Mingcheng, ten at night.

It was getting late. The moonlight was soft, almost teasing.

Isabelle Fairfax woke up from a brutal hangover, her head pounding so hard it felt like someone was drilling into her skull. She glanced around the room and quickly recognized the setup. She was in the double suite of the hotel she usually stayed in.

Tonight had been Tiffany Fairfax’s celebration banquet for winning the city-level jewelry competition. Isabelle had never expected that after just two drinks, she’d black out like that.

She pushed herself upright and vaguely heard voices drifting in from next door. Frowning, she got out of bed and walked outside.

The door to the neighboring suite wasn’t fully shut. There was a narrow crack left open. Isabelle was just about to reach out and push it when the scene inside hit her like a truck, and her whole body froze on the spot.

A woman stood there with long beige-blonde waves spilling loosely over her pale shoulders, her back facing the door, wrapped tightly in Harrison Wise’s arms.

In that instant, Isabelle felt like she’d been struck by lightning.

The woman had her arms looped around Harrison’s neck, acting spoiled as she asked in a syrupy voice, “Harrison, how was I just now?”

Harrison’s breathing was uneven. He chuckled and pulled her in even tighter, his voice rough and off-key. “Good. So good!”

That voice—Isabelle knew it too well.

It was Tiffany. Her stepsister, Tiffany Fairfax.

The moment Tiffany heard that answer, she let out a soft, coy laugh, her voice practically melting into his bones. “Harrison, if I’m that good, then can I have that new design draft Isabelle just finished?”

Harrison smiled and rubbed her cheek. “You little tease. You’re always thinking about how to squeeze me dry. Using up my body isn’t enough—you want all my resources too?”

Tiffany instantly giggled, her tone so sugary it could make anyone’s spine go weak. “That’s because I love you. So just tell me, are you giving it to me or not?”

“Yeah, yeah, of course!” Harrison looked absurdly indulgent. “If you wanted my life, I’d hand that over too!”

“You promised you’d marry me before. So let’s go get the license some other day, okay?” Tiffany clung to him, her chin resting on his shoulder as she pushed for more.

This time, Harrison hesitated for once. “Those award-winning drafts you got before? I tricked Isabelle into giving me every one of them. If we suddenly get married, she won’t keep handing over her designs willingly anymore. A resource like that? Why not use it while we can?”

Tiffany gave a wronged little hum. “I don’t care. I just want to marry you. And honestly, what you’re worried about isn’t even a problem. My dad already knows we’re together. He’s even talking about marrying Isabelle off to the second young master of the Jin family.”

Harrison slowly stroked the pretty round earring by her ear. “What if she refuses?”

Tiffany paused for half a second, then let out a cold laugh. “How is that even possible? If she refuses, my dad has plenty of ways to make her uncle’s company go bankrupt. And if you’re really scared she’ll find out, then we can just have a secret marriage, right? What do you think?”

"Okay, okay, fine! I promise!" No guy could really hold out when a woman acted all sweet and clingy like that.

Tiffany Fairfax immediately reached up and straightened Harrison Wise's face with both hands. Then, with a loud little "mwah," she planted a kiss on his cheek, beaming. "Babe, I knew it. You're the best. Tomorrow's an auspicious day anyway, so let's go get our marriage license tomorrow, okay?"

Her arms looped around Harrison Wise's neck, soft and boneless, practically melting over him. He had zero resistance left. With a low chuckle, he nodded. "Okay."

The two of them threw themselves into each other again, hugging close, all heat and sweetness.

Outside the door, Isabelle Fairfax was already crying so hard her vision blurred. She had dated Harrison Wise for two whole years. All this time, she had been looking forward to a future with him, step by step, from love to marriage.

During those two years, Harrison Wise had kept taking her design drafts and handing them over to Tiffany Fairfax. He always had a reason ready. He said Isabelle had him to protect her, but Tiffany had no boyfriend, so they should help her more with her career.

Back then, Isabelle had been buried so deep in love she listened to everything he said. As long as he asked, she could never bring herself to refuse him.

But she never, ever imagined that the only reason he stayed with her was because of her design sketches.

Even Tiffany Fairfax's entry for this city-level jewelry competition had been drawn by her.

Ever since she was little, Isabelle had had a natural gift for jewelry design. The drafts she sketched casually could win major awards with ease. That kind of talent was the kind of thing other people could only dream of.

Every time she gave Tiffany Fairfax another draft, she would comfort herself in silence.

It's fine. I'm still young.

It's fine. I have the ability anyway. I can always draw something better.

But no matter how much she thought about it, she had never expected that, in Harrison Wise's eyes, this talent of hers was nothing more than a resource to be squeezed dry for Tiffany Fairfax.

What shattered her even more was her father. He had known for a long time that those two were involved. Not only had he helped them hide it, he had even planned to marry her off to the second young master of the Ashby family.

Did he not know what kind of notorious scumbag that man was?

But even so, she couldn't really abandon her uncle.

Her mother had died long ago. Her uncle was the only real family she had left.