I Married My Sister’s First Love

Chapter 36

As usual, Ebony was focused on her training when she sensed someone approaching. Instinctively, she looked around, her expression hardening.

“Should I call the guards?”

“What? Hey! I’m not an intruder!”

Philip Atric, clearly flustered, tried to stop her. He huffed and then muttered,

“I’m a guest, okay? I have a lunch date with Irene.”

Ebony scoffed at his arrogance.

She immediately recalled how Irene had lied, claiming she had broken up with Philip.

If they were going to deceive her, they should have at least made sure their stories matched.

It was already ridiculous that they continued their messy relationship, but now Philip dared to flaunt it in front of her.

Next Scene

“Then you should just leave,” Ebony said, nodding toward where Philip had come from. She turned to walk away, but Philip suddenly grabbed her wrist.

“Are you crazy?”

“Come on, no need to be so hostile,” he said.

“What—?”

“We used to be close, remember?”

The smirk on Philip’s face made Ebony sick. Using her power, she easily broke free from his grip.

“Ugh!”

Philip stumbled but managed to steady himself. He was still in shock when Ebony turned to leave again. Panicked, he quickly spoke up.

“Wait! I have something to say!”

“I don’t think we’re close enough for small talk.”

“I want to help you!”

“You want to help me?”

“Yeah, you want revenge on Irene, right? I can help!”

Philip was confident he had won. After all, even if Ebony was foolish, she couldn’t deny that Irene had wronged her.

No matter how kind Irene pretended to be, she had stolen her sister’s lover. That was an unchangeable fact.

Ebony hesitated for a brief moment. Philip expected her to accept his offer right away.

But instead, she stomped her foot aggressively on the ground.

Philip instinctively shrank back at her sudden movement. But then he saw the cold, unwavering look in her eyes.

It was a clear rejection.

Philip was taken aback. He had been sure that offering his help would make things easy. But now, Ebony was refusing him outright.

Still, he had another plan.

“You’ll regret this. I know something important,” he said smugly. “Something about Amy.”

Amy—Ebony’s close aide, but also a spy for Irene.

Philip had discovered this while sneaking around Irene’s room to steal valuables.

He had hidden when Amy entered and, to his surprise, saw her reading Irene’s diary.

Then, she took a letter meant for Diego and delivered it to Ebony’s room instead.

Why would a letter for Diego end up with Ebony?

Philip thought back to Ebony’s reaction earlier. When he had first mentioned revenge, she hadn’t even questioned it.

If she had truly been innocent, wouldn’t she have denied wanting revenge in the first place?

Everything was suspiciously connected.

“It looks like you’re already planning revenge,” Philip said, smirking. “If I tell Irene what I know, you’ll be in trouble.”

Ebony didn’t respond.

“Don’t worry, I’m not that petty!” he added. “I’m on your side, Ebony!”

For the first time, Ebony’s expression changed. Her once fierce attitude softened slightly.

Philip saw this and grinned.

He had won.

“Fine,” she finally said. “I’ll work with you.”

“A wise choice! Now, how about giving me an important role? Something so crucial that you’ll never be able to betray me.”

Philip laughed, unaware that he had walked right into Ebony’s trap.

He had no idea he was already in the palm of her hand.

Later: A Meal with Diego

Ebony had grown used to dining with Diego Magnus. At first, he had always come to the Dominique estate, but since they were engaged, he suggested she should also get familiar with his mansion.

Today, she was invited to his estate.

They dined in a beautiful garden, decorated with flowers she loved.

Every detail of the meal was tailored to her taste.

Despite all the hardships she had faced, being with Diego made her feel at ease.

After dinner, her favorite desserts—blueberry muffins and tiramisu—were served. Just as she reached for a muffin, Diego suddenly spoke.

“I heard you met Philip Atric.”

His words were calm but weighted an accusation.

Ebony, pretending to be unaffected, took the muffin in her hand.

“Did you have me followed?” she asked.

Considering where she had met Philip—an abandoned garden—there was no way their encounter could have been seen by accident. Even Irene didn’t know about it.

“If knowing what my fiancée is up to counts as an investigation, then yes, I did,” Diego replied.

Ebony almost pointed out that his actions were more like stalking, but she stopped herself.

After all, from his perspective, she wasn’t trustworthy. Their relationship was based on a contract, and he had every reason to keep an eye on her.

What worried her, however, was the possibility that Diego might eventually uncover her biggest secret—that she had returned from the past.

Though the odds were low, Diego Magnus was someone she couldn’t afford to underestimate.

“So, what did you two talk about?” he asked.

“He offered to help me,” she answered. “So I accepted.”

Diego let out a short laugh.

“Help? Him?”

“It makes sense. He’s finally realized that siding with Irene won’t benefit him anymore.”

“And why did you agree?”

“Because he’s also one of my targets for revenge,” she said with a smile.

She took a bite of the muffin and sipped her jasmine tea.

The bitter yet fragrant taste lingered on her tongue.

“So taking him in was part of your plan?”

“Yes.”

Diego studied her carefully as she smiled.

She had known about Philip’s habit of stealing since they had dated in the past. He used to take valuables from her room to fund his extravagant lifestyle.

Just because he was with Irene now didn’t mean he had changed.

And that was exactly what Ebony planned to use against him.