Chapter 1

A week before the wedding, I was tortured by thugs for a day and a night on my way to pick up my engagement ring.

When they found me, my face was unrecognizable, and I was covered in blood from below.

My dad and my brother Harry canceled a trillion-dollar merger deal and flew back home overnight just to stay by my side.

In the middle of the night, I heard Harry quietly ask Dad:

“Even if it was to help Aurora marry Marcus, it still wasn’t necessary to have someone hurt Charlotte this badly.”

“She’s a girl, after all. Her face and her virtue are ruined. How is she supposed to live after this?”

A flash of pain crossed Dad’s face, but he still said firmly, “Aurora has never asked me for anything. The only thing she has ever liked is Marcus.”

“With Charlotte here, how could the Sterling family ever accept Aurora as an illegitimate daughter?”

“As for Charlotte, I’ll fulfill her mother’s last wish.”

“Making her the heir to the company is also a way to make sure she has food and shelter for the rest of her life.”

Only then did I realize that all of this was their way of forcing me to give up my place for Aurora.

The so-called family bond was nothing but an illusion.

If that’s how it was, then fine. I’ll let you have your way.