Chapter 4

I had come when the Moores needed me. Now, after suffering for three years, they wanted to send me away. I thought not. "Alright." I wasn't dumb. I had no choice but to submit while under their roof. "Thank you. I promise I'll go far, far away and never come back," I said, pretending to be very grateful. "Mom, Dad, she's so full of herself right now! She even slept with Charles last night! The shameless bitch! I'll kill her…" Lilith was so outraged that she wanted to hit me again, but this time, I managed to dodge her. "Ms. Moore, Mr. Bowman likes gentle women. If you leave marks on my face, it'll affect his impression of you." "You bitch! Charles only sees you as his plaything! You're nothing but my stand-in!" Lilith spat out, but in the end, she didn't try to hit me again. Instead, she stared at me as she bragged, "Just wait. Charles is going to propose to me tonight. After tonight, you can pack your bags and get lost!" Propose? I lowered my gaze as I clenched my fists so tightly that my fingernails dug into my palms. … That night, as reluctant as Lilith was, she still brought me along with her to the private hotel that belonged to Charles. The venue was decorated lavishly, showing just how much he cared for Lilith. She shot me a look of contempt before she was ushered upstairs by a group of people. I wasn't feeling great, so I sat on the couch to rest for a bit. While I sat there, more and more guests arrived. These were all prestigious people that stood very high up on the social ladder. This was turning out to be quite the grand proposal. I started to grow frustrated. What was I going to do once Charles proposed to Lilith? I got up and headed to the balcony, wanting the cold breeze to clear my head. Just as I was about to head back in, I suddenly overheard a male voice. "Charles, are you sure you're going to propose tonight? That little lover of yours seems quite interesting." The male voice belonged to Horace. I stiffened when another male voice—clearly Charles'—responded nonchalantly, "She's watched too many TV shows. She thinks she can win me over so easily. I'm just fooling around with her." Horace snorted. "Regardless, she's been by your side and tending to you for the past three years. You've really never been moved by her?" "She's just doing it for the money. Her sincerity is nothing but an act. What is there to be moved about?" As I heard that, my face ashened, and my heart plummeted. Had Charles… Had Charles discovered my true identity? I rushed off in a panic, not daring to listen any further. Not long after, the banquet started, and Charles walked into view. Lilith accompanied him onto the stage, and there wasn't a woman there who wasn't envious of her. I felt a dull ache in my heart as I watched them. What about me? What was I to him? I could hear the mocking jeers from someone nearby. "What a sad little two-faced thing, ending up with nothing!" The scene in front of me became too glaring, and I couldn't stay there any longer. I turned and fled out the hall. Thus, I didn't see Charles' expression harden when he saw me leave. While I stood outside lost in thought, Horace came up to me. "Ms. Moore, Charles' engagement party is about to start. Surely, you can't miss it," he said with a frown. Then, he instructed his bodyguards to grab hold of me. I was unable to break free of them and was thus dragged to the yard. Snowflakes fluttered through the air, and roses covered the snowy ground. It was breathtakingly beautiful. My breath was once again taken away when I saw Lilith dressed in her white wedding dress. She looked as elegant as a white swan as she stood at the end of the roses-filled path. The moment I appeared, everyone's gazes fell on me, making me seem even more like a joke. Lilith walked over to me, the train of her dress sashaying in the snow. And because she was in heels, she was about a head taller than me. "Shayla, don't be too sad. Your brother-in-law just promised me that he'd personally pick a good man for you to marry," she said, her tone merciful. Then, she leaned in right next to my ear and, with a voice so low that only I could hear, hissed venomously, "Shayla Locklear, someone as low-class as you is only fit to be a plaything. Who are you to even dream of having Charles?"