Immediately following the wedding, the guests were startled by piercing shrieks echoing from the newlyweds’ suite…

Our son is getting married soon. We’re thrilled that his fiancée is Anna, a wonderful girl from a wealthy family, and not that Emily, a plain country girl. Margaret Peterson, the renowned owner of a chain of beauty salons and spa complexes, was bragging to her friend about her future daughter-in-law. James overheard these words, having just returned from work. He was the chief financial officer in his mother’s business.

Margaret proudly introduced her grown son to her longtime friend Susan, who had flown in from abroad for her godson’s wedding. Susan was amazed to see how James had matured into a real man. He was young, tall, and athletic.

His education abroad had paid off, and the business was thriving. Recently, he and his mother had moved into a new home in an upscale neighborhood, nicknamed “Millionaires’ Row” behind their backs—a gated community built exclusively for businessmen and politicians.

Much of Margaret’s business success was thanks to Robert Johnson, a major investor who poured significant funds into the project. Though cosmetics wasn’t his main focus, he did it for his daughter, Anna. She was a smart, polished young woman who turned heads and captured hearts wherever she went.

Anna met James at a mutual friend’s milestone birthday party and quickly caught his attention. James was so enchanted by her that he completely forgot about his brief fling with Emily, whom he’d met a couple of months earlier in a rural town. That day, his friend Michael, the group’s resident troublemaker, was celebrating his college graduation at an expensive vacation home.

After plenty of alcohol, the friends decided to crash a local country dance. Michael teased James about his new acquaintance, Emily. They thought a small-town girl didn’t fit their high-class circle and was better suited for cleaning houses. Frowning, Michael proposed a plan.

“Let’s mess with this girl, make her realize where she belongs and stop poking her nose where it doesn’t belong. Jimmy, ask her to dance. Make her feel like a princess, show her some attention, then just walk away.”

“We’ll prank this naive little country fool.” James agreed. Why not? It could be fun for a laugh.

When a slow song started, James approached the girl and asked, “May I have this dance?” She, catching her breath, said yes. Her wide eyes gazed at him, her face nearly bare of makeup, her soft lips almost begging for a kiss. “What’s your name?” James asked…