Chapter 1
After spending three years as Frederick Harrington's backup plan, I eventually found myself drawn to his younger brother, Daniel Harrington.
Daniel was too weak from the love potion to resist me.
After sex, he asked me through gritted teeth, "Isn't Frederick the one you admire? Why did you do this to me?"
Honestly, it was not my fault. If Frederick had ever wanted me, I would never have considered such a deceptive move.
Whenever Frederick's name came up, it fueled my frustration.
While the potion still affected Daniel, I used that to manipulate him into visiting my room every night.
"You wouldn't want your brother to discover this, would you?" I warned.
It was only after I found out I was pregnant that I decided to cut him out of my life.
While shopping for baby items with Frederick, Daniel suddenly seized me and pulled me into a storage room.
With one hand, he gently caressed my belly, while the other held me firmly in place, his eyes deep and tinged with red.
"You're carrying my baby and planning to marry my brother? Rebecca, you really are something else," he said.
*****
"Whoever gets pregnant first can marry into the Harrington family, and if you have a son, you'll receive 20% of Harrington Group's shares," Helen Harrington announced, slamming a contract on the table.
I was seated with seven other girls across from her.
As the contract became official, signed and sealed, I found myself tempted.
Frederick had been my childhood sweetheart before my family went bankrupt.
Our families had a marriage alliance, but after my family's downfall and Helen's objections, the engagement was called off.
Rumor had it that Frederick had never moved on from me. Even at twenty-eight, he hadn't courted anyone else.
Helen was becoming desperate.
After all, her husband, Dutton Harrington, had quite the reputation in his youth, and there were a few illegitimate children out there because of him.
If she couldn't have a proper grandson soon, the Harrington family's heir might not be one of those illegitimate children.
That was why Helen was so eager that she even considered me for the role of producing an heir.
She knew her son had eyes for only one girl. It was me, the girl he grew up with.
Yet, Helen despised me. I was the last person she wanted in her family.
My family was deep in debt, and Helen and I had never gotten along since I was young.
When I was still a child, Helen came over to my mom's house daily, crying over Dutton's mistresses.
I meant well when I told her not to waste her tears on a man unworthy of them, but what actually came out was, "Stop crying. It's useless."
She completely bought into that saying about the way to a man's heart was through his stomach, so she threw herself into cooking, despite never having done any household chores before.
Back then, she was nice to me and even sought my opinion.
I told her, "Your piano playing drives people crazy, and your cooking could kill someone."
She burst into tears again.
My mom grabbed her shoe and spanked me, insisting I apologize.
Trying to make amends, the six-year-old me went online and searched for "How to make a woman happy?"
I ended up spending too much on a so-called "love potion" from an internet stranger and mixed it into Dutton's meal.
But when I checked on Helen the next day, she was far from happy. Instead, she was holding a knife, looking ready to cut her wrist.
Suddenly, she turned and caught me watching from the window secretly. "You did this, didn't you?" she snapped, her eyes bulging with rage.
Terrified, I lost my balance and fell out of the second-floor window.
That landed me in the hospital.
Later, I heard she was pregnant.
Afterward, the Harrington family fortified their estate with security spikes.
Soon after, I followed Frederick through the front gate to see his baby brother.
I poked at the baby's little willy and asked Frederick, "Do only boys have this?
"If he doesn't have one, then he'll be a girl, right?
"I want a sister. Do you want one, too?"
Helen rushed over, shrieking, and swatted the scissors right out of my hand.
After that, my mom prohibited me from ever going to the Harrington residence again. Even attempts to sneak over the wall or follow Frederick didn't work.
But I was desperate to see how the baby grew up. It drove me crazy not to know.
So, I persuaded Frederick to carry his little brother to school so we could play together.
That day, police sirens blared all over the city.
After that, the Harrington family moved away, and I never saw Frederick or his little brother again.
*****
After college, I ran into Frederick, who had just returned from overseas.
We were grabbing a quick bite when our mothers happened to spot us.
My mom grinned and remarked, "Looks like these two really hit it off. They didn't even need us to play matchmaker. So, when are they two getting engaged?"
Helen jumped as though she'd seen a ghost, started sweating, and waved her hands frantically. "No, Frederick's a total slacker. He's not good enough for Becca."
My mom caught on immediately. She never pushed me about marriage, but she loved teasing her best friend.
She said, "Danny's a good option, too. He's tall, good-looking, and top of his class. He's eighteen now, right? After Christmas, he'll be marriage material. You've got two sons, I've got one daughter. Take your pick. Either way, we'll be in-laws."
Helen bolted out of there while my mom doubled over with laughter.
Frederick and I stared at each other, completely confused.
The only thing that stuck with me was Daniel, the baby from my childhood.
Honestly, I kind of missed him.
It wasn't long before I saw him again, right after my family went bankrupt.
Helen gave my mom a generous sum of money. But when my mom suggested I repay her by marrying me to her son, Helen panicked and sent even more money to avoid the whole marriage proposition.
The eighteen-year-old Daniel had just finished the SAT, still a young and naive student.
Frederick had asked him to comfort me.
That was the first time I saw Daniel all grown up.
The second time I saw Daniel, however, was to get myself pregnant.