Chapter 1

Three years into their marriage, Edward Sterling's brother, Charles Sterling, passed away unexpectedly. Vivian Hartley, who had once been Edward's first love and was now his brother's wife, came back to the country devastated.

Ignoring Jane Sinclair's protests, Edward brought Vivian home himself.

"Come on, Jane. Now that Charles is gone, it's up to me to take care of Vivian," Edward said.

He put Vivian on a pedestal.

He gave her free access to the study—a room Jane had never once set foot in.

He even pulled up all the roses he'd planted in the yard for Jane, just because Vivian complained they smelled bad.

And in the gloomy bar, Edward was so captivated that he kissed Vivian right on the lips.

Jane felt completely let down. She took the offer from a famous research institute overseas, resigned, and left the country.

But Edward, the icy and high-and-mighty CEO of Sterling Group, rented every billboard nationwide, weeping his heart out and pleading for her to come back.

*****

"Jane, relax. You're the main researcher on this project, so this tech invention award is practically in the bag for you," Jane's assistant reassured her.

Jane flashed her assistant a small smile, took a deep breath, and was about to stand up.

But then, as the host began to speak, Jane's heart plunged into a deep freeze.

"The winner of this year's technology invention award is—let's give it up for Ms. Vivian Hartley!"

Jane stared in disbelief toward the backstage area.

Under the spotlight, Vivian was striding gracefully onto the stage in a white suit.

And behind her, standing just out of the light, was the figure who'd given her an encouraging push moments ago. Jane recognized him immediately. It was her husband, Edward.

Jane slumped back into her seat, her face burning with embarrassment, overhearing her teammates whispering in disbelief.

"What the heck? Didn't Vivian only hop on board last week?"

"Yeah, and she's just listed as a participant. I've never seen her once here—not in the lab, not anywhere."

"Why isn't it Jane, though? She single-handedly managed the whole thing from scratch. Jane poured three years of her life into this project."

Jane's complexion slowly drained of color, turning nearly translucent.

She didn't need anyone to tell her whose handiwork this was. It could only be Edward, the famous nobleman in the capital.

All because Vivian was his first love and now the widow of his brother.

Vivian and Edward had been childhood friends, but then her family suddenly fell on hard times. Edward's parents went ahead and forced her to marry Edward's older brother, Charles.

That totally blew up the relationship between the brothers. Edward didn't set foot in the Sterling manor ever again.

Then, just a month ago, Charles got into a car accident and died while talking to Edward on the phone. Vivian came back to the country, totally heartbroken.

Edward felt responsible for his widowed sister-in-law, so he moved her right into the home he shared with Jane, putting her up on a pedestal.

Jane couldn't stop him, but there was no way she would ever accept Edward rigging things behind her back and handing over the award she'd worked her heart out for like it was nothing.

She barely made it through the ceremony and finally caught up with Edward in the lounge, her voice shaking as she confronted him. "Why did you give my award away to her?"

Edward frowned, sounding utterly indifferent. "Does it really matter who gets it? Vivian's just a kid playing at something new. You don't have to get all worked up fighting her over this.

"When Charles died out of the blue, he sent me a message and told me to take care of Vivian. I owe it to her, plain and simple. Just chill, Jane. It's just an award."

"Just an award?" Jane's eyes rimmed with angry tears, years of pent-up fury finally bursting out. "Do you have any idea what I sacrificed for this project? That's three years of my blood, sweat, and tears, Edward.

"So you owe her—why does it have to come out of my award? Edward, that belongs to me!"

Her voice cracked on the last word, and before she knew it, tears were streaming down her cheeks.

Edward was caught off guard, not expecting Jane to react so intensely.

He hesitated for a moment, gave Jane a quick look, and then slowly took out a blue velvet jewelry box from his pocket, his tone softening.

He said, "Don't get worked up. If you really care about these awards, I could give you ten more just like it-"

Jane flung Edward's hand away.

The jewelry box snapped hard against the floor. A sparkling rose-shaped diamond bracelet spun out and rolled across the tiles.

"Edward, are you humiliating me, or are you belittling everything we do in research?" Jane spat.

Her eyes brimmed with heartbreak and disappointment.

No real scientist with dreams could stomach being handed an award like that—like it was just some cheap favor.

Edward's expression shifted, and just as he was about to step forward, a voice—choked with tears—called out from the side.

"Eddie, Jane, are you two fighting because of me?" Vivian said.

Vivian stood off to the side, clutching the award Jane had dreamed of, looking awkward and helpless, guilt and regret flooding her eyes.

Vivian shoved the trophy into Jane's arms in a rush, her tears falling nonstop as she blurted out apology after apology.

"I'm sorry, Jane. I never realized this award was supposed to be yours. Please, don't argue because of me," Vivian stammered through her sobs.

Edward's brow furrowed. He couldn't bear to see Vivian cry. He gently brushed her tears away, wrapped his arms around her, and murmured soothing words in her ear.

"Come on, Vivian, don't think too much. This award was meant for you from the start, and we're really not fighting, okay?" Edward said, trying to calm her.

"You're the one who put in all the work on this project, so of course you deserve the award. Nobody's better than you, Vivian," he added softly.

Vivian looked up with teary eyes, her voice trembling as she asked, "Really?"

"Absolutely. You're a total genius when it comes to this stuff," Edward reassured her softly.

Vivian had only joined the team for a month, and yet Edward was calling her a genius.

Jane found it seriously ridiculous.

The trophy in her arms felt like a block of ice—so cold and heavy that it dragged her spirit down with it.

All her years of work had turned into nothing but a trophy for petty rivalry between women.

Vivian might've been the first to apologize, but when Edward was involved, Jane was always the one left feeling like the loser.

Jane gave Edward one last look, dropped the trophy without a word, and turned on her heel to leave.

She felt that maybe it was time to reconsider her relationship with Edward.