My half-sister was dying of cancer, and she had one final wish: to steal my life.

She demanded my wedding, my fiancé, everything. So I watched as she walked down the aisle in the dress I designed myself, on the arm of the man I loved, into the wedding that should have been mine. For a dying woman, I could bear it.

But when she came for the heirloom bracelet my late mother left me, something inside me snapped. At the auction, I watched my ex-fiancé, Jasper, shield her as they drove the price up to a staggering 200 million. Bled dry by my own parasitic family, I was helpless, forced to see my last connection to my mother fall into their hands—

Until a calm, commanding voice cut through the room: “300 million.” The entire hall fell silent. Mack Ben, the notoriously private and influential head of the Ben family, had made the bid. “A gift,” he declared, his gaze finding mine, “for Miss Colby.”

After I retrieved the bracelet, I promised to repay him. “Mr. Ben, I’ll find a way to pay back the 300 million.” He simply studied my face, a slight frown creasing his brow. “Freya Colby,” he asked softly, “have you forgotten me?” Me: ?

The first week after the wedding disaster was hell on earth.


My phone buzzed incessantly with notifications I refused to check. Social media had turned into a battlefield, with my name trending alongside hashtags I didn't want to think about. The comments ranged from supportive to vicious, but the cruel ones seemed to multiply faster than weeds after rain.


"Selfish bitch ruins dying girl's last wish."


"Imagine being so bitter you'd destroy your own sister's happiness."


"Lila Colby deserves better than this psycho for a sister."


Belinda had taken charge of damage control, working with our legal team to issue cease and desist orders against the worst offenders. But for every account that got shut down, three more seemed to pop up.


The real blow came when clients started canceling orders.


Chapter 11 - Chapter 11 Kicking Her While She's Down