Chapter 1

The explicit video was still playing on the screens, its sounds echoing through the entire banquet hall.

Dana Baker stood before me, her face pale. Though her body was trembling, her eyes remained stubborn.

"Ansel, please let me explain! I was framed! I blacked out—I swear, I don’t even know who that was!"

Before I could even open my mouth, a sharp slap struck Dana across the face.

It was my mom, furious as she screamed, "You piece of trash! The Lawsons brought you into our home, and this is how you repay Ansel?

"You're not even engaged yet, and you're already sleeping around! Forget the engagement!"

Dana clutched her cheek, biting her lower lip hard as she fought back her tears.

All around us, guests were whispering and staring.

"Poor Ansel… He just got totally humiliated in public."

"Dana always acted so sweet and classy. Who knew she was actually like that?"

I stood frozen, my face cold and my hands clenched into tight fists.

Across the room, my younger brother Jake Lawson leaned back in his chair, watching me with a smug, mocking smile.

"Security! Get this embarrassment out of here right now!" my dad barked, his face dark.

Two guards grabbed Dana by the arms and dragged her out. Even as she was forced toward the exit, she kept screaming back at me.

"Ansel, you have to believe me! Someone drugged my drink!"

Just like that, our huge engagement party collapsed into a total circus.

Once the guests cleared out, only the five of us were left.

"What are you looking at? Unbelievable!"

My father yanked off his tie, threw it onto the couch, and glared at me with pure disgust. "You can't even manage your own relationship! You made us a complete laughingstock and completely dragged the Lawson name through the mud!"

I looked up, my eyes turning cold.

"Dad, I'm the one who got cheated on. I'm the victim here. If you're not going to support me, fine, but why are you blaming me?"

"There's no smoke without fire!" my father sneered. "If you were half the man you're supposed to be, do you think she would have gone looking for someone else?"

His words hit like a physical punch to the chest.

No matter what happened, it was always my fault.

"Alright, that's enough," Mom chimed in, walking over to hand me a glass of water. But her voice wasn't gentle at all.

"Ansel, don't hold your father's harsh words against him. Sure, Dana messed up today. But as the older brother, you haven't exactly set a great example for Jake either."

I almost laughed out loud from sheer disbelief.

"Mom, what are you even talking about? My fiancée cheated on me. What does that have to do with being a role model for Jake?"

Mom let out a sigh.

"Jake's been seeing this new girl lately, and he's completely head over heels for her. I told him to break it off, but he refuses to listen. So I thought I'd show him what women are really like.

"Dana seemed so innocent and loyal, right? But offer her a little temptation, and she couldn't control herself either.

"Ansel, I did this to teach Jake a lesson, so he'd see through women before it's too late. That way, he doesn't end up a gullible fool who gets played as you did."

My mind went blank. My hand went numb, and the glass dropped from my grip, shattering against the floor.

"So... Dana cheating... you set the whole thing up?"

Mom's eyes flickered for a fraction of a second before she regained her composure, perfectly self-righteous.

"What do you mean 'set up'? I just had someone send a male model to test her loyalty. Who knew she'd fail so easily?

"Ansel, honestly, you should be thanking me.

"If it weren't for me, you would've actually married her before realizing what a slut she is. That would have ruined your entire life!"