To stand up for the fake heiress, my brother intentionally called out the wrong groom’s name at my engagement banquet. In front of all the elite families in New York, he announced that I was to marry a waiter working the event. The city’s high society pointed and laughed at me: "The great Miss Sterling is actually marrying a waiter!" I stood there, paralyzed by grief and indignation. But my brother showed no remorse. "That’s what you get for stealing Chloe’s thunder at the piano competition. She’s been upset for so long. Humiliating you today is just to teach you a lesson." "She's spoiled, stubborn, and doesn't know any better. Don't take it to heart." "Anyway, it's just a joke. Dad and I would never actually let you marry a waiter!" ...... Everyone at the banquet was pointing and whispering about me. My brother cleared his throat, his expression unchanged: "That was just a little joke with everyone. Maya is still young. We'll formally announce the engagement another time." After he finished, he glanced at Ethan Hayes standing nearby. Originally, today was supposed to be the announcement of my engagement to Ethan. Everyone in our circle knew our families had arranged this marriage since we were kids. We grew up together as childhood sweethearts. My heart clenched instantly, quietly waiting for him to speak up. But Ethan's eyes were filled with a casual, distant coldness, like an outsider. "Since the engagement has been announced, how can it be a joke? The Sterling family is highly respected; you can't treat this kind of thing like a game." "That poor waiter is probably overwhelmed and waiting. Surely the Sterling family isn't going to make a fool of him in public?" I felt like I'd been struck by lightning. My brother's face grew even uglier. He looked at Ethan in disbelief: "What are you saying? I thought you loved Maya the most. Why would you say that?" Someone in the crowd couldn't hold back a laugh: "Who in New York doesn't know that Mr. Hayes prefers the Sterling family's second daughter, Chloe! I heard he just bought her a limited-edition sports car yesterday to make her happy." Every word was like a sharp icicle piercing my heart. My eyes suddenly welled up. I stepped forward and snatched the microphone from my brother's hand. "Since this engagement has been announced, it's certainly no joke." "I will marry this waiter!" My brother's eyes widened instantly, looking at me with absolute shock. "Maya Sterling, what kind of nonsense are you spouting?!" "You are the eldest daughter of the Sterling family! How can you marry a waiter?!" I looked at him apathetically. I let out a miserable laugh: "Arthur Sterling, isn't this exactly the result you wanted? Are you happy now?" Arthur froze for a moment. His pitch suddenly rose a few octaves: "Maya, even at a time like this, you're still competing with Chloe. Do you have any idea how much she's already suffered..." I didn't want to hear his defense of Chloe anymore. I dropped the microphone and walked off the stage. The crowd's gaze followed me. As I passed Ethan, he grabbed my hand. His cold tone carried a hint of reprimand: "Maya, at a time like this, why do you still refuse to back down?" After he spoke, he pulled me a little closer, his voice softening considerably: "Stop being so stubborn. Why don't you just give Chloe a proper apology? I'll smooth things over today for the sake of our years together. There's no need to gamble with your own happiness just because you're throwing a tantrum." I looked up and scoffed. "Our years together?" "Admitting you've changed your mind is better than this fake affection you're putting on now. At least it wouldn't make me sick!" His face went pale for a second. I shook off his hand and walked straight toward the waiter in the corner. My brother was completely dumbfounded, yelling from the stage: "Maya, don't do anything stupid! Come back!" Ethan also looked at me, his hands clenched into fists. I acted as if I didn't notice and asked softly: "Are you willing to marry me?" The waiter opened his mouth, a flicker of an emotion I couldn't understand crossing his eyes. After a long pause, he finally spoke, his voice warm and clear: "Miss Sterling, I'm just a waiter. Are you sure you won't regret marrying me?" "I never regret anything." "Alright, I will marry you!" Arthur rushed over like a madman but was stopped by Ethan with a cold smile. "Can't you see she's doing this on purpose? If you go over there now, she'll just bully Chloe even more recklessly in the future." Ethan's smile was freezing. "She's convinced you won't actually let her marry this waiter. She's just forcing you to compromise!" "If you compromise, you won't be able to do a thing when she bullies Chloe again!" Arthur's movements stopped. I turned around and looked at Ethan apathetically. He and I were childhood sweethearts with an arranged marriage. When I was twelve, I was kidnapped, and they lost all contact with me. My parents were so heartbroken they couldn't sleep at night, consumed by pain and guilt, until they adopted Chloe from an orphanage. She had a sweet mouth and gradually took my place in my family's hearts. They treated her like the apple of their eye, pouring all the love that should have been mine onto her. A year ago, covered in injuries, I escaped from the compound and was finally brought home by the police. What I received wasn't the joy of a lost child returning, but the guarded, distant looks from every one of them. They even comforted Chloe right in front of me: "Chloe, our whole family will love you forever. She could never shake your position." I felt like I had been stripped naked in the freezing cold; my whole body went stiff. ...... The news that the Sterling family heiress was marrying a waiter spread like wildfire. It quickly trended all over New York, with millions of people discussing it online. When I got home, I pushed open the door to see my dad pointing at my brother, yelling furiously: "This is absolute nonsense! Where am I supposed to put my face?!" My mom sighed. "What's done is done. The best thing is to find a way to convince Maya to tell the public she was just being rebellious, throwing a tantrum against the family, and created this whole farce. That way, we can save the Sterling family's reputation." "I bet she only said she'd marry that waiter out of spite, and she's probably already regretting it." Chloe was crying tears that looked like rain on pear blossoms. "I'm sorry, Mom and Dad, it's all my fault. Arthur was just sticking up for me because his heart ached for me. I never thought Maya would be so stubborn, disregarding the Sterling family's face entirely." My mom immediately softened, comforting her: "Don't say that, sweetheart. Mom and Dad know you're a good girl. You've suffered a lot since she came back. She only did this because she was furious. It has nothing to do with you." My dad nodded too. "Exactly, this has nothing to do with you. It's all Maya being immature." "Don't worry, your sister is just used to running wild out there. That's why she's fighting us like this. She couldn't possibly marry a waiter for real." As he finished speaking, my mom looked up and met my gaze. A deathly silence fell over the living room. If this were in the past, I definitely would have caused a huge scene, hysterically demanding to know why they treated me this way. But now, I was just too tired. I didn't have the energy to fight anymore. Or perhaps, I had completely given up on any hope for familial love. I no longer wished for even the slightest bit of affection from them. So, amidst everyone's defensive glares, I went upstairs without a single expression on my face. A few days later, I met that waiter at a coffee shop. He had pre-ordered my favorite coffee and pastries, and even bought a bouquet of flowers, placing it next to my hand. I stared blankly at the roses, still holding drops of water, my heart inexplicably warming for a second. He looked at me with a gentle smile. Only then did I realize he was a young man with sharp, handsome features. He wore a well-tailored casual outfit; although I couldn't recognize the brand, it was clearly very expensive. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Alexander Vance." "I'm Maya Sterling." Alexander's movements paused slightly. "Of course I know. The Sterling heiress who should have been showered with love, but had her life stolen by a fake." I abruptly looked up. For so long, everyone had told me to give way to Chloe, saying she had suffered a lot of "grievances." But no one ever saw that I was the most innocent one of all. A moment later, I forced down the emotions in my heart and pulled out a check. "It's not convenient for me to show my face. A wedding, a house, a car—whatever other people have when they get married, we need to have too. Use this to buy them. You can put them in your name. If it's not enough, just tell me." "We'll get married in half a month, is that okay?" Alexander didn't take the check. His gaze fixed on me, unreadable, his tone soft: "Miss Sterling, are you really not going to regret marrying a waiter with no future like me?" My heart sank. I shot back: "Are you scared?" Alexander froze. Then he let out a low chuckle: "Alright, I understand. I will definitely come marry you in half a month. Just like you said, whatever others have when they get married, we won't lack a single thing." He didn't take the check. Instead, he pressed a velvet box into my hand, turned, and left. I opened the box. I stared blankly at the diamond ring inside. My heart felt as if it had been tightly wrapped by something warm and soft. When I returned home, the smiles vanished from everyone's faces, and they all glared at me with dissatisfaction. My brother scratched his head awkwardly, stepped forward, and grabbed my arm: "Maya's back, come sit down and try today's cupcakes." I gently pushed his hand away. "No thanks, I'm tired. I want to rest early." Just then, my mom suddenly spoke up: "Wait, we have something to discuss." I let out a self-deprecating, bitter laugh in my heart. It was as if I were just an outsider, forever standing in opposition to their family. Seeing no reaction from me, my mom continued: "Your stubborn tantrum at the banquet, insisting on marrying a waiter, didn't just embarrass the Sterling family; it put the Hayes family in a very difficult position too." "So we've discussed it and decided it's better for your sister to get engaged to Ethan." I slowly looked at Ethan. But he averted his eyes. I scoffed aloud. The last string in my heart finally snapped. My mom thought I had a problem with it and her face darkened: "Don't be so unreasonable, child. If you hadn't made such an ugly scene at the banquet, we wouldn't have..." Before she could finish, I calmly interrupted her. "Sure, whatever you decide is fine. You don't need to ask me." "Congratulations in advance to my sister and future brother-in-law." With that, I turned to leave without hesitation, never sparing Ethan another glance. I didn't expect him to chase after me, his face stern. "Maya Sterling, how long are you going to keep this up? I had no other choice." I lowered my eyes, staring at his hand gripping my arm. "Brother-in-law, is it appropriate for you to be grabbing me like this?" Ethan sighed: "Don't be like this, okay? I know you're angry, but can't you just be good?" "I know everything you said earlier was just out of spite. You're upset inside, aren't you?" I looked up at him. Maybe I truly was devastated once. After all, I had always believed Ethan would never betray me. I believed in him as firmly as I believed the sun would rise every day. A year ago, when I first came home, my family rejected me. They indulged Chloe without any boundaries. Only Ethan. He would always be by my side when I was at my lowest. I thought he would never change towards me. I never expected that, in the end, he would still take Chloe's side. His cold, harsh voice from back then still echoed constantly in my ears: "Look at yourself, acting so hysterical. No wonder your biological parents and brother love Chloe more." "I'm really tired, Maya. Why do you always demand that I go against Chloe for you? The one time I didn't say anything, you start suspecting if I've fallen for her. When is this going to end?!" "Fine, then I'll give you what you want! I have fallen for her! Hopelessly in love!!" I felt like I had been slapped hard across the face several times, finally waking up in that moment. It turns out, from beginning to end, I was just an abandoned, despised obstacle. Ethan reached out and stroked the top of my head. His tone helpless, he said: "Stop making a scene, okay? We grew up together; I don't want to see you in so much pain either." "How about this? I'll marry Chloe first to quiet the gossip. Later, I'll buy you a house outside, and you can still be with me forever." My eyes widened in shock, looking at him in disbelief. My heart felt like it was being violently torn apart by invisible hands, aching intensely. "Ethan Hayes, do you know what you're saying?! You want me to be your mistress?!" He frowned. As if he didn't understand why I was reacting this way. "Maya, being with me, even without the title, is better than following that waiter, isn't it?!" "You've already sunk this low. What are you still being so stubborn about?!" I was finally, utterly devoid of any hope for him. I raised my hand and slapped him hard across the face. "Get lost!" Half a month later, my wedding day arrived. Chloe also received news that she won an award in a piano competition. These past few days, my dad had deliberately suppressed the trending news about me. After all, no one would believe I was actually going to marry a waiter. But they didn't know I was completely disillusioned with them and had no desire to stay in the Sterling family any longer. When I woke up, I heard Arthur downstairs saying: "Today we absolutely must celebrate Chloe properly. Keep it down, so Maya doesn't start throwing another endless tantrum when she wakes up." My mom hesitated: "Should we really not invite Maya? Will that look bad?" "What if she gets upset again and does something impulsive?" My dad was dismissive. "What could she possibly do? Let's go, or we'll miss the flight." Chloe put on a show of being understanding and tried to persuade them: "If Mom is worried, why don't we just bring Maya along?" Arthur clicked his tongue impatiently: "If we bring her, forget about celebrating, we won't even be able to walk out the door!" My mom finally gave in. "Alright, then we'll coax Maya when we get back." I stood on the second-floor balcony, watching them all walk away. I turned and called for the nanny. "Martha, bring out my dress." I never expected the wedding cars Alexander arranged to be a fleet of over a dozen Rolls-Royces. Not only that, but he had hired the most renowned wedding planning team in New York, perfecting every single detail. Candies were handed out to every car and pedestrian we passed. Various media outlets had received envelopes of cash from him and came specifically to congratulate me. Sitting in the car, I couldn't help but wonder. He was just an ordinary waiter. How could he possibly have this much money? But thinking back to his noble aura when we met at the coffee shop... I belatedly realized that Alexander's true identity was definitely not simple! After the Sterling family arrived at the airport, their flight was canceled due to extreme weather. Frustrated, the group had no choice but to head back home, fuming. As soon as they walked in the door, they noticed something was off. The yard was littered with the remnants of fireworks and firecrackers, and the servants all looked like they had something to say but didn't dare. My mom frowned at Martha: "Where's Maya?" Martha immediately broke out in a cold sweat and stammered: "Miss Maya... Miss Maya got married today... None of us dared to stop her..." My parents and brother stared with wide, shocked eyes. They yelled in unison. "Married? Who did she marry?!"
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "394950", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel