LOGIN"I suggest you sell off whatever you can as fast as possible. Otherwise, by the time bankruptcy liquidation hits, you won't even have enough left for retirement."The door shut with a heavy slam, cutting off Harold's remaining shouts of ungrateful brat and monster.A brief silence fell over the room. I had heard rumors before about Liam's mother. They said she had contracted some mysterious illness, eventually wasting away until she was nothing but skin and bones when she passed.Brandon had probably used the exact same methods on Harold.Just like the illness Liam's mother suffered from that could never be cured or diagnosed, Brandon's mother had tampered with the hospital medical reports back then alongside Harold to completely clear away the obstacle.It wasn't that Harold didn't know. He simply turned a blind eye to it because of the leverage Brandon's mother brought to the table.Decades later, the exact same tactic played out on Harold."Shall we visit Brandon in the hospi
"Whatever it is can wait until we get back. I'm exhausted, don't bother me," I said, leaning back to close my eyes, only to get shaken awake."Can a confession wait too?" Liam asked."A confession is at the absolute bottom of the priority list,""Then let's talk about how you want to get revenge on Brandon instead.""Can we get him fixed?" I asked, thinking about Brandon's endless string of sex scandals."Castration might not be an option, but with his crimes, a ten-year prison sentence is a guarantee.""Will your dad actually allow that?" Harold was clearly biased. Brandon was completely useless, yet Harold still bent over backward to provide for him.Liam remained noncommittal. "Starting tomorrow, you're moving into the master bedroom."I sat straight up with a jolt. "Why should I?""The guest room camera has been removed, and the master bedroom has an independent alarm system.""What else is Brandon trying to do?" I raised my voice, a cold sweat breaking across my palms.
"Nina has been busy handling the eastern district project lately, she can't step away," Liam said, his face completely expressionless."Is the project more important, or is your own wedding more important?" Brandon suddenly lunged forward, shoving his phone screen practically against my nose. "Or maybe... you two simply don't dare to throw one?"The trending page suddenly refreshed, and a brand new headline shot straight to the top: [Proof of Mrs. Reed's Infidelity Revealed]"You even went out of your way to buy out the original sources, Brandon," Liam said, letting out a soft chuckle. "Why don't you just come out and say you want the minimum bid for the eastern district project?"Harold slammed his cane heavily against the floor. "Brandon, that's enough.""He's the one who needs to stop!" Brandon suddenly flipped the coffee table, sending porcelain shards flying everywhere. "A bastard trying to steal the family fortune and a nobody pretending to be a high-society princess. Th
"Where are we going?""To get the rings. Since we already said we're getting married—""Is this really the time to be acting?" My voice practically cracked. "Your brother has proof that we're living separately!"Liam slammed on the brakes, sending me flying right into his chest."The security footage in the guest room automatically overwrites every seven days. I just renewed the cloud storage subscription last week. The evidence is entirely in our hands."I froze in my seat. For three years, that guest room had stayed as spotless as a showroom house. It turned out he had a camera in there the whole time?"Are you a pervert?"I struggled to sit back up, but he pinned me back into the leather seat.His warm lips brushed past my earlobe, sending a sudden shiver through my body. "Then what about you sneakily wearing my pajamas? Doesn't that make you a pervert too?"My phone vibrated again. A text from Brandon popped up on the screen: [Father wants you back here. Right now.]"Perf
"No wonder you haven't brought her to see me after being married for so long. She's much easier on the eyes than the previous ones."Seeing that no one was going to back him up, Brandon's anger instantly flared."Benefit the Reeds? You're just a wench from God knows where. You think you're actually part of this family?""Shut up! Now that he's back, let's just eat. What are you picking a fight for?"Liam grabbed my wrist and led me briskly toward the dining room. Behind us, Harold grumbled in deep disappointment."Utterly useless! Such an embarrassment to the family."Brandon slammed the door on his way out, causing the chandelier to shake. I stared down at my plate, my fork and knife trembling slightly between my fingers."Why aren't you eating?" Liam suddenly placed a piece of foie gras with cherry sauce onto my plate. His tone was so natural it felt as if the tense confrontation from a moment ago had never happened. "It's your favorite."How did he know my taste?"The house
My phone suddenly vibrated frantically as a series of texts from Mia popped up on the screen."Holy crap! Liam's assistant just contacted me. They want to track the IP address of your throwaway account! I managed to deflect it for you, but your husband is actually pissed!"I scrambled to lock my screen, but Liam caught my wrist in a tight grip.He glanced across the screen, a dark undercurrent swirling in his eyes. "So it was a calculated prank all along?""I just wanted to know if you actually cared!" The words burst out of me in sheer desperation, but a second later, he pinched my chin."It's my fault for making you feel insecure all this time." His fingertips brushed across my lips. "Do you know now? How much I care."---The air inside the car practically froze solid.Mia's texts had acted like a bomb, blowing our hard-earned romantic tension completely to pieces."I—" Just as I opened my mouth to explain myself, his phone rang.Catching sight of the name "Brandon Reed" o







