Chapter 2 An Absurd Idea

This story quickly spread through Zaivine, stirring public outrage and sending the Shaw family into a frenzy. They pulled every string they had, and before long, Lainey was found in a remote village, living with the farmer who had adopted her. Along with her return came the long-buried truth.

With the rightful heiress restored to her place, Adelina's world began to collapse. Branded as a fraud, she became the target of endless gossip and cruel stares.

Even within the Shaw family, the whispers never stopped; she lived like a trespasser under their watchful eyes.

Lorenzo was the only one who hadn't turned his back on her.

When the news broke, he didn't end their relationship. Instead, he doubled down and threw a grand engagement party, cementing their bond in the eyes of society.

What Adelina hadn't known was that Lorenzo had been entangled with Lainey all along-and worse, he had orchestrated her downfall from the shadows.

Even catching them red-handed now would change nothing. No one would believe a word she said.

Swallowing the bitter truth, Adelina brushed away her tears and walked out of the villa, the weight of betrayal pressing down on every step.

With nowhere to turn, her fingers retrieved the crisp business card the stranger had left behind at the hotel.

The inked number swam before her eyes as a reckless, impossible thought slowly took shape in her mind.

...

On the top floor of Clark Group's headquarters, Colton Clark leaned back in his leather chair, immaculate in a tailored charcoal suit. His cold, sharp gaze swept over Jorge Simpson, the assistant standing rigidly at attention across the desk. "Track down whoever drugged me last night," Colton ordered, his voice cold and unyielding.

"Understood." Jorge straightened, then hesitated awkwardly. "Mr. Clark..."

"Anything else?"

From behind the stack of financial reports, Colton's gaze lifted, his expression impossible to read.

Jorge rubbed the back of his neck, a sheepish smile tugging at his lips. "Uh... your grandmother called again. She wants to set you up on another date. She said you're thirty now, and it's time to think about settling down. At this age, most people have kids old enough to..."

Colton set the financial reports aside, his brows knitting as he cut him off. "That's enough. I don't need you turning into my grandmother." I'll handle my marriage plans in my own time."

Jorge had pestered Colton about settling down countless times before, but this was the first time his boss hadn't brushed it off entirely.

Plans? That single word rattled around in his head. Had Colton, stubborn as ever, finally started to change his mind?

While Jorge was still reeling from the unexpected response, the desk phone rang.

Colton reached for the receiver. A woman's voice came through, light and clear, carrying a soft tremor. "About what you said earlier... about responsibility. Does that still stand?"

Though her words were steady, the fragile edge in her tone made it sound as if she were speaking to something dangerous.

A quiet laugh slipped past Colton's lips. Was he truly that terrifying?

He didn't bother to deliberate. "Of course," he replied smoothly.

"Good... Then tomorrow morning at ten, at the city hall."

Once they settled on the time and place, a faint, satisfied smile ghosted across Colton's face. He ended the call and rose from his chair with deliberate ease.

As he strode toward the door, he tossed the words over his shoulder like an afterthought. "If my grandmother starts hounding me about marriage again, just tell her I already have someone in mind."

The spacious office swallowed his voice, leaving the soft hum of the central air as the only reply. Jorge remained frozen in place, his mind spinning.

For the first time since he'd started working for Colton, the usually unflappable assistant completely lost his composure.

Colton already had someone in mind? Who on earth could possibly capture the heart of a man that untouchable?

...

The following morning, Adelina climbed out of a cab and stood in front of the Shaw family's estate.

"Adelina, so you finally decided to show up. You vanished after the engagement party-where exactly did you run off to?"

Before she even stepped into the living room, a sharp, mocking female voice sliced through the air to greet her.

Lainey lingered at the foot of the staircase in a flowing white nightgown, her hair mussed just enough to look soft and innocent. Anyone else might have believed she was the picture of fragile purity-not the woman tangled in Lorenzo's sheets the previous day.

In the past, Adelina had fallen for that performance, even feeling guilty for existing in Lainey's place.

Now, a cold sneer curved her lips as she brushed off the hand reaching for her. "Why bother pretending you don't already know?"

Lainey's lashes fluttered, her face carefully arranged into a mask of concern. "Adelina, you disappeared the whole night of your engagement. Do you have any idea how worried Lorenzo was? You've put him in such an awkward spot."

Then, with an almost delicate smile, she tilted her head and added sweetly, "Why don't you just give up on him? The Clark family wants to join forces with us. You can marry Bruce Clark in my place."