CHAPTER 1: CHAPTER 1: CAUGHT IN BED

"You really haven’t slept with July?"

On the sofa, Nina Quinn played with the man’s tie.

The man turned over, pressing her beneath him.

"Really, why would I lie to you?"

As he finished speaking, he leaned in to kiss her, but the woman placed her hands on his chest, blocking his kiss.

"But once July returned to Westmarch, almost all the young masters there went crazy for her, saying she’s a fairy mistaken for a mortal or an extraordinary beauty not meant for this world. You hardly managed to become her boyfriend, so why suddenly don’t you want to marry her?"

"So what if July Quinn is beautiful? She’s lived in the countryside for so many years, uneducated, ignorant, and dull."

The man pinched the woman’s cheek again: "And you, Nina, are a student at a prestigious university, not only skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting but also understanding of romance, knowing when to advance and retreat. July Quinn can’t even compare to a strand of your hair, so why would I abandon you, my enchanting pixie, to marry that block of wood, July Quinn?"

The woman was pleased with the man’s words and smiled as she kissed him.

"So when do you plan to marry me?"

"By the end of the month, I’ll have my parents propose the marriage."

"Do you think July will be furious when she sees your family come to propose?"

"I don’t care if she gets furious or not, right now I just want to make you feel like you’re in heaven before July Quinn returns from the funeral..."

The man sealed the woman’s lips, and the two passionately entangled themselves on the sofa.

Ironically, the female protagonist they were discussing, July Quinn, was watching the entwined figures through a crack in the door.

One was her boyfriend Nathan Jacobs, the other her sister Nina Quinn—together conspiring behind her back, now even planning to marry.

If she hadn’t felt unwell and returned early from Grandpa’s funeral, she wondered how long they could have kept this from her.

Fury surged within July Quinn as she immediately grabbed a broom.

Just then, someone seized the broom from July Quinn’s hand.

"July, what are you doing?!"

A stern voice came through.

July Quinn turned to find it was Tom Quinn, her father.

July Quinn said fiercely, "Throw that scumbag and that bitch out!"

"What bitch? That’s your sister! You’ve really lost all manners living in the backwoods so long."

Taking Nina Quinn’s side wasn’t enough for Tom Quinn, he even scolded July Quinn, snatching the broom from her and tossing it aside.

"How can you defend her over this? Sometimes I really doubt whether I’m your real daughter!"

July Quinn’s anger overflowed.

Tom Quinn had three children, July being the second, with a younger sister Joy Quinn below her.

Yet from as early as she could remember, July lived with Grandpa, while her sisters grew up by their parents’ side.

It wasn’t until last year when Grandpa fell ill that she was brought back to the Quinn Family.

"Where have I defended Nina? She and Master Jacobs have been dating for over a year now, having a relationship is only natural. I was just planning to arrange a meeting with both families to settle their marriage soon."

July Quinn was thoroughly disgusted by Tom Quinn’s words.

"Are you blind and heartless with your favoritism? I’ve always been the one dating Nathan, what does this have to do with Nina?"

"You little brat, how dare you insult me? I’ll teach you a lesson!"

Tom Quinn, furious, was ready to lash out.

Their voices were loud enough that those entwined in the room naturally heard them; they quickly separated and tidied their clothes.

Nina Quinn rushed out, standing between July Quinn and Tom Quinn.

"Dad, July only spoke out of turn because she loves Brother Nathan too much."

After persuading Tom Quinn, she turned to July Quinn: "July, quickly apologize to Dad, or you’ll get hit."

July Quinn, who since childhood had been unable to stand Nina’s holier-than-thou act, angrily pushed her aside.

"Wasn’t it you who started this? Stop pretending to be the saint, get out of my way!"

She hadn’t done anything wrong, why should she apologize?

Nathan Jacobs quickly supported Nina Quinn’s waist to prevent her from falling, glaring at July Quinn with resentment.

"July Quinn, you don’t need to take it out on Nina. I’ve always been with the Quinn heir, if Grandpa Quinn hadn’t misled me into thinking you were the heir, did you think I’d date someone who grew up in the countryside like you?"

"I’m not..." Not someone who grew up in the countryside.

At that moment, July Quinn almost disregarded her promise to Grandpa and revealed her years in Aethelgard.

But before she could finish, Nathan Jacobs interrupted her.

"No need to argue, I’m not interested in hearing it. Remember, I’ve only ever dated the Quinn heir, and you’re the one misleading everyone, nobody’s wronged you."

The man’s heartless words made July Quinn suddenly realize something.

The Quinn heir?

So Nathan Jacobs had always been after the status of the Quinn heir, not her.

That was why, before Grandpa’s death, Nathan was so eager to woo her, filling her with sweet words.

But today, at Grandpa’s funeral, after the lawyer announced that Grandpa had given all his Quinn Group shares to Nina, Nathan’s lover promptly shifted from her to Nina.

No one wronged her?

Then it must have been she who had wronged herself?

Too young to distinguish between people and dogs?

Though July was thankful she saw Nathan Jacobs’s true colors before marriage, her heart still ached, almost unable to breathe.

"Get out now, I need to discuss the arrangement for the meeting between the two families with Master Jacobs, don’t embarrass me here."

Tom Quinn scolded her coldly and then warmly welcomed Nathan Jacobs.

"Master Jacobs, where do you think the meeting place for both families should be?"

"The Continental Hotel, perhaps. I know the manager there, their food and coffee are good, I’ll call ahead to reserve a private room..."

They discussed intensely as if July was invisible.

Nina Quinn nestled in Nathan Jacobs’s arms, smirking triumphantly at July.

That scene stung July Quinn’s eyes, but her tear-filled eyes remained filled with charm.

Pride forbade her from shedding tears before these people, so she turned and left with grace.