Married to His Uncle

"Cut!" the director yelled. "And that's a wrap! Great job, Miss Hamilton." He smiled as the crew clapped.

"Thank you, Sir. It's all thanks to your hard work." Amber smiled gracefully as she stepped off the set. The shoot had been exhausting, but she had given it her best.

"Pierce!" Amber exclaimed as her boyfriend ran up to her. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek as she took the bouquet of roses he was holding.

"Congratulations on another amazing movie!" He exclaimed.

"Thank you so much," she replied, grinning from ear to ear. "I wouldn't have done it without you."

"Oh, don't be silly," he said, his eyes sparkling. "Now, this calls for a celebration!"

---

"An exclusive nightclub?" Amber bit her lips, a hint of skepticism in her voice. "But I thought we were going to have dinner at the usual place-"

"We always do that stuff," Pierce whined, playfully pouting. "How about we do something different for once? Let's get drunk and forget all our troubles, and worry about the hangover tomorrow?" He flashed her a mischievous grin.

"You know I can't handle my alcohol, Pierce," Amber replied, a little concerned at the thought of getting wasted.

"And that's I'm right here, Amber." He gave her a reassuring smile.

"And the paparazzi, it'll be"

"Oh, c'mon! You worry too much, Amber...For once, just let go, okay?" He told her,

Amber looked into his eyes and smiled, realizing that he was right. She needed to let go and have fun for once. "You're right, Pierce," she said. "Let's do this."

And so, they went to the bar and started having drinks. They danced and laughed, and for the first time in a while, Amber felt herself relaxing.

As the night wore on, Amber felt herself becoming more and more intoxicated. She was dancing like she had never danced before.

"Amber, remember you promised you'd give it to me if you got the lead role in this movie." Pierce began as he pulled her to the bar,

Amber smiled and grabbed a shot,

"Of course I do." Her words slurred as she leaned against the bar.

Pierce smirked,

"What was the promise again?"

"My V-card." She drawled, "I think-"

"Well, I want it now." He cut in.

Amber chuckled,

"We're so in sync. I was going to give it to you anyway; you've been a very supportive, loving, and caring boyfriend, Mr Pierce Astor." She pouted and tugged his cheek.

"There are guest rooms upstairs, so you don't have to worry about the paparazzi." He smiled at her.

"Sure." She nodded. "Let's get out of here."

Pierce quickly led her up the stairs to a room on the upper floor. He took her to the bed and let her down. She held his shoulders, but he pulled back,

"Wait here for me." He said, walking towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Amber whined,

"I'll be right back." He turned off the lights and quickly walked out of the room.

A few minutes later, the door creaked open. Only the moonlight streaming in illuminated the room, so she couldn't see the person.

"Is that you, Mr Astor." She said in her most seductive tone.

The person paused, "I hope I didn't keep you waiting..."

In the morning, Amber woke up to the scent of cologne. She was lying on a man's chest. Even though the events of the previous night had been hazy, she recalled she had finally agreed to give her virginity to Pierce.

They had been together for over two years, and Pierce had been everything she asked for in a man.

"No regrets," she murmured as she looked up at the man's face. She screamed as she suddenly realized it wasn't Pierce.

"Who are you?! What are you doing here!" She pulled up the covers to her chest,

The man scoffed,

"A new format, huh? Pretend to forget the client after the night." With a smirk, he pulled out his pen and checkbook, then wrote a check. He handed it to Amber, saying,

"I also had no regrets last night-"

"I don't need your filthy, tainted money! do I look like a whore to you?!" Amber exclaimed, flinging his hands away from her.

"I... I thought you were someone else," she said, her voice trembling and her breath catching in her throat. As she spoke, she felt tears threatening to spill over; her eyes stung, and her cheeks grew warm. Quickly, she grabbed her phone and dashed towards the bathroom. She slammed the door behind her and slowly slid down the wall.

Then she tried calling Pierce, but the call went straight to voicemail. The phone rang and rang, the sound echoing in the tiny bathroom until the screen went dark. Quietly, she let out a sigh of frustration.

"Please tell me this is a dream," she sobbed, her words barely a whisper, her breath coming in gasps. She buried her face in her hands, hot tears streaming down her cheeks. She felt dizzy and overwhelmed, like the world was closing in around her.

Taking a few deep breaths, she tried to calm herself down as she stared at her reflection. Just then, she heard the front door close.

Amber stood up slowly and unlocked the bathroom door. She crept out of the bathroom and peered into the room, but the stranger had disappeared.

Several weeks passed after the incident, and Amber didn't hear from Pierce. It started to become clear that Pierce had probably set her up.

One afternoon, she got a call from her stepsister, Sophia.

"Hello?" Amber said into the phone, her voice flat and unenthusiastic.

"It's me," Sophia replied as a wave of annoyance washed over Amber.

"What do you want this time?" she asked, her tone making no effort to hide her irritation.

"Well, hello to you too!" Sophia replied with a note of sarcasm in her tone. "And if you must know, it's my birthday today, and I wanted to let you know we're having a small celebration this afternoon. Grandpa says you have to be there.

"I'll be on set, Sophia," Amber said, the lie slipping easily off her tongue.

"You're not, though, are you?" There was an accusatory tone to her sister's voice. "I've heard you won't be anywhere near any sets for the next two months at least. Your last gig just ended, didn't it?"

Amber felt her cheeks flush with anger. "How did you even find out about that?" she snapped. "You have no business going around digging into my professional life!"

"I know people, Amber," Sophia said smugly.

Amber let out an exasperated sigh,

"Look, I'm just not in the mood to play 'happy family' with you and everyone else, okay?"

"You don't have to play happy families," Sophia said reasonably. "But you do have to show up and be polite for a couple of hours. Be here with my gift and wear something nice, see you later, bye!" She quickly hung up,

"That little brat!"

As Amber's cab reached the top, the long driveway was lined with luxury cars, shining in the sun.

"I hate coming here. Never felt like home anyway." She murmured as she made her way up the long driveway. She could hear the sound of laughter and music drifting through the air.

The scent of freshly cut grass filled her nose as she approached the grand front door. She rang the bell, and a few moments later, the door opened to reveal a butler dressed in black and white. He bowed slightly and said, "Welcome to the Hamilton House, Miss Hamilton. May I take your coat?"

"Thank you." She nodded.

Quickly, she swam through the pool of unfamiliar faces towards the stairs. The party was just getting started, but she didn't want to stick around for that long.

As she climbed up, the walls of the grand house that rose around her were hung with portraits of the Hamilton family, with their stern faces staring down at her as she walked. Amber had always found them intimidating, and she avoided looking at them as she made her way to Sophia's room.

All she wanted to do was hand Sophia her gift, meet her overbearing grandfather, and leave at once.

Suddenly from the door, she heard two muffled laughter, drifting from inside. Her hand trembled as she reached for the doorknob, hesitating for a moment before pushing it open.

The scene before her made her blood run cold. Sophia and Pierce were half-naked on the bed, their lips locked in a passionate kiss. Amber's eyes widened in shock, her mind reeling with disbelief.

"P-Pierce?" she stuttered, her voice barely audible.

Amber's eyes met Pierce's gaze and smug expression as she took a deep breath, feeling the tightness in her chest.

"Is this what you meant by 'I know people', Sophia?" She asked, her tone measured. "And you," she turned to Pierce, "this is why you've been ignoring me for four weeks?!" She tried to keep the anger from leaking into her voice, but it shook with the effort. She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks.

"Oh, don't give me that sorry act, Amber! You cheated on me first!" Pierce pulled out his phone and held it up to Amber's face, a triumphant grin on his lips. "Look familiar?" he said, his voice dripping with contempt.

She felt her stomach sink as she saw the photo on the screen - it was a private photo of her and the stranger, but his face had been covered by a large black scribble. She recognized the background of the photo as a hotel room.

"You set me up!" She accused, anger bubbling in her chest. "And you, Sophia, aren't you supposed to be engaged to his uncle?!-"

"What's going on in here?" a low, condescending voice began. It was her stepmother, Victoria Hamilton.

She stood before them, wearing a sleek, red gown that clung to her slim figure. Her dark hair was swept up into a perfect chignon, and her lips were painted a bright, bold red. Her gaze was cold and calculating, and it seemed to cut right through Amber.

"Good afternoon, ma'am," Amber straightened up and greeted her in a cold tone.

"You've just arrived, and you're already causing trouble?" She asked, her voice dripping with contempt.

"Perhaps, if your daughter wasn't cheating with my boyfriend, we wouldn't be in this situation," Amber shot back, unable to contain her anger.

"How dare you!" Victoria sent a resounding slap across her face and then pulled her into the next room.

"What do you think you're doing!" She gritted her teeth,

"Isn't she supposed to be engaged to his uncle today-"

"Shut up, look around! Do you see any uncle around here?!" She snapped,

"He didn't even have the decency to show up this whole time! He may be William Astor's son...I even heard he's an illegitimate." She murmured the last part,

"But Pierce is William's grandson, and God knows how old this uncle is; heaven forbids I allow that for my precious daughter.

Sophia and Pierce's marriage will be beneficial to both families. It should have been you, but you foolishly decided to cheat on him."

Straightening herself up, she continued,

"So, if I were you, I'd suck it up and be happy for your sister. And if you so wish to be a part of the family, you can marry that old uncle yourself." With that, she turned on her heel and walked out of the room.

Amber felt a swirl of emotions course through her. She was angry, sad, and heartbroken all at the same time.

She couldn't believe that her boyfriend had set her up and cheated on her with Sophia, and she was furious that Victoria was seemingly a part of it.

She suddenly felt nauseous and dizzy at the same time.

"I need to get out of here." She mumbled. She couldn't let herself break down in front of everyone.

With trembling legs, Amber ran down the curving staircase, nearly tripping as she rushed toward the open front door. Her heart pounded as she sprinted toward the waiting cab.

"Please," she rasped, her throat tight with panic. "Just get me out of here."

"Excuse me?" A voice said. She turned, just realizing someone was still inside. Her heart sank as she recognized him, it was the stranger from weeks ago.

Amber's face burned with embarrassment,

"You?! A- Are you following me?!" She stuttered,

"On the contrary," he said coldly, "I was supposed to be engaged today to your stepsister, but it seems my nephew has decided he wants my bride so badly."

The man's words hit Amber like a punch to the gut as her eyes widened. "You're the uncle?" She asked in disbelief.

"And you're the bride's sister he set me up with to make me look bad." He scoffed.

Glancing at his wrist watch, he told the cab driver,

"There's still time to the courthouse, please."

"The courthouse?" She questioned,

"Yes, we're getting married." He replied without batting an eyelid.

"Married?" She scoffed, "I'm not getting married to you -"

"It doesn't matter, I need a bride, and deep down, you need to get back at him."

She hesitated,

"But still, marriage seems too extreme."

He pulled out his phone from his pocket and showed her their private photos.

"Do you know he has these photos-"

"Why do you have that?" Her face flushed,

"Doesn't matter." He looked away and put the phone away.

Just then, Amber's phone began to ring as several notifications began to pop up,

"Hello?" She answered, it was her assistant, Daisy.

"Miss Hamilton? Where are you?!" She asked urgently.

"Slow down, what's going on, Daisy-"

"Photos, everywhere. don't worry your management team is working on it-"

"What are you talking about?" Her brows scrunched,

"Your private photos on the internet, some anonymous website circulated it, but we're working on taking it down," Daisy told her,

"That bastard." She murmured, unable to even read the notifications.

"Amber Hamilton." The man called her name for the first time, "You're a hot topic now." He said, his tone nonchalant.

"You're in that photo, too." She replied in annoyance.

"Yes, but my face isn't, and nobody knows who I am." He replied flatly.

"Arrogant bastard." She thought, then told him,

"Let's do it.",

---

As Amber stood at the front of the room, her mind raced. She had agreed to this marriage because it felt like she had no other choice. The judge's voice went on as he read the vows, but she barely paid attention.

She turned to the tall and well-built man next to her, staring at his seriously handsome face. He had a map of dark hair sitting on his head, a face perfectly sculpted for his head. If she didn't know any better, she'd say he was a model. At the same time, a lot of thoughts ran through her mind.

"I wonder what kind of person he is, an illegitimate child of William Astor? Pierce's uncle. That explains why he's so young. Why did he drive in a cab? Maybe he could be poor and broke. What are you getting yourself into, Amber Hamilton? You had a one-night stand with this jerk and even gave him your V-card."

She quickly looked away as her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

The ceremony was over in a matter of minutes, and before she knew it, she was married.

"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Xavier Astor." The judge smiled at them.

"Xavier As..." Her voice trailed off.

Suddenly, her knees felt weak as the realization of what she had just done hit her. She fell to the ground, and everything else went black. The last thing she heard was her name, followed by silence.

As Amber opened her eyes, she couldn't help but feel disoriented. "Mm...where am I?" she murmured, as she stretched her stiff limbs. The soft bedding was unfamiliar, and the light in the room was different.

She sat up and blinked a few times, trying to bring her surroundings into focus. The floor-to-ceiling window revealed that she was high up in a condominium. The view was stunning, and she could see the downtown skyline glittering in the distance.

"This place is incredible." She murmured.

The last thing she remembered was standing in a courtroom, but after that, everything was a blur.

Suddenly, her phone began to buzz incessantly. She picked it up and saw a flurry of messages and notifications from her social media handles.

Each one was more urgent than the last. Thankfully, the photo had been taken down, but the damage was already done.

She had gotten emails from various brands canceling her endorsements, directors informing her she had lost her roles in the upcoming movies, and even her agency had its threats.

"No, this can't be." She croaked. She quickly picked up her phone and called her assistant, who didn't pick up, so she called her manager instead.

"Hello?" he answered, his voice calm and collected, as if this were a normal business call. But for Amber, it felt like the walls were closing in around her.

"Mr Lu," she began, her voice shaking. "I - I need your help." There was a pause on the other end of the line, and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest.

"It's my endorsements and my movie roles. I got an email from Zola - they're canceling my endorsement," she said, her voice faltering. "And the agent called and said that I've been dropped from the two movies I was-"

"That's enough!" Mr Lu snapped, "I don't know what you want me to do about it," he said, his voice sounding exasperated. "You're a C-list actress, these things happen, infact you brought this on yourself." She felt like she'd been punched in the gut, the words hitting her like a physical blow.

"What are you talking about, Mr Lu?" Her heart sank,

"Over the past few years, you've been nothing but trouble to Han Entertainment, all those petty scandals." She could hear the frown in his voice.

"You know none of them was true! I was framed, and it was-"

"The drunk driving, you almost killed a person, and now this?!" He let out an exasperated sigh. "Pierce Astor released a statement saying he wasn't the one in the photo. you cheated on him, Amber-"

"No, he set me up!" She snapped,

"That was the line, Amber-"

"Wh-what are you talking about?" She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, her breathing shallow and ragged. "There has to be something I can do to fix this! I'll do anything!" Her voice pleaded,

"I'm sorry, Amber, but it's too late," he said, his voice like a death sentence. "Han Entertainment is ending your contract."

A wave of anger washed over her. "You can't do this!" she hissed, her voice dripping with betrayal. "You can't just throw away everything we've worked for over one stupid mistake!" Her mind raced, trying to figure out a solution.

"There has to be something I can do to fix this! I'll do anything!" But Mr Lu was unmoved. "I'm sorry, Amber, but it's too late," he said again, his tone as cold as ice. "You're expected to be at the agency tomorrow. Mr Han wants to see you." And with that, he hung up.

Amber pursed her lips as she fought back tears,

"In just a day, I've lost everything I've worked for," she choked out, her voice quivering.

Just then, she got a notification on a recent Instagram post. She had been avoiding social media, but it all seemed inevitable.

So she decided to take a peek, and as expected, the comments cut her deeper than the news she had just gotten.

"She cheated on her boyfriend?! Such a slut! A C-list actress with no basic acting skills...She just ended her career with her own hands...Why would any sane person cheat on Pierce Astor?! I never really liked her, with her ugly and fake smile....I heard she had plastic surgery, but she never made it past the C-list."

As Amber stared at the comments, she felt her lips press together tightly, and her nails dug into her palms as she clenched her fists. She blinked rapidly as the words blurred together, her eyes stinging as the tears threatened to spill over. She tried to take a deep breath, but it felt like she was suffocating.

Xavier walked into the room and quickly took the phone out of Amber's hands. He had noticed how tightly she was gripping it, her knuckles white with tension. Her whole body was tense, as if she was bracing herself for a blow.

"That's enough of that negativity," he said, putting the phone down and sitting down across from her.

"It's good to see you awake," he said, with a hint of sarcasm. "I thought you were upset about having to kiss me in front of the judge, but the doctor said you collapsed from shock and stress."

"What are you doing here?" Amber sobbed,

He scoffed,

"This is my place," he said casually. "It was the closest to the courthouse, so I figured it would be convenient."

Her eyes widened in surprise.

"You own this place?" she asked. The words were barely out of her mouth when she regretted them. The intensity of his blue-eyed gaze made her feel worse.

"What? You thought I was some homeless, illegitimate son?" he snapped. She didn't know what to say and couldn't bear to look at him.

"What other nasty things did you hear about me?" he demanded. "That I'm poor, old, and broke?" She lowered her eyes.

He paused then continued, "I built my business empire from scratch," he continued, his voice still cold and hard. "No one handed me a fortune, and I didn't steal from anyone to get where I am. I earned every penny of my success!"

There was a cold silence in the room before she finally asked,

"Then why did you ask me to marry you?" She asked, her tone serious.

"Because my father wanted me to marry into the Hamilton family." He replied, his tone nonchalant.

"But your nephew-"

"I'm not my nephew, Miss Hamilton." He told her flatly.

It was clear they had a rift between them, but she was confused and needed answers,

"But still-"

"But still, I won't let him have the last laugh, Miss Hamilton." He said with a small frown.

Realization immediately dawned on Amber,

"So this is all a game to you?

"No, Miss Hamilton...I'd prefer to call it business." He replied as he handed her the paperwork he came with.

"What's this?" Amber frowned,

"The prenuptial agreement we were supposed to sign before getting into this contract marriage...Is in there."

"I don't understand..." She shook her head,

"I come from a family of very selfish people. My father, William, is selfish to his sons, and so my step brother, Charles, is selfish to his father.

The Hamilton family is one of the most powerful and wealthy in the country," Xavier said. "You and your sister have assets, stocks, and bonds in your names."

His voice was calm, but there was a sternness to it that made her uneasy.

"And what would have happened if I had married your sister?" he continued. "All those assets would have been transferred to me. And since I do not need them, I would have simply given them to my father."

The implications of his words were unsettling, but it was all starting to make sense a bit,

"But I don't have those things...My stepmother took everything, and my weak father didn't say anything.

"Well, Charles caught in on this, and that's why Pierce had to find a way to dump you for the main target, Sophia."

"If you didn't need all of that, then why-"

"Oh! Just because." He shrugged; his confidence irritated her a little,

"Father wanted a Hamilton bride; a Hamilton bride he will get." He told her.

"So sign that. This marriage is all on paper; in the eyes of the Astor family, we're a happy couple. But here, we mind our own business." He stated as she read through,

"No sexual relations whatsoever. " She looked up at him.

"That night was an accident. It's not valid... And besides," He paused and cleared his throat, "You're not my type." He handed her a pen.

"Not his type?!" Amber thought. "So he doesn't even find me attractive; he's simply getting back at his father by marrying me because I don't have anything!" She screamed in her head as she signed the papers.

"You said I was going to benefit from all of this, but in the last few hours, things have only gotten worse. I've lost everything." She shook her head, tears streaming down her face.

"You have me." He said, his tone flat. "And if you cooperate with me, in return, I'll give you all you deserve as long as you stay clear from me. Do you understand?"

"No, I don't. I have you, but I'm supposed to stay clear from you?" Her brows furrowed,

"You'll figure it out." He got on his feet,

"I have to go-"

"The butler will be around till noon; ask him if you need anything." He reached the door, then turned in her direction,

"Welcome to the family, Miss Hamilton."