Chapter 5

Mom spoke up. "Noah, do you have any idea that she's preg..."

"Mom." I cut her off and looked at my brother's face, so familiar and yet so foreign. My voice turned cold. "Noah, you're dead set on marrying her, aren't you? Even if she wants you to throw Mom and me out of the house?"

Noah was taken aback. He glanced at Ashley, then nodded firmly. "That's right! If you don't agree, then we'll cut ties, and the Spears family line can end with me!"

Mom clutched her chest, heartbroken.

I smiled and nodded. "Fine. I agree to your terms."

Ashley's eyes lit up instantly, and she said smugly, "Smart choice!"

After they left, Mom held me and cried.

"Stacey, I'm useless. I couldn't protect you. You're not really going to give the company to your brother, are you?"

I patted her back, my voice calm. "Mom, don't worry. What's mine is mine. Nobody can take it from me."

Mom looked up with tearful eyes. "Then when you agreed just now, what were you planning?"

I looked at her. "Mom, if he's willing to throw away his own family for a woman, then he can't blame his little sister for not saving him any face. I want to see if he'll still defend that woman so hard once he knows the truth."

Mom hesitated, then sighed. "I may be soft most of the time, but this time, I'm with you. Go ahead and do it."

With that settled, I handed Noah a hundred and forty thousand dollars up front.

I also promised that on the wedding day, I'd hand over the company transfer agreement and the house deed transfer papers together.

Their wedding came together at lightning speed. I heard the venue decorations alone cost twenty-eight thousand dollars.

They printed three hundred invitations, and the guest list ran on and on. Every aunt, uncle, and cousin under the sun was invited, along with "old friends" they were barely connected to.

Ashley even posted daily progress updates on Instagram, like "Countdown to my dream castle wedding!" and "Thank you to my husband for giving me a fairy-tale beginning!"

The comments were a sea of flattery.

Noah was even more full of himself. He told everyone he met that he had a wife, a baby on the way, and a cozy home, and that his sister was even going to give him a "big gift."

I didn't like a single post. I just waited quietly.

On the day of the wedding, I showed up fashionably late.

When Ashley saw the document envelope in my hand, her eyes lit up at once, and she waved the emcee over.

"Come here, come here! This is my husband's sister. She's prepared a very special wedding gift for us. Read it out loud so all our family and friends can hear!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure!" She deliberately raised her voice. "From now on, I'm the CEO's wife at Spears Group. We've got two reasons to celebrate today, so of course everyone should share in the joy!"

I handed over the envelope.

The emcee pulled out the documents and skimmed them. He paused, glanced at Noah, and asked in a low voice, "Mr. Spears, are you sure you want me to read this?"

Noah stood beside Ashley and gave a grand wave of his hand. "Read it! Today is our happiest, proudest day. If my wife says read it, you read it!"

The next second, the emcee's voice carried through the entire hall over the microphone.

"Noah Spears's Infertility Diagnosis Report..."

The emcee wasn't speaking loudly, but the microphone carried every word to every corner of the banquet hall.