Chapter 2

A series of heavy thumps broke through my thoughts.

Mr. Stone Sr., Liam' s grandfather and the true patriarch of the family, was hitting Liam with his heavy wooden cane. Thump. Thump. Thump.

Liam stood there and took it, his jaw tight, not moving an inch.

"Is there even a choice here?" Mr. Stone Sr. roared, his voice shaking with fury. "You have an engagement with Chloe! Are you going to choose this nameless girl from the outside? Liam, I' m telling you, you have no choice today!"

Liam' s breathing was heavy, his anger cooling into a dead, silent resolve.

"Grandpa, I must choose Brittany," he said, his voice ringing with finality. "In this life, I will only marry her!"

A collective gasp went through the hall. No one in our circle defied their family like this. Not for a woman. Family, alliances, and business always came first.

Mr. Stone Sr. stamped his foot, his face purple with rage. He called Liam a disgrace to the family name.

"Liam, have you forgotten why this alliance exists?" he shouted, his voice cracking. "No one has ever broken this century-old pact between our families! Are you going to be the sinner who destroys the Stone family?!"

He was talking about the history, the real reason for this marriage. Generations ago, the Kingston family had saved the Stone family from a financial crisis that would have destroyed them. A fortune teller at the time had read their fates and prophesied that a union between the two families would guarantee a century of prosperity. The Stone-Kingston alliance had never been broken since.

Liam was the first to try.

"What can a woman like her give you?" Mr. Stone Sr. continued, his voice dripping with disdain as he gestured towards Brittany. "If you insist on choosing her, the Stone family will not pay a single cent of that one-hundred-million-dollar ransom!"

His words were brutal, but they were the truth of our world. They said lovebirds came from wealthy families, but those from wealthy families often had no choice in love at all.

Brittany, seeing her chance, began to cry softly.

"Liam, I' m sorry," she whispered, her voice choked with fake emotion. "It' s all my fault. I' ve dragged you into this. I don' t want to make things difficult for you…"

In my past life, after I revealed my pregnancy, Brittany had used these exact words to secure her place in Liam' s heart, making her sacrifice seem noble.

This time, even without the pregnancy card to play, she used the same script.

It was my turn to speak.

"Liam, choose Brittany," I said.

My voice was calm and resolute, but the words dropped like a bomb in the silent hall.

"Is Chloe crazy?"

"Is she trying to get herself killed?"

The whispers erupted again, louder this time.

Liam stared at me, his eyes wide with disbelief. He couldn't process it. Even the kidnapper behind me seemed speechless for a moment.

I took a deep, steadying breath, and I leaned back slightly, letting the blade press more firmly against my skin.

"Kingston Corp. will pay the ransom for her," I declared.

Then, I looked straight at Liam, and with all the strength I had, I called out her name.

"Brittany!"

It was the signal.

Liam moved so fast he was a blur. He rushed forward, throwing himself around Brittany, pulling her into a protective embrace.

He chose her. Without a moment's hesitation.

The kidnapper reacted to the sudden movement. A sharp, searing pain exploded in my lower back as the blade pierced my skin.

The world tilted.

Chaos erupted around me. People were screaming, running.

But through the blur, one thing was clear.

Liam remained exactly where he was, shielding Brittany, his back to me. He never took a single step in my direction. He never even looked back.

In a scenario with two choices, Chloe Kingston always loses.

Before my eyes closed and the world went black, that was my last, bitter thought.