Chapter 5: A New Rivalry Ignites

Ethan knelt. “I know I’m out of line, but you can’t force the heart, sir. Please let me.”

He bowed his head, posture stiff. With his merits, the governor couldn’t really punish him, but still asked, “So there’s someone else? Is that why you don’t care about Marissa?”

“Yes, sir. I do have someone I love, but it’s not that I lost feelings for Marissa—I never liked her. I was just young and didn’t know what love was.”

I watched, barely hiding my amusement. Men’s hearts really do change faster than the weather. Back when the governor wanted to marry me to his own son, Ethan begged for my hand. Now he couldn’t care less.

“And who is it you love, then?” the governor asked, voice sharp.

“The one I love is the Whitmores’ real daughter, Piper Sanchez.” Ethan spoke each word like a dare.

The governor’s face went cold. Ethan was pushing his luck. I knew the governor wanted to marry Piper to his own son. Ethan’s boldness had already derailed the first lady’s plans once. Now he was doing it again.

“Sir, I truly love Ethan Carter. Please let us be together.” Piper, sensing the governor’s anger, knelt beside Ethan.

The governor said nothing. The silence was suffocating.

Piper tried again. “Sir, Marissa is also willing to dissolve the engagement with Ethan. She has no feelings for him. Please don’t force two people who don’t love each other.”

“You’re saying I’m forcing a mismatched couple?!” The governor’s voice boomed.

You never know what’ll set a powerful man off. Piper hadn’t learned. I saw my father trembling beside me, my mother pale with fear. Piper’s words were reckless, bordering on disaster.

“You even look down on my son!” the governor shouted.

“I don’t, sir. I know I’m not the right kind of girl to be your daughter-in-law and don’t want to disappoint you.”

The governor was so angry he could barely speak. But with Piper and Ethan’s merits, he couldn’t punish them—at least not now.

My father looked at me, eyes full of apology and regret. He must have wished he’d never brought Piper home.

“Sir.” I stepped forward, my voice steady.

The governor finally looked at me. I’d stayed quiet in the corner, but now all eyes were on me.

He studied me. “You—you’re Vivian’s adopted daughter?”

“I am.”

“Not Vivian’s biological daughter?”

“No.”

“How old are you?”

“I’m fifteen.”

“Your locket…” His eyes widened. I wore it on purpose today—the locket he gave my mother.

“My mother said she found it on me when she picked me up.”

The governor’s excitement was palpable. He stepped down from the dais, eyes wide. "Vivian—no, my daughter…"

Gasps echoed around the room. “Marissa is the daughter of Vivian and me, the real Whitmore heiress,” the governor announced.

He was beaming. The next moment, his face turned icy. “You’ve got some nerve! You dare break off the engagement with my daughter? Security, take him out and throw him in jail!”

“Sir, please calm down.” Ethan was dumbfounded, begging for mercy.

“Piper, you tried to steal my daughter’s fiancé? Security, get her out of here!”

No one dared plead for them. Everyone knew what ‘Vivian’ meant to the governor, and what I meant to him now.

Piper must never have imagined that after working so hard and coming for a reward, she’d end up with nothing. It became the biggest joke in town.

News spread like wildfire: I was the governor’s daughter. Everyone was shocked. Ethan became the butt of every joke. Even his parents were embarrassed. To reject a governor’s daughter and marry a country girl—people couldn’t stop talking about how Piper had no manners.

Ethan, stubborn as ever, insisted Piper was different. He’d rather have her than me. But he didn’t know Piper wanted a relationship with no drama, not his devotion. She was obsessed with looks. In my last life, she’d admitted she liked Ethan for his looks. But what if she saw the governor’s son?