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Contract Father and Son My Dad Is a Billionaire Tycoon watchfull
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00:02The debt is mine. I'll settle it.
00:04And who might you be? This is family business. Stay out of it.
00:09That's $100,000.
00:11But for slapping her and for threatening my son, you will be run out of this town by the end
00:15of the week.
00:16And if you so much as look at them again, you'll wish you'd never been born.
00:28Luna! You bitch! Come back!
00:31She can't run far! I drugged her soda ten minutes ago. She'll pass out soon!
00:40Sir, the car broke down. There is a nearby. I will go and have a look.
00:48Do you know what you are doing?
00:50Please, let me hide here. They want to kidnap me.
00:55Please don't let them take me away.
00:58Hey! Anyone inside? Have you seen a tall girl with brown hair wearing a white t-shirt and jeans?
01:05No. There's no one else here but me.
01:07Are you sure? She took my money. My son and I have been looking for her for hours.
01:12I said no.
01:16Let's go, Dad. She can't have gone far. Let's search the woods.
01:23You're burning up. I have to take you to the hospital.
01:26No! I can't go to the hospital. They'll find me there. Please.
01:57You don't know what you're doing.
01:59I can't go to the hospital. I can't go to the hospital anymore.
01:59I can't go to the hospital. I can't go to the hospital anymore.
02:02Jasper, I'm sorry. Mommy doesn't know who your father is either.
02:08Finally found you!
02:13What are you doing? This is all my income!
02:16All your income? You owe us more than that!
02:19You ran away six years ago, cost me Miles Carter's wedding gift money!
02:22You're coming back with me today!
02:25Give me $3,000 next month.
02:27If you can't, I'll sue you in court for elder abuse and take away Jasper's custody!
02:33It's not your fault, baby.
02:35Mommy is useless.
02:36No, you have a dad.
02:38He is a very powerful man.
02:40He will definitely come find us.
02:43Arthur, stop rushing me.
02:44I know your 90th birthday is coming up soon.
02:46Push! If I don't push, I'll die without seeing my grand-grandson!
02:50If you don't bring me a grand-grandson today, don't call me Grandpa!
02:57Stop the car!
03:01Mom, this man looks exactly like the daddy I drew in my picture!
03:07Little guy, what's your name?
03:09My name is Jasper Snow.
03:12Jasper, I'll give you $10,000.
03:14You act in a play with me. Be my son for one day, okay?
03:17Act in a play?
03:18What kind of play?
03:19Pretend to be Be My Son and cheer up your great-grandpad.
03:22Once you're done acting, $10,000 is yours.
03:24You can use the money to find your dad.
03:29Sir, this...
03:31My name is Asher King.
03:32Don't worry, it's just acting.
03:34After it's done, I'll arrange a place for you to live as an extra.
03:56Mom, am I handsome?
03:58Yes, my handsome boy. Our Jasper is the most handsome.
04:01him. Must be fake. When has Ashaun ever been in a relationship? Just wait. We'll expose him soon
04:10enough. Grandpa! Oh, oh, my sweet little one. Grandpa finally gets to meet you.
04:27Sweetheart, look. This is the room Grandpa prepared for you. It has dinosaur toys and
04:31Legos. Wow! Thank you, Grandpa. As long as you like it. From now on, this is your home.
04:40Hurry up and do the DNA test. Tomorrow at the party, I'll make them lose everything.
04:44Don't worry. I've already arraigned it with the lab, I know. The results will be ready tomorrow.
04:52Is this Ashaun's wife and son? They are so beautiful. Yes, a perfect match. Oh, I'm so
04:59sorry. I didn't mean to. It's okay. Aunt, watch your step.
05:16Jasper, come to Grandpa. Grandpa. What? Could it be he's Mr. Asher's son? Looks like
05:28there's a big announcement today. Grandpa, Jasper wished you a happy birthday. I drew this
05:32myself. I hope you like it. Grandpa, I know you love grandchildren. One grandson isn't
05:38enough, so I drew you five more. Sweetheart, you really know what your
05:44grandpa wants. Good, good. Thank you, Jasper.
05:58Mom, let's use the plate. Look at her. Does she look like a rich man's wife? Exactly. She
06:05must be some random woman he found just to make the old man happy. I said she was some noble
06:11lady, but I was clearly mistaken. Hilarious. Even my maid wouldn't eat like that. That's
06:16how construction mercants eat. Everyone, come look. The young lady of the King family
06:22is squatted on the ground eating. How ridiculous. Mom, are you laughing at us? Sweetheart, Mom,
06:31Mom seems to have embarrassed you.
06:41What's wrong with squatting while eating? I squatted and ate when I was camping as a kid.
06:45That's right. When my great-grandfather came to America from Ireland, he squatted on the dock
06:50and ate too. Look, it turns out squatting while eating is so noble and elegant. From now on,
07:01I will also squat to eat. Dad, why attitude so fast? Sweetheart, as long as you've successed,
07:07everything you do is right. Ladies and gentlemen, please be quiet. I have a
07:14important announcement to make. Everyone has been deceived. This child is not a king at all.
07:18This woman is not some lady of noble birth. She's just a single mother from the countryside
07:21bringing a bastard child to scam family's money. Marcus, what nonsense are you talking? I'm not
07:25talking nonsense. I've already taken ashen in this child's hair for a DNA test, and the results
07:28will be here any minute. That's right. We have proof. Once the report comes out, let's see what
07:32they have to say. Uncle, you've gone too far. Too far? I'm doing this for the King family. I can't
07:37let outsiders ruin our reputation. I've also contacted her family. They're on their way.
07:44Brother, you've been deceived. This child is not your grandson at all. He's just someone
07:48Ashley hired to fool you. You bastard! How dare you lie to me!
07:55Don't you hit my dad! Dad? He's not your dad at all.
08:01Grandpa, are you okay? Mom, did Dad get hit because of me?
08:04No, it's not because of you. It's Mom's fault.
08:09Mom, we messed up, didn't we? Grandpa, he's not gonna be okay, is he?
08:13You, a country woman with a child out of wedlock, dare to cling to our family and dream of rising
08:17to the top in one step? You're finished! The test results will be here any minute!
08:25I've been waiting day and night and finally got a grandson. I never thought it would be fake.
08:33Grandpa. Dad. Oh, brother, I told you long ago this grandson was fake. You just wouldn't believe me.
08:39When we got home, a month later, I married Damon Whitmore. A year later, we had our first baby,
08:43and now I was pregnant with our second. Honestly, if it had not been for Damon's family memorial,
08:47I never would have set foot back in this country, and I definitely would not have run into Ethan.
08:58Madden's baby needs a dad on paper. I'll marry you once my dorses final.
09:03Everyone thought I would swallow my pride and wait another month. After all, I had already
09:07waited seven years. But that night, I left the country for an arranged marriage. I vanished
09:12from his world completely. Three years later, I returned with my husband for a family memorial.
09:16My husband had something urgent to handle at the last minute, so he asked his local branch
09:20to send someone to pick me up. I stepped out of the airport and froze. Behind the wheel
09:24was Ethan, my ex-fiancée.
09:26Ethan, isn't that your obsessed ex?
09:29Isn't that Natalie?
09:30See? I told you guys she would come crawling back. Natalie disappeared for three years. Not a call,
09:35not a text. And now Ethan finally has money, and look who suddenly found her way back.
09:39She probably spent every night stalking his socials and crying into a cheap pillow.
09:43Natalie, if you're trying to stage a dramatic reunion, sweatpants were a bold choice.
09:47Couldn't you at least brush your hair first? Or did life without Ethan's get so bad you
09:51stopped trying altogether? You look like you came here to ask for a favor,
09:54not make a comeback. It was true. I used to spend hours getting ready for Ethan. Full
09:58makeup? Tight designer dresses. I always made sure I looked absolutely perfect for him. But
10:03I didn't need to do that anymore. I'm pregnant, so my husband won't let me wear makeup. He
10:08wants me to dress however feels best. He even has this plain-looking loungewear, custom-tailored
10:12for me in Paris. Listening to them mock me, it suddenly clicked. They had only read the name
10:17on the corporate dispatch. They had no idea the VIP they were picking up was me, a former
10:21acquaintance of mine. Anyway, it's nice having you back. Ethan actually spent years hunting
10:25for you and asking all over about- Ethan's face stiffened for a second. Then he acted
10:28like nothing happened. Madison's kid starts preschool next week. From now on, you're in
10:32charge of drop-off and pick-up. He was still incredibly arrogant. But I was not that naive
10:37little girl anymore. Seeing him only filled me with annoyance. I did not want to waste another
10:41second on them. When I was just about to tell them exactly who I was- Natalie, don't blame
10:46Ethan for this. He's only trying to look out for you. You disappeared for three years.
10:50Who knows what kind of shady things you had to do to survive. Look at you. Life really
10:54chewed you up. Ethan even wanted to give you a job as my personal secretary, but clearly,
10:58that would be too much for you. Don't worry. Being my nanny is honest work. No one's gonna
11:02look down on you for that. Alright. Natalie, drop the attitude. You clearly couldn't make
11:07it on your own. So stop making a scene. Take care of the kid and learn your place. Don't
11:14worry. We still have a spare room for the nannies downstairs. Natalie, look how good
11:18Ethan is to you. He's giving you free room and board. Isn't babysitting better than whatever
11:22life you've been scraping by on? Hurry up and say thank you. Don't worry, dear. If
11:26my son acts up, I'll make sure he behaves. I won't let anyone give you a hard time.
11:30Give me a break. Who's giving her a hard time? She disappeared over one tiny misunderstanding.
11:34If life got rough out there, maybe she needed the lesson. Hearing that, my heart actually skipped
11:39a beat. Even now, he still thought doing the city hall wedding registration with Madison
11:43was only a tiny thing. The Ethan who used to love me was truly dead. He was no longer the
11:47boy who carried me across town, but whatever that love had been, it was all in the past.
11:52After all, I was about to give birth to my second baby anyway.
11:56Aren't you here to pick me up? Let's go.
11:58The scene went quiet for a moment. Several people exchanged looks. Then they suddenly burst
12:02into laughter. Madison laughed like I had told a joke.
12:05Waiting for you? Do you even deserve that? Read the sign. We're waiting for Mrs.
12:09Whitmore. Do you even know who that is? Mrs. Whitmore is the lady of the Whitmore family.
12:13She is Damon Whitmore's lawful wife. And Mr. Whitmore is a ruthless billionaire.
12:17But in private, he is deeply devoted. People say he refused to get married back then because
12:22he was waiting for her. Everyone in our circle knows this. Don't bother sucking up to Damon.
12:26Suck up to Mrs. Wiltmore. She is his entire world. Listening to them gossip about my marriage,
12:30I could not help smiling. After three years of marriage, Damon's business had grown bigger
12:35and bigger. And his reputation as a fiercely devoted husband had spread everywhere.
12:39Madison had always wanted to stand above me. She would never miss a chance to show off in front
12:43of me. To spoil his wife, Damon Whitmore once bought a diamond bracelet at Christie's.
12:48It's called Eternal Heart. It costs $20 million.
12:52Mrs. Whitmore is literally the most envied woman on Earth. That's the exact same bracelet.
13:00It's a pretty good fake. What broke delivery guy bought you this? A cheap knockoff as a gift?
13:05Pathetic.
13:08It really is a high quality fake. Way better than the replica I bought.
13:11But I'd never wear mine in public. That would be humiliating.
13:15Foreign knockoffs really are something. The wait almost feels real.
13:19Wait, don't tell me you're saying you're the real Mrs. Whitmore.
13:22Natalie, are you seriously claiming you're the legendary billionaire's wife?
13:25Natalie, why don't you sell me this fake? I'll pay you double whatever that broke delivery
13:30guy paid. Give that back right now. Damon gave that to me.
13:37Shut your mouth!
13:40Natalie, are you trying to get us both killed? You think you can just casually drop Mr. Whitwell's
13:45name? Are you trying to drag me down with you? Do you have any idea how hard we fought for
13:50this airport pickup? Mr. Whitfield bought out Ethan's company last year. Now all of us depend
13:54on him to survive. The only way Ethan keeps his position is if we impress Mrs. Whitfield.
13:58And you're out here spreading insane rumors about knowing him? Are you trying to ruin Ethan's
14:01career?
14:06Don't push your luck.
14:07Natalie, you ungrateful little-
14:08Ethan was kind enough to keep you off the street. I know you're bitter about the past,
14:11but trying to wreck his career just to get back at him? That's sick.
14:15Hearing her say that felt exactly like three years ago. No matter what I did, Madison twisted it.
14:20She would feed Ethan her poisoned version of the truth. In the early days, he used to defend me,
14:24but by the end, he always took her side, just like right now.
14:30You're such a bitter, jealous woman.
14:36For the sake of what we used to be, I'll let this slide. Take the cash. Go buy yourself something
14:40decent to wear. If you really don't want a Nanny Madison's kid, I'll pull some strings and get
14:44you a proper job next week. Don't worry. Ever since the Whitmore acquisition, this kind of money
14:49is pocket cheese to me.
14:50No, thank you, sir. I don't take handouts from strangers.
15:00Natalie, I gave you money and you still refused? What do you mean? I'm a stranger to you.
15:04Since we've already broken up, it's better not to have any contact. Otherwise, people might
15:08understand. The company is holding a dinner from Mr. Whitmore in three days. I plan to take
15:12you there to see the world, but you need to buy a proper outfit first. Don't embarrass me when the
15:15time comes. There really is no needed. Natalie, you really have learned some attitude. Sure,
15:19and poor always have the worst piece, and you don't want to go? Forget it. I'll take Madison.
15:22Ethan, I'll behave well. I absolutely embarrassed you. I did not want to keep getting tangled up
15:26with them. I hope that in three days you can still be this confident. I practically sprinted
15:31out of the arrival terminal. The fresh air outside finally pushed down the nausea churning
15:35in my stomach. My mind flashed back to three years ago. This is the best choice for our family.
15:41You have to accept it. Natalie, don't be childish. It's for your own good. I will never marry someone
15:45I don't love! Ethan, just elope with me. Let's leave here.
15:57Her child needs a legal father. I will divorce Madison in a month, then marry you.
16:02Watching him hold her hand and walk into that clerk's office, I was completely done.
16:06I flew overseas for a blind date that very night. A month later, I married Damon Whitmore. A year
16:11later, we had our first baby, and now I was pregnant with our second. Honestly, if it had not been
16:16for
16:16Damon's family memorial, I never would have set foot back in this country, and I definitely
16:19would not have run into Ethan.
16:28You said you wouldn't come, but your body is honest. If you want to chase me and make
16:31me turn back, you at least need to make me happy. For an occasion like today, you need
16:35to dress properly. Only then can you match my status. Natalie, I'm talking to you. Did
16:40you hear me? Our seats are right here. Where do you think you're going? Those are your seats.
16:46My seat is over there. Natalie? Tonight's Mrs. Whitworth's first public appearance. This
16:54year, this winter, dare you wear that bracelet? Wait, is that the eternal heart bracelet? The
16:58one Mr. Whitworth bought for his wife? Tonight it's Mrs. Whitworth's first public appearance?
17:01Is this woman trying to insult Mrs. Whitworth? She's snoking? Is she trying to embarrass us
17:05in front of Mr. Whitworth? Excuse me, Ethan? Is this young lady with you? No, I don't
17:10know her. Take that fake bracelet off and get out. Are you sure you want me to leave?
17:13What are you pretending for? Stop acting like you're important. Hurry up and take off
17:16the bracelet!
17:23Survived. But all the guests went quiet at once. Dominic stood out in any crowd without
17:27even trying. Red roses had always been my favorite. After one night with my foster father,
17:32Dominic, I found out I was pregnant. I clutched the pregnancy test and confessed my love to him.
17:37He rejected me. Then he got together with my best friend, Blair. Blair framed me for pushing
17:42her down the stairs and causing her miscarriage. Because of that, I was sent to London for
17:46college. When my water broke in the hospital, the pain nearly tore me apart. But I couldn't
17:50even afford the bill. So I called Dominic.
17:52Dominic, please. Could you lend me some money? I swear I'll pay you back.
17:55Aria, you knew today was my engagement party. Did you call just to ruin it? Blair was right.
18:00I've spoiled you rotten.
18:01And that night the woman in your bed was being so...
18:04Enough! Stop lying! If you refuse to change, don't even think about coming home!
18:07He hung up. While I am giving birth alone, Dominic is getting engaged to Blair.
18:11Five years later, I had been invited back to attend their wedding. The man standing across
18:15from me looked just as I remembered.
18:17He is... your kid?
18:18I'm watching him for a friend. He... he looks a lot like me, right?
18:23When you see Blair, you need to apologize to her. You owe her a life.
18:27I froze for a second. Then I let out a bitter laugh and got into the back seat.
18:33Dominic rolled down the window and blew out a stream of cigarette smoke.
18:36Soon, the car stopped outside the familiar estate. It was Halloween. My head suddenly
18:41split with pain.
18:42You tonight.
18:42For a moment, I almost felt safe.
18:47Dominic? I don't feel well. Can you come stay with me?
18:50Blair isn't feeling well. I have to check on her. You'll be fine, right?
18:53He carried our luggage to my room. Everything in this house looked the same. But I was no longer
18:57the princess he once sheltered. My wound had torn open again earlier.
19:01You come back and have nothing to say to me? You've been gone for five years.
19:03I'm sorry. I'll apologize to Blair when I see her.
19:07He turned and left.
19:09The day before the wedding, Dominic called me to the fitting room. My clothes used to fill half this closet.
19:14Now, there was no trace of them. When the bridesmaid's dresses were brought in, my stomach dropped.
19:18Most of the gowns were cut to show skin. Bare shoulders or arms. But my body now?
19:22Blair had picked these on purpose. If Dominic saw my scars, he would start asking for reasons. Then he would
19:27only think I was trying to blame Blair again.
19:29Dominic, do I have to try these on? I picked these for you.
19:32Are you still unhappy with me, Aria? We're best friends, right? If you don't like these, no worries. I have
19:37hundreds more picked out for you.
19:39She wanted to humiliate me.
19:41No, thank you. I'll just wear what I have on.
19:43Don't push your luck.
19:44Don't be so hard on her. I spent one whole night picking these out. But if Aria doesn't like, it's
19:50fine. We can go shopping together.
19:51I know I still can't walk for too long because she pushed me down, but after all, she's your-
19:55I said no!
19:57Dominic grabbed a glass and smashed it onto the floor at my feet.
20:00What the hell do you want?
20:03Why are you overreacting like this, Aria? Five years abroad and you've learned to hurt yourself for sympathy?
20:09It wasn't like that.
20:10You were never like this before.
20:11Doctor checked my wound.
20:12If Aria doesn't want to be a bridesmaid, that's totally fine. But Leo could be our ring baron. We don't
20:17have one yet.
20:18No, I don't agree. If it weren't for what you did to me, my child would be about his age
20:24right now.
20:25Just think of it as granting me one small wish.
20:27I still don't understand how she fell down the stairs.
20:30That's how it'll be.
20:31I didn't trust Leo's safety with them, so I followed every step from the fitting to the rehearsal.
20:36Nothing went wrong, but my unease only grew.
20:39The wedding day arrived.
20:41I stay with Leo in the farthest corner, trying to make myself invisible.
20:45Isn't that Aria Montgomery? She dressed like she can barely pay rent?
20:48Dominic cut her off three years ago.
20:50I'd heard enough filthy comments about being an unwed mother over the years.
20:54These were nothing compared to what I'd already survived.
20:56But all the guests went quiet at once.
20:59Dominic stood out in any crowd without even trying.
21:02Red roses had always been my favorite.
21:07Were you threatening to call security on Evelyn Shaw over Damon Pearce's unpaid balance?
21:12Seven days before my wedding, I discovered my fiancé was already married to his brother's widow.
21:17My name is Evelyn Shaw.
21:19A week before my wedding, I flew back from London to finalize the paperwork for my marriage to Damon Pearce.
21:24The wedding planner wanted floral approvals.
21:26The venue needed final guest numbers.
21:27Whether the seating chart should read Evelyn Shaw or Evelyn Pearces.
21:32I had stared at that question for a long time.
21:35For eight years, I had been waiting to become Mrs. Pearce.
21:39That morning, I sat across from my attorney in a private office.
21:42My attorney, Marion Vale, flipped through Damon's financial disclosures.
21:46Then her pen stopped moving.
21:47Evelyn, has Damon ever been married before?
21:50I frowned.
21:51No. Why?
21:53She turned her screen toward me.
21:55A marriage certificate filled the monitor.
21:57Damon James Pearce and Clara Marie Bennett filed 14 months ago.
22:01I stared at it, until the letters blurred.
22:03Eight years.
22:04I had spent eight years building that man from nothing.
22:07His company, Pearce Digital.
22:08I funded the seed round.
22:10His penthouse on the Upper West Side.
22:11My down payment.
22:13His Porsche, his investor network, his reputation as a self-made tech genius.
22:17All of it was mine.
22:18Handed to him piece by piece, while I stayed behind the scenes,
22:21because he said he was not ready to go public with us.
22:24She's his late brother's widow.
22:26He told me he was just helping her with legal paperwork.
22:29My attorney's expression told me everything her words did not.
22:32I picked up my phone and called him.
22:34I said,
22:35The prenup lawyer found your marriage certificate, Damon.
22:40Two seconds of silence.
22:41Damon said,
22:42It's not what you think.
22:43Clara needed legal protection after my brother died.
22:45She has a daughter.
22:46I married her on paper so Lily could stay on my insurance and benefits.
22:50It means nothing.
22:51You've been legally married for over a year.
22:53And I would have told you eventually.
22:55You've waited eight years, Evelyn.
22:57What's a little longer?
22:59I closed my eyes.
23:04I have no interest in married men.
23:06Then, I hung up.
23:07The last eight years hit me all at once.
23:13Then I called my assistant.
23:14Freeze Damon Pierce's access to everything.
23:16Black card, office credentials, building entry, parking garage, all of it.
23:19Effective immediately.
23:21Not long after, my phone started lighting up.
23:24Damon's name kept flashing across the screen until I finally answered.
23:27What the hell is wrong with you?
23:28You're acting like a child, Evelyn.
23:30I explained the situation.
23:32You explained that you committed fraud.
23:34It's not fraud.
23:34It's a favor.
23:36Clara has no one.
23:37Lily calls me dad.
23:38What was I supposed to do?
23:38Let them end up on the street?
23:39Evelyn, please don't blame Damon.
23:41Blame me.
23:41I'm the one who-
23:42Evelyn, you're going to call your assistant and restore everything.
23:45Then you're going to apologize to Clara for making her feel unwelcome.
23:47Do that and we can move past this.
23:48I looked at the prenup glass on the table in front of me.
23:51Then I picked it up and fed it into the shredder.
23:54There's nothing to move past, Damon.
23:55There's no wedding.
23:56Evelyn.
23:57You brought a wife to our wedding paperwork.
23:59I brought a witness.
24:02To start pulling every asset record with Damon Pierce's name on it.
24:06Every building.
24:07Every account.
24:08Every share.
24:10He thought he was a self-made man.
24:12He was about to find out what happens when the woman who made him decides to unmake him.
24:15The next morning, Damon's car was waiting outside my building.
24:20Now he sat at the curb in the Porsche I had paid for, looking less like a man caught in
24:24a lie than a man waiting for his fiancée to stop embarrassing him.
24:27Get in.
24:28We're going shopping.
24:29Shopping?
24:30Clara is upset.
24:31Lily is upset.
24:32You made a scene yesterday.
24:33The least you can do is help fix it.
24:35Of course.
24:36He had married another woman, lied to me for 14 months, and somehow I was the one expected
24:41to fix the mood.
24:41Don't mind.
24:42I get carsick in the back.
24:44Old Evelyn would have argued, knew and felt nothing but a calm so steady it surprised
24:48even me.
24:48I slipped into the back seat, because mine was a timestamp.
24:51Let him show who he is in front of witnesses, and don't stop him when he does.
24:53So I sat behind them, phone in my coat pocket, recording everything Damon still believed
24:57he could get away with.
24:59Damon took us to a luxury boutique on Madison Avenue, and held the door for Clara like she
25:03was his wife.
25:05Which, legally, she was.
25:06Clara and Lily need new things for the season.
25:08You should pick something too.
25:09God knows you could use it.
25:10I had spent three years overseas building his investor pipeline.
25:14He mistook exhaustion for neglect.
25:15He looked at me like I was the embarrassing one.
25:18Damon.
25:19Clara tried on dresses.
25:21Lily twirled in a princess gown.
25:23Damon stood beside them, patient and proud.
25:24Keep that one.
25:25Wrap that too.
25:26Whatever Lily wants.
25:28Looses.
25:29Daisy and Shagandah the sending quent.
25:34She had spent all afternoon pretending to be the fragile wife, but the second that dress
25:38touched my hands, she looked afraid I might outshine her.
25:44So I tried it on.
25:59Clara was checking the child who had just shoved me.
26:01It's okay, sweetheart.
26:02Nobody's going to yell at you.
26:05She's a child, Evelyn.
26:07Don't make a scene.
26:08She pushed me.
26:09Keep your balance.
26:10That's not her fault.
26:13You saw what happened.
26:18Let's go.
26:18She's not worth upsetting Lily over.
26:23I changed back into my own clothes.
26:25When I stepped back out, the VIP lounge was empty.
26:27No clue.
26:27Two weeks before the wedding, a fever brought back the hearing I'd lost ten years ago.
26:31Excited to share the good news.
26:32I grabbed a cab straight to his office.
26:34The first thing I heard him say was,
26:35That deaf girl doesn't deserve me.
26:38Vanessa, you're the one I want to marry.
26:39Because she kept saying her parents saved my life.
26:42I hit record.
26:43My heart died.
26:44I ripped it up.
26:45Dropped it in the trash.
26:46Then I called my uncle.
26:47I can hear again.
26:48I said it quietly and hung up.
26:50Then I bought a one-way ticket to L.A. two weeks before the wedding.
26:53A fever brought back the hearing I'd lost ten years ago, saving Axel.
26:58I grabbed a cab straight to his office, excited to share the good news.
27:02But after all these years, the first thing I heard him say was,
27:04That deaf girl doesn't deserve me.
27:07Vanessa, you're the one I want to marry.
27:08I got engaged to her.
27:10Because she kept saying her parents saved my life.
27:12Her laughter and gasps were clear over the phone.
27:16Relax.
27:17Relax.
27:17She's deaf.
27:17Besides, isn't this hotter?
27:19I listened to the moan.
27:20I hit record.
27:21My heart died.
27:22Then I bought a one-way ticket to L.A. for the exact day of the wedding.
27:26When his frantic calls came in, I sent him the recording and my message.
27:29Axel, I can hear.
27:31Axel snapped.
27:32Who's there?
27:33I held my breath tightly.
27:34A moment passed.
27:35I don't remember how I got home.
27:37When I flicked on the lights, I saw a trail of bloody footprints.
27:39That was when I realized I'd run out barefoot.
27:41The glass somewhere had sliced my foot open.
27:43I pulled the shards out, ripping skin with them.
27:45None of it hurt like my chest did.
27:47I lay on the couch in a daze.
27:48Tears soaked the pillow.
27:50I wanted this to be a dream.
27:51Two weeks from now, I'd still be Axel's bride.
27:53Walking into the wedding I'd been waiting ten years for.
27:55But the recording told me Axel had betrayed me.
27:57I don't know how long I lay there.
27:59A sharp pain in my foot woke me.
28:00I opened my eyes.
28:01Axel was holding my foot, picking out the last bits of glass,
28:04dabbing antiseptic on the cuts.
28:06It had been ten years since my parents died saving him in that fire.
28:09Since I'd gone deaf saving him too.
28:10Looking after me had become a habit.
28:12He finished bandaging me.
28:13He didn't ask where the cuts came from.
28:15He just sighed, irritated.
28:16You know you can't hear.
28:18Why don't you just stay home?
28:19Then he must have remembered that I couldn't hear him anyway.
28:21His face hardened.
28:22Whatever.
28:23I won't marry a deaf girl anyway.
28:26That line cracked something open in my chest.
28:28I remembered high school.
28:30A group of bullies followed me down the street, laughing,
28:33saying things I couldn't hear.
28:34I kept my head down and limped forward as if nothing had happened.
28:37But the moment Axel came to pick me up,
28:39he charged at them without a second thought and started fighting them.
28:44He came back to me and pulled me into his arms.
28:46I signed to him.
28:47Why he'd fought them, he replied.
28:49They called you deaf.
28:50Hannah, that's not true.
28:52You have ears.
28:52I'm your ears, okay?
28:54I'll always be your ears.
28:55He cried that day.
28:56Hard.
28:56That was the first time I understood how cruel the world was to deaf people.
29:00But I didn't care.
29:01Because Axel said he'd always be my ears.
29:03Now my ears were back.
29:04So why was the word coming out of his mouth like that?
29:06Deaf.
29:07I held my tears back, but maybe my expression gave it away.
29:10He pressed his lips together and signed fast.
29:13Does it hurt?
29:13His phone buzzed before I could answer.
29:15It was a voice message from Vanessa.
29:17Honey, you're so bad.
29:19My legs are still shaking from that kiss.
29:21Vanessa was his college friend.
29:22After they graduated, she became his secretary.
29:25They sent each other voice messages all the time.
29:27Late at night, too.
29:28But I trusted Axel.
29:29I just assumed it was work.
29:30There's worse.
29:31Wanna try?
29:33Who are you texting?
29:34I said it out of nowhere.
29:35He looked at me suspiciously and asked-
29:37Can you hear me now?
29:39I gave no response like the usual deaf girl and he was relieved.
29:43He steadied himself fast and signed.
29:45A client?
29:46Rush order.
29:46The second he finished signing, he tapped record.
29:49I bought Hannah some lingerie.
29:50But your body is ten times better than hers.
29:53I bought you one, too.
29:55You should put it on for me.
29:56Ew.
29:56I don't want to match that cripple freak.
29:58I didn't want to hear anymore.
29:59I limped back to the bedroom.
30:01I held the framed photo of my parents against my chest, curled up in bed, pulled the blanket
30:05over my ears.
30:06But the flirting outside came through anyway.
30:09Next time, different position.
30:10I want to do it in front of the mirror.
30:12Every word cut my heart.
30:14This Axel was so filthy.
30:15I didn't want him anymore.
30:16A few minutes later, the front door slammed.
30:18I sat up.
30:19It was midnight.
30:20I didn't have to ask where he was going.
30:21I looked at the gold foil wedding invitation on the nightstand, the one I'd spent two weeks
30:26picking out.
30:26I ripped it up, dropped it in the trash.
30:28Then I called my uncle.
30:31Uncle, I want to come stay with you.
30:33With grandma and grandpa.
30:34His voice came back, worried.
30:36What happened, sweetheart?
30:37Then he remembered I couldn't hear.
30:38The line went quiet.
30:39I heard him typing.
30:40Nothing.
30:41I just miss you guys.
30:42My voice cracked.
30:43My uncle had built his empire in L.A.
30:45Real estate, finance, the works.
30:47He'd brought grandma and grandpa out there with him.
30:49When my parents died, he flew back to take me too.
30:52But I couldn't leave the house that still smelled like mom and dad.
30:54Later, I just couldn't leave Axel.
30:56Even when they begged, I kept saying no.
30:58Thank God.
30:59Thank God you finally came around.
31:01He sounded like he was about to cry.
31:03Then he caught himself.
31:04Hannah.
31:05Your ears.
31:06Yeah.
31:07I can hear again.
31:09I said it quietly and hung up.
31:10He booked me a flight.
31:11The morning of my wedding.
31:17Two weeks before the wedding,
31:18A fever brought back the hearing I'd lost ten years ago.
31:21Excited to share the good news.
31:22I grabbed a cab straight to his office.
31:24The first thing I heard him say was,
31:25That deaf girl doesn't deserve me.
31:28Vanessa, you're the one I want to marry.
31:29Because she kept saying her parents saved my life.
31:32I hit record.
31:33My heart died.
31:34I ripped it up.
31:35Dropped it in the trash.
31:36Then I called my uncle.
31:37I can hear again.
31:38I said it quietly and hung up.
31:40Then I bought a one-way ticket to L.A.
31:41Two weeks before the wedding,
31:42A fever brought back the hearing I'd lost ten years ago.
31:45Saving Axel.
31:48I grabbed a cab straight to his office,
31:50Excited to share the good news.
31:52But after all these years,
31:53The first thing I heard him say was,
31:54That deaf girl doesn't deserve me.
31:57Vanessa, you're the one I want to marry.
31:58I got engaged to her.
32:00Because she kept saying her parents saved my life.
32:02Her laughter and gasps were clear over the phone.
32:06Relax.
32:06She's deaf.
32:07Besides, isn't this hotter?
32:08I listened to the moan.
32:10I hit record.
32:11My heart died.
32:12Then I bought a one-way ticket to L.A.
32:14For the exact day of the wedding.
32:15When his frantic calls came in,
32:17I sent him the recording and my message.
32:19Axel, I can hear.
32:21Axel snapped.
32:22Who's there?
32:23I held my breath tightly.
32:24A moment passed.
32:25I don't remember how I got home.
32:27When I flicked on the lights,
32:28I saw a trail of bloody footprints.
32:29That was when I realized I'd run out barefoot.
32:31The glass somewhere had sliced my foot open.
32:33I pulled the shards out,
32:34Ripping skin with them.
32:35None of it hurt like my chest did.
32:37I lay on the couch in a daze.
32:38Tears soaked the pillow.
32:39I wanted this to be a dream.
32:41Two weeks from now,
32:41I'd still be Axel's bride.
32:43Walking into the wedding I'd been waiting ten years for.
32:45But the recording told me Axel had betrayed me.
32:47I don't know how long I lay there.
32:49A sharp pain in my foot woke me.
32:50I opened my eyes.
32:51Axel was holding my foot,
32:53picking out the last bits of glass,
32:54dabbing antiseptic on the cuts.
32:56It had been ten years since my parents died,
32:58saving him in that fire.
32:59Since I'd gone deaf,
33:00saving him too.
33:00Looking after me had become a habit.
33:02He finished bandaging me.
33:03He didn't ask where the cuts came from.
33:05He just sighed, irritated.
33:06You know you can't hear.
33:07Why don't you just stay home?
33:09Then he must have remembered
33:10that I couldn't hear him anyway.
33:11His face hardened.
33:12Whatever.
33:12I won't marry a deaf girl anyway.
33:16That line cracked something open in my chest.
33:18I remembered high school.
33:19A group of bullies followed me down the street,
33:22laughing,
33:22saying things I couldn't hear.
33:24I kept my head down and limped forward
33:26as if nothing had happened.
33:27But the moment Axel came to pick me up,
33:29he charged at them without a second thought
33:31and started fighting them.
33:34He came back to me
33:35and pulled me into his arms.
33:36I signed to him
33:37why he'd fought them.
33:38He replied,
33:39They called you deaf.
33:40Hannah, that's not true.
33:41You have ears.
33:42I'm your ears, okay?
33:43I'll always be your ears.
33:45But he cried that day.
33:46Hard.
33:46That was the first time I understood
33:48how cruel the world was to deaf people.
33:49But I didn't care.
33:51Because Axel said he'd always be my ears.
33:53Now my ears were back.
33:54So why was the word coming out of his mouth like that?
33:56Deaf.
33:57I held my tears back,
33:58but maybe my expression gave it away.
34:00He pressed his lips together and signed fast.
34:02Does it hurt?
34:03His phone buzzed before I could answer.
34:05It was a voice message from Vanessa.
34:07Honey, you're so bad.
34:09My legs are still shaking from that kiss.
34:11Vanessa was his college friend.
34:12After they graduated,
34:13she became his secretary.
34:15They sent each other voice messages all the time.
34:17Late at night, too.
34:18But I trusted Axel.
34:19I just assumed it was work.
34:20There's worse.
34:21Wanna try?
34:22Who are you texting?
34:24I said it out of nowhere.
34:25He looked at me suspiciously and asked,
34:27Can you hear me now?
34:29I gave no response like the usual deaf girl
34:31and he was relieved.
34:32He steadied himself fast and signed.
34:35A client?
34:35Rush order.
34:36The second he finished signing,
34:38he tapped record.
34:39I bought Hannah some lingerie,
34:40but your body is ten times better than hers.
34:43I bought you one, too.
34:44You should put it on for me.
34:46Ew.
34:46I don't want to match that cripple freak.
34:48I didn't want to hear anymore.
34:49I limped back to the bedroom.
34:51I held the framed photo of my parents against my chest,
34:54curled up in bed,
34:55pulled the blanket over my ears,
34:56but the flirting outside came through anyway.
34:58Next time,
34:59different position.
35:00I want to do it in front of the mirror.
35:02Every word cut my heart.
35:03This Axel was so filthy.
35:05I didn't want him anymore.
35:06A few minutes later,
35:07the front door slammed.
35:08I sat up.
35:09It was midnight.
35:10I didn't have to ask where he was going.
35:11I looked at the gold foil wedding invitation
35:13on the nightstand,
35:14the one I'd spent two weeks picking out.
35:16I ripped it up,
35:17dropped it in the trash.
35:18Then I called my uncle.
35:20Uncle,
35:21I want to come stay with you.
35:23With grandma and grandpa.
35:24His voice came back, worried.
35:26What happened, sweetheart?
35:26Then he remembered I couldn't hear.
35:28The line went quiet.
35:29I heard him typing.
35:30Nothing.
35:31I just miss you guys.
35:32My voice cracked.
35:33My uncle had built his empire in L.A.
35:35Real estate, finance, the works.
35:37He'd brought grandma and grandpa out there with him.
35:39When my parents died,
35:40he flew back to take me too.
35:41But I couldn't leave the house
35:42that still smelled like mom and dad.
35:44Later,
35:45I just couldn't leave Axel.
35:46Even when they begged,
35:47I kept saying no.
35:48Thank God.
35:49Thank God you finally came around.
35:51He sounded like he was about to cry.
35:52Then he caught himself.
35:53Hannah,
35:55your ears.
35:56Yeah.
35:57I can hear again.
35:58I said it quietly and hung up.
36:00He booked me a flight,
36:01the morning of my wedding.
36:04Considered it.
36:07Were you threatening to call security
36:08on Evelyn Shaw
36:09over Damon Pierce's unpaid balance?
36:12Seven days before my wedding,
36:14I discovered my fiancé
36:15was already married to his brother's widow.
36:18My name is Evelyn Shaw.
36:19A week before my wedding,
36:20I flew back from London
36:21to finalize the paperwork
36:22for my marriage to Damon Pierce.
36:24The wedding planner
36:24wanted floral approvals.
36:26The venue needed final guest numbers.
36:28Whether the seating chart
36:28should read Evelyn Shaw
36:30or Evelyn Pierce's.
36:32I had stared at that question
36:34for a long time.
36:35For eight years,
36:36I had been waiting
36:37to become Mrs. Pierce.
36:39That morning,
36:40I sat across from my attorney
36:41in a private office.
36:42My attorney,
36:43Marion Vale,
36:44flipped through
36:44Damon's financial disclosures.
36:46Then her pen stopped moving.
36:47Evelyn,
36:49has Damon ever been married before?
36:51I frowned.
36:52No.
36:52Why?
36:53She turned her screen toward me.
36:55A marriage certificate
36:56filled the monitor.
36:57Damon James Pierce
36:58and Clara Marie Bennett
37:00filed 14 months ago.
37:01I stared at it
37:02until the letters blurred.
37:04Eight years.
37:04I had spent eight years
37:06building that man from nothing.
37:07His company,
37:08Pierce Digital,
37:09I funded the seed round.
37:10His penthouse
37:11on the Upper West Side,
37:12my down payment.
37:13His Porsche,
37:14his investor network,
37:15his reputation
37:16as a self-made tech genius,
37:17all of it was mine,
37:19handed to him piece by piece
37:20while I stayed behind the scenes
37:21because he said
37:22he was not ready
37:23to go public with us.
37:25She's his late brother's widow.
37:27He told me he was just
37:28helping her with legal paperwork.
37:29My attorney's expression
37:30told me everything
37:31her words did not.
37:32I picked up my phone
37:33and called him.
37:34I said,
37:36The prenup lawyer
37:37found your marriage certificate,
37:38Damon.
37:40Two seconds of silence.
37:42Damon said,
37:42It's not what you think.
37:43Clara needed legal protection
37:45after my brother died.
37:46She has a daughter.
37:47I married her on paper
37:48so Lily could stay
37:49on my insurance and benefits.
37:50It means nothing.
37:51You've been legally married
37:53for over a year.
37:53And I would have told you eventually.
37:55You've waited eight years,
37:57Evelyn.
37:57What's a little longer?
38:00I closed my eyes.
38:04I have no interest
38:05in married men.
38:06Then I hung up.
38:08The last eight years
38:09hit me all at once.
38:13Then I called my assistant.
38:15Freeze Damon Pierce's
38:16access to everything.
38:17Black card,
38:17office credentials,
38:18building entry,
38:19parking garage,
38:19all of it.
38:20Effective immediately.
38:21Not long after,
38:22my phone started lighting up.
38:24Damon's name kept flashing
38:25across the screen
38:26until I finally answered.
38:27What the hell is wrong with you?
38:28You're acting like a child,
38:30Evelyn.
38:30I explained the situation.
38:32You explained that
38:33you committed fraud.
38:34It's not fraud.
38:35It's a favor.
38:36Clara has no one.
38:37Lily calls me dad.
38:38What was I supposed to do?
38:39Let them end up on the street?
38:40Evelyn, please don't blame Damon.
38:41Blame me.
38:42I'm the one who-
38:42Evelyn,
38:43you're gonna call your assistant
38:44restore everything.
38:45Then you're gonna apologize
38:46to Clara for making her
38:47feel unwelcome.
38:47Do that and we can move past this.
38:49I looked at the prenup glass
38:50on the table in front of me.
38:51Then I picked it up
38:52and fed it into the shredder.
38:54There's nothing to move past,
38:55Damon.
38:56There's no wedding.
38:57Evelyn.
38:57You brought a wife
38:58to our wedding paperwork.
38:59I brought a witness
39:02to start pulling every asset record
39:04with Damon Pierce's name on it.
39:06Every building,
39:07every account,
39:09every share.
39:10He thought he was
39:11a self-made man.
39:12He was about to find out
39:13what happens when the woman
39:14who made him decides
39:15to unmake him.
39:16The next morning,
39:17Damon's car was waiting
39:18outside my building.
39:20Now he sat at the curb
39:22in the Porsche I had paid for,
39:23looking less like a man
39:24caught in a lie
39:25than a man waiting
39:25for his fiancé
39:26to stop embarrassing him.
39:28Get in.
39:28We're going shopping.
39:30Shopping?
39:30Clara is upset.
39:31Lily is upset.
39:32You made a scene yesterday.
39:33The least you can do
39:34is help fix it.
39:35Of course.
39:37He had married another woman,
39:38lied to me for 14 months,
39:40and somehow I was the one
39:41expected to fix the mood.
39:42Don't mind.
39:43I get carsick in the back.
39:44Old Evelyn would have argued.
39:46New and felt nothing but a calm
39:47so steady it surprised even me.
39:49I slipped into the back seat
39:50because my time stamp.
39:51Let him show who he is
39:52in front of witnesses
39:52and don't stop him when he does.
39:54So I sat behind them,
39:55phone in my coat pocket,
39:56recording everything Damon
39:57still believed he could get away with.
39:59Damon took us to a luxury boutique
40:01on Madison Avenue
40:02and held the door for Clara
40:03like she was his wife.
40:05Which, legally, she was.
40:07Clara and Lily need new things
40:08for the season.
40:08You should pick something too.
40:10God knows you could use it.
40:11I had spent three years overseas
40:12building his investor pipeline.
40:14He mistook exhaustion for neglect.
40:16He looked at me
40:16like I was the embarrassing one.
40:19Damon.
40:20Clara tried on dresses.
40:21Lily twirled in a princess gown.
40:23Damon stood beside them,
40:24patient and proud.
40:25Wrap that too.
40:27Whatever Lily wants.
40:29Lucy's, Daisy and Shurgandall
40:30the sending quent.
40:34She had spent all afternoon
40:36pretending to be the fragile wife.
40:37But the second that dress
40:38touched my hands,
40:39she looked afraid
40:40I might outshine her.
40:44So I tried it on.
40:59Clara was checking the child
41:00who had just shoved me.
41:01It's okay, sweetheart.
41:03Nobody's going to yell at you.
41:06She's a child.
41:07Evelyn, don't make a scene.
41:09She pushed me.
41:10Keep your balance.
41:10That's not her fault.
41:13You saw what happened.
41:23I changed back into my own clothes.
41:25When I stepped back out,
41:26the VIP lounge was empty.
41:27No Clara,
41:28no Lily,
41:29no Damon.
41:29Only the sales associate
41:30behind the counter,
41:31wearing the smile of someone
41:32who had already decided
41:33I was the problem.
41:33Mrs. Shaw,
41:34Mr. Pierce has left.
41:35He's charged all selected items
41:36to your personal account.
41:40I'd opened that account years ago
41:41so Damon could buy suits
41:43for investor meetings.
41:44Now he'd used it to dress the wife
41:46he'd hidden all along.
41:51I left the bill under your name.
41:53Consider it a lesson in humility.
41:54Come home when you're ready to apologize.
41:56She can't pay?
41:57Why did she act like she owned the place
41:58five minutes ago?
41:59She's just another pretender.
42:01If there's an issue with payment,
42:02Ms. Shaw,
42:03we'll need to call security.
42:04And now I stood in a luxury boutique
42:06threatened with security
42:07over a bill
42:08I could pay ten times over
42:09with my own money.
42:14Security?
42:20Mr. Mercer.
42:24I knew the name
42:26the way a soldier knows
42:27the sound of an enemy's footsteps.
42:29Mercer Capital.
42:30Old money.
42:31Private equity royalty.
42:32Every founder in New York
42:33either wanted to impress him
42:34or prayed never to cross his path.
42:36Damon Pierce's most dangerous rival.
42:38For three years,
42:38Damon had tried to outrun him,
42:39outperform him,
42:40outrank him.
42:41For three years,
42:42I'd made it possible.
42:42I blocked Mercer's buyout offer.
42:43Clean directed messes
42:44before Kelpin's team could find them.
42:45I'd fought this man in the dark
42:47for a thousand days.
42:48And now here he was.
42:51Watching me messy,
42:52humiliated,
42:53trapped behind the bill
42:54Damon had left me.
42:55For one cold second,
42:57I thought Kieran Mercer
42:58had come to collect
42:59every war I'd ever fought for Damon.
43:08I hated that he saw it.
43:11If you're here to watch me
43:13embarrass myself, Mr. Mercer,
43:14get in line.
43:16I considered it.
43:19Were you threatening
43:20to call security
43:21on Evelyn Shaw
43:21over Damon Pierce's
43:23unpaid balance?
43:25Mr. Mercer,
43:25I was only following
43:26Mr. Pierce's instructions.
43:27This is not a payment issue.
43:29This is theft.
43:32Get your manager.
43:39What?
43:40Do you think I flew here
43:41to save Damon Pierce's face?
43:44I've spent three years
43:45trying to figure out
43:46who the real brain
43:46behind Pierce Digital is.
43:48And now I find her
43:49bleeding on a boutique floor
43:50while he buys dresses
43:51for his wife.
43:54Mrs. Shaw,
43:55I'm so sorry.
43:56I had no idea
43:57you were back in New York.
43:59Miss Shaw is one of our
44:00parent company's
44:01primary investors.
44:02Mr. Pierce's authorization
44:03was revoked hours ago.
44:05Damon Pierce,
44:06Clara Bennett,
44:06and the child
44:07walked out after charging
44:08purchases to an account
44:08they no longer
44:09had permission to use.
44:10Of course.
44:10Save the receipt,
44:11file the report,
44:11and send Mr. Pierce the copy.
44:13Of course, Miss Shaw.
44:14$178,000.
44:15Bold for a man
44:16living on borrowed power.
44:18You're Evelyn Shaw.
44:19And you're Kieran Mercer.
44:21You were very good
44:22at keeping me out.
44:23Careful.
44:24That almost sounded
44:25like a compliment.
44:26It was a warning.
44:28To me?
44:29To Damon.
44:30Cross the face.
44:31My mother did not
44:32steal anyone's place.
44:33She married father
44:34three years after
44:35your mother died.
44:37Please stop.
44:38We are still family.
44:39Family?
44:40Who is family
44:40with you filthy people?
44:42Yvette Balan,
44:42what are you doing?
44:43My fiancé,
44:45Seraphine,
44:45was the commander
44:46of the Light Knights.
44:47He was sacred,
44:48restrained,
44:49and untouchable.
44:50And I was the
44:51Royal High Priestess.
44:52I tried to tempt him
44:53many times,
44:54but he never lost control.
44:55I used to think
44:56he had sealed away
44:57all desire
44:58until the night
44:58before our wedding.
44:59I saw Seraphine
45:00kneeling beside Laurel's bed.
45:02Her limp hand
45:03closed around him,
45:04and his whole body
45:05went rigid,
45:06hot,
45:07and feverish.
45:08Hot sweat
45:08fell onto his white robe.
45:10His breath was ragged,
45:11his eyes dark.
45:12His face was lost,
45:13in raw,
45:14forbidden desire.
45:16The only reason
45:17I agreed to marry
45:17your sister
45:18was so I could come
45:19see you every single day.
45:25After that night,
45:26I tore up
45:27our betrothal scroll.
45:28I'm not marrying
45:29Seraphine anymore.
45:31I'm marrying Arthur.
45:34Yvette!
45:34Have you lost your mind?
45:39Arthur was mutilated
45:40by a cursed blade
45:41three years ago.
45:42He beats people
45:43half to death
45:44over nothing.
45:45You're marching
45:45straight to your grave
45:46if you marry him!
45:49Mother,
45:50at this point
45:50it does not matter
45:51who I marry.
45:52Besides,
45:53do you really think
45:54we can refuse
45:55the Imperial family?
45:57In the receiving hall,
45:59father was smiling
46:00from ear to ear.
46:01It is an honour
46:02that his Minus
46:03would consider
46:03my daughter.
46:04But my elder daughter
46:05still sleeps
46:06under a holy curse,
46:07and my second daughter
46:08is bound to the
46:09Lancid family
46:10by engagement.
46:13An engagement
46:13is still only a contract.
46:15Break it.
46:18If Lady Yvonne Valian
46:20agrees to marry
46:20His Highness,
46:21the Imperial family
46:22will offer a vial
46:23of sacred sunblood
46:24as the bride gift.
46:25I hear it has awakened
46:25sleepers,
46:26sealed by curses before.
46:27I'll do it!
46:28I'll do it!
46:35Yvette,
46:36haven't you
46:37always loved
46:37Seraphion?
46:39Why so suddenly?
46:41I did not answer,
46:43because every time
46:43I thought of
46:44what I had seen
46:45that night,
46:45my heart ached
46:46unbearably.
46:47My ten years
46:48of devotion
46:48suddenly felt
46:49like a joke.
46:53The vial
46:54of sacred sunblood
46:55worked.
46:56Within three days,
46:57Aurora woke up.
47:01Father was overjoyed
47:02to prepare a celebration
47:03feast for her.
47:05That was when I saw
47:06Aurora.
47:06She was wearing the gown
47:07Mother had spent months
47:09making for me.
47:10She stood among the temple
47:11guests, smiling like a saint.
47:13Yvette, may I borrow
47:14this gown for tonight?
47:16I just woke up.
47:18I had no time
47:19to prepare a new gown.
47:21Mother tugged
47:22at my sleeve.
47:23Your sister just recovered.
47:25Let her have it.
47:28Of course.
47:33May the light
47:34bless you, Yvette.
47:40This gown fits me
47:41better, doesn't it?
47:43Your tête is too thin.
47:44She cannot fill it up.
47:46My Aurora has awakened.
47:49From tonight on,
47:50she will return
47:51as the high priestess
47:52of the sun temple.
48:02Suddenly,
48:03the hall doors opened.
48:04Sunlight poured in
48:05behind Seraphine.
48:06The moment Seraphine
48:07stepped into the hall,
48:09every voice fell silent.
48:10He walked straight
48:11to Aurora.
48:12Then,
48:13in front of everyone,
48:14he dropped to one knee.
48:15He bowed his head
48:16and kissed
48:17the back of her hand.
48:22Welcome back,
48:22my high priestess.
48:25You were always
48:26the one I was sworn to see.
48:27My breath stopped.
48:28He was always so aloof,
48:30so proud.
48:30I had never seen him
48:32kneel before anyone.
48:33But as long as it was
48:34about Aurora,
48:35even the holiest knight
48:36would lose his heart.
48:37See?
48:38The one Seraphine
48:38really loves is Aurora.
48:39The marriage only fell to Yvette
48:40because Aurora was cursed
48:41and fell into sleep.
48:42I bet Yvette must be dying
48:43of embarrassment right now.
48:44I walked alone
48:45onto the terrace,
48:46but even the cold wind
48:47could not ease
48:48the pain in my chest.
48:49Then I heard footsteps
48:51behind me.
48:52Does it hurt?
48:54You must have enjoyed yourself
48:55while I was in a coma,
48:56didn't you?
48:57You even took my bedrothal
48:58to Seraphine.
48:59Father told me
49:00it was Arthur's
49:01sacred sunblood
49:02that woke me.
49:03But do not expect me
49:04to thank you.
49:05Remember this clearly,
49:06Yvette.
49:07You will always live
49:08in my shadow,
49:09just like when we were children.
49:11You only ever got
49:12what I had already
49:12grown tired of.
49:16You know it,
49:16Mina Gray,
49:17that's on Peter Frent.
49:32What have you done?
49:34The blade flashed
49:35with sacred light.
49:36A sharp wave of force
49:37cut across my leg.
49:39Blood instantly
49:40stained my dress.
49:41Aurora hides
49:42against Seraphine's chest,
49:43flashing me
49:43a triumphant smile.
49:45My eyes burned.
49:46I forced myself
49:47to turn away
49:48in that split second
49:50and crushed me
49:51against the stone step.
49:53Seraphine.
49:55Aurora suddenly
49:56pressed a hand
49:57to her forehead.
49:58Aurora leans weakly
49:59against Seraphine.
50:00I'm so scared.
50:01I feel dizzy.
50:05When I woke up again,
50:07Emma was sitting
50:07beside my bed
50:08in the temple
50:09healing chamber.
50:10Seraphine,
50:10that bastard!
50:11Stop crying,
50:13Emma.
50:14Remember?
50:15I'm marrying Arthur.
50:17Emma looked at me
50:17like her heart was breaking.
50:19Then Emma cried
50:20even harder.
50:22One of Seraphine's
50:24attendants came to me.
50:25Seraphine wanted to see me
50:26at the garden pavilion.
50:31Seraphine pushed
50:32a delicate white box
50:33across the table.
50:34Inside was a pair
50:35of pale blue lace gloves.
50:37I will still honor
50:38the betrothal.
50:40As long as you
50:40stop targeting Aurora.
50:44No need.
50:46It was always
50:47my sister's betrothal anyway.
50:48Before he could finish,
50:50Aurora appeared
50:50beside him.
50:51She was dressed
50:52in a pale blue gown.
50:53Her lace sleeves
50:54matched the gloves
50:55in the box exactly.
50:57It was not a gift
50:57chosen for me.
50:58Yvette,
50:59I asked Seraphine
51:00to bring you this.
51:01Do you like it?
51:02I forced a smile.
51:04My nails dug deep
51:05into my palm.
51:09When I returned
51:10to the Vaylin Estates,
51:11I saw Mother
51:12limping down the stairs.
51:13Mother grips the railing,
51:14moving with difficulty.
51:17Mother!
51:19I rushed over
51:20to help her.
51:21My fingers brushed
51:21the bruises on her wrist.
51:25My voice trembled.
51:27Did Aurora push you again?
51:29Suddenly,
51:30the front door
51:30burst open.
51:31Aurora steps
51:32into the manor,
51:33tossing her cloak
51:34to a servant.
51:35Aurora walked in
51:36as if nothing had happened.
51:38I could not hold back.
51:41Aurora,
51:41why did you push my mother?
51:43Who told her
51:44to steal someone else's place?
51:46Aurora raised her hand
51:47and slapped Mother
51:48across the face.
51:50My mother did not
51:51steal anyone's place.
51:52She married father
51:53three years after
51:53your mother died.
51:55Please stop!
51:56We are still family!
51:57Family?
51:58Who is family
51:59with you filthy people?
52:00Yvette Balan!
52:00What are you doing?
52:02Seraphine stood
52:03in the doorway.
52:04Seraphine was still
52:05holding Aurora's
52:05forgotten cloak.
52:06Aurora's expression
52:07changed instantly.
52:09She threw herself
52:10into his arms,
52:11sobbing.
52:13Seraphine,
52:14my sister tried
52:15to hit me!
52:17I watched him
52:18pull her closer.
52:19I watched the revulsion
52:20in his eyes.
52:21Suddenly,
52:22it all felt
52:23absurdly funny.
52:27Consider it
52:27your apology
52:28to Aurora.
52:32Do not
52:33disgrace
52:33the Veiligan
52:34name again.
52:35Consider it
52:36your apology
52:36to Aurora.
52:41Do not
52:42disgrace
52:42the Veiligan
52:43name again.
52:44I sat
52:44at the grand piano
52:45set beside
52:46the ceremonial platform.
52:47My fingers
52:48moved mechanically
52:49across the keys.
52:50From the corner
52:50of my eye,
52:51I saw Aurora
52:52glance at me
52:53again and again.
52:54The moment
52:54the final note
52:55faded,
52:56a deafening
52:57bang rang out.
52:58The lid
52:59crashed over
52:59my hands.
53:01Excruciating
53:01pain shot
53:02through all
53:02ten fingers.
53:04I screamed.
53:05My vision
53:05was going black.
53:14Instinctively,
53:14I looked
53:15towards Seraphine
53:15in the distance,
53:16but Aurora
53:17immediately grabbed
53:17his arm.
53:19Seraphine,
53:19the dawn procession
53:20is about to begin.
53:22Please,
53:22walk with me.
53:25Arthur sent
53:25his best
53:26royal physician.
53:27I think
53:28perhaps his highness
53:29is not as terrible
53:30as the rumours say.
53:32We're a father
53:33in Aurora.
53:36Your father
53:37went to join
53:37Aurora's dawn procession.
53:39Arthur sent
53:39his best royal physician.
53:41I think
53:43perhaps his highness
53:44is not as terrible
53:45as the rumours say.
53:46We're a father
53:47in Aurora.
53:48The whole capital
53:49is celebrating
53:50her return.
53:51I think
53:56that night,
53:57I returned to my room
53:58at the Valen estate.
53:59Everything related
54:00to Seraphine
54:01was still there.
54:01The letters I had written
54:02but never sent.
54:03The sketches I had drawn
54:04of him
54:05and the broken
54:05betrothal scroll.
54:07I placed them all
54:07into the fireplace.
54:08The flames rose.
54:09One by one.
54:12The day I arrived
54:13at Arthur's estate,
54:14I was stunned
54:15by what I saw.
54:16The royal guards
54:17and palace servants
54:20this is your home now.
54:23Don't be nervous.
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