My arranged fiancé was chosen by lot
I told my dad to leave it to fate and draw lots.
In my past life, I had chosen without hesitation the man I'd long admired: Neil Bauer, the most eligible bachelor of Astor Hill's elites.
But after we got married, I found out the truth.
His first love—the girl he had always held dear, Kama Sinclair—was devastated by our marriage. One night, heartbroken, she went out drinking and was assaulted by a group of thugs.
Kama attempted suicide three times after that.
And Neil blamed it all on me.
He handed over my family's fortune to Kama, draining every last cent from the Edwards.
In the end, Neil even helped her cut the brake lines on our car.
My parents and I died in that crash.
Now that I'd been given a second chance at life, the name I drew was Jared Mond—the reclusive heir from Orchard Valley, known for shunning the world and dedicating himself to Buddhism.
But when I showed up arm-in-arm with Jared at our engagement party, Neil lost his mind.
*****
I placed Jared Mond's photo in front of my parents.
They exchanged a look—clearly uneasy.
"Janet," my dad began, "we know you've liked Neil since you were little. Maybe you should reconsider—"
I shook my head.
"If this is what fate chose, maybe I should try going along with it… just this once."
I already knew how things would end if I forced that marriage to happen.
Seeing that I was firm in my decision, my parents gave in with a sigh.
"All right. We'll reach out to the Monds and discuss the engagement. But Janet, both the Edwards and the Monds are high-profile families. To avoid any unnecessary trouble, we should keep this quiet until the actual engagement party."
I agreed. But on my way to a charity gala that night, reporters swarmed me. Somehow, the news was leaked.
"Miss Edward! Have you chosen which family you'll be engaged to?"
Another reporter jumped in before I could speak.
"Everyone knows you're in love with the Bauers' son. It must be him, right?"
I looked up and met Neil Bauer's eyes as he stepped into the venue.
Surrounded by cameras and press, his expression was as cold and dismissive as always.
"Excuse us."
His bodyguards pushed the reporters aside. He walked past them without hesitation, pulling a pale-faced Kama Sinclair into his arms.
"My heart has always belonged to Kama," he said. "Even if I'm forced to marry someone else for the sake of the family, I will never give a single shred of my love to anyone but her."
Kama's cheeks flushed pink as she clung tightly to his waist.
Nearby, a few socialites—girls who had never liked me—giggled quietly.
"So what if she's the number one heiress? Mr.Bauer clearly wants nothing to do with her. All that wealth, and he's still into the daughter of a nouveau riche."
"She's such a disgrace to the Edwards. She threw herself at Neil just to play second lead to Kama."
Their voices got louder, the mockery sharper. Kama lifted her head from Neil's chest and gave me a smug, triumphant look.
I turned away and focused on the event.
Of all things, the organizers had to seat Neil right next to me.
He sat down with tension in his jaw, still clearly upset.
"Janet Edward." Neil snapped. "How many times do I have to say it? I don't want to marry you. Why won't you just let me go?"
I'd heard that line more times than I could count. It still hurts, even now.
"I'm not holding on to you." I said quietly.
He slammed his fist onto the table, eyes full of disgust.
"Then why do you keep forcing this? Just because your family outranks mine, you think you can decide my future for me?"
"You're stomping all over my dignity. Even if we do end up married, don't expect me to ever look at you."
And he meant it. In my last life, he didn't give me a single ounce of affection.
Just then, the woman he claimed to love walked over. Her eyes were glistening with tears. She didn't say a word before dropping to her knees in front of me.
"Miss Edward, I know you hate me. But my parents didn't do anything wrong. When you had security throw them out, my father almost had a heart attack.
"I'm begging you, please leave us alone. I'll even back off and let you have Neil, if that's what it takes…"
Kama's voice cracked by the last few words. I hadn't even processed what she was implying when Neil stepped forward and helped her up. When he turned to look at me, his gaze carried something new—hatred.
"This has nothing to do with Kama," he said sharply. "Why would you treat her like that?"
The accusation came out of nowhere.
"I didn't—"
"You really were spoiled rotten, weren't you?" he cut me off. "So spoiled you think the world should bend to you."
Before I could even respond, someone nearby stepped up with an overly eager smile, holding out a gift box.
"Mr.Bauer, a little something to celebrate your engagement to Miss Edward—"
Before he finished, Neil snatched the box and hurled it at me.
"Janet," he growled, "apologize to Kama."
"If you don't, I'll call off the engagement. I don't care if the Bauers aren't as powerful as the Edwards, I will not marry an evil woman like you!"
...
The box was beautifully wrapped, but one sharp corner sliced my chin open as it hit me.
There was a collective gasp around the room, but no one dared step forward.
I raised my hand to touch my face. Blood streaked across my palm.
The way Neil looked at me—cold, furious, disgusted—was exactly how he'd looked in my past life whenever he humiliated me for Kama.
Something inside me froze over.
"I won't apologize for something I didn't do."
"Fine," he said. "Then don't come crying to me later!"
With that, he turned and walked out, his arm around Kama.
My parents were horrified when they saw the cut on my chin. They rushed me home and called our private doctor to treat it immediately.
Watching their anxious faces, I felt something I hadn't expected—relief.
Thank God I was given a second chance. A chance to do things differently.
This time, my parents were still alive. The Edwards' fortune was still ours.
And I was going to stay as far away from Neil and Kama as humanly possible.
A few days later, the Monds sent over the engagement gifts. The boxes filled the entire first floor of our estate.
Among them was a family heirloom bracelet, passed down through generations of Monds. A clear sign of how much they valued this match.
I felt a sharp pang in my chest.
In my last life, the Bauers had known how deeply I loved Neil—and still, they told people they didn't approve of me. Said I had begged and clung until they "reluctantly" let their son marry me.
There was no engagement party. No gifts. The "wedding" was just a meal shared between our two families.
I still remembered his parents mocking me at the dinner table. The way Neil looked at me like I was nothing.
Now, comparing that to how the Monds treated me—I knew, without a doubt, I was lucky to have this do-over.
So I decided: I would personally choose Jared's engagement gift.
At a century-old tailor shop, I was discussing cufflink designs with the master craftsman when the doorbell rang.
Neil walked in, hand-in-hand with Kama.
He spotted me and immediately frowned.
"What are you doing here?"
The tailor answered on my behalf.
"Miss Edward wanted to personally design her fiancé's engagement outfit. She has quite the eye for detail."
Neil glanced at the sketches on the table, then scoffed.
"I've told you a hundred times—I don't want to marry you. No matter what you do, I'm not changing my mind.
"And I hate initials on cufflinks. That's so tacky."
I looked at the sketch in front of me. The letter "L" was engraved into the design.
He clearly thought it was for him.
"Actually, those are for—"
"Neil, this dress is gorgeous!" Kama suddenly gasped, stepping past me to run her fingers across a crimson gown on display.
Neil's expression softened. "If you like it, have the tailor make you one just like it."
"But I want to wear this dress tonight," she said sweetly. "You promised to take me to the concert."
His smile returned, and without hesitation, he turned to the tailor.
"Alter the dress to Kama's measurements. We need it ready for tonight."
I frowned. "Neil, that's my engagement dress."
He didn't even blink. "I'm busy. I don't have time for whatever party the Edwards are throwing."
"And honestly, Kama looks better in that dress than you ever could."
Kama had her back to him. The smug look on her face said it all.
Still, her words came out laced with guilt.
"Miss Edward, if you don't want to give it up, that's fine. A dress this elegant… there's no way nobody like me deserves to wear it."
"Don't be ridiculous," Neil said without hesitation. "The woman I love could never be a nobody. Janet is just living off her parents. She's not so high and mighty herself."
With that, he handed the dress over to the tailor.
The old tailor didn't move. He stood there, calmly waiting for my instructions.
After all, the Edwards had been this shop's top patron for generations, going all the way back to his great-great-grandfather.
Neil clearly didn't like that.
"You—"
"She wants it?" I interrupted Neil. "Then let Miss Sinclair have it."
Neil finally seemed satisfied.
"Since you're being reasonable," he said, smug as ever, "I'll have dinner with you once a month after we're married."
The way he said that was like he was doing me a huge favor.
In that moment, something clicked.
The change in his attitude had started the moment he learned the Edwards were the most powerful family in the country, while the Bauers barely made it into the top ten.
I used to love how fearless he was when we were younger, how he never measured a person's worth by money or status.
But after that, he started using "you Edwards" like a curse. Constantly reminding me that I was nothing without my parents. Always putting me down, always mocking me, and using my love for him as an excuse to say the cruelest things.
Truth was, he was insecure.
The thought made me laugh.
"Neil, what makes you so sure I'm going to marry you?"
...
Neil smirked, like I'd just told the world's funniest joke.
"You've been chasing me since we were kids," he scoffed. "Every birthday wish was the same—you wanted to marry me when you turned twenty.
"Well, you're twenty now. Do you think you'll marry someone else?"
Kama snuggled into his chest, a smug edge in her voice.
"Though I guess with the Edwards' status, every heir in the country's probably fighting to marry her."
"She could have every prince on his knees—she'd still only want to marry me," said Neil.
With that, the two turned and walked out.
Before leaving, Neil tossed one last order to the tailor.
"Have the dress altered and sent to my house. And those tacky cufflinks—make them square. No initials."
The tailor watched him go, then turned to me with a sigh.
"Miss Edward, should we…"
"If she wants it, she can have it," I said, sitting back down and sketching again. "I'll design something new. And forget what he said about the cufflinks. He's not my fiancé. He doesn't get a say."
That night, I had a friend's birthday party.
Halfway through the night, Kama finally arrived—late, of course. One of Neil's bodyguards followed behind, carrying a red plastic bag.
He placed it down by my feet.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Miss Edward. I was going to return the dress right after the concert, but Neil insisted we stay a little longer… in the car.
"But Miss Edward is famous for being generous. I'm sure you don't mind, right?"
I looked down at the bag.
The 3 million dollar dress was stuffed inside like a rag, crumpled into a wrinkled ball.
What's worse was the white stains that stood out starkly against the crimson fabric.
The people around me gasped. Some were angry for me. Others just watched with amusement.
"Kama's picking a fight with Janet right in her face, yet she's still keeping calm. Guess Janet really is head over heels for Neil."
"Janet can love him all she wants. Mr.Bauer only has eyes for Kama."
"Pathetic. The Edwards' only daughter being humiliated like that… at this rate, the whole family business might as well belong to the Bauers."
I looked away, not even bothering to react and called for someone to throw it out.
"If Miss Sinclair likes it, that's all that matters."
My indifference made Kama's smugness fall flat. She clenched her fists and stalked off to the last table, the one reserved just for her.
On Kama's account that had millions of followers, she posted a photo with the caption:
"A perfect day: the right dress, the right hand to hold, listening to music I love."
The image showed her and Neil holding hands, kissing like no one else existed.
Almost immediately, the media started digging through my old posts—especially the ones where I'd publicly confessed to Neil. They lined them up next to Kama's and turned it into an online roast session.
The worst part? Neil liked one of the top comparison videos.
That made everything worse and added fuel to fire.
"Janet Edward humiliated" became a meme.
I deleted my account without another word and sent a message to our company's PR team.
Ten minutes later, all the related posts and trending hashtags were wiped clean.
...
The day before the engagement party.
I stopped by the office to handle some documents, but before I could even settle in, two of theBauers' bodyguards forced me into a black SUV and drove me straight to their estate.
As soon as I stepped inside, I saw Kama crying on the sofa, tears falling like she was performing for a camera crew.
Neil sat beside her, whispering sweetly into her ear.
But the second he saw me, his expression turned icy.
"Janet Edward, you've gone too far. All Kama did was post something online, and you had all her accounts taken down? You know she makes her living on social media. You've just destroyed her future!"
I frowned, completely caught off guard.
"I only had my name and related tags removed. That's all. I didn't do anything to her account."
"Still lying?" he snapped. "Who else could pull that off but you? Admit it—you're jealous!"
"I didn't—"
I barely got the words out before a cold, mocking voice rang out from the staircase.
"Arguing with your fiancé before the engagement party? Is this how the Edwards raise their daughter?"
MargotBauer took a seat across from me with a haughty look.
Neil's father, Kerwin Bauer, who used to bow respectfully in front of me just weeks ago, now sat with one leg crossed over the other.
"Janet," he said, "we don't approve of spoiled princesses like you. But since we've heard you're desperate to marry our son, we'll allow it.
"On one condition: you should give us fifty percent of the entire Edwards estate."
I let out a laugh in disbelief and shook my head, ready to reject it outright.
But before I could speak, one of the bodyguards behind me jabbed me hard in the knee.
I gasped in pain and collapsed to the floor.
Margot waved her hand, and a maid appeared, holding a tray of tea.
"You'll be our daughter-in-law soon anyway," she said with a smirk. "No harm in having you serve me some tea a little early."
...
"Miss Edward," the maid said, pushing a cup toward me. "You'll need to kneel and serve this to MadamBauer."
She shoved a hot cup of tea into my hands. I barely touched it before the heat burned my skin. The cup slipped from my hand and shattered on the marble floor.
"Janet! You haven't even learned basic respect for your elders?" Neil shouted.
I looked down at my reddened fingers and shook my head.
"I'll only serve tea to my in-laws. Since you don't want to marry me, and I don't want to marry you, why should I?"
I planted a hand on the floor and tried to stand, but the bodyguards seized my arms and held me in place.
I fought back with everything I had.
"What do you think you're doing?! I'm the daughter of the Edwards! How dare you treat me like this?!"
Margot stepped forward, furious, and slapped me across the face.
The impact stunned me, as if every slap from my past life came rushing back in that moment.
"The engagement party is tomorrow, and you're still acting out?!"
"Neil, look at this girl. This is who you want to marry? She has no manners nor respect!"
Neil didn't even glance at me.
"She's the one who begged to marry me. If not for her clinging to me, I'd be marrying Kama."
Kama burst into tears again.
"Neil, I've dreamed of marrying you… but my family doesn't have power. We could never go against someone like the Edwards."
She sobbed harder, and Neil's expression softened. He walked over and looked down at me like I was trash on the floor.
"You're the one who schemed to get this engagement party, Janet. Isn't this exactly what you wanted?"
Chapter 5
"Fine," Neil said coldly. "But you have to agree—after we're married, you're not allowed to interfere with any of my decisions. And you're not going back to the Edwards. You'll live in our house, take care of my parents, and look after Kama and me."
A maid brought over a prenup and placed it in front of me.
Printed right at the top was this:
[50% of the Edwards' total assets to be included as wedding gift to theBauers]
I clenched my hands, refusing to sign. My eyes burned red as I glared at him.
"Neil! I'm not even marrying you!"
Margot seized the moment and slapped me hard across the face.
"Is this the kind of girl the great Edwards raised? To be disobedient and disrespectful to her future husband?!
"Looks like someone needs to teach you proper manners before you embarrass theBauers after marriage. Don't worry, I'll do the job your parents clearly failed at."
That day, I lost count of how many times I was slapped…
How many times they forced my hand onto a contract…
Before they let me go, they gave one final demand:
At the engagement party, I was to wear a green dress.
Because Margot and Kama would be wearing red.
I couldn't help but find it absurd.
...
The next day, at the engagement party.
I showed up in a brand new red gown I had designed myself.
My parents and the Monds were inside, chatting with guests. I stood at the door to welcome more guests.
Just before noon, theBauers made their grand entrance.
Their clothes screamed for attention. Kama was latched onto Neil's arm, wearing a vibrant red gown, while he wore black beside her—as if they were the very picture of a newly wed.
Normally, Kerwin would be bowing and smiling to everyone.
Today? Chin up, chest out—as if he were the most important person in the room.
Margot's face darkened the second she saw me still wearing red.
"Where are your parents?" she snapped. "I need to know what kind of family raises someone with no sense of etiquette!"
We had invited some prominent guests, and I didn't want to cause a scene.
"They're inside. You can go in and—"
Before I could finish, she jabbed her finger hard into my shoulder.
"I said bring them out!"
I flinched and took a step back. From the corner of my eye, I saw Neil approaching with a blank, uninterested face.
He stepped beside me, as if he were there to help greet the guests.
"You got what you wanted, Janet. Hope you're happy," he said under his breath. "But don't get too comfortable. You may have me—but you'll never have my heart."
His words dripped with resentment, like I had ruined his life just by existing.
"Neil, I think there's been a huge misunderstanding. I actually—"
"You're ignoring me?" Margot cut in, raising her voice. "Did you forget how you knelt and begged yesterday?"
She held up her phone and played the video of me on the floor.
Gasps spread through the room. People stopped to watch. Some even started filming on their phones.
Reporters near the entrance caught wind of the chaos and pushed past the barricade.
"Miss Edward, is this your future mother-in-law asserting dominance?"
"Is kneeling a sign of submission? Are the Edwards bowing to the Bauers now?"
My breath caught in my throat. I waved for security before grabbing Neil's arm.
"Neil! Make her take the video down!"
But he stepped aside and calmly adjusted his tie.
"If this teaches you how to respect your in-laws, then I don't see the problem with a little humiliation."
"You—
"Neil, your whole family is insane!"
"You begged to marry into this family. What right do you have to insult us?" Neil sneered.
That was the last straw.
I grabbed the nearest bottle off the table and raised it, ready to throw it right at his head.
But just as I lifted it, a hand gently closed around my wrist.
I turned.
There stood Jared, dressed in crisp white. His gaze was calm but piercing.
"Mr.Bauer," he said coolly, "how many lives do you think your mother has to dare force my fiancée to kneel?"
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