Some people are so sure they’ve got you all figured out, they don’t even bother asking who you really are. When my fiancé’s parents thought I was a gold-digger and shoved an unfair prenup in my face, I let them believe their little story about me. The next day, they got a shock they never saw coming.
I never thought love could turn into a fight so fast. One minute, you’re planning your dream wedding, and the next, you’re staring down your fiancé’s parents as they try to tear you down with fake smiles.
I met Arden at a friend’s barbecue, and he stood out right away. He sat next to me on the deck, chatting about his job as an engineer without sounding full of himself, laughing at my silly jokes, and making me feel like I mattered in a way I hadn’t before.
“This might sound wild,” he said six months later, as we walked through a park covered in autumn leaves, “but I’ve never felt this way about anyone.” His eyes locked on mine, open and honest. “I don’t want anyone else, Saffron.”
That’s what I loved about Arden—he was real. No tricks, no acting. Just himself. In a world full of hidden agendas, he was a breath of fresh air.
His family, though? That’s where things got messy.
“More tea, Saffron?” his mum, Imelda, asked at our first meeting, pouring into my cup before I could answer. Her pearl necklace glinted in the dining room’s soft light as she gave me a tight smile.
“I’m just so happy Arden’s finally settling down.”
“Mum,” Arden said, grabbing my hand under the table.
“What? It’s a nice thing to say!” Imelda replied, sharing a quick look with her husband, Cedric, that gave me chills.
I smiled back, keeping it cool. I’d grown up dealing with people who judged me without knowing me. My parents always said our family’s money was nobody’s business.
“Old money stays quiet,” my grandad used to tell me. So I learned to live my life without flashing my wealth around.
Arden squeezed my hand and whispered, “I’m popping out to meet my mate Rory for an hour. You okay with my parents for a bit?”
“Sure,” I said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Take your time.”
“We’ll look after her,” Cedric said, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.
The second the front door clicked shut, Imelda’s vibe changed. “Saffron, come to the study, please. We need to talk.”
The study was all dark wood and fancy books, set up to show off. Imelda pointed to an armchair across from the desk where Cedric was already sitting.
“We care about Arden’s future,” she started, her voice sweet but her eyes sharp.
I nodded, feeling uneasy. “I know you do.”
Imelda’s smile tightened as she slid a thick folder across the desk. “This is just a formality. We’d like you to sign it.”
I looked at the folder. “What’s this?”
“A prenup,” Cedric said, his tone flat. “Standard stuff.”
“Just to keep things safe, dear,” Imelda added.
“Safe from what?” I asked, meeting her gaze.
My hands shook a little as I opened the folder, but I kept my face calm. The pages were full of legal talk, but the point was clear—they wanted to make sure I couldn’t touch Arden’s money if we ever split.
Imelda leaned in, her voice low and patronizing. “We know your type, dear. We’ve seen it before. You’re lucky to be joining our family.”
It felt like a slap. I’d been judged before, but this hit harder.
Cedric clasped his hands on the desk. “If your love is real, signing won’t be a problem. Arden has more to lose than you.”
My face burned with shame, but anger flared too. Not about the prenup—I was fine with protecting assets—but their nerve, assuming I was chasing Arden’s cash, made me furious.
I took a deep breath and closed the folder. “I understand.”
Imelda thought I was giving in. “So, you’ll sign?”
I met her eyes. “I’ll sign, but I have one condition.”
They swapped a look, already acting like they’d won.
Imelda’s smile grew. “What’s that, dear?”
“I need a day to go over it properly. I’ll give you my answer tomorrow morning.”
Imelda’s smile slipped a bit. “That’s not necessary. Our lawyer made sure it’s fair.”
“I’m sure,” I said calmly. “But I’d like to review it. I’ll come back tomorrow.”
Cedric frowned. “Let’s keep this between us for now. No need to bother Arden with… details.”
I stood, holding the folder. “Tomorrow, then?”
Imelda nodded, looking smug. “Tomorrow.”
As I walked to my car, my hands trembled with anger—not at the prenup, but at being so underestimated.
“They don’t know who they’re messing with,” I muttered, pulling out my phone to make a call.
“It’s handled. But Saffron, have you talked to Arden about this?” the voice on the other end asked after I explained.
My chest tightened. “His parents cornered me while he was out. They told me not to tell him.”
“Right. You okay going forward like this?”
I pictured Imelda’s smug grin, their assumption I was a gold-digger when I’d worked hard for my own success. “They made their move. Now it’s my turn.”
“Got it. See you tomorrow. They’re in for a big surprise!”
That night, I barely slept. I kept reaching for my phone, wanting to call Arden and spill everything. But I had to follow through, to see Imelda and Cedric’s faces when they realized how wrong they were.
The next morning, I pulled up to their house at ten, and I wasn’t alone.
Imelda opened the door, her smile freezing when she saw the sharp-dressed, gray-haired man next to me.
“Saffron… who’s this?” she asked, her voice tense.
I smiled sweetly. “Imelda, Cedric, this is Mr. Warrick. My lawyer.”
Imelda’s jaw dropped. “A lawyer? What’s this about?”
Cedric appeared, his face hardening. “What’s going on?”
We moved to the living room, where I sat down and placed a thick folder on the coffee table.
“Just some paperwork,” I said casually. “Since you’re so worried about protecting Arden’s money, I thought I’d protect mine too.”
Cedric scoffed, eyeing my folder. “Yours? What could you possibly have to protect?”
“Ms. Saffron has asked me to present her financial situation,” Mr. Warrick said, opening the folder smoothly. “For your review.”
The room went quiet as Mr. Warrick laid out the papers, pointing to numbers that made Imelda’s eyes widen and Cedric’s jaw drop.
“A tech consulting business started by my client at age 22, currently worth about £3.2 million,” Mr. Warrick said.
Cedric’s smirk faded.
“Three rental flats in central London, bringing in about £10,000 a month.”
Imelda gripped her pearls.
“A trust fund set up by her grandad, valued at £1.9 million.”
Cedric coughed awkwardly.
“And personal savings and investments totaling just over £750,000.”
Their faces fell as the truth hit. Imelda looked pale as a ghost.
“Y-you have all that?” she stammered.
I tilted my head. “Oh? You didn’t bother asking before deciding I was after Arden’s money?”
Cedric cleared his throat. “Well, maybe we should tweak the prenup to protect both of you equally.”
I gave a small laugh. “No way. If you’re so sure Arden’s money should stay separate, mine will too.” I nodded to Mr. Warrick, who slid a document across the table. “My counter-offer. If we divorce, he gets none of what I’ve earned or inherited. Fair, right?”
Imelda’s hands shook as she grabbed the paper. “This is ridiculous. We were just trying to—”
The front door slammed, cutting her off. Arden stood there, his face a mix of confusion, anger, and hurt.
“What’s going on?” he demanded, looking from his parents to me, then to Mr. Warrick.
Imelda stood. “Arden, darling, we were just…”
“Trying to make Saffron sign a prenup behind my back?” he said, voice cold. “Yeah, I know. Rory told me everything this morning.”
My heart sank. His younger brother had spilled the beans.
Imelda gasped. “Rory had no right—”
“No, Mum. You had no right.” Arden stepped forward, eyes on the documents. “A prenup? Without even talking to me?”
Cedric stood. “Son, we were just looking out for you. We didn’t know Saffron was… financially set.”
Arden’s gaze shifted to my documents, then to me. “Saffron? What’s all this?”
I took a deep breath. “Your parents gave me a prenup to sign. I countered with one of my own.”
Silence hung heavy as Arden processed it. He picked up a document, scanned the figures, and looked at me with new understanding.
“All this time…” he said softly. “You never mentioned any of this.”
I shrugged, feeling vulnerable. “It never seemed important. I wanted to be loved for who I am, not what I have.”
Arden turned to his parents, voice low but sharp. “You went behind my back. You treated Saffron like she was after my money, when all this time…” He gestured to the documents. “Did you even try to know her before judging her?”
Imelda’s eyes welled up, though I couldn’t tell if the tears were real. “We were only trying to protect you.”
“No, Mum. You were protecting your prejudices. You saw what you wanted to see.”
Arden crossed the room and took my hand. “I’m so sorry, Saffron. I had no idea they’d do this.”
I squeezed his hand. “It’s okay. You didn’t know.”
Cedric’s face was red. “Now see here—”
Arden cut him off. “No, Dad. You see. This is the woman I love. The woman I’m marrying. And clearly, she doesn’t need our money.”
Imelda wiped her eyes. “Arden, please, we were just being careful.”
“Stop. Here’s what’s happening. Saffron and I will have a prenup—one we decide together. What we have separately stays separate. What we build together will be shared.” He fixed his parents with a hard stare. “And don’t ever do this to my future wife again.”
Imelda gasped, hand to her heart. Cedric clenched his jaw, speechless.
“Let’s go,” Arden said to me, gathering the papers and handing them to Mr. Warrick. “We’re done here.”
As we walked out, I turned back. Imelda and Cedric stood frozen, their plan in ruins.
“Thanks for the tea yesterday,” I said softly. “It was eye-opening.”
That evening, Arden and I sat on my flat’s balcony, the city lights twinkling below.
“I still can’t believe it,” he said, shaking his head. “All this time, you were basically a secret millionaire?”
I laughed, leaning against his shoulder. “Not a secret, just… private. My grandad always said money’s like underwear—necessary, but not flashed about.”
Arden chuckled, then got serious. “I’m so sorry about my parents. What they did was awful.”
“They were trying to protect you. Just in the worst way possible.”
“Still.” Arden took my hand. “I should’ve seen it coming. They’ve always been judgmental, but this…” He sighed. “I don’t know how to move forward with them.”
I thought of my family, how they taught me character matters more than status, how my grandad made me work from the ground up despite my trust fund.
“People can surprise you, Arden. Sometimes badly, sometimes wonderfully. Your parents might surprise us yet.”
He kissed my forehead. “You’re a better person than me.”
“Nah.” I grinned. “I just enjoyed the look on your mum’s face when Mr. Warrick listed my assets a bit too much.”
Arden laughed, a full, free sound that lifted my heart. “That was brilliant. Tech firm? Properties? Trust fund? I’m marrying a proper boss.”
“You sure are!” I sat up straighter. “So, about that prenup…”
Arden’s smile faded. “We don’t need one. I trust you completely.”
I shook my head. “We do. Not because we don’t trust each other, but because it’s smart. We protect what we’ve each built.”
“You’re right. But we’ll do it our way—together, honestly, no sneaking.”
“Deal.” I stuck out my hand, and he shook it, then pulled me in for a kiss.
As we planned our future under the night sky, I thought about assumptions and how people see what they expect. Imelda and Cedric saw a gold-digger. They never looked deeper.
But Arden had. He’d seen me from that first day.
“What’re you thinking?” he asked, noticing my silence.
I smiled, watching the city’s stories unfold below. “That the best revenge isn’t getting even. It’s living well—and making sure those who underestimated you get front-row seats to your happiness.”
Arden took my hand, and as we hugged under the stars, I knew we’d be okay. Not because of what we owned, but because we’d chosen to see the truth in each other.
