The Green family's monthly gathering was an unbreakable tradition.

Brice intended to take me to the Green's old mansion.

I couldn't refuse him.

He not only invested a significant amount of money into the Yates Group but also leveraged his connections and resources to bring in several major clients for the struggling business of the Yates Group.

My father was so grateful to Brice that he practically flattered Brice.

In front of my parents, Brice said coldly, "The money and the business were given for Leyla's sake. If I hear even a whisper of you coercing her for your own benefit…"

His gaze swept over my parents' faces. "The Yates Group may have risen today, but I can make it vanish from the city overnight."

My mother's face turned pale with fear, and she repeatedly assured him that I was their most cherished and that they would never dare to hurt me again.

Just days ago, she had scolded me for being useless. But with Brice backing me now, I had suddenly become their most cherished.

How ironic it was!

Leaving the Yates home, Brice held my hand and didn't let go.

As the car pulled into the courtyard of the Greens' old mansion, I immediately noticed Bowen's flashy silver sports car.

The moment Brice and I stepped into the living room, the atmosphere was suffocatingly tense.

Brice's parents sat on the sofa and looked grim.

James, Brice's grandfather, sat at the head and leaned on his cane. His eyes were closed, and he gave no hint of his emotions.

To my surprise, Rosie was seated next to Bowen.

She wore a simple white dress and looked pitifully delicate.

Bowen was protectively beside Rosie and announced with excitement, "Rosie is pregnant." It's the eldest grandson of the Green family. I can't let the baby of the Green family stay homeless."

The last trace of sentiment in my heart was gone as soon as I heard those words.

It turned out that I could be in despair in an instant.

As I watched Bowen, who was now utterly devoted to Rosie, he felt like a stranger.

He was not the young man who had once danced with me and vowed to marry no one else.

James slowly opened his eyes and said in a commanding tone, "The Green family doesn't welcome just any woman."

Rosie trembled, and tears immediately fell. "Grandfather, I truly love Bowen…"

"Shut up!" James's cane struck the floor hard. "I only recognize the baby born to Leyla as one of the Green family. I refuse to acknowledge any other illegitimate children."

Bowen became anxious. "Grandfather, this is the modern age. How can you still be so stereotyped! Leyla and I were arranged to be engaged by the families. There's no love! Rosie and I truly love each other!"

Brice's father, Ivan Green, slammed the table and said, "You scoundrel! If Brice hadn't cleared up the mess for you, the Green family's reputation would have been utterly destroyed by you!"

Bowen was somewhat not convinced, but he dared not argue back with Ivan.

He turned to look at Brice and me. "Leyla, come over here." Bowen beckoned to me. He seemed to be summoning a pet. "You will be my wife and the mother of my baby. Rosie will need your care in the future, so don't make a fuss this time."

He really dared to imagine. How could he expect me to take care of his pregnant mistress?

Seeing that I wasn't moving, Bowen became impatient. "Leyla, don't be ungrateful. I've already given you the position of my wife. What more do you want?"

Rosie, seizing the moment, came over with teary eyes. She humbly lowered herself in front of me. "Ms. Yates, I won't fight you for the title. I just want to stay with Bowen. After my baby is born, you can be its mom. I truly love Bowen. Please take pity on me…"

With that, Rosie emotionally held my hand and looked so humble.

I shook her hand off in disgust. But she suddenly let out an exaggerated cry, stumbled backward dramatically, and fell to the floor heavily. "Ah! My belly… It hurts so much!"

Everyone in the living room was startled.

Bowen rushed over. As soon as he saw Rosie groaning on the floor and me standing nearby, his rationality snapped instantly.

Rosie's face was pale. She weakly clutched his sleeve, and tears streamed down freely. "I just lost my balance. It's not Leyla's fault..."

It was a cunning move to make herself seem innocent.

Bowen abruptly lifted his head, and his eyes were burning with anger. "Leyla, how could you be so vicious? Rosie is pregnant, and you dared to push her!"

I looked up at everyone in the living room.

Bowen was fuming, and even his parents had a hint of resentment on their faces.

Couldn't they see through such a basic trick?

In fact, they simply chose not to.

I let out a light chuckle and met Bowen's gaze. "I merely pulled my hand back. She lost her balance herself. It has nothing to do with me."

I calmly uncovered the facts, though my heart felt empty and desolate.

"We all saw it with our own eyes, and you're still trying to argue!" Bowen was livid. He raised his hand to strike my face.

I didn't dodge. In that moment, I saw clearly the guy I'd loved for seven years.

However, the expected pain never came.

A large hand intercepted Bowen's wrist midair.

Brice stood in front of me and gave off a commanding aura. His eyes were cold. "Who do you think you're trying to hit?"

Bowen's wrist throbbed with pain, yet he remained defiant. "Brice, don't be fooled by her! She's jealous of Rosie's pregnancy and wants to harm the baby!"

Brice sneered and looked at Bowen as if the latter were an imbecile. Then Brice pointed to a corner of the ceiling. "Bowen, is your woman pregnant and stupid, or are you just following suit without a brain? This place is covered in 360-degree surveillance. Do you think she'd dare to put on an act here?"

Rosie's sobs were held back instantly in her throat as she looked up in terror at the blinking red light. She shook like a leaf in the wind.

Brice took out his phone, brought up the security camera footage, and shoved it to Bowen.

On the screen, Rosie was shown falling backward on her own, trying to grab me, while I never even touched the hem of her clothes.

The truth was laid bare.

Bowen's parents were angry. James was so furious that he pounded his cane on the floor. "What a disgrace! Take that lying woman and get out!"

Rosie panicked. She clung to Bowen's leg and wailed. "Bowen, I was just so afraid of losing you... My belly really hurts..."

Bowen looked at the footage, and his face alternated between livid and pale. "Anyway, Rosie is pregnant. Her health is the most important."

In the end, he bent down, picked up Rosie, and left.

Brice said coldly, "Bowen, discipline the woman you bring back. If it happens again, I won't mind helping you get rid of her."

Bowen's back stiffened as he left hastily.

The farce concluded, and my dress was torn by Rosie. So I couldn't stay in the living room.

Brice took me upstairs to change clothes, so we entered his bedroom.

As soon as the door closed, I whispered, "Thank you..."

"Thank me for what?" Brice's eyes were deep and intense as he stepped closer. He cornered me against the wall.

I turned my head uneasily.

In the next moment, he grasped my chin with his fingers and forced me to look up. "Leyla, don't be so distant with me."

With those words, he lowered his head and kissed me.

The kiss was filled with a long-repressed desire for possession and dominance, leaving me weakly clinging to his neck.

Meanwhile, Bowen put Rosie in the car.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt something was off.

Brice was usually aloof and was uninterested in meddling in others' matters. But he had been so angry a moment ago and even humiliated Bowen for Leyla.

Driven by an inexplicable impulse, Bowen returned.

The door to Brice's room on the second floor was slightly ajar.

At that moment, through the crack, Bowen clearly saw Brice, who was usually emotionally distant, pressing his "fiancée" against the wall.

We were kissing passionately.

I was flushed, and my eyes were dazed. She was so charming, which Bowen had never witnessed.

His blood ran cold, and his mind went blank.

The car keys in his hand dropped to the floor. "What... what are you doing?"

Bowen's neck veins bulged as he kicked open the door. "Brice, what do you mean by this?"

Brice slowly shielded me behind him, and his gaze was icy.

"She was in a relationship with me for seven years. Everyone in the city knows she's my woman," Bowen shouted hysterically.

"Your woman?" Brice finally lifted his eyes, and his gaze was sharp and piercing. "Just because she's been with you for seven years, does that give you the right to humiliate and trample on her with another woman?"

Bowen's face turned pale, but he stubbornly defended himself. "That's between her and me. But you, are you really going to pick up the woman I played with? Do you want to make the Green family the laughingstock of the city?"

"Bang!" Before he could finish, a dull thud interrupted his shouting.

Brice didn't waste any words. He punched Bowen hard in the face.

Bowen staggered back and crashed into the doorframe. Blood immediately appeared at the corner of his mouth.

He clutched his face and looked up in disbelief. Brice had always been aloof and proud and had rarely spoken harshly to him since they were kids.

"You hit me?" Bowen spat out a mouthful of blood, and his eyes were fierce.

Brice looked down at Bowen and exuded an intimidating aura. "If you can't say anything proper, I won't mind shutting you up. Remember, she's your sister-in-law, and you can't be rude to her."

Bowen was pushed back by the chilling aura and took half a step back. He turned to James, who had hurried over at the noise and seemed to clutch at a lifeline. "Grandpa, are you just going to stand by while Brice acts so recklessly? Leyla and I are engaged. You arranged it back then!"

"Enough!" James's cane struck the floor heavily. His authoritative voice commanded the room. "The agreement with the Yates family was for Leyla to be the future daughter-in-law of the Green family. She is resilient and smart. As long as she marries into the Green family, I will be happy. I don't care which grandson she marries."

James's eyes were sharp as he pointed at Brice. "Over the years, Brice has expanded the Green Group's business threefold. And you? You kept playing around with women and causing trouble. Every time Brice has to clean up your mess. This is what the Green family owes Brice."

"I don't agree!" Bowen shouted, and his voice almost broke from anger.

Brice let out a cold snort, and his gaze was indifferent. "It doesn't matter whether you agree or not. I brought her here today to tell everyone..."

He paused, and his tone became firm and irrefutable. "I've chosen her, and no matter who opposes, I marry only Leyla for the rest of my life."

James squinted, and a flicker of nostalgia and relief flashed through his eyes. He murmured, "Just like me in my youth, once I've made up my mind, I never waver..."

Then, his expression turned stern. "Leyla, as long as you're willing, you can be with Brice from now on. If anyone dares to wrong you even a little in the family, they are going against me."

"Grandpa!" Bowen's roar was drowned out by Brice's actions.

Ignoring all the gazes, Brice bent down and picked me up in his arms.

As my body lifted off the floor, I let out a cry and instinctively wrapped my arms around his neck.

His familiar scent surrounded me, and he looked down at me. His eyes were not as cold as ever. They looked so warm. "Don't be afraid. I'll take you home."

Brice carried me out of the old mansion, and the sunlight outside was perfect.

Behind us came Bowen's unwilling roars and the crashing of objects.

Through Brice's broad shoulders, I glimpsed Rosie forgotten in a corner. Her face was pale.