Chapter 1
When I was five, I acted bravely and rescued Nolan, the Beckett family's illegitimate kid.
When I was eighteen, my dad went bankrupt and had to beg the Beckett family for help.
The Beckett family said the only way they'd help was if someone from our family married into theirs.
I wanted to marry off my brother.
My brother wanted to marry off my dad.
But in the end, everyone agreed that I should be the one to marry into the Beckett family.
Okay, fine.
Well, with his broad back, narrow waist, and those killer pecs, I guessed I could live with it.
*****
"Illegitimate kid! Get out of here!" a kid yelled.
"You're just some stray dragged in from outside. Don't you even know your own place?" another sneered.
"Ha! As if you could ever walk through the Beckett family's front door!" a third scoffed.
Several eight or nine-year-old boys were shoving a little boy around.
He was wearing a faded school uniform, his back straight and shoulders squared.
He looked totally expressionless, like nothing could faze him.
But he was ridiculously handsome.
I couldn't watch this. They were picking on someone right in front of me.
There was no way I could stand here and let this happen.
It was my hero time!
At five years old, I charged in like a little cannonball, gripping the toy knife my brother had bought me.
I shot those bowl-cut brats a fierce glare.
They were all neighbors from the gated community.
Toby Cooper was at the front, shouting, "Felicia, stay out of this! Let me deal with this brat."
"Felicia, step aside. Wouldn't want you getting hurt. You're one of us, after all," another chimed in.
I snorted and glared at them, chin held high.
"Get lost!" I shot back. "Since when am I one of you?
"This kid's under my protection today. Anyone who crosses him will have to answer to me.
"But right now, you brats better get lost. If anyone lays a finger on him, I'll beat you up myself!"
Miles Beckett, the ringleader, got flustered.
"Felicia, we go way back! Why are you sticking up for him?" he protested.
"Because I feel like it! Mind your own business!" I shot back.
My name was Felicia Desmond.
And I was five years old.
I was the little tyrant of the hilltop villa district.
Even the neighborhood dogs wagged their tails when I walked by.
But before I could even finish showing off, someone grabbed me by the back of my neck and lifted me right up.
"Felicia Desmond!"
A voice, through clenched teeth, thundered from above. I flailed my legs desperately in midair.
I grabbed the hand at the back of my neck, the culprit behind all this, and fumed.
"Lawrence!" I yelled. "If you've got the guts, put me down!
"Let's go one-on-one!"
Lawrence Desmond, my brother, let out a cold laugh. "You think I'm an idiot?
"If I put you down, you'll just go snitch to Mom and Dad again."
I was fuming.
"Lawrence, you're not playing fair!" I shouted.
He hoisted me up like I was nothing more than a trash bag.
"Please, why would I bother with fairness for a snot-nosed kid like you?" Lawrence sneered.
His voice was lazy and taunting as he half-carried me toward our house.
I was so desperate, I started flailing in midair like I was doing backstroke, freestyle, heck, even naked swimming, anything to break free.
I kept wriggling and thrashing, twisting every which way.
"Wait! Wait!" I called out.
Then, I tugged on Lawrence's shirt, pointing at that handsome boy who looked dull and vacant.
"He looks so miserable. How about we take him home and keep him?" I suggested.
Lawrence let out a cold laugh. "Felicia, up to your old tricks again, huh?
"Whenever you spot a cute face, you try to bring them home.
"If I didn't keep you in check, we'd be running an orphanage by now."
In the end, Lawrence finally gave in to my relentless pestering and reluctantly brought Nolan Beckett back to our place first.
Not long after, Magnus Beckett from next door came over to apologize.
"Sorry about that," he said. "Miles was upset and ended up picking on Nolan. The poor kid got treated unfairly.
"But..."
He paused, settled onto the couch, and glanced at my folks.
He continued, "Nolan showed up so suddenly, and with his mom just gone, I'm swamped and can't really deal with it right now. Is it okay if he crashes at your place for a few days?
"Once I've got a place sorted tomorrow, I'll pick him up right away."
Nolan kept his head down, so I couldn't make out his expression.
He looked so lonely and pitiful, I couldn't help but feel bad for him.
He hadn't said a single word since he got here.
Not caring what the grown-ups were discussing, I snuck over, grabbed his wrist, and pulled him outside.
Then, I said, "Hey, is it true your mom died?
"Don't be sad! Come on, I'll take you to get something yummy."
I hauled out a whole box of junk food from my secret stash.
After a moment's thought, I felt something was missing.
So I snuck into my dad's wine cellar, nabbed an unopened bottle of red wine, and plopped it right in front of Nolan.
"One drink to forget all your troubles!" I announced, trying to sound all grown-up.