Chapter 1

I was married to Archer for five years, and he gave me everything I asked for.

After returning home from abroad, my best friend Lainey stayed at my place. She thought I had not only married into wealth, but also found the perfect husband.

Driven by jealousy, Lainey dug through the trash and found a used condom from Archer and me.

She even managed to get pregnant using it.

On Judy's sixtieth birthday, Lainey stood up in front of all the guests and pulled out a doctor's note confirming her pregnancy.

She announced, "I'm sorry, everyone, but I'm pregnant with Archer's baby."

Archer, who had gone years without a child, faltered. He stepped in to defend Lainey.

He said to me, "Honey, you've always had trouble conceiving. Why don't we wait until the baby is born, and then decide?"

I nodded. But as I turned away, I pulled out a gun and shot Lainey in the head.

Did she really think she could provoke the heir of one of the four most powerful families and walk away with it?

The gunshot rang out with a deafening bang.

The guests all ducked under the tables, clutching their heads in terror.

At the last second, the bullet veered off a bit, leaving a gaping hole in Lainey's chest. She went stiff and toppled backward.

Her eyes, once so bright and clear, flew wide open. Then the light faded from them as her gaze went blank.

All she could do was gaze weakly at the hem of my dress.

"Eloise, you..." Judy shot to her feet, eyes wide with shock.

"Shut up," I snapped. I blew the smoke from the barrel, then pressed the gun butt against Judy's shoulder, making her sit down again.

The guests were freaking out.

What was supposed to be a birthday party had turned into a murder scene.

These were all the Francis family's uptight, rule-following distant relatives. They'd never witnessed anything so gruesome.

Especially Archer's exes, who'd shown up to see me embarrassed.

Instead of the drama they wanted, blood splattered all over their white dresses.

They screamed and huddled together, terrified they'd be next on my hit list.

Archer, clutching Lainey's corpse, looked up at me, teeth gritted as he demanded, "Eloise, have you lost your mind? She was your best friend.

"You were the one who agreed to let her crash at our place."

My gaze landed on his tense, vein-popping face. I replied calmly, "So, did I sign off on her getting pregnant with your baby too?"

Archer was furious, his eyes bloodshot as he snapped, "She fished a used condom out of the trash and got herself pregnant with it. It's not like I cheated on you."

I slapped Archer right across the face, no hesitation.

John handed me a fact sheet, all respectful.

I shoved the sheet in Archer's face. "Look closely. The condoms I bought for you have spermicide in them.

"After using these, the sperm only survives for thirty seconds outside the body.

"So you're telling me she rushed into our bedroom, dug through the trash for a condom, and injected it into herself. All within thirty seconds?"

The crowd let out a collective gasp. Anyone smart knew that was impossible.

Archer and Lainey. They were blatant cheating.

Archer was devastated, his eyes full of hate as he glared at me. "So what? Cheating doesn't mean you deserve to die. Is a life really that cheap to you?

"Or is it 'cause you're the Parker family heir, you think you can get away with anything?"

As he said this, his gaze drifted to my uncle, Harley, standing behind me.

Harley stepped forward. "Eloise, this was really extreme... You went way over the top," he said.

I grabbed a cup from the table and hurled it onto the floor.

Porcelain shards flew everywhere, slashing Archer's forehead. Hot blood streamed down, covering half of one eye.

He didn't even blink, and stared at me, waiting for an answer.

John quickly killed the lights and got the curtains drawn tight.

The room plunged into darkness, and the big screen flickered a few times before the footage started playing.

On screen, Lainey took the glass of milk the maid had brought for me. "I'll take it to her," she said.

But instead, she ducked into the stairwell. She fished a packet of white powder out of her pocket and dumped it into the milk.

She muttered under her breath, "A useless woman who can't even have kids still thinks she can cling to the title of Mrs. Francis?

"Archer said, as long as I get pregnant, I'll be the real lady of this house. Why doesn't she disappear already?"

Lainey's voice echoed through the room, hitting everyone like a slap. Archer's face slowly drained of all color.

I settled in comfortably, propping my chin on my hand, watching him with obvious interest. "So, tell me. Between us, who's really above the rules?"