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.

Alice Davis checked her raised hand and looked towards the door. Her expression made her look like a frog.

A lady came to the sink next to Kylie. She turned the tap and spoke to Alice: “You dare to bully the weak.”

Kylie lifted her head. From her reflection in the mirror, she recognized the lady from before: she was wearing a white princess dress.

This lady had baby-soft skin. Her fine hair was swept back in a ponytail. She looked so beautiful, like a doll.

Alice Davis tried to show her enthusiasm the moment she noticed the lady. She said: “Dear Miss Bass, it’s an honor to have you at my daughter’s engagement party.”

Miss Bass?

Kylie remembered that when she had pretended to be close to Ethan, that lady had appeared angry. She had assumed Miss Bass must be Ethan’s ex-girlfriend.

And this assumption turned out to be correct.

Kylie smiled and pointed at Khloe, then at herself. “Miss Bass, I don’t know if you’re talking about her or me...” Kylie said.

Before Kylie could finish her sentence, the lady splashed water all over Kylie’s face. Drops fell from her chin.

“You bitch! How dare you try to seduce Lord Ethan!” Fannie Bass stared at Kylie with anger, one hand on her hip.

Alice Davis laughed happily. She knew of Lady Fannie Bass—she was the youngest sister in the Bass family, and loved her three older brothers. And she was raised obstinately because of her distinguished background.

Fannie was offended, but she did an unexpected thing:

She pushed back her hair and gestured towards her face. “I splashed you, so now it’s your turn to splash me. I’ll never bully the weak.”

Kylie was shocked by this suggestion. She had fought with Khloe every day, and this was the first time someone had ever suggested fair play.

After the initial moment of shock, she splashed Fannie in the face with water.

“Well done! Now tell me which postures you do when you make love to Lord Ethan.”

Kylie was completely shocked to hear this, and so were Khloe and Alice.

Facing such a great lady, Kylie wiped her brow and said: “How about we make up first?”

“Correct! I need to make up too!”

Then, Fannie ignored Khloe, who still stood by, looking shocked. She simply led Kylie out of the washroom, hand in hand.

In a private box on the second floor, they sat down face to face.

“Now, can you tell me how you caught Lord Ethan?”

Watching her curious face, Kylie couldn’t help but laugh.

“Why do you laugh?” asked Miss Bass.

Kylie lay down on the sofa. “Miss Bass, you must be the most special girl I’ve ever met. Have you ever fallen in love?”

“Nope, what about you?” Fannie asked, taking a large gulp of her sweet wine.

“This is my ex-boyfriend’s party,” Kylie replied.

“Does Lord Ethan enjoy having a secondhand girlfriend?”

Kylie took off her heels and rubbed her sore feet. She had to admit that she liked this cute, honest girl.

“Miss Bass, I have no idea how to explain the relationship between Lord Ethan and me. But it’s not what you think.”

Fannie was silent for a while. She stared at Kylie with a questioning look. Then she took another sip of her wine, and said: “Do you know how many ladies want to kill you since Lord Ethan announced that you’re his wife?”

Kylie lifted her eyebrows. She really liked Fannie’s personality: brutally honest.

She shrugged, and said, smiling: “It’s not the first time I’m somebody’s imaginary enemy. But honestly, I'm just Lord Ethan today...I helped him out, so he owes me.”

Maybe it was Kylie’s peaceful tone, or perhaps it was her honest gaze, but Fannie immediately believed her.

After a moment of silence, Fannie responded: “Don’t ever call me Miss Bass; just call me Fannie. The splashing was just a thing I learned from ebooks. I hope it didn’t bother you too much.”

After a while of chatting like this, they both felt comfortable and familiar. Fannie suddenly took Kylie’s hand and said: “I’m gonna tell you a secret about Lord Ethan...”

***

Later on, Fannie was a little drunk, and she was driven home. Kylie accompanied her partway but got out to buy some crayfish and beer before going home. She had eaten nothing at the party and had been starving for a long time.

She peeled the crayfish and drank the beer, which made all her unhappiness disappear. But as she was peacefully eating, she suddenly heard somebody knock at her door.

Only the Finches knew where she lived. There’s no way I’m going to argue with them now, she thought.

While considering this, Kylie opened the door. She was surprised to see the man standing outside. In the shadow cast by the streetlamp, there stood a tall figure, smoking a cigarette, with a chocolate lab at his feet. One of his hands was hidden in his pocket.

He simply stood there and smoked. I was so weird.

“Lord Ethan?” Kylie said, a bit nervous. “How did you get my address? And what do you want with me at such an hour?”

“Our deal,” he replied.

What the hell? Had he come all this way with his dog for that?

“Well...Lord Ethan...” Kylie didn’t want him coming into her room. But he stepped past her, after extinguishing his cigarette.

The lab followed its master into the room, wagging its tail.

Kylie had no choice but to follow them both inside. “Have a seat, please. I only have a beer...I don’t know if you like it.”

“Alright.” Ethan glanced at the table and nodded.

Kylie opened a bottle of beer for Ethan. The little sofa didn’t seem suitable for such a tall man. The dog sat down and stayed quiet.

“What about him?” Kylie indicated the lab, asking Ethan for direction. Both guests simply stared at her. She looked from man to dog but eventually started staring at the crayfish on the table. It was so awkward, and nobody spoke.

Kylie sat on the stool and felt like crying. What the fuck...did he want to do?

There was no sound in the room, besides the evaporation of the beer, and the wind, and a small sound coming from someone’s stomach.

Kylie took a deep breath and raised her head. “Lord Ethan, have you eaten already, or would you like to try some of the spicy crayfish?”

Ethan nodded and said: “Please peel.” And the dog yelped.

Come on, she thought. Who did Ethan think she was, ordering her about like this? And the dog! Damn it—it can’t eat the crayfish!

Wearing her disposable gloves, Kylie begins to peel, and asks again: “Are you sure you wanna eat the crayfish I peel for you? Are you okay with the lack of cleanliness?”

“In fact, I would prefer it if you were unclothed,” Ethan responded. The dog yelped once more.

This dog must be here to threaten me, Kylie thought.

Ethan ate gracefully. He ate the crayfish as though it were lobster. And his dog, after having a taste, couldn’t stop eating.

Kylie was a little worried. “Is it okay for your dog to eat this spicy food?”

But honestly, she didn’t want to take the crayfish away, and risk offending this lab.

Let alone offend Ethan...