"Sorry, let's cancel our wedding. For the outside world, you can use any excuse," Patrick read the break-up text from his fiancee.

He attempted to get in touch with her. "Sorry, the user dialed cannot be connected temporarily. Please redial later!"

The setting sun came bearing the worst of the news, from his bills pilling up to his fiancee canceling their engagement via text message without offering any explanation whatsoever.

"Sir, you've been called down for dinner," the maid gave him notice.

"I am not hungry. I'll pass on dinner," he excused himself from hours of torture and judgment from his family in the name of dinner.

Patrick turned on his wifi and went on to read his emails. The one from the university caught his attention.

'Notice From The University Finance Office: Mr. Andrada, you are among the students who haven't paid their fees yet. According to student management regulations, students who fail to pay fees will be withdrawn from school. Please pay fees in time so that your enrollment and further studies won't be affected.'

It was the first day of college, and he could hardly enroll in school because his fiancee, who had promised to sponsor his studies, vanished without a trace the whole day.

Her disappearance was a major setback to his plans. It left him stranded with bills and no way to cover them. The money he had saved up for school was already used for his mother's rehab bills. A decision he took once his fiancee had assured him that she would help him out.

Patrick rested his head on his palm. A heavy expression settled on his face. He cried inwardly. He put his headphones on and set the volume high.

Brush, Brush...

He splattered paint on the wall with a brush. Focusing on the strong scent of the paint and the movements of his hand to take his mind off his unfortunate situation.

Using paint to express his feelings, he vented out his frustration and subconsciously painted an image of his ex-fiancee on the wall.

He painted for two hours nonstop. The worst thing his fiancee did to him wasn't calling off the wedding. It was breaking his dream with her promises and falling short of fulfilling them.

This broke his heart more than the fact that she dumped on him via text message. After full long hours, Patrick ambled three steps back and stared at his work.

Three lines formed on his forehead as a frown settled on his face. 'Why is it you?'

He pulled out his headphones and cast them uncaringly on the floor. "Autumn Anderton has never looked prettier," he heard a voice behind him and made a quick turn to examine his environment.

His older brother, Lucas Andrada, sat comfortably on his bed, watching his every move. Patrick hadn't heard him come in because of the intense concentration he put on venting his anger.

"She is prettier through your eyes," Lucas spoke, "You truly captured the innocence in her eyes without fail. She has never..."

Patrick picked up a full bucket of pain and splashed it on the wall, destroying the art he made of his ex-fiancee.

"Is she still beautiful now?"

Lucas's eyes sparkled at the fire in his brother's veins. He was aware that Autumn dumped him and that left him in quite a pickle with college admission underway.

"I didn't come here to talk about Autumn. I have a proposition for you," he added lazily, "What if I told you that you won't have to give up your dreams?"

"I don't know what you are up to, but I want no part of your games, Lucas," Patrick spoke out.

"But you already are, brother," Lucas declared confidently. He rose from the bed with his hands in his pocket and a smug grin on his face.

"You got Autumn to break the engagement and leave today to trap me into whatever plots are playing in your head, didn't you?"

His sharp mind picked up the connection. It didn't feel like a coincidence to have Autumn leave him at the last minute and be in a desperate position for which his brother, who has never cared about him, comes to the rescue.

Lucas smirked. "You've always been smart Patrick," he said, neither denying or accepting Patrick's accusation.

"All the more reason that I won't work with you," he let out, a sigh escaped his lips.

Patrick walked up to the window and stared out at the moonless sky. The dark clouds looming over the city seemed similar to the clouds hovering over his dreams.

The only difference is that the sky will light up when the sun rises, but his dreams will remain just dreams by then. It was truly sad to think about.

"I'm here to offer you a way out to save your dreams and be well off to take care of your mother without having to depend on the scraps the family gives you," Lucas joined him, standing right beside him, speaking clearly and touching on subjects he knew were most sensitive to Patrick.

Patrick turned a deaf ear to his words. His dreams and his mother were a lure to get him to play a dangerous game that he knew would cost him more than he ever stood to gain.

"Five million zass," Lucas made an offer. Patrick blinked, he turned warily at his brother, suspicious of his motives.

Five million was a lot of money to give away on a whim. It made him slightly curious about what his brother was up to. However, he refused to bite the bait.

"With this money, you can take yourself through school, help your mother out, and buy a house to live off away from the family. You don't want it?"

Patrick found the lure enticing. Unfortunately, he learned from experience not to trust his brother. Lucas was a snake who shed his skin to fit his goals regardless of who he burns in the process. Nothing good could come from making a deal with him.

The thought of financial freedom and the security of providing his mother with the help she needed to get better almost swayed his stance.

"Look I went to great lengths to throw Autumn out of your life. Do you want to find out what I'm capable of if you don't help me out?" Lucas resorted to threats when he failed to lure Patrick with his offer.

"Lucas!"

"I could drive up to the rehabilitation center and pay a visit to your mother. Maybe even bring her a couple of drinks...how many do you think she'll chug down before she..." Patrick clasped Lucas's collar and pinned him on the wall in anger.

"You are crossing the line, Lucas."

"So you can hear me. I thought you'd gone deaf," Lucas smiled like a lunatic unfazed by Patrick's anger. "Take my deal and you'll get to free your mother from this family's clutches. Do you dare?" He added, yanking Patrick's arm off and pushing him away.

"What do you want?"

Lucas dusted his coat and flashed an amused grin at his brother. He was pleased to have gotten through to him and gotten the reaction he expected from him.

"I want you to get married in my place," Lucas said.

Patrick's frown deepened. The situation made no sense; Lucas went to great lengths to call off his engagement just to change his bride, and it confused him.

"As you are aware, grandmother had promised a son of this family to the second daughter of the Lim family long ago to gain financial support from them. The time has come to pay up that debt and I don't wish to marry that lunatic," he brought Patrick up to speed with his predicament. "She promised a son of this family to that woman; she didn't specify which one, so I need you to marry her to put an end to this topic."

"The second daughter of the Lim family..." Patrick paused as he tried to recall any information he knew about her. His eyes widened with shock as he registered her identity. "Isn't she in jail right now?" His heart panicked.

"Yes, Erica Lim is in jail. That is why I don't want to marry her but you can," Lucas uttered, uncaring that he was pushing his brother to marry a dangerous criminal. As long as it spared him fate, he couldn't be bothered to care who he sacrificed.

"How can I marry her when she is in prison?"

"Everything has been arranged. The girl is set to be released tomorrow; she's finished her three-year sentence."

Patrick had cold sweat trickling down his back. True fear squeezed his heart and left him feeling weak and looking pale.

"The money will be wired to your account in two hours," Lucas firmly stated.