Chapter 1

Under the blazing sun, a young man sat on the curb. His name was Elijah Ludwig.

His dashing good looks and flawless skin stood out in stark contrast with his attire—a wide-brimmed straw hat, shabby clothes, and a pair of worn boots.

He was flipping through a stack of marriage agreements that looked faded with age, and the grumbles that escaped him made the surrounding passersby cast strange glances his way.

"What's wrong with that old fogey anyway? Why did he hand me nine marriage agreements upon my return to civilization? Does he expect me to marry nine wives?

"Jasperia… Surrence… the Southeastern Military Command region… and even Summiton as well? These places are all over the country! I only have a few bucks on me. I can't possibly travel to all these cities on foot!"

Elijah stared up at the sky and sighed, continuing, "How long will it take me to break off all these marriage agreements? Should I borrow some money from my nearest fiancée to cover the travel expenses first? The closest one is… Ciara Ludwig from Ashford?"

A strange look appeared on Elijah's face.

Meanwhile, after hearing what Elijah said, the commuters waiting around for the bus nearby tossed him questioning, scornful looks.

A respectably dressed, bespectacled man gave Elijah a thumbs-up as he remarked, "Hey, man. You sure know how to come up with tall tales. You're quite the expert, in fact!"

On the other hand, some people looked furious.

As it was, Ciara was famous in Ashford, a small city that neighbored the border of Summiton, the state capital. She was known for being a genius doctor in the city. Everyone called her a saint.

None of the young folks in Ashford dared to show Ciara any disrespect, even though some of them indulged in fanciful dreams about her, too.

And yet, Elijah had just claimed he wanted to break off a marriage agreement with Ciara. Moreover, he said he had eight other marriage agreements to break off, too!

The crowd couldn't believe that Elijah called himself Ciara's fiancé. He was dressed in an unkempt manner, and his boots were caked with dirt. Evidently, he was some kind of country bumpkin who came into the city to look for a job!

Rolling his eyes, Elijah scoffed at the onlookers. He couldn't be bothered to deal with their ignorance.

With a shake of his head, he continued leafing through the stack of marriage agreements and grumbled, "Who else… Charlotte Adler, the famed war hero of the Southeastern Military Command? Marissa Sutton, Hannah Sherman, and Sylvia Carter, known as the Three Beauties of Jasperia?"

Elijah scratched his head, feeling a headache coming on. "Oh. Here's another one that's nearby—Lynette Gray from Ashford.

"Did the old fogey make some kind of mistake? How can all these women have marriage agreements with me? All those heirs of privileged and influential families would go nuts if they heard about this."

The crowd couldn't take any more of Elijah's boastful statements.

A stout-looking man got up and roared, "Hey! Are you done yet? Watch it, or one of these days, your deluded bragging will come back to bite you in the ass! Do you even know who Lynette Gray is in Ashford?"

Everyone eyed Elijah as though he was a fool.

Lynette was the daughter of Thomas Gray, the richest man in Ashford. Unlike the Ludwigs, the Grays wielded great power in the city.

It was said that the family descended from the Grays of Langton, a historically significant family. The family was wealthy beyond imagination, and Lynette was considered a genius. Thomas had already put her in charge of the Gray family's business and assets.

Despite only being 26 years old, she was already the CEO of over 30 publicly traded companies owned by the Grays. It wouldn't be remiss to consider her the top heiress in all of Ashford.

Therefore, how could the crowd accept that Elijah was even fantasizing about being involved with Lynette? He even said she was one of his multiple fiancées!

Elijah shook his head. After all, ignorance limited a person's perspective. He didn't need to pay any attention to these foolish people. He rolled up the marriage agreements and stuffed them into his bag before making his way off.

The first order of business for him was to head over to the Ludwig family and look for Ciara.

Two young women were sitting at the bus stop, and one of them, Wendy Newell, couldn't hold back her laughter anymore.

In a melodious voice, Wendy muttered, "Did you hear that? You have a fiancé!"

She elbowed Lynette, the fair, brunette young woman beside her whose serious expression was partly hidden by the sunglasses she wore. Nevertheless, her captivating features and commanding presence couldn't be ignored.

It was quite a sight to see two remarkably attractive young women sitting at the otherwise nondescript bus stop.

Lynette remained expressionless as she ignored Wendy. She kept her eyes fixed on the road so that she could board the bus as soon as it arrived.

Ashford was filled with young, boastful men who harbored deluded ideas about her. She couldn't care less about their antics.

"It's so freaking hot out! It's all your fault. Why did you insist on experiencing what it's like for regular office workers to commute to and from work?

"If this keeps up, I'm going to get a heatstroke!" Wendy bemoaned as she undid one of her blouse buttons, revealing her collarbones. Her skin was dotted with sweat.

"I already miss the air conditioning in the sports car. By the way, Lyn, I heard you do have a fiancé. Is that true?"

Lynette frowned. She was told as a kid that she had a fiancé, but that felt like ancient history. Over two decades had passed, and she saw no sight of this rumored fiancé. Even the marriage agreement felt more like a piece of scrap paper.

Did that fiancé of hers truly exist?

Elijah's words left a sour taste in Lynette's mouth.

"Come. Let's go. The bus is about to arrive," Lynette said before rising to her feet. "I can't believe the bus only comes once every 30 minutes. And considering how hot it is right now, I should double the travel allowance for all the employees in the company."

As soon as she finished speaking, she was hit with a dizzy spell and instantly crumpled to the ground.

"Oh, no! Someone fainted!"

Elijah, who had only just left, turned around to look at the bus stop. The prettiest young woman he spotted earlier had suddenly fainted, while her companion seemed utterly helpless and panicked.

What a stroke of luck this was for him! He had been worried about money, and here was a chance for him to earn some.

Elijah had noticed Lynette and Wendy from the start and knew they had to come from privileged backgrounds. They were both sporting Chanel bracelets that were worth tens of thousands of dollars.

"Is anyone here a doctor?" Wendy shrieked. Kneeling beside Lynette, she was already crying in fear. "Lyn! Don't scare me like this!"

Wendy knew that if anything were to happen to Lynette, Thomas would rip her to pieces!

"I-I'm a doctor!"

A thin, slender-framed young man with gold-rimmed glasses came forward. Clutching his briefcase under his arm, he said with a slight hint of pride in his voice, "I'm a graduate student at Ashford Medical University. Let me take a look at her. She's probably suffering from a heatstroke."

There was a slight tinge of eagerness in his voice. Now was the perfect chance for him to showcase his abilities in front of two gorgeous young women.

Wendy was so agitated that she grabbed the man's hand and pleaded, "Please, help her quickly! Nothing can happen to Lyn. We'll be sure to thank you properly for your help!"

The young man swooned at the sensation of a woman grabbing his hand like that. He felt like he was floating on cloud nine.

Feeling tingly all over, he patted his chest and declared, "Rest assured, miss! I've completed a year's worth of clinical internship at a hospital. I'm a professional!"

He couldn't pass up the chance to rescue a damsel in distress! Perhaps after rescuing her, he would be blessed with a bashful display of gratitude. She might even ask for his contact details and offer to treat him to a meal.

The young man was already fantasizing about what could be. He saw the envious looks thrown his way from the crowd of onlookers. He even gulped when he stared at Lynette, who had been laid onto the bench. Her fair skin, spellbinding beauty, and sophisticated air made him drool.

Gulping once more, he stretched out a trembling hand to undo the buttons of Lynette's collar.

Just then, a roar rang out from behind, "Keep your hands off her! Leave it to me!"