My family arranged for me to marry into the Sterling conglomerate, and both families sat down together to discuss the wedding details. My parents asked me who I wanted to marry. Figuring I had to marry someone anyway, I casually pointed at Ezra Sterling, whom I had known for years. Before I could even speak, a barrage of text comments suddenly materialized and floated across my vision. [Is this female supporting character a glutton for punishment? There are so many men in the world, why does she have to cling to the male lead? So disgusting!] [It's fine. The female lead is already pregnant with a mind-reading miracle baby anyway. Eventually, everyone will find out about all the terrible things the female supporting character did.] [So trashy. Can the female supporting character just die off already? I want to see the female lead and her cute baby!] [Let me give you a spoiler: the female supporting character dies a miserable death. Her family goes bankrupt, the male lead doesn't love her, her friends are all useless trash, and in the end, she jumps off a building wearing stolen clothes and dies!] Seeing these comments, my heart leaped into my throat. Only one thought echoed in my mind: whatever the hell was going on, under no circumstances could I choose Ezra Sterling. So, I subtly shifted my hand and pointed directly at the Sterling family's notorious playboy: "I choose him!" 1 "These are all the unmarried boys in the Sterling family. Chloe, take your pick." As soon as Grandpa Sterling finished speaking, everyone in the private dining room looked at me. I scanned the room, my eyes landing on Ezra Sterling. I looked at him; he looked at me. The moment our eyes met, he gave me a slight nod. The implication was clear: I was allowed to choose him. I reached out my hand and pointed at Ezra: "Then I'll choose Ez..." Before the words could leave my mouth, a flood of text comments drifted across my vision. [Is this female supporting character a glutton for punishment? There are so many men in the world, why does she have to cling to the male lead? So disgusting!] [It's fine. The female lead is already pregnant with a mind-reading miracle baby anyway. Eventually, everyone will find out about all the terrible things the female supporting character did.] [So trashy. Can the female supporting character just die off already? I want to see the female lead and her cute baby!] [Let me give you a spoiler: the female supporting character dies a miserable death. Her family goes bankrupt, the male lead doesn't love her, her friends are all useless trash, and in the end, she jumps off a building wearing stolen clothes and dies!] There was even a "Next Page" button below, showing 999+ comments. Female supporting character? Me? Did I commit some grave sin against the heavens? I agree to a business marriage, and as a result, my family goes bankrupt, and I end up jumping off a building and dying? I usually enjoy reading web novels, including those with live comment sections, so I naturally understood what was happening. My brain worked lightning fast. Right now, I only had one thought: even if I had to choose Ezra Sterling's dad, I absolutely could not choose Ezra Sterling! Of course, Ezra's dad wasn't in this room; the older generation was in the private room next door. Aside from Grandpa Sterling, everyone sitting here was an unmarried male of suitable age. Today's banquet was essentially a giant matchmaking session prepared specifically for me. Therefore, I had plenty of men to choose from. With a quick flick of my wrist, I pointed directly at the man sitting next to Ezra: "...Asher." Whatever, he'll do. The rest of them I either didn't know well or they just weren't my type. The man had been playing on his phone. Hearing me call his name, his head snapped up. A flash of surprise crossed his peach-blossom eyes, but he quickly suppressed it. Maybe my eyes were playing tricks on me, but was there a hint of pleasant surprise in his gaze, too? He put his phone away, looked around the room, and then laughed: "Chloe, you must have misspoken. Ezra is sitting right next to me." He nudged Ezra with his elbow, gesturing for him to stand up. The surprise and impatience in Ezra's eyes vanished in a flash. He adjusted his collar, just about to stand up. I spoke clearly: "Sit down. Asher Sterling, I called your name." Grandpa Sterling was also full of surprise. He looked at me kindly and said, "It's alright, Chloe. Think it through carefully before you choose." "That's right, Chloe. After all, marriage is a major life event. We need to be a bit more prudent," my dad chimed in. Before coming here, we had a family meeting to discuss who I should marry. Ezra Sterling was the top candidate. He was good-looking, and we had been classmates since we were kids. In all these years, I had never heard a single scandal about him. He seemed to keep his nose clean and stay out of trouble. He truly was a solid choice for a marriage of convenience. And during our discussion, the absolute worst choice was Asher Sterling, the number one playboy in the city. Just the title alone was enough to make anyone keep their distance. I shook my head and kept my eyes fixed on Asher: "No need. He's the one." 2 After dinner, everyone left with their own hidden agendas. Although Grandpa Sterling was very surprised by my choice, he still asked Asher to drive me home, suggesting we use the opportunity to cultivate some feelings. We sat in the same car, neither of us speaking. Technically, Asher was three years younger than me, and I had practically watched him grow up. But we hadn't interacted much; we usually just exchanged polite greetings when we saw each other. Now, having suddenly gone from mere acquaintances to fiancés, let alone him, even I hadn't fully adjusted to the shift. "Um, Chloe, I..." Before he could finish his sentence, the car door next to me was pulled open. Ezra Sterling sat down right beside me, frowning at Asher: "I have something to discuss with her. You and the driver step out." They flanked me on the left and right, squishing me in the middle. I felt a surge of annoyance. When Ezra leaned closer, the strong scent of tobacco clinging to him suffocated my breathing space even more. I raised a hand, signaling Ezra to back off and maintain a safe social distance: "No need. Whatever you have to say, you can say it here." Ezra's brow furrowed tightly, clearly displeased, but he asked anyway: "Why did you choose him? There are plenty of people in the Sterling family you could have chosen. He's not the only option." I shimmied my butt to the other side, trying hard to put some distance between Ezra and me. Inevitably, I bumped into Asher. I looked Ezra straight in the eye and countered: "What about you? Why did you insist I choose you? There are plenty of unmarried men in the Sterling family. Why did it have to be you?" Ezra froze, seemingly not expecting me to ask that. Just as I was trying to think of an excuse to get him out of the car, he sneered: "You'd rather choose a playboy with a terrible reputation than choose me?" Earlier, I was still weighing my options, but now my resolve was ironclad. I wasn't narcissistic enough to believe that Ezra loved me so much he couldn't live without me. He must have some ulterior motive for insisting on marrying me. Thinking of this, I conveniently leaned back, resting against Asher. I smiled: "What's wrong with a playboy? I happen to like them wild." The car fell dead silent. The driver stared straight ahead, not even daring to breathe too loudly. I heard Asher's heartbeat suddenly accelerate. Thump thump thump, thump thump thump. Even through his clothes, I could feel the heat radiating from his body. A faint, woody cologne drifted into my nose, cutting through the stale smell of smoke in the car. Ezra: "You! How could you be this kind of person?! Frivolous!" He glared at me resentfully, then slammed the car door and stormed off a moment later. Only me, Asher, and the driver were left in the car. The driver very tactfully raised the privacy partition. Now, it was time for Asher and me to have a private conversation. Asher's voice drifted from the back of my neck: "Chloe, um, maybe you could sit up first?" His voice was as quiet as a mosquito, his gentle breath ghosting over my skin. The atmosphere was so ambiguous that my face flushed slightly. So he wouldn't notice anything was off, I pulled out of his embrace and put some distance between us. Once I was settled, Asher finally spoke: "Do you want to reconsider the marriage alliance? You know my reputation is terrible. If you're with me, your future..." "No need," I shook my head. "Since I chose you, I'm not going to change my mind. But I need you to agree to three conditions." He nodded almost instantly: "Okay. Tell me." "I don't care who you were tangled up with before, cut all ties within three days. I don't want any negative press surrounding our marriage. "Get a full physical exam and a three-panel STD test. I need to know you're healthy. Naturally, I'll get tested too. "Third, we can divorce after we have a child. During the marriage, absolutely no cheating is allowed. The same goes for me." After laying out my three conditions, I looked at Asher. For a notorious playboy, these three conditions were undeniably challenging. But it wasn't like I had to marry him. If Asher couldn't do it, there were other men in the Sterling family. But to my surprise, Asher nodded without hesitation: "There has never been anyone else. And I promise you, there will never be a third person between us." With that, he lowered the partition and told the driver: "Turn around. Go to the nearest medical testing center." 3 Money makes the world go round. Not long after our blood was drawn, the three-panel STD test results were in my hands. Asher stood before me, holding the report: "Here are my test results. Absolutely no issues. Is there anything else you want to check?" All indicators were normal; everything was negative. If I didn't have much of an impression of him before, I was highly satisfied with Asher now. His facial features were softer than Ezra's, and he spoke softly, but there was nothing soft about his physique. In the car earlier, I hadn't just heard his racing heartbeat; I had felt the sudden, firm flex of his chest muscles. A man's chest muscles are soft when they aren't flexing them. What a scheming man. But I was an absolute sucker for this little trick. I nodded in satisfaction: "Excellent. Since that's settled, when we get back, we'll discuss the engagement date. Everything else is out of our hands." Asher nodded eagerly, his tone eager: "It's still early. Do you want to go grab a couple of drinks?" Since we were going to be partners in life from now on, I naturally didn't refuse. But before we even walked out the hospital doors, a young woman walked past me. The moment she passed, the floating text appeared before my eyes again. [The female lead came to the hospital all alone to get her baby checked, while the male lead is still out drinking with that Vance woman. It's so tragic!] [Thank goodness the miracle baby is well-behaved and doesn't cause the female lead any trouble, otherwise our hearts would literally break for her.] [When is the female supporting character going to die off? I can't stand reading about her for another chapter. I wish I could reach through the screen and slap her. Isn't she pathetic?!] So the girl who just walked past was Ezra's girlfriend? I glanced at her retreating back. Remembering that my marriage partner had been swapped to Asher, I immediately looked away. Mind my own business. But the second I turned my head, I saw text popping up around Asher, too. [Oh no, our Mia was spotted by the villain! The villain is going to use this to blackmail the male lead, and the male lead is going to have to give up so many shares to the villain to keep it quiet!] [Our Ezra and Mia are so tragic. They clearly love each other so much, why did the author have to write in a misunderstanding between them?!] [Can the villain just die together with the female supporting character? Those two pieces of trash should just be packaged up and sent to hell together!] So Asher, the guy I casually pointed at, was the villain of this book? Looking at his harmless, innocent face, I really couldn't tell he was capable of blackmail. Asher: "Did you know that girl who just walked by?" I shook my head: "No. She looked heavily pregnant and was here at the hospital all alone. Just seemed a bit pitiful." Asher: "I saw that girl a few months ago. I think she's a new intern at one of Ezra's branch companies." I took one last look at the girl's retreating back: "Let's go." 4 Returning home, I faced my parents, who had been waiting for me. Before they could even speak, I slapped Asher's medical report on the table: "Mom, Dad, there's a reason for this, and I couldn't say it at the dinner table. But as of right now, Asher is a much better fit than Ezra." After looking over the report, my mom finally asked: "And your reason for not choosing Ezra? We've practically watched Ezra grow up. We know his character." It seemed my parents didn't know about Ezra and the intern either. "Ezra has a girlfriend, and she's already pregnant with his child." My simple explanation left my parents stunned. Ezra's usual reputation was so spotless that my parents even felt suspicious: "Did Asher tell you this?" I shook my head: "I looked into it myself." To remember a lowly intern for months, and to specifically choose the hospital where the female lead was getting her prenatal checkups to do his medical exam—clearly, Asher wasn't entirely innocent either. But compared to Ezra, who hid his romantic history to go on a blind date with me, Asher's little schemes could only be seen as him aggressively courting me. My dad frowned, just about to say something, when the butler walked in: "Sir, there is a Ms. Mia outside requesting to see Miss Chloe." Ms. Mia? I was confused: "Which Ms. Mia? Let her in first." When she arrived, I understood. It was Ezra's girlfriend. And the moment she walked through the door, she dropped to her knees right on the floor: "Ms. Vance, I'm begging you! Please marry my boss!" 5 Good thing I dodged quickly, otherwise her kneeling to me would have definitely cursed my lifespan. I shook my head: "Ms. Mia, I don't quite understand what you mean. Who is your boss?" Even though I knew her relationship with Ezra, I couldn't just come out and say it. Play dumb and make her say it herself. Mia choked back a sob for a moment, then said: "My boss is Ezra Sterling. His company recently ran into a bit of a crisis and needs a massive injection of funds to bridge the gap. If he doesn't get this money, everything he's worked for will be bought out..." Oh? Speaking of buyouts, my eyes lit up. The children of the Sterling family received a startup fund when they came of age, free to use for their own entrepreneurial ventures. Ezra had founded a large AI research company. The project launched last year and saw a brief period of massive popularity online. But the market was saturated with competing products, and now the company was languishing in mediocrity. If there was a buyout happening, I definitely wanted a piece of the action. But right now, I needed to deal with the woman in front of me first. I sighed: "Sister, does your boss know you're here begging me?" Mia fell silent. I said: "Butler, please escort Ms. Mia out. Having a pregnant woman kneeling in our house... if something happens to her, we won't be able to explain ourselves." But no matter what I said, she remained stubbornly on her knees, refusing to get up. Anyone watching would think her knees had taken root and sprouted in my living room. "Ms. Vance, if you don't agree, I will kneel here until I die! I won't get up!" She spoke stubbornly, straightening her back, looking like she was defying the unfairness of fate. And I was that unfair fate. Looking at this pregnant woman, my mouth twitched. I turned around and called Asher. "Why are you calling me now?" Asher's voice on the other end was soft and gentle. I asked directly: "Do you know where Ezra is?" He paused for a second. His tone wasn't quite as gentle as before, carrying a hint of resentment: "How should I know? After we got back tonight, Grandpa called him away again. Why are you looking for him?" Looking at the woman kneeling on the floor, I sneered: "His girlfriend is currently kneeling in front of me, demanding that I marry him." Asher let out a sharp "Ah": "Who?! Wait for me at your house, I'll be right there." "Make sure you bring Grandpa Sterling with you." Family matters are best resolved by the family themselves. After hanging up, I looked at the woman staring at me with hopeful eyes: "The Sterling family will be here shortly. I think rather than having me marry Ezra, it's better to let the Sterling family decide the fate of this marriage." Mia visibly panicked: "This is my own private matter! It has absolutely nothing to do with my boss! My actions have nothing to do with him! Ms. Vance, please don't drag him into this, and please don't take your anger out on him because of what I've done." "Too late," I said flatly. "A pregnant woman running into my house late at night and kneeling in my living room... If word of this gets out, people who don't know any better will think I, Chloe Vance, committed some heinous crime. "Who do you think you are, that you can dictate my marriage?" After saying that, I looked at my parents: "Mom, Dad, do you understand now why I chose Asher instead of Ezra?" My mom was basically a princess herself. She had been protected her entire life, and after marrying my dad, he treated her like royalty. She had never been dragged into wealthy family drama. To see a heavily pregnant woman show up at our door before I was even married left her completely dumbfounded. My mom sighed: "You can marry whoever you want. Your dad and I will always stand by your side." Hearing my mom say that, tears silently welled up in my heart. Even though I didn't know exactly what kind of book my world was set in, I could tell from the massive amount of floating text that I was the vicious female supporting character in a novel. I died a mysterious, miserable death, and my parents probably didn't fare much better. By not marrying Ezra, I could probably live a few years longer. 6 Mia remained kneeling in my house until Grandpa Sterling arrived with Ezra and Asher. The moment he saw Mia, Grandpa Sterling started coughing violently. I thoughtfully called the butler over and asked him to pour the old man a glass of water. Grandpa Sterling sighed: "Young lady, whose child are you carrying?" Even now, Ezra's lips remained pressed into a tight, straight line. Naturally, Mia refused to admit the truth: "Grandpa, this has absolutely nothing to do with anyone else. This was entirely my own reckless decision, my own idea. I didn't tell anyone. Please, please don't be angry over this." The old man scoffed coldly: "You are an employee at Ezra's company, and you're claiming your actions have nothing to do with him? Fine. Ezra, contact HR immediately and have her fired." Ezra, who hadn't said a word until now, finally spoke up: "No! Grandpa, I followed your orders and went on the blind dates. I'll do whatever you ask, but I cannot let her leave me." I wore a sarcastic expression: "Are you implying that you forced yourself to go on a blind date with me, suffering an immense grievance, just to protect your true love?" I glanced at the woman kneeling on the floor and shook my head: "I really should be celebrating the fact that I chose Asher instead of you." Ezra shot me an icy glare, but quickly masked it, replacing it with a look of tragic sorrow directed at the woman in front of him. He immediately dropped to his knees, facing Grandpa Sterling: "Grandpa, I have already gone on the blind dates you arranged. I hope you can accept Mia. I will do whatever you command!" Grandpa Sterling let out a long, heavy exhale. He was clearly furious with Ezra. "Since you already have a child on the way, you shouldn't have lied to us and said you didn't have someone you loved. We aren't living in the feudal era anymore. If you want to choose who you love, us elders wouldn't have objected! "Now that things have reached this point, pick a good day and marry this Ms. Mia." Hearing Grandpa Sterling's words, I nodded in agreement from the sidelines. The baby is almost due, if you don't get married now, what are you waiting for? None of the people in my social circle ever had the habit of keeping mistresses on the side. We didn't tolerate that kind of dirt in our eyes. Ezra blurted out almost instantly: "But if I marry Mia, what will happen to my company?" At this moment, Mia, still kneeling on the floor, burst into hysterical tears upon hearing Ezra's words. She crawled forward on her knees and hugged Grandpa Sterling's leg: "Grandpa, I don't want money, and I don't want a title! I don't want anything! I watched him build his company from nothing with my own two eyes. I don't want his life's work to be destroyed! I'm begging you, please help him! "I will have the baby, and I will find a quiet corner where no one knows me. I'll hide away and never appear in front of you for the rest of my life. "Ms. Vance, say something! I know you are a gentle, kind woman. Ezra told me that a woman like you would never make things difficult for me." My parents and I were absolutely stunned. We exchanged bewildered glances. What kind of melodramatic soap opera were we watching? Asher coughed: "That's where you're wrong, Ms. Mia. Ms. Chloe is my girlfriend, and my fiancée. She has absolutely nothing to do with your boss. I suggest you think carefully before you speak." Although he was smiling, his eyes were full of mockery. Ezra's jaw tightened, but he couldn't utter a single word. In comparison, Asher had just scored another point. Mia shot Asher a vicious, venomous glare: "No! I know about you! You've always been fighting Ezra for everything! Whenever there's something he wants, you try to steal it! Ms. Vance, he doesn't truly love you!" "Enough!" Hearing this, I had absolutely reached the limit of my patience and immediately ordered them out. "Mr. Sterling, this is Ezra's family drama. Having this argument in my house is highly inappropriate, isn't it?" Grandpa Sterling coughed a few times. His eyes were currently filled with profound disappointment: "I've let you youngsters see a shameful spectacle. The Sterling family will handle this internally. You focus on preparing for your wedding with Asher." In the end, a reluctant Mia was led away by Ezra.
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