Chapter 2

Without hesitation, I dialed my dad, Logan Carter.

"Dad, just be straight with me—do you have a secret daughter out there?" I blurted out.

Logan let out a dramatic wail on the other end.

Then I heard my mom yanking his ear and grilling him.

"Oh, you old devil! So you don't love me anymore, huh? Tell me—who's your secret lover?" she demanded.

"Honey, I wouldn't dare!" Logan protested.

Who would've thought the mighty head of the Carter family was so freaked out that he was about to weep? "Aurora, don't accuse me of that! I swear, you're my only precious daughter. Tomorrow night is your engagement party with Lucas—where have you two been all this time?"

Judging by his tone, he really wasn't faking it.

After I hung up, I texted Logan and told him to find out who this Emily really was.

I still had no idea how she got her hands on my Hermès bag, but a knockoff would never fool anyone.

I couldn't wait to see how long this wannabe could keep pretending to be me.

"Emily, with all these people filming, if a video of you—the Carter heiress—bullying an ordinary student goes viral, Carter Enterprises' stock will tank tomorrow. Can you handle that fallout?" I shot back.

Emily's eyes narrowed, and she snapped, "You dare to threaten me? Well, let me tell you, Lucas has sent his personal bodyguards to me. Do you know what that means? I'm his recognized fiancée and the love of his life!"

"Emily, are you sure about that?" I retorted.

But I wasn't buying it. Because when it came to the Falcon Security Team, only Lucas and I had the authority to command them—no one else.

But in the next second, a squad from the Falcon Security Team showed up, all wearing the Grant family's uniforms with the falcon emblem. They went around and wiped every video clean from everyone's phone.

Then, standing at attention, they all called out in unison to Emily, "Ms. Carter!"

My heart dropped, and I shot Lucas a look.

He shook his head at me, looking all wronged. "Babe, this has nothing to do with me."

But what was going on? Why could she also command the Falcon Security Team?

Emily crossed her arms, tilted her chin up all smug, and gave the leash around Lucas' neck a hard tug. "You know what? I've changed my mind.

"I want you to be my slave—serving me every night, just for my entertainment."

She ordered the Falcon Security Team to tie me up and pin Lucas down, then grabbed a blazing hot coal from the barbecue stand and smirked with malicious excitement as she moved closer to him.

"Strip his pants off. I'm going to burn my special mark on his penis."

Lucas' face turned stormy, his chilling presence making the Falcon Security Team instinctively recoil.

"You'd better finish me off today, or I swear, you'll wish you'd never been born," he growled.

Emily shrank back at Lucas' icy glare, her face flushed with fury and embarrassment as she snapped at the Falcon Security Team.

"What are you so scared of? If anything happens, I'll take the blame! Did you forget Mr. Grant's orders?"

Seeing Lucas in such a perilous situation, I struggled desperately and shouted, "Are you guys in the Falcon Security Team crazy? Do you know that the man in front of you is the heir of the Grant family? If you dare to do this to him, the Grant family will tear you to pieces!"

Emily slapped me hard across the face.

The blow made my ears ring.

Pointing at me, she shouted furiously, spitting as she spoke, "Still lying? Who'd buy that crap! If he's Mr. Grant, then I'm the Queen of Fairyland! Keep spouting rubbish, and I'll have them shut your mouth for good!"

My nose bled, and my cheek stung unbearably.

Since I was born, I'd been doted on, and no one had ever dared to treat me like this.

When I was seven, I'd fallen off a horse while learning to ride, and my wrist was just slightly fractured.

The next day after Logan heard about it, the million-dollar thoroughbred horse disappeared from the ranch.

Lucas' veins popped out on the back of his hands, and his eyes were bloodshot.

"Falcon's iron rule: loyalty to your master comes before any command.

"Touch her today, and one day I'll carve the mark of betrayal right onto your eyes!" he snarled.

The Falcon Security Team looked like they'd just been struck by lightning, their faces going ghostly pale.

"This is a private punishment exclusive to the Grant family for traitors. Outsiders couldn't possibly know about it. Could he really be Mr. Grant?"