FAZER LOGINThud. Alexander dropped his spoon angrily onto his plate, then turned his head to face me. “Who made that rule?” he demanded, his grey eyes searching my face. I stared back at him in shock before consciously forcing my tense muscles to relax. My instincts were already screaming at me to fight back if he dared lay a hand on me; I was no longer willing to be anyone's punching bag. “I….” Before I could finish, he cut me off smoothly. “You are a Blackwood now. You don't ever have to go hungry, even if you came from nothing. You are with the wealthiest family in the city, so you can eat as much as you want without worry.” I nodded slowly, my gaze shifting over to Victoria, who was currently sliding the bowl of rice closer to my plate. “Mom, she still isn't used to eating heavy meals in the morning,” Alexander noted, his tone surprisingly firm. “It will take time. For now, let her sit this one out.” Victoria offered a warm, empathetic nod, looking at me with genuine pity. A
“You...” she said, her voice laced with anger, and I froze on the spot. “Haha, I'm just kidding!” She suddenly burst into laughter, standing up gracefully from the sofa. “Mom, don't stress yourself out. You just came back from the hospital today,” Alexander chided gently before taking a seat on the leather couch. “Why shouldn't I be stressed out when my own son goes and gets married without even telling his mother?” she scolded, shaking her head. Alexander let out a long sigh, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand. I stood frozen near the entryway before slowly walking toward them. “Come here, my dear.” Alexander’s mother beckoned to me, her tone instantly softening. I stepped closer. She reached out, gently placing her fingers under my chin to turn my face side to side, examining me carefully. “I see why Alexander married you without telling me. You really are a beauty,” she murmured, looking over her shoulder at her maids, who nodded in firm agreement. ‘Beauty.’
Finally, the stage was set. Now, it was time to uncover the ultimate truth: was Vanessa truly the biological daughter of the Rosewoods, or was her whole existence built on a mountain of lies? Mission Two: Marry a Blackwood. Completed. A smirk curved across my lips. I swallowed hard and pulled out my phone, dialing Alexander's number. He answered almost immediately, before the first ring could even finish. “Ready to come home?” he asked. I nodded to myself before answering. “Yes, I'm at the….” I cut myself off, pausing abruptly. ‘I can't let him know I'm the discarded Rosewood daughter. What if he digs into my past ? That would ruin everything.’ I sighed softly into the receiver. “I'll wait for you in front of your company building. Please come pick me up.” “I'll be right there,” he said before ending the call. I knew I had introduced myself as Arabella Rosewood, but "Rosewood" was a common enough surname. Thousands of people shared it; he would never automatically link me t
“You're dead,” he growled, his eyes murderous as he cocked the gun. I swallowed hard, my hands gripping tightly onto the edge of my dress, my eyes squeezing shut as I braced myself to die. “Ouch... ouch!” The sudden sound of hacking coughs made my eyes fly open. I scrambled away from the gun barrel and hurried toward the bed. “Take her to the hospital, now!” I ordered the hovering medical staff. Before I could do anything else, Alexander grabbed my arm and dragged me backward away from his mother. “Kill her,” he ordered his guards. My eyes widened in terror. “Mr. Blackwood! Wait!” Doctor Shawn cried, rushing forward. “She just pulled your mother back from the brink! All we need to do now is hook her up to an IV drip, and she will be fully conscious by tomorrow.” Alexander paused, his jaw clenching. He turned to his head guard instead. “Lock her up.” Two heavy-handed guards grabbed me by the shoulders, dragged me down a dim hallway, and shoved me into an isolated spare room, sl
“I can save your mother,” I said, refusing to give him time to speak. “Drag her out,” he commanded coldly, his dark eyes narrowing. “Wait, Mr. Alexander! I'm the only one who can save her!” I shouted in a panic as his security guards closed in on me. “Stop,” he spoke, his deep voice slicing through the air before he took a slow step toward me. He took one step forward, and I instinctively retreated a step backward, my throat dry as I swallowed hard. “Who sent you here?” he asked. His face was entirely devoid of emotion, yet beneath the calm surface burned a dangerous, crackling anger, mostly directed at me. “No one sent me. I can save your mother,” I said firmly. My back hit the cold steel wall of the elevator. The doors slid shut, locking us inside together. I stared straight into his dark gaze, my eyes burning with fierce determination. After surviving reform school, there was only one thing left in this world that terrified me… dying before I got my revenge. “What do you wa
My mother was about to walk toward me. For a fleeting second, I thought I saw a flicker of guilt on her face. But then Vanessa chimed in.“Arabella, I know you hate us all for sending you to reform school, but that doesn't mean you should fake a hemorrhage just to make Mom feel guilty!” I squinted my eyes in confusion, but I knew her for what she was: a pathological liar. “Arabella, must you pull stunts like this just for attention?” my mother shouted, not even bothering to check whether my bleeding hand was real or staged. Why was I acting surprised? This was who they were. They had never once cared about me, let alone checked to see if I was telling the truth. “Arabella?” I heard a familiar voice. Dark blonde hair, piercing blue eyes. Lucas stared back at me, looking far more mature than I remembered. As my eyes scanned him, a flash of silver caught the light… a ring gleamed on his finger. “You're married?” I asked, genuinely shocked. ‘Who on earth would actually marry him?’ I







