Two Hopeless, Four Ruthless

There were two famous deadweights in Kingsgate's high society. One was me, Millie Tanner, the pampered little princess whose only talents were shopping and throwing parties. The other was my childhood friend, Iver Langford, the fragile young heir born with autism and congenital heart failure.

However, my older brother was the most feared name in the underworld, and my second brother was the richest man in the country. Iver's older sister was the undefeated queen of the courtroom, and his second sister was a surgeon whose hands could bring back the dead.

One day, the four of them were chatting over a game of poker. "Raising one hopeless case takes the same effort as two. Might as well pair them off."

Just like that, Iver and I signed the marriage papers. Our married life consisted of maxing out my second brother's credit cards, raiding my older brother's dinner table, and waiting for his sisters to show up with care packages.

That was the routine, until my older brother sent us to attend a banquet at the Crestport tycoon's estate in his place. At the banquet, the tycoon's daughter, Portia Beaumont, waved around a blurry photo taken from behind and insisted I was the other woman who had stolen her boyfriend.

I kept my temper. "You have the wrong person. I'm married, and this is my husband."

Portia lost it on the spot and swung at me. "Married and still out here throwing yourself at men?"

Iver stepped in front of me on instinct and took the slap meant for me. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

She sneered, "Oh, is he slow? His wife's out cheating and he can't even tell, but he still jumps in to protect her? One's a tramp, and the other's an idiot. The perfect match!"

She flicked her wrist, and several bodyguards lunged toward us. "Get them both."

My heart ached as I looked at Iver, and I dialed my older brother's number. "Someone's picking on me."

These people had no idea. Crossing the four terrors of Kingsgate and living to tell about it was one thing. Messing with the two of us was something else entirely.

"Oh, can't win a fight, so you're calling for backup? I heard you on that phone. You called a man, huh?"

Portia let out a mocking laugh. "More like a sugar daddy, I'd bet."

She snatched the phone from my hand and hurled it to the ground. "What, one idiot husband isn't enough for you? How many men have you got stashed on the side?

I stared at the shattered phone on the floor and drew a long breath. "Ms. Beaumont, I'm going to say this one last time. You've got the wrong person. Walk away now and take your people with you. I'll pretend none of this happened."

Portia burst out laughing. She turned to the guests who had gathered to watch the spectacle. "Did you all hear that? Some homewrecking little tramp is telling