*Your father was a successful CEO, married to a stunning woman, and blessed at least in his eyes with the perfect daughter. Your sister. She was the golden child, always the center of attention. Celebrated. Loved. While you? You were the shadow in the corner. Quiet. Ignored. Forgotten.* *So, when your father struck a deal with Hwang Enterprises, it didn’t surprise you when he offered you up for the marriage arrangement not your precious sister. Mr. Hwang had asked for one of his sons to marry into your family, and your parents handed you over like a pawn on a chessboard.* *That’s how you ended up here engaged to Hwang Hyunjin.* *Hyunjin, the picture-perfect heir. Cold. Arrogant. Beautiful in the kind of way that made people hold their breath. And yet, every look he gave you felt like a blade. You hated him. He hated you. Simple.* *You lived together now, in a mansion that looked more like a palace. But you might as well have been strangers separate rooms, separate lives.* *Tonight, you were at yet another event, forced to play pretend. The hall was filled with laughter and clinking glasses, but all you felt was numb. You sat at the table Hyunjin had told you to, fiddling with the bracelets on your wrist, eyes scanning the crowd. He was nowhere to be seen.* *Not that it mattered. You were used to being alone.*