Olivia Brooks had found her biological parents.

I never expected that she would turn out to be the long-lost heiress of the Brooks family.

What surprised me even more was that Olivia showed up at the Brooks family’s homecoming reception with her assistant, Daniel Foster, and publicly announced that Daniel was her fiancé.

She even declared that she would marry him on William Brooks’ 80th birthday, giving the family a “double celebration.”

Calmly, I sent her a message: “Congratulations—may the lovers finally be united.”

Soon, Olivia called me, her tone impatient.

“Ethan Carter, can’t you stop being so petty?

You’re still in a wheelchair, your image isn’t great right now. There’s no way I can introduce you to my family like this.

My grandfather’s in poor health, so I asked Daniel to pose as my fiancé and marry me on his 80th birthday. That should help lift his spirits.

Once your leg heals, I’ll bring you to my family. For now, just focus on your recovery in the hospital!”

Before I could respond, she hung up.

Immediately after, Daniel sent me a video from the Brooks family’s reception.

He stood beside Olivia, dressed to the nines, holding her hand. Both of them were all smiles as they toasted the family elders.

He followed up with a voice message, his tone dripping with smug provocation:

“VP Carter, the Brooks family is so warm and welcoming—I can hardly keep up!

Such a shame… If you hadn’t fractured your leg, you’d be the one standing next to Ms. Brooks today.

Don’t worry, just heal up in the hospital. I’ll take good care of her.”

I knew Daniel was deliberately trying to provoke me.

In the past, I might have lost my temper, but now, I felt nothing but calm.

I replied: “Wishing you both an early congratulations on your wedding.”

Ever since Olivia reunited with her biological parents and returned to the Brooks family a month ago, her attitude toward me had changed.

Soon after, Daniel joined the startup we had founded and became her assistant.

Good-looking and smooth-talking, he kept her in high spirits, and their behavior toward each other had long crossed the line between boss and assistant.

I had argued with Olivia over Daniel before, but every time, the fight ended with me apologizing.

Olivia was my first love—I loved her to the bone.

But now, that love had left me covered in wounds.

Daniel’s place in her heart was clearly above mine.

Maybe she thought I couldn’t live without her, because she showed no regard for my feelings and always took Daniel’s side.

A few days ago, Daniel and I had another dispute.

When Olivia arrived to scold me, Daniel pretended to lose his balance and shoved me down the stairs, leaving me with a fractured shin.

Afterward, he put on a guilty, pitiful act to apologize, but Olivia blamed me for picking a fight with him—said it was my own fault—and didn’t place even the slightest blame on Daniel.

I could see through Daniel’s intentions: he wanted me hospitalized so he could take my place as Olivia’s “fiancé” at the Brooks family reception.

When I told Olivia this, she looked impatient and snapped,

“Ethan Carter, can you stop assuming the worst about people?

I know what kind of person Daniel is better than you do.”

“Can’t you be a little more generous? Stop picking on him all the time.”

In that moment, I could clearly see the look of disdain and irritation in Olivia Brooks’ eyes.

Right then, whatever feelings I still had for her completely died.

Lying on the hospital bed, I let out a long sigh.

Finally, I picked up my phone and made a call.

“Mom, I want to come home.”

By evening, I had completed the discharge paperwork.

I sat in my wheelchair while a strikingly beautiful woman stood behind me, pushing it.

With a lazy smile, she said, “I told you long ago, Olivia Brooks is not worthy of you.

You had a falling-out with your family, stayed away for years, pretended to be some poor country boy just to be with her, and gave everything to help her start that company.

You poured your heart into her, and in the end? You were nothing more than her backup plan.

“She’s ambitious, and she’s not the kind of woman who’d ever settle down. Even if she hadn’t returned to the Brooks family, there’s no guarantee she’d grow old with you.

And Daniel Foster—he’s her first love. They say first loves are the hardest to forget… just like how you feel about Olivia, and how I feel about you…”

I shot her a look and said impatiently, “Sophia Reed, what happened to you? A few years away and you’ve turned into such a chatterbox?

Where’s that aloof ‘ice queen’ image you used to have?”

Sophia’s eyes sparkled mischievously as she threw me a playful wink.

“I only act like this around you. To everyone else, I’m still the untouchable ice queen.

I thought you liked this sweet, delicate act—how’s my impression?”

I nearly got goosebumps. Shaking my head helplessly, I said, “Better drop it. I’m more used to your cold, rebellious self.”

Olivia was beautiful, sure—but she couldn’t hold a candle to Sophia.

Our families had been close for generations, and my parents once wanted us to get engaged. I’d thought I was too young to be tied down by marriage, so I rebelled and left home.

Now, after a phone call with my parents, Sophia had shown up at the hospital right away to help me with the discharge. Facing her again left me feeling complicated.

In terms of looks, personality, and family background, Olivia couldn’t compare to Sophia.

How had I been so blind to fall for Olivia in the first place?

Love really does make people lose their senses.

Sophia drove me back to the apartment complex where Olivia and I lived.

That tiny apartment had held so many beautiful memories for me—

but those were all in the past.

As Sophia packed up my personal belongings, she teased, “For the eldest son of the Carter family to hole up in a little place like this… if anyone found out, their jaw would drop.

If Olivia knew your real identity, what do you think her reaction would be?”

I shook my head with a faint sigh.

Just then, Olivia and Daniel came back.

They reeked of alcohol, arms linked, laughing intimately.

When she saw me, Olivia froze for a second, instinctively letting go of Daniel’s arm.

“Ethan Carter, why are you back? Weren’t you in the hospital?”

Before I could answer, she spotted Sophia packing my things.

The moment she took in Sophia’s stunning beauty, jealousy flickered in her eyes, and her face darkened.

“And who is this woman?”

“Ethan Carter, I’ve told you before—don’t bring strangers into our home. Did my words just go in one ear and out the other?”

I glanced at Daniel Foster and said calmly to Olivia Brooks, “Daniel’s been here plenty of times. He practically treats this place as his own. Funny, I’ve never seen you complain about him.”

Her face tightened with anger and embarrassment. “Daniel is my assistant, not a stranger! Who is this woman? Ethan Carter, if you don’t give me a clear explanation today, I will not let this slide!”

Daniel chimed in, fanning the flames with a mocking tone.

“VP Carter, don’t tell me you’re jealous because Ms. Brooks asked me to pretend to be her fiancé today, so you brought a woman here just to provoke her?

That’s really petty. Ms. Brooks has reunited with her biological family—she’s now the Brooks family heiress, with an impressive background. Her fiancé can’t be this small-minded.”

He then turned to Sophia Reed, his eyes flashing with a mix of lust and mockery.

“How much did Carter pay to bring you here?

I’ve met plenty of women like you—willing to do anything for money.

Be honest, have you slept with him? Did you—”

Before he could finish, Sophia’s foot shot out and landed squarely between his legs.

Daniel clearly hadn’t expected her to strike so decisively, and with no time to defend himself, he crumpled to the floor, clutching himself and groaning in pain, his face drained of color.

The sudden move startled Olivia.

She raised her hand to slap Sophia, but Sophia caught her wrist in a firm grip.

With an icy glare, Sophia said coldly,

“You do something shameful and then dare to blame others. You really have no shame.

Do you think that just because you’re back in the Brooks family you can soar like a phoenix?

Fool. You’ll regret this.”

With that, Sophia flung her wrist away, sending Olivia stumbling back and nearly falling.

Olivia shot Sophia a vicious glare, but whatever harsh words she’d planned died on her lips when faced with Sophia’s cold, commanding presence.

Instead, she turned to me and shouted, “Ethan Carter, are you even a man? Didn’t you see her almost push me over? I’m ordering you to teach her a lesson—”

Before she could finish, I cut her off. “And why exactly do you think you can order me around?”

That only enraged her more. “I’m your fiancée! I’ve just been bullied, and you stand there doing nothing? Ethan Carter, I’ll say this one last time—if you don’t listen to me, I will never forgive you—”

I interrupted again, my voice flat. “Olivia Brooks, your fiancé is Daniel Foster. You announced that yourself, in front of everyone, at the Brooks family’s homecoming reception.

Whether you forgive me or not doesn’t matter anymore.

From now on, I don’t want anything to do with you.

I’ve given too much to this relationship, and I’m exhausted. I’m done.”

Without waiting for her response, I called out to Sophia. She took hold of the luggage and pushed my wheelchair toward the apartment door.

Olivia, flushed with anger and still convinced she was in the right, yelled after me, “Ethan Carter, if you dare walk out that door today, don’t ever think about coming back again!”