Chapter 1

For ten million dollars' worth of wedding gifts, I got married and became part of the Larkin family, Jebony's most affluent family. I was to be the wife of the family's sole heir, Jacob Larkin, who was in a coma.

For a year after that, I underwent 12 rounds of IVF, finally giving birth to a successor. It wasn't until my son was five that Jacob miraculously woke up.

The media had a field day. They called me the Larkin family's lucky star and said I would live in luxury forever.

I merely smiled. They had no idea that as soon as Jacob laid eyes on me after waking up, his look was one of contempt.

He even said coldly, "You're just a woman my father hired to give me a child. Don't even think for a second that I'll fall in love with you. Angela and I are childhood sweethearts. You'd never have become my wife if I hadn't ended up comatose because of that car crash."

I handed him an agreement and said calmly, "Alright, then. I'll back out. You and Ms. Lloyd can be together."

Jacob frowned as he looked me over, not at all as pleased as I'd expected. His tone carried a mocking edge as he growled, "You think Angela is as shameless as you? You had no qualms about selling yourself for money!

"Today's supposed to be the party celebrating my recovery. Are you determined to make the Larkins the target of everyone's gossip by bringing up divorce at an event like this?"

He snatched the agreement from me and tore it to pieces before snapping, "You filled in several hundred million dollars for alimony?

"You only have the nerve to bring up divorce now because you know Angela got engaged to someone else! If you had any backbone, you should never have taken advantage of me in the first place!"

I had taken advantage of him? I quietly clenched my fists. Who exactly had taken advantage of whom?

After Jacob's car crash, his parents had consulted every top medical team at home and abroad, but nothing had worked. In the end, they had no choice but to turn to other means.

Because my birth chart was said to be perfectly compatible with Jacob's, his parents had offered to acquire my family's company and put up ten million dollars to pay off our debts, keeping my parents out of prison.

The price of all that was that I, a fresh college grad, would marry a man in a vegetative state and bear his child. Yet in Jacob's eyes, it became proof that I'd schemed my way up for a taste of wealth beyond my class.

My silence only made him more certain of his version of events. "Enough of this. As long as you behave yourself, you'll continue to hold the title of Mrs. Larkin and the benefits that come with it. As for my love, it belongs to Angela for life!"

He made it sound as if I wanted his love in the first place. I couldn't help but let out a faint, mocking laugh. I looked at him coolly.

"Give your love to whoever you want." My indifference stunned him for a second.

Just then, my assistant, Linda Brown, brought my five-year-old son, Tim Larkin, over. He ran into my arms, stealing a shy and excited glance at Jacob.

It was only then that Jacob's expression shifted into a sudden, knowing smile. "You almost had me fooled, Maisie. You think having a son as your bargaining chip means you can control me? Dream on!"

For the past six years, because of that ten million dollars, I was deeply grateful to the Larkins. I was not only an obedient daughter-in-law but also a tireless, top-notch caregiver. If not for my meticulous care, how could a man who'd been in a vegetative state for six years wake up and recover so quickly?

But last night, I'd overheard my in-laws quietly rejoicing in the study that their plan to bankrupt us back then had been flawless. They were delighted that the ten million had been well spent.

It was only then that I realized it had all been a setup. However, I had no evidence. Even if I stormed in to confront them, they would never admit it.

I took a deep breath and said evenly, "As long as you treat Tim well, nothing else matters to me."

Jacob thought I was insinuating something and trying to coach Tim into currying favor with him. When Tim carefully reached for his sleeve, he flung him off.

Tim fell to the floor and looked at him, bewildered. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he was too scared to cry out loud.

"Jacob, don't you know Tim was born premature and is frail? How could you shove him so hard?" I glared daggers at Jacob and scooped Tim up, my heart aching.

Jacob assumed we were putting on a show, and his words dripped with venomous suspicion. "I bet you wish I'd never woken up, Maisie. That way, once my father dies, you can take over Larkin Group without anyone to stand in your way! What a scheming, sly fox you are!"

Tim stood in front of me, holding his head high as he glared at Jacob. "I won't let you talk about Mommy like that! You're the real bad guy here! You're the worst dad in the world!"

Jacob didn't get mad at that. He merely laughed. "Is this the child you've raised, Maisie? Figures.

"You only muscled your way through college, after all. You're not like Angela—she was an honors student who won scholarships year after year. Any child raised by her would never be this rude and unreasonable."