That man's profound blue eyes held a hint of languor. His lips curled into a gentle smile. He was none other than Don Bryant's eldest son—William Bryant.

William continued, "It'll be my 23rd birthday in just a week. I'm sure that the honorable and magnanimous Oliver won't mind yielding the chance to lift the curse to me since there is more than one qualified person at the moment."

Don Bryant seemed to suddenly recall William's existence and glanced over at him. He had been the designated heir, yet after his mother perished saving Don Bryant, he acquired a stepmother and was consequently relegated to the fringes. He was almost entirely forgotten.

Mom and Dad immediately drew back nervously, saying, "That wouldn't be appropriate, Don Bryant. Cynthia's in love with—"

"I agree to William's proposal!" I said quickly, cutting in before they could get another word in.

Dad exchanged a quick look with Mom, who immediately pulled me to the side, saying, "You can't marry that powerless good-for-nothing even if you can't have Oliver! He'll be turning 23 years old soon, and if the curse isn't lifted before that, Ella will be implicated because of you, Cynthia!"

I looked at her coldly and said, "If you're so worried about being dragged down by me, you should just cut ties with me completely. I'm of no value to you anymore anyway."

I then walked back to the center of the main hall and smiled faintly at William. He looked stunned for a moment before he turned his face away. However, the flush rising along his neck couldn't be hidden.

Don Bryant got up from his seat and declared, "Cynthia has agreed to it as well, so she is now betrothed to you, William. You two, come along with me."

In the end, the date for the wedding had been settled.

I had just returned home when the door was suddenly thrown open. Oliver then walked in with his arm around Ella and a wedding invitation in his hand. "Your sister and I are going to have the most extravagant wedding, Cynthia. You'd better arrive on time for it."

I lowered my gaze and noticed that the date on the wedding invitation matched the one Don Bryant had fixed for William's and my wedding. I then stated flatly, "I won't be attending it since I'll be getting married on that day, too."

Oliver instantly flew into a rage. "What's with all the pretenses, Cynthia? You clearly accepted William's hand in marriage just to provoke me! How could a man of his standing possibly love you? You're just the means to ending the curse!

"You just want my attention, right? You see, because you adore me so fiercely, Ella, being the generous soul she is, will permit you to be my mistress, Cynthia. You are required to treat her with the utmost respect and wait on us diligently, though. Otherwise, you won't even merit the role of a side-piece."

Ella feigned a concerned expression, saying, "You're my sister, Cynthia. I can't bear to see you be this miserable, so come join me in attending to Oliver. It's more preferable to be married to a man who does not genuinely care for you, Cynthia."

I, however, still noticed her fists tightening beneath the drape of her wide sleeves.

I sneered contemptuously before the image of William's face involuntarily flashed across my mind. I recalled him kneeling on one knee and saying, "I know this proposal is sudden, and I came unprepared, but give me three days, and I will ensure that you have the most gorgeous diamond ring the world has ever seen."

I was experiencing, for the very first time, the sensation of being utterly treasured. I looked into his profound eyes then, recalling my past life, where he refused to marry Ella and instead, committed suicide by shooting himself on the night before he turned 23 years old. I deeply wished that I had been the one to save him back then.

I looked at him and stated deliberately, "I don't need your concern, future brother-in-law. I have no affection for you after all! I'm going to marry William, no matter what!"

I paid no heed to either of them after saying that and turned to leave.

It was then that Ella rushed forward with a feigned concerned expression and grabbed my hand. "I know I'm a thorn in your side, but you must realize that Oliver's love is not something that can be seized by force, Cynthia!"

I hadn't even had the chance to get a word in when Ella suddenly stumbled backward, screeching hysterically. "I shouldn't have usurped your position as Madre, Cynthia! I'll head to the Bryant family right now to clarify everything, so please stop attacking me with your witch powers!"

Ella fell to the ground, and Oliver quickly gathered her into his embrace.

Mom and Dad heard the commotion and bolted over. Their faces were full of distress. "Oh, my goodness! It must be Cynthia who hurt you again, Ella!"

I maintained a neutral expression. I couldn't even count how many times this routine had occurred since childhood. In every instance, Mom and Dad would fiercely protect Ella and shift the entirety of the blame onto me.

It was then that a hard, stinging blow struck me across the face. I was flung forcefully to the floor, and my ears were ringing.

"Ella is destined to be the next Madre, Cynthia! How could you, with your meager standing, lay a hand on her?" Oliver's eyes were practically brimming with malice.

Mom snapped her head toward me, and her eyes were blazing with hatred. "How utterly wicked of you, Cynthia! You're no longer our daughter or a member of this family from now on!"

I spat out a mouthful of blood and said with a sneer, "I'd like that! I hope that Mr. Bryant can serve as a witness to this, as I'm equally eager to be rid of any connection to you all!"

I was about to stand up and leave after saying that, but Ella suddenly burst into tears, saying, "Please don't be like this, everyone! Oliver only reacted in such a manner because he simply despises your abusive nature toward those weaker than you, Cynthia.

"He was only trying to straighten out your attitude, so please don't hold it against him. I'll help you to your feet, Cynthia."

Having said that, Ella put on a brief, false struggle, as if trying to lift me, but immediately stumbled and collapsed back to the floor.

Upon seeing this, Oliver savagely kicked me right in the chest, causing me to double over and struggle for breath. "You wretched bitch! Do you honestly believe you can simply walk away after crossing the future Don? Lock her away right now!

"I hereby forbid anyone from delivering so much as a mouthful of food or a drop of water to her from this moment on!"

It wasn't long before crude wooden planks were violently hammered into the door frame of the attic. They disregarded my struggles entirely and confined me there.

…

In the blink of an eye, three days had passed. Ella and Oliver had completed all the necessary arrangements for their wedding. I, on the other hand, had only just been freed. I felt utterly depleted and had made no preparations whatsoever.

I had no choice but to force myself to carry on with the wedding preparations because I didn't want to risk incurring Don Bryant's displeasure.

With a massive diamond ring on her finger, Ella looked at my wretched state with a smug expression. "Have you not made any preparations, Cynthia? You ought to know that this is a union with the Bryant family—one wrong move and it could cost you your life."

She then gestured toward the jewelry box on the table. Her voice dripped with condescension when she said, "You don't even have a diamond ring for your wedding. How pathetic! I'll graciously allow you to view these that weren't good enough for me. You've probably never had the luxury of wearing a diamond ring in your life, right?"

I offered a derisive snort, but before I could voice my refusal, the doorbell suddenly rang.

It was then that a formally dressed butler presented a refined jewelry box with both hands, explaining that it was a gift from William. It was delivered precisely as he promised. In the jewelry box, there was a huge pink diamond ring; its flawless cut gave it a luxurious beauty that demanded attention.

Ella's eyes immediately gleamed. She grabbed the jewelry box, took the diamond ring, and slipped it right on her own finger. "It's a wedding ring that's worthy of someone like me!"

I yelled, "It's mine! Give it back to me!"

Mom immediately stepped in front, shielding Ella. "Why would anyone present such a pricey ring to you, Cynthia? I just remembered that Madre had mentioned that she wanted to compensate you.

"Is it possible that this ring is from her? It's not like anyone is going to marry you, so you should just hand it over to Ella as her wedding gift."

"I refuse!" I yelled, thinking that William had gone out of his way to find and present this to me. I wouldn't allow anyone to take it from me.

Mom, however, ruthlessly pushed me, sending me sprawling to the floor.

I had gone three days without a drop of water, so I instantly felt my vision going hazy.

I hadn't even had the chance to recover when Mom grabbed my hair, dragged me, and tossed me back into the dark attic, yelling, "You're far too unruly, Cynthia! It seems like you didn't learn your lesson the last time!"

I accidentally banged my head on a container before gradually losing consciousness.

I suddenly felt a cold sensation wash over my face.

Ella stood before me while holding a bucket of ice water. Her gaze was blazing with pure hatred. "Cynthia Crawford! How could you be so wretched? When did you start seducing Oliver? How could you make him take you as his mistress and even force me to deliver food to you?"

I raised my hand and wiped the water from my face. I said, "It's because he himself has no faith that you're capable of lifting the curse."

Ella violently threw the food container to the ground while yelling, "You'd better stop being so full of yourself, Cynthia! You and I possess witch blood! What makes you think you can do it while I can't?

"You must have secretly seduced Oliver, which is why he wants you as his mistress. You'll never, in your life, rise above my station, Cynthia!"

I offered no retort. Instead, I met her gaze with a placid expression. "Do you truly wish to be rivals with me for the rest of our days, or would you rather let me walk away and focus on being the respectable Madre, Ella?"

Ella glared fiercely at me, then turned and walked away.

It was midnight when, as I was devising a method to get out, the door abruptly unlocked. I grabbed the chance, ran to my best friend's place to recover for a few days, and finally saw the wedding day arrive.

I showed up at the wedding ceremony in a haute couture wedding dress. Oliver's eyes briefly registered astonishment, but he quickly masked it and yanked me over, saying, "Ella is supposed to be the bride today, Cynthia. Why on earth are you dressed in a wedding dress?"

It turned out that Don Bryant, who wanted to be present at both his sons' wedding ceremonies simultaneously, had arranged for them to be held in the same location.

I pulled my hand free from his grip and said, "You should show some restraint, Oliver! I'm not just anyone you can touch whenever you want!"

Upon hearing the commotion, Ella rushed over. Her eyes were brimming with tears as she said, "If you truly desired the pink diamond ring Madre gave me, then I would have gladly ceded it to you, Cynthia. How could you try to steal my husband now?"

In that instant, as a single tear fell, those who had gathered began to whisper amongst themselves.

"I heard that the two of them had been at odds since childhood. I never thought that the younger one would actually attempt to steal the groom. What an utter disgrace!"

"I know, right? I mean, the bride and groom are obviously deeply in love. In addition, she even has a betrothed of her own, so she has no business trying to meddle here!"

Mom positioned herself defensively in front of a sobbing Ella and said, "You abandoned our home for some man and demanded to cut ties with us, which we agreed to. How could you sabotage Ella's wedding now? Do you truly believe that the Bryant family is a force to be trifled with?"

It was then that one of the people nearby suddenly gasped. "I had a feeling something was amiss because Ella was managing all the preparations alone! It turns out that Cynthia actually ran away from home! It's a shame that they spent so much time raising her only for her to behave like that!"

I couldn't help but sneer in response. I was the one who wanted to end our ties on the day we drew lots, but they simply refused to do so. Yet now, to spare Ella any embarrassment, they were quick to agree.

I stared pointedly at them and asked, "Why don't you admit to locking me up in the attic, then? You also forced me to be Oliver's—"

I hadn't even finished saying what I wanted to say when I heard Dad bellowing and aggressively bringing his hand down toward me. I instinctively closed my eyes, but the blow I expected didn't land.

I looked up to find William's hand, its joints prominent and fingers long, locked in a tight vise around Dad's wrist. "Who are you to lay a hand on my woman?"