Chapter 2

That evening, Damon Thorne, my fiancé by birth arrangement, came over.

The Sterling family and the Thorne family were old acquaintances.

But while the Sterlings were still flourishing, the Thornes had fallen on hard times.

Fortunately, my parents weren't completely snobbish; they hadn't broken off the engagement, even letting Damon serve as an independent director in the company.

He was refined and handsome, with an impeccably gentle smile.

"Rose, welcome home. When are we getting married?"

"I promise I'll make you the happiest woman!"

I crossed my arms, my gaze dissecting him like a specimen.

"Your delivery was as flat as a text-to-speech bot. You smoothed your cuffs twice before offering a hand, a classic attempt to over-polish your facade and hide the cracks underneath."

"Damon, in those few sentences, the only thing that wasn't a lie was the punctuation."

There was no point in circling the truth with someone like him.

"There's no need for people without an emotional foundation to force things. A forced relationship will never be sweet, and there's no happiness in compulsion."

I glanced at Chloe, who was openly eavesdropping.

"You're more familiar with Chloe. I won't take what's already yours; let her fulfill this engagement with you!"

Chloe's face instantly lit up with surprise, and she looked at Damon with anticipation.

Damon's expression shifted for a moment, but then he looked at me even more deeply, his tone resolute.

"Rose, you misunderstand! Everything I just said to you was from the bottom of my heart!"

"I've only ever felt fraternal affection for Chloe, never romantic love!"

"You're the one I fell in love with at first sight! We were betrothed at birth, it's destiny!"

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, even trying to grab my hand.

"To be honest, even before you came back, I often dreamed of a girl."

"Her features were exactly like yours! This must be fate's arrangement..."

I dodged his creepy hand, grabbing a cup of hot tea and splashing it on his face without hesitation.

"Shut up! Your cheesy lines made me want to puke my guts out!"

"Don't try your lame pick-up lines for gullible women on me. I'm not falling for it!"

Damon was drenched and disheveled, no longer daring to sweet-talk.

Chloe stared at me, her eyes practically spitting fire with jealousy and resentment.

But even with my attitude, Damon still insisted on marrying me.

This man was too persistent; there was definitely something shady going on behind the scenes.

Good thing I had a backup plan.

Why did I only fire Mr. Davies and not call the police?

It wasn't because I was soft-hearted, but because I wanted to use him.

Even though he was gone, he still had a few loyal people in the Sterling house.

So, I had Mr. Davies send someone to secretly install pinhole cameras and listening devices in Chloe's room.

It was time to turn the tables.

Sure enough, that night, a sneaking Damon slipped into Chloe's room.

They fell into bed together without hesitation, the mattress groaning violently.

After their illicit rendezvous, the two schemers began to plot.

"Damon, don't you love me anymore? Why are you so set on marrying that monster?"

"Of course I love you." Damon chuckled.

"But Rose Sterling is the rightful heir to the Sterling family. I have to marry her first to get a firm grip on the Sterling assets!"

"Once I get my hands on everything, I'll dump her instantly! Then all of the Sterling family's wealth, and you, will be mine!"

"Chloe, you wouldn't miss her, would you? And after Rose, I'll take care of your adoptive parents too!"

"Eliminate them completely, leave no loose ends!"

Chloe snuggled into his arms, her voice laced with venom and greed.

"Of course not!"

"I hate those old fools!"

"All of this should have been mine! Who is Rose to come back and steal it?"

"Those two old farts shouldn't have recognized her! I hate everyone in the Sterling family!"

I listened to their plan, a cold smirk playing on my lips.

Playing mind games with a lie detector?

I'd play along until the very end!