On the first day Thea Storme is accepted back to her wealthy family, she signs a betting contract with the fake heiress, Clara Storme.

The contract states that if Clara is able to steal from Thea nine times in a row, Thea will have to leave the Storme family on her own.

Thea agrees to the bet.

On the ninth time, Clara has her eye on Thea's boyfriend, who's a low-income student. She gives him two million dollars and demands that he marry into her family as a live-in son-in-law.

"You want me to marry into your family? Sure."

Thea raises her head in disbelief.

Leonard Falkner taps a finger on the bank card. The moment he meets Thea's gaze of despair, he flashes her a comforting smile.

"But I will marry into your family as Thea's husband. I might be poor, but I still have my pride. Except for the woman I love most, I won't lower my head for anyone in this world."

That day, Clara cries as she runs out of the house. She even agrees to marry into the Larkin family out of spite.

Leonard remains unmoved. He just watches Clara making a fool of herself coldly.

But that night, Thea overhears something…

That night, Thea Storme held the ring she had just finished making.

By chance, she overheard the helpers addressing her poor boyfriend, Leonard Falkner, respectfully.

"Mr. Falkner, are you really going to just stand there and watch Ms. Clara become a widow? Mr. Larkin Senior used to be a military commander. He isn't someone we can cross. Once Ms. Clara marries his grandson, it'll be too late!"

The gentle look Leonard always wore was gone. What replaced it was a coldness Thea had never seen.

"I underestimated Clara. I thought marrying her sister would force her to give in. Didn't expect the little thing to have such a temper.

"Let's do this. The wedding goes on as planned. But before the ceremony, tie Thea up and hand her over to the Larkin family."

"This whole thing and my identity stay secret. I'm going to use this chance to smooth out Clara's rough edges."

In that instant, Thea felt like she had fallen into an icy abyss. The ring slipped from her fingers and shattered against the floor.

She sent her brother, Jeremy Stratton, a message. "I agree to take Clara's place and marry Mr. Larkin to bring him good luck."

…

"I've thought it through. I won't back out. I'll marry Mr. Larkin."

Thea pushed open the door to Jeremy's office. Her expression was hidden in the shadows, giving nothing away.

Jeremy had been gaming. The moment he heard her, he tossed his phone aside.

"You agreed? Really? That's great!" The Larkins just called again. Mr. Larkin's condition is getting worse. He has at most half a month left. They need the wedding before that. I'll start preparing everything right now. What kind of cars do you like? Take your pick from my garage—"

"Doesn't matter," Thea cut him off. "I don't care about any of that. But if you still remember that I'm your real sister, agree to two conditions."

The air went still.

Jeremy turned his head away, avoiding her eyes. "What conditions?"

"First, I want two courtyard houses. Second, the fact that I'm going to marry Mr. Larkin must be kept secret from everyone, including Clara and Leonard."

Jeremy froze, and then he stared at her like she had lost her mind.

"Two courtyard houses are worth over 1.6 billion dollars. You're really greedy, huh? Don't forget, you were the one who insisted on fighting Clara over Leonard. You pushed her into agreeing to marry into the Larkin family in the first place.

"All that fear she went through was because of you! I thought you were being mature by taking her place. Turns out you're just cruel. You want her to keep worrying!"

"That's on her!" Thea snapped, raising her head.

Ever since being brought back to the Storme family, she had never raised her voice like this.

"Did I force her to agree to the marriage? You feel bad when she's just scared for a few days, but I'm the one marrying a man who's about to die! Why don't you feel bad for me? If Clara is the only sister you care about, why bring me back at all? Why not send me back to the orphanage?"

Thea took a deep breath before continuing, "And those two courtyard houses were wedding gifts Dad and Mom left for me at birth. I'm just taking back what's mine! Who are you to call that greedy?"

The barrage of questions made the veins on Jeremy's forehead bulge. Yet, he couldn't say a word.

He stared at Thea for a long time. When he realized she had no intention of backing down, he clenched his teeth and replied, "Fine. I'm done arguing. You're marrying into the Larkin family anyway. That's settled.

"I've transferred the houses into Clara's name. I'll have someone handle the transfer paperwork for you."

Thea let out a sneer and turned to leave.

Just before the door closed, Jeremy asked one last question, "Forget the houses. I get why you want them back. But why hide this from Leonard?

"He's so crazy about you that he's even willing to be a live-in son-in-law for you. Your wedding is about to happen. How are we supposed to explain this to him?"

"No need to explain."

Thea left those four words behind, her voice colder than ever.

Only then did Jeremy realize that this young lady raised in an orphanage was nothing like the pushover she seemed to be.

Once outside the room, Thea's eyes finally reddened.

As she looked at her new phone wallpaper—a wedding photo of her and Leonard—the pain in her chest felt like a knife twisting deeper and deeper.

Leonard called right then. "Thea, when are you coming back?"

He always checked on her like this.

She was about to speak when she heard a low grunt from the other end. She paused, forcing her voice to stay steady before casually asking, "What are you doing?"

"Thinking about you, of course. Since you won't give it to me, I had to handle it myself."

Thea commanded the system to pull up Leonard's live feed.

She watched Leonard pleasure himself while casting a vile smirk at Clara Storme.

Every sweet word he whispered to Thea made Clara's eyes fill with tears of pure fury.

Unable to contain her rage, Clara reached out and seized him. Another pronounced, muffled groan echoed simultaneously through the phone on Thea's end.

Leonard got what he wanted. He casually tossed his phone aside.

He had no idea that Thea could see everything.

She watched him lift Clara's chin and ask, "You're mad already? Just give in and say you love me, and I won't marry Thea."

Thea didn't watch what came next.

She cut off the feed and ended the call. Tears slid down her cheeks.

Why did she insist on hiding her marriage from Leonard?

To outsiders, they looked deeply in love.

But only Thea knew that his affection toward her was never real. Every bit of it existed only to force the Storme family's precious daughter, Clara, to submit.

Since he had deceived her for so long, it didn't seem too much for her to deceive him just once.

"System, I don't want to win over Leonard anymore," Thea called out to the system in her mind while wiping her tears.

The usual instant mechanical voice hesitated this time.

"Thea, unbinding will return him to who he was, and you'll also suffer heavy damage."

"That's fine." Thea's tone was firm. "As long as I'm breathing, I'm willing to pay any price to leave Leonard."

"Thea, wait. Let me think of a way," the system said.

The first time Thea met Leonard, both were at their lowest points.

After being brought back to the Storme family, she had a brief stretch of better days.

Her parents felt guilty that she had been kidnapped by a nanny and ended up in an orphanage. Even if they didn't love her deeply, they tried to make it up to her.

But Thea could clearly feel that her whole family favored Clara, the adopted daughter they raised themselves.

Clara's room was the biggest and brightest.

When she had a mild allergy, Thea wasn't allowed to stay on that floor because Clara said Thea smelled strange and made her sneeze.

Thea never thought to compete with her until Clara challenged her to a bet.

She claimed she could steal away Thea's most precious things—not just once, but nine times over.

If she succeeded, Thea had to leave the Storme family willingly. Otherwise, she'd only bring shame to herself.

Thea agreed because she wanted to know if her blood relatives really did not care about her at all.

The first time, Clara took Thea's spot at an international high school, even though Thea had worked hard to get in.

The second time, she took the cat Thea had raised for three years. After three months, she returned it cold and lifeless.

The third time, she stole Thea's first crush. He openly humiliated Thea, calling her a hick who couldn't compare to Clara.

But within a week, she dumped him.

Time after time, anything Thea cared about or liked was easily taken by Clara.

What was worse, Thea slowly realized that her family was growing colder toward her.

Her father told her, "You're the older sister. You need to yield to Clara."

Her mother pulled her aside one day. "Clara is adopted, so she has no sense of security. Don't always clash with her."

Jeremy was harsher. He locked Thea in the school warehouse overnight. "You think just because you're my real sister, you can steal Clara's things? Kids from orphanages really have no manners. You're nothing compared to Clara."

Every time Thea tried to defend herself, Clara's few tears stole everyone's attention.

By the ninth time, when Clara announced her intention to seize Thea's fiancé, she had already given up.

She packed her things, waiting for the bet to end so she could leave the Storme family.

It was at this time that she found Leonard in an alley.

He was lying in the rain with multiple bullet holes in his stomach. The torrent of blood he bled out stained the soles of her shoes crimson.

She wanted to run, but he grabbed her ankle. Yet, she didn't dare take a man like that to a hospital.

Just then, she heard the system's voice.

It said that if she could win Leonard's heart, not only could he be healed, but she could also get three wishes granted.

With that power, Leonard survived. His broken legs showed no sign of damage, and he became someone Thea couldn't let go of.

And so, Leonard replaced her original fiance and became Clara's new target.

That was their ninth bet.

As she stood in a standoff with Clara, Jeremy stood behind Clara, his chilling gaze wordlessly threatening her to surrender.

But in the silence, Leonard took Thea's hand and said, "Thea is the only one I love. I will only become a live-in son-in-law for her."

At that moment, Thea cried. She finally won once.

But when Clara agreed to marry into the Larkin family to bring them good luck, Thea's last hope was shattered.

She overheard Leonard casually order his men, "When the Larkins come to pick Clara up, tie Thea up and send her to the car. But keep my identity a secret. I'll tell Clara after she gives in to me."

One of his men asked, "What about Ms. Thea? You humbled yourself to join the Storme family as a live-in son-in-law for her sake. Are you really just going to leave her with the Larkin family?"

Leonard pondered briefly. "She's a compliant woman. I promised to treat her well. Let's do this. When the Larkins no longer care about her, find the right time to rescue her and lock her up in my villa in Northia. If she escapes, I'll break your legs."

As it turned out, the man she had saved was none other than the underworld's most enigmatic figure.

He was a big shot the Storme family dared not offend and the living nightmare she could never escape, even after marrying into the Larkin family.

Thea couldn't stand being tied to him through the system any longer.

Just when she was overcome by a cold emptiness, the system's mechanical voice sounded almost excited.

"Thea, I detected a better target. Dylan Larkin, heir to the Larkin family. He nearly sacrificed his life during a mission at the border and is now brain-dead. I can heal him. Once you win him over, you can also get your three wishes. So, what do you say? Want to take a gamble?"

Her heart skipped a beat.

Among all the system's words, the weight of "sacrifice" was clear.

She didn't hesitate long before replying, "Yes, change the target. Healing him might be far more valuable than saving Leonard."

The system reported to its superiors about changing Thea's target.

The weight in Thea's chest finally lifted a little.

Upon returning home, she was met by Clara, who was running out with red-rimmed eyes.

She shoved Thea aside violently. "Out of my way."

Thea's back slammed against the edge of a table. Luckily, Leonard caught her quickly.

His face darkened as he reached out to block Clara's path. "Apologize."

Clara stared in disbelief. "Who does she think she is? Why should I apologize to her? Leonard, don't go too far."

Leonard lifted Thea's shirt from the back to reveal a terrible bruise. His expression turned even colder as he threatened, "Don't push me to do worse."

Clara trembled, and tears slid down her cheeks. She looked just like a scared little rabbit.

Thea had always hoped someone in this family would stand behind her and back her up.

But now that the moment had come, it felt so ridiculous.

Could Leonard really do anything to Clara when he smelled exactly like her body wash?

Thea was exhausted. There was no point in staying with someone who didn't truly care about her.

She pulled away from Leonard's support. "I'm fine. Grandma's hosting a dinner tonight. I'm going to change."

Leonard's eyes flickered with surprise. "You're not going to make her apologize?"

Before, when he stood up for Thea in front of Clara, there was light in Thea's eyes. But now, there was nothing.

Leonard felt something strange stirring in his heart. He quickly asked, "Can I come with you tonight?"

Surprised, Thea glanced at him. But when she saw the hopeful look in his eyes, she understood at once.

"Come if you want to."

Leonard didn't like big crowds. But if he skipped the dinner, he'd have to separate from Clara. For him, that would be torture.

Thankfully, in just half a month, Thea would marry into the Larkin family.

Once she was out of the way, Leonard could cling to Clara as much as he wanted.

That night, the car pulled up to the Storme residence.

It was Leonard's first time attending such a formal event as a "poor" man, but Thea didn't wait for him.

A flash of displeasure crossed his face, but he forced a polite smile and followed her.

People couldn't help but glance with envy.

"Seriously. Thea may not be much, but she sure knows how to pick a man. He's got looks and style."

"Right? And since he's a live-in son-in-law, Thea won't get pushed around after marriage."

Thea didn't react.

But Clara was furious. She threw herself into her grandmother Penelope Floyd's arms, acting like a spoiled child seeking comfort.

Penelope held her close, comforting her. "Oh, my poor Clara. Marrying into the Larkin family will be a nightmare. It's all because someone didn't know her place and stole your man. If you had just gotten engaged earlier, you wouldn't have to be the one marrying into the Larkin family."

A cold smile tugged at Thea's lips.

It seemed like everyone in the Storme family thought it didn't matter if she married into the Larkin family.

If that family was a living hell for Clara, did they truly believe it would be heaven for Thea?

That evening, Penelope removed the emerald bracelet from her left wrist and handed it to Clara in front of everyone.

"This is a family heirloom of the Storme family, passed down to only one person each generation. Clara, it's yours now."