Chapter 1

The sound of a slap echoed in the living room.

I had not slapped Duncan Ferris; my mother had.

“Duncan, how could you ruin both my daughters?!”

The force of the slap had caused him to turn his head. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

He tried to speak, but my mother cut him off sharply.

“Why didn’t you say anything when you got engaged to Lissy?”

He fell silent.

My father’s face turned ashen as he pointed at him and said, “If Lia weren’t our daughter, were you planning to keep a mistress on the side after you and Lissy got married?”

Duncan seemed to choke on his words.

My mother covered her face and wept.

“We cannot let anyone else know this. Lia, you’re getting rid of the baby. As for you, Duncan, you’re still marrying Lissy.”

Natalia Jacklin’s face went pale. She clutched Duncan’s arm tightly.

I watched as Duncan comforted her by holding her hand.

I remembered a month ago when I had a fever. He sat by my bedside and held my hand just like that.

My chest tightened.

Duncan said firmly, “No. The baby stays.”

He paused, then softened as he said, “We’ll say that our families always intended for Lia and me to marry. After she went missing, that plan fell to Felicity by default. Now that Lia’s returned, the plan is back on, and I’ll marry her.”

Father paused. His resolve was clearly wavering.

I then laughed until tears rolled down my face.

[That’s a really creepy laugh. She’s going to lose it.]

[Duncan better protect the sister!]

I clapped and said, “How thoughtful of you. You get to save Natalia’s reputation, keep the family name clean, and I get to be the clown.”

Duncan lowered his head, unable to look at me.

My mother came over, took my hand, and looked troubled.

“Felicity, honey, I know this isn’t fair to you, but Lia is pregnant.”

Duncan tried to explain himself. He said, “I’ve always thought of you as a little sister. Even if we went through with the marriage, you’d never be happy.”

My father also tried to persuade me, saying, “Just be the bigger person for this family. I’ll find you someone even better.”

I scanned each of them with my fists clenched.

Natalia said with teary eyes, “Lissy, I never wanted any of this. But I can already feel the baby moving inside me.

“It’d be cruel to end it now. Please... just think about the baby...”

Duncan pulled her into his arms protectively and yelled at me, “She’s your biological sister, and she’s carrying a baby! How can you stand there and watch her beg you on her knees?”

My heart turned cold when I saw how furious he looked. I pursed my lips and said, “Fine. The wedding is off.”

[Wait, she agreed? Did she get possessed or something?]

Duncan was just as shocked.

I stepped closer to him, looked him straight in the eye, and said, “But on one condition. I want your family’s shares in Jacklin Group. Otherwise, nobody walks away clean.”

[The Ferris family’s shares in Jacklin Group are at least fifteen percent! It’s worth over a hundred million dollars! Even if Duncan agrees, there’s no way his family will ever go along with it.]

[Oh, I see what she’s doing. She’s still trying to force him to marry her. The shares are just a bluff.]

[Yikes. Duncan is going to bleed her dry!]