Ethan Shane, our city's infamous Capital Sage, has a step-sister who's his long-lost crush.

She's back in town, strutting around like she owns the place.

I can't help but smirk.

For years, I've been the invisible hand guiding Shane Group, propping up this so-called Capital Sage.

It's turned my heart into something as sharp and unyielding as a butcher's blade.

Ethan's lovesick drama? Just another drop in his ocean of screw-ups.

1

Ethan, the icy Capital Sage, has a step-sister he worships like the moon. She's always on his mind and at the tip of his tongue.

On our wedding anniversary, his precious moon goddess flew back home.

Ethan rushed to pick her up, leaving me with a cold text.

[Gia, Mia's staying with us. Set up the second-floor balcony room for her.]

That room is my studio. Ethan seemed to have forgotten.

Soon after, Mia waltzed in, demanding her room.

Her face, eerily similar to mine but younger and bolder, sized me up the moment she entered.

"So you're Gia Shaw?" she said, her tone dripping with judgment.

"Pretty average. I guess your only perk is looking like me. What, did my brother find himself a knockoff version of me?"

Then she spotted my garden, bursting with lilies and irises. Her face lit up, barely hiding her smugness.

"My brother once promised to plant my favorite flowers. Can't believe he actually remembered."

I've always been the one tending to our garden.

Before Ethan, I'd never even planted a flower.

But soon after we married, he surprised me by building a flower bed, saying he loved irises and lilies.

Eager to please, I spent a whole day hunting for the perfect seedlings.

As the garden bloomed, I'd catch Ethan looking at it with an emotion I couldn't quite place.

"Gia, you're amazing. You're all I have now," he'd say.

It hit me then – with Mia gone, I was his everything.

"Gia, why so glum? My brother just planted these for me," she said, casually plucking a lily.

Her words felt like a slap, dismissing the bond Ethan and I shared.

But the Shane princess had me all wrong.

I'm not some fragile socialite easily rattled by mind games.

When she reached for an iris, I swatted her hand away.

"Didn't anyone teach you not to touch what isn't yours?"

Mia's sweet facade crumbled.

"This is my brother's house, which makes it mine. You're just his wife. How dare you hit me?" she shrieked.

I met her glare with a cold smile.

"Actually, my name's on the deed."

"When you're a guest, Ms. Smith, act like one."

For years, I've been the invisible hand guiding Shane Group, propping up this so-called Capital Sage.

It's turned my heart into something as sharp and unyielding as a butcher's blade.

His old flame popping up? Hardly the worst of his screw-ups.

Turning to our housekeeper, I said, "Ms. Ward, prepare a guest room downstairs for Mia." Let her stay – I could handle whatever came next.

It's ironic how I ended up with Ethan, the famous Capital Sage, through a matchmaking setup.

I wasn't even the standout among the candidates the Shane family had lined up.

But when Ethan first saw me, his prayer beads stopped mid-roll.

I knew I'd caught his attention.

Everyone gushed about how lucky I was to have the Capital Sage fall for me at first sight.

We quickly tied the knot.

Still, the way the Shane family looked at me always felt off.

They seemed on the verge of saying something, but never did.

It wasn't until I met Mia that everything clicked.

Turns out, Ethan had married someone who looked just like his step-sister.

Everyone knew I was a stand-in for his long-lost crush. They'd all been in on it, keeping me blissfully clueless.

The Shane Group was in full swing, rebuilding its empire. Ethan rarely made it home before midnight.

Despite Ms. Ward's protests, I waited up, reheating dinner multiple times.

It was our anniversary, after all. Life needs its rituals.

At the stroke of twelve, the door finally opened.

"Ethan..."

My joy evaporated as Mia trailed in behind him.

Her eyes were red, yet her fingers were laced with Ethan's.

She cowered behind him upon noticing me.

Ethan shielded her instinctively. "Gia, I asked you to look after Mia. Why are you bullying her into the storage room?"

Mia chimed in, "Brother, we agreed not to be mad at Gia, remember? She's just upset I'm stealing your attention."

Her words, seemingly in my defense, only reinforced the narrative of my mistreatment.

"Mia, don't make excuses for her," Ethan said, his tenderness for Mia a stark contrast to his coldness towards me.

"Gia Shaw, you're really disappointing me."

The use of my full name stung.

"Mr. Shane, how exactly have I bruised your ego?"

Ethan frowned. "Mia just got back and has nowhere to go. Can't I even offer my sister a room?"

"Sure," I said, watching his face relax before dropping the bomb.

Then, I gently burst his bubble.

"But not my studio."

He fiddled with his prayer beads, as if dealing with trivial matters.

"It's just furniture. I'll have movers relocate you tomorrow."

"Mia needs the sunny room upstairs for her health."

Every word was for Mia's benefit.

That room was crucial for my astronomical work, chosen specifically for me.

Now he was handing it over without a thought.

I scoffed.

"So, a sunny room will save her life? I didn't realize she was a plant. Can't she use the garden you designed if she needs sun? Does she need you to fight all her battles?"

Ethan snapped, "When did you become so cruel? Mia's suffered enough. How does helping her inconvenience you?"

Mia patted Ethan's chest, all worried smiles.

"Brother, stop. Don't fight because of me."

Her apparent selflessness only irked Ethan more.

"Mia, you're too kind. If Gia won't welcome you, I'll make sure you're comfortable elsewhere."

Before leaving, Ethan glanced at the untouched feast.

"Seems we won't be enjoying your grand meal, Gia. Keep it for yourself."

Blinded by his sister, Ethan had forgotten our anniversary entirely.

He only cared that Mia was back, unwilling to let her suffer even slightly.

After they left, I picked at the now-cold dinner.

Ethan having a soft spot for Mia was the least of his mistakes.

I vowed it would be his last.