My Wallet, His Rules

I'm Isabelle Thorne, the sole heiress to Thorne Industries.
When I was ten, my grandfather handpicked four boys from an orphanage to groom as potential husbands. They were to be cultivated into brilliant men, with the hope that one of them would one day stand by my side, helping me helm the Thorne empire.
The business world called them the "Four Prodigies of Crestwood."
But they all seemed to keep me, the heiress, at a careful distance.
Even Aiden Vance, the one I had secretly adored for years, had given his heart to someone else.
Now, from his sickbed, my grandfather asked me which one I would choose.
I left my fate to the spin of a wheel, a random draw to decide my future husband. I never imagined it would land on the most rebellious of them all: Caleb Blackwood.
At our engagement party, however, Aiden showed up, his eyes bloodshot, and begged me not to cast him aside.
I just offered him a small, cool smile and dangled our freshly signed marriage certificate in front of his face. "You're too late, Mr. Vance. My husband is taking me home now."
As I turned away, I heard the sound of shattering porcelain behind me, followed by Aiden's choked, desperate whisper.

1.
My grandfather’s gaze settled on the name at the top of the list, his brow furrowed in concern.
"Isabelle, are you sure? We can choose someone else."
I knew what he was worried about. For years, anyone with eyes could see how I felt about Aiden Vance. Whenever he was in the room, my attention drifted to him like a compass needle to true north.
The joke was, he never once looked back.
I shook my head. "No, Grandpa."
"I believe this is fate."
He sighed, knowing better than to argue. He knew that once I'd made up my mind, a team of wild horses couldn't drag me in another direction.
When I stepped out of the study, the four men were lounging on the sofas in the living room, chatting casually.
"So, Izzy, who did you pick?" Leo Martinez asked, his eyes dancing with a familiar, gossipy light. He was always the most animated of the group.
Ryan Sterling slung an arm around Aiden’s shoulders, grinning. "Do you even have to ask? It’s gotta be our boy Aiden. The man’s got charm; he was bound to win the prize!"
Aiden shoved his arm off with a look of disgust, his cold eyes landing on me.
"Even if your grandfather forces me to marry you, I will never love you. My heart will always belong to Georgia."
A bitter laugh escaped me, but the familiar sting in my heart was impossible to ignore. Ever since we were children, whenever someone bullied me, he was always the first to step in, my self-appointed protector.
Back then, I truly believed he was my knight, my fated prince.
But everything changed the summer he turned seventeen.
Seeing my silence, his tone softened, though it was laced with condescension. "We can be married in name only, but we can't announce it to the public. And I'm going to keep seeing Georgia. You are not to do anything to hurt her."
The words were a slap to my pride.
What did he take me for? Some desperate, scheming woman willing to do anything to marry him?
I shot back a cold smile. "What makes you so sure I'd ever choose you?"
Aiden scoffed, his eyes dripping with contempt. "Not choose me? Isabelle, who else could you possibly choose?"
His arrogance was nauseating. What on earth gave this man the right to think I was his for the taking? Just because I’d been foolish enough to love him once?
"You really don't have to disgust me like this, Aiden," I said, my voice flat. "Go marry whoever you want."
"What are you talking about?" he demanded, his brow furrowing.
Just then, a delicate, white figure burst into the room.
Georgia Summers fell to her knees before me, her face a mask of perfectly crafted tears. "Miss Thorne, please, I'm begging you, don't take Aiden from me. He's all I have…"
Before I could even speak, Aiden was already rushing to her side, helping her up with a pained expression. He glared at me. "Isabelle, look what you've done! Do you have any idea how much Georgia has suffered because of you over the years? And now you force her to beg you out of your own selfishness!"

2.
I watched the familiar scene unfold and could only find it laughable.
Seven years ago, on an afternoon just like this, Georgia had "accidentally" knocked over my desk, then spun a tale of how I had bullied her. And Aiden, without even asking what happened, had torn into me.
Now, here we were again. Same play, same actors.
I lifted my hand and swung.
The sharp crack of the slap echoed through the room. Aiden’s head snapped to the side, his eyes wide with disbelief. Before he could recover, I turned and delivered another slap, this one to Georgia's tear-streaked face.
"Since you two love painting me as the villain, I might as well play the part."
"Isabelle, how dare you hit Georgia!" Aiden roared, lunging at me.
Leo and Ryan immediately jumped in, holding him back.
Aiden struggled against their grip, his eyes turning red with fury. "You just wait, Isabelle. Even if you got down on your knees and begged me now, I would never marry you!"
"Let's go, Georgia!"
He grabbed her hand and stormed out.
Ryan stood there awkwardly. "Isabelle, Aiden’s just blowing off steam…"
I managed a thin smile, ignored him, and walked back to my room.
The moment the door clicked shut, I leaned against the wood, sliding down to the floor. The day Georgia arrived, it was like a switch flipped in Aiden. He started questioning my every word, finding fault in everything I did. The boy who once protected me had become the one who hurt me the most.
A bitter smile touched my lips as I felt the lingering heat on my palm. In a strange way, it felt liberating. At least I had severed this tie myself, before he ever knew my real choice.
He’d probably be thrilled when he found out the truth, wouldn't he?
After all, he was finally free of the girl who had "hounded" him for so long.

3.
After a restless night, I was woken by a call from my best friend.
"Have you seen the news?" she urged.
I groggily opened my phone. The screen was flooded with headlines: Aiden Vance had officially announced Georgia Summers as his fiancée. A grand wedding was imminent.
The internet was abuzz with congratulations, though a few industry insiders posted comments asking: But what about the Thorne heiress?
Aiden himself had replied to one: Her? She can go to hell for all I care.
I stared at the comment, my fingers trembling uncontrollably. Tears welled in my eyes, but I stubbornly refused to let them fall. All those years… even if he didn't love me, did he really think I was that worthless?
A knock on my door pulled me from my thoughts. "Miss Isabelle, your grandfather wants you downstairs immediately. He says it's urgent."
I took a deep breath and splashed cold water on my burning face. The girl in the mirror looked presentable enough, aside from the slight redness around her eyes.
As I reached the top of the stairs, I heard my grandfather's furious roar from the living room. "Aiden Vance! You will explain this to me right now!"
I paused on the landing, hidden from view. Aiden stood in the center of the room, a defiant look on his face, while Georgia cowered behind him, the very picture of pitiable innocence.
"There's nothing to explain," Aiden sneered. "Georgia and I are in love. Why should I sacrifice myself for Isabelle?"
My grandfather's hand, gripping his cane, trembled with rage. "If I hadn't taken you out of that orphanage, you'd be—"
"So what?" Aiden cut him off. "Just because you did me a favor, I have to sacrifice my own happiness?" He wrapped an arm around Georgia's shoulders. "I can sign the papers with Isabelle for the sake of the company, but the first wedding of my life, the real one, will be with Georgia!"
His shameless declaration stunned everyone in the room. I saw Caleb Blackwood's knuckles turn white. A second later, he surged forward and drove his fist into Aiden's face.
"Have you got no fucking shame?" Caleb roared.
Aiden staggered back, wiping a smear of blood from his lip, his eyes dark with hatred.
That’s when I descended the stairs, my voice calm and quiet. "Grandpa, it's alright. Let him have his wedding."
Aiden froze, his head snapping toward me in surprise. But I met his gaze with a placid expression, as if looking at a complete stranger. A flicker of unease crossed his face. He clearly hadn't expected me to let go so easily.
I helped my trembling grandfather back to his room. The entire way, I could feel Aiden’s stunned gaze on my back, but I didn’t turn around.
"Isabelle, I've failed you," Grandpa said, his old, frail hand gripping mine as he sat on the edge of his bed. "I was blind to bring that ungrateful wolf into our home."
I shook my head, my voice soft. "Don't be angry, Grandpa. It's not worth it."
"No!" he suddenly exclaimed, his energy returning. "No one humiliates a Thorne like this! Don't you worry. I'll throw you an engagement party grander than anything he could ever dream of!"
I nodded silently, a bitter taste filling my mouth.

4.
A few days later, I was at the office when a frantic call came from the estate manager of the house I was preparing for my marriage. "Miss Thorne, it's terrible! Mr. Vance is here with Miss Summers, and they're tearing the house apart!"
I raced over. The moment I pushed open the door, the scene inside felt like a knife twisting in my gut.
The furniture I had personally selected was being brutally dismantled. The custom murals on the walls were being scraped off by workmen without a second thought. Georgia was nestled against Aiden’s side, watching the destruction with a triumphant smirk.
"Aiden! What gives you the right to touch my house?" I demanded, storming toward him.
He shot me a cold sneer. "This is mine and Georgia's home now. If you try to stop this, don't blame me for not showing up to your little engagement party."
"Aiden, maybe we should just leave…" Georgia murmured, feigning concern while her eyes gleamed with victory.
"Don't be silly, Georgia," Aiden said, pulling her closer. "Only you deserve a place like this."
"Get out of my house! Now!" I screamed.
Aiden just laughed and waved the workers on.
Suddenly, a sharp crack echoed from above. The crystal chandelier, a piece worth a fortune, had come loose. It was plummeting directly toward me.
Aiden reacted in a flash, yanking Georgia out of the way.
I was standing right under it.
I saw his eyes flicker to me, just for a second, but he didn't move. Not an inch.
The immense weight crashed onto my back, sending shards of glass flying everywhere. A searing pain shot through me, and my legs gave out. I could feel warm liquid streaming down my back.
"Help… me…" I gasped, reaching a trembling hand toward him.
But then Georgia let out a shriek. "My leg! The glass cut my leg, Aiden, it hurts so much!"
Aiden looked from me, bleeding on the floor, to Georgia and her superficial scratch. He hesitated for only a second.
Without another thought, he scooped Georgia into his arms, turning his back on me.
"Just hang on, Isabelle, I'll call an ambulance for you. I have to get Georgia to the hospital, she's in pain."
With those words, he rushed out the door.
Lying in the wreckage, watching his retreating back, I started to laugh. A raw, broken sound. So this was my worth in his eyes. My life wasn't even as important as a tiny cut on Georgia's leg.
Blood soaked through my dress as my vision began to blur. Through the haze, I heard the sound of frantic footsteps.
"Isabelle!"
A familiar voice, laced with a panic I'd never heard before.
Caleb. He dropped to his knees beside me, carefully avoiding the glass shards as he gently scooped me into his arms. His hands were trembling, but his grip was so light, so terrified of causing me more pain.
"Stay with me. We're almost at the hospital."
I leaned against his warm chest, the faint scent of tobacco and something uniquely him surrounding me. This man, always so wild and defiant, was now holding me as if I were made of spun glass.
He moved with a speed that was almost desperate, yet his steps were steady, cradling me against the jarring motion. I could feel his heart hammering against his ribs, a frantic, thunderous rhythm.
"Doctor! Somebody help her!" he yelled, his voice cracking with a raw, desperate edge.

5.
The light above the operating room door stayed on for what felt like an eternity.
Through a fog of anesthesia, I could hear shouting from the hallway.
"Who the hell do you think you are, showing up now?" It was Caleb, his voice a raw, furious roar.
"I… I just came to see how Isabelle is," Aiden stammered, his voice thin and hollow.
"Get out," Caleb snarled, his voice as cold as ice. "You don't even have the right to say her name."
I heard a dull thud, followed by the sounds of Leo and Ryan trying to break up another fight.
The surgery was a success, though it left a series of scars across my back. Caleb refused to leave my side, delegating all his work to his assistant. Every time the nurse came to change my dressings, he would watch her every move, his jaw tight with tension.
"Does it hurt?" he would always ask, his voice barely a whisper.
I would shake my head, a dull ache forming in my chest as I looked at the worry etched between his brows. The man who presented a devil-may-care attitude to the world was so endearingly clumsy when it came to caring for me.
Leo and Ryan were frequent visitors, always armed with soups and supplements.
As for Aiden, after that day outside the operating room, he never appeared again. Instead, news of him and Georgia frequenting lavish restaurants and clubs constantly surfaced, as if he were deliberately flaunting his new life in my face.
The day of the engagement party arrived all too quickly.
Caleb had personally chosen a champagne-colored gown for me. Its open-back design perfectly concealed my scars.
The party was in full swing for over an hour before Aiden made his grand entrance. He had Georgia, draped in a scandalous red dress, on his arm as he strode in, his eyes sweeping the room with a look of pure provocation.
Whispers rippled through the hall. I could feel the gazes of the guests on me—some filled with pity, others with unconcealed glee. Georgia clung to Aiden's arm, flashing me a triumphant, venomous smile.
My grandfather sat at the head table, his expression grim. His disappointment in his once-favored prodigy was palpable.
"Isabelle, you should get on with the announcement," Aiden said loudly, his tone laced with impatience. "I promised Georgia I'd take her to see the meteor shower tonight, and we're running out of time."
Georgia tugged on his sleeve, feigning modesty. "Aiden, don't be like that…" She turned to me, her eyes shimmering with fake apology. "Miss Thorne, I really just wanted to come and offer my congratulations…"
I watched the nauseating performance of this despicable pair as the murmurs in the crowd grew louder.
"Didn't they say Miss Thorne was engaged to Mr. Vance?"
"This is a public humiliation for the Thorne family…"
"After everything the Thornes did for him, Aiden Vance has no gratitude at all…"
Leo and Ryan stood nearby, their expressions showing their clear disgust with Aiden's behavior. I saw Caleb’s fist clench at his side, looking like he was seconds away from launching himself at Aiden.
I took a deep, calming breath and plastered an elegant smile on my face.
"My dear guests," I began, my voice ringing out clearly across the silent hall. "Thank you all for taking the time to join me tonight for my engagement party. Today, I would like to introduce you all to my future husband…"
At my words, Aiden preened, adjusting his suit jacket with a smug smirk playing on his lips.
"Caleb Blackwood," I finished, my eyes locked on Aiden’s face. I watched the triumphant smile freeze and shatter.
"From this day forward, Caleb will be my partner, and the new son-in-law of Thorne Industries."

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