Liora's POV
In less than a year, Alistair couldn’t wait any longer and wanted to get engaged.
The moment my parents heard the news, they completely lost it.
They never expected their useless, insignificant younger daughter to win the affection of someone like Alistair, the infamous, obsessive, and unpredictable CEO.
They rushed over from their house that same night and insisted we meet somewhere discreet in public.
I didn’t want to go, but over the phone, they threatened me. “If Alistair finds out you’re a fraud, what do you think he’ll do to you?”
That one sentence hit the deepest fear in my heart.
Over this past year, my feelings for him had already changed, from calculation and survival to something real. I’d seen his vulnerabilities, the soft side he hid from everyone else. In his eyes, I wasn’t just someone he kept; I was his only light.
The thought of him learning the truth, the thought of him breaking because of me, I couldn’t bear it.
So, I went.
In the private room, my mother folded her arms and immediately started yelling. “So, now that you’ve climbed higher, you think you can forget where you came from? If we hadn’t brought you back and given you a chance, you’d still be some nobody struggling to survive! Now that you’ve secured your position, you want to cut ties with us? Over our dead bodies!”
I swallowed my anger and replied coldly, “Don’t forget that you agreed to my terms when I left. Our relationship is over. My last name isn't Fairborne anymore.”
My mother sneered. “Oh, really? But you’re pretending to be your sister right now, aren’t you? And while you’re using her identity, you’re telling me you can’t do anything for your family? Or do you want that Hawthorne boy to find out his beloved fiancée is a fake and is just using him for benefits?”
I clenched my jaw. “You've already gotten plenty from me, haven’t you? Your company rose from bankruptcy because of Hawthorne Corporation’s support. Alistair even erased the debt you owed. What more do you want?”
Looking cunning, my father slid a contract across the table and said, “He spoils you so much. Getting his signature shouldn’t be hard, right? As long as you help us secure this seventy-million-dollar project, we promise you could be Mrs. Hawthorne forever. Your sister will stay abroad and never bother you again.”
I glanced at the contract and laughed. “Fairborne Corporation gets 90% of the profit, while Hawthorne Corporation takes all the risk. How generous of you. I’m not going to help you scam him. Don’t come to me again, or deal with the consequences. Before you think about exposing me, think about yourselves. If Alistair finds out you tricked him, too, do you think he’ll let you all survive a second time?”
After that, I stood up and left, slamming the door behind me and shutting out their angry voices.
That night, Alistair held me in his arms and asked softly, “I thought you cut ties with them. Why did you still go?”
“They heard about the engagement, so they just wanted to see me,” I simply answered.
He didn’t press further. Even though selling their daughter for profit was inhuman, he was still grateful for them doing that, as we ended up being together because of that.
But then, he offered, “Baby, if you don’t like them, I can make them disappear. Forever.”
I shook my head. “No need. At the end of the day, they’re still my parents.”
The comments sighed.
[She’s still too soft-hearted. Her family definitely won’t stop.]
Well, as long as I didn't give them the chance, they couldn't do anything.
The next three months were peaceful. I was completely absorbed in the excitement of preparing for the engagement, ignoring every call from my parents. Even so, they didn’t dare step into the Hawthorne estate, so things quieted down.
Until the day before the engagement.
Alistair was supposed to come with me to try on my dress, but something urgent came up at the company and he had to leave.
He was about to send someone to drive me home when we ran right into my parents.
“Mr. Hawthorne,” they said with a smile, “let us take our daughter to try on her dress. We wouldn’t want to delay tomorrow’s engagement, would we?”
