On my 24th birthday, my father asked which of the Sterling brothers I’d choose. But I shook my head, refusing both. Last time around, I spent forty million dollars to buy Liam the land parcel he’d always wanted, intending it as my wedding proposal. Yet, he publicly ripped up the contract, trampling the papers underfoot, and spat: “I promised your father I’d marry you, but don’t expect me to love you!” Under the mocking gazes of everyone present, I turned away, humiliated, and shoved the engagement ring onto his brother Noah’s hand. The wedding went ahead as planned. But no one knew that for three years of marriage, he never once touched me. He also seized my assets and gifted them to that wretched woman I’d sponsored. Reborn, facing the same question, I told my father: “I remember the Vance heir is quite handsome. Why not him?” My father gasped, a sharp intake of breath. “Julian Vance? He was framed by his illegitimate half-brother and has been in a vegetative state for ages. You want to choose him?”
“That illegitimate half-brother is ruthless. I can’t possibly trust you with him. Julian has been paralyzed for three years; only his eyeballs can move. He’s not suitable either. Why are you suddenly so set on the Vances?” “Your mother has been seriously ill and unconscious. If she wakes up and sees I haven’t taken good care of you, how will I explain it to her?” I nodded, my tone casual. “A low-class illegitimate son? Of course, I wouldn’t choose him.” “I was talking about Julian, the one in the vegetative state.” “He’s been paralyzed for three years, and his half-brother still hasn’t successfully taken over. Do you really think he’s completely useless?” My father sighed deeply. “What I think doesn’t matter; it’s what outsiders think. The Sterling brothers… Didn’t you say you wouldn’t marry anyone but Liam before? And Noah, your relationship with him isn’t bad either. Either of them would be better than stepping into the Vance family’s mess!” But I shook my head firmly. “It has to be Julian. No one else is an option.” “Someone who’s been to hell and back like him? If I lend him a hand, his gratitude alone would solidify the Hayes family’s standing for decades to come.” My father’s eyes widened as if he didn’t recognize his own daughter. “Are you saying… Julian’s illness can be cured?” I didn’t respond, but my silence was an answer. Before my father left, I spoke softly: “Since the Sterlings are useless to us, we can stop our collaborations with them. We’ve lost enough money over the years; cutting our losses now is the best strategy.” Actually, there was more I didn’t say. It wasn’t just that I no longer loved Liam Sterling. I actually hated him. In my past life, I pursued him relentlessly for ten years. When I heard the news of the Sterling family’s downfall, my first instinct was to beg my father to intervene. Considering Liam’s pride, I asked my father to structure it as a collaborative project. Over ten years, the Sterling family profited from us by at least a billion dollars. It’s fair to say that the later Sterling Corporation was sustained by me. Everyone in our city’s elite circles knew me as Liam’s doormat. I thought my efforts would eventually move Liam. And he did promise my father he would marry me. After marriage, he was to manage the Hayes family affairs. But when I proposed, he brutally crushed my self-respect for another woman. Unwilling to back down, I turned and chose Noah. I thought I could at least save some face. Who knew Noah was even worse than his brother, if that was even possible? For three years after the wedding, he never once stepped into my room. Until my mother suddenly fell gravely ill and passed away. At her funeral, he presented me with divorce papers. I had people investigate and secretly overheard their scheme. My mother’s treatment plan had been personally altered by Noah. All to get back at Seraphina. Even though I had done nothing wrong. He used cunning tactics to force me out, penniless, stripping the Hayes family of all its assets. Then he turned around and gave everything to Seraphina to make her happy. It was then I realized that both men I had loved harbored feelings for the same woman. How could I endure such humiliation again? As I stood up to leave, I unexpectedly ran into Liam just outside the door. The moment he saw me, his eyes instantly hardened. “You’ve been talking about the wedding with Mr. Hayes again?” “I’ve already agreed. Are you that desperate? Can’t you wait a single day?”
Today was my birthday, yet he offered no blessings, only accusations the moment he saw me. Noah followed close behind him upstairs, his expression equally displeased. “I just tried to say hello to Mr. Hayes, and he completely ignored me. Have you been talking trash about my brother again?” “You, Aria, living in your ivory tower, don’t understand how hard we work. Liam never said he wouldn’t marry you, so what’s all this fuss about? You just cause trouble every single day!” Liam finally remembered it was my birthday. “Company meeting, lost track of time. Sorry for being late.” Noah scoffed. “Liam, you say you’re busy with work, and Aria will instantly offer you a blank check.” He mimicked my past self perfectly, dramatically handing an imaginary check to Liam. “Just wanting you to spend time with me! How much is your project making? I’ll double it, okay?” Then, his face turned cold. “Aria, we have our own work to do! Money isn’t everything!” Recalling my past doormat behavior, I took a deep breath. “If you’re so unhappy with me, you didn’t have to come today. There’s no need to make yourselves miserable, and I’m not so dense as to not notice.” Noah clutched his chest, his expression exaggerated. “Oh, please, Aria! If we dared not celebrate your birthday today, Mr. Hayes would cut off our funds tomorrow! What are we, chopped liver? Do we look like we have that kind of guts?” Liam, not wanting to completely burn bridges, softened his tone. “Aria, I know you like me, and I’m willing to marry you. I just hope you won’t use the Sterling family to threaten me anymore.” “Noah is my only brother. I’m begging you.” “Liam… don’t say that…” Liam’s smile was bitter. “Do you have any other choice?” “It’s fine. I’m your brother; sacrificing for the family is my duty.” Listening to his self-sacrificing words, one might think my family was some kind of monstrous threat. It was laughable how ten years of my devotion earned me this look of suffering indignation. A bitter ache filled my heart. I didn’t want to argue anymore and headed straight downstairs. As I reached the grand hall, Seraphina approached, clutching a jar of handmade paper stars, carefully offering it to me. “Aria, this is a gift I made myself. It’s not expensive, but it’s from my heart. Happy Birthday.” My gaze fell on her. The designer outfit she wore, worth thousands, had been bought with my secondary credit card. I’d supported her for two years, and for my birthday, she gives me this worthless trinket, all while secretly trying to steal my fiancé. My face instantly darkened. “No thanks. I sponsored you for two years; you can find your own job after graduating. You don’t need to stay with the Hayes family anymore. Or perhaps—” Before I could finish, Seraphina’s eyes reddened, and she clutched her clothes meekly. “Aria, have I done something wrong? I apologize. Please don’t be angry…” The Sterling brothers immediately rushed forward, shielding her behind them, glaring at me. “What do you want now? Seraphina only came to celebrate your birthday today!” Since meeting Seraphina, they’d said the same thing countless times. Two years ago, I took them to a community center to volunteer. Liam spotted Seraphina in the crowd. Having experienced his family’s bankruptcy, he saw her as a kindred spirit and immediately felt sympathy. He couldn’t afford to sponsor Seraphina, so he subtly probed me. “Aria, don’t you think that girl reminds you of me back then?” “She’s an orphan, but her determined expression is just like mine.” “She’s just not as lucky as I was to find someone to help her.” Liam was in a low mood then, and it was rare for him to talk to me so much. To cheer him up, I immediately decided to bring Seraphina home and cover all her university expenses. Soon after, she hand-folded a thousand paper cranes, saying it was to repay my kindness. I was touched and displayed them in a glass cabinet. My housekeeper, thinking the items were worthless, was about to throw them into the trash. I stopped her just in time, but Liam snatched them away. “What are you doing? Seraphina gave you these! Are you going to throw them away? How can you be so ungrateful?” “Are worthless things just trash in your eyes? Are Noah and I also the same?” Seraphina witnessed everything back then. I waited for her to explain for me. Instead, she meekly said, eyes brimming with tears: “It’s okay. Aria uses all designer brands; my small gift is indeed too cheap.” I was about to question her when she suddenly knelt, sobbing uncontrollably. “Aria, I’m already so grateful you helped me with my tuition. Please, don’t argue because of me.” The more she explained, the more Liam disliked me. “Just because your family is rich, you can act so high and mighty?” “You sponsored Seraphina, but she’s your equal, not your servant!” I immediately lost my temper. I pulled Seraphina up, wanting her to clarify things. But somehow, the jar of paper cranes in my hand suddenly dropped and shattered. I didn’t see, and stepped right on a piece of glass. The thin sole of my shoe was pierced, and blood gushed from my foot. Seraphina instantly stood up, as if suffering immense humiliation, and shouted at me, her neck stiff: “Even if you’re rich, you can’t just trample on my feelings like this! I’m a person too!” Then she ran out crying. Liam’s face was darker than I had ever seen it. “Are you satisfied now that you’ve caused such a scene?” “Aria, you truly disgust me!” Noah stood beside me, his eyes also filled with disappointment. “What else do you have besides your dirty money?” “Compared to Seraphina, you’re not even worth a single strand of her hair!”
Now, I stared at Seraphina’s all-too-familiar, wronged expression, my voice suddenly turning cold. “What did I say? Did I tell her to pay back the money and get out of the Hayes family? Or did I force her to kneel and apologize to me?” Liam snapped back without thinking: “You didn’t say anything, but isn’t that exactly what you were planning to do?” “Haven’t you bullied Seraphina enough these past two years? Don’t think I don’t know!” Before I could respond, Seraphina started crying again, pulling at Liam’s wrist. “Liam, please don’t argue because of me. I’m really okay. I’m just an outsider. I’m already so happy to be able to go to school and live in such a big house.” “Aria, I’m willing to kneel and apologize to you. As long as you’re happy, please don’t make things difficult for Liam!” In front of everyone, she knelt, her face filled with humiliation. She quickly knocked her head three times, her forehead bleeding. Liam couldn’t bear to watch and pulled her up. “Enough!” “You don’t need to bow to her. You haven’t done anything wrong. She’s the one who looks down on us!” “In her eyes, all three of us are the same—dogs kept by the Hayes family, living only to amuse her!” “Did I tell her to kneel? Are you deaf?” Just as the words left my mouth, I spotted a familiar ring on Seraphina’s hand as she wiped her forehead. I lunged forward and grabbed her wrist. “What’s this?” “Why is my ring with you?” That ring was something I had started preparing a year ago. I had spent a whole month painstakingly drawing the design myself. All to give to Liam on our wedding day. The ring was supposed to arrive last month but had been delayed. And now it was on Seraphina’s hand! Liam pulled her behind him, stating righteously: “I gave it to her.” “You have so many jewels and accessories; you won’t miss this one.” “Seraphina just graduated college and needs to present herself well for job hunting, so I gave it to her. If you have any grievances, direct them at me!” Noah maintained his usual playful demeanor, his words dripping with sarcasm. “It’s just a ring, isn’t it? Tell us, how much? I’ll pay you ten times the price.” His condescending attitude almost made me believe he earned that money himself. Using my Hayes family money to pay me back? What audacity! I took a deep breath, about to speak. The guests around us were already whispering. “I always heard the Hayes heiress was bossy. Today, I see it’s true.” “The Sterling family was saved by the Hayes family after bankruptcy. I thought they’d found a benefactor, but it turns out they’re just Aria’s dogs.” “How pathetic! If I were to marry such a woman, I’d rather jump off a building!” My nails dug sharply into my palms, and I squeezed out a sentence from my throat: “Do you think your money wasn’t given by the Hayes family?” “You’re very comfortable taking advantage, aren’t you?” Noah instantly bristled. He was about to retort when Liam held him back. “Fine, then no money. I’ll pay with myself. Is that enough?” “Is this the result you wanted?” Seraphina yanked off the ring, knelt, and offered it to me with both hands, her voice trembling with tears. “Aria, please don’t make things difficult for Liam. It’s all my fault. I don’t want the ring; I don’t want anything.” “If I had known this ring was so precious and would cost Liam his entire life to repay, I never would have accepted it. I’m giving it back to you!” Liam tried to help her up, but Seraphina stubbornly pushed his hand away. “Liam, please don’t worry about me. This is between Aria and me. I can’t drag you into this!” Feeling utterly sarcastic, I pointed to the clothes she was wearing. “Your clothes are mine too. Why don’t you return those as well?” “This bag, this dress, these earrings, and…” Before I could finish, Seraphina stood up and began forcefully tearing at her clothes. “Fine, I’ll give them to you! I don’t want any of it!” “Liam, please don’t worry about me. Your happiness is more important than mine!” The dress was torn into rags and thrown onto the floor. Seraphina ran out, almost naked.
Liam could no longer contain himself and roared: “Are you satisfied now?!” “I told you I’d marry you!” “Do you really have to push Seraphina to her death to be content?! How can you be so malicious?!” My face hardened. “You say you’ll marry me. Did I say I want to marry you?” “If you don’t marry me, who else would you marry? Everyone in this city’s elite circles knows you’ve been dreaming of marrying me!” His angry eyes burned me, leaving me speechless, bitterness slowly engulfing my chest. Liam took a deep breath, seemingly finally resigned. “Let’s just leave it at this. I’m truly exhausted.” With that, he and Noah swiftly left the hall. Watching their retreating figures, I murmured softly: “No more drama. Never again.” In this life, I will have nothing more to do with you. Liam and Noah left for three days, with no word. I had the housekeeper pack up their belongings and Seraphina’s from their rooms and mail them to the Sterling family’s old estate. My father informed me that the Vance family had been contacted. The wedding was set for four days later. The haste was because Mrs. Vance was eager to use the Hayes family’s influence to get rid of the illegitimate half-brother. Hearing the date, I paused for a moment. It coincided with the date of my original planned wedding. Perhaps it was fate. That night, I was at home trying on my wedding dress. The Sterling brothers, who hadn’t been seen in days, suddenly burst in. Liam slapped me across the face. I was stunned. “Where have you hidden Seraphina?!” “I already agreed to marry you, and you’re still making trouble for her!” Noah was even more furious. “Aria Hayes, if marrying my brother isn’t enough, I’ll marry you too! As long as you don’t mind the scandal of having two husbands! Seraphina is just a young girl; she has no family, no background. Why do you have to keep hounding her?!” But I hadn’t even seen Seraphina! I clutched my stinging cheek, coldly staring at them. “You said it yourselves; Seraphina is just an ordinary person. Is she even worth my targeting?” “She doesn’t even qualify.” “As for you two, what right do you have to break into my house and lay hands on me?” Noah immediately flared up. “You finally said what you truly think! In your heart, none of us are worthy, are we? It’s our blessing from three lifetimes to even be in your presence to polish Aria’s shoes, isn’t it?!” Liam’s face was chilling. “If not you, then who?” “Besides us, Seraphina only knows you!” “You’d better pray she’s okay, otherwise…” “Otherwise what?” Before he could finish, his phone suddenly rang. He glanced at it, and the coldness in his eyes immediately dissipated, replaced by the joy of rediscovery. “Thank goodness Seraphina is okay!” Noah immediately rushed out of the house. Liam turned to look at me, his eyes filled with complex emotions. “I said I would marry you, but you’ve repeatedly caused trouble for Seraphina. I can’t trust you.” “So?” “So after the marriage, all of the Hayes family’s companies will be taken over by me. If you want me to maintain this superficial marriage, you’d better not mess with Seraphina!” With that, he turned and left, without a backward glance. I laughed sardonically. I had pampered him so much all these years; it truly made him forget who helped the Sterling family get to where they were today. He wants to demand charity while standing tall? No way! I immediately called my father. “Has the collaboration with the Sterling family been terminated yet?” “It must be completely handled before the wedding.” The wedding day arrived in a flash. The Sterling brothers never reappeared during that time. However, Seraphina’s Ins feed was constantly updating. She was in a hospital room, a constant stream of luxury goods being delivered to her. Chanel today, Hermes tomorrow, one boastful caption after another. I watched, sneering. This was the “white lotus” they claimed didn’t care about money or power. I was rather looking forward to Seraphina’s reaction once the Sterling family collapsed. I turned off my phone, preparing to listen for the officiant’s cue to enter. Suddenly, the doors to the chapel burst open. Liam appeared, gasping for breath. “Aria! I’m here! Don’t terminate the partnership!”
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