I seduced Asher Blackwood ninety-nine times. After getting him drunk, I finally got him into my bed, then used the scandal to force a marriage between our families. His first love, Celeste, took my place in an arranged family alliance. She ended her own life not long after. For over a thousand nights after our wedding, he never laid a hand on me. He dated countless women, spent nights with them, but never once entered my bedroom. But when a tsunami struck, He held my wrist tightly, pushing me towards the last lifeboat. “Chloe Carter, I’m giving you the chance to live. In another life, promise me you’ll let Celeste and me find our happiness?” My heart felt like it was being sliced open. Asher Blackwood had never forgotten her. When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day my father chose the alliance candidate. I pressed a dagger to my throat, threatening him. “Dad, I’ll marry that living demon from the Vance family!” “Let Asher Blackwood and Celeste Carter finally be together.” This time, I only wished to never see him again.
Dad’s face turned ashen, his eyes red. It wasn’t until a bodyguard quickly disarmed me that he spoke, his voice trembling. “Are you crazy! Do you know what kind of place the Vance family is? Do you want to be the next Mrs. Vance to die there?” Our company’s finances collapsed, and the Vance family injected a hundred million dollars. Our family sending a daughter was an open secret among our circles. And that chosen one had always been Dad’s adopted daughter, my dear sister Celeste. No one would believe that I, who’d always had a fierce rivalry with Celeste, would be willing to leap into hell for her. My knees buckled, and I sank directly before Dad, my gaze still stubborn. “Dad, I understand everything, but I *will* marry into that family!” The astonishment on Dad’s face turned into helplessness, finally settling into a long sigh. The Vance family, titans of real estate in the Northern Quarter. Their young master, Julian Vance, suffered severe anger management issues after crippling his leg in a car accident. When it flared, he’d spare no one. His two previous wives were driven to suicide, cutting their wrists. In my previous life, Celeste didn’t survive three months in the Vance household. This time, no matter how Dad tried to sway me with Asher Blackwood, I remained unwavering. Celeste Carter would marry Asher Blackwood as she wished. Outside the Blackwood Estate, I lingered for a long time, but eventually walked in. Asher Blackwood was on his knees, crying like a child before Grandpa Blackwood, who was on the sofa. “Grandpa! I’m begging you!” “Save Celeste! Please save her!” His face was streaked with tears and despair. “I don’t want anything! The Blackwood inheritance, I don’t want it!” “I only want Celeste!” This very day, in my previous life, was just the same. He got completely drunk for Celeste, and I seized the opportunity to get him into my bed in the guest room. Then, I used our family names to force him to marry me. My appearance instantly drew their attention. Asher Blackwood sharply looked up. The moment he saw me, a terrifying hatred erupted from his bloodshot eyes. He stumbled to his feet, lunging at me like a madman, his hands gripping my shoulders. The force was so great, it felt like my bones would shatter. “Why do you have to be my fiancée *now*?!” “It’s you! You’re the reason I can’t even protect Celeste!” Sharp pain shot through my shoulders, but I held back, not letting my tears fall. “Asher Blackwood, you’ll be happy.” He seemed not to hear, his hand already at my slender throat. Suffocation instantly seized me. I staggered, my body swaying uncontrollably. “You scoundrel!” Grandpa Blackwood struck Asher Blackwood’s back hard with his cane, finally snapping the nearly uncontrollable man out of it. Asher Blackwood slid to the floor, his face contorted with the same agony as in my last life. “Don’t you know Celeste will die if she marries him?! She’s only twenty-five, how can you all be so cruel?!” I wanted to tell him that the marriage candidate had changed to me. But the words caught in my throat, a bitter ache in my chest making me change my mind. “This marriage alliance, it’s either her or me.” Asher Blackwood’s sobs abruptly ceased. He looked up blankly, staring at me. I forced a smile that was more like a grimace. “She’ll die if she marries him, but what about me?” The entire living room fell silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Even Grandpa Blackwood clutched his cane, looking at me in shock. “Asher Blackwood, I’m only twenty-two.” “Do I deserve to die?” ### CUTOFF POINT ### The silence was absolute. 2. Asher Blackwood stared at me, as if truly considering the question for the first time. After a long moment, Grandpa Blackwood broke the deadlock. “Chloe, our Blackwood family has always favored you. This boy, he’s a scoundrel…” I bent down, bowing deeply to Grandpa Blackwood, interrupting his next words. “Thank you, Grandpa Blackwood.” I turned and left. Asher Blackwood, the life I owed you, Now, I can finally repay it. From now on, you and your beloved can be happy together, forever. I spent the entire night awake. The marriage alliance had switched to me, meaning my death was only a matter of time. As dawn broke, I went to my usual diner. The owner placed a steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup in front of me. I had just picked up my spoon, when the diner door was kicked open from outside. A tall figure, enveloped in a chilling aura, stormed in. The familiar scent of his expensive cologne. It was Asher Blackwood. His eyes were bloodshot, like a cornered beast, staring fixedly at me. The other customers were startled and all turned to look. He strode over to my table in a few steps. “Crash!” He swept the scalding bowl of soup off my table. The hot liquid splashed entirely onto my bare legs! “Ah!” I cried out in pain. My skin instantly blazed red, the agony piercing. “Young man, what are you doing!” The owner shrieked, rushing over. Asher Blackwood ignored her, grabbing my wrist with a force that felt like it would shatter my bones. “Chloe Carter!” He snarled through gritted teeth, his voice filled with venomous hatred. “Your sister is about to be ruined because of you, and you’re still here eating soup?!” I struggled in pain, but he squeezed my wrist tighter. “Let go of me!” An old man at the next table couldn’t stand it anymore. “Talk it out properly! Let the young lady go first! She’s been burned!” But Asher Blackwood’s rage burned even hotter. He leaned in, his face almost touching mine. “Chloe Carter, why don’t you just die?” His voice wasn’t loud, but it pierced my heart like an ice pick. “If it were *you* who died at Julian Vance’s hands, how perfect would that be!” “A wicked woman like you deserves to be tortured to death by that madman!” I froze, stopping my struggle. He had said the same thing in my previous life. Exactly the same. A hot tear unexpectedly fell, landing precisely on the back of his hand. Asher Blackwood flinched violently, as if scalded. Seeing my tear-streaked face, the cruelty in his eyes faded, replaced by a flicker of regret. “I…” He released my hand. A glaring red mark already stood out on my wrist, and my leg, splashed with soup, burned fiercely. “Wait here for me. I’ll buy you some medicine…” I knew his concern wasn’t because of love. It was simply because we’d known each other since childhood, and he saw me as nothing more than a younger sister. His heart, his thoughts, were always for Celeste Carter. For Celeste, let alone my leg, he’d sacrifice my very life without a second thought. This time, I didn’t foolishly wait for him to return as I had in my previous life. The moment he turned, I turned too, limping out of the diner. Asher Blackwood, Last life, I threw myself at you, head over heels. This life, I won’t. 3. The wedding was scheduled for a week later. Asher Blackwood practically lived at my house. In the music room, he and Celeste played a piano duet, notes flowing like water, the soft light enveloping them. Their silhouettes were as perfectly matched as a beautifully framed painting. I stood outside the door, watching their fingers intertwine, watching Celeste lean gently into his embrace. She curled her lips at me, giving a victor’s smile. My heart felt like it was being brutally squeezed by an invisible hand. I turned and left, making no sound. Deep into the night, I turned off the lights and curled up under my duvet. A knock sounded at the door. “Chloe.” Asher Blackwood’s voice came through the door, low and restrained. “What happened at the diner… I was wrong.” “I bought the best burn cream.” He paused, “Open the door, let me see your injury.” I bit my lip hard, staying silent. Silence fell outside the door. One second, two seconds… Until a soft sigh. Then, footsteps, receding without hesitation. I closed my eyes, my nails digging deep into my palms. Asher Blackwood, stop pitying me. You and Celeste were always meant to be. On the eve of the wedding, as dusk fell, I knelt in the garden, meticulously trimming the branches and leaves of the sunflowers with gardening shears. They were the only things my mother had left me. The crunch of high heels on the dirt sounded unusually harsh. Celeste Carter had arrived. She stood with her arms crossed, looking at me as if I were something dirty. “Chloe Carter, the esteemed Miss Carter, constantly dealing with dirt. Isn’t that embarrassing?” In the sunlight, her brand-new designer bag gleamed. My fingernails, however, were full of fresh soil. I didn’t even lift my head. “These are my mother’s flowers. There’s no shame in taking care of them.” She scoffed, then also crouched down, her designer dress pooling on the ground. “Sunflowers?” She extended her fingers, painted scarlet, and plucked a petal. “You’re marrying that madman tomorrow, why pretend to be so innocent and good?” The shears cut deep into my palm, but I continued to trim in silence. Celeste’s smile suddenly turned vicious. She pinched the flower stem, and bright yellow petals fluttered down. “I’ll make you suffer!” Her sharp heel stomped down hard on the flower head, sap splattering onto her expensive shoes. Once, twice, until the bright yellow was completely crushed into the black mud. My eyes burned, a metallic taste rising in my throat. “Celeste Carter! That’s enough!” She looked up, her foot still on the trampled flower, her lips curved like a bloodied blade: “So, you care *that* much?” “What good were your mother’s useless plants? A worthless short-life who couldn’t even dodge a small car accident!” I couldn’t hold back anymore, my voice trembling. “You don’t deserve to speak of my mother!” “If she hadn’t gone to save *you* from being kidnapped, she wouldn’t have been in that car crash!” “Save me?” She burst into laughter as if she’d heard the funniest joke, covering her mouth. “Chloe Carter, are you an idiot?” “I’ll tell you the truth.” “That day, I was never kidnapped.” She leaned close to me, lowering her voice, every word like poisoned ice. “That day, Asher Blackwood and I were shopping, buying the latest version of the dress you’re wearing now.” “It was your precious mother, stupid beyond belief.” “I just made up an excuse and made a call, and she actually drove over to her death.” Boom. My entire world exploded. 4. I gripped her collar tightly, my knuckles white. “What… did… you… say?” She looked at my distorted face, her smile growing even more triumphant. “I said, *you* killed your mother!” “Everyone who’s good to you, and not good to me, deserves to die!” The string of my sanity snapped. I lunged at her with the shears. “Celeste Carter! You’ll pay for this!” But she was taller, and crueler. My finger stung, the shears snatched from my hand, the blade carving a crimson arc across my wrist. The next second, She fell backward, hitting the ground hard. “Celeste!” Asher Blackwood’s voice ripped through the twilight. The way he rushed forward reminded me of the tsunami in my previous life. Only this time, he wasn’t running to me. He gently helped Celeste to her feet, his face etched with worry and tenderness. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” He checked her meticulously, as if Celeste was some rare treasure. Only after confirming she was unharmed did he finally spare a glance for me. That look, it was like he was looking at garbage. “Chloe Carter! Are you insane?!” He roared, pointing his finger at my nose. “She’s your sister! You actually tried to kill her.” I opened my mouth, my voice shattered. Blood still dripped from my wrist, drop by drop, soaking into the dirt. “Asher Blackwood, it wasn’t me…” “Slap!” A sharp, stinging slap landed hard across my face. Asher Blackwood’s chest heaved, his eyes bloodshot. “I saw everything! How dare you deny it!” “You’re utterly malicious!” Yes. I was malicious. I looked at him and suddenly laughed. My temples throbbed, tears mixed with blood from the corner of my mouth. “Asher Blackwood, is it so hard to believe me just once?” He seemed to freeze, finally noticing my bleeding wrist. But I just felt so tired. Everything spun before my eyes, and the distant sounds were the house staff’s panicked shouts. “Miss Carter is bleeding so much!” “Call an ambulance!” Our house staff later told me that, for once, Asher Blackwood hadn’t gone to Celeste, but had stayed by my bedside for an entire day and night. When I woke, he was muttering disjointedly: “Don’t marry him.” But I knew the person in his dream was no longer me. Sure enough, the moment I was fully conscious, he left without looking back. His vigil had only been out of obligation. I wanted to see Asher Blackwood more, but the Vance family’s wedding convoy wouldn’t give me that chance. The next day, I wore the designer gown sent by the Vance family. As I left the house, Asher Blackwood’s voice came from behind me. His voice sounded urgent, as if he’d rushed to get there. I secretly hoped, if only for a moment, he might be worried about me. “Celeste! I’m sorry, I can’t take you away right now.” “But don’t worry, I’ll come to the Northern Quarter to get you, even if it costs me everything!” My eyelashes fluttered, unable to hold back the weight of my tears. I choked out. “But Asher Blackwood, I’m Chloe Carter.” I stopped clinging to him and got into the Vance family car. Asher Blackwood seemed to stand there for a long time. But fate decreed that we were meant to go our separate ways. At the Vance family wedding banquet, the young master, Julian Vance, who supposedly had severe anger management issues and walked with a limp, actually looked quite refined and handsome. He felt so familiar, like I’d seen him somewhere before. Back at the Vance family mansion, helping Julian up the stairs to his room, he suddenly stood upright. Seeing my shocked expression, he simply said, calmly. “I’m not crippled. It was an act.” “It’s you. I’m very happy.” My mind went blank, buzzing. What did he mean?
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