At my engagement party, my fiancé, Declan Davenport—CEO of the Davenport Group and the man I was promised to in an arranged marriage—had his executive assistant serve me a prenuptial agreement in front of all of New York's high society.

First, I was not to enter Declan's study without permission.

Second, I was not to initiate any physical contact, including kissing, without permission.

Third, I was not to engage in any behavior that might cause Declan embarrassment or discomfort.

There were 188 such clauses in total.

I choked back the rage burning in my chest, listening as the assistant recited every last clause.

Then, I slowly turned my head, my gaze landing on the tall, stately man beside me.

"Declan, can you explain clause 99? 'Regardless of who carries your heir, I am required to raise the child as my own.' What is that supposed to mean?"

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1

Before I was even born, my father had arranged my marriage to Declan Davenport.

He and Declan's father, the former chairman of the Davenport Group, had forged a business pact: once I came of age, I would be engaged to Declan.

I wasn't entirely against the marriage. I had met Declan as a child in Aspen.

Back then, he was the boy who had extended a hand to me in the snow and wind, his eyes clear, his manner elegant and gentlemanly. He was the most flawless boy I'd ever known, and for that reason, I had willingly accepted the engagement.

At my father's request, I was keeping a low profile to assess Declan's character. Concealing my true identity, I donned my most understated jewelry and made my way to the Davenport estate.

However, I never expected the Davenport Group to make such a disrespectful demand of their future matriarch.

Declan raked his eyes over me with undisguised contempt, his tone icy. "Someone with your background… you don't actually think you're fit to be the mother of a Davenport heir, do you?"

Flames of fury churned in my chest, but I swallowed my anger and offered Declan a tight, polite smile.

I said, my voice level, "I'm sorry, Declan, but I will never sign such a demeaning agreement."

The moment I finished speaking, Declan's previously cavalier expression froze.

He shot me a harsh glare. "Are you defying me?" He took a step closer, his voice low. "Don't forget your place. I am the CEO of the Davenport Group, and you are just an ordinary designer. If my father hadn't used the CEO position to blackmail me into honoring this marriage contract, you would never have even set foot in here. You want to stay? Then shut up and sign."

His arrogance and self-importance were a bitter disappointment.

A bitter laugh rose in my throat. Was this the man I'd once been so infatuated with? Wake up, Rosalind. He doesn't even recognize you.

He was a completely different person from the boy I had met in Aspen. The man before me now was unreasonable, selfish, and domineering, a dictator whose soul had been corrupted by money and power.

I gave him a cold glance, my eyes now void of all warmth. "No woman with any dignity would sign such an agreement. I refuse."

Seeing my refusal to obey, he scoffed and strode toward the center of the party hall, leaving me with one last remark, "Suit yourself. I'll put the ring on your finger when you've come to your senses."

One word screamed through my mind: Never.

I frowned, staring at his retreating back.

His executive assistant, Blake Porter, shot me a mocking look. "You'd better sign, Miss Sterling," he urged impatiently. "No one who defies Mr. Davenport ever comes to a good end."

In his dreams, I thought, my resolve hardening. "I, Rosalind Sterling, am not a puppet to be manipulated."

I gave Blake one last cold look before turning to walk out.

However, Blake was clearly prepared. He immediately signaled for security to surround me.

"Miss Sterling, the party isn't over. You can't leave," Blake said, his cold eyes sweeping over me, his tone laced with threat. "Besides, if Mr. Davenport doesn't put that ring on your finger, you'll lose your one and only chance to marry into the upper echelon. Don't say I didn't warn you. As a social climber, you'll find life in these circles impossible if you offend the Davenports."

I countered coolly, "Your CEO has left, so why can't I? If becoming the Davenport matriarch means signing that slave charter, then I'd rather walk away."

As soon as the words left my mouth, the surrounding guests began to murmur in surprise. "My God, what is she doing? Not only is she arguing with Blake, but she's refusing to marry into the Davenport family. How foolish."

"Mr. Davenport is the most eligible bachelor on Wall Street. A commoner like her should be on her knees thanking God for this chance. How dare she throw a tantrum?"

"What an ungrateful woman. So what if Mr. Davenport doesn't want her to bear his heir? Isn't becoming the matriarch of the Davenport family enough?"

The venomous whispers reached my ears, and Blake’s.

He looked at me smugly. "Did you hear that, Miss Sterling? You don't want to leave now, do you? Becoming Mrs. Davenport is an honor countless socialites would kill for. Only a fool would refuse."

I glared at him impatiently, my gaze sharp enough to cut glass. "I have no interest in being your matriarch. Now, get out of my way!"

I felt nothing but contempt. The Davenport Group might be prominent, but it was new money, having only risen in recent decades. It was nothing compared to a family with an established, old-money lineage like ours. If this marriage alliance went through, it was Declan who would benefit more. What right did he have to think I was the one reaching above my station?

My response enraged Blake, his face turning crimson. "You're nothing but a gold-digger desperate to marry up! What right do you have to lecture me? You just wait, I'm going to report your insolence to Mr. Davenport and have him completely blacklist you!"

I snorted. "Be my guest."

Immediately, a group of security guards in black suits closed in, crudely manhandling me into the hotel's private lounge.

Declan was sitting on the sofa smoking a cigar. When he saw me, a flash of disdain crossed his face. "I knew you wouldn't give up on being my fiancée. Are you ready to sign the agreement?"

I stood opposite him, my expression icy as I replied, "That's where you're wrong. I haven't changed my mind. I will never sign that agreement."

My voice was not loud, but it was firm and resolute.

Declan extinguished his cigar and stood up impatiently. "So stubborn. Since you refuse to obey, I'll force you. I'm in charge here. Sign it."

A bitter taste filled my mouth as I stared at this insufferably arrogant man. I asked, word by word, "Declan, do you really not remember me? When we were children in Aspen—"

He cut me off before I could finish, clearly annoyed. "Enough! Stop making things up. You're not from my world, so how could I possibly have met you? I'm warning you, the Davenports hate being deceived more than anything. Tell one more lie, and I guarantee you'll pay the price!"

He took a step toward me, his eyes as sharp as a hawk's, as if I were prey in his sights.

The last flicker of hope inside me was snuffed out.

Declan was tall and handsome, the very picture of a business titan. I had thought I would be happy to have him as my husband.

However, he had forgotten our past. When we were children, he'd told me he liked me, that he'd marry me when he grew up and took over his family's business.

My mother was right after all. Men learn to lie from a young age.

I had planned to tell him my identity, but now it seemed pointless. The Declan before me only saw me as an opportunistic social climber.

I took a few deep breaths, trying to calm the storm inside me, and then said serenely, "Declan, even if you've forgotten the past, I am still your fiancée. Is treating me with such disrespect at our own engagement party how the Davenports show their good breeding?"

Hearing this, Declan reined in some of his aggression, but his eyes were still full of contempt.

"And you still dare to call yourself my fiancée. If it weren't for you and your social-climbing father groveling to mine—convincing him to make this marriage a condition of my becoming CEO—a commoner like you wouldn't have even made it through the door."

He continued with a cold smile, "And don't think you can start meddling in my company after we're engaged. You will stay in the penthouse and be a pretty decoration. As for which woman I prefer to bear my child, that will be my decision. You will simply raise my heir obediently. Understand?"

I clenched my fists and stared back at him coldly. "Since you're so dissatisfied with me, why force yourself into this marriage? Let's call off the engagement. Don't worry, I will speak to your father personally. It won't affect the Davenport Group in any way…"

Declan interrupted me, furious. "Enough, you cunning woman! Don't play me for a fool! You're just trying to use my father to threaten me, hoping I'll compromise out of fear of losing my position, aren't you? Having a devious fiancée like you is a disgrace to the family."

I almost laughed. His persecution complex was truly something else.

I sighed in resignation. "Since talking is getting us nowhere, let's take this to your father. Right now. We'll announce publicly that this ceremony is cancelled, and we'll make it clear that I am the one refusing to marry you."

My words stunned the room into silence. They finally realized I wasn't joking, nor was I playing hard to get.

Whispers drifted from outside the door.

"Oh my god, she really refused Mr. Davenport. How dare she?"

"I've never seen such a stupid person. If I could marry Mr. Davenport, I would never give up so easily."

I sneered inwardly. Declan was merely one of the more promising candidates my father had considered, and hardly the only one. Rather than becoming an accessory to this egomaniac, I would much rather go back and inherit the family business, becoming a business queen who would make men like him kneel and beg for a partnership.

What a pity, though. It was Declan's father who had gone to great lengths just to meet my father and persuade him to agree to this marriage, all to use my father's influence to further expand the Davenport Group. All his efforts had been in vain.

Declan turned to me, his eyes red with a mixture of shock and humiliated rage. "You really want to cancel the engagement? Do you have any idea how much wealth and status you'd be giving up?"

I smiled, took the small tiara I was wearing to match my understated gown, and threw it on the floor with a crisp clatter.

"I'm not interested."

The room fell into a stunned silence. No one had expected such audacity, and shock was etched on every face.

Declan stared in disbelief at the tiara on the floor, then back at me, a flicker of bewilderment in his eyes. This wasn't in his script. The plot was supposed to be that no matter how much he humiliated me, I would cry and beg him not to abandon me.

Seeing this, Blake hurried to his side. "Mr. Davenport, since she's so ungrateful, there's no need to indulge her. A woman from an ordinary family like her was never worthy of you in the first place. If you back down now, it will only damage your credibility with the board."

Declan agreed with him, regained his composure, and straightened his tie.

However, he frowned again and asked Blake in a low voice, "But… the entire business world knows I'm announcing my fiancée tonight. The media is waiting outside. If I cancel the engagement now, what will happen to my reputation as the new CEO?"

A cunning smile appeared on Blake's face. "Mr. Davenport, have you forgotten? Miss Bianca Langley, the daughter of the Langley Group's CEO who visited us a few days ago. She is gentle and noble. With all due respect, only a socialite like her is worthy of being your fiancée."

"The Langley Group is one of the largest logistics giants in this area. If Bianca becomes your wife and our two families join forces, our company's logistics costs will be greatly reduced."

Declan seemed to waver, then suddenly asked, "Does she look like the girl I met in Aspen?"

I was stunned, finding the question almost absurd. Was he still fixated on that memory from Aspen? Unfortunately for him, I was only that lively and cheerful as a child. As I grew up, my personality became more composed, and I eventually became a shrewd operator in the business world, just like my father, rarely letting my emotions show.

Blake, ever the sycophant, immediately seized on Declan's vulnerability. "Of course, just like your first love."

"And, she specifically canceled an important event to come to your party just to see you. She's waiting in the side hall right now. With just one word from you, you can immediately replace the leading lady. Even as a temporary solution, it's better than this argumentative designer."

Noticing the excitement on Blake's face, the pieces clicked into place.

Just as I suspected, this was all a setup.

Declan was domineering, yes, but was he this meticulously cruel? I doubted it. Moreover, when Blake read the clause about another woman's child, I had noticed Declan's own eyebrow twitch; clearly, there were some clauses he hadn't even read closely.

Of course. Blake was working for Bianca. The nearly bankrupt Langley Group desperately needed a lifeline from the Davenports.

A strange calm settled over me, and I spoke with the detached air of a spectator, "Declan, regardless, the news of our engagement has already been announced. Even if you want to cancel, you can't just replace your fiancée on the spot. Don't you think that would be too reckless for the Davenport reputation?"

I paused, my gaze as sharp as a blade as it pierced Blake. "Besides, who exactly came up with these clauses? Could it be that your executive assistant was so against me marrying you that he fabricated these terms just to make things difficult for me?"

Instantly, both Declan's and Blake's expressions stiffened, and they exchanged a flustered glance.

Declan suppressed his guilt and replied, "A commoner like you has no right to question me, let alone doubt my executive assistant. If you spout any more nonsense, I'll have you thrown out of this party."

Their reaction confirmed my suspicions.

I sighed heavily. Declan's father, Graham Davenport, was a man of courage and vision, having led the Davenport Group out of financial trouble and back to glory. I had no idea why Declan hadn't inherited even a fraction of his father's wisdom.

For Graham's sake, I decided to try and persuade Declan one last time.

"Declan, use your brain. Do you really think everything Blake is doing is for your own good? Have you checked the Langley Group's true financial situation? Have you considered the consequences you'll face for breaking a pact made by our fathers and suddenly changing your choice of fiancée at this critical moment?"

Before I could finish, Declan roared in fury, "Enough! Rosalind Sterling, I told you, you have no right to doubt Blake! Who do you think you are? Do you think you can order me around just because you've charmed my father? I'm telling you, even if you got on your knees and begged me right now, I would never get engaged to you."

Blake quickly added, "That's right! How dare an outsider like you speak to our CEO like that! Security, get her out of the hotel."

I shot him an indifferent glance. "You're overacting, Blake. Are you so eager to get rid of me because the real mastermind is getting impatient to make her entrance?"

The moment I spoke, a beautiful, fashionably dressed woman walked into the lounge.