Chapter 1
Charlotte Rivers was the most pampered heiress in Harbor City, and the entire Royal District was hers to command.
While everyone was busy guessing who she'd choose as her husband, she stunned them all by buying her way into the Foster Family, marrying James Foster, the eldest son in Northbridge, for 10 billion dollars, just as news broke that his fiancée had ditched him.
After helping the Foster Family get through the public spectacle, she returned to the bridal suite that never truly felt like hers.
Online, the internet was flooded with glowing reports praising her for being elegant and dignified.
But James was holding a photo of his girlfriend crying at the airport, accusing her of teaming up with the elders and resorting to unscrupulous methods.
"You forced Vivian out by any means necessary, so now you have to face the consequences," he said coldly.
On their wedding night, James set three rules for Charlotte:
1. No public appearances, no wedding ceremony.
2. They could only sleep together when she was ovulating, and only in a hotel.
3. She was never allowed to get close to him, and every time they were intimate, she had to wear a mask.
Charlotte acquiesced in the first two rules, but when it came to the third, she pushed back.
*****
One night, James came home drunk and pulled Charlotte into his arms, his voice gentle as he tried to soothe her.
"Let's have a child," he whispered. "That way, no one in the Foster Family will ever dare call you an outsider or say you don't belong here."
For the first time, Charlotte saw just how much weight he was carrying. She hesitated, but reluctantly went along with his request.
For three years, she stuck to the rules without fail, caring for James in every possible way, always attentive to his needs.
Slowly but surely, her persistence wore down the stone-hard walls around James's heart.
On days when she wasn't ovulating, he took her hand and brought her back to their bridal suite, locking away that room meant only for their intimacy, making their home feel truly theirs.
He stopped treating their intimacy as a mere transaction. He finally let himself be truly close to her, skin to skin.
He held her close, his voice gentle as he promised, "On our third anniversary, I'll give you the grandest wedding you've ever dreamed of. From now on, let's just live happily together."
That night, Charlotte completely surrendered to him, lost in his arms and unable to resist.
Things between them changed overnight. Their relationship heated up fast.
She started daydreaming about their third anniversary wedding, imagining a future where they'd have a child and live happily as a family of three.
Back when she moved that 10-billion-dollar fund, her brother, the CEO of Rivers & Partners, laid down strict conditions for her.
If she couldn't make James fall in love with her within three years, all the perks the Foster Family got thanks to her would be taken away, and she'd be forced into an arranged marriage back in Harbor City.
She chose love over her family, cutting herself off for his sake.
The Rivers Family spread the word in their social circles that they were disowning her.
Back then, she was so full of herself. Even without the Rivers Family name, she was convinced she'd still have everyone wrapped around her finger.
Turns out, all those years of sticking it out really paid off.
One day, on a whim, Charlotte went to the hotel to see it one last time, only to spot James, the man who claimed he was at the office, walking right in.
She followed him, watching as he and a few of his buddies pushed open the door to the room they said they'd keep locked away.
Just as she was about to push the door open, she overheard voices from inside.
"James, did you know Vivian's coming back tonight?" one of his friends asked.
Charlotte's hand froze on the doorknob. Through the crack, she saw James's face, tense and unreadable. "Yeah," he replied.
He opened the drawer where the mask was kept, and for once, a rare softness flickered in his usually cold eyes.
Under her confused gaze, he leaned down and kissed the mask.
"Get rid of everything in here," he said.
He tossed the mask to his friend.
At that moment, Charlotte finally saw the mask clearly.
It was a perfect copy of Vivian's face.
His friend scoffed. "Man, that's harsh. She's the Rivers Family heiress from Harbor City. Guys are lining up to marry her. And come on, she's a total knockout, both face and figure. Do you really have to go this far?"
"You messed around with Vivian so much you can barely have kids now, and you still got her trying to have your kid? She really cares about you. She's always getting shots and taking meds for you. Don't you feel bad for her at all?"
Charlotte's heart was in her throat.