chapter 1

I am Sophia Everett, the heiress of the Everett Corporation.

For three years, I had been secretly in love with Elias, the orphan adopted by my father, Samuel Everett.

Then, on the day we made our relationship public, the entire family opposed it.

He stood outside the carved iron gate of the family estate for three days and three nights, hoping that my father would give him a chance to be with me.

"If I can secure a billion-dollar overseas cooperation project and establish my position at the core of the corporation, please agree to our marriage, Sophia!"

Before leaving, he solemnly handed me a custom platinum diamond ring and a marriage agreement.

"Wait for me. I will definitely come back and hold a grand wedding with you."

Because of this promise, I turned down all suitable business marriage proposals and waited for five years.

But what I got in return was him, who had already succeeded in his career, standing in front of the Everett family and proposing to divorce me.

"I want to marry Leah. Please, Sophia, return the marriage agreement to me and let me be with her."

Behind him, his secretary, Leah, gently touched her slightly bulging belly, her face full of vulnerability.

My father remained silent, frowning as he looked at me.

In the upper-class circles, everyone knew that I, Sophia of the Everett family, was not someone to mess with. Anyone who offended me would not have a good ending.

Just when everyone thought I would flip the table on the spot, I just raised my eyes calmly and said, "Fine. You two are a perfect match."

As soon as I finished speaking, the scene fell silent instantly.

Everyone's eyes were full of surprise and curiosity, but I leisurely took out the sealed marriage agreement from my limited-edition handbag.

...

Eighteen years ago, when my father was inspecting a remote area, he brought back Elias, who had been abandoned at an orphanage.

My father adopted Elias and had let him stay by my side as my personal assistant and companion.

On my eighteenth birthday, my father asked me to choose a marriage partner from the eighteen heirs of upper-class families he had selected. Without hesitation, I pointed at Elias, who was standing behind me.

At that time, Elias had stood outside the gate of our family estate for three days and three nights, just to persuade my father to allow him to marry me.

Father couldn't bear to see me sad, so he gave him a test.

He was sent to develop the most difficult emerging market in a remote area. He promised to marry me and give me a wedding that would attract attention from the upper class once he secured the project.

Now that he was finally back, the marriage agreement was useless.

As I reached out to hand the marriage agreement over, I saw how he suddenly stood in front of Leah, shielding her from me.

"Sophia, it was my fault for breaking off the engagement. You can punish me however you want, but this has nothing to do with Leah. Please don't bother her."

Far from done, he went on, saying, "Leah is not like you. She didn't grow up in luxury. She doesn't have a background; she's just like me, an ordinary person who worked hard to make a living."

I couldn't help but laugh at his nervous and guarded look.

He was protecting this secretary so tightly, treating me as an enemy to be wary of.

My father snorted coldly. "Elias, Sophia has waited for you for five years. Are you treating her like this for the sake of this woman?"

Leah held her stomach, with a stubborn and aggrieved look on her face.

"Elias, get up. I don't want you to lower yourself for me."

Like a victim, she then continued, "You were the hero who helped Everett Corporation secure a billion-dollar market. Why are they treating you like this? Just because they think I come from a humble background? I'll leave; just don't make it difficult for Elias."

Leah rubbed her red eyes, pretending to leave. Elias hurriedly grabbed her, looking at me with urgency and accusation in his eyes.

"When I was being plotted against in the remote market and the project was on the verge of failure, it was Leah who stayed by my side. All the hardships I have endured these years, she has endured with me. You always say you love me, but where were you when I needed you the most?"

He paused, but not long enough to allow anyone else to reply. "You've never experienced hardship since you were young. You can't imagine how difficult those days were for us. Leah is the woman who has been with me all these years. She even got a scar on her arm trying to protect me from a rival's ambush."

With conviction, he then declared, "Leah is now pregnant with my child; I have to take responsibility for her!"

As soon as Elias finished speaking, Marcus, my brother and the vice president of Everett Corporation, was ready to charge forward, his hands already clenched into tight fists.

"You ungrateful bastard! Do you know what Sophia did for you..."

I quickly grabbed my brother's arm, stopping him from saying more.

I caught a glimpse of the almost invisible fake red mark at the corner of Leah's eye and subconsciously touched the hideous scar on my wrist.

Over the past five years, I had been well aware of every crisis and minor injury he had encountered overseas.

I just didn't want to pressure him, so I had never let him know that all those "coincidentally" resolved troubles were actually me secretly handling them by using my resources.

But I never expected that he, who had worked so hard to conquer the market just to marry me, would end up with his secretary in the end.

My father was about to speak up to Elias, but I raised the marriage agreement in my hand.

"Dad, Elias has indeed made great contributions to the Everett Corporation by securing the market in remote areas."

"Miss Leah and Elias like each other, and it's a good thing that they are getting married. Today, I will take the lead in helping them set the marriage contract. But I don't know when they plan to have the wedding."

Elias didn't even hesitate and immediately said, "How about three days from now? That day is the anniversary of the first time I met Leah."