"Marry me," he said, his lips curving into a cruel smirk. "Let me help you destroy them."

I should have walked away. I should have told Axel O'Brien, billionaire and the coldest man I’ve ever met, that I wasn’t desperate enough to make a deal with the devil.

But I was.

On what was supposed to be the happiest day of my life, my fiancé didn’t just ruin me; he had the audacity to confess he had loved my sister all along, and now she was carrying his child.

He ended up marrying her instead of me, while I was left alone, broken and humiliated. And the worst part? My family let it happen. They said I was the eldest child and should learn to give in to my younger sister.

They treated me like nothing, expecting me to disappear into the shadows.

But they thought wrong.

Now, I’m standing beside a man far more dangerous than any of them. A man who doesn’t believe in love, only power. His deal is simple: become his wife, and together we’ll make them regret ever betraying me. 

Except what I didn’t know was that Axel had his own twisted reasons for helping me, and I might have been his vengeance all along.

Now I have to save myself from catching real feelings for this husband of mine, who plays the part of a devoted partner a little too well. 

Because revenge was supposed to be simple... until him.

"What's wrong?" I asked, studying her face carefully.


Her expression shifted, and suddenly she was smirking at me. "Got you."


"I was just teasing." She pushed off the wall, smoothing her hair. "Payback for all your teasing earlier."


"Come on." She grabbed my hand, pulling me down the hallway. "We should bathe and get ready for dinner. Ellen will have our heads if we're late."


I followed, not entirely convinced, but letting it go… For now.


Morning light filtered through the cabin curtains, painting golden stripes across Layla's sleeping face. I propped myself on one elbow, watching her. Her hair fanned across the pillow, lips slightly parted, one hand tucked under her cheek.


Last night kept replaying in my mind. That kiss in the hallway, the fire between us, then her sudden stop. Was she really just teasing? Or was it about the other night when I'd pulled away?


Chapter 129 - Seduce His Wife