The Grand Banquet

I saw my fiancé and my sister slip into a private room. I followed them.

Only to find them undressed. But that was just the least scary thing I discovered that day. I am Bianca North, And this is my story.

Bianca was ready to have her first intimate experience with her fiancé.

Until she found him in bed with her sister in a compromising position. But just hours earlier, everything had felt perfect. A delightful shiver ran through her thinking about his touch. The thought of giving herself to her fiancé for the first time set Bianca’s heart racing.

She was on her way to tell him the good news. She had just returned from a successful business trip from Paris. Exhaustion lining her features, still there had been a spark of joy in her eyes to hug her fiancé and lose it all.

Tonight, she wanted to officially announce to their family about getting married after this business trip.

“Where is Edward? I can't find him anywhere.” Bianca searched for her fiancé in her house.

She still couldn't find her fiancé. What bothered her more was the thought of facing her sister, Rebecca, at the party her father had organized for her. Just remembering how Rebecca had returned home after a few years of working overseas, her face brought a bitter taste to Bianca’s mouth.

She had always been jealous of Bianca, as Rebecca had failed repeatedly in her attempts to set up a business in another country, unlike Bianca, who was always successful in her business pursuits.

Bianca glanced around, noticing Edward was nowhere in sight. That's when the cook, Mario, stepped in and whispered in her ear.

“I saw Edward sneaking off with Rebecca into her bedroom,” said Mario.

Brushing off the unease, Bianca rushed to Rebecca’s room. As she stood at the door, Rebecca’s laughter rang through her ears. She pushed the door open just enough to see inside.

On the bed, she saw her sister Rebecca and her fiancé Edward in an intimate embrace, exposing their betrayal.

“Isn't it fun sneaking around like this?” said Rebecca with a smirk. “I can't keep my hands off you even for a moment.”

Edward wrapped his arms around her body, pulling her close.

“Aren't you worried about how my fiancée would react after she knows about our engagement?”

“I don't care. I promised that I would marry her only because she held shares in the corporation. So now that you are about to have the 70% share, you are my queen now,” said Edward, with no guilt on his face. “That dumb freak will never be your wife.”

Rebecca laughed viciously.

“Yes, baby. She will rot somewhere in a dark hole when reality hits her heart.”

Edward’s words slashed Bianca’s heart.

He was never her first choice for a husband because he was a womanizer who treated women like playthings. But after millions of promises made by him and a fancy proposal, she had accepted him as her future.

“I was labeled as the Queen of California. Back in my university days, I would have found anyone to marry me. Why am I with such a jerk?” Bianca thought.

Edward said, “In that case, kiss me again. Besides, Bianca is on a business trip. I would have known if she had reached home.”

“She is so noisy,” Rebecca added fuel to the fire.

Bianca wanted to give Edward a surprise by arriving in the city a day prior. Little did she know that she would witness her fiancé in her sister’s arms.

“I have always wondered, Rebecca, how did you end up with 70% shares of your corporation? Bianca is not Andrew’s daughter just like you. Why wouldn't he give her those shares when he was already in the company?”

Rebecca didn't want to disclose the family secrets to Edward. She waved her hand dismissively, dodging his question with practiced ease.

“It's a long story. I must leave soon. I need to get ready for our engagement party tonight. My family will declare you as my future husband and me as the heir to North Corporation. It will be so good to see Bianca’s sad face.”

“Then don't go,” Edward said as he slipped a finger under her dress.

“Oh, Edward. I will be yours soon. Do as you please after this party. I have to get ready now.”

Bianca whispered to herself, “An heir to North Corporation… so she came back to become an heir. I knew Rebecca was capable of something like this, but Edward…”

Was he with me only for the shares from the very beginning? How much more will he benefit by switching from me to Rebecca?

“I’m so done with this cheat. There are plenty of men here who would throw themselves at me if I let my guard down. I just need to find the right one.”

She turned and rushed out of there, her heart pounding painfully in her chest.

Downstairs, she crossed the party filled with crowds, and it felt like they were all celebrating her misery. Grabbing the tallest drink she could find, she hurried to the garden, desperate for fresh air.

She leaned against the weathered garden parapet, craving another man’s touch. She wanted to melt into someone’s arms like she had just seen Rebecca do with Edward.

That was when she noticed a man leaning against the wall in the open garden, smoking a cigar.

And when he turned, Bianca gasped.

She recognized him instantly.

Theo Harrington — Edward’s cousin, the man Rebecca was once obsessed with, her precious apple of the eye.

“I remember she wanted to marry him for his good looks and wealth. He owns 25% of the Harrington family business and manages another company abroad. He disappeared from California years ago after a feud with our family.”

He had been keeping a low profile since then, but now he was back.

“What is he doing here?”

An idea crept up in Bianca’s mind.

“If I convince him to marry me, it will teach Rebecca and Edward a lesson.”

Anyway, I have to find an excellent match for myself, or my position in North Corporation will be inferior to Rebecca’s. So I think his cousin will be the best for me.

Bianca gulped down her drink for some liquid courage and took a step toward that stranger.