I put three hundred million dollars into building a business for my brother's first love.

They were finally getting married.

But two hours before the wedding, the maid of honor suddenly went AWOL.

To keep the wedding on track, I dropped a major international deal, booked the next flight out, and flew back immediately.

When I arrived, my brother hugged me gratefully and handed me the wedding ring along with a gift box — inside was a necklace, a token he'd promised Celeste.

"Sis, I'm counting on you to take care of Celeste's side. I know it's a lot to ask, but could you step in as maid of honor today?"

But the moment I walked into the bridal suite, my brother's bride slapped me across the face.

"You've got some nerve showing up here, you homewrecking bitch."

"You think you can steal my husband at my own wedding? Are you out of your mind?"

"Celeste, I think there's been a misunderstanding. I’m Alexander’s sister…" I tried to explain.

"Who the hell are you kidding?! My sister-in-law runs a billion-dollar empire. A tramp like you could never."

"You want to steal my husband? Fine. Let's see how tough you really are."

And just like that, I was tied up and thrown into a pen with a vicious dog.

Celeste Davenport — if that's how you want to play it, then enjoy your one-way ticket to the hell.

"You slut! At MY wedding?!"

I clutched my face, completely bewildered.

"Celeste, I think there's been a misunderstanding—"

Celeste scoffed and flung her phone at my feet.

"A misunderstanding? It's all on video. How is that a misunderstanding?!"

I bent down to pick up the phone, but Celeste stomped on my hand with her foot and ground down hard. Searing pain shot through me, and I cried out.

Celeste’s mother Margaret grabbed a fruit platter from the table and smashed it over my head, trembling with rage.

"I saw you two hugging! Don't even try to deny it!"

I staggered back, clutching my head, and pulled out my own phone to show Celeste a photo of me and Alexander — a goofy selfie of us making faces at the camera.

"Look — this is me and my brother. We take pictures like this all the time."

Celeste leaned in for a look, and her jaw tightened. This time she kicked off her flats, put on a pair of stilettos, and stamped down on my palm, twisting viciously.

"Brother? Who the hell are you kidding? "

The pain made me thrash wildly, and the necklace my brother had given me fell to the floor.

Celeste's face was ice-cold, her eyes dripping with contempt. She picked up the box and pressed her heel down harder. I pounded at her foot in agony.

"Well, well. Did Alexander give this to you... or did you steal it?"

The instant she opened it, what little color was left in her face vanished. She kicked me square in the chest and snatched up the necklace.

"Alexander gave you the necklace he promised ME!"

"And you're still gonna stand there and lie to my face?!"

The sudden blow to my chest knocked the air out of me. I coughed violently, gasping as I tried to explain.

"You really have it wrong — I'm his sister."

Celeste fastened the necklace around her own neck, then folded her arms and sneered.

"His sister? Alexander's sister is still overseas! Who do you think you're fooling?"

She slapped me again, hard. The metallic taste of blood flooded my mouth, and a thin red line trickled from the corner of my lips.

"Oh, boo-hoo. Save the drama."

Celeste's mother, decked out in a gaudy outfit, was already livestreaming from the side. The moment she saw what was happening, she swung the camera straight at me.

"Everyone, look at this! Some home-wrecking tramp just showed up to ruin my daughter's wedding!"

She zoomed in, shoving the lens right in my face.

*She's that pretty and she's still a homewrecker?*

*Damn, the mistress actually showed up in front of the wife!*

*Somebody teach this tramp a lesson!*

I was seething.

"Celeste! I am Alexander Sterling's sister! You'll regret treating me like this!"

Before Celeste could even respond, Margaret spat directly in my face.

"And she's STILL running her mouth!"

The foul stench made me retch on the spot.

As luck would have it, I threw up right onto Celeste's gown. I could feel her expression turn to stone.

"Mom, remember that creep you know — the one no woman will go near?"

"Get someone to ship her off to him!"

I grabbed my phone to call the police, but Celeste smashed a chair down on me. Her face twisted with malice as she closed in on me.

"Go ahead, scream for help. Nobody's coming."

A chill ran through me. I shrank back in horror and tried to scramble to my feet and run, but the mother-daughter duo pinned me to the ground.

"Celeste, you wouldn't dare!"

"I'm really—"

Before I could finish, Celeste's hand closed around my throat. She didn't bother hiding the venom on her face.

"You're really what? His sister? Still trying to con me?"

"My sister-in-law runs a billion-dollar empire. A tramp like you could never."

She released her grip, her gaze sliding downward, her fingers following.

"You love seducing people so much? Then I'll let everyone watching get a good, long look!"

She ripped open my dress. Bare skin was instantly exposed, and the livestream erupted.

*Yes! Now that's how a wife deals with a mistress!*

*Get her! Homewreckers deserve exactly this!*

*If you ask me, this is still too lenient. Back in the old days, they'd have drowned her for this.*

I struggled frantically to hold my clothes together, but Margaret pinned my arms down, gloating from ear to ear.

"Celeste, honey, I remember the estate has a swimming pool. The viewers want to see her dunked!"

Celeste readily agreed.

The instant she loosened her hold, I threw myself forward and slammed into her.

She couldn't dodge in time and crashed to the floor. Margaret dropped her phone and lunged for me.

I snatched a fruit knife from the table and held it out in front of me, keeping them both at bay.

Seeing the standoff, Margaret grabbed the last remaining fruit platter and hurled it at me.

As I dodged, Celeste swung a vase straight at the back of my skull.

As I crumpled, I could still hear her snarling.

"You bitch — you actually hit me? I'll make you wish you were dead!"

Meanwhile, Alexander had just finished greeting yet another wave of guests. He paused, glancing toward the bridal suite.

"I wonder how my sister and Celeste are getting along. They haven't met before."

His friend Ryan walked over.

"Relax. Your sister's a people person — everyone says so. And Celeste is gracious and well-mannered. For all we know, they're already thick as thieves."

Alexander still couldn't shake his unease. Seeing this, Ryan called over another groomsman to cover and went to check himself.

A moment later, Ryan returned. Alexander asked immediately.

"How's it going?"

Ryan shook his head, looking puzzled.

"No idea where they went. The room was empty, but there were smashed fruit platters all over the floor."

Alexander frowned, anxiety rising, and turned to go find them himself.

But Celeste’s father Gerald appeared with a guest in tow.

"Mr. Whitfield, this is my son-in-law, Alexander Sterling."

Alexander had no choice but to stay and exchange pleasantries. He shot Ryan a look.

At the swimming pool.

By now, Celeste was consumed with fury.

She had me bound and shoved my head into the pool over and over again.

The suffocating rush of water combined with the throbbing pain in my skull made the world spin. I was on the verge of blacking out.

Celeste stood over me, her foot pressing down, looking at me with supreme contempt.

"Didn't you say you were my husband's sister?"

"He just sent someone to check the bridal suite."

I lifted my head, a flicker of hope in my eyes.

But Celeste saw it, ground her foot down harder, and hissed through clenched teeth.

"He saw the blood and didn't come. He doesn't give a shit about you."

She threw her head back and laughed, then kicked me into the pool. With my hands and feet tied, all I could do was thrash as I sank.

Margaret, ever the showwoman, lowered the camera into the water so the livestream wouldn't miss a single moment of agony on my face.

I tried to scream for help, but the instant I opened my mouth, water surged into my lungs.

Just when I thought I was going to drown, Celeste hauled me out.

Her hand struck my face over and over, slap after vicious slap, her mouth never stopping its torrent of abuse.

"You slut, didn't you want to hit me? Go on, fight back! Hit me!"

"Had enough already? You wanted attention? I'll give you attention."

*Go bride! If she chose to be a homewrecker, she deserves what she gets!*

*Agreed — let every guest see her face!*

*A woman like that should be stripped naked and paraded through the streets!*

By now my mind was slipping in and out of focus. All I could do was murmur weakly.

"Don't... don't... I'm Alexander's sister."

Celeste sneered, seized a fistful of my hair, and dragged me across the ground. The rough surface shredded the skin on my back until it was raw and bloody.

Margaret kept the camera shoved in my face. I tried to cover my exposed chest, but with my hands and feet bound, no amount of struggling made a difference.

It only made Margaret laugh harder.

"Celeste, you have no idea what the viewers are saying about this little tramp."

"The comments are blowing up — they want to see more!"

Celeste stopped in her tracks and turned to look at me with mocking amusement.

"Well, since they're so eager, let's show them just how shameless she really is!"

She spun around and tore my gown up to the thigh. The sudden rush of cold air ripped a scream from my throat.

The surrounding guests crowded in, pointing and whispering.

Celeste instantly switched to a pitiful act, eyes brimming with tears.

"Thank you all for coming to my wedding today. This woman showed up uninvited to seduce my husband on our wedding day."

I raised my head furiously and screamed.

"You're lying! I'm Alexander Sterling's sister!"

Celeste's expression twisted with fury, her body swaying as if she might collapse.

"You're the liar! My sister-in-law has showered me with gifts — houses, cars, you name it. Someone like you doesn't deserve to call yourself my sister-in-law!"

"Alexander told me himself — his sister had a deal to close on the day of the wedding and wouldn't be able to make it!"

I stopped wasting my breath arguing with Celeste and turned my head toward the crowd, shouting with everything I had left.

"I really am Alexander Sterling's sister! You can call him right now and he'll confirm it!"

The guests looked around at each other, but with Celeste standing right there, none of them dared make the call.

I gritted my teeth and sweetened the deal.

"Call Alexander. He'll confirm who I am — and I'll make it worth your while!"

The crowd buzzed with temptation. But one look at Celeste's icy glare and contemptuous scoff, and no one moved a muscle.

Just when I thought no one would help me, a young woman stepped forward and dialed Alexander's number.

The moment the call connected, she put it on speaker.

"Mr. Sterling, I'm at your wedding. There's a woman here claiming to be your sister."

"No—"

A single syllable was all he got out before the line went dead.

Every last trace of doubt that Celeste had been suppressing vanished.

"You all saw that! This woman is lying! She's not my husband's sister!"

She had the recording from her phone projected onto the big screen.

The guests watched me and Alexander embracing, and the way they looked at me shifted to pure revulsion.

"Wow, and this is supposed to be the Sterling family."

"She could've had her own man, but no — had to go after someone else's. Disgusting."

Right on cue, Celeste dabbed at her tears, the picture of wronged innocence.

Suddenly, someone hurled something at me, shouting.

"Homewreckers deserve to die!"

Then more objects came flying — one after another, pelting me from every direction. Nothing I said made a difference. No proof I offered mattered.

Celeste surveyed my battered, humiliated state, and a satisfied smile finally spread across her face.

She leaned down and whispered in my ear.

"You little whore — that homeless psycho I lined up for you? He's already here."

My eyes flew wide with terror, and I shook my head frantically.

"Celeste, if you go through with this, I'll make sure Alexander divorces you!"

Celeste's expression went rigid, her teeth clenched in fury.

"Oh, so I've been going too easy on you? And you still have the nerve to threaten me?"

"Alexander recently got a dog — a big, aggressive one. And wouldn't you know it — it hasn't been fixed."

I stared at her in disbelief, my voice trembling.

"You... you're insane! You're out of your mind!"

"If you do this, I swear I'll destroy you!"

"You'll never be a Sterling!"

Celeste laughed bitterly, utterly unfazed.

"Yeah? Let's see if you still feel that way after."

I thrashed and fought, screaming, begging.

But the louder I pleaded, the wider Celeste smiled.

They dragged me away. Her merciless laughter was seared into my brain.

I was thrown into the dog pen. The animal was enormous — nearly half my height.

Perhaps taking pity on me, the person who'd dragged me in untied the ropes around my wrists.

The dog came lumbering toward me, drool hanging from its jaws, visibly aroused.

I scrambled backward in terror, my hands groping desperately along the ground until my fingers closed around a long stick.

The dog saw the weapon, bared its teeth, and lunged.