Chapter 1

At my twenty-second engagement party, my fiancé, Carter Vance, announced in front of all the guests that the one he truly loved was my stepsister, Chloe.

I became the laughingstock of the high society overnight.

After the party, he grabbed my hand in the parking lot and explained in a gentle tone.

"Maddy, I know you're hurting right now. But Chloe... her health is fragile. She can't handle any more stress."

"Don't worry, I will marry her, but it's only out of responsibility. Nothing will change between us. You will always be the most important person in my heart."

My fingertips went cold with rage.

He probably didn't know that our families' merger agreement had a backup clause for the marriage alliance.

One Sterling daughter would marry him.

The other would have to marry the notoriously ruthless, dangerous, and cold-blooded tycoon, Dominic Blackwood.

That night, looking at the city lights outside my floor-to-ceiling window, I dialed an unfamiliar number.

"Mr. Blackwood, about the marriage contract. I agree."

"Three days. I'll be waiting for you."