Chapter 1

The night before our wedding, my fiancé slid a "Pre-Wedding Freedom Pass" across the desk to me.

"Eleanor Cox, there's a first love I never got to break up with."

"Give me seven free days. I want to be there for her, to make up for what we lost."

I stared at him.

"We've been together seven years. We get married tomorrow. And you want me to hand the groom over to her?"

Russell Simmons kept his head down, but his voice didn't waver.

"Ten years ago the Simmons family went bankrupt. I ran off in the middle of the night to dodge the creditors, and I owe Crystal a relationship I never finished."

"She and I won't cross the line. As for our wedding, let's just push it back seven days."

I didn't sign it. Russell moved out anyway.

Every day he sent me a report of where he'd been.

Day one, he took our wedding photographer with him and shot couple portraits with Crystal Henson.

Day two, the two of them went to see his mother together, and the heirloom jade bracelet that had been meant for me ended up on her wrist.

The evening of day three, Crystal Henson sent me a friend request.

"Eleanor, tonight I'll give you Russell's report for him."

In the photo she was tucked against his chest in Russell's shirt, his belt and her stockings scattered on the floor.

"Don't misunderstand. We were talking about the old days, and Russell cried and said he owed me a wedding."

"Later he drowned his sorrows in drink, so I had no choice but to stay and take care of him."

I set my phone down and dug out the agreement from seven years ago.

When Russell had nothing, I was the one who sold my mother's keepsakes to rent his office space.

Sixty percent of the company's shares are in my name.

That night I messaged Legal.

"Audit all of Russell's bad debts."

"In four days, I want Russell to hand over the company with his own hands."

……

Early the next morning, Finance sent me a settlement invoice for five point two million.

Russell was going to charter a plane, take Crystal Henson to an island, and throw a wedding.

I stared at those words, "island wedding," for a long time.

Back when we were choosing our own venue, I'd had my heart set on an island too.

But Russell had turned me down, citing the budget.

"Eleanor, a chapel wedding for eighty-eight hundred is nice too. All my money is tied up in the projects right now."

"Once these two projects are locked in, I promise I'll give you the grand wedding you deserve."

Looking at that five point two million request, I called Finance.

"The company's projects need the working capital. Don't process this invoice."

Half an hour later, my office door was pushed open.

Russell appeared in front of me holding a cup of hot cocoa.

"Eleanor, your favorite, hot cocoa, light on the milk, five parts sugar."

"You've been running the company for me these past few days. That's a lot to ask. Thank you."

I like it made that way, but he only ever bought it for me when he was coaxing me into giving in.

I looked up, and the first thing I saw was the two of them in their wedding clothes.

I didn't take the cocoa. My voice came out cold.

"The company's money is tied up in the projects. There's no way to cover an extra expense this large."

Crystal Henson clutched her wedding gown, tears welling at the corners of her eyes.

"Eleanor, please don't blame Russell."

"He had too much to drink last night and said he owed me a wedding."

"I tried to talk him out of it, but he cried and carried on, saying he had to make up for this regret."

Tears slid down from the corners of her eyes, and Russell looked at her, full of guilt.

"I don't need the island wedding. Just getting to be Russell's partner for these seven days is more than enough for me."

Russell took her hand and said it firmly.

"This is something I promised you. I'll see it through."

Russell snatched the finance sheet out of my hand and carved out a million from each of the projects.

I raised my hand to stop him.

"My wedding venue is a chapel. The whole package comes to eighty-eight hundred."

"You and her are only trying out a seven-day romance. Why should you get to divert company money?"

Russell held her hand and refused to let go, not even a little.

"Eleanor, you're not the same as her."

"You get a wedding, you'll register the marriage with me, you have legal protection."

"All I can give her is a ceremony, so I don't want to go through the motions with her."

Seeing that I still wouldn't budge, Crystal Henson's eyes went red.

"It's fine, Russell. If Eleanor doesn't want to, that's all right. Getting to wear this gown for you just once is enough for me."

"These seven days are borrowed anyway. In the end I still have to give you back to her……"

As she spoke, she reached to tug the bracelet off her wrist.

"Even this. I should give it back to Eleanor."

Russell pressed her hand still, aching at the red mark on her wrist.

"My mother gave it to you. It's her seal of approval. You don't have to take it off and hand it over to her."

He grabbed the pen out of my hand and signed the payment order.

I pointed at the project sheet, my voice low.

"If the capital on these projects can't cycle through, the company is going to lose money."

Russell glanced at me, his eyes distant.

"You've handled bigger problems than this before."

"For these few days, I trust the company won't run into any trouble in your hands."

I contacted Legal again to have them reject his request.

"Eleanor, the CEO just said it. For these seven days you run the company, but all finance approvals are his call."

At the same time, a message popped up on my phone.

【Eleanor, let me take the finance work off your hands.】

【That way you'll have more time to prepare for the wedding. The second Crystal and I are done, I'll come back and marry you.】

I let out a long breath and pushed the feeling in my chest back down.

Once I'd saved the invoice he'd signed, I forwarded it to several of the company's shareholders.

【In three days, we convene a shareholders' meeting.】