Chapter 1
"Clara Foster, have you lost your mind?"
Diane charged over and clamped a hand around my wrist.
"Vanessa only tried on your ring. Are you really going to throw away the alliance between our families and turn the Fosters into a laughingstock over that?"
"She needed 2 hours alone with my fiancé just to try on my ring?"
I looked at Ethan's crooked tie, then at the hickey Vanessa had failed to hide beneath her collar.
Diane's gaze darted away, but her grip tightened.
"They only went to the lounge to look for the ring box. Vanessa has always been innocent. Stop twisting everything into something dirty!"
The familiar accusation made me go still for a moment.
When I was 10, I ran a fever of 104°F. Diane stayed beside Vanessa, who had twisted her ankle, and left me to sleep in the hallway clutching a bottle of fever medicine.
It wasn't that she didn't know how to love a child.
She simply didn't love me.
I pried her fingers off my wrist. Vanessa immediately threw herself into Ethan's arms.
"Clara doesn't believe me! What's the point of living? I'll go upstairs and jump right now!"
She threatened to kill herself, but she never loosened her grip around Ethan's waist.
Ethan wrapped her in a protective embrace and snapped at me, "Look what you've driven Vanessa to! If you walk out of this hotel today, don't ever expect to marry into the Reed family!"
I picked up the decanter and poured the wine over both their heads.
Vanessa shrieked and leaped away. Ethan's expression turned murderous.
"Clara Foster!"
"Lower your voice. I can hear you."
I took two documents from my bag and slid them into the center of the head table.
The first was the promissory note for the 50 million dollars Ethan had borrowed from me.
The second was a summary of evidence showing that Reed Jewelry had spent the past 3 years fabricating transactions and obtaining loans through fraud.
Ethan's rage vanished. "How did you get this?"
"You told me 5 years ago that Reed Jewelry was short on cash, so I lent you 50 million dollars. Then, 3 years ago, you entered a competition using my designs, and I let it go. Did you think that was because I couldn't live without you?"
I held his gaze. "It was because I once believed marrying you was how I could repay the Foster family for raising me."
Over the years, I had paid off the Fosters' debts, bought them a villa, and poured more money into Reed Jewelry.
I thought that if I did enough, they might eventually treat me like family too.
Clearly, I had expected far too much of them.
Robert's face turned livid. "Where are the bodyguards? Stop this ungrateful brat! Don't let her leave until she apologizes to Vanessa and the Reeds!"
The Foster family's bodyguards had barely stepped forward when the ballroom doors opened and hotel security filed inside.
The hotel manager hurried to me and bowed his head. "Chairwoman Foster, the security footage has been preserved. Mr. Foster's men appear to be unlawfully detaining you. Would you like us to call the police?"
The entire room went silent.
I was working as the anonymous designer Vesper 3 years ago when I sold the rights to my work and invested all the proceeds in the failing Grandview Hotel.
I completed the restructuring 2 years later, gaining controlling interest.
The Foster family only knew that I did some "unimpressive design work". They had no idea the hotel beneath their feet belonged to me.
Ethan's lips went pale. "That's impossible..."
"Charge every expense tonight to Reed Jewelry's deposit."
I picked up the microphone and faced the room full of guests.
"The engagement is canceled. Please stay and enjoy dinner. Consider it my apology for the disruption. One more thing. I'm officially looking for a husband."
Words appeared on the massive screen behind me:
Requirements: Must be single, have no complicated romantic past, and be completely devoted to one woman.
As I lowered the microphone, my phone buzzed.
An unknown number had sent proof of assets worth 100 billion dollars, followed by a brief application.
Unknown Number: Julian Hale. Male, 28. Never married. No romantic entanglements. I'm applying to marry into your family.
