Chapter 3

Because of Trixie's blunder, the wedding ended quickly.

From start to finish, Samantha never gave Trixie a pleasant look. But when she looked at me, her eyes were warm with approval.

She even took my hand and said, "I'll make sure Cillian comes home tonight to keep you company and make it up to you."

And sure enough, Cillian really did come home that night.

He walked in while loosening his tie, looking completely drained.

I hurried over to grab his clothes for him. "You must be exhausted today."

He just gave me a glance and didn't respond.

In my past life, the servants had whispered that Cillian didn't even come home on his wedding night. Trixie had waited in the room all by herself, becoming the butt of everyone's jokes.

When she tried to complain to Samantha, she only got scolded. Samantha told her it was her own fault that she couldn't win a man's heart.

While Cillian was showering, I set up the room. I laid out fresh sheets on the bed, poured him a drink, and tidied up the couch so I could sleep there.

When he came out and saw the arrangement, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.

I quickly explained, "You can sleep on the bed. I'll take the couch."

He narrowed his eyes at me. "Is this your way of playing hard to get?"

He was draped in just a robe, his chest partly exposed, with water droplets still clinging to his skin. He looked… Well, I couldn't deny that his body was impressive.

I quickly averted my gaze.

"No, I'm not playing hard to get. We don't really know each other, so sleeping in the same bed would just feel awkward for both of us.

"And… if possible, I'd like to make a deal with you."

His brow lifted. "What kind of deal?"

"Since this is basically a business marriage, why don't we just live our own lives privately and act like a couple in public? I married you so I could have stability and not worry about money. I don't expect love."

When he heard this, the corner of his lips curved into a faint smile. "You're smart. I like that. Fine, I agree."

The truth was, I wasn't capable of controlling a man's heart anyway. In the Sterlings, his attitude toward me would depend entirely on Samantha's attitude.

I had no intention of ending up like Trixie in my past life, targeted and isolated by everyone. That wouldn't do me any good.

And besides, he'd been abusive to her before. I had no desire to provoke him and end up beaten, too.

So my choice was simple—keep the peace, coexist, and focus on my own goals.

This time around, I just wanted to earn money, build my own company, and succeed entirely on my own.

I had Cillian post a picture of us holding hands on his social feed with the caption, [Newly married.]

The whole point was to make it look as if our relationship was solid.

That was when I noticed his profile was empty. Other than that one post, he hadn't shared a single thing.

A guy like him must live a really boring life.

That night, he actually slept in the big bed and left me on the couch. It wasn’t exactly gentlemanly, but whatever—I should probably just be grateful.

The next morning, Cillian woke me up.

He was blasting music while doing push-ups, already working out at the crack of dawn.

People always said men who weren't interested in sex were impotent and weak, but his eight-pack abs and solid legs looked powerful. It was way more impressive than Felix's body, that was for sure.

"Quit staring. I'm not interested in you," he said suddenly, pushing himself up from the floor.

"Get dressed. We're going out for breakfast."

It was obvious he meant to show everyone we looked like a real couple.

Honestly, he didn't seem that hard to get along with. Why had he hit Trixie in her last life?

After getting ready, I left the house with Cillian.

The moment we stepped outside, we ran right into Trixie and Felix, walking hand in hand.

Trixie was wearing a strapless dress, her collarbone and shoulders marked with love bites. She leaned in close on purpose, making sure I saw them.

Her face was full of smugness as she looked me over.

[Look at her, all covered up—bet she got hit and is trying to cover the bruises.]

Her inner voice rang loudly in my head, followed by her satisfied little smile.

"How was your wedding night?" she asked sweetly.

I was wearing a fitted long-sleeved dress, the kind Samantha preferred. She hated it when her daughters-in-law dressed tackily, and she had no patience for heavy makeup either.

Trixie clearly forgot that. But I wasn't about to remind her.

I just smiled.

"In the Sterlings, you don't get to call me Elara. You should call me Ms. Elara, like the rest."

Her smile faltered, and she clenched her teeth. "Even Cillian hasn't asked me to call you that. What gives you the right?"

Then she turned toward him. "Cillian, say something."

I could feel Cillian's whole presence grow colder.

Inside, Felix cursed, [What an idiot. I'll deal with her tonight!]

He then tugged her hand, trying to warn her to stop talking.

But she had no clue how much trouble she was walking into.

"Felix, what's the Sterlings' first rule of the house?" Cillian asked softly.

Felix immediately lowered his head.

"Sorry. I'll handle her right now."

A second later, he slapped Trixie hard across the face with a loud smack.

"Show respect! Greet Mr. Cillian and Ms. Elara properly!"

Trixie's cheeks turned red from the hit. She looked as if she was about to explode, but she knew better than to challenge Cillian. Grinding her teeth, she muttered, "Good morning, Mr. Cillian. Good morning, Ms. Elara."

Then Felix dragged her away.

I remembered the Sterlings' first house rule clearly: No one was allowed to disrespect the heir or his wife. You couldn't even call them by name. Breaking the rule meant severe punishment.

Cillian was the heir.

In my last life, I'd memorized every family rule just to survive. After Trixie married Cillian, she bullied me constantly. But because of that rule, I never dared disrespect her directly.

I thought she would've memorized the rules, too. But apparently, she hadn't.

That was why she still thought she could step all over me in this life.

By the time we got to the dining hall, Trixie had already been punished.

Her face was pale, her head hung low. For now, she didn't dare make another scene.

But under the table, I caught Felix jabbing her hand with a needle.