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