Chapter 2

In twenty years of living, this was the first time I had encountered someone so arrogant and unreasonable.

“What did you want me to say? I didn’t catch that.”

“I’m a dog.”

I played the recording out loud, a smile tugging at the corner of my lips. “Good. Everyone heard it.”

Lily instantly realized she had been tricked. With a furious shout, she lunged at me, arms flailing.

Ridiculous. Though the mark on my face suppressed most of my vampire strength, dealing with someone like her—baring teeth and claws—was no more difficult than teasing a cat.

I stepped slightly to the left and, in passing, extended my foot just enough to trip her.

Lily fell to the ground in an almost theatrical fashion, utterly disheveled.

The crowd’s expressions shifted from shock to amusement; some even raised their phones to take pictures.

I heard someone whisper, “Oh my God, does she even know who Lily is? She’s Mr. Norefax’s woman—Ethan’s stepmother!”

“If Ethan finds out, she’s finished.”

“At this point, not even God could save her.”

Listening to their murmurs, I felt no ripple of emotion. Though my family concealed our vampire identity, we possessed very real power.

The Norefax family owed their current standing entirely to our cooperation. In New York, there was truly no one I needed to fear.

I slapped my card onto the counter again. “Checkout.”

The clerk seemed terrified, trembling as she processed the payment and carefully wrapped the bottle of wine.

I took the wine and turned to leave.

But Lily grabbed my leg, scrambling to her feet to block my path. “Who said you could leave? Leave the wine behind! Otherwise my husband—and Ethan—”

I raised my hand and waved it lightly in front of her. “What, do you want another lesson? If I’m not mistaken, your husband is bedridden. Whether Ethan shows up or not, this wine is mine.”

Lily instinctively recoiled. I let out a soft scoff and walked toward the exit.

At that moment, a black Maybach pulled up outside the store. As the car door opened, I saw a strikingly handsome face.

I sized him up. Not only was his face attractive, but his height and build were impeccable—no less impressive than the men of my own kind.

Lily immediately ran over, sobbing as she began to complain.

“Ethan, she stole the wine I wanted and even tripped me…”

Only then did I match his face to the one in the photograph I had seen before.

So, he was my fiancé. How forgetful of me.

I have always been someone who judges by appearance. I chose Ethan purely for his looks and did not mind that he was human.

Now that I saw him in person, the difference from the photo was negligible.

For that face alone, I decided I could forgive his earlier rudeness.

I offered what I believed to be a charming smile. “Hello, I’m Elaine—your fiancée.”

Inwardly, I couldn’t help but admire my own taste in choosing people.

The onlookers immediately burst into exclamations.

“What? She’s Ethan’s fiancée? No wonder she dared to act so boldly!”

“A stepmother and a fiancée going head-to-head—who do you think Ethan will choose?”

“Probably the stepmother. Mr. Norefax is in poor health and can’t take care of Lily, so Ethan has stood up for her many times. This fiancée is the first I’ve heard of.”

Ethan looked at me, his gaze cold, his tone unfriendly. “I didn’t know I had a fiancée. My family made that decision without my consent. Since you’re here, let’s cancel it.”

Beside him, Lily slipped her arm through his and leaned intimately against his shoulder, her eyes full of provocation. The two looked nothing like a mother and son.

“Just look at the birthmark on your face—how could Ethan possibly marry you!”

“Who knows? Maybe after Mr. Norefax dies, Ethan will marry Lily. Honestly, they look quite compatible.”

Someone chimed in, “Exactly. If Ethan marries at all, it’ll be someone of equal status. How could he marry someone who looks so plain and shabby?”

“Someone like her wouldn’t even be wanted as a servant in the Norefax household!”

I never considered myself a great beauty, but I am a vampire—I am certainly not ugly. The “birthmark” is small and hardly affects my appearance.

Just because I dressed simply today and didn’t bother with makeup, how had I become so unbearable in their eyes?

Human nature, it seemed, truly thrived on fawning over the powerful and kicking those who had fallen.

“Ethan,” I said coldly, “go back and tell your family—this marriage is off. You’re the one who isn’t worthy of me.”