Terri was anxious as she put on the lingerie her mother had stuffed into her hands, preparing to offer herself in return for a favor.

But Blayne’s expression turned uncharacteristically cold. Holding her tightly in his arms, he was both angry and heartbroken.

He cradled her like something precious, his voice gentle as he placed a hand over his chest and swore, “I don’t need you to repay me. I just like you. I like you, Terri. For you, I’d do anything willingly.”

From then on, he gave her whatever she wanted. He never raised his voice and never forced her to do anything she didn’t want.

Terri thought it was real. She had always thought so.

But everything changed when Valerie returned from Scotland.

Being someone’s stand-in never ends well.

Terri knew that. But at the time, she hadn’t believed it.

Now, she did, so she didn’t bother to cover the marks on her face.

When they arrived at the party, she got out of the car alone, walking in with her head high.

She wasn’t ashamed.

She had spent too much of her life being humiliated by others. This was nothing.

But before she could take more than a couple of steps, someone grabbed her wrist.

Blayne frowned at her. “Do you even know what kind of event this is? And what’s with your face? Are you deliberately making a fool of yourself, or are you trying to embarrass the Holzmans?”

To the outside world, Terri was known as Blayne’s parents’ daughter-in-law. So, whether he wanted to or not, Blayne had to come back and pick her up for an occasion like this.

But the moment he turned around and saw the slap marks on her face, his sharp-tempered nature flared. His tone, half-questioning, half-mocking, was laced with concern.

It was the first time he had shown any real concern for Terri since Valerie returned.

Terri suddenly recalled the way Blayne used to be—how he was always by her side, inseparable.

Back then, it hadn’t felt like she was just a stand-in. There had been no distance, no Valerie between them.

As if they had never changed.

But it was just as if.

Pulled back to the present by his questioning, Terri spoke, her tone indifferent.

“It’s nothing. I just happened to run into you and Valerie. How do you think this happened?”

Blayne’s grip tightened. “What do you mean? You’re saying Vee hit you?”

“What else?”

She lifted her head, meeting his gaze head-on, unwavering.

“Blayne! Terri! What are you two talking about? Why aren’t you coming over?”

Valerie approached them, but when she saw the slap marks on Terri’s face, she gasped, covering her mouth in shock.

“What happened? Terri, I told you I don’t blame you—why would you hurt yourself like this?”

Blayne’s expression darkened. “What do you mean?”

Valerie sighed and explained, “After I left the country, Terri took my place by your side. She kept bringing up the past, saying she felt guilty toward me. I told her I didn’t blame her, but she wouldn’t believe it. She even grabbed my hand and made me slap her! She got so emotional that I had to get out of the car.”

She hesitated, then looked troubled. “And… she squeezed my wrist too hard. She left a bruise.”

Blayne’s face hardened instantly. He stepped forward. “Let me see.”

Terri was shoved aside, stumbling slightly.

Standing behind them, she watched as Blayne’s concern for Valerie played out before her eyes.

Valerie rolled up her sleeve, revealing a faint bluish mark on her wrist.

The look in Blayne’s eyes shifted—from shock and suspicion to something darker.

“Apologize to Vee.”

“I didn’t do it!”

Terri lifted her chin. Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, but she refused to back down.

“I’ll say it again. Apologize to Vee.”

Blayne’s gaze sharpened, his voice carrying an unmistakable warning.

That made Terri’s throat tighten.

Terri held back the sting in her eyes and looked up at Blayne. “Are you serious? You believe whatever she says? Why would I hurt her? Why would I slap myself?”

“I won’t say this a third time, Terri.” Blayne pulled Valerie—who looked hurt and wronged as if she had just been falsely accused—behind him, shielding her like a protector.

“The money from the marriage contract you signed with my Grandpa goes through the company’s accounts. Terri, I’d advise you to be smart and not piss me off. Otherwise, you’ll end up with nothing—not a single cent.”

Terri took a step back.

Even though the contract had been terminated and she and Blayne were no longer legally married, she still couldn’t believe he was using it to threaten her.

For a moment, Blayne hesitated under her gaze, unable to meet her eyes.

“Forget it, Blayne,” Valerie said gently. “Terri is still young, and there are so many people around today. If it really bothers you, I can change into a long-sleeved gown later to cover it up. It’s not a big deal.

“Today is an important day for the Holzmans. Let’s not ruin it over something so trivial.”

She stepped forward to take Blayne’s hand, playing the understanding, considerate one.

With that movement, her bruised wrist was suddenly and unmistakably exposed—whether by accident or on purpose, it was hard to tell.

Seeing the purple marks on her skin, the momentary softness in Blayne’s heart hardened again.

His almond eyes narrowed, brimming with undisguised contempt and disgust. “Oh, Terri, you really don’t know what’s good for you. Keeping you far away was the right choice.

“A woman like you, so consumed by jealousy that you’d even go after your own sister—I have no idea what my grandfather ever saw in you. If it were up to me, not even if you begged would I let you have a single thing from the Holzmans.”

The words cut deep.

Terri’s eyes turned red, but she refused to lower her head. She clenched her jaw and shot back, “Blayne, you knew exactly who I was when you first met me. So what the hell are you saying now?”

She never thought he’d talk about her like this.

Especially for Valerie.

Back when Valerie left the U.S., Blayne spent his days drowning himself in clubs and bars.

Oswald, his grandfather, had no choice. Seeing that Terri bore a slight resemblance to Valerie, he gritted his teeth and sent her over.

From then on, Terri stayed by Blayne’s side.

He loved lychees, so she arranged for them to be flown in from Hawaii.

Her mother was vain and constantly pestered her for money. Blayne, instead of letting her deal with it, gave Clarissa a supplementary card just to shut her up.

There was sincerity in it.

Every night, he held Terri in his arms, gently caressing her face, calling her his precious girl.

When things got heated between them, she once asked him why he never took it further.

Blayne buried his face in her neck and whispered, “Let’s wait until we’re married. I want to give you the best.”

She cried until her heart melted.

But then—the day before the wedding, she saw him lounging in a hotel room, holding Valerie in his arms.

He was beneath her, their bodies intimately entwined.

Blayne frowned at Terri now, unable to understand why she still didn’t know when to quit.

“You think your little tricks aren’t obvious?” He pulled Valerie into his arms. “You just want to frame your sister so you can come running to me, playing the victim?”

Valerie clung to his arm, looking troubled. “Whatever it is, let’s talk about it later. The party's about to start, and there are people everywhere. You’ll need a date when you go in. I won’t hold this against Terri—it’s not worth it.”

Saying that, she reached out as if to take Terri’s arm.

Terri turned away in disgust.

Blayne let out a cold laugh. “Someone like her? She actually thinks she deserves to walk in with me and attend the party? Still clinging to the title of my fiancée? As if.”

The staff behind him, quick on their feet, stepped forward with a dress box in hand.

Terri remained where she was, unmoving. She was waiting for Blayne’s final verdict.

‘This is good.’

With every action, Blayne was wearing down the last remnants of her patience and attachment.

The final stage of desensitization.

Once she had cried out all her tears, she would leave—swiftly, cleanly, without ever looking back.

Blayne tightened his hold around Valerie’s waist. “Go back the way you came. My family’s party doesn’t need someone as manipulative and disgraceful as you. You’re not fit to be my wife, let alone my fiancée.”

The dress matched Blayne’s outfit perfectly.

Terri watched as he handed it to Valerie.

Terri looked at Blayne, her expression unusually calm, without a hint of emotion.

She nodded. “Alright.”

That made Blayne seem caught off guard.

Something about the way she looked at him gave him an unsettling feeling as if he was losing something.

But he quickly dismissed the thought, convinced she was just putting on a front.

With a look of contempt, he turned away, holding Valerie’s hand as they brushed past Terri.

Valerie shot her a triumphant smile.

Just then, Terri’s phone chimed.

A message from Valerie.

[The Crimson Club, Room 304. Remember what I told you. Otherwise, you know what’ll happen.]

A familiar face flashed through Terri’s mind.

Her grip tightened around her phone as she stepped out the door.

From a higher vantage point, Valerie watched Terri’s retreating figure. She tugged at the sleeve of the man beside her, pouting.

“Mr. Hemphill wants me to sign the contract now. The party doesn’t start for a while, so we have just enough time. Blayne, come with me?”

Terri didn’t want to go.

But she had no choice.

Oswald, Blayne’s grandfather, had her in his grasp. He thought she was easier to control than Valerie, so he insisted she marry Blayne.

Now, Valerie was using the same tactics.

Years ago, Terri’s mother had been young and naive when she was taken advantage of by Giddeon, Valerie’s father, while he was stationed in a quiet Midwest town.

In places like that, a woman in Clarissa’s situation would have been sent away in disgrace.

Clarissa didn’t want to disappear, so she clung to Giddeon and followed him to Massachusetts.

She kept her head down and survived by playing the obedient, submissive role under Demetria’s watch.

But even then, in that household, Clarissa remained the perfect target for the cruelty of Belladonna, Valerie’s mother.

And by extension, Terri became Valerie’s punching bag.

Controlling Terri was easy.

All they had to do was threaten to expose Clarissa’s past as a mistress and cut off her financial support.

Clarissa was a timid woman who had lived her whole life afraid. If that day ever came, it would push her straight to the edge.

Terri couldn’t let that happen.

Even if it meant being treated like a dog, she had to go.

From inside the private room, crude, degrading voices mocked the female servers.

Terri’s lashes quivered.

She hesitated for a moment until she pushed open the door.

“Well, well, this must be Miss Valerie’s so-called sister, the one who tried to seduce her fiancé?”

All eyes turned to the entrance.

Their gazes were lewd and amused as if Terri’s presence had been expected.

Terri took a deep breath. “I’m here to get the documents Valerie told me to retrieve.”

The fat man at the head of the table let go of the server in his arms and lazily lifted his chin at Terri.

“That’s not how you ask for favors. If you want the contract, show some humility.”

He pulled out the document and placed a tall glass of fortified wine on top of it.

“Drink it, and the contract is yours.”

Terri wasn’t stupid.

She knew exactly what kind of trap they had set for her.