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.

My relationship with Luke had started as a simple transaction. But it was shifting into something far more complicated and nuanced.

I began to reevaluate this seemingly frivolous playboy.

It was the night before the engagement party. I had just finished showering and was applying body lotion in front of the mirror when the bedroom door violently burst open.

Jim stumbled in. He reeked of alcohol, and his eyes were bloodshot. When he saw me dressed in nothing but a thin bathrobe, his gaze instantly burned with desire and desperation.

"Cece!" Jim cried.

Then, he rushed up to me. He grabbed my wrist with such force that I grimaced. His warm, alcohol-laced breath hit my face when he continued.

"Don't get engaged! Please just believe me one more time!"

Jim's voice was hoarse and filled with despair. Tears streamed down his cheeks and dripped onto the back of my hand.

I tried to pull away, but his grip tightened. His nails practically dug into my skin. His voice shook as he cried, "The huge debt and ruined reputation were all an act!"

Jim's thumb gently brushed over my pulse as he continued, "It was all to draw out the person who killed my birth parents! That person is hiding among the Forrest Corporation's top executives!"

With my wrist still tightly gripped, he dropped to his knees and pressed his forehead against my stomach. I could feel the tremble of his breath through my thin bathrobe.

"I couldn't drag you into this! Anne and the child were just part of the cover!" Jim added. Doubt flickered in my heart as I took in his anguished expression.

I waited and longed for him for three years… Was it really going to end like this?

But then, images flashed through my mind. First were the intimate photos from Anne's social media. Then, it was memories of my lonely nights on a hospital bed.

My hand froze midair and slowly clenched into a fist.

My icy tone and every word sliced into him like a knife. "Three years ago, I would've believed anything you said. Now, every word that comes out of your mouth makes me sick."

Jim's face turned ghostly pale. His gaze was full of disbelief and agony.

He staggered forward and tried to get close again, but I reached over and pressed the emergency button by the bed.

"Guards!" I called.

Two guards immediately rushed in and restrained Jim. When they saw I was only wearing a bathrobe, they quickly averted their eyes.

"How should we handle this, Ms. Forrest?" one of the guards asked.

I turned away and hugged my arms tightly across my chest, refusing to look at Jim.

"Throw him out," I ordered.

Jim thrashed against the guards. His voice cracked with despair as he yelled, "You can't do this to me, Cece! I did it to protect you! I love you!"

His voice was cut off when the door closed. I sat on the edge of the bed, my hands still trembling slightly.

The next morning, the makeup artist dressed me in the custom black gown Luke had prepared for our engagement party. My reflection looked pale, but my eyes were resolute.

As soon as the car pulled out of the Forrest family estate, I received Dad's urgent call. He was clearly agitated. "Bad news, Cecilia! Jim is missing! He took the modified off-road vehicle from the garage!"

My heart clenched. My grip tightened around my phone. What was Jim going to do?

Luke spoke up from beside me, sounding unbothered. "Relax. I arranged a little surprise on the road for him."

I turned to him. He was casually adjusting his cufflinks.

"What did you do?" I questioned.

Before Luke could answer, the shriek of crashing metal and police sirens sounded from behind us. Luke's phone rang. He answered and put it on speaker.

The voice on the other end was tense. "Mr. Larson, the target vehicle has broken through the roadblock and is speeding toward the banquet hall! It's like he's gone mad! He's already smashed through three roadblocks!"