He Chose the Illegitimate Sister,Now He's Begging Me Back

I was betrothed to the crown prince of the capital's elite circle. My half-sisterthe illegitimate daughter who'd never been welcome in our homeburned green with envy.

The night before the wedding of the century, she drugged me unconscious. While she climbed into my bridal car, her people made off with my billion-dollar dowry.

Just like that, she swept into the grand estate and married into the most powerful family in the cityas me.

When I came to and raised hell, I had her dragged back in ropes.

I got my wish. I married into the Sanchez family.

One year later, my husband threw me into a beggar's den.

His eyes were savage, his voice cold enough to freeze blood.

"If I didn't still need your family's capital, the way you humiliated Rachel would've been enough to kill you ten thousand times over. Now that the Pruitts are bankrupt, you're worth less than a dog."

Rachel stood beside him, a soft laugh on her lips.

"Oh, dear sister. You humiliated me oncenow you can atone for it right here in the gutter. Don't worry about the title of Mrs. Sanchez. I'm keeping the seat warm for you."

The shame was more than I could bear. I bit through my own tongue and died.

When my eyes opened again, it was the morning of my wedding day.

I crawled out of bed, waited a full hour for the fog in my skull to clear, then pressed a hand to my throbbing temple and pushed open the door.

My mother was just turning back down the hallway, leaning on a maid's arm. Tears of farewell still glistened at the corners of her eyestears she hadn't finished wiping awaywhen she looked up and saw me standing at the top of the stairs.

She froze.

My father's brow furrowed. He was the first to recover. "Fay Pruittwhy are you still here?"

He pointed toward the front entrance, voice rising in alarm. "Then who just got into the Sanchez bridal car?"

I clutched my chest, eyes wide with shock.

"What? Someone already took my place? Last night, Rachel said she couldn't bear to see me leave. She lit some calming incense for meI took two breaths of it and slept straight through until now."

The festive clamor died in an instant. Every guest, every servant, every face in the room turned to one another in stunned silence, expressions shifting like cards being dealt.

My mother staggered, nearly fainting with rage. She immediately ordered the servants to seize Celia Lambert, who was already trying to slip through the crowd toward the door.

"So that's what it was," my mother spat. "I thought it was strangeduring the send-off, you clutched the bride's hand and wouldn't let go, sobbing harder than I was, and I'm her own mother. I took you for something decent. Turns out that little beast in the car really is yours."

Celia dropped to her knees, eyes darting, stammering. "II don't understand what Madam is saying. Miss Fay overslept and missed the auspicious hour. How can you blame my Rachel for that?"

Before she finished, the butler rushed over. "Sir, Madamthe James family's wedding procession has arrived. They're waiting at the gate."

My mother's expression turned to ice. "Where is Rachel Pruitt? Find her. Bring her here. Now."

I lowered my head, hiding the cold smile in my eyes.

Where else would she be? In Rufus Sanchez's bed, of course.

When the marriage had been arranged, Rufus had insisted on a traditional ceremonysaid he wanted to honor the old customs. He'd even hired an esteemed historian to personally oversee every detail.

The bride wore a red veil the entire time. Never once revealed her face.

By now, the bowing ceremony would be finished. They'd already been sent to the bridal chamber.

My gaze swept past Celia's mouth, where a tiny, barely concealed smirk twitched at the corner of her lips.

That confirmed it.

Mother and daughterwhat a scheme they'd pulled.

Years ago, Celia had been our family's housekeeper. She'd drugged my father, crawled into his bed, and given birth to Rachelthen rode that secret all the way into a life of luxury.

Now Rachel had drugged me, stolen my identity, and married into the Sanchez family in my place. What was done was done. Rice already cooked.

That left me with exactly one option:

Pick up the marriage Rachel had discarded and wed into the James family.

The James family were newcomerscommercial upstarts who'd only risen to prominence in the last two years. They lacked the deep roots of old-money dynasties, but their momentum was ferocious. Every major emerging industry had their fingerprints on it.

The catch? The man at the helm was disabled.

My father had a sharp eye for opportunity. That was precisely why he'd matched Rachel with the James family.

If the James family thrived, Rachel would rise with the tide and live as a pampered trophy wife. If they faltered, the Pruitt family's ironclad backing meant she'd never suffer for it.

Yet she had no appreciation for our father's intentions. She'd pulled a bait-and-switch, shoving her own disgraceful marriage arrangement onto me.

If I'd gone along with it, by tonight the entire circle would know that the Pruitt family's legitimate daughter had married a cripple. The whole Pruitt name would become a laughingstock among high society.

In my previous life, that was exactly how she'd kept me crushed beneath her heel.

But with my parents backing me, I'd made a scene at the wedding. The Sanchez family still needed the Pruitts' support, so they'd forcibly dragged Rachel out of the bridal chamber. I got my wishI became Mrs. Sanchez, and Rufus treated me like a treasure.

Back then, I had no idea that this man who seemed to pour his heart out for me had long since gotten Rachel pregnant in secret. The two of them had been working together from the inside, biding their time to destroy the Pruitt family once and for all.

A servant's startled cry yanked me from my thoughts. "Ma'am! Miss Rachel isn't in her room. Her wedding dress and veil are still here, but the dowryit's all gone."

"And there's more. I found something in her room..."

My father picked it up and froze. Explicit photographsRachel and Rufus, together.

The color drained from his face, replaced by a mottled fury.

He hurled the photos straight at Celia's face.

"This is the fine daughter you raised! She's dragged the entire Pruitt name through the mud!"

The butler wrung his hands. "Sir, the James family's people are waiting outside. What should we do?"

My father's jaw was set like granite. His fist slammed against the table.

"Contact the Sanchez family immediately. Find that wretched girl and drag her backquietlythen send her to the James estate. No illegitimate daughter is going to dictate a Pruitt family marriage!"

I tugged at my father's sleeve, pinched my thigh hard beneath my dress, and let the tears cascade down my cheeks.

"Dad, let it go. Rachel and Mr. Sanchez are clearly in lovethey've already been to bed together. She even schemed to humiliate our family at the wedding. I won't marry a man like that. Let Rachel have him."

I dabbed at the corners of my eyes.

"The James family has been a long-standing partner of ours. In business, nothing matters more than keeping your word. I don't want you to break a promise on my account." I steadied my voice. "I'm willing to marry into the James family."

My father stared at me, stunnedthen deeply moved.

"Fay, you're the legitimate daughter of the Pruitt family. In our entire circle, the Sanchez family was barely worthy of you. Marrying into the James family would be settling, and besides, Curt is still..."

He swallowed the rest. His eyes were full of heartache.

I smiled and finished the thought for him. "Dad, the James family was only ten spots behind the Sanchez family on last year's Forbes ranking. And think about itthe Sanchez family has had decades of head start. Curt may have a disability, but he's perfectly capable of having children, and he's a business genius. With me by his side and the Pruitt family's backing, who knows how far the James family could go?"

The contrast couldn't have been sharper: on one side, an illegitimate daughter who stole her sister's wedding for a taste of wealth. On the other, a legitimate heiress who kept her composure in crisis and volunteered to honor her family's commitment.

Night and day. The verdict was obvious.

The people in the room looked at me with newfound respectand deeper sympathy for what I'd endured. Their contempt for Rachel's behavior was written across every face.

My mother's heart shattered. She pulled me into her arms and held on tight.

My father ground his teeth. "Even so, no one in the Sanchez family gets to humiliate a daughter of Charles Pruitt and walk away unscathed. Fay, you're right not to marry Rufus. But this insultI will make them answer for it, no matter what it takes."

By the time we arrived at the Sanchez estate, the newlyweds had already been ushered into the bridal chamber, but the banquet was still in full swinglaughter, clinking glasses, the hum of celebration.

Then every head turned as we stormed through the doors.

The room went dead silent.

"Isn't that Fay Pruitt? She's supposed to be today's bridewhat is she doing here?"

"Waitthe bride was sent to the bridal chamber half an hour ago. If that wasn't her... then who's in there?"

My mother let out a cold laugh.

"My apologies for the spectacle, everyone. The woman you just saw is indeed a daughter of the Pruitt familyan illegitimate one, who stooped low enough to steal her own sister's wedding."

The banquet hall erupted. Gasps rippled through the crowd, every head turning.

Rufus burst in from outside, his face dark as a thundercloud, cutting in sharply.

"Fay, enough. How can you blame Rachel for this? You two have similar builds, and the veils were identical. If anything, blame yourself for oversleeping and missing the auspicious hour. I simply brought the wrong bride."

"I'd been drinking. I mistook Rachel for you, and we've already consummated the marriage. As a man, I have to take responsibility for her."

"You're here making a scene because you want to switch back, aren't you? I know you're devoted to methat you can't live without me. So here's what I propose: I'll register my marriage with Rachel, but I'll only choose my heir from the children you bear me. You won't have the title, but the entire Sanchez estate will belong to our children. That way, the partnership between our families stays intact."

When absurdity reaches its peak, all you can do is laugh.

He wanted to marry the illegitimate daughter while I watched

And then have me play mistress, with my children branded as bastards?

The Sanchez family was barely clinging to relevance. Without the arranged engagement from the older generationwithout the Pruitts propping them upthey'd have been swept out of elite circles years ago.

And yet this man had the gall to dream of having two women serve one husband, all while leeching off the Pruitt family's resources?

My father laughedthe kind of laugh that came from fury pushed past its limit.

"The Sanchez family certainly has nerve. A few comfortable years and you've already forgotten what it felt like to teeter on the edge of bankruptcy? Well, if that's the case, I don't mind refreshing your memory."

Rebecca Sanchez finally grasped what was happening and rushed forward. "In-law, what on earth is going on?"

My mother pulled a thick stack of photographs from her bag and slapped them onto the table.

"What do you think, Mrs. Sanchez? If your precious son wanted the illegitimate daughter so badly, why put on this whole charade just to humiliate mine? A shameless girl like thatthe Pruitt family wants nothing to do with her. My husband will terminate all joint ventures the moment we get home. Consider the ties between the Sanchez and Pruitt families severed."

Without Pruitt capital, the Sanchez empire was nothing but a hollow shell drowning in debt.

Rebecca clutched her chest, her face draining of color in an instant. She rounded on Rufus, voice shaking.

"Tell mewhat have you done?"

Before Rufus could answer, Rachel came running out in a crimson silk robe.

She dropped to her knees in front of me with a dramatic thud, tears streaming down her face like rain on pear blossoms.

"Sister, this is all my fault. I couldn't control my feelingsI made a terrible mistake. But Rufus and I are already married. If you keep making a scene, you'll only drag the Pruitt name through the mud. Even if you don't care about me, don't you care about our family's reputation?"

She repackaged her own depravity as uncontrollable passion. She reframed my demand for justice as reckless disregard for the family name.

Truly shameless beyond measure.

I let out a cold laugh. "So let me get this straight. You drugged me, stole my wedding, climbed into my marriage bedand when I simply ask about it, I'm the one disgracing the Pruitt name?"

I raised my voice deliberately, laying every sordid detail bare for the room to hear.

"If you really liked Mr. Sanchez, why didn't you say so sooner? It's not as if he was the only man in the world to me. But noyou had to wait until the wedding day to pull this vile stunt. So tell me, who exactly ground the Pruitt family's reputation into the dirt? Or is it that you never cared about this family at allyou just wanted to take what was mine?"

Rachel's face went white. Her eyes darted, unable to hold my gaze. "II didn'tI just genuinely liked Mr. Sanchez."

Every guest at this banquet was a seasoned player. Her petty scheming was transparent as glass.

"Stooping to the lowest tricks, then hiding behind 'true feelings.' An illegitimate daughterdoes she really think she's worthy?"

"If that were my daughter, I'd drag her home and beat her senseless. A woman who'd steal her own sister's husbandgive her time, and she'll destroy the whole family."

Others aimed straight at Rufus.

"Mr. Sanchez is really something, isn't he? He's already consummated with that shameless illegitimate daughter, yet he still has the audacity to force his legitimate fiance into being the other woman. It's obvious he just can't bear to lose the resources behind her family. Wanting it alltreating the Pruitt heiress and her family like fools. Honestly, the things I could say would dirty my own mouth."

Rebecca was shaking with humiliation, her face drained of all color. She stormed forward and slapped Rufus hard across the face.

"You ungrateful wretch! Get on your knees this instant and apologize to your in-laws. And promise them you'll register your marriage with Fay immediately!"

She took several steps toward me, reaching for my hand. I sidestepped her smoothly.

Her expression stiffened for a fraction of a second before a fawning smile replaced it.

"Fay, dear, you've been terribly wronged. Whatever you want, Rufus will agree to it. I promise you, something like this will never happen again."

Rufus pressed a hand to his reddening cheek. His eyes cut toward me, venomous and full of loathingas if I were the one who'd ruined his plans.

It never once crossed his mind that the biggest victim today was me.

"Mother, Rachel is the only woman I'll ever love. I won't marry anyone else. Fay Pruitt is nothing but an arrogant bully riding her family's coattails. If I marry her, the entire Sanchez family will be dragged down. The only woman who deserves to be Mrs. Sanchez is Rachel."

He lifted his chin, nostrils flaring. "If Fay knows what's good for her, I'll give her a child out of respect for Mr. Pruitt. But the child will be raised by Rachel, at my side. And if she doesn't know what's good for her?" A cruel smile twisted his lips. "She can wait to be spat on and scorned by everyone in this city. A woman rejected by the Sanchez familywho would touch her?"

I watched this manthis man I'd poured my heart into for yearswith cold, detached eyes.

After the elder Mr. Sanchez passed, mediocre Rufus had taken over the family business. In barely six months, he'd alienated their investors and torpedoed their flagship project. Worse, his so-called friends had talked him into acquiring a string of garbage ventures.

Within days, the Sanchez empire imploded.

Debts totaling billions. Investors fleeing like rats from a sinking ship. Even liquidating every asset the Sanchez family had accumulated over generations wouldn't have been enough to fill the hole.

Vultures circled. Some humiliated him for sportoffering him a few thousand dollars to crawl between their legs.

It was me who'd taken pity on him, for the sake of what we'd shared. I supported him. Encouraged him. I even persuaded my father to prop him up.

Back then, Rufus had knelt before my father, weeping, swearing on his life that if he ever betrayed me, he deserved to be struck down by lightning and die a wretched death.

Two short years. That's all it took for him to regain his footing in the business worldand forget every word of that oath.

Now he had the gall to tell me that being his mistress was a privilege.

Every guest in the room stared at Rufus like he'd lost his mind. Not a single person could fathom where a man who'd only survived because of his fiance found the nerve to provoke her.

The truth was plain: the Sanchez empire, as it stood today, essentially belonged to the Pruitts.

But Rufus was oblivious. My silence only confirmed what he wanted to believethat I was too heartbroken, too desperate to let him go.

He pulled Rachel closer by the waist, his smugness swelling.

"Fay, kneel down and bow to Rachel. Serve her tea as the lady of the house. Do that, and I'll agree to keep you by my side."

His voice dripped with condescension. "If you serve her well, I might even consider letting you move into the Sanchez estate. I could arrange for you to see the child now and then."

I stared at that self-satisfied face.

And I smiled.

A fool this blind to reality? Rachel could have him. He'd be doing me a favorabsorbing the disaster so I didn't have to.

Beside me, my father couldn't hold back any longer. His fury peaked and broke through as a sharp, incredulous laugh.

"Well. The Sanchez family has certainly found its legs again, talking with that kind of arrogance. It seems the Pruitts simply aren't worthy anymore." His voice turned to steel. "You can keep your Mrs. Sanchez. My daughter doesn't want it."

He leveled a finger at Rachel. "As for youthe Pruitt family does not have a daughter who would steal her own sister's wedding and throw away her family's dignity without a shred of shame. The moment I get home, I'm opening the ancestral hall. Your name will be struck from the registry. You'll sign a severance agreement. From that day forward, whether you live or die has nothing to do with the Pruitt family."

Rachel's eyes rimmed red, tears streaming down her face in a pitiful display.

"Dad, I'm your biological daughter too! Why are you being so cruel to me?"

"All I did was fight to be with the man I lovewhat's wrong with that? If Rufus doesn't want Fay, that's her problem. Why should everything good in this family be handed to her on a silver platter?"

Father let out a cold laugh. "Fine. I'll honor your effort. Everyone here is my witnessfrom this moment forward, you are no longer a Pruitt. Good luck out there."

He turned sharply. "Someone go retrieve every last piece of my eldest daughter's dowry!"

"Fifty cases of cash. Fifteen chests of jewelry. Three Porsches. The twenty-percent equity agreement. And the property deeds to five villas at Harbor Bay Gardens. Every. Single. Item. Bring it all back to the Pruitt estate."

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd. Then, one by one, every pair of eyes swiveled toward Rufusstaring at him the way you'd stare at the dumbest man alive.

Rachel shrieked on the spot. "No! That dowry is MINE!"

Mom's palm cracked across her face before the echo died. "You stole Fay's wedding and now you want her dowry too? What fantasy world are you living in? Every last piece was prepared by the Pruitt family for Fay. You? You're nothing. You want a dowry? Go ask Celia for one."

The bodyguards hoisted the chests and turned to leavebut Rufus stepped into their path.

"Hold it." His voice was deceptively calm. "Take one step out that door with those, and by tomorrow morning, half the Pruitt empire will be mine."

He looked at Father. "Father-in-law, when our two families signed the prenuptial agreement, the contract only specified 'the Pruitt daughter.' No name was given. I upheld my end of the bargainI married a Pruitt daughter, and Rachel hasn't suffered a day of mistreatment. What you're doing right now is a breach of contract."

He produced a prenuptial agreementsigned barely a week ago. The lawyer beside him read the key clause aloud for the entire room.

"Should Party B, Rufus Sanchez, prove unfaithful to the Pruitt daughter, he shall leave the marriage with nothing. Conversely, should the Pruitt family reclaim the dowry, it shall constitute a breach of contract, and Party A shall compensate Party B with twenty percent of company shares."

Dead silence.

"Impossible!" Father's face drained of color. "I would never sign something like that!"

He snatched the contract. The lawyer pointed to a line of fine print at the very bottom of the last page.

Rufus smileda slow, satisfied curl of his lips. He lifted his chin, and on the massive screen behind him, footage began to play: Father, in his own hand, signing the document.

"Mr. Pruitt, you're the kind of man who makes the entire business district tremble when he stamps his foot. Surely you wouldn't stoop to playing dumb?" Rufus tilted his head, eyes glinting. "But even if you tried, it wouldn't matter. This contract bears your personal seal. It's legally binding. If you're not afraid of the humiliation of a courtroom battle, by all meansgo ahead and move those chests."

Father clutched his chest, wheezing violently, his face mottled with rage. He nearly collapsed on the spot.

Mom's eyes burned scarlet. She wanted to fight for me, to demand justicebut the words died in her throat. There was nothing she could say.

Rachel swayed her hips and nestled into Rufus's arms, her face blooming with triumph.

"Oh, sister," she cooed. "So what if I'm no longer a Pruitt? If you get on your knees right now and apologize to me, maybejust maybeI'll be in a generous mood. I might even put in a good word for you with Rufus. Convince him to abstain at the shareholders' meeting. That way, Dad won't lose his chairman's seat. You know those old sharks on the boardthey'll eat him alive without blinking."

She flicked her wrist dismissively. "As for your dowry? I'll be keeping that. Bring it all inside."

The Sanchez servants shoved past me without a shred of hesitation, and one by one, the dowry chests began moving back through the doors.

Mom rushed forward to stop them, but the Sanchez servantsemboldened by their master's arroganceslammed into her, sending her sprawling to the ground.

Rachel arched a brow. "Mrs. Pruitt, this is a private Sanchez family matter. If you insist on throwing yourself into the middle of it, you can only blame yourself when you get hurt."

I helped Mom to her feet and fixed my gaze on the two of themcold, unblinking.

Rufus's lips curled into a patronizing smirk. "Without that dowry, you can't even afford to buy yourself a husband anymore. But tell you whatfor old times' sake, since you used to follow me around like a lovesick puppy, come work as Rachel's servant for three years. If you behave, I might consider giving you a son to secure your future."

When I refused to comply, Rufus grabbed my shoulder and shoved me in front of Rachel, then kicked the back of my knee.

Just as he was about to force me to my knees and make me bow

The sealed doors of the banquet hall slammed open.

"We've received a report that the Sanchez family illegally seized a substantial amount of the Pruitt family's private assets. Which one of you is Rufus Sanchez?"