Chapter 2

I collapsed onto the bed covered in rose petals, my body soaked in cold sweat.

Less than ten hours remained until our wedding of the century tomorrow.

No wonder for the past six months, Ethan had been forcibly interfering with my work under the pretext of letting me focus on wedding preparations.

First, he'd transferred my most capable assistant away from headquarters under the excuse of expanding company operations.

Then he'd sent my protective grandfather to a fully enclosed private hospital under the guise of convalescence.

They wanted to completely take over my shares in Winchester Corporation!

Face pale, I fumbled for my phone, wanting to call the police, wanting to contact my personal lawyer.

But the upper left corner of the screen clearly displayed "No Service."

The entire mansion's signal had been blocked.

I staggered toward the door and yanked the handle, only to discover it had been locked from the outside.

Just then, steady, familiar footsteps echoed in the hallway.

Ethan wore the loungewear I'd personally selected for him, carrying a glass of milk, his eyes tender.

"Lily, why aren't you asleep yet?"

He approached, habitually moving to kiss my forehead.

"Being a bride tomorrow will be exhausting. Drink your milk and get some rest."

If this had been ten minutes ago, I would have drowned in his devotion and willingly drunk that glass of milk.

But now, I only felt violently nauseated.

I knocked the glass from his hand, grabbed a shard of broken glass and pressed it against my carotid artery, staring him down.

"Ethan, drop the act."

"I know what you put in there. Don't even think about taking Winchester shares from me!"

Ethan sighed helplessly, his tone still gentle.

"Lily, your persecution complex has been getting worse lately."

"Winchester would only destroy you. I'm taking over the company to protect our future together. Why can't you understand my good intentions?"

As he spoke, he opened his phone screen and turned it toward me.

Rain's hand was casually pinching my grandfather's oxygen tube.

"Ethan! Get her out of there!"

My eyes nearly split with rage. The glass shard instantly pierced my skin.

Seeing my blood, Ethan frowned, his tone displeased.

"Rain is just visiting my grandfather. Why hurt yourself? It makes me worry."

He raised his hand slightly, and the bodyguard outside immediately handed him another glass of milk.

"But my grandfather's heart and lungs are so fragile. If the machines malfunction in the middle of the night, I wonder how many minutes he could survive?"

I looked at my grandfather's weakly rising chest in the video, trembling as I released the glass and drank that cup of milk.

The drug took effect extremely fast. Accompanied by intense muscle weakness, I sank into darkness.

When I opened my eyes again, I'd been changed into an elaborate French wedding gown.

My brain was abnormally clear, but my throat couldn't produce a single sound.

My limbs were completely immobile, held down by two bodyguards as they slowly wheeled me into the hotel ballroom.

Ethan knelt before me, leaning close to whisper in my ear with a low laugh.

"Lily, are you happy? Our wedding is about to begin."