Chapter 1NYC's carnival lights twinkle around me as I bite into the cotton candy. A sharp, searing pain shoots through my tongue.
My hands shake as I open my mouth and pull out what pierced through—
A rusty needle. Covered in blood.
I look up at the two figures ahead of me—then—the crowd erupts.
"THREE!"
"TWO!"
"ONE!"
Fireworks explode across the sky as the countdown ends.
Those two people—my fiancé and my stepsister—kiss passionately under the romantic glow.
Everything freezes. She turns and looks right at me:
"Sis, is the cotton candy sweet?"
...
The pain shooting through my tongue makes my face twist.
Nessa's smile looks all innocent, but her eyes? Pure malice.
I glare at her, teeth clenched. "Sweet? Why don't you try it yourself and find out?"
With that, I shove the blood-stained half of the rusty needle toward her mouth.
She jerks back like she's terrified, ducking behind Reid.
Reid frowns, shielding Nessa, voice dripping with annoyance:
"Vera, knock it off. Everyone's watching. You trying to embarrass us?"
"She hid a rusty needle in my cotton candy!" I snap. "Do you know how many people die from tetanus?"
His frown deepens. He's clearly pissed at my outburst:
"How do you know SHE put it there? Got proof?"
"Could've fallen in during prep. That's on the vendor, not Nessa."
"You're just throwing blame around. How's that fair to her?"
Nessa's voice cracks as she puts on her best wounded act:
"I'm so sorry, Vera. I swear I had no idea there was a needle in there!"
"I know you love cotton candy. I never meant for this to happen."
"I swear it wasn't me..."
Her fake tears make Reid's heart bleed.
He comforts her while snapping at me:
"Enough, Vera! Stop blaming Nessa for everything!"
"I know exactly what kind of person she is. Stop making her out to be some villain. She's your sister—why would she hurt you?"
I almost laugh.
I'm his fiancée, and instead of caring that my tongue got stabbed by a rusty needle, he's defending Nessa, my stepsister, acting like I'm overreacting.
I take a deep breath. "You know what kind of person she is?"
"Then do you know what kind of person am I? You think I'm being crazy? That I'm making this up?"
His face twists.
He's pissed I'm calling him out in public. No—he looks disgusted.
"When did you get so insecure, Vera?"
"She's your sister. Of course I'm nice to her—I care about you. You can't just think the worst about everyone because you're paranoid."
I wanna throw up listening to him.
Three years ago, Reid's startup crashed and burned. Company went under, leaving him with eight million in debt.
Debt collectors camped outside his house. His mom called me in tears, begging me to help for old times' sake.
So I drained my mom's trust fund to cover his debts and invested more to help him rebuild.
Back then, he got down on one knee, eyes red, swearing:
"Vera, I owe you my life. Anyone who messes with you will have to go through me."
And now?
Now he's shielding another woman, calling me paranoid, not giving a damn about my feelings.
I wipe my mouth and toss the bloody tissue into a nearby trash can.
"Remember what you said when you proposed?"
"You said you'd never let me suffer. Not once."
"You said I was the only one."
"Reid, is this what you promised me?"
A crowd's gathering around us now.
With all these eyes on him, being called out like this, Reid's face darkens.
Before he can respond, Nessa's already tearing up:
"I'm so sorry, Vera. This is all my fault!"
"I shouldn't have come to the carnival. Don't be mad at Reid—I'll just leave..."
She pretends to run off, crying.
Reid grabs her arm, voice soft. "Nessa, you're not well. Don't cry."
Then he turns to me. Eyes cold. Voice even more annoyed:
"You're just mad because you saw Nessa kiss me earlier, right?"
"She's just being a kid. It was a stupid prank. Are you seriously gonna blow this up?"
"If you're pissed, take it out on me. Leave Nessa alone."
Being a kid?
She's TWENTY!
I stare at Reid's cold face, then at Nessa's smug, mocking expression.
I turn and walk away without another word.
Chapter 2
My mom died on the same day—June first.
She brought me to this carnival. We were buying cotton candy at the entrance when a car came barreling toward us like a missile.
Mom shoved me out of the way. She got hit and went flying.
I was ten years old.
Not long after Mom died, Dad married Helena—Nessa's mom.
The day Helena moved in, she brought a girl three years younger than me.
Dad held the girl's hand and said, "This is your sister, Nessa. We're a family now. Be nice to her, okay?"
That's when I found out Dad had been keeping a mistress and had a kid on the side.
Later, I overheard Helena convincing Dad to go after my mom's assets.
Mom was a pharmaceutical PhD.
She co-founded a pharma company with some partners—pretty well-known in the industry.
Maybe Mom knew Dad couldn't be trusted, because she'd made a will early on—
When she died, all her shares went to me.
Since I was underage, Dad managed them temporarily.
Helena told him, "You can't leave that much money with a girl. What if some guy tricks her down the road?"
"Better to cash out those pharma shares. Real estate's booming—way better returns."
Dad almost agreed. The other shareholders blocked it at the last second.
After that, Helena and Nessa looked at me differently.
Helena threw herself down the stairs, then cried to Dad that I pushed her.
Nessa ran to Dad sobbing, claiming I locked her in the bathroom and made her miss a school performance.
They smeared me constantly. Dad never listened to my side. He always forced me to apologize.
The "family" he talked about? What a joke.
They're the family. I'm just the outsider nobody wants.
And now, even Reid's on Nessa's side.
I feel like the whole world's abandoned me.
The streets are dead quiet right—everyone's at the carnival.
I duck into a little coffee shop and order a milkshake.
Finally, my head stops spinning for a second.
Ding.
My phone buzzes.
Nessa posted on Instagram.
I tap it open. A few photos from tonight's carnival.
The last one showed two people holding hands.
Caption: [Hope you'll always spoil me like the kid I am!]
Reid's hand. I'd know it anywhere.
My phone buzzes again. My best friend Cassidy's calling.
The second Cassidy picks up, she's already gossiping.
"Hey, did you see Nessa's new post? She's got a boyfriend now? Does this mean she'll finally leave you alone?"
I stir my milkshake with the straw, keeping my voice steady.
"That guy is Reid."
"WHAT?!" Cassidy explodes. "How the hell did that happen?! I mean... WHEN?!"
"Just calm down for a sec..."
I walk her through everything that went down today.
There's a beat of silence on the other end.
Then: "Is your tongue okay? Does it still hurt?"
I take a sip of my milkshake.
The cold numbs everything, like my tongue's been shot full of Novocain.
I let out a small laugh. "Doesn't hurt anymore."
Cassidy lets out a long sigh.
"What is she trying to prove? Stealing someone's fiancé and then posting about it like it's something to brag about? She's disgusting... And doesn't she know what today means to you?"
"She knows exactly what she's doing."
"So what are you gonna do? You can't just let this slide. Did you at least keep the needle? You could report her for assault—"
"Won't work."
Because I know exactly what kind of person Reid is.
"Reid handed me the cotton candy. She could just say I'm framing her. And Reid would back her up."
Cassidy curses. "That bastard got on his knees and proposed to you. How long's it been? Now he's a lapdog for that snake!"
"Did he forget who cleaned up his mess?"
I sigh again. "He didn't forget. That's exactly why he hates me."
Cassidy pauses. "What do you mean?"
"A guy getting bailed out by his girlfriend? His pride can't handle that."
As I said, I know Reid. He's got a fragile ego.
Sure, he was grateful at first. But over time, that gratitude turned into hate.
Because my existence constantly reminds him that without me, he'd still be a broke loser drowning in debt.
And Nessa?
She worships him. She feeds his ego and his pathetic pride.
Cassidy's still pissed:
"Your mom's pharma company—your dad and Nessa's mom still control it. With Reid and Nessa together now, they're gonna come for your shares eventually..."
She gasps mid-sentence.
"Vera! Check the news! Someone's smearing you online!"
Chapter 3
There's a trending post blowing up. All about me.
[Pharma Heiress: Private Life in Shambles]
The headline's explosive.
The post itself? Full of photos claiming I wasn't studying pharmaceutical sciences abroad—I was hooking up with guys. Pictures included.
The woman in the photos is wearing a slip dress, cozying up to a guy in a dimly lit bar.
Her face is blurred, but the figure kinda looks like me.
The comments are flooded with trolls.
[I know this Vera chick. She burned through her family's money abroad, switching boyfriends faster than outfits.]
[She's disgusting. What a slut.]
[Came back acting all innocent. Pathetic.]
[Heard she's engaged? Good thing someone exposed her. That poor guy dodged a bullet...]
Not long after, Dad calls.
Screaming at me. "Vera, look at what you've done!"
"Do you have any idea how much damage this does to the company?"
"Partners are calling, asking what's going on. Are you trying to destroy your mother's company?"
I keep my voice steady. "The stuff online isn't true. The woman in the photos doesn't even show her face—"
"Enough!" He explodes. "I don't wanna hear your shit!"
"You've been like this since you were a kid. Never own up to anything! Your mom's watching from heaven. You're not ashamed?!"
The irony of him saying that.
I almost want to know HOW he can say that with a straight face.
Before I can respond, he snaps:
"The board's calling an emergency vote. You're being removed from the board of directors."
"And your shares? My lawyer's coming for you."
He hangs up.
Reid calls right after.
"Vera, I need an explanation."
"Is what they're saying online true?"
He sounds furious. But whether it's real or an act, only he knows.
Anyway, I don't waste my breath on this fake-ass man.
I hang up.
Then twenty minutes later, another post blows up—
Reid officially announces he's calling off our engagement.
The internet cheers.
Dad's lawyer sends me a formal letter too.
Claimed my personal conduct damaged the company.
They're also questioning where the money for my shares came from, demanding I provide proof within fifteen days or they'll seize the shares.
Translation: They want Mom's shares. And they're making their move.
Cassidy loses it and demands I send her my location. She rushes over immediately.
Seeing her standing there, face flushed and out of breath, genuinely worried about me—
I feel a warmth in my chest.
The only warmth I've felt all day.
"Chill. The sky's not falling."
She glares at me. "Girl, are you serious right now? How can you be chill?"
"So much crap went down in one night..."
"First you got hurt, then Reid cheated."
"Then all those posts trashing you online—anonymous my ass. It was definitely that snake Nessa pulling the strings!"
"And then your dad shows up trying to force you out."
She glances at her phone and literally facepalms.
"Those two bitches are getting engaged in three days. Just posted. I can't even..."
Then she grabs my hand, looking me dead in the eye.
"I've been fighting trolls online for hours. My fingers are cramping. How are you so calm right now??"
I squeeze her hand back, keeping my voice steady.
"Because I've got one card left to play."
"What card?"
"A guy who owes me his life."
