As Guest teetered on the edge of the wall in her extravagant gown, her heart pounding louder than the nearby music, she couldn't believe her luck. Or rather, her lack thereof. Of all the ways to escape a forced marriage, scaling a wall in a wedding dress was certainly not what she had envisioned.

She couldn't fathom being forcibly wedded to Christopher Chahn Bahng, the notorious billionaire and mafia boss whose very name sent shivers down her spine, a man she had never met but feared nonetheless.

Guest had heard enough tales of his intimidating presence and cruel nature to dread the prospect of spending her life bound to him. Despite the supposed mutual benefits outlined by her parents, she vehemently opposed the marriage.

Hence, when the opportunity to escape presented itself, she seized it without hesitation, slipping out of the bridal suite when no one was around.

Her heart hammered in her chest as she wound through unfamiliar corridors and finally stumbled out the back exit, gasping for air when she reached the street.

Spotting a cab idling nearby, she rushed over, pulled open the door, and sank into the back seat, breathless. Clutching the lace of her gown to keep it from trailing outside, Guest closed the door with a solid click and nodded to the driver, urging him to move.

But the cab didn’t budge.

Annoyed, she looked up, but the words caught in her throat.

The man at the wheel wasn’t some unsuspecting driver. It was him—Bang Chan. The man she was about to marry. The infamous mafia boss himself. His dark eyes, calculating and piercing, met her through the rearview mirror.

A slight, smug smirk curved his lips as he watched her, his gaze a silent warning.

“Going somewhere?”