Chapter 1
On my wedding night, my stepmother got me so drunk I blacked out.
While I was unconscious, my stepsister took my place as the bride, married Caleb Lawson in front of our guests, and spent the night with him.
Then she claimed credit for the connections and client relationships I had worked so hard to build for Lawson Group.
Overnight, she became the woman everyone envied.
They turned the story against me and branded me a shameless mistress. My mother and I ended up in a crumbling rental apartment, barely surviving by collecting recyclables.
After three years, Lawson Group held its IPO bell-ringing ceremony. Sienna Grant was midway through a tearful speech when I cut her off with a sharp laugh.
I stepped onto the stage as a founding shareholder.
The color drained from Sienna's face, and her lips trembled.
"Nora, you were the one who ran out on the wedding and gave up both Caleb and the company. You can't blame me for what happened."
Caleb Lawson stepped in front of her, glaring at me as he frantically signaled security behind his back to throw me out.
I let out a quiet laugh.
"Relax. I'm not here to ruin your marriage. I'm here to give the happy couple a gift."
Shock rippled through the audience.
Sienna faced me in a Virelle couture gown, wearing the oversized solitaire diamond ring that should have been on my finger.
Once the bell rang, she would be hailed as the wife of a CEO whose company had just gone public.
According to her version of events, I was a shameless mistress who didn't belong in respectable society.
Caleb shot me a glare and pulled Sienna tighter against him.
"What happened that night was an accident."
His gaze flickered away. Then, as if remembering that this was his night, he quickly regained his composure.
"Nora, love isn't about who got there first. Besides, Sienna is clearly better at business than you are."
Sienna seized the opening at once. Her eyes reddened again, and her voice caught.
"Caleb, I really did pour everything I had into the company back then."
Her sheer audacity almost made me laugh.
I had spent six months traveling through 17 cities and drinking with clients until I ended up in the ER with a bleeding ulcer, all to keep Caleb's company afloat.
Yet somehow, Sienna got all the credit.
Whispers spread through the audience.
"Mrs. Lawson was just saying she was worried some woman would throw herself at her husband. It looks like she was right."
"That woman has no shame. The Lawsons have money now, so she came crawling back."
"Look at those shabby clothes. How could she ever compare to Mrs. Lawson?"
Caleb frowned, barely keeping his temper in check. He spoke to me in the patronizing tone people used with a child throwing a tantrum.
"Nora, for old times' sake, stop. Look how many people are here. If this gets any uglier, it won't end well for anyone."
I said nothing and held his gaze.
Three years earlier, I had worked day and night, attending client dinners and drinking until I ended up in the ER with a bleeding ulcer, all to save Caleb's failing company.
I had done it because Caleb had once dropped to his knees and begged me. He pleaded with me, a doctoral candidate in business administration, to save Lawson Group from bankruptcy.
So I worked around the clock, analyzing data and attending one client dinner after another.
Then Caleb met Sienna for the first time on my birthday.
One look was all it took for him to fall for her.
On our wedding day, my stepmother arrived with Sienna. She held my hand, kept marveling at how grown-up I was, and insisted that we toast the wedding together.
She kept refilling my glass, mixing wine and hard liquor.
A few glasses later, everything went black.
By the time I woke up, the sun was already up.
I was lying on the living room floor of the house Caleb and I were supposed to share, covered by nothing but a thin blanket.
My stepmother sat on the couch drinking coffee. When she noticed I was awake, she made no effort to hide her smile.
"You're awake? Good. Sienna stepped in as the bride, married Caleb in front of everyone, and spent the night with him. By morning, everyone was calling her Mrs. Lawson."
