Caitlin’s smile froze. Her lips parted slightly, but nothing came out. The color drained from her cheeks 2
Dean, eager to get things back on track in his favor, jumped in with a smirk as if he’d just found a loophole 2
“Really, Lance? You’re gonna pretend like you don’t know? Weren’t those extravagant gifts earlier addressed to Caitlin? What did you suddenly develop selective memory?
“You’re Caitlin West?%
Lance’s brow furrowed just slightly as he turned toward Caitlin
Right then, Caitlin gave him that sugar–coated smile she always wore when she wanted something. Her eyes curved into perfect little crescent moons as she nodded.
But something flickered across Lance’s face–a beat of realization, subtle but unmistakable.
“Then I must’ve made a mistake,” he said. “Those gifts were a first–meeting present for my future wife.”
He turned toward me then, his gaze shifting
There was a flicker of guilt in his eyes.
“So your name isn’t Caitlin… My family just told me I’d be marrying a young lady from the West family. I remembered someone named Caitlin and assumed it was you. I apologize.”
His voice was steady and clear. And sincere.
For a moment, I just stood there, stunned i
The entire room had gone quiet like someone had flipped a switch. Everyone had assumed the extravagant gifts were for Caitlin’s big College celebration.
But now? The truth landed like a slap to the face.
The gifts weren’t meant for her.
They were meant for me.
My adoptive parents turned ghost–white. But they jumped into action immediately, rushing forward and bowing as they tried to recover their dignity.
“Mr. Sterling, we didn’t expect you today! What an honor! What brings you here so suddenly?”
Lance clapped his hands once, and another line of attendants stepped in
This new wave of gifts made the earlier batch look almost cheap. The sheer excess of it was overwhelming.
*Our wedding is in two days, Lance said matter–of–factly. “These are the official betrothal gifts. I hope they meet your expectations.”
Crate after crate was brought in of real estate deeds, solid gold bars, keys to luxury cars, and shares in listed companies.
It felt surreal, like something out of a movie.
Wasn’t Lance Sterling supposed to be volatile? Dangerous?
The man with the violent temper and a reputation everyone whispered about?
But the man standing here now didn’t feel like a threat. He didn’t even seem annoyed
He looked at me with something that felt like respect. Something careful. Something real
Then, my eyes landed on the very last gift. It was a plain little night lamp, soft with starry lights, nothing flashy at all.
Still, something about it hit differently. It tugged at something buried deep. I couldn’t place it, but my chest tightened the second I saw it
“All of these belong to you personally,” Lance said, his voice sharpening. “And if I find out anyone has tried to touch even a single piece from your dowry… it will be taken as a direct insult to the Sterling family.”
The message couldn’t have been clearer.
it was for my adoptive parents and Caitlin.
Stacked together, those gifts were worth more than everything the Wests had ever owned combined
I saw Caitlin’s reaction, and her face flushed a deep, ugly red. Her smile faltered for a second, but she quickly smoothed it out!
Then she stepped forward with her usual gentle tone as if she were genuinely concerned.%
“Lance, you don’t know her yet,‘ she said, tilting her head sweetly. “My sister looks innocent, but she’s lazy, unmotivated, and honestly, kind of manipulative. She even tried to steal my boyfriend.”
Right on cue, Dean stepped up next to her, wearing that smug little smirk he thought was charming !!
“Weah Everyone knows Sienna used to trail after me like some lovesick puppy”
But before he could finish, a sharp slap landed across his face. Dean reeled backward
Lance slapped him hard &
He stared Dean down, frowning “Hudson family, right?’s
Lance then let the name hang in the air for a second. Then gave a dry, joyless laugh
“And a third rate family like yours thinks it’s okay to insult my fiancée in public?s
Caitlin jumped in, still trying to salvage what she could. Lance, he was just saying the truth=”
Ghe, 400, was slapped across the face &
7:59 P
Her face snapped sideways, and the slap echoed through the entire hall.}
“Truth?” Lance said, his voice dropping low. “Because from what I overheard before I walked in, you two were scheming. Trying to frame and humiliate my fiancée.“>
His eyes narrowed as he sneered, “You’ve got a hell of a lot of nerve.“>
That’s when my adoptive parents panicked. They stumbled forward and shoved Caitlin to her knees, desperate to calm the storm.
“Mr. Sterling, please don’t be angry! Our daughter was young and foolish. Please forgive her! She didn’t know better!“>
But Caitlin wasn’t done.
She retorted, “Dad! Mom! You’re really siding with her? That tramp?!“>
My adoptive father then struck Caitlin across the face with a backhand, knocking her to the ground.
“You ungrateful brat!” he roared. “Still spewing lies?!“}
Caitlin had been pampered her whole life. She’d never even been scolded, let alone hit. Now, flat on the ground, stunned, she trembled as tears filled her eyes, and they weren’t from shame.}
They were from pure hatred.
She looked at me like she wanted to burn a hole through my chest.
“So that’s it,” she hissed. “I was wondering why you were so eager to marry into the Sterling family, Sienna. It’s because you already seduced Lance Sterling, didn’t you?“>
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
“So she already had him wrapped around her finger?“}
“And here I thought she was being noble. Sacrificing everything when the West family hit rock bottom.“}
“Turns out she was just chasing money. She’s not selfless. She’s calculating.“}
“The Wests raised her, and this is how she pays them back?”
“Jealousy, plain and simple. Caitlin is smart, rich, and has just been accepted into a top university. And Sienna? Couldn’t even score high enough for community college.”
