Chapter 2

2 I cut her off, drawing a line in the sand.

"You're just my sister, Hazel. You're not the one I'm going to marry."

Hazel stared at me, confused by the way I addressed her.

After all, I was always in love with her, so I rarely called her my sister.

And when I did, it was always reluctantly.

But she quickly recovered, thinking I was just playing games with her.

She gave me a sarcastic smile.

"I know your tricks, Ace. You win. As long as you leave Finn alone, I'll marry you like you want."

She answered a phone call, her face flushed, and then she left.

I figured it was Finn who'd called.

That night, I received some seriously provocative photos.

Hazel was snuggled up in Finn's arms, fast asleep, looking completely spent.

On the table, there were several neatly arranged condoms.

The hickeys on her neck and their intertwined fingers screamed their relationship to the world.

Hazel says I'm the man she loves the most. The woman you can't have is happily letting me sleep with her.

You can't beat me, Ace.

No wonder Hazel had hated me so much in my past life, saying that I ruined their love.

They'd been hooking up behind my back the entire time.

If I hadn't known any better, I would have rushed over there and beat the shit out of him.

Even if I couldn't tell her how I felt, I would never allow anyone to mess with my sister.

But now, facing death, those games didn't bother me.

I didn't want to be a pawn in their little game.

I thought it over carefully and replied:

I only see Hazel as a sister.

If you really love her, go ask for her hand in marriage.

The other side went silent.

It seemed like he'd chickened out.

The next morning, I noticed that five million dollars were missing from my private account.

My secretary told me that the new Ferrari I'd just gotten had been gifted to Finn.

When Hazel got back, she stormed into my study without a word and slapped me across the face.

"I told you I would marry you. Why are you still messing with Finn?!"

"You know he's having a hard time with his family, but you're still putting pressure on him!

Finn is so pitiful. I just gave him some gifts as an apology!"

She didn't even try to hide the hickeys on her neck, and the cheap cologne she was wearing made me frown.

My face was burning, but I couldn't deny that I still cared about her.

But she knew how much I'd been looking forward to that limited-edition Ferrari.

I'd spent a fortune buying it from someone else, but it had become Finn's gift!

Hazel thought I was going to start making excuses, so she pulled out her phone to show me evidence.

It turned out that Finn had photoshopped my messages from yesterday, turning them into curses.

Only she would fall for such a childish trick.

Even when I showed her the real messages, she still called me a liar.

I couldn't explain myself.

Hazel grabbed things from the desk and threw them on the floor.

I looked closer and realized it was a graduation gift she'd given me.

The little wooden figurines holding hands.

I'd treasured them.

Because of those figurines, I'd mistakenly thought that she had feelings for me, but was too shy to say it.

My parents came in, drawn by our argument.

Hazel was still going crazy, sweeping the files off the desk.

"I'm telling you, don't think you can control me just because I'm going to marry you!"

My mom was confused.

"Honey, you're not Ace's marriage partner..."

Hazel glared at me.

"Are you trying to trick me again?

You're always lying!"

I persuaded my parents to leave, but she just snorted.

"Don't expect me to treat your parents like my own.

They never treated me like a daughter. Your whole family are a bunch of hypocrites!"

I laughed.

After Hazel's parents died, my parents had rushed back home to bring her back.

They treated her like a princess, giving her everything she wanted.

I'd given her a credit card with unlimited spending, showering her with expensive gifts.

But she still hated us.

Bitterness washed over me, and my eyes welled up again.

Hazel frowned, her heels clicking on the floor, and warned me, "Next time, it won't just be a slap!"