My Family Gave My Dowry to a Con Man—Now Watch Them Beg

My family was preparing my wedding, and the whole room buzzed with celebration.

The date was set for three days later, at the top-tier Skyline Hotel—the crown jewel of the city's most elite social circle.

At the family dinner, Mom publicly announced a piece of news.

"Eva, I canceled the Skyline Hotel you booked and transferred the deposit to Emma for her engagement next month." She pushed a cheap glass jewelry box in front of me. "And that fifty thousand dollar dowry of yours will go to Emma first too. She's marrying into a wealthy family, so the spectacle can't be small. The Nolan you're marrying is dirt poor—he doesn't care about these empty formalities."

She waved her hand dismissively. "Oh right, don't have your wedding anymore. That day you'll be Emma's bridesmaid instead."

My younger sister, Emma, clung to her fiancé's arm.

"Eva, you won't blame me, right? Mom's doing this for the good of our family."

I looked at the room full of hypocritical faces and only felt it was ridiculous.

They didn't know that the "poor guy" I was marrying, Nolan Delgado, was the real crown prince of the city's elite circle. And the "wealthy family" Emma was marrying into was nothing more than a scam that specialized in conning idiots.

——

I showed a smile. "Sure. I'll definitely go, and personally give my sister a 'big gift' she'll never forget."

"Eva is really becoming more sensible." Mom patted my hand with satisfaction. "I knew you were the most considerate of the family."

Emma immediately picked up the conversation, her voice so sweet it was cloying. "Yeah, Eva's the best. Unlike me—I've always made Mom and Dad worry about my marriage since I was little."

As she spoke, she deliberately shook the expensive jade bangle on her wrist. That bangle was left by my grandma, and it was originally meant for me.

Dad cleared his throat and put on the airs of the head of the household. "Alright, family doesn't talk like strangers. Emma marrying well brings honor to the Harding family. Eva, as the older sister, you should naturally help your younger sister more."

I lowered my eyes and looked at the plate of sweet-and-sour ribs farthest from me—my favorite dish. The lazy Susan spun, carrying it mercilessly toward Emma's fiancé, Nathaniel Lambert.

Nathaniel immediately picked up a piece and attentively placed it in Emma's bowl. "Emma, eat more. Look how skinny you are."

"Nathaniel, you're so good to me."

Emma's voice carried a hint of showing off.

Mom smiled so widely she couldn't close her mouth. "Look, look at how much Nathaniel cares about our Emma. Eva, you should learn from him. Don't keep a cold face all day. That boyfriend of yours, Nolan—he looks poor and shabby, and he's so wooden too. No sense of romance at all."

"Mom, Nolan isn't wooden. He's just quiet by nature."

"Quiet? I think it's inferiority!" Mom scoffed. "Last time he came for dinner, he didn't even have a decent outfit. When Nathaniel and I introduced luxury brands to him, he didn't recognize a single one. Seriously laughable."

Nathaniel put his arm around Emma's shoulder. "Auntie, don't blame Eva. This is just her taste. Finding an ordinary guy and living a steady life is pretty good too. Not like our Emma—she was born to be a wealthy family's wife."

"Exactly, exactly." Mom echoed.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

The housekeeper opened the door, and Nolan stood at the entrance carrying a bag of fruit.

He was wearing a light gray shirt I'd bought him. Simple, but it set off his tall, straight frame.

The moment Mom saw him, the smile vanished from her face.

"Why are you here?"

"Auntie, I'm here to pick up Eva."

"Pick up what? Can't you see our family is eating? You have no sense at all."