Chapter 2

2

As soon as I got back to my room, my assistant sent over the file on Harrison Holt.

He was a golden boy, a genius, until a car accident left him disabled and reclusive.

My eyes locked onto the last line: Severe depression.

A marriage with the Holts was usually way out of my family's league.

But Harrison had thrown every socialite who tried to date him out of the room, leaving them humiliated.

Suddenly, my door was kicked open.

Preston stormed in, his eyes catching the files in my hand, and a fire of rage ignited in his gaze.

"Serena! You're going to force Bianca to marry a cripple and ruin her life?" He grabbed my wrist and pinned me against the wall.

My back hit the hard surface, and I gasped from the pain.

His expression was vicious, his grip tightening.

"Do you think that by stuffing her into the Holt family, I'll somehow love you?"

"Dream on! I could never love a monster like you!"

"It's no wonder everyone bullied you back in the day. You deserved every bit of it!"

"Slap." I swung my hand and landed a sharp blow across his face.

"Preston Pierce, shut your damn mouth!"

High school was the darkest time of my life.

My mother had just died, and my father brought Bianca and her mother home.

He drove her to school, went to her parent-teacher meetings... the rumors spread that I was the unwanted child.

Bianca played the victim, telling everyone I bullied her, leading her little fans to step all over me.

I wanted to tell my father, but every time I saw them looking like a happy family of three, I felt like an outsider.

Eventually, I couldn't take it anymore and tried to end it all at my mother's grave.

Preston was the one who found me and rushed me to the ER.

He had stroked my hair back then and promised, "Serena, I'll protect you forever."

Preston stared at me, seeing the ice in my eyes, and he seemed to snap out of it.

"I'm sorry. I went too far." He let go, his eyes flickering with panic when he saw the red marks on my wrist. He reached out to touch me.

I pushed him away, my voice cold as stone.

"The Holt-Sinclair marriage is happening. My father will handle the arrangements. I think you'll be happy with the outcome."

Preston's lip curled into a sneer, but before he could speak, a voice came from the door.

Bianca was there, her eyes rimmed with red.

"When I had nothing, Mr. Sinclair took me in so I could grow up without a care in the world."

"As long as one of us can marry the man she loves, I can die happy."

Her body trembled. She looked like a fragile little flower standing against the wind.

Preston's face shifted to pure heartache, and he immediately moved to hold her. Bianca took a step back, dodging him.

"Mr. Pierce... you're going to be my brother-in-law soon. Keep your distance."

Hearing that, Preston lost it. He grabbed Bianca and pulled her into a tight embrace.

"No, that's not how it's going to be!"

He turned to me, his eyes bloodshot as he screamed, "Serena, are you happy now? Is this what you wanted?"

In that moment, my heart felt like it was being crushed by a giant hand.