Chapter 2

After leaving the Bennett family estate, Claire returned to Calvin's private villa.

Whenever he didn't stay at the family estate, Calvin lived here. Under George's arrangement, Claire had moved in three months ago to give them a chance to grow closer.

But three months had passed, and she had barely seen him.

No sooner had Claire returned than Calvin arrived—this time with Iris.

He explained that Iris's residence had caught fire and she had nowhere else to go, so she would be staying temporarily.

Claire ignored them both and went to the garden to feed the two black swans in the pond.

She had raised them herself. Calvin disliked pets, so she had no choice but to keep these two black swans in the yard. As she contemplated how she would take them with her when she left, a mocking voice drifted from behind.

"Claire, still awake feeding swans at this hour? Such leisure, huh?"

Her hand froze mid-feed. Claire turned and saw Iris.

She had changed into matching couple pajamas like Calvin's, the sash loosely tied, arching an eyebrow at her with the self-assured air of a lady of the house.

Claire squinted, noticing the marks on her skin—kisses tracing from her chest to her neck.

"You're not asleep either."

"Nope, just finished being busy with Calvin, so I came out to rest." Iris stepped closer, smiling. "Claire, you saw everything at the engagement party today, didn't you?"

Claire's brow furrowed, her expression darkening.

"What are you trying to say?"

"Nothing. It's just… Calvin doesn't seem to like you very much. And yet, you're going to marry him? Aren't you afraid of ending up a lonely wife?"

Looking at Iris's innocent but infuriating smile, Claire felt an immediate wave of regret. She shouldn't have taken in this half-sister after their parents died, soft-heartedly giving her a home when she had nowhere else to go.

She had thought Iris was just a sweet, naive girl. She hadn't realized how wrong she was.

"So I won't marry him. You want him instead?"

Iris's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Even if I agreed to it, the Bennett family would never approve of you marrying in. Who do you think you are? Just an illegitimate daughter!"

Claire didn't want to waste words. She turned to leave, but Iris called after her.

"Claire, don't get too cocky! Look at this!"

Claire froze. Iris held the emerald pendant.

It had been left to her by her grandfather before he passed, a family heirloom passed down for generations. Her grandfather had told her to give it to Calvin on her wedding day. But she had given it to him the day she moved in, hoping it would protect him.

And now it was in Iris's hands.

Claire's face darkened. "Give it back!"

"I would, but Calvin said it would keep me safe, so he gave it to me. After all, it's also my grandfather's, so it's only fair I have it. Oh—my hand's numb…"

Before she could finish, Iris flung the pendant into the pond.

"Iris!"

Rage flared in Claire. She prepared to jump in after it, but before she could, a splash rang out—Iris had fallen into the water.

"Ah! Help! I can't swim! Claire, save me!"

"Iris!"

Calvin's voice rang behind her. Before Claire could react, he pushed her aside and dove into the water, rescuing Iris.

"Iris, are you okay?"

Iris clung to him, pitiful. "I'm fine, Calvin. Don't blame Claire. She didn't mean to push me. It's my fault—I dropped the pendant you gave me this morning, and Claire made me jump in to get it!"

She sobbed in a torrent, and Calvin's eyes turned icy as they swept over Claire.

"What were you thinking? You knew she couldn't swim and made her jump in! Were you trying to get her killed?"

Claire was still on the ground, her palm grazed and bleeding from Calvin's forceful push. The pain shot through her, but she slowly raised her eyes to him, full of disappointment.

"Calvin, that pendant was left to me by my grandfather. How could you give it to someone else?"

Calvin's gaze was cold. "Iris was hurt a few days ago, so I gave it to her. Besides, she isn't really an outsider. She's part of the Aniston family too."

Claire snorted. "An illegitimate daughter at that. If I hadn't acknowledged her, she wouldn't even deserve the Aniston name!"

"Claire, how can you be so cruel? Iris is your sister! And I'm an illegitimate son myself. If you despise illegitimate children, why marry me?"

A bitter laugh escaped Claire as she struggled to her feet. "What if I told you I don't want to marry you anymore? As you wish—we can cancel the engagement."

"Don't try that on me. Playing hard to get won't work. I agreed to marry you, and I will. But apart from the wedding, I can give you nothing else. You chose me only because I'm the most capable of the Bennett family, didn't you?"

"The most capable?" Claire almost laughed.

He didn't realize that everything he had—his position, his power—was because of her. Without Claire, George would never have paid him a second glance.

"I hope, seven days from now, you can still say that."

With that, she turned and left without looking back.

Watching her retreating figure, Calvin frowned. She had refused to cancel the engagement so many times before—what had changed today?

"Calvin, Claire says she wants to cancel the engagement… could it be true? Should I have never moved in? It's all my fault. If I weren't an illegitimate daughter, I could be openly with you. I've never expected anything in return—I just wanted to stay by your side."

"Please," Calvin scoffed, pulling her closer. "If she actually goes through with it, I wouldn't complain. But I know her better than that—she won't. Don't worry about it. I've told you, I won't let you down."

From the hallway, Claire heard every word, but she only shook her head in bitter silence. All those years… she'd been loving the wrong man.