Chapter 2

As consciousness slowly returned, my eyes met Julian Vance’s grim stare.

He carried the distinct scent of Serena Wells’s perfume.

Our gazes locked, and a trace of lingering memory still clung to his face.

Seeing me instinctively touch my stomach, Julian Vance’s expression immediately hardened.

“Awake?”

“Leo is still just a child. It was only an embryo, don’t hold it against him.”

I lowered my gaze, a sorrowful expression on my face.

But inside, I let out a sigh of relief.

It was for the best.

This child was never meant to stay.

“The doctor said you’ve completely lost your fertility after this miscarriage. That’s good, actually.”

“Now you’re no longer a threat to Leo, and he’ll be more affectionate towards you.”

My face remained indifferent; I had long prepared myself for this.

This wasn’t the first child I’d lost.

Only after marrying into the Vance family did I realize what a monster Julian Vance was, despite his ruthlessness in the corporate world.

Because I bore an uncanny resemblance to my sister, he often, in a haze of twisted obsession, used me to vent his frustrations over the sister he loved but could never truly possess.

To satisfy his perverse desires, he forced me to take special medication that induced lactation.

But the drug also damaged my body. Every time I became pregnant, I would experience a threatened miscarriage within three months.

The fact that this child lasted six months inside me was a miracle.

At the loss of this tenacious little life, I wasn't sure whether to feel relief or regret.

Seeing my prolonged silence, Julian Vance grew impatient.

He pressed down on my shoulders, one hand ruthlessly clamping my throat.

“Clara Davies, don’t try my patience.”

“As compensation, I’ll agree to collaborate with the Davies family on the new downtown project.”

“You schemed your way into my bed, didn’t you? Just so your family wouldn’t lose out on profits after your sister died?”

My knuckles turned white as I gripped the bedsheet.

He had no idea. I wished nothing more than for the Davies family to collapse.

Years ago, my sister had a first love, a relationship of many years, and they were on the verge of getting married.

But Julian Vance, fixated on a minor favor my sister had once done for him, insisted on marrying her once he regained power.

For the sake of profit, our father broke them apart, even orchestrating a car accident that sent her fiancé plunging off a cliff.

Consumed by despair, my sister finally agreed to marry into the Vance family.

I’ll never forget the day of the wedding, seeing my sister in her pure white gown, forcing a smile and still trying to comfort me.

“Mr. Vance loves me so much, he’ll surely treat me well after we’re married. Don’t worry.”

I was so naive then. I actually believed my sister’s words, thinking she’d still find happiness in the Vance household.

But when I saw her again, she was covered in injuries. She barely managed to beg me to look after Leo Vance before she took her last breath.

Driven by hatred, I married Julian Vance, and for years, I constantly humbled myself and acted subservient within the Vance family, slowly lulling him into a false sense of security.

And finally, I found the compromising evidence: his illegal research into mind-altering drugs.

I lowered my head, suppressing the raging hatred in my eyes.

When I looked up again, my face had returned to its usual docile expression.

“I married you… it was never for profit.”

“I just hoped that one day, you would see my feelings for you.”

My suffering from unrequited love seemed to amuse him.

He sighed regretfully.

“If only your sister had been half as obedient as you, I wouldn’t have had to resort to such drastic measures.”

“On the day the collaboration is announced, you will attend as Mrs. Vance.”

I forced a faint smile.

The day that new project launches will be the day of your public downfall, Julian Vance.