My Wedding Dress Triggered the Fall of a Giant

Veronica’s POV

As my job’s pretty unique, I barely interact with people outside of work.

Naturally, my mom started to worry. She thought I might not be into guys. So, she took matters into her own hands and arranged a marriage for me.

The guy on paper was perfect. He was good-looking, charming, and the son of the wealthiest man in town.

Since I spent most of my time at the office and rarely had time for shopping, my boss had a custom wedding dress made for me.

On the day of the wedding, I was about to get changed and walk down the aisle, only to find my dress tossed in the trash.

Before I could even process what was going on, my so-called fiancé’s secretary barged in and shoved a bridesmaid dress at me, all high and mighty.

“What are you staring at? The ceremony’s about to start. Get dressed,” she barked.

I forced myself to stay calm and replied, “I’m the bride. And you expect me to wear this?”

She rolled her eyes like I was being ridiculous. “Just put it on. No need to make a scene.”

Then she added smugly, “Mr. Cobb specifically said I’ll be taking your place at the altar.”

I stood there, stunned. It took me a moment to react before I pulled out my phone and dialed my fiancé.

“Mr. Cobb,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “Don’t you think your family owes me an explanation for this little switch-up?”

——

This wedding had been filed and cleared through multiple levels at my job. If word got out that I was replaced last-minute, it’d be humiliating, possibly career-ending.

I was willing to let it slide if he owned up to it and apologized. But all I got was a snide response.

“Explanation? What exactly do you want me to explain?” His tone was dripping with disdain.

“Mr. Cobb, I know we’ve never actually met before today,” I said, “but I am supposed to be your fiancée. Letting someone else take my place in the ceremony—isn’t that a little absurd?”

Before I could even finish, he hung up.

I froze.

Was this how rich boys acted?

The secretary chuckled right in my face. “Miss Riley, do yourself a favor and just change. You should be grateful. Marrying into the Cobb family? You must’ve saved a nation in your past life.”

She took one look at my simple dress and modest appearance and clearly thought I wasn’t worth her time.

“I am the bride. There’s no way I’m putting that on!” I snapped. Then I pointed toward a nearby staff member and continued, “And if you keep pushing me, I will have security escort you out.”

I thought that would scare her, but nope. She only got more arrogant.

“Miss Riley,” she sneered, “this is New York. This is the Cobbs’ turf. You think anyone here would dare help you?”

Her voice kept rising, and her saliva even sprayed on my face while ranting.

I clenched my fists, my eyes narrowing.

“Ridiculous,” I said coldly. “A mere businessman acting like he’s royalty just because we’re in New York? What a joke.”

As soon as the words left my mouth, she gave me a deadly glare.

“Who the hell do you think you are, throwing a tantrum on the Cobb’s territory?” she shouted. “This is your final warning. Put on that dress or I swear, I’ll turn your wedding into a funeral!”

I’d worked in one place since graduating from college, so I don’t exactly have a public presence, and I’ve never had someone threaten me to my face like that.

But she crossed the line.

My anger boiled over.

“I don’t believe you,” I firmly said.

The whole room fell silent, and the staff nearby gasped.

“Holy crap, is this girl insane? She just went head-to-head with Miss Gillian! Is she already tired of living?”

“It’s just a dress, for god’s sake. She’s gonna throw away a wedding ith the Cobbs over clothes? She’ll regret it if so.”

“Right? She’s lucky to even be marrying into that family. Who cares who stands at the altar?”

Veronica’s POV

As the whispers around us grew louder, the secretary’s smug expression only deepened.

“You hear that?” she sneered. “A nobody like you, with no background and no skills, thinking you can be the bride? Keep dreaming, sweetheart.”

Yet, their mockery didn’t faze me one bit. If anything, I found it kind of funny.

“Gillian Snee, right?” I said calmly. “Let me repeat myself one last time. Give me back my wedding dress.”

But instead of hearing me out, she simply sneered, “Bring back your wedding dress, my ass!”

She even cursed at me a few more times, then apparently decided that wasn’t enough. She rolled up her sleeves and stormed toward me.

“What now?” I shot back. “The Cobbs’ lapdog can’t argue with words, so you go straight to violence?”

Without anymore words, she swung at my face several times, but never even touched the hem of my dress. That only made her more furious.

“You little bitch! Just stand there again and see what happens!” she barked. “You want me to call Mr. Cobb right now?!”

Despite her threat, I still didn’t react or retaliate. I just stood there in silence.

It wasn’t because I was scared.

It was because before I left work, my supervisor had pulled me aside and reminded me, “Every word you say and every move you make reflects on the organization. So stay calm, no matter what happens.”

Also, I don’t fight. But if I ever do strike back, I’m not aiming for warnings. I aim to end it.

Yet, Gillian seemed to think my silence meant I’d backed down. So she balled her fist and lunged again.

But just then, a deep voice thundered from the entrance.

“Enough!”

A tall man with broad shoulders and commanding presence strode in, surrounded by bodyguards.

“Gillian!” he snapped. “You’re my personal secretary. What are you doing throwing punches in public?”

So this was him—Hayden Cobb, the groom.

I gave him a quick once-over. My mom hadn’t lied. He looked like a man pulled straight from a magazine—close to 6’3″, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, handsome, and refined.

If I had to point out a flaw, it’d be the way he looked at me—cold, detached, like I wasn’t even human.

“Mr. Cobb,” I said, stepping forward with a calm smile. “Since we’re finally meeting, allow me to introduce myself. I’m Veronica Riley from—”

“That won’t be necessary,” he interrupted, waving a hand impatiently. “I’m not the least bit interested in who you are.”

For a second, I thought I’d misheard him.

I was supposed to be his bride, the Cobbs’ future daughter-in-law.

And here he was, publicly humiliating me before the wedding even started.

“Mr. Cobb,” I said, keeping my composure, “I understand this arrangement came from our parents, and we’ve never met before. But at the very least, you could let me finish a sentence. Isn’t that basic courtesy?”

His expression immediately darkened by what I’d said.

“Courtesy?” he scoffed. “Veronica, do me a favor. Go find a mirror, take a good look at yourself, and ask if someone like you deserves me.”

He then shot me a contemptuous glance and let out a short, bitter laugh.

“Let me make one thing crystal clear,” he continued. “If my dad hadn’t forced me to marry you, I wouldn’t have spared you a second look. You bring absolutely nothing to the table.”

Then he turned to the room, his voice rising.

“And don’t get any ideas. Just because there’s a wedding today doesn’t mean you’re gonna be part of our family. I’m never going to touch you. Not in this lifetime.”

Instead of drowning in embarrassment or loneliness, I simply let out a small laugh and shrugged.

“Well, since you’ve made your stance so clear, I won’t try to push this any further,” I said casually.

Then my tone dropped, cooler and sharper. “But that said…”

Veronica’s POV

“I think it’s safe to say this wedding doesn’t need to happen anymore.”

That was me, trying to end things peacefully. But the self-absorbed heir in front of me clearly didn’t get the message. He thought I was playing hard to get.

“Quit the act, Veronica,” he scoffed. “You think I haven’t seen this trick before? Playing hot and cold to reel me in? You know how many women here in this city would kill to marry into my family?”

Finding him ridiculously amusing, I couldn’t help but laugh. “Mr. Cobb, I honestly don’t care what those women want. I just don’t want anything to do with you. And as for your precious ‘family’ that you can’t stop talking about…” I gave a dry chuckle. “Please.”

That was enough to send the entire dressing room into chaos.

“Oh my god! Did she just diss his family to his face? She’s completely out of her mind!”

“No kidding! Mr. Cobb is every woman’s dream in this city. This idiot doesn’t know how lucky she is!”

“If it were me, I wouldn’t care what dress I had to wear. Getting into the Cobbs is all that matters!”

The room buzzed with judgment, but none of it mattered to me.

Sure, the Cobbs had power here in New York, and their business empire reached across the country.

But what good about money when it was just numbers?

Because when it came to real power, money folded.

I still remembered how Hayden’s father, the CEO of Cobb Corporation, bent over backward for me.

The man was drenched in sweat in less than thirty minutes, afraid every word he said might cost him everything.

And now, the fortune he begged so hard for was about to be destroyed by his own son.

“Veronica, I’m asking you one last time. Are you really calling off the engagement?” he asked.

I met his eyes with steady resolve and nodded firmly. “Absolutely.”

He clearly didn’t expect me to be so decisive as his face darkened instantly.

But before he could respond, the secretary jumped in. “Don’t worry, Mr. Cobb. I’ll handle the explanation with your father. She’s just a nobody, after all. You’re better off without her.”

Hayden hesitated, nodding slightly, though uncertainty flickered in his eyes.

“But… the invitations have already gone out. If we cancel the wedding now, it’ll damage my family’s reputation,” he worried.

The secretary clapped her chest dramatically. “Mr. Cobb, don’t worry. I’m still here, aren’t I?”

Getting her message, Hayden’s eyes lit up. “You mean…”

She nodded enthusiastically, practically glowing with pride. “We’ll go on with the wedding. I’ll be the bride.”

Hayden looked like he could cry from gratitude. “Gillian… thank you. You’re really saving the day.”

“Don’t worry,” she said sweetly. “Once it’s done, I know your family will take good care of me.”

Watching this circus unfold, I let out a cold laugh. “Alright, that’s enough. Mr. Cobb, now that your little wedding disaster is patched up, isn’t it time we discussed compensation?”

Then, I pointed toward the trash can not far from us. “My wedding dress was custom-made by my unit leader, just for today. You owe me an explanation and compensation.”

The moment I finished, the room burst into laughter again.

“She must’ve lost her mind. It’s just a dress!”

“Seriously, the Cobbs is so rich they could buy her a hundred—no, a thousand dresses and not even blink.”

I swept my eyes around the room, voice turning icy.

Veronica’s POV

“Listen, everyone. Sure, the dress itself might not be worth much money,” I said calmly, “but what it represents can’t be measured in cash.”

Yet, Hayden clearly didn’t grasp the weight of what I was saying.

“It’s just a damn dress,” he muttered, slowly walking toward me. “Why act like it means something?”

He then got closer, smirking, “Let me guess. You’re just trying to squeeze more money out of me, aren’t you? Go on, name your price. A hundred grand? A million?”

I held back the fury building inside me and locked eyes with him. “Mr. Cobb, do you seriously believe everything in this world can be solved with money?”

He raised an eyebrow arrogantly, not even trying to hide the mockery in his voice. “Doesn’t it?”

“Veronica,” he said, voice hardening, “maybe you forgot. This is New York, my family’s turf. You want to test me? I can make one call and erase you from this city.”

I clenched my fists and forced myself to stay composed, replying slowly and clearly, “Mr. Cobb, I just want to confirm. Was that a threat?”

Before he could answer, his secretary cut in with a snarl. “Damn right it was. What, you gonna cry about it?”

She then squared up to me. “Come on, tough girl. Hit me. I dare you.”

I turned to her with a cold, emotionless gaze. “Let me guess, you actually think being someone’s lapdog is something to be proud of, am I right?”

Embarassed, her face went beet red. She stammered, pointing at me, too flustered to come up with a comeback.

Seeing that, Hayden quickly stepped in, shielding her behind him. “Who the hell are you calling a lapdog? Gillian’s been with me since she graduated college. She’s practically family. And if you don’t apologize to her right now, I promise you’re not walking out of here.”

Funny how within just one hour, I received a threat twice in a row.

In all my years working in a top-secret government unit, I’d never even imagined something like this happening.

This time, I was done talking.

I pulled out my phone in front of everyone and calmly made a call.

“Hello, Boss? It’s Veronica.”

The voice on the other end brightened instantly. “Well, if it isn’t Veronica! What’s going on? You finally meet your future husband? You like what you see?”

I glanced at the man standing across from me and gave a cold chuckle. “Boss, it’s a long story. But I need to report something urgent. Someone threw away the wedding dress you had custom-made for me. Into a trash can. What did you say!?”

The shock in his voice nearly blew out the speaker.

“You better not be joking, Veronica. That dress had a Medal of Honor stitched into it!”

My blood was boiling now too.

“Boss, you think I’d joke about something like that? And the person who trashed the dress? Not only did she not apologize, she even threatened to kill me,” I added.

Then I gave him a rundown of everything that happened, and by the end of it, I heard glass shattering on his end of the call.

“Who was it?!” he asked, fuming.

Just as I was about to answer, the secretary snatched the phone from my hand.

“You’re the so-called boss she keeps blabbing about?” she scoffed. “I’m Hayden’s personal secretary. If you’ve got a problem, take it up with me!”

My boss went silent for a few seconds, probably stunned that someone had the nerve to speak to him like that.

“So you’re the one who destroyed Veronica’s dress and then turned around and threatened her?” he asked.

Until now, she still didn’t realize who she was dealing with. She still stayed cocky as ever.

Veronica’s POV

“Enough talk. Just tell me what you want!” Gillian barked.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” my boss replied calmly.

Even through the phone, I could feel the fire in his voice.

But clearly, the secretary didn’t expect him to be temperamental, and she fired back without missing a beat.

“Old man, you’ve been watching too many TV dramas, haven’t you?” she scoffed. “Let’s see who in this city actually dares to go up against the Cobb family.”

After that, she hung up the call and turned to Hayden with a smug little grin, clearly proud of herself, like she expected praise.

Seeing that, I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“Mr. Cobb, you really know how to pick ‘em,” I said, smirking. “Even nationwide, I’ve never met someone quite as ‘fearless’ as your secretary.”

Not catching my sarcasm, Gillian scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Please. I don’t care who your so-called ‘boss’ is. As long as Mr. Cobb is in charge, the Cobbs isn’t going anywhere.”

I tilted my head slightly and gave a small smile. “Is that so? Then let me ask you. What if, after today, the Cobbs ceases to exist in this city?”

Right then, someone in the room suddenly shouted, “Look outside!”

Quickly, everyone rushed to the windows.

Outside, a long line of black Audi A6s, each bearing the elite “New York 1” license plate, was pulling up to the venue in a sleek and imposing convoy.