Everyone knew I was the fiancée handpicked by Grandpa Sterling. Whoever married me would inherit the Sterling family fortune. At the engagement party, wearing a custom-made gown, I was ready to go on stage and announce the union between the Sterling and Reed families. But my fiancé, Ethan Sterling, interlaced his fingers with my adopted sister, Mia Reed, pulling her into the center of the crowd to stand by his side. "I am in love with Mia. My wife can only be her." "Clara is too willful. She doesn't deserve the position of Mrs. Sterling." The person engaged to Ethan became my adopted sister. Everyone looked at me with pity or mockery. But he didn't know that the reason Grandpa Sterling wanted me to marry him was because my mother is the heir to the reclusive and powerful King family. In the future, I will return to the King family and inherit their business empire. Since Ethan has made his choice, it's time for the Sterling family to change its heir too. 1 Ethan tightly held my adopted sister Mia's hand, pulling her to stand firm in front of everyone. Mia exclaimed softly, trying to pull her hand back. "Ethan, we can't do this. Your engagement to my sister was decided by Grandpa Sterling himself." "The person I love is you. I won't agree to marry anyone else." He firmly interlaced his fingers with Mia's, looking at Grandpa Sterling sitting in the high seat. "Grandpa, the person I've always liked is Mia. I will only marry Mia as my wife." The guests present looked on with pity and mockery. Everyone knew Ethan and I grew up together as childhood sweethearts, and I was the granddaughter-in-law internally decided by Grandpa Sterling. But now, in front of everyone in this circle, Ethan slapped me hard in the face. Ethan's tone was unquestionable. "Although I grew up with Clara, I always treated her as my sister and had no other thoughts." "Mia and I are in love and have long confirmed our relationship. In my heart, my wife can only be Mia. No other woman will do." Ethan's parents' faces changed, nervously looking at the expression of the old man in the main seat. Ethan put his arm around Mia's waist and looked at me. His gaze held a hint of sarcasm. "Clara, you should know I have no romantic feelings for you. You don't want to marry a man who doesn't love you and waste your life, right?" "Besides, Mia and I are already together. You can't just rely on Grandpa's favoritism to intervene and break us up, can you?" I glanced at the two of them and bowed to Grandpa Sterling. "Grandpa Sterling, since they admire each other, how can I be the one to break up a loving couple? Let's fulfill their wishes." "I wish my sister and Young Master Sterling a harmonious union and a lifetime together." Hearing me say this, a trace of displeasure flashed across Ethan's face. Mia, however, carefully held Ethan's arm. "Ethan, your marriage to my sister was decided by Grandpa. Will Grandpa be unhappy now?" Ethan patted the back of Mia's hand soothingly and coaxed softly. "No, Grandpa loves me the most. How could he be angry with me because of her?" "Besides, you are the true daughter of the Reed family, the heir to the Reed family. Originally, it was a marriage between our two families. Why care about her, an outsider?" Outsider? My identity is only known to my father and Grandpa Sterling. My mother is the heir to the reclusive King family. Initially, my father and mother only had a cooperative marriage, and I will inherit the King family in the future, so I took my mother's surname. Moreover, he thinks Mia is my father's biological daughter? Grandpa Sterling frowned upon hearing Ethan's words. "Ethan, don't fool around. Are you sure you want to marry Miss Mia?" Ethan firmly put the ring on Mia's finger, then planted a devout kiss. "Grandpa, I've thought it through. I won't marry anyone but Mia in this life." Grandpa Sterling looked at Ethan with disappointment. If he simply changed the marriage partner, the old man wouldn't have any opinion of him. But he deliberately chose to embarrass me in front of so many people today, which is enough to prove that he is unreliable. "Fine, have it your way then." 2 Grandpa Sterling spoke, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Many business celebrities were invited to witness the marriage between the two families, and everyone wanted to know the outcome. Amidst everyone's whispers, Ethan held Mia's hand and announced to the guests who came to celebrate today. "Thank you all for coming to the engagement ceremony of Miss Mia and me today." The guests present had different expressions. They didn't expect the Sterling and Reed families to switch people on the spot. My father didn't expect this either; his face turned dark instantly. My face wasn't looking good either, but I still braced myself to straighten my back. Amidst the discussions, I raised my glass to offer a generous gift. "Young Master Sterling actually switched fiancées on the spot. This gives Clara no face at all." "Didn't Grandpa Sterling insist on Clara being his granddaughter-in-law? Why did he agree to the switch?" "Switching people on the day of the engagement party is really embarrassing to talk about. I wonder what she did to make Young Master Sterling make such a move on the spot." The guests' discussions were not quiet. Father glared at Mia and wasn't very polite to Ethan either. "By doing this, how much gossip do you want your sister to endure?" "And you, you're not young anymore. doing things without considering the consequences, do you want to slap my face?" Mia was scolded by Father and timidly wanted to take off the ring and give it to me. Grandpa Sterling waved his hand to stop Mia's action. He touched my head guiltily and said in a deep voice. "Clara, don't worry. Grandpa Sterling will make decisions for you. If you are willing, there are several good children in the Sterling family." Ethan's parents heard the old man's words and thought he was comforting me, so they didn't care. To their surprise, I pointed at the illegitimate son of the Sterling family who was watching the show in the corner. "Actually, I have always liked Julian. I hope Grandpa can fulfill us." Several gazes fell on Julian, looking back and forth between him and me. Julian is the illegitimate son of the Sterling family's eldest uncle. After Uncle Sterling passed away, he was not welcomed at home and didn't live well. After all, he was a child of the Sterling family. Grandpa Sterling didn't want others to say the Sterling family abused children, so he simply brought him to his side to raise. Father looked at me in shock and persuaded me in a low voice. "Clara, Dad knows you are unhappy, but he is an illegitimate child. The Sterling family doesn't value him." I shook my wine glass indifferently and toasted Julian. "It's not like he chose to be an illegitimate child himself. I think he's quite good. I'm willing to try with him." Julian met my gaze, his attitude lazy. "Since Miss King likes me, let's try then." The crowd looked at me even more meaningfully. The news of the Sterling family switching people on the spot spread quickly in the circle. Just as the banquet ended, I received a text message from my mother. In the private room, Mom hugged me distressedly, looking at Dad with unkind eyes. "James Reed, you dare let my daughter suffer such a great grievance. I see you don't want your job anymore!" I held Mom's hand and shifted the topic to business. "Grandpa Sterling switched my engagement partner. His name is Julian Sterling. I quite like him." Dad wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed again. "He's just an illegitimate son, a marginalized person in the Sterling family. Why choose him?" I looked at my parents' confused eyes and spoke slowly. "Grandpa Sterling and my maternal grandfather decided on the marriage alliance. I definitely have to marry into the Sterling family." "Although Julian is an illegitimate son, he is the most capable among the young generation of the Sterling family. From a commercial value perspective, he is the most suitable partner." 3 "Besides, as an illegitimate son, if I marry him, the King family will be the foundation for him to establish himself in the Sterling family. He definitely won't treat me badly." Nowadays, Mia has become a figure everyone in the circle flatters and tries to befriend. Countless people rush to get to know her. After all, the Sterling and Reed families are a powerful alliance. If there is an opportunity to cooperate, one can definitely take their industry to the next level. I had no time to pay attention to these things, concentrating on completing the tasks Mom gave me abroad. On the day of Grandpa Sterling's birthday, Mia specifically sent me an invitation and made several calls, so I had to go. As soon as I stepped into the Sterling family's gate, everyone's eyes fell on me. I wasn't embarrassed at all, smiling as I handed the gift in my hand to the Sterling family butler. "Why is Clara here? Wasn't the engagement partner changed?" "You don't know yet? At that time, Young Master Sterling insisted on changing partners. In a fit of anger, she chose the illegitimate son of the Sterling family for the alliance." "Even marrying an illegitimate son to enter the Sterling family, Miss King really goes all out." Just as everyone was discussing, Mia appeared holding Ethan's arm high-profile. Unlike her usual low-key and gentle attire, she wore a haute couture gown today, carrying several sets of intricate and luxurious jewelry, making her look bejeweled but somewhat tacky. Seeing me here too, she came over affectionately trying to hold my arm. "Sister, it's simply wonderful that we sisters can marry into the Sterling family together. For the sake of sisterhood, I will definitely ask Ethan to promote brother-in-law more." I almost laughed at Mia. Even now, she still thought what I cared about was marrying into the Sterling family. Ethan thought so too. In his eyes, I would use any means to marry into the Sterling family. He looked at me as if I were something dirty. I couldn't be bothered with these two people. I turned to leave but saw a pair of excellent quality jade bracelets on Mia's wrist. These were the Sterling family heirloom jade bracelets, always kept by Grandpa Sterling. I didn't expect them to appear on Mia. Plus, she wore at least three or four bracelets on her arm, so I didn't recognize them at first glance. The Sterling family heir hasn't been determined yet; how could these bracelets be on Mia? I pointed at the bracelets on Mia's wrist, my eyes holding a trace of inquiry. "Where did these bracelets come from?" Ethan had a moment of guilt, while Mia stroked the jade bracelets on her hand, her face showing a bit of grievance. "Sister, these bracelets were meant for you before, but now the one marrying Ethan is me, so these bracelets naturally should be given to me." Ethan also nodded righteously. After all, in his heart, he was already the certain heir. Taking out the bracelets in advance for his lover to wear wasn't unacceptable. "These are my Sterling family heirloom jade bracelets. I can give them to whoever I want to wear them. What does it have to do with you?" After speaking, he looked me up and down, taking a step back in disgust. "Don't delusionally think you can pester me this way. I won't like you; my heart only has Mia." Ethan's voice wasn't quiet. Several gazes around fell on me. "Clara usually looks quite aloof. I didn't expect her to try snatching her own brother-in-law just to marry into the Sterling family." "Their hearts are connected; why is she still thinking of pestering him relentlessly?" Mia blushed, hitting Ethan shyly. "Don't be so fierce to my sister. After she marries in, we will still be family. You have to help them more then." Ethan glanced at me and pinched Mia's cheek dotingly. "Fine, for Mia's sake, I won't fuss about it. But if you have any improper thoughts about me, don't blame me for being ruthless then." The two were still being affectionate when a voice sounded behind them. "Why would my wife have improper thoughts about you? Ethan, it's too rude of you to speak about your future sister-in-law like that." 4 Julian supported Grandpa Sterling as they entered from the door. He had a smile on his lips, and his look at Ethan held a bit more provocation. Grandpa Sterling glanced at the bracelets on Mia's wrist, his gaze darkening. "Who told you to wear them? Take them off!" Grandpa Sterling was majestic without being angry. Mia shivered in fright and hurriedly took off the bracelets. Ethan muttered with some dissatisfaction. "Grandpa, I brought them for Mia to wear. Anyway, these bracelets will be mine sooner or later. What's wrong with letting her wear them?" Grandpa Sterling didn't speak, just gave him a cold look, then led Julian to the head seat. He cleared his throat, looked at the guests who came to the birthday banquet, and announced publicly. "Today, besides celebrating my birthday, this old man has a happy event to announce." "This is my grandson Julian Sterling. In a few days, he will be engaged to Clara. Everyone is invited to come for a drink then." As soon as these words came out, everyone's eyes widened, scanning back and forth between Julian and me. Ethan froze on the spot, looking at Julian and me in disbelief. "Grandpa, what are you saying? Why is Clara getting engaged to Julian?" "Julian is just an illegitimate son, he..." Grandpa Sterling sternly interrupted Ethan. "Julian is also my biological grandson; he is also a Sterling." After the engagement party back then, I privately asked Julian to meet. In the private room, Julian looked at me meaningfully, a teasing smile on his lips. "I'm just an illegitimate son. The Sterling family has so many young talents; why choose me?" I handed a document to him. "Because you need me, and similarly, I need you. Cooperation between us is the optimal solution." He just glanced at the document without taking it. "What cooperation can we have?" I calmly pushed the document towards him. "To be honest, I have investigated you. You are a very capable person, so I want to cooperate with you." "Moreover, if you have no thoughts about the Sterling family, why make so many small moves in private?" His look at me was wary, but I didn't mind. Leaning forward, I stared tightly into his wild eyes. "Don't you want to know why Grandpa Sterling said only by marrying me can one inherit the Sterling family?" He looked at me for a long time. Just when I thought he was going to refuse, Julian extended his hand to me. "Happy cooperation, my fiancée." Sure enough, after I chose Julian, Grandpa Sterling also began to value this grandson. Julian was brought back quietly back then and wasn't announced to the public. Presumably, Grandpa Sterling must have investigated this grandson before choosing to announce the engagement news at the birthday banquet, taking the opportunity to let Julian show his face. Ethan's parents didn't expect such a change and were stunned for a long time before recovering. After all, Grandpa Sterling announcing Julian's engagement to me at this time was undoubtedly sending a signal that he wanted to support Julian. In Ethan's parents' eyes, I was just a burden born to Father and his ex-wife, and I even had the ex-wife's surname. After graduation, Father didn't arrange for me to work in the family company; instead, he let me busy myself with unknown things. This was undoubtedly a signal to them that I couldn't inherit everything from the Reed family. So they chose to acquiesce when facing the switch. After all, between an idle eldest miss and a daughter who would inherit the Reed family, it goes without saying which one was more beneficial to them. Ethan's father finally recovered from the news, his hands trembling, stroking his chest to catch his breath. Guests who came to celebrate gathered around Julian to toast him. Ethan, who was high-spirited just two days ago, was now squeezed to the edge by the crowd. Ethan seemed furious. He stared straight at me and questioned: "You've only met Julian a few times. Are you marrying him just to spite me?" Before I could say anything, Julian stood beside me, looking down at Ethan from above. Julian was not only a head taller than him but also suppressed him in aura. "Did you not hear clearly? Clara likes me. Why do you think she would like you?" I took a step forward, held Julian's arm, and looked at Ethan with a hint of helplessness, as if looking at a child throwing a tantrum. "I've already said, the person I like is Julian. In my eyes, he is better than you in every way. Please stop flattering yourself."
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