Chapter 1

In the nightclub's hall, my heavily pregnant younger sister, Grace Costello, was pushed onto the stage against her will.

The men below the stage argued red-faced over the baby in her belly.

"It's definitely mine! I went the hardest that night!" one of the men shouted.

"Bullshit! I did it more times—I have better odds!" another yelled.

Grace's face was deathly pale. With tears in her eyes, she asked the man beside her, "Bruce, you're my fiance. How could you do this to me?"

Bruce Dixon held a delicate-looking woman in his arms and sneered. "You don't even know who the father is, and you have the nerve to ask me that?"

The woman in his arms, Bonnie Lynch, covered her mouth as she giggled shyly, but her eyes held nothing but smugness as she looked at Grace.

As I sat below the stage, my gaze turned icy.

I had only been gone for a few years, and these people already had the nerve to mess with my family, the Costellos!

My assistant, Victor Frost, bent down and asked quietly, "Should I bring in Arnold Tucker, the owner of this club, and have him explain himself to you?"

I scoffed, "What's the point of calling him? Have all our people on standby!"

"Yes, ma'am." Victor quickly stepped back.

How dare they touch my sister? No one would be leaving in one piece tonight!

Grace's voice trembled as she spoke. "You were the only one I spent the night with! How could I be pregnant with someone else's child?"

Bonnie, still in Bruce's arms, laughed sweetly and said, "Grace, you were drunk and kept yelling that one guy wasn't enough. You even dragged several men into the room. Don't you remember?"

Grace went pale. "That's impossible! Bruce was the only one in the room—"

She froze mid-sentence and glared at Bruce.

"It was you. That glass of wine… You drugged me?" Grace yelled in disbelief.

Bruce didn't answer or even look at her. He pulled out a stack of photos from his pocket and scattered them across the stage.

"Come and place your bets! Whoever guesses right, I'll throw in the hottest video from that night!" Bruce said.

The crowd below burst into cheers.

One man exclaimed, "Damn, that's really something! She had nothing on at all, and you can see everything!"

"That's even hotter than an adult movie cover. Just one look, and I'm getting all worked up!" Another leered.

Bonnie picked up a photo, glanced at it with disgust, then tossed it away.

The photo landed in front of me, and I picked it up. Just one look made my vision go dark with anger.

These people were insane!

Soon, they would find out what happens when they mess with the Costellos!

The men below the stage scrambled for Grace's photos like a pack of madmen. The loud sound of cash hitting the poker table rang out as they threw down their bets, eyes bloodshot.

It was like an auction, and Grace was nothing but merchandise to them.

I sat in the shadows. Swirling my glass of wine, I watched the absurd gamble with a cold glare.

Victor still hadn't returned, so I had to wait a little longer.

"All bets are final!" The dealer, Mike Brown, raised his voice above the din of the crowd. "Now, let's bring out the experts to reveal the truth behind this bet!"

Several people in lab coats rushed onto the stage carrying medical equipment. Without a word, they grabbed Grace's arm. A needle gleamed as it was about to pierce her skin.

"Get off me!" Grace, who had seemed weak until now, suddenly snapped.

She broke free and scratched one of them deeply across the face with her nails.

"Where's Arnold? Tell him to come out here! If I get so much as a scratch tonight, this place will be shut down by tomorrow!" Grace screamed at the top of her lungs, and everyone burst into laughter.

Bonnie covered her mouth, laughing so hard she was shaking. "Oh wow, is Ms. Costello still dreaming?"

She suddenly yanked Grace's hair and leaned in to whisper in the latter's ear, "You seem to have forgotten that Arnold is my older brother. He already bankrupted the Costellos long ago, so where did you get the nerve to shout like that?"

I was already at the foot of the stage, ready to rescue Grace at any moment, when Bonnie's words left me in shock.

Bonnie was Arnold's sister? The Costellos were bankrupt? How had I not known any of this?

Bruce pulled Bonnie into his arms again and said, "Why waste time talking to her?"

He turned to the men in lab coats and ordered, "Hurry up and don't waste time!"

Just as the needle touched Grace's skin, the dealer next to her suddenly panicked and shouted, "Stop!"

Chapter 2

Everyone froze, and I paused as well.

With trembling hands, Mike pulled an onyx seal from the sash at Grace's waist, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

"The… the Tempest Seal?"

Stunned, he rang the nightclub's biggest boss. "Mr. Tucker, the Tempest Seal just turned up. Please come and verify if it's real!"

Bruce's expression darkened. Even Bonnie, still nestled in his arms, fell silent.

Arnold Tucker, whom they reverently called "Mr. Tucker," was my father's godson. By age, I was more like an older sister to him.

Knowing this was his turf, I eased up slightly and quietly waited for Victor to return.

Before long, Arnold's personal secretary, Betty Carson, showed up. She said, "Mr. Tucker will be here shortly. Let me take a look first!"

Just as her fingers touched the seal, Bonnie suddenly giggled in Bruce's arms. "What a coincidence. I have one of these worthless things too!"

She pulled a velvet box from her handbag. The moment the box popped open, the room broke into an uproar.

There were two identical Tempest Seals.

"Hers has a crack!" Bonnie said. "It's a fake."

Grace cried out, "My sister gave this to me. How could it be a fake? My sister is Erica Costello!"

As soon as she said that, Bonnie laughed and said, "I have lived with the Costellos for years and never met this sister of yours. You really can't stop lying. Now you're even making up a sister?"

Betty inspected the seals and respectfully handed Bonnie's back. Then she casually picked up where Grace left off.

"Erica?" Betty sneered like she had just heard a joke. "I've never heard of this person."

"Since the real Tempest Seal is with Ms. Lynch, we won't interfere with Ms. Costello's case. Please, carry on." With that, Betty stepped aside, acting like it was no longer any of her business.

The men erupted into chaos.

"Do the test! I bet 100 thousand dollars that baby's mine!"

"Once the test is done, we all get a turn!"

All of the men rushed over at once. One even started unbuckling his belt.

"I'm upping my bet! Once the test is done, I'm going in first!"

The men in lab coats pinned Grace to the stage again. A silver needle flashed as it moved to pierce her pale skin.

Victor still hadn't returned, but I couldn't wait any longer.

"Stop!" I leaped onto the stage and kicked over the tray of metal tools.

Betty's eyes went wide. "Who is this crazy woman wrecking Mr. Tucker's place?"

I smiled coldly and said, "Erica. Of the Costellos."

Chapter 3

The whole place went dead silent, but for only a second. Then the room burst into deafening laughter. Some even laughed until they cried.

"You're Erica Costello? That woman's supposed to be some legendary figure who could shake up the entire city of Jedo. No one's heard from her in years—why would she show up here?" Bonnie said as she clutched her stomach, laughing so hard she could barely stand.

She continued, "Grace, where did you hire this actress? She almost had me fooled!"

Bruce frowned and looked over in disgust. "Grace, get this fraud out of here already. Aren't you embarrassed enough?"

Grace clung to me, eyes wide with stunned disbelief.

Fury was written all over my face as I fought to hold back the anger surging within me. I snarled, "When Arnold gets here, we'll see who's telling the truth!"

I pulled Grace behind me, and my eyes turned cold and focused. I added, "Until then, if anyone touches her, I'll cut off their hand!"

Bonnie laughed mockingly, her hand covering her mouth. "Oh, her acting is pretty good!

"But if Erica had really shown up, she would be surrounded by a crowd. Why would she come alone?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my bodyguards packed into a corner. I couldn't help but smirk.

"Tell Arnold to get out here! I want to know if he still remembers me."

Betty narrowed her eyes and looked at me from head to toe. A cruel smile curled at her lips, and she said, "Who do you think you are, daring to summon Mr. Tucker like that? You don't know your place!"

As she fiddled lazily with the emerald bracelet on her wrist, her voice suddenly turned icy. "Take her down! Let's see what she's really all about!"

A few burly men grinned hungrily, and their voices were laced with cruel amusement.

"Yes, Ms. Carson. We'll strip her down completely and show you everything there is to see!"

As they spoke, they reached for me and Grace.

I slapped one of them hard across the face and snarled, "How dare you? Do you have a death wish? Do you know what happens when you cross me?"

His head snapped to the side. Then his eyes turned vicious, and he grabbed my throat.

"You filthy bitch! Do you think you're tough?" he roared. "I'll teach you some manners right here in front of everyone!"

Laughter exploded around us. A few men closed in, leering. One of them even pulled out his phone to start recording.

Grace tried to rush over, crying, but Bonnie yanked her by the hair and threw her to the floor.

"Grace, where did you dig her up? She must be crazy to think she can act like some big shot here!"

Bonnie sneered. "You pretend to be all prim and proper, but you don't even know who the father of your baby is!"

Then, Bonnie slapped Grace hard, splitting the latter's lip.

I kicked away the man next to me and lunged to help Grace, but muscular arms grabbed and held me down.

My bodyguards were trapped on the edge of the crowd, unable to get through.

"Oh, please, the fake Erica is really getting into character, huh?" Bonnie stepped up in her heels and nudged Grace's chin with the toe of her shoe.

Bonnie said, "Get on your knees and beg. Maybe Ms. Carson will let your fake sister off the hook."

Grace looked at Bruce through tears, her voice shaking. "Bruce, she really is my sister. If you hurt her, you'll all regret it!"

Bruce straightened his cuffs indifferently, looking at her like she was trash. He said, "If it weren't for you, none of this would have happened. Just apologize to Bonnie already."

"Start begging! If you don't, we'll strip her right now!" Several men sneered as they reached for my collar.

"I'll beg!" Grace dropped to her knees on the marble floor. She pressed her forehead against the cold stone, begging, "Please, don't hurt my sister…"

I watched her grovel over and over, begging them not to hurt me. Every time she did, my heart ached like it was being torn apart.

Victor still hadn't returned, and my bodyguards at the door were unusually still.

Something wasn't right.

Betty looked at my face, and a hint of jealousy flashed in her eyes.

At some point, she pulled out a scalpel and pressed the blade to my face.

"Such a pretty face," she sneered. "I wonder if Mr. Tucker will recognize it once it's all cut up?"

"Don't touch Erica!" Grace suddenly fought back. "Arnold will make you wish you were dead!"

"You act like you're still the Costellos' heiress. But unfortunately for you, that name doesn't mean anything anymore." Betty sneered as she pressed the blade to my skin, and I felt warm blood slide down my neck.

Just as she made another cut, the door slammed open. Arnold strode in with a group of men.

His eyes swept over Grace's bloodied forehead and the cuts on my face. Then, the atmosphere around him suddenly turned icy.

Chapter 4

"Arnold!" Grace's eyes lit up, and she said, "Tell them to let Erica go!"

Arnold's icy gaze swept across the hall and finally landed on Betty. He asked, "What's going on?"

Betty immediately gave him a helpless look. "Arnold, it's Grace—she brought a fake Tempest Seal and someone pretending to be Erica."

Arnold finally looked at Grace, his eyes full of disgust.

"Grace Costello, how much longer are you going to make a scene? Bonnie gave in at every turn, but you're still pushing your luck?"

"She gave in?" Grace trembled with rage. "They humiliated me in front of everyone! They also claimed Erica's seal is fake, but you're saying I'm the one who's misbehaving?

"You promised Erica you would take care of me! And now you're helping an outsider bully me?"

"An outsider?" Bonnie smugly looped her arm through Arnold's. She said, "I'm his real sister! And who exactly are you?"

My face was bloodied as I stared coldly at Arnold, but he only focused on soothing Bonnie.

Looking anxious, Grace pointed at me. She said, "Erica's back. How are you going to explain this to her?"

Arnold finally glanced at me. The moment he recognized my face, surprise flickered in his eyes. But it quickly faded into cold indifference.

He said, "Grace, Erica died long ago. You actually hired a stand-in to put on an act? How pathetic."

I barked out a laugh. So the man my father raised turned on us the moment we weren't looking.

"Arnold Tucker, you really think you've become something, huh?"

Arnold's eyes widened at my voice. He swallowed, his Adam's apple visibly bobbing.

With a trembling hand, he lifted my chin and studied me for a long moment. His eyes were heavy with emotion.

After a while, he lightly touched the wound on my face and sighed heavily.

"She looks a lot like Erica. What a shame, though. If it weren't for this cut, I could've kept you by my side," Arnold said. "But now, you're useless."

Sadness clouded his expression. It was as if seeing me brought back memories of someone he loved but lost.

He added, "No matter how much you look like Erica, she's gone."

With that, he closed his eyes and said, "Betty, take care of this."

A mocking smile spread across Betty's face, as if she thought I were a joke.

She snapped her fingers, and a few burly men tore open my collar. Grace was slammed roughly onto the poker table, chips scattering with a clatter.

Just then, the gilded doors of the hall burst open with a thunderous crash.

Victor stood tall against the light, and a dark wave of men stormed in behind him.

The cuts on his face were evident as he said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Ms. Erica. I ran into some trouble along the way."