The Billionaire’s Secret Bride

Linda Carter froze.

She looked into the girl's eyes—those eyes were far too cold, far too clear. There was something ethereal about them, like she didn't quite belong to this world.

Linda didn't like those eyes.After all, Sophie wasn't her biological daughter. She had no real affection for her.

At that moment, Richard Carter entered the room with a dark, stormy expression."Honey, what did Mr. Sun say?" Linda asked anxiously.

Earlier, Emily had escaped Quentin Sun's assault by smashing a lamp over his head. Furious and bleeding, Quentin had rushed to the Carter estate demanding retribution. Richard had been forced to bow and apologize profusely, and his mood was understandably foul.

"What do you think he said? The Sun family has direct ties to CC Perfume. Not long ago, thanks to Quentin's help, we successfully submitted a competitive bid. Once that contract goes through, we'll finally take the lead in the fragrance market."

"But now," he said, voice rising, "Emily cracked open his skull, and Quentin is threatening to shut us out of the CC deal entirely."

He glared at Emily, frustration simmering beneath his gaze.

Emily, disheveled and bruised, whimpered, "Dad, Mom, this is all Sophie's fault! I'm innocent!"

Richard turned his frustration toward Sophie now."Sophie, I know you grew up in the countryside with no proper discipline, but this is outrageous. Do you have any idea how important Quentin Sun and CC Perfume are to this family?"

Sophie looked at him calmly. "I didn't know before," she said softly, "but now I do. You're willing to sell your daughter just to land a deal."

"You—!" Richard sputtered in disbelief.

Linda quickly stepped in. "Sophie, Quentin holds influence at CC Perfume—the CC Perfume. Do you realize how many people would kill for access to that company? As a Carter, you should do your part for the family."

Sophie's lips curled into a faint, mocking smile. "I am a Carter, but what about Qiana and Emily? Why don't they ever 'do their part'?"

"Sophie!" Linda snapped, her voice filled with rage. "Look at Emily—look at her face! She's the most beautiful woman in Eastbridge and she's already married to Nathan Fu, the wealthiest man in the city. How could we possibly risk that?"

"And Qiana—Qiana is the pride of the Carter family. She's brilliant, refined, and talented in fragrance design. She's been studying in France for years. She's our future—how could she lower herself for this?"

Emily chimed in, "Sophie, everyone knows you're just jealous of Qiana. You can't stand that she's the real Carter daughter now. But let's be honest—you're just a Harley Quinn girl from the countryside. There's a huge difference between you and someone like her. I'll only ever recognize Qiana as my sister!"

Sophie chuckled coldly. She had always known she was an outsider in this house.

Qiana Carter—Eastbridge's favorite. She'd been raised like royalty, groomed from a young age to be the epitome of grace, talent, and status. The entire Carter family had invested everything in her.

Even after discovering the truth—that she was not their real daughter—they still couldn't bear to give her up.

Sophie, their actual daughter, had grown up poor and unwanted in a small village. She was considered crude, ugly, and expendable.

And Emily? The youngest daughter? Everyone worshipped her surgically perfected face. Their only hope was that she'd marry rich—and she had, tying the knot with the city's top tycoon, Nathan Fu.

Only Sophie was unloved. Unwanted. The spare piece they were always willing to sacrifice.

Straightening her back, Sophie said quietly, "You want me to contribute to this family? That's fine. But I'm just a clown girl from the countryside. Mr. Sun isn't interested in someone like me. I won't help you."

With that, she turned and walked away.

"You ungrateful child! You ungrateful brat!" Richard shouted after her, clutching his chest in anger.

Outside, Sophie pulled out her phone and sent a message to a contact at the CC bidding office.

"Please withdraw the Carter family's bid and return all submitted materials."

A few seconds later, a reply came through:

"Understood."