The Perfect Replacement Groom

When Cole Harrington ran away from our wedding for the seventh time because of his childhood sweetheart, the Harrington family personally came to apologize.

"We'll add another five kilos of gold to the bride price. Three buildings in the Southwest. And nine prime-location storefronts in the city center. Consider it the Harrington family's compensation."

Before the words had fully settled, a careless laugh from Cole came through the phone.

"Grandpa, do you really think she's worth that much? Believe it or not, I could pick up a random rock off the street and still coax her into being completely obedient.

"Instead of wasting all those assets on her, why not give them to me so I can invest them in Liv's gallery?"

Henry Harrington hurriedly hung up the phone, then looked at me with an awkward expression.

Soft snickers rippled through the crowd. Everyone was waiting for me to swallow the humiliation in silence, just as I had before.

But this time—

I had already received this kind of "compensation" six times. The novelty had long since worn off.

The same was true for Cole himself.

After a moment of thought, I raised an eyebrow and glanced toward the crowd—at the illegitimate younger brother whom Cole had always despised the most.

A smile slowly curved across my lips.

"The man that I marry becomes the heir to the Harrington family. That was our deal, right?"

Seeing I wasn't joking, everyone froze in shock.

After all, this wasn't the first time Cole Harrington had fled from our wedding. Back when "Monroe Heiress Abandoned" trended across social media and my family endured six months of ridicule, I'd never once mentioned calling off the engagement.

Henry Harrington rushed to soothe me. "Cole's just confused for the moment. Give him a little more time..."

He called Cole again, but barely got a few words out before being cut off.

"Stop trying to fool me. No matter how angry Avery gets, she'd never say she won't marry me. Besides, it's not like I'm breaking up with her. I'm just keeping Liv company while she clears her head. I'll be back."

In the background, Olivia Davenport's coy voice drifted through. "Cole, I'm helping you test her! If she still wants to marry you after being abandoned this many times, that proves her feelings are real!"

Listening to their brazen flirtation, I felt my lips twist into a bitter smile. "You're that confident I'll keep waiting for you?"

Apparently caught off guard that I was listening, Cole paused. When he spoke again, his voice softened. "Avery, you know how Liv is. She's depended on me since we were kids—she's having a hard time accepting my marriage. Can we postpone things a little longer? Once I've helped her through this, we'll start fresh."

Six postponements, excluding this one. Was that not enough?

When she first learned Cole and I were together, Olivia had rushed back to Baveloria and made a scene. He'd stood there stone-faced, swearing in front