Chapter 4

Harper had no idea how long she had been out. When she came to, some mellow music was playing in the background. The housekeeper, who was keeping an eye on her, bolted out of the room after seeing her wake up. Moments later, Callum showed up in a suit. He held her hand tightly; his eyes held a storm too tangled to name. "You were out for three days. Finally, you're awake. Does your back still hurt? I had the doctor use the best meds." The best medicine? Harper scoffed. She was lashed in the back because of Callum, and now he had the nerve to act caring? The way she ignored him made him look so down. "I had no choice, Harper. You nearly made Sienna lose the baby. You had to be punished." He swallowed. "But Mom is throwing a banquet for Sienna to announce she is pregnant with Quentin's child. My part in all this is over. I can finally relax and plan our wedding." Wedding? Harper finally showed a reaction after that. She had purchased the service to fake her death, and the agency had already given her a few options, but none of them felt right to her. She wanted a plan so perfect that it would tear Callum apart. After sending him away, she grabbed her phone and got back to planning with the agency. But the music downstairs was driving her crazy, so she decided to head out and find a quiet spot. Even though she did her best to steer clear of everyone, she still ended up overhearing the housekeepers chatting. One of the housekeepers started, "People are saying Mdm. Holden will announce Sienna's unborn child as the rightful heir. Mr. Colter is just running things for now." Another housekeeper added, "That's right. Everyone thought Mr. Colter would be upset, but he gave up his shares right in front of everyone and said it was a gift for his future nephew." The next housekeeper chimed in, "I have no idea what Ms. Vaughn is thinking. She fought so hard to marry into the Colter family, and now Mr. Colter is broke." Harper felt nothing hearing all that. She had already decided to fake her death. The Colter family's fortune could go to the streets for all she cared. She took the secluded path, walking deeper into the quiet corners until the music faded away. When she breathed a sigh of relief, she was caught off guard by the sight of Callum and Sienna. In the distance, Callum pulled Sienna into his arms. "Why do you look so down today, Sienna?" Sienna choked out, "Now that I'm pregnant, you'll stay away from me. From now on, you belong to Harper." Callum flashed a mischievous grin. "Do you miss me, or is it just the idea of me?" Harper vaguely saw Callum guiding Sienna's hand toward his crotch. She was immediately grossed out. Sienna giggled and buried her face in Callum's chest. "You're the worst, Callum." He slipped his hand down the neckline of her top. "You like that, don't you? Don't worry, Sienna. I promise you won't feel lonely. After the baby is born, you're going to give me a few more." She responded, "How do we do that? If you claim this is Quentin's child, no one will believe it." Sienna moved against him seductively, and Callum squeezed her bottom hard before saying something that turned Harper's stomach. "We'll just say it's Harper's. She can't have kids anyway." Harper's chest tightened, and she struggled to breathe. She didn't want to hear any more of that, so she covered her ears and ran off to the lake. Suddenly, the sound of fireworks echoed in her ears. She looked up and saw the night sky lit up like day. The drones filled the sky, celebrating Sienna's pregnancy with Quentin's baby. Meanwhile, Harper snickered. Everyone talked about how mysterious and powerful the Colter family was, but they didn't see the rot underneath. That wasn't Quentin's child. It was the bastard child of an affair between Callum and Sienna. A woman's smug voice snapped Harper back to reality. "Why are you hiding out here? Did you get heartbroken hearing that Callum wants to put our baby under your name?" She turned and saw Sienna smirking. "We made love in your room that night. You heard it all, didn't you? Has Callum ever gone that wild with you?" Sienna's trash talk kept crossing the line. Harper stood up, expression cold, and walked away without saying anything. Seeing Harper ignore her, Sienna was livid. She reached out and yanked Harper back. She was just about to speak when she saw Callum in the distance. Her eyes darted around as she came up with a vicious plan. She cried out in a panic, "Don't push me, Harper!" With that, she pushed Harper into the lake, then pretended to fall herself. Without missing a beat, Callum darted over and helped Sienna up. "Are you alright, Sienna?" It wasn't until he saw Harper flailing in the water that he thought about rescuing her, but Sienna buried her face in his chest and started crying pitifully. She explained, "I invited Harper to the banquet, but she got all worked up over you transferring the shares to the baby and tried to push me into the water. Lucky for me, she lost her balance and fell. I almost lost our child, Callum."