Chapter 3

Marcus waved his hands quickly.

"Charlotte needs me. She can't survive without support. I have to marry her."

He stepped forward, urgent.

"But Ophelia, you can still be with me. You're the Warren Family's heir. You're Abel Sterling's granddaughter. You don't need a title to prove your worth."

"Charlotte said she won't fight you for anything. She knows her place. She just needs the protection of being Mrs. Ashford."

"You'll have everything you want. My love, my resources, everything. The only difference is Charlotte will have the legal title."

He said it like he was being generous. Like I should be grateful.

The guests' faces were priceless.

"Is he suggesting she be his mistress?"

"How could Robert Warren agree to this? His daughter becoming the mistress?"

"If Abel Sterling finds out, he'll tear the Ashford Family down."

Marcus's face went red and white.

Charlotte walked up in the Valentino, voice soft. "Ophelia, please forgive me."

"I need Marcus. I can't make it on my own. But I promise I won't take anything from you. You'll always be special to him."

I laughed.

"You've had it so hard, Charlotte? Victoria moved into my mother's bedroom three days after she died. She took all of Mom's jewelry."

"And you claimed my room because you said it had the best natural light. You live in the best suite in the Warren Family."

"Your clothes cost more than mine. You get first pick of jewelry and designer clothes. Where exactly have you suffered?"

Everyone looked. Charlotte's Valentino gown was from the street race—Marcus had won it for her.

The worth of that gown spoke for itself.

The crown on her head was from Cartier's vault collection. Worth $500,000.

Her shoes were Manolo Blahnik with rare pearls embedded in them.

Compared to her,I wore something simple.

Hearing this, the guests started whispering.

"That outfit costs over a million dollars. Not even the heiresses in this city dress that extravagantly. How dare you say you are unloved?"

"Just that crown is worth $500,000."

"That mistress's wearing designer too. Those two dress better than most of us."

"Ophelia doesn't even look as expensive as them."

Charlotte's eyes filled with tears.

She stepped back, looking at Marcus.

"It's not like that, Marcus. Today's my birthday. Dad said I couldn't lose face in front of everyone. That's why I'm dressed like this."

"This crown and jewelry—Dad ordered them for Ophelia, not me."

I smiled slightly. "Dad ordered them for me? Pearl, make a note. After the party, go get all this jewelry and the crown from Charlotte's room and bring it to mine."

My maid Pearl suppressed a smile.

"Yes, Miss Warren."

Marcus snapped.

"Enough, Ophelia. It's just a crown. Why are you pushing your sister this far? You're being petty. Where's your grace as the Warren Family's heir?"

"I didn't believe you'd treat Charlotte badly, but now I see it. When I'm not around, you must bully her constantly."

He stepped in front of Charlotte, gripping her hand tight. "She's going to be Mrs. Ashford. She doesn't need these things."

"Besides, when Charlotte marries me, your father said he'd transfer her share of the Warren assets—company stocks and cash worth a hundred million dollars. She won't care about one or two pieces of jewelry."