"I’ve thought it through. I'll marry the Ashford family’s comatose heir."

Rhea Vaughn leaned against the doorway of the Vaughn family’s old residence, her red lips curving into a sharp, mocking smile.

The cigar in Victor Vaughn’s hand nearly slipped and fell onto the priceless Persian carpet. He jerked upright from his leather chair, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes stretching open as his face lit up. "Rhea, you’ve come around? That’s wonderful! The Ashfords have been pressing hard. You’ll need to marry into Harborwyn within two weeks. What style of wedding dress do you like? I will have someone order it for you—"

"That’s it?" Rhea let out a cold laugh. "I’m taking your beloved illegitimate daughter’s place and marrying into that family for you, and you’re not going to show anything in return?"

"I’ve thought it through. I'll marry the Ashford family’s comatose heir."

Rhea Vaughn leaned against the doorway of the Vaughn family’s old residence, her red lips curving into a sharp, mocking smile.

The cigar in Victor Vaughn’s hand nearly slipped and fell onto the priceless Persian carpet. He jerked upright from his leather chair, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothing out as his face lit up.

"Rhea, you’ve come around? That’s wonderful! The Ashfords have been pressing hard. You’ll need to marry into Harborwyn in the next two weeks. What style of wedding dress do you like? I will have someone order it for you—"

"That’s it?" Rhea let out a cold laugh. "I’m taking your beloved illegitimate daughter, Vera Vaughn’s place and marrying into that family for you, and you’re not going to show anything in return?"

The temperature in the living room dropped instantly.

Victor’s face darkened. "Watch how you speak. What illegitimate daughter? That’s your sister."

"A sister is someone born of the same mother." Rhea chuckled softly, ice sealing over her eyes. "She’s the product of your affair. I will never acknowledge her in this lifetime."

The vein at Victor Vaughn’s temple bulged, fury surging up his face. He forced it down just before it erupted.

He took a deep breath. Ash fell from the tip of his cigar. "What do you want?"

"Ten billion." Her lips parted calmly. "And after I’m married, transfer Wyatt Pierce to protect your precious Vera."

Victor froze. He stared at her as if she had lost her mind. "Are you insane? Ten billion would drain all my liquid assets. And Wyatt is your favorite bodyguard. You used to make a fuss about marrying him. Now you’re getting married, and you’re not even taking him with you?"

"Just answer yes or no." Rhea’s patience snapped. She turned to leave.

"Fine!" Victor slammed his hand on the table. "The day you go to Harborwyn to marry, I’ll have both things done immediately."

He had no interest in thinking deeper. He only wanted to lock this down as fast as possible.

Back then, the Ashfords' only son had been dazzling and untouchable. Victor had rushed to secure an engagement between the two families, planning to marry Vera off and give his younger daughter a good future.

No one expected an accident to put the Ashford heir into a coma.

Victor could not bear to see Vera suffer. That was when he remembered that Rhea was also his daughter.

With her back to him, she waved a hand casually. Her heels clicked crisply against the marble floor, each step sounding like a slap across someone’s face.

Just as she wrapped her fingers around the doorknob, Victor’s voice came again from behind her.

"I can understand wanting money. Still, you love Wyatt more than anyone. How can you bear to give him to Vera?"

Rhea’s fingers stiffened. She did not turn around. Her eyes burned suddenly.

That name pierced her like a thorn, stabbing straight into the softest part of her heart. She shoved the door open hard, shutting Victor and that question behind her.

By the time she returned to the villa, it was already late at night.

Rhea walked upstairs in her heels. As she passed Wyatt’s room, she heard restrained sounds coming from inside.

The door was not fully closed. She lifted her gaze and saw the scene inside with brutal clarity.

Wyatt was half-reclined against the headboard, his long fingers holding a photograph. His eyes were closed, his Adam’s apple rolling as a low, husky voice spilled out.

"Vera… baby… so good…"

It was Vera’s photo.

Taken at last year’s birthday banquet. She wore a white dress, smiling with innocent purity.

Rhea’s nails dug crescent-shaped marks into the handle of her Hermes bag. At last, she answered Victor’s question in her heart, 'Because he is just like you. He only likes Vera.'

The answer churned inside her, scorching her organs until everything hurt.

She first met Wyatt three years ago when she was selecting a bodyguard. Among the towering men lined up, she locked onto him at first glance.

The reason was simple: he was outrageously handsome.

Six-foot-two with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and sharp features. Especially those pitch-black eyes, cold as tempered ice.

Rhea was famously known as a little seductress in their circle. She had planned to tease him for fun. Three years passed instead.

When she deliberately got drunk and collapsed into his arms, he hooked a hand around the back of her neck like lifting a cat and set her back onto the sofa.

When she knocked on his door late at night in a slip dress, he wrapped her entirely in his suit jacket and escorted her back to her room with perfect courtesy.

When she pretended to drown in the swimming pool, he jumped in to save her, yet never once touched her waist.

No matter how she flirted, he stayed distant. Chaste. Proper. Always addressing her as Miss Vaughn.

Somewhere along the way, she fell for him anyway. She did not know when it happened. Perhaps she had been unbearably lonely after her mother died.

When she was seven, Victor had an affair and brought home an illegitimate daughter named Vera Vaughn. She was only three months younger than Rhea.

Out of ten years of marriage, he had cheated for nine of them.

That day, the family Rhea believed to be happy and peaceful was shattered completely. Mrs. Evelyn Vaughn, her mother, was nine months pregnant with Victor’s second child, just days from delivery.

Mrs. Vaughn loved him desperately. She confronted him hysterically, crying until she nearly lost consciousness. That night, she went into premature labor. She was rushed to the hospital and died before she even made it into the operating room.

One corpse. Two lives lost.

From that day on, Rhea hated Victor. She hated Vera even more.

She moved out of the Vaughn estate. She went to school alone, ate alone, and grew up alone. Only when the harassment from spoiled rich boys became unbearable did she decide to hire a bodyguard.

Wyatt Pierce was her first.

From that point on, she was no longer alone. Whatever she did, Wyatt was always there. Her feelings shifted from admiration to teasing to love.

Three years. Over a thousand days and nights, not once did his gaze falter with any trace of emotion for her. She thought he was born cold-hearted.

Until that day.

She caught him holding Vera’s photograph while touching himself. Then she watched him finish and answer a phone call immediately afterward.

"Master Wren, how long are you going to keep playing bodyguard? You’re the Blackridge crown prince. What woman can’t you have? If you fell for Vera at first sight, just take her by force. Why play innocent and work as her sister’s bodyguard just to see her every day?"

Wyatt’s expression was calm. "I checked. Vera is an illegitimate daughter. She had a hard childhood, so she lacks a sense of security. Pursuing her recklessly would scare her. I want to take it slow."

"Unbelievable. The Wren family really produced a hopeless romantic. I thought with Miss Vaughn flirting with you every day, you’d fall for her. Let me tell you, she’s famous in the circle. The men who fancy her could line up all the way to France—"

Wyatt seemed to smile faintly. What he said next sent Rhea plunging straight into an ice abyss.

"Is that so? Well, I'm not interested. She can't compare to even a single strand of Vera’s hair."

Every word stabbed into Rhea’s heart like a blade. From that moment on, she no longer liked Wyatt.

The sounds inside dragged on for an unknown amount of time. For reasons unclear, Wyatt had still not finished that night.

Seeing this, Rhea curled her lips coldly and shoved the door open.

The moment Wyatt lifted his gaze, Rhea saw a depthless darkness in his eyes.

Perhaps it was because he had always been someone in power. Even after being caught like this, there was not the slightest ripple in his expression.

He calmly slid the photograph beneath the pillow. His long fingers moved unhurriedly as he adjusted the zipper.

In just a few seconds, he had returned to that ascetic, distant composure, as if the man who had lost control moments ago had been nothing more than an illusion.

Rhea could not help letting out a faint, cold laugh. "Putting it away before you are finished. Aren’t you afraid of holding it in? Want me to help you?"

Wyatt’s expression did not change. He leaned back slightly, widening the distance between them. "Miss Vaughn, did you need something?"

He was always like this. He could be stirred beyond restraint by Vera’s photograph, yet when facing her, he looked like a monk untouched by desire.

Rhea’s nails dug into her palm as she recalled Vera’s plain, watery face. Her figure was unremarkable, her looks nothing special, yet everyone still fell for that carefully cultivated innocence.

It did not matter. Rhea had beauty, money, and a body to match. From today onward, she would discard anyone who did not want her without regret.

"There’s an auction tomorrow. You’re coming with me." She turned and walked away after delivering the order in a cool and detached tone.

Wyatt frowned. "I remember taking two days off—"

"I heard Vera will be there too." She did not turn back.

There was a moment of silence behind her, followed by the man’s low reply. "Understood, Miss Vaughn."

Rhea’s heart felt as if a needle had pricked it.

As expected, the moment Vera was mentioned, every principle he had could be broken.

No worries. Soon enough, she would personally send him to Vera’s side.

The next morning, just as Rhea stepped out of the villa, she saw Wyatt already waiting by the car.

The black suit outlined his broad shoulders and narrow waist perfectly. The morning light traced a faint golden edge along his cold, sharp profile.

In the past, she would have deliberately teased him at moments like this. She would have pretended to twist an ankle and fall into his arms, or lean close to breathe softly by his ear.

Today, she got into the car expressionlessly, not sparing him even a glance.

Wyatt seemed surprised. He looked at her once more before quickly averting his gaze and sitting silently in the front passenger seat.

The car headed toward The Halcyon Grand, where the auction was to be held. Rhea stared out the window the entire way, no longer finding excuses to talk to him as she used to. The interior was so quiet that they could hear each other breathing.

The Halcyon Grand was the most prestigious hotel in the city center. Crystal chandeliers illuminated the hall like daylight. The air was filled with luxury and perfume, packed with elites and power players.

The moment Rhea entered, she saw Vera standing ahead.

Vera wore a white dress, her long black hair falling straight over her shoulders. She was chatting and laughing with a group of socialites, looking pure and harmless.

Wyatt’s gaze changed instantly. Although he still stood behind Rhea in the role of bodyguard, she could feel that his attention had already been completely drawn away.

"Rhea!" Vera spotted them and immediately trotted over, warmly linking arms with her. "What a coincidence. Are you here for the auction too?"

Rhea pulled her arm away coldly. "Don't touch me."

Vera’s eyes reddened at once. She looked at Wyatt with grievance. "Wyatt, I just wanted to be closer to my sister."

Wyatt’s brows knit together. The look he gave Rhea carried restrained disgust.

Vera seized the moment, tugging lightly at Wyatt’s sleeve. "Wyatt, I heard that when I had a fever last time and wanted fresh croissants, you went out in the middle of a rainstorm to buy them and brought them to the Vaughn house? I was really sick then, but now that I've recovered, I can tell you how grateful I am."

The coldness in Wyatt’s features softened instantly. "Miss Vera, you are too polite. I was passing by."

Passing by?

Rhea sneered inwardly.

He had disappeared for five hours that day and returned soaked from head to toe. That was his idea of passing by?

"Then let me treat you to a meal!" Vera said sweetly.

This time, Wyatt did not refuse. "Whatever you want."

"Then let’s invite Rhea too!" Vera turned to Rhea, then suddenly looked surprised. "Huh? Rhea, why do you look so worn out? I was the one who got sick—"

Rhea cut her off coldly. "We’re not close. Stay in your lane."

Vera’s face changed instantly. Wyatt’s frown deepened further.

At that moment, the auctioneer announced the start of the auction, finally breaking the awkward exchange.

Rhea did not bother engaging further and took her seat directly.

She was about to marry into the Ashfords. Expecting Victor to prepare a dowry for her was unrealistic. She would have to prepare these things herself. That was her true reason for attending this auction.

Once seated, the first item was presented. It was a pigeon-blood ruby necklace. Starting bid: one million.

Rhea raised her paddle without hesitation. "2 million."

To her surprise, Vera raised her own paddle. "3 million."

Rhea looked toward Vera. Vera smiled faintly at her. "Rhea, I like this one too. You won't mind letting me have it, right? After all, Dad seems to give you less allowance."

Rhea laughed coldly.

Less was an understatement. Since her childhood, Victor had given Vera a monthly stipend of $5 million. In contrast, Rhea received $500. If not for the inheritance her mother left behind, she might have starved long ago.

That was no longer the case. She now had $10 billion.

"4 million." Rhea raised her paddle again.

Vera was clearly stunned, yet still gritted her teeth and increased the bid. "4.5 million."

"5 million."

"5.5 million."

After several rounds, Vera’s face grew increasingly ugly. "Rhea, where did you get so much money? Aren’t you afraid you won't be able to pay?"

"10 million!" Rhea doubled the bid outright. She then looked at Vera with a mocking smile. "Why do I feel like you're the one who cannot afford it now?"

Vera’s face alternated between pale and flushed. Whispers began spreading among the surrounding guests.

The auctioneer asked politely, "Miss Vera, would you like to increase the bid?"

"Wait." Vera hurriedly pulled out her phone and messaged Victor.

Moments later, her expression worsened further. She had clearly been refused.

Seeing this, Rhea curved her lips. Of course, he would refuse. After handing over ten billion, where would he find extra money to save face for his precious Vera?

At that awkward moment, a well-dressed man suddenly appeared at the center of the venue and announced loudly, "I'll outbid them all!"

The entire hall erupted.

"Sir, are you saying…" the auctioneer asked in shock.

The man explained calmly, "I am Master Wren’s assistant. Master Wren instructed us to place an unlimited bid on any lot she selects."

The auction hall instantly exploded.

"Master Wren? The Wren family’s only heir? The famous crown prince of Blackridge?"

"Isn’t he known for keeping women at arm’s length? Why would he put in a blank check bid for Miss Vera?"

"Looks like Miss Vera is about to rise straight to the top…"

The murmurs rose and fell in waves.

Vera’s expression shifted from shock to delight to undisguised triumph.

"May I ask where Master Wren is?" she asked, her cheeks flushed. "Can I thank him in person?"

The assistant replied respectfully, "Master Wren is not available to appear at the moment. When the time comes, he will naturally meet you."

Only then did Vera turn to Rhea, her eyes brimming with victorious joy. "Rhea, are you still bidding?"

The next second, she added in an innocent tone, "Oh, I almost forgot. Master Wren put in a blank check bid for me. If you keep bidding, won’t you end up bankrupt? After all, in this circle… who could possibly be richer than Master Wren?"

Rhea’s expression changed sharply. She turned to look at Wyatt. He was gazing at Vera with unmistakable indulgence, his eyes filled with warmth.

What followed felt like a ridiculous idol drama. Anything Vera lingered on for even a second, the assistant immediately put a bid in.

The pigeon-blood ruby necklace.

A priceless antique porcelain tea set.

Even the Monet Water Lilies, with a starting price of $80 million.

All of it went into Vera’s hands.

Rhea suddenly stood up, unable to hold back any longer. "Does your master plan to leave nothing for anyone else?"

The assistant glanced cautiously at Wyatt, who gave an almost imperceptible nod.

"I’m sorry, Miss Vaughn," the assistant replied coldly. "These are all gifts from Master Wren to Miss Vera. His only wish is that Miss Vera enjoys today’s auction. Other people’s feelings are not within his considerations."

Rhea laughed. Her nails bit deeply into her palm. She looked at Wyatt, yet his gaze never once left Vera, who was basking in the spotlight.

'Wyatt, well done. Truly well done.'

After the auction ended, Vera was immediately surrounded by socialites and wealthy ladies, praised and fawned over like the center of the universe.

Rhea could not stand the hypocrisy any longer. She turned and left the venue briskly.

The moment she got into the car, she told the driver, "Nightfall Club." She needed alcohol to numb herself.

Before the door even closed, Vera squeezed in. "Rhea, are you going to a club? I’ve been so bored lately. Take me with you!"

Rhea was just about to kick her out when Wyatt quietly braced the car door and said to the driver, "Drive."

The entire ride, Vera excitedly chattered about the auction.

"Wyatt, why do you think Mr. Wren is so good to me? We’ve never even met!"

Wyatt’s voice was unbelievably gentle. "Because he likes you."

Vera’s eyes widened instantly, her cheeks flushing. "Wyatt, don’t joke like that!"

"We men understand each other best." He looked at her with burning intensity. "Where the money goes, the affection follows. Besides… you are so good. It wouldn’t be strange for him to fall for you."

"Then…" Vera asked suddenly, "Wyatt, do you like me too?"

Wyatt froze.

Just as he was about to speak, Rhea cut in coldly, "If you want to flirt, get out of my car. This is my vehicle."

Vera’s eyes reddened instantly. "I’m sorry for disturbing, Rhea. I won’t talk anymore."

Rhea ignored her and turned to look out the window. In the reflection of the glass, she clearly saw the way Wyatt looked at Vera—full of tenderness and pain.

When he looked at Rhea, his gaze was icy and filled with disgust.

She laughed at herself softly. It seemed all men only liked women who played innocent.