Chapter 1

I loved the three Hunt brothers for ten long years.

I thought giving them everything would make them cherish me.

It didn't.

I gave them my heart. I worked for them for free for ten years. But they took the glory that should have been mine. They took my wedding dress. They gave it all to Serena. That fake little snake.

The most ridiculous part?

When the earthquake hit, I was the one who risked my life to save them.

And they still chose the fraud who stole my identity. They pushed me into the frozen lake.

The moment the water closed over my head, my heart died.

After they pulled me out, I called their uncle.

"Can we move up our wedding?"

Elara's POV

"The winner of this year's Most Influential Internet Personality Award is..."

The spotlight swept across the vast ceiling. The entire audience held its breath, waiting.

I sat in the front row, took a deep breath, and lifted my dress. As a lifestyle blogger with thirty million followers, I had to win this award.

And tonight's gala was hosted by Hunt Corporation. The three Hunt brothers, Cole, Nathan, and Ethan, weren't just the presenters. They were the men I'd grown up with. The men I was supposed to marry one day.

I planned to officially announce my choice of husband in tonight's acceptance speech.

"Serena Shaw! Let's congratulate Serena!"

The host's voice rang out, brimming with excitement. My hand stopped on my dress.

The spotlight swung past me and hit a woman in the back row. White dress. Fake surprise plastered on her face.

Serena Shaw. She'd been active for less than six months. Her entire career was built on copying me. She was also the Hunt family maid's daughter.

The room was stunned. My followers erupted.

"What's going on? Elara's award was stolen?"

"How does Serena even qualify? She clearly cheated!"

But what really made my blood boil were the three men coming down from the stage.

Cole Hunt, wearing an expensive suit, extended his hand to Serena. Nathan Hunt carefully smoothed her dress. And Ethan Hunt, the superstar, casually put his arm around her shoulders and led her toward the stage.

The three of them didn't even glance at me.

I sat there in the front row, awkward and furious, like a complete fool.

After the awards ceremony ended, I returned to the backstage lounge.

I pushed open the door to see the three brothers celebrating with Serena. I asked them, hurt and confused. "Why? My fan vote count was clearly far higher than everyone else's."

Cole frowned with impatience. "Elara, you already have thirty million followers. Do you really care about one trophy? Serena's just starting out. She needs this award to support her career more than you do."

"Exactly," Ethan laughed, playing with his lighter. "Can you stop being so greedy? Don't you know how long Serena prepared for this gala?"

Nathan said coldly, "As compensation, I can give you ads for next quarter. Stop making a scene. You're acting like a clown."

I looked at these three familiar faces, my heart clenched by an invisible hand, the pain suffocating.

These were the three men I'd loved for so many years.

For Cole's media company, I'd worked for free as a tool to boost engagement for all his accounts. For Nathan's investment business, I personally helped him sell products. For Ethan's acting career, I promoted his work on my account every single day.

But now, they were viciously putting me down just to make Serena happy.

"I understand." I didn't lose control. I just answered very calmly.

I turned and walked out of the lounge. The cold wind outside hit my face, and my mind had never been clearer.

I'd planned to marry one of the three. But now I had a better idea.

Half an hour later, I stood shivering in my grandparents' living room.

"I've decided. The person I want to marry is Damon Hunt."

Grandma was so shocked she nearly dropped her cup. "Are you crazy, Elara? Damon is Cole's uncle! He's six years older than you, cold, and impossible to get along with..."

"I'm not crazy." I clutched my clothes, nails digging into my palms. "Those three don't love me, and I'm done hurting myself. Please, Grandma. Ask Damon if he'll marry me."

Grandma saw the pain in my eyes and let out a long sigh. She dialed Damon Hunt's number.

The moment the call connected, I was incredibly nervous.

"Hello." Damon Hunt's voice was deep and pleasant.

Grandma briefly explained the situation. The silence on the other end was suffocating.

Every second of pause was torture for me. My mind went blank. I'd even prepared myself for a ruthless rejection.

After a long time, Damon Hunt on the other end laughed softly, his tone lazy and unreadable.

"Sure. Tell Elara I'm willing to marry her."

The weight on my heart finally lifted. Tears streamed down my face. I squeezed my eyes shut.