Chapter 1
“At next month’s press conference, you will propose to me.”
Upon hearing this, the man stopped adjusting his cufflinks, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. He took a step forward, closing the distance between us in an instant.
“Are you crazy? Do you even know what our relationship is?”
I calmly fixed my hair, my voice steady.
Of course. You’re my boyfriend’s half–brother. My big uncle.”
“So, what does that mean? Will you say yes or not?”
Seeing my calm reaction, Vincent Howard’s eyes sparkled with a glint of amusement.
“What’s in it for me?”
“I know you and Damian are fighting over the family inheritance. Marrying me will not only slap him in the face but also boost your public profile, expand your market share in the film industry–it’s a win–win.”
Hearing this, Vincent’s eyes glinted with sly amusement.
“Deal.”
After the agreement was made, Vincent elegantly opened the door, making a gesture for me to go first.
“Time for us to take the stage.”
“My partner.”
As we walked from the backstage to the front of the show, Vincent’s voice carried a teasing tone.
“Stealing his woman right in front of Damian–this is gonna be fun.”
I didn’t respond. Listening to his voice, so eerily similar to Damian’s, my thoughts drifted back to the
past.
The first time I met Damian was at a press conference. A single glance, and this man was already
After Being Betrayed, I Married His Half–brother
captivated. Then began the intense two–year pursuit.
The movie I wanted to make, he disregarded all opposition and invested a fortune in it. When I filmed a travel variety show and the crew abandoned me on a foreign street, he flew in his private jet to support me. Over those two years of constant companionship, we naturally grew closer.
The love and loyalty between us were things I never doubted.
Until the sudden invitation to the Cannes Film Festival.
When I returned to the country after finishing work, everything had changed.
Nora Brooks, my stand–in, had taken my place for a passionate scene with Damian. What was
pposed to be an act turned into something more as their desire took over.
Three months later, Howard family learned that Nora was pregnant.
Old Mr. Howard had made it clear–he wanted a grandson by next year.
Meanwhile, I had lost my chance to be a mother due to a filming accident early in my career.
At that time, Damian was in the midst of a critical inheritance battle. He couldn’t defy his family, so he compromised, but with one condition: to keep the child, but not me.
The Howard family agreed.
During the year that Nora was pregnant, Damian showered me with even more attention. First, he invested a billion into the female empowerment film I’d been wanting to make. Then, at an auction, he spent two hundred million to buy the “Star Diamond” for me.
He thought everything was perfect, that these gestures would deepen my love for him. He even me at the press conference for the film’s wrap–up.
planned to propose to
What he didn’t know was that I already knew everything.
One betrayal, a hundred lies.
I couldn’t accept Damian’s unfaithful love. I couldn’t accept him treating me like a fool.
I wanted to leave, but more than that, I wanted him to feel the pain I was feeling.
So, I would accept the proposal of his sworn enemy, his half–brother, right in front of him.
