Chapter 1

The day Landon and I were supposed to get our marriage license, my sister was pushed from the 99th floor and ended up in a coma.

The culprit was Landon’s stepsister, Sierra Holt.

In the security footage from the police, I saw Sierra and her friends beat my sister so badly that she lost control of her bowels, forcing her to kneel and beg for mercy.

"Look at you, all grown up and still wetting your pants like a little kid!"

Sierra laughed as she cornered her, then shoved her off the ledge.

The sight of them celebrating made my entire body shake with rage. Landon’s face was grim as he held me tight.

"She's gone too far! The company's entire legal team is yours. We’ll make sure Sierra learns her lesson this time!"

I thought Landon was finally done spoiling his stepsister, that he’d finally drawn a line.

But on the day we were supposed to file the lawsuit, Sierra dropped out of school.

[My big brother is sending me to Great Britain to live like a royal princess. Hope someone doesn't die of jealousy! 😉]

Landon’s “like” on her post burned my eyes.

I held up my phone, my hands trembling as I confronted him.

"Aria, Sierra cried and admitted she was wrong. She even wrote a letter of apology."

"Let's just drop it. Your sister is still alive, after all. I'll take care of her from now on."

So, a human life wasn't worth as much as Sierra's tears.

...

Landon pushed the apology letter into my hand, his expression calm.

"Aria, Sierra wrote this herself."

"She's still young. A criminal record would ruin her entire life."

"I promised her mother on her deathbed that I'd take care of her. I can't go back on my word."

Not a single word of comfort for me in his three sentences.

Just excuses.

Looking at the sloppy handwriting on that letter, tears fell from my eyes without warning.

My sister fell from the 99th floor. If it weren't for an awning breaking her fall, she would have been nothing but a splatter on the pavement.

When we watched the video, Landon’s eyes had turned red with fury, too.

But the moment Sierra cried, he forgot everything he had promised me.

I took a deep breath, held up the flimsy piece of paper, and forced myself to meet his gaze.

"A piece of paper? You think this is enough to pay for my sister's life?"

Seeing me sob, Landon frowned and moved to hug me out of frustration.

I shook my head and backed away, pushing my hand against his chest.

"Landon, I don't care if she runs to the ends of the earth. I will sue her!"

Landon's face instantly darkened, a flash of coldness in his eyes.

"Aria, it was just kids roughhousing that led to an accident. Why can't you let it go?"

"I already said I'll support your whole family. I'll even give your parents thirty million dollars in compensation. Just sign the settlement agreement, okay?"

"Your sister would never have earned that much money even if she'd lived to a ripe old age."

"Your family isn't losing out on this."

Not losing out?

Those two deeply ironic words pierced my eardrums. I could barely see Landon's face through my tears.

"Landon, that's my sister, my own flesh and blood! She's not some object you can buy with a number!"

"Search your heart and ask yourself, was that just 'kids roughhousing'? That was bullying! It was attempted murder!"

I tore the settlement agreement and the apology letter to shreds right in front of him.

Landon watched the scraps of paper flutter to the ground, his brow tightly furrowed.

He snapped his fingers, and his assistant held a phone in front of my face.

"Aria, sign the papers or I pull the plug. I'm giving you the choice."

The video showed my sister's hospital room. A bodyguard in black stood by her bed, his hand hovering over her oxygen tube.

I screamed.

Landon grabbed the back of my neck, forcing me to watch the screen and make a decision.

"Aria, you know as well as I do that no one in Crestview will take your case against me."

His threat made my heart tremble.

I looked at Landon, letting the tears stream down my face.

The Holt family’s power in Crestview was more than enough to leave me with no legal recourse.

If he was determined to protect Sierra, there was no way I could win.

In that moment, I hated myself, and I hated the power of the rich.

"Be a good girl. Sign the papers. We'll get our license in a few days, and I promise I'll give you the most spectacular wedding."

A wedding...

Right, we were supposed to get married.

But now, it seemed that marriage was off the table.

Landon and I had been together for eight years. I’d been with him since college, fighting alongside him as he climbed the ranks of the Holt family.

He wasn't the most legitimate heir, nor the most brilliant, but he was the most ruthless.

For eight years, he used me to do his dirty work.

But he also gave me more love than I could imagine.

The day he finally clawed his way to the top, beating out all the other heirs, he gave me a magnificent proposal.

The entire city of Crestview envied me, saying I had his absolute devotion, that I was the CEO's one true love.

But then, his Sierra came back.

And in that instant, his love began to shift.

"Landon, I don't want to marry you anymore."

Landon's hand flinched, and he let me go.

I could finally breathe, but the tight knot of pain in my chest made it difficult.

"Aria, don't say things you don't mean."

"It's not worth ending things over something so small."

"She'll be your sister one day, too. There's no need to make things so ugly."