"How could this happen?" Elara stood there in shock, unable to believe what Selene had just said. "But I remember I only took the card you gave me, I didn't take the wrong card! Selene, what's going on?"
Seeing that Elara had taken the bait, Selene immediately covered her face and feigned tears. "Oh God, maybe we all drank too much and picked up the wrong key cards? But if you marry Damien, what am I supposed to do? What about Archer? Elara, how could you be so selfish? Even if you don't care about me, have you even thought about him? Can you really forget everything he did for you during college?"
Elara's heart felt like it had been struck with a hammer. Her face paled as long-buried emotions surged back to the surface because of Selene's words.
"Archer's only been gone two months, and now you're marrying someone else! Elara, how could you be so cruel? I can't believe I trusted someone like you. I must have been blind! Both Archer and I trusted you, and this is how you repay us?" Selene forced out a few tears, staring at Elara with a look of betrayal and heartbreak.
Elara faltered. Her resolve was shaken.
"Elara, I'm sorry I slapped you earlier. I just... I couldn't handle it," Selene said, stepping forward and hugging her tightly. "Please, give Damien back to me, I'm begging you. I love him so much. You still have Archer—what about me? I have nothing left."
Tears streamed down Elara's face. "But what am I supposed to do, Selene? I'm no longer clean... and I'm carrying Damien's child. I don't want to marry him either, but if I don't, they'll take my baby away. What choice do I have?"
Her voice broke into sobs.
How could she not regret everything? Of course she did. But what escape did she have?
"Go to Archer!" Selene urged. "He loves you. You love him. You two are meant to be together. Tell him the truth—tell him it was a mistake, that you took the wrong room key. Tell him you never meant to betray him. He'll understand. He'll accept your child because he loves you that much."
"You don't love Damien, and he doesn't love you. Even if you marry him, you'll never be happy. Is that the life you want?"
Elara's eyes lit up. Selene is right.
She doesn't love Damien Rourke. He doesn't love her either. Marrying him would be a lifetime of misery.
She had to find Archer and tell him everything.
She loved him. They had so many beautiful memories together.
She had to ask him: If she was no longer pure, would he still want her?
Would he take her away, far from here, if she chose to follow him?
Would he accept her child as his own?
Suddenly, hope bloomed in her heart.
Archer was back, this was her chance.
Elara shoved Selene aside, grabbed the hem of her wedding dress, and ran barefoot out of the lounge.
The moment she burst through the doors, her wild expression startled the bodyguards waiting outside.
They stepped forward to stop her. "Young Mistress, the wedding is about to begin. Please return to the lounge."
Elara didn't care what they said. All she wanted now was to find Archer and leave this place behind forever.
She reached the side door of the church, almost out, when more guards blocked her path.
"Move! All of you, get out of my way!" Her smeared makeup streaked down her cheeks, and she looked utterly distraught.
She pushed and struggled, but the guards held firm.
"If you try to stop me again, I'll hurt myself!" Elara screamed in desperation. She pulled a hairpin from her hair and held it tremblingly against her belly. "If anything happens to the fourth generation of the Rourke family, can you bear the consequences?"
That stopped them. The guards glanced at one another in hesitation, no longer daring to act.
But just then, a cold and commanding voice rang out from behind her.
"Do you really think you can bear the consequences of threatening the fourth generation of the Rourke family?"
Elara froze. It was Damien.
"I… I didn't mean…" Her voice faltered.
"You threw away all sense of dignity just to see your ex-boyfriend?" Damien stepped forward, his imposing presence overwhelming. "Fine. You want to see him? Then I'll let you. If he's willing to take you away, we'll cancel the engagement."
Elara looked up at Damien in disbelief. What did he just say? He would really let her see Archer?
How did he even...
Just then, a car approached quietly and came to a stop in front of Elara.
The door opened, and a familiar figure stepped out.
Elara's eyes widened instantly.
It was Archer. He had really come back!
"Archer!" Elara cried out in joy. She wanted to tell him everything had been a misunderstanding. She wanted to ask if he would take her away from all of this and start anew.
She was about to run into his arms, but Archer recoiled and took a step back.
It was the first time he had seen so many bodyguards in black suits, and the first time he faced the powerful aura of Damien. He immediately lost his nerve.
Elara was stunned. Was this really her Archer? It was like just yesterday, he had been so gentle, chatting with her on WeChat about life abroad, showing off his confidence and charm. Why did he look so small and cowardly now?
"Archer... what's wrong? Did Damien do something to you?" Elara stepped forward, but Archer only retreated farther.
"No…" Archer mumbled, avoiding her gaze. The confident, carefree man she remembered was nowhere to be found.
Elara turned and glared at Damien. "What did you do to him?"
Damien casually began to unbutton his cufflinks. His presence became even more commanding, causing Archer to shrink back further in fear.
He walked toward them slowly, a mocking glint in his eyes. "What could I have done? I simply invited the person you were so desperate to see."
"You… what are you trying to do?" Archer asked nervously, his eyes darting around like a trapped animal.
Elara didn't know much about cars, but Archer did. The vehicle he had just arrived in was worth at least ten million yuan. The number of elite-looking bodyguards surrounding them only confirmed what he feared—these people weren't ordinary.
"I just want to ask Mr. Lang one simple question." Damien gestured, and Jack stepped forward with a box, placing it on the hood of the car Archer had arrived in. He opened the box.
"You… what are you saying? Elara has always been priceless to me..." Archer trailed off the moment his eyes landed on the contents.
"Fifty million," Damien said, gently pushing the box forward.
"I... I can't put a price on her…" Archer stammered, but before he could finish, Assistant Jack placed a second box on the hood and opened it.
Archer fell silent.
"One hundred million." Damien's smirk deepened.
Elara's heart sank. She turned to look at Damien, her face pale, eyes filled with dread. What was he planning?
Jack brought over both boxes once more, opening them again and placing them directly in front of Archer.
"Not a fan of RMB? How about U.S. dollars?" Damien's tone was laced with ridicule. "This adds up to five hundred million USD."
Archer was completely stunned.
Elara's sense of foreboding exploded. She already knew what was about to happen. She turned to Archer, eyes pleading.
No, Archer, please don't. Don't do this.
Our love can't be bought.
You told me it was priceless. You said we would build our future together with our own hands.
But Archer's eyes were already starting to change. He was transfixed.
Five hundred million dollars.
That was over three billion yuan!
He had never seen so much money before. No—he had never even dreamed of it.
Before he realized what he was doing, Archer dropped to his knees—not in front of Damien, but in front of the money, in front of the overwhelming temptation and power.
Elara's heart shattered. Her face turned deathly pale.
"Mr. Archer Lang, I'm simply giving you a choice," Damien said with a cold smile. The sarcasm in his voice was unmistakable, but there was also pity. "You can choose to marry this woman right now in this church, and run away with her. Or you can walk away with the money. Oh, and that limited edition Bentley outside is yours too, if you want it."
At those words, Archer's head snapped up. His eyes lit up with pure, undisguised greed.
Yes—he was surprised.
No. No, no, no. Elara stared at him in disbelief. That expression—those eyes...
Archer no longer saw her. He saw only the money. The car. The life he had always dreamed of.
And now, it was right in front of him, if he just reached out and took it.
It was so easy.
Was this a dream?