A man on the center stage was talking into a microphone. “I’m so delighted that you can all be here to join my engagement party. Then please witness this glorious moment with me!”

Kylie suddenly felt nervous. That sound...

She slowly turned her head towards the stage, and to no surprise, there was Aiden, holding the microphone.

His engagement party?

She hadn’t heard anything about this, so it was clear that she wasn’t the one being proposed to.

Kylie raised her head and angrily stared at her companion’s chin. “Are you trying to make fun of me?”

Hadn’t he said that they were here to see his ex? How had it turned into Aiden’s engagement party? He had momentarily saved her from Aiden, only to bring her back to him? What did he want? Was it his intention to embarrass her in front of all these people?

Then Kylie regretted her instinct to believe this strange, dangerous man. He looked so calm, but was he actually plotting some evil plan?

That man lowered his head to look at the angry woman by his side. He took out a cigar and lit it.

Surrounded by a cloud of smoke, she could no longer read his expression, but she managed to catch a glimpse of his twitching lip.

At that moment, she wanted to escape that place.

She could see a smiling Aiden, still on stage, bringing forth a pretty little box. Kylie’s feet were fixed to the floor. She couldn’t seem to move.

Aiden hadn’t yet noticed Kylie’s presence, but many of his guests already had. They mostly knew about their relationship, so they kept their distance and let her walk past them towards the stage.

At first, Aiden was surprised to see her; then, he was furious.

After a mere three seconds, he got off the stage and walked towards another person—a gorgeous woman among the crowd.

That woman acted as though she was surprised, and softly said: “Oh my God, what are you doing?”

Aiden kneeled and lifted his hands high, which held the ring.

“Khloe, would you marry me? I will love you forever with my whole heart.”

It was so beautiful, and all the guests looked so surprised. They looked back and forth from Khloe to Kylie.

At that moment, Khloe timidly replied: “Andre, I love you too. But...”

“That’s enough!” Aiden said with frustration. “No one can tear us apart.”

He looked at Kylie, who was not too far away and glared angrily. Then he softly gazed at Khloe.

“Khloe, I don’t love her. I love you. Please say yes.”

Khloe’s eyes turned red, and she looked beseechingly at him. “Don’t be like this. My sister would be heartbroken. She treats you so well. I can’t do anything that’ll disappoint her.”

Aiden suddenly looked at Kylie with a cold expression, and raised his voice at her: “Kylie Finch, we’re broken up now. Don’t even think about hurting her!”

Hurt that bitch? What a joke!?

A few hours ago, Khloe had been begging her for forgiveness!

Laurence Finch and Alice Davis had dressed up for the event.

So, was she the only one who hadn’t known about the engagement party?

Was she the black sheep in her family?!

When she looked around, she saw Laurence in the crowd. But he didn’t seem to want to do anything besides hiding amongst the other guests.

But she noticed that he looked her way with hate. It was like she was an embarrassment to him.

Her sister had stolen her boyfriend, and he blamed her?!

Then she began to hear to whispers around her:

“What’s happening? Two sisters have the same husband?”

“What can she do now?”

“I said it before. Aiden wouldn’t love a woman like her. He must like cuter girls, like everyone else.”

“Kylie Finch is doomed. She has so many enemies now because of Aiden.”

“She’s pathetic.”

Even though Kylie was heartbroken, she had to act as if she didn’t care what happened, or what people said.

She had to fight back.

“I’ve got to say, you play it well, Khloe. I was thinking about how to dump him, and now here you are. I must thank you.”

Kylie smiled happily, but Aiden felt guilty when he recognized the man standing next to her.

That man looked at them. Though he didn’t speak, everyone could feel his power. Then, he placed his hands on Kylie’s shoulders.

Kylie instinctively wanted to push his hands away, but she realized that Aiden wanted to embarrass her, and she couldn’t let that happen.

She grabbed his tie and pulled his ear close to her mouth. From a distance, they looked like a sweet couple, but Kylie angrily whispered: “Asshole, if you don’t want me to kill you, then do what I say.”

The man gently touched her head, which made Kylie’s heart beat faster. Then he whispered into her ear: “They call me Lord P.”

Lord, my ass! Kylie thought.

She was furious but continued to smile. “Actually, I’ve been with Lord P. for a while now. He’s so handsome, and we’ve unlocked some new positions together. It’s so unforgettable.”

Unlocked new positions?

That was maybe the best, strangely-put phrase Lord P. had ever heard. He was smiling.

Watching them being so close and comfortable around each other, Aiden was shaking with anger. Kylie had loved him for five years, but she’d never been so warm.

That Lord P. he barely knew, had stolen her away in front of the coffee shop.

He wasn’t happy to hear the news, so he pointed at Kylie and spoke: “Kylie Finch, you shameless bitch! You said you loved me, but you immediately went to find yourself another man!”

Kylie shrugged helplessly and said: “I didn’t want it to happen like this. But when my options are a needle mushroom and a king oyster mushroom, of course, I’d choose the king oyster!”

“You...who are you calling a needle mushroom?”

“Oh, why do you ask if you don’t think it’s you?”

Everyone was laughing.

At that time, Khloe was jealous of her sister. She had been lying on her face after the events of the coffee shop, so she had never seen the man’s face.

But in comparison with Aiden, who was wearing the same black Armani suit, that new man looked much more handsome. He looked cold but powerful.

And whoever was invited to the banquet came from a wealthy, notorious family. But Khloe couldn’t place which family this outstanding man belonged to.

Most importantly, she wonders, when did Kylie get to know him?

Khloe hadn’t expected Kylie to come to the party. But what was bothering her most, was that she came accompanied by such an amazing man!

Khloe stared at Lord P., and Aiden sensed how she felt for him. He sneered at Kylie.

“Kylie, this man must be some actor you hired. I know you want to ruin my engagement party, but don’t forget that everyone here knows who you really are!”

Aiden tried to convince himself that this man wasn’t from a rich family. There weren’t too many big wealthy families in Seattle that he didn’t know. Plus, he couldn’t believe that man could afford a Knight XV.

After hearing those words, Khloe finally stopped looking at Lord P. with great admiration. Instead, she felt sorry for Kylie. “Sister, you can hit me if you hate me. But please don’t ruin your reputation...It could damage your career...”

Then she really cried.

But Kylie smiled with great happiness. “He may be an actor to you, but he’s the one I love most. And you...”

She shook her head. “Since you just proposed to Khloe, why do you even care who I’m with? Do you want both of us?”

Her question made Aiden so embarrassed. He was furious about being humiliated. He raised his hands to call security: “Take these two away.”

Elliot, one of the guards, was about to step forward when someone loudly announced: “Mr. Parker is here.”

Matthew Parker was about fifty years old and looked amazing for his age. His wife, Taylor, and their daughter, Nicole, were standing next to him.

After seeing his father, Aiden became more confident and quickly walked towards Matthew Parker.

He stood up straight. “Dad, Kylie Finch brought a man to destroy my engagement party.”

When he heard Kylie Finch’s name, Matthew’s face darkened.

As a businessman, he only cared about profit. Khloe Finch was her father’s favorite and obvious inheritor, so Matthew had agreed to this engagement.

But Kylie Finch had loved Aiden for five years, and every rich family in Seattle knew about it.

So the Parker family really owed Kylie an apology, and Matthew knew this. His eyebrow twitched, and he turned his head around. But when he saw the man standing beside Kylie, he froze in place.

Aiden sneered and pointed at Lord P. “Dad, and it’s him. He’s the actor hired by Kylie.”

“Shut up!” Matthew Parker raised his voice, and it frightened Aiden. But Aiden continued to say: “It’s him...”

When Matthew Parker approached them, Kylie stood in front of Mr. P and stretched out her arms. No matter who he was or whether he was a friend or an enemy, she’s the one who had put him in that situation, and she wouldn’t allow anything bad to happen to him.

After seeing how protective she was, Lord P.’s eyes darkened. He wanted to push her aside, but she refused to move.

“You should blame me for this.” Kylie stretched her arms out further, like a protective mother.

“Move.” Matthew Parker sounded angry.

“No,” Kylie said with certainty. “He’s with me. Please don’t hurt him.”

Even though Lord P. looked like he might be a good fighter, he one alone against all the Parkers and Matthew wanted to push Kylie out of the way, but when he glimpsed Lord P’s eyes, he put his hands down.

“Aiden,” Matthew instructed.

On hearing his name, Aiden immediately went to his side. He stared at Kylie and said: “Dad, today is a big day for me. Let the guards kick them out.”

“Nonsense!” Matthew said angrily.

Aiden was shocked. He began to think that his father wouldn’t kick them out because he was worried about embarrassing himself in front of all the guests.

He wanted to punch Lord P., but Parker was an important name. Something of that sort couldn’t be done in a public place.

Kylie acted like she felt calm, but she was terrified the whole time. She knew that they didn’t like him, and their only reason for not saying anything bad about her was due to her relationship with Aiden.

She was at the banquet; they must have thought she was just there to destroy it.

Although she was very agitated, the hands on her shoulders were warm and provided assurance.

That’s when Kylie finally learned something about Lord P.

Even though he didn’t say anything the whole time, his power was so strong that everyone felt ill at ease. Kylie almost believed that those guards didn’t throw them out because they were afraid of him.

As she struggled about what to do next, Lord P. spoke:

“Brother.”

Matthew suddenly began to laugh, and Kylie thought the sound was disgusting. “I was thinking about sending people to pick you up, but here you are—good...”

Had she heard, right? Brother? Were they brothers? So he was Aiden’s uncle? That mysterious man?

She had heard stories about him. Some said he had joined special forces. Some said he had become a terrorist. Anyway, everyone in Seattle was terrified and in awe, every time they heard his name.

Why had he returned to such a high profile?

Kylie and Khloe were lost.

“Uncle?” Aiden kept saying it. He looked so guilty to have not recognized his own family. Ethan Parker was like a god in their family. What had he accused him of? That he was an actor hired by Kylie? What’s wrong with him? How could he have said such things about Ethan Parker?

Aiden felt so nervous and afraid. He grabbed Khloe’s hands with so much strength that she had to pull back in pain.

Khloe ground her teeth. She had thought Kylie would cry after losing Aiden has Kylie had cried when Khloe had become part of her family.

Khloe was Laurence Finch’s illegitimate child. Laurence had eventually married Khloe’s mother, Alice Davis, and he loved them both very much.

But Kylie’s existence simply reminded him of his embarrassing past. After his first wife, and Kylie’s mother had committed suicide, Kylie had been kicked out of the family due to disobedience.

Khloe had not expected the best moment of her life to be ruined by Kylie.

But Kylie was totally lost; she couldn’t hear anything that was being said between Matthew Parker and Ethan Parker.

She was totally lost. All of it had happened so quickly. She licked her lips and wanted to run away.

She had gotten herself caught in a messy situation. If Ethan Parker were to tell the others about her lies, her career would be over. And she didn’t have the means to mess with rich people like him.

But Ethan Parker gripped her arms and didn’t let her leave.

He lowered his upper body and softly said: “An ugly girlfriend must still meet the family. Why are you so nervous?”

“I’m not nervous, okay?” Kylie denied his accusation and returned his stare.

Ethan pushed her hair behind her ears. The soft, casual movement quickened her heart; she felt a spark when his fingertips touched her face.

He moved closer to her and whispered: “Kylie, I wonder if someone ever told you that your hands shake when you’re nervous?”

Kylie gaped at him unbelievably. How could she never have known this about herself?

Taylor Parker felt that the situation was uncomfortable, so she stepped out among them. “Aiden, Nicole—Ethan is your uncle. What are you guys waiting for?”

Listening to his mother, Aiden could do nothing but apologize. “I’m sorry, uncle. It’s my fault that I didn’t recognize you immediately.”

It was hard to tell if Ethan simply did not hear or chose not to acknowledge his nephew, but he remained silent and gently looked at Kylie—which made her feel ill at ease.

Nicole was so young and felt the need to ask questions when she was uncomfortable. “Uncle, you’ve been abroad for a long time. Is that when you met Kylie?”

His beautiful eyes moved about the room, but his face stayed still. He replied coldly: “It’s none of your business.”

Nicole felt too awkward to say anything more. But she stared at Kylie, with hatred in her eyes.

Kylie wrapped her arm around Ethan’s waist, teasing him. Good job, she thought, anger them! Kylie felt so good.

After these brief introductions, Khloe gently pulled at Aiden’s sleeve.

Even though she didn’t yet wear a wedding ring, their engagement was still a public truth. It was a rare chance to meet Aiden’s uncle since he returned home so seldom.

Aiden pulled her in front of him and addressed Ethan with a foxy smile: “This is my fiancee, Khloe.”

Ethan looked into Khloe’s eyes when they were introduced. Before this, he hadn’t even acknowledged Aiden’s presence.

“So, you’re Khloe?”

Khloe’s face turned red, and she couldn’t prevent her heart from beating quickly. She could never have hoped that he had already heard of her.

She stared at him as seductively as possible, and said: “Uncle, you’ve heard of me before?”

“Well...” he answered softly and nodded.

The women around him looked envious. How could Lord Ethan know her name, and not theirs?

Khloe couldn’t help feeling proud. After all, the Finch family was also famous. And since becoming attached to the entertainment industry, she has done some good work.

But this man was so perfect, and there’s no way she could have forgotten him if they had met before. She had attended so many dinners full of bald men with beer bellies.

Before she could say anything more, Ethan stopped her. “My girl mentioned you before.”

Then, he held Kylie closer and lifted her little chin towards him. The man’s eyes rested on Kylie’s bewildered face. Without averting his gaze, he continued to talk to Khloe: “My girl said that you’re willing to rob someone else’s boyfriend.”

Kylie wished she could throttle this man. Didn’t he notice all the people envying her? Plus, she had never told him that Khloe was such a bitch. Now, she was going to be a scapegoat.

But, on second thought, all Ethan did was embarrass Khloe.

Kylie suddenly smiled, and, as a gift, blew Ethan a kiss. Then she turned to Khloe, and said: “It’s true.”

The crowd became quiet.

Khloe’s face contorted. She clenched her lips, and tears welled up in her eyes. She looked just like a poor, ugly duckling.

Aiden felt bad for Khloe and held her in his arms. He stared at Kylie and looked like he was about to say something, but Taylor stopped him before he could.

The moment Aiden had realized who Ethan was, he’d known his accusations had been false. Yet Ethan hadn’t punished him with respect for his brother, Matthew. So, Aiden decided to let his treatment of Khloe go unpunished.

Ethan was the proud Lord Parker, the only man who could terrify Matthew Parker. It was not wise to offend him.

When the people around them kept silent, Ethan said: “Show your respect.”

Kylie looked at Ethan in confusion. Then she turned around and addressed the man who was coming closer: “Uncle Parker.”

But Ethan spoke, rather unhappily: “Wrong.”

What did he mean? She always called Matthew ‘Uncle Parker.’

Taylor Parker guessed what Ethan meant. She softly said: “It’s okay. Kylie is part of our family.”

“True,” Ethan replied. “She’s my wife.” He puffed at a cigar and slowly blew out the smoke.

Everyone was shocked!

But what he did was provide Kylie with a reason for being there. Nobody would question her about it anymore.

Instantly, all the women in the room began to reconsider Kylie. Some were admiring, some envious. Of course, most of them hated her.

Kylie’s heart stopped beating the moment Ethan spoke the words: “She’s my wife.”

This was the man she had just met. He confused her by keeping her secret. Is it possible that he simply wanted to help her attend Aiden’s engagement party? But why would he do that?

Before she could figure it out, Nicole stepped up. Though she still felt displeased, she managed to say: “Aunt Kylie.”

Before, when Ethan had said: “Show your respect,” he had not meant for Kylie to greet Matthew, but for the younger Parkers to show their respect to his new bride.

Aiden’s face contorted, and he said in a low voice: “Aunt Kylie.”

Matthew Parker realized that Ethan was protecting Kylie. So, he immediately changed his attitude. He said to Kylie: “Why don’t we have a drink together?”

Taylor forced a smile. “Sister, have a seat.”

Kylie was not so stupid as to sit down with them, so she excused herself and went to the washroom.

***

“Kylie, how could you be such a bitch? How could you turn to Ethan just because Aiden dumped you?” Khloe stopped Kylie in the washroom. Her eyes were red from crying.

Khloe was so envious, and she could go insane.

Alice Davis stood by her daughter and kept offering her tissues. She stared at Kylie and said: “Don’t let it go to your head! Lord Ethan doesn’t love you—you’re just a toy for him.”

Kylie washed her hands and looked at the sink. The smile on her face seemed to overflow. “Well, it’s a good thing Lord Ethan is willing to be with me, even if I’m just his toy. What about you? Did he even bother to look at you?”

Alice Davis was so angry she wanted to strike Kylie across the face. But the moment she raised her hand, someone else opened the door to the washroom.