Jim Charleston is my foster brother. He and I have been dating in secret for 10 years.

On the day we decide to go public, Jim receives an undercover mission assignment to Duskhaven, where he has slim chances of returning alive.

The night before he left, he held me and promised, "If I come back alive, I will marry you in a grand wedding. I'll stay by your side forever."

Foolishly, I broke ties with my family and waited for him. I became the laughingstock of the entire high society circle.

Three years later, Jim returns but with a ruined reputation and enormous debts.

Kneeling like a broken man before our father, he firmly declares, "I promised Anne I would take care of her for life, Dad!"

The woman named Anne hid timidly behind Jim, clutching her pregnant belly tightly.

Dad turns to me instinctively. Everyone is waiting for me to lose my mind and cause a scene.

However, I just smile. Right then and there, I accept the engagement ring from the good-for-nothing playboy.

On the day of my engagement party, Jim drives in recklessly. With a gun in his hand, he shouts, "Cecilia Forrest! If you dare go through with this marriage, I'll kill him!"

A loud smack resonated in the air. I had just slapped Jim Charleston, my foster brother and secret boyfriend. My fingertips tingled slightly as I withdrew my hand.

Jim stared at me dazedly as he held his red, swollen face. His eyes had once had me head over heels for him. Now, they were filled with only shock and disbelief.

Jim tried to speak, but I cut him off coldly. "Did you really think dropping to your knees would make me forgive you and pretend like nothing ever happened, Jim?"

"I know you're angry, Cece, but please hear me out," Jim begged.

He shuffled forward on his knees to try to grab my hand. "I once promised you that if I came back alive, I would marry you in style. I also said I would never leave your side again. But that was three years ago. Things have changed, and Anne is pregnant with my child—"

Jim paused. His gaze was full of self-righteous, deep affection and helplessness.

He continued, "But you and I have also been together for a decade. How could I just walk away from you? I'll let Anne become my wife on paper, but my heart will always belong to you.

"You're still the most important person to me, and I can be there for you just as before. I'll also let everyone know that the child is your godson. I'll continue being a dutiful son to Dad, sharing his burdens—"

I cut him off with a scoff. "'Dad'? Don't forget, Jim, my father always treated you like a son and promoted you to where you are now because of me.

"Who do you think you are? You're nothing but a stray! A backstabbing ingrate!"

Another crisp smack echoed harshly in the empty hall. The other side of Jim's face quickly swelled up.

I didn't look at him again. My icy gaze passed right through him and landed directly on Anne, who was cowering behind him.

I walked up to her slowly and looked down at her. As I loomed over her, I smirked coldly.

My voice was gentle as I said, "How kind-hearted you are, Annie. You can even happily pick up the trash that I, Cecilia Forrest, throw away. Not only that, you've even managed to create a 'miracle of love' with it."

Anne was trembling violently. She tried to shrink behind Jim. At the same time, she instinctively clutched her bulging belly protectively.

Bending down, I leaned close to her ear and whispered, "But some things are rotten all the way down to the bone. You think you've won?

"You slept your way to the top and then used your pregnancy to steal another woman's fiance. Do you think the Forrests will ever accept you? Or could it be that you plan on living your whole life in my shadow, forever just being my stand-in?"

Jim's face turned ashen. He never took his eyes off me. His lips trembled, but he never made a sound.

I ignored the pleading and pained look in Jim's eyes.

"Make some arrangements, Dad. Let's not let the public see our family's dirty laundry," I said.

When I returned to my room, I saw the walls were lined with dozens of portraits. They were all men whom my father had carefully selected as potential marriage candidates.

The candidates consisted of trust-fund heirs, rising business moguls, and up-and-coming political elites, among others. I walked straight toward the most inconspicuous portrait tucked away in a corner.

It was of Luke Larson. He was the city's most notorious trust-fund playboy—a spendthrift with a debaucherous lifestyle.

Dad had hung Luke's portrait in the farthest corner. He probably thought someone like that wasn't even fit to be a backup option.

"Alfred," I called. Our family's butler, Alfred Winslow, entered. He still looked visibly stunned from what had happened earlier.

"Contact the Larsons and tell them I've agreed," I instructed.

Alfred looked even more taken aback than before, but he said nothing. He just gave a nod and then left the room.

Before night fell, I heard footsteps in the garden. I knew it was Jim. I remained seated in the pavilion with a teacup in hand, waiting for him to come to me.

He stood in front of me with eyes bloodshot from crying.

"Why?" Jim asked in a very hoarse voice.

I set the teacup down before looking at him. "Why what?"

"Why are you doing this to me?" he answered in a trembling voice. "I know you're angry, Cece, but—"

"But what?" I cut him off. "You brought a pregnant woman home and then knelt before my father, begging to marry her. Am I supposed to congratulate you both ecstatically?"

Jim paled. "It's not like that. Please, let me explain—"

He pulled something out of his jacket. It was a pendant made from a bullet casing. Its surface had been polished smooth. It was clearly something he kept close and handled frequently.

"This is the good luck charm you gave me. I've carried it with me for the past three years. I never forgot you, Cece," Jim said.

I reached out, took the pendant from his hand, and weighed it in my palm. Then, I casually tossed it aside. The pendant arched through the air and fell into the pond with a splash.

"I don't want dirty things or sullied people," I stated plainly. Jim's face instantly drained of all color. He swayed on his feet, barely able to stay upright.

Anne appeared at that moment and supported Jim by his arm. Then, she looked at me with doe eyes.

When she spoke, her voice was saccharine and laced with subtle smugness. "Cecilia, Jim really misses you. Every night, he stares at your photo and whispers your name over and over again."

Then, Anne pulled out an old phone. The screen showed Jim's chat history with me. Line after line, all the messages I had sent him over the past three years were displayed.

"Jimmy never got his phone fixed, so he never saw any of these messages. What a pity," she added.

As Anne said this, a glint of triumph flashed across her eyes. I chuckled. "Since when do outsiders get to pass judgment in my family's home?"

Then, I nodded toward the guards behind me. "See them out."

The guards stepped forward immediately.

Jim looked like he wanted to resist. But when his eyes met my cold and unyielding gaze, he backed down and left with Anne.

…

The next day, I heard a strange sound from beyond the courtyard wall. A guard burst in, looking flustered. "Ms. Forrest, someone just climbed over the back wall."

My pen froze mid-air. I couldn't believe someone dared to break into the Forrest estate in this day and age. I set the pen down and stood up slowly.

In the backyard, a man was sprawled out lazily on a lounge chair. Dressed in a bright pink suit, he had a blade of grass in his mouth and had one leg crossed over the other. He looked completely at ease, as though this were his own private garden.

The man was Luke Larson. The infamous playboy of the capital had actually shown up at my doorstep, all on his own.

Without even looking up, Luke lazily said, "Ms. Forrest, what do you want as an engagement gift? Would you like my sincere heart?"

I stopped in front of him and scrutinized him judgmentally. Luke was indeed better looking in person than in photos. However, he was also even more arrogant and unserious.

"I want the port that the Larsons own in the southern part of the city," I answered.

The moment the words left my mouth, Luke immediately sat up straight. His frivolous smirk instantly vanished, and his gaze turned sharp.

He stared at me for a few seconds. Then, he suddenly grinned.

"Deal," Luke said.

He stood and brushed dust off his suit. "But let me remind you that this foster brother of yours is not someone to be taken lightly. Watch out, he might just ruin our engagement party."

It seemed Luke knew more about Jim than I had thought. Just then, the sounds of an argument came from the direction of the pavilion.

"Why didn't you tell her the truth, Jimmy!" Anne cried heart-wrenchingly. "You only made me pretend to be your woman because you were trying to protect her!"

My heartbeat abruptly quickened. I had never heard Jim's explanation, nor had I ever been interested in it. But in that moment, Anne's words pricked viciously at my heart like a needle.

Jim's voice was harsh and laced with pain. "I've already said this matter is over! There's no longer a future between me and her!"

I was the one who had walked away from him, so why did it hurt so much to hear him say that? Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to stay composed.

Luke watched me with amusement. "Hear that? A classic guilt play. Too bad—it doesn't look like you're buying it."

I ignored him and walked straight toward the pavilion. Stopping at the edge, my gaze dropped toward Anne's round, pregnant belly. She was at least seven to eight months along. If things really were as she said—that it was all a charade…

When I spoke, my tone was calm and almost detached. "You took your act all the way and even had a child. You really threw yourself into your undercover mission, Jim."

Jim paled. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. Anne burst into tears again, and her delicate sobs made my stomach churn. She pulled out her phone and tapped on some photos.

"In truth, Jimmy has always loved you, Cecilia," Anne choked out.

Then, she "accidentally" dropped her phone. The screen showed a few screenshots from her social media.

Last year, on Valentine's Day, Jim was photographed in a penthouse suite passionately kissing Anne. He even gifted her a diamond ring worth tens of millions.

And at the same time, I had broken ties with my family and was penniless. I lived in a dilapidated rental and barely ate. Even when I had been hospitalized for appendicitis, I had lain alone in that sterile ward.

My expression stiffened. It turned out all those days I had struggled through had been a complete joke.

I turned to Luke, who had followed behind me. Forcing my voice to sound casual, I asked, "Is there something you know that I don't?"

Luke paused. Then, his gaze became meaningful. "I only know that the person who assigned Jim to go undercover was my father."

My heart skipped a beat.

"And that woman he brought back." Luke lowered his voice before continuing, "Her file's completely blank. She's not the informant mentioned in his official reports at all."

His words sent a jolt through me, but outwardly, I remained composed.