Midnight Bar.

"See that guy over there? That's your brother-in-law."

The girl slumped over the table, eyes hazy, barely registering what her twin sister just said. Slowly, she turned her head to look.

The man stood tall, his silhouette sharp in the shifting lights. With that cold, restrained vibe, he looked completely unapproachable. His eyes were fierce and narrow, and that tiny tear-shaped mole beneath his left eye—meant to be seductive—somehow only made him seem even more indifferent.

Isabella Blake tasted nothing but the sweet tang from the fruit wine lingering between her lips.

Leaning weakly on Sophia Blake's shoulder, she mumbled, “My… brother-in-law?”

Sophia’s eyes flashed with something nasty—jealousy, bitterness. “Yeah, Bella. Mom and Dad always say you’re just my shadow. You’ve already gotten so much just by being back in the family. Doing me a small favor shouldn’t be too much, right?”

She didn’t have anything official going on with Alexander Ward yet, but she was dead set on him being hers.

Isabella's temple throbbed, and she nodded, then shook her head—it was hard to tell what was what in her spinning head.

The next second, everything went black.

Sophia stared at the face that was basically a mirror of her own, jaw clenched in hate. “Take her to the room,” she ordered.

“Yes, Miss,” one of her people answered immediately.

Sophia narrowed her eyes at Isabella, the bumpkin she’d dragged up from the countryside. She’d even dressed her up personally before sending her straight into the bed of the man she wanted most.

If it hadn’t been for the fact that she’d already lost her virginity, this golden opportunity would've been hers, no doubt.

Taking a deep breath to suppress her rage, Sophia muttered, “Whatever. Once I marry into the Ward family with the baby in tow, she’s out of the picture for good.”

—

In the hotel room—

Isabella, fragile like a delicate flower, woke up crying from the haze.

The room was pitch-black—she couldn’t see a thing. Only a vague outline of a man’s face formed in front of her.

Just as she began to regain a shred of clarity, the man leaned down and brushed a kiss on her lips. “Relax. I’ll be as gentle as I can.”

For a moment, she almost bought into his tender act—only to pass out again and learn the hard way:

Get too close to a man, and disaster’s sure to follow.

When she opened her eyes again, the man was gone. The red string bracelet now on her wrist caught her eye.

She squinted, trying to make out what was etched onto it, but before she could, the door slammed open.

"Isabella! You shameless witch!"

Sophia stormed in, eyes blazing with fury the second she saw the red marks tracing Isabella’s skin—clear signs of how much Alexander had spoiled her the night before.

"I warned you, he’s my fiancé—not someone you get to touch! And you still got into his bed?!"

Still groggy, Isabella didn’t even get a moment to react before Sophia slapped her viciously.

A loud "smack" echoed through the room.

Right on cue, their parents barged in, yelling nonstop.

Isabella ached all over as they dragged her away like luggage.

Behind them, Sophia grabbed a note left on the bedside table.

The handwriting was unmistakably Alexander Ward’s.

[Call me when you wake up. 183********]

Just looking at the number made Sophia seethe with envy. She carefully tucked the note away like it was something priceless.

Now she just had to wait and see if Isabella’s belly lived up to expectations.

—

Eight Months Later. Private Hospital.

A painfully thin girl was wheeled into the operating room. Her baby bump so big it looked unnatural.

“We need an emergency C-section now! The baby’s in distress—this is high risk. There’s a real chance the mother might not survive!”

Isabella’s tiny face looked like it belonged on a porcelain doll—only thing left of her was those big, haunted eyes.

From beyond the door, she could hear her sister Sophia quietly discussing stuff with their mom."This bitch might be carrying more than one baby. Just keep one, as long as it's healthy—we don't need any defects."

Isabella Blake had been locked up for a full eight months. Every second was pure hell. To them, she wasn’t even human anymore—just a breeding tool.

Every day, the Blakes forced all sorts of things down her throat, but no matter what she ate, the nutrients were sucked away by the babies. There was barely anything left for her. She was nothing but skin and bones now, a shell of her former self.

Hearing that cruel statement, Isabella suddenly thrashed, struggling through the pain to escape.

But her massive belly felt like some monster weighing her down. Even sitting up hurt like hell—how could she even move, let alone run?

"Let go of me! What are you gonna do to my child?!"

"You monsters! I’ll kill you! I swear I’ll kill you all!"

She went ballistic, thrashing wildly, but was forced down again.

All she could do was lie there, tears streaming down her face, staring blankly at the cold, white ceiling of the delivery room.

"Waaah—Waaah—"

The wailing of a newborn echoed just before Isabella blacked out completely.

When she came to, an infant wrapped in a blanket had been tossed beside her.

She crawled over like a madwoman, ignoring the blood soaking through her paper-thin hospital gown, and grabbed the baby with trembling arms.

Her eyes were glazed over, fixed on the tiny face. "Baby… my baby…"

A bunch of people in white lab coats barged in, snatched the baby right out of her hands without a word, and jabbed her with a sedative, throwing her aside like trash.

"Too bad only one made it. The rest didn’t survive."

"Tch, more samples would’ve been nice. But hey, our backer’s already generous enough."

The heavy metal door slammed shut, leaving behind her frail little figure—completely shattered.

***

Five years later.

Loud alarms shrieked into the night.

"Code Red! All units, lockdown!"

Security protocols at the classified lab in Country F activated instantly—but it was useless.

"Our internal system’s been hacked!"

"The chemicals are gone! Find the intruder—ahhhh—!"

Before the chaos could even escalate, a massive explosion ripped through the air.

In a burst of flames, a woman with long black hair and hospital clothes stepped forward through the smoke, cradling a beautiful little boy in her arms. She didn’t even flinch.

The kid had soft features and stunning almond-shaped eyes, with a tiny red beauty mark at the corner of one.

Behind her, a slim teenager followed closely, carrying an adorable little girl in his arms.

The boy clung to Isabella’s back, peeking over her shoulder. Reflections of the crimson flames danced in his dark pupils.

“Bang—”

With a tiny hand, the boy mimicked an explosion.

And in that instant, the wicked laboratory collapsed into dust and debris.

A sleek black car screeched to a stop in front of Isabella and the kids.

“Young Miss, the Boss sent me to bring you back to the base,” the suited man said respectfully. “Have you taken care of everything?”

Just as Isabella was about to nod, her phone lit up with a news alert.

[Breaking: Ward Group CEO Alexander Ward confirms engagement! Bride revealed to be new model Sophia Blake. Insiders say Sophia is the biological mother of his son. The couple’s wedding signals a long-separated family finally reunited.]

Sophia... Alexander’s son?

Isabella’s heart skipped a beat. She jumped into the car and immediately hacked into a dark web database.

Within seconds, the file on Alexander Ward’s kid popped up.

As her eyes landed on the baby’s medical records, Isabella’s hands trembled so hard she almost dropped the phone.

“Miss?” the driver looked at her through the rearview mirror.

Her eyes burned with urgency. “Get the private jet ready. I need to get back—now.”