Chapter 1

Throughout Edrela, Caroline Sawyer was renowned for her exceptional beauty. She was elegant, poised, and utterly immune to every man's attempts to win her over. However, unbeknownst to everyone, beneath that cool and aloof exterior, she had spent the last four years being secretly in love with Bradley Miller, her stepbrother. In the public eye, they appear to be the model of a refined sibling relationship. Yet, in private, their nights were marked by quiet kisses and forbidden entanglements. That night, as always, someone slipped quietly into her bed. A moment later, a heated chest pressed against Caroline's back. The faint scent of tobacco, softened by youthful warmth, lingered in the air and wrapped around her senses. Caroline's body tensed instantly. Before she could turn around, a pair of soft lips captured hers. Bradley's kiss was light and careful at first, yet his tongue brushed teasingly against the corner of her lips. "Have you lost your mind, Bradley?" Caroline whispered as she pushed a hand against his chest. "We're at the Sawyer residence. Dad and Chloe are upstairs. Go back to your room!" He just laughed softly, his breath hot against her ear. "But I missed you. What should I do? Didn't you say earlier I was your good boy? Shouldn't I get a reward then?" Gone was his usual obedient demeanor. His eyes burned with desire and dominance. He said, "Carol, come on. It's been so long. Won't you take care of me tonight?" Under his gaze, heat crept up the back of Caroline's neck. His voice wrapped around her like a spell, and whatever refusal Caroline had meant to voice dissolved on her lips. The usually obedient man was unusually demanding that night. After what felt like endless entanglement, Bradley finally left the bed, satisfied, and disappeared into the bathroom. Half-asleep, Caroline was startled awake by the vibration of a phone. Reaching for it, she saw the message on the screen. "Damn, Brad. Carol's moans were unreal. She had all of us weak in the knees!" "You're the man, Brad. You said you would share some fun, and you actually streamed the audio live. Next time, do a video! We want to see what that ice queen's like in bed." The words hit Caroline like a blow. A chill ran through her entire body. "A live stream? What live stream?" she thought. Before she could make sense of it, the phone started buzzing again. She glanced at the caller ID, hesitated for two seconds, then answered—only to be met with the sound of muffled sobs on the other end. "Brad, I did what you told me. I got rid of the baby. Can we go back to how we were? Please don't ignore me…" That familiar voice jolted Caroline fully awake. She sat up and coldly asked, "Bianca, is the baby you aborted Bradley's?" The crying abruptly stopped. "Carol? Why are you answering? Why do you have Bradley's phone?" "Answer me. Was Bradley the bastard who got you pregnant and made you abort the baby?" Before she could finish her questioning, the line went dead. Caroline's fingers trembled. As she was about to call back, a new message notification popped up on the screen. "Brad, your little girlfriend's losing it. She's talking about dying if you don't show up. Come get her before she makes a scene." The sound of running water stopped. Caroline's heart skipped a beat. She quickly turned the phone face down and shut her eyes. Moments later, Bradley emerged. He glanced at her sleeping form, careful not to wake her. He picked up the phone, scrolled through his notifications briefly, then tossed it aside and began to get dressed. When the door closed behind him, Caroline opened her eyes. She called a cab and followed him to a bar downtown. From the moment he stepped inside the private room, a woman in a white dress rushed into his arms. "Brad, you finally came to see me…" Bianca Sawyer whispered, wrapping her arms tightly around Bradley's waist as she sobbed softly. He didn't hug her back. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he coldly questioned, "Who told you to skip class and come back to Edrela?" "I called and texted, but you never answered. I missed you so much. It was my fault before. I got rid of the baby. Please don't ignore me anymore." "Bianca, I've told you before that it's over." His voice was cold, edged with impatience. "But why? We were fine before. What changed?" she cried, refusing to let go. He gave a short, mocking laugh. Then, he tilted her chin up between his fingers and forced her to look at him. "I'm your stepbrother. Do you really think you can marry family?" "But we're not blood-related! I'll talk to Dad—" Bradley clicked his tongue, cutting off her panicked explanation. "Do you really want me to spell it out for you? I'm tired of you. Is that reason enough? Stop clinging to me. It's pathetic." His tone was flippant and cold, nothing like the gentle, obedient man Caroline once knew. She stared at his face, dazed, as if she were waking from a dream. She couldn't tell which version of him was real anymore. It wasn't until the sharp crack of a slap broke through the noise that Caroline snapped back to reality, just in time to see Bianca run out in tears. She instinctively took a step to follow, but froze when laughter erupted behind her. "Brad really is something. He managed to get both his stepsisters in bed. Bianca is losing her mind over him. So, which one's better? Caroline or Bianca?" "Definitely Caroline. Didn't you hear that voice message in the group chat? That moaning nearly killed me. Brad, when you're done, pass her to me. I wouldn't mind a turn." "You? Give me a break. You wouldn't even get a chance to pick up the scraps! Look at Caroline's figure; half the guys in our group are jealous, and she blows everyone off. Only Brad could snag a goddess like her. "They've been at this for years. His phone must be full of videos by now. Brad, when are you going to post them so the rest of us can gawk? Don't tell me you're being sentimental." As their voices echoed across the room, Caroline felt her entire body go rigid as if the blood in her veins had turned to ice. "Sentimental? Don't make me laugh. He pursued both sisters solely to get back at his stepfather. You think he would go through all that trouble for love? He's not that stupid." "Revenge? Our entire relationship was about revenge?" Caroline thought. Her mind went blank. She looked closer and recognized several faces in the room—some of them were the same thugs who had dragged her into that alley years ago. In her freshman year, she had been attacked by a group of drunk men. Bradley had appeared out of nowhere and took a knife for her. If the knife had gone just an inch further, it would have taken his life. She had stayed by his bedside for over a month after that. Her feelings, which started as guilt and gratitude, slowly changed. Even while enduring pain, Bradley stubbornly tried to make her laugh. At times, when he gazed at her in silence, his clear eyes would carry a deep, tender affection. Later, they naturally ended up together. During that time, Caroline never doubted the "coincidence" of that night in the alley, nor did she ever see through the calculation hidden behind those clear eyes. A year later, Bradley moved into the Sawyer residence with his mom, Chloe Russell. He wore a clean white T-shirt. With his head lowered, he looked unusually obedient. But all Caroline wanted to do was run. She began avoiding him. She was too afraid to go home or to be anywhere he might show up. One day, he cornered her in a dark storage room at school. He pinned her tightly against the door, and through the thin fabric of his shirt, she could feel the scar on his waist. It was the one she had traced countless times. "Don't run," he murmured, his breath brushing against her neck. "Before I met you, I didn't know you were Edmund's daughter. But even if you are, I don't care. I just want you, Carol. Please, don't push me away." Warm tears had fallen against her neck as he kissed her carefully. The taste of salt and desperation lingered between them, and her heart had softened completely. After that day, they got back together. During the four years they were supposedly in love, she turned down an arranged marriage for him, and he promised her a future. Now she realized that their meeting, his affection, and every word he had said had been built on deceit. It was a carefully planned revenge against Edmund Sawyer for taking his father's place. The thought almost made Caroline laugh. But as soon as she tried, a tear slid down her cheek. "Brad, why are you so quiet? Don't tell me that you're going soft," one of the men teased. "Soft?" Bradley lit a cigarette, took a drag, and exhaled slowly. "I'm just thinking about how I can make that old bastard suffer more. Maybe I'll release the videos at his and my mom's anniversary dinner." "Damn! Both of his precious daughters turned into your playthings. That's wild. I can't wait to see that big shot Edmund get humiliated in front of everyone." Everyone in the room burst into laughter again. But Caroline couldn't hear any of it anymore. Her body trembled uncontrollably, and her chest ached so badly that it felt like her heart was breaking apart. Tears streamed down her face faster than she could wipe them away. She stumbled out of the bar and into the pouring rain. By the time she made it back to the Sawyer residence, she was drenched from head to toe. The cold cut through her, clearing her head a little. As she crept upstairs, she saw light spilling from Edmund's study. The door was ajar, and she caught sight of his hunched figure bent over his desk. Caroline knew that the Sawyer family's business had been struggling for years, but seeing him weary and carrying it all alone hit her in a different way. A year ago, the Hutchinson family had offered an engagement proposal to help rebuild their fortunes. Edmund had agreed, hoping to stabilize the company. Back then, she had refused the engagement to keep her promise to Bradley, and Edmund had never forced her to reconsider. Now that she knew Bradley had approached her with nothing but deceit, their promise no longer meant anything. Since that was the case, she would delete those videos, end things with Bradley cleanly, and from that day forward, they would have nothing to do with each other. "Dad," she said softly. Edmund looked up. Caroline continued, "Let me marry into the Hutchinson family."