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DramaRave

👇Download the app to watch full HD episode for free: https://reelslink.com/marketing/fpFo5G 👇Click to Find More HD EPs https://www.reelshort.com/movie/i-m-done-playing-along-6aa25a957520bcf44103332b 🍁Notice: All videos by DramaRave are officially authorized. On her wedding day, Orton is slapped, abandoned, and once again pushed aside for her stepsister Lucy. 💔 After learning she is seriously ill, she decides she’s done fighting for a family that never chose her. She leaves New York to teach in New Mexico, where she rebuilds her life. When they finally come begging for forgiveness, it’s too late. 🔥

Transcript

00:00:04In the banquet hall, my bridesmaid Grace stood frozen in place.

00:00:08At an ordinary wedding, someone would call the police,

00:00:11but on Whitfield territory, no one dared call 911.

00:00:14People here believed more in silence, hush money, and bodies encased in pork concrete.

00:00:19My childhood friend, Ryan Black, stood in the shadows as if watching a play whose ending had never been in

00:00:24doubt.

00:00:25There was a commotion at the back door of the banquet hall.

00:00:27My biological parents came through the crowd.

00:00:30I thought they would finally ask if it hurt.

00:00:33But Diana did not even spare me a glance.

00:00:35Her voice shook.

00:00:36Where is my Lucy?

00:00:38She's emotionally unstable.

00:00:39How could you leave her alone in the safe house?

00:00:42If anything happens to her, I won't be able to live either.

00:00:45At my wedding, my fiancé, Cole, slapped me hard in front of half of New York's underworld.

00:00:53Lucy almost put a gun in her mouth and killed herself.

00:00:56And all you care about is your wedding?

00:00:58Orton, do you even possess a shred of decency?

00:01:01The blow sent me stumbling, and I crashed into the five-tier wedding cake.

00:01:05Cream, strawberry coulis, and champagne mixed together,

00:01:09clinging to my expensive white wedding dress like dignity crushed under someone's heel.

00:01:13On our wedding day, my fiancé missed the merger ceremony between two major families because of a cry for help

00:01:18from my stepsister, Lucy.

00:01:20While everyone was frozen in a standoff, I called Ryan Black, the boy I had grown up with, and told

00:01:24him,

00:01:25If you come, I'll marry you.

00:01:28Orton, you really think too highly of yourself?

00:01:31Ryan, are you going to leave me too?

00:01:34Half an hour later, both men arrived at the church.

00:01:37One was the heir of the Harrington family, my fiancé in name, Cole.

00:01:41The other was my childhood friend from the staff building at Whitfield Manor, Ryan.

00:01:44They stepped out of black bulletproof cars.

00:01:46Behind them stood a line of black suit bodyguards with gun holsters concealed beneath their jackets, like a belated judgment.

00:01:51I had been struck to the floor.

00:01:54Covering my face, I instinctively looked toward Ryan.

00:01:57He stood coldly to the side with both hands in his pockets, a flicker of disgust crossing his eyes.

00:02:05Even my biological parents, Richard, head of the Whitfield family, and his wife Diana, came over from the main table.

00:02:13The alliance ceremony can be rescheduled any time, but if something happens to Lucy, we cannot afford to lose a

00:02:19single second.

00:02:20At that moment, I finally understood.

00:02:23Within this family, I was their long-lost biological daughter, restored to them by blood, yet also the perfect bargaining

00:02:30chip.

00:02:30The people here tonight were not ordinary relatives and friends, but representatives from families in New York, Chicago, and Boston.

00:02:37Some held wine glasses.

00:02:39Some had their fingers pressed against the inside of their jackets, close enough to touch a gun at any moment.

00:02:44A sharp ting burned across my face, and a drop of blood fell onto my snow-white wedding dress.

00:02:49I touched my nose.

00:02:51It was warm.

00:02:53Cole, are you insane?

00:02:58If Lucy hadn't begged me through tears to come finish this ceremony, do you really think I would be here?

00:03:03After saying that, he pulled a glass from the bottom tier of the champagne tower.

00:03:06The bodyguards at the door tensed instantly.

00:03:09The banquet hall manager went deathly pale, but did not dare step forward.

00:03:12Cole grabbed a bottle of champagne, twisted off the cork, aimed it over my head, and let the cold golden

00:03:17liquid pour down.

00:03:19Didn't you want to marry into the Harrington family?

00:03:25Here, this is our champagne ceremony.

00:03:27The liquor ran from my lashes, down the bridge of my nose, and off my chin, drop by drop.

00:03:31I could no longer tell whether what fell onto my wedding dress was wine or blood.

00:03:34Satisfied now, my legal wife?

00:03:39In the banquet hall, my bridesmaid Grace stood frozen in place.

00:03:43At an ordinary wedding, someone would call the police, but on Whitfield territory, no one dared call 911.

00:03:49People here believed more in silence, hush money, and bodies encased in port concrete.

00:03:54My childhood friend, Ryan Black, stood in the shadows as if watching a play whose ending had never been in

00:03:59doubt.

00:03:59There was a commotion at the back door of the banquet hall.

00:04:02My biological parents came through the crowd.

00:04:05I thought they would finally ask if it hurt.

00:04:07But Diana did not even spare me a glance.

00:04:10Her voice shook.

00:04:10Where is my Lucy?

00:04:13She's emotionally unstable.

00:04:14How could you leave her alone in the safe house?

00:04:17If anything happens to her, I won't be able to live either.

00:04:21Richard took the microphone.

00:04:23He was the godfather of the Whitfield family.

00:04:26Always composed.

00:04:27Always respectable.

00:04:29Even at a moment like this, he could announce to the room in an almost cruelly steady voice.

00:04:35My apologies, everyone.

00:04:37An emergency has come up within the family.

00:04:40Tonight's alliance ceremony is temporarily cancelled.

00:04:43All gifts and cooperation deposits will be returned in full through the original channels.

00:04:47Richard Whitfield owes you all an explanation.

00:04:50After putting down the microphone, he looked at Cole.

00:04:53Lead the way.

00:04:54We're going to find Lucy.

00:04:56He did not look at me.

00:04:58I sat beside the collapsed cake, filthy and humiliated, like an old prop whose purpose had already been served.

00:05:11Dad. Mom.

00:05:14Lucy Whitfield stood in the doorway in an ivory dress.

00:05:17Her face streaked with tears, her steps unsteady.

00:05:19She had once been the little princess the Whitfield family had carefully raised for more than 20 years.

00:05:25Dad. Mom. Please don't leave me.

00:05:28Even when she cried, she looked like a fragile work of art.

00:05:31Everyone's eyes were pulled towards her.

00:05:33Lucy. Lucy.

00:05:35Don't be scared.

00:05:36Mom is right here.

00:05:39The man who could swallow three docks at a negotiation table without blinking opened his arms and held mother and

00:05:44daughter together.

00:05:46The scene was warm enough to look like a carefully staged movie.

00:05:50And I was the unnecessary person outside the frame.

00:05:53Cole seemed to finally breathe in relief.

00:05:55When he looked at Lucy, the tenderness in his eyes nearly overflowed.

00:05:59Ryan looked back at me and slowly shook his head.

00:06:02I ignored him.

00:06:04I held on to the overturned table corner and got to my feet, pain stabbing through my ankle.

00:06:10My wedding dress dragged across the floor, covered in cream, liquor, and shattered glass.

00:06:17Hey, Miss Reed.

00:06:18Do you need me to call a doctor?

00:06:20He did not say call the police.

00:06:23Everyone here knew the Whitfield family's affairs could not be handed to the police.

00:06:28No.

00:06:31I limped toward the side door.

00:06:34I had barely taken two steps when someone yanked my wrist.

00:06:41Orton, you really disappointed me tonight.

00:06:44I thought you were tough.

00:06:45I thought you could take the hits, claw your way out of the muck.

00:06:48Never imagined you'd resort to cheap stunts just to drag everyone's eyes onto yourself.

00:06:52Lucy has already given back everything she once had to you.

00:06:54She lost her parents, her identity, even her place's heir.

00:06:57Why still refuse to let her go?

00:06:59Orton, how did you become like this?

00:07:04Blood and champagne had dried on my dress, like a brand of humiliation burnt into my skin.

00:07:09Suddenly, I wanted to laugh.

00:07:11This wedding dress was the most expensive thing I had ever worn in my life.

00:07:15Before the wedding, I had touched it again and again with careful hands.

00:07:19It came from Milan.

00:07:20More than a thousand hand-sewn crystals covered the train,

00:07:23each one like the future I had naively believed was coming.

00:07:27I had looked forward to this day more than anything.

00:07:30To marrying Cole Harrington beautifully.

00:07:35Because I had secretly loved him for many years.

00:07:39Half a year ago, Lucy was diagnosed with severe aplastic anemia.

00:07:43Richard and Diana immediately underwent HLA matching,

00:07:47but the results were a complete mismatch.

00:07:49An urgent DNA test exposed the secret.

00:07:5222 years ago, the Whitfield family housekeeper, Maggie Reed, switched Lucy and me.

00:07:57She sent her own biological doll into the godfather's house

00:08:00and took the true Whitfield bloodline back to a cramped staff apartment.

00:08:03After the truth came out,

00:08:05Maggie put a gun in her mouth in the underground wine cellar,

00:08:07leaving behind only a letter.

00:08:10I had read that letter.

00:08:12Across two full pages, she did not mention my name once.

00:08:16Lucy could not handle the shock and was diagnosed with severe depression.

00:08:20To preserve the port alliance between the Whitfield and Harrington families,

00:08:24Richard made a swift decision and transferred Lucy's original engagement to me.

00:08:29The reason sounded grand and proper.

00:08:31The old Harrington family pact required both sides to be bound by legal marriage and legitimate direct heirs.

00:08:38Otherwise, the merger of the East River docks, arms routes, and money-laughtering network would all be void.

00:08:45Lucy was too fragile to withstand that kind of pressure,

00:08:48and I was healthy, mentally tougher, and more suited to bear this family responsibility.

00:08:54I did not hesitate.

00:08:55I agreed.

00:08:57Because Cole Harrington was the boy I had loved in secret since childhood.

00:09:02When I was little, I followed my foster mother Maggie to work at Harrington Manor.

00:09:07Lucy sat in the sunroom eating pastries.

00:09:10I was so hungry I could only stare, but I didn't dare come closer.

00:09:15Cole was the one who walked over and beckoned me to him.

00:09:19Lucy wrinkled her brows and said I was dirty,

00:09:22that I didn't deserve to touch her silver fork.

00:09:25But Cole placed a honey muffin in my palm.

00:09:27This country says everyone is equal on the surface,

00:09:29though we all know that's a lie.

00:09:31But at least at my table, you don't have to lower your head.

00:09:38From that day on, he became the light I hid in the deepest part of my heart.

00:09:43Every time I saw him, he would smile faintly at me,

00:09:46like a lamp suddenly lit in a dark warehouse.

00:09:48I was poor and timid, so I only dared watch him from afar.

00:09:52From age 12 to 22.

00:09:56On the day of the engagement banquet,

00:09:58he sat at the end of the long table while the elders raised glasses

00:10:02and discussed docks, containers, roots, and loyalty.

00:10:05He stayed silent for a long time, and then asked only one question.

00:10:09Is Lucy doing any better?

00:10:10At the mention of Lucy, everyone's expressions softened.

00:10:16I shrank into a corner and said nothing.

00:10:19Cole gave me a cold glance.

00:10:22She's not suited for occasions like this.

00:10:25I heard it, and I remembered it.

00:10:28From that day on, I threw myself into upper-class etiquette,

00:10:32learned to take apart and assemble guns,

00:10:36studied family accounts,

00:10:39and learned how not to show fear in front of wolves dressed in evening wear.

00:10:44I wanted to be a good wife to him.

00:10:46I didn't want to disappoint him.

00:10:48But how did it end?

00:10:50It took me far too long to understand.

00:10:53This engagement had never been love from the start.

00:10:56It was a blood-stained agreement.

00:10:58The Harrington family needed the Whitfield docks,

00:11:01and the Whitfield family needed the Harrington arms lines,

00:11:04and they needed a woman to sit on the altar and complete the final piece.

00:11:09Lucy was too precious to sacrifice.

00:11:13And I had conveniently returned.

00:11:16Suddenly, there was a perfect solution for both sides.

00:11:20Too bad I was the extra bargaining chip outside that perfect solution.

00:11:24Even Ryan Black quickly took Lucy's side,

00:11:27even though, like me,

00:11:29he had grown up in the staff building at Whitfield Manor.

00:11:32Both of our mothers were employees of this family.

00:11:35Both of us had been bullied by Lucy,

00:11:37and both of us had sworn vows in the drafty winter staff quarters.

00:11:40When we were little, Ryan held my hand.

00:11:44One day, I'll climb above them.

00:11:46By then, Lucy Whitfield will never dare bully you again.

00:11:56Why did it become like this?

00:11:57I stumbled out of the church.

00:12:12In the banquet hall, my bridesmaid Grace stood frozen in place.

00:12:16At an ordinary wedding, someone would call the police,

00:12:19but on Whitfield territory, no one dared call 911.

00:12:22People here believed more in silence,

00:12:25hush money, and bodies encased in pork concrete.

00:12:27My childhood friend, Ryan Black,

00:12:29stood in the shadows as if watching a play

00:12:31whose ending had never been in doubt.

00:12:33There was a commotion at the back door of the banquet hall.

00:12:36My biological parents came through the crowd.

00:12:38I thought they would finally ask if it hurt.

00:12:41But Diana did not even spare me a glance.

00:12:43Her voice shook.

00:12:44Where is my Lucy?

00:12:46She's emotionally unstable.

00:12:48How could you leave her alone in the safe house?

00:12:50If anything happens to her, I won't be able to live either.

00:12:53At my wedding, my fiancé, Cole,

00:12:56slapped me hard in front of half of New York's underworld.

00:13:02Lucy almost put a gun in her mouth and killed herself.

00:13:04And all you care about is your wedding?

00:13:07Orton, do you even possess a shred of decency?

00:13:10The blow sent me stumbling,

00:13:11and I crashed into the five-tier wedding cake.

00:13:13Cream, strawberry coulis, and champagne mixed together,

00:13:17clinging to my expensive white wedding dress

00:13:19like dignity crushed under someone's heel.

00:13:21On our wedding day,

00:13:22my fiancé missed the merger ceremony

00:13:24between two major families

00:13:25because of a cry for help from my stepsister, Lucy.

00:13:28While everyone was frozen in a standoff,

00:13:30I called Ryan Black, the boy I had grown up with,

00:13:32and told him,

00:13:33If you come, I'll marry you.

00:13:37Orton, you really think too highly of yourself.

00:13:40Ryan, are you gonna leave me too?

00:13:43Half an hour later, both men arrived at the church.

00:13:45One was the heir of the Harrington family,

00:13:47my fiancé in name, Cole.

00:13:49The other was my childhood friend

00:13:50from the staff building at Whitfield Manor, Ryan.

00:13:52They stepped out of black bulletproof cars.

00:13:54Behind them stood a line of black suit bodyguards

00:13:56with gun holsters concealed beneath their jackets,

00:13:58like a belated judgment.

00:13:59I had been struck to the floor.

00:14:02Covering my face,

00:14:03I instinctively looked toward Ryan.

00:14:05He stood coldly to the side

00:14:07with both hands in his pockets,

00:14:09a flicker of disgust crossing his eyes.

00:14:14Even my biological parents,

00:14:16Richard, head of the Whitfield family,

00:14:18and his wife Diana,

00:14:19came over from the main table.

00:14:21The alliance ceremony can be rescheduled any time,

00:14:24but if something happens to Lucy,

00:14:26we cannot afford to lose a single second.

00:14:29At that moment,

00:14:30I finally understood.

00:14:32Within this family,

00:14:33I was their long-lost biological daughter,

00:14:35restored to them by blood,

00:14:37yet also the perfect bargaining chip.

00:14:38The people here tonight

00:14:40were not ordinary relatives and friends,

00:14:41but representatives from families

00:14:43in New York, Chicago, and Boston.

00:14:46Some held wine glasses.

00:14:47Some had their fingers pressed

00:14:49against the inside of their jackets,

00:14:50close enough to touch a gun at any moment.

00:14:52A sharp ting burned across my face,

00:14:54and a drop of blood fell onto

00:14:56my snow-white wedding dress.

00:14:58I touched my nose.

00:14:59It was warm.

00:15:01Cole, are you insane?

00:15:06If Lucy hadn't begged me through tears

00:15:08to come finish this ceremony,

00:15:10do you really think I would be here?

00:15:11After saying that,

00:15:12he pulled a glass from the bottom tier

00:15:14of the champagne tower.

00:15:15The bodyguards at the door tensed instantly.

00:15:17The banquet hall manager went deathly pale,

00:15:19but did not dare step forward.

00:15:20Cole grabbed a bottle of champagne,

00:15:22twisted off the cork,

00:15:23aimed it over my head,

00:15:24and let the cold golden liquid pour down.

00:15:27Didn't you want to marry

00:15:28into the Harrington family?

00:15:33Here.

00:15:34This is our champagne ceremony.

00:15:36The liquor ran from my lashes,

00:15:37down the bridge of my nose,

00:15:38and off my chin, drop by drop.

00:15:39I could no longer tell

00:15:40whether what fell onto my wedding dress

00:15:41was wine or blood.

00:15:43Satisfied now my legal wife?

00:15:47In the banquet hall,

00:15:48my bridesmaid Grace stood frozen in place.

00:15:51At an ordinary wedding,

00:15:53someone would call the police,

00:15:54but on Whitfield territory,

00:15:55no one dared call 911.

00:15:57People here believed more in silence,

00:15:59hush money,

00:16:00and bodies encased in pork concrete.

00:16:02My childhood friend, Ryan Black,

00:16:04stood in the shadows

00:16:05as if watching a play

00:16:06whose ending had never been in doubt.

00:16:08There was a commotion

00:16:09at the back door of the banquet hall.

00:16:10My biological parents

00:16:12came through the crowd.

00:16:13I thought they would finally ask

00:16:15if it hurt,

00:16:15but Diana did not even spare me a glance.

00:16:18Her voice shook.

00:16:19Where is my Lucy?

00:16:21She's emotionally unstable.

00:16:22How could you leave her alone

00:16:23in the safe house?

00:16:25If anything happens to her,

00:16:26I won't be able to live either.

00:16:30Richard took the microphone.

00:16:31He was the godfather

00:16:33of the Whitfield family,

00:16:34always composed,

00:16:36always respectable.

00:16:37Even at a moment like this,

00:16:39he could announce to the room

00:16:40in an almost cruelly steady voice.

00:16:43My apologies, everyone.

00:16:45An emergency has come up

00:16:46within the family.

00:16:48Tonight's alliance ceremony

00:16:49is temporarily canceled.

00:16:51All gifts and cooperation deposits

00:16:53will be returned in full

00:16:54through the original channels.

00:16:56Richard Whitfield

00:16:56owes you all an explanation.

00:16:59After putting down the microphone,

00:17:00he looked at Cole.

00:17:02Lead the way.

00:17:02We're going to find Lucy.

00:17:04He did not look at me.

00:17:06I sat beside the collapsed cake,

00:17:08filthy and humiliated,

00:17:10like an old prop

00:17:11whose purpose

00:17:11had already been served.

00:17:20Dad, Mom.

00:17:22Lucy Whitfield stood in the doorway

00:17:24in an ivory dress.

00:17:25Her face streaked with tears,

00:17:26her steps unsteady.

00:17:28She had once been

00:17:29the little princess

00:17:29the Whitfield family

00:17:30had carefully raised

00:17:31for more than 20 years.

00:17:33Dad, Mom,

00:17:35please don't leave me.

00:17:36Even when she cried,

00:17:37she looked like

00:17:38a fragile work of art.

00:17:39Everyone's eyes

00:17:39were pulled towards her.

00:17:42Lucy, Lucy,

00:17:43don't be scared.

00:17:45Mom is right here.

00:17:47The man who could swallow

00:17:48three docks

00:17:49at a negotiation table

00:17:50without blinking

00:17:51opened his arms

00:17:52and held mother

00:17:52and daughter together.

00:17:54The scene was warm enough

00:17:56to look like

00:17:56a carefully staged movie,

00:17:57and I was the unnecessary person

00:18:00outside the frame.

00:18:01Cole seemed to finally

00:18:02breathe in relief.

00:18:04When he looked at Lucy,

00:18:05the tenderness in his eyes

00:18:06nearly overflowed.

00:18:08Ryan looked back at me

00:18:09and slowly shook his head.

00:18:10I ignored him.

00:18:13I held on to the

00:18:14overturned table corner

00:18:15and got to my feet,

00:18:16pain stabbing

00:18:17through my ankle.

00:18:18My wedding dress

00:18:19dragged across the floor,

00:18:21covered in cream,

00:18:22liquor,

00:18:23and shattered glass.

00:18:25Hey, Miss Reed,

00:18:27do you need me

00:18:27to call a doctor?

00:18:29He did not say

00:18:30call the police.

00:18:31Everyone here knew

00:18:32the Whitfield family's affairs

00:18:33could not be handed

00:18:34to the police.

00:18:37No.

00:18:39I limped toward the side door.

00:18:42I had barely taken two steps

00:18:44when someone yanked my wrist.

00:18:49Orton,

00:18:50you really disappointed me tonight.

00:18:52I thought you were tough.

00:18:53I thought you could take the hits,

00:18:55claw your way out of the muck.

00:18:56Never imagined you'd resort

00:18:57to cheap stunts

00:18:58just to drag everyone's eyes

00:18:59onto yourself.

00:19:00Lucy has already given back

00:19:01everything she once had to you.

00:19:02She lost her parents,

00:19:04her identity,

00:19:04even her place's heir.

00:19:05Why still refuse

00:19:06to let her go?

00:19:08Orton,

00:19:08how did you become like this?

00:19:12Blood and champagne

00:19:13had dried on my dress,

00:19:15like a brand of humiliation

00:19:16burnt into my skin.

00:19:18Suddenly,

00:19:18I wanted to laugh.

00:19:20This wedding dress

00:19:21was the most expensive thing

00:19:22I had ever worn in my life.

00:19:24Before the wedding,

00:19:25I had touched it again and again

00:19:26with careful hands.

00:19:27It came from Milan.

00:19:29More than a thousand

00:19:29hand-sewn crystals

00:19:30covered the train,

00:19:31each one like the future

00:19:33I had naively believed

00:19:34was coming.

00:19:35I had looked forward

00:19:36to this day

00:19:37more than anything,

00:19:38to marrying

00:19:39Cole Harrington beautifully,

00:19:43because I had secretly

00:19:44loved him for many years.

00:19:47Half a year ago,

00:19:48Lucy was diagnosed

00:19:49with severe aplastic anemia.

00:19:51Richard and Diana

00:19:52immediately underwent

00:19:54HLA matching,

00:19:55but the results

00:19:56were a complete mismatch.

00:19:57An urgent DNA test

00:19:59exposed the secret.

00:20:0022 years ago,

00:20:02the Whitfield family

00:20:03housekeeper,

00:20:03Maggie Reed,

00:20:04switched Lucy and me.

00:20:05She sent her own

00:20:06biological doll

00:20:07into the Godfather's house

00:20:08and took the true

00:20:09Whitfield bloodline

00:20:10back to a cramped

00:20:11staff apartment.

00:20:12After the truth came out,

00:20:13Maggie put a gun

00:20:13in her mouth

00:20:14in the underground

00:20:15wine cellar,

00:20:16leaving behind

00:20:17only a letter.

00:20:19I had read that letter.

00:20:21Across two full pages,

00:20:22she did not mention

00:20:23my name once.

00:20:24Lucy could not

00:20:25handle the shock

00:20:26and was diagnosed

00:20:26with severe depression.

00:20:28To preserve the port alliance

00:20:30between the Whitfield

00:20:31and Harrington families,

00:20:33Richard made a swift decision

00:20:34and transferred Lucy's

00:20:36original engagement to me.

00:20:37The reason sounded

00:20:38grand and proper.

00:20:39The old Harrington family pact

00:20:41required both sides

00:20:43to be bound by legal marriage

00:20:44and legitimate direct heirs.

00:20:46Otherwise,

00:20:47the merger of the East River docks,

00:20:49arms routes,

00:20:50and money-laughtering network

00:20:52would all be void.

00:20:53Lucy was too fragile

00:20:55to withstand

00:20:55that kind of pressure

00:20:56and I was healthy,

00:20:58mentally tougher,

00:20:59and more suited

00:21:00to bear this family responsibility.

00:21:02I did not hesitate.

00:21:04I agreed.

00:21:05Because Cole Harrington

00:21:06was the boy

00:21:07I had loved in secret

00:21:08since childhood.

00:21:10When I was little,

00:21:11I followed my foster mother,

00:21:12Maggie,

00:21:13to work at Harrington Manor.

00:21:15Lucy sat in the sunroom

00:21:17eating pastries.

00:21:18I was so hungry

00:21:19I could only stare,

00:21:20but I didn't dare come closer.

00:21:23Cole was the one

00:21:24who walked over

00:21:25and beckoned me to him.

00:21:27Lucy wrinkled her brows

00:21:29and said I was dirty,

00:21:30that I didn't deserve

00:21:31to touch her silver fork,

00:21:33but Cole placed

00:21:34a honey muffin in my palm.

00:21:35This country says

00:21:36everyone is equal

00:21:37on the surface,

00:21:38though we all know

00:21:38that's a lie,

00:21:39but at least at my table,

00:21:40you don't have to lower your head.

00:21:47From that day on,

00:21:48he became the light

00:21:49I hid in the deepest part

00:21:50of my heart.

00:21:51Every time I saw him,

00:21:53he would smile faintly at me,

00:21:54like a lamp suddenly lit

00:21:55in a dark warehouse.

00:21:56I was poor and timid,

00:21:58so I only dared watch him

00:21:59from afar,

00:22:01from age 12 to 22.

00:22:05On the day of the engagement banquet,

00:22:07he sat at the end

00:22:08of the long table

00:22:09while the elders

00:22:09raised glasses

00:22:10and discussed docks,

00:22:11containers,

00:22:12roots,

00:22:13and loyalty.

00:22:14He stayed silent

00:22:15for a long time

00:22:15and then asked

00:22:16only one question.

00:22:17Is Lucy doing any better?

00:22:19At the mention of Lucy,

00:22:21everyone's expressions

00:22:22softened.

00:22:24I shrank into a corner

00:22:25and said nothing.

00:22:28Cole gave me

00:22:28a cold glance.

00:22:31She's not suited

00:22:32for occasions like this.

00:22:33I heard it

00:22:34and I remembered it.

00:22:36From that day on,

00:22:38I threw myself

00:22:39into upper-class etiquette,

00:22:41learned to take apart

00:22:42and assemble guns,

00:22:44studied family accounts,

00:22:47and learned how not

00:22:48to show fear

00:22:49in front of wolves

00:22:50dressed in evening wear.

00:22:52I wanted to be

00:22:53a good wife to him.

00:22:54I didn't want

00:22:55to disappoint him.

00:22:56But how did it end?

00:22:58It took me far too long

00:23:00to understand.

00:23:01This engagement

00:23:02had never been love

00:23:03from the start.

00:23:04It was a blood-stained agreement.

00:23:07The Harrington family

00:23:08needed the Whitfield Docks,

00:23:09and the Whitfield family

00:23:11needed the Harrington Arms Lines,

00:23:12and they needed a woman

00:23:13to sit on the altar

00:23:14and complete the final piece.

00:23:17Lucy was too precious

00:23:18to sacrifice.

00:23:21And I had conveniently returned.

00:23:24Suddenly,

00:23:25there was a perfect solution

00:23:27for both sides.

00:23:28Too bad I was the extra

00:23:30bargaining chip

00:23:30outside that perfect solution.

00:23:33Even Ryan Black

00:23:34quickly took Lucy's side,

00:23:35even though,

00:23:36like me,

00:23:37he had grown up

00:23:38in the staff building

00:23:39at Whitfield Manor.

00:23:41Both of our mothers

00:23:42were employees

00:23:42of this family.

00:23:44Both of us

00:23:44had been bullied by Lucy,

00:23:45and both of us

00:23:46had sworn vows

00:23:47in the drafty winter

00:23:48staff quarters.

00:23:49When we were little,

00:23:50Ryan held my hand.

00:23:52One day,

00:23:53I'll climb above them.

00:23:55By then,

00:23:56Lucy Whitfield

00:23:57will never dare

00:23:57bully you again.

00:24:04Why did it become like this?

00:24:06I stumbled out of the church.

00:24:21In the banquet hall,

00:24:22my bridesmaid Grace

00:24:23stood frozen in place.

00:24:25At an ordinary wedding,

00:24:26someone would call the police,

00:24:27but on Whitfield territory,

00:24:29no one dared call 911.

00:24:31People here believed more

00:24:32in silence,

00:24:33hush money,

00:24:33and bodies encased

00:24:34in port concrete.

00:24:36My childhood friend,

00:24:37Ryan Black,

00:24:38stood in the shadows

00:24:38as if watching a play

00:24:39whose ending

00:24:40had never been in doubt.

00:24:41There was a commotion

00:24:42at the back door

00:24:43of the banquet hall.

00:24:44My biological parents

00:24:45came through the crowd.

00:24:47I thought they would

00:24:48finally ask if it hurt,

00:24:49but Diana did not even

00:24:50spare me a glance.

00:24:51Her voice shook.

00:24:53Where is my Lucy?

00:24:55She's emotionally unstable.

00:24:56How could you leave her alone

00:24:57in the safe house?

00:24:58If anything happens to her,

00:25:00I won't be able to live either.

00:25:01At my wedding,

00:25:03my fiancé, Cole,

00:25:04slapped me hard

00:25:04in front of half

00:25:05of New York's underworld.

00:25:10Lucy almost put a gun

00:25:11in her mouth

00:25:11and killed herself.

00:25:12And all you care about

00:25:13is your wedding?

00:25:15Orton,

00:25:15do you even possess

00:25:16a shred of decency?

00:25:18The blow sent me stumbling,

00:25:19and I crashed

00:25:20into the five-tier wedding cake.

00:25:22Cream,

00:25:22strawberry coulis,

00:25:24and champagne mixed together,

00:25:25clinging to my expensive

00:25:26white wedding dress

00:25:27like dignity

00:25:28crushed under someone's heel.

00:25:29On our wedding day,

00:25:30my fiancé missed

00:25:31the merger ceremony

00:25:32between two major families

00:25:33because of a cry for help

00:25:34from my stepsister,

00:25:35Lucy.

00:25:36While everyone was frozen

00:25:37in a standoff,

00:25:38I called Ryan Black,

00:25:39the boy I had grown up with,

00:25:40and told him,

00:25:41if you come,

00:25:42I'll marry you.

00:25:45Orton,

00:25:46you really think

00:25:46too highly of yourself.

00:25:48Ryan,

00:25:48are you gonna leave me too?

00:25:51Half an hour later,

00:25:52both men arrived at the church.

00:25:53One was the heir

00:25:54of the Harrington family,

00:25:55my fiancé in name,

00:25:57Cole.

00:25:57The other was

00:25:58my childhood friend

00:25:58from the staff building

00:25:59at Whitfield Manor,

00:26:00Ryan.

00:26:00They stepped out

00:26:01of black bulletproof cars.

00:26:02Behind them stood a line

00:26:03of black suit bodyguards

00:26:04with gun holsters

00:26:05concealed beneath their jackets

00:26:06like a belated judgment.

00:26:08I had been struck

00:26:09to the floor.

00:26:10Covering my face,

00:26:11I instinctively

00:26:12looked toward Ryan.

00:26:14He stood coldly

00:26:15to the side

00:26:15with both hands

00:26:16in his pockets,

00:26:17a flicker of disgust

00:26:18crossing his eyes.

00:26:22Even my biological parents,

00:26:24Richard,

00:26:25head of the Whitfield family

00:26:26and his wife Diana

00:26:27came over

00:26:28from the main table.

00:26:29The alliance ceremony

00:26:30can be rescheduled

00:26:31anytime,

00:26:32but if something

00:26:32happens to Lucy,

00:26:33we cannot afford

00:26:35to lose a single second.

00:26:37At that moment,

00:26:38I finally understood.

00:26:40Within this family,

00:26:41I was their long-lost

00:26:42biological daughter

00:26:43restored to them

00:26:44by blood,

00:26:45yet also the perfect

00:26:46bargaining chip.

00:26:47The people here tonight

00:26:48were not ordinary

00:26:49relatives and friends,

00:26:50but representatives

00:26:50from families in New York,

00:26:52Chicago,

00:26:53and Boston.

00:26:54Some held wine glasses,

00:26:55some had their fingers

00:26:57pressed against

00:26:57the inside of their jackets,

00:26:58close enough to touch

00:26:59a gun at any moment.

00:27:00A sharp ting

00:27:02burned across my face,

00:27:03and a drop of blood

00:27:04fell onto my snow-white

00:27:05wedding dress.

00:27:06I touched my nose.

00:27:07It was warm.

00:27:09Cole,

00:27:10are you insane?

00:27:14If Lucy hadn't begged me

00:27:16through tears

00:27:16to come finish this ceremony,

00:27:18do you really think

00:27:19I would be here?

00:27:20After saying that,

00:27:21he pulled a glass

00:27:21from the bottom tier

00:27:22of the champagne tower.

00:27:23The bodyguards at the door

00:27:24tensed instantly.

00:27:25The banquet hall manager

00:27:26went deathly pale,

00:27:27but did not dare

00:27:28step forward.

00:27:29Cole grabbed a bottle

00:27:29of champagne,

00:27:30twisted off the cork,

00:27:31aimed it over my head,

00:27:32and let the cold,

00:27:33golden liquid pour down.

00:27:35Didn't you want to marry

00:27:36into the Harrington family?

00:27:41Here.

00:27:42This is our champagne ceremony.

00:27:44The liquor ran from my lashes,

00:27:45down the bridge of my nose,

00:27:46and off my chin,

00:27:47drop by drop.

00:27:48I could no longer tell

00:27:48whether what fell onto

00:27:49my wedding dress

00:27:50was wine or blood.

00:27:51Satisfied now,

00:27:51my legal wife?

00:27:55In the banquet hall,

00:27:57my bridesmaid Grace

00:27:58stood frozen in place.

00:27:59At an ordinary wedding,

00:28:01someone would call the police,

00:28:02but on Whitfield territory,

00:28:04no one dared call 911.

00:28:05People here believed

00:28:06more in silence,

00:28:07hush money,

00:28:08and bodies encased

00:28:09in pork concrete.

00:28:10My childhood friend,

00:28:11Ryan Black,

00:28:12stood in the shadows

00:28:13as if watching a play

00:28:14whose ending

00:28:15had never been in doubt.

00:28:16There was a commotion

00:28:17at the back door

00:28:18of the banquet hall.

00:28:19My biological parents

00:28:20came through the crowd.

00:28:21I thought they would

00:28:22finally ask if it hurt,

00:28:23but Diana did not even

00:28:25spare me a glance.

00:28:26Her voice shook.

00:28:27Where is my Lucy?

00:28:29She's emotionally unstable.

00:28:31How could you leave her alone

00:28:32in the safe house?

00:28:33If anything happens to her,

00:28:35I won't be able to live either.

00:28:38Richard took the microphone.

00:28:40He was the godfather

00:28:41of the Whitfield family,

00:28:42always composed,

00:28:44always respectable.

00:28:45Even at a moment like this,

00:28:47he could announce to the room

00:28:49in an almost cruelly steady voice.

00:28:51My apologies, everyone.

00:28:53An emergency has come up

00:28:55within the family.

00:28:56Tonight's alliance ceremony

00:28:57is temporarily canceled.

00:28:59All gifts and cooperation deposits

00:29:01will be returned in full

00:29:02through the original channels.

00:29:03Richard Whitfield owes you all

00:29:05an explanation.

00:29:07After putting down the microphone,

00:29:09he looked at Cole.

00:29:10Lead the way.

00:29:11We're going to find Lucy.

00:29:13He did not look at me.

00:29:14I sat beside the collapsed cake,

00:29:17filthy and humiliated,

00:29:18like an old prop

00:29:19whose purpose had already

00:29:20been served.

00:29:28Dad, Mom.

00:29:30Lucy Whitfield stood in the doorway

00:29:32in an ivory dress.

00:29:33Her face streaked with tears,

00:29:35her steps unsteady.

00:29:36She had once been

00:29:37the little princess

00:29:38the Whitfield family

00:29:39had carefully raised

00:29:40for more than 20 years.

00:29:41Dad, Mom,

00:29:43please don't leave me.

00:29:44Even when she cried,

00:29:45she looked like

00:29:46a fragile work of art.

00:29:47Everyone's eyes

00:29:48were pulled towards her.

00:29:50Lucy, Lucy,

00:29:52don't be scared.

00:29:53Mom is right here.

00:29:55The man who could swallow

00:29:56three docks

00:29:57at a negotiation table

00:29:58without blinking

00:29:59opened his arms

00:30:00and held mother

00:30:01and daughter together.

00:30:02The scene was warm enough

00:30:04to look like

00:30:04a carefully staged movie

00:30:06and I was the unnecessary person

00:30:08outside the frame.

00:30:10Cole seemed to finally breathe

00:30:11in relief.

00:30:12When he looked at Lucy,

00:30:13the tenderness in his eyes

00:30:14nearly overflowed.

00:30:16Ryan looked back at me

00:30:17and slowly shook his head.

00:30:19I ignored him.

00:30:21I held on to the overturned table corner

00:30:23and got to my feet,

00:30:24pain stabbing through my ankle.

00:30:26My wedding dress

00:30:27dragged across the floor,

00:30:29covered in cream,

00:30:30liquor,

00:30:31and shattered glass.

00:30:33Hey, Miss Reed,

00:30:35do you need me to call a doctor?

00:30:37He did not say call the police.

00:30:39Everyone here knew

00:30:40the Whitfield family's affairs

00:30:42could not be handed to the police.

00:30:45No.

00:30:47I limped toward the side door.

00:30:51I had barely taken two steps

00:30:52when someone yanked my wrist.

00:30:57Orton,

00:30:58you really disappointed me tonight.

00:31:00I thought you were tough.

00:31:01I thought you could take the hits,

00:31:03claw your way out of the muck.

00:31:04Never imagined you'd resort

00:31:05to cheap stunts

00:31:06just to drag everyone's eyes

00:31:07onto yourself.

00:31:08Lucy has already given back

00:31:09everything she once had to you.

00:31:10She lost her parents,

00:31:12her identity,

00:31:12even her place's heir.

00:31:14Why still refuse to let her go?

00:31:16Orton,

00:31:16how did you become like this?

00:31:21Blood and champagne

00:31:22had dried on my dress

00:31:23like a brand of humiliation

00:31:24burnt into my skin.

00:31:26Suddenly,

00:31:27I wanted to laugh.

00:31:28This wedding dress

00:31:29was the most expensive thing

00:31:30I had ever worn in my life.

00:31:32Before the wedding,

00:31:33I had touched it again and again

00:31:34with careful hands.

00:31:35It came from Milan.

00:31:37More than a thousand

00:31:38hand-sewn crystals

00:31:39covered the train,

00:31:40each one like the future

00:31:41I had naively believed

00:31:42was coming.

00:31:44I had looked forward

00:31:45to this day

00:31:45more than anything.

00:31:46To marrying

00:31:47Cole Harrington beautifully.

00:31:51Because I had secretly

00:31:52loved him for many years.

00:31:55Half a year ago,

00:31:57Lucy was diagnosed

00:31:58with severe aplastic anemia.

00:32:00Richard and Diana

00:32:01immediately underwent

00:32:02HLA matching,

00:32:03but the results

00:32:04were a complete mismatch.

00:32:05An urgent DNA test

00:32:07exposed the secret.

00:32:0922 years ago,

00:32:10the Whitfield family

00:32:11housekeeper,

00:32:11Maggie Reed,

00:32:12switched Lucy and me.

00:32:13She sent her own

00:32:14biological doll

00:32:15into the Godfather's house

00:32:16and took the true

00:32:17Whitfield bloodline

00:32:18back to a cramped

00:32:19staff apartment.

00:32:20After the truth came out,

00:32:21Maggie put a gun

00:32:22in her mouth

00:32:22in the underground

00:32:23wine cellar,

00:32:24leaving behind

00:32:25only a letter.

00:32:27I had read that letter.

00:32:29Across two full pages,

00:32:30she did not mention

00:32:31my name once.

00:32:33Lucy could not

00:32:33handle the shock

00:32:34and was diagnosed

00:32:35with severe depression.

00:32:37To preserve the port

00:32:38alliance between

00:32:39the Whitfield

00:32:39and Harrington families,

00:32:41Richard made a swift

00:32:42decision and transferred

00:32:43Lucy's original

00:32:44engagement to me.

00:32:45The reason sounded

00:32:46grand and proper.

00:32:48The old Harrington

00:32:49family pact

00:32:49required both sides

00:32:51to be bound by

00:32:52legal marriage

00:32:52and legitimate

00:32:53direct heirs.

00:32:54Otherwise,

00:32:55the merger of

00:32:56the East River docks,

00:32:57arms routes,

00:32:58and money-laughtering

00:32:59network would all

00:33:01be void.

00:33:02Lucy was too fragile

00:33:03to withstand

00:33:03that kind of pressure

00:33:04and I was healthy,

00:33:06mentally tougher,

00:33:07and more suited

00:33:08to bear this

00:33:09family responsibility.

00:33:10I did not hesitate.

00:33:12I agreed.

00:33:13Because Cole Harrington

00:33:15was the boy I had loved

00:33:16in secret since childhood.

00:33:18When I was little,

00:33:19I followed my foster

00:33:20mother Maggie

00:33:21to work at

00:33:22Harrington Manor.

00:33:23Lucy sat in the sunroom

00:33:25eating pastries.

00:33:26I was so hungry

00:33:27I could only stare,

00:33:29but I didn't dare

00:33:29come closer.

00:33:31Cole was the one

00:33:32who walked over

00:33:33and beckoned me to him.

00:33:36Lucy wrinkled her brows

00:33:37and said I was dirty,

00:33:38that I didn't deserve

00:33:40to touch her silver fork,

00:33:41but Cole placed

00:33:42a honey muffin

00:33:43in my palm.

00:33:44This country says

00:33:44everyone is equal

00:33:45on the surface,

00:33:46though we all know

00:33:46that's a lie,

00:33:47but at least at my table,

00:33:48you don't have to

00:33:49lower your head.

00:33:55From that day on,

00:33:56he became the light

00:33:57I hid in the deepest

00:33:58part of my heart.

00:33:59Every time I saw him,

00:34:01he would smile faintly at me,

00:34:02like a lamp suddenly lit

00:34:04in a dark warehouse.

00:34:05I was poor and timid,

00:34:06so I only dared

00:34:07watch him from afar,

00:34:09from age 12 to 22.

00:34:13On the day of the

00:34:14engagement banquet,

00:34:15he sat at the end

00:34:16of the long table

00:34:17while the elders

00:34:18raised glasses

00:34:18and discussed docks,

00:34:20containers,

00:34:20roots,

00:34:21and loyalty.

00:34:22He stayed silent

00:34:23for a long time

00:34:24and then asked

00:34:25only one question.

00:34:26Is Lucy doing

00:34:26any better?

00:34:27At the mention of Lucy,

00:34:30everyone's expressions

00:34:31softened.

00:34:32I shrank into a corner

00:34:34and said nothing.

00:34:36Cole gave me

00:34:37a cold glance.

00:34:39She's not suited

00:34:40for occasions like this.

00:34:42I heard it

00:34:43and I remembered it.

00:34:45From that day on,

00:34:46I threw myself

00:34:47into upper-class etiquette,

00:34:49learned to take apart

00:34:50and assemble guns,

00:34:52studied family accounts,

00:34:55and learned how not

00:34:56to show fear

00:34:57in front of wolves

00:34:58dressed in evening wear.

00:35:00I wanted to be

00:35:01a good wife to him.

00:35:02I didn't want

00:35:03to disappoint him.

00:35:04But how did it end?

00:35:06It took me far too long

00:35:08to understand.

00:35:09This engagement

00:35:10had never been love

00:35:11from the start.

00:35:12It was a blood-stained agreement.

00:35:15The Harrington family

00:35:16needed the Whitfield docks

00:35:18and the Whitfield family

00:35:19needed the Harrington arms lines

00:35:21and they needed a woman

00:35:22to sit on the altar

00:35:23and complete the final piece.

00:35:25Lucy was too precious

00:35:26to sacrifice.

00:35:29And I had conveniently returned.

00:35:33Suddenly,

00:35:33there was a perfect solution

00:35:35for both sides.

00:35:36Too bad I was

00:35:37the extra bargaining chip

00:35:39outside that perfect solution.

00:35:41Even Ryan Black

00:35:42quickly took Lucy's side.

00:35:43Even though,

00:35:44like me,

00:35:46he had grown up

00:35:46in the staff building

00:35:47at Whitfield Manor.

00:35:49Both of our mothers

00:35:50were employees

00:35:51of this family.

00:35:52Both of us

00:35:52had been bullied by Lucy

00:35:53and both of us

00:35:54had sworn vows

00:35:55in the drafty winter

00:35:56staff quarters.

00:35:57When we were little,

00:35:58Ryan held my hand.

00:36:00One day,

00:36:01I'll climb above them.

00:36:03By then,

00:36:04Lucy Whitfield

00:36:05will never dare

00:36:06bully you again.

00:36:12Why did it become like this?

00:36:14I stumbled out of the church.

00:36:29In the banquet hall,

00:36:30my bridesmaid Grace

00:36:31stood frozen in place.

00:36:33At an ordinary wedding,

00:36:34someone would call the police,

00:36:36but on Whitfield territory,

00:36:37no one dared

00:36:38call 911.

00:36:39People here believed

00:36:40more in silence,

00:36:41hush money,

00:36:42and bodies encased

00:36:43in pork concrete.

00:36:44My childhood friend,

00:36:45Ryan Black,

00:36:46stood in the shadows

00:36:47as if watching a play

00:36:48whose ending

00:36:48had never been in doubt.

00:36:50There was a commotion

00:36:51at the back door

00:36:51of the banquet hall.

00:36:52My biological parents

00:36:54came through the crowd.

00:36:55I thought they would

00:36:56finally ask if it hurt.

00:36:57But Diana did not

00:36:58even spare me a glance.

00:37:00Her voice shook.

00:37:01Where is my Lucy?

00:37:03She's emotionally unstable.

00:37:04How could you leave her alone

00:37:05in the safe house?

00:37:07If anything happens to her,

00:37:08I won't be able to live either.

00:37:10At my wedding,

00:37:11my fiance, Cole,

00:37:12slapped me hard

00:37:13in front of half

00:37:13of New York's underworld.

00:37:18Lucy almost put a gun

00:37:19in her mouth

00:37:20and killed herself.

00:37:21And all you care about

00:37:22is your wedding?

00:37:23Orton,

00:37:24do you even possess

00:37:24a shred of decency?

00:37:26The blow sent me stumbling,

00:37:27and I crashed

00:37:28into the five-tier wedding cake.

00:37:30Cream,

00:37:31strawberry coulis,

00:37:32and champagne

00:37:32mixed together,

00:37:33clinging to my expensive

00:37:34white wedding dress

00:37:35like Degnity

00:37:36crushed under someone's heel.

00:37:38On our wedding day,

00:37:39my fiance missed

00:37:39the merger ceremony

00:37:40between two major families

00:37:42because of a cry for help

00:37:43from my stepsister, Lucy.

00:37:44While everyone was frozen

00:37:46in a standoff,

00:37:46I called Ryan Black,

00:37:47the boy I had grown up with,

00:37:49and told him,

00:37:49if you come,

00:37:51I'll marry you.

00:37:53Orton,

00:37:54you really think

00:37:54too highly of yourself.

00:37:56Ryan,

00:37:57are you gonna leave me too?

00:37:59Half an hour later,

00:38:00both men arrived at the church.

00:38:02One was the heir

00:38:02of the Harrington family,

00:38:04my fiance in name,

00:38:05Cole.

00:38:05The other was my childhood friend

00:38:06from the staff building

00:38:07at Whitfield Manor, Ryan.

00:38:08They stepped out

00:38:09of black bulletproof cars.

00:38:10Behind them stood a line

00:38:11of black suit bodyguards

00:38:13with gun holsters

00:38:13concealed beneath their jackets

00:38:14like a belated judgment.

00:38:16I had been struck to the floor.

00:38:18Covering my face,

00:38:19I instinctively looked toward Ryan.

00:38:22He stood coldly to the side

00:38:24with both hands in his pockets,

00:38:25a flicker of disgust

00:38:27crossing his eyes.

00:38:30Even my biological parents,

00:38:32Richard,

00:38:33head of the Whitfield family,

00:38:34and his wife, Diana,

00:38:36came over from the main table.

00:38:37The alliance ceremony

00:38:39can be rescheduled anytime,

00:38:40but if something happens to Lucy,

00:38:42we cannot afford

00:38:43to lose a single second.

00:38:45At that moment,

00:38:46I finally understood.

00:38:48Within this family,

00:38:49I was their long-lost

00:38:51biological daughter

00:38:52restored to them by blood,

00:38:53yet also the perfect

00:38:54bargaining chip.

00:38:55The people here tonight

00:38:56were not ordinary relatives

00:38:57and friends,

00:38:58but representatives from families

00:38:59in New York,

00:39:00Chicago,

00:39:01and Boston.

00:39:02Some held wine glasses,

00:39:04some had their fingers

00:39:05pressed against the inside

00:39:06of their jackets,

00:39:07close enough to touch a gun

00:39:08at any moment.

00:39:09A sharp ting burned

00:39:10across my face,

00:39:11and a drop of blood

00:39:12fell onto my snow-white

00:39:13wedding dress.

00:39:14I touched my nose.

00:39:16It was warm.

00:39:17Cole, are you insane?

00:39:23If Lucy hadn't begged me

00:39:24through tears

00:39:25to come finish this ceremony,

00:39:26do you really think

00:39:27I would be here?

00:39:28After saying that,

00:39:29he pulled a glass

00:39:29from the bottom tier

00:39:30of the champagne tower.

00:39:31The bodyguards at the door

00:39:32tensed instantly.

00:39:33The banquet hall manager

00:39:34went deathly pale,

00:39:35but did not dare step forward.

00:39:37Cole grabbed a bottle

00:39:38of champagne,

00:39:39twisted off the cork,

00:39:40aimed it over my head,

00:39:41and let the cold,

00:39:42golden liquid pour down.

00:39:43Didn't you want to marry

00:39:44into the Harrington family?

00:39:49Here.

00:39:50This is our champagne ceremony.

00:39:52The liquor ran from my lashes,

00:39:53down the bridge of my nose,

00:39:54and off my chin,

00:39:55drop by drop.

00:39:56I could no longer tell

00:39:57whether what fell onto

00:39:57my wedding dress

00:39:58was wine or blood.

00:39:59Satisfied now,

00:40:00my legal wife?

00:40:04In the banquet hall,

00:40:05my bridesmaid Grace

00:40:06stood frozen in place.

00:40:08At an ordinary wedding,

00:40:09someone would call the police,

00:40:10but on Whitfield territory,

00:40:12no one dared call 911.

00:40:14People here believed

00:40:15more in silence,

00:40:16hush money,

00:40:16and bodies encased

00:40:17in port concrete.

00:40:18My childhood friend,

00:40:20Ryan Black,

00:40:21stood in the shadows

00:40:21as if watching a play

00:40:22whose ending

00:40:23had never been in doubt.

00:40:24There was a commotion

00:40:25at the back door

00:40:26of the banquet hall.

00:40:27My biological parents

00:40:28came through the crowd.

00:40:29I thought they would

00:40:30finally ask if it hurt,

00:40:32but Diana did not even

00:40:33spare me a glance.

00:40:34Her voice shook.

00:40:35Where is my Lucy?

00:40:37She's emotionally unstable.

00:40:39How could you leave her

00:40:40alone in the safe house?

00:40:41If anything happens to her,

00:40:43I won't be able

00:40:43to live either.

00:40:46Richard took the microphone.

00:40:48He was the godfather

00:40:49of the Whitfield family,

00:40:51always composed,

00:40:52always respectable.

00:40:54Even at a moment like this,

00:40:55he could announce to the room

00:40:57in an almost cruelly steady voice.

00:40:59My apologies, everyone.

00:41:01An emergency has come up

00:41:03within the family.

00:41:04Tonight's alliance ceremony

00:41:06is temporarily cancelled.

00:41:07All gifts and cooperation

00:41:09deposits will be returned

00:41:10in full through the original channels.

00:41:12Richard Whitfield

00:41:13owes you all an explanation.

00:41:15After putting down

00:41:16the microphone,

00:41:17he looked at Cole.

00:41:18Lead the way.

00:41:19We're going to find Lucy.

00:41:21He did not look at me.

00:41:23I sat beside the collapsed cake,

00:41:25filthy and humiliated,

00:41:26like an old prop

00:41:27whose purpose

00:41:28had already been served.

00:41:36Dad, Mom.

00:41:38Lucy Whitfield stood in the doorway

00:41:40in an ivory dress.

00:41:41Her face streaked with tears,

00:41:43her steps unsteady.

00:41:44She had once been

00:41:45the little princess

00:41:46the Whitfield family

00:41:47had carefully raised

00:41:48for more than 20 years.

00:41:50Dad, Mom,

00:41:51please don't leave me.

00:41:53Even when she cried,

00:41:54she looked like

00:41:54a fragile work of art.

00:41:55Everyone's eyes

00:41:56were pulled towards her.

00:41:58Lucy.

00:41:59Lucy, don't be scared.

00:42:01Mom is right here.

00:42:03The man who could

00:42:04swallow three docks

00:42:05at a negotiation table

00:42:07without blinking

00:42:07opened his arms

00:42:08and held mother

00:42:09and daughter together.

00:42:11The scene was warm enough

00:42:12to look like

00:42:13a carefully staged movie,

00:42:14and I was the unnecessary person

00:42:16outside the frame.

00:42:18Cole seemed to finally

00:42:19breathe in relief.

00:42:20When he looked at Lucy,

00:42:21the tenderness in his eyes

00:42:23nearly overflowed.

00:42:24Ryan looked back at me

00:42:25and slowly shook his head.

00:42:27I ignored him.

00:42:29I held on to the overturned

00:42:31table corner

00:42:31and got to my feet,

00:42:33pain stabbing through my ankle.

00:42:35My wedding dress

00:42:36dragged across the floor,

00:42:37covered in cream,

00:42:39liquor,

00:42:39and shattered glass.

00:42:41Hey, Miss Reed.

00:42:43Do you need me to call a doctor?

00:42:45He did not say

00:42:46call the police.

00:42:48Everyone here knew

00:42:48the Whitfield family's affairs

00:42:50could not be handed

00:42:51to the police.

00:42:53No.

00:42:55I limped toward the side door.

00:42:59I had barely taken two steps

00:43:01when someone yanked my wrist.

00:43:05Orton,

00:43:06you really disappointed me tonight.

00:43:08I thought you were tough.

00:43:10I thought you could take the hits,

00:43:11claw your way out of the muck.

00:43:13Never imagined you'd resort

00:43:14to cheap stunts

00:43:14just to drag everyone's eyes

00:43:15onto yourself.

00:43:16Lucy has already given back

00:43:17everything she once had to you.

00:43:19She lost her parents,

00:43:20her identity,

00:43:21even her place's heir.

00:43:22Why still refuse to let her go?

00:43:24Orton,

00:43:24how did you become like this?

00:43:29Blood and champagne

00:43:30had dried on my dress

00:43:31like a brand of humiliation

00:43:32burnt into my skin.

00:43:34Suddenly,

00:43:35I wanted to laugh.

00:43:36This wedding dress

00:43:37was the most expensive thing

00:43:38I had ever worn in my life.

00:43:40Before the wedding,

00:43:41I had touched it again and again

00:43:42with careful hands.

00:43:43It came from Milan.

00:43:45More than a thousand

00:43:46hand-sewn crystals

00:43:47covered the train,

00:43:48each one like the future

00:43:49I had naively believed

00:43:50was coming.

00:43:52I had looked forward

00:43:53to this day

00:43:53more than anything.

00:43:55To marrying

00:43:56Cole Harrington beautifully.

00:43:59Because I had secretly

00:44:01loved him for many years.

00:44:03Half a year ago,

00:44:05Lucy was diagnosed

00:44:06with severe aplastic anemia.

00:44:08Richard and Diana

00:44:09immediately underwent

00:44:10HLA matching,

00:44:11but the results

00:44:12were a complete mismatch.

00:44:14An urgent DNA test

00:44:15exposed the secret.

00:44:1722 years ago,

00:44:18the Whitfield family

00:44:19housekeeper,

00:44:20Maggie Reed,

00:44:21switched Lucy and me.

00:44:22She sent her own

00:44:23biological doll

00:44:24into the Godfather's house

00:44:25and took the true

00:44:25Whitfield bloodline

00:44:26back to a cramped

00:44:27staff apartment.

00:44:28After the truth came out,

00:44:29Maggie put a gun

00:44:30in her mouth

00:44:30in the underground wine cellar,

00:44:32leaving behind

00:44:33only a letter.

00:44:35I had read that letter.

00:44:37Across two full pages,

00:44:39she did not mention

00:44:39my name once.

00:44:41Lucy could not

00:44:41handle the shock

00:44:42and was diagnosed

00:44:43with severe depression.

00:44:45To preserve the port

00:44:46alliance between

00:44:47the Whitfield

00:44:48and Harrington families,

00:44:49Richard made a swift

00:44:50decision and transferred

00:44:51Lucy's original

00:44:52engagement to me.

00:44:54The reason sounded

00:44:55grand and proper.

00:44:56The old Harrington

00:44:57family pact

00:44:58required both sides

00:44:59to be bound

00:45:00by legal marriage

00:45:01and legitimate

00:45:01direct heirs.

00:45:03Otherwise,

00:45:04the merger of

00:45:04the East River docks,

00:45:06arms routes,

00:45:07and money-laughtering

00:45:08network

00:45:08would all be void.

00:45:10Lucy was too fragile

00:45:11to withstand

00:45:12that kind of pressure

00:45:13and I was healthy,

00:45:14mentally tougher,

00:45:15and more suited

00:45:17to bear this

00:45:17family responsibility.

00:45:18I did not hesitate.

00:45:20I agreed.

00:45:22Because Cole Harrington

00:45:23was the boy

00:45:23I had loved in secret

00:45:24since childhood.

00:45:26When I was little,

00:45:28I followed my

00:45:28foster mother Maggie

00:45:29to work at

00:45:30Harrington Manor.

00:45:32Lucy sat in the sunroom

00:45:33eating pastries.

00:45:35I was so hungry

00:45:36I could only stare,

00:45:37but I didn't dare

00:45:38come closer.

00:45:40Cole was the one

00:45:40who walked over

00:45:41and beckoned me to him.

00:45:44Lucy wrinkled her brows

00:45:45and said I was dirty,

00:45:47that I didn't deserve

00:45:48to touch her silver fork,

00:45:49but Cole placed

00:45:50a honey muffin

00:45:51in my palm.

00:45:52This country says

00:45:53everyone is equal

00:45:53on the surface,

00:45:54though we all know

00:45:55that's a lie,

00:45:55but at least at my table,

00:45:57you don't have to

00:45:57lower your head.

00:46:03From that day on,

00:46:04he became the light

00:46:05I hid in the deepest

00:46:06part of my heart.

00:46:08Every time I saw him,

00:46:09he would smile faintly

00:46:10at me,

00:46:10like a lamp suddenly lit

00:46:12in a dark warehouse.

00:46:13I was poor and timid,

00:46:14so I only dared

00:46:15watch him from afar,

00:46:17from age 12 to 22.

00:46:21On the day

00:46:22of the engagement banquet,

00:46:23he sat at the end

00:46:24of the long table

00:46:25while the elders

00:46:26raised glasses

00:46:27and discussed docks,

00:46:28containers,

00:46:29roots,

00:46:29and loyalty.

00:46:30He stayed silent

00:46:31for a long time

00:46:32and then asked

00:46:33only one question.

00:46:34Is Lucy doing

00:46:35any better?

00:46:36At the mention of Lucy,

00:46:38everyone's expressions

00:46:39softened.

00:46:40I shrank into a corner

00:46:42and said nothing.

00:46:44Cole gave me

00:46:45a cold glance.

00:46:47She's not suited

00:46:48for occasions like this.

00:46:50I heard it

00:46:51and I remembered it.

00:46:53From that day on,

00:46:54I threw myself

00:46:55into upper-class etiquette,

00:46:57learned to take apart

00:46:58and assemble guns,

00:47:01studied family accounts,

00:47:04and learned how not

00:47:05to show fear

00:47:05in front of wolves

00:47:06dressed in evening wear.

00:47:08I wanted to be

00:47:09a good wife to him.

00:47:11I didn't want

00:47:11to disappoint him.

00:47:12But how did it end?

00:47:15It took me far too long

00:47:16to understand.

00:47:18This engagement

00:47:19had never been love

00:47:20from the start.

00:47:20It was a blood-stained agreement.

00:47:23The Harrington family

00:47:25needed the Whitfield docks

00:47:26and the Whitfield family

00:47:27needed the Harrington arms lines

00:47:29and they needed a woman

00:47:30to sit on the altar

00:47:31and complete the final piece.

00:47:34Lucy was too precious

00:47:35to sacrifice.

00:47:38And I had conveniently returned.

00:47:41Suddenly,

00:47:42there was a perfect solution

00:47:43for both sides.

00:47:45Too bad I was the extra

00:47:46bargaining chip

00:47:47outside that perfect solution.

00:47:48Even Ryan Black

00:47:50quickly took Lucy's side.

00:47:52Even though,

00:47:52like me,

00:47:54he had grown up

00:47:55in the staff building

00:47:55at Whitfield Manor.

00:47:57Both of our mothers

00:47:58were employees

00:47:59of this family.

00:48:00Both of us

00:48:01had been bullied by Lucy

00:48:02and both of us

00:48:03had sworn vows

00:48:03in the drafty winter

00:48:04staff quarters.

00:48:05When we were little,

00:48:07Ryan held my hand.

00:48:08One day,

00:48:10I'll climb above them.

00:48:11By then,

00:48:12Lucy Whitfield

00:48:13will never dare

00:48:14bully you again.

00:48:20Why did it become like this?

00:48:22I stumbled out of the church.

00:48:37In the banquet hall,

00:48:39my bridesmaid Grace

00:48:40stood frozen in place.

00:48:41At an ordinary wedding,

00:48:43someone would call the police,

00:48:44but on Whitfield territory,

00:48:46no one dared

00:48:46call 911.

00:48:47People here believed

00:48:48more in silence,

00:48:49hush money,

00:48:50and bodies encased

00:48:51in port concrete.

00:48:52My childhood friend,

00:48:53Ryan Black,

00:48:54stood in the shadows

00:48:55as if watching a play

00:48:56whose ending

00:48:56had never been in doubt.

00:48:58There was a commotion

00:48:59at the back door

00:48:59of the banquet hall.

00:49:00My biological parents

00:49:02came through the crowd.

00:49:03I thought they would

00:49:04finally ask if it hurt.

00:49:05But Diana did not

00:49:07even spare me a glance.

00:49:08Her voice shook.

00:49:09Where is my Lucy?

00:49:11She's emotionally unstable.

00:49:12How could you leave her alone

00:49:14in the safe house?

00:49:15If anything happens to her,

00:49:17I won't be able to live either.

00:49:18At my wedding,

00:49:19my fiancé, Cole,

00:49:20slapped me hard

00:49:21in front of half

00:49:22of New York's underworld.

00:49:26Lucy almost put a gun

00:49:27in her mouth

00:49:28and killed herself.

00:49:29And all you care about

00:49:30is your wedding?

00:49:32Orton,

00:49:32do you even possess

00:49:32a shred of decency?

00:49:34The blow sent me stumbling

00:49:36and I crashed into

00:49:37the five-tier wedding cake.

00:49:38Cream,

00:49:39strawberry coulis,

00:49:40and champagne

00:49:41mixed together,

00:49:42clinging to my expensive

00:49:43white wedding dress

00:49:44like dignity

00:49:44crushed under someone's heel.

00:49:46On our wedding day,

00:49:47my fiancé missed

00:49:48the merger ceremony

00:49:49between two major families

00:49:50because of a cry for help

00:49:51from my stepsister, Lucy.

00:49:53While everyone was frozen

00:49:54in a standoff,

00:49:55I called Ryan Black,

00:49:56the boy I had grown up with,

00:49:57and told him,

00:49:58If you come,

00:49:59I'll marry you.

00:50:01Orton,

00:50:02you really think

00:50:03too highly of yourself.

00:50:04Ryan,

00:50:05are you gonna leave me too?

00:50:07Half an hour later,

00:50:08both men arrived

00:50:09at the church.

00:50:10One was the heir

00:50:11of the Harrington family,

00:50:12my fiancé in name,

00:50:13Cole.

00:50:13The other was

00:50:14my childhood friend

00:50:15from the staff building

00:50:15at Whitfield Manor, Ryan.

00:50:17They stepped out

00:50:17of black bulletproof cars.

00:50:19Behind them stood

00:50:19a line of black suit bodyguards

00:50:21with gun holsters

00:50:22concealed beneath their jackets

00:50:23like a belated judgment.

00:50:24I had been struck

00:50:25to the floor,

00:50:26covering my face,

00:50:27I instinctively

00:50:29looked toward Ryan.

00:50:30He stood coldly

00:50:31to the side

00:50:32with both hands

00:50:33in his pockets,

00:50:33a flicker of disgust

00:50:35crossing his eyes.

00:50:38Even my biological parents,

00:50:41Richard,

00:50:41head of the Whitfield family,

00:50:42and his wife Diana,

00:50:44came over

00:50:44from the main table.

00:50:45The alliance ceremony

00:50:47can be rescheduled

00:50:48any time,

00:50:48but if something happens

00:50:49to Lucy,

00:50:50we cannot afford

00:50:51to lose a single second.

00:50:53At that moment,

00:50:55I finally understood.

00:50:56Within this family,

00:50:57I was their long-lost

00:50:59biological daughter,

00:51:00restored to them

00:51:01by blood,

00:51:01yet also the perfect

00:51:02bargaining chip.

00:51:03The people here tonight

00:51:04were not ordinary

00:51:05relatives and friends,

00:51:06but representatives

00:51:07from families

00:51:08in New York,

00:51:08Chicago,

00:51:09and Boston.

00:51:10Some held wine glasses,

00:51:12some had their fingers

00:51:13pressed against

00:51:14the inside of their jackets,

00:51:15close enough to touch

00:51:16a gun at any moment.

00:51:17A sharp ting

00:51:18burned across my face,

00:51:19and a drop of blood

00:51:20fell onto my snow-white

00:51:21wedding dress.

00:51:22I touched my nose.

00:51:24It was warm.

00:51:26Cole,

00:51:26are you insane?

00:51:31If Lucy hadn't begged me

00:51:32through tears

00:51:33to come finish this ceremony,

00:51:34do you really think

00:51:35I would be here?

00:51:36After saying that,

00:51:37he pulled a glass

00:51:38from the bottom tier

00:51:38of the champagne tower.

00:51:39The bodyguards at the door

00:51:41tensed instantly.

00:51:42The banquet hall manager

00:51:43went deathly pale,

00:51:44but did not dare

00:51:44step forward.

00:51:45Cole grabbed a bottle

00:51:46of champagne,

00:51:47twisted off the cork,

00:51:48aimed it over my head,

00:51:49and let the cold,

00:51:50golden liquid pour down.

00:51:52Didn't you want to marry

00:51:52into the Harrington family?

00:51:57Here.

00:51:59This is our champagne ceremony.

00:52:00The liquor ran from my lashes,

00:52:02down the bridge of my nose,

00:52:03and off my chin,

00:52:03drop by drop.

00:52:04I could no longer tell

00:52:05whether what fell onto

00:52:06my wedding dress

00:52:06was wine or blood.

00:52:07Satisfied now,

00:52:08my legal wife?

00:52:12In the banquet hall,

00:52:13my bridesmaid Grace

00:52:14stood frozen in place.

00:52:16At an ordinary wedding,

00:52:17someone would call the police,

00:52:18but on Whitfield territory,

00:52:20no one dared call 911.

00:52:22People here believed

00:52:23more in silence,

00:52:24hush money,

00:52:24and bodies encased

00:52:25in port concrete.

00:52:27My childhood friend,

00:52:28Ryan Black,

00:52:29stood in the shadows

00:52:29as if watching a play

00:52:31whose ending

00:52:31had never been in doubt.

00:52:32There was a commotion

00:52:33at the back door

00:52:34of the banquet hall.

00:52:35My biological parents

00:52:36came through the crowd.

00:52:38I thought they would

00:52:39finally ask if it hurt,

00:52:40but Diana did not even

00:52:41spare me a glance.

00:52:43Her voice shook.

00:52:43Where is my Lucy?

00:52:46She's emotionally unstable.

00:52:47How could you leave her alone

00:52:48in the safe house?

00:52:49If anything happens to her,

00:52:51I won't be able to live either.

00:52:54Richard took the microphone.

00:52:56He was the godfather

00:52:57of the Whitfield family,

00:52:59always composed,

00:53:00always respectable.

00:53:02Even at a moment like this,

00:53:04he could announce to the room

00:53:05in an almost cruelly steady voice.

00:53:07My apologies,

00:53:09my apologies, everyone.

00:53:10An emergency has come up

00:53:11within the family.

00:53:13Tonight's alliance ceremony

00:53:14is temporarily cancelled.

00:53:16All gifts and cooperation deposits

00:53:18will be returned in full

00:53:19through the original channels.

00:53:20Richard Whitfield owes you all

00:53:21an explanation.

00:53:23After putting down the microphone,

00:53:25he looked at Cole.

00:53:26Lead the way.

00:53:27We're going to find Lucy.

00:53:29He did not look at me.

00:53:30I sat beside the collapsed cake,

00:53:33filthy and humiliated,

00:53:35like an old prop

00:53:35whose purpose

00:53:36had already been served.

00:53:44Dad, Mom.

00:53:47Lucy Whitfield stood in the doorway

00:53:48in an ivory dress.

00:53:50Her face streaked with tears,

00:53:51her steps unsteady.

00:53:52She had once been

00:53:53the little princess

00:53:54the Whitfield family

00:53:55had carefully raised

00:53:56for more than 20 years.

00:53:58Dad, Mom,

00:54:00please don't leave me.

00:54:01Even when she cried,

00:54:02she looked like a fragile

00:54:03work of art.

00:54:04Everyone's eyes

00:54:04were pulled towards her.

00:54:06Lucy.

00:54:07Lucy, don't be scared.

00:54:09Mom is right here.

00:54:11The man who could swallow

00:54:13three docks

00:54:14at a negotiation table

00:54:15without blinking

00:54:16opened his arms

00:54:16and held mother

00:54:17and daughter together.

00:54:19The scene was warm enough

00:54:20to look like

00:54:21a carefully staged movie,

00:54:22and I was the unnecessary person

00:54:24outside the frame.

00:54:26Cole seemed to finally

00:54:27breathe in relief.

00:54:28When he looked at Lucy,

00:54:30the tenderness in his eyes

00:54:31nearly overflowed.

00:54:32Ryan looked back at me

00:54:33and slowly shook his head.

00:54:35I ignored him.

00:54:37I held on to the

00:54:38overturned table corner

00:54:40and got to my feet,

00:54:41pain stabbing

00:54:42through my ankle.

00:54:43My wedding dress

00:54:44dragged across the floor,

00:54:45covered in cream,

00:54:47liquor,

00:54:47and shattered glass.

00:54:50Hey, Miss Reed,

00:54:51do you need me

00:54:52to call a doctor?

00:54:53He did not say

00:54:54call the police.

00:54:56Everyone here knew

00:54:57the Whitfield family's affairs

00:54:58could not be handed

00:54:59to the police.

00:55:01No.

00:55:04I limped toward the side door.

00:55:07I had barely taken two steps

00:55:09when someone yanked my wrist.

00:55:14Orton,

00:55:14you really disappointed me tonight.

00:55:16I thought you were tough.

00:55:18I thought you could take the hits,

00:55:20claw your way out of the muck.

00:55:21Never imagined you'd resort

00:55:22to cheap stunts

00:55:23just to drag everyone's eyes

00:55:24onto yourself.

00:55:25Lucy has already given back

00:55:26everything she once had to you.

00:55:27She lost her parents,

00:55:28her identity,

00:55:29even her place's heir.

00:55:30Why still refuse to let her go?

00:55:32Orton,

00:55:33how did you become like this?

00:55:37Blood and champagne

00:55:38had dried on my dress,

00:55:39like a brand of humiliation

00:55:41burnt into my skin.

00:55:42Suddenly,

00:55:43I wanted to laugh.

00:55:44This wedding dress

00:55:45was the most expensive thing

00:55:46I had ever worn in my life.

00:55:48Before the wedding,

00:55:49I had touched it again and again

00:55:51with careful hands.

00:55:52It came from Milan.

00:55:53More than a thousand

00:55:54hand-sewn crystals

00:55:55covered the train,

00:55:56each one like the future

00:55:57I had naively believed

00:55:59was coming.

00:56:00I had looked forward

00:56:01to this day

00:56:02more than anything,

00:56:03to marrying Cole Harrington

00:56:05beautifully,

00:56:08because I had secretly

00:56:09loved him for many years.

00:56:11Half a year ago,

00:56:13Lucy was diagnosed

00:56:14with severe aplastic anemia.

00:56:16Richard and Diana

00:56:17immediately underwent

00:56:18HLA matching,

00:56:20but the results

00:56:20were a complete mismatch.

00:56:22An urgent DNA test

00:56:23exposed the secret.

00:56:2522 years ago,

00:56:26the Whitfield family

00:56:27housekeeper,

00:56:28Maggie Reed,

00:56:28switched Lucy and me.

00:56:30She sent her own

00:56:31biological doll

00:56:32into the Godfather's house

00:56:33and took the true

00:56:34Whitfield bloodline

00:56:34back to a cramped

00:56:35staff apartment.

00:56:36After the truth came out,

00:56:37Maggie put a gun in her mouth

00:56:39in the underground wine cellar,

00:56:41leaving behind only a letter.

00:56:44I had read that letter.

00:56:45Across two full pages,

00:56:47she did not mention

00:56:48my name once.

00:56:49Lucy could not handle

00:56:50the shock

00:56:50and was diagnosed

00:56:51with severe depression.

00:56:53To preserve the port alliance

00:56:55between the Whitfield

00:56:56and Harrington families,

00:56:57Richard made a swift decision

00:56:59and transferred Lucy's

00:57:00original engagement to me.

00:57:02The reason sounded grand

00:57:03and proper.

00:57:04The old Harrington family pact

00:57:06required both sides

00:57:07to be bound by legal marriage

00:57:09and legitimate direct heirs.

00:57:11Otherwise,

00:57:12the merger of the East River docks,

00:57:14arms routes,

00:57:15and money-laughtering network

00:57:16would all be void.

00:57:18Lucy was too fragile

00:57:19to withstand that kind of pressure

00:57:21and I was healthy,

00:57:22mentally tougher,

00:57:24and more suited

00:57:25to bear this family responsibility.

00:57:27I did not hesitate.

00:57:28I agreed.

00:57:30Because Cole Harrington

00:57:31was the boy I had loved

00:57:32in secret since childhood.

00:57:34When I was little,

00:57:36I followed my foster mother Maggie

00:57:37to work at Harrington Manor.

00:57:40Lucy sat in the sunroom

00:57:41eating pastries.

00:57:43I was so hungry

00:57:44I could only stare,

00:57:45but I didn't dare

00:57:46come closer.

00:57:48Cole was the one

00:57:49who walked over

00:57:49and beckoned me to him.

00:57:52Lucy wrinkled her brows

00:57:53and said I was dirty,

00:57:55that I didn't deserve

00:57:56to touch her silver fork,

00:57:58but Cole placed

00:57:59a honey muffin in my palm.

00:58:00This country says

00:58:01everyone is equal

00:58:02on the surface,

00:58:02though we all know

00:58:03that's a lie,

00:58:04but at least at my table,

00:58:05you don't have to

00:58:05lower your head.

00:58:11From that day on,

00:58:13he became the light

00:58:14I hid in the deepest

00:58:14part of my heart.

00:58:16Every time I saw him,

00:58:17he would smile faintly at me,

00:58:19like a lamp suddenly lit

00:58:20in a dark warehouse.

00:58:21I was poor and timid,

00:58:23so I only dared

00:58:24watch him from afar,

00:58:25from age 12 to 22.

00:58:29On the day of the engagement banquet,

00:58:31he sat at the end

00:58:32of the long table

00:58:33while the elders

00:58:34raised glasses

00:58:35and discussed docks,

00:58:36containers,

00:58:37roots,

00:58:37and loyalty.

00:58:38He stayed silent

00:58:39for a long time

00:58:40and then asked

00:58:41only one question.

00:58:42Is Lucy doing any better?

00:58:44At the mention of Lucy,

00:58:46everyone's expressions

00:58:47softened.

00:58:48I shrank into a corner

00:58:50and said nothing.

00:58:52Cole gave me a cold glance.

00:58:55She's not suited for occasions

00:58:57like this.

00:58:58I heard it,

00:58:59and I remembered it.

00:59:01From that day on,

00:59:02I threw myself

00:59:03into upper-class etiquette,

00:59:05learned to take apart

00:59:06and assemble guns,

00:59:09studied family accounts,

00:59:12and learned how not

00:59:13to show fear

00:59:14in front of wolves

00:59:14dressed in evening wear.

00:59:17I wanted to be

00:59:18a good wife to him.

00:59:19I didn't want

00:59:20to disappoint him.

00:59:21But how did it end?

00:59:23It took me far too long

00:59:24to understand.

00:59:26This engagement

00:59:27had never been love

00:59:28from the start.

00:59:29It was a blood-stained agreement.

00:59:32The Harrington family

00:59:33needed the Whitfield docks,

00:59:34and the Whitfield family

00:59:36needed the Harrington

00:59:36arms lines,

00:59:37and they needed a woman

00:59:38to sit on the altar

00:59:39and complete the final piece.

00:59:42Lucy was too precious

00:59:43to sacrifice,

00:59:46and I had conveniently returned.

00:59:49Suddenly,

00:59:50there was a perfect solution

00:59:51for both sides.

00:59:53Too bad I was the extra

00:59:54bargaining chip

00:59:55outside that perfect solution.

00:59:57Even Ryan Black

00:59:58quickly took Lucy's side,

01:00:00even though,

01:00:01like me,

01:00:02he had grown up

01:00:03in the staff building

01:00:04at Whitfield Manor.

01:00:05Both of our mothers

01:00:06were employees

01:00:07of this family.

01:00:08Both of us

01:00:09had been bullied

01:00:09by Lucy,

01:00:10and both of us

01:00:11had sworn vows

01:00:12in the drafty winter

01:00:12staff quarters.

01:00:13When we were little,

01:00:15Ryan held my hand.

01:00:17One day,

01:00:18I'll climb above them.

01:00:19By then,

01:00:21Lucy Whitfield

01:00:21will never dare

01:00:22bully you again.

01:00:28Why did it become like this?

01:00:30I stumbled out of the church.

01:00:45In the banquet hall,

01:00:47my bridesmaid Grace

01:00:48stood frozen in place.

01:00:49At an ordinary wedding,

01:00:51someone would call the police,

01:00:52but on Whitfield territory,

01:00:54no one dared call 911.

01:00:55People here believed

01:00:56more in silence,

01:00:57hush money,

01:00:58and bodies encased

01:00:59in pork concrete.

01:01:00My childhood friend,

01:01:02Ryan Black,

01:01:02stood in the shadows

01:01:03as if watching a play

01:01:04whose ending

01:01:05had never been in doubt.

01:01:06There was a commotion

01:01:07at the back door

01:01:08of the banquet hall.

01:01:09My biological parents

01:01:10came through the crowd.

01:01:11I thought they would

01:01:12finally ask if it hurt,

01:01:14but Diana did not even

01:01:15spare me a glance.

01:01:16Her voice shook.

01:01:17Where is my Lucy?

01:01:19She's emotionally unstable.

01:01:21How could you leave her alone

01:01:22in the safe house?

01:01:23If anything happens to her,

01:01:25I won't be able

01:01:25to live either.

01:01:26At my wedding,

01:01:27my fiancé, Cole,

01:01:28slapped me hard

01:01:29in front of half

01:01:30of New York's underworld.

01:01:35Lucy almost put a gun

01:01:36in her mouth

01:01:36and killed herself.

01:01:37And all you care about

01:01:38is your wedding?

01:01:40Orton,

01:01:40do you even possess

01:01:41a shred of decency?

01:01:43The blow sent me stumbling,

01:01:44and I crashed

01:01:45into the five-tier wedding cake.

01:01:46Cream,

01:01:47strawberry coulis,

01:01:48and champagne

01:01:49mixed together,

01:01:50clinging to my expensive

01:01:51white wedding dress

01:01:52like dignity

01:01:52crushed under someone's heel.

01:01:54On our wedding day,

01:01:55my fiancé missed

01:01:56the merger ceremony

01:01:57between two major families

01:01:58because of a cry for help

01:01:59from my stepsister,

01:02:00Lucy.

01:02:01While everyone was frozen

01:02:02in a standoff,

01:02:03I called Ryan Black,

01:02:04the boy I had grown up with,

01:02:05and told him,

01:02:06if you come,

01:02:07I'll marry you.

01:02:10Orton,

01:02:10you really think

01:02:11too highly of yourself?

01:02:13Ryan,

01:02:13are you gonna leave me too?

01:02:15Half an hour later,

01:02:17both men arrived

01:02:17at the church.

01:02:18One was the heir

01:02:19of the Harrington family,

01:02:20my fiancé in name,

01:02:21Cole.

01:02:22The other was

01:02:22my childhood friend

01:02:23from the staff building

01:02:24at Whitfield Manor,

01:02:25Ryan.

01:02:25They stepped out

01:02:25of black bulletproof cars.

01:02:27Behind them stood

01:02:28a line of black suit bodyguards

01:02:29with gun holsters

01:02:30concealed beneath their jackets

01:02:31like a belated judgment.

01:02:33I had been struck

01:02:34to the floor.

01:02:35Covering my face,

01:02:36I instinctively

01:02:37looked toward Ryan.

01:02:38He stood coldly

01:02:40to the side

01:02:40with both hands

01:02:41in his pockets,

01:02:42a flicker of disgust

01:02:43crossing his eyes.

01:02:47Even my biological parents,

01:02:49Richard,

01:02:49head of the Whitfield family,

01:02:51and his wife Diana

01:02:52came over

01:02:53from the main table.

01:02:54The alliance ceremony

01:02:55can be rescheduled

01:02:56any time,

01:02:56but if something happens

01:02:57to Lucy,

01:02:59we cannot afford

01:02:59to lose a single second.

01:03:02At that moment,

01:03:03I finally understood.

01:03:05Within this family,

01:03:06I was their long-lost

01:03:07biological daughter

01:03:08restored to them

01:03:09by blood,

01:03:10yet also the perfect

01:03:11bargaining chip.

01:03:11The people here tonight

01:03:13were not ordinary relatives

01:03:14and friends,

01:03:14but representatives

01:03:15from families

01:03:16in New York,

01:03:17Chicago,

01:03:17and Boston.

01:03:19Some held wine glasses,

01:03:20some had their fingers

01:03:21pressed against

01:03:22the inside of their jackets,

01:03:23close enough to touch

01:03:24a gun at any moment.

01:03:25A sharp ting

01:03:26burned across my face,

01:03:27and a drop of blood

01:03:29fell onto my snow-white

01:03:30wedding dress.

01:03:31I touched my nose.

01:03:32It was warm.

01:03:34Cole,

01:03:34are you insane?

01:03:39If Lucy hadn't begged me

01:03:41through tears

01:03:41to come finish this ceremony,

01:03:43do you really think

01:03:44I would be here?

01:03:44After saying that,

01:03:45he pulled a glass

01:03:46from the bottom tier

01:03:47of the champagne tower.

01:03:48The bodyguards at the door

01:03:49tensed instantly.

01:03:50The banquet hall manager

01:03:51went deathly pale,

01:03:52but did not dare step forward.

01:03:53Cole grabbed a bottle

01:03:54of champagne,

01:03:55twisted off the cork,

01:03:56aimed it over my head,

01:03:57and let the cold,

01:03:58golden liquid pour down.

01:04:00Didn't you want to marry

01:04:01into the Harrington family?

01:04:06Here.

01:04:07This is our champagne ceremony.

01:04:09The liquor ran from my lashes,

01:04:10down the bridge of my nose,

01:04:11and off my chin,

01:04:11drop by drop.

01:04:12I could no longer tell

01:04:13whether what fell onto

01:04:14my wedding dress

01:04:14was wine or blood.

01:04:15Satisfied now,

01:04:16my legal wife?

01:04:20In the banquet hall,

01:04:21my bridesmaid Grace

01:04:22stood frozen in place.

01:04:24At an ordinary wedding,

01:04:25someone would call the police,

01:04:27but on Whitfield territory,

01:04:28no one dared call 911.

01:04:30People here believed

01:04:31more in silence,

01:04:32hush money,

01:04:33and bodies encased

01:04:34in port concrete.

01:04:35My childhood friend,

01:04:36Ryan Black,

01:04:37stood in the shadows

01:04:38as if watching a play

01:04:39whose ending

01:04:39had never been in doubt.

01:04:41There was a commotion

01:04:42at the back door

01:04:42of the banquet hall.

01:04:43My biological parents

01:04:45came through the crowd.

01:04:46I thought they would

01:04:47finally ask if it hurt,

01:04:48but Diana did not even

01:04:50spare me a glance.

01:04:51Her voice shook.

01:04:52Where is my Lucy?

01:04:54She's emotionally unstable.

01:04:55How could you leave her alone

01:04:56in the safe house?

01:04:58If anything happens to her,

01:04:59I won't be able

01:05:00to live either.

01:05:03Richard took the microphone.

01:05:04He was the godfather

01:05:06of the Whitfield family,

01:05:07always composed,

01:05:09always respectable.

01:05:10Even at a moment like this,

01:05:12he could announce to the room

01:05:13in an almost cruelly steady voice.

01:05:16My apologies, everyone.

01:05:18An emergency has come up

01:05:19within the family.

01:05:21Tonight's alliance ceremony

01:05:22is temporarily canceled.

01:05:24All gifts and cooperation deposits

01:05:26will be returned in full

01:05:27through the original channels.

01:05:28Richard Whitfield owes you all

01:05:30an explanation.

01:05:31After putting down the microphone,

01:05:33he looked at Cole.

01:05:35Lead the way.

01:05:35We're going to find Lucy.

01:05:37He did not look at me.

01:05:39I sat beside the collapsed cake,

01:05:41filthy and humiliated,

01:05:43like an old prop

01:05:44whose purpose

01:05:44had already been served.

01:05:52Dad, Mom.

01:05:55Lucy Whitfield stood in the doorway

01:05:57in an ivory dress.

01:05:58Her face streaked with tears,

01:05:59her steps unsteady.

01:06:01She had once been

01:06:02the little princess

01:06:02the Whitfield family

01:06:03had carefully raised

01:06:04for more than 20 years.

01:06:06Dad, Mom,

01:06:08please don't leave me.

01:06:09Even when she cried,

01:06:10she looked like

01:06:11a fragile work of art.

01:06:12Everyone's eyes

01:06:12were pulled towards her.

01:06:15Lucy, Lucy,

01:06:16don't be scared.

01:06:17Mom is right here.

01:06:20The man who could swallow

01:06:21three docks

01:06:22at a negotiation table

01:06:23without blinking

01:06:24opened his arms

01:06:25and held mother

01:06:25and daughter together.

01:06:27The scene was warm enough

01:06:28to look like

01:06:29a carefully staged movie,

01:06:30and I was the unnecessary person

01:06:33outside the frame.

01:06:34Cole seemed to finally breathe

01:06:36in relief.

01:06:37When he looked at Lucy,

01:06:38the tenderness in his eyes

01:06:39nearly overflowed.

01:06:41Ryan looked back at me

01:06:42and slowly shook his head.

01:06:43I ignored him.

01:06:45I held on to the overturned

01:06:47table corner

01:06:48and got to my feet,

01:06:49pain stabbing

01:06:50through my ankle.

01:06:51My wedding dress

01:06:52dragged across the floor,

01:06:54covered in cream,

01:06:55liquor,

01:06:56and shattered glass.

01:06:58Miss Reed,

01:06:59do you need me

01:07:00to call a doctor?

01:07:01He did not say

01:07:03call the police.

01:07:04Everyone here knew

01:07:05the Whitfield family's affairs

01:07:06could not be handed

01:07:07to the police.

01:07:09No.

01:07:12I limped toward

01:07:13the side door.

01:07:15I had barely taken

01:07:17two steps

01:07:17when someone

01:07:18yanked my wrist.

01:07:22Orton,

01:07:23you really disappointed

01:07:24me tonight.

01:07:25I thought you were tough.

01:07:26I thought you could

01:07:27take the hits,

01:07:28claw your way

01:07:28out of the muck.

01:07:29Never imagined you'd

01:07:30resort to cheap stunts

01:07:31just to drag everyone's

01:07:32eyes onto yourself.

01:07:33Lucy has already

01:07:33given back everything

01:07:34she once had to you.

01:07:35She lost her parents,

01:07:37her identity,

01:07:37even her place's heir.

01:07:38Why still refuse

01:07:39to let her go?

01:07:40Orton,

01:07:41how did you become

01:07:41like this?

01:07:45Blood and champagne

01:07:46had dried on my dress,

01:07:48like a brand of humiliation

01:07:49burnt into my skin.

01:07:51Suddenly,

01:07:51I wanted to laugh.

01:07:53This wedding dress

01:07:53was the most expensive

01:07:54thing I had ever

01:07:55worn in my life.

01:07:57Before the wedding,

01:07:58I had touched it

01:07:58again and again

01:07:59with careful hands.

01:08:00It came from Milan.

01:08:01More than a thousand

01:08:02hand-sewn crystals

01:08:03covered the train,

01:08:05each one like the future

01:08:06I had naively believed

01:08:07was coming.

01:08:07I had looked forward

01:08:09to this day

01:08:10more than anything,

01:08:11to marrying Cole

01:08:13Harrington beautifully,

01:08:16because I had secretly

01:08:17loved him for many years.

01:08:20Half a year ago,

01:08:21Lucy was diagnosed

01:08:22with severe

01:08:23aplastic anemia.

01:08:24Richard and Diana

01:08:25immediately underwent

01:08:27HLA matching,

01:08:28but the results

01:08:29were a complete mismatch.

01:08:30An urgent DNA test

01:08:32exposed the secret.

01:08:3322 years ago,

01:08:35the Whitfield family

01:08:35housekeeper,

01:08:36Maggie Reed,

01:08:37switched Lucy and me.

01:08:38She sent her own

01:08:39biological doll

01:08:40into the Godfather's house

01:08:41and took the true

01:08:42Whitfield bloodline

01:08:43back to a cramped

01:08:43staff apartment.

01:08:44After the truth came out,

01:08:46Maggie put a gun

01:08:46in her mouth

01:08:47in the underground

01:08:47wine cellar,

01:08:49leaving behind

01:08:50only a letter.

01:08:52I had read that letter.

01:08:53Across two full pages,

01:08:55she did not mention

01:08:56my name once.

01:08:57Lucy could not handle

01:08:58the shock

01:08:59and was diagnosed

01:08:59with severe depression.

01:09:01To preserve the port

01:09:03alliance between

01:09:03the Whitfield

01:09:04and Harrington families,

01:09:06Richard made a swift

01:09:07decision and transferred

01:09:08Lucy's original

01:09:09engagement to me.

01:09:10The reason sounded

01:09:11grand and proper.

01:09:12The old Harrington

01:09:13family pact required

01:09:15both sides to be bound

01:09:16by legal marriage

01:09:17and legitimate

01:09:18direct heirs.

01:09:19Otherwise,

01:09:20the merger of

01:09:21the East River docks,

01:09:22arms routes,

01:09:23and money-laughtering

01:09:24network would all be void.

01:09:26Lucy was too fragile

01:09:28to withstand that kind

01:09:29of pressure,

01:09:29and I was healthy,

01:09:31mentally tougher,

01:09:32and more suited

01:09:33to bear this

01:09:34family responsibility.

01:09:35I did not hesitate.

01:09:37I agreed,

01:09:38because Cole Harrington

01:09:39was the boy I had loved

01:09:40in secret since childhood.

01:09:43When I was little,

01:09:44I followed my foster mother,

01:09:45Maggie,

01:09:46to work at Harrington Manor.

01:09:48Lucy sat in the sunroom

01:09:49eating pastries.

01:09:51I was so hungry

01:09:52I could only stare,

01:09:53but I didn't dare

01:09:54come closer.

01:09:56Cole was the one

01:09:57who walked over

01:09:58and beckoned me to him.

01:10:00Lucy wrinkled her brows

01:10:02and said I was dirty,

01:10:03that I didn't deserve

01:10:04to touch her silver fork,

01:10:06but Cole placed

01:10:07a honey muffin

01:10:07in my palm.

01:10:08This country says

01:10:09everyone is equal

01:10:10on the surface,

01:10:11though we all know

01:10:11that's a lie,

01:10:12but at least at my table,

01:10:13you don't have to

01:10:14lower your head.

01:10:20From that day on,

01:10:21he became the light

01:10:22I hid in the deepest

01:10:23part of my heart.

01:10:24Every time I saw him,

01:10:26he would smile faintly

01:10:26at me,

01:10:27like a lamp suddenly lit

01:10:28in a dark warehouse.

01:10:29I was poor and timid,

01:10:31so I only dared watch him

01:10:32from afar,

01:10:33from age 12 to 22.

01:10:38On the day of the

01:10:39engagement banquet,

01:10:40he sat at the end

01:10:41of the long table

01:10:41while the elders

01:10:42raised glasses

01:10:43and discussed docks,

01:10:44containers,

01:10:45roots,

01:10:46and loyalty.

01:10:47He stayed silent

01:10:48for a long time

01:10:48and then asked

01:10:49only one question.

01:10:50Is Lucy doing

01:10:51any better?

01:10:52At the mention of Lucy,

01:10:54everyone's expressions

01:10:55softened.

01:10:57I shrank into a corner

01:10:58and said nothing.

01:11:01Cole gave me

01:11:01a cold glance.

01:11:04She's not suited

01:11:05for occasions like this.

01:11:06I heard it

01:11:07and I remembered it.

01:11:09From that day on,

01:11:11I threw myself

01:11:11into upper-class etiquette,

01:11:13learned to take apart

01:11:15and assemble guns,

01:11:17studied family accounts,

01:11:20and learned how

01:11:21not to show fear

01:11:22in front of wolves

01:11:23dressed in evening wear.

01:11:25I wanted to be

01:11:26a good wife to him.

01:11:27I didn't want

01:11:28to disappoint him.

01:11:29But how did it end?

01:11:31It took me far too long

01:11:33to understand.

01:11:34This engagement

01:11:35had never been love

01:11:36from the start.

01:11:37It was a blood-stained agreement.

01:11:40The Harrington family

01:11:41needed the Whitfield docks

01:11:42and the Whitfield family

01:11:44needed the Harrington arms lines

01:11:45and they needed a woman

01:11:46to sit on the altar

01:11:47and complete the final piece.

01:11:50Lucy was too precious

01:11:51to sacrifice.

01:11:54And I had conveniently returned.

01:11:57Suddenly,

01:11:58there was a perfect solution

01:11:59for both sides.

01:12:01Too bad I was

01:12:02the extra bargaining chip

01:12:03outside that perfect solution.

01:12:06Even Ryan Black

01:12:07quickly took Lucy's side.

01:12:08Even though,

01:12:09like me,

01:12:10he had grown up

01:12:11in the staff building

01:12:12at Whitfield Manor.

01:12:14Both of our mothers

01:12:15were employees

01:12:15of this family.

01:12:16Both of us

01:12:17had been bullied by Lucy

01:12:18and both of us

01:12:19had sworn vows

01:12:20in the drafty winter staff quarters.

01:12:22When we were little,

01:12:23Ryan held my hand.

01:12:25One day,

01:12:26I'll climb above them.

01:12:28By then,

01:12:29Lucy Whitfield

01:12:29will never dare

01:12:30bully you again.

01:12:37Why did it become like this?

01:12:38I stumbled out of the church.

01:12:54In the banquet hall,

01:12:55my bridesmaid Grace

01:12:56stood frozen in place.

01:12:58At an ordinary wedding,

01:12:59someone would call the police,

01:13:00but on Whitfield territory,

01:13:02no one dared call 911.

01:13:04People here believed

01:13:05more in silence,

01:13:06hush money,

01:13:06and bodies encased

01:13:07in port concrete.

01:13:09My childhood friend,

01:13:10Ryan Black,

01:13:11stood in the shadows

01:13:11as if watching a play

01:13:12whose ending

01:13:13had never been in doubt.

01:13:14There was a commotion

01:13:15at the back door

01:13:16of the banquet hall.

01:13:17My biological parents

01:13:18came through the crowd.

01:13:20I thought they would

01:13:20finally ask if it hurt,

01:13:22but Diana did not even

01:13:23spare me a glance.

01:13:24Her voice shook.

01:13:26Where is my Lucy?

01:13:27She's emotionally unstable.

01:13:29How could you leave her alone

01:13:30in the safe house?

01:13:31If anything happens to her,

01:13:33I won't be able to live either.

01:13:35At my wedding,

01:13:36my fiancé, Cole,

01:13:37slapped me hard

01:13:37in front of half

01:13:38of New York's underworld.

01:13:43Lucy almost put a gun

01:13:44in her mouth

01:13:44and killed herself.

01:13:45And all you care about

01:13:46is your wedding?

01:13:48Orton,

01:13:48do you even possess

01:13:49a shred of decency?

01:13:51The blow sent me stumbling

01:13:52and I crashed

01:13:53into the five-tier wedding cake.

01:13:55Cream,

01:13:55strawberry coulis,

01:13:57and champagne mixed together,

01:13:58clinging to my expensive

01:13:59white wedding dress

01:14:00like dignity

01:14:01crushed under someone's heel.

01:14:02On our wedding day,

01:14:03my fiancé missed

01:14:04the merger ceremony

01:14:05between two major families

01:14:06because of a cry for help

01:14:07from my stepsister, Lucy.

01:14:09While everyone was frozen

01:14:10in a standoff,

01:14:11I called Ryan Black,

01:14:12the boy I had grown up with,

01:14:13and told him,

01:14:15if you come,

01:14:15I'll marry you.

01:14:18Orton,

01:14:18you really think

01:14:19too highly of yourself.

01:14:21Ryan,

01:14:21are you gonna leave me too?

01:14:24Half an hour later,

01:14:25both men arrived

01:14:26at the church.

01:14:26One was the heir

01:14:27of the Harrington family,

01:14:28my fiancé in name,

01:14:30Cole.

01:14:30The other was

01:14:30my childhood friend

01:14:31from the staff building

01:14:32at Whitfield Manor, Ryan.

01:14:33They stepped out

01:14:34of black bulletproof cars.

01:14:35Behind them stood

01:14:36a line of black suit bodyguards

01:14:37with gun holsters

01:14:38concealed beneath their jackets

01:14:39like a belated judgment.

01:14:41I had been struck

01:14:42to the floor.

01:14:43Covering my face,

01:14:44I instinctively

01:14:45looked toward Ryan.

01:14:47He stood coldly

01:14:48to the side

01:14:48with both hands

01:14:49in his pockets,

01:14:50a flicker of disgust

01:14:51crossing his eyes.

01:14:55Even my biological parents,

01:14:57Richard,

01:14:58head of the Whitfield family,

01:14:59and his wife Diana,

01:15:00came over

01:15:01from the main table.

01:15:02The alliance ceremony

01:15:03can be rescheduled

01:15:04any time,

01:15:05but if something happens

01:15:06to Lucy,

01:15:07we cannot afford

01:15:08to lose a single second.

01:15:10At that moment,

01:15:11I finally understood.

01:15:13Within this family,

01:15:14I was their long-lost

01:15:15biological daughter

01:15:16restored to them

01:15:17by blood,

01:15:18yet also the perfect

01:15:19bargaining chip.

01:15:20The people here tonight

01:15:21were not ordinary

01:15:22relatives and friends,

01:15:23but representatives

01:15:23from families in New York,

01:15:25Chicago,

01:15:25and Boston.

01:15:27Some held wine glasses,

01:15:28some had their fingers

01:15:29pressed against

01:15:30the inside of their jackets,

01:15:31close enough to touch

01:15:32a gun at any moment.

01:15:34A sharp ting

01:15:34burned across my face,

01:15:36and a drop of blood

01:15:37fell onto my snow-white

01:15:38wedding dress.

01:15:39I touched my nose.

01:15:40It was warm.

01:15:42Cole,

01:15:43are you insane?

01:15:47If Lucy hadn't begged me

01:15:49through tears

01:15:49to come finish this ceremony,

01:15:51do you really think

01:15:52I would be here?

01:15:53After saying that,

01:15:53he pulled a glass

01:15:54from the bottom tier

01:15:55of the champagne tower.

01:15:56The bodyguards at the door

01:15:57tensed instantly.

01:15:58The banquet hall manager

01:15:59went deathly pale,

01:16:00but did not dare step forward.

01:16:02Cole grabbed a bottle

01:16:02of champagne,

01:16:03twisted off the cork,

01:16:04aimed it over my head,

01:16:05and let the cold,

01:16:06golden liquid pour down.

01:16:08Didn't you want to marry

01:16:09into the Harrington family?

01:16:14Here.

01:16:15This is our champagne ceremony.

01:16:17The liquor ran from my lashes,

01:16:18down the bridge of my nose,

01:16:19and off my chin,

01:16:20drop by drop.

01:16:20I could no longer tell

01:16:21whether what fell onto

01:16:22my wedding dress

01:16:23was wine or blood.

01:16:24Satisfied now,

01:16:24my legal wife?

01:16:28In the banquet hall,

01:16:30my bridesmaid Grace

01:16:31stood frozen in place.

01:16:32At an ordinary wedding,

01:16:33someone would call the police,

01:16:35but on Whitfield territory,

01:16:37no one dared call 911.

01:16:38People here believed

01:16:39more in silence,

01:16:40hush money,

01:16:41and bodies encased

01:16:42in port concrete.

01:16:43My childhood friend,

01:16:44Ryan Black,

01:16:45stood in the shadows

01:16:46as if watching a play

01:16:47whose ending

01:16:48had never been in doubt.

01:16:49There was a commotion

01:16:50at the back door

01:16:50of the banquet hall.

01:16:51My biological parents

01:16:53came through the crowd.

01:16:54I thought they would

01:16:55finally ask if it hurt,

01:16:56but Diana did not

01:16:58even spare me a glance.

01:16:59Her voice shook.

01:17:00Where is my Lucy?

01:17:02She's emotionally unstable.

01:17:03How could you leave her

01:17:04alone in the safe house?

01:17:06If anything happens to her,

01:17:08I won't be able

01:17:08to live either.

01:17:11Richard took the microphone.

01:17:13He was the godfather

01:17:14of the Whitfield family,

01:17:15always composed,

01:17:17always respectable.

01:17:18Even at a moment like this,

01:17:20he could announce to the room

01:17:21in an almost cruelly

01:17:23steady voice.

01:17:24My apologies, everyone.

01:17:26An emergency has come up

01:17:28within the family.

01:17:29Tonight's alliance ceremony

01:17:30is temporarily cancelled.

01:17:32All gifts and cooperation

01:17:34deposits will be returned

01:17:35in full through

01:17:35the original channels.

01:17:37Richard Whitfield

01:17:37owes you all an explanation.

01:17:40After putting down

01:17:41the microphone,

01:17:42he looked at Cole.

01:17:43Lead the way.

01:17:44We're going to find Lucy.

01:17:45He did not look at me.

01:17:47I sat beside the collapsed cake,

01:17:50filthy and humiliated,

01:17:51like an old prop

01:17:52whose purpose

01:17:52had already been served.

01:18:01Dad, Mom.

01:18:03Lucy Whitfield stood in the doorway

01:18:05in an ivory dress.

01:18:06Her face streaked with tears,

01:18:08her steps unsteady.

01:18:09She had once been

01:18:10the little princess

01:18:11the Whitfield family

01:18:12had carefully raised

01:18:13for more than 20 years.

01:18:14Dad, Mom,

01:18:16please don't leave me.

01:18:17Even when she cried,

01:18:18she looked like

01:18:19a fragile work of art.

01:18:20Everyone's eyes

01:18:21were pulled towards her.

01:18:23Lucy, Lucy,

01:18:24don't be scared.

01:18:26Mom is right here.

01:18:28The man who could

01:18:29swallow three docks

01:18:30at a negotiation table

01:18:31without blinking

01:18:32opened his arms

01:18:33and held mother

01:18:34and daughter together.

01:18:35The scene was warm enough

01:18:37to look like

01:18:37a carefully staged movie,

01:18:39and I was the unnecessary person

01:18:41outside the frame.

01:18:42Cole seemed to finally

01:18:44breathe in relief.

01:18:45When he looked at Lucy,

01:18:46the tenderness in his eyes

01:18:47nearly overflowed.

01:18:49Ryan looked back at me

01:18:50and slowly shook his head.

01:18:52I ignored him.

01:18:54I held on to the

01:18:55overturned table corner

01:18:56and got to my feet,

01:18:57pain stabbing

01:18:58through my ankle.

01:18:59My wedding dress

01:19:00dragged across the floor,

01:19:02covered in cream,

01:19:03liquor,

01:19:04and shattered glass.

01:19:06Hey, Miss Reed,

01:19:08do you need me

01:19:08to call a doctor?

01:19:10He did not say

01:19:11call the police.

01:19:12Everyone here knew

01:19:13the Whitfield family's

01:19:14affairs could not be

01:19:15handed to the police.

01:19:18No.

01:19:20I limped toward

01:19:21the side door.

01:19:24I had barely

01:19:25taken two steps

01:19:25when someone

01:19:26yanked my wrist.

01:19:30Orton,

01:19:31you really disappointed

01:19:32me tonight.

01:19:33I thought you were tough.

01:19:34I thought you could

01:19:35take the hits,

01:19:36claw your way

01:19:37out of the muck.

01:19:37Never imagined

01:19:38you'd resort to cheap stunts

01:19:39just to drag everyone's

01:19:40eyes onto yourself.

01:19:41Lucy has already

01:19:42given back everything

01:19:42she once had to you.

01:19:43She lost her parents,

01:19:45her identity,

01:19:45even her place's heir.

01:19:47Why still refuse

01:19:47to let her go?

01:19:49Orton,

01:19:49how did you become

01:19:50like this?

01:19:54Blood and champagne

01:19:55had dried on my dress

01:19:56like a brand of humiliation

01:19:57burnt into my skin.

01:19:59Suddenly,

01:19:59I wanted to laugh.

01:20:01This wedding dress

01:20:02was the most expensive

01:20:03thing I had ever

01:20:04worn in my life.

01:20:05Before the wedding,

01:20:06I had touched it

01:20:06again and again

01:20:07with careful hands.

01:20:08It came from Milan.

01:20:10More than a thousand

01:20:11hand-sewn crystals

01:20:12covered the train,

01:20:12each one like

01:20:13the future

01:20:14I had naively

01:20:15believed was coming.

01:20:16I had looked forward

01:20:17to this day

01:20:18more than anything

01:20:19to marrying

01:20:20Cole Harrington

01:20:21beautifully

01:20:24because I had

01:20:25secretly loved him

01:20:26for many years.

01:20:28Half a year ago,

01:20:30Lucy was diagnosed

01:20:30with severe

01:20:31aplastic anemia.

01:20:33Richard and Diana

01:20:33immediately underwent

01:20:35HLA matching,

01:20:36but the results

01:20:37were a complete mismatch.

01:20:38An urgent DNA test

01:20:40exposed the secret.

01:20:42Twenty-two years ago,

01:20:43the Whitfield family

01:20:44housekeeper,

01:20:44Maggie Reed,

01:20:45switched Lucy and me.

01:20:46She sent her own

01:20:47biological doll

01:20:48into the Godfather's house

01:20:49and took the true

01:20:50Whitfield bloodline

01:20:51back to a cramped

01:20:52staff apartment.

01:20:53After the truth came out,

01:20:54Maggie put a gun

01:20:55in her mouth

01:20:55in the underground

01:20:56wine cellar,

01:20:57leaving behind

01:20:58only a letter.

01:21:00I had read that letter.

01:21:02Across two full pages,

01:21:03she did not mention

01:21:04my name once.

01:21:05Lucy could not

01:21:06handle the shock

01:21:07and was diagnosed

01:21:08with severe depression.

01:21:09To preserve the port

01:21:11alliance between

01:21:12the Whitfield

01:21:12and Harrington families,

01:21:14Richard made a swift decision

01:21:15and transferred Lucy's

01:21:17original engagement

01:21:18to me.

01:21:18The reason sounded

01:21:19grand and proper.

01:21:21The old Harrington family

01:21:22pact required both sides

01:21:24to be bound by legal marriage

01:21:25and legitimate direct heirs.

01:21:27Otherwise,

01:21:28the merger of the

01:21:29East River docks,

01:21:30arms routes,

01:21:31and money-laudering network

01:21:33would all be void.

01:21:34Lucy was too fragile

01:21:36to withstand that kind

01:21:37of pressure,

01:21:38and I was healthy,

01:21:39mentally tougher,

01:21:40and more suited

01:21:41to bear this family

01:21:42responsibility.

01:21:43I did not hesitate.

01:21:45I agreed.

01:21:46Because Cole Harrington

01:21:48was the boy I had loved

01:21:49in secret since childhood.

01:21:51When I was little,

01:21:52I followed my foster mother,

01:21:54Maggie,

01:21:54to work at Harrington Manor.

01:21:56Lucy sat in the sunroom

01:21:58eating pastries.

01:21:59I was so hungry

01:22:00I could only stare,

01:22:02but I didn't dare

01:22:02come closer.

01:22:04Cole was the one

01:22:05who walked over

01:22:06and beckoned me to him.

01:22:09Lucy wrinkled her brows

01:22:10and said I was dirty,

01:22:11that I didn't deserve

01:22:12to touch her silver fork.

01:22:14But Cole placed

01:22:15a honey muffin

01:22:16in my palm.

01:22:16This country says

01:22:17everyone is equal

01:22:18on the surface,

01:22:19though we all know

01:22:19that's a lie.

01:22:20But at least at my table,

01:22:21you don't have to

01:22:22lower your head.

01:22:28From that day on,

01:22:29he became the light

01:22:30I hid in the deepest

01:22:31part of my heart.

01:22:32Every time I saw him,

01:22:34he would smile faintly

01:22:35at me,

01:22:35like a lamp suddenly lit

01:22:36in a dark warehouse.

01:22:37I was poor and timid,

01:22:39so I only dared

01:22:40watch him from afar.

01:22:41From age 12 to 22.

01:22:46On the day of the

01:22:47engagement banquet,

01:22:48he sat at the end

01:22:49of the long table

01:22:50while the elders

01:22:51raised glasses

01:22:51and discussed docks,

01:22:53containers,

01:22:53roots,

01:22:54and loyalty.

01:22:55He stayed silent

01:22:56for a long time

01:22:57and then asked

01:22:58only one question.

01:22:59Is Lucy doing any better?

01:23:00At the mention of Lucy,

01:23:02everyone's expressions

01:23:04softened.

01:23:05I shrank into a corner

01:23:07and said nothing.

01:23:09Cole gave me

01:23:10a cold glance.

01:23:12She's not suited

01:23:13for occasions like this.

01:23:14I heard it

01:23:15and I remembered it.

01:23:17From that day on,

01:23:19I threw myself

01:23:20into upper-class etiquette,

01:23:21learned to take apart

01:23:23and assemble guns,

01:23:25studied family accounts,

01:23:28and learned how not

01:23:29to show fear

01:23:30in front of wolves

01:23:31dressed in evening wear.

01:23:33I wanted to be

01:23:34a good wife to him.

01:23:35I didn't want

01:23:36to disappoint him.

01:23:37But how did it end?

01:23:39It took me far too long

01:23:41to understand.

01:23:42This engagement

01:23:43had never been love

01:23:44from the start.

01:23:45It was a blood-stained agreement.

01:23:48The Harrington family

01:23:49needed the Whitfield docks

01:23:51and the Whitfield family

01:23:52needed the Harrington arms lines

01:23:54and they needed a woman

01:23:55to sit on the altar

01:23:56and complete the final piece.

01:23:58Lucy was too precious

01:23:59to sacrifice.

01:24:02And I had conveniently returned.

01:24:05Suddenly,

01:24:06there was a perfect solution

01:24:08for both sides.

01:24:09Too bad I was

01:24:10the extra bargaining chip

01:24:12outside that perfect solution.

01:24:14Even Ryan Black

01:24:15quickly took Lucy's side.

01:24:16Even though,

01:24:17like me,

01:24:18he had grown up

01:24:19in the staff building

01:24:20at Whitfield Manor.

01:24:22Both of our mothers

01:24:23were employees

01:24:24of this family.

01:24:24both of us

01:24:25had been bullied

01:24:26by Lucy

01:24:26and both of us

01:24:27had sworn vows

01:24:28in the drafty winter staff quarters.

01:24:30When we were little,

01:24:31Ryan held my hand.

01:24:33One day,

01:24:34I'll climb above them.

01:24:36By then,

01:24:37Lucy Whitfield

01:24:38will never dare

01:24:38bully you again.

01:24:45Why did it become like this?

01:24:47I stumbled out of the church.

01:24:55Phillips the other thing so far.

01:24:55I dug more

01:24:57when I was killing you.

01:24:58If you're going to carry away

01:25:01any people out of this variation,

01:25:01so that it's true.

01:25:02let me move over from this game.

01:25:02You

I'm Done Playing Along | HD, NO CUT

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