The Groom Swap: Marrying My Ex's Billionaire Rival

Tags: Groom Swap, Revenge Marriage, Ex's Best Friend, Groveling Ex, Billionaire Romance On the eve of our engagement party, Sean Sterling made a bet with his female best friend, Gemma. He lost my engagement ring to her. "Sean, put it on me! Let me see what a two-hundred-thousand-dollar diamond feels like." Sean hesitated. Gemma covered her mouth with a coy smirk. "What's wrong? Can't afford to lose?" "I’m not that petty!" He slipped the ring onto Gemma's finger. She turned toward the camera, flashing a triumphant smile. I closed the video, took a long breath, and dialed a number. "I'm getting married in three days. I just need a groom." "You won't regret this?" "Never." A man who could gamble away my engagement ring didn't deserve another second of my time. Sean and I were a business alliance between the Sinclairs and the Sterlings, but we had already been together for five years before the formal arrangement. For all five years, Gemma had been glued to his side. I used to ignore her, but this time, they took it too far—and I was done. Sean called me, hesitating on the line. "Scarlett... about the ring. I lost it. We might need to postpone the engagement party." "No need." "I knew you wouldn't be so petty—" I cut him off. "I said no need to postpone. Everything goes on as scheduled." A mocking voice drifted from the background. "Sean, sounds like Scarlett just can't bear to let go of her golden ticket, huh?" Gemma's voice dripped with disdain. Sean's tone instantly sharpened. "Scarlett, the Sinclair family's cash flow is broken. A marriage alliance won't save you overnight anyway!" "Sean, you know this event is a public signal. The Sinclair family needs it, but—" "Enough! I said postpone, so we postpone. I'm flying out to see the Northern Lights that day. I promised Gemma, and I'm not breaking my word!" He hung up before I could finish. What I meant to say was: the Sinclair family needs a marriage alliance, yes. But the groom... has changed. Too bad he didn't care to listen. He had no idea what was coming. That night, I called the venue to replace all the welcome boards, printed updated invitations, and redesigned the entire theme. I swapped my simple gown for a full luxury bridal gown. Sean’s custom tuxedo was already finished and non-refundable, so I had to rush-order a new one for my real groom. Luckily, my event planning team was top-tier. Swapping grooms wasn't unheard of in high society, and they adapted in a heartbeat. After hanging up, Sean was fuming. Gemma teased him with a pout, "Still mad, Sean? Scarlett's just throwing a fit. If she doesn't push you, how else is she going to secure her spot as Mrs. Sterling?" "Just wait. She'll come crawling back to apologize soon. She always does." Sean downed his drink. Remembering my face, he smirked. "You're right. Let's keep partying!" "Party? Go pack your bags! We're chasing the Northern Lights!" "What's the rush? We still have a full day!" He was waiting for my apology. Instead, he got a call from the tailor. "Mr. Sterling, Ms. Sinclair just ordered another tuxedo. We're calling to confirm your measurements." Sean chuckled. He assumed this was my new tactic—gifting him an expensive suit to make amends. Just as he was about to give his sizes, the tailor panicked. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Mr. Sterling! Wrong number. My apologies!" The line went dead. Sean froze, then flared with rage. Scarlett did this on purpose! Playing hard to get? Trying to drop hints through a third party? How childish! He considered offering me an olive branch, but Gemma tugged his arm. "Let's head to the airport early to grab good seats! Besides, you just talked to her. Leave her on read for a while. Women only value you when they're scared of losing you." "Or are you having second thoughts?" Sean scoffed. "Second thoughts? Over her? As if!" "Let's go. Aurora borealis, here we come!" He grabbed Gemma's hand and walked out. His friends cheered. "Sean is ruthless! Scarlett won't even get him back on her knees this time!" "She's been begging him to put a ring on it every single year. He's sick of it." "The Sinclairs are practically broke anyway. Who'd want her?" "Now that you're flying off to see the lights, she's going to lose her mind." Sean grinned, fully agreeing. He had no clue my wedding preparations were already in full swing. Whether he showed up or not didn't matter in the slightest.Before boarding, Sean checked his phone. Seeing no missed calls from me, he posted a photo of the airport lounge on his Instagram: "Chasing the Northern Lights with someone special. Don't worry, I'll be back." I saw it and casually tapped the like button. A second later, his call came through. "Scarlett! You saw it?" "Need something?" "You've really crossed the line this time. Having the tailor call me? Don't bother ordering me a suit." "It wasn't for you." My mistake—I had forgotten to give the shop Hunter's direct number. "What did you say?" His voice spiked. I sighed, exhausted. "I said, it's not for you. Don't flatter yourself." He gave a bitter laugh. "Fine. Great!" He hung up. I didn't bother calling back. For the sake of our families' business relations, I didn't block him yet. But there was nothing left between us. Moments later, Gemma sent me a photo on Snapchat—her and Sean, fingers intertwined. "Don't be mad, Scarlett! Once Sean watches the lights with me, he'll come back and marry you. Pushing the date back a few days is no big deal!" I screenshotted the image and replied smoothly: "Have fun." She probably didn't expect that. In the past, I would have called her screaming. Today, I felt dead calm. For five years, Gemma had lingered in our relationship like a bad smell. Whenever I complained, Sean would say: "She's my childhood best friend! Don't be so dramatic. If I wanted to be with her, I would've been with her years ago!" And now, hiding behind the label of "best friends," they did things only lovers do, calling it "honoring a bet." It was sickening. I was completely done. I locked my phone and set it aside. Hunter Vance was already waiting for me at the bridal boutique. Looking at my reflection in the mirror—stunning and radiant in ivory lace—a genuine smile crept across my face. Hunter's deep voice came from behind me. "Gorgeous. Too late to back out now, by the way." "I'm not backing out." "Sure about that?" "One hundred percent. What about you? Aren't you worried about losing Sean as a friend?" Hunter stepped closer, his hands resting naturally on my waist as he murmured against my ear, "A disloyal scumbag like him isn't worth calling a friend." I smiled. His throat bobbed, and he cleared his throat, taking a polite step back. "That dress. It's the one." Right after the fitting, the hotel coordinator texted our planning group: "Ms. Sinclair, final confirmation on the reception bar menu." I typed back: "Looks great. No strawberries in any cocktails, please. He's severely allergic." Suddenly, a message popped up in the chat from Sean: "Scarlett, I'm not allergic to strawberries. You're losing your mind." "And I told you the party is postponed. If you keep pushing this charade, how are you going to save face?" Ah. I had forgotten to remove him from the group chat. Without a word, I kicked Sean Sterling out of the group. He blew up my phone immediately. I ignored his calls and muted his texts. Thousands of miles away in a luxury hotel in Finland, Sean was pacing restlessly. Gemma was filming the snow outside. Seeing his gloomy expression, she tugged his arm. "Stop staring at your phone! Take pictures of me!" He shoved her hand away. "Not now!" Gemma blinked, shocked. Then she caught sight of his screen, an idea popping into her head. She sent a quick text to a friend back home.A reply came back instantly. "Look, Sean! Scarlett is actually going through with a wedding! She's desperate to trap you into running back. If you go, you're falling right into her trap!" She showed him the photo. Outside the venue, workers were setting up a massive wedding banner. Scarlett was in a breathtaking bridal gown. Sean’s breath hitched. She looked stunning. "Are you going back?" Gemma pouted. "You can still catch a flight if you hurry." Sean's ego flared up. "Hell no! It's just another one of her games. Come on, let's go take your pictures." He ruffled Gemma's hair, completely missing the small print at the bottom of the poster: *The Wedding of Scarlett Sinclair and Hunter Vance.* Gemma had cleverly cropped that line out. She snatched Sean’s phone. "Mine died, use yours!" She dragged him outside, snapped dozens of pictures, edited them, and posted them directly to Sean's Instagram story with cozy captions before handing it back. "There! We're here to have fun. Stop obsessing. Buy her a luxury bag on the way home. You know Scarlett—she's so easy to appease. She can't live without you anyway." Sean thought about it and relaxed. She was right. They had been on-and-off for five years. The Sinclair family needed his backing; she would never actually walk away. "You're right. Today is about having fun." While they were gallivanting in the snow, my wedding day arrived. All the guests arrived. When the Sterlings finally caught wind that the groom had been replaced, Sean's parents stormed the venue in a fury. Before Mrs. Sterling could unleash her rage, I handed her a photo. "Sean went to Finland with Gemma. It's completely over between us." "Scarlett, this must be a misunderstanding! Gemma is just his childhood best friend!" Mrs. Sterling frantically defended him. I scoffed. "Do 'best friends' sleep in the same bed naked?" Her face turned pale. Gemma had sent me photos from their hotel room, flaunting her conquest. She meant to humiliate me, but today, I was grateful for her stupidity. Humiliated and speechless, Sean's parents shrank back as I turned to greet my guests. Panicked, Mrs. Sterling and her husband frantically dialed Sean. When Sean finally answered, his voice was sleepy and nonchalant. "Mom? What's up?" "Get your ass home right now! Scarlett is getting married!" Sean chuckled lazily. "I know, Mom. It's just a stunt to force my hand. Don't worry, I'll deal with her when I get back." Mrs. Sterling screamed into the phone, "You idiot! She's marrying into the Vance family! Half the city's billionaires are here! And you're halfway across the world rolling around with that little tramp Gemma?! You've ruined everything!" Sean froze. "What did you say? Marrying who?!" "Hunter Vance! If you don't get here in ten minutes, they're heading to the bridal suite!" Sean’s world shattered. The custom tuxedo... the wedding venue... it had never been for him. "Mom, stop her! Do whatever it takes! I'm booking a flight right now!" His hands trembled so violently he couldn't even navigate the flight booking app. Back at the venue, Mrs. Sterling tried to storm the doors, but Hunter's security guards intercepted them, escorting both Sterling parents straight to the curb. "Mr. Vance said a scumbag like Sean Sterling isn't worthy of his friendship, and the Sterlings aren't welcome here. All business partnerships between Vance Group and Sterling Corp are officially terminated." Mrs. Sterling’s blood pressure spiked, and she collapsed in a dead faint. Sean called my phone over and over. I left it on silent. His text flashed: *Don't do it, Scarlett. Please, I'm begging you, don't marry him!* I smiled faintly, set the phone aside, and took Hunter's arm. Looking into his dark, steady eyes, I made my vows. No regrets. Ever. Sean Sterling, I am truly done with you.