Chapter 1

On the day I was supposed to marry Serena Sterling, her adopted brother threatened to jump from a building, claiming he'd take his own life.

Serena, still in her wedding gown, abandoned me at the altar, rushing to his side.

Faced with the mocking stares of a ballroom full of guests, I made a public marriage proposal, "Whoever walks up here right now, I'll marry them!"

Three years later, Serena returned to the Sterling family, her adopted brother Blake by her side.

I was sitting comfortably on a leather armchair, holding our child, sipping coffee, and watching the news.

Serena stared at the baby in my arms, her teeth gritted. "Who is this bastard child?"

I took a slow sip of my coffee, a cool smile playing on my lips. "Why, he's the Sterling family's rightful heir, of course."

Blake Sterling stared at me, his face a mask of shock. "Alex, even if Serena ditched you at the altar back then, she still let you keep the title of husband, allowing you to enjoy wealth in the Sterling family. How can you be so shameless, bringing an illegitimate child into this house?"

My gaze swept over him. "Blake, you're an adopted member of the Sterling family, yet you openly pursue your own sister. If we're talking about shamelessness, who could possibly outdo you two?"

Blake immediately whined, looking at Serena. "Serena, we've been careful to keep a low profile these past three years. But he has a child that's already this old! This is a clear betrayal of you!"

At the word "betrayal," Serena furiously raised her hand and slapped me across the face.

"You scum! You bring a bastard into this house and then dare to slander Blake and me? Get out of the Sterling family!"

A sharp sting. I was stunned for a second.

Three years ago, Serena left with Blake, abandoning me alone at the wedding to face everyone's ridicule.

In a fit of rage, I publicly announced I'd marry anyone who stepped forward. It was Victoria, Serena's aunt, who walked onto the stage and completed the ceremony with me.

Victoria was a powerhouse in the business world. Since marrying her, everyone treated me with profound respect.

After we adopted the baby, Victoria treated him as her own, prioritizing us both above all else.

Today, Serena dared to lay a hand on me. If Victoria found out, she would never let it go easily.

To prevent things from getting worse, and for the baby's sake.

I said coldly, "If you two leave now, I can pretend none of this happened."

But they didn't appreciate it at all. Instead, Blake grabbed my collar.

"Serena, he's just feeling guilty! He wants to kick us out so he can use this child to seize control of the Sterling family's assets."

Serena spat, "Shameless! So this was your plan. I'll never let you get away with it."

I pulled free from Blake's grip, my face cold. "The moment you two abandoned the wedding, Grandpa Sterling disowned you from the family. The Sterling family has nothing to do with you anymore."

Blake scoffed lightly. "That was just Grandpa Sterling's anger talking. Serena is the Sterling family's only granddaughter; there's no way he'd actually disown her."

Serena's face also lit up with smugness. "Grandpa Sterling always said everything in the Sterling family would eventually be mine."

I shielded the baby, my voice cold. "But from now on, it won't be. The child beside me also carries Sterling blood."

I thought my words were clear enough.

But Serena glared at me, her eyes furious. "You bitch! So you are trying to pass off this bastard as a Sterling heir! Today, I'm going to make you regret this!"

Another, harder slap landed on my face. Shielding the baby, I stumbled and fell to the floor.

Looking at their twisted, menacing faces, hearing the baby's cries, my heart filled with terror. Fearing they would harm the baby, I quickly cried out, "This child isn't a bastard, he's—"