Chapter 1 The Stain on the Wedding Dress

"Stop the wedding! This woman is pregnant with a bastard child!"

The loud shout echoed, shattering the sacred atmosphere of the five-star hotel's Grand Ballroom. The strains of the Mozart orchestra accompanying the procession came to an abrupt halt, replaced by a silence so thick and suffocating it felt like a physical weight. Hundreds of pairs of eyes that had been gazing in awe now shifted to looks of shock and confusion.

Bang!

The main hall doors slammed shut. Behind the altar, the giant LED screen that was supposed to display a romantic photo montage suddenly flickered chaotically. In seconds, the sweet images were replaced by a grainy, black-and-white CCTV recording.

On the massive screen, Anna was clearly visible. Her dress looked disheveled. She was stumbling, clutching her head in pain, before being dragged into a luxury hotel room by a well-built man whose face was deliberately hidden in the shadows.

The bouquet of white roses in Anna's hand slipped, hitting the marble floor with a heartbreaking thud. Her beautiful face, perfectly made up just moments ago, instantly paled as if all the blood had been drained from her body.

"No," Anna whispered in panic. "That’s a lie! Rey, please listen to my explanation first!"

Reymond, the man who was supposed to slide the ring onto her finger, stared at Anna with wild eyes. His handsome face no longer held love, only explosive rage.

SLAP!

A hard slap landed squarely on Anna's left cheek. The sound was so loud it echoed through every corner of the silent room. Anna's body staggered to the side, her long legs twisting in her high heels, and she fell sprawling onto her own dress. The salty taste of blood instantly filled her mouth. The corner of her lip tore, dripping fresh blood that left a crimson stain on her white silk wedding gown a dress worth hundreds of millions.

"You slut!" Reymond cursed, his voice trembling with disgust and fury. "I picked you up from the orphanage, gave you a respectable status, and this is how you repay me? You slept with a wild man before our wedding?!"

"Rey, I swear to God! I don't know anything!" Anna crawled forward, ignoring the stinging pain burning her face. She tried to reach for the hem of Reymond's trousers. "I was drugged that night! Sienna!"

Anna turned wildly, pointing at Sienna, her best friend, who stood in the line of bridesmaids with a face feigning paleness.

"Sienna gave me the drink that night! She set me up!" Anna screamed with a hoarse voice.

However, Sienna was a terrifyingly perfect actress. The girl covered her mouth with both hands, wearing an expression of shock and hurt that looked entirely convincing.

"Anna, how could you have the heart to accuse me just to cover up your own shame?" Sienna sobbed. With a quick movement, as if disgusted, she gently kicked Anna's hand away from Reymond's shoe.

"I was suspicious because you kept throwing up this morning. So, I secretly took your urine sample," Sienna said with a trembling voice to sound convincing. She reached into her clutch and threw a long plastic object at Anna's face.

Clatter!

The object hit the marble floor. A test pack with two bright red lines.

"Positive," Sienna hissed, making sure the entire room could hear. "And we all know, Reymond never touched you before marriage."

Anna's world seemed to crumble into pieces. Pregnant? Faint memories of that night came crashing back. The strange heat burning her body, the rough touch of a stranger in a dark room, and the pain tearing through her innocence.

"Positive," Reymond muttered. He picked up the pregnancy test, then looked at Anna as if he were looking at the most disgusting piece of trash. "You’re pregnant with another man's bastard, and you wanted to trap me into being the father? You wanted to deceive the entire Vane Family?!"

"No, Rey! I was framed! Please believe me," Anna begged desperately.

"Get your dirty hands off me!" he snapped. He kicked Anna's shoulder without mercy until her frail body was thrown back, hitting the floor hard.

This time, Reymond's mother, Madam Diana, marched up to the altar with a vicious face. Without a shred of pity, the middle-aged woman grabbed Anna's wedding veil, yanking it roughly until it was torn forcibly from her hair bun.

"Don't you ever dirty our family's great name with that bastard fetus you're carrying! Security! Throw this trash out of here right now!"

Two burly security guards moved immediately. They grabbed Anna's arms roughly, dragging her across the red carpet that was supposed to be her path to happiness. The jeers and whispers of the guests became a painful soundtrack. Anna struggled, looking at Reymond one last time, hoping for even a crumb of mercy. Instead, he looked away, pulling Sienna into his embrace to comfort her.

Right in Reymond's arms, Anna saw it. Sienna smirked a very thin, cunning smile of victory.

Thud!

Anna's body was thrown out of the hotel lobby, crashing hard onto the wet asphalt. The sky seemed to cry for her, unleashing a rainstorm that instantly soaked her to the bone. Her beautiful gown now felt heavy, dirty, and muddy.

"Reymond, please," Anna whimpered, shivering from the cold.

The sound of stiletto steps approached. Sienna stood there, sheltered under a black umbrella, looking down at Anna who lay helpless.

"Why, Sienna?" she whispered weakly. "We were best friends."

"Best friends?" Sienna laughed cynically. She took a step forward, and then, cruelly, she stepped on the back of Anna's hand lying on the asphalt with the sharp heel of her shoe.

Crack!

"Arghhh!" Anna screamed in agony as she felt her finger bones being crushed against the rough asphalt.

"You're just an orphan, Anna. You are trash! Why should you get all the best things?" Sienna hissed, her voice full of poison, leaning closer. "I planned everything. The drugs, the man in the hotel room, the CCTV footage... everything to destroy you. The position of Mrs. Vane is only for me. Now, die here with your bastard child."

Sienna spat on Anna, then turned and walked away arrogantly, leaving Anna crushed, both physically and emotionally.

Anna's consciousness began to fade. The blood from her lip and hand now mixed with the rainwater. A severe cramp suddenly attacked her lower abdomen.

"God... if this is truly the end of my life... let me die right now," she muttered in resignation, holding onto the last shreds of her consciousness. However, amidst that despair, a jet-black Maybach Exelero cut through the curtain of rain and stopped right in front of her prone body.

The rear door opened. A pair of shiny Berluti leather shoes stepped into the puddle without a hint of hesitation. A towering man stood there, shielded by a black umbrella held by his assistant. The man's aura was so dark and oppressive, it felt as if he carried a storm with him. His face was handsome with a sharp jawline, but his eyes were as cold as the arctic ice. Anna's nose suddenly caught a familiar scent. Expensive musk and tobacco mixed with intensely dominant pheromones.

Anna's body froze instantly. The man crouched down, ignoring his assistant. He gripped Anna's chin, forcing her to look into those grey eyes.

"Sir," the assistant whispered beside him. "This woman..."

Damon Lexton didn't answer. His gaze dropped to Anna's flat stomach hidden beneath the wet dress. There was a terrifying, obsessive glint in his eyes. He had found her. The only woman who could save his life.

"Take her," Damon commanded, his voice cold, heavy, and husky.

Anna's vision went completely dark.