Chapter 1 My elite, old-money family arranged for me to marry the heir of the powerful Vance Corporation. My illegitimate half-sister, who was always treated like a dirty secret at home, was so jealous her eyes turned red. The day before the "Wedding of the Century," she slipped a powerful sedative into my drink. She climbed into my bridal limousine, while secretly orchestrating a team to steal my billion-dollar dowry. She grandly paraded into the billionaire family, completely stealing my identity and my life. When I finally woke up, I refused to let it go. I had the illegitimate brat hog-tied and dragged back to our estate. I successfully married into the Vance family as planned. But one year later, my husband threw me out onto the freezing streets of Skid Row. His eyes were vicious, his voice colder than ice. "If my company didn't desperately need your family's venture capital, I would have killed you a thousand times over for the way you humiliated Chloe. Now that the Sterling family has filed for bankruptcy, you're worth less than a stray dog." My illegitimate half-sister stood next to him, letting out a soft, mocking laugh. "Sister, this is your punishment for humiliating me. Enjoy rotting on Skid Row. Don't worry, I'll keep your seat as Mrs. Vance nice and warm." Unable to endure the absolute humiliation and despair, I bit my own tongue and bled to death. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the morning of the Wedding of the Century. …… I dragged myself out of bed, waiting a full hour for the dizziness to fade before opening my bedroom door. My mother was just walking down the grand staircase, supported by a maid. She hadn't even wiped the bittersweet, mother-of-the-bride tears from her eyes when she looked up and saw me standing at the landing. She froze, completely stunned. My father frowned, the first to react. "Evelyn? What are you doing up here?" He pointed a shaking finger toward the front doors in sheer panic. "Then who the hell just got into the Vance family's bridal limousine?!" I clutched my chest, acting absolutely terrified. "What?! Someone already got into the bridal limo?! Last night, Chloe told me how sad she was that I was moving out. She lit an aromatherapy candle in my room to help me relax. I took two breaths and passed out until just now!" The bustling, joyous atmosphere of the mansion instantly plunged into dead silence. The elite guests exchanged uneasy glances, the mood shifting drastically. My mother staggered backward, almost fainting from sheer rage. She immediately ordered the security team to grab Maria, Chloe's mother, who was currently trying to slip out the back door. "I knew it! No wonder you were clutching the bride's hands and sobbing harder than I was when she walked out the door! I thought you actually cared, but it turns out it was just your little bastard spawn under the veil!" Maria was forced to her knees. Her eyes darted around nervously as she stuttered, "Madam, I have no idea what you're talking about! It's the eldest daughter's fault for oversleeping and missing the ceremony! How can you blame my poor Chloe?" Before she even finished her sentence, the head butler came rushing in. "Sir, Madam! The motorcade from the Hayes family has arrived. They're waiting at the front gates." My mother's face turned to ice. "Where is Chloe Sterling? Go drag her back here immediately!" I lowered my head, hiding the cold, vicious smirk in my eyes. Where was she? She was definitely already in Liam Vance's bed. When the marriage was arranged, Liam Vance insisted on a highly traditional, old-money ceremony. He claimed it was to honor his family's legacy, and even hired a historian to oversee the rituals. The bride’s face was completely covered by a thick, opaque veil the entire time. By now, they had definitely already exchanged vows and entered the bridal suite. When my eyes caught the poorly concealed, triumphant smirk on Maria's face, my suspicions were completely confirmed. This mother-daughter duo really knew how to play a dirty game. Maria used to be a maid in our house. She drugged my father, climbed into his bed, and gave birth to Chloe, securing her a comfortable life of luxury. Now, Chloe had drugged me, stolen my identity, and taken my place to marry into a billionaire dynasty, forcing the issue until the damage was irreversible. She left me with only one option. To take the garbage marriage she had discarded and marry into the Hayes family. The Hayes family was a new-money tech empire that had exploded in the last two years. They didn't have the deep, historical roots of the old-money dynasties, but they were incredibly aggressive and dominated the emerging markets. The only problem was, the CEO of the Hayes Corporation was in a wheelchair. My father, recognizing the immense potential, had arranged for Chloe to marry into the Hayes family. If the Hayes family continued to rise, Chloe would become a vastly wealthy, powerful socialite. If they faltered, the Sterling family's backing meant she would still live a life of absolute luxury. But Chloe didn't appreciate my father's brilliant maneuvering. She pulled a bait-and-switch, shoving the marriage she despised the most onto me. If I accepted it, the news that the eldest daughter of the Sterling dynasty was forced to marry a disabled man would spread across the elite circles by tonight. The entire Sterling family would become the laughingstock of high society. In my previous life, she used this exact tactic to trample me under her feet forever. Backed by my furious parents, I had stormed the Vance wedding and caused a massive scene. The Vance Corporation desperately needed the Sterling family's capital, so they were forced to physically throw Chloe out of the bridal suite. I successfully became Mrs. Vance, and Liam Vance treated me like a queen. I didn't know back then that the man who showered me with fake love had already been sleeping with Chloe behind my back. They were working together the entire time. They were just waiting for the perfect moment to completely obliterate the Sterling empire. The maid's shocked scream snapped me out of my memories. "Madam! The second miss isn't in her room! The wedding dress and veil meant for the Hayes wedding are still on her bed, but all of her luggage and dowry are gone!" "Also... I found some things hidden in the back of her closet..." My father snatched the envelope from the maid. Inside was a stack of highly explicit, graphic photos of Chloe and Liam Vance having sex. His face turned a furious, sickly shade of purple. He viciously slammed the photos directly into Maria's face. "This is the daughter you raised! She has dragged the entire Sterling family name through the mud!" Chapter 2 The butler looked deeply distressed. "Sir, the Hayes family motorcade is still waiting outside. What should we do?" My father's face was rigid as iron. He slammed his fist heavily onto the mahogany table. "Call the Vance family immediately! Have your men quietly drag that wretched brat back here and throw her into the Hayes motorcade! A pathetic, illegitimate mistake does not get to dictate the Sterling family's marriages!" I grabbed my father's sleeve, pinching my thigh hard to force a flood of agonizing tears down my cheeks. "Dad, don't. Let it go. Chloe and Liam are clearly in love. They've already slept together, and they intentionally set up this trap at the wedding to humiliate us. I refuse to marry a man like that. Let Chloe have him." I wiped the corners of my eyes. "The Hayes family does a massive amount of business with us. The foundation of any empire is trust and integrity. I don't want you to break your promise to them, Dad. I am willing to marry into the Hayes family." My father looked at me, utterly shocked and deeply moved. "Evelyn, you are the true heir to the Sterling dynasty. In this entire city, the Vance family is the only one that even comes close to matching your status. Marrying into the Hayes family is a massive insult to you. Plus, Arthur Hayes is..." He swallowed the rest of his sentence, his eyes filled with profound heartbreak. I smiled softly and filled in the blank. "Dad, the Hayes Corporation was only ten spots behind the Vance Corporation on Forbes last year. The Vance family has been building wealth for generations; the Hayes family did it in two years. Arthur Hayes might be in a wheelchair, but his mind is brilliant. With me by his side, and the full backing of the Sterling empire, the future of the Hayes family is limitless." One was a greedy, illegitimate brat who stole her sister's wedding for money and status. The other was a poised, true-born heir willing to marry down to protect her family's honor and business integrity. The difference between us was like mud and diamonds. The elite guests in the room looked at me with deep admiration and sympathy, while their disgust for Chloe’s actions became palpable. My mother’s heart broke into pieces. She pulled me into a fierce, desperate hug. My father was so furious his jaw clenched visibly. "Even so, no one gets to humiliate a daughter of Richard Sterling and get away with it! Evelyn, don't worry. The Vance family crossed a massive line today. You were absolutely right to reject Liam Vance. I will make sure we get justice for this, no matter what it takes." By the time our convoy arrived at the Vance estate, the bride and groom had already retired to the bridal suite, but the lavish reception was still in full swing. When the crowd saw our imposing group storm through the doors, a wave of shock swept through the ballroom. "Wait, isn't that Evelyn Sterling? She's supposed to be the bride! Why is she just walking in now?" "Hold on, the bride was escorted to the bridal suite half an hour ago! If she's here, who the hell is the bride?!" My mother let out a cold, piercing laugh. "I apologize for the spectacle, everyone. The woman who walked down the aisle is also a Sterling daughter. But she's nothing more than a thieving, illegitimate brat who stole her older sister's wedding." The ballroom erupted into a chaotic symphony of gasps and frantic whispers. Liam Vance charged out of the back hallways, his face dark with fury. He aggressively cut my mother off. "Evelyn, stop this insanity! How can you blame Chloe for this?! Your body types are similar, and the veils were identical! You're the one who overslept and missed the ceremony! I just picked up the wrong person!" "I had a few too many drinks, and I mistook Chloe for you. We've already consummated the marriage. As a man, I have to take responsibility for Chloe now." "You brought all these people here because you want to switch back, don't you? I know you're hopelessly in love with me and can't live without me. So here's the deal: Chloe and I will get legally married. But I will only choose my corporate heir from the children you give me. You won't have the legal title of wife, but the entire Vance empire will belong to our kids. That way, our families can still do business together." Chapter 3 People can be so utterly delusional it actually becomes hilarious. He wanted to legally marry the illegitimate brat, trample all over me, and have me act as his secret mistress?! He wanted my son to be an illegitimate bastard?! The Vance Corporation was practically drowning in debt. If it wasn't for the arranged marriage securing the Sterling family's capital, they would have been wiped off the map ages ago. And he actually had the shameless audacity to suggest a polygamous fantasy where he gets to keep the Sterling family's resources while treating me like a side piece?! My father was so furiously insulted he actually burst out laughing. "The Vance family really thinks highly of itself, doesn't it? You enjoyed a few years of luxury and forgot what it felt like to be on the verge of total bankruptcy? If that's the case, I don't mind helping you remember." The matriarch of the Vance family, Liam's grandmother, finally snapped out of her shock and rushed forward. "Richard, what on earth is going on?!" My mother pulled the stack of explicit photos from her designer bag and threw them onto the nearest banquet table. "Why don't you tell us, Mrs. Vance? If your precious grandson is so in love with our illegitimate mistake, why put on this massive, humiliating theatrical performance to insult my daughter?! The Sterling family refuses to accept a shameless, filthy brat like her. My husband will officially terminate all corporate partnerships the second we get home. The Sterling and Vance families are permanently severed." If the Sterling family pulled their capital, the Vance Corporation would be left with nothing but an empty shell and billions in debt. Mrs. Vance clutched her chest, her face instantly draining of all color. She shrieked at Liam, "What the hell have you done?!" Before Liam could even speak, Chloe ran out of the hallway wearing a bright red silk robe. She threw herself to her knees right in front of me, crying a river of perfect, pathetic tears. "Sister, this is all my fault! I couldn't control my feelings, I made a terrible mistake! But Liam and I are already married! If you keep causing a scene like this, you're going to destroy the Sterling family's reputation! Even if you don't care about me, don't you care about our family's honor?!" She twisted her disgusting, premeditated betrayal into "uncontrollable feelings," and twisted my demand for justice into "destroying the family's honor." She was shameless to an absolute, sociopathic extreme. I laughed coldly. "So what you're saying is, you drug me, steal my wedding, climb into my bridal bed, and if I even dare to ask a single question, I'm the one ruining the family's honor?" I deliberately raised my voice, making sure every single person in the massive ballroom heard her filthy secrets. "If you really loved Liam so much, why didn't you just tell me? I never had to marry him! Why did you wait until the exact day of the wedding to pull this disgusting, underhanded stunt? Who exactly is dragging the Sterling family's honor through the dirt?! Or did you never actually care about the family, and just wanted the sick thrill of stealing what was mine?!" Chloe’s face went chalk-white. Her eyes darted around in panic. "I... I didn't! I did it because I truly love him!" The elite guests in the room were all ruthless, calculating sharks. Her pathetic little scheme was transparent to everyone. "Using disgusting, underhanded tactics and then using 'true love' as an excuse. An illegitimate brat really doesn't know her place." "If this was my daughter, I'd drag her home and beat her half to death! Stealing her own sister's husband... God knows she'll probably end up poisoning the whole family for money later." Some of the sharks even aimed their crosshairs directly at Liam. "Mr. Vance is acting pretty desperate too. Since he already slept with the shameless brat, why is he brazenly trying to force the true heir to be his mistress? He just can't bear to lose the Sterling family's money, can he? He wants to have his cake and eat it too, treating the Sterling family like complete idiots. The things he said... I'd feel dirty just repeating them." Mrs. Vance, humiliated beyond repair, trembled violently with rage. She slapped Liam brutally across the face. "You ungrateful bastard! Get on your knees and apologize to your in-laws right now! And you will publicly swear to legally marry Evelyn immediately!" She took a few steps toward me, reaching out to grab my hands, but I smoothly dodged her grasp. Her face stiffened for a fraction of a second before morphing into a desperate, fawning smile. "Evelyn, I know you've been deeply wronged. Liam will do whatever you want. I promise you, this will never, ever happen again." Liam clutched his stinging cheek, glaring at me with pure, venomous hatred. He looked at me as if I was the one who had ruined his perfect plan. He completely failed to realize that I was the ultimate victim of today's disaster. "Grandma, the only woman I will ever love is Chloe. I will only marry her! Evelyn Sterling is an arrogant, useless, spoiled princess who only throws her weight around because of her family's money! If I marry her, the entire Vance Corporation will be dragged down with her! The title of Mrs. Vance belongs to Chloe alone!" "If she knows what's good for her, out of respect for Mr. Sterling, I'll give her a child. But if she wants to be stubborn, she can wait to be spit on by every elite in this city! Let's see who dares to marry a woman that the Vance family publicly discarded!" Chapter 4 I stared coldly at this man I had poured my heart and soul into for years. After the previous Vance patriarch passed away, the mediocre, incompetent Liam took control of the empire. In just six short months, he offended massive venture capitalists, destroyed core projects, and was manipulated by his shady frat-boy friends into investing in a dozen catastrophic, garbage tech startups. Within days, the Vance empire imploded. They accumulated billions in toxic debt. Investors fled in droves. Liquidating hundreds of years of Vance family assets wasn't even enough to cover the interest. Some of his former rivals even offered to pay him thousands of dollars just to crawl between their legs like a dog. I was the one who remembered our childhood connection. I bailed him out. I encouraged him. I personally convinced my father to deploy our capital to save him. Back then, he dropped to his knees in front of my father, crying and swearing on his life that if he ever betrayed me, he would be struck by lightning and rot in hell. It only took two years for him to regain his footing in the corporate world, and he had completely forgotten his oath. And now, he had the brazen audacity to claim that making me his secret mistress was an honor. Everyone in the ballroom was looking at Liam like he was a completely unhinged psychopath. They couldn't comprehend how a man who entirely relied on his fiancée's family to survive in the corporate world had the sheer audacity to act so arrogant! Honestly, the Vance Corporation was basically owned by the Sterling family at this point. But Liam didn't care. Seeing my silence, he was absolutely convinced I was devastated and couldn't bear to lose him. He wrapped his arm around Chloe's waist, his arrogance swelling to catastrophic levels. "Evelyn Sterling. If you get on your knees right now, bow your head to Chloe, and serve her tea to acknowledge her as the lady of the house, I'll agree to let you be my woman." "If you serve us well, I might consider letting you move into the guest house. I might even let you see our kid occasionally." I stared at his smug, delusional face, and I smiled. If this oblivious, suicidal idiot wanted to tie himself to Chloe, then let him. Consider it taking out the trash. My father couldn't hold it back anymore. His sheer, explosive fury morphed into a sharp, terrifying laugh. "The Vance family really thinks it's untouchable now, huh? Speaking to me with such arrogance... I guess the Sterling family really is beneath you. If you don't want my Evelyn as your wife, fine. As for you..." My father pointed a lethal finger directly at Chloe. "The Sterling family does not harbor a daughter who steals her sister's marriage and obliterates her family's honor. As soon as I return home, I am opening the family registry and officially striking your name from it. We are signing a permanent severance agreement. From this day forward, whether you live or die, it has absolutely nothing to do with the Sterling family." Chloe's eyes went red. She sobbed, playing the victim perfectly. "Dad! I'm your biological daughter too! Why are you being so cruel to me?!" "I just worked hard to fight for the man I love! What did I do wrong?! It's not my fault Liam doesn't like Evelyn because she's useless! Why does Evelyn get handed everything on a silver platter while I get nothing?!" My father sneered. "Fine. I will reward your 'hard work.' Everyone in this room is my witness. You are no longer a Sterling. You're on your own." "Security! Go load every single piece of the eldest daughter's dowry back into the trucks!" "Fifty trunks of cash, fifteen chests of high-end jewelry, three custom Porsches, 20% equity in the Sterling Corporation, and the deeds to five luxury villas in the Beverly Hills sector. Every single item goes back to the Sterling estate." The crowd gasped audibly at the sheer, mind-boggling scale of the dowry. They looked at Liam as if he was the stupidest pig on the planet. Chloe shrieked in absolute panic. "No! That's MY dowry!" My mother stepped forward and delivered a brutal, resounding slap across her face. "You steal Evelyn's wedding and now you want to steal her dowry?! Are you out of your mind?! That wealth was prepared entirely for Evelyn! Who the hell are you?! If you want a dowry, go ask your maid of a mother for it!" The bodyguards began moving the massive chests of wealth toward the doors, but Liam aggressively blocked their path. "Hold it right there! If you dare take that dowry out of this room, I will seize half of the Sterling Corporation tomorrow morning." He looked at my father with a dark, triumphant smirk. "Father-in-law. When we signed the prenuptial agreement, it only stated 'the daughter of the Sterling family.' It didn't specify a name. I honored the contract. I married a daughter of the Sterling family, and I promised to treat her well. If you take that dowry back now, you are officially in breach of contract." He pulled out the prenuptial agreement they had signed just a week ago, and had his lawyers read a specific clause out loud to the room. "If Liam Vance is unfaithful to the Sterling daughter, he forfeits all assets. Conversely, if the Sterling family retracts the dowry, they are in breach of contract, and the Sterling family must forfeit 20% of their corporate equity to Liam Vance." The ballroom went dead silent. "Impossible! I would never sign a contract with a clause like that!" My father's face turned a ghostly white. He snatched the contract, and the lawyer pointed to a line of microscopic text buried at the very bottom of the page. Liam laughed, tilting his chin up arrogantly. He signaled his team, and a video of my father personally signing the document was projected onto the massive LED screens in the ballroom. "Mr. Sterling, you are a titan of industry. You can crush the city's economy with a snap of your fingers. Surely you aren't going to play dumb and act like you forgot signing this? But playing dumb won't save you. The contract is stamped with your personal corporate seal. It is legally binding. If you don't want to be humiliated in federal court, leave the dowry." My father's chest heaved violently. The sheer stress of the betrayal caused him to clutch his chest, gasping for air. He looked like he was about to suffer a heart attack. My mother's eyes were bloodshot. She wanted to fight back, but she was completely trapped by the airtight legal trap. Chloe twisted her hips and leaned seductively into Liam's chest, smiling radiantly. "Sister, it's okay if I don't have the Sterling name anymore. If you get on your knees right now and apologize to me... if I'm in a good mood, I might put in a good word for you with Liam. I might ask him to abstain from voting at the next board meeting, so Dad doesn't lose his position as Chairman. Those old wolves on the board are completely ruthless, you know." "I'll gladly accept this dowry. Bring it all inside." The Vance family security guards violently shoved me aside, preparing to haul the entire fortune back into the estate. My mother furiously tried to block them, but the arrogant Vance guards violently pushed her to the floor. Chloe raised an eyebrow. "Madam, this is private Vance family business. If you insist on getting involved, any injuries you sustain are your own fault." I helped my mother up from the floor, staring coldly at the sociopathic couple. Liam smirked, looking at me like he was tossing a bone to a stray dog. "Without this dowry, you don't even have the money to buy a husband. Since you used to follow me around like a desperate puppy, I'll let you come to the Vance estate and work as Chloe's servant for three years. If you're obedient, I might consider letting you bear me a son." When I ignored him, Liam aggressively grabbed my shoulder, dragging me toward Chloe, and brutally kicked the back of my knee. Just as he was about to use brute force to force me to my knees... The heavy mahogany doors of the ballroom were violently thrown open. "We received a report that the Vance Corporation is illegally seizing billions of dollars in private assets. Who is Liam Vance?"
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