One Man's Trash Is Another Man's Treasure

Jim Charleston is my foster brother. He and I have been dating in secret for 10 years.

On the day we decide to go public, Jim receives an undercover mission assignment to Duskhaven, where he has slim chances of returning alive.

The night before he left, he held me and promised, "If I come back alive, I will marry you in a grand wedding. I'll stay by your side forever."

Foolishly, I broke ties with my family and waited for him. I became the laughingstock of the entire high society circle.

Three years later, Jim returns but with a ruined reputation and enormous debts.

Kneeling like a broken man before our father, he firmly declares, "I promised Anne I would take care of her for life, Dad!"

The woman named Anne hid timidly behind Jim, clutching her pregnant belly tightly.

Dad turns to me instinctively. Everyone is waiting for me to lose my mind and cause a scene.

However, I just smile. Right then and there, I accept the engagement ring from the good-for-nothing playboy.

On the day of my engagement party, Jim drives in recklessly. With a gun in his hand, he shouts, "Cecilia Forrest! If you dare go through with this marriage, I'll kill him!"

A loud smack resonated in the air. I had just slapped Jim Charleston, my foster brother and secret boyfriend. My fingertips tingled slightly as I withdrew my hand.

Jim stared at me dazedly as he held his red, swollen face. His eyes had once had me head over heels for him. Now, they were filled with only shock and disbelief.

Jim tried to speak, but I cut him off coldly. "Did you really think dropping to your knees would make me forgive you and pretend like nothing ever happened, Jim?"

"I know you're angry, Cece, but please hear me out," Jim begged.

He shuffled forward on his knees to try to grab my hand. "I once promised you that if I came back alive, I would marry you in style. I also said I would never leave your side again. But that was three years ago. Things have changed, and Anne is pregnant with my child—"

Jim paused. His gaze was full of self-righteous, deep affection and helplessness.

He continued, "But you and I have also been together for a decade. How could I just walk away from you? I'll let Anne become my wife on paper, but my heart will always belong to you.

"You're still the most important person to me, and I can be there for you just as before. I'll also let everyone know that the child is your godson. I'll continue being a dutiful son to Dad, sharing his burdens—"

I cut him off with a scoff. "'Dad'? Don't forget, Jim, my father always treated you like a son and promoted you to where you are now because of me.

"Who do you think you are? You're nothing but a stray! A backstabbing ingrate!"

Another crisp smack echoed harshly in the empty hall. The other side of Jim's face quickly swelled up.

I didn't look at him again. My icy gaze passed right through him and landed directly on Anne, who was cowering behind him.

I walked up to her slowly and looked down at her. As I loomed over her, I smirked coldly.

My voice was gentle as I said, "How kind-hearted you are, Annie. You can even happily pick up the trash that I, Cecilia Forrest, throw away. Not only that, you've even managed to create a 'miracle of love' with it."

Anne was trembling violently. She tried to shrink behind Jim. At the same time, she instinctively clutched her bulging belly protectively.

Bending down, I leaned close to her ear and whispered, "But some things are rotten all the way down to the bone. You think you've won?

"You slept your way to the top and then used your pregnancy to steal another woman's fiance. Do you think the Forrests will ever accept you? Or could it be that you plan on living your whole life in my shadow, forever just being my stand-in?"

Jim's face turned ashen. He never took his eyes off me. His lips trembled, but he never made a sound.