Although Amanita had locked the door from her side, Marcus was somehow able to open it easily.

“Get out. I don’t want to see you,” Amanita said. Her eyes were red-rimmed. “Also, a locked door is an indication that you’re not welcome. You’re not supposed to come in. You shouldn’t be picking a lock so openly!”

Marcus laughed. “I’m sorry. It’s a bad habit from when I was on the streets.”

As he spoke, he came to sit at Amanita’s side.

“I was very poor then and couldn’t afford food. To fill my stomach, I would occasionally have to resort to crime.” Marcus’s voice was sad.

“Back in those dark days, I only had Risa by my side. She’s the most important person to me.”

At this, Marcus paused and turned to Amanita. His eyes seemed as deep as a bottomless abyss.

No one could ever truly see through him.

“Nita, I’m really very thankful that your father took me and Risa in,” Marcus said. “And I’m willing to do anything for you.

“However, the prerequisite is that you have to let Risa stay. Risa is my little sister and the only relative I have in this world. I won’t allow anyone to hurt her, not even you.”

For an instant, Amanita nearly believed him.

He had her until he mentioned that Risa was his little sister.

If Risa were his little sister, would they be talking about love and desire?

Marcus was nothing but a liar!

“So, what you mean is that, even if we get married, you’ll always put Risa first?” Amanita asked with a smile.

“That’s right,” Marcus admitted without hesitation. “Risa will always be my first priority.

“But after we get married, I will be like Mr. Wallace. I will always dote on you and protect you. I won’t ever let you feel unhappy.”

Amanita was still smiling. She was smiling so hard that her cheeks ached.

Marcus said that he would not let her feel unhappy, but did he realize that she was currently unhappy because of him?

Amanita was born with a silver spoon. She used to tolerate all of the injustices she suffered because of love. Yet, as she witnessed Marcus’s insincerity before her, she wanted to stop holding back.

“Your darling little sister is nothing but a faker who’s seducing her older brother. She is not on the same level as I am.”

After he heard Amanita say this, Marcus’s expression turned stormy. He had barely been in Amanita’s room for five minutes before a phone call from Risa called him away.

Before leaving, he left behind a gift box.

Inside the box was a set of jewelry with blue diamonds. Although it was expensive, it was by no means on the same level as “The Ocean’s Tears.”

It was as Marcus promised earlier. He would dote on Amanita, but not a lot. Risa would always be his first priority, and Amanita would come second.

Amanita glanced at the gift box before throwing it in the trash without hesitation.

Her man should always put her first in all things.

If she could only be second, then she would not want that man.

Soon, it was Amanita’s birthday.

She turned twenty years old that day. She was now, by all accounts, of a marrying age.

George had said before that Amanita would choose her husband on her twentieth birthday.

As Amanita’s birthday banquet was a huge event, all of the big shots of Norchester were in attendance.

Amanita had put on a one-of-a-kind, custom-made gown.

Very unfortunately, “The Ocean’s Tears” had been stolen by Risa, so she did not have something to perfectly complement the gown.

Right then, an attendant knocked and entered. He was carrying a gorgeous gift box.

“Ms. Wallace, Mr. Bering sent me,” the attendant said politely. “Mr. Bering knows that the necklace you wanted was stolen from you at an auction and that you’re very upset about it. He personally went to South Prisca to find you an even more exclusive piece of jewelry.”

As he spoke, the attendant opened the box.

The pigeon blood ruby in the box was so shiny that the world around Amanita lost a bit of its color.

When it came to jewels, the pigeon blood ruby was the rarest and most expensive.

The attendant said, “This piece is called ‘The Heart of the Desert.’ Mr. Bering said that blue diamonds are cheap, and rubies are the best.”

Some joy finally showed up on Amanita’s face. She put “The Heart of the Desert” around her neck. Instantly, her whole look was elevated, and she radiated noble elegance.

When it came to marriage, it mattered very much who she chose.

Right then, Amanita felt very thankful that she had chosen Samuel Bering.

After finishing her makeup, Amanita opened her bedroom door and was ready to leave. However, she looked up to see Risa standing there.

“Nita.” Risa approached and held onto Amanita, seemingly ready to say something more. However, when she saw the pigeon blood ruby resting on Amanita’s throat, her smile froze on her face.

“Where did you get this necklace?” Risa asked instead. “Did Marcus give it to you?”

Amanita flung Risa’s hand away. “That’s none of your business.”

Risa’s eyes were filled with jealousy. “Amanita Wallace, you don’t really think that Marcus likes you, do you?

“In reality, he likes me. He doesn’t like you at all. He only pushes down his distaste for you to repay Mr. Wallace’s kindness.”

As she spoke, Risa took out her phone. She clicked on a video to show Amanita.

The video must have been taken when Risa was very upset about Marcus marrying Amanita. Marcus had gone nuts and locked Risa up.

During that time, he personally fed and clothed her. He kept repeating to her that he loved her. He also promised that he would not touch Amanita at all, even after he married her, and that he would not betray Risa. He swore that his heart and body belonged to Risa.

“See? Even if he marries you, Marcus won’t ever touch you. He only loves me. Has he ever been so crazy about you?

“If you know what’s good for you, don’t choose Marcus tonight. You can choose any one of my six other lap dogs. There are six of them anyway, and I’ve slept with them all. Dennis is the best in skill, and Felix has the best stamina…

“Anyway, it doesn’t matter who you choose. They’re all very skilled. Meanwhile, Marcus will never even touch you. Haha. Take care of yourself now.”

When she heard such lewd words, Amanita felt that she could not tolerate it anymore. She slapped Risa.

“Shut up! You shameless woman! You’re disgusting!”

However, right as her slap connected, she felt the chill of someone’s glare behind her.

Amanita froze instantly. When she turned around, she met Marcus’s cold gaze.

Marcus regarded her frostily but said nothing.

But that was much worse, because Amanita understood Marcus very well. For even touching Risa, Marcus would surely take revenge on her. Though Marcus had a destitute background, he was vicious.

Due to this, Amanita felt unsettled throughout the banquet.

Amanita was terrified. She was scared that Marcus would stab her at any second.

Yet, the whole banquet went by smoothly. Everything went off without a hitch.

Soon, they arrived at the hotel for the night. George was going to announce Amanita’s choice of husband very soon.

The banquet hall was rowdy as everyone gossiped.

“Amanita will surely pick Marcus. Everyone knows that she’s drooling after him.”

“Marcus is truly quite capable. He’s intelligent and uses hard tactics. Now, he’s also inherited the Wallace Group. No one in the business world can compete with him now.”

“I’m afraid only Samuel Bering will stand a chance against him. I heard that Samuel has been interested in Amanita for many years.”

“That’s true. Poor Samuel. He’s been pursuing Amanita for so many years, but he never stood a chance. Now, he has to watch his crush marry his ultimate rival.”

When she heard everyone’s discussions, Amanita could not help but grin to herself.

She sneaked a look at Samuel, only to find that he was also looking at her.

Samuel’s eyes were filled with affection for her. He made several gestures at her that conveyed his message clearly.

[You can’t change your mind!]

Amanita could not help but laugh. She was just about to respond when the screen behind her turned on. It started showing her private photos.

The photos featured her back as she showered, as she was putting on her underclothes…

When the pictures came to an end, there was a video.

In the video, Amanita was holding onto Marcus’s clothes. Her face was red with embarrassment as she sniffed the clothes. At the same time, she reached down beneath her clothes to touch herself.

“Oh, Marcus, I love you so much,” Amanita said in the video shyly.

Meanwhile, Amanita herself was having a breakdown. She looked at Marcus in devastation. Tears started to flow from her eyes.

Marcus had publicly shared her private photos and even a private video because she had called Risa a shameless woman. It was as if he wanted to show everyone that Amanita was the shameless one instead of Risa.

How could Marcus be so cruel?

“Who’s showing this video? Turn it off! Turn it off immediately!” George was furious. He rushed up to try and turn it off but found that he could not.

In the end, it was Samuel who rushed up and destroyed the projector. Only then did the screen go dark.

“Who did this? Who in the world did this?” George was so angry that he was shaking. “Lock the doors. No one is allowed to leave until I’ve found the culprit!”

“Mr. Wallace, calm down,” one of George’s friends reassured him. “Nita and Marcus are getting married anyway. This video isn’t so bad.”

“That’s right. This adds spice to a couple’s lives. We get it.”

But George’s face was still livid. He knew that Amanita had chosen someone else.

Silently, George looked up and gave Samuel a hard glance.

This was the moment he would find out whether Samuel was a reliable person.

After receiving George’s silent message, Samuel stood up without hesitation.

He pulled Amanita into his embrace before announcing loudly, “Nita is going to marry me! And I won’t allow anyone to get away with hurting her. If anyone dares to release these photos, I will make sure they suffer a fate worse than death!”

As he said this, everyone looked over at Samuel in terror, especially Marcus and Amanita’s six other prospective husbands. Instantly, their faces paled.

“Amanita chose him?”

“It’s a joke, right? Everyone knows that Amanita is obsessed with Marcus. How could she choose Samuel?”