Grandpa declared that whoever gets married first—my stepsister or me—would be the sole heir to the Sterling family estate. I looked calmly at my perpetually single stepsister. After all, my childhood sweetheart, Liam Crawford, had sworn he would only ever marry me. But the day before the heir was to be announced, he dropped to one knee in public and proposed to her. "Mia, will you marry me?" Just as panic began to set in, floating text—like comments on a live stream—suddenly materialized before my eyes: ["LMAO, Liam has been sleeping with Mia for ages. He's complete trash."] ["Girl, go find Ethan Vance! That boy has been secretly in love with you for ten years. He literally has the wedding bonuses ready."] Half-doubting the bizarre phenomenon, I stormed right into the executive suite of Vance Corp, grabbed my long-time rival by his silk tie, and asked, "Ethan Vance, want to get married?" He set down his fountain pen, looking up at me with profound amusement. "You want me to play pretend with you? Have you figured out my compensation?" Much later, at our actual wedding, he got down on one knee. "The act is over. Now, it's your turn to play this part with me for the rest of our lives." 1 I sat in the dim corner of the banquet hall, swirling the champagne in my glass, listening to the hushed gossip of the guests around me. "Tonight is the younger Sterling daughter's birthday bash, and it's massive. She's definitely going to be the heir, right?" "Not necessarily. Old Mr. Sterling made it clear: whoever ties the knot first takes the company." "I heard Mia has never even had a boyfriend. But the older sister, Chloe, has that childhood sweetheart who's obsessed with her." The crystal chandelier overhead was blinding. I was only here to make an obligatory appearance. Just as I was about to slip out, I saw Liam holding a massive bouquet of red roses. He dropped to one knee right in front of my stepsister. "Mia, I've had feelings for you for a long time. Will you marry me?" Mia's triumphant gaze cut through the crowd, landing precisely on me. She put on a flawless innocent act. "Liam, if you propose to me, what about my sister?" Liam followed her gaze. Meeting my ice-cold stare, a flicker of guilt crossed his face. "She's always been too competitive, like a tomboy. She could never compare to how gentle, sweet, and understanding you are." Mia covered her mouth, giggling coyly as she tilted her head at me. "Sister, you'll give Liam and me your blessing, won't you?" I stared at the two of them and let out a cold laugh. I slipped off the promise ring Liam had given me and tossed it straight at them. I was unnervingly calm. "My blessing? Since you love collecting my garbage, you can have this, too." The ring rolled right to Mia's designer heels. The inside bore a glaring engraving: L Loves C. Mia's smile stiffened for a second, but a determined glint remained in her eyes. "Sister, Grandpa is announcing the heir tomorrow. I hope you aren't late." I stood frozen in place, feeling as if a boulder was crushing my chest. It stung bitterly. Sterling Corp was built from the ground up by my late mother. I could lose Liam, but I absolutely refused to lose my mother's legacy. I swallowed the fury burning in my throat and scoffed. "Have you ever seen an award ceremony where the winner doesn't show up?" Without waiting to see their reactions, I turned on my heel and walked out of the hall. My words were tough, but honestly? I had zero backup plan. Where on earth was I supposed to find a husband on a few hours' notice? 2 Just as my head felt like it was about to split open from stress, lines of glowing text began scrolling across my vision: [LMAO, Liam has been sleeping with Mia for ages. He's complete trash.] [Go find Ethan Vance! That boy has been secretly in love with you for ten years. He literally has the wedding bonuses ready.] I forced down the shock of the floating words, my eyes glued to the name Ethan Vance. Wasn't he my ultimate college rival? He had a crush on me? It felt more like he despised me. We had practically spent four entire years of college locked in a bitter cold war. During our freshman year, Ethan and I represented our respective colleges in the debate championship. Dressed in a sharp navy blazer, I stood at the opposition podium and delivered a cutting remark: "Mr. Vance hasn't even held a girl's hand before. How can he be so certain that love developed over time is more reliable than love at first sight?" Ethan had just pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, firing back with a cold smirk. "I don't need a relationship to know that. I just have to look at how Ms. Sterling acts around her childhood friend." That single sentence had completely destroyed my argument. Because back then, my devotion to Liam was borderline pathetic. The result? I lost to Ethan by a single vote. [Lmao, she actually thought Ethan was attacking her back then.] [Hahaha, Ethan was probably grinding his teeth into dust out of pure jealousy.] [How could the female lead ever be good enough for my Ethan when she was busy being Liam's doormat?] [To the comment above: She was a doormat because she lost a game of Truth or Dare. The penalty was acting like Liam's ultimate simp for a whole semester.] I snapped my attention away from the floating text, suppressed my racing heart, and drove straight to Vance Corp. Parking my car downstairs, I bypassed security and headed straight for the top-floor conference suite. After taking a deep breath outside the CEO's office, I pushed the door open and walked in. Ethan was signing documents. His pale, elegant fingers gripped a Montblanc pen. Under the cuff of his black tailored suit, the faint blue veins on his wrist flexed. He didn't even look up at the sound of the door. I walked briskly over to his desk. Reaching out, my slender fingers gently lifted his chin. I didn't miss the intense flash of shock—and thrill—in his dark eyes. I leaned in close, so close I could feel the heat radiating from his skin. With a lazy, upward lilt in my voice, I cut to the chase. "Ethan Vance, want to get married?" 3 His entire body went rigid. His Adam's apple bobbed, and the tips of his ears turned violently red in seconds. He instantly pushed his rolling chair back, putting distance between us. Leaning back, he looked at me with a teasing smirk. "Chloe Sterling. You want me to play pretend with you? Have you figured out my compensation?" [Ethan's pride is thicker than a brick wall, I swear.] [The CEO's ears are totally red! He's obsessed with her.] [Chloe just has to curl a finger and CEO Vance turns into a loyal puppy.] I froze at his words. Compensation? I had stormed in here on a total impulse because of the floating comments. I hadn't thought about paying him. Rather than stand here and let him mock me, it was better to just leave. I'd just pretend this whole embarrassing thing never happened. But just as my hand touched the door handle, Ethan's long legs cleared the space around the desk. His strong, well-defined hand clamped around my wrist. With a firm tug, he pulled me directly into his chest. A subtle, familiar scent of lime and cedarwood filled my senses. It smelled incredible—the exact same scent he wore in college. I swallowed hard, suddenly very aware of the proximity. Sensing he had crossed a line, he immediately stepped back. He turned around, putting his back to me. [Hahahaha, Ethan literally can't stop smiling.] [Look at him acting tough. He almost scared his own wife away.] I watched the comments and raised an eyebrow. He was... smiling? In the four years we spent as rivals, I don't think I ever saw him smile. I honestly thought he lacked the facial muscles for it. Intrigued, I quickly stepped around him before he could react, catching him off guard. His eyes were crinkling at the corners, his gaze as soft and warm as a summer evening. He looked unbelievably gentle. Meeting my eyes, his pupils contracted. Clearly embarrassed, he brought a fist to his mouth and coughed lightly. "I can help you with this," he said, his voice deep and raspy. "We can discuss the compensation later." I looked away, feeling my own cheeks heat up, and nodded in agreement. Once I secured Sterling Corp, I could afford whatever price Ethan Vance demanded. Seeing me still standing there, he teased, "Is the great Ms. Sterling lingering because she wants to buy me lunch?" I instinctively went to nod, but a loud commotion erupted outside the door. The next second, the office door was thrown open. A girl in a fluffy pink designer dress and sparkling heels barged in. Seeing her, the words slipped out before I could stop them. "Stella Dupont? What are you doing here?" She froze, equally shocked. "Chloe Sterling? What are you doing in my Ethan's office?" 4 I scoffed. "None of your business." Stella rolled her eyes with a loud dramatic sigh. "What? You spent four years losing to Ethan, and now you're here to humiliate yourself post-graduation?" I kept my face perfectly neutral and ignored her. She was my other college nemesis. They say a castle can't hold two queens. We were both daughters of prominent, wealthy families, constantly compared to one another since childhood. More accurately, Stella constantly compared herself to me. Spoiled rotten by the Dupont family, she demanded to have everything I had. I thought I was free of her after high school, but we ended up at the exact same university. Not only were we in the same major, but we were assigned to the same dorm. It was a nightmare. For four years, I had to exhaust myself fighting Ethan for the top spot, while constantly guarding my back to ensure Stella—the perpetual third-place runner-up—didn't overtake me. I couldn't relax for a second. College was more stressful than high school. Seeing I wasn't going to take the bait, Stella turned to Ethan, her voice suddenly sugar-sweet. "Ethan, a new exclusive Michelin-starred place opened up downtown. I hear it's amazing. Can I take you to lunch?" Ethan's expression had been utterly blank since she walked in. "No," he said flatly. "I'm having lunch with my girlfriend." Stella's voice jumped an octave. "Girlfriend?! Since when do you have a girlfriend?" Ethan reached out and pulled me to his side. "Since today." Her eyes widened to the size of saucers. "But Chloe has her childhood sweetheart, Liam! Why would she be your girlfriend?!" Then, as if a lightbulb went off, she gave Ethan a knowing, pitying look. "Oh, Ethan. We all know how it is. If you just wanted to make someone jealous, you didn't have to use Chloe." I instantly looped my arm through Ethan's, flashing a sugary smile. "Do you really think you're that important? That we'd put on a play just for you?" Stella's eyes immediately welled with angry tears. Before storming out, she threw a parting shot. "Don't get too smug, Chloe! You two are going to break up eventually!" "I'm afraid you'll be waiting a lifetime," I fired back smoothly. She stomped her designer heel and bolted out the door in tears. I dropped my hold on Ethan's arm, teasing him. "Who knew CEO Vance was so irresistible? You've got the Dupont heiress chasing you all the way to the office." Ethan's brow arched. His sharp, handsome face suddenly leaned dangerously close to mine, a low laugh escaping his lips. "And yet, a man as irresistible as me was still easily claimed by you." My heart skipped a beat. I quickly looked away and stepped past him on the right. Dodging the tension, I kept my tone strictly professional. "Didn't you say we were getting lunch? Let's go." After a surprisingly pleasant lunch with Ethan, I dropped him back at Vance Corp and drove home to the Sterling estate. 5 Right at the entrance, I bumped into Mia and Liam walking out of the mansion. They were disgustingly close. The moment Liam saw me, he looked incredibly awkward. Mia, however, offered a sickly-sweet smile. "Sister, how do you still have the mood to come home? If I were you, I'd be running around in a panic by now. Oh, right. You probably don't have anyone left in your contacts to call, do you? Why don't I introduce you to someone? I heard the second son of the Preston family just moved back from Europe. Maybe you two should grab a drink?" I gave a cold laugh. "You're awfully invested in Wyatt Preston's schedule. Don't tell me you've got your eye on him?" Mia choked on her words. Everyone in our social circle knew Wyatt Preston was a complete disaster—he swung both ways, burned through trust funds, and brought chaos wherever he went. Anyone with an ounce of dignity avoided him like the plague. No one in their right mind would want anything to do with him. Mia really couldn't stand the thought of me being happy. Liam looked at me with deep disappointment, immediately stepping up to defend her. "Chloe, how can you be so toxic? Wyatt's itinerary is plastered all over social media. How could Mia possibly be interested in him!" I looked at Liam and delivered three simple words: "Not worth it." Hearing that, whatever lecture Liam had loaded in his chamber withered and died on his tongue. I bypassed them and walked straight into the house. The second I collapsed onto my bed, my phone buzzed with a text from my friend Harper. Harper: [Chloe! Our CEO is getting married! He literally just handed everyone in the company a $500 bonus envelope.] Image attached: Pink envelope.jpg Harper: [It's so out of nowhere. I'm dying to know who managed to bag the untouchable ice king of Vance Corp.] Before I could even type a reply, the floating text appeared in my vision again: [Omg, Ethan is secretly losing his mind with joy!] [LMAO, why did this man already have stacks of cash envelopes ready in his office?] [Ethan is the king of secret crushes. He is fully prepared for this life.] Picturing Ethan lugging a briefcase full of cash bonuses around the office, I actually burst out laughing. After calming down, I texted Harper back: [Is there any chance... that person is me?] A second later, my screen was entirely filled with question marks. I gave her the heavily abridged version of the morning's chaos, which resulted in a barrage of exclamation points. Harper: [You are insane! I bow to you!] I didn't reply. Instead, I opened Ethan's contact and sent him a message. "The banquet starts tomorrow at 11 AM at the Starlight Country Club. Should I send a driver for you?" He replied instantly. "No need. I'll drive myself." "I heard you handed out wedding bonuses to your entire company?" This time, there was a long pause before the typing bubble disappeared and a message finally came through. "The company had a great quarter. It was a performance bonus. Don't flatter yourself." I rolled my eyes at the screen. If I didn't have a magical stream of comments narrating his inner thoughts, I might have actually believed his nonsense.
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