Chapter 1

I was delivering an insanely pricey takeout order in the middle of pouring rain. With a 30-dollar tip on top, I was feeling pretty damn pleased with myself.

But then, I accidentally overheard laughter drifting out from the mansion.

One voice snickered, "She really believes you were paralyzed in that car crash. She's been hustling deliveries every single day just to support you, even sold her mom's mementos to scrape together cash.

"If she ever finds out you're the heir to one of the wealthiest families and just pretending to be broke for fun, she'd totally lose her mind."

Edward Kingston fiddled with his wine glass, a lazy smirk on his face.

He sneered, "Cheap women like her are just born to serve. That's all they're good for.

"Back in school, she was always overshadowing Sophie, so fooling her like this is exactly what she deserves."

I stood there in the pouring rain, tears mixing with the storm, unable to stop them.

Edward had been faking being sick for two whole years just to help Sophie take revenge on me.

His broken legs, the story of his parents dying, every tear he ever shed—all of it was just part of his carefully planned lie.

I picked up the phone and called my dad—the billionaire I've been giving the cold shoulder for years. "Dad, I lost. I'll accept the arranged marriage."

I hung up the phone after talking with my dad, and Sophie Summers' voice rang out from the villa again.

"My darling Edward dotes on me, so of course, he put that little bitch in her place for me. I'm just thrilled," she said.

She tilted Edward's chin up with her slender fingers.

I saw my mother's ring on Sophie's ring finger.

Edward chuckled softly, gently nipping at her fingertip with his teeth. "So naughty," he teased.

I saw his legs, supposedly paralyzed, now stretched out with ease, crossed atop the coffee table like there was nothing wrong with them at all.

The heavy white cast that had tricked me for more than two years was almost blinding under the lights, impossible to ignore.

I grabbed the takeout box and knocked on the door.

All eyes in the room snapped toward me.

Suddenly, the lively living room went dead silent. I walked toward Edward, each step leaving a clear, wet footprint on the floor.

Edward's voice came out hoarse and uneasy, his gaze flickering in panic. "What are you doing here? I was just here to meet up with some classmates."

I paid him no mind, my eyes locked onto the ring on Sophie's finger. "The ring. Give it back."

Edward's smile stiffened, obviously not expecting me to be this icy.

He subconsciously wheeled himself closer, voice soft and shaky as he tried to calm me down. "Vivian, just listen to me—"

I cut him off, forcing out a twisted smile, "What do you want to say?

"You gonna tell me you did me a favor selling my ring to Sophie Summers for a fat price? Or is it that your paralyzed legs just magically started working today?"

Edward's face went ghostly pale. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

The silence got even tenser. The only sound was a scornful laugh from Sophie.

She rose gracefully, heels clicking as she strutted right up to me, raising her hand so the ring caught the light—showing it off on purpose.

"This ring is something Edward gave me." Sophie deliberately lingered on the words "gave me," her voice dripping with smugness, eyes blazing with challenge. "You've got your eye on it, huh? Want it back?"

Edward's face turned pale, flashes of embarrassment and panic showing. "Sophie, enough. Vivian—"

"Her what?" Sophie snapped, sizing me up with a sneer, eyes lingering on my cheap and soaked clothes.

"Want it? Fine, for Edward's sake, I'll give it back. Forget the original price. I've worn it. Let's say 200 thousand cash. Pay up, and the ring is yours. Simple."

After breaking things off with my dad and pouring everything into Edward's "treatment," I was completely wiped out. Every last keepsake of my mom had been pawned away, and I didn't even have a couple hundred to my name.

I stared at Sophie's smug smile, and then glanced at Edward. He refused to meet my gaze, letting Sophie torment me without saying a word.

It felt like a cold hand was squeezing my heart, and whatever warmth I'd still held onto about the past shattered right then and there.

"Fine. I'll buy it," I said. All I wanted was to take back the last thing my mom left me and then walk away from these people for good.

"You? Buy it?" Sophie snorted, bursting out laughing and theatrically covering her mouth like she'd just heard the biggest joke of the year.

Then she jabbed a finger at the insulated takeout box I was holding.

"You could run deliveries for a hundred years and still not scrape together 200 thousand. Look at that box. Ever tried something this pricey? Ever even seen it before? You think you deserve something like this?"

Mid-sentence, Sophie suddenly lunged forward, snatched the high-end delivery box right out of my grip, and before I could react, smashed it down on the floor.

The insulated container slammed against the marble, sending a bone-rattling thud through the room.

The lid burst off, and the luxury seafood inside spilled out. All hit the floor in a ruined mess.

Sophie looked at the chaos on the floor, grinding her heel right into a chunk of expensive tuna, as if crushing it was nothing at all.

"You see this? That's nearly 30 grand worth of seafood, and I can toss it aside just because I feel like it. Someone with your pathetic little life couldn't even imagine living on a whim like me.

"You'll never make real money, and you'll never taste anything this high-end for the rest of your miserable life. All you get is a whiff if you're lucky. That's the difference between us. Do you finally get it?"

At that, the whole room erupted in harsh laughter, their taunts echoing all around.

"Sophie got a point. A measly delivery girl thinks she can compete with Queen Sophie for anything?"

"Look at her, broke as dirt, born at the bottom. 200 thousand? Maybe she should go hang around a retirement home and snag herself a sugar daddy."

"No doubt. She's got that sweet, naïve look old guys just eat up."

Sophie lapped up the crowd's support, her smugness growing with every mocking laugh. She shot a look down at the ring glinting on her finger and then eyed my sorry state. Her expression twisted with exaggerated disgust.

"Edward said your ring was some big deal, but come on, you're so broke, even the fanciest thing you own's gotta be a piece of junk. Only a desperate loser like you would act like this is some priceless gem."

Sophie kept talking, pinching the ring between her fingers, and before anyone—even Edward—had time to react, she suddenly pulled open the glass door. With a dramatic flourish, she flung the ring out into the night.