The high-pitched voice echoed through the ballroom like a gunshot. Every conversation died instantly. A thousand heads turned toward the entrance, and I was no exception.

My eyes quickly found the woman standing beneath the grand archway, and recognition washed over me immediately.

Jessica.

My stomach dropped.

She stood there in a floor-length ivory gown, one hand gripping the edge of the door as if she had just burst in without a second thought. Her chest rose and fell dramatically, her eyes shining suspiciously bright beneath the chandeliers.

But she didn’t come alone, of course, she wouldn’t. My eyes flickered to the side, where my father, stepmother, and even Lucas were standing. Their faces were plastered with smug expressions and knowing looks, even their eyes were bright with triumph.

For a split second, nobody moved. Then soon after, whispers erupted throughout the ballroom, and the camera flashes went wild, almost blinding me.

"What did she just say?"

"Fake relationship?"

"Isn’t that Evelyn Hart’s stepsister?"

"Is that her family? What are they trying to do?"

I tried hard to tune out all the sounds in the background. My pulse thundered in my ears, my palms turning clammy as the seconds passed.

Jessica’s gaze locked onto mine, and I watched as the corners of her lips twisted into a smile. Not the sweet, innocent smile she showed the world.

This one was different.

Victorious. She had definitely come prepared.

Their visit wasn’t exactly a surprise, yet my blood ran cold, and I didn’t miss the way Rhys’ entire body stiffened beside me, his expression darkened like a storm.

His arm tightened around my waist, pulling me impossibly close to him as I felt the side of my body pressed up against his. I watched with wide eyes as the four of them sauntered towards the stage, towards us.

The crowd parted automatically, as if the sea itself were making way for their performance.

My eyes never left my stepsister’s, not even when they all stood in front of us.

"It’s lovely to see you again, my dear sister."

A frown made its way to my face as I pinned her with a glare.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" I asked through gritted teeth, anger pulsing beneath my skin.

But Jessica didn’t fight back. Gone was the smug look on her face. Instead, tears suddenly filled her eyes, and I almost laughed.

Because it was the exact same expression she had used seven years ago.

The helpless victim.

The innocent girl.

The poor younger sister who wants nothing but the best for her older sister.

The act was so familiar it made me feel sick.

"I didn’t want to do this," Jessica said loudly. Her timid voice trembled perfectly, and a single stray tear slipped from the brim of her eye. "If I had another choice, I would’ve stayed silent."

The murmuring around us grew louder.

This time, Jessica looked directly at Rhys. "Mr. Carson, I respected you. I truly did." Rhys’ expression remained unreadable as he stayed quiet, and she took it as a sign to continue. "But you’re a businessman. The new CEO of TechHub. You care about your reputation."

A tear slid down her cheek.

"So tell everyone the truth. Admit that you are lying about your relationship with my sister."

"You are not my sister," I sneered. "My sister wouldn’t sleep with my husband behind my back, and get pregnant with his child."

More gasps rose from the crowd, and the ballroom exploded into chaos. I watched with satisfaction as both Jessica’s and Lucas’ faces drained of colour within the next moment.

My stepmother’s face twisted in fury as she stepped forward, raising her hand to slap me. But before she could even lay a finger on me, Rhys had pulled me aside, and I watched as she stumbled on her own feet.

"You okay?" Rhys’ tender voice reached my ears, and I nodded before my stepmother interrupted.

"You!" She pointed an accusing finger at me, disdain written all over her face as soon as she regained her balance. "How dare you bring this up in front of everyone here?"

I raised a brow, lifting my chin in defiance. "Why? If she dares to fuck my husband, then she shouldn’t mind me sharing this with everyone else." My gaze slid over to Jessica, who looked like a statue. This time, my lips curled into a smile. "Right, sister?"

Every pair of eyes in the room was now focused on the cowardly couple and her pregnant belly. Her hand instinctively flew to her stomach, shielding it, trying to hide it from everyone, but it was too late.

She didn’t dare meet my eyes, her lips pressed into a tight line. "I...I..." she stuttered, stumbling over her own words while the crowd below us burst into murmurs and speculations.

"She must be guilty if she didn’t say anything."

"How could she do that to her own sister?"

"Ugh, that’s despicable!"

"So she’s a mistress?"

"That’s enough!" My father’s voice boomed loudly, reverberating within the walls of this ballroom. He closed the distance between us, anger swirling in the depths of his eyes. "Have you not caused us enough trouble already? Have you not embarrassed us all this time?"

It was funny, wasn’t it?

Getting into a relationship with Rhys Carson, the CEO of Hart Group’s rival company, was somehow more embarrassing than what Jessica did.

My stepmother? I could understand. She would blindly side with her biological daughter anytime, even if she was clearly in the wrong. But my father? Am I not his daughter too? I doubt that I would ever truly understand what was going through his mind.

An incredulous chuckle left my parted lips as I stared at my father’s furious expression, but I didn’t let him get to me. "How exactly have I embarrassed you? Father."

His cheeks were flushed red, and his usually neatly coiffed hair was now slightly messy, as though he had run his hand through his hair multiple times.

"You are a traitor, Evelyn Hart. You betrayed your own family to work with a rival company," he snarled. "I told you that day that this isn’t over. I thought you would be wise enough to leave and come back home, yet...I fear I overestimated your intelligence."

He paused, tension hung in the air like a thick blanket. "Turns out you are such a fool. You are not worthy of being the Hart family’s daughter."

In the past, this would have torn me apart completely, shattered my heart. I wanted nothing more than to appease my father, to prove to him that I was worthy of his love and attention. But none of those mattered to me now. Maybe something in my heart died the night he gave the position to Jessica instead.

I stared at him unblinking, my face void of any emotions. "Fine," I announced, keeping my voice steady as I looked my father dead in the eye.

He seemed to be taken aback by my response, and so were the rest of them.

"I always wanted to leave anyway."

"I knew it!" My stepmother cried out as she wrapped her arm around my father’s. "She’s just an ungrateful wrench. You should have kicked her out of the family long ago!" She added, continuing to add fuel to the already raging fire.

Before I could even say anything, Rhys suddenly laughed. And all four of them faltered.

"Are y’all finished?" His voice sliced through the tension lingering in the air. He was smiling as the words left his lips.

"What?"

"Your performance." The smile never left his face. "I’ve got to admit, though, it was entertaining." A smirk morphed itself onto his lips this time.

"What are you talking about? What performance?" My stepmother retorted fiercely. "This is serious, and everyone deserves to know the truth. I cannot sit back and let everyone be fooled."

Jessica chimed in tearfully too. "My mum’s right, we cannot in good faith let them lie to you."

Lucas shamelessly snaked his arm around her waist, puffing his chest as he spoke. "Exactly. Evelyn only agreed to this arrangement because she needed help restoring her image after the scandal broke out between them."

My nails dug into my palm.

"And Rhys only agreed because the publicity benefits TechHub."

The reporters practically vibrated with excitement. I could see them scribbling notes. Typing messages. Preparing tomorrow’s headlines. I could already picture them in my head.

"She loves me so much, she wouldn’t leave me for another man."

I pinned him with a glare, but Rhys beat me to it.

"She doesn’t."

"Then why wouldn’t she sign the divorce papers?" He asked with a knowing look. "Obviously, she’s not ready to let me go just yet."

I stared at him, speechless as the words remained stuck in my throat. This wasn’t true at all, he was the one who refused to sign.

Lucas looked around the room dramatically.

"What do y’all think? You don’t have to believe our words..." his words trailing off, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his lips as his eyes landed on mine. "But we have proof."