Chapter 1
My billionaire husband was the richest man among the Capitol’s Elite Circle. One day he was drugged and ended up in bed with a college girl. When he came to, the first person he called was me. His voice was hoarse, shaky and filled with panic. “Ally, I was drugged! I messed up! B-but I gave her money! She won’t make a scene!” Eight years of what I thought was true love and I convinced myself it was just a one-time mistake. Six months later, Samuel was away on a business trip when the earthquake hit. News flooded every channel. I rushed to the hospital, only to find him standing outside a hospital room, his face pale and conflicted. The doctor told me Nell Barnes—that same college girl—was three months pregnant. She’d dug through rubble with her bare hands to save Samuel, her fingers torn and bleeding. Samuel grabbed my hand and whispered, “Three months ago, her family passed away. She came to me for help. I’d had too much to drink. I didn’t mean for this to happen…” He paused, eyes begging, “Don’t worry. She’ll never set foot in our home. She won’t threaten your place in our family.” Suddenly, Nell burst out of the room and collapsed at my feet, tears streaming down her face. “Please, ma’am! I’m begging you! Let my baby live!” Samuel looked at me, desperation in his voice. “Ally… you’ve always been the reasonable one. The baby is innocent…” I stared at him. Then I laughed. “Samuel, either we get divorced, or she gets out of our lives.” “I won’t divorce you!” he choked, eyes red. “But I have to take responsibility for her…” Months later, Nell gave birth to twins. The entire Stone Family celebrated like royalty. I took off my wedding ring and dialed a number I hadn’t called in years. “I’m in,” I said. The voice on the other end chuckled softly. “Mrs. Stone, it’ll be a pleasure doing business with you.” —— Standing outside the hospital room, my fingers clenched involuntarily. Through the half-open door, I saw Samuel’s parents, Ben and Miriam, each cradling a baby, their faces lit with joy. Even the ‘calm and composed’ Samuel was now smiling tenderly, playing with one of the infants like he was the perfect father. The irony was cruel. They looked like the real family. Samuel looked up and froze when he saw me. “Ally… you came back…” I said nothing. Miriam shot me a sharp glance, her voice cold as ice. “Back, are you? Half a year hiding in the mountains, was it peaceful enough for you?” Ben tried to smooth things over, though his eyes never left the baby in his arms. “It’s good you’re back. Just in time for the babies’ one-month celebration. As the lady of the house, you should do your part.” Miriam’s tone softened a bit. “The baby still doesn’t have proper names. You and Samuel should decide soon. Don’t worry, as long as you play your role, your place as the Young Lady of the Stones is secure.” I looked at them, numb and gave a small nod. “Alright.” Once Samuel’s parents left, his phone rang. He glanced at me, then stepped outside to take the call. That left me alone in the room—with Nell. She looked radiant, her skin glowing, her hair shining like it had been professionally pampered every day. Clearly, the Stones hadn’t held back when it came to spoiling her these past months. “Miss…” she said softly, timidly. “If I’ve done anything wrong, you can hit me or yell at me. Just please, don’t fight with Mr. Stone. You know his heart belongs to you. Even while you were gone, he made sure your room was cleaned every single day.” “Nell,” I said, my voice cold as steel. “Drop the act. That money Samuel gave you back then? It could’ve set you up for life. You could’ve disappeared. But instead, you came crawling back to him with some sob story—and now you’ve got his kids.” “Don’t pretend you don’t know exactly what you’re doing.” Nell’s face flushed and paled in waves as my words hit their mark. Then suddenly, she grabbed one of the babies and shoved it into my arms.