Everyone in Manhattan high society knows that Adrian Sterling, the billionaire CEO, has a "little princess" he spoils rotten. She’s his adopted daughter. Sheltered, bratty, and utterly entitled. Even at our wedding. She showed up in a white dress that looked suspiciously like a bridal gown. Standing there, she made me, the actual bride, look like a joke. I played the part of the gracious wife until my family and I dismantled Adrian’s empire piece by piece. When he was ruined, that little princess finally knelt before me, begging for forgiveness. I just laughed coldly. "Didn't you want to be Adrian's bride so badly?" "I hope you two enjoy your happily ever after—in prison." 1 As I walked down the aisle in my custom Vera Wang gown, my eyes drifted up. There she was. Standing on the mezzanine balcony. A girl in a white dress that was basically a wedding gown, minus the veil. Her eyes were filled with tears as she stared down at my fiancé, Adrian Sterling. And Adrian? He was looking right back up at her. It made me, the woman walking toward him, look like a total clown. My father, walking me down the aisle, clenched his fist in anger. I squeezed his arm, silently telling him to calm down. The whispers from the guests were loud enough to hear: "Who is that girl? Wearing white to a wedding? Tacky much?" "Shh! That's Adrian's ward. He's raised her since she was a baby. They're... close." "Everyone knows she's obsessed with him. But Old Lady Sterling hates her guts. That's why she forced Adrian to marry the Sinclair heiress." Finally, under the withered glare of Adrian’s mother, Old Mrs. Sterling, Adrian reluctantly tore his eyes away. The girl on the balcony was dragged away by staff. Forced to change before being allowed near Adrian again. I smiled perfectly, the picture of a dignified socialite. I took my place beside Adrian. I let him slide the diamond ring onto my finger. I said my vows in front of the priest, all while staring him in the eye. I could see the girl in the front row, her eyes getting redder by the second. Adrian looked like he was at a funeral. I watched coldly, a smirk hiding behind my veil. Heartbroken for her, are you? Good. Let me make it worse. Just before the girl could storm off in tears, I grabbed her hand. I beamed at her with the warmth of a loving stepmother. "You must be Seraphina. From today on, I'm your new mom." The crowd froze. Then, they erupted into laughter. I kept my smile plastered on, looking at her "lovingly." "They say a daughter is a father's lover from a past life. Looking at you two, I'd say that's spot on!" The girl looked like she'd been stripped naked in public. Her darkest, most shameful secret had just been laid bare. She turned beet red and ran out of the hall, humiliated. Adrian tried to go after her. But I gripped his arm with a strength he didn't expect. I smiled, my voice low and dangerous. "Honey, for the sake of the Sterling-Sinclair merger, I suggest you stay right here and finish the toasts." Adrian glared at me. His eyes burned with rage. But he swallowed it. He forced a smile and walked with me to greet the guests. 2 The wedding was perfect. It signaled that the alliance between the Sterling and Sinclair empires was stronger than ever. After the wedding, Adrian was busy dealing with my family's overseas expansion. He didn't have time to mediate between his new wife and his little princess. So, I had to handle it myself. When my car pulled up to Adrian’s private estate in the Hamptons, I saw my luggage scattered across the lawn. Seraphina stood on the porch. Chin high. Acting like she owned the place. I grew up a Sinclair. I wasn't exactly known for my patience. My personal bodyguard cracked his knuckles, ready to teach her a lesson. I stopped him. I walked over and picked up a diamond necklace lying in the dirt. Straightening up, I looked at Seraphina with a mocking smile. "Do you have any idea how much this costs?" She tossed her hair. "Only poor people care about price tags. I don't want your trash!" "I have a drawer full of jewelry Adrian bought me! Want me to toss you a few scraps?" I didn't say a word. I just nodded at my bodyguard. He stepped forward and slapped her across the face. Hard. Seraphina clutched her cheek, staring at me in shock. "Who do you think you are?!" she shrieked. My bodyguard sneered. "Watch your mouth when you speak to Mrs. Sterling." On my signal, he pinned her arms behind her back and forced her to kneel at my feet. I lifted her chin with one hand, examining her delicate, pampered face. Then I slapped her. Twice. Smack! Smack! The sound echoed across the manicured lawn. Neighbors were starting to peek out from their hedges. I laughed. I’m a Sinclair. We hold grudges. You make me unhappy, I make your life hell. I stepped on her hand with my stiletto heel, grinding it into her manicured fingers. "Seraphina, I know Adrian raised you for eighteen years." "But let me be clear. Know your place." "There is only one Mrs. Sterling. If you have the skills to make him marry you, go ahead. If not, shut up and stay out of my way." "Keep your little fantasies to yourself. Or I'll beat you until you learn." She opened her mouth to scream insults. I slapped her again. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. She finally shut up. Suddenly, a young man vaulted over the hedge from the neighboring estate. He grabbed my raised hand. "Victoria! That's enough! She's just a kid!" I looked at him. Tyler Vance. The neighbor's son. Without missing a beat, I slapped him too. He stumbled back, clutching his face in disbelief. I sneered. "Tyler, stay out of this." "Seraphina is eighteen. She's an adult. If you want to play house with her, fine." "But I am the mistress of this house. Disciplining an unruly daughter is family business. It’s none of yours." Tyler’s face turned red with anger. I silenced him with one sentence. "My family just acquired 30% of Vance Industries. We're your biggest shareholder." "If you don't want to explain to your daddy why his stock tanked, get lost." He froze. Then he turned and walked away without a word. I signaled my bodyguard. He grabbed Seraphina by the hair and dragged her into the house like a sack of trash. 3 There was no blood relation between Adrian and Seraphina. But he truly treated her like a treasure. Her bedroom was right next to his. According to the maids, she had "nightmares," so being close made it easier for Adrian to comfort her. I laughed out loud when I heard that. The staff, knowing my reputation, shrank away. "So," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "I guess I'm the third wheel in this house?" "Am I interrupting their little roleplay?" The butler understood immediately. He ordered the staff to move Seraphina's things to the guest room on the first floor. I watched her belongings being carried downstairs, my expression cold. I didn't care what Adrian and Seraphina did in the past. But if she thought she could disrespect me in my own house, she was wrong. With the Sinclair merger on the line, no one dared to cross me. Hearing his precious princess was being bullied, Adrian came home that night. At dinner, I wore a pale green qipao-style dress, looking every bit the elegant wife. I ladled soup into his bowl with a smile. Adrian looked at me, sneered, and swept the bowl off the table. Scalding soup splashed onto my hand. The skin turned red instantly. Seraphina, sitting opposite us, hid a smirk behind a mask of pity. Adrian laughed coldly. "Now you know how it feels?" "Did you think about Seraphina's pain when you hit her this morning?" "Victoria, did I give you too much freedom?" Seraphina stood up, playing the peacemaker. "Uncle Adrian, it's my fault. Please don't fight." I slowly stood up. The elegant wife mask dropped. I looked Adrian dead in the eye. Then I slapped him across the face with everything I had. "Adrian Sterling, right back at you." "Did I give YOU too much freedom to speak to me like that?" The imprint of my hand bloomed on his face. My diamond ring had cut his cheek. Seraphina screamed. She rushed to him, touching his face with trembling fingers. "Uncle Adrian! Are you okay?" I watched them clinging to each other. Then I picked up a porcelain plate and smashed it on the floor. Shards flew everywhere. One piece nicked Seraphina's eyelid. She shrieked and covered her eye. Adrian lunged at me, but my bodyguard stepped in, blocking him like a wall. I picked up a sharp shard of porcelain. And walked toward Seraphina. 4 "Victoria! Don't you dare!" Adrian roared, struggling against my bodyguard. I ignored him. I nodded to my bodyguard. He grabbed Seraphina’s wrist with an iron grip. I took the shard and slashed it across her cheek. Twice. Her flawless face was now a ruin. Seraphina screamed and scrambled backward. I stood there, arms crossed. I picked up my wine glass and raised it to Adrian in a mock toast. Looking at his twisted, furious face, I smiled. "Adrian, if you had the guts, you shouldn't have married me." "You needed the Sinclairs. You brought me into this house. That means I make the rules." "Who is Seraphina to give me attitude?" I smoothed my dress and stood up gracefully. "Consider this the price for her disrespect." "Next time, I won't stop at a scratch. I'll make her blind or deaf." I nodded politely at him and walked out with my entourage. While we were arguing, my maid had already called Old Mrs. Sterling. She reported that Seraphina had disrespected me and that Adrian was siding with her against the Sinclair heiress. The merger was in its early stages. Mrs. Sterling was terrified I would blow it up. She sent a car immediately. By the time I finished threatening Adrian, the Sterling limousine was waiting. I left without looking back. That night, Mrs. Sterling spent hours comforting me. She wanted to storm over and discipline Seraphina herself. But I played the "magnanimous wife." I told her Seraphina was just a child and not to worry. Mrs. Sterling was moved by my "generosity." She gave me a set of vintage emeralds on the spot.
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