Wrong Date, Right Man: Lock Me Into His World

The day Madison Wallace was supposed to register her marriage became the exact moment she watched her fiance Kieran Stanley get down on one knee for another woman during a livestream.

By five in the afternoon, she was still standing where she was with her phone clenched tightly in her hand.

On the screen, Kieran faced a woman with a diamond ring between his fingers while everyone online watched him confess his love.

"Kristina, ever since I met you at seventeen, I've never wanted anyone else beside me. You're the person I want to spend my entire life with."

The instant Madison saw the ring, her chest tightened.

Only last week, she had spotted the velvet box sitting inside Kieran's study. Back then, she stayed awake half the night in excitement because she thought he had prepared it for her.

Never once did she imagine another woman would be the one wearing it.

"I'll make sure you're happy for the rest of your life!"

Right after saying those words, Kieran pulled Kristina Todd closer and kissed her in front of the cameras.

The livestream exploded with comments almost immediately.

"Oh my god! Kieran actually proposed to the actress Kristina!"

"They've loved each other since they were young, and now they're finally together!"

"This is seriously like something out of a romance movie. They're perfect together!"

Blessings and congratulations flooded the screen one after another.

Madison tightened her grip around her phone until her fingers nearly lost color.

Instinctively, she opened her contacts and searched for Kieran's number. Part of her still wanted to believe there had been some kind of misunderstanding. She needed to hear him deny it himself.

Only yesterday evening, he had wrapped his arms around her while talking about the future they would build together. How could the same man propose to someone else less than a day later?

The moment she found his contact, her phone suddenly rang first.

The caller was her best friend, Elin Stanley.

For a brief moment, Madison forgot how to react before finally answering the call.

The second it connected, Elin's angry voice burst through the speaker. "Maddie, did you check the news yet? Kristina turned out to be the adopted daughter my parents took in years ago. She used to date my brother when they were younger, but my parents later found out, split them apart and shipped her overseas. And now she's suddenly back as some huge celebrity!"

Even while her emotions twisted violently inside her, Madison forced herself to sound steady. "Is that so?"

"Seriously! After Kristina left, my brother completely lost it. I even heard he found another girl who resembled her and kept her around for five whole years as a replacement. And now that Kristina's returned, he's gone running back to her without hesitation. Doesn't that sound completely ridiculous?"

Every word stabbed straight into Madison's chest.

So Kristina had been raised by the Stanley family all along. She and Kieran shared a history that dated back years, and their relationship had been torn apart when she was sent abroad.

Meanwhile, Madison had never heard a single thing about it.

Not once had Kieran ever brought Kristina up.

For five years, Madison believed she had finally met the man she wanted to spend her life with. In the end, she was nothing more than a substitute standing in another woman's place.

Silence stretched between them long enough for Elin to grow confused. "Maddie? Are you there? Did I call at a bad time? Weren't you planning to tell me something important today? What is it?"

Madison parted her lips, but her throat tightened too much for words to come out.

As Kieran's younger sister, Elin had no idea Madison had been secretly dating him this entire time. Madison never told her because Kieran insisted their relationship stay hidden from everyone-his family included.

That secret lasted for five long years.

Only now did the truth finally become clear to her. Kieran wasn't avoiding the public because he valued privacy. From the very start, Madison had only existed as a temporary replacement for the woman he truly loved.

Madison sank her teeth into her lower lip while a bitter chill spread across her chest.

After shutting her eyes for a moment, she finally spoke in a rough voice. "Elin... can you help me with something?"

"Just say what you need."

After taking a quiet breath, Madison spoke softly. "You know plenty of people, right? Can you arrange a blind date for me?"

The line went completely quiet.

Several seconds passed before Elin nearly shouted into the phone. "Hold on, what?! Since when are you interested in blind dates? Maddie, you've barely even dated anyone seriously before. What brought this on all of a sudden?"

Instead of answering, Madison stayed silent.

Some truths had remained buried for years, and she had never shared them with anyone, including Elin.

Madison was the daughter of the Wallace family from Agoshire, while her father held the position of Chairman at the Wallace Group.

Madison had an older half-brother, and after her stepmother entered the family, her days at home became harder and harder to endure.

Last year, on her birthday, her father called her into his study for a private conversation. He promised her thirty percent of the company's shares under one condition-she had to get married before turning twenty-five. If she failed, every share would be handed over to her older brother instead.

And in another six months, Madison would reach that age.

"I can't afford to waste time anymore," Madison replied quietly. "Just tell me whether you know anyone suitable."

"Actually... I do know a few men around our age who are looking to settle down." Elin still sounded uncertain. "But at least tell me what type of man you want."

"Someone decent." Madison stopped briefly before continuing in a cold tone, "As long as he isn't anything like your brother."

Elin went silent for a second before laughing outright. "Fair enough. My brother really is trash."

The sound of rapid typing echoed through the call, and Madison guessed Elin had already started searching through her contact list.

A moment later, Elin sounded excited once more. "You know what? I actually have someone perfect for you. He's good-looking, and he just came back after studying overseas. If you want, I can introduce you two."

Madison fell quiet briefly before replying, "Arrange it. I want to meet him today. As soon as possible."

Once the call ended, Madison lowered her gaze to her phone again.

The livestream was already over, but the Internet had exploded with the hashtag #KieranProposesToKristina, climbing straight to the top of the trending list.

Almost mechanically, Madison tapped into the topic. The first thing that appeared was Kristina's official engagement post.

From her verified account, Kristina wrote, "No matter how much time passed or how far life pulled us apart, you still came back to me."

Several photos were attached beneath the caption. The most eye-catching one sat in the center, showing Kieran's and Kristina's fingers intertwined while the diamond ring on her hand gleamed brightly beneath the light.

Madison kept staring at the image until her eyes began to ache from the dryness.

Slowly, she lifted her head and looked up at the sky. A mocking smile gradually formed on her lips.

...

Elin handled things far faster than Madison expected and arranged the blind date within only a few hours. At exactly eight that night, Madison arrived at a high-end restaurant according to the address Elin sent her.

The moment she stepped inside, her eyes swept across the room before eventually stopping near the window.

A man dressed in a black trench coat sat alone at the table there. His features were striking and cold, while the calm way he crossed his legs gave off a distant pressure that naturally kept people away.

Everything about him matched Elin's description perfectly.

However...

The second Madison recognized his face, her footsteps halted.

Out of everyone Elin could have introduced her to, she never imagined the blind date would turn out to be him.

Jeremy Yates.

Kieran's longtime rival.

For one brief second, Madison almost turned around and walked straight back out.

Still, the thought disappeared as quickly as it came. Another one took hold of her. Since she had already decided to move on, leaving now would only make things meaningless.

To Madison, this marriage was nothing more than a transaction anyway. She wasn't searching for love anymore, so who she married hardly mattered.

At the very least, Jeremy was attractive, and his reputation sounded far more respectable than Kieran's. Compared to that scumbag, Jeremy was infinitely better.

After quietly steadying herself, Madison walked toward the table.

Once she reached him, she pulled back the chair and sat across from him without hesitation.

"Good evening, Mr. Yates." Madison skipped all unnecessary small talk. "I'm here for the blind date. If you don't find me unsuitable, then let's get married."

Jeremy had been lazily spinning a lighter between his fingers. The moment he heard her words, the movement stopped.

Raising his eyes toward her, he looked genuinely caught off guard for the first time. A faint trace of amusement surfaced in his sharp, striking eyes. "Miss Wallace, that's quite an unconventional introduction."

Madison paid no attention to the humor in his tone. Instead, she frowned slightly and replied, "Elin should've already explained everything. I don't think there's any point wasting time with formalities."

A quiet sound of acknowledgment escaped Jeremy as realization settled in. Clearly, she had mistaken him for someone else.

Leaning back comfortably in his seat, he observed her with calm interest while maintaining a detached expression.

The silence between them lingered briefly.

Finally, Jeremy spoke again in a relaxed voice. "Miss Wallace, I assume you already know about the situation between Kieran and me?"

Naturally, Madison knew exactly what he meant.

The Yates family and the Stanley family had been enemies for years. Three years earlier, Jeremy seized a media corporation the Stanleys had nearly secured, and ever since then, both sides had openly clashed against each other.

Every time Kieran talked about Jeremy, hatred would creep into his voice. He always described Jeremy as someone dangerous, a man who looked refined and courteous outwardly while hiding a ruthless side underneath.

Although Madison had never met Jeremy face-to-face before tonight, she had seen plenty of his interviews and already knew the kind of man he appeared to be.

"I already know about it," Madison answered calmly.

Jeremy's smile widened slightly. "And despite that, you still decided to meet me?"

His gaze stayed fixed on her as he continued, "Kieran and Kristina's engagement is dominating every headline right now. So when you suddenly show up looking for a blind date, Miss Wallace, it's hard not to wonder whether this is your way of getting back at him."

Truthfully, revenge had never crossed Madison's mind before.

Still, she understood how suspicious it looked for Kieran's ex-girlfriend to suddenly seek out his biggest rival right after the engagement announcement.

Jeremy lightly tapped the metal lighter against the table in a slow rhythm.

"Don't take this personally," Madison said evenly. "Your family wants you to settle down, and I need someone to marry. That's the only reason."

One of Jeremy's brows lifted slightly. "You're making it sound very straightforward."

"Because it is."

A faint smile remained on Jeremy's face. "Then explain something to me, Miss Wallace. Where exactly is the mutual benefit in all this?"

Before coming here, Madison had already prepared her answer.

"We'll enter a six-month marriage arrangement," she said without hesitation. "During that time, we'll cooperate when necessary and help each other fulfill our individual needs. Once the six months are over, we'll divorce and move on with our lives."

Jeremy listened quietly while the smile at the corner of his lips gradually deepened.

"There'll also need to be a prenuptial agreement," Madison continued. "I have no interest in your money, and I expect the same respect regarding mine."

That finally seemed to catch Jeremy's attention. "Your money?" His eyes narrowed with amusement. "Miss Wallace, do you actually possess assets worth protecting from me?"

Madison didn't bother explaining herself. Instead, she met his gaze directly. "Are you agreeing or not? I only want a clear answer."

Jeremy watched her silently for several long seconds before suddenly smiling.

The moment he did, the sharpness around him softened slightly. His eyes curved naturally, making him appear approachable at first glance. Even so, Madison could still sense something dangerous hidden beneath that charm.

"Alright," Jeremy replied easily. "You've got yourself a deal."

Madison gave a small nod. "Then, when do we take care of the marriage registration?"

"Right now."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Jeremy rose from his seat and casually tucked the lighter back into his pocket.

Madison looked at him in surprise. "Now?"

"Yes, now. We're heading to register the marriage immediately."

Jeremy lowered his gaze toward her while a faint grin appeared on his lips. "You're clearly in a rush to get married, Miss Wallace. Since that's the case, we might as well do it tonight."

Madison never imagined the entire situation would progress this easily, much less this quickly.

Not long after they walked out of the restaurant, Jeremy drove her directly to register their marriage.

During the ride, Madison sent Elin a short message. "It's done. Thanks."

Elin replied almost instantly, "Already? You married him after meeting him one time?"

Madison answered with a laughing emoji instead of explaining further.

After that, she leaned back against the seat and stared quietly out the car window, still struggling to process everything happening around her.

Only three hours earlier, she had been waiting for a man who never came.

Now she was riding beside a completely different man on the way to become his wife.

The entire situation felt absurdly ironic.

By the time they arrived, Jeremy casually made a phone call. Even though working hours had already ended, several staff members hurried over to handle their registration personally.

Every single employee wore bright smiles despite staying late. Judging from their enthusiasm, Jeremy must have compensated them generously.

The paperwork moved astonishingly fast. Forms were filled and signed, documents were stamped, and before Madison fully processed it, everything had already been finalized.

When the document finally landed in her hands, Madison lowered her eyes and stared at it for a long moment, unable to believe it was real.

"Still not done looking at it?"

Jeremy's voice sounded above her head.

Madison looked up instinctively, but the second she did, Jeremy smoothly took the document from her fingers.

Madison looked at him blankly. "What are you doing with that?"

Without answering immediately, Jeremy slipped it neatly into the inside pocket of his coat.

"It's safer with me," he replied casually. "Who knows? Maybe you'll wake up in the middle of the night regretting this and decide to rip it apart."

Madison frowned helplessly. "I'm not going to do something like that."

A quiet chuckle escaped him. "People say a lot of things before regret kicks in." Jeremy lowered his eyes toward her, and amusement flickered through them. "I'll hold onto it for now. If you ever decide you want out, you'll have no choice but to come find me personally."

Madison didn't feel like wasting energy arguing with him.

In her eyes, this marriage had always been an arrangement built on convenience anyway. Whether she kept the legal document or Jeremy did made little difference.

"Come on," Jeremy said while walking toward the exit. "I'll drive you home."

After they got into the car, Jeremy opened his wallet and pulled out a black bank card before handing it toward Madison.

"Here."

Madison glanced at the card but made no move to accept it.

Jeremy noticed immediately and explained with a relaxed smile, "Use it for whatever you need. Since you're my wife now, it wouldn't look good if you were short on money."

"You don't need to do that. I already have enough money myself..."

"Our prenup and daily expenses are two separate matters," Jeremy interrupted calmly. "Appearances matter, Mrs. Yates. Just take it."

Madison paused briefly before finally accepting the card from him.

A second later, Jeremy reached into the back seat, grabbed a document folder, and handed it over as well. "The keys are inside," he explained. "Your car has already been delivered downstairs to your apartment building. You'll also find the address to our place in there. Whenever you're ready to move in, let me know ahead of time so I can have everything prepared."

Madison lowered her gaze to the folder in her hands, unable to describe the strange emotions rising inside her.

Jeremy had arranged everything so thoroughly that she hadn't needed to think about anything herself.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

Jeremy only gave a low acknowledgment before starting the engine.

Not long afterward, the car stopped outside Madison's apartment complex. As she stepped out, Jeremy lowered the car window halfway. "If anything comes up, call me."

Madison nodded lightly in response.

Soon, the black car disappeared into the night and vanished around the corner.

Madison remained standing there for several seconds, still unable to shake the feeling that the entire night had been unreal.

After taking a slow breath, she pulled out her phone and made another call.

The line rang for quite a while before her father, Rodger Wallace, finally answered.

"Hello?" Rodger sounded exhausted. "Why are you calling me this late? Did something happen?"

"Dad, I got married."

The other end instantly fell silent.

Then, several seconds later, Rodger finally spoke again. "What did you say?"

"I got married today," Madison repeated calmly. "We just finished registering the marriage a little while ago."

Another heavy silence followed.

After a while, Rodger asked, "Who exactly did you marry?"

"I doubt you'd know him." Madison deliberately avoided giving further details. "Dad, does your previous promise still count? You said that if I got married before turning twenty-five, you'd transfer thirty percent of the company's shares to me."

"Yes, you'll get the shares," Rodger replied in a firm tone. "But before that happens, you need to start working at the company."

Madison's fingers tightened around her phone. "What exactly are you implying?"

Rodger sighed lightly before answering, "Giving you the shares isn't the issue. The problem is that the company doesn't revolve entirely around my decisions. There are other shareholders involved, and your brother has already established himself there. If I suddenly hand over thirty percent of the shares to you, do you honestly think the others will accept it quietly?"

A crease formed between Madison's brows. "I hope this isn't your way of backing out."

"I can arrange the transfer agreement immediately if you want," Rodger answered, his tone becoming more serious. "However, before we make your position public, you need to spend some time working in the project department and gain experience there. Once you've proven yourself and secured your footing within the company, announcing your shareholder status will face far less resistance. At that point, nobody will have grounds to question it."

Madison considered his words carefully and eventually realized his reasoning made sense. "Fine."

"Report to HR tomorrow morning." Right then, Rodger ended the call.

Madison lowered her phone slowly and stared at the dark screen for a moment before making her way upstairs.

The apartment felt unusually quiet tonight.

After turning on the lights, she began packing her belongings immediately.

The moment Kieran walked in and noticed the suitcase beside her, surprise flashed briefly across his normally indifferent eyes.

"Maddie?" Kieran had completely forgotten that they were supposed to meet that afternoon. The moment he noticed her packing, unease crept across his face. "What are you doing?"

Without pausing her movements, Madison calmly folded another piece of clothing. "I'm staying at my parents' place for a while."

The tension in Kieran's expression eased almost immediately after hearing that. Casually, he tossed his coat onto the couch before walking over and wrapping his arms around her from behind.

"Maddie." He rested his chin against her shoulder while lowering his voice gently. "Things were chaotic for me today, and I honestly couldn't leave. I wasn't trying to ditch you on purpose."

"I already saw the news." Madison's cold reply instantly shattered his excuse.

Kieran stiffened almost immediately. A trace of panic appeared on his face as he hurried to explain himself. "Kristina's health has always been fragile. She was born with a heart condition, okay? After coming back this time, she begged me to cooperate with this publicity stunt because it would help her career. None of it means anything. It's all for show, so don't overthink it."

Madison almost laughed from disbelief. He was actually using Kristina's alleged "heart condition" as justification, and he said it so naturally that it didn't seem to bother him at all.

Still, Madison understood his intentions perfectly. He wanted to keep both women at the same time. Disgust rose violently inside her.

Meanwhile, Kieran continued trying to smooth things over. "You have to believe me. Kristina and I are just close because we grew up together. She's basically family to me. Maddie, the person I truly care about, has always been you..."

"Kieran." Madison stopped him before he could continue. She turned around slowly to face him directly, and then looked straight into his eyes. "We're done."