Chapter 1

"Dad, I've made up my mind. I'm going to marry Mr. Marchand from Vantrel."

Aurelia Vance strode into Harrison Vance's study, her voice firm and resolute as she spoke.

"Mr. Marchand from Vantrel? Do you mean Theo Marchand—the same boy who's been crying about marrying you since you were three? The Marchand family is absurdly wealthy, and Theo is certainly accomplished for his age... but aren't you in love with Damien?" Harrison asked, genuinely puzzled.

"And besides Damien, didn't I raise six other child husbands for you? All six would do whatever you ask. Wouldn't marrying one of them be better than marrying into someone else's family and being treated like a doormat?"

At that, Aurelia gave a bitter smile.

Just yesterday, she too believed that, aside from Damien Ashford, the other six were hopelessly in love with her—so much so that if she were to ask them to cut out their hearts and lay them at her feet, they would have done it without a second thought.

But last night, Aurelia accidentally uncovered her child husbands' secret.

"So, when do you think that idiot, Aurelia, will finally figure out that Sloane isn't actually Damien's biological sister?"

The one speaking was Owen Grayson—one of Aurelia's child husbands, who had once jumped off a building for her.

But now, he lazily swirled the whiskey in his glass and sneered. "That idiot, Aurelia, probably still thinks I'm head over heels for her. But that jump? It wasn't to confess anything—it was to scare her off."

"Same here," another chimed in. "I forced myself to flatter her every damn day even though it made my skin crawl—because I knew she hated simps."

"Haha! I guess we all had the same strategy. Whatever Aurelia hated, we made sure to act like it. That way, she'd never choose us, and we could all get a fair shot at winning over Sloane."

"Only Damien didn't put on an act. And that masochist, Aurelia, actually fell for him. Let's have one second of silence for our poor Damien."

"Well, someone's got to marry Aurelia, right? Otherwise, how else is Sloane supposed to become the precious princess of the Vance family?"

Aurelia clenched her fists in silence, her whole body trembling with rage.

All seven of her child husbands were orphans adopted by Harrison.

Aurelia's mother, Catherine Ravenshire, had died young. Harrison, still deeply in love with his late wife, never remarried.

At the same time, he couldn't bring himself to entrust the vast Vance family empire to someone as young as Aurelia. So, he went to an orphanage and adopted seven gifted boys, raising them to be Aurelia's future husbands.

Among them, Damien was the most brilliant, the most breathtakingly handsome, and the one Harrison favored most.

But during the adoption process, Damien said, "I have a younger sister. Her name is Sloane Ashford. I won't leave her behind. If you want to adopt me, you'll have to adopt her too."

At the time, Aurelia believed that if he could treat his sister so well, he'd surely treat his future wife even better. So, she pleaded with Harrison to adopt Sloane as well. And just like that, Sloane became the adopted daughter of the Vance family.

For as long as she could remember, anything Aurelia had, Sloane had too.

The seven adopted sons adored Sloane, especially Damien, who all but worshipped the ground she walked on.

Sometimes, Aurelia felt jealous. But they would turn on her and scold her for it whenever she did.

"Ms. Aurelia, aren't you being a bit too petty? Why are you getting jealous of your own sister?"

"We grew up in the same orphanage as Sloane, and she's always been like a real little sister to us."

"Ms. Aurelia, you're different from her. You have everything. Sloane only has us."

Over time, even Aurelia began to wonder if she was really just being too petty.

But now, as the mocking laughter of the husbands rang in her ears, she finally saw the truth.

She wasn't petty. They were just masterful at pretending.

Still burning with anger, Aurelia suddenly caught a familiar voice drifting from the nearby garden. She followed the sound and walked straight into a moment that unraveled everything she thought she knew.

Damien, cold and composed, had Sloane pinned against a wall.

His voice was low, tight with restrained emotion as he said, "Sloane, you know you're the only one I love. But as your brother, I can't marry you… So, I can't touch you."

"Then, don't marry Aurelia, please," Sloane pleaded in tears. "If you do, I'll never speak to you again."

Damien's voice turned cold. "I don't want to marry her either. But Mr. Vance gave us everything—we owe him.

"Be good, Sloane. Even if I do marry her, it'll only be a marriage on paper. I won't give her a single shred of love."

Chapter 2

Thinking back on everything from the night before, Aurelia silently clenched her fists.

She didn't need Damien's pity.

As the heiress of the Vance empire, she had no reason to fear being unwanted. If Damien didn't wish to marry her, there would be no shortage of others who did.

"Dad, there's no need to talk me out of it. Theo is a good man—I can feel it. He truly likes me. As for Owen and the others, they only obey me because they were raised as my child husbands—they never had a choice."

Aurelia lowered her thick, long lashes, letting them hide the sorrow in her eyes.

But she quickly pulled herself together, lifted her chin, and said firmly, "Dad, there's one more thing. Since I'm not marrying any of them, there's no reason for us to keep supporting them. Freeze all their accounts. Cut off all of Sloane's cards. The Vance family doesn't support freeloaders."

Harrison nodded. "Alright. If you're not marrying them, they have no reason to stay. On your wedding day, I'll have them all removed from the Vance residence. I won't let any of them grow ambitious and try to take what's rightfully yours."

After finishing her conversation with Harrison, Aurelia stepped out of the study. But as she reached the top of the stairs, she ran straight into Sloane.

"Aury, I heard you're going for horseback-riding lessons this afternoon. Can I come with you?"

Sloane's eyes sparkled as she trotted over and slipped her arm through Aurelia's, swaying it playfully like a spoiled child.

"I want to learn how to ride, too. Please, Aury. Take me with you?"

If it had been before, Aurelia would've agreed without hesitation. She wasn't the type to be stingy. She might have even offered to pay for Sloane's riding lessons if she were in a good mood.

But now, with everything from the night before still fresh in her mind, a wave of nausea surged in her chest.

Overwhelmed by disgust, Aurelia yanked her arm away and snapped, "Stay away from me!"

She hadn't pulled away that hard, but Sloane exaggerated her stumble, and with perfect timing, went tumbling down the stairs.

"Sloane!" Damien's panicked voice rang out from the bottom of the stairs.

Aurelia rushed to the banister, only to freeze at the sight of all her husbands gathered at the foot of the staircase.

"Aurelia, how could you be so cruel?" Milo Sterling, the hottest-tempered among them, was the first to speak. "What did Sloane ever do to deserve being pushed down the stairs?"

"Milo, stop," Sloane said, tugging gently at his sleeve. "It wasn't Aury's fault. I just… lost my balance."

She spoke in a guarded, tentative tone, and as she continued, her eyes began to redden, as though she'd just borne the weight of an unspeakable injustice.

And, of course, it worked. Every glance from the husbands toward Aurelia now brimmed with silent accusation.

Especially Damien—his gaze was so frigid, Aurelia couldn't even bring herself to look him in the eye.

But he didn't say a word. He cast Aurelia a cold glance, then turned and walked away with Sloane in his arms. He didn't give her a single chance to explain.

Aurelia smiled bitterly. It was fine. She didn't want to explain anymore anyway.

No matter what she said, none of them would believe her.

That afternoon, the horseback-riding lesson was supposed to be just her and Damien. But when Aurelia arrived at the horse racing track, she was surprised to find Sloane already there.

Sloane gave her a sweet, almost apologetic smile. "Aury, Damien told me to come. But don't worry. I won't get in your way. You two can ride together. I'll just have the coach guide me separately."

Her words sounded sweet, but Damien didn't leave Sloane's side for even a moment once the lesson began. He personally adjusted her saddle, then lifted her onto the horse with one arm.

Sloane didn't know how to ride, so Damien patiently taught her, guiding her every step of the way. When she grew tired and wanted to dismount, Damien dropped to one knee, letting her step down using his shoulder.

The sight cut through Aurelia like a blade.

Back then, she had once mounted a horse using Damien's shoulder, too. But he hadn't offered it willingly.

Harrison was there that day. He had said, "A real man stands tall for everything—except the woman he chooses to kneel for.

"Damien, kneel. Let Aury use your shoulder to mount the horse. And remember this—from now on, Aury is your everything. Only she is allowed to step on you—no one else."

Chapter 3

Harrison hadn't meant to humiliate Damien—he was simply passing down a belief he held dear.

When Catherine was still alive, every time she mounted a horse, it was by stepping onto Harrison's shoulder.

Back then, Aurelia was just a young girl. She remembered placing her tiny foot on Damien's shoulder and thinking how broad and steady it felt. And in that moment, though she couldn't explain why, her heart suddenly began to race.

It was the first flutter of a young girl's affection.

But she never noticed the humiliation quietly etched across Damien's face.

She had always assumed Damien was just proud by nature, too proud to be stepped on by anyone. So after that day, she never asked him to kneel for her again.

But now, watching him kneel without hesitation, letting Sloane step down from the horse using his shoulder, it felt like someone had flung a handful of needles straight into Aurelia's eyes.

The pain was sharp. And blinding.

She forced herself to look away, then gave the horse a firm kick to its side.

The horse obediently galloped forward. As Aurelia rode with the wind rushing past her face, she finally felt a sliver of calm return to her heart.

Today's lesson was show jumping. Aurelia had to guide the horse over three hurdles, each one more difficult than the last.

Just as she approached the first, her horse suddenly took off in a leap. But midair, the strap securing the saddle snapped.

Caught completely off guard, Aurelia was thrown from the horse and slammed hard into the ground.

Startled, the horse reared back and bolted, wild with panic. In its frenzy, it could trample her at any moment.

And yet, Damien, who was supposed to protect her, stayed by Sloane's side. He hadn't even noticed that Aurelia had fallen from the horse.

"Damien!" Aurelia clenched her teeth against the searing pain in her lower body and shouted with all the strength she had left.

Only then did Damien finally notice that her horse had gone wild. He stepped forward calmly and, with a single hand, brought the panicked animal under control.

Damien had been trained in animal handling, which was why Harrison had assigned him to accompany Aurelia to her horseback-riding lessons. He was supposed to check her saddle, stay alert to her movements, and ensure her safety at all times.

But instead, all his attention had been fixed on Sloane. He hadn't even realized that Aurelia's saddle hadn't been properly secured.

Aurelia ended up breaking her leg and was sent to the hospital.

Perhaps out of guilt, Damien volunteered to take care of her during her recovery. He was attentive, almost to a fault.

Whenever Aurelia felt the slightest thirst, water was already at her lips before she could ask.

If she so much as winced from the pain, he was there in seconds, offering painkillers. And after the bitterness of the pills, he always had her favorite candy ready, just so her mouth wouldn't taste unpleasant.

He was always like this. He clearly didn't love her, yet he still cared for her with such painstaking tenderness that Aurelia began to fall for the illusion.

She started convincing herself that maybe he did love her but just didn't know how to show it.

But how could that be true?

When he looked at Sloane, the affection in his eyes was unmistakable—so vivid it practically spilled over.

A few days later, Aurelia's leg was nearly healed.

That night, as she got up to use the bathroom, she unintentionally overheard voices drifting from the hallway.

"Damien, that's seriously messed up," said Owen. "You're telling me you cut Aurelia's saddle strap on purpose? Even if she did push Sloane down the stairs, that's no excuse. Falling off a horse is no joke—she could've broken her neck!"

Damien let out a quiet sigh. "It was only meant to be a small punishment… I didn't think she'd get hurt that badly."

Damien was an expert equestrian. He calculated that the fall would cause no serious harm if the horse didn't jump.

What he hadn't accounted for was that Aurelia would be practicing show jumping that day. The horse didn't just jump—it leapt high into the air.

"I've atoned," Damien added. "I've done everything she asked over these past few days. I've already made it up to her. She's fine now, so let's leave it at that. No need to bring it up again."

In that moment, an inexplicable chill crept down Aurelia's spine.

So, Damien had cut her saddle strap just to vent on Sloane's behalf?

All the meticulous care he had given her these past few days was nothing more than compensation for a "miscalculation". It wasn't because he cared that she was hurt.

Aurelia bit down on her lip until it bled. Yet, she didn't feel a thing.

Because her heart hurt more than anything else ever could.

Chapter 4

The next day, Aurelia was discharged from the hospital.

Damien came to pick her up, but she didn't spare him a glance. Instead, she climbed straight into Owen's car.

Owen, ever the charmer, kept the conversation light, cracking jokes the entire ride. But Aurelia couldn't muster even the hint of a smile.

"Aury, are you feeling a little off today?" Owen asked gently. "There's an auction this afternoon. Do you want me to take you there? Nothing lifts a woman's mood like a good shopping spree. Just raise your auction paddle, and I'll cover whatever you want."

Aurelia shot him a sidelong glare and muttered irritably, "Don't act so generous. You're just spending the Vance family's money."

She wouldn't have cared before, but ever since she learned the truth about the child husbands' "secret", it was hard not to.

"Hey, don't sell me short," Owen said with a grin. "Damien's not the only genius in the Vance family. I've made solid investments overseas these past few years and earned a good bit too. So, go wild—I can afford you."

Aurelia finally cracked a smile. "In that case, I'm bleeding you dry today. Drive. We're going to the auction."

The auction hall buzzed with anticipation, packed with elites and socialites from every corner of high society.

All eyes were on the most anticipated item of the night—a jewelry set known as "Tears of the Ocean", featuring the largest blue diamond ever discovered, freshly unearthed from a Tamalyan mine.

Aurelia adored the sea, and she was determined to claim the piece for herself.

But just as she settled into her seat, Damien walked in with Sloane on his arm.

The smile on Aurelia's face froze in place. She had a feeling Sloane wouldn't let her have it without a fight.

And sure enough, the moment "Tears of the Ocean" was presented, Sloane raised her paddle. But soon, she noticed that Aurelia had raised hers as well.

After a brief hesitation, Sloane slowly lowered hers, her eyes faintly red.

"So… Aury wants 'Tears of the Ocean' too," she said with a fragile smile. "Then I won't bid anymore. I could never take something Aury likes."

Her gaze dropped as she spoke, tears shimmering in her eyes, looking heartbreakingly pitiful.

Damien's face darkened instantly. The look he shot Aurelia was sharp, unmistakably laced with disgust.

"Sloane, as long as I'm here, there's no reason for you to compromise," he said. "If you want something, go for it. I'll always have your back."

Then, without giving her a chance to reply, Damien raised his paddle.

"One million dollars."

The entire auction hall fell into stunned silence. A few socialites gasped aloud, their eyes wide at the jaw-dropping number.

But as the shock faded, murmurs began to ripple through the crowd.

"Isn't Damien one of Aurelia's child husbands? Why is he bidding on jewelry for another woman?"

"And not just any piece—it's the exact one Aurelia had her eye on. Isn't that a public slap in the face?"

"Poor Aurelia Vance... born into wealth and power, only to be humiliated by her own 'husband.'"

Aurelia clenched her fists in silence. She had been raised like royalty and doted on by Harrison her whole life. But Damien had just made her a spectacle.

The burn of humiliation crept up her spine.

Then, in a flash of fury, she raised her hand and dropped a bombshell bid—because no one got to humiliate her without a fight.

Chapter 5

"She's raised her paddle! Ms. Vance has placed a bid!" the auctioneer announced, barely containing his excitement.

"Congratulations to Ms. Vance for successfully winning 'Tears of the Ocean!'"

At that moment, the tight knot in Aurelia's chest finally began to ease.

But when it came time to pay, the organizers informed her that her card had been frozen.

"That's impossible," Aurelia said, frowning. "My card has no limit. There's no way it would've been frozen, no matter the amount."

She asked them to try again, but it still didn't go through.

Just then, Owen approached with smooth, elegant poise.

"Didn't I say I'd foot the bill today?" he asked, flashing a smile as he handed over his card. "Use mine."

But his card was declined too.

"That can't be right," Owen muttered, his brow furrowing as disbelief flickered across his face.

The hall erupted in murmurs. Some guests even burst into laughter.

"What, is the Vance family bankrupt now? They can't even cough up a few million dollars?"

"If you can't afford it, why raise your paddle? How embarrassing."

The sneers echoed in Aurelia's ears, each word a slap to her face. Her cheeks flushed crimson with shame.

Finally, Damien calmly rose from his seat, clearly satisfied with the spectacle he had just witnessed. He pulled out a sleek black card and handed it to the staff.

"Charge it to me," he said.

This time, the payment went through without a hitch.

The organizers brought out "Tears of the Ocean" and presented it to Damien, who then clasped the necklace around Sloane's neck in front of the crowd.

At that moment, Aurelia became the laughingstock of the entire auction hall. Her eyes burned with pain, swollen and red. But she held her ground, refusing to let even a single tear slip down her face.

"That bastard," Owen muttered under his breath. "The cards getting declined… This has to be Damien's doing. He's a top-tier hacker. I saw him on his laptop earlier. He must've hacked into our accounts and frozen our cards himself."

Aurelia let out a bitter laugh. And at that moment, she couldn't hold it any longer—her tears finally fell.

So that was it. Damien had orchestrated everything just to humiliate her.

With a breath, he could change the weather. With a flick of his fingers, he could cast her into hell.

After fastening "Tears of the Ocean" around Sloane's neck, Damien's sharp, narrow eyes cast a cold glance at Owen. "Know your limits before trying to save the day."

Then, his gaze shifted to Aurelia. "You should've gotten in my car," he said flatly.

Aurelia gave a soft, sorrowful laugh. "But someone else was already in it."

With that, she turned and walked away without sparing him another glance.

After the humiliation at the auction, Aurelia locked herself in her room for several days, refusing to go out.

Owen had come by a few times, even bringing her favorite desserts. But Aurelia barely acknowledged him, because she now knew he didn't honestly care about her.

He had said so himself that night—he'd rather jump off a building just to make her stay away from him.

"Aurelia's been hiding in her room for days. We need to figure out a way to coax her out, or things will get messy if Mr. Vance finds out."

"Ugh, what a pain. I don't want to go. I'm supposed to be with Sloane."

"Do you think I don't want to be with Sloane too? But it's the same rule as always—spend time with Aurelia first, then you're allowed to see Sloane."

In the living room, the husbands had gathered, each trying to push the task onto someone else. None of them wanted to go upstairs and coax Aurelia.

But what they didn't know was that Aurelia had heard every word.

Ever since she had accidentally uncovered their secret, she had quietly installed pinhole cameras and audio bugs in corners all over the house.

She refused to keep being the clueless fool. She wanted to hear with her own ears what these seven so-called husbands said about her behind her back.

"I'm not going. Period," Owen snapped. "Every time Damien pisses her off, it's us who have to clean up the mess. Why should we? Whoever caused it should be the one to fix it!"

Just then, Damien's tall figure appeared on the surveillance feed.

"There's no need for any of you to go," he said coldly. "She's my woman. I'll handle her myself. There's no need for you to worry."

With that, he turned and headed upstairs with a gift box.

Aurelia quickly shut off the monitor, missing the fury that flashed across the faces of the other husbands.

"He's getting way too full of himself," Milo muttered through gritted teeth, his fists clenched. "Aurelia hasn't even chosen him yet. What gives him the right to call her his woman?"

Hearing this, Owen let out a bitter laugh. "Does it even matter? Aury's going to choose him in the end anyway. We're all just… background players."