Chapter 1

Note: The inner thoughts of people other than the protagonist are expressed in [] marks.

*****

The wedding was in full swing when my twin sister, Emily Jameson, snatched my bridal bouquet out of the air.

Her face beaming with excitement, she took to the stage to offer warm wishes for my happiness with my fiancé, Andrew Cooper.

However, in that very moment, I tuned into her unspoken words.

[If I weren't too frail to have kids, Drew would've never tied the knot with this woman!]

I swiveled my head towards Andrew and found him looking at Emily with a soft, loving gaze.

And then, his silent thought pierced through my mind.

[Once Natalie has my baby, I'll divorce her and marry Emie.]

So, that was it. This wedding was off! I decided right then and there to call the whole thing quits.

*****

I kept my eyes on Emily as she finished her speech and sat back down.

We might be twins, but we couldn't be more different—looks, personality, everything.

Maybe it was because she was always so frail, but ever since we were kids, she had all our parents' love and attention.

Right now, Emily was gazing at Andrew with obvious affection.

Their eyes met in midair, and in Andrew—who always kept his emotions hidden—I caught a glimpse of undeniable love.

But when he turned to me, his eyes suddenly went cold.

He said, clearly annoyed, "What are you stalling for? We're down to the last step. Let's just get this over with."

He picked up a wine glass and thrust it at me, stiff and unfeeling.

Without thinking, I jerked my hand away.

In an instant, everyone in the room was staring right at me.

As I saw the irritation written all over Andrew's face, his thoughts echoed in my mind again.

[I already agreed to marry her. What's she trying to pull now?]

After everything I had done for him all these years, he just saw it as me making a fuss for no reason.

I let out a cold laugh, ripped the wedding ring off my finger, and slammed it onto the floor.

"I'm not marrying you!" I shouted.

As soon as I said it, the whole wedding hall exploded into chaos.

"Natalie, what are you doing?" Andrew was the first to recover.

His brows knitted, lips tight, and he shot me a stern look.

Whenever he wore that look, it meant he was about to blow up.

Back in the day, I would've panicked and rushed to apologize.

But now, after hearing his true thoughts, I finally saw it for what it was—all those years I poured my heart into him were just a pathetic lie I told myself.

"Did you not hear me? Let me say it one more time—I'm not marrying you!"

Whispers rippled through the crowd.

After all, everyone knew I was hopelessly in love with Andrew.

And Andrew? He looked like he couldn't believe I'd actually turn down this dream opportunity to marry him.

"Natalie, you'd better think twice. If you don't marry me today, we're breaking up!" he yelled.

I scoffed, yanked the veil off my head, and said, not backing down, "Break up? Sure. Andrew, you're just not worth it to me anymore!"

The moment I wrapped up my words, my mother, Fiona Jameson, shot onto the stage.

A resounding "smack" echoed, and a searing pain flared across my cheek.

Fury contorted Fiona's features as she fixed me with a venomous glare. "Had enough of making a fool of yourself? Go on and apologize to Andrew this instant!"

Vincent Jameson, my dad, shuffled in her wake. The loathing in his eyes made it seem like I was some sworn enemy, not his flesh and blood.

"Mom, Dad, just hear me out..." I pleaded, but Emily cut me off mid-sentence.

She strolled forward, draping her arm around Fiona like a loving daughter.

"Mom, don't be so hard on Natalie. She didn't mean to make us look bad."

All through my life, she'd played this game. It seemed like she was sticking up for me, but every word just rubbed salt in the wound and cranked up my parents' anger.

Sure enough, Fiona's eyes blazed even hotter. "Natalie, you'd better apologize to Andrew right now! Or you can just pack your bags and get out of the Jameson family!"

I fought back the welling sadness, trying to get a word in.

But then, I caught a glimpse into Fiona's mind, [If I'd known she'd be such a pain, I should've snuffed her out when she was a kid.]

My eyes went wide as saucers.

I always thought Fiona favored Emily because she was sickly.

But I never in a million years thought she'd wish me dead.

I took a deep breath, tried to keep it together, and retorted, "I'm not apologizing!"

"Fine then, hit the road! You're not my daughter from now on!" Vincent thundered.

And then, his inner disgust spilled out, [Such a useless piece of trash. A real good-for-nothing.]

Emily stepped in, feigning concern as she reached for me. "Natalie, stop being so stubborn. Mom and Dad are just looking out for you."

But I could hear her inner cackle, [You should've been gone ages ago. I'm the real princess of the Jameson family. You're just born to be beneath me!]

As I looked at Emily's smug face, my heart felt like it was being ripped apart.

The people I loved the most treated me like dirt, and my own family wished me gone.

If everyone hated me this much, then there was nothing left for me here.

"Alright, let's split the family. I'm getting my share of Jameson Group!"

Vincent nearly blew a gasket. "You want a piece of Jameson Group? Are you nuts? I'm the chairman! What makes you think you're entitled?"

I answered, slowly and steadily, every word ringing out, "Because I joined the company right after graduation. Because I turned Jameson Group from a no-name startup into a publicly traded company. And because I hold 35% of the shares myself!"

Vincent's jaw dropped. "How the hell did you get 35% of the shares?"

Even he only had 30%.

I gave a sarcastic smirk.