Love's Greatest Secret: My Wife's Legendary Double Life

"I won't marry him!" Ivy Russell's scream cracked through the living room as the vase beside her exploded against the floor. She faced her father with raw panic in her voice and said, "Owen White can barely move on his own, and everyone knows he's been sick for years. They say he's strange-looking too. How could you expect me to throw my life away for that?"

Cade Russell's fury surged, and his hand shot out as he shouted, "Do you even understand what the White family represents in Aresrora? If you marry into their household, they'll pour money into the Russell Group, and we'll rise again! Use your head for once!"

Failure had hounded the Russell business for years, with every project crushed by competition, leaving them drowning in debt. If things continued this way, bankruptcy would be the only outcome.

Cade had fought half a lifetime to take charge of the Russell Group, and he refused to watch everything collapse in front of him.

Under normal circumstances, their family would never have been worthy of a connection to the White family.

But Owen's grandmother held an old connection to a Russell elder, and with Owen's declining health, she was desperate to find him a wife. That desperation had dragged the Russells into this arrangement.

There was no escaping it.

Cade clenched his jaw and fixed Ivy with a hard glare. "I've given you a comfortable life for over twenty years. It's about time you did something for me in return."

Those words struck Ivy like a slap, and she blurted out, "Dad, you raised Anna for twenty years too! Why isn't she the one marrying Owen?"

Cade stiffened at the mention of Ivy's half-sister, Anna Russell, and unease flickered across his face.

Anna had survived a crash with her mother when she was thirteen, and her mother had died shielding her.

That accident had left Anna with lasting brain damage, leaving her mind stuck at the level of a young child.

The mention of Anna instantly darkened Cade's mood. "With her state, sending Anna into the White family would only bring disaster to us!"

Ivy refused to back down. "Why make it complicated? The Whites just want a Russell daughter. They never said it had to be me!"

Worried that her father would shut her down, Ivy pleaded, "Please, Dad! Owen isn't going to live much longer anyway. If Anna goes through with the wedding, we'll still get the investment, and I'll be free to marry someone else rich. That would help your business even more!"

Cade paused, her reasoning striking a chord deep inside him.

Getting the White family money was one thing, but once Owen was gone, any future advantage would vanish unless they played it smart.

Compared to Ivy, Anna was a liability. After all, she had been stuck with a brain injury for years, and no one expected her to recover.

If Anna married into the White family, it seemed like a risk-free move.

Besides,