That threat made my heart tremble. I looked at Derick, tears streaming down my face. The Robbins Family’s position in Stellis was truly enough to leave me with no recourse.

He was determined to protect Sienna, so there was no chance of me winning.

At that moment, I hated myself and the powerless with all my heart.

“Be good, sign the papers. We’ll get the marriage certificate in two days. I’ll definitely give you the most magnificent wedding.”

The wedding… Yes, we were going to get married. But now it seemed impossible.

Derick and I had been together for eight years. I had been with him through the Robbins Family since graduating from college.

He was the illegitimate heir to the Robbins Family and not the most outstanding, but he was the most ruthless.

In those eight years, he used me to do a lot of terrible things.

But he also gave me the most love.

He fought his way through the other heirs and gave me a grand proposal on the day he ascended to the throne.

The whole of Stellis envied me for having his undivided love, calling me the domineering CEO’s precious gem.

But then, his Sienna returned. At that moment, his love began to shift.

“Derick, I don’t want to marry you anymore.”

Derick’s hand trembled and he loosened it.

I was able to breathe, but the deep pain in my heart made it hard to breathe.

“Elizabeth, stop being so angry. It’s not just about this. She’ll be your sister from now on. There’s no need to make things so awkward.”

I knew Derick had grown up in a world of intrigue and had long since disregarded human life.

But I thought I was different, that my family was different. In the end, it turned out that only Sienna was different.

“I only have one sister, her name is Winona,” I interrupted Derick, my words sharp.

When Sienna returned, her mother had just passed away and she was depressed all day.

Back then, Derick wasn’t available, so I took his place, accompanying her and taking care of her in every way.

Even if she was always trying to sow discord, I didn’t think it was a big deal. Later, she clung to Derick at every turn.

Even when she was sleeping, she’d come to our room clutching a stuffed animal and demand to share our space.

She was afraid of thunder, rain, ghosts, or the dark—no matter how lame her excuses were, Derick accepted them all.

It wasn’t until Derick proposed that her bipolar diagnosis finally brought him to his knees.

She went on a rampage, causing trouble like crazy. A single phone call would have Derick rushing over to clean up the mess, even if it meant dropping a contract worth millions of dollars.

Later, whenever Derick and I were alone, her tricks would repeat: jumping off a building, burning charcoal, drowning, slitting her wrists—one trick after another.

While Derick might scold her, he’d already taken action.

I’d also been upset, but Derick could calm me down with just a few words. “Elizabeth, her mother just passed away, so it’s inevitable she’ll feel insecure. Elizabeth, she’s just sick. We can heal her by giving her enough love.”

Until she led the bullying of my sister, personally pushing her down the stairs, to prevent Derick and me from getting our marriage certificate.

I thought Derick would come to his senses and curb his unbridled doting on her. But he didn’t.

At that moment, I realized that in his heart, no one could compare to Sienna.

I watched my sister, once so lively and adorable in the video, now lying quietly on the hospital bed like a porcelain doll.

Yesterday, she had smiled and said she’d accompany me to get the marriage certificate and take photos of Derick and me.

One day, it felt like a lifetime ago.

“I’ll sign it.”

Being alive was better than being dead.

Derick’s lips curled slightly as he reached out to take the letter of apology from his assistant and placed it before me.

“Elizabeth, I know you love me best and most. I promise you, I’ll punish her severely this time!”

I had heard this kind of thing countless times, but I had never seen any punishment. Not even a harsh word.

I sneered a few times, lowered my head and signed the letter of apology.

“On our wedding day, have her come back to be your bridesmaid.” Derick put the letter of apology away, smiled and hugged me.

“No, thanks.” I pushed Derick away and turned to walk out.

From behind, Derick looked at the signature on the letter of apology, his fingertips feeling slightly cold.

That night, I saw Sienna, who had just landed at a foreign airport and had to make a layover to return home.

The video of Derick picking her up at the airport went viral online.

In Sienna’s Instagram post, she was sitting behind 9,999 white roses, her face as bright as a flower.

[Who doesn’t want to be a treasure in their brother’s hands? @MySuperBrother.] Even if it was a blur, I’d still recognize Derick’s back as the one meeting her at the airport.

I sat on the windowsill of my room, finally making up my mind and typing out my resignation letter on my computer.

The next day, as usual, I went to the hospital to see Winona.

As soon as I entered, I saw Sienna sitting at the head of Winona’s bed, swinging her legs.

“I heard someone said you were going to sue me for this living dead? Why aren’t you suing? Oh, I heard your family took 4 million dollars! Tsk, your sister’s life is only worth 4 million dollars?”

The sarcastic remarks fell to the floor, but I ignored them.

“Get out! No one wants you here.”

Sienna grinned disapprovingly and jumped off the bed.

“If my brother hadn’t asked me to atone for my sins, do you think I’d want to come to this unlucky place? She peed her pants when she fell. Did you wipe it clean?”

Sienna circled the head of the bed, her words full of provocation.

I ignored her and bent down to straighten my sister’s clothes. “What’s that?”

Following the sound, I saw her hand resting on the power supply.

“Don’t move!”

Sienna rose and fell and the instrument next to her ear beeped.

Winona’s vital signs remained flat.

I immediately reconnected the oxygen line, rang the bell and anxiously waited for the doctor to arrive.

“Oh my! What’s wrong with her? Is she dead? I didn’t mean to do that. I don’t know…”

Sienna covered her mouth hypocritically, but she was actually chuckling.

My clenched fist loosened and I slapped Sienna in the face.

The next second, a huge force from behind pulled me away and Derick’s voice echoed above me.

“Elizabeth, I asked Sienna to come here to apologize. How could you hit her?”

I turned and pointed at the straight line.

“Derick, open your eyes and see if this is an apology?”

Derick stared at the screen, his pupils suddenly dilated.

Just as I was about to say something, the doctor rushed in. After a thorough examination, they bowed their heads with dejected expressions and apologized to me.

“The patient’s breathing, heartbeat and pulse stopped at 10:50 AM. She has been confirmed dead…” The voice in my ear sounded like the Grim Reaper’s pronouncement.

I slumped to the ground, my face ashen, unable even to cry.

“Elizabeth, please don’t do this… Sienna really went too far this time. I will…”

Derick crouched down, hugged me tightly and whispered soothingly.

I didn’t struggle or cry. I simply said calmly, “Get out. Everyone, get out!”

Derick spoke many words, but I didn’t hear a word.

The images of the funeral, the marriage certificate and the wedding swirled in my mind. Finally, my vision went black and I completely lost consciousness.

After waking up, I didn’t see Derick.

My parents sat around me, looking decades older.

They had never imagined that Winona, who had come to my wedding, would die.

But they didn’t dare show too much sadness in front of me. They could only smile and ask if I felt any discomfort.

We tacitly kept silent, but sadness still permeated our words and actions.

“Let’s go home. Mom and Dad will take you home…”

Derick texted me every day, saying he was busy, but never explaining what.

I didn’t reply to any of them.

The day I was discharged from the hospital, I waited for my parents to collect Winona’s ashes and take me home.

But that evening, a call from the police completely shattered me.

“Ms. Alvarez, your parents were in a car accident. They’re seriously injured and died instantly… Please come to the City Central Hospital and identify the bodies.”

At that moment, my hands and feet were stiff and numb. I didn’t even know how I got to the morgue.

When I signed the body claim, my hands were shaking so much that I couldn’t even hold the pen.

“Ms. Alvarez, my condolences.”

The police investigation revealed that the taxi my parents were riding in skidded while turning, causing them to be thrown out and crushed to death by a truck.

The video was a bloody scene I couldn’t bear to watch.

The officer was the same one who had investigated Winona’s suicide. He looked at me, wanting to say something, but then stopped.

As I turned to leave, he finally spoke.

“I still have something to advise you: Don’t fight the Robbins Family. You can’t win…”

I paused and I heard the sound of my nerves snapping.

I frantically called Derick, but none of them connected.

When I arrived at the office in a taxi, the secretary at the door stopped me with an awkward look on her face.

“Elizabeth, Mr. Robbins has a guest in his office…”

I ignored her and walked past her through the small door. Derick’s office was ajar. Through the crack in the door, I saw Sienna, topless, leaning against his chest.

“Brother, I really know I was wrong. But I didn’t mean to do it this time. His parents were determined to get back at me and I couldn’t help myself and had someone hit them. I didn’t expect the car to be so powerful!”

Derick’s cigarette burned out in a flash. He sighed, stood up and put on his pants.

“Sienna, this is the last time. If you cause trouble again, I can’t protect you.”

Derick leaned over and dialed the intercom. “Please make an appointment for me and Elizabeth to get our marriage certificate.”

The next second, Derick stood by the window and dialed a hidden line.

“Chad, I’ve sent the information to your email. Elizabeth… Keep her mouth shut.”

I knew he was calling Chad, the man who had helped us handle the gray area before he took over.

It had been a long time since he took over. I didn’t expect it would restart just to cover my mouth.

The cold doorknob pierced my palm like a sharp sword.

The phone in my pocket rang and Derick, holding the phone, peered through the crack in the door.

His dark eyes narrowed and he approached the door.

Derick opened the door and there was nothing outside.

His heart, hanging high in the air, finally settled.

I hid in a corner and answered the phone. Derick’s gentle voice came through the receiver.

“Elizabeth, I know about your parents. Elizabeth, you still have me. I’ve asked my assistant to schedule a date for us to get the marriage certificate…”

There was no mention of Sienna on the phone.