The Deposit Sent Him to Jail

At the engagement party, my fianc Lucas and his mother suddenly pulled out a Prenuptial Promise Agreement and handed it to me.

Aria, since we're about to get married, just sign this agreement.

I took the agreement and opened it:

[The bride must guarantee she is a virgin before marriage and deposit $300,000 as a "virginity guarantee deposit" into the mother-in-law's account]

[If the bride is found not to be a virgin after marriage, the $300,000 will be fully forfeited, and the bride's salary must be handed over in full to repay the groom's brother's mortgage]

My mother trembled with rage.

"Are you marrying a wife or buying a slave?"

But Lucas just spread his hands with an innocent expression.

"Ma'am, girls these days are too wild. If Aria really is a virgin, what's there to be afraid of signing this?"

Lucas's mother's wrinkled face scrunched together as she pressed her hand firmly on the back of mine.

"Aria, don't blame Lucas for being cautious."

"These days, girls out there have wild heartswho knows who they've been with behind closed doors?"

"The Miller family is a respectable household. Lucas's brother Tyler is still in school, and we'll need plenty of money going forward."

"If you put this $300,000 into my account, it's your 'proof of loyalty,' showing that you only have the Miller family in your heart. I'll definitely treat you like my own daughter from now on."

My mother was shaking with anger, her knuckles white from gripping her wine glass.

"Lucas, Aria has been with you for three years. Hasn't she been good enough to you? Why should Aria use her salary to fill the hole for your brother's house?"

Lucas took a sip of champagne, the alcohol spraying on my face.

His refined features twisted.

"Ma'am, please don't get upset."

He set down his glass with a light clink.

Then he turned to look at me, his eyes gentle.

"Aria, our family is very traditional. Look at the relatives at this tablewhose wife wasn't a virgin before marriage? Three hundred thousand dollars buys peace of mind and reputation."

"If you're really as pure as you say, what's the difference between the money being in your mother's account or my mother's account?"

"Unless..."

He drew out the sound, his gaze sweeping over my chest and waist, making me nauseous.

"Unless your body has long since lost that value."

The Miller family relatives around us started whispering, their voices growing louder.

"Exactly, Lucas is such a steady young man. These terms aren't excessive."

"Young people these dayswho knows how wild they are in private?"

"The Millers are honest people who've been burned before."

"Aria seems like a smart girl, but making such a fuss over signing somethinghow immature."

Lucas's best man, Derek, shouted loudly.

"Aria, just sign it! Lucas is giving you this opportunity because he loves you."

"Our Lucas is a manager at a publicly traded company. Girls lining up to date him could stretch to Paris. He's being generous just waiting for you."

"This $300,000 is Lucas giving you face!"

I looked down at the "Prenuptial Promise Agreement," feeling suffocated.

Just then, my phone buzzed in my purse.

It was a confirmation message from my best friend Bella.

I glanced at it, then took a deep breath and gripped the pen tightly.

Seeing this, Lucas's mother pushed the ink pad toward me, its bright red color glaring.

"Sign it, Aria."

Lucas's voice was low, carrying undeniable pressure.

"The car convoy is still waiting outside. We still need to go to your house for the bride pickup ceremony."

"If you back out now, where will your father the university professor put his face?"

I looked up and met Lucas's eyesso certain I wouldn't dare resist.

He was sure I would sign, sure I wouldn't dare make a scene in this setting.

He didn't know that the DNA test report in my purse had been there for a week.

I held the pen. The whole room fell silent.

"Lucas," I spoke, my voice cold, "if I sign, can you guarantee you'll treat me well for the rest of our lives?"

"Absolutely!" Joy flashed in Lucas's eyes as he reached out to put his arm around my shoulder. "As long as you're obedient, you'll have the final say in our family."

I dodged his hand, the pen tip touching the paper with a sound.

Instead of signing my name directly, I quickly added a line of small text after the virginity clause.

[If the groom conceals an illegitimate child before marriage or commits major deception, he must compensate the bride $3 million and leave the marriage with nothing.]

Then I signed "Aria Carter" and slapped the agreement down in front of Lucas.

Lucas froze, not expecting me to pull this move.

His mother couldn't read the fine print clearly. Seeing only that I had pressed my red thumbprint, she smiled broadly and snatched the paper to tuck into her clothes.

"Good, good that you signed!"

"Lucas, quick, pour Aria some wine. We're all one family now!"

But Lucas's expression darkened.

He stared hard at that line of text, the muscles in his jaw twitching.

"Aria, what is this supposed to mean?"

He lowered his voice, his tone angry.

"Illegitimate child? Have you lost your mind? Everyone knows my character!"

I picked up my wine glass and swirled it, watching the clear liquid.

"Lucas, since you think purity and honesty are the foundation of marriage."

"Then I'm adding this clause. You shouldn't have any objections, right?"

"After all, if you're innocent, what's there to be afraid of signing this?"

I threw his words right back at him.

Lucas's best man Derek leaned over to look, but Lucas shoved him away.

"What are you looking at! Eat your food!"

Lucas shouted once, then turned back with a forced smile.

"Fine, Aria. You've got guts. We'll see about this."

The banquet returned to its lively state.

But no one at the main table was talking.

My mother held my hand, her palm covered in cold sweat.

She leaned close to my ear, her voice trembling.

"Aria, let's leave. We're not going through with this wedding. This family's heart is too black."

"Mom, it's not time yet." I patted the back of her hand. "Some accounts need to be settled in front of the whole world to be truly satisfying."

Lucas's brother Tyler, that twelve-year-old boy, was grabbing at chicken drumsticks and eating with oil all over his mouth.

He looked at me sideways, his eyes full of hostility and greed.

"Aria, my brother said that from now on all the money you earn has to go toward buying me a house."

Tyler mumbled indistinctly.

"My brother also said your family's old house will have to be put in my name too. Because when you marry my brother, it becomes our family's property."

My mother's eyes looked ready to pop out.

"Lucas, is this how you teach children?"

Lucas's mother slapped the back of Tyler's head.

"What nonsense is this child spouting!"

Lucas covered his mouth and coughed, then picked up his glass to toast the next table.

His steps were clearly somewhat unsteady.

I watched his retreating figure, a smile playing at my lips.

Tyler's face looked exactly like Lucas's.

Especially the black mole behind the ear.

Lucas said he was an "old-age baby" his mother had at forty.

But what "old-age baby" would look so identical to his older brother?

I stood up, excusing myself to go to the restroom.

Pushing open the private room door, I saw Lucas standing in the shadows of the fire escape corridor, roaring into his phone.

"Didn't I just transfer you five thousand?"

"How much more do you want? I'm telling you, today is my engagement day. Don't push me!"

A woman's crying and shouting came through the phone, especially piercing in the empty hallway.

"Tyler is your son too. You can't just ignore him!"

"If I can't get that $300,000, I'm taking the kid to make a scene at your office!"

I gripped my phone and pressed the record button.

Lucas was panting in the shadows, his back tense.

"Madison, listen carefully!"

His voice was very low, his tone vicious.

"That idiot Aria has already signed. As soon as that $300,000 comes through, I'll transfer it to you immediately."

"I'm also figuring out the mortgage situation. Her salary card will be managed by my mom from now onyou won't be short on child support."

"Now shut up and stay put with the kid!"

The woman on the other end was still relentless.

Lucas punched the wall with a dull thud.

"Don't talk to me about status. You were the one who insisted on having the baby. Now you want legitimacy?"

"Dream on!"

"Aria's father is a professor. Her family has prestige and respectability. What can you give me?"

"Besides demanding money, what else can you do?"

I stood behind the door, dizzy with rage.

Three years.

I'd been with him for three years.

I thought he climbed so desperately because his family was poor.

I thought he was so indulgent with his brother because he loved his family.

Turns out I was just his cash cow to support his illegitimate child.

Turns out that $300,000 "virginity deposit" was hush money for his ex-girlfriend!

"Who's there?"

Lucas turned around, his gaze sweeping toward the corner where I was hiding.

I didn't hide. I pushed open the fire door and walked out, waving my still-recording phone.

Lucas's face instantly turned deathly pale. His whole body froze.

"A-Aria? When did you get there?"

He stammered, taking a step back.

I walked toward him as he kept backing away with each step I took.

"From when you called me an idiot. From when you said you'd use my salary to support your son."

"Lucas, you've calculated this so wellI could hear the clicking of your abacus from three floors away."

The panic on Lucas's face quickly turned into something sinister.

"Aria, give me the phone."

He reached out his hand, his tone dark.

"You heard wrong. That was... that was Derek's situation. I was helping him handle some trouble."

"Helping Derek handle an illegitimate child? Lucas, do you think I'm three years old?"

I jerked backward, avoiding his lunging hand.

"Tyler has the exact same mole behind his ear as you do."

"The DNA report is in my purse. How long are you going to keep pretending?"

Lucas's pupils contracted sharplyhe hadn't expected I'd actually gotten a DNA test.

"You followed me?"

"You actually dared to investigate me?"

He shrieked, then glanced at the guests outside.

He dropped to his knees in front of me with a thud, his hands gripping my thighs tightly.

"Aria, I was wrong!"

"It was an accident. I was young and foolish back thenMadison trapped me."

"I do love you! If I didn't love you, why would I go to such lengths to marry you?"

"I just wanted to cut ties with her, so I wanted to use this money to send her away."

"Help me, just this once. As long as we get married, I promise I'll never see them again!"

Looking at his tearful face, I only felt disgusted.

"Let go!"

I struggled desperately, my high heels leaving black marks on his suit pants.

"Lucas, you make me sick."

"This wedding is off. Get lost!"

"Off?"

Lucas looked up, tears still on his face but his eyes ice-cold.

"Aria, saying you want to call it off nowit's too late!"

"There are over a hundred relatives watching outside. Does your father's reputation mean nothing?"

"You signed the paper. That $300,000you're giving it whether you want to or not!"

He suddenly stood up and grabbed my wrist, sending sharp pain through it.

"Delete the recording and come back with me to toast."

"Otherwise, I guarantee you won't walk out of this hotel today!"

"Lucas, have you lost your mind?"

Tears welled up from the pain, but I protected my phone with all my strength.

"I have lost my minddriven crazy by self-righteous women like you!"

Lucas dragged me toward the private room.

"You think you're so high and mighty? You think your good background makes you special?"

"In my eyes, you're just an ATM!"

"If you know what's good for you, cooperate obediently. We can finish this act and go our separate ways afterward."

"But if you dare ruin my event, I'll make your whole family pay!"

Pushing open the private room door, the malice disappeared from Lucas's face.

He put on an expression of deep grievance.

"Mom, Aria... she wants to call off the engagement!"

Lucas called out with a sob in his voice, and the entire banquet hall instantly erupted.

Lucas's mother had been bragging about that agreement to several relatives. Hearing this, she jumped up.

"What? Call off the engagement?"

"Aria, what's wrong with you?"

"You've already signed, already pressed your thumbprintwhat are you making a fuss about now?"

My mother rushed over and pulled me from Lucas's grasp.

Seeing the purple finger marks on my wrist, her eyes turned red.

"Lucas, what did you do to my daughter?"

"We're calling off this engagement. It must be called off!"

"Fine, call it off. But hand over the $300,000."

His mother stood with hands on hips, spittle flying.

"And the money for this engagement party, and all the money Lucas spent on you these three yearsnot a penny less!"

"You tramp, trying to run off with the money before even entering our door? No way!"

The surrounding relatives also crowded around.

Every one of them glared at me, pointing and gossiping.

"The Carter girl is too outrageous. Who calls off an engagement at the engagement party?"

"She must have someone else on the side and feels guilty."

"Just look at hershe doesn't seem like a decent girl. Poor Lucas."

I broke free from my mother, walked to the main table, and grabbed the microphone.

Lucas realized what I was about to do and rushed over like a madman to snatch it.

"Aria, don't you dare!"

"Stop him!"

Though my mother didn't know what was happening, she still blocked Lucas's path with all her might.

Derek and several groomsmen also surrounded us, the scene descending into chaos.

Lucas's mother rushed toward my purse, shrieking.

"A report! Lucas said she has some report in her purse."

"It must be a report about her and some wild man!"

She ripped open my leather purse, contents scattering everywhere.

A blue folder fell to the ground, its cover reading: [Paternity Test Report].

The entire room fell silent.

Lucas's mother froze. She couldn't read, but she recognized photos.

Inside the report was a comparison photo of Tyler and Lucas drinking water.

Bella had secretly taken it.

"What's this?"

"Isn't that just Lucas and Tyler?"

His mother muttered, her eyes evasive.

Seeing this, Lucas completely lost it.

He knew that once the truth came out, the image he'd carefully cultivated at work would be completely destroyed.

"Aria, I'll kill you."

He roared, randomly grabbing a heavy fire extinguisher from the table and swinging it down at my head.

"Aria, watch out!"

My mother screamed and lunged to shield me.

I stood in place, a smile playing at my lips, not dodging at all.

At that moment, an electric current suddenly sounded from the banquet hall's four speakers.

Then Lucas's calculating voice echoed throughout the venue.

[That idiot Aria has already signed. As soon as that $300,000 comes through, I'll transfer it to you immediately...]

[Tyler is your son too. You can't just ignore him...]

The fire extinguisher stopped less than four inches from my head.

Lucas froze mid-air.

His face turned from red to blue, then to ashen gray.

All the guestsover a hundred peoplegaped, staring hard at the big screen.

On the screen, where wedding photos had been playing, now scrolled video of Lucas in the fire escape corridor, roaring into his phone.

It was Bella.

I'd arranged for her to go to the control booth beforehand, waiting for exactly this moment.

"Lucas," I spoke:

"Hmph, $300,000 virginity deposit. Do you think your life is worth that price?"