In the silence, Leonard's steady voice cut through. "You can't give it to Ms. Clara."

Stunned, Thea turned to look at him.

He leaned back against the chair, exuding a presence of nobility that far exceeded his standing. A faint smile tugged at his lips as his sharp gaze locked onto Clara.

"Thea is the real daughter of the Storme family. Clara was adopted. What right does she have to accept that bracelet?"

The dining table fell into a heavy silence as a multitude of gazes converged on Thea, making her squirm with discomfort.

She quickly tugged on Leonard's sleeve, whispering, "I don't care about that bracelet. You don't have to do this."

He smiled at her, then fixed his gaze on Clara with an intensity that was almost obscene. "Ms. Clara, why don't you beg me? Maybe then I'll ask Thea to drop it."

A chill ran down Thea's spine.

Leonard wasn't standing up for her. He was using her name to force Clara into submission, without a care for Thea's feelings.

Penelope slammed her cane on the floor several times.

"Well, well. You're really bold, Thea. You got yourself a man and had him humiliate your sister? Bet you've been holding that in for a while."

"Listen up, if you keep making things hard for Clara, don't blame me for kicking you out of the family."

Thea lowered her eyes.

The system's voice rang in her ear. "Thea, your target has been switched. It will take effect in two weeks."

In other words, from now on, neither the Storme family nor Leonard could hold her back.

Years of pent-up frustration welled up inside her.

She raised her head sharply. "Clara, want to bet again?"

At the mention of a bet, Clara's composure flickered for a split second. "The wager?"

"That bracelet. We'll take turns bidding, only using our possessions as stakes. Whoever bids higher wins the bracelet and the other person's stakes."

Everyone around looked surprised.

They all knew Thea grew up in an orphanage, and since her return, she had remained the unloved daughter of the family.

How could she challenge Clara like this?

Clara clearly thought so too. She was the first to pull out a black card. "I hope you don't back out. This is all my savings."

Thea smiled and showed her own card.

The butler, Rowan Ellison, checked the balance and looked confused. "Ms. Thea wins."

"No way!" Clara refused to believe it and then pulled out a bunch of keys.

"The island from Dad, the villa from Mom, and the yacht from Jeremy. This should be enough, right?"

They were birthday gifts from the past few years.

Thea calmly took out some documents.

Rowan's face turned serious. "Ms. Thea wins again."

A ripple of shock passed through everyone in the room, and they tried to catch a glimpse of the papers' contents.

Thea's expression didn't change. "Want to keep going? Everything you have comes from Mom and Dad. I don't believe you have anything else. Let me tell you. These are my scholarships and patent contracts. I earned them myself. And I have more to show."

Clara's face flushed bright red, her chest rising and falling as she snarled, "Well, I have more. 1.6 billion dollars' worth of courtyard houses. I don't believe you can come up with that kind of money so fast."

Jeremy's expression changed. He hurriedly stopped her. "Clara, don't."

"Why? This is all I have left. Jeremy, do you want to see me lose?"

"No, it's just—"

Before Jeremy could finish, Rowan cut in with the answer. "Sorry, Ms. Clara. Ms. Thea is now the owner of those two courtyard houses."

"What?" Clara gasped, like someone had grabbed her throat.

1.6 billion dollars was now Thea's stake. If Clara couldn't outbid her, everything she owned would belong to Thea.

Clara nervously twisted her sleeves. Penelope and Jeremy looked anxious but helpless. They couldn't openly help Clara cheat.

Just as she bit her lower lip, on the verge of tears, Thea continued to watch her with a chilling calm.

In the past, she would never have been this aggressive.

She kept wanting to fit in with the Storme family and didn't want to make things hard for their little princess.

But today, no matter what anyone said, Thea wouldn't change her mind.

Someone was already ready to take the bracelet from Clara.

She burst into loud sobs.

At that moment, Rowan stared at his computer in disbelief. "1.5 billion dollars? Someone just transferred 1.5 billion dollars into Ms. Clara's account!"

"Oh my god! 1.5 billion dollars? Who can just transfer that much cash on the spot?"

Everyone at the dinner gasped in shock.

Rowan wiped the cold sweat off his forehead.

He answered a call, said a few words, then switched on the speaker.

The voice Thea recognized came through clearly. "Mr. Falkner says he won't let Ms. Clara lose. The Falkner family will cover all of her stakes today."

Every word hit everyone like a hammer.

"The Falkner family? You mean that Falkner family?"

"Who else could pull out 1.5 billion dollars? Mr. Falkner isn't like Thea's fiance. He's a true big shot!"

"Thea, you'd better give up. The Falkners don't just have money. They hold grudges. If you cross them, life will get rough."

Thea's ears buzzed as she stared at Leonard.

He just smiled like it didn't concern him while watching with genuine amusement as Clara's tears dissolved into a smile.

He was staring at her as if she were a piece of prey.

Thea felt the whole thing was ridiculous.

She put down the title deeds of her two courtyard houses. "I'm in. 1.6 billion dollars."

Within five minutes, another 200 million dollars was transferred into Clara's account.

The Falkner family could have crushed Thea immediately, but they seemed to enjoy tormenting her with just a slight edge.

Thea finally broke.

Her voice was hoarse as she demanded, "Is Mr. Falkner not going to give me a way out today?"

Leonard seemed to come to his senses only then, realizing he was Thea's fiance.

He wrapped his arm around Thea's shoulders with an apologetic look.

"Sorry, Thea. I'm just an ordinary guy. I don't have the means to provide your stake. Since this whole mess started because of me, I'll talk to Clara and cancel the bet."

Thea trembled with rage.

He didn't have the means?

The man in front of her was responsible for how things turned out.

Whether as her fiance or the enigmatic Mr. Falkner, Leonard seemed determined to trample her pride underfoot.

Thea struggled to stand. "I'm not giving up. It's just a stake. I'll keep raising if I have to."

Frowning, Leonard grabbed her arm. "Thea, don't act on impulse. No point risking everything just for some pride."

Thea shut her eyes tight.

Actually, the Larkin family's wedding gift of money was already in her hands.

If she gave it all up, even Leonard couldn't stop her. But that would reveal she was taking Clara's place to marry into the Larkin family.

Still, no matter what, she couldn't lose this bet.

Before she could say more, Penelope spoke up. Her gaze was complicated as she reprimanded Clara, "Enough, Clara. Don't be ridiculous. Leonard's right. It's not fair to Thea if I just hand you the bracelet. I'll keep it for now.

"Since the wager is no longer valid, this entire bet is void. I'll treat this as nothing more than a joke between sisters. Take back your stakes."

Leonard raised an eyebrow.

Thea caught a hint of regret in his eyes. She shook off his hand and dug her nails into her palm.

Along with the humiliation came deep regret. She never should have agreed to bind with the system.

Letting Leonard die in that alley would have been better for all of them.

After dinner, Thea refused Leonard's company and walked home alone. She didn't want to face anyone's pity or mocking looks.

At the riverside, the system spoke up. "Thea, Leonard and Clara are on the other side."

"Oh, yeah? What are they saying?"

The system kindly helped listen in.

Leonard quietly asked Clara, "Do you regret breaking up with me back then?"

"What difference does it make whether I regret it or not?" Clara's voice was cold and harsh.

"You're about to marry Thea, and I'm to be wed to a dying man from the Larkin family. We have no future left."

Leonard's voice took on a coaxing tone. "If you admit you were wrong, I can fix both things."

Clara sneered. "You're just an ordinary guy. As if your words matter. You really think you're Mr. Falkner? If it weren't for him tonight, I'd have made a huge fool of myself. Leonard, you caused all this. I hate you."

Thea fell silent.

Leonard had fixed the problem, but didn't tell Clara. He even played the devoted lover to the very sister she loathed most right in front of her.

All of it was to make Clara give in and get her to apologize.

Thea was just the sacrificial pawn in Leonard and Clara's game.

Suddenly, she didn't want Leonard to reveal the truth. She grabbed her phone and dialed a number. "Leonard, I want the chowder you make. Where are you?"

Leonard sounded a little helpless. "I'm almost home already. I'll go buy ingredients now. Do you want potato or seafood chowder?"

Clara's face flushed red from anger at his gentle tone.

Thea had sharp eyesight. She clearly saw a figure turn and run off.

With her goal achieved, she offered a perfunctory response. "You decide."

Leonard's indulgent voice came through. "Alright, my queen. Just wait and eat."

…

Thea went home first.

She had only taken a few sips of the chowder when Leonard called out, "Clara, Thea doesn't have much of an appetite tonight. I made her some chowder. Do you want a bowl?"

Clara walked over and suddenly flipped the bowl over.

Scalding chowder splashed onto Thea's wrist, leaving an angry red mark.

"I'm allergic to seafood. What are you trying to do?" Clara snapped.

Leonard was smiling, but his eyes were full of provocation. "My darling likes seafood chowder, so I make seafood chowder. What's that to you? Who are you to me? Why should I consider you?"

Thea set her spoon down with a sharp clink.

Her voice was cold as she said, "I don't care what issues you two have. Either wipe the chowder off me or lick it clean. Leonard, I picked you up off the street. I suggest you remember your place."

Leonard's pupils shrank.

Clara's face was twisted in disdain. "Quite the temper you've got. Watch your tone, or I'll tell Jeremy and have you kicked out in an instant."

Thea raised her brow, frost in her eyes. "Go ahead. Tell him. See if he dares say a word."

Right now, the Storme family couldn't afford to lose her. If she left, where would they find another daughter to marry in Clara's place?

After shutting Clara up, Thea turned to Leonard. "You seem to enjoy bickering with Clara. I'll make the decision for you. You can marry her instead as a live-in son-in-law and go with her to the Larkin family. Interested?"

Leonard forced a laugh. "Don't be ridiculous. 'Live-in son-in-law' is just a title. It's not like I'm losing myself. Why do you have to put it so crudely?"

"I'm just being nice to you," Thea cut in coldly. "Everything you have comes from me. Even your life belongs to me because I saved it. What right do you have to say no to me?"

She stood up to leave.

Suddenly, the system warned her, "Thea, watch out!"

The crystal chandelier hanging 13 feet above came crashing down.

Everything happened too fast.

Thea had grown up tough. The moment she heard the warning, she covered her head and ran outside.

But what she never expected was that Leonard would shove her aside and pull Clara out of danger instead.

The chandelier smashed down hard. Shards of glass tore into Thea's body, carving countless wounds.

The pain nearly knocked her out, but she stared stubbornly at Leonard and Clara.

Just before losing consciousness, she saw Leonard rushing toward her. He pressed his cold hand against the wound on her arm.

That was the final straw.

…

When Thea came to, the sharp smell of disinfectant filled her nose.

She clenched her teeth hard, as the fury churning inside her had nowhere to go.

Before she even opened her eyes, she heard Clara crying beside the bed.

"Leonard, you still love me, right? Otherwise, you wouldn't have saved me. If that's the case, take me away. Let's run away. Mom, Dad, and Jeremy will marry Thea to the Larkin family to calm them down for sure. We can come back once everything settles."

"Clara…"

Even without opening her eyes, Thea could imagine the smug satisfaction hidden beneath Leonard's gentle gaze.

He had finally succeeded. He had won Clara over.

Before he could say anything else, Thea forced herself awake and ripped out the IV in her right hand.

When Leonard heard the movement, he spun around and asked anxiously, "Thea, you're awake? Are you feeling okay?"

Thea slapped him hard across the face. The sheer force of the blow snapped his head to the side.

Leonard's pupils shook. "Have you lost your mind?"

Ever since Leonard became the most powerful figure in the underworld, no one had dared treat him like this.

A slap was worse than a knife.

But Thea didn't hesitate. She slapped him again. "Leonard, whose fiance are you exactly? Does your conscience really tell you it's okay to shove aside your lover to shield another woman in your arms?"