The coming-of-age banquet drew to an end, and most of the guests had already left by the time Aaron finally descended the stairs with Rachel in tow.

The older folks were gone, leaving only a few close younger friends joking around and wondering if they should take me out for a separate celebration.

Rachel’s hair was slightly disheveled. Her eyes were dewy, and her cheeks flushed red.

Aaron was all smiles, and there was a clear lipstick mark on his shirt.

The room fell silent.

Everyone instantly understood what had happened.

A few of them looked at me with concern.

If this had happened in the past, I would’ve already caused a scene.

But this time, I simply picked up a slice of cake and ate it with perfect composure.

Aaron kept Rachel behind him, ready to watch me break down and mock me for it.

But what he didn’t expect was how indifferent I looked. It was like none of it had anything to do with me.

I set down the plate and went over to chat with friends about where to head next.

Aaron frowned. He was visibly annoyed.

But then, as if something occurred to him, he sneered.

“Sabrina, you’re just pretending not to care, aren’t you? Scared I’ll tell Old Mr. Saddler to cancel our engagement? Acting all cool to win me back?

“Well, fine. If you want to be the Johansen family’s future daughter-in-law, you better learn how to be accepting.”

With that, he retrieved a bracelet from his pocket and was about to hand it to me when Rachel suddenly snatched it up.

“Aaron, this bracelet is so pretty!”

Aaron looked into her sparkling eyes and immediately said, “If you like it, it’s yours.”

As if embarrassed, Rachel glanced at me meekly, but her smug smile was impossible to hide.

“I really shouldn’t. You were going to give this to Sabrina. What will she think if I take it?”

Aaron gave me a look of contempt.

“What’s the problem?”

He casually plucked a rose from a nearby vase and tossed it at me. “Here, you can have this.

“She’ll love whatever I give her anyway.”

The rose hit the ground, scattering petals all over my dress.

My friends bristled with anger and were about to step forward to confront him.

I stopped them and stared at the fallen rose. This felt pointless.

In the past, I would beg for gifts from him on every birthday.

Even a dollar store hair tie from him would make me beam for days. I’d wear it every single day.

Everyone in our circle used to laugh at me. They said I'd treat anything from Aaron like a treasure no matter how cheap or trashy it was.

I exhaled slowly, keeping my cool. I brushed the rose petals off my dress and said to my friends, “I'll change out of this gown. Wait for me.”

They nodded, saying they'd get changed too.

Seeing me unfazed only irritated Aaron more. His smile faded.

He pulled Rachel along to block my path, acting all lovey-dovey right in front of me.

He flirted with her while secretly watching my reaction.

I found it pathetic and tried to walk around them.

Just as he was about to grope Rachel, he suddenly grabbed my arm.

“What’s wrong? Jealous now?

“Sabrina, I told you, aside from love, I’ll give you everything else.

“You better get used to this, because I’m not going to be home every day.

“If you’re too possessive, you’re not fit to be my wife.”

I yanked my hand back and snapped coldly, “Men and women shouldn’t touch each other so casually.”

He was startled for a moment. He then suddenly laughed.

“Oh, is this some kind of seduction game now? You used to beg me to hold your hand. We’re about to get engaged. We'll get married in a couple years. And now you don’t want me to touch you?”

I nearly laughed at how ridiculous he sounded.

If the Sullivan family hadn’t told me Ethan was still studying overseas, and that it’d be unfair to announce things before he returned, I’d have already humiliated Aaron with the truth.

But for now, I only smiled and asked him a question.

“Aaron, what makes you so sure that I'll get engaged to you?”

Aaron froze for a second. He then suddenly burst into laughter.

Aaron laughed so hard he teared up as he spoke.

“Sabrina, come on. Everyone in our circle knows you’ve been trailing after me since we were kids. You were always saying you wanted to marry me.

“Anyone around our age is either married or already engaged. Are you saying you plan to break up someone else's engagement?

“Oh, right, there’s also Ethan. No way, right? He’s been overseas since forever. You’ve never even met him. Don’t tell me he’s your choice?

“So tell me, Sabrina. If not me, then who else would you be engaged to?”

I couldn’t even be bothered to argue with Aaron.

He’d find out soon enough who I’d chosen.

On the way to the club, Rachel and I shared the same car.

Seeing me rub my temples, she smiled smugly.

“Even if you become the head of the Saddler family one day, what’s the point if you’re married to Aaron and he doesn’t love you?

“If you’re not the one he loves, you’re the third wheel."

Without Aaron around, she finally dropped the act.

The sweet, delicate façade vanished, and the real Rachel emerged.

Looking at her smug, petty expression brought back memories of my previous life.

Her mother had shown up at our home one day, and after that, my parents divorced. Rachel and her mother officially took over our house.

Since my father, Frankie Saddler, felt guilty toward me, he treated me very well.

Later, he married Rachel off to the son of one of the Saddler family’s business partners.

Although that family wasn’t one of the four most powerful families in Jeselton City, they were second only to them due to their close ties with the Saddler family.

Grateful for the Saddler family’s support, they treated Rachel like a queen.

She ended up living far better than I did, even as the heir to the Saddler family.

But this time, I wouldn’t let my father have any say in Rachel’s marriage.

I was looking forward to seeing how things would turn out for her on her own.

So I ignored her mocking tone and simply replied, “Well then, I wish you and Aaron a lifetime of happiness and a healthy baby soon.”

She froze for a moment. There was no way for her to vent her anger.

I didn’t spare her another glance and got out of the car.

Timothy Sullivan, Ethan's grandfather, was having his 80th birthday celebration. I accompanied Wilson to deliver our birthday gift for him.

After that, to avoid all the people trying to pry about our family’s engagement plans, I slipped off to the garden for some peace.

I didn’t expect to run into Rachel there.

Word was, Aaron had been showering her with gifts, taking her to all kinds of elite events.

These days, when people in the social circle mentioned 'the Saddler girl,' they no longer thought of me.

Rachel had completely stolen the spotlight.

She walked up to me with a smile. Her voice was smug.

“Sabrina, do you like this dress?

“Aaron had it custom-designed for me by a top designer. There’s only one like it in the world.”

I ignored her, but she wasn’t about to give up. She went on.

“And these earrings? They’re made by one of the best designers in the world.”

I was about to snap at her to back off when I noticed the bracelet on her wrist.

My heart instantly sank.

It looked exactly like the heirloom bracelet my grandmother, Hannah Saddler, left me before she passed.

My mother, Cindy Saddler, had given it to my grandmother before she left.

When my grandmother died, she passed it on to me.

I treasured it deeply and kept it locked away. I couldn’t even bear to wear it myself.

I instinctively reached out to grab the bracelet for a closer look, but Rachel suddenly stepped back and deliberately fell to the ground before bursting into tears.

“Sabrina, what are you doing? I know you’re upset that Aaron likes me, but you can’t just shove me!”

A hand suddenly clamped down on my wrist.

A cold voice came from behind me.

“Sabrina, what are you doing?”

Aaron glared at me fiercely.

“Why are you throwing a tantrum?”

I shook him off and locked eyes with Rachel.

“Where did you get that bracelet?”

For a brief second, guilt flickered across Rachel’s face. Seeing Aaron standing beside her gave her a boost of confidence.

She straightened her back immediately.

“Aaron gave it to me!”

“You’re lying! That’s a Saddler family heirloom. There’s only one like it in the world! Give it back!” I snapped.

When I stepped forward to take the bracelet from Rachel, I didn't expect Aaron to slap me across the face.

“Sabrina! I didn’t think you’d stoop so low as to slander Rachel just to stop me from being with her!

“I’ll make this clear once and for all. That bracelet was a gift from me to Rachel!”

I touched my cheek that was now red and swollen. I was getting angry.

Aaron clearly saw Grandma giving it to me.

Now, he dared twist the truth and even lay hands on me, all for Rachel?

“Aaron, how dare you hit me?”

I had never truly been angry at him before. Seeing my reaction, he hesitated and seemingly wanted to explain himself.

But Rachel burst into tears as she gently removed the bracelet and handed it to me.

“Sabrina, if you like it so much, you can have it. I don't mind. Just don’t fight with Aaron over this, okay?”

She pretended to give it to me willingly, but as soon as it touched my hand, she let go on purpose.

The bracelet dropped and shattered on the ground.

I was furious and raised my hand to slap her, but before I could, Aaron shoved me hard.

“Don’t you dare hurt Rachel again!

“You look like a lunatic right now!”

I stumbled backward from the force of his push and fell to the ground.

Rachel clung to Aaron. A triumphant smile appeared on her face.

Aaron instinctively reached out to help me up, but Rachel quickly grabbed his hand.

“Aaron, I think I twisted my ankle.”

Aaron immediately picked her up. He looked worried.

“Rachel, are you okay? I’ll take you somewhere to rest.”

The spoiled brats nearby, drawn by the commotion, began whispering and pointing at me.

“The Saddler family's heiress is fighting over a man with her illegitimate sister. What a disgrace. To think they’re the most prestigious of the four major families. Turns out she isn't any better than the rest of us.”

Aaron looked at me grimly.

“Sabrina, look at the mess you’ve made! You owe Rachel an apology! With such a display of jealousy, you’ll never be worthy of marrying me!”

He stepped closer and towered over me.

“I heard Old Mr. Sullivan is announcing who Ethan will be engaged to today. Sabrina, besides me, who else would possibly marry you?

“When you get home, talk to Old Mr. Saddler. You are to marry into the Johansen family without receiving anything from us.

“But you’d better bring a dowry with you!

“Otherwise, you'll be sorry for what happened today!”

I stared at him in disbelief. Although I already knew what kind of man he truly was, I was still stunned by how shameless he could be.

Seeing I didn’t respond, he assumed I was agreeing to his requests.

He smugly added, “Fine, I’ll bring something to your doorstep, but the Saddler family needs to give me 15 percent of their shares.”

His proud, arrogant expression made it obvious he thought the Saddler family had no choice but to marry me into the Johansen family.

I tried to get up, but pain shot through my ankle. I must have twisted it.

The crowd just stood by and watched.

Suddenly, an angry voice cut through the noise.

“What’s going on here?”

Everyone turned.

Ethan and Timothy were walking toward us.

Ethan quickly came to my side and helped me up. His eyes were full of concern after he saw my soiled dress.

“Are you okay?”

“I think I sprained my ankle,” I murmured while leaning against him.

Ethan immediately wrapped his arm around my waist to lift me up.

Aaron frowned.

“Sabrina, I thought you were just jealous, but now you’re getting handsy with another man? There's no way I'd marry you unless you give me 20 percent of your family's shares in the business."

Gasps and whispers rippled through the crowd.

“The Saddler family's heiress is supposed to be engaged to Mr. Johansen. Why is she clinging to someone else?”

The chatter didn’t last long.

Timothy's authoritative voice soon silenced the crowd.

“What’s wrong with my grandson holding his future wife?”