Chapter 1

“Dad, I’ve decided. I want to marry Mr. Samuel Bering of Norchester!” said Amanita Wallace resolutely when she entered her father’s study.

“Mr. Samuel Bering of Norchester? You mean the man who’s been crying and whining about marrying you since you were three years old? That Samuel Bering?

“The Bering family might be richer than some small countries, and Samuel is quite successful for his age, but I thought you liked Marcus Channing?” George Wallace asked in confusion.

“Besides Marcus, haven’t I also taken in six other boys with the expectation that one would be your husband? All six of them listen to everything you say. Isn’t it better that you choose one of them to marry rather than marrying into a family that might bully you?”

When she heard this, Amanita smiled bitterly.

A day ago, she felt exactly the same. Besides Marcus, her six other prospective husbands loved her dearly. Any one of them would unhesitatingly cut their own hearts out for her if she asked.

But last night, she discovered their secret.

“When do you think that stupid Amanita will realize Risa isn’t Marcus’s biological sister?”

The speaker was Dennis Crock, one of Amanita’s prospective husbands. He had once thrown himself off a building for Amanita.

Yet, he was disdainful as he swirled the whiskey in his glass. “That idiot, Amanita, must think I adore her. In reality, I wasn’t demonstrating my love for her when I threw myself off that building. I only wanted to scare her off.”

“Me too. Every day, I tamp down my disgust to suck up to her because I know she doesn’t like people who act like lapdogs.”

“Haha! It seems that we’re all using the same strategy. We’re doing whatever Amanita doesn’t like so that she won’t choose us. That way, we can compete fairly for Risa’s affection.”

“Only Marcus has never put on a show, and the masochistic Amanita really fell in love with him! I feel so sorry for him.”

“Well, there’s no other choice there. One of us has to marry Amanita. If no one does it, Risa won’t be able to be the Wallace family’s little princess anymore.”

Amanita quietly clenched her hands into fists. She was so enraged that her whole body was trembling.

All seven of her prospective husbands were orphans, and her father had taken them all in.

Amanita’s mother had died early. Still deeply in love with her, George had not wanted to remarry.

At the same time, he was worried for Amanita. How could he leave the family’s sizable assets to a young girl like her?

That was why he had gone to the orphanage to take in seven geniuses, thinking that they could be Amanita’s prospective husbands.

Marcus was the most intelligent of the batch and the most handsome. At the same time, George liked him the most.

Yet, when they were doing the adoption paperwork, Marcus said, “I have a younger sister named Risa Channing. I won’t leave her. If you want to adopt me, you’ll have to adopt her as well.”

Back then, Amanita thought that Marcus would treat his wife very well if he were that good to his sister.

As such, she begged for her father to adopt Risa as well.

In this way, Risa became the Wallace family’s adopted daughter.

Growing up, everything that Amanita had, Risa had as well.

The seven prospective husbands all adored Risa, especially Marcus. They nearly spoiled her.

Sometimes, Amanita would feel jealous about it, but her prospective husbands would all lecture her about it.

“Amanita, you can’t be so petty. How could you be jealous of your sister?”

“We were from the same orphanage as Risa. We all see her as our little sister.”

“Amanita, Risa’s not like you. You have everything, but Risa only has us.”

As time went on, Amanita herself started to wonder if she was truly being too petty.

Yet, at this moment, Amanita felt like she had woken from a dream as she listened to her prospective husbands snicker.

It was not that she had been petty. These awful people were just too good at acting.

Still furious, Amanita heard a familiar voice from the nearby garden.

Amanita went over and saw something that destroyed her worldview completely.

Marcus, who had always been cool and haughty, was pinning Risa against the wall. Passionately, he said, “Risa, you know I only love you. But I can’t marry you, so I can’t touch you.”

“Marcus, can you not marry Amanita?” Risa was crying as she begged Marcus. “I won’t talk to you anymore if you marry Amanita.”

Marcus replied coldly, “I don’t want to marry her, either. But we owe Mr. Wallace a debt. Be good, Risa. Even if I marry Amanita, it will be a marriage in name only. I will not love her one bit.”