wrapped around my wrists.

Leo leaned down, his palms burning hot against my skin.

"Maya, I told you," he whispered, his voice laced with an intense, sudden possessiveness, "I’m in this for real."

He led me toward the master bedroom on the second floor.

Right as the heat between us peaked, the phone on the nightstand started vibrating uncontrollably.

It was Logan.

The sun was just coming up over where he was, and he finally decided to show some mercy and check in on his girl.

Leo glanced down at the screen, picked it up, and tapped the speakerphone button without missing a beat.

"Maya, are you asleep?"

Logan's voice came through the speaker, raspy with that typical post-coital huskiness.

"I was stuck drinking with clients all night, which is why I had to hang up so fast. I’m flying back tomorrow to give you a big surprise."

A surprise? Like offering me a pity marriage?

No thanks.

A tiny noise slipped from the back of my throat. "Mm."

My voice trembled slightly, heavy with the breathless heat still lingering in the air.

Logan knew better than anyone what I sounded like when I made that noise.

In an instant, his voice turned sharp and icy over the line. "Maya? What are you doing? Who’s with you?"