Love as a Weapon

After my family's business collapsed, I married my first love's older brother.

On the wedding day, even though Jase Mitchell begged me with tears, I never looked back.

Four years later, my husband Kade Mitchell passed away from illness, and his stepmother Katie Fuller drove me and my son out of the Mitchell family.

Desperate and with nowhere to turn, I knocked on Jase's door.

His tone was playful and teasing. "What brings you here, sister-in-law?"

I hid my emotions and stepped closer.

This time, I would make Katie's son return the stolen inheritance with his own hands.

...

Raindrops gathered and fell from my umbrella as I held my son's small hand, staring at my husband's tombstone.

"Mommy, where's Daddy? Will we see him again?" Vince asked in his childish voice, his eyes full of confusion.

I looked at his innocent, tender face and opened my mouth to speak.

Before I could answer, Katie stood nearby, her expression blank as she pressed a handkerchief to her mouth. "Since Kade is gone, there's no reason for you and the child to stay with the Mitchells. Jase isn't married yet, so it's not appropriate for you to live in the family estate. Don't think I'm heartless. You have two weeks to clear out your things. If you can't manage, I'll have someone do it for you."

She gave a glance to the bodyguard nearby, then walked away in her sharp black heels, like the sole victor in a game.

I lowered my gaze in silence, tightening my grip on Vince's hand. "Daddy's just gone to a faraway place," I told him. "We'll see him again someday."

At three years old, with his frail health and slower development, Vince didn't grasp what death meant.

My child needed special medicine to keep his condition from worsening. Leaving the Mitchell family's hospital would only make him sicker.

I couldn't leave.

The best specialists in the country worked at the Mitchells' private hospital, and the medicine Vince needed was only developed by the research institute they funded.

Katie controlled all of it now.

Since Kade's death, the leadership of the Mitchell Group had been in limbo, leaving me in a vulnerable position.

Watching Katie's figure disappear, I thought of my brother-in-law, Jase.

"Mommy, is Grandma trying to make us leave?" Vince asked timidly after Katie left.

I pulled him into my arms. His frail body was light enough for me to lift easily, and holding him close sent waves of pain through my heart.

He was so small, too fragile for any mistakes.

I smiled to calm him. "No way, your grandma's just in a bad mood."

Without Kade's protection, how could I keep my child safe?

Katie was closing in, and I needed to make a move.

Jase, Katie's son, now held the reins of the Mitchell Group.

That evening, I tucked Vince into bed, left the nanny to watch him in the hospital room, and drove back to the Mitchell estate.

In my room, I rummaged through my closet, finally choosing a white spaghetti-strap dress with a cardigan over it. I applied a light layer of lipstick in front of the mirror, then headed to the fourth floor.

The sprawling estate once housed the main branch of the Mitchell family.

My father-in-law passed first, then Kade.

Now only Katie and Jase, who rarely came home, lived there. I had spent the last three years mostly at the hospital with Vince, rarely returning to the estate.

Yet even so, Katie couldn't tolerate me and my son.

Word was that Katie was arranging a marriage for Jase.

I steeled myself and stood at Jase's bedroom door.

I had checked with the butler beforehand.

Jase was back tonight and likely in the shower.

As the current head of the Mitchell family, Jase's presence made Katie the undisputed matriarch of the estate.

Leaving the estate was only the first step. It would mean losing access to the Mitchells' private hospital as well.

I understood exactly what Katie was scheming.

For Vince's sake, I couldn't leave.

With no more hesitation, I composed my expression and knocked on his door.

"It's me." I knocked on Jase's bedroom door.

Inside, Jase paused at the sound of my voice, then opened the door after a moment.

He looked at me with arrogance, his thin lips curling into a mocking smirk.

I met his gaze. "Jase..."

He toweled his hair with a half-smile.

"What brings you here, sister-in-law?" His last words were soft and teasing.

He seemed to have been drinking. Even after a shower, I caught a faint whiff of alcohol.

I glanced to the side and said softly, "Can I come in?"

Jase raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"

His tone was playful, probing.

"Yes," I replied.

After Katie's words earlier that day, I couldn't back down.

The moment the bedroom door closed, I stepped closer to Jase, who stood with his back to me, waiting for me to speak.

"Jase, can you... help me? Katie wants me and Vince to leave the Mitchell family. You know Vince's condition isn't good. If we leave, Katie will have the hospital discharge us next. Vince will die. Please, Jase."

I reached for his sleeve.

Just like before.

All I had left to rely on was whatever lingering feelings Jase might still have for me.

Or perhaps there was no affection left at all.

Jase shook off my hand, and I stumbled from the force.

I feigned panic on my face.

Seeing me unsteady, he grabbed my arm, sneering. "Who are you to talk to me like this? Sister-in-law, or old flame?"

He pulled me close, so close our bodies pressed together, our heartbeats and breaths mingling.

I bit my lip, his anger somehow calming me.

Before he could say more, I reached up, gripping his shoulders, and stood on my toes to kiss him.

After the kiss, I pleaded, "If you help me and my son, I'll do anything! Please, Jase!"

Tears fell from my eyes as I spoke.

The tears came at just the right moment.

I was terrified of anything happening to Vince. For him, I'd do anything.

He understood.

Jase stared at me, his gaze deep and complex, with a flicker of hidden anger. "You're really going all out for my brother's kid..."

I stayed silent.

His eyes glazed over, and he added, "You're always ready to sacrifice anything for someone else, huh."

He lifted me by the waist and placed me on the bed.

"You sure you won't regret this?" His voice was icy.

I flinched but shook my head. "No regrets."

He leaned close to my ear. "Did you beg Kade like this too? What do you think he'd feel if he knew?"

His last words dripped with malice.

He always despised Kade. The brothers never got along.

My body froze.

Time blurred as I sank into a haze, overwhelmed, wanting to escape but always pulled back until I passed out.

Faintly, I heard him say, "Jolie, are you trying to drive me insane? Why should I help you? He's not my son."

The words felt both real and unreal, disorienting.

When I woke, my body ached, and I lay in my own bedroom. I grabbed my phone and saw Jase's message. "Tomorrow night, don't be late, my sister-in-law."

The words didn't shame me. Instead, I felt relief.

Now I could stay with the Mitchells and keep Vince's treatment going.

Jase and I were once in love. Back when the Waltons were a prominent name in Auria, we were a perfect match, equals in every way.

But soon after, betrayal by business partners and schemes from distant relatives bankrupted my father's company. Unable to bear the blow, he took his own life. My mother sank into grief and illness, and my sister faced dropping out of school abroad.

Everything crashed down, leaving me in despair.

When Katie learned of this, she forbade Jase, who was studying abroad, from returning.

She wanted him to have nothing to do with me.

I knew even if Jase had come back, he was just a student and couldn't have changed anything. I didn't blame him.

But my family needed help. That's when Kade appeared, offering support in exchange for marriage.

Kade loved me, I knew that. But I loved Jase, and he knew it too.

For my mother's health and my sister's education, I accepted Kade's proposal.

By the time Jase fought his way back, I was already married.

From then on, he could only see me as his sister-in-law.

I was grateful to Kade. His help kept the Waltons from falling apart.

My mother got her treatment, and my sister finished her studies.

I pulled myself from the memories.

This secret arrangement with Jase lasted half a month.

He kept his promise, securing the best specialists and medicine for Vince.

Until one day, I returned to the estate to grab some things. As I stepped out of my room, I saw Katie's assistant, May.

She looked at me with smug disdain. "Mrs. Mitchell is waiting for you in the living room."

Her eyes seemed to say, "You're pathetic."

Katie held a cup of coffee, her eyes flicking over me. The red-framed glasses on her nose couldn't hide her haughty demeanor, and her bright red lipstick made her look especially arrogant.

She took a sip, set the cup down, and said, "I didn't expect you to be this kind of person. I told you to pack your things and leave the Mitchell family, but you took advantage of my absence to climb into Jase's bed. If Kade knew, he would never rest in peace."

Her tone dripped with mockery, her gaze full of disdain.

I looked at her and said calmly, "If you didn't try to drive me and my son out, I wouldn't have gone to Jase."

If Kade could see me now, he wouldn't blame me. He'd understand what I was doing.

Katie sneered, "You think I care whether your son lives or dies? Clearly, I've been too lenient with you both."

"Jase promised me he wouldn't make things hard for us," I said, meeting her eyes steadily.

Vince's frail health couldn't handle more upheaval. I didn't dare take risks, so I mentioned Jase to make Katie think twice.

"Is that so? What exactly did he promise you? You're just a cheap nobody, thinking you can outsmart me?"

Her words made my fingers tingle with numbness.

I knew her temperament. Even with Jase's word, she'd still vent her resentment and disgust toward me.

When Kade was alive, she had to hold back.

Now, with power in her hands, she was insufferably smug.

"You've got half a month. I was too kind. Did you think sleeping with my son would let you stay with the Mitchells? Do you know where he went today?"

I forced myself to stay composed.

She smiled and went on, "The Mitchells are about to form a marriage alliance with the Higgins family. He's dining with Zoe Higgins tonight. You think you're something special, trying to stay here with your lowlife tactics? Dream on."

She gave May a look.

May stepped forward and slapped me across the face.

Worn out from everything and barely resting, I saw stars from the blow, my cheek burning.

Katie said to May slowly, "Did I tell you to stop?"

Before I could react, another slap came. If someone hadn't grabbed my arm, I might have collapsed. The force was brutal.

I couldn't break free.

I didn't even try. As long as it didn't kill me, it was a decent sob story.

Just as I was about to pass out, I heard a commotion.

Jase strode in, kicking May to the ground and slapping the person holding me, knocking them over. I stared, as stunned as Katie.

Why was Jase, who was supposed to be dining with Zoe, back so suddenly?

May groaned on the floor, clutching her stomach. Katie stood, furious, pointing at Jase. "Have you lost your mind? You hit May! She's been with me for years!"

Jase gripped my shoulders, checking the marks on my face.

Then, with an icy glare at May, he said to Katie, "I told you I'd handle Jolie's matters. You don't need to interfere. Seems no one takes my words seriously."

May looked terrified on the ground.

At Jase's signal, his men dragged her out, along with two others.

May shouted, "Mrs. Mitchell, please-!"

She begged for help.

Katie, seeing Jase protect me, lost all composure and snarled, "You fool! You're supposed to be dining with Zoe right now, not messing around with priorities! You came back just to shield this tramp? She's your brother's woman, your sister-in-law!"

Jase replied unflinchingly, "Jolie was always mine. Besides, Kade's dead."

As he spoke, he gripped my arm tightly, as if afraid I'd vanish.

Sensing his emotions, I let out a slow breath.

Katie reeled back, sinking onto the sofa, clutching her forehead. "You'd drive your own mother to death over a used widow? This family can have her or me, not both! She's no help to you. A widow now, she's not worth your effort." She laid out the stakes.

"Mom, you seem to forget you're a second wife too. My dad didn't mind, and neither do I. If you hadn't interfered back then, we wouldn't have been torn apart. Don't worry, I'll handle things with Zoe. Nothing will be affected. From now on, Jolie stays at my private residence. Without my permission, you and your people stay away. If anything happens to her, don't blame me for turning cold. You can be the matriarch here. No one will challenge that."

He left those words and took me away, ignoring Katie's warnings.

Hearing him mention Zoe made me uneasy, but I told myself I was barely hanging on. I kept quiet and let Jase lead me away.

In the car, he pulled an ice pack from the fridge and handed it to me, his voice sharp with anger. "Why didn't you call me? No hands? No phone?"

I stared out the window, not wanting to go to his private residence. Softly, I said, "I want to see Vince. It's been hours since I've been to the hospital. He'll be looking for me."

It had only been a few hours, really.

"Looking like that, you sure you won't scare him?"

"It'll go down with some icing on the way. It's fine. I'll make up an excuse, and he'll be okay. He's easy to soothe." I pushed his hand away, holding the ice pack myself.

Seeing me sulk, he smiled. "You mad about the Higgins marriage thing?"

"No way. What right do I have to be mad?" I shook my head, denying it.

But he seemed in a good mood, patiently explaining, "Everyone's saying I'm tying the knot with the Higgins family. Zoe and I just went along with it for show, giving the press something to write about. It's just business."

He glanced at my expression and continued, "This kind of news isn't bad for either company. It boosts both our stocks. It's a win-win."

I looked at him and handed back the ice pack.

"Guess I'm pretty easy to soothe too..." I mumbled.

Jase chuckled. "Same as always."

His words made us both pause.

Maybe we both knew the past was gone for good.