Chapter 1

Charlotte and I are sisters.

The difference is, she is the proud, legitimate heiress of the Sinclair family, while I am just the dirty little secret—the illegitimate daughter my father had with the housekeeper.

When the ultra-wealthy Sterling family came looking for a merger marriage, they specifically asked for me.

But Charlotte couldn't stand seeing me get something good. She threw a tantrum, forced our mother to switch the brides, and stole my fiancé.

Because of that, I was forced to marry Marcus Vance, a greasy car mechanic.

But nobody expected Marcus to strike it rich and build a tech-auto empire. Overnight, I became the envied wife of a billionaire CEO.

Now, we have both been reborn.

The moment we opened our eyes in this life, Charlotte screamed that she wanted to marry the mechanic.

I almost laughed out loud. She has no idea what kind of monster Marcus is behind closed doors. I am more than happy to watch her step into hell, one single step at a time.

Ethan Sterling wanted to marry into the Sinclair family to secure a strategic alliance.

During dinner, Eleanor, our mother, brought it up.

"The Sterlings want to form an alliance with us, and they specifically asked for Chloe. But the Vance family also came by recently, demanding we fulfill your late father's promise. I think it’s best if Charlotte marries into the Sterling family, and Chloe marries Marcus Vance."

Eleanor spoke so casually, stripping away my future with a single sentence.

"No, Mom! I’ll marry Marcus!"

Hearing this, Charlotte gasped first, glared at me like I was about to steal her treasure, and immediately shouted her answer. She was terrified I would beat her to it.

"If there are no objections, then I will negotiate with the Sterlings... Wait, what did you just say?!"

Eleanor stared at Charlotte, completely dumbfounded.

She had already rehearsed a whole speech to guilt-trip me into marrying the mechanic. She never expected her own precious daughter to jump at the chance.

The marriage with the Vance family was a debt of honor left by our late father.

Before he died, our father got into a horrific car accident. Marcus’s father happened to pass by and dragged him out of the burning car. Though my father passed away shortly after anyway, he left a written promise in his will: one of his daughters would marry into the Vance family to help them rise in society.

"Charlotte, stop fooling around!" Eleanor hissed. "Marcus Vance is just a grease monkey in a dirty repair shop! How could he possibly be worthy of a Sinclair? The Vances are peasants. Sending our illegitimate daughter to them is already generous enough. You are my perfect heiress, how can you marry him?!"

"Mom, you’ve always spoiled me and ignored Chloe," Charlotte said, pretending to sound angelic. "I’ve always felt guilty about it. Besides, the Sterlings specifically asked for Chloe. If we force a switch, the Sterlings might get angry and ruin the business deal. Let Chloe have the billionaire. I’ll gladly marry Marcus!"

Eleanor flat-out refused at first. But Charlotte went on a hunger strike. She refused to eat a single bite until Eleanor gave in. She was dead set on marrying Marcus. Meanwhile, the Sterlings were pushing for a wedding date. Left with no choice, Eleanor finally agreed.

"My poor baby," Eleanor said, squeezing Charlotte’s hand with tears in her eyes. "You’re going to suffer so much marrying that mechanic."

"Don't worry, Mom," Charlotte smiled, her eyes gleaming with greed. "Marcus is going to achieve great things. I know it."

Then, she turned her head and looked at me.

"Congratulations, Chloe. You’re going to be Mrs. Sterling. I’m happy for you."

I looked at her smug face and realized: she had been reborn, too.

In our past life, she had eagerly followed Eleanor’s lead, pushing the "charity marriage" with the mechanic onto me.

Now, she was grinning, thinking she had stolen my golden ticket to wealth and fame. She had no idea she was diving headfirst into a filthy, abusive hellhole.