Zoey always knew she didn’t belong here.

The laughter at the dinner table never reached her seat. The warmth in her mother’s smile always stopped at Zara. Her father’s praise, his rare words of pride, never once turned in her direction.

She was the ghost of the Weston household—seen but never acknowledged.

“Zoey, clear the dishes,” mother ordered, not even looking up from her wine glass. Her sister Zara smirked, draping herself across her seat like royalty, as if she hadn't spilled half her soup on the floor.

“Yes, Mother,” Zoey replied quietly, hiding the familiar sting in her chest. Her voice always felt like an echo in this house.

Being adopted into the Weston family wasn't as beautiful as people thought it is.

She had learned to survive in silence. Until the night everything changed.

“Zoey, you will replace your sister to be tested by the King's family.”

Those were her mother's final commands to her against her protest.

That night she was sent to the King's family instead of her sister.

The Night To Be Tested.

Moonlight streamed through the window, casting a gentle shadow over Zoey's body. She was resting on a plush, king-size bed in the five star hotel booked for her to be tested. The once-bright night sky had dimmed, and the cold air slipped through the half-open window, cooling the room as she lay quietly on bed.

She was afraid it would soon rain. The weather was changing and she wasn't in the comfort of her room.

Visible fear was all over her body as she lay motionless on the soft bed. She didn't know if the fear was due to the sky about to pour heavily or that she was about to lose her virginity to her supposed brother-in-law.

She looked like a bride. Her pale almost white skin was clothed in a white transparent scarf, with a delicate knot tied gracefully at the end, the fabric cascading down her lower abdomen, covering her face make her to look like a bride waiting for the groom

But she's no bride. She was just a substitute standing in for her sister.

Her long, wavy blonde hair was elegantly gathered and secured with a pin, resting gently against the soft pillow. A smooth strip of white silk was tied around her blue eyes so she couldn't see the person who was to test her.

Her family specially warn me to cover her face so no one will know that she's the fake Zara Weston.

If she could guess right, she was sure she had waited for hours, and she had grown tired of waiting, so she was about to remove her veil and look around, even though it wasn't proper to do so. But suddenly, the door swung open. She had believed herself prepared for this, but the sudden sound of someone walking in shattered that illusion.

Gripped by fear, her nails dug into the thick layers of fabric draped over the bed, her body tense with overwhelming anxiety.

She lay motionless, though her lashes fluttered nervously and her ears strained to catch the faintest sound—but the room remained eerily quiet. The visitor was like a ghost, a breeze that can't be seen but felt. His gaze was on her as he took slow silent steps across the polished hardwood floor towards her.

Upon feeling a strong rough hand stroking her cheeks, Zoey shook her body in fear from her dead posture. She gulped hard, swallowing the lump on her throat as her body went rigid, clutching the bedsheet tightly like her only anchor.

“P…please…who…who are you?” she stuttered, the evidence of fear in her voice.

The place fell silent. The stranger didn't answer her, instead, he resumed stroking her cheeks.

“Wait…” she paused, not knowing what to say except that she can't bear the touch of this man on her body.

“Wait for what?” a deep, metallic voice rang out through the quiet room, intensifying the fear coursing through her body as she struggled to steady her breathing.

“Plea…please give me some time?” She begged weakly with a shaking voice. This was pointless she knew, begging a man from the king's household is as useless as cooking a stone but she still finds herself begging him.

He stopped for a moment considering her words but he continued, "Didn't you want to get married to the Kings family? Or are you already regretting this marriage?" His low, captivating voice broke the silence in the room. For the first time, a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips, as though he was taking pleasure in the tension radiating from the small, trembling woman before him.

This is just perfect, he thought. Although he can't get to see her face due to the fabric covering her face, he could see fear clearly written all over her body begging for his mercy.

"Didn't you know the reason why you are here, woman?” He silently tsk, his green eyes scrutinizing her

Fear bubbled at Zoey's mind when she remembered the reason why she was here in his bed and she closed her eyes, stopping her tears.

Five hours ago, her mother told her she would be replacing her sister, Zara, who was betrothed to the first son of the King's family. But before her sister could be married to the young master she was sent here for her body to be examined and checked if she was still pure—a virgin.

Zara is set to marry the eldest son of the King's family, a household held in high esteem and known throughout the country for its prestige. As the most influential and powerful family in the entire city of Cliffwood, the Kings dominate major trades and have numerous investments spread across various cities around the globe.

At the mention of Sebastian king, the weak tremble in fear, and the strong fall under his feet, with him, he was able to make his family the most powerful.

The King family are regarded as gods among men—feared by all and known for always getting their way. Years ago, when Zoey and Zara were just children, the Weston family aided the King family winning a crucial battle against a common enemy. In gratitude, Sebastian's late grandfather promised to grant Zara's late grandfather anything he desired.

So the Weston family was overjoyed when the King family accepted an arranged marriage proposal between their daughter, Zara and Sebastian.

Grabbing her chin harshly, the man forced her face toward him. She let out a small gasp at the intensity of his grip—it felt as though he intended to crush her bones with the strength of his hand.

“When I ask you a question, you answer,” he growled, his voice low and threatening, as his fingers pressed deeply into her skin.

”Sorry—yes, I… know why I'm here,” she stuttered under her breath. "Please, can you give me some time.”

She has heard many stories about the king's family, everyone feared them, plus the aura of this man before her is nothing gentle or simple.

This is not good, Zoey shook her head. She had always pictured losing her virginity to the man she loved like in those romance stories, not this way.

He traced his finger across her skin then gripped her tight on the chin. With anger, he pulled her closer to himself, their faces so close that they're now breathing the same air.

The man leaned closer and whispered.

“Did you think you were in a position to make a choice?” He growled, his hot breath kissing her skin and it sent chills down her spine, a reminder that she is at his mercy.

The way he spoke, his aura, held so much authority and Zoey wondered who he was.

“Can…can…I know who you are?” She stuttered helplessly.

Although she couldn't see the face of the man, she could feel his powerful aura all over the room. His voice was cold and inhuman which can make the weak tremble.

She is not the type that gets intimidated easily but this man makes it hard for her. It's like she's walking on thin ice and only one person could have this powerful dominance.

Sebastian King.