Chapter 1
Hillary Sutton was the sole heir to a wealthy family and had seven childhood fiancés.
All of them catered to her every desire, except Lorenzo Sablo, who remained aloof and as unyielding as an iceberg, never showing her any
warmth.
Lorenzo’s indifference captivated Hillary, making her infatuated and turning her into his devoted follower.
That was until she witnessed Lorenzo kissing Kellie Sablo, who was supposed to be his “biological sister,” against a wall.
“Dad, I’ve decided. I want to marry Mr. Clarke from New York!”
Hillary announced confidently as she entered her father’s study.
“Mr. Clarke from New York? You mean Noel Clarke, the one who’s been pleading to marry you since you were three?”
Confused, Andrew Sutton asked, “The Clarke family is indeed wealthy, and Noel is quite successful for his age, but I thought you were fond of
Lorenzo.
“Plus, haven’t I arranged six other childhood fiancé options for you? They all follow your every command. Choosing one of them would seem like a better option than marrying into a different family and facing hardships, wouldn’t it?”
Hillary gave a bittersweet smile.
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Just yesterday, she too believed that aside from Lorenzo, her six other childhood fiancés were utterly devoted to her. She thought that if she asked for their hearts, they’d give them without hesitation.
However, last night, Hillary stumbled upon a hidden secret among her
childhood fiancés.
“Do you think that fool Hillary will ever realize that Kellie isn’t really Lorenzo’s biological sister?” asked Henry Ackrel, one of Hillary’s childhood fiancés, who once jumped off a building for her.
Now, he swirled the whiskey in his glass and sneered, “That idiot Hillary probably thinks I’m obsessed with her, right? The truth is, I didn’t jump off that building to declare my love. I did it to frighten her away.”
“Same here. I’ve been pretending to suck up to Hillary every day, even though it makes me sick because I know she despises ‘lapdogs‘.”
“Hahaha, looks like we all had the same plan! We act exactly like the kind of guys Hillary hates, so she’ll never choose us. That way, we have a fair shot at pursuing Kellie.”
“Only Lorenzo didn’t pretend, and naturally, that masochist Hillary fell for him. Poor Lorenzo–my condolences, but only for a second.”
“What can we do? Someone has to marry Hillary eventually, or else how will Kellie become the little princess of the Sutton family?”
Hillary clenched her fists in silence, her whole body shaking with anger.
Her father, Andrew, had taken in seven orphaned boys as her childhood fiancés.
Hillary’s mother had died early on, and Andrew, who loved his wife dearly, never wanted to remarry.
However, he was uneasy about leaving the vast family fortune solely in
Chapter 1
the hands of his young daughter, Hillary.
So, he went to an orphanage and adopted seven talented boys, intending for them to become Hillary’s young betrothed husbands.
Among them, Lorenzo stood out as the most intelligent, handsome, and favored by Andrew.
But during the adoption process, Lorenzo insisted, “I have a sister named Kellie. I won’t leave her behind. If you want to adopt me, you must adopt my sister too.”
At that moment, Hillary believed that if Lorenzo was so caring towards his sister, he would likely be a good husband in the future.
She pleaded with her father to adopt Kellie too, and so Kellie became a part of the Sutton family.
From childhood to adulthood, whatever Hillary had, Kellie had as well.
The seven betrothed husbands doted on Kellie, with Lorenzo almost spoiling her endlessly.
Occasionally, Hillary felt jealous, but her childhood fiancés would scold
her.
“Ms. Sutton, isn’t it a bit petty to be jealous of your own sister?” they’d
say.
“We all grew up with Kellie in the same orphanage; we see her as our
own sister.”
“Ms. Sutton, unlike you, Kellie only has us brothers.”
Over time, Hillary began to question if she was indeed being too petty.
But now, as she listened to their mocking laughter, Hillary finally realized
06.23
Chapter 1
that the problem wasn’t her pettiness.
It was that these scoundrels were simply great at pretending.
As anger boiled within her, Hillary heard a woman’s faint moan coming from a nearby garden.
Drawn by the sound, she discovered a scene that completely altered her perception.
Lorenzo, usually distant and reserved, was pressing Kellie against the wall, kissing her passionately.
His hand even slipped down to touch her underwear.
“Lorenzo, please don’t marry Hillary,” Kellie cried, attempting to halt him. “If you marry her, I won’t let you touch me again.”
Lorenzo replied coolly, “I don’t want to marry her either, but Mr. Sutton Senior has been good to us.
“Be patient, Kellie. Even if I marry her, it will only be a marriage in name. I’ll never give Hillary any love.”
