Chapter 1 Sacrificial Lamb

Nicole Wilson had barely set foot in the living room of the Wilson residence when a mug flew her way.

She dodged by a hair, feeling the gust of air as it missed. The mug hit the wall, shattering against the tiles in a spray of porcelain.

Across the room, Cathy Wilson, her mom, was visibly angry. She jabbed an accusatory finger toward Nicole, her voice shaking with malice. "You bring nothing but bad luck! After everything we've done for you, this is how you repay us? How dare you refuse this arranged marriage and even run away?"

Nicole's eyes lingered on the shards before locking with Cathy's.

Cathy advanced, her voice rising, her words landing like blows. "You have no shame! You got knocked up by some nobody, lost the baby, and now you act like you're above marrying into the Moore family? The Moore family are willing to overlook your past and you're still being choosy?"

Nicole drew a steady breath, unfazed by the sharpness in Cathy's glare. "If I'm so worthless, why force me to take Marissa's place? Wouldn't it be better for your most cherished daughter to marry into wealth and power?"

Cathy's hand shot up, her palm trembling with barely concealed outrage, poised to strike Nicole across the face.

Brody Wilson, Nicole's father, surged forward and caught Cathy's wrist mid-air, his grip unyielding. A shadow of feigned guilt flickered in his eyes as he acted composed.

"Nicole," he said quietly. "I know this isn't easy for you. But Marissa's health really is fragile. The doctor insists she needs to rest-she isn't strong enough to go through with a wedding right now."

The truth was, the Wilson Group teetered on the edge of collapse. Desperate, Brody chose to form a marriage alliance with the Moore family to obtain funds to keep the company operating.

The Moore family, though wealthy and powerful, wasn't actually an ideal ally through marriage. Their first son had gone missing for years. Their second son, Aidan Moore, was rumored to be seriously ill and wouldn't last for another year. So no upper-class family would marry their daughter into Moore family under normal circumstance.

And Nicole was the pitiful sacrificial lamb for her younger sister, Marissa Wilson.

Nicole's lips curled into a frosty, knowing smile. "Dad, did you forget I studied medicine?" she said, her gaze sharp as a scalpel. "Marissa's condition is hardly serious. I could treat her myself if you'd let me."

The room fell silent. Nicole's words landed like a blow, exposing the lie at the heart of their scheme.

Brody stiffened, caught off guard and unable to respond.

Marissa entered the living room at just the right moment. "I'll do it, Dad. I'll marry him." Marissa's voice trembled, but she forced herself to sound brave. "My body's already falling apart, so what does it matter if I die a little sooner?"

She rushed the words out, terrified Brody might cave to Nicole's defiance.

She let out fragile, exaggerated coughs and shot Nicole a look full of false concern. "Everyone says Aidan is hideous, mean, and barely clinging to life. How could I possibly let Nicole marry into a nightmare like that?"

Tears welled up in Marissa's eyes, spilling down her cheeks in delicate, shimmering tracks-she looked every bit the helpless damsel.

"What nonsense are you babbling about? You're born to marry well-how could you possibly end up shackled to a dying man?" Cathy wrapped Marissa in a gentle embrace, then turned and skewered Nicole with a cold, unyielding glare.

A bitter laugh almost slipped from Nicole as she watched-Marissa always got protected, while she alone was shoved toward disaster.

The ugly alliance between Brody, Cathy, and Marissa churned Nicole's stomach. How easily they could conspire to sacrifice her for their own benefit.

Nicole's silence only seemed to provoke Cathy further. Tension crackled in the air as Cathy snapped, her voice sharp and brittle, "What exactly do you want in exchange for going through with this marriage?"

Nicole met her eyes at last, steady and unflinching. "Grandma's will said Marissa and I each get ten percent of the shares in Wilson Group. Shouldn't I have what belongs to me?"

Brody's temper flared-he slammed his fist on the table, rattling the dishes. In two strides, he bore down on Nicole, his face twisted with fury. "If you hadn't dragged our name through the mud and tanked the company's stock, I never would've taken those shares! And you have the nerve to ask for them back?"

Nicole matched his glare with an easy, mocking smile. "You know what? It's actually okay for you to keep them."

She made her way to the sofa, settling in with an air of defiance-legs crossed, head held high, one brow arched in challenge. "And you might as well be prepared for a failed marriage alliance."

"You!" Fury blazing in his eyes, Brody lunged forward, his hand lifted as if to strike.

Nicole stared him down, refusing to flinch, her voice like ice. "Go on. You know what consequences come with this slap."

Brody's jaw clenched tightly as he fought to swallow his outrage, forced to back down for Marissa's sake.

With visible effort, he straightened, biting back his anger. "Fine. I'll give you your shares. Happy now?"

Without another word, Brody snatched up his phone, fingers flying as he opened the company system and summoned the board for an emergency meeting to announce the share transferring.

Moments later, Nicole's phone buzzed with a confirmation text-her shares would be transferred within five business days.

A slow, triumphant smile curved on her lips. "Now we're talking."

Across the room, Cathy and Marissa traded triumphant glances, smug satisfaction flickering in their eyes as their little scheme took root.

Nicole might have reclaimed her shares, but that came with the bitter price of marrying a man on the edge of death.

"Take Nicole to her room. In three days, the Moore family's car will come for her-see that she's ready, and make sure she looks the part of a perfect bride," Cathy ordered, her voice sharp and unyielding. With brisk efficiency, she made sure Nicole had no opening to slip away this time.

Escorted by the staff, Nicole was marched to the maid's quarters-the cramped, stale little room she'd once lived in before college.

She glanced around, utterly unfazed by the suffocating air and peeling walls.

Betrayed by the Wilson family, used and discarded like she meant nothing, Nicole steeled herself with a silent promise. One day, they would pay for what they had done.