Author: Momo Chan

It was midnight. My fiancé’s secretary sent me a provocative photo. [We went for 4 hours today.] I didn’t have time to reply. Because the ghost of my childhood nemesis, who died ten years ago, suddenly appeared in my living room. “Is this your fiancé?” “Tsk… why does he look a little like me?” 1 When I opened the door and saw Caleb, I thought I was still drunk and hallucinating. He was still wearing his varsity jacket from our senior year of high school. His mouth was just as sharp as it used to be. “Wow, look at you. Cosplaying a drowned rat?” I looked down at my phone. The date was correct. I hadn’t time-traveled. Thinking my eyes were playing tricks on me, I was about to look up again when several messages popped up. [Miss Summers, congratulations on getting engaged to your consolation prize.] [But compared to you, Spencer seems to like me more.] [Four hours tonight. Twice.] The attached photo was a post-coital selfie of her and Spencer. Before I could look up, Caleb’s noisy voice rang in my ear again. “Whoa! NSFW! Is that allowed?” “Summer, does your phone have a virus?” “Wait, fiancé? You’re getting married?” “Holy crap! He’s cheating on you right before the engagement? You want a man like that?” “Hold on… this fiancé… why does he look a discount version of me?” “Do I smell a ‘replacement’ trope? Summer, don’t tell me you had a crush on me? Heh…” Caleb. The “Silent Groom” of our high school yearbook—because he looked best when he wasn’t talking. He was the main character of everyone’s high school life. Except for that mouth. Roasting him back was practically muscle memory. “Crush on you? Do I look insane?” My voice dropped, and Caleb froze. I froze too. The next second, screams erupted from the surrounding apartments. “Ahhh!!! A ghost!” “Ahhh!!! Someone can see the ghost!!!” 2 Ten minutes later, I finally calmed down. Leaning against the wall, I fished a cigarette out of my bag. “What is happening? Why can I see you?” Caleb was huddled in the corner. He looked even more shocked than I was. “I’d love to know the answer to that, too.” Click. Click. The lighter sparked but couldn’t ignite the rain-soaked cigarette. He paused, floated over, and tried to grab it. But he forgot—he couldn’t touch anything. His hand went straight through the smoke. Stunned for a second, he leaned in and sniffed me to cover his embarrassment. “Drinking? And smoking?” “Summer, when did you pick up these bad habits?” We went to the same middle and high school. Basically childhood friends. Just because he was three months older, he always loved to lecture me. I was never afraid of him then. I wasn’t afraid now. “It’s been a long time. I forgot.” His eyes went wide. “You forgot? How?” “Whatever. Forget it. It doesn’t matter.” Yeah. It didn’t matter. I tossed the cigarette, walked past him, and took off my soaked trench coat, letting it drop to the floor. He floated right behind me, sticking like glue. “Hey, aren’t you scared seeing me? Don’t you have questions…” His voice cut off abruptly. Because he saw that after taking off the coat, I was unzipping the back of my dress. The zipper was already down to my shoulder blades. He phased through the wall and vanished instantly. A second later, a roar came from the closed study. “Holy sh*t! Your fiancé cheats on you, so you decide to flash me?” “I am a pure, innocent ghost! I never even dated! Don’t try to force yourself on me!” “Besides, I’m dead! I can’t help you with that!” 3 Caleb’s voice made me pause. Right. He was dead. Ten years ago, the day after graduation. Car accident. I went to his funeral. Over the last decade, everything related to him had been burned or buried. No one around me even mentioned his name. Honestly, my brain was a mess. It was so chaotic that even though I forced myself to be calm, I couldn’t tell reality from a dream. I didn’t know if what I was doing even mattered. But in this moment, I suddenly sobered up. I looked at the empty living room. Then down at my dripping wet dress. My throat tightened. “I walked home in the rain. If I don’t take a hot shower and take some meds, I’ll be dead by morning.” The room was silent. So silent that seeing Caleb felt like a hallucination. But just as I held my breath, about to open the study door to check, his muffled voice came through. “Shut up. Don’t say the D-word…” 4 I sank into the bathtub, surrounded by hot water. Listening to the splash of water, I finally felt pulled back to reality. Just today, I had received a package of Caleb’s old belongings. Just an hour ago, I was at his grave. But through the wall, his voice was crystal clear. “Summer, what is the deal with that fiancé?” “I saw that text. That wasn’t the first time you got a photo like that, was it?” “And that guy’s face…” The topic I had been avoiding was forced back into the open. Yes. Spencer’s secretary, Tiffany, wasn’t the first to send photos to provoke me. But so what? I didn’t care. “Six years ago, my mom remarried a nouveau riche guy.” “It’s a business merger. A commercial marriage. You know the drill. He just happens to look like you. Don’t flatter yourself.” Caleb wouldn’t understand. He went quiet. The only sound was hurried footsteps moving from the living room to the bathroom door. Remembering his wall-phasing trick, I frowned. “Caleb, you aren’t trying to peek, are you?” No answer. Just a tall shadow cast against the frosted glass door. Do ghosts have shadows? Suspicious, I put on my robe and opened the door. But it wasn’t Caleb. It was Spencer, who should have been in a hotel with his secretary. He was holding a photo he’d dug out of Caleb’s box of belongings, looking at me with dark eyes. “I get sick, you send meds. I have a date, you deliver condoms in the rain. You’ve been simping for me for six years just because of this face?” “Caleb? Right, that’s the name you call out when you’re drunk.” Spencer’s words made my heart skip a beat. I instinctively looked toward Caleb, who was floating out of the study. But Spencer wasn’t done. He raised an eyebrow and laughed. His tone was casual, dangerous. “Where are you hiding him? Bring him out.”

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After the Great War, the military prostitutes were to be sold into brothels. To avoid this fate, they tried everything to seduce soldiers and get taken home. When the taciturn, dark-skinned Captain came looking for me, the entire camp was empty except for me and an old woman dying of a terminal illness. She laughed at me: “Little Rose, if someone is willing to take you, just go. Who are you waiting for? Don’t tell me it’s that high-and-mighty General Peyton, who’s about to marry the princess?” I said I needed to think about it. That night, Peyton pinned me to the bed. He gripped my chin, forcing me to look up at him. “I’m marrying the princess, and you’re jealous?” He scoffed. “You’ve got quite a temper.” “Nothing between us will change after I marry the princess. I bought a house outside the city. Wait for me there.” He never asked about the man who came for me during the day. He was so sure I wouldn’t leave with anyone else. But he didn’t know I had already agreed to go with the Captain named Zane. The day he married the princess was also the day I would marry Zane. 1 After the war ended, according to custom, we military prostitutes were to be sold into the lowest brothels. Those places were filled with all kinds of people: old, young, perverted, disgusting. It wasn’t a place for humans. So, starting three days ago, the younger women began trying every trick to seduce the soldiers. These men were the survivors of the war. Having won, they would be rewarded based on their merit. Even if they already had wives at home, becoming a kept mistress wasn’t a bad end. Zane appeared when a scoundrel was trying to take me back as a concubine. After I refused, he got angry and tackled me onto the bed in the tent. “Bitch! You’re the daughter of a criminal minister, a military prostitute, and you still think you’re a lady? Usually, the young general gets first dibs, but now it’s my turn to taste…” Before he could finish, he was grabbed by the collar and thrown to the ground. I scrambled up in a panic and saw Zane. He carried the scoundrel out like he was carrying a chick. At first, there was shouting outside, but it soon died down. After dealing with the man, Zane came back in and stood at the tent entrance like a mountain, blocking all the light. His wheat-colored skin was solid and vibrant, sweat dripping down his neck into his collarbone. He was breathing slightly hard, looking at me, but didn’t say a word. I don’t know how long passed. Finally, he said just one phrase: “I can.” It was a bit baffling, but I understood what he meant. These days, besides that scoundrel, five or six other men had come to me, saying they could take me home. Some even promised me the position of principal wife. After all, I was once the cherished daughter of the Minister of Revenue. I could play the zither, play chess, do calligraphy, and paint. My beauty alone was once famous throughout the capital. I refused them all. But this time, I stared into Zane’s eyes. He stiffly looked away. His face was taut, as if someone owed him money. But I saw that the tips of his ears were bright red. “I need to think about it.” I said. After Zane left, a weak voice came from the corner. “He might be the last one.” That was the only other woman left here besides me, an old prostitute suffering from a serious illness and running out of time. She laughed at me: “Little Rose, if he’s willing to take you, just go with him. Who are you waiting for? Don’t tell me it’s that high-and-mighty General Peyton, who’s about to marry the princess?” She knew I had some kind of relationship with Peyton. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be a military prostitute who didn’t have to serve others. But every two days, I would go out at night holding my zither. The only person who could have this privilege was the now-distinguished and glorious Peyton. She thought Peyton was just treating me like a plaything, and I shouldn’t pine for someone out of my league. But she didn’t know that it wasn’t me who refused to let go. 2 The night Zane came to find me, Peyton called me over. I had just entered his tent with my zither when I was pushed onto the table from behind. Peyton reached into my clothes with one hand and grabbed my neck with the other, forcing me to look up. His kiss was like a violent storm, without tenderness. I don’t know what was wrong with him today; he was unusually rough, from the table to the bed, from night until dawn. I was exhausted, lying weakly on the edge of the bed. Peyton hugged me from behind and asked: “I’m marrying the princess, and you’re jealous?” He paused for a moment and then said: “What right do you have to be jealous of the princess? Rose, you’re no longer the Capital’s Peony.” This title hadn’t been heard for a long time, and it inexplicably stirred up some memories. Back then, I was quite famous in the capital. Many sons of officials admired me, and Peyton was one of them. Among those playboys, his way of pursuing me was particularly unconventional. He would climb over my family’s wall, risking a beating from my father, to place a dew-covered sprig of plum blossoms on my windowsill. On the Lantern Festival, he bribed the girls in the brothel in advance. When my sisters and I passed by, those girls leaned on the railing upstairs, waving handkerchiefs of various colors that together formed the word “Rose.” My parents and brother cursed him for being rude. But they didn’t know that night I looked up at him, the stars were shining, and he leaned among the girls, showing a mouthful of white teeth, smiling freely and casually. My heart missed a beat. At that time, the war between Chen and Dayan had just begun, and many sons of noble families were sent to the battlefield to gain experience. Peyton was among them. They hurried to the battlefield. I didn’t have time, nor the position, to see him off. But that morning, I still saw a fresh sprig of red plum blossoms on the windowsill. There was a note underneath, in handwriting as bold and unrestrained as he was. ——”Wait for me to achieve success and fame, then I will come back to marry you.” I didn’t wait for his return. My father was charged with a serious crime because he stood on the wrong side, and our home was raided. My father and brother died, and my mother committed suicide. I was the only one left, thrown into the military camp as a prostitute. The first night, dozens of men broke in, cornering me like hungry wolves. “This is the Capital’s Peony, the unattainable Rose.” “I heard many sons in the capital wanted to marry her. She really is beautiful!” “Today, let’s brothers break her in…” A despair I had never felt before enveloped me. I was trembling all over and couldn’t move, thinking I should just let it happen. Death seemed like a good option. Suddenly, someone in silver armor broke in, a bloody spear blocking in front of me, shielding me from those disgusting gazes. “You dare to touch my person?” “You’re courting death!” Three years later, seeing Peyton again, he was darker and thinner, and a scar on the side of his face made him look a bit fierce. But facing me, he hugged me tightly, as if he had found a lost treasure: “Thank goodness, you’re alright.” Because of lingering fear, his hands were still trembling slightly. Afraid that I would get sick in this environment, Peyton asked me to move to his tent and took me to the nearby stream and grassland to relax whenever he had time. He knew I loved the zither. He found one somewhere in this remote place and placed it on my bed like a treasure. I played a song for him, and his smile was as refreshing as a spring breeze. “Hearing Rose play a song, death is worth it.” At that time, I really thought I could entrust my life to him. Peyton was very capable. In just one year, he achieved great military exploits and was promoted rapidly. With his protection, no one dared to have ideas about me. He socialized more and more late with those generals. Occasionally, they would call some young and beautiful military prostitutes to drink and feast in the main tent. I could hear those unbearable sounds. At first, I deceived myself thinking Peyton was definitely not one of them. Until he suddenly roughly turned me over on the bed, lying on the edge of the bed in a humiliating posture. I realized what he was going to do and instinctively pushed him away. He frowned: “This isn’t okay either? They… forget it, go to sleep.” He went to take a shower in frustration and slept holding me as usual. But my mind was full of the sentence he didn’t finish. They are all okay. They are all military prostitutes, why aren’t you? My heart sank to the bottom. The battles were frequent, Peyton was running around every day, and he came to see me less and less. A bold soldier mistakenly thought I had been abandoned, sneaked into my tent in the middle of the night, covered my mouth and nose tightly, and pressed his foul-smelling mouth against me. I struggled in panic and was slapped in the face by him. In an instant, my ears were buzzing, and my mind went blank. Fortunately, Peyton returned in time. He kicked the man away and held me in his arms. I thought he had dealt with that scoundrel, but a few days later, I saw that man again. He stood in front of the roasted sheep unscathed, laughing with others: “How could General Peyton really turn against me for a whore? He even treated me to a drink, saying women are like clothes, and the friendship with brothers is life-and-death.” “That chick is really tender. It’s a pity I didn’t get her. When I have a chance, I must screw her.” Meeting my eyes, he licked the corner of his mouth, disgusting to the extreme. The nightmarish scene appeared before my eyes again. I was terrified and asked Peyton about it. At that time, he was reading a book at the desk. Hearing this, his beautiful brows frowned slightly. He pulled me to sit on his lap and stroked the back of my neck with his hand. “Rose, personally, his uncle is my deputy general and saved my life. I can’t punish him.” “Officially… what reason should I use to deal with him? Bullying a military prostitute?” I stared at him blankly. His hand had already reached under my skirt, flippant and casual. Confused by passion, he comforted me saying: “You are mine. I will definitely not let others bully you. Wear more clothes when you go out of the tent in the future…” I felt like I knew the man in front of me for the first time. From then on, I knew men were unreliable. To escape this hell, I had to rely on myself. 3 Since the news of disbanding the military prostitutes came out, Peyton knew that many people secretly came to me to take me away. But he never asked, nor did he step forward to declare his sovereignty. As if he was sure I wouldn’t leave with anyone. He bit my ear gently, and I turned my head to avoid it. He sneered: “You’ve got quite a temper.” “After marrying the princess, nothing between us will change. I bought a house outside the city. That will be our home in the future.” He seemed to have forgotten the red plum blossoms placed on my windowsill that year. Also forgotten that two years ago, when he regained what was lost and held me like a treasure in his palm, he once said: “Rose, when the war is over, I will marry you and take you home.” What he genuinely wanted to marry was the stunningly talented legitimate daughter of the Qi family. And in his eyes, I had been reduced to a military prostitute. Everyone can give up on me. But I can’t give up on myself. I smiled and leaned obediently in his arms without speaking. Peyton didn’t know that before I came here to see him, I sent a message to the Captain named Zane. I agreed. On the day Peyton married the princess, I would go back to River City to marry Zane. This was the only way for me to escape this hell. This great victory, allowing the soldiers to take their preferred military prostitutes away was a grace given to them. It happened that Zane wanted to take me away, and it happened that he wasn’t a bad person. Someone from the imperial court came to announce the decree, and the generals were about to return to the capital first to receive awards. That night, Peyton hosted a banquet to entertain those officials. In the main tent, glasses were clinking. Those people felt bored, and someone mentioned: “I heard Rose is here with you?” Their eyes crossed, some with restless minds: “I’ve long heard of the reputation of the Capital’s Peony. Not only is she proficient in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but her dancing skills are also superb. Why not call her up to dance for everyone to liven things up.” Just dancing was already them caring about face. Peyton had no reason to refuse. When he sent someone to bring the dancing clothes, I was applying medicine to my body. That dancing dress was almost transparent. After putting it on, it could barely cover the body, let alone cover these bruises made by Peyton. I held the clothes and remained silent. The person waiting outside the tent urged impatiently: “What’s wrong? Can’t you wear it? Do you want brother to help you?” “I can’t dance.” He was stunned and walked straight in. “General Peyton ordered you to perform a dance. You dare not go?” “Yes.” I pulled out the short knife that Peyton had given me for self-defense from under the pillow and stabbed it into my thigh. In an instant, blood spurted out. I said coldly: “I said, I can’t dance.” That person was scared by me and rushed out to report. When Peyton came back after appeasing those people, he was cold all over. He looked at my unbandaged wound, was silent for half a moment and asked: “Things are different now, Rose.” “It’s just asking you to dance. With your status, what position do you have to refuse?” I looked up at him and asked indifferently: “In your eyes, what is my status?” He glanced at the outside of the tent out of the corner of his eye and snorted coldly: “It seems that I have been too lenient with you on regular days. We will return to the capital tomorrow. Except for those military prostitutes who have written marriage contracts with soldiers, others will be sent to the labor camp according to the law. You also go there to temper your temperament. I’ll pick you up after I report on my work in the capital.” I suddenly looked up. He wants to send me to the labor camp? He looked at me heavily for a while and turned to leave. I knew Zane had already drawn up the marriage contract. After Peyton left tomorrow, Zane would also take me back to River City. He marries his princess. I marry my man. Perhaps in this life, this is the last time we meet. “General Peyton.” I rarely called him that. Peyton was stunned and stopped. I bowed to him and thanked him for protecting me these two years. “Have a safe journey. Rose won’t send you off.”

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My husband, Dr. Adrian Pierce, insisted on bringing his childhood sweetheart—a mere intern—into the OR as an assistant surgeon during a critical heart transplant. All I did was reprimand her for wearing rhinestone-encrusted acrylic nails in a sterile environment. Adrian abandoned the patient, chest cavity wide open, and stormed out of the operating room to comfort her. I begged him to come back and finish the surgery. He snapped at me: “Bella is upset right now. Can you not start drama with me at a time like this? Pause the surgery. Nothing is more important than Bella’s feelings.” The patient was left exposed on the table for forty minutes and died in agony. Later, we found out the patient was the beloved Mayor of our city. Adrian and his “little sister” Bella pinned the medical malpractice on me: “If you hadn’t gone crazy in the OR and chased us out, the Mayor wouldn’t have bled to death! This is all your fault!” I couldn’t prove my innocence. I was sentenced to life in prison, where I suffered until I died. Meanwhile, my husband and Bella walked down the aisle. When I opened my eyes again, I was back. Back to the day the Mayor was lying on our operating table. 1 “Maya, Adrian is the attending surgeon. He said I could keep my nails. What right do you, a lowly resident, have to lecture me?” Hearing the familiar, arrogant voice, I snapped my eyes open. Standing before me was Bella, looking down her nose at me with a smirk. I scanned the room. We were mid-heart transplant. Everyone was scrubbed in, covered head to toe in sterile gear. Everyone except Bella. Not only were her long acrylics studded with rhinestones, but she wasn’t even wearing a mask. That’s when I knew. I had been reborn. I was back to the day the Mayor died in our hospital. In my past life, Adrian insisted on having Bella assist. She was clumsy, handed him the wrong scalpels, broke sterile field protocol repeatedly, and almost dropped a rhinestone into the patient’s open chest. I scolded her about the nails. She took it as a personal attack and stormed off. Adrian abandoned the patient to chase after her. “Bella is upset right now. Can you not start drama with me at a time like this? Pause the surgery. Nothing is more important than Bella’s feelings.” The patient died. They blamed me. “If you hadn’t gone crazy in the OR and chased us out, the Mayor wouldn’t have bled to death! This is all your fault!” I died in prison. They got married and became the youngest Chief of Surgery and Vice Chief in the hospital’s history. I snapped back to reality just as Adrian frowned and scolded me. “Maya, this is an operating table, not a place for your jealousy. I approved her nails. Apologize to Bella.” Looking at Bella’s triumphant face, I swallowed my rage. “Why should I? Hospital policy forbids artificial nails in the OR. I did nothing wrong.” Seeing I wouldn’t budge, Bella’s face darkened. “Maya, admit it, you’re just targeting me. Fine, I’ll leave.” She tossed a scalpel onto the tray carelessly. It bounced and nearly sliced the patient’s aorta. Panic and anger surged through me. I grabbed the scalpel just as Adrian moved to chase Bella. I lowered my voice, urgent and cold. “Adrian, the patient’s chest is open. We need to proceed with the transplant immediately or he will die.” “You are a doctor. Are you going to watch him die?” Adrian looked at the door where Bella vanished, then at the patient. He gritted his teeth and picked up the scalpel. Just as I let out a breath of relief, Adrian’s phone rang. It was Bella. 2 Adrian put it on speaker. Bella’s angry voice filled the sterile room. “If you don’t come comfort me right now, I’m never talking to you again.” Adrian’s voice turned gentle. “Bella, honey, let me finish this surgery and I’ll come straight to you.” Bella huffed. “If you aren’t here in five minutes, I’m going to the clinic to get rid of this baby. You won’t be a father anymore.” Pregnant. The bitterness filled my mouth. In my past life, I thought they only got together after I went to prison. Turns out, they were already expecting. Before I could process the shock, Adrian dropped his instruments and bolted for the door. I grabbed his arm. “Adrian, you can’t leave. The patient can’t wait.” He glared at me with pure fury. “Didn’t you hear her? She’s going to abort my child! If I don’t go now, it’ll be too late!” I frowned. “What about the patient?” “I’ll be back as soon as I can. A few minutes won’t kill him.” I stared at him in disbelief. A heart transplant is a race against time. Every minute counts. Last time, the patient died because of this exact delay. I tightened my grip. I wouldn’t let him go. “Maya, let go! Are you trying to kill my child?” I started to deny it, but he shoved me hard. I stumbled and crashed back-first onto the metal instrument table. A groan escaped my lips. Adrian didn’t even look back. He sprinted out the door. The rest of the surgical team rushed to help me up. “Dr. Lin, are you okay? Dr. Pierce is out of line. Defending her is one thing, but getting physical?” “I knew something was going on between them. I didn’t think they’d be so blatant about a pregnancy.” I waved them off. “Not the time. I need to get him back.” The patient’s life was more important than Adrian’s betrayal. I wouldn’t let the tragedy repeat itself. I ran into the hallway, but I was immediately surrounded by the patient’s family. “Doctor, how is he? Is the surgery a success?” I recognized them instantly. The Mayor’s family. His elderly mother knelt before me, sobbing. “Doctor, please, save my son. I’m begging you.” His wife, seven months pregnant, also tried to kneel. “Doctor, please. Everyone says this is the best hospital. Please save my husband.” I pulled them up, looking them in the eye. “I promise you, I will do everything I can.” Adrian was gone. I returned to the OR. The team looked behind me expectantly. “Dr. Lin, where’s Dr. Pierce?” I shook my head. “I couldn’t catch him.” The anesthesiologist panicked. “The patient is under general anesthesia, chest cracked open. If we don’t operate now, he’ll die of shock or infection.” “Only Dr. Pierce is qualified for this procedure in the whole city. It’s too late to call in someone else.” I took a deep breath. “I’ll do it. Adrian and I were classmates. I know everything he knows.” The team rejected the idea immediately. “Maya, you’re a resident. Hospital protocol forbids you from leading a transplant.” “Just call Dr. Pierce again. Get him back here.” I swallowed the truth—that he wouldn’t come back—and dialed his number on speaker for everyone to hear. 3 “Where are you? Come back, we’re waiting for you.” Adrian’s voice crackled with rage. “Bella is crying her eyes out. Can you stop making a scene right now?” “Pause the surgery. I’ll do it once I’ve calmed Bella down.” Click. The room went dead silent. The anesthesiologist cursed. “By the time he comes back, the patient will be a corpse.” “Call him again. If this patient dies, we all go down.” I dialed again. “The patient is critical. You need to return.” “Heart transplants are high risk,” Adrian snapped. “If he dies, it’s just his bad luck.” I was stunned by his callousness. “If the patient dies and the family sues, can you handle the fallout?” Adrian scoffed. “He’s a nobody. No money, no power. If they sue, we’ll just say they’re extortionists.” “Stop calling me. Bella wants strawberries. I’m buying strawberries.” He hung up. Fury ignited in the room. “He abandoned a patient with an open chest to buy strawberries? He’s unfit to be a doctor!” “BP is dropping fast!” the anesthesiologist shouted. “If we don’t act now, we lose him!” I stepped up to the table. “I’m doing it.” They hesitated. “Who else?” I challenged. “Are you going to watch him die?” “It’s against protocol,” the anesthesiologist said, sweating. “If you do this, you take full responsibility.” “I will take full responsibility,” I said calmly. “We have no time. Assist me.” They exchanged looks, then nodded. I picked up the scalpel. I removed the failing heart. I implanted the donor organ. I sutured the vessels. My eyes were glued to the flat line on the monitor. Seconds ticked by. Agonizingly slow. Then, a blip. A steady rhythm. “We have a heartbeat!” the nurse cried. “Success!” I didn’t speak. I focused on closing the chest. When the last stitch was in, my legs gave out. I slumped to the floor, my scrub top soaked in cold sweat. An hour later, the patient woke up. And that was when everyone finally learned: He was the Mayor. 4 In the recovery room, I checked the Mayor’s vitals. Everything looked perfect. I let out a breath I felt like I’d been holding for hours. The Mayor smiled weakly. “I heard you performed the surgery. Thank you.” “But I recall Dr. Pierce was supposed to be my surgeon. Where is he? Did something happen?” Before I could answer, Adrian called. The Mayor glanced at the phone. “Answer it here.” I put it on speaker. “Where are you? Come to Bella’s apartment right now.” “I’m doing post-op checks. The transplant was successful.” Silence for a few seconds. “You did it? I’m surprised that guy’s tough enough to survive being left open for forty minutes.” “Pity. I thought we could use the body for research.” I saw the Mayor’s face turn purple with rage. “Adrian, watch your mouth. We are doctors. Our duty is to save lives.” “Why save these peasants?” Adrian sneered. “No power, no influence. Just a waste of resources.” “Their only use is for us to practice on, to refine our skills.” I gasped. The Mayor’s expression was terrifying. Adrian continued, oblivious. “You upset Bella earlier. She’s stressed. I’m giving you thirty minutes to get here and apologize.” “Also, she wants your home cooking. Buy groceries on the way.” He was treating his wife—a surgeon—like a maid. “I need to monitor the patient. He’s still critical.” “Is his life more important than Bella skipping a meal?” Adrian yelled. “The surgery is done. If he dies now, it’s fate.” “Don’t make me ask twice. Get your ass over here!” He hung up. I felt a chill in my bones. I never knew Adrian was this monstrous. To him, a “commoner’s” life was worthless. The Mayor was trembling with anger. “He abandoned me for his mistress… and he calls himself a doctor? He is a disgrace to the profession!” He started coughing violently. I rushed to soothe him. “Mayor, please, you just had a transplant. You cannot get agitated.” He took a deep breath. “You’re right. He’s not worth my health.” “But if Dr. Pierce thinks he’s a god who can decide who lives or dies, I will show him what happens when he loses that power.” He looked at his chief of staff. “Pass the order. Revoke Adrian Pierce’s medical license immediately. Ban him from practicing medicine for life.”

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The school bully turned the entire student body against me. The lovestruck rich kid got me fired from my jobs and killed my scholarship. The creepy manipulator tried to play me, planning to use me and toss me aside just to amuse her. Chloe Sinclair smiled, her expression innocent yet cruel. “Get on your knees and beg, Harper. Crawl around the football field three times like a dog. Maybe then I’ll tell them to back off.” At that exact moment, my phone wouldn’t stop buzzing in my pocket. [Babe, say you’ll be mine.] [No one will ever hurt you again.] [Baby, stop working those dead-end jobs.] [Let me take care of you. Isn’t that what you want?] [Do you like the new collar, Mistress?] Chapter 1 I was the disposable antagonist in a story where everyone loved the heroine. Unfortunately for the script, I was prettier than her. And I was smarter than her. So, when I secured the Valedictorian spot yet again, knocking Chloe Sinclair down to second place, she cornered me in the girls’ bathroom. She smiled sweetly, then slapped herself across the face—hard, twice. She mouthed the words to me: Are you ready for hell? A second later, Asher Sterling kicked the door open. Chloe threw herself into his arms, sobbing fake tears. Asher held her fragile frame, whispering comforts. When he looked at me, his eyes were dead cold. He didn’t say a word. No threats. No screaming. He just looked at me. A few hours later, I learned exactly what happens when you cross Northwood Academy’s princess. Chapter 2 My locker was stuffed with rotting trash. My textbooks were shredded. People “accidentally” spilled iced coffee on me in the halls. I got locked in the gym equipment room. Teachers ignored my raised hand. When I tried to speak to classmates, they covered their noses and walked away like I was a disease. So this was bullying. Fine. I decided to isolate them first. I stopped talking. I stopped participating. I walked with my head down. I cleaned the trash silently and taped my books back together. And then? I aced the midterms. My GPA climbed even higher. I beat Chloe by a landslide. Chloe’s eyes were red and puffy all afternoon. After school, a group of guys I didn’t know dragged me behind the abandoned bleachers. They didn’t hold back. Kicks, punches, pulling my hair. Someone burned the ends of my hair with a lighter. They tore my uniform. I saw a phone recording everything. Asher stood there, watching. Impassive. Like he was watching someone step on a cockroach. Until someone pulled out a pocket knife and brought it to my face. I felt a spike of panic. This face was my best asset. It would be a waste to ruin it. I forced my head up and locked eyes with Asher. I let tears fill my eyes—terrified, fragile, beautiful. Asher paused. I saw the flicker of surprise in his eyes. A spark of attraction he couldn’t hide. He looked away, his voice bored. “Not the face. Carve it somewhere else. Leave the girl some dignity.” They pinned me down. The blade cut into the skin of my stomach. I bit my lip until it bled, refusing to scream, just letting silent, tragic tears roll down my face. When they finally got bored and left, I stood up. I looked down at the word carved into my skin. SLUT. Just because I took the top spot from the princess? What if I took everything else she owned, too? Chapter 3 Asher Sterling’s family practically owned the city. He didn’t stay in the dorms; he had a luxury penthouse near campus. I found a way in. I stripped down, slid under his silk sheets, and waited. When the lights flicked on, Asher looked surprised for a split second. But he didn’t look away. His dark eyes raked over me, cold and predatory. I shivered, making my voice tremble. “C-can you make them stop? Please…” Asher smirked, lazy and arrogant. “Sure. If you’re obedient.” I played the part perfectly. The scared little rabbit. I cried and begged him to be gentle, while in the blind spots he couldn’t see, my eyes traced his features with greedy precision. Flawless skin, broad shoulders, old money aesthetics. I’d never tasted anything this expensive before. In stories like this, the best toys belong to the heroine. A nobody like me shouldn’t even be in the room. But Chloe handed him to me. It would be rude not to enjoy the meal. Chapter 4 Asher kept his word. The overt bullying stopped. Chloe was furious. Asher just shrugged. “She learned her lesson. She’s boring now.” To appease Chloe, Asher pulled strings to get me transferred out of the AP classes and into the remedial track. When I saw Chloe in the halls, I acted terrified. But in private, Asher and I were inseparable. We were addicted to each other. He showed his teeth, thinking he owned me. I played hard to get, just enough to keep him chasing. We talked, too. Asher was a cliché. Dead mom, emotionally distant billionaire dad. He only loved Chloe because she gave him a candy bar when they were six. Standard playbook. I became his sunshine. Good morning texts. Encouragement. Stupid little memes. It cost me zero dollars. Eventually, he started replying. [You coming over?] [No.] [Which dress?] [The red one.] [I saw a necklace that suits you. I’m saving up my tips to buy it.] […] On his birthday, I bought the necklace. I also brought a cheap cake I got with a coupon. Asher’s reaction was terrifying. He stomped on the gift box and grabbed me by the throat. “Who told you to celebrate this? You think because I sleep with you, you matter?” He squeezed until I saw spots. Then he threw me onto the couch. In the original story, Asher’s mom died in childbirth on his birthday. His dad blamed him. He never celebrated. He hid. Even Chloe knew better than to disturb him today. I coughed, gasping for air. Then I looked up and forced a smile through the pain. “But… it’s the day you were born. Birthdays are for cake. And wishes…” Asher kicked the coffee table. “Are you deaf? I said I don’t celebrate!” I asked calmly, “Because of your mother?” He froze. Then the rage exploded. He dragged me up. “Harper, do you have a death wish?” I looked right into his eyes. No fear. “She gave her life so you could exist in this world, Asher.” He stopped. “So, for this one day,” I whispered, “I want you to be happier than anyone else on earth. For her.”

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I chased after Julian for ten years. He loathed me, never sparing a kind glance or a gentle word. Until I was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Suddenly, he started to care. He doted on me, even planning a grand, public proposal that swept me off my feet. Just when I thought my years of suffering were finally being rewarded with love… He placed an organ donation agreement in front of me. “You don’t have much time left anyway,” he whispered, coaxing me like a lover. “Why not give your heart to Winnie? It would mean so much.” He lowered his voice, sounding so sweet, so reasonable. Julian will never know. On that very day, I discovered my diagnosis was a mistake. I accepted a job offer on the other side of the ocean and finally decided to leave him for good. Chapter 1 When I walked out of the hospital, I was burning up with a fever, my mind in a fog. Julian called. “Where are you? Didn’t I tell you Winnie’s heart condition is unstable? She can’t be left alone!” I blinked, and two hot tears rolled down my cheeks. My chest felt like it was being ripped open. I wanted to say, Can’t you be nice to me just for once, Julian? I have terminal cancer. I’m going to die soon. But I knew better. In Julian’s eyes, I was just a desperate dog who had been tailing him for a decade. He only had a heart for Winnie, his fragile “white moonlight”—his first love with the weak heart. “I’m coming. Don’t be mad,” I whispered. Even in the final stretch of my life, I was still protecting him, terrified of annoying him. When I arrived at Winnie’s apartment, I was soaked to the bone from the rain. My clothes clung to my shivering body. Winnie sneezed delicately. Julian shot me a look of pure disgust. “You’re dragging all that damp air inside. Winnie can’t handle the chill.” I bowed my head, clutching my bag tighter to hide the terminal cancer diagnosis buried deep inside. My heart twisted in agony. “I know. I’m sorry.” I wiped away a tear mixed with rain. Winnie and Julian were at the grand piano, playing a duet. Four hands, one melody. Watching their intimate silhouettes from behind, I had never felt so superfluous. “Chloe,” Winnie turned her head and smiled at me. “Can you go upstairs and fetch a painting for me? Please?” When she smiled like that, nothing good ever happened. Last time, she “accidentally” shattered a wine glass into my palm, then tearfully told Julian I was clumsy. The time before that, she mixed crushed peanuts into my food, sending me into anaphylactic shock. My shoulders trembled involuntarily. “Hurry up,” Julian scoffed, his gaze cold. “Why are you so slow today?” Sure enough, as I was carrying the painting down the stairs, Winnie, who had come up to “help,” let go without warning. I tumbled down like a ragdoll, landing in a heap of shattered glass. My back was sliced open by the shards. “Ah!” Winnie screamed, as if she hadn’t just pushed me. “I loved that painting!” She started sobbing, looking pitiful and fragile. Julian rushed over. He picked up the ruined canvas, not even sparing a glance to see if I was alive. “It’s all your fault! You’re so clumsy. Can you do anything right?” He sneered, nudging my leg with his foot. But when Winnie made mistakes, he never spoke like that. When I was hospitalized from the peanuts, he told Winnie, It’s okay. Chloe is tough. She won’t die that easily. But I was going to die. Really. I struggled to stand. Between the high fever and the blood loss, the room spun. Julian frowned, a flicker of hesitation crossing his face. He reached out a hand, almost instinctively, to steady me. “My chest… it hurts,” Winnie gasped, clutching her heart. Julian’s attention snapped back to her instantly. “Stop acting,” he barked at me. “If you’re hurt, go clean it up. Standing there bleeding isn’t going to make me feel sorry for you.” I turned away. That’s when I saw it. On the table sat my original music score. It was my composition, the one I prepared for the national competition. I hadn’t shown it to anyone. “Where did you get this?” I snatched the sheets, hugging them to my chest. Julian didn’t hesitate. He ripped them from my hands. “Winnie has her solo piano recital coming up. She needs a piece.” I understood instantly. The key to my apartment… I had only ever given one to Julian. When I shyly played this piece for him weeks ago, pouring my love into every note, was he moved? Or was he just thinking how perfect it would be for Winnie? Tears erupted like a fountain. Then, a thought hit me. I was dying. I had stage four cancer. I didn’t need a career. I didn’t need accolades. It’s all worldly possessions. Let her have it. I don’t care anymore. I smiled through my tears—a broken, resigned smile. The smile seemed to trigger Julian. “Why are you so stingy? It’s just a song.” Behind him, Winnie looked at me with triumphant mockery. The stimulus was too much. My knees gave way, the fever spiked, and I collapsed into darkness. Chapter 2 When I woke up, I was alone in the hospital room. My backpack, containing the diagnosis, hadn’t been touched. I sat up slowly and thanked the nurse for stitching up my back. “The gentleman who brought you in paid for it,” she said, looking at me with pity. Julian… When Winnie was sick, he stayed by her bedside all night. He had never done that for me. Did this mean he cared, even just a tiny bit? My phone buzzed. It was the bakery owner, reminding me that the custom cake I ordered for Julian was ready. Right. Today was his twenty-seventh birthday. I met him ten years ago. My parents worked for the Sterling family and died in a factory accident. Old Mr. Sterling took pity on me and took me in. Back then, I cried every night. It was Julian who knocked on my door and fed me ice cream. He used to be kind. Until he realized I loved him. Then he turned to ice. “Being loved by someone so poor and low-class… it’s humiliating,” he told me once. “We are not from the same world, Chloe. Don’t mistake pity for love.” The next day, he brought Winnie home. I shook off the memories, exhausted, and went to pick up the cake. This might be the last birthday I spend with him. Regardless of everything, I wanted him to be happy. Julian’s birthday party was loud. His inner circle was all there. Standing at the door, I heard them joking. “The lapdog isn’t here this year? Did she finally give up?” Another guy laughed. “Chloe? She’s more loyal than a Golden Retriever. Ten years and you still can’t kick her away.” Julian let them talk. Then I heard his voice, cold and detached. “Ten years ago, we made a bet. How long until my cold shoulder made her quit? Turns out, she’s still here.” Laughter filled the room. I turned to leave, but Winnie spotted me. “Why don’t you come in? Did you finally realize you don’t belong?” Her eyes danced with malice. My tears hadn’t dried, but I looked her in the eye. “At least I’m not cruel.” Still, I hid the cake box behind my back. Comparing my humble gift to the ten-tier masterpiece Winnie ordered made me feel pathetic. “Sister-in-law is here!” Winnie announced loudly as we walked in. Julian frowned and told everyone to shut up, but he let Winnie sit right next to him. “Julian is so secretive. His mom already told us about the engagement.” Everyone’s eyes darted to me. I straightened my back, raised a glass of wine, and forced a smile that felt like a grimace. “Congratulations to you both, then.” I downed the wine in one gulp. “Are you crazy?” Julian grabbed my wrist, looking tense. He remembered I was allergic to alcohol. But last time, when Winnie and I argued, he forced me to drink to apologize until I got alcohol poisoning. His cruelty always outweighed his kindness. Death felt like a relief compared to loving him. “Julian,” Winnie called softly. He turned away immediately, dropping my hand. After the cake, the crowd chanted for Julian to open gifts. His friends were all old money; I was the charity case. When he got to mine, his expression darkened. It was a jade bangle. The quality wasn’t top-tier, but it was the only thing my mother had left me. I once told Julian that if I ever decided to die, I would leave this bangle to him. “What is this drama? First you play sick, now this cryptic goodbye crap?” He exploded in anger. “I underestimated your manipulative tactics.” Right. To him, I was always acting. I wiped my eyes. “I won’t be able to stay by your side anymore. I wish you and Winnie eternal happiness.” Even if my future was a blank void. Julian turned his back on me, practically shaking with rage. “Don’t be mad,” Winnie cooed, tugging his sleeve. She reached out a hand. “I think the bangle is pretty. Can I have it?” Julian looked down, then slid the bangle onto her wrist. Winnie flashed me a provocative smile and mouthed three words: You don’t deserve. I sat in the corner, and the love I held for Julian shattered into dust. My phone pinged. An email from Ethan. [Chloe, I’ve opened a music studio in New York. Do you want to come on board as a partner?] My hands trembled. “What are you looking at?” Maybe realizing he’d gone too far, Julian leaned over to look at my screen. I swiped away quickly. His eyes darkened. Then he saw my shopping app, still open in the background. In the cart sat a diamond ring. Expensive. Fiery. “Still pretending? You say ‘bless you’ with your mouth, but in your head, you’re still fantasizing about marrying me.” He smirked. The room erupted in laughter. They called me delusional. A toad lusting after swan meat. I locked my phone, face expressionless. “Think whatever you want.” I didn’t care anymore. Chapter 3 If only I had received that email sooner. Before the diagnosis. I would have packed my bags and left Julian forever with joy in my heart. I realized then that I had wanted to leave him for a long time. But it was too late. I had no future. Back home, I took off the amulet I had worn for ten years. When I was seventeen and gravely ill, Julian had hiked up a mountain to a temple to beg for these. One for him, one for me. The amulet didn’t work. Loving Julian didn’t work. Mrs. Sterling, Julian’s mother, messaged me to come to the main estate. I owed the Sterlings my life, so I never refused her. When I arrived, Julian was arguing with his family, refusing to look at me. Mrs. Sterling smiled. “Just in time. Rumors are spreading that Julian is engaged to Winnie.” She frowned. “I don’t like that girl. Heart condition, fragile, too needy.” She liked me, not for my personality or talent, but because I was healthy, obedient, and loved her son like a religion. “I called you here to discuss your marriage to Julian.” Julian crossed his arms and scoffed. “Her? Mom, are you senile? You care about status more than anyone.” He shoved me lightly. “What potion did you give her, Chloe? You’re really unscrupulous.” I looked him in the eye, calm. “Let go of me.” Julian froze. In ten years, I had never used that tone with him. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Sterling. We aren’t suitable. You can’t force this.” Julian blinked. “Chloe, you…” I pulled the diagnosis paper from my bag. “Three days ago, I was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer. The doctor says I have less than a year.” Julian went limp. Like a puppet with its strings cut, he couldn’t support his own weight. He snatched the paper, reading it over and over. “We’ll see another doctor. It can be cured. It has to be cured.” His hands shook violently as he leaned his forehead on my shoulder. I felt the wetness of tears soaking my shirt. “It can’t be cured! Do you know what stage four means? I’m going to die. I won’t pester you anymore. Are you happy now?” I pushed him away, wiped my eyes, and broke down sobbing. Julian’s phone rang relentlessly. It was Winnie. “What do I do? My condition worsened. The doctor says I need a healthy heart donor immediately.” On the other end, Winnie wept pitifully. “I… I have to go to the hospital. She needs me. Once she’s settled, I’ll take you to a specialist.” The warmth in my heart turned to ice instantly. “Sure. Once she’s settled, bring her to burn incense on my grave.” I laughed coldly. It was always like this. Winnie’s needs were always priority one. My life was priority zero. I had learned not to expect anything. Shortly after Julian left, Winnie posted on social media. She tagged me. Photos of Julian running errands for her, feeding her, holding her hand while she got an IV drip. I left a comment: He’s trash, you’re cheap. A match made in heaven. I wasn’t living long anyway. Might as well burn bridges. Chapter 4 Three days later, Julian called. “Meet me at the beach where we first met. Please?” Julian was once kidnapped on that beach. The kidnappers took the money and threw him into the ocean. I jumped in and dragged him out. He had stopped breathing. I did CPR until my ribs ached. The first thing he did when he woke up was push me away. “Why is it you? Where is Winnie?” Recalling the past, I smiled bitterly. But my heart still clenched instinctively. I didn’t want him to be hurt. The sea was calm. Julian stood there holding a massive bouquet of flowers, looking handsome and clean. It was a grand, solemn proposal setup. I had run there sweating, without even putting on lipstick. I had told him a hundred times: If you propose, tell me beforehand. For the most important moment of my life, I want to be ready. I want to look beautiful. People who don’t love you never remember what you say. “I was wrong. I shouldn’t have been so cold. Please, give me one more chance to spend the rest of my life making it up to you. Will you?” Julian dropped to one knee. He opened the ring box. Inside was the exact ring from my shopping cart. He remembered. Maybe because the diamond was so bright, my dead heart fluttered. I covered my face, trying not to sob. This scene… it was what I had dreamed of for ten years. Just as I reached for the flowers, Winnie screamed— “NO!” She forgot her “heart condition” and sprinted over, kneeling in front of me. “Please don’t guilt-trip him! I know dying of cancer is sad, but he has no obligation to be with you…” Julian frowned, a flash of shock in his eyes. “Winnie, get up. I’m doing this voluntarily. Chloe didn’t force me.” I crossed my arms, watching them bicker. I hadn’t planned to say yes. But seeing Winnie’s desperation triggered my rebellious streak. I snatched the ring from the box. Take that, Winnie. Seeing me take the ring, Julian exhaled in relief. He held my hand with his left, and Winnie’s hand with his right. “The three of us… we’ve been friends for ten years.” He looked at me with earnest, pleading eyes. “Chloe, after we marry… sign an organ donation agreement, okay? You won’t live long anyway, and Winnie needs a heart.” Ah. There it was. My heart turned to stone. I understood now. The proposal wasn’t for me. It was for the vessel that carried Winnie’s spare part. It was pathetic, but I didn’t even feel sad. I was just numb. Used to it. Winnie looked at me like it was the obvious solution. I shook off their hands. “I think you misunderstood.” I stood tall. “Even if I toss this heart to stray dogs on the street, I will never give it to Winnie.” I laughed and turned to leave. Julian grabbed my waist from behind. “Chloe, don’t be impulsive! I love you!” After ten years, I finally heard him say he loved me. Too bad I didn’t give a damn anymore. My phone beeped. A text from the hospital. [We apologize deeply. There was a mix-up with patient records due to a similar name. Your scan results are clean. You are perfectly healthy.] An overwhelming wave of joy crashed over me. Only after facing death do you realize that love is nothing compared to life. I quickly replied to Ethan’s email and booked a flight for tonight. I accepted the job. Julian’s eyes flashed with panic. Maybe people sense when they are about to lose something forever. I didn’t say anything about the text. I just hugged him. “Darling, I accept your proposal. Go prepare the wedding.” “I have some business to handle abroad. Don’t worry. I’ll be back before the wedding date.” I lied. I was never coming back. But after all the humiliation he put me through, I wanted him to stand at the altar alone, waiting for a bride who would never arrive. That was my final revenge.

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My boyfriend was sitting next to me while I got my nails done. I asked for the $20 basic manicure, but the technician “accidentally” covered all ten fingers in Swarovski crystals that cost $25 a pop. When I went to pay, she told me I owed the difference: $800. I was about to argue when glowing text suddenly floated across my vision like a Twitch live stream: [OMG, Lila is so smart! The villainess is too embarrassed to make a scene in front of the male lead. She’ll just pay up.] [Carter is totally going to fall for Lila’s gritty, survivalist vibe!] [That stupid side character has no idea. Lila is going to spend her money, sleep with her man, and even raise her kids!] Chapter 1 Lila held up the card reader, a smug look on her face, waiting for me to tap my card. The floating comments kept scrolling: [Lila is a genius! Now her tuition for next semester is covered.] [Poor Lila. Her dad is a gambler and she’s broke. She has to skip class to work. If only she met Carter sooner!] [Does anyone else think this is kind of… illegal? If that happened to me, I wouldn’t pay.] [Yeah, isn’t this basically fraud?] Seeing I hadn’t moved, Lila raised her voice. “What? Are you trying to dine and dash on a service?” It was rush hour at the mall. People started staring, whispering. They clearly thought I was some entitled Karen trying to stiff a worker. I ignored the stares and said calmly, “Since you applied the wrong product, just take them off one by one and put on the basic rhinestones I asked for.” I sat back down and extended my hand. earlier, when she was trimming my cuticles, she nipped my skin. I was bleeding, and she didn’t even apologize—she just rolled her eyes and said I was moving too much. I thought she was just a stressed college student trying to make ends meet. My patience, it turned out, was just an opportunity for her to scam me. “We’re out of the cheap ones,” Lila said, crossing her arms. “Look at you. Your bag is worth like two grand. This $800 is nothing to you, but for people like me, it’s life-saving money.” The text stream accelerated: [Exactly! Just pay up, you rich witch. Don’t stop Lila from securing the bag!] [Boohoo, Lila is so tragic. I want to donate to her GoFundMe.] [Carter needs to step in so the villainess pays up immediately!] [Am I the only one who thinks the heroine is gaslighting her?] Bystanders started chiming in. “Just pay the difference, miss. It’s already on your hands.” “Yeah, look at her. She spent two hours gluing those tiny diamonds on. Give the girl a break.” Emboldened by the crowd, Lila threw shade. “You’re just trying to get free stuff. These crystals are obviously real. You didn’t stop me, so that means you agreed to the upgrade.” I checked the time. My evening lab session was starting soon. “Fine,” I said, my voice ice cold. “Remove them. All of them. I’m not paying for the diamonds.” “Sure. removal fee plus lost wages comes to $400. Venmo or cash,” she said, thrusting the QR code in my face again. Chapter 2 I almost laughed out of sheer disbelief. Lost wages? I was the one who sat here for two hours getting my fingers butchered and scammed. Just as I was about to explode, a familiar voice came from behind me. “Harper? Are you done? I’m here to pick you up for dinner.” The floating text became so dense it almost blocked my vision. [AHHH! The Male Lead is here!] [Lila’s savior has arrived!!!] [Let’s see the villainess argue now. She better pay up. Lila’s time is worth way more than $400!] Carter Sterling walked up to me, sensing the tension. “Harper, what’s going on?” Lila beat me to it. “Sir, your girlfriend got a full set and is refusing to pay. Her purse costs more than my tuition. Please, just have a heart and settle the bill.” She bit her lip, forcing a few crocodile tears to roll down her cheeks. The “good Samaritans” around us sighed. “Kids these days. So rich but so stingy. Just pay it, man. It’s charity at this point.” Charity and extortion are two different things. I have money, but I’m not an ATM. And I’m definitely not paying a scammer because she’s crying. Carter put a hand on my shoulder. “Harper, it’s getting late. Let’s just let it go.” “Can I pay you back later?” he asked me, lowering his voice. “She worked hard for two hours. Everyone is struggling. Take the high road.” The text stream went wild. They were calling me a toxic villainess and praising Carter for being a “gentle king.” So, defending my rights makes me a villain? And because I’m not the “protagonist,” I have to be a doormat? Lila wiped her tears. “Sir, you really understand the struggle of the working class. How about this? If your girlfriend buys a $2,000 gift card today, I’ll comp the diamonds. And she gets 20% off future visits.” “It’s a steal. I’m doing this behind my boss’s back to help you out. Hurry, before she comes back.” She shoved the card reader at me for the third time. I scoffed and slapped it out of her hand. Clatter. “You’re out of your mind,” I said. “Since we can’t communicate, I’m calling the police. Let’s see if they call it ‘charity’ or ‘theft’.” I pulled out my phone. Carter grabbed my wrist, hissing, “Harper, don’t be dramatic. It’s on the price list. You should just pay.” The moment I mentioned the cops, Lila wilted. She looked at Carter with big, wet puppy eyes. “Sir… I’m just a student working part-time. My dad is sick in the hospital waiting for surgery money. Why does your girlfriend want to destroy me?” She tugged gently on Carter’s sleeve. The comments erupted. [Omg Lila crying is so cute and sad. I love her.] [If I were Carter, I’d hug her right now.] [Carter, save her!] Carter ate it up. He pulled his arm away from me and stood tall. “Harper, if you won’t pay, I will. But after this? We’re done. I can’t be with someone this heartless.” Chapter 3 “Great. I agree. You should pay. After all, you’ve taken way more than $800 from me over the years.” I shoved Carter away. And then I dialed 911. Both of them froze. Carter looked panicked. He realized he’d spoken too soon in the heat of the moment. His graduation thesis relied entirely on my lab data. Without me, he’d fail the year. Offending me now was career suicide. The police and the salon owner arrived at the same time. The owner was confused. She’d just stepped out for coffee. When the cops explained the situation—a technician upcharging $800 without consent—her face went pale. Her shop was next to the university. If word got out she was scamming students, her business would die. “Miss, I am so sorry,” the owner said, glaring at Lila. “This is unauthorized. The manicure is free. In fact, here’s a voucher for a free service by me personally. Please, let’s not involve the officers further.” “You need to fix your hiring process,” I said coldly. “She shouldn’t be working here.” The owner nodded, pulled out some cash, and shoved it at Lila. “Here’s your day’s pay. Get out. You’re fired.” Lila looked furious. She opened her mouth to argue, but the officer cut her off. “Miss, if the customer presses charges for attempted fraud, that’s a misdemeanor or worse depending on the amount. You want a ride to the station?” Lila shut her mouth. I accepted the owner’s apology and left. I had a lab to get to. Carter, of course, stayed behind to comfort the crying scammer. The text stream scrolled by: [Okay, the villainess was actually kind of cool there.] [Right? She was a boss. Why does she have to be the blood bag for the male lead?] [The heroine is giving major Pick-Me energy.] [Carter is comforting Lila! OMG ship it!] Let them have each other. As I walked, I read the comments closely. I realized I was a “cannon fodder” character in a college romance novel. My role? To be the rich, smart girlfriend who funds Carter’s life and does his homework, only to be dumped once he becomes successful. He would use my data to publish a top-tier paper, become a star, and I would go blind from overwork before thirty. He’d let his kids call Lila “Mom.” Not in this timeline.

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Everyone tuned in expecting a catfight between the “Real Heiress” and the “Fake Heiress.” Instead, they watched us bond over trash-talking our boyfriends. Chloe Sterling: “How’s yours doing?” Me: “Clingy as hell. I haven’t slept a full night in weeks. I’m thinking of dumping him.” Chloe Sterling: “Mine too. I literally only get seven days of rest a month… You dump yours first?” Me: “Let’s do it together.” We both hit send on the breakup texts at the exact same second. Ten minutes later, Oscar-winning actor Atlas Thorne and chart-topping pop star Ezra Thorne hijacked the live stream. They arrived via helicopter and motorcycle, tossing us over their shoulders like sacks of potatoes. Ezra: “Bro, never sign them up for the same reality show again. We almost became single men today.” Atlas, hoisting me up: “Noted.” Twitter imploded that day. #Trending: Atlas and Ezra Thorne almost got dumped in 4K. Chapter 1 Chloe Sterling and I are the subjects of the biggest “Switched at Birth” scandal in New York history. She is the biological daughter of the Sterling dynasty. I was the one raised in her place. When the truth came out, Chloe took back her name and moved into the Sterling estate, instantly becoming the city’s darling. I moved out, took back my birth name, Harper Vance, and according to the tabloids, became the unwanted reject. Just then, a trendy new live-stream reality show invited us both. They offered an obscene amount of money, so naturally, I packed my bags. On filming day, I arrived panting, riding a bicycle with my luggage strapped to the back. As soon as I pulled up, I saw my nemesis—the B-list actress Bella Knox. I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt. Bella and I debuted around the same time. She used to follow me around like a puppy, calling me “Harper, Harper!” Back then, I was naive. I thought she was my friend, so I shared my resources with her. The moment the news broke that I wasn’t a real Sterling, she cut ties. Her fans started dragging me online. We’ve been enemies ever since. Seeing me, Bella’s eyes flashed with disdain. But since the cameras were rolling, she put on her sickly-sweet voice. “Harper! So good to see you!” Her voice was so high-pitched and fake it gave me goosebumps. I immediately took a step back. Bella seized the moment. She looked at the camera, eyes filling with tears, acting like I had just slapped her. Her “bullied victim” act worked instantly. The live chat exploded with her fans attacking me: [Wow, Harper Vance got kicked out of the Sterling family and she’s still acting like a princess? Shameless.] [Bella is being so nice to her! Harper should be grateful anyone is talking to her at all.] [You aren’t a rich heiress anymore, honey! You aren’t even fit to tie Bella’s shoes.] [If Bella wasn’t an angel, you wouldn’t even be on this show!] Bella glanced at the comments on the monitor, a smirk flickering in her eyes. She kept up the act: “Guys, don’t say that about Harper. Even though she’s the… you know, the ‘fake’ daughter, I still consider her a friend…” Before she could finish, I pulled out my phone. I opened our chat history. I played the voice memo she sent me the night my scandal broke. I held it up to the microphone. “Harper Sterling… oops, I guess it’s Harper Vance now. I was just using you. Did you really think we were friends? Don’t be stupid.” “I’m warning you, stay away from me. Don’t try to leech off my fame.” “You’re a nobody now. You really think you’re worthy of being my friend?” I played three messages in a row. Then I looked at Bella with innocent eyes. “But you told me to stay away from you.” Bella froze. She didn’t think I’d have the receipts ready to go. [Wait. Plot twist!] [So Bella told her to get lost in private, but is acting like a saint on camera? That’s toxic.] [That is disgusting. She was friends with her when she was rich, and dumped her the second she fell?] [Bella Knox? More like Bella Two-Face.] The tide turned instantly. Bella was getting roasted. But her die-hard fans tried to save her: [It’s just a recording! Deep fake! Harper probably AI-generated it!] [Harper is so manipulative. No wonder the Sterlings kicked her out!] [Scheming witch!] While the chat was filled with “The Sterlings don’t want you,” a Maybach with the license plate “8888” pulled up. The driver jumped out and opened the rear door. Chloe Sterling stepped out, looking like a runway model in designer shades. She paused, looked at Bella, then looked at me with a frown. Bella’s fans went wild. [She’s here! The Real Heiress is here to slap the Fake one!] [Yes! Chloe hates her! Look at that frown!] [Drag her, Chloe! Take back what she stole!] Bella saw her chance. She walked towards Chloe, hand extended. “Hi, Miss Sterling. I’m Bella Knox. It’s an honor to meet…” Chloe walked right past her like she was air. Bella was left shaking hands with the wind. Chloe walked up to me, circled my bicycle, and sighed. “I told you to ride in the limo with me. Why did you ride this bike? Look at you, you’re sweating. It’s not a good look.” She pulled out a silk handkerchief and wiped the sweat from my forehead. No malice. Just big sister energy. Bella and the audience were stunned. [Am I hallucinating? Are they… friends?] [Where is the catfight? I came for blood!] [Scripted! This has to be scripted! There’s no way Chloe doesn’t hate the girl who lived her life for 20 years!] I swatted Chloe’s hand away. “Girl, relax. Dad just bought me this bike. It cost seven million dollars.” Chloe whipped off her sunglasses and squatted down to look at the gears. “Say what? Seven mil?” Bella, recovering from the snub, thought this was her moment. She stepped forward, ready to scold me for spending “Daddy Sterling’s” money—until she heard Chloe’s next words. “Let me ride it.” Chloe hopped on the bike and started doing laps around the set. “Damn,” she yelled. “You can really feel the seven million dollars in the pedals!” “Right? And it’s great cardio,” I yelled back. “I lost three pounds already!” Atlas had been away filming for a month. Without him… exercising me every night, I had gained weight from stress eating. I needed this bike. “That effective?” Chloe stopped. “Let me do two more laps. I gained weight too.” “Stop! We’re filming a show, not a spin class!” I grabbed the handlebars. Chloe froze, remembering the cameras. She looked at me, panicked. “Wait, was I supposed to act like a poised heiress?” I pointed to the blinking red lights. “Too late. It’s live.” Chloe: “Crap.” Chapter 2 The show was called “Spill the Tea.” Just four girls in a garden, gossiping. Me, Chloe, Bella, and a cool rapper named Jinx. The host immediately went for the jugular. He asked Chloe how she felt about the “switch.” Chloe’s eyes got red. She couldn’t speak. Bella saw an opening. She handed Chloe a tissue, feigning empathy. “I understand. Living a hard life for twenty years and finding out you were rich… I’d be sad too.” Chloe looked at her, confused. “Hard life? You think living with the Vances is a ‘hard life’?” “What?” Bella blinked. “But… aren’t they poor?” “Harper’s biological father is Vance,” Chloe said. “As in, the Tech Billionaire Vance. The richest man in the state? Didn’t you know?” Bella looked like she was going to throw up. She thought I was a broke fake heiress. Turns out, I was just a switched billionaire. “Harper…” Bella turned to me, eyes watering. I smiled and hit play on my phone again. “Don’t ever talk to me again or I’ll blacklist you.” “I’ll send my fans to cyberbully you.” “You don’t want to be canceled, do you?” I smiled sweetly. “Sorry, I’m scared of being cyberbullied. I can’t talk to you.” Bella looked like she wanted the ground to swallow her whole. The comments were merciless. Her fans were defecting in droves. To save the show, the host pivoted. “So, Chloe… are you dating anyone?” Chloe blushed. “Yeah. I have one.” Host: “What about you, Harper?” I thought about Atlas, that handsome demon. “Yeah. I have one too.” Chloe asked me instinctively, “How is he?” Me: “Too clingy. I get zero sleep at night. I’m dumping him.” Atlas is a beast. If he’s not filming, he’s in my bed. All night. Every night. I love him, but my body needs a break. Chloe sighed deeply. “Mine too. I literally only get seven days off a month… You dump yours first?” I thought about it. “Let’s do it together.” We both took out our phones. We both sent the text: We’re done. The studio went silent. The live stream comments froze for a second, then exploded. [OMG. Did they just dump their boyfriends live on air?] [Rich girl problems: My boyfriend loves me too much in bed?] [I am living for this tea!] [Wait, only 7 days rest a month? Girl, are you dating a machine?] The server crashed. The screen went black. Bella was dragged away by her agent. Then, my phone started blowing up. Atlas. Blocked. Then the texts came through on my iPad. [Break up?] [What did I do?] [Was I not good enough last time?] [Wife?] [Baby, are you mad I was filming for a month? I’m done now. I won’t take long shoots anymore. I can be home every night for the next three years.] [Where are you? I’m coming to get you.] Every. Night. For. Three. Years. My eyes widened in horror. I looked at Chloe. She was pale. “What do I do?” she whispered. “Ezra said he’s coming to ‘fix’ me.” I grabbed her hand. “Run.” “Run!” We stood up, but the internet came back on. The director waved us down. We had to sit. Bella came back, revitalized. Her fans were back, trying to change the subject. Host: “I heard Bella is getting married soon. Who is the lucky guy?” Bella blushed. “He prefers to stay private.” Host: “Is he famous?” Bella: “Maybe…” The chat lit up. [It’s Atlas Thorne! They have matching phone cases!] [Atlas is the heir to the Thorne empire!] [Bella is going to be Mrs. Thorne! Take that, Harper!] I frowned. Matching phone cases? Atlas has a custom case with a photo of my back on it. “Are you sure Atlas Thorne is your boyfriend?” I asked. Bella flinched, remembering the audio recording, but doubled down. “Why are you asking? Jealous? I’ll send you an invite to the wedding.” I was stunned by her audacity. Chloe slammed the table. “You’re lying!” Bella wiped a tear. “Just because you’re a Sterling doesn’t mean you can bully me.” Her acting was Oscar-worthy. The chat turned on us again. I laughed. “Okay. Call him. If Atlas picks up and calls you ‘babe,’ I will bow 90 degrees and apologize to you in front of 200 million viewers.” Bella froze. “He… he’s busy.” “Call him,” I smiled. “He wrapped filming today.” Bella, cornered by the chat demanding proof, dialed. Ring… Ring… No answer. She tried again. No answer. “He’s busy,” she smirked. “Sorry, Harper.” I pulled out my phone. I unblocked Atlas. I hit FaceTime. Suddenly, the sound of a helicopter rotor drowned out the audio. A black helicopter hovered over the open-air garden set. A man jumped out, looking like an action hero. It was Atlas Thorne. Then, the roar of a Ducati engine. A man in all black skidded to a halt. He took off his helmet. Ezra Thorne. “He’s here to kill me,” Chloe squeaked. Atlas marched toward me. I panicked and pointed at Bella. “You don’t need to call him. I brought your boyfriend to you.” Bella turned white. Atlas looked at Bella, confused, then flicked my forehead. “Stop talking nonsense. You’re the only girlfriend I’ve ever had.” The internet broke again. [Atlas is Harper’s boyfriend?!] [He just admitted it!] [So Bella was lying the whole time?] [Matching phone case? She probably just bought a stalker case!] Bella rolled her eyes back and fainted for real this time. Atlas picked me up and threw me over his shoulder. I grabbed his shirt. “Put me down! It’s daytime!” “Don’t worry,” he growled. “It’ll be dark by the time we’re done.” Ezra grabbed Chloe. “Brother, next time, separate shows. My wife almost escaped.” Atlas nodded solemnly. I looked at Chloe. She looked at me. Wait. Brother? They were brothers? Chapter 3 Atlas carried me straight into our downtown penthouse. “Why did you break up with me?” He unbuttoned his collar, tossing me onto the bed. “Wait! It’s 3 PM!” I scrambled back. “It’s fine,” he said, looming over me. “I have a lot of time to make up for.” Chapter 4 I didn’t see the sun until the next morning. I couldn’t feel my legs. Atlas, the monster, was in the kitchen making pancakes, looking fresh as a daisy. I ate the pancakes and texted Chloe. Me: [You alive?] Chloe: [Barely.] We met for lunch. We were both walking funny.

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I bought a custom $2 million Ferrari as a weekend toy. My wife gave it to her male assistant as a “gift.” The assistant, Liam, posted a photo on Instagram to brag: “Finally put a saddle on this wild Mustang. From now on, everywhere it runs, it stays within the circles I draw~” My secretary sent me the screenshot. In the photo, my custom beige interior had been ripped out and replaced with cheap, black punk-rock leather. Worse, my passenger seat looked like a literal dog kennel, piled with his trash. I texted my wife, Elena, demanding an answer. She left me on read. Five hours later, I posted a video on all my social media platforms. Caption: “My $50 million garage is so spacious. It’s perfect for the animals I’m raising to run free~” In the video, a wrecking ball I hired was smashing Elena’s private luxury showroom to pieces, converting it into a stable for horses. Chapter 1 Five minutes after I hit post, my mother-in-law called. As soon as I picked up, her shrieking voice pierced my eardrum. “Caleb Sterling! That video! Did you just turn Elena’s showroom into a barn?!” At the same time, a notification popped up. My video had gone viral, hitting millions of views. I felt zero guilt. I answered calmly. “That’s right. I turned your daughter’s garage into a stable.” “Mom, you have great eyesight.” There was a silence on the other end, so I pulled the phone away from my ear. Predictably, the explosion followed. “Are you insane?! You wasteful loser!” “You are embarrassing our family in front of the entire social circle!” “Delete that video immediately and fix that garage!” When she finally paused to breathe, I forwarded her the screenshot of Liam’s Instagram post. I spoke slowly and clearly: “Your daughter gave my property to a wild horse on the side. Why can’t I renovate her garage to match?” “Mom, she touched my things first. It’s only fair I touch her garage.” I thought seeing the evidence might make my mother-in-law pause. I was wrong. After a brief silence, she defended her daughter with audacious confidence. “Elena is a CEO! She has to socialize and flirt a little for business. It’s part of the job!” “You’re her husband. Why can’t you be more open-minded?” I laughed out loud. I knew she favored her daughter, but this double standard was impressive. “Mom, since you’re so open-minded, I’m sure you wouldn’t mind if I found a few young sugar babies for Dad.” “I bet Dad wouldn’t refuse.” “You’re getting older. You should be sensible and find someone to keep his bed warm.” She choked on her words. It took her a full minute to recover before screaming again. “You dare! You speak to me like that? You are a psychopath!” “Elena has bad luck to be married to a man like you!” “If you dare try anything with your father, I won’t let you off the hook!” She hung up immediately, terrified I’d say something even worse. People like her are always blind when it’s their own fault. But when the tables turn, suddenly they care about morals. To be fair, this marriage was a charity case from the start. Five years ago, the Vance family business was collapsing. Elena’s father used an old favor he owed my family to beg my father for help. My dad is soft-hearted. He showed me Elena’s photo. I looked at her innocent face and, like a fool, I agreed. After the wedding, I used the Sterling family’s massive resources to quietly fill the Vance Corporation’s debt holes. In three years, I took their failing company public. Back then, my mother-in-law praised me daily. Now? She treats me like a servant. And Elena, who used to respect me, now gives my things to other men. It seems the Vance family has forgotten who feeds them. The Sterling family’s power is something they can’t even comprehend. Since they want to play games, I don’t mind taking back every scrap of glory I gave them. Chapter 2 Half an hour passed. Still no reply from Elena. I was about to call her when my secretary sent me another update. “Mr. Sterling, the CEO took her assistant to the Diamond Gala.” “Rumors are spreading that the assistant is her new boyfriend.” Attached was a photo. Elena was wearing a couture gown, laughing with the elite. Next to her stood Liam, wearing a bespoke suit and a watch worth a million dollars. He stood close to her, acting like the master of the house. I gripped my phone until my knuckles turned white. The Diamond Gala. A high-barrier event hosted by the city’s oldest money. Usually, I, Caleb Sterling, would be the one by her side. Instead, she took a glorified secretary. Elena, you really have a death wish. A wave of rage hit me. I made a decision instantly. I called the estate manager. “Go to the stables. Saddle a horse. I’m going to the gala.” The manager paused. “Sir… did you say prepare the car or the horse?” “The horse. I’m riding there.” Ten minutes later, I was on a thoroughbred stallion, galloping toward the city center. When I arrived at the venue, I didn’t dismount. I rode right through the open gates. Recognizing me as the Sterling heir, no security guard dared to stop me. I guided the horse right onto the outdoor terrace of the party. I spotted them immediately. Elena and Liam, giggling together. I pulled the reins. The horse let out a loud whinny, silencing the crowd. Elena looked up. Her smile froze. She stared, processing the fact that her husband was sitting on a horse in the middle of a cocktail party. She marched over, frowning deeply. “Why are you here? And on a horse? Are you crazy?” She grabbed the reins, trying to pull the horse away. The beast didn’t budge. I looked down at her from the saddle, smiling coldly. “What? You’re at a party. Shouldn’t your husband be here?” “I didn’t see a ‘No Horses’ sign.” She let go of the reins but hissed a warning. “I am here to discuss business. Don’t embarrass me.” I laughed loudly, making sure everyone heard. “Business? Is that why you’re practically sitting in your assistant’s lap?” “Is the business discussion about which hotel room you’re going to later?” The crowd gasped. Whispers erupted immediately. Elena’s face turned purple. “Stop spouting nonsense! We are communicating normally!” Liam looked terrified. “Mr. Sterling, Ms. Vance and I are innocent. Nothing happened.” “Innocent…” I rolled the word around in my mouth. “Fine. Let’s pretend you’re innocent.” I dismounted smoothly and tossed the reins toward Liam. “Then, Assistant Liam, take my horse to the stables. Feed him well.” “This horse cost me a fortune. Don’t treat him poorly.” Liam froze, looking at Elena for help. Suddenly, a friend of mine from the old money circle stepped out of the crowd. “Caleb! You rode a horse here? That’s legendary!” “Is that an Akhal-Teke?” Chapter 3 I smiled at my friend, Ryan. “Good eye. If you like him, I’ll send you one. I converted a garage into a stable, plenty of stock.” After a brief chat, I turned to address the entire party. “If anyone is interested, feel free to visit my new stables. Pick a horse, it’s on me.” The crowd cheered. “Mr. Sterling is generous!” “I saw the video of the renovation! Very avant-garde!” I smiled, then glanced at Liam. “Some animals are just too wild,” I said, my voice dropping. “You have to give them space to run, or they start coveting things that don’t belong to them.” “But in the end, a beast is just a toy to be ridden and tamed.” I locked eyes with Liam. “Right, Assistant Liam?” “I… I don’t understand,” Liam stammered, hiding behind Elena. Elena was confused. “What stables? When did we build a stable?” A guest chimed in, laughing. “Ms. Vance, your husband smashed your luxury garage and turned it into a horse ranch! It’s trending #1 on Twitter!” He showed her the video. Elena’s face went from confused to horrified. She whipped around to face me. “You smashed my garage?!” I smiled brightly. “Yep. Are you happy? We can ride horses together now.” “Caleb! Sterling!” She gritted her teeth. “Are you out of your mind?!” “That garage cost me $40 million and took two years to build!” “And you smashed it without asking me?!” “I’m not crazy,” I said, my smile vanishing. “You gave my car to another man without asking. Why can’t I smash your garage?” “I’m just learning from you, Elena. Don’t have double standards.” Elena finally understood what this was about. “The… car?” “I gave it to him as a reward for his performance! He worked hard!” “You have so many cars. Why does it matter if I give one to a subordinate?” “If you’re that stingy, I’ll buy you ten more.” “Restore my garage immediately. We’ll talk about this at home. Stop making a scene.” She tried to grab my arm to drag me away. I shook her off. “I’m not leaving.” “You’re acting so guilty. Are you actually keeping him as a pet?” The crowd whispered louder. “I told you, it was a work reward! We are clean!” Seeing her arrogance, I lost the last shred of patience. I reached into the saddlebag and pulled out the diamond necklace I had just bought at auction for her—worth $2 million. I smashed it onto the pavement. Crunch. Diamonds scattered everywhere. “First you give my car to him. Now you parade him around as your partner.” “Elena, you have some nerve.” “I’m warning you. If you touch my things again, or let this trash appear in front of me…” “You won’t just lose a garage.” “I have the power to raise the Vance family up, and I have the power to wipe the name Vance off the map.” I turned around and walked out, leaving the stunned crowd behind. Chapter 4 We entered a cold war. Elena didn’t come home. I didn’t call her. While organizing my desk, I found a supplementary credit card Elena had given me when we got married. She had been depositing money into it for years—a “allowance” to soothe her ego. It had about $15 million on it. I never touched it. I thought of it as emergency funds for her company. But thinking about the money she spent on Liam, I realized I was an idiot. I took the card and went straight to the mall. I was going to spend every cent. I shopped for hours. When the cashier rang up a mountain of luxury goods, she paused. “I’m sorry, Mr. Sterling. This card has been declined. It’s frozen.” “Frozen?” “Yes, the primary holder locked it three days ago.” Three days ago? While I thought she was reflecting on her actions, she was busy cutting off my funds? I tried to call her. Blocked. Just then, my secretary texted me a screenshot. It was a new post from Liam. Caption: “Promoted to Chief of Staff! Thank you, Ms. Vance, for the trust. I won’t let you down~” Image: A photo of the top-floor corner office—the best view in the building. Another text followed: “Sir, she didn’t just promote him.” “Yesterday, she bought him a villa in the city center. Paid in full.” I laughed in disbelief. She ignored my warning. She doubled down. Frozen my card, but bought him a house and gave him a promotion? Elena, you really have a death wish. Since you want to play hardball, don’t blame me for breaking the board.

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I spent six years by the side of the city’s most dangerous crime lord. But on my birthday, he brought another girl home. He was covered in blood, and the trembling, doe-eyed girl was tucked safely in his arms. From that night on, the man who used to indulge my every whim never looked at me again. Everyone thought I was heartbroken, devastated by unrequited love for Silas Vane. I just smiled and adjusted the watch on my wrist. I am an undercover agent planted inside the largest crime syndicate on the West Coast. I lurked by his side for all these years for one reason: to see him rot in a federal prison. So, how could I possibly… fall in love with him? Chapter 1 It was late, but the villa was ablaze with lights. I sat on the sofa, relighting the candles on the cake for the third time. “Ria, don’t wait anymore,” one of the guys muttered. “The Boss said he isn’t coming.” I flicked my lighter. The flame danced and died. I stared at the wick. “If he doesn’t come back, I’ll keep waiting,” I said softly. “He promised to spend every birthday with me. Breaking a promise? That’s not his style.” The clock on the wall ticked past 3:00 AM. He wasn’t coming. I sat there with a room full of thugs and henchmen. To the outside world, I was the loyal girlfriend waiting for her man. To them, it probably looked like I was marshalling troops for a war. Finally, one second before the clock struck 4:00 AM, the roar of a V12 engine shattered the silence outside. “Ria! Boss is back!” someone shouted from the hallway. I stood up and looked down from the landing. Yes, he was back. I frowned, looking down at the man who was staring up at me with an unreadable expression. “Silas,” I called out cold. “Who is the girl in your arms?” Chapter 2 Silas Vane had a scar running from his brow to his cheekbone. Right now, that old scar was fresh again, oozing crimson. It added a savage edge to his usually sophisticated, handsome face. I pressed a piece of gauze to his wound. He caught my wrist. “Ria, have I spoiled you too much over the years?” His fingers traced the inside of my wrist, a gentle touch masking a lethal threat. I lowered my eyes. “Spoiled? hardly.” He chuckled, his thumb pressing lazily against my pulse point. “Is that so? Calling all these men to my house… strangers might think I’m running a gang.” He was running a gang. He had climbed from the gutter to the throne over a mountain of corpses. Now, he was “washing his hands,” posing as a young entrepreneur. The newspapers called him a visionary. It made me sick. “Who is the girl?” I pulled my hand away, changing the subject. He relaxed his brow but looked away. “None of your business.” He took the gauze from me, leaned in, and kissed the corner of my lips. “You have the energy to worry about my women…” “But no energy to ask how I got hurt?” He bit my neck, a sharp, punishing nip. “I raised you for nothing.” Chapter 3 The wind in Port Haven was brutal these days. Or maybe it was just this abandoned construction site, open to the elements. I could hear the sounds of a beating nearby. Sev handed me a cigarette. I pushed it away. “Silas doesn’t like me smoking.” … “Look into the girl Silas brought home last night,” I told Sev. Sev was ranked seventh in the hierarchy. He’d followed me since I entered the organization. “Ria… sigh,” Sev shook his head. “You’re the smartest woman I know. You should know that love isn’t for people like us.” He stood beside me, looking out at the wasteland. “We all have blood on our hands. The Boss is going legit now. He won’t marry someone like us—someone who knows where the bodies are buried.” “We took the fall for him, sure. He’ll take care of us financially, but a title? A marriage? Never.” Yes, Silas trusted me because I had blood on my hands for him. I had killed my own morality to get here. Sometimes, looking in the mirror, I felt like a ghost. I was a nail driven deep into dark wood. A fuse burning for thirteen years. “Let’s go,” I said, turning away from the screams. “Time to meet the new Princess.” Chapter 4 Unlike the construction site, Silas’s private villa was peaceful. As soon as I walked in, I saw her. A girl with braided hair, reading a book on the sofa. She jumped when she saw me. “You…” She looked away, shy and fearful. “Are you the Boss’s wife?” I sat next to her. “No.” “Oh…” She shrank into the corner. “I thought only someone as beautiful as you could match Mr. Vane.” She had that innocent, deer-in-the-headlights look. Another girl fooled by Silas’s charm. Just as I reached out to pat her head, a voice stopped me. “Ria, Boss said you can’t touch Miss Lily.” A bodyguard blocked me. If he didn’t respect my rank, he would have thrown me out. “Please don’t come here anymore. This is Miss Lily’s house now.” The girl trembled in fear. “Fine. I’m leaving.” Silas had had many women, but he’d never protected one like this. Chapter 5 “Ria, this is all we could find.” In the car, Sev handed me a file. The girl’s name was Lily. Three years younger than Silas. She grew up in the same foster home system as him. Her record was clean. A perfect greenhouse flower. “The Boss treats her… differently,” Sev whispered. She was his ‘White Moonlight’—the one pure thing in his dark world. I bit my nail. Silas had no weaknesses. He had clawed his way up from nothing. He was younger than me in the organization, but infinitely more ruthless. My thoughts were interrupted by Sev. “Boss said… he wants you to cook for him.” I smiled bitterly. “Turn the car around. To the market.”

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My billionaire husband, Chase Sterling, was drugged and slept with a college student. The moment he sobered up, he called me, his voice raspy and panicked. “Raine, I was drugged. I made a mistake. But I gave her money. She won’t bother us.” Eight years of loving marriage. I thought it was just an accident. Six months later, Chase went on a business trip, and news of an earthquake broke. When I rushed to the hospital, Chase was standing outside a ward, his expression complicated. The doctor said Tessa Price was three months pregnant. To save him, she had dug through rubble with her bare hands, her fingers bloodied and mangled. Chase grabbed my hand, his voice low and pleading. “Three months ago, her family died. She came to me for help. I was drunk. I didn’t expect it to happen just like that…” “Don’t worry, she won’t enter our home. She will never affect your position.” Suddenly, Tessa rushed out and knelt before me, crying. “Mrs. Sterling, please give my child a chance to live!” Chase looked at me, begging. “Raine, you’re the most reasonable person I know. The child is innocent…” I stared at him and suddenly laughed. “Chase Sterling. Either we divorce.” “Or she gets the hell out.” “I won’t divorce!” Chase grabbed me, his eyes red. “But I have to be responsible for her.” Later, Tessa gave birth to twins, and the Sterling family rejoiced. I took off the wedding ring from my ring finger and dialed an unknown number. “I agree to your proposition.” The person on the other end chuckled. “Mrs. Sterling, pleasure doing business with you.” Chapter 1 I stood at the door of the hospital ward, my fingers unconsciously clenching. Through the half-open door, I saw Chase’s parents each holding a baby, their faces full of smiles. Even Chase, always cold and composed in public, was now looking at the baby in his arms with a gentle expression I had never seen before, a doting smile on his lips. How ironic. They looked like the happy family. Chase looked up and saw me, his expression freezing. “Raine, you’re back…” I didn’t respond. Chase’s mother glanced over, her voice cold as ice. “You know to come back now? Have you had enough peace and quiet on the mountain for the past six months?” “It’s good that you’re back,” Chase’s father smoothed things over, his eyes still fixed on the baby in his arms. “Just in time for the babies’ full month celebration. As the Sterling family matriarch, you should show some heart.” Chase’s mother’s expression softened slightly. “The babies haven’t been named yet. You and Chase should think of names quickly. Don’t worry, as long as you live well, the position of the young Mrs. Sterling will always be yours.” I looked at them numbly and nodded. “Okay.” When the two elders left, Chase’s phone rang. He glanced at me and went outside to answer the call. Only Tessa and I were left in the ward. Her complexion was rosy, even her hair glowing with careful maintenance. It seemed the Sterling family had spent a lot of money on her in the past six months. “Sister,” she called me timidly. “If I did something wrong, you can hit me or scold me, just please don’t quarrel with Mr. Sterling anymore. You know he only has you in his heart. You haven’t been back for so long, and he still asks people to clean your room every day.” “Tessa Price.” I looked at her coldly. “You don’t have to pretend like this. The money he gave you back then was enough for you to squander for several lifetimes. You could have flown far away, but you came back to find him halfway, and that’s how you have these children now.” “Tessa, you know what you’re planning in your heart.” Broken through by me, her face turned red and then white. Suddenly, she grabbed a baby and stuffed it into my arms. Cruel. The warm milky smell made me stiff all over. But the next second, the baby suddenly slipped from my arms and fell heavily to the ground, letting out a heart-rending cry. Amidst the piercing crying, Chase rushed in and pushed me away. I stumbled back, watching him distressedly pick up the child. The look he gave me was complicated to the extreme. Although he didn’t speak, it seemed as if he had said everything. Tessa cried from the side, “Mr. Sterling, I just wanted Mrs. Sterling to hug the child, who knew she would…” Chapter 2 Chase’s voice was very cold. “Raine, Tessa is being discharged tomorrow. Since you can’t tolerate the children, move to the West Hill Villa for now…” I bit my lower lip hard until I tasted blood. When I went for spiritual retreat, I didn’t bring much luggage, and now it was even simpler, just one suitcase held everything. I sat in the empty villa from dark to dawn. It was good, at least I didn’t have to watch their happy family of four with my own eyes. Memories flooded in like a tide. Chase and I were childhood sweethearts. Married for eight years, we were the model couple everyone envied in our circle. That time he was drugged by a competitor and had sex with a college student. He called me the moment he woke up, his voice trembling. “Raine, I was set up! I already gave her hush money, she will definitely not appear again!” I believed him. But not long after, this woman named Tessa Price appeared again. Her parents died accidentally, and she found Chase, who was drunk from talking business. The second time. The first time was an accident, what about the second time? Later, Chase went on a business trip to the South and encountered an earthquake. It was the pregnant Tessa who dug him out of the rubble with her bare hands. With the life-saving grace added to the child in her belly, Chase could no longer shake her off. He knelt in front of me crying bitterly, and I stated my conditions. “Chase Sterling. Either we divorce.” “Or she gets the hell out.” “I won’t divorce!” Chase grabbed me with red eyes. “But I must be responsible for her…” He was neither willing to divorce nor let Tessa leave. So I left, went to Mount Santai for spiritual practice. Until Tessa gave birth to the children, and Chase’s parents ordered me to come back. I took out my phone and sent the message I should have sent long ago in the darkness. “Let’s divorce.” In less than ten minutes, there was a hurried sound of the door opening outside. Chase rushed in, beads of sweat still on his forehead. “Raine! I don’t agree to a divorce!” I sat quietly on the sofa and sighed lightly. “Forget it, Chase Sterling, I’m tired.” “I told you she will never affect us!” He was so anxious that his voice was trembling. At this moment, his phone suddenly rang. Tessa’s crying voice came from the receiver, “Mr. Sterling! The baby was frightened by falling on the ground just now and has a fever. The doctor said he might need to go into the ICU!” Chase’s expression changed instantly. He looked at me, then at the phone, and finally spoke with difficulty, “Raine, I… I have to go take a look…” I looked at his retreating back in a panic and suddenly laughed out loud. This is my marriage, even divorce has to rank behind other women and children. Chapter 3 I curled the corners of my mouth mockingly. “Go quickly, the child needs you.” He hurriedly left, the wind he brought brushing my cheek, as if he had never appeared. I sat alone in the dark, tears falling silently. I knew he might never marry Tessa, but he would be called away again and again. How long can I endure such days if I don’t divorce? A lifetime? Familiar cramps came from my stomach. Turning on my phone, in Tessa’s Moments, Chase was guarding by the incubator day and night. The haggard face in the photo was a nervous appearance I had never seen before. I found a lawyer to draft a divorce agreement and then went to the company to handle the resignation. HR asked in surprise, “Mrs. Sterling, does Mr. Sterling know you are resigning?” I smiled faintly. “He doesn’t have time to care about these things right now.” Seeing the pity flash in the HR’s eyes, I knew what she was thinking. I returned to the villa. This West Hill Villa, we occasionally stayed a few times after marriage. When I was packing things, I found a yellowed note, “Raine, I don’t know when you can see this note. Presumably by then we will have several children. I love you so much, no matter what happens, you are not allowed to abandon me.” Tears fell on the paper, and my stomach suddenly felt a sharp pain. My eyes went black, and I fell heavily to the ground. When I woke up again, the phone ringtone rang piercingly. “Raine Vance! What on earth do you want!” Chase’s roar came from the receiver. He rarely called me by my full name like this. “Tessa is already cautious enough! How many times have I said that she won’t affect your position! Why did you send those vicious text messages? Why curse my child!” I smiled bitterly. He didn’t even ask if I did it, he just convicted me. “Are you finished?” I asked calmly. He was stunned for a few seconds. “Next Sunday is the children’s full month party, you must come. Stop playing petty tantrums, okay?” “Okay.” After hanging up the phone, I looked at the night sky outside the window. On the day of the full month party, I arrived without makeup. Everyone cast pitying glances, while in the center of the venue, Tessa leaned beside Chase in a red dress, like the real hostess. Chase’s mother urged me, “Go and hug the child.” Chase handed one of the children to me and whispered, “Raine, I won’t pursue the text message matter. After today, I will send Tessa abroad, and the children will be registered under your name. You can’t have children, isn’t this the best of both worlds?” His voice was full of pleading, and my heart hurt severely. In the avalanche back then, I injured my uterus to save him. He once fought with his parents for me, saying he wouldn’t have children in this life. Now, everything has changed. Suddenly, the child in my arms coughed violently and foamed at the mouth. “What’s wrong with the child!” Someone screamed. Chapter 4 Tessa suddenly lunged over, her voice shrill and piercing. “Mrs. Sterling! If you want to kill someone, kill me, don’t harm the child!” Smack! Chase’s father slapped me hard on the face. My eyes went black and I fell to the ground. My cheeks burned with pain, and a bloody taste rose in my mouth. Chase subconsciously reached out to help me. The child suddenly vomited a large mouthful of blood with a “wah”, and the scene instantly became chaotic. “Mr. Sterling!” Tessa screamed miserably and threw herself over, forcibly squeezing between us. “The baby isn’t doing well! Quick, save our child!” Chase’s hand trembled violently. I watched the heartache in his eyes fade bit by bit, and finally slowly released the hand that was supporting me, turned around and picked up the child who was vomiting blood. The hospital corridor was freezing cold. I stood there like a wandering soul, the divorce agreement already prepared falling from my pocket to the ground. Chase’s mother was sharp-eyed, picked it up and threw it back at me roughly. Her well-maintained face was full of disgust. “How has the Sterling family treated you poorly these years? Huh? Chase fought against us for you, and we tolerated it! Now you want to harm even the children?” “Since you want to divorce so much, then hurry up and leave! Don’t dawdle and refuse to go!” I silently picked up the papers on the ground. Chase came out of the ICU, his eyes red. “The child has been saved.” He looked at me, his eyes frighteningly strange. “Raine, you really went too far this time.” Trembling, I handed over the divorce agreement. “Let’s… end it.” His pupils constricted sharply. “Are you sure?” “I’m tired.” I held back tears. “I don’t know what else I might do…” “Good! Very good!” He snatched the agreement and signed his name fiercely, throwing the pen to the ground. “As you wish!” Returning to the former marital home, the housekeeper, Mrs. Xu, greeted me flusteredly. “Madam! Why are you…” She looked at my red and swollen face and wet clothes, her voice choked. I looked around. My piano was gone, the wedding photos had vanished, even my treasured ornaments were nowhere to be found. Mrs. Xu rubbed her hands, stammering, “Miss Price kept bumping into things while resting for the pregnancy, so young master Sterling had…” The door suddenly opened. Chase walked in with Tessa. Tessa said in surprise, “Madam, why are you here?” That tone, as if she were the hostess. “Where are my things?” My voice trembled as I looked at Chase. Chase sneered, pulling Tessa closer into his arms. “You’re getting a divorce, why do you care about this?” Tessa hypocritically came to pull my hand. “Madam, it’s because Mr. Sterling was afraid I would bump into things during pregnancy…” “Don’t touch me!” I threw her off violently. She exclaimed and staggered backwards. Chase quickly supported her and asked nervously, “Are you okay?” Watching their intimacy, I turned decisively and left. Even hearing Chase calling me from behind, I didn’t look back. I didn’t want them to see my tear-stained, wretched appearance. Outside, heavy rain poured down. I didn’t know how long I walked until I was blocked by a few thugs in a dark alley. “Mrs. Sterling, right? Someone paid us to teach you a lesson.” A scar-faced man approached with an obscene smile. “This wife of the richest man really looks seductive. Although her chest is small, her face is tender enough!” I subconsciously dialed Chase’s phone, and from the other end came his gentle coaxing voice for sleeping. “Tessa, if your head hurts, then sleep.” “Chase Sterling! Help…” “I don’t want to talk to you right now.” The phone was ruthlessly hung up. When I called back, it was turned off. Cold rainwater mixed with tears flowed into the corners of my mouth, tasting salty and bitter. “No one will come here. Obediently have some fun with us!” The thug’s dirty hands touched my collar, rough fingers scraping over my collarbone. I closed my eyes tightly, fingernails digging deeply into my palms.

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