Chapter 1

"Dad, I've made up my mind. I'm going to marry Mr. Marchand from Vantrel." Aurelia Vance strode into Harrison Vance's study, her voice firm and resolute as she spoke. "Mr. Marchand from Vantrel? Do you mean Theo Marchand—the same boy who's been crying about marrying you since you were three? The Marchand family is absurdly wealthy, and Theo is certainly accomplished for his age... but aren't you in love with Damien?" Harrison asked, genuinely puzzled. "And besides Damien, didn't I raise six other child husbands for you? All six would do whatever you ask. Wouldn't marrying one of them be better than marrying into someone else's family and being treated like a doormat?" At that, Aurelia gave a bitter smile. Just yesterday, she too believed that, aside from Damien Ashford, the other six were hopelessly in love with her—so much so that if she were to ask them to cut out their hearts and lay them at her feet, they would have done it without a second thought. But last night, Aurelia accidentally uncovered her child husbands' secret. "So, when do you think that idiot, Aurelia, will finally figure out that Sloane isn't actually Damien's biological sister?" The one speaking was Owen Grayson—one of Aurelia's child husbands, who had once jumped off a building for her. But now, he lazily swirled the whiskey in his glass and sneered. "That idiot, Aurelia, probably still thinks I'm head over heels for her. But that jump? It wasn't to confess anything—it was to scare her off." "Same here," another chimed in. "I forced myself to flatter her every damn day even though it made my skin crawl—because I knew she hated simps." "Haha! I guess we all had the same strategy. Whatever Aurelia hated, we made sure to act like it. That way, she'd never choose us, and we could all get a fair shot at winning over Sloane." "Only Damien didn't put on an act. And that masochist, Aurelia, actually fell for him. Let's have one second of silence for our poor Damien." "Well, someone's got to marry Aurelia, right? Otherwise, how else is Sloane supposed to become the precious princess of the Vance family?" Aurelia clenched her fists in silence, her whole body trembling with rage. All seven of her child husbands were orphans adopted by Harrison. Aurelia's mother, Catherine Ravenshire, had died young. Harrison, still deeply in love with his late wife, never remarried. At the same time, he couldn't bring himself to entrust the vast Vance family empire to someone as young as Aurelia. So, he went to an orphanage and adopted seven gifted boys, raising them to be Aurelia's future husbands. Among them, Damien was the most brilliant, the most breathtakingly handsome, and the one Harrison favored most. But during the adoption process, Damien said, "I have a younger sister. Her name is Sloane Ashford. I won't leave her behind. If you want to adopt me, you'll have to adopt her too." At the time, Aurelia believed that if he could treat his sister so well, he'd surely treat his future wife even better. So, she pleaded with Harrison to adopt Sloane as well. And just like that, Sloane became the adopted daughter of the Vance family. For as long as she could remember, anything Aurelia had, Sloane had too. The seven adopted sons adored Sloane, especially Damien, who all but worshipped the ground she walked on. Sometimes, Aurelia felt jealous. But they would turn on her and scold her for it whenever she did. "Ms. Aurelia, aren't you being a bit too petty? Why are you getting jealous of your own sister?" "We grew up in the same orphanage as Sloane, and she's always been like a real little sister to us." "Ms. Aurelia, you're different from her. You have everything. Sloane only has us." Over time, even Aurelia began to wonder if she was really just being too petty. But now, as the mocking laughter of the husbands rang in her ears, she finally saw the truth. She wasn't petty. They were just masterful at pretending. Still burning with anger, Aurelia suddenly caught a familiar voice drifting from the nearby garden. She followed the sound and walked straight into a moment that unraveled everything she thought she knew. Damien, cold and composed, had Sloane pinned against a wall. His voice was low, tight with restrained emotion as he said, "Sloane, you know you're the only one I love. But as your brother, I can't marry you… So, I can't touch you." "Then, don't marry Aurelia, please," Sloane pleaded in tears. "If you do, I'll never speak to you again." Damien's voice turned cold. "I don't want to marry her either. But Mr. Vance gave us everything—we owe him. "Be good, Sloane. Even if I do marry her, it'll only be a marriage on paper. I won't give her a single shred of love."