I am the sole heiress of the Sterling family empire, but my gender is considered a flaw. Everyone said the three foster sons my father groomed were the true heirs, while I was just a placeholder. They never spared me a glance. I courted Liam Sterling hundreds of times, only to receive his countless looks of disdain. I thought he treated all women with such cold indifference, until I saw him kneel before Lily Blackwood, the chauffeur's daughter, swearing an oath: "I only agreed to marry her to repay the Sterling family for raising me. Once I take control of the Sterling empire, I will marry you with the grandeur you deserve. As long as Seraphina Sterling doesn't hurt you, I can give her a few million to live out her days abroad." "You are the only wife in my heart." On the eve of the shareholders' meeting, my father asked me who I would choose. I recalled the evasive gazes of those three men and smiled: "After all, I am the Sterling heiress. Marriage should maximize benefits." "I choose Alexander Thorne of the capital." My father frowned: "Alexander was paralyzed in a car accident five years ago. He's not only wheelchair-bound but also impotent. Are you sure?" Chapter 1 My voice was soft but firm. "In our class, true love is a myth. Since it's all about profit, naturally, I choose the Thorne family, which offers the greatest benefit." My father's expression was grave. "That may be so, but of the three boys I raised for you, did none of them catch your eye?" My father loved my mother deeply, but she died of a sudden brain hemorrhage the year I was born. He couldn't bear to remarry, yet he couldn't rest easy leaving the vast Sterling empire solely in the hands of a woman. Following a friend's advice, my father adopted three orphaned boys. He wrote his will early on: whichever one I chose would help me run the company and suppress the other board members. My father loved me, but that didn't conflict with his belief that a woman couldn't hold up the enormous Sterling Corporation alone. I looked at my father. "Although Alexander is paralyzed and impotent, I can use IVF to have his child. He is also the sole heir of the Thorne family. Rather than choosing an orphan to support the Sterling family, it's better to choose a powerful ally." My father nodded. "Since the three of them didn't have the ability to win your heart, there's no need for them to stay in the Sterling Corporation." If I merely said it was because Liam didn't love me and I didn't want to force him, my father would surely make Liam kneel before me and question what right a foster son had to refuse. I didn't want my father to use years of kindness to blackmail Liam, nor did I want to force Liam to marry me, creating a resentful couple. Moreover, the words Liam had spoken had thoroughly chilled my heart. Parting ways amicably was already my greatest mercy. As he walked out of the office, my father glanced sideways at Liam. After obediently seeing my father off, Liam turned and frowned at me: "What did you tattle about this time?" His eyes were full of disgust and impatience, as if I had committed some heinous crime. Before I could speak, Chase next to him sneered: "Isn't it obvious?" "Probably complaining that we three didn't include her or pamper her." The remaining one, Noah, also looked disdainful. "I say, Miss Sterling, the old days are gone. Do you still think having some money makes you a princess everyone must revolve around?" The three of them united against a common enemy, using sharp words to sting me. I was baffled. "If none of you want to marry me, why did no one ever tell my father?" Although my father intended to groom them as potential husbands, he never forced it. As long as they said no, my father would immediately prepare a sum of money to send them abroad to live freely. In the end, they just couldn't let go of the wealth behind the Sterling name. Noah, the most hot-tempered one, clicked his tongue impatiently: "That sounds nice, but you know we're living under your roof. We're just dogs raised by the Sterling family. What right do we have to refuse?" Liam looked at me with a grim expression. "If you want to choose me, then choose me. I just hope you won't make things difficult for the other two in the future." Hearing this, Noah and Chase were instantly moved. Seeing Liam's expression of self-sacrifice, I only felt immense bitterness in my heart. Before I could say anything, Lily suddenly appeared. Seeing me, she acted frightened and hid behind Liam. Liam instinctively blocked Lily. "She didn't do anything. Just let her go today." I looked at them in confusion, only to find that the three who were supposed to protect me were all shielding Lily, afraid I would bully her. Chapter 2 Five years ago, when Lily first came to the Sterling estate, she gave me a hair clip. I gifted her a bracelet worth a hundred thousand dollars in return as a welcome gift. Unexpectedly, just as I opened the pastry box, Liam snatched it away. He scolded angrily, "You want to snatch the keepsake Lily's mother left her too?" I looked at Lily in confusion, wanting her to explain that she gave it to me voluntarily. But Lily suddenly knelt down, weeping like a pear blossom bathed in rain. "It wasn't the Young Miss who snatched it; I gave it to her voluntarily." "The Young Miss is very good to me. She even gave me a bracelet. I really don't feel wronged." She kowtowed to me repeatedly. This scene made the three boys red-eyed, reminding them of their own foster status. They questioned me righteously: "Even if you are the Sterling family heiress, you have no right to force someone to give you their mother's keepsake, right?" "Although the hair clip isn't worth much money, its meaning is far beyond this bracelet worth a few tens of thousands. Give the hair clip back to Lily immediately!" "Truly as domineering as ever, only caring about your own happiness regardless of others' lives." My face changed instantly, but thinking there might be a misunderstanding, I thought clearing it up would be fine. Suppressing my anger, I handed the hair clip to Lily, but she didn't catch it firmly. The hair clip shattered instantly. She bit her lip and shouted at me: "Since the Young Miss would rather destroy it than return it to me, why put on an act?" Liam, who always hated seeing the poor bullied, immediately threatened with a cold face: "Apologize to Lily right now, or don't blame me for breaking the engagement!" At that time, I had already confessed to Liam, saying I wouldn't marry anyone but him. Liam used this as leverage to force me to bow to Lily. I was too young then and dared not risk losing my beloved to defend myself. I could only lower my head and apologize with red eyes. But this apology lasted for a full five years. Since then, whenever Lily saw me, it was like a mouse seeing a cat. She would either suddenly kneel or burst into tears. But I did nothing... I looked at Liam coldly: "If you're really afraid I'll bully Lily, just tie her to your belt at all times." It was clearly a sarcastic remark, but Liam frowned and said: "Are you threatening me? What do you want to do to Lily?" Noah clapped his hands and pointed at me. "Is it because we three gave the 'Ocean of Stars' to Lily, and you're planning to use that as an excuse to bully her?" Chase looked at me with cold eyes. "You have everything, but no one ever celebrated Lily's birthday. It's just an 'Ocean of Stars.' Is it necessary to hold onto it?" My eyes turned cold. "'Ocean of Stars'?" The "Ocean of Stars" was an underground aquarium that had been under construction since my birth. In the southeast, there was a piece of top-tier imperial green jade. Through the shimmering seawater, it refracted beauty like a cosmic galaxy. It was nearing completion half a year ago. My father entrusted the finishing work to Liam, making him responsible for presenting the "Ocean of Stars" to me at my birthday party in a month. But now, this gift that belonged to me had become Lily's. My gaze fell on Liam. He was in charge of the final stages of this project. Without his approval, no one could enter the unopened aquarium. Liam looked a bit guilty under my gaze and turned his head angrily: "Lily has always lived in the countryside, busy making a living, and never properly seen the stars. I just wanted to fulfill one of her wishes. Besides, doesn't the ownership of the aquarium still belong to you?" "Stop being unreasonable. At worst, I'll announce our engagement at your birthday party in a month. Are you satisfied now?" Seeing Liam's charitable expression, I almost thought I was the adopted one. But no one present realized anything was wrong. Instead, they all felt it was unworthy for Liam. "Why make such a big sacrifice? Seraphina is willful, capricious, and vicious. Marrying her is worse than becoming a monk." "I'm afraid Seraphina will be so happy she won't know north from south. Her long-cherished wish is finally coming true." "Boohoo, Brother Liam, please don't ruin your life's happiness for me. I'll kneel and kowtow to Sister Seraphina. I'll be her slave; I'll do anything..." My throat was dry as I spat out a sentence: "I won't marry you." Liam raised an eyebrow in surprise and suspicion. Noah and Chase looked at each other, terrified I would say I wanted to marry them. Being so despised by the three I grew up with, I was afraid I would cry if I didn't leave immediately. I turned to leave but was grabbed by the wrist by Lily. Her eyes were red, and she knelt to me again: "Please don't make things difficult for Brother Liam. The three of them were adopted by your Sterling family and are inherently inferior. If you are angry because they gave the 'Ocean of Stars' to me and want to complain to Uncle Sterling, I am willing to apologize to you with my forehead." She started kowtowing bang bang bang, and soon her forehead was red and bleeding. Liam helped her up from the ground with heartache, turning to glare at me: "You say you won't marry me, then have the guts not to choose me when the time comes! What kind of skill is it to retreat in order to advance and make things difficult for Lily?!" "Don't you just want to take the opportunity to complain and force Lily away?" I looked at Liam coldly. "I don't understand what you're saying, but rest assured, I will absolutely not choose you as my husband." I thought Liam would let it go at that, but unexpectedly, he grabbed my hand: "If you don't choose me, who will you choose? Chase or Noah?" "Noah loves art and wants to go abroad for further studies. Chase yearns for freedom. Is harming one of me not enough? Do you want to attack them too?" Liam took a deep breath. "As long as you promise not to make things difficult for Lily from now on, I can marry you. Stop making a fuss, okay?" His eyes were full of exhaustion, as if he had been tortured by me for a long time. I looked deeply at Liam. "Everything will be as you wish." He was afraid I would bully Lily, and even more unwilling to marry me. When I married Alexander Thorne, all his worries would be solved. Chapter 3 I hadn't sought out Liam for a while, until the day of the birthday party, when he appeared with a cold face. Chase and Noah followed behind him, looking unhappy. I frowned at my assistant. I had clearly said the engagement partner to be announced today wasn't them, so there was no need to invite them. But the assistant shook her head frantically, with a look that said, "I didn't know; they came on their own." I sighed helplessly, preparing to pretend I hadn't seen anything. The guests below were warmer than me, greeting the three of them one after another. "Young Master Liam is truly young and promising. The project you secured last month must have generated millions in revenue, right? No wonder Miss Sterling is devoted only to you." But I was the one who negotiated that project; Liam just went to sign. "Young Master Noah has a bad temper but hates evil as if it were his enemy. Miss Sterling surely won't be wronged following you." I sneered inwardly. The one who bullied me the most happened to be Noah. He viewed me as a viper, wishing he could execute me on the spot. "Young Master Chase is also a handsome talent. Miss Sterling choosing you isn't wrong either. Anyway, please take care of us in the future." The three of them were like fish in water at my birthday party, acting like the hosts. I frowned, wanting to stop this farce, but the three of them looked down at their phones simultaneously. Before I could react, Noah's face changed first. He rushed to me in a few steps and slapped me. My head spun from the hit, and I almost fell to the ground. Everyone was frightened by this scene, dodging away, afraid to cause trouble. Liam clenched his hands into fists, stopped Noah who wanted to strike again, and turned to look at me with gritted teeth: "We have already come here like goods for you to choose from. What are you still dissatisfied with?" "Do you have to drive Lily to death?" I was baffled. Seeing my expression, Chase felt even more disdain in his heart. "You took advantage of our absence from Lily's side and dared to hire someone to kidnap her. I tell you, you won't get your way!" As soon as this sentence came out, I immediately understood that Lily was playing tricks again. The guests present were either my father's friends or business partners. I was slapped in front of them, yet no one stopped it. My heart sank. Presumably, they believed the Sterling family wouldn't fall into my hands, so they dared not easily offend the three of them. I covered my face and looked at Noah with cold eyes. "Apologize!" Noah glanced at my red eyes and spoke sarcastically: "Lily almost lost her purity. What do you have to feel aggrieved about just being slapped?" "Boohoo~" Lily ran in crying, her dress tattered, making people suspect if she had encountered something. Liam quickly took off his suit jacket and draped it over Lily, turning to look at me with disgust: "You truly are as scheming as ever. I will absolutely not marry a woman like you!" Chase, who was usually quiet, stood in front of Lily with a cold face: "Your mother couldn't give birth to a boy to inherit the family business, so she tried every means to bring us three back as tools. We have accepted our fate, but I didn't expect you to be insatiable." "Since that's the case, there's no need to maintain this superficial peace." He turned and left, not caring about the Sterling family's face at all. Before leaving, Liam arrogantly dropped a sentence: "I will marry you, but you will just be a decoration in the future. If you want me to protect the Sterling family's assets, you must behave yourself." I laughed. Had they forgotten? Without me, the Sterling family wouldn't have adopted them. Seeing the three of them about to leave, someone finally wanted to stop them. But I shouted with a cold face: "Let them go!" Lily glared at me provocatively, as if she had won the whole world. I stood there without saying a word until the assistant said anxiously: "What should we do? All three of them left. Who should you choose?" Other guests also frowned. "As a woman, she has to marry sooner or later. If the three foster husbands who know her well don't want her, who else can she marry?" I wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes, smiling as I raised my red wine glass to toast everyone: "Guests, presumably everyone knows that today, besides being my birthday party, is also my engagement party." A cold, handsome face appeared on the huge projection screen. Everyone gasped. "Isn't that Alexander Thorne of the Thorne family in the capital?!"
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