The Heir I Dragged Into My “He’s My Fiancé!” Lie Is Somehow Playing Along!? - Chapter 0

Since I’m quitting the company anyway, I don’t care what happens.

That day, Alice Shirotsuki was more self-destructive than she had ever been in her twenty-six years of life.

The reason was a common one: her fiancé’s infidelity.

(Though it turned out I was the only one who thought we were engaged; apparently it was marriage fraud!?)

She never imagined she’d be scammed by someone she knew well. A colleague from work whom everyone around her was familiar with rather than some shady guy she met on social media.

Looking back, even though they had joined the company at the same time and their salaries couldn’t have been that different, he had constantly asked her for money throughout their relationship. She should have realized something was off then.

He’d say things like, “My grandmother is critically ill, and I have to fly back to my family home in Kyushu right away,” or “I got a wedding invitation from my cousin who’s marrying into a remote part of Hokkaido. Since she’s family, I have to give at least 100,000 yen as a gift, and the travel expenses are pretty steep too.”

(“Oh, that’s tough.” “No, it’s fine, you can pay me back after your next bonus.” “But since we’re getting married, it’s better to save Akihisa’s money for our wedding fund, right? Don’t worry, I’m fine with the money I lent you. I’ll just think of it as something I spent on myself.” “When we get married and buy new furniture, maybe Akihisa can cover it. Just hear me out, okay?” Aaaah, what a convenient, stupid girl—that’s me!)

She had been bankrolling him.

But she never imagined he would just skip out on her.

After all, they had promised to get married.

That said, considering their age, their relationship had been “pure.” Even when they went on dates after work, they’d just eat and quickly part ways—there was never any “overnight” event.

Their weekend plans always seemed to fall through somehow.

If he said his grandmother was critically ill or his cousin was getting married, all she could say was, “Take care!”

If this had gone on for six months or a year, even Alice would have grown suspicious and looked into it. But even though they had known each other since joining the company a few years ago, they had only been dating for three months.

They had started dating on a whim. After a kiss in the office at night, he’d said, “Wanna give it a try?” They hadn’t even gone on that many dates. Yet, suspiciously quickly, he’d brought up, “Should we get married?” and “Let’s have our parents meet soon,” and Alice had ended up giving him a million yen from her carefully saved-up funds.

This wasn’t just being naïve, it was downright foolish.

And then, that very man, Akihisa Saito, made a sudden marriage announcement at work.

By the time Alice arrived at the office, the topic was all anyone could talk about. Akihisa had already discussed it with their supervisor, and it seemed he was taking the opportunity to transfer to another location.

Their workplace was the headquarters of a nationally famous resort hotel group, and both Alice and Akihisa had gained field experience when they first joined.

Even now, during busy seasons, they sometimes helped out at other locations, and it was common for employees to be assigned as managers at regional offices.

Akihisa had often gone to support the Nagano office, and it turned out he had been dating a woman there. He had applied for a transfer and it had been approved.

For Alice, it was all a complete shock.

“Wait, what’s going on? What about us getting married?”

Shocked, Alice charged into the cheerful group gathered around their supervisor’s desk.

Immediately, a female employee blocked her path, and her female supervisor glared at her sharply.

“Shirotsuki-san. What Saito-kun told us was true, then.”

“Huh?”

“That you’ve been stalking him.”

Hearing her supervisor’s cold tone, Alice felt the blood drain from her face.

A male employee tried to intervene, saying, “Manager, maybe not in front of everyone.” but the supervisor paid no attention and instead said firmly, “Since we’re on the topic, I’ll be clear.”

“He said that ever since you joined the company, no matter how many times Saito-kun turned you down by saying he had a girlfriend, you persistently pressured him, saying, ‘If it’s long-distance, you can fool around a little and no one will find out.’ And recently, you’ve been pestering him, saying, ‘Even if we don’t go to a hotel, just having a meal together is fine,’ and you made him treat you repeatedly, costing him quite a bit of money?”

Even as a fabrication, it was too malicious.

Though stunned, Alice could think of several things that now made sense.

(He told me, “Let’s keep our relationship a secret at work for now,” and “If people see us talking, they might get the wrong idea, so let’s try not to speak much.” I didn’t want to be seen as “all giddy!” at the office either, so I just went along with it.)

Akihisa must have been after Alice’s money from the very beginning.

The fact that their dates were just meals and then they’d quickly part ways. Alice had thought he was treating her with care, but it must have been a precaution to avoid being seen entering or leaving a hotel together, just in case.

As for the money she lent him, there was no written agreement, so she had no way to prove anything now.

Compared to Alice, who was completely caught off guard, Akihisa must have been carefully laying the groundwork for these three months.

And to top it off, he was getting a promotion and moving to a new location to get married.

Alice didn’t think she had done anything to earn anyone’s resentment at work, but she wasn’t close enough with other employees to socialize privately. She had lunch friends, but her serious nature had backfired. She hadn’t even hinted at having a boyfriend, let alone confided in anyone about Akihisa.

Now, Alice had been swindled out of her money, had a bad reputation at work, and was left isolated and helpless. Facing a future where she would feel utterly out of place.

As for Akihisa, she was filled with questions: “Why? Did I do something to make you hate me this much?” But she could see him through the crowd, wearing a cold expression and refusing to meet her eyes.

At that moment, Alice envisioned her future: “I’ll probably end up so uncomfortable that I quit this company.”

If Akihisa had stayed at headquarters, she might have been able to recover.

She could have worked hard to earn trust through her job and gradually shifted the atmosphere so people would think, “There’s no way Shirotsuki-san would do something like that.”

But with Akihisa spreading rumors far and wide and then disappearing the moment he transferred, Alice felt she had no moves left.

(Maybe the rumor that “Shirotsuki Alice is stalking him” was already pretty widespread around the office without me knowing. That’s why everyone was being careful, keeping the transfer under wraps until the last minute, and once it was announced, they moved him quickly so I couldn’t make contact. He’s got the ultimate escape plan!)

As Alice sank into self-pity, someone she recognized—a well-known figure in the company came into view.

Umi Yumikura.

A young elite from the founding family, graduate of a prestigious university, with overseas work experience before joining the company.

With a brilliant track record, he had earned the youngest promotion ever and was now, in his twenties, the head of the public relations department.

The phrase “beauty and brains” seemed made for him. He was handsome, with brownish hair, deep-set, well-proportioned features that could only be described as a “sweet mask,” and he always wore a smile. Standing over 180 cm tall, he wore custom-made brand suits flawlessly, with legs so long and a physique that seemed almost unreal.

As she stared blankly, their eyes met.

They had never spoken before, and she doubted Umi even recognized her as an individual, but he gave her his characteristic refreshing smile.

Seeing his composed demeanor, the thought suddenly crossed her mind: “I wish it had been Yumikura-san instead.”

(Even if I were to be miserably betrayed, if the other person had been Prince Charming Yumikura-san, I think I could have accepted it. If it had been a once-in-a-lifetime, ultimate hottie, I might have been able to tell myself, “Oh well! At least I had a good time!”)

Being scammed is awful no matter who does it, and thinking “if only it had been Prince Charming” was too simplistic—but in that moment, Alice was consumed by the idea.

You only live once, being brought down by some worthless man was just too boring.

If I’m going to be dumped spectacularly, it might as well be by someone on Umi Yumikura’s level.

Alice strode right up to Umi, stopping just short of touching him, and declared brightly to everyone around them:

“I’m not sure what this relationship trouble with Saito-kun is about. I’m dating Yumikura-san with marriage in mind! We just talked about it yesterday. We’re planning to register our marriage on my birthday next month.”

It was a lie.

(I don’t care anymore. I’m quitting this company anyway!)

Still, she was fully aware that dragging an uninvolved person like Umi into this was a terrible thing to do.

Alice looked up at Umi standing beside her and silently mouthed with her eyes, “I’m sorry. These five seconds are more than enough for me.”

For some reason, Umi was looking at her with an incredibly warm smile.

“Huh?”

Umi pulled Alice close, and with that same bright smile, declared clearly:

“Actually, that’s right. We are dating. This is a good opportunity for everyone to know.”

A wave of shock rippled through the room, and the atmosphere trembled.

Still held in Umi’s strong arms, Alice looked up at his face in surprise.

Huh…

Whaaaaaaat!?