Chapter 1

My best friend and I grew up in an orphanage. As university students, we worked in a hotel to earn money.

What we didn't expect was to end up in a one-night stand with two of the city's most elite brothers. One was an award-winning movie star, and the other was a CEO renowned for his piety.

They were possessive and controlling—completely unhinged.

They were animals.

Once again, I found myself in the arms of Zagreus Pendragon, known as "the Faithful", forced to remove my lingerie.

But this time, I snapped. "Can you stop treating me like a doll?! I'm a person of flesh and blood, not your pet! I deserve a dignified life—respect my right to freedom and agency!"

In the next room, I heard Lindsay shriek. She had kicked away a drink that Zion Pendragon—the movie star—had given her.

"I told you I don't want to bear your kid! I'm not taking this or atosiban!" she shouted.

A stainless steel cup clattered to the floor as Zion scowled and stormed out, his brother following. The two exchanged a look, then got into their car and drove off.

…

The next day, Lindsay and I saw those two on TV, caught flirting with women who looked just like us.

We celebrated—finally, the Pendragon brothers were going to leave us alone!

But suddenly, we heard a commotion outside, including the sound of trumpets.

While not everyone in the Pendragons' villa neighborhood was a billionaire, most were still respectable members of Hanttye City's elite. No one would do something so uncivilized here.

What was going on?

"Be our witness, everyone! I'm here to visit my husband's mistress today. Let's see who she is!" someone shouted.

At the front of a makeshift parade, a pink banner reading "Wives Meeting Mistresses" was proudly displayed.

A group of older folks beat marching drums and blew into trumpets.

The villa we were staying in remained calm, though Minnie Stein looked displeased.

"Hit the drum harder, Ruth! I didn't ask you to come here to chat!" she snapped at an older woman who had started chatting with the curious neighbors who had gathered.

"Oh yes, I heard the two brothers were married," one neighbor whispered. "I didn't expect them to have affairs!"

The neighbors shook their heads, and one of them tried to reason with Minnie. "Only legally married couples can stay here, young lady. Maybe there's some misunderstanding..."

Minnie's anger flared, and she looked ready to throw a punch.

"What did you just say?" she shouted, standing akimbo. "Are you suggesting 'I'm' the mistress?!"

The neighbor waved frantically. "No! Of course not!"

Others saw how unyielding and unreasonable she was and decided not to interfere any further.

The drums, horns, and trumpets grew louder, filling the air with an intense, almost suffocating energy.

Minnie shouted through a megaphone, while the crowd gawked at the scene unfolding before them.

The noise was starting to give me a headache.

Lindsay put her book down and suggested, "I'm gonna check it out."

I grabbed her wrist, frowning. "Hold up! If those two find out we stepped outside the house... we won't be able to withstand their wrath!"

Lindsay hesitated but finally picked up her book again, relenting.

That night, after the brothers had ravished us, Lindsay and I had rejected their offer to keep us. We had protested, insisting that we were students.

Unfortunately, all that had done was provoke their thirst for conquest. They began locking us up like prisoners, forcibly making us their partners.

We had tried every possible means of escape—including suicide and arson.

But all of those had failed!

…

One day, we heard a noise in the neighborhood. Out of curiosity, Lindsay and I looked outside, only to see a worker from neighborhood management mowing the lawn.

We didn't speak to him. We didn't even make eye contact.

But the next night, the Pendragons took us on an "excursion". They brought us to a remote wooded area. There, lying on a pile of dried leaves, was the worker, his head bloody.

The men laughed scornfully. "Look properly! Are you seeing this?!"

Zagreus whispered in my ear, "If you look at another guy again, he won't get away as lightly as this one, with just his limbs chopped off and his eyes removed."

Zion laughed quietly in Lindsay's ear as well. "Promise me you'll only look at me from now on, okay? A family has lost their primary breadwinner because of you. I feel bad for him… iIf only you hadn't looked at him!"

…

Lindsay and I remained silent.

Meanwhile, Minnie glared at the front door.

Where were the people inside?!

She was growing impatient.

"Break the door down!" she yelled to her mob. "Anyone who manages to do that gets 150 bucks!"

Money was truly a prime motivator.

Miley looked around at the neighbors' faces, putting on an air of helplessness. She took her older sister's hand. "Minnie, maybe this is too much. If we're too loud, it might..."

Minnie was having none of it and shook Miley's hand off.

"What are you worried about?" she asked incredulously.

She thrust some photos, taken by a private detective, in Miley's face. "Look! That woman looks like me. And this other woman's aura feels like yours! Don't you get what this means?

"It means those two found replacements for us while I was away on a business trip and you were off filming!"