“I’ve made up my mind. I’ll marry that vegetable, Julian Sterling.”
I leaned against the doorframe of the Vance family mansion, a mocking smile playing on my red lips.
My father’s cigar nearly dropped onto the priceless Persian rug. He shot upright from his leather armchair, the wrinkles around his eyes smoothing out. “Anya, you’ve come to your senses? That’s wonderful! The Sterlings are pushing for it; you’ll need to move to Azure Bay within two weeks. What kind of wedding dress do you like? Your father will have someone order it for you…”
“Is that all?” I sneered. “I’m marrying in place of your beloved love child. Aren’t you going to offer something?”
The temperature in the living room plummeted. My father’s face darkened. “How dare you speak like that? What love child? That’s your sister.”
“A sister is someone you share a mother with,” I chuckled, my eyes like chips of ice. “She’s the living proof of your betrayal. I’ll never acknowledge her.”
A vein throbbed in my father’s temple, but he forcibly suppressed his anger before it could erupt. He took a deep breath, and ashes from his cigar fluttered down. “What do you want?”
“Ten billion dollars,” I said, my red lips parting slightly. “And, after I marry, reassign Damon Cross to protect your precious love child.”
My father’s expression froze. He stared at me as if I were insane. “Are you out of your mind? Ten billion will drain all my liquid assets! And Damon Cross? Isn’t he your favorite bodyguard? You used to constantly pester me about marrying him. Now you’re getting married, and you’re not taking him with you?!”
“Just tell me if you agree or not,” I said, growing impatient, turning to leave.
“Fine!” My father slammed his hand on the table. “The day you leave for Azure Bay to get married, both requests will be handled immediately.”
He had no time to ponder; he just wanted to finalize this matter. Years ago, the Sterling family’s only son was a brilliant young man, and my father had rushed to arrange an engagement between our families, planning to marry Celeste off to him then, ensuring a good match for his younger daughter. Who would have thought that an accident would turn the Sterling heir into a vegetable? He couldn’t bear for Celeste to suffer, so he finally remembered that I, too, was his daughter…
I waved a dismissive hand, my back to him. My heels clicked sharply on the marble floor, a sound like a slap across someone’s face.
Just as my hand touched the doorknob, my father’s voice came from behind me again. “I understand you want money, but aren’t you crazy about Damon? How can you bear to give him to Celeste?”
My fingers stiffened. I didn’t turn around, but my eyes suddenly burned. That name was like a thorn, piercing the softest part of my heart. I shoved the door open, closing my father and his question behind me.
Back at the villa, it was already late. I walked upstairs in my heels, and as I passed Damon Cross’s room, I heard muffled sounds from inside. The door wasn’t fully closed. I looked up and saw a scene with perfect clarity—
Damon was half-reclined against the headboard, a photo clutched between his long fingers. His eyes were closed, his Adam’s apple bobbing, and a low, sensual voice spilled from his lips: “Celeste… baby… good girl…”
It was a photo of Celeste. Taken at her birthday party last year, she wore a white dress, smiling innocently. My nails dug deep crescent marks into the strap of my designer bag. Finally, I answered my father’s question in my heart.
Because he, like you, only loves Celeste.
The answer churned inside me, burning my insides with pain.
Three years ago, I first saw Damon Cross on the day I was choosing a bodyguard. Among a group of tall, burly bodyguards, my eyes immediately fixated on him. The reason was simple: he was ridiculously handsome. Six feet two inches tall, broad shoulders, narrow waist, sharp features, especially those deep, dark eyes, cold as ice. I was known as the notorious wild child in our social circle, intending to flirt with him for fun, but over three years—
I deliberately pretended to be drunk and fell into his arms, but he simply lifted me by the nape of my neck, like a kitten, and placed me back on the sofa.
I wore a spaghetti-strap nightgown and knocked on his door late at night, but he immediately wrapped me in his suit jacket and respectfully escorted me back to my room.
I even faked drowning in the pool. He jumped in to save me but didn’t even touch my waist.
No matter how I flirted, he remained completely aloof, always prim and proper, calling me “Miss Vance.” Yet, I fell for him anyway. I don’t know how it happened. Maybe it was because, after my mother died, I was incredibly lonely.
When I was seven, my father had an affair and brought home a love child. Her name was Celeste Vance, and she was only three months younger than me. It turned out that in ten years of marriage, he had been cheating for nine. That day, my supposedly happy and peaceful family completely shattered. At that time, my mother was pregnant with my father’s second child, nine months along, just days from giving birth. My mother loved my father desperately. She frantically questioned him, crying until she almost fainted. That night, she went into preterm labor and was rushed to the hospital. She didn’t even make it to the operating room; she died in childbirth, taking her unborn child with her.
From then on, I hated my father, and I hated Celeste Vance.
I moved out of the Vance mansion. I went to school alone, ate alone, grew up alone. It wasn’t until I became too beautiful, and too many playboys harassed me, that I thought about getting a bodyguard. Damon Cross was my first bodyguard. After that, I wasn’t alone. Damon was with me everywhere.
My feelings for him progressed from admiration, to flirtation, to falling in love. But three years, over a thousand days and nights, he never even blinked an eyelash for me. I thought he was just cold by nature, until that day, when I caught him with Celeste Vance’s photo, and then watched him finish before answering a call—
“Mr. Cross, how long are you going to keep playing this bodyguard game? You’re the heir to the Cross empire in Veridian City. What woman can’t you have? If you’re so smitten with Celeste, why not just sweep her off her feet? Instead, you’re playing the innocent type, becoming her sister’s bodyguard just to see her constantly?”
Damon’s expression was cold. “I’ve checked. Celeste is a love child, she had a difficult upbringing and lacks a sense of security. Pursuing her directly would scare her. I want to take it slow.”
“Right, how did the Cross family produce such a lovesick fool? I thought with Miss Vance flirting with you every day, you might actually develop feelings for her. I’m telling you, she’s known as the most notorious wild child in the city. The line of men who want her stretches all the way to France…”
Damon seemed to smile, but his words sent me plummeting into an icy abyss. “Oh? Not interested. She’s not even worth a single strand of Celeste’s hair.”
Every word was like a knife, deeply piercing my heart! In that moment, I stopped loving Damon Cross too.
I don’t know how long it continued inside. For some reason, Damon Cross was taking his time today. Seeing this, I coldly curled my lips and suddenly pushed open the door—
The moment Damon looked up, I saw a bottomless darkness in his eyes. Perhaps because he was naturally an alpha, his expression didn’t waver in the slightest even after being caught in such an intimate act. He calmly tucked the photo under his pillow, his long fingers unhurriedly adjusting the startling bulge in his trousers. In mere seconds, he reverted to his usual aloof, ascetic self, as if the man out of control just moments ago had been an illusion.
I couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh. “Putting it back without finishing? Aren’t you afraid of being too pent up? Want me to help you?”
Damon’s expression remained unchanged, he just leaned back slightly, creating distance between us. “Miss Vance, is there something you need?”
He was always like this. He could be deeply aroused by Celeste’s photo, but with me, he was like a monk dedicated to celibacy. My nails dug into my palms as I recalled Celeste Vance’s plain, innocent face— she had a less impressive figure and was less attractive than me, yet everyone fell for her pure act.
It didn’t matter. I had beauty, money, and a great body. From today onwards, anyone who didn’t like me, I simply wouldn’t bother with.
“There’s an auction tomorrow. You’re coming with me,” I said coolly, then turned to leave.
Damon frowned. “I believe I requested two days off…”
“I heard Celeste Vance will be there too,” I said without looking back.
A moment of silence, then his low, deep response: “Understood, Miss Vance.”
My heart felt a prick, like a needle. Sure enough, mention Celeste Vance, and he’d break any rule.
Don’t worry. Soon, I will personally deliver him to Celeste Vance.
The next morning, as I stepped out of the villa, I saw Damon Cross already waiting by the car. His black suit highlighted his broad shoulders and narrow waist, his perfect physique. The morning light cast a golden edge on his stern profile. Usually, at times like this, I would playfully flirt with him, perhaps feigning a twisted ankle to fall into his arms, or deliberately breathing softly near his ear. But today, I simply got into the car with a blank expression, not even sparing him a glance. Damon seemed somewhat surprised, giving me an extra look, but quickly averted his gaze and silently settled into the passenger seat.
The car drove towards the auction house. All the way, I stared out the window, not making excuses to talk to him as usual. The car was so quiet, we could hear each other’s breathing.
The auction was held at the city center’s most exclusive hotel. Crystal chandeliers lit the hall as brightly as day, filled with distinguished guests and powerful figures. As soon as I entered, I spotted Celeste Vance at the front. She wore a white dress, her long, straight black hair falling over her shoulders, laughing and chatting with a few socialites, looking utterly pure and harmless.
Damon Cross’s eyes immediately changed. Though he still stood behind me, fulfilling his bodyguard duties, I could feel his attention completely drawn to Celeste.
“Sister!” Celeste spotted us and immediately scurried over, affectionately linking her arm through mine. “What a coincidence, you’re here for the auction too?”
I coldly pulled my arm away. “Don’t touch me.”
Celeste’s eyes immediately welled up, and she looked tearfully at Damon. “Damon, I just wanted to be closer to my sister…”
Damon’s brow furrowed slightly, and his gaze at me held a barely suppressed distaste. Celeste seized the opportunity to tug on Damon’s sleeve. “Damon, I heard that when I had a fever last time and wanted artisanal pastries, you were the one who bought them late at night in the pouring rain and delivered them to the Vance mansion? It’s a shame I was so sick then and have been recovering these past few days, so I haven’t had a chance to thank you properly.”
Damon’s stern features instantly softened. “Miss Vance, it was nothing. Just on my way.”
On his way? I sneered. That day, he disappeared for five hours and returned soaked to the bone. *That* was his “on his way”?
“Then I must treat you to dinner!” Celeste said sweetly.
Damon didn’t refuse this time. “As Miss Vance wishes.”
“Then let’s invite my sister too!” Celeste looked at me, then suddenly exclaimed, “Oh, sister, why do you look so tired? I’m the one who was sick…”
I coldly cut her off. “Are we close? You’re the daughter of a mistress. Mind your own business.”
Celeste’s face paled, and Damon’s frown deepened. Just then, the auctioneer announced the start of the auction, finally interrupting the awkward conversation. I couldn’t be bothered with her any longer and took my seat.
I was about to marry into the Sterling family, and counting on my father for a dowry was unrealistic. I had to prepare these things myself, which was my true purpose for coming to this auction. As I settled down, the first item was presented. A pigeon’s blood ruby necklace, starting bid one million. I raised my paddle without hesitation.
“Two million.”
To my surprise, Celeste also raised her paddle. “Three million.”
I looked at Celeste, who offered me a slight smile. “Sister, I like this piece too. You don’t mind letting me have it, do you? After all, Father’s allowance for you isn’t as much as mine.”
I scoffed. Not just not as much as hers? From childhood, my father gave Celeste five million every month for allowance, while I only got five hundred. If not for my mother’s inheritance, I might have starved long ago. But now, things were different. I had ten billion.
“Four million.” I raised my paddle again.
Celeste was clearly stunned, but still gritted her teeth and raised the bid. “Four and a half million.”
“Five million.”
“Five and a half million.”
After several rounds of bidding, Celeste’s face grew uglier. “Sister, where did you get so much money? Aren’t you afraid you can’t afford it?”
“Ten million!”
I doubled the bid directly, then looked at her with a sarcastic smile. “I’m starting to think, who’s the one who can’t afford it now?”
Celeste’s face flushed from pale to red, and the surrounding guests began to whisper. The auctioneer politely asked, “Miss Celeste Vance, do you wish to bid higher?”
“Wait a moment.” Celeste frantically pulled out her phone to text my father. A moment later, her face grew even more distressed. She’d clearly been rejected. Seeing this, I curled my lips. Of course he’d refuse. He’d given me ten billion; how could he have any money left to save face for his precious daughter?
It was at this awkward moment that a man in a sharp suit suddenly appeared in the center of the hall and announced loudly:
“He’s sweeping the auction!”
The entire hall erupted in murmurs.
“Sir, are you saying…?” the auctioneer asked in surprise.
The man explained, “I am Mr. Cross’s assistant. Mr. Cross has instructed that any item Miss Celeste Vance takes an interest in today is to be purchased, no matter the cost.”
The auction hall instantly exploded.
“Mr. Cross? The only heir to the Cross family? The famous prince of Veridian City?”
“Doesn’t he usually keep his distance from women? How could he sweep the auction for Miss Celeste Vance?”
“It seems Miss Celeste Vance is about to climb the social ladder…”
The discussions around us rose and fell. Celeste’s face shifted from shock to delight, then to unconcealed triumph. “Where is Mr. Cross? Can I thank him in person?” she asked, her face flushed.
The assistant respectfully replied, “Mr. Cross finds it inconvenient to appear at the moment. When the time is right, he will naturally meet with you.”
Celeste then turned to me, her eyes filled with victorious joy. “Sister, are you still bidding?”
The next second, she feigned innocence and added, “Oh, I almost forgot. Mr. Cross bought out the auction for me. If you keep bidding, I’m afraid you’ll go bankrupt. After all, in this circle, who has more money than Mr. Cross?”
My face instantly changed, and I sharply looked at Damon Cross, only to see him gazing at Celeste with indulgent tenderness.
The rest of the auction was like a romantic drama. Any item Celeste so much as glanced at, the assistant immediately bought out. That ruby necklace, the Northern Song Ru ware tea set, even the Monet Water Lilies painting with a starting bid of eighty million—all fell into Celeste Vance’s hands.
I abruptly stood up, no longer able to hold back. “Does your Mr. Cross intend to leave nothing for anyone else?” I demanded of the assistant.
The assistant cautiously glanced at Damon Cross, who imperceptibly nodded. “Apologies, Miss Vance,” the assistant replied coldly. “These are all gifts from Mr. Cross to Miss Celeste Vance. He only wishes for Miss Celeste Vance to enjoy this auction. As for everyone else’s feelings, they are not within his consideration.”
I laughed, my nails digging deep into my palms. I looked at Damon, but his gaze remained fixed on the triumphant Celeste.
Damon Cross, you’re quite something. You truly are!
The auction ended, and Celeste Vance was surrounded by a crowd of socialites and wealthy women, flattered like a star. I couldn’t bear the hypocritical scene and quickly left the venue.
As soon as I got into the car, I told the driver, “To the Nightfall Club.” I needed alcohol to numb myself. To my surprise, the car door hadn’t even closed when Celeste squeezed in. “Sister, are you going to the club to have fun? I’ve been so bored lately, take me with you!”
I was about to kick her out, but Damon Cross subtly held the car door open and simply told the driver, “Drive.”
Throughout the ride, Celeste excitedly chatted about the day’s auction. “Damon, why do you think Mr. Cross is so good to me? We’ve never even met!”
Damon’s voice was incredibly gentle. “Because he likes you.”
Celeste’s eyes widened instantly, her cheeks flushed. “Damon, don’t joke around!”
“A man knows a man best,” he said, his gaze intensely fixed on Celeste. “Where there’s money, there’s love. Moreover…” He paused. “Miss Vance is so wonderful, it’s not strange for him to fall for you.”
“Then… do you like me too, Damon?” Celeste suddenly asked.
Damon froze, about to speak, when I coldly cut him off. “If you’re going to flirt, get out of my car! This is *my* car!”
Celeste’s eyes immediately reddened. “I’m sorry, Sister, I bothered you. I won’t speak anymore.”
I ignored her, turning to look out the window. Through the reflection in the glass, I clearly saw Damon looking at Celeste with heartache and tenderness, while his gaze at me was cold and disgusted. I gave a self-deprecating laugh. It seemed all men only liked the manipulative innocent type.
The club lights were hazy. I tipped back my third glass of whiskey. The alcohol burned my throat, but it couldn’t extinguish the frustration in my heart. On the dance floor, I swayed in my stilettos, my red dress swirling. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Damon standing by the VIP booth. He was supposed to be my bodyguard, yet he was glued to Celeste’s side. Celeste whispered something, her lips almost brushing Damon’s ear. That man, who was always icy cold towards me, actually had a faint blush on his ear.
I scoffed. As I turned, I was surrounded by a group of playboys. “Miss Vance, care to share a drink?” “Want to exchange SnapChat IDs?” “I’ve wanted to meet Miss Vance for ages. Your beauty truly lives up to its reputation.”
I was trapped in the corner, unable to move, unable to refuse. More men crowded around, and one even touched my waist.
“Damon Cross!” I finally snapped.
The man seemed to just notice my predicament, frowning as he pushed through the crowd. The muscles of his arms, encased in the black suit, were sharply defined. With just one look, he sent the playboys retreating sheepishly.
“Anyone would think *she’s* your client,” I sneered, raising a hand to wipe away the drink stain on my collarbone.
Damon lowered his gaze. “My apologies, I didn’t see it just now.”
“Didn’t see it?” I suddenly leaned closer, my red lips almost brushing his chin. “Or simply didn’t want to see it?”
My breath abruptly closed in on him. Damon’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he took half a step back. “Miss Vance has had too much to drink.”
“Don’t worry, once I’m married, you can protect Celeste Vance to your heart’s content—”
My voice was completely drowned out by a sudden burst of screams from the stage. Staff rolled out an iron cage, where two adult Tibetan Mastiffs restlessly paced.
“Tonight’s special event!” the host shouted excitedly. “Black Cyclone versus Fiery Red! Betting lines are open!”
I frowned. The Nightfall Club often featured such bloody fighting spectacles, but I always detested them. Just as I was about to leave, the iron cage emitted a groaning creak—the latch was loose.
The mishap happened in an instant. The larger Mastiff crashed through the cage door, charging straight for the nearest crowd. Amidst the screams, I saw Damon Cross turn without hesitation, instinctively rushing to Celeste’s side, shielding her completely as he pushed her towards the emergency exit.
And I stood closest to the Mastiff, close enough to see the saliva dripping from its fangs.
“Ah…”
The searing pain came without warning. As the Mastiff’s sharp teeth tore into my calf muscle, I vaguely heard the sound of fabric and flesh ripping together. A chunk of my leg was brutally torn away, blood gushing out. I collapsed to the ground, watching in horror as the beast lunged again—
“Bang!”
A gunshot blasted, making my eardrums ache. The Mastiff fell instantly. The last thing I saw was Damon Cross, gun in hand, shielding Celeste, and the ceiling spinning and darkening.
The smell of disinfectant. When I regained consciousness amidst excruciating pain, the first thing I saw was a pristine white ceiling. My calf felt as though it had been seared with a branding iron; every breath tugged at the wound. I painfully turned my head, and the scene at the hospital room door struck my not-yet-fully-awake brain another heavy blow.
Celeste Vance was buried in Damon Cross’s embrace, sobbing. “Damon, you’re my sister’s bodyguard, why did you protect me? It’s all my fault, I shouldn’t have come…”
His finely-boned hand gently patted her back, his voice incredibly soft. “Miss Vance, you don’t need to blame yourself.”
“Even if I had to do it a hundred times over,” he paused, his fingertip wiping away a tear from her cheek, “I would still choose to protect you first.”
“Why?” Celeste looked up, her eyes brimming with tears.
Damon gazed at her, his deep, dark eyes tinged with affection. “Because… I lo—”
“Smash!”
The sound of a water glass shattering on the floor cut off Damon’s unfinished words.
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