JADE
“You, I want you."
I froze at the sound of Roman’s voice. I was not supposed to be chosen by him, not with my sister sitting in front of him.
Naomi Sterling. She was the one he was supposed to be meeting today.
The Volkov family was the pinnacle of old money in this country. When news broke that they were looking for a wife for their heir, Roman Volkov, every eligible socialite in the country went wild. Naomi had spent an entire month preparing for this meeting.
But I wasn't one of those eager socialites.
I'm Jade Sterling—though I still hadn't fully gotten used to the surname. Switched at birth, I'd only been discovered a few months ago as the Sterlings' long-lost daughter.
However, returning to high society wasn't the fairytale those short dramas made it out to be. The Sterlings didn't pull me into a tearful embrace, nor did they shower me with love and compensation for all the lost years. All I got were cold, scrutinizing looks.
I still remember the barely concealed disdain in my biological mother, Victoria Sterling's eyes when she first looked me over—simply because my cheap T-shirt offended her refined Sterling sensibilities.
Within a week, the joy of finding my birth family had completely evaporated.
I had never received the kind of polished upbringing expected of a true heiress, yet they expected me to become a proper lady overnight.
To put it simply, they wanted me to be just like Naomi—their meticulously cultivated daughter.
Unfortunately, that was never who I was.
My adoptive parents may not have given me wealth, but they gave me something just as valuable: the freedom to be myself. A bird raised in the wild doesn't take kindly to a gilded cage. The Sterlings had missed the most formative years of my life.
Sometimes, I considered that a blessing.
"No, Mr. Volkov, there must be some mistake." Naomi's voice cut through my thoughts. I didn't need to look up to know her face was burning red. "I'm the one you're here to meet!"
"I came to see a Sterling daughter," Roman said, his voice sharp and direct. "Are you not one?"
His gaze was heavy, as if he were waiting for me to react. I had felt it on me since I sat beside my sister while she tried to impress him with business talk. At first, I convinced myself it was my imagination.
After all, I was only here because Naomi had demanded I come—sit like a doll—wait to watch how she would sweep Roman Volkov off his feet at once and get married to him.
She needed a witness to her victory. And I was the perfect candidate. Especially after I had botched every single blind date Victoria had arranged for me.
I didn't want to respond. No matter what I said, Naomi would accuse me of sabotaging her. I knew my so-called sister well enough by now. If I dared say yes, she'd have my skin the moment we got home.
But Roman was still waiting, af if reminding me I couldn't win with silence.
"Mr. Volkov," I cleared my throat and finally looked up, meeting his eyes. Strong grey eyes, staring at me, but no emotions in them. Suddenly, I forgot what I was going to say.
"You can call me Roman." he didn't look away. "Since we're getting married."
His voice held little warmth, yet my heart had already begun to race.
Naomi's murderous glare quickly brought me back to my senses.
"That's not how this works, Mr. Volkov," I said, pressing my hands flat against my thighs, desperate to explain.
"Are you a Sterling daughter or not?" he pressed, his voice was calm, but the kind of terror in it made my bones shake.
"I… I am a Sterling daughter, technically, but—" I searched for the right words, treading carefully to avoid offending the formidable billionaire while also staying out of Naomi's line of fire.
"Then there's no problem." He declared, as if it were already settled. "You'll be my bride."
Before I could even refuse, he had already gotten out of his chair and strode away like he had not just ruined his blind date and caused chaos for me instead.
“You bitch!” Naomi shrieked as soon as we were left alone.
“Naomi, I did not…”
“You manipulative thief. How dare you try to seduce Roman? Do you think you are a good match for him?" She grabbed me by the hair and pulled me up.
I whimpered, my eyes falling shut, pain surging through my entire body as I pushed back the tears threatening to fall.
“I would tell him that I can't. Mom arranged the marriage for you, and you should be…you are the only one worthy of him."
I said her words back to her, hoping she would stop. She finally let go and dusted her hand off like she had touched trash. She huffed and hurriedly left the restaurant while I followed behind.
“You can't ride with me," she said as the chauffeur shut the door and threw me a sympathetic look.
Even the household staff could see how unfairly I was treated, but no one ever dared speak up. Though I was the one with Sterling blood running through my veins, Naomi was the one who held their love.
I watched the car's taillight disappear into the distance as I began my journey home. Halfway through, the rain began, cold air wrapping around me in the cold reality of my current life.
For all the Sterling family's wealth, I didn't even have enough money for a cab. Victoria had cut off my allowance after I refused the man she'd picked out for me—some wealthy heir whose ugly face I still wished I could forget.
Sometimes I wondered if I'd have been better off never being found. What was the point of coming home if I was just meant to be a bargaining chip?
But then Meredith Saint's pale face would flash through my mind.
After being switched at birth, I'd been dumped at a fire station, and then brought to the orphanage from which Meredith Saint had picked me up and loved me as her own. My adoptive parents gave me a real home. I couldn't just…
I sighed and kept walking toward Sterling Manor.
By the time I entered the house, Naomi was crying to Victoria about how I shamelessly seduced her date right in front of her eyes.
“How could you do this to your sister? She has been so good to you," Victoria said as soon as I stood in front of them, my entire body soaked from the rain pouring outside.
“I didn’t do anything…”
“Get off the carpet," she shrieked, making me jump off on impulse. “You will ruin it."
The venom in her voice still stung, but I'd made peace with the truth: my biological mother simply didn't love me.
The only reason I stayed under this roof was to pay for my adoptive mother's medical bills.
I moved to the corner of the room with my head hung low, my dress sticking to every part of me. Without Victoria's permission, no servant dared hand me so much as a towel. I knew her lecture wasn't over, so I stood there in silence.
Victoria pointed a sharp finger at me. "For your sister's sake—for this family's sake—you have to give up for your sister to…”
“I want to," I said, my voice rising for the first time that night.
"Good." She looked at me with such contempt that I could barely recognize the woman who gave birth to me, despite our matching eyes.
"Naomi will marry Roman. And tomorrow, you will meet with Mr. Grant."
"He's old enough to be my grandfather!" The protest escaped before I could stop it.
"I don't care. As long as the benefit is sufficient."
My eyes burned, "I don't understand how you could be my mother."
Victoria's hand flew across my face before I could blink.
"What did you say? Say that again."
"I said you shouldn't be my mother!" The words tumbled out, raw and broken. "No real mother would throw her daughter into a fire like this!"
She drew back for another slap—
"Enough!" My biological father, Jack Sterling, descended the staircase. "Look at the three of you. Is this how a family behaves?"
Jack gestured for a servant to bring me a towel, then fixed me with a stern look. "A family like the Volkovs… a girl with no social graces would only embarrass them. Naomi is the right choice."
He handed me the towel. His voice was gentle, but his meaning was anything but. "Be sensible, Jade. This is for the best. And unless I'm mistaken… your adoptive mother's medical bills are due soon."
His words hit me like a blade between the ribs.
Jack pressed his advantage. "Your mother isn't actually going to make you marry Mr. Grant. But he's invited you three times now. The polite thing to do is at least meet with him."
I clutched the towel, but the cold inside me had nothing to do with the rain.
When I finally spoke, my voice came out raw. "And what about Mr. Volkov? How are you going to explain this to him?"
"We'll handle it," Victoria said, her tone airy, dismissive. "He hasn't had a real chance to get to know Naomi. Give it time, and he'll see—"
"I wasn't aware the Sterling family would be bold enough to countermand my orders."
The air in the room turned to stone.
Time itself seemed to stop.
His footsteps echoed from the doorway. He stood in the center of the room, his gaze cutting straight through the space between us—fixed entirely on me.
"I chose my bride myself," a faint, dangerous smile curved his lips. "No one gets to replace her."
