“Come on.” Ethan smiled and leaned back lazily in his chair, looking as if he were in control of everything. “Seems like her first love was so handsome and unforgettable that she just wanted to keep it a secret forever.” 

He looked so smug, as if this whole dinner was just another performance of his. How ironic! 

Chloe’s smile froze slightly. She poked the piece of fat beef that was added to my plate earlier. “You haven’t touched your food, Summer. Do you not like my cooking?” 

“I don’t eat fatty meat,” I answered coldly. 

Ethan’s leg touched mine again under the table. This time it was deliberate, slow, and suggestive. 

“Eat,” he said casually. At the same time, he held Chloe’s hand and interlaced their fingers in front of everyone. “Your sister-in-law, Chloe, specially made this beef. Don’t be rude.” 

My stepfather was just about to speak, but my mother interjected first, “Yeah, Summer. Don’t be rude! One bite won’t kill you.” 

I clenched my fist. 

Chloe muttered, “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have given it to her.” 

Ethan smirked as his leg under the table pressed even harder against mine. “Don’t be as picky with choosing a man as you are about food. You’re twenty-seven, Summer. It’s better to be sensible and stop being so choosy.” 

I kicked Ethan’s leg away under the table and stood up. The chair made a shrill noise as it scraped against the floor. I said in a deadpan voice, “I’m already married. Actually, I got married a long time ago, Ethan.” 

Ethan laughed out loud as if he had just heard the funniest joke. He drawled, “Come on. Summer, I understand. You panicked when you saw me bringing another girl home. But isn’t making up a husband a little too dramatic?” 

“I married Zach Whitmore. Do you want me to show you my marriage license?” I looked back at him calmly. 

He shut up, and even Chloe paused for a moment. 

My mother gasped. “What did you say? Did you really marry Zach Whitmore? The man in charge of Whitmore Capital?” 

Ethan scoffed. “Do you really think we would believe you? Zach wouldn’t even look at you. You’re not from a good family, and you don’t have a good career. Why would he waste his time on you?” 

Whitmore Capital was now the most influential investment group in Califont, holding half of the west coast’s real estate and technology equity, especially after Zach took over. His acquisition of three Silicon Ville unicorns had gotten him on the cover of Fortune. 

Even if I were Ethan’s biological sister, I would not be worthy of walking into Zach’s office. 

Chloe laughed too. “Come on, Summer. Be realistic. Billionaires don’t marry for love. They marry for alliances and money. If Zach is going to get married, it will be to a senator’s daughter or a European aristocrat. There’s no way he’d marry you.” 

She giggled. “If you want a rich man, at least make your story believable.” 

No one at the dining table spoke up for me. My mother said nothing, and neither did my stepfather. There was only a suffocating silence. 

I slowly let out a breath. “He rejected the marriage arranged for him by the entire board of directors because he wanted me.”