Chapter 1

To beat my half-sister to having a baby and secure my birthright as the sole heiress of the Vance Group, I selected three potential husbands.

I showered them with money and funded their start-ups, giving them a chance to prove their worth.

I had spent years tolerating Tristan’s coldness, doing everything I could to please him just so he would marry me.

But Tristan treated me like the plague. Meanwhile, he knelt on one knee in front of my half-sister, Chloe, his eyes filled with devotion. "Chloe, you are the only one I recognize as the true heiress and my wife. If you’re not ready to be with me yet, I will swallow my pride, marry Elena, and help you take back what’s rightfully yours."

My father called me on the phone, accusing me of being fickle, demanding to know who I was actually going to choose.

I thought of the disgust in Tristan's eyes. Shifting my gaze, I pointed at the most dazzling man standing under the studio spotlights.

"That male model looks good," I said. "I'll take him."

The man’s hand paused as he handed me my coffee. He looked at me, a flicker of confusion crossing his incredibly handsome face.

On the other end of the line, my father was losing his mind.

"This is ridiculous, Elena! You’re just picking random men now!"

"I let you groom three potential husbands for years, and not a single one is good enough?"

"Besides, do you think just any stray dog can marry into the Vance family?!"

I flipped through the man’s portfolio. I scanned the pages, nodding in satisfaction.

Then, I spoke to my furious father. "Calm down, Dad. I’ve been testing those three for years, only to realize they’re all show and no substance."

"Since I’m the one carrying the baby, I’m going to make sure the genetics are perfect. The father of my child won't be some low-life, so you don't need to worry."

"Just remember your promise. Whoever produces the first heir gets the Vance Group. You better have the share transfer and inheritance papers ready."

My directness silenced him. Finally, he muttered, "Just make sure that man doesn't embarrass us."

He knew he owed me.

I was the only legitimate daughter of the Vance family. I was born to inherit the empire.

But on my eighteenth birthday, my half-sister, Chloe, stumbled into our home, tears streaming down her face. "Dad, Mom is dead. You’re the only family I have left."

My mother had passed away early, and my father never remarried.

I used to think he was just deeply devoted to my mother's memory. I had no idea he had a mistress on the side, let alone an illegitimate daughter only two years younger than me.

My father claimed he hid them to protect my feelings. But Chloe moved into our house on the night of my debutante ball, making me the laughingstock of high society.

To make it up to me, my father wanted to hand the company over to me immediately.

But Chloe cried until her eyes were swollen and red.

"Dad, I don't want to fight for the money, but this company has my mother's blood, sweat, and tears in it too!" she sobbed.

"If Mom hadn't given up her career to support you from the shadows, how could you have built this empire? Now you're giving it all to an outsider? Are you trying to erase my mother’s existence?"

"This company is the only thing she left behind in this world. I beg you..."

With just a few words, she painted me as an "outsider."

On one side was his fragile, illegitimate daughter. On the other was his strong, legitimate eldest daughter.

My father was torn. That was when one of the board members stepped in with a suggestion:

"Mr. Vance only has two daughters. Whoever marries them will be an outsider anyway."

"Why don't we have them marry into the family? Whoever has a child first will inherit the company."

"Even if the daughters and their husbands are useless, the grandchild will be raised under your guidance. The Vance legacy will be secure."

My father loved the idea and made the decision on the spot.

Even so, everyone knew the company was basically mine.

I was older, had better connections, and held a much higher social standing than Chloe. Finding a decent partner to have a baby with should have been a walk in the park.

My father pitied Chloe, but he knew she wasn't cut out for the business world. He only agreed to the competition out of guilt, unable to force her to give up her claim directly.

But since a board member had offered a way out, he took it. In his heart, he had already chosen me.

The marriage and the baby were just a show for the public and Chloe.