Chapter 1

Joan's hand froze on her husband's office doorknob when she heard her name being mentioned in conversation.

“We’ve been married for six years, Keon, and you still get angry when I post you on my page.” Joan knew that voice. It was Kimberly, Keon's accounting manager.

Joan didn't push the door open. She pressed her ear against it to catch more words.

“Very soon, Kimberly. I’ll soon make our marriage public, but for now, let me think of how to end the fake marriage I had with Joan.”

‘Fake’, the word cracked her ribs.

Three years ago, Keon's mother, Mrs. Thompson had walked into the restaurant where Joan worked as a waitress.

She'd heard the manager call Joan ‘a nobody.’

“Where is your family?” Mrs. Thompson asked after pulling Joan aside.

“I'm a poor orphan with no relatives,” Joan replied, head down.

Mrs. Thompson studied her for a while. Then she smiled. “Will you consider marrying my son?”

Mrs. Thompson told her she wanted a well behaved girl for her son.

What Joan didn't know: it was Keon's father's dying wish. Keon must marry a poor orphan before he could get his inheritance.

The old man believed a poor orphan would love his son without greed.

Joan just thought someone finally wanted her.

“I want us back, Keon. Let's be the three happy family again.” Kimberly’s sob brought Joan back to the moment.

‘Three?’

Her fist crushed the letter she wanted to show Keon and her knuckles went white.

She took a sharp breath and walked out of the company.

Keon's words kept ringing in her head as she drove to the house. They had an elaborate wedding. His family were in support. Why was he telling his staff that their marriage was fake, and that the real one would be made public soon?

She ran into the house and pulled the marriage certificate from where it was kept. She googled what an original certificate looked like. It was completely different from what she held.

“Three years. And what I had was a fake marriage,” her eyes blurred with tears.

The nights he stayed out and lied that it was for business meetings. The way he mumbled Kim’s name in his sleep. It all made sense to her now.

Joan wiped her face with her palms and grabbed her phone. Her hands trembled as she dialed the attorney’s number written on the letter she had wanted to show Keon.

“Ms. Evans here,” she said, trying to steady her voice.

Relief and joy erupted from the other end. “I’ve been waiting for your call, Ms Evans. I'm Mitchell, your late father's attorney. Would you please come around and let’s talk about your inheritance?”

“I'm on my way,” Joan replied, sharp and ended the call.

She had wanted to show Keon the letter that Mitchell had sent her. For the first time in her life, she was learning she was the late Ryder Langley's only daughter. She wanted to tell Keon first, let him help her figure out if Mitchell was real or running a scam. But now, she knew she needed to face Mitchell alone and keep it a secret.

In less than thirty minutes, she was in Mitchell’s office.

“We did a thorough investigation after reading your late father's will,” Mitchell started. “He stated that his only biological daughter must be found. Ms Evans, you're the late Ryder Langley's only heir.”

Ryder Langley, a business tycoon in moonlight city. The billionaire that every ear had heard of. Rumor had it that his wife had no child, and they adopted a son instead.

“How do I know this isn't a scam?” Joan asked.

“Ms. Evans, I’m a professional. I wouldn't send you a letter to claim an inheritance if I hadn't done my investigation well.”

Mitchell stood up, walked to the filing cabinet and pulled out a file. “This is your late father's will.

Your mother was Ms. Sophia Evans. She died when you were barely seven years old, which is why you ended up in an orphanage.”

Joan could only nod, she couldn't speak. For a moment, anger burned in her chest. Her late mother never for once mentioned who her father was.

“Will you sign it now, Ms. Evans?” Mitchell said, jolting her back to the moment.

“Yes,” the response came out too fast.

Mitchell slid a pen across to her. Just then, her eyes dropped to Joan's hand and she abruptly yanked the file back.

“You're married?” Her gaze narrowed.

“Oh, this? It's...fashion,” Joan stammered. “I'm not married. No child, no husband,” she added with a forced smile.

If she hadn't found Keon's secret before now, Keon and their adopted daughter, Eliana, would have claimed part of her inheritance.

Joan left the attorney's office reeling. Heir to one of the richest families in the state. It still didn't feel real to her.

She was unlocking her car when her phone rang. It was Eliana’s class teacher.

“Eliana has been rushed to the hospital and she's in need of blood transfusion.”

A shiver went down her spine. Her fingers fumbled over her phone, texting Keon. One hand was on the wheel, the other was bombarding Keon with messages. Somehow she made it to the hospital without crashing into another car with her absent-minded driving.

“Ms. Thompson, your blood group didn't match Eliana's. Where's her father?”

Joan let out a deep breath. Of course, she expected that: she was just her adoptive mother, she just wanted to try.

Just in time, Keon burst into the doctor’s office, breathing hard. Kimberly was right behind him, her presence fueling Joan's anger. But she forced herself to be calm.

“We need a donor for Eliana, you should get a test, maybe yours will match,” Joan said without meeting Keon's face.

“Let me get tested, my blood might match,” Kimberly cut in.

Joan's head snapped to Keon, their eyes met for one shocked and confused second, then Joan looked away.

Keon's hand fidgeted with his shirt, his lips opening and closing without words. Joan looked at him again, raised an eyebrow and let out a cold chuckle.

“I will get tested with Kim,” Keon's voice trembled. “Kim offered because you know how much she loves Eliana.” He tried to explain.

“It's okay,” Joan said coldly.

After what felt like eternity, the doctor returned. “Ms. Kimberly’s blood matches Eliana's. She's already being transfused.”

Keon's head dropped. Joan couldn't look at him, her eyes burned, but she blinked the tears back.

Keon didn't need to explain, she understood the “three” now. Kimberly and Keon had been married for six years, Eliana was five, almost six.

He made her adopt his own child.

“Wow...it's surprising that her blood matches Kim's,” she said with a forced smile.

“Yes, it happens,” the doctor replied softly.

“It happens,” she repeated, nodding slowly while fighting back tears.

She wasn't ready to shatter things, so she swallowed her words.

“Let's be grateful we found a donor for our daughter,” Keon said and Joan nodded with a fake smile.