I was meant to enter a marriage alliance with the Taylor Family alongside my best friend. But on the eve of the celebration, I woke up in the bed of my best friend’s fiancé. Trying to flee, Liam Taylor revealed that it was all a plot by my boyfriend and best friend. To prove it, he handed me a video of them entangled together. “A doomed heir is only fit to be with a fool. Yet he dares to think he can marry the one I love.” “By tomorrow morning, Nora Bennett’s affair scandal will be all over the headlines. They’ll be tied together, and the entire Taylor Family will be ours.” It struck me that they had been together all along, and I was just a pawn in their scheme when I learned of the marriage alliance. Their cruel intentions made all my sincere efforts seem like a joke. In my rage, I sat on Liam Taylor and boldly declared, “You’re mine now. You must marry me.” “I won’t live past thirty-five. Are you sure you want to marry me?” “Yes.” I nodded firmly, meeting his gaze, and kissed him to make him believe. There were five years left until he turned thirty-five—maybe I could find a way to save him. Even if not, with his looks and wealth, spending five years together wouldn’t be a loss. Who knows, maybe I’d even have a little dumpling. By then, all his assets would be mine. How could I pass up such a beneficial deal? Liam Taylor said nothing, just held my gaze intensely. If not for his hand gripping my waist, I might have thought he was indifferent. His gaze grew deeper, and my heart beat wildly. Everyone knows that the elite Taylor Family isn’t intimidating. The only intimidating one is Liam Taylor. He took over the company at eighteen and, within two years, surpassed the leading company in New York City. By twenty-five, he expanded the company internationally. If not for the accident at twenty-seven, he would be a man many women could only dream of. Even with his short life expectancy, my family’s status isn’t the Taylor Family’s first choice. Just as I was about to compromise and leave, he softly said, “Marry me. Alive or dead, you can only be my wife.” Hearing his terms, I quickly nodded in agreement. Sworn with three fingers to the sky, I promised to marry only him in this life. Seeing his satisfied smile, I realized he agreed to the marriage exchange. Meanwhile, in the video, the two were still plotting how to humiliate Liam Taylor and me the next day and gain benefits from Mrs. Taylor. Watching the two-faced duo filled me with hatred. If they wanted to ruin me, I’d return the favor. After whispering in Liam Taylor’s ear, I dressed and headed to Fiona White’s room. Before reaching the door, I already heard Fiona White’s pleading voice inside. “Stop it. If their drug effect wears off and they sneak out, tonight’s plan will fall apart.” “Don’t worry, I used a strong dose. Once we’re done, we’ll call the reporters. Even if the old lady wants to protect him, Liam Taylor will have to leave the Taylor Family.” Their mocking voices sent a chill down my spine. Tonight, Fiona White used our best friend status as an excuse to hold a bachelorette party. After just one drink, I felt dizzy, with waves of heat coursing through me. When I came to, I was already in bed with Liam Taylor. Thinking of this, I ground my molars in anger. For Fiona White, I gave my all. What I had, she had. What she liked, I’d buy for her. For her family’s company, I asked my father for help more than once. I even introduced my boyfriend, Finn Taylor, to her. Even a hair from the Taylor Family could keep her small company thriving for a month. But I never expected the two of them to sneak around together. Taking a deep breath, I grabbed the key card Liam Taylor had prepared and kicked the door open. The two on the bed split apart in shock at the sudden noise. They scrambled to cover themselves with the fallen blanket, looking like ants on a hot pan. Barely managing to cover their exposed skin, they looked up to see me pointing my phone at their faces. Fiona White’s face darkened instantly, and she yelled in anger, “Nora Bennett, are you crazy? What are you doing here instead of sleeping?” “Nora Bennett?” Before she finished her scolding, her face turned pale with fright. She reached out, trying to shove Finn Taylor under the covers. Her panicked look made me laugh derisively, a slight sting at the tip of my nose. “I treated you like a good sister, and you slept with my boyfriend. Do you have no shame?” My question silenced Fiona White and made Finn Taylor feel sorry for her. Right in front of me, he pulled Fiona White into his arms, looking soft and tender. “Nora, where’s your upbringing? You barge in like a shrew, biting everyone. How can you compare to Fiona?” Though he was the one caught cheating, and I hadn’t even started questioning him, he turned the tables, acting like the victim. Unable to contain my fury, I threw a nearby ashtray at them. “She’s my best friend and your uncle’s fiancée. How can you justify this affair?” Finn Taylor brushed it off with a wince, his face twisted in pain. He glared at me with vicious eyes. “Don’t mention that good-for-nothing. A doomed heir who thought he could marry Fiona and compete with me for the Taylor Family.” “If you’re smart, you’ll listen. The Taylor Family can still be yours. If not, forget about the marriage.” “Fine, let’s call off the engagement. I have nothing to do with you anymore.” With those words, I slapped Finn Taylor across the face. He hadn’t expected me to suggest breaking off the engagement, and his face turned dark instantly. Ignoring his state of undress, he got up and approached me. “We can’t break it off. You and my uncle…” Before he could finish, his voice stopped abruptly. My vision went black, and I heard the sound of flesh hitting the floor. As I wondered, Liam Taylor’s deep, magnetic voice sounded in my ear. “You’ve agreed to marry me. Don’t look at others, naughty.” Tsk, so domineering. A moment later, Liam Taylor removed his hand from my face. Finn Taylor was now wrapped in a towel, like a turtle hiding its head, not daring to look our way. But Liam Taylor had no intention of letting him go. With a face full of coldness, he spoke, “What’s wrong with me and Nora Bennett? Hmm…” As Liam Taylor stared at Finn Taylor in silence, he motioned for the reporters outside to enter. They rushed in, snapping photos of the two. Finn Taylor, realizing what was happening, glared at the media and yelled angrily. “You’ve got the wrong place. Get out.” His panic and Fiona White’s pathetic attempt to hide under the covers slightly eased my resentment. The media didn’t leave despite his shouting. Instead, they focused their cameras on Finn Taylor and Fiona White, zooming in on their faces. [We heard Fiona White is your uncle’s fiancée. Are you disregarding ethics?] [Even if you don’t care, you’re getting married tomorrow. How can you do this to your wife?] [As a lady of the White family, Fiona White, are you playing with Mr. Taylor’s emotions because you’re fearless, or do you plan to seize Mr. Taylor’s assets?] … Each word pierced like a jewel, turning their faces ghostly pale. Fiona White threw off the blanket, revealing her head, and pitifully spoke to the media. “No, I was supposed to marry Finn Taylor. It’s her…” “Nora Bennett despises Liam Taylor for his short life and doesn’t want to be a widow, so she announced she would marry Finn Taylor.” Fiona White pointed at me, signaling me to agree with her. Seeing I wasn’t playing along, she awkwardly wrapped the blanket around herself and approached me. “We’ve been best friends for so many years. You don’t want to see me ruined over this, right?” Then she whispered in my ear, “Nora, I didn’t mean to. I was just drunk. Please help me this once, okay?” “Besides, you also slept with my fiancé. We’re even, right?” I was stunned by her shamelessness. Failing to harm me, she wanted me to bear the consequences. I’ve been too lenient with her over the years. Fiona White and I have been friends for fifteen years. During these years, I’ve constantly taken the blame for her. She’s the second child in her family, with an older sister and a younger brother. She wears her sister’s hand-me-downs and eats her brother’s leftovers, with only a hundred bucks a month for allowance. We met because she couldn’t afford sanitary products. I lent her money, and upon learning of her situation, I felt sorry for her and made her my best friend. Since then, whenever she was wronged, I’d stand up for her without hesitation. I never thought it would make her feel entitled. “Fiona White, this is about reputation. If I admit it, the Bennett Corporation will be scorned because of me.” “Besides, you’re the one who cheated. How can you slander me and Mr. Taylor like this?” I glared at her, tears rolling down my face. My pitiful look made the reporters view Fiona White with more disdain. Seeing the reporters continue to question her, she panicked. She looked to Finn Taylor for help, but he was too scared to lift his head under Liam Taylor’s pressure. “Nora, now that Finn Taylor and I have no way out, he can only marry me. You’re destined to marry Liam Taylor.” “I’m begging you. Help me this once, and I’ll compensate you.” Fiona White pleaded desperately but didn’t get a nod from me. She pushed me back in anger, pointing at my nose, questioning me. “Nora Bennett, what’s wrong with you? You promised to protect me. Now you want to break your word? Aren’t you afraid I’ll cut off your financial support once I marry Liam Taylor?” My heart was stabbed sharply. Over a decade of effort was wasted on someone ungrateful. We had achieved our goal, so there was no need to listen to her anymore. I gestured for Liam Taylor to leave with me. Fiona White panicked as I turned to go, desperately clutching my arm and pleading with urgency. “Mabel, I messed up this time. Please help me. You wouldn’t want to see my child and me getting hurt by my dad.” She touched her belly as she spoke. Liam and I exchanged a glance, surprised at her audacity to be pregnant. The Taylor Family had consulted a fortune-teller to find a girl whose fate matched Liam Taylor’s, believing she could change his destiny. Mrs. Taylor had spent a fortune searching among the elite families and finally found Fiona White. To persuade her to marry into the family, the Taylors had agreed to her family’s unreasonable demands. Now, whether it was her with Finn Taylor or me with Liam, either situation would anger the Taylor Family. This was why Liam wanted Finn to involve the media, to shift the blame onto them. However, seeing Fiona White’s desperate gamble, I didn’t dare take the risk. If she revealed her pregnancy, it would not just be about getting the Taylor elders to agree to a marriage swap; it would plunge the entire family into a media frenzy, making Liam and me targets of public scrutiny. There was no longer an escape. Liam and I were already entangled in this mess, inseparable. As I hesitated, Liam pulled me into his embrace. “Miss White, you must be joking. Even if you and Mabel are best friends, this kind of joke is unacceptable.” “My intended wife is Miss Nora Bennett, and Miss White is my niece-in-law. We hadn’t made it public earlier to avoid any schemes before they joined the Taylor Family.” He explained earnestly, though the crowd remained skeptical. Even though Liam was influential, they didn’t want to miss a headline opportunity. Clearly, Liam was aware of this, so he kissed me. The media got their story and didn’t linger, rushing back to write it up. Before we could confront them, the Taylor Family called us back to explain ourselves. With no other choice, we returned home to face the music. Back home, Liam ignored Mrs. Taylor’s pressure and sat with me on the sofa, holding my hand. Only after I ate the grape he offered did he finally look at Mrs. Taylor. “Mom, Finn is grown now and has his own ideas. He even drugged his uncle and fiancée.” “Grandma, I didn’t.” Finn quickly defended himself. I pinched my thigh, letting tears fall as I sobbed. “Mrs. Taylor, I never thought Finn and Fiona would drug me. They even have a child. If it weren’t for their child, I would have accepted it and never bothered the Taylor Family again.” “But Fiona used her pregnancy to threaten Mr. Taylor, leaving him no choice but to mention the marriage alliance with me.” “If you don’t want it, Mrs. Taylor, I can leave.” My tears fell, making Mrs. Taylor frown. My heart skipped a beat, and I glared at Liam. On the way back, he had told me that Mrs. Taylor was firm but soft-hearted towards him. As long as I cried and exposed Fiona’s schemes, Mrs. Taylor would go easy on me and not implicate the Bennett Corporation. But now, seeing Mrs. Taylor’s expression, I suddenly felt a bit of regret. Mrs. Taylor’s face turned from blue to red, and she handed me a tissue. “You poor child, you’ve been through a lot. The dowry will be sent to your home again tomorrow morning.” She then slammed the table in anger, glaring sharply at Fiona White. “I thought you were sensible, but you’re restless. Take a million and leave the Taylor Family.” She gestured for the maid to get the check from the room. Finn saw the old lady was serious and immediately knelt to stop her. “Grandma, I’ve always loved Fiona. Now she has the Taylor Family’s child. How can she leave?” Mrs. Taylor ignored his defense and bluntly told Fiona to deal with the child, offering another million. This infuriated Finn, and he pointed at me, yelling angrily. “Nora Bennett tricked her into marrying my uncle. How can a doomed heir match Fiona?” The living room fell silent. Seeing the loneliness in Liam’s eyes, my heart ached. He was once a bright star, repeatedly hurt because his nephew wanted to fight for the family inheritance. Not wanting to see him hide his emotions, I got up and slapped his face. Ignoring everyone’s gaze, I slapped him again on the other cheek. “The only one unworthy is Fiona White. If I had known Liam earlier, you wouldn’t have had the title of my boyfriend.” Finn held his face, staring at me in shock. His face turned from green to white to black, and his finger trembled with anger as he pointed at me. “Nora Bennett, don’t forget, our engagement isn’t dissolved. You’re still my fiancée.” I rolled my eyes at him and turned to take the marriage alliance certificate from Liam’s arms, taunting Finn. “See? Now I’m your aunt. Call me aunt, let’s hear it.” Finn looked at me incredulously, wanting to speak but not knowing what to say. Fiona White saw him silent and quickly snatched the marriage certificate from my hand. “Nora Bennett, even if you want to save face, you shouldn’t use this fake marriage certificate to deceive Finn.”
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