Chapter 1

"You have 19 chances to seduce Brandon and have him bed you. If you succeed just once, you win.

"However, if you fail all 19 times, you must give up the title of Mrs. Slewman and divorce him."

Roxanne Lesterfield watched as her husband's stepmother, Nicole Manther, slid the bet agreement toward her.

For the newly married Roxanne, this wasn't a difficult bet at all, so she signed the agreement confidently.

"Alright, I accept the bet."

Unfortunately, the result was rather disappointing. She had failed her first 18 attempts.

On the 19th try, Roxanne gave her husband, Brandon Slewman, a strong aphrodisiac, then climbed into his bed while wearing a sexy, see-through outfit.

She was certain that she would succeed this time.

Brandon, however, merely gritted his teeth and stopped himself from doing anything despite the agony he was in. He roughly kicked her out of bed.

"If you dare lace my food with drugs again, don't blame me for doing things a husband shouldn't do to a wife."

His handsome face was flushed crimson as he started to shiver because of the drug. However, he still held on to his principles and refused to lay a finger on Roxanne.

Instead, he stumbled off the bed, called for his driver, and then left the house.

Roxanne stared blankly at the car as it drove off. He had gone to find someone to be his "antidote". He had gone to find Nicole.

She felt an ache in her heart. She sat on the cold bed and was lost in thought for the whole night. All she could think about was what Brandon had promised her when he had suggested they secretly get married.

He had told her that he would treat her well in the marriage, but after they had gotten married, he hadn't even touched her once.

The next morning, as soon as the first rays of sunshine shone down, Brandon's Bentley made its way back to the mansion.

The person who stepped out of the car, however, was Nicole and not Brandon.

With a radiant smile, she walked up to Roxanne and handed her a divorce agreement.

"You've failed all 19 times, haven't you? And you were so confident you would win this bet a year ago. Did you think he'd spend every night rolling around in bed with you once you got married? Did you think he'd be able to let me go just because I'm his stepmother now?" she asked with a smile.

Roxanne gritted her teeth. As Nicole had said, her marriage to Brandon this past year had been both loveless and sexless.

No matter how much she tried to seduce him, there was never any fire in his eyes when he looked at her.

The person he loved was always going to be Nicole—his ex-girlfriend, as well as the woman who had married his father for money.

Roxanne finally lowered her head. "I lost. From now on, he's yours."

The memory of the first time she met Brandon flashed across her eyes.

That year, she was 19 years old, and he was 23.

The Lesterfields and the Slewmans had a hostile relationship. For years, they had been at each other's throats.

That day, however, they were required to attend the same banquet. Even from afar, Roxanne managed to catch sight of Brandon amidst the crowd. He was dressed in monochromatic colors.

The way he carried himself was different from others. He rarely smiled and was always calm and collected. Everyone said he was a refreshing presence among the young and rich.

He stayed away from women, and he neither drank nor smoked. He had an amethyst pendant with a portrait of Saint Maxworth carved onto it hanging around his neck. His gaze carried a sense of compassion that was reminiscent of that saint.

That one glance was enough for Roxanne to fall for him.

However, when Nicole appeared in front of everyone holding Kirk Slewman's arm, Brandon's eyes filled with sorrow.

Later, Roxanne's sister, Bridget, told her, "Nicole is Brandon's stepmother. She married his father, Kirk, last year. Before that, however, she was Brandon's first love. They were together for six whole years.

"There are rumors in our circle that the two of them are still going at it, too. That's why he wears the pendant with Saint Maxworth on it. He feels guilty and is worried about being punished, and Saint Maxworth is the patron saint of guilt and sins."

Roxanne didn't believe this at first. However, when she went to the restroom that night, she heard Nicole's moans coming from inside, right before she opened the door.

She carefully opened the door a crack, and she caught sight of Brandon and Nicole going at it like wild rabbits. Nicole was perched on the bathroom counter. Nicole turned her head and gave Roxanne a flirty smile.

That was the day that Roxanne realized that the person Brandon loved was his stepmother.

Despite this, she still tried to think of various ways to take Nicole's place.

Keeping everything a secret from her parents, she got closer to Brandon, professed her love for him, tried to please him, and loved him in a way that forsook her dignity.

Finally, on the day she graduated from university, she received a marriage proposal from Brandon.

As the two families were rivals, Brandon and Roxanne had no choice but to keep their marriage a secret.

On the day they went to the courthouse to get registered, Brandon promised that he'd be good to her for the rest of his life.

That very night, however, Brandon left her alone in an empty room.

From that day onward, every time Roxanne wanted to sleep with him, he would find some excuse to reject her. He would even tell her that he didn't like promiscuous women, and that he wished for her to be more reserved.

Three months after they got married, Kirk died from a heart attack. After the initial mourning period passed, Nicole gave up on her act as well.

She came to Roxanne and laid down her cards. "You already know what's happening between me and Brandon. You've seen it with your own eyes, after all. I'm free now that his father is dead, and you shouldn't cling to him either.

"I'll give you 19 chances. If you manage to get him to bed you, I'll remove myself from the equation. But if you fail, you'll be smart and disappear forever."

Roxanne naturally wasn't going to refuse this bet. If she won, Nicole wouldn't stand between her and Brandon anymore.

However, in the 19 attempts at seduction, Roxanne only faced humiliation at Brandon's hands, over and over again.

The first time, she simply sat in his lap. It only lasted one second before he frowned, stood up, and left for his study.

The second time, she sprayed some perfume, wore a thong, and showed herself off to Brandon. Again, he walked away expressionlessly.

From then on, Roxanne only grew more anxious. She gradually abandoned her sense of shame and even resorted to lacing his food with an aphrodisiac on the 18th try. She straddled him and swayed seductively, hoping to seduce him.

Suddenly, Brandon pinned her down on the bed.

Just when Roxanne thought she had succeeded, she heard Brandon say, "You're as slutty as a whore. It disgusts me."

His words were like a sharp knife. They pierced straight through her heart while also slicing through all her hopes and love.

She recalled the image she had seen that evening in the restroom, many moons ago. Nicole's legs were wrapped around his waist as she moaned while his hands were on her hips as he gasped with each thrust.

Everyone said that Brandon did not have vices or urges. They said he stayed away from women, but that was just a façade to hide this taboo relationship of his!

Marriage, too, was only a cover for him.

And yet, because of him, she had been lying to her parents even to this day. How ridiculous.

Roxanne finally came to her senses. She admitted her defeat and said to Nicole, "I'll leave Brandon. I've already signed the divorce agreement. I'll leave it out for him when I leave."

Nicole didn't ask her where she was going. She merely reminded her, "You have 10 days maximum. Don't delay me from getting back together with Brandon."

Roxanne nodded. 10 days would be enough for her to complete the paperwork needed for her to migrate overseas.

She had only stayed in the country because she wanted to marry Brandon. And now, she decided it was time to go overseas to reunite with her family.

Chapter 2

That night, Brandon finally returned home.

He went straight to the study as usual to take care of some work. But even after a long while, Roxanne never made an appearance.

She would usually be pulling out all the stops to try to seduce him, but she was unusually quiet tonight.

With a frown, Brandon walked over to their shared bedroom. He opened the door only to find it empty, which he found rather strange.

When he left the bedroom, he heard the housekeeper downstairs say, "Ma'am, welcome home."

Roxanne nodded in greeting. While making her way upstairs, she happened to lock eyes with Brandon.

"Where'd you go?" he asked in a calm voice.

Roxanne scoffed inwardly. Had he ever been concerned about her whereabouts before?

"I went to mail some stuff."

She had gone to mail the divorce papers, and she had also set it up so that it would arrive at Brandon's on the very day she left.

"It's a present for you. You'll find out in ten days," she said.

Brandon scoffed. "You keep doing these baffling things. We see each other every day, so why do you need to mail anything? What nonsense," he huffed coldly before returning to the study.

"Pretty soon, you won't have to see this ridiculous person anymore," Roxanne thought to herself.

Indeed. He wouldn't need to see her every day anymore.

She would leave in ten days, and he could finally get back together with Nicole, just as he wished.

With that in mind, Roxanne returned to the bedroom to pack her suitcase.

She didn't want to keep anything he had bought for her, including clothes and shoes.

Even their one and only wedding photo was discarded into a box.

When Brandon walked into the bedroom later and found the place empty, he couldn't help but frown. "What are you doing?"

"Letting things go. I throw out the old stuff, so I can make space to buy new stuff," she explained.

He picked up the framed wedding photo from the box and asked, "How're you going to buy a newer version of this?"

Roxanne looked at him. "If I said I wanted to take a new set of official wedding photos, would you be willing to?"

As their marriage was a secret, there had never been a public wedding. And even their simple wedding photo had been taken according to Nicole's demands. She had used her status as Brandon's stepmother as an excuse to become involved in everything.

"You're fully aware of how our families are, so there's no way we can take public wedding photos," Brandon answered before tossing the photo frame back into the box.

Roxanne's eyes dimmed.

He glanced at her and suddenly added, "If you'd like to have another honeymoon, I can find some time for it."

She looked up in slight disbelief. "Really?"

He nodded. "I was preoccupied with work during our initial honeymoon, so consider this me making it up to you."

However, before she could respond, his phone started ringing. It was Nicole's personal ringtone.

He answered the phone, and Nicole's voice sounded. "Brandon, the auction's been moved up. Come over quickly. I'll wait for you."

"Okay, I'll head over right now."

After Brandon hung up the phone, he turned to Roxanne and said, "You'll have to have dinner by yourself tonight. I'm heading to an auction."

Roxanne didn't respond as usual tonight, though. Instead, she said, "I want to go to the auction too. Let's go together."

"This is to do with the Slewmans' business. Why would you want to go?"

"I can keep your stepmother company. She's always alone, so she could use the company, right?"

Brandon frowned. "If you want to come, then come."

When she got into the car, Roxanne noticed that all the car's interior accessories had been switched to a purple set. Purple was her least favorite color, but it was Nicole's favorite.

Brandon noticed her expression. "The original stuff was old, so I had them replaced recently."

Roxanne merely smiled and said nothing.

By the time the pair arrived at the auction, Nicole and the other members of the company were already in their seats.

Brandon walked over and sat down beside her. The pair leaned into each other and whispered in each other's ears under the pretense of work, completely ignoring Roxanne, who was sitting to the side.

During the break, a few wealthy men invited Roxanne into a private lounge.

Roxanne had gone to answer a phone call then. She was in the middle of resigning from her job.

When she walked past the private lounge, she heard one of the men inside teasing, "Aren't you lonely now that your husband is dead? You're so young. Are you able to handle those long, empty nights? How about we make you feel happy tonight? You like older men anyway, don't you?"

Just as Nicole screamed, Roxanne saw Brandon's figure dash past her. He barged into the private lounge and grabbed hold of the older man who was harassing Nicole.

Chapter 3

"Oh? Isn't this the younger Mr. Slewman? You're usually so calm and collected, and yet, the moment you see your stepmother, you fly into a rage."

The older man was Tom Vlark, a powerful figure in the industry. He was very perceptive and laid everything bare in just a few sentences. "I know you've inherited everything from your father, but don't tell me you've inherited your stepmother too?"

Everyone else in the lounge erupted in jeers and laughter. Nicole quickly placed her hand over Brandon's, and he thus reined in his anger and let Tom go. He then picked up a shot glass and attempted to ease the tension.

"You're all my elders, and I was out of line just now. I'll drink three shots as an apology."

Roxanne, who was still standing outside, felt her heart clench in pain.

Everyone knew that Brandon never touched alcohol, and yet he willingly downed three shots for Nicole today.

Tom and the rest, however, insisted Nicole drink three shots as well. Brandon stood protectively in front of Nicole and spoke up on her behalf. "My stepmother isn't in great health, so she can't drink liquor. I'll drink in her stead."

"Since you've broken your no-alcohol rule already, Mr. Slewman, you might as well drink some more!"

Kirk and the rest of the men poured him shot after shot, and Brandon ended up downing more than ten shots in one go. In the end, the whole bottle was emptied, and even the older men were in admiration of the way he was able to hold his liquor.

"I've happily had a few with you all tonight, so please don't cause trouble for my stepmother in the future. Otherwise, don't blame me if I'm not as pleasant as I was tonight."

With that, Brandon grabbed hold of Nicole and walked out of the lounge.

He never noticed Roxanne standing outside, and he even accidentally knocked her to the ground when he opened the door.

When Roxanne fell, her head struck the antique porcelain vase on the shelf nearby. This caused her forehead to split open, and soon enough, blood was flowing down her face.

A waiter who happened to pass by was alarmed by the sight and quickly called for an ambulance.

Roxanne raised her head, and through her bloodied vision, she caught sight of Brandon and Nicole leaving the venue without a backward glance. They completely forgot that she was there with them as well.

This was the man she willingly had a secret marriage with. She had hidden everything about him from her parents, her friends… everyone.

She was well aware that the Slewmans had caused horrible damage to the Lesterfields many years ago and had even nearly caused her father to lose everything. But she still loved Brandon blindly and without regret.

A self-deprecating laugh escaped her. She told herself, "You brought this on yourself, Roxanne."

Half an hour later, the ambulance delivered Roxanne to the hospital.

The injury on her head required ten stitches, and she handled everything by herself, even spending the night there alone. By the time she woke up, morning had already arrived, and Brandon hadn't even called once.

Roxanne stared at her phone. She noticed that Nicole had posted a video on her social media last night.

Though no faces were visible, she could still tell that the pair of hands that were drying Nicole's hair belonged to Brandon.

The caption was just another one of Nicole's lies.

"My little brother is always worried that I'm lonely, so he often comes and stays with me for a few days. My little brother has finally grown up, and as his sister, I couldn't be prouder."

She had made up a fake "little brother" as a cover for Brandon. She was fooling everyone.

Roxanne was outraged. This was how she had been deceived by the two of them. This was how she had ended up entering this loveless, sexless marriage.

She had sacrificed so much for Brandon and did everything in her power to become the type of woman he liked. She even stopped drinking her favorite red wine just because he didn't like the smell of alcohol.

And yet, in the end, he still chose to stay with Nicole.

With these thoughts running through her mind, Roxanne called a reporter.

"Mr. Kirk Slewman's widow is sleeping with another man right now at her mansion. If you wait by the gates, you'll be able to get your headline."

In their part of the country, it was common for the immediate family to mourn their deceased for three years. As the three-year mourning period hadn't passed, it would be a huge scandal if Nicole and Brandon got together so quickly, especially for a family as wealthy and prestigious as the Slewmans.

However, no photos of them were released even after two hours.

Just as Roxanne was about to be discharged from the hospital, she received a call from Brandon.

"Come over to Coastal Club immediately," he said coldly.

Chapter 4

Roxanne arrived at the Coastal Club an hour later.

She had just walked into the private room when she saw Nicole sitting next to Brandon.

Nicole was wearing a pair of shades and a hat. She was covering herself up tightly. She even had a handkerchief in her hand, with which she used to dab at her tears.

Even though Brandon was intentionally keeping her at a distance, it was still easy to see the concern he had for Nicole in his eyes.

He didn't notice the bandage wrapped around Roxanne's head. If she hadn't spoken, he wouldn't even have noticed that she had walked in.

"Why did you ask me to come here?" Roxanne asked.

Brandon looked over, and only then did his attention turn to her.

His brows furrowed. "Were you the one who called the reporters this morning?"

Roxanne stiffened. She reflexively glanced over at Nicole, who had already removed her shades, revealing a bruised left eye.

Brandon looked even more disappointed when Roxanne didn't answer him. "I've already had someone look into the number that contacted the media, and it was indeed yours.

"They also admitted that it was a woman who tipped them off about a major scoop, and that was why they were lying in wait in front of the Slewman mansion.

"Do you realize how out of line this was? One of the reporters even rushed forward to get a shot, and their camera lens hit Nicole in the eye."

Nicole chimed in, "Forget it, Brandon. We might have mistakenly blamed Roxanne. Why would she slander me and try to ruin my reputation?"

Brandon stared at Roxanne coldly. "Well? Was it you?"

"I merely told the truth to the media. Was that really so wrong?" Roxanne thought to herself with a self-deprecating laugh.

She had endured a night in the hospital by herself, and the injury on her head had been caused by Brandon no less. Had he ever shown her an ounce of concern?

She was sitting in front of him, and he still hadn't shown the slightest concern for her.

On the other hand, Nicole only needed to shed a few tears, and here he was, interrogating her.

Another figurative crack appeared in her heart. She asked Brandon in return, "How do you know what happened so clearly? Unless… you were at the Slewman mansion?"

Brandon's expression stiffened.

Roxanne continued, "Since you said it's slander, then that means your stepmother is innocent. Or do you also believe that she has had relations with other men during her mourning period?"

Brandon's eyes darkened. "Don't talk nonsense. There's no way she would do something so stupid during her mourning period."

Nicole hurriedly chimed in, "Roxanne, please don't misunderstand. These reporters like to make things up. Brandon is just worried about the Slewman family's reputation. He's already paid a hefty sum to get rid of those reporters, and there won't be any negative press about this at all."

Roxanne bit down on her lip, not saying anything.

Nicole had already won the bet, but she still wanted to flaunt Brandon's favoritism toward her in these final days.

Roxanne was beyond thankful that she had already signed the divorce papers. Otherwise, she'd have to endure this kind of torture every day going forward.

"Alright, let's just turn a page on this matter," Nicole said, before suddenly exclaiming, "Roxanne, what happened to your head?"

Roxanne remained silent.

"Did you bump into something?" Brandon asked as he glanced at her.

"You're still bleeding. I'll have someone bring more gauze," Nicole said before stepping out of the private room.

This left Roxanne and Brandon alone inside.

Brandon sighed. "Regardless of whether you were the person to call the media or not, I hope you'll stop targeting and doubting Nicole. She doesn't have a husband to stand up for her anymore. She's pitiful enough as it is."

Roxanne's hands clenched tightly into fists. What about her husband? Who was he standing up for?

"No matter what, she's still my stepmother. I'll be more appreciative of you, too, if you treat her better."

Brandon gently took hold of Roxanne's hand. "Roxanne, if you're good to her, I'll be even better to you, too."

Roxanne sneered inwardly. She couldn't help but ask, "Brandon, do you even think of me as your wife?"

"Of course, you're my wife."

"And yet this is how you treat your wife? You let her suffer such indignation?"

Before Brandon could answer, a loud yell sounded from outside.

"Fire! There's a fire!"

Alarmed, Brandon instantly dropped Roxanne's hand and dashed out the door.

Chapter 5

The club was already in chaos. The sudden blaze caused by some faulty wiring was spreading fast.

Amidst the heavy smoke, Brandon was only focused on searching for Nicole.

As for Roxanne, she had just barely made it out of the private room when she got shoved back in by the other panicked patrons who were making their escape. Somehow, the door had gotten locked too.

She banged on the door frantically. "Help! Anyone! Open the door!"

Everyone was in a rush to escape, and no one heard her cries for help.

Heavy smoke seeped in from under the door, causing Roxanne to cough uncontrollably.

She hurriedly took off her coat and used it to cover her nose and mouth, then ran over to the window. Just as flames licked their way into the room, she gathered all her courage, smashed her body against the glass, and then leaped out.

Roxanne was on the third floor of the club, so when she plummeted to the ground, the pain she felt was so intense that she couldn't even sit up. She had a feeling she had broken her leg.

When she glanced up at the crowd of survivors, she noticed that the rescued Nicole was clinging to Brandon, who was lying unconscious on a stretcher.

Filled with worry, Roxanne forced herself to stand up. Just then, emergency responders arrived and brought her into an ambulance too.

When they reached the hospital, Roxanne couldn't be bothered with her own treatment. She was in a rush to see Brandon, whose legs were covered in burns and blood. He was on his way to the trauma room.

"Brandon!"

Roxanne stumbled after the stretcher, eyeing him worriedly.

However, when Brandon groggily opened his eyes, the first words that came out of his mouth were, "Where's Nicole? Is she safe?"

Roxanne froze in place.

Brandon continued in a weak voice, "Let me see her. I need to make sure she's okay…"

The doctors were in a rush to send Brandon into the trauma room, but he was still relentlessly calling out for Nicole and insisting that he see her.

Roxanne said to him helplessly, "Brandon, listen to me. The doctors need to take care of your injuries. Your burns are very severe. They can't wait!"

But Brandon was only concerned with whether Nicole was safe or not. Nothing Roxanne said got through to him.

"Nicole! Let me see Nicole…"

His cries for Nicole made Roxanne stumble backward in pain, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Brandon had deserted her in the fire and, instead, braved the flames to go save Nicole. Now, he was even disregarding his own life just to make sure Nicole was safe.

Did he really not know that this was more agonizing to her than just killing her?

At that moment, Nicole finally rushed over to Brandon's side and held onto his hand tightly.

"Brandon, don't worry. I'm fine. You're the one who needs to get treated right now. I'll wait for you!"

Nicole merely needed to say a few words, and Brandon obediently agreed to be wheeled into the trauma room.

Right then, the doctor approached with surgery consent forms. "Who's the patient's family?"

Roxanne instinctively stood up, but Nicole grabbed the forms first.

She said to the doctor, "I'm legally the patient's mother. I'm qualified to sign."

She then gave Roxanne a smug look.

Roxanne stiffened. Indeed, her marriage to Brandon was a secret, and so she didn't even have the right to claim to be his family in public.

Nicole, on the other hand, could. She was his stepmother. With that connection, she could forthrightly claim the spot next to him.

No one knew that Roxanne was Brandon's wife. Brandon often forgot this fact as well.

Roxanne lowered her eyes despondently. As she sat on the bench, the pain in her heart started to grow to unbearable levels.

Right then, Nicole walked over to her.

"I'm sure you've seen how irreplaceable I am in Brandon's heart. He's willing to forsake his own life for me. He only married you to hide our relationship. I showed you all this for your own good. This way, you can completely give up and stop clinging to any hope that he'll love you."

Roxanne closed her eyes as she tried hard to hold back her tears.

"Do you really enjoy watching him risk his life for you that much?"

"I just want him to constantly prove his love for me, just as I have loved him with my entire being."

"If you love him so much, why did you dump him and marry his father instead?"