The Shifter He Thought Was Beneath Him

After my fox shifter scratched me again, I went to the hospital alone. The nurse looked at the gash running from my wrist to my forearm. "That is going to scar. Did your shifter even go through socialization training?" I smiled. "He did. He was top of his class." My phone lit up. Lucian rarely messaged me, but today he did. [I barely touched you. Was the hospital really necessary?] [I have plans tonight. When are you coming back? I need you to press my shirt.] [Also, can you do something about the laundry smell? It is embarrassing.] [I do not even want to tell people you are my sponsor.] I stared at the screen for a moment. So that was how he saw me. Then I walked down the street to the shelter: "I would like to exchange my shifter." The worker opened my file, and her face went pale. Lucian had always believed I was a broke, ordinary sponsor who was lucky to have him. He did not know I was the only heir to the family that built the Shifter Registry. Chapter 1 He brought home thirty-two hundred after taxes. He was only a junior clerk at a customs brokerage firm, and his salary was not high, but he had always been careful about his job. He never missed a shift, never left paperwork unfinished, and never let personal matters interfere with work. I respected that. Compared with him, my work at the pier was rougher, heavier, and far more profitable. As a small captain under the Castellano family, I handled crews, cargo routes, docking fees, and men. I made more in one month than Ethan made in a year, but I never thought that made me better than him. In a marriage, I believed people should not measure every dollar. If one person earned more, that person could carry more. If one person had more flexible time, that person could give more. I was willing to balance the pier and the family because I thought that was what love required. For six years, I carried most of his family too. His parents, Helen and Gregory, lived in my river-view villa. His younger sister, Lila, had been under my roof since she was ten. Her school, lessons, braces, clothes, and every emergency she invented went on my card. Helen's migraines, Gregory's blood pressure, the mortgage, staff, groceries, utilities - all of it came out of my port account. I didn't complain. I thought families worked that way. I thought the wedding would make us real. So I spent six months planning a private island wedding in the Maldives. I booked the chapel over the water, three nights at the resort, a small reception dinner, airport transfers, security, photography, and first-class flights for both families. My father had a bad knee from years on the docks. My mother hated long flights and never asked for anything expensive. Still, they dressed up for me. I wanted them to be comfortable. Three days before departure, Ethan put a new flight confirmation on the dining table. I looked at it once, and my fingers went still. My parents' first-class seats had been changed to economy. Bianca Voss and her parents now sat where my mother and father were supposed to sit. "What is this?" I asked. Ethan was fixing his cufflinks, calm as if he had changed a dinner reservation. "Bianca heard about the Maldives wedding and wanted to bring her parents. First class was full, so I moved your parents down." "You gave my parents' seats to your childhood sweetheart and her parents?" "Don't make it sound ugly." He frowned. "Your parents are practical people. They can handle economy. Bianca's father has a bad back, and her parents have never flown first class. Let them enjoy it once." I stared at him. "My parents were invited as the bride's parents. Not as extra luggage." "Rosalyn, it's one flight." His voice sharpened. "Bianca grew up with me. She isn't some stranger." "Then what are my parents?" The room went quiet. Helen looked away from the latte I had bought her. Gregory cleared his throat. "Your parents won't make a fuss. The Vosses are guests. We should show some manners." Lila came downstairs with her phone in her hand. "Just book your parents business class or something. You can fix it. Bianca's mom is so nervous about traveling. Don't be petty." I looked at the girl I had raised for six years. The cardigan on her shoulders and the boots on her feet were both from my card. "Did you wonder whether my mother would be nervous?" Lila pouted. "Your mom looks tough. Bianca's mom doesn't." The doorbell rang before I could answer. The housekeeper opened the door, and Bianca Voss walked in with three white suitcases, a champagne-colored travel suit, diamond studs, and a sweet smile that somehow made the whole room shift toward her. "Ethan, am I too early?" Ethan went straight to her luggage. Lila rushed over and hugged her. "You're finally back! If you hadn't left back then, you would've been the bride." Helen took Bianca's hands with wet eyes. "Look at you, sweetheart. I always thought of you as one of us." They said it in front of me without a flicker of shame. Bianca glanced at me as if she had only just remembered I existed. "Rosalyn, please don't misunderstand. I only wanted to attend the wedding. I didn't know Ethan would move your parents to economy. Maybe I shouldn't go." She said it while keeping one hand on Ethan's sleeve. Ethan's face darkened. "Don't be ridiculous. The tickets are changed." Then he turned to me. "And you'll bring the wedding luggage. Bianca's parents are traveling abroad for the first time, so I need to stay with them. You can take the connecting flight and bring the twelve trunks. The hotel staff will receive them." His tuxedo. His parents' luggage. Lila's dresses. Bianca's extra outfits. Supplies for the wedding I had paid for. I had spent six months putting everyone in first class. In the end, they couldn't leave my parents two seats. I folded the flight confirmation carefully. "Fine." A flash of triumph crossed Bianca's eyes. I tucked the confirmation into my bag and smiled. "You all go ahead. I'll come after." Chapter 2 Before the Bellmans went bankrupt, Bianca's father and Gregory did business together. The two families lived on the same street, and Ethan used to say he would marry Bianca someday. Then the Bellmans' warehouse burned down, insurance refused to pay, and creditors started knocking. The Vosses left first. No goodbye, no help, just an empty house the next morning. Ethan was hollowed out after that. Then he met me. I paid the Bellmans' debt, kept Gregory's house out of foreclosure, hired doctors for Helen, and sent Lila to a school she never could have entered on her own. When Ethan got engaged to me, people said he was lucky. A clerk had found a woman who could carry him. I didn't care. I thought gratitude could turn into love. Money only feeds people until their appetite doubles. The night before the flight, Helen called from the dining room, "Rosalyn, where's dinner? Bianca and her parents are hungry." I was in the living room checking the port accounts. Pier Seventeen had cleared eighty-seven thousand that month. Ethan's paycheck wouldn't cover one docking fee. I closed the laptop. "Don't we have a chef?" "The chef took the night off," Helen said. "You used to cook all the time. Bianca finally came back. Don't put on airs." Bianca was sitting in my usual chair, showing her mother the first-class boarding pass. "Aunt Helen, I can help," she said, half rising. "I don't want Rosalyn to be upset." Lila pressed her back down. "Sit. You're a guest. Guests don't cook." I smiled at Helen. "Didn't you say Bianca was practically family? A home-cooked dinner from you would mean more." Helen's face changed. Ethan turned from the bar cabinet. "My mom's migraine has been acting up." "Good. The doctor I pay every month can come by and decide whether her head hurts or she just doesn't want to cook for Bianca." Helen slammed down her glass. "Who said I won't cook?" She spent two hours making bland pasta, dry chicken, and a wilted salad. At dinner, Bianca still sat in my chair. When I reached for it, Lila looked up. "Rosalyn, Bianca is our guest. You don't mind, right?" Helen set an empty plate at the far end of the table. "Sit there. And clean up after." I looked at the plate. Suddenly, I couldn't even be angry. "No thanks. A client needs me at the pier. I'll eat out." Ethan frowned. "We fly tomorrow, and you're still going out? Have you packed?" "You have hands. Use them." I drove to the most expensive members-only restaurant downtown and ordered steak, oysters, and a bottle of red wine Ethan would have called wasteful. Spending money on myself felt better than I expected. When I returned after midnight, the villa was quiet. No call. No text. Not one message asking if I had made it home. I went upstairs and opened the master bedroom door. My wedding gown hung by the window. Bianca stood in my walk-in closet with my veil over her head, turning in front of the mirror. Ethan sat on my bed with my diamond hair comb in his hand, as if he were choosing jewelry for her. The last warmth in me went cold. "Pretty, isn't it?" Bianca watched me through the mirror. "I was only trying it on. Ethan said you wouldn't mind." I walked over and pulled the veil off her head. "That's mine." She shrieked and hid behind Ethan. Ethan stood at once. "What the hell, Rosalyn? She was curious. Do you have to be so vicious?" "She tried on my veil, and you sat on my bed picking out my combs. That's curiosity?" "We were discussing the wedding schedule. Bianca pays attention to details." I looked at him and smiled. "Then maybe tomorrow you should walk her down the aisle." His expression sank. "Every time Bianca appears, you lose your mind. Don't bring your dock paranoia into this house." Bianca's eyes reddened on cue. "I'm sorry. Maybe I shouldn't go tomorrow. I don't want you two fighting over me." Lila ran to the doorway. The moment she saw Bianca crying, she glared at me. "Rosalyn, it's just a veil. Bianca didn't grow up with all your luxuries. What's wrong with letting her try it once?" "When did my belongings become compensation for her childhood?" No one answered. I threw the veil into the trash. Ethan stared at me. "That was custom-made." "I paid for it. I can throw it out." Then I shut the master bedroom door, locked it, and switched the security system to private mode. Outside, Ethan hit the door a few times. "Rosalyn, open up. Stop acting like this." I sat on the edge of the bed and texted my assistant. [Check every payment authorization in the Maldives. By ten tomorrow morning, I want the power to cancel the entire wedding at any time.] Chapter 3 The next morning, Ethan's family and Bianca's family flew first class to the Maldives. I didn't go to the airport with them. Instead, I took my parents to a private airstrip and sent them to Florence for a vacation. My mother listened to the whole story in silence, then asked, "Do you need help?" "No." I adjusted her shawl. "I'll handle it." My father stood by the plane stairs, his bad knee stiff in the cold. "Don't let them spend your money and call it kindness." I nodded. After their plane lifted, I went to the commercial airport. Ethan called more than a dozen times. I didn't answer. In the end, he texted. [Where are you? What about the twelve trunks? The hotel is waiting for the wedding materials. Don't embarrass me in front of Bianca's parents.] I replied with two words. [Don't worry.] Then I handed all twelve trunks to airport storage and paid the fee. They weren't mine, and I had no duty to play porter. I never boarded the Maldives flight. I went back to Pier Seventeen. Before dawn, the dock was cold and foggy. A supervisor looked up from the manifest when he saw me. "Rosalyn, wasn't your wedding flight today?" "Postponed." "Until when?" I opened my laptop and pulled up the resort's payment portal. "Until the groom learns how to pay for himself." At noon, Ethan finally called from overseas. "Where the hell are you? We're on the island. The hotel says the master suite needs your authorization code, and the wedding team is asking for you. Stop messing around and send it." "Didn't you say Bianca pays attention to details? Let her handle it." "She's a guest." "I thought she was the one who looked most like your bride." He took a breath and softened his voice. "Fine. I know you're upset about the tickets. After the wedding, I'll make it up to you. Right now, don't humiliate me in front of both families." "Both families? My parents aren't in the Maldives." Silence. "What do you mean?" "They're on their way to Italy. Since you decided they were only good enough for economy, I found them somewhere better to go." His voice snapped. "Rosalyn, do you have to blow everything up?" "Were you not the one who moved my parents' seats?" "I don't want to argue. The wedding is tomorrow. Get on the next flight and stop playing games." "Depends on my mood." I hung up. That afternoon, Bianca posted a photo from the resort walkway. A blue diamond bracelet sat on her wrist. [It feels so good to be cherished. Thank you, Ethan.] I recognized the bracelet. Seventy-two thousand dollars, charged to my joint card with Ethan the night before. He made thirty-two hundred a month and still bought another woman jewelry worth more than seventy thousand because he believed I would cover him. I called the bank. "Freeze every joint account I share with Ethan Bellman. Cancel all secondary cards. And dispute that jewelry charge." Then I called the resort. The next day, the Maldives was bright and cloudless. From my office, I watched the resort's internal feed. The glass chapel over the water looked perfect. White roses lined the aisle. Ethan stood under the floral arch in the white tuxedo I had paid for, his face already tight. Bianca sat in the front row with my bracelet on her wrist. Her parents sat where mine should have been. Lila texted me. [Rosalyn, where are you? The wedding is starting. You're not really making everyone wait, are you?] I didn't reply. The wedding march began. Every guest turned toward the end of the aisle. But I wasn't the one who appeared. The hotel manager walked in holding a cancellation authorization. "I'm sorry, sir. Miss Rosalyn Castellano has cancelled all payment authorization for this wedding." Chapter 4 On the security feed, the chapel went silent. Ethan didn't understand at first. Then he stormed forward. "What did you say?" The manager handed him the letter. "Mr. Bellman, the venue, banquet, rooms, yacht, security, photography, and fireworks package were all authorized by Miss Castellano. Five minutes ago, she cancelled that authorization. Service cannot continue unless the balance is settled." Helen cried, "But the wedding already started!" "Yes, madam. Early termination fees now apply." The manager turned to the second page. "Venue occupation, reserved rooms, material loss, security withdrawal, and chapel cleanup come to four hundred eighty-six thousand dollars. Who will be paying?" Bianca's smile froze. Her father looked down at his phone. Gregory scowled. "Rosalyn booked it. Ask her." "Miss Castellano submitted a written statement. She will pay only charges personally confirmed by her. She will not assume Mr. Bellman's or his guests' expenses." Ethan pulled out a credit card. "Use mine." Three seconds later, the finance clerk returned. "I'm sorry, sir. This card has been frozen." Ethan handed over another. "Then this." "Also frozen." Bianca whispered, "Ethan, what's going on? You said everything was arranged." Ethan clenched his jaw. "Rosalyn is throwing a tantrum." I finally answered his call, and my voice came through his phone. "A tantrum? Ethan, I'm just done paying for you." Everyone heard it. He lowered his voice. "Rosalyn, have you lost your mind? I'm standing at the altar." "Then let Bianca finish the walk. She's wearing the bracelet you bought with my money, sitting in the seats meant for my parents, and staying on the island I booked. She seems ready enough." "Don't talk nonsense." "The resort has footage. The jeweler has receipts. The airline has change records. Shall I ask the manager to show all of it on the chapel screen?" Dead silence. Helen rushed closer, suddenly sweet. "Rosalyn, honey, don't let outsiders laugh at us. Pay the bill first, and we'll talk at home." "Helen, you said Bianca was practically your daughter-in-law. Let her help now." Lila cried, "We don't even have rooms anymore! The hotel says they'll remove us from the island if no one pays." "Ask your sweet Bianca." I ended the call. Ten minutes later, the wedding fell apart. Flowers came down. The photographers packed up. The quartet left. Guests started posting videos. The headline spread fast. [Clerk's island wedding collapses after fiancee pulls funding at the altar. Childhood sweetheart seen wearing disputed diamond bracelet.] Ethan called over and over. I ignored him. Then the messages started. [Pay the bill now.] [You humiliated me in front of everyone.] [Bianca's parents only took two seats. Did you have to be this cruel?] I replied to the last one. [From today on, stop spending my money.] Then I blocked him. That afternoon, the Bellmans were escorted to the resort lobby. Their first-class return tickets had been voided with the payment authorization. Bianca's mother finally lost control. "You said your fiancee loved you. You said everything was covered. Now we don't even have rooms. Where are we supposed to sleep?" Ethan's face turned gray. Bianca held his hand and began to cry. "Ethan, I didn't know Rosalyn could be this heartless. Maybe I should give the bracelet back, but it was the first gift you ever gave me..." She said it while hiding her wrist behind her back. Ethan wrapped an arm around her. "This isn't your fault. Rosalyn is using money to bully people." I closed the feed. Right on time, my lawyer entered with a stack of files. "Everything you requested is ready," she said. "Six years of Bellman expenses are sorted into loans, payments made on their behalf, and gifts. Some of it can be recovered." I opened the first page. Six hundred thousand dollars in old debt. Three hundred sixty thousand in villa mortgage payments. Two hundred eighty thousand in Lila's school and extracurricular expenses. Medical bills, cars, trips, jewelry, secondary card charges - over one and a half million. I closed the file. "Send the demand letters. Give them thirty days to vacate the villa. Remove Ethan from every permission list at Pier Seventeen." My lawyer nodded. "And the blue diamond bracelet. It was charged to my joint card. Have the jeweler recover it." I could love the wrong man. But I would not bankroll a family of ingrates.