Chapter 1

Emily Parker was sitting in a hotel room, looking immaculate with her makeup and adorned in a snow-white wedding dress. It was her wedding day, but there was no sign of the groom anywhere. In her hand, she held two documents—one was a consent form for artificial insemination, and the other was a confidentiality agreement. The first document stated that the artificial insemination would take place the next day. Beside her, the Wilson family lawyer was waiting for her to sign the documents. The father of her future child would be Roberts Wilson, the groom of the wedding and the heir of the Wilson family. Their wedding was supposed to be the event of the century, but fate had other plans for them. Three months earlier, Roberts had been seriously injured in a car accident, and the prognosis for him was not good. 

"Miss Parker, please, you need to sign them as soon as possible," urged the lawyer, with an expressionless face and a hint of impatience in his voice. 

The Wilson family was one of the most powerful families in the city, and as such, they valued the continuity of their lineage. Roberts had spent many years single, and as he showed no interest in any particular girl, Miller, his father, decided to get him a wife. Miller was not one to leave things to chance, so years ago, he ordered his son to freeze his sperm in case of any unforeseen circumstances. As Emily reviewed the documents in front of her, her eyebrows furrowed as if she were frightened. "I'm sorry, but I need to read this carefully... Could I have some time alone?" Reluctantly, the lawyer finally nodded, turned around, and left. As soon as the door closed, Emily set the documents aside and called her boyfriend. 

Yes, she had a boyfriend, a real one... But it was a sacred secret. 

Her boyfriend was Jason Wilson, Miller's second son and Roberts's half-brother. Emily's father had recently passed away after suffering from a terrible illness, and upon his death, her stepmother, Margaret Parker, took over all of his properties and kicked the girl out of her house, leaving Emily penniless and even taking away the things that belonged to her late mother. 

Of course, Emily was going through a very hard time, and it was then that her boyfriend came up with a plan to improve their luck. 

He urged her to marry Roberts to sabotage his brother's artificial insemination and thus be the sole heir to the Wilson fortune when Roberts died. 

To try to convince the girl, he promised her that he would marry her and help her recover her mother's belongings that Margaret had stolen. 

After much insistence, Emily finally agreed, but now that she was faced with the document and the wedding, she began to have doubts. Her conscience told her that it was not right, and she did not think she could go through with the plan. 

Jason did not answer her call, which made Emily even more nervous. 

Desperate, she paced back and forth in the room until she finally decided to sneak out to find Jason. With her heart in her mouth, she walked down the hallway, fearing she would run into someone she knew. 

Wanting to keep a low profile, she decided not to use the elevator and walked down the stairs barefoot to avoid making noise. As she passed by the last suite in the hallway, she took a deep breath. The door was ajar, and she could hear a familiar laugh coming from inside. 

"Oh, don't go, Jason... Stay with me a little longer... Anyway, Emily doesn't have time for you now." The girl's heart sank, and her legs went numb. 

Still, she gathered the courage to peek through the crack. To her dismay, a man and a half-naked woman were lying on the couch. The man was Jason, and the woman was none other than Alice, Emily's sister. 

"Darling, you know I would love to stay with you, but I can't right now... I'm afraid Emily is overthinking things and might ruin the plan... I need to make sure she does what she's been asked," Jason insisted, pushing the woman away. 

But Alice was not one to give up easily, so she leaned in to continue kissing him. "You don't have to worry, that bitch is a fool and always obeys you... Besides, we still have her mother's belongings, she would do anything to get them back." 

"Mmm... You're right about that," Jason added, settling back on the couch. He then wrapped his arms around his companion's waist and continued, "Ha, ha! Poor fool, now that her father is dead, she has no one... All she can do is obey." 

"Well, none of this would be possible if you hadn't manipulated her father's medication," Alice said maliciously. But her words were cut short when Jason slipped his fingers under her underwear. A moan escaped her lips, and she shuddered. "My stupid sister thinks you'll marry her when all this is over... She has no idea that you killed her father and that you're a bad guy, Jason." 

"Isn't that why you love me?" the man replied maliciously, pressing her body against his. "Don't worry, you'll be my woman when all this is over, you'll always be the only one for me... For now, let me show you how bad I can be..." 

Soon, their voices faded into moans of pleasure. Emily, on the other hand, felt her whole body melt, and, weakened, she staggered backward. 

Her beloved Jason had betrayed her! His love and promises were just lies! She was in love with the man who had killed her father! 

Unable to contain herself, tears streamed down her cheeks and descended to her chin. A lump caught in her throat and threatened to cut off her breath. 

Furious, Emily clutched the dress tightly and gritted her teeth as she listened to the noises coming from the room. In the end, she was nothing more than a pawn to her sister and her supposed boyfriend... But now that she knew the truth, she would have to get revenge somehow. 

Trying to recover, Emily wiped away her tears and put her heels back on. With her head held high, she walked back to her room and looked for the documents to sign them. 

She was aware that joining with Roberts would strengthen her and allow her to confront Alice and Jason. What they didn't know was that she had beaten them to their plan. 

***

 By nightfall, the lights of the Wilson family residence illuminated the entire property. When the wedding was over, Emily was sent to Roberts's room. It was the first time she had met her supposed husband. 

According to what Jason had told her, Roberts was a grumpy, ill-tempered man who could make Lucifer's hair stand on end. 

Besides, he said he was as horrible as an ogre and had a heart of stone. Guided by this description, Emily expected to meet a monster lying in bed, but she was amazed at how handsome he actually was. 

Although he was in a coma, he looked august and imposing. Astonished, Emily studied his firm and calm features. Jason had lied to her again! Now she regretted trusting the words of that traitor. 

As she lost herself in her thoughts, the door to the room opened, and Jason swaggered in with a bottle in hand. "Hey, Emy!" he shouted between burps. "Sorry I didn't answer when you called, I was busy." 

Emily knew she had to play her cards right if she wanted to come out victorious, so she made an effort to hide her true emotions. "It's okay, I understand." 

Jason took a swig from the bottle and drank a good amount of wine before continuing, "I knew you would understand, I know you love me so much." 

A spark of anger flashed in the girl's eyes for a fraction of a second, but she clenched her fists and forced a smile. "Well, it's late, you should go rest... We'll talk more tomorrow." Without saying anything, Jason closed the door behind him and approached Emily. 

She took a cautious step back. "What are you doing?" she asked. 

"Your wedding night shouldn't end like this... Let's make love." With a mischievous smile on his face, the man lunged forward. Emily was perplexed by the suggestion. 

Was he really so brazen as to have sex in front of his comatose brother? He was insane! When Jason approached again, she pushed him away and murmured, "You're drunk, Jason... Don't forget the plan." But he didn't hold back. 

"The plan has changed... I want you to conceive my child before the artificial insemination... That way, I'll be the father of the absolute heir." 

Emily was disgusted and just wanted to push him away. But as she raised her hand, she realized the man's attention was focused elsewhere... He was looking behind her with wide eyes as if he had just seen a ghost. “Ro... Roberts...".