Chapter 1

To my surprise, the notification "Message Failed to Send" popped up.

I let out an incredulous laugh. The engagement hadn't even been finalized yet, and Lucas Hunt had already blocked me.

"Where did you sneak in from? Hurry up and return Miss Hartley's ring!"

The Hunt family's housekeeper lunged at me aggressively, but I sidestepped her with ease.

"I'm a guest of the Hunt family. Is this how you treat your guests?"

Queenie Hartley let out a mocking laugh. Without hesitation, she picked up her phone and called Lucas—my so-called fiancé.

A warm, gentle voice answered almost immediately.

"What's wrong, Queenie?"

I listened carefully. His voice was pleasant—exactly the kind I liked. It seemed my grandfather had pretty good taste after all.

"Lucas!" she cried sweetly, her voice dripping with affected innocence. "There's this shameless woman who snuck into your house today, claiming she's a guest of the Hunt family. She even stole the ring you gave me!"

I cut through her sugary tone before she could continue. It was best to introduce myself first, in case he had no idea what was going on.

"Lucas, my name is Sabrina Pierce. I'm your fiancée."

There was a brief two-second pause, as if he were searching his memory for my name. When he spoke again, his voice had turned cold.

"Fiancée? What fiancée? Anyone entering the Hunt residence must have an invitation. Otherwise, it's trespassing."

Then his voice softened again.

"Queenie, don't be upset. It's just a ring. When I get back, I'll buy you another one."

The pigeon-blood ruby on my finger was the token of love between my parents. There wasn't another one like it anywhere in the world.

As I silently reconsidered the reliability of this arranged marriage, Queenie had already doubled over laughing. She looked me up and down with blatant contempt.

"You? Look at you—wearing cheap clothes without even a brand label! And you dare claim to be Lucas's fiancée? That's the funniest joke I've heard all day!"

I had studied design overseas for years. The clothes I wore were all designed and tailored by myself, so of course, there were no brand labels.

In fact, my designs had already gained popularity among many wealthy women abroad. The fact that she couldn't recognize them made me question her identity instead.

After all the commotion she'd caused, I no longer had any interest in strolling through the garden. I turned to leave.

But Queenie stepped in front of me, blocking my path.

"Didn't you hear what Lucas said? Anyone entering the Hunt residence needs an invitation! Didn't you say you were a guest? Then where's your invitation?"

I rolled my eyes and reached into my pocket to look for it—but came up empty.

Only then did I remember my grandfather saying we wouldn't need an invitation to visit the Hunt family.

Seeing that I couldn't produce one, the mockery on her face deepened.

"So you really were lying! Someone come here! Take that ring off her hand and tie her up—throw her out!"

I covered the ring with one hand and took a step back, glaring at her.

Several servants approached me. Their expressions carried a hint of pity as they tried to persuade me.

"Miss, you should just return the ring to Miss Hartley. Otherwise, you might not even know how you died."

"That's right. That ring is the token of love between Master Lucas and Miss Hartley. They've grown up together. If he finds out, he won't let you off."

"I personally saw it happen once. Someone accidentally dirtied Miss Hartley's dress, and the next day… his hand was gone."

Their warnings only seemed to amuse Queenie even more.

"Well? Did you hear them?" she sneered. "Get down on your knees right now. Put the ring on my finger respectfully, then crawl out of here. Otherwise…"

Her eyes turned cold.

"You'll end up just like the man who dirtied my dress."