Chapter 1

When Julian Vance's men dragged me into that abandoned warehouse, I never imagined that the man I had loved for three years would order ninety-nine slaps to my face, all for another woman.

Over the phone, his voice was freezing, devoid of any warmth.

“Not a single one less. Make sure she remembers the consequences of hurting Gemma.”

By the time the last slap landed, my face was covered in blood.

Only later did he find out that three years ago, when he was blind and stranded in the snowy mountains, it was me who slit my wrists to feed him my blood, left him the last bits of food, and stayed by his side through the despair.

He had once held my hand tightly.

“Once I get out of here, I will find you. I'll love you with my life.”

Yet now, he had mistaken his savior, falling in love with the fake daughter who stole my life, and dragging me into hell with his own hands.

Wiping the blood from the corner of my mouth, I laughed and said,

“Julian Vance, starting today, I will collect every single thing you owe me, piece by piece.”

Stella Mercer POV

On the second floor of the Mercer estate, the study door stood slightly ajar, letting out a sliver of dim, yellow light.

I stood outside, holding a platter of freshly cut fruit, but my feet were frozen to the floor.

“Mom, I don't want to marry Adrian Sterling! I heard he got into a car accident that not only disfigured him but also blinded him, and now he's violent and acts like a lunatic! I'm not going to take care of a freak like that!” Gemma Mercer's whimpering voice drifted through the crack in the door.

Right after came the doting, soothing voice of my mother, Catherine Mercer: “How could I ever let you marry a useless cripple like him? Don't worry, darling, I've already rigged tomorrow's drawing. Both slips inside the two drawing‑lots boxes read "marry Adrian Sterling."You'll draw first and just grab any one. The remaining one will naturally go to Stella Mercer. That wretched girl spent fifteen years in an orphanage. Being able to marry into the Sterlings on your behalf is already the luckiest thing that could happen to her!”

My hands holding the fruit platter trembled slightly, my fingertips turning pale.

Adrian Sterling. The powerful head of the Sterlings, a prominent family among New York's business elite.

Rumor had it that a horrific car crash had stripped him of his sight and his looks, transforming him from a proud, top-tier heir of a New York elite family into a dark, twisted monster.

To marry him would undoubtedly be stepping straight into hell.

I lowered my eyes, a cold sneer playing on my lips. This was my biological mother.

Fifteen years ago, the Mercer family's nanny swapped me with her own daughter so that her child could live a life of luxury. Fifteen years later, when the truth was finally exposed, I was brought back to the Mercers. Yet, I didn't receive even a shred of familial love.

The Mercers looked down on me for lacking Gemma's elegance and disliked my quiet nature, finding me not vibrant or outgoing enough. They even pushed me forward without a second thought when they needed someone to enter a strategic marriage alliance and suffer.

Since things had come to this, I would give them exactly what they wanted.

With a loud bang, I pushed open the study door.

The two inside gasped in shock, and Gemma, gripped by a guilty conscience, shrank behind Catherine. Catherine's face darkened, and she snapped, “You are so uncouth! Don't you know to knock before entering? Is that what they taught you in that orphanage?”

Ignoring her insults, I slammed the fruit platter onto the desk. My cold gaze swept over the two prepared lot-drawing cups, and my voice was calm, devoid of any emotion. “You don't need to waste your energy scheming against me. I will marry Adrian Sterling.”

Catherine froze. Apparently not expecting me to agree so readily, a flicker of suspicion flashed in her eyes. “You're really willing to?”

“I am,” I said, looking Catherine dead in the eye. My voice was icy. “But I have one condition. I will take her place and marry Adrian Sterling, but Gemma must marry Julian Vance.”

“What?!” Catherine's voice shrieked, as if she had heard the most ridiculous joke. “Julian Vance? That broke private tutor who teaches in our house? Are you insane?! Gemma is the heiress of the Mercers! Why on earth should she marry a lowlife who can't even afford a decent suit? Stella Mercer, what kind of malicious schemes are you running in that head of yours!”

Looking at Catherine's hysterical face, I only felt a deep sense of pity. A broke private tutor?

Just a few days ago, as I was walking by the back garden, I accidentally overheard Julian Vance taking a phone call. The private tutor who acted so gentle and polite in front of the Mercers spoke with a chilling aura of absolute authority. The person on the other end of the line addressed him as 'Mr. Vance.'

In New York's business elite, there was only one person who could be called 'Mr. Vance'—the mysterious, elusive heir of the Vances. He had hidden his identity to work as a lowly private tutor for the Mercers, and it wasn't for the paycheck at all. It was for Gemma Mercer. I had seen it clearly—the hidden fervor and absolute indulgence in his eyes whenever he looked at Gemma.

“That is my only condition.” I didn't bother explaining, my tone unyielding. “If you don't agree, I will contact the media right now. I'll tell them the whole story about the real and fake heiresses, and how you planned to force your biological daughter to marry in her sister's place. When that happens, whether the Sterlings will let you off the hook, and whether the Mercers' stock will crash—well, you can figure that out for yourselves.”

“You dare threaten me?!” Catherine shook with rage, raising her hand to slap me.

I didn't flinch. I just stared back at her with icy eyes. The absolute determination and ruthlessness in my gaze actually made Catherine halt mid-air. She hesitated, gritted her teeth, and hissed, “Fine! I promise you! As long as you obediently marry Adrian Sterling, I will have Gemma get engaged to Julian Vance!”

Having got the answer I wanted, I turned and walked out.

The moment I stepped out of the room, Gemma's protests erupted from inside. “Mom! Are you crazy? How could I marry that poor loser? My fiancé has to be from a top-tier wealthy family!”

Catherine lowered her voice, her tone dripping with calculation. “Don't be silly! I was only saying that to pacify that little bitch for now! Once she's safely married to the Sterlings, we'll just find some random excuse to throw Julian Vance out. How could I ever let you suffer!”

I stopped in my tracks, closed my eyes, and let out a soft, bitter laugh.

These were my family members. Liars through and through, selfish to the bone. I had thought that coming back to this family would give me a warm haven. I had thought that if I was just obedient enough, sensible enough, I would eventually warm up their cold hearts. But reality had given me a harsh slap in the face.

I touched the spot over my chest where a heart once beat, full of longing for family and love.

This was not my first encounter with Julian Vance.

Once, Julian and I had been trapped in the snowy mountains together.

Except back then, Julian was temporarily blinded due to a head injury.

During those long days and nights trapped in the mountains, that blind boy had given me the hope to live. I fell in love with him, and my heart was filled with joy when I first realized Julian Vance was that very same boy.

But now, this heart had grown completely cold and hard.

Since they loved acting so much, I would play along with them until this final scene was over. And then, I would sever ties with them completely.