Author: Momo Chan

My intern, Chloe Jenkins, used a ghost-mirroring hack on my bank account. No matter how much money I saved, my balance would always magically drop to exactly $50. In my past life, my ultimate dream was to buy a condo near our office in Manhattan. I worked myself to the bone until I finally saved up $50,000 for the down payment. But when I swiped my card at the leasing office, the sales agent gave me a pitying look. “Declined. Insufficient funds.” I checked my transaction history, argued with the bank, and even went to the police. But everyone treated me like I was insane. Because on paper, my bank statement showed every single purchase clear as day. But I had never made those luxury purchases! I was living on instant ramen! I called my parents back in Ohio, sobbing, only to get a cold scolding in return. “Ava, are you seriously making up stories to cover up your reckless spending?” “What a ridiculous lie! If you need money, just ask. You don’t have to invent a sci-fi conspiracy theory.” When I told my colleagues, some of the toxic male agents in our office looked at my statements and started snickering. “Wow, Ava spends thousands at high-end hotel bars at 2 AM. That’s exactly what it costs to hire a hot male escort for the night!” No matter how much I explained, the gossip only grew. I posted my story anonymously on Twitter, but the comments ridiculed me, calling me a clout-chaser trying to set up a scam. Only one anonymous user left a serious comment: “Watch the people around you. See if anyone’s lifestyle matches your leaked bills.” I started watching. Sure enough, I noticed our new intern, Chloe Jenkins. Every time she bought something, a notification popped up on my phone showing a deduction of the exact same amount. Even when she ordered a Starbucks drink, my card was charged instantly. Once I was sure, I confronted her. She just laughed in my face, calling me a crazy, broke loser who was jealous of her lifestyle. She even rallied the rest of the office against me, painting me as a manic stalker, and successfully had me committed to a psychiatric facility. I spent two agonizing years in that mental ward. Unable to take the torture anymore, I finally found a chance to escape and threw myself into the Hudson River. But when I opened my eyes again… I was back. Back to the day before I was supposed to sign the papers for my new condo.

After my rebirth, the very first thing I did was open my banking app. Unsurprisingly, my balance was exactly $50. I quickly pieced my thoughts together. At this moment, my hard-earned money had already been transferred to Chloe’s card through whatever sick method she was using. I wanted to rip her throat out. But in my past life, after my suicide, I saw my parents’ hair turn white overnight with grief. I regretted it instantly. If I acted impulsively like before, I would only ruin my life again. Just then, my manager, Sarah Miller, called me over. “Ava, this new listing is a tough nut to crack, but the commission is a sweet five grand! Don’t say I never look out for you!” My throat tightened. I swallowed hard, almost on instinct. Five thousand dollars. That was enough to cover my Manhattan rent and leave me with plenty of pocket money. But I forced myself to shake my head. “Thanks, Sarah. But for the next month, I’m taking a break from taking new clients.” Ignoring Sarah’s bewildered expression, I turned and walked out of her glass office. The office partitions were thin, and everyone outside had already heard. Instantly, whispers erupted. “Isn’t Ava Vance the top sales agent in the whole company? They call her the ‘Deal Machine.’ Why is she turning down a client?” “Not just today. Didn’t you hear her? She’s taking a whole month off!” Ignoring the gossip, I pulled out my phone, opened UberEats, and ordered the largest iced Americano. It wiped out the last $50 from my account. In my past life, I wouldn’t even spend $4 on gas station coffee. To survive in a cutthroat city like New York, I had practically chained my life to my desk. I worked until 3 AM making cold calls, got up before dawn, and squeezed myself into the subway like a canned sardine for a two-hour commute just to clock in on time. One minute late meant a $50 deduction. That was my food budget for an entire week. My dream was to own a home near the office, even if it was just a tiny 300-square-foot studio. Every month when my commission hit, I kept only $300 for basic groceries. The rest went straight into my savings. Yet, the $50,000 I nearly died saving had ended up in someone else’s designer bag! Right then, the glass doors of the office were pushed open. “Hey guys! Lunch is on me today!” Chloe’s loud, obnoxious voice echoed through the room. Her face was glowing, and she was flaunting a brand-new Chanel handbag, looking like a trailer-trash lottery winner trying to act rich. “We’re going to the Grand Imperial Hotel! Order whatever you want!” The office erupted. Colleagues swarmed her instantly. “Chloe! Did you hit the jackpot?” “Did you find yourself a sugar daddy?” I didn’t move. I just sipped my coffee, my eyes cold as ice, staring at her. Because I knew she was spending my money. Surrounded by the crowd, Chloe waved her hands in mock modesty. “Oh, stop it! I just bought a scratch-off ticket the other day and hit a small prize.” Someone immediately nudged her. “How much did you win?”

Chloe shot a glance at me, a smug smirk playing on her lips. “Not much,” she said casually. “Just around fifty grand.” A collective gasp echoed through the office. Fifty thousand dollars was a massive sum for us 9-to-5 corporate drones. But I noticed that ever since Chloe walked in, her eyes kept darting back to me. She was watching me. Like an scientist observing a lab rat. She was waiting to see if I had discovered that my bank account was completely drained. I clamped down on the raging hatred inside me, forcing down the urge to scream at her. Not yet. I couldn’t startle the snake before I had the trap ready. I stood up, pasting on a perfect, polite smile that looked exactly like genuine envy. “Congratulations, Chloe! You’ve got to let some of that luck rub off on me.” Seeing how normal I acted, a flash of surprise crossed Chloe’s eyes, followed by a subtle, relieved sigh. She probably thought I was still clueless about my empty bank account. As lunchtime approached, Mia, who sat next to me, leaned over. “Ava, didn’t you say you’d saved enough for a down payment? When are we going to see the condo? I’ll go with you.” At the mention of the condo, my fists clenched so hard my nails dug into my palms. But I quickly relaxed them, keeping my expression breezy. “No rush,” I said. “I lost my ID card a couple of days ago, and the DMV is taking forever to mail the replacement. Plus, the housing market is fluctuating. I’ll wait and see.” The moment the words left my mouth, I felt that burning gaze on me again. It was Chloe. She was staring, a hint of glee slipping into her eyes. Chloe was an intern who had only joined two months ago. At five-foot-three and nearly two hundred pounds, she had average looks and the worst sales record in the department. In our luxury real estate agency, where looks and sales charts determined your survival, she should have been at the very bottom of the food chain. Yet, in my past life, she took my $50,000, got full-body liposuction, and underwent extensive plastic surgery. She transformed herself into a wealthy, gorgeous IT-girl overnight. Then, she used my money to bribe our coworkers, teamed up with a few male agents, and had me thrown into an asylum under the guise that I had “lost my mind.” Thinking of the two years of torture in that hospital, I took a deep breath to steady my racing heart. At noon, Chloe took us to the Grand Imperial Hotel. She grandly announced we could order whatever we wanted. I didn’t hold back. I flipped the menu straight to the most expensive pages. “We’ll have the Alaskan King Crab, the largest one you have.” “The bluefin tuna sashimi platter.” “And the wagyu ribeye.” With every dish I ordered, our colleagues’ eyes widened. Mia gently tugged my sleeve. “Ava… isn’t this a bit too much? It’s so expensive.” I smiled at her and said nothing. I was spending my own money. How could it be a waste? Chloe’s cheek twitched, but with everyone watching, she had to keep up her rich-girl act. “It’s fine! Ava is our top agent, she works so hard. She deserves a good meal to recharge!” She smiled brightly, though her eyes were twitching. “After all, you need to keep working hard to bring in more sales for our team!” Before I could reply, a coworker nearby chimed in. “Oh, Chloe, you weren’t here this morning. Ava told Sarah she’s taking a break. She’s not taking any new listings for the next month.” The air in the room instantly froze. I slowly wiped my mouth with a silk napkin and looked up at Chloe. The smile on her face stiffened, cracking inch by inch. “What did you say?” She stared at me, her voice rising to a sharp, hysterical pitch. “Ava, why are you taking a break?” “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

I met Chloe’s furious, panicked gaze and let my lips curl into a slow smile. “I’m taking a break. Why are you so worked up about it?” The surrounding colleagues looked back and forth between us, their eyes gleaming with gossip. “Yeah, Chloe,” Mia couldn’t help but speak up. “Ava isn’t even worried. Why are you reacting so strongly?” “Seriously. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were the one losing the commissions.” The whispers acted like a bucket of cold water, snapping Chloe out of her panic. The ugly snarl on her face instantly vanished, replaced by a look of deep, fake concern. “I… I’m just worried for Ava!” She raised her voice, trying to sound sincere. “Didn’t she say she was just a few sales away from her down payment? The units at Brookside Luxury are selling out fast! If she stops now, she’ll lose so much money! I’m just feeling terrible for her!” She looked like she was about to cry. It was an Oscar-worthy performance. I chuckled. “I’m just tired. I want to rest.” I casually picked up a piece of king crab, slowly cracking the shell. “Besides,” I paused, looking up at her with an innocent expression, “didn’t you just win the lottery? Fifty thousand dollars is a lot. If I’m really short on my down payment… surely you wouldn’t mind lending me some, right?” The air froze again. Every eye in the room locked onto Chloe. The color drained from her face, leaving her ghostly pale. Her lips trembled, but she couldn’t utter a single word. I popped the sweet crab meat into my mouth and added casually, “Our Chloe is so generous. I’m sure you wouldn’t mind, right?” Trapped under the weight of everyone’s gaze, she practically squeezed the words out of her throat. “Of… of course.” Fearing I would actually ask for the cash right there, she quickly added, “But, I didn’t win “that” much. It’s… it’s just some pocket money.” I glanced at her brand-new Celine dress, the limited-edition Chanel bag on her chair, and the lavish feast on the table that cost more than a normal person’s monthly rent. Indeed. My $50,000 wouldn’t last her more than a few weeks at this rate. I thoroughly enjoyed that lunch. Before we left, I had the waiter pack up the untouched king crab and wagyu beef. A few colleagues whispered behind my back. “Oh my god, packing up leftovers at a celebratory lunch? That is so tacky.” “Right? Acted like she’s never eaten real food before. How embarrassing.” I heard them but didn’t care. I just turned to Chloe with a sweet smile. “Chloe, thank you so much for the treat. It would be a crime to waste such good food. You don’t mind if I take it home, do you?” Chloe’s face looked like a rotten eggplant. But in front of everyone, she could only grit her teeth and nod. “No… I don’t mind.” Back at the office, I casually placed the takeout boxes into the communal fridge, completely ignoring the judgmental looks of my coworkers. In the afternoon, I knocked on the door of the finance office. “Brenda, I need to request an emergency cash advance from the company’s petty cash fund.” Brenda looked up from her computer. “Company policy says the manager needs to sign off on it, and all payments are normally processed through direct deposit at the end of the month.” I handed her a pre-signed form. “Sarah already approved it.” “And I don’t want a direct deposit.” “I need cash.” If my money got sucked out of my bank account like a ghost, then I would just use physical cash. Let’s see her transfer paper bills. An hour later, I walked back to my desk with a thick envelope of cash. It was my base salary and part of last month’s commission—$15,000. I stuffed the envelope into the deepest, zippered compartment of my tote bag. In my past life, my descent into hell started with that stolen $50,000. In this life, I would claw my way back starting with this $15,000. But I hadn’t even warmed up my seat for five minutes. My right eyelid began to twitch violently. Thump. Thump. Thump. It grew more intense by the second. A wave of dread washed over me. I quickly unzipped my bag and reached into the inner compartment— Empty! The envelope was still there, but the thick stack of bills was gone! My blood ran cold. The hair on my arms stood up. I hadn’t realized that Chloe’s deposit transfer trick was completely unrestricted by physical distance! Was she trying to cut off all my lifelines? I looked over at Chloe’s desk. A flash of triumphant glee was written all over her face. I clenched my fists. Fortunately, I had already prepared a counter-strategy.

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My sister, Foster, dragged me into her friends’ “Blind Box Dating Game.” I ended up drawing the name of the scholarship kid, Brooks. Immediately, someone gasped. “Oh, Brooks! Orphaned, raised by his sick grandma who collects trash to pay his tuition. Yet, he’s somehow always at the top of the class!” “Christy, if you can make him fall for you and then crush his heart, the satisfaction will be insane!” Pretend to fall in love with a poor guy, win his heart, and then dump him in the most humiliating way possible. They had already ruined countless people using this cruel game. Seeing my hesitation, Foster grabbed my hand tightly. “Christy, you were kidnapped for fifteen years. You finally made it back to our family.” “The only way to fit into high society and get Mom and Dad’s approval is to play along with us.” I grit my teeth and agreed, starting my approach to Brooks. Little did they know, I was playing them. I knew I was the real target. Foster had already set it up with Brooks. She wanted him to dump me first right before the one-month mark. She wanted me to be dumped by a poor kid, making me the ultimate laughingstock of the prep school. But she didn’t know that Brooks wasn’t poor. He was playing broke to test Foster—his wealthy fiancée.

“Foster, did Brooks agree?” “Why wouldn’t he? That idiot spent a whole month’s food money just to buy me a gift. I told him if he listens to me and plays along with Christy, I’ll give him a shot.” “Ugh, a girl like you is way out of his league. He’s getting a steal!” “A steal? Once Christy is ruined, he’s next…” I hid in the bathroom stall for twenty minutes. After Foster left with her friends, I picked a gemstone necklace out of the trash bin. Foster thought it was a cheap fake. But I remembered working at the mall before the school year started. Brooks, who had just returned from studying abroad, walked in once, and the shop owners treated him like royalty. “Tell everyone I’m just a poor student on financial aid. Nobody reveals my identity.” “If Foster is as shallow as they say, I won’t force myself into this arranged marriage just for old times’ sake…” He was a great actor. Foster hired bullies to mess with him at his part-time job, even slapping him hard. Yet, he took it, apologizing with lowered eyes, looking humiliated and desperate. I stepped in to defend him. Foster’s lackey gave a signal, and the bully grabbed me, his foul-smelling face leaning in: “Oh, you feel bad for him? If you want me to let him go, how about you hang out with me and have a few drinks?” His hand grabbed my waist, sliding upward. This was not in the plan. I froze, my mind going blank, panic setting in. Suddenly, Brooks pulled me behind him, shielding me, coughing heavily. The restaurant staff quickly appeared and restrained the bully. Brooks pulled me outside. “Why did you help me?” I had my lines ready: “I couldn’t just stand by and watch someone get bullied.” Foster told me poor, delusional guys fall hard for the “damsel in distress” savior trope. Brooks smiled. “Thank you. Can I have your Snapchat?” “Everyone else looks down on me. They just want to see me fail. You’re the only one who helped.” Then he offered to walk me home. I figured Foster gave him that line. But I didn’t get it. Brooks knew what Foster was like. Why was he playing along? I got my answer soon enough. I didn’t go inside when we reached my house. I hid and watched. A private driver pulled up to pick Brooks up. The driver asked him: “Sir, Foster treats you like dirt. Why do you still bother?” Brooks smirked. “She has no morals, but she has ambition.” “If she can use this game to ruin Christy’s image in front of her parents and take the entire inheritance…” “I might actually give her a business partnership.” “As for Christy, she walked right into the trap without a clue. She’s stupid but kind of entertaining. Since I’m on break, I might as well play along.” I scoffed silently. None of them were good people.

On the track field, Brooks was being humiliated. That’s the price of playing poor at a prep school. Someone stomped on his breakfast. His blood sugar crashed, and he collapsed on the ground, dizzy. Foster didn’t start it, but she stood by, watching the show. Brooks instinctively looked at her for help. She only sneered. “Why are you looking at Foster? She’s already engaged.” “Her fiancé is the only son of the Russells—the richest family in Virginia. Who do you think you are?” “I heard this trash tried to give Foster a gift. How did he even dare?” Foster stayed cold. I stepped forward and helped him up. Foster’s minion immediately seized the chance to mock me: “Look at that! Trash belongs with trash.” “Did you guys know? Christy might be Foster’s sister, but she was kidnapped and raised in some trailer park for fifteen years.” “She’s just as low-class as Brooks. She barely even finished middle school.” “No wonder her grades are always the worst. She’s a total loser…” This wasn’t part of the script. I didn’t need to get humiliated, and Brooks looked surprised. I ignored the laughter, pulled out a homemade bagel, and fed it to him to raise his blood sugar. The crowd laughed harder. “Foster, doesn’t she live with you? Why is she eating pig food?” Foster smiled. “She just came home. She’s probably not used to our lifestyle.” That was a lie. She was pampered by our parents. I was missing for fifteen years. Even after I returned, my parents looked at me with disgust and resentment. Foster convinced them that I’d go bad if I had money, so they cut off my allowance. The maids only cooked for Foster. I had to make my own meals. “Try it, it’s good. I’ve been cooking for myself since I was a kid.” Brooks took a bite, then wolfed it down, slowly regaining his strength. The crowd dispersed, leaving only me. A strange look crossed his eyes. “Thanks…” Since Foster hadn’t scripted this, he didn’t know what to say. I wiped the dirt off his face. “Don’t worry about it. Hey, could you tutor me?” I looked up at him, locking eyes. The sunlight framed his handsome face, his eyes swirling with complex emotions. After a long pause, he asked in a low, husky voice, “Are you approaching me on purpose?” I nodded. “Yes.” “Actually, I’m supposed to get close to you and make you fall in love with me.” “And then, once you love me, I’m supposed to dump you, ruin your grades, and destroy you.” “It’s a game Foster and her friends play. They forced me to join. You’re the target.” Brooks cleared his throat, looking away. “Then… why are you telling me this?” “Aren’t you afraid of failing the game and being rejected by Foster?” I shook my head. “I don’t care.” “She’s terrified I’ll steal her inheritance and her parents’ love. She’ll never accept me anyway.” “My parents listen to her. They won’t give me money for tutoring, and without it, I can’t catch up or apply to a good college.” “So I need you, Brooks. Tutor me.” “We are the same.” “We have no one to rely on. We have to fight for our own future.” Then, I saw Brooks smile. It was a genuine, appreciative smile, like he had just found a hidden treasure. “Okay. I’ll tutor you. Let’s do this together.” I smiled back. In the future, whoever wins Brooks wins the Russell empire.

Foster was thrilled with our progress, so she stopped setting up scenes. As she wished, I spent all my free time alone with Brooks in the classroom. Brooks was brilliant. Concepts that seemed impossible to me, things the teachers explained a hundred times, he could break down in seconds. Of course, sometimes he teased me for being slow, tapping my head and joking that I was giving him a headache. I’d look up at him, pout, and see him framed by the window. The golden hour light hit his face, highlighting his perfect features. I stared. His breath hitched. We both quickly looked away, pretending nothing happened, just like the times our hands accidentally brushed. Two weeks flew by. My midterm grades skyrocketed, almost catching up to Foster’s. She started getting anxious. “You nerd! I told you to seduce Brooks, not do homework with him!” “How is he going to fall in love with you if you’re just studying?” “How are we going to ruin him after the breakup? Where is the fun in that?” “Take him to the mall this weekend!” “Buy him a watch or some sneakers. That’s how you hook him. Got it?” I remembered overhearing Foster asking our parents to take her shopping this weekend. I realized what she was planning and agreed. Besides, Brooks’s birthday was coming up, and I wanted to get him something. When I went to find him, I overheard him on the phone with Foster. Foster’s voice was demanding: “You know what to do if you run into my parents, right?” “Act close with Christy. Make it look like you’ve already slept together…” After he hung up, disgust flashed in his eyes. I waited a moment before walking in to invite him to the mall. Brooks asked, “I thought you said your parents don’t give you money?” I smiled. “I have my ways.” That weekend, I took Brooks to a flea market first. I pulled out the gemstone necklace he had given Foster. His face darkened. “Where did you get that?” “Foster threw it in the trash. I liked it, so I kept it.” “It looks expensive. Honestly, I don’t want to sell it. But Brooks—” The weather was getting cold, and he was still wearing a thin, worn-out jacket. I touched his hand, my eyes filled with concern. “Your hands are always freezing. I want you to be warm.” His breath hitched. I could feel something shifting in his eyes. He slowly leaned in, closer and closer. Just when I could hear his heartbeat, a hand snatched the necklace. “Looks nice. How about $300?” “You kids look poor, this probably isn’t even yours. $300 is a steal.” Brooks grit his teeth. “You bastard, that’s my—” He stopped himself. I haggled with the customer. “$566.” “$566? Why such an odd number? $400 max!” I stood firm. “$566. Not a penny less.” Because the coat I wanted to buy Brooks was exactly $566. Seeing the price tag on the coat later, Brooks’s eyes turned slightly red. “Christy, you…” I cut him off, wrapping the coat around him. “Happy birthday, Brooks.” Suddenly, he grabbed my hand and pulled me into his chest. I struggled weakly, then let myself melt into his embrace. The warm moment was shattered by a sharp voice behind us. “Christy! What do you think you’re doing?”

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On my last business trip, I stayed near the client’s office to rush a project. The hotel went over the company budget by a measly eighty dollars. During reimbursement, my boss, Marcus, pointed his finger right at my nose. He screamed at me for having “no sense of cost awareness.” Not only did he refuse to cover the eighty dollars, but he also docked my two-thousand-dollar quarterly bonus as a penalty. He lectured me with a heavy, patronizing sigh: “Rules are rules, Chloe. Young people need to learn respect and compliance.” I smiled, nodded, and sincerely apologized for my “mistake.” A few days later, I was sent back to that same city for an emergency follow-up. This time, I followed company policy to the absolute letter. When I got back, Marcus looked at my expense report. His face turned completely green. He demanded to know why my three-day hotel stay cost the company $7,936. I said, “Company policy states the daily lodging rate cannot exceed $300.” Marcus frowned. “And?” I answered calmly: “So, I had to take an Uber to another city to find a hotel for $299. Out of that $7,936, about $7,338 went toward the round-trip Uber rides.”

The expense report slapped against my face, leaving a stinging red mark. “Chloe, do you think this company prints money?!” Marcus’s finger practically poked the tip of my nose. Spittle flew from his mouth. I didn’t flinch. I just looked down at the receipts scattered all over the floor. Hotel invoice: $299/night, two nights. Total: $598. Uber receipts: $1,834.50 per single trip, four trips. Total: $7,338. Plus a few small receipts for meals and local transit. Every single one was perfectly compliant. The amounts were accurate to the penny. “I was just following company policy,” I replied softly, my voice deadpan. Marcus’s chest heaved with rage. His custom-tailored shirt, his absolute pride and joy, looked ready to rip at the seams. “Policy? Did I tell you to sleep in another city?!” “Did I tell you to spend nearly two grand a day on Uber?!” “You didn’t say I couldn’t.” I looked up, staring directly into his bloodshot eyes. “Chapter Three, Section Seven of the Employee Travel Handbook only limits the lodging rate. It does not restrict the city where the hotel must be located.” “Transportation expenses are fully reimbursed as long as there are valid receipts.” I paused, then added, “You revised that handbook yourself, Marcus. You made all of us memorize it.” Marcus’s face turned from red to a deep, bruised purple. He was probably remembering the last trip. How he had ripped me a new one in front of the entire department over a measly eighty dollars. How passionately he had preached his management philosophy of “system above all else.” Now, I was serving his own philosophy right back to him. The office was dead silent. My coworkers all kept their heads down, pretending to work, but their perked-up ears gave them away. “Fine. Very fine.” Marcus hissed through clenched teeth. “Chloe, you’re fired.” “On what grounds?” I asked. “For malicious reimbursement! Intentionally hurting the company’s bottom line!” “Every single one of my actions fell within the framework of company rules.” I bent down, picking up the receipts one by one, carefully smoothing out the creases. “If you think my expense report is unreasonable, you don’t have to approve it.” “But I will go straight to the Department of Labor. I’ll let a judge decide if I committed fraud, or if your company policy is just incredibly stupid.” I stacked the neat receipts on his desk, right next to the paperwork of my docked bonus. “Also, I’ll need a clear explanation regarding the eighty-dollar hotel overage and the two-thousand-dollar bonus you withheld last time.” Marcus stared at me, his eyes dark with malice. He knew that if this escalated into a legal labor dispute, he would be the only one humiliated. A boss who constantly preached “rules” getting legally checkmated by his own employee’s compliance? He would become the laughingstock of the industry. “Are you threatening me?” “I’m just protecting my legal rights.” Just then, his secretary rushed in, her face pale and panicked. “Mr. Marcus, Mr. Stephen Vance from TEK Group is on the phone.” “He wants to know why the ‘Whisper of the Tide’ sample we delivered has minor transit scratches.” Marcus’s face went instantly white. ‘Whisper of the Tide’ was a custom glass sculpture our company had spent six months creating specifically for TEK Group. It was our foot in the door for an eight-million-dollar contract. And that very sample was what I had personally transported back from the neighboring city during this trip. I looked at Marcus and slowly, very slowly, let out a smile.

The handoff of ‘Whisper of the Tide’ happened on the third day of my trip. It was an exquisite, incredibly fragile piece of art, packed in a massive crate filled with foam and suspension air cushions. I had started my journey from that $299 budget hotel, ordering an Uber XL just to squeeze the massive crate into the back. The driver was a chatty guy. Seeing me hold onto the box like my life depended on it, he asked curiously, “What kind of treasure you got in there, kid?” “The company’s future,” I said dryly. The driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror and stopped talking. He just drove a lot more carefully. During the two-hour drive, I barely moved. I used my own body as a buffer, absorbing every bump on the highway. By the time we arrived at the TEK Group headquarters, my back was soaked in sweat. My arms were trembling from tension. Stephen Vance’s assistant, Jax, came down to meet me. Seeing my disheveled state, he looked surprised. “Chloe? Did you… run here?” I shook my head, pointing to the SUV parked by the curb. “Just came from my hotel.” Jax nodded slowly, his eyes lingering on the sweat beads on my forehead with sudden curiosity. The handoff went smoothly. They had professional equipment to unload and open the crate. Under the gallery lights, ‘Whisper of the Tide’ shone in a dreamlike, oceanic blue. The internal air bubbles and textures mimicked crashing waves. It was breathtaking. Stephen Vance came down to inspect it personally. He put on white gloves and examined every inch of the sculpture. “Perfect,” he said, taking off his gloves and turning to me. “The core technique lies in the uneven distribution of internal air bubbles, simulating the randomness of real tides.” “Every bubble is hand-blown by master artisans. It’s one of a kind.” “But that also means it is incredibly fragile. Any damage would destroy its value. It’s irreplaceable.” “And it’s extremely sensitive to vibration frequencies during transit,” I added. “Luckily, the ride was smooth.” Stephen’s eyes flashed with surprise, which quickly turned into appreciation. “Thank you for your hard work, Chloe. Marcus is lucky to have an employee like you.” I just smiled and said nothing. Oh, it was a lucky day for him, alright. Just not the kind he wanted. I knew the artwork wasn’t perfectly fine. During those long, bumpy hours crossing state lines in a standard SUV, one of the internal mounting brackets had rattled loose from the constant vibration. This caused the edge of the sculpture’s base to rub micro-scratches against the inner wall of the crate. The scratch was as thin as a strand of hair. But I knew it was there. It was all part of my plan. Back in the office, Marcus’s secretary’s report was like a bucket of ice water dumped right over his burning rage. “Scratches? What scratches?” He snatched the phone from her hand. “Mr. Vance! Hello, hello, this is Marcus.” Whatever Stephen said on the other end made Marcus’s spine curve instantly. A fake, sickeningly sweet smile plastered over his face. “A mistake, surely! Our quality control is top-tier. How could there be scratches?” “Maybe it’s the lighting? Yes, yes, please have another look.” “What? You already had your appraisal experts look at it? Confirmed it happened during transit?” Marcus’s face was now whiter than the copy paper on his desk. He whipped his head around, staring at me with a look that wanted to rip me to shreds. I met his gaze calmly, even taking a moment to straighten my collar. “Mr. Vance, let me explain, the employee responsible for transit… she…” Marcus started to stutter. He wanted to throw me under the bus. But he didn’t dare. He was terrified that if he pushed me, I would blab about the $7,338 Uber bill right to Stephen Vance. That would be a spectacular disaster. He would go from being a “strict boss” to a cheap, reckless merchant who shipped a multi-million-dollar fragile artwork via Uber to save on lodging. The eight-million-dollar deal would vanish instantly. Watching him sweat, trapped in a corner of his own making, a wave of pure satisfaction washed over me. When you docked my eighty dollars and stole my two-thousand-dollar bonus, you felt so powerful, didn’t you? Now, it’s your turn.

Marcus ultimately didn’t dare blame me on the phone. He hung up, looking like his bones had been sucked out. He collapsed into his chair. His mind was blank. All he could think was: I’m ruined. The eight-million-dollar deal, the lifeblood of his company, was hanging by a thread because of an eighty-dollar hotel dispute. The office was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. “Chloe,” he called out, his voice completely drained of energy. “Yes?” “What happened with the sample?” “I don’t know,” I said, putting my hands up. “I escorted it personally the entire way. When we did the handoff, Mr. Vance’s assistant was there. They unboxed it, inspected it, and signed for it.” I was telling the truth. The scratch was invisible to the naked eye. The assistant had just done a quick, routine check and signed the paperwork. Only a high-level collector like Stephen Vance would examine it with specialized tools like a rare diamond. Marcus obviously didn’t believe me. He immediately called up TEK Group’s lobby security footage. On the screen, I was carrying the massive box, walking steadily into the lobby, and handing it over to their staff. The entire process was seamless. No drops, no bumps. He then had his assistant call the ride-share company, trying to get the driver’s dashcam footage. But he was told that to protect passenger privacy, in-car footage was only kept for twenty-four hours. It had already been overwritten. Marcus slammed his fist on the desk, rattling his pen holder. He couldn’t find a single shred of evidence to prove I was negligent. But he knew deep down that the problem came from that ridiculous cross-city commute. Yet, he couldn’t say it out loud. To admit it would be to admit that his proud “company policy” was a complete joke. “You,” he pointed at me, his finger shaking violently. “Get out. You’re done.” “Sure,” I nodded. “But before I go, please sign off on my expense report and return my withheld bonus.” “You dare ask for money?!” Marcus roared, standing up, his eyes bloodshot. “Why wouldn’t I?” I met his gaze, unflinching. “I completed the company task. I strictly followed the travel policy despite the risk of being penalized again.” “I am taking what is rightfully mine.” “As for the transit damage,” I shifted my tone. “I think the company needs to reflect on why it has such absurd travel policies. Policies that force employees to use high-risk methods just to get the job done.” I pointed the finger right back at him. “You, Marcus. You created this risk.” “Now that something went wrong, you want me to take the fall?” My voice was quiet, but every word felt like a nail hammering into everyone’s hearts. My coworkers, who had all been docked pay or penalized under his bizarre rules, looked at Marcus with a different expression now. Anger, contempt, and quiet satisfaction. Marcus was speechless. He knew that if he didn’t pay me today, he would lose the entire office. His company would fall apart. His secretary, who always took his side, silently picked up my expense report and the bonus dispute form. She walked over to the finance office and knocked on the door. That was the signal. His authority had collapsed. He stared at me, his eyes filled with a deep, hopeless dread. A growl caught in his throat, but he couldn’t squeeze out a single word. He slumped back into his chair, waving his hand like he was shooing away a fly. “Give it to her. Tell her to get out.”

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I had just returned from Paris after finishing my degree in fashion design. My grandpa, Arthur Vance, insisted that he had set up a family alliance agreement for me years ago. The moment I landed, he dragged me straight to the Sterling estate to discuss the engagement. Finding the conversation in the parlor incredibly boring, I slipped out alone to wander around the Sterling family’s massive garden. Suddenly, a woman rushed out of nowhere and slapped me hard across the face. “Where did this trash come from? How dare you steal my things!” I cupped my stinging cheek and stared at her in utter shock. The woman tilted her chin up, her expression dripping with aristocratic arrogance. “That pigeon’s blood ruby ring on your finger is my birthday gift from Julian Sterling! A dirt-poor girl like you? You think you’re worthy of wearing that?!” I opened my mouth, about to tell her it was mine, when she slapped me again, even harder. “Do you even know who I am? I’m Julian’s future wife! The future Mrs. Sterling! This entire estate will belong to me!” I pulled out my phone and, right in front of her face, opened Snapchat to message the guy labeled ‘Fiancé.’ “Julian Sterling, there’s a dog biting people in your yard. Are you going to leash her, or should I?”

But to my disbelief, a red exclamation mark popped up. I let out a cold, angry laugh. We hadn’t even finalized the engagement yet, and he had already blocked me. “How did you sneak in here anyway? Give Miss Thorne her ring back, now!” A Sterling family maid lunged at me aggressively, but I sidestepped, letting her crash into the bushes. “I am a guest of the Sterling family. Is this how you treat your guests?” I demanded. Nadia Thorne sneered, immediately pulling out her phone to FaceTime Julian—my dear fiancé. His deep, smooth voice answered in less than a second. “What’s wrong, Nadia, babe?” I listened closely. The voice was actually quite nice, the exact deep baritone I liked. It seemed Grandpa Arthur actually had decent taste in men. “Julian! Some crazy bitch sneaked into your yard claiming she’s an elite guest, and she stole the ring you gave me!” I cut off her whiny, high-pitched voice to introduce myself, saving him the confusion. “Mr. Sterling, I am Seraphina Vance. Your fiancée.” There was a two-second silence on the other end, as if he was trying to place the name. Then, his tone turned icy cold. “Fiancée? Anyone entering the Sterling estate must have an official VIP invitation. Otherwise, they are just trespassers. Call the cops.” Then, his voice softened back into a gentle whisper for Nadia. “Nadia, don’t cry over a stupid ring. I’ll buy you a better one when I get back tonight.” My pigeon’s blood ruby was a family heirloom from my parents. There wasn’t another one like it in the entire world. While I was re-evaluating whether this marriage alliance was worth my time, Nadia was laughing so hard she could barely stand. She looked me up and down with sheer disgust. “You? Your clothes don’t even have a single designer brand on them! And you dare call yourself Julian’s fiancée? What a joke!” I had been studying fashion design in Paris, and the clothes I wore were my own custom, unlabeled designs. They were highly sought after by European aristocrats, but obviously, this basic girl couldn’t recognize real haute couture. Annoyed by her drama, I lost all interest in the garden. I turned to leave. But Nadia blocked my path. “Didn’t you hear Julian? You need an invitation! Didn’t you say you’re a VIP? Where is it?” I rolled my eyes, reaching into my coat pockets, but found nothing. Then I remembered Grandpa Arthur saying we didn’t need one to enter the Sterling estate. Seeing my empty hands, her smug smile widened. “I knew it! You’re a fraud! Security! Strip that ring off her finger, tie her up, and throw her out!” I covered my ring with one hand, stepping back with a cold glare. A few maids approached me, whispering with fake pity. “Miss, just give the ring back to Miss Thorne. Otherwise, you won’t even know how you died!” “Yeah, that ring is the token of love between Master Julian and Miss Thorne. They grew up together. If he finds out, he’ll ruin you.” “I saw a guy lose his hand last month just because he accidentally spilled wine on Miss Thorne’s dress!” Their warnings only made Nadia’s sneer more insufferable. “Hear that? Kneel down, put the ring back on my finger with respect, and get lost! Or else, your hands will end up just like that waiter’s!”

In my entire life, I had never knelt to anyone. The last person who dared speak to me like this was probably six feet under by now. I took a step forward and slapped Nadia across her face. Her head whipped to the side, her eyes wide with fury. “You dare hit me?!” She clutched her red cheek and screamed at the maids to attack me. I curled my lips into a cold smile. Before I went to Paris, Grandpa Arthur was so worried about me being alone abroad that he personally trained me in kickboxing. A few out-of-shape maids were nothing to me. With a few quick punches and sweeps, I left them groaning on the grass, dazed and disoriented. “Pathetic,” I muttered, shaking out my slightly numb knuckles. I turned to walk away while Nadia shrieked in rage behind me. Suddenly, a maid gasped. “Master Julian is back!” I looked up. A tall man in a bespoke, tailored suit was walking toward us, his handsome face clouded with anger. Nadia instantly dropped her vicious look, replacing it with a tearful, fragile expression as she threw herself into Julian’s arms. “Julian! You’re finally here! She almost killed me!” Honestly, Julian Sterling was extremely good-looking. He could easily pass for a Hollywood lead. Unfortunately, knowing he had an active marriage agreement with me, he was still holding his childhood sweetheart with such desperate tenderness. I rolled my eyes. I needed to tell Grandpa to take me home. This wedding was officially off. Ignoring their little drama, I headed straight for the garden exit. “Stop right there! You think you can touch my woman and just walk away?” Julian didn’t even look at me. He was busy wiping Nadia’s tears. Several heavy-set bodyguards stepped forward, blocking my exit. I took a deep, exhausted breath and turned back to face him. “Master Sterling, right now, my grandfather is in your grandfather’s study discussing our alliance. If they find out you’re treating me like this, it won’t end well for you.” Hearing me mention the elder Mr. Sterling, the maids’ faces paled slightly. “Wait… is she really Master Julian’s fiancée?” “Who cares? Look at how protective Master Julian is of Miss Thorne. This wedding might not even happen.” “Exactly. Let’s not offend Miss Thorne, or we’ll pay for it later!” Julian’s face darkened when he heard the word “alliance.” “What alliance? I never agreed to it. Besides, my grandfather loves me more than anyone. He would never force me to marry a nameless, classless girl like you!” Nadia peeked out from his chest, looking at me triumphantly. “Julian and I are soulmates. A filthy thief like you actually thinks she can be the next Mrs. Sterling? Delusional.” I nodded slowly. “Great, these two trash bags are perfect for each other. Please stay locked together forever.” But I remembered my grandpa saying that of all the families who begged for my hand, the Sterling family had put in the most effort. I had met old Marcus Sterling a few times; he was a highly respectable elder. If he found out his precious alliance was ruined by his stupid grandson, there would be a bloodbath. But oh well. A rotten apple ruins the basket.

I shook my head in pity and started to walk away again. But Nadia shrieked, “Don’t let her go! She still has the ruby ring Julian gave me!” At Julian’s nod, several bodyguards instantly pinned me down, grabbing my hand to force the ring off. But the ring had been custom-resized to fit my finger perfectly. No matter how hard they pulled, it wouldn’t budge. “Nadia Thorne, if this ring is yours, why does it fit my finger so perfectly?” I mocked. This only enraged her further. She shook Julian’s arm frantically. “She must be fatter than me! She forced it on! That’s why it’s stuck!” “Then use a drill,” Julian said coldly. My face fell. “Damn it.” I hadn’t brought my personal security detail with me today. Julian’s bodyguards were massive, and there were too many of them. After a brief struggle, they pinned me to the grass. Nadia knelt in front of me with glee, her sharp red nails clawing into my jaw. “Where’s that attitude now, huh? Weren’t you so tough a minute ago?” With a vicious grin, she slapped me hard. My face scraped against the dirt, and the rough sand left bloody scratches on my cheek. Julian stared at me for a few seconds, a cruel smirk appearing on his lips. “Nadia, your hand must hurt. Want to see something more fun?” Nadia’s eyes lit up. “What?” “Tie her to the old rowboat in the lake!” My eyes widened as I stared at Julian’s twisted, excited face. “Does he know?” “No! You will regret this!” I screamed. Nadia sneered with pure excitement. “Regret? That word isn’t in my dictionary!” “But today, I’m going to make sure you regret ever touching my things!” The bodyguards dragged me across the grass to the lake in the center of the estate, tying me with thick ropes before throwing me onto the decaying wooden rowboat. Before I could even process the situation, they flipped me over. A small electric saw buzzes near my finger. The agonizing pain made me scream at the top of my lungs. Soon, the pigeon’s blood ruby was stained with my blood, looking horrifyingly crimson. “Oh dear, looks like another one is going to lose their life.” “She’s a pretty girl, why did she have to be so stubborn? Master Julian won’t let her off easily. She’s losing at least a finger.” “It’s too cruel, I can’t even watch.” The servants whispered from the lake bank, but their voices were fading. The intense pain made me thrash wildly. The old, decaying boat creaked loudly as it rocked against the water. This exact feeling—the rocking, the dark water—instantly triggered the memories of the shipwreck that killed my parents. The deep-seated trauma and terror seized my mind. My face turned deadly pale. Losing control, I curled into a ball, clutching my head as fresh blood dripped down my face. “No! Please! Let me go back to the shore!” But Nadia and Julian stood on the bank, watching me like they were watching a movie. Julian even stepped onto the dock and kicked the boat, sending it drifting into the deep center of the cold lake. I struggled to open my eyes, seeing Nadia proudly holding the blood-stained ring. Julian wrapped his arm around her waist, speaking softly. “That ring is dirty now that it has her filthy blood on it. Throw it away, babe. I’ll buy you a new one.” And right before my eyes, they casually tossed my parents’ heirloom into the deep, muddy lake. “Julian Sterling!” I screamed through my tears. “Aren’t you afraid my grandfather will make you pay for this?!”

He chuckled softly, his eyes filled with absolute disdain, looking at me like I was piece of trash. “Your grandfather? Who the hell is he to make me pay?” “The Vance family is practically dead. It’s just you and that old man left!” “You literally cursed your own parents to death. And your grandpa actually thought he could dump a jinx like you onto me? In his dreams!” My pupils dilated. The words “cursed your parents to death” stabbed straight into my heart like a dagger. On my eighth birthday, my parents were supposed to take a luxury yacht back from overseas to celebrate with me. But a storm was brewing. The captain advised them to wait a day. However, I had called them, crying over the phone, saying how much I missed them. So, they braved the storm on a smaller yacht just to get back to me. Right before they reached the dock, a massive wave crashed over them. Their boat capsized right in front of my eyes. That horrific scene flashed repeatedly in my mind, triggered by Julian’s cruel words. I curled up in the rocking boat, shaking violently as tears streamed down my face, mumbling incoherently. “Mom… Dad… I’m sorry… I don’t need a birthday party anymore… please come back…” Seeing my pathetic state, Nadia clapped her hands in delight. “I knew she was a jinx! No wonder she smells like bad luck! Julian, we need to stay away from her, or we’ll get infected!” In Paris, nobody knew about my past, so it was never brought up. At the Vance estate, to protect me, Grandpa Arthur had ordered everyone never to mention that day, and he had even filled in all the lakes and ponds on our property. The guilt and depression I had suppressed for years exploded all at once. For a second, I had a sudden urge to jump into the lake to join my parents. Suddenly, my phone rang. It was the custom ringtone I had set for my grandfather. The sound brought a momentary flash of sanity back to my brain. The Vance family only had me and Grandpa left. After my parents died, he had to bury his own children. His pain was no less than mine. If I left him too… I couldn’t bear to think of the consequences. I took a deep breath, fighting the dark thoughts, and struggled to reach for my phone. Seeing this, Nadia ordered the guards to throw rocks at me. My hands were shaking violently from the severe panic attack. A large rock hit my wrist, and the phone slipped from my grasp, falling into the lake. It flickered twice before going completely black. The rocks also punched two holes in the old rowboat. Cold lake water began to seep in, soaking my clothes and making me shiver. “Seraphina Vance, didn’t you want to die with your parents back then? I’m giving you that chance today. You should thank me!” Julian crossed his arms, coldly watching the boat slowly sink. “And as for your grandfather, when he comes, I’ll make sure he joins you guys down there!” I struggled weakly, but it was useless. The cold water reached my chin. I closed my eyes, crying silently in my heart. “Grandpa… I’m sorry…” But just as the water was about to cover my nose, a familiar, heavy footstep echoed from the shore. A heavy mahogany cane slammed onto the dock. “I want to see who dares send my family down there!”

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In the darkness, my throat felt incredibly tight. My limbs were completely numb. The smell of gas was suffocating… If this went on, my parents and I would all die here. I fumbled in the dark, trying to stand up and open the window, but my knees buckled, and I collapsed onto the cold floor. Through the dim light, a pair of familiar, custom-made leather shoes appeared in front of me. My brother had arrived. It was Austin. “Austin… help me… please…” I had no strength left. I reached out, trying to grab the hem of his pants, but he raised his foot and slammed it hard onto my fingers, grinding them into the floor. Two years ago, my parents and I finally found Austin, who had been missing for eighteen years. We gave him everything he wanted—money, power, status. We practically handed the family business to him on a silver platter. We did everything to make up for the eighteen years we had lost. But I never would have guessed that my own flesh and blood wanted nothing but my life. “Does it hurt, Chloe?” Austin turned the gas valve to the absolute maximum. He knelt down, staring at my face with a cold, sadistic sneer. “When Lily died, she suffered a thousand times more than this!” “Dying the exact same way as her is your only chance to beg for her forgiveness in hell!” Who was Lily? Oh. The daughter of the adoptive family who raised him. Memories rushed back into my fading, oxygen-deprived brain. The excruciating pain of suffocation kept me from making a sound. Lily… Lily… Just for a toxic, calculating girl, you had the heart to murder your own biological sister! As his footsteps faded into the distance, my breath stopped completely. I became nothing but a cold corpse.

“Chloe! Chloe, sweetie, wake up! We have to go pick up Austin today!” A familiar voice echoed in my ears. I felt the powerful, steady beat of my heart. The sensation of blood flowing back through my veins and my body warming up was incredibly surreal. I opened my eyes and saw my parents sitting at the edge of my bed. “Our little girl is usually an early bird. What happened today?” “She was probably too excited to sleep last night, knowing she’s finally meeting her brother!” I was reborn. I had gone back to two years ago—the exact day we were supposed to bring Austin home! After a long drive, we finally arrived at the house of the couple who had raised my brother for eighteen years. They held my parents’ hands, putting on a show of fake warmth. “These eighteen years haven’t been easy! But we’ve always treated Austin like our own flesh and blood!” The bedroom door creaked open. Austin walked out, holding the hand of a fragile-looking teenage girl. They stood right in front of us. Before my parents could even say a word, Austin fell to his knees with a loud thud. “Dad, Mom, Lily is pregnant with my baby. If you want to take me back, you have to take her too.” The moment those words left his mouth, the expressions of both my parents and his adoptive parents completely changed. “What? What did you just say?” Mrs. Miller, who had looked so sweet a moment ago, rushed forward and slapped Austin hard across the face. “Lily is only sixteen! She hasn’t even finished high school or taken her SATs yet! How could you do this to her?!” The girl named Lily, who was about my age, looked incredibly weak. Tears streamed down her face as she threw herself over Austin, shielding him from her mother’s blows. “Mom, don’t blame Austin! It’s my fault.” “We both drank too much that night… and then…” She didn’t forget to cast a shy, loving glance at Austin through her tears. Then, sobbing like a delicate flower in the rain, she turned to my parents and bowed her head deeply. “Austin and I love each other. Please, Mr. and Mrs. Vance, please let us be together!” Seeing his wife play the bad cop, Mr. Miller stepped in to play the good cop. He looked at the two young lovers kneeling on the floor, and then turned to my parents with a deeply troubled expression. “Since it already happened, nobody wanted this.” “How about this? Let Lily go back with Austin. She can have the baby first, and they can get registered once they are of age. What do you think?” I stood in the corner, sneering at the masterpiece of a show this family was putting on. *Treated him like their own son? True love?* What a family of actors. They didn’t even blink while lying through their teeth. In my past life, this seemingly kind couple had found out that Austin was the long-lost heir of the multi-billion-dollar Vance Group. They immediately had their underage daughter seduce him to get pregnant, even faking a medical report just to force her way into our wealthy family. In this life, I would never let their scheme succeed. Watching Lily defend him so selflessly, Austin’s eyes filled with immense pain and affection. My parents, not knowing the truth, assumed it was Austin’s fault. They hesitated, unsure of whether to agree to Mr. Miller’s proposal. In my past life, I thought a teen pregnancy would ruin Austin’s reputation and destroy the family’s image. So, I advised my parents to give the Millers a massive payout of one million dollars as hush money, rejected the marriage proposal, and asked Lily to get an abortion and start over. The Millers happily took the money, staged a fake suicide scene of Lily “dying of grief,” and secretly sent her abroad with the cash. Austin, completely brain-washed by love, believed that my parents and I had said something horrible to Lily, driving her to commit suicide with their unborn child. From that day on, he hated me, and he hated our parents. While Lily was living her best life in Europe with our one million dollars, my parents and I were ended up dead or ruined because of Austin’s baseless hatred. This time, I walked over before anyone else could speak. I gently helped Lily up and glanced at her perfectly flat stomach. Lily flinched, taking a half-step back. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught the flash of panic on Mrs. Miller’s face. *Afraid I’ll find out the pregnancy is fake? Desperate to climb the social ladder?* “Dad, Mom, let’s just bring Lily home with us,” I said, smiling warmly. “I actually really like her. I’m sure she and I will have so much to talk about.” Hearing my words, Lily let out a visible sigh of relief. She smiled, grabbing my hand, and spoke in a sugary-sweet voice. “Thank you, Chloe. We are going to be the best of friends!” I sneered inwardly, though my face maintained a perfect, sweet smile. *I’d love to see how long you can hide your little secret right under our noses.*

And just like that, Lily moved into the Vance mansion with Austin, completely unofficial. At first, she tried to maintain a peaceful facade with me. But slowly, her greedy and selfish nature began to show. Whenever my parents weren’t looking, she would bark orders at Maria, our housekeeper, like she owned the place. “Maria, I already told you I don’t drink cold tea. Go change it right now.” “I don’t drink bottled water that costs less than ten dollars. It’s bad for the baby.” As an art and design major, I was working on a clay sculpture in the living room one afternoon. She walked by, dramatically covering her nose, trying to start a fight. “Oh my god, Chloe! Does this clay emit formaldehyde? That is extremely toxic for the baby!” I didn’t even bother looking at her. “If it were toxic, I’d be dead by now. Stop crying about it.” She immediately turned around and ran to complain to Austin. Austin stormed in, took one look, and smashed my graduation project—which I had spent over a year working on—into pieces. He glared at me with pure disgust. “Don’t you know Lily is pregnant? Why are you still messing around with this garbage in the house?!” This wasn’t the first time she had picked a fight to ruin my relationship with Austin. But I didn’t care. My brain-dead brother was someone who, in my past life, was willing to murder his own sister for a girl. I already knew he was beyond saving, so I had zero expectations for him. Since the day he came back, I never gave him a warm face. Austin, on the other hand, put on the full pompous show of being the “rightful male heir.” He treated me like his mortal rival, constantly trying to push me out of the Vance Group and put me down. In my past life, because I wanted to make up for those lost eighteen years, I did everything I could to help him get familiar with the company. Because of Lily’s “death,” he had worked tirelessly out of sheer spite and hatred. Powered by revenge, he actually managed to run the company quite well within a year. But in this life, with his sweet underage wife by his side and a fake heir in her belly, he had become incredibly arrogant. He Picked fights with me every single day, learned absolutely nothing about actual business, and spent all his time doting on his wife, muttering nonsense like, “My primary duty as the heir is to protect the next-generation heir.” Today, we went to the headquarters for a board meeting. The meeting was about whether to upgrade or shut down an outdated supply chain. Austin raised his hand, speaking with immense confidence. “I believe any supply chain that can’t keep up with technology should be shut down. Keeping it is just a waste of company resources.” That supply chain was indeed outdated. He wanted to cut the entire department to save costs and maximize profit. On paper, it sounded great. But he completely ignored the lives of hundreds of factory workers and over a thousand employees in that division. How could that be a smart business decision? I raised an objection. “I suggest we allocate a portion of the budget to upgrade the technology of the existing factories. This avoids the cost of building new ones from scratch. We save on recruitment and training costs while keeping our experienced workforce. What do you all think?” The moment I finished, the board members relaxed and nodded in approval. “Chloe, you are so young, yet you handle major corporate decisions so cleanly. You have a great future ahead of you!” Before Austin came back, my parents had trained me as the sole heir. I had been running around the business world with them since I was a kid. Even though I was younger than Austin, I had far more experience. When it came to handling tricky corporate issues, he was nowhere near my level. So, he decided to target the company’s newest, highly anticipated project.

My parents wanted to invest in a new luxury maternity and baby care brand, offering a premium, all-in-one service from pregnancy to postpartum care. Since Austin was a guy, he obviously had no advantage here. My parents handed the project proposal directly to me. That night, while I was brainstorming ideas for the project, I walked past Austin and Lily’s bedroom. I heard some very explicit sounds coming from inside. *I guess a fake pregnancy is convenient—you don’t even need to worry about birth control.* After some heavy panting, I heard their pillow talk. “Austin, I really want to help you with the business.” “Your sister is the one your parents love. You saw how they treated her at dinner today.” “If we don’t grab the power now, it’ll be too late once your parents hand the company over to Chloe!” Lily’s voice was incredibly soft and manipulative. She knew exactly how to trigger Austin’s insecurity. “So, what do you want to do?” “Well, I’m pregnant. Why don’t you let me run the new maternity brand?” Holding his sweet girl in his arms, my brother probably forgot his own name. He agreed instantly. “Okay, okay. I’ll beg Mom and Dad tomorrow to make Chloe hand the project over to you.” At the breakfast table the next morning, Lily smiled warmly at my parents. “Chloe has never been a mother before. But I’m literally carrying the next-generation Vance heir! This project is just so much more fitting for me!” She grabbed my mother’s hand and placed it on her completely flat stomach. “Mom, feel that? Your grandson can’t wait to make you proud!” “If I can build a successful brand while carrying him, he’s going to grow up to be so smart!” My parents smiled warmly, saying all sorts of sweet things. In a situation like this, it was almost impossible for them to say no. She kept calling them “Mom” and “Dad,” using her fake pregnancy to guilt-trip my parents and force me out of the project. *Do you really think you can fly that high? Sure, let me help you fly all the way to the sun.* I smiled sweetly, wrapping my arm around her shoulder in a show of sisterly love. “Let Austin and Lily do it, Mom. I really don’t mind.” “I can’t wait to see how smart the baby is when he’s born, either.” Seeing that I didn’t object, my dad went along with it and handed the project over to Lily. Since I had always been highly competitive, my mother noticed something was off. She came to my room that night to talk to me. “Chloe, if you don’t want to give it up, I can get it back for you.” “This is the company’s biggest new launch in five years. It’s a massive opportunity!” Of course, I knew how valuable the opportunity was. But my graduation exhibition was just around the corner, and I was busy restoring the sculpture my idiot brother had smashed. In my past life, Lily had been sent to Europe, so she had some basic education. But in this life, with Austin’s promise of making her a “wealthy billionaire’s wife,” she had dropped out of high school. She knew absolutely nothing about business. With a person like her at the wheel, even a mountain of gold would turn to trash. I didn’t need to worry about her threatening my inheritance at all. There would be a thousand other business opportunities, but graduation only happened once. I wasn’t going to let them ruin my chances of graduating with honors. I gladly handed the maternity project to her. I wanted to see what kind of mess this fake-pregnant girl would make. With Austin’s help, Lily actually managed to make the maternity brand look quite successful initially. I wasn’t sure how things were running internally, but her marketing campaigns and celebrity endorsements certainly created a massive buzz. The brand was trending on Instagram and TikTok, and several competitors even started copying their aesthetic. It looked like a highly mature brand. But how could competitors be copying them when they hadn’t even established a solid customer base yet? How exactly did she achieve this?

From the very first day Lily moved into our house, I had been quietly keeping tabs on her. I didn’t care about my idiot brother, but I couldn’t let her harm my parents or ruin the foundation of the Vance Group. After Austin came back, my parents gave him a monthly allowance of $150,000. Almost all of it went straight to Lily, who immediately wired it to her parents’ bank accounts. I knew that human greed was a bottomless pit. Giving them $150,000 a month would only make them crave millions. I needed to make my parents realize what was happening. Or better yet, cut off her cash flow completely. I started spending money lavishly. I bought my mom a $150,000 Hermès bag and ordered a limited-edition luxury watch for my dad. “Lily has no job, but she just bought her parents a brand-new luxury car.” “Since I actually earn my own money at the firm, it’s only right that I spoil my parents too!” My parents’ faces turned incredibly stiff. I knew they had never liked Lily’s background. Given Austin’s status, he could easily marry a wealthy heiress, not a girl from a cheap, manipulative family. They had spent decades building their empire from scratch. If there was one thing they hated, it was freeloaders. Before Lily was officially married into the family, they would never tolerate Austin funding her entire family’s lifestyle with our money. That night, my parents called Austin into the study with extremely stern expressions. I didn’t know the details of their conversation, but Austin walked out with a pale face. Later that night, I could hear Lily sobbing in their room. Austin’s $150,000 monthly allowance was officially canceled. My parents gave him a low-level desk job with a fixed monthly salary of just $5,000. Austin knew I was the one behind it, and he refused to look me in the eye for months. Not that I cared. I didn’t need to lock eyes with a dog who had murdered me in my past life. I was afraid his sheer stupidity would rub off on me. But to my surprise, he and Lily actually managed to pull off a massive win with the new maternity brand. Thanks to the massive hype surrounding the launch, the Vance Group’s stock price surged. My dad was full of praise for them during dinner. “Lily has never studied business, but she’s running this new launch beautifully!” “She’s even sharper than Chloe!” I smiled, chiming in with my parents. “Of course! How could my little skills compare to Austin and Lily?” “It must be the baby in her belly bringing us good luck. That’s why the project is going so smoothly.” As I spoke, Lily’s expression froze for a fraction of a second. *Of course there’s no baby. In a few months, the truth will come out.* Seeing the happy atmosphere, I struck while the iron was hot. “Since things are going so well, why don’t we throw them an engagement party?” “We can celebrate the brand’s success and finally make Lily’s place in the family official!” My parents were extremely pleased with Austin’s performance. They officially appointed him as the CEO of the new maternity subsidiary, and made Lily the VP and legal representative. Overnight, Austin became the star of the company, overshadowing me completely. Whenever he walked down the hall, employees bowed and greeted him as “Mr. Vance Junior.” As we walked out of the office one afternoon, Austin intentionally shoved his shoulder into mine. “Chloe, don’t you dare try anything at the engagement party.” “With the resources I have now, taking full control of the entire group is only a matter of time.” “When that day comes, crushing you will be as easy as stepping on an ant.” What a wonderful brother. Not even married yet, and he was already threatening his sister for his wife. The idiot still had no idea that Lily’s pregnancy was fake, and that she was using him. I let out a soft, amused laugh. “Don’t worry, Austin. I promise your engagement party will be absolutely unforgettable.”

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To protect me, my father, the richest man in the city, formally adopted three outstanding foster sons and arranged for them to be responsible for my safety. After I came of age, my father asked me to choose one of the three as my fiancé. But I did not choose Ethan Carter, whom I had liked for a very long time. It was only because in my previous life, on the day of my engagement party, I was kidnapped and hung over a cliff. But when I tremblingly called Ethan for help, I received his cold reply: “Clara Whitmore, stop playing such a boring trick. Lily said she saw you at the door of your room ten minutes ago!” Listening to the woman’s delicate laughter over the phone, I closed my eyes in despair. When the iron cage sank into the sea and the icy seawater poured into my mouth and nose, my life was completely extinguished. When I woke up again, I had returned to the day my father asked me to choose a fiancé. 0The familiar list appeared before my eyes, and I jolted awake. The agony of drowning had not yet faded, and my father’s voice sounded beside my ear. “Clara, today you will choose one of the three of them as your fiancé!” Only then did I realize that I had been reborn. Looking at the list, I crossed out Ethan Carter’s name without hesitation. My father froze. “Clara, did you make a mistake?” “Haven’t you loved following Ethan around since you were little, so why did you cross out his name?” “Wait a moment, I’ll have someone prepare a new list…” I quickly shook my head and interrupted my father. “Dad, I didn’t make a mistake!” “The person I want to choose really isn’t Ethan Carter, but Adrian Sterling.” At that moment, the expression of unbearable grief Adrian Sterling had worn after my death, as well as his heart-wrenching cries, surfaced in my mind. Seeing my firm attitude, my father said nothing more and nodded in agreement. He told me not to announce it publicly for now, and that he would announce it himself at the engagement party three days later. Just after walking out of my father’s study, I ran straight into Ethan Carter in the main hall of the mansion. The person following beside him was Lily Harper. The moment Lily Harper saw me, she hid behind Ethan Carter in terror, as if I were some man-eating demon. Ethan pulled her in front of him and comforted her gently. “Lily, don’t be scared. With me here, no one dares to bully you!” After saying that, he glared at me viciously: “Clara Whitmore, even if Lily is a distant relative sponsored by the Whitmore family, you still can’t bully her like this, can you?” I had no idea what he meant. At that moment, Lily Harper revealed her red and swollen ankle and said cautiously: “Ethan, don’t blame Clara. I come from an ordinary background, so being ordered by her to get out of the car and walk back alone on a deserted mountain road is nothing!” Hearing this, I froze for a moment, because I had never abandoned Lily Harper halfway at all! Only then did I realize that Lily Harper was using her tricks again and pretending to be pitiful. Before I could speak, Ethan roared at me: “Clara Whitmore, let me tell you, even if you choose me as your fiancé, I will never like a vicious woman like you!” After saying that, he looked at Lily Harper’s ankle with heartache, his eyes full of tenderness: “Lily, you are not ordinary at all. You are much better than people with ugly hearts!” As he spoke, he gave me a disdainful look. A stab of pain shot through my heart. Whether in my past life or this life, he had never believed me. Just then, a repairman suddenly charged at me with a knife. I screamed in fright and retreated again and again. Ethan reacted quickly and was about to rush over to block in front of me. But just then, Lily Harper screamed and collapsed to the ground, moaning in pain. Even though she was the farthest from the attacker. Ethan hesitated for a moment, but he still rushed to Lily Harper’s side to protect her. Looking at the scene before me, my heart slowly turned cold. Just as the attacker’s blade was about to stab into my chest, someone suddenly flashed over and kicked him to the ground. I opened my eyes, and only then did I clearly see that the person who had come was Adrian Sterling! 0

Seeing that their plan could not succeed, the two attackers fled in a panic. Adrian Sterling looked at Ethan Carter beside him with a gloomy face and said in a deep voice: “Ethan Carter, did you forget that Clara’s safety is the most important thing?” “If something happens to Clara, can you bear that responsibility?” A trace of panic flashed across Ethan Carter’s face, but he quickly said indifferently: “Nothing happened, did it?” “Besides, Lily was hurt because of Clara Whitmore, so I couldn’t just ignore her!” Hearing this, Adrian Sterling’s face became even darker, and he stepped forward and punched Ethan Carter in the face: “So you can just ignore Clara’s safety? Have you forgotten the debt we owe the Whitmore family?” “Mr. Whitmore has treated us like his own sons, so are you going to throw away that kindness just because of one woman?” Ethan Carter felt a little guilty, but facing Adrian Sterling’s fist and questions, he truly could not endure it, and the two of them started fighting. Seeing this, I hurried over to stop them. At that moment, Lily Harper beside us let out a pained wail: “Ethan, it hurts so much!” Only then did Ethan stop, anxiously pick up Lily Harper, and turn to leave. Adrian Sterling’s face was icy as he turned to look at me, anger staining the depths of his eyes: “Why did you stop me? He treated you like that, and you still can’t bear to see him get hurt?” At that moment, his eyes actually began to turn red. “I didn’t…” “Enough, there’s no need to explain!” He interrupted me. “Since you chose him, then take care of yourself!” I hurriedly spoke. “I didn’t choose him!” Hearing this, a trace of shock flashed through Adrian Sterling’s eyes, but they soon dimmed again: “You’ve only had eyes for him since we were kids, and everyone saw it. If not him, who else could you choose?” “Forget it, choose whoever you love.” After saying that, he left dejectedly. Looking at his lonely back, a trace of heartache rose in my heart. I wondered how he would react if he knew the fiancé I had chosen was him! Thinking of that, I actually felt a little anticipation! 0

The next day, my father had people send over many pieces of jewelry for the engagement party for me to choose from. Just as I selected a diamond ring from among them, Ethan Carter walked in while supporting the limping Lily Harper. The moment she saw the jewelry, Lily Harper’s eyes lit up, and she exclaimed: “What a beautiful diamond!” But very soon, her gaze dimmed: “It’s just a pity that my family background is ordinary, so I’ll never get to wear such beautiful jewelry in my life!” This broke Ethan Carter’s heart, and he wrapped an arm around Lily Harper’s shoulders to comfort her: “Lily, don’t talk about yourself like that. I’ll buy you anything you want!” I ignored the two of them, but Lily Harper still refused to let it go: “The diamond in Clara’s hand is a rare pink diamond, right? I saw it in a magazine before, and it’s extremely precious!” “If only I had the chance to wear a diamond like that just once.” After saying that, she lowered her head sadly. Seeing this, Ethan Carter walked to my side and said in a low voice: “Since Lily likes this diamond, give it to her.” Anger instantly rose in my heart. “Why should I?” But Ethan Carter said with full confidence: “You’re going to get engaged to me anyway, so no matter what you wear, isn’t it all for me to see?” “Besides, Lily got hurt because of you, so what does it matter if you give her one diamond?” “At worst, I’ll just give you the money!” Hearing his words, I could not help but sneer: “Who said I’m getting engaged to you?” A trace of panic flashed across Ethan Carter’s face, but he quickly regained his calm and gave a cold laugh: “Clara Whitmore, who doesn’t know you follow me around all day? If you don’t choose me, who else can you choose?” “Stop saying all this useless stuff and hurry up and give the diamond to Lily!” As he spoke, he reached out and yanked the velvet box over. I held on tightly and refused to let go, and when he shoved me hard, I lost my footing and fell backward, my palm slamming against the sharp edge of the glass display case and instantly slicing open a deep wound as blood poured out. But Ethan Carter did not care at all and left with Lily Harper. Lily Harper turned back and smiled at me contemptuously, her eyes full of provocation, as if reminding me that I was a complete loser. I forced out an ugly smile, and my heart slowly turned cold. 0

On the eve of the engagement party, my father summoned the three of them and told them that tomorrow night I would be engaged to one of them. As soon as these words were spoken, everyone’s expressions changed in different ways. In the corner, Adrian Sterling held a wineglass and poured drink after drink into his stomach. Ethan Carter looked restless, glancing from time to time toward the direction of Lily Harper’s room. The other man turned to look at Ethan Carter and congratulated him: “Ethan, you’ll have to treat Clara well from now on, because Mr. Whitmore only has this one precious daughter.” Hearing their words, my father glanced at me and smiled without speaking. Seeing my father like this, everyone took it as confirmation that the person I had chosen was Ethan Carter. But that night, Ethan Carter came to my room. With a livid face, he dragged me to the floor, grabbed my neck, and said through gritted teeth: “Clara Whitmore, why do you have to cling to me and refuse to let go?” “It’s all because of you that Lily has run away from home now!” “If anything happens to her, I won’t let you off!” As he spoke, his grip grew heavier and heavier, choking me until I could not breathe. “Ethan Carter, are you crazy? What does Lily Harper running away from home have to do with me?” His eyes were red. “If you hadn’t insisted on choosing me as your fiancé, how could Lily be in so much pain that she had to leave?” “She said in her letter that she was suffering terribly, and if she does something stupid because of this, I won’t let you off!” I struggled free from his hand with force and said coldly: “Ethan Carter, I didn’t choose you, so be with whoever you love!” “Also, if you don’t leave my room right now, I’ll tell my father!” Only after hearing that I would tell my father did he regain a trace of reason and walk out of my room. Early the next morning, Ethan Carter brought Lily Harper back. His face was full of exhaustion, as if he had not slept all night. And Lily Harper also looked completely disheveled, as if she had suffered terribly. Ethan Carter walked up to me and said with a cold look in his eyes: “Clara Whitmore, even if I am forced to marry you, I will absolutely never love you.” “If you dare show off in front of Lily again that you got me, I will absolutely never marry you!” After saying that, he left with Lily Harper without looking back. Watching their backs as they left, I sneered inwardly and even began to wonder why my past self had fallen for such a person.

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After My Husband Sent Me to a Psychiatric Hospital, I Decided to Fake My Death Every time my fiancé found a mistress, I would order a male escort at a nightclub. Until I caught him and my best friend in bed, and in a frenzy, I slept with his best friend, Ethan Hayes. But after my fiancé found out, he only raised an eyebrow at Ethan Hayes in public at a business reception and said, “Have fun? How was my fiancée’s… service?” Ethan Hayes had his arm around his new date and laughed without the slightest restraint. “Not bad, just a little uptight, nowhere near as good as that influencer last time.” I completely broke down and slashed my wrist with a dinner knife in front of all the guests. After I was saved, Adrian Blackwood sent me to a sanatorium on an isolated island. After a year of electroshock therapy there, my fiancé finally came to pick me up. But he did not know that I had already forgotten how to love him. A staff member swiped open the heavy metal door. “Miss Bennett, your evaluation has been approved, and Mr. Blackwood has arrived.” I sat on the hard plank bed, looked at the helicopter parked on the lawn outside the window, and nodded. As I walked through the long, pure white corridor, I could hear the idle chatter coming from the control room behind me. “She really knew how to make trouble. With someone like Mr. Blackwood, couldn’t she just turn a blind eye?” “Exactly. He’s handsome and rich, so what’s wrong with him having a little fun once in a while? Why put herself through all this?” A year ago, those voices were nails being driven into my eardrums. Now, they were only voices. Beside the helicopter, Adrian Blackwood wore a crisp cashmere coat and stood in the early winter wind. I walked up to him. He reached out, seeming to want to tuck my windblown hair behind my ear. I moved one step ahead of him and gathered my hair myself. His hand hovered in the air for a moment before slipping back into his coat pocket. He pulled open the cabin door. “Get in.” The cabin was filled with the unfamiliar scent of expensive perfume, and on the leather seat lay a wrinkled piece of expensive women’s lingerie. Adrian Blackwood’s expression changed, and he quickly grabbed the lingerie and stuffed it into his coat pocket. “My assistant is always careless. Don’t mind it.” I smiled faintly without saying anything, because that style of lingerie was Sophia Lane’s favorite. But it was fine, because I had stopped minding long ago. I fastened my seat belt, looked out the window at the outline of the isolated island rapidly shrinking below, and smiled. “Okay.” During the flight, Adrian Blackwood looked at me several times, his fingertips tapping unconsciously on his knee. “On the island… did you adapt to the treatment?” “Mm.” I looked at the clouds. He continued, “I had the servants clean your things every day, so nothing gathered dust.” “Thank you.” He was silent for a while, then took a dark blue velvet square box from his pocket and opened it, revealing an unprecedentedly gorgeous diamond ring with a shockingly large center stone. “The wedding will be held as scheduled next month. I’ve already reserved the seaside church you like.” I did not look at the ring. “Cancel the wedding, Adrian.” He frowned, closed the box, and stuffed it into my hand. “Enough, stop throwing a tantrum. I slept with your best friend, and you slept with my best friend, so we’re even.” “The position of Mrs. Blackwood will always be yours. Be good.” I held the cold velvet box without opening it. I was not throwing a tantrum. I was just going somewhere else. A distant, quiet seaside town, with a lighthouse and waves, without him, and without pain. The helicopter landed on the helipad on the top floor of the villa. Everything was the same as always, yet everything was different. I did not walk into the room that belonged to me and him, but dragged my suitcase toward the guest room. Adrian Blackwood grabbed the handle of my suitcase. “What do you mean by this?” “The room on the island was small, and I got used to it.” I stopped without turning around. “The master bedroom is too empty, so I can’t sleep there.” I remembered the surveillance video where he held Sophia Lane’s waist on our custom water bed, while around her neck she wore the pearl necklace my mother had left me. The pain in my heart at that moment was enough to make me die once. Adrian Blackwood stared at me for a few seconds, then suddenly let out a scoff and released his hand. “Suit yourself. Don’t go too far. My patience is limited.” He turned and left, his back resolute. I looked at him, and the place where my heart was felt as calm as a pool of dead water. It seemed the sanatorium’s treatment really was effective, because I had already forgotten the feeling of my heart beating for him and my emotions rising and falling with him. Late at night, I had grown used to the sanatorium’s hard plank bed, and now I was no longer used to sleeping on a soft bed. During the more than three hundred days on the island, Adrian Blackwood had not called once and had not answered a single letter. When fear soaked into my bones like ice water, I cried and begged the doctors, hitting my head against the wall, only asking them to let me call him. Once, ten times, a hundred times… There was only ever a busy tone in the receiver. Later, I stopped calling. When I got better, I no longer wanted to call either.

Feeling thirsty, I got up and went downstairs to pour some water. But I saw Adrian Blackwood on the rooftop terrace, making a phone call. His voice was not loud, but I could hear him clearly. “Do you like the ring? Mm, of course it looks good on you. It’s a gift for you, so you don’t need to thank me.” After a short pause, his tone became even gentler. “Are you settling into the new apartment? If you need anything, tell me directly.” His tone was indulgent, and that tone had once belonged only to me, but now it no longer did. I held my glass of water and stood quietly downstairs, listening for a while. I found it meaningless. I had just turned around when I heard him say, “Claire? When did you come down?” He had already hung up the phone. “Just now…” He wanted to explain, but I interrupted him. “I was thirsty, so I came down for some water. Keep going, don’t mind me.” He walked toward me and reached out as if to grab me. But I had already turned around and gone upstairs one step before him. At the corner of the staircase, I saw from the corner of my eye that his gaze had been following me the whole time. The next day, when I went downstairs for breakfast, Adrian Blackwood saw me and instinctively wanted to come over and give me a good-morning kiss. That was his habit. But this time, I took a step back and avoided his lips. His smile froze on his face, but he did not say anything. Adrian Blackwood stood up, picked up his coat, and walked outside. “I need to go out for a while.” “Okay,” I replied. He reached the door, stopped, and looked at me. “You don’t want to ask anything?” I froze for a moment. Indeed, if it were the old me, I would definitely have dug to the bottom of it. I would have asked what he was going out to do, how long he would be gone, and with whom. I did not know when I had started becoming so insecure and so afraid that he would leave me. Fortunately, I would not do that now. I spoke in a calm tone. “No.” Adrian Blackwood stood in place for a few seconds, but in the end, he said nothing. After he left, I got up and went to the room to pack my luggage. There was actually not much to take. I did not want to bring the clothes I had worn during my hospitalization, because seeing those clothes would remind me of those painful memories. I put the “Recovery Diary” I had written in the sanatorium into my suitcase, then took it out again and threw it into the trash. Every page of that diary was printed with a template, and at first I filled the “triggering event” column with “Adrian Blackwood,” then it became “none,” and the last few pages were completely blank. Adrian Blackwood came back soon, and he brought his three friends with him. They discussed company matters in the billiards room. The door was not fully closed, and I could hear their conversation from the living room. “Adrian, how are things with her?” It was Ethan Hayes. Adrian Blackwood’s voice was very calm. “Not bad.” Ethan Hayes said again, “But seriously, hasn’t that little lover of yours, Sophia Lane, been a bit too flashy lately? That ring on her hand, did you really give it to her? The style is exactly the same as the one Claire picked back then. You really have guts.”

Adrian Blackwood’s voice rang out. “As long as she likes it.” Ethan Hayes said, “Aren’t you afraid the one at home will find out? You finally got her out of the sanatorium, so don’t provoke her into going back in again.” Adrian Blackwood answered, “If she knows, she knows. She’ll make a scene for a while, then behave. It’s the same routine every time, and she never gets tired of it.” Casual and matter-of-fact. The billiards room fell silent all at once. I sat on the sofa, flipping through a book, my heart calm. Ethan Hayes came out of the billiards room, walked to the sofa, sized me up, and curled his lips into a smile. “Miss Bennett, you look much better.” I did not respond. He walked over and sat beside me. “Honestly, I still remember that night last year. You look much thinner now, so I wonder if you still feel the way you did back then.” Adrian Blackwood came out last, looked at me, and said, “There’s a party tonight. Get ready. You’ll attend with me. You’re my fiancée, understand?” “What time does it end?” I asked him. He looked a little confused, as if he did not know why I was asking that question, but he still answered, “Eleven.” My flight was at one in the morning. So I nodded, which counted as agreeing. Ethan Hayes laughed. At the party, Adrian Blackwood brought me around to socialize and introduced me to others. In truth, he did not need to introduce me, because that farce back then had caused such a huge stir that everyone remembered I had once been a madwoman who slept with her fiancé’s friend and was personally sent away by her fiancé. Those people piled smiles on their faces for Adrian Blackwood, but when they looked at me, there was something else in their eyes, as if they pitied me. I smiled politely and did not care. “Adrian.” Sophia Lane’s sickly sweet voice came over. She naturally walked to Adrian Blackwood’s side, hooked her right hand around his arm, and the diamond ring on her ring finger was glaring under the lights. “Thank you.” Adrian Blackwood’s expression was normal, and he even smiled gently at her. “As long as you like it.” It was as if I did not exist at all. I felt a little nauseated, so I withdrew the hand that had been holding Adrian Blackwood’s arm. “I’m going to the restroom.” Adrian Blackwood lowered his voice by my ear. “If you really want to make a scene, wait until we get home. Don’t make trouble on this kind of occasion, understand? Come back quickly.” I hummed in agreement and looked at my pale face in the mirror, overlapping with the shadow of myself in a hospital gown at the sanatorium in my memory. I slowly pulled out a perfect smile at the mirror, then turned and left. When I came out of the restroom, I saw Ethan Hayes smoking in a corner. When he saw me, he started talking and blew out a smoke ring. “Look at you. Are you forcing yourself to hold it together? Jealous again, aren’t you? Sophia really is something. She had to wear that ring out to show off. If she provokes you into going crazy again later, she’ll be happy.”

I walked straight past him. I returned to Adrian Blackwood’s side. Adrian Blackwood looked down at me, satisfaction in his eyes. His body smelled of Sophia Lane’s perfume, and I did not know what they had done during the time I was away just now. But none of it mattered anymore. I glanced at my phone, and there was still half an hour until ten. Adrian Blackwood lowered his head and said by my ear, “The wedding will be held next month. I’ve looked at a few venues, and when we get home tonight, I’ll have my assistant send you the information so you can choose.” I looked at him. “I already said it. Forget about the wedding.” There was a hint of warning in his voice. “There should be a limit to your temper tantrums. I said the position of Mrs. Blackwood will always be yours. What else do you want from me? Do you want me to get down on my knees and beg you?” He was a little impatient and took my indifference as me making trouble. “I don’t want you to do anything,” I said. “I just won’t marry you anymore.” “Enough.” He said coldly, “Do I have to send you away again before you’ll come to your senses? Don’t be so ungrateful.” I took a deep breath. “You still think I’m throwing a tantrum, don’t you?” “What else?” He sneered. “Isn’t it just because of Sophia? How many times have you sulked at me over this already?” I wanted to say that I really did not care anymore. But before I could say it, Sophia Lane walked over again. She “accidentally” spilled wine on the front of her dress, let out a delicate cry, and fell smoothly into Adrian Blackwood’s arms as he walked over. “Adrian, I think I drank too much.” She leaned softly against Adrian Blackwood, and the hand wearing the ring wrapped tightly around Adrian Blackwood’s neck. Adrian Blackwood frowned, but he did not push her away, and instead wiped her with a handkerchief. She lifted her eyelids and glanced at me, clearly not drunk and clearly provoking me. Ethan Hayes looked toward me, as if waiting to watch a good show. Adrian Blackwood held Sophia Lane by the waist, his brows furrowed, but he did not push her away and instead glanced at me. If it were the old me, I would already have gone crazy and rushed forward to hit someone. But the current me only said calmly, “Since Miss Lane isn’t feeling well, you should take her home.” Adrian Blackwood’s expression seemed a little ugly. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but Sophia Lane interrupted him. “Adrian, take me home, okay? My head is so dizzy. I only want you to take me, just like before, okay?” Adrian Blackwood hesitated for a while, then said to me, “Go home first and wait for me. I’ll come find you right after I take her home. Don’t make trouble, be good, and wait for me to come back.” I smiled and nodded. “Okay.” Adrian Blackwood picked Sophia Lane up in his arms and left under everyone’s gaze. Ethan Hayes clapped as he walked over and sized me up from head to toe. “Damn, Miss Bennett, which sanatorium did you go to that worked so well?” “Did you really change, or are you holding back something big?” I ignored him, turned around, and walked straight outside. Ethan Hayes’s voice came from behind me. “Are you really going home obediently? Not waiting for Adrian to come back and coax you?” I did not pause, and I did not turn back. I called a car, went home first to get my luggage, and then went to the airport. I boarded the plane and switched my phone to airplane mode. I slept, and it felt like I slept for a long time. After waking up, I got off the plane. I turned off airplane mode. Almost instantly, my phone vibrated violently.

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Finn broke up with me nine times because of Nevaeh, his adopted sister. The first time we broke up, I lost my mind and threw all his luggage out the door. The third time, I begged him to leave his bags, terrified he would never come back. By the eighth time, I was packing my own things in absolute silence, asking no questions. Every single time, he would return right on schedule, and we would get back together. Until this time, when he asked for a breakup once again for Nevaeh’s sake. He said, “This is just to calm Nevaeh down. We’ll get back together in a month.” I just smiled and didn’t reply. He had no idea that this time, I had decided to leave for good. And he would never find me again. *** ### “We’ll get back together in a month.” Finn ended our relationship with practiced ease, his voice smooth and comforting. When I agreed, I felt absolutely nothing. I didn’t even have the energy to argue. “Chloe.” Finn frowned, clearly annoyed by my silence. He repeated himself. “Oh. Okay.” I stopped packing my suitcase and looked back at him with a sigh. Finn was a man of his word. Every time we broke up, he would give me an exact date for when we would get back together. He had only lied to me once. It was on the night we officially decided to be together. He held me close and whispered, “You’re the only one I’ll ever love.” Men who talk too sweet can never be trusted. He seemed surprised by how calm I was. After all, during our previous breakups, I would completely lose control, crying my eyes out in front of him. “So, I’ll pack my things and move out this time…” Finn was still trying to find the right words, but I cut him off. “No need. I’ll move out. I’ve already packed most of my things.” A look of utter shock flashed across his face. The first time we broke up, I lost my mind and threw all his luggage out of the house. The third time, I begged him to leave his bags, terrified he would never come back. By the eighth time, I was packing my own things in absolute silence, asking no questions. My meltdowns, my begging, my obedience. All of it had bought me his promise to return. Along with the inevitable breakup that followed. Three days ago, Finn had handed me a gift. It was a deep blue velvet box. Inside was a diamond key pendant necklace from Tiffany. It was incredibly expensive—his usual way of buying off his guilt. I had forced a smile, though my heart was aching. In all our years together, Finn rarely gave me sweet moments. Every sudden gesture of affection was always a warning sign of the pain about to follow. That night, unable to sleep, I heard him talking on the balcony. His voice was low, but every word was crystal clear: “…I know. I’ll talk to her tomorrow… Nevaeh, please don’t be like this. You know you’ll always be the most important person in my life.” It reminded me of a few nights ago when I went to a bar to pick him up. I overheard him talking to his friends: “…I care about Chloe, but she’s strong and independent. She understands me… Nevaeh is my only family. I can’t lose her.” His friend asked, “So you still love Nevaeh, even though you’re with Chloe?” Finn was silent for a moment before replying, “Yes. I love her.” In that single second, the suffocating pain I had carried for years suddenly vanished. It was never about his responsibility as a brother. He was just using me as a placeholder while carefully loving another woman. Shaking my head, I snapped out of the memory. Under Finn’s heavy, unreadable gaze, I finished packing my bags. As I rolled my suitcase toward the door, I was already planning my permanent escape. Behind me, Finn spoke in a formal, reminding tone. “Chloe. In one month, we get back together.” I didn’t look back. I just waved my hand to show I heard him. What a coincidence. My flight out of the country was also booked for exactly one month from now. *** ###

After moving out of Finn’s apartment, I checked into a condo my parents had left me. Just like during our previous breakups, Finn didn’t reach out to me once. I had only twenty days left before leaving the country. Today, I was meeting my best friend, Joyce, at a trendy new brunch spot downtown. She was passionately trash-talking Finn before she paused and looked at me carefully. “I saw the photos Finn and Nevaeh posted on Instagram. They’re at a winery in Napa Valley.” I remained silent. I suddenly realized that during our past breakups, I would obsessively refresh Finn and Nevaeh’s social media like a masochist. Except for this time. Seeing my silence, Joyce asked gently, “Are you guys broken up again?” In our social circle, Joyce was the only one who knew about our constant cycle of breaking up and getting back together. “Yeah. We’re done.” Joyce sighed and flooded me with comforting words. I smiled, preparing to tell her about my plans to move abroad. But before the words could leave my mouth, I spotted Finn standing near the restaurant entrance, waiting for a table. “Chloe.” He called out to me instinctively. Nevaeh was clinging to his arm, looking incredibly sweet as she greeted me. “Chloe! What a coincidence. Are you here to see Finn?” She really was beautiful. No wonder Finn could never let her go. In the past, whenever we ran into each other like this, I would glare at Nevaeh as if she were my mortal enemy. Finn shot me a intense look, instinctively stepping in front of Nevaeh to shield her. I held Joyce back before she could start a fight and smiled. “Just celebrating some good news with a nice lunch.” Joyce chimed in right on cue: “Exactly! Dumping a toxic guy and finally getting appreciated by someone who actually has good taste. I’d say that’s worth celebrating, wouldn’t you?” I gave Joyce a playful nudge, but deep down, I completely agreed. Finn opened his mouth to speak, but seeing the happy banter between Joyce and me, he remained silent. We were led to different sections of the restaurant. Joyce whispered to me that Finn, seated across the room, kept looking in our direction. I just hummed in response, assuming it was nothing but guilt. “I’m so sorry, ladies,” the waiter said apologetically as Joyce tried to order. “Our chef’s special slow-cooked lamb shank is sold out for the day.” The waiter added, “The last portion was reserved by that lady over there. She’s a regular, and Mr. Collins always makes sure we save the daily specials for her.” Right then, Nevaeh’s soft laughter drifted over. I looked over and saw her naturally cutting a small piece of steak from Finn’s plate. She smiled at him and said, “Finn, yours is cooked perfectly. It’s exactly how I like it.” I smiled, turned back, and ordered something else with Joyce. Then, I pulled the Tiffany diamond necklace Finn had given me out of my bag and handed it to Joyce. “Here, this is for you. Consider it compensation for the lamb shank you didn’t get.” Just then, Finn and Nevaeh rose to leave, walking right past our table. Finn’s eyes locked onto the sparkling diamond necklace in Joyce’s hands. Joyce hesitated, “Chloe, this is way too expensive!…” “Just take it,” I interrupted with a wink. “It’ll look perfect with that new dress of yours, don’t you think?” *** ###

With only ten days left, I handed in my resignation to my boss. After work that day, I walked back to my apartment feeling a mix of relief and nostalgia. Just as I pulled my keys out of my bag, a figure stepped out from the shadows of the stairwell. “Chloe, it’s me.” Finn looked exhausted. I immediately took a step back, maintaining my distance. “What are you doing here?” I made no effort to hide my annoyance. “How did you get in?” “Waiting for you,” Finn said shortly. “I wanted to surprise you.” I was speechless. If this were the past, coming home to find Finn waiting at my door would have been a miracle I prayed for. Now, looking at the strange, searching look in his eyes, I just felt tired. I sighed, feeling a sudden urge to just tell him the truth. But I suppressed it. I didn’t want any unnecessary drama. “You should be with Nevaeh instead of coming here. Don’t make her misunderstand.” I spoke calmly, trying to be reasonable. “Misunderstand what? We’re legally just siblings,” Finn said, ignoring the obvious reality of their dynamic. I tilted my head, looking at him, choosing not to call out his lie. “Whatever you are, I’m just the ex-girlfriend.” Even if our breakups were a joke to him, I was still the ex. Silence fell over the hallway, save for the faint hum of city traffic below. After a long pause, Finn looked up, trying to make his twisted logic sound reasonable. “I know it was wrong of me to break up with you again. But Nevaeh can’t handle you being around. I can’t trigger her. Chloe, you’re different. You’re strong. You can bounce back from anything. But she can’t. If I leave her, she’ll completely fall apart.” I turned away, feeling a sudden wave of disgust. Nevaeh couldn’t be triggered, so I deserved to be discarded nine times? With my back to him, my voice sounded muffled. “How thoughtful of you, Mr. Collins. I have nothing to say.” Finn opened his mouth to speak, but his phone started ringing. It was Nevaeh. The loud, custom ringtone sounded incredibly grating in the quiet hallway. I turned around, looked at her name flashing on the screen, and said calmly, “Go to her. We can talk about us later.” Finn looked at me, then down at his phone. Finally, he turned and walked toward the elevator. I watched his shadow disappear. Only then did I open my door, walk inside, and lock it tight. Locking away everything that had just happened, and everything from our past, behind a door he could never open again. *** ###

Time flew by. After finishing my transition at work, my departure date drew closer. Without a job and without Finn, I completely disconnected from the San Francisco social scene. My life became incredibly peaceful. Only Joyce, who knew I was leaving, would occasionally call to give me updates. She told me that after our run-in at the restaurant, Finn and Nevaeh had a massive fight, and their friends had to step in to mediate. She also mentioned that Nevaeh had publicly screamed at Finn during a dinner party, leaving him standing in the corner looking completely lost. I listened to all of it without feeling a thing. In the past, news of Finn and Nevaeh fighting was my green light to beg him for an early reconciliation. But this time, I didn’t even have the urge to look at his social media. Even when Joyce casually mentioned that Finn had been asking her about me, I didn’t care. What surprised me more was that Finn actually started calling me. I repeatedly declined his calls, a move so cold that even Joyce, who was getting a facial with me, noticed. “Is it true what they say? The more you pull away, the harder they chase?” Joyce joked, and I playfully kicked her leg. After our spa session, we sat in a café sipping tea. Joyce sighed softly. “You know, in the beginning, Finn really did treat you well.” My mind drifted back to the past. I met Finn when I was a student at Berkeley. He was eight years older than me, a rising star in the business world whom my father highly respected. When my parents moved to Europe, they asked him to look after me. Back then, the powerful Silicon Valley investor had spoiled me rotten. When I sprained my ankle during a football game, he ran down from the stands and carried me to the clinic in front of everyone. When I was crying in the library, overwhelmed by exams and worrying about my mother’s surgery, he found me and held me until I calmed down. When I bought a cheap, sketchy used car to save money and it broke down on the highway, he not only got me a full refund but made sure the shady dealer faced legal consequences. I couldn’t even point to the exact moment I fell in love with the man who protected me like a precious girl. I had openly showed him my devotion. Finn, used to pampering me, didn’t realize my feelings until I finally confessed to him. His face had turned solemn, ending in a deep sigh. “Nevaeh needs me. She can’t handle me being in a relationship.” That was the night I first learned about Nevaeh’s existence. His parents’ legally adopted daughter. The sister who “needed” him. That failed confession marked the beginning of nine years of agonizing entanglement. It wasn’t until Nevaeh went abroad for therapy that I naively confessed a second time. He answered me with a kiss, binding himself to me with a promise of a real relationship. But when Nevaeh returned and found out we were officially together, she had a complete breakdown. And Finn broke up with me for the first time. By the time the cycle of breaking up, getting back together, and breaking up again became routine, I had stopped hating Nevaeh. I started hating Finn. What did he think I was? A convenient comfort he could summon and discard whenever he pleased? If he didn’t love me, why did he keep coming back? I should have realized much earlier that our relationship was just a twisted ritual. It was his way of proving to Nevaeh, and to himself: *“I tried to love someone else, but in the end, I still belong to you.”* Snapping out of my thoughts, I cut off Joyce’s rambling. I looked down at my phone. Tomorrow, I was leaving. A sense of excitement washed over me. Let the title of “ex-girlfriend” exist for just another twenty-four hours. After that, we would be nothing but strangers. *** ###

To avoid any drama from Finn, I checked into a luxury hotel downtown for my final night. I didn’t expect Nevaeh to find me first. My phone buzzed with an incoming photo. I opened it. It was a photo of Finn and Nevaeh lying in his bed. She was wearing his button-down shirt, curled up in his chest. He was asleep, his arm naturally draped over her waist. The background was the familiar headboard of his bedroom. Then, my phone rang. Her voice was dripping with smugness. “See this, Chloe?” she said, her voice filled with triumph. “This is how we really are. You were nothing but a substitute.” I took a deep breath. After years of putting up with her games, I couldn’t believe she still thought she could hurt me with this. “Nevaeh, if you have nothing intelligent to say, keep your mouth shut.” I didn’t hold back. I was done playing the victim. “I don’t know what cheap tricks you used to get that photo, but congratulations, you win this round.” Nevaeh ignored my sarcasm, her tone suddenly dropping into frustration. “Finn broke up with you nine times just to use you as my replacement. I’m the one he loves.” My heart twinged slightly. Yes, I knew that. “But so what? Whenever I need him, he comes running back. I thought this time would be the same, but…” She paused, revealing something I had been actively trying to ignore. “But he’s been fighting with me constantly this time. He said we can’t keep doing this, that I’m just his sister. You, the little substitute, actually managed to crawl into his heart.” I didn’t buy her words, but I found it hilarious that she was actually feeling insecure. I mocked her, “So, are you scared now?” Nevaeh suddenly let out a sharp, arrogant laugh. “Scared? Chloe, are you blind? Even if he hesitates, he can never say no to me. I asked him to marry me. Want to guess if he said yes?” I sighed and hung up the phone. I always knew Nevaeh’s place in Finn’s heart. The year he carried me out of the stadium, I saw Nevaeh’s name tattooed on the inside of his wrist. The year he comforted me, he was busy texting Nevaeh to calm her down. The year he ruined that used car dealership for me, he used the family trust fund that he shared with Nevaeh. He had consumed my entire youth. But Nevaeh was a shadow he could never escape. That night, knowing Finn wouldn’t call, I still kept my eyes on my phone. I sat on the hotel sofa, staring at the screen all night. Today was supposed to be our tenth reconciliation. Instead, I was leaving. At 7:00 AM, I headed to the airport and deleted all of his social media accounts. At 8:00 AM, after passing through security, I blocked his number. At 9:00 AM, I boarded the plane. As I was deleting every photo and trace of him from my phone, including that pathetic photo from Nevaeh, my phone rang. It was Joyce. I answered. But instead of Joyce, Finn’s panicked, shaky voice came through the receiver, sounding close to tears. “Chloe, where are you?”

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My wife said she was allergic to semen, so every time we reached the final moment, she made me take care of myself. But she was willing to swallow her lovers’ stuff. In seven years of marriage, she took exactly twenty-nine lovers. The thirtieth young man sat naked in the middle of the studio while Vivian Blake focused on drawing a nude sketch of him. When I pushed the door open, the sound of charcoal scraping against paper stopped dead. “Isn’t drawing outside enough for you? You had to bring him home to draw him?” Vivian did not even lift her head as she pulled a palm-sized sticky note from beside the easel, scribbled a few strokes on it, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it at my feet. “There, I made up your drawing.” That night, the light in the studio stayed on until after midnight. Early the next morning, Vivian was furious at my indifference. But she had forgotten that we had an agreement: every time she made me angry, she had to paint a portrait of me. Once the portraits reached one hundred, we would get divorced. The sticky note she drew with an eyebrow pencil last night was the ninety-ninth.

“Ethan, go get Liam something to wear.” Vivian sat on the bed half-wrapped in a robe, lit a cigarette, and ordered me around. Clothes were scattered all over the floor, as if telling the story of how intense last night had been. I stood still and glanced at her. Liam Hayes, wrapped in the blanket, looked at me with a bright smile. “Ms. Blake, this doesn’t seem right, does it? He is Mr. Cole, after all.” He called me “Mr. Cole,” but there was not a trace of guilt in his tone, only smugness and provocation. The blanket slipped a little with his movement, revealing skin covered in red marks. “Besides, I’m afraid Mr. Cole won’t have anything that fits me!” My face was blank as I turned and walked toward the door. “Ethan! I’m talking to you!” Her voice came from behind me, carrying a hint of displeasure. I paused, but I did not look back. “If he needs clothes, he can get them himself. I have things to do.” In seven years, I had rarely gone against her. Whether she made it obvious or only hinted at it, I almost never refused anything she asked me to do. Today was the first time. “What did you say?” Vivian was clearly not used to my cold attitude, and anger crept into her voice. “You have things to do? What could you possibly have to do? You stay home every day and don’t even work for money!” “Ethan, you’d better remember this. If I hadn’t married you, how could you have ever lived like this on your own?” She was right. If I had not married her, I really would not have had this comfortable life with no worries about food or clothes. But she had forgotten that this was not the life I wanted. Back then, my family’s company had just run into trouble. Walter, the old butler who had taken care of me since I was young, told me that because the cash flow had broken, the family business was on the verge of bankruptcy. If we could not find someone to invest, the old employees who had followed us for years would have nowhere to go. It was at that moment that Vivian appeared. She gave me one condition: marry her, and she would inject capital into my family’s company. I hesitated. She saw my hesitation, tapped her brush against the easel, and added in a tone that gave me no room to refuse. “How about this? I have a bad temper, so if I make you angry in the future, I’ll paint you a portrait.” “When I’ve painted one hundred of them, our debt will be cleared.” After we got married, I never hoped for love. Sure enough, it did not take long before I discovered that she had chosen me only because I resembled someone she could not forget. The first portrait was delivered in the third month of our marriage. The technique was exquisite. Starting with the twentieth portrait, there was no frame. Starting with the fiftieth portrait, it became a sketch. Starting with the eightieth portrait, it was only a few careless strokes. The one she drew with an eyebrow pencil on a sticky note last night was the ninety-ninth. In the drawer of my study, ninety-eight portraits were stacked neatly. From serious to careless, they recorded her journey from slight guilt to complete indifference. Just then, Liam walked out of the walk-in closet wearing an off-white casual outfit. I froze for a moment. At that instant, he looked too much like that person. It seemed he had come prepared. Vivian’s gaze fixed on him. Perhaps because of that familiar shadow, she was not as casual as usual and actually stared for a second before saying, “Not bad. Keep that style.” Liam’s smile grew wider. “Really? Then Ms. Blake has to take me out later and buy me a few more outfits.” Vivian nodded. He glanced at me and deliberately asked, “Mr. Cole should come too, right?” I knew he wanted to embarrass me. “No, I have things to do.” But Vivian frowned. “You’re coming too. Don’t make me say it twice.” I knew this was not the time to clash with her head-on. I did not argue again and answered in a low voice. I would endure it one more time. Once I collected the hundredth perfunctory “portrait,” I would be free.

Vivian booked an entire floor of an art gallery. She stood beside Liam and watched him pose. In a gentle tone I had never heard from her before, she said, “That angle is good.” Liam smiled and adjusted his pose. “If Ms. Blake paints me, it’ll definitely be worth a lot.” The corner of his eye swept toward me, full of provocation. The gallery manager flattered him. “Mr. Hayes really has such artistic presence.” Vivian did not deny it. The manager looked at me. “And this gentleman is…?” Vivian seemed to have only just remembered me. “He’s with us. Ethan, take a look too.” The manager exclaimed, “You’re even this kind to your assistant. Ms. Blake, you’re so considerate.” I said nothing and continued replying to emails on my phone. I had already handled my family’s affairs. “I’ll look at that one.” I casually pointed at a landscape painting. “Then I like that one too,” Liam immediately said. I frowned. “Go look over there.” “I’m just looking.” He suddenly turned sideways, jabbed his elbow into my ribs, and tripped me with his foot. I stumbled backward and crashed into the base of a metal sculpture. The edge scraped across my arm and back, burning with pain. I also hit the glass cabinet beside it, and the replica sculptures inside shattered all over the floor. Vivian rushed over, her face dark. Liam retreated to a safe distance, covered the back of his hand that had “accidentally” brushed against some broken plaster, and frowned. “Is Mr. Cole upset? If you don’t want me to look, I won’t look. Why did you have to push me?” He held out his hand, where there was a barely visible red mark on the back. Vivian immediately held his hand, her face full of distress. “How did this happen? Does it hurt?” She glared at me. “Ethan! Are you really that petty? Was it worth it over one painting?” I braced myself against the base and tried to stand, but my wound hurt and blood was seeping out. I opened my mouth. “I didn’t. He was the one who—” “You’re still making excuses?” she cut me off, not seeing my miserable state. “It’s always like this with you!” She held Liam’s hand and comforted him softly. “Don’t be scared. I’ll take you to a doctor.” Liam leaned against her and frowned pitifully. “Will it affect my painting?” “No. I’ll take you to the best doctor.” She supported him and turned to leave. When she passed me, she did not stop, only threw me one cold sentence. “I’ll make up a drawing for you later.” Then she left without looking back. She left me behind with the mess all over the floor. The “makeup drawing” promised in the gallery should be the hundredth one.

I endured the pain and went to a private medical center. The doctor prepared to treat my wounds. “There’s debris in the wound, so we’ll need to clean it out. We’ll use some anesthetic first…” Vivian rushed in, holding the best antibiotic ointment. “Doctor, use this ointment on Liam first! His hand can’t get infected!” “But Ms. Blake, Mr. Cole’s wound is deeper…” “What does he have to be afraid of?” Vivian impatiently interrupted the doctor, only then noticing the blood on me and frowning. “Just bandage him up however you can first. Liam’s hand is the hand he uses to paint!” The doctor looked at me helplessly. I said, “Use it on him.” The doctor sighed and left with the ointment. I turned to the nurse. “Just clean it directly. No anesthetic.” The nurse froze. “But without anesthetic, it will hurt a lot…” “It’s fine.” The tweezers probed into the wound and pulled out the debris. Every time, it felt like a branding iron searing my flesh. I clenched my teeth and did not make a sound. When it was over, the nurse’s hands were shaking, and she whispered, “You… really can endure pain.” I said nothing. After my wounds were treated, I went home. The kitchen smelled of soup. The housekeeper saw me and avoided my eyes. “Sir, Ms. Blake asked me to make soup for Mr. Hayes, and I have to go over there to take care of him for the next few days.” She looked at my arm wrapped in gauze and paused. “There’s still a little left in the pot. Would you like some?” I tugged at the corner of my mouth. “No.” Even a housekeeper knew to ask. But my wife, who had shared my bed for seven years, had not even noticed how badly I was hurt. My phone vibrated. It was a confidential message from the family lawyer. “Everything is in place. Ready for handover at any time.” I replied to confirm and booked the earliest flight overseas for the next morning. No one was home. I quickly packed my luggage. Standing in the middle of the bedroom, I looked at the place where I had lived for seven years. It would be a lie to say I felt no attachment. But more than that, I felt relief. I called her one last time. It rang for a long time before she picked up, and Liam’s voice was in the background, crying out in pain. Her voice was full of impatience. “Ethan? What do you want now? Liam is still hurting!” I was silent for two seconds. “Nothing.” “Ridiculous.” She hung up. I listened to the busy tone and put down my phone. I walked to the study and opened the locked drawer. Ninety-eight “portraits” were stacked in chronological order. The one on top was the smiley face she had drawn with lipstick on a napkin three months ago. I put them into a document envelope. Then I took out the divorce agreement, signed my name, and placed it on the desk in the study. I did not leave a note. The day the hundredth painting arrived would be the day the agreement officially took effect. I dragged my suitcase out and checked into a hotel near the airport. That night was very quiet. She sent no messages and made no calls. The hundredth painting did not come either. That was fine too.

The next day, I boarded the plane and turned off my phone. As the plane shot into the clouds, something in my heart that had been pressed down for seven years collapsed with a roar. After I passed through customs, a woman in a sharp suit was waiting with a sign. “Mr. Cole, welcome. I’m Olivia Reed, your special assistant.” She took my carry-on and spoke as we walked. “The car is waiting. You have a video conference in one hour, an inspection of the tech park this afternoon, and a welcome dinner tonight.” Her professionalism and efficiency reminded me of myself seven years ago. “I didn’t expect you to be so young.” After we got into the car, she looked at me through the rearview mirror. “From your file, I thought you’d be more serious.” I smiled faintly. The car drove onto the highway. The moment my phone was turned on, it vibrated dozens of times in a row, all missed calls and messages from Vivian. I did not read them and deleted them directly. Olivia looked at me through the rearview mirror. “Do you need to handle personal matters first?” “No,” I said. “They’re not important.” My phone rang again. I picked up. “Ethan! Are you insane?! Where did you go?! Come back right now!” Vivian’s voice was shrill with rage. I said calmly, “Ms. Blake, there is nothing left to say between us.” “Nothing left to say?! You are my husband! Get back here right now!” “We haven’t reached one hundred paintings yet.” My tone had no fluctuation. “When your hundredth ‘portrait’ is delivered, the divorce agreement will officially take effect. Before that, legally, maybe I still am. But in reality, we’re even.” “Ethan, you—!” I hung up and blocked her. Olivia spoke. “Mr. Cole, your residence is a lakeside penthouse. I think you’ll like it.” I looked out the window as the setting sun dyed the clouds gold and red. “Good,” I said.

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Before the engagement dinner began, I was in the lounge tidying myself up when my fiancée’s assistant, Vincent, suddenly handed me a marriage agreement. Article One: Without Vincent’s written permission, the man may not have any physical contact with the woman. Article Two: The man and woman must live in separate rooms, and all daily communication must be relayed through Vincent. Article Three: The man must remain respectful toward Vincent on all occasions. ….. After reading more than a hundred clauses in the agreement, I forced down my anger and dialed my fiancée’s number. “Miss Young, could you explain Article Ninety-Eight to me?” “What does it mean that I, as your husband, must acknowledge that your relationship with Mr. Vincent takes priority?” 0 Today’s engagement dinner was actually an arranged marriage set up by the elders in our families. Before today, I had never even met the bride. All I knew was that her family was prominent, and that she was a wealthy heiress well known in New York society. But I never expected that the so-called family rules would be this absurd. “You’re nothing but insurance and decoration our family brought in, and Vincent is the one I truly trust, so follow the agreement exactly as it is written, understood?” Over the phone, my fiancée’s tone was full of contempt. I took a deep breath, and my voice left no room for argument. “Sorry, Miss Young, but I will not sign this marriage agreement.” The second I finished speaking, my fiancée’s furious roar came from the other end of the call. “Carter, how dare you talk to me like that?” “It is the greatest luck of your life that I would get engaged to you, and you still dare defy me?” I froze on the spot. Was this really the upbringing of a wealthy heiress? She was completely different from the gentle and refined image my grandfather had described. I was just about to continue arguing with her when the line on the other end had already gone dead. Seeing what happened, Vincent, who was standing beside me, looked at me with disdain and let out a cold laugh. “Mr. Carter, I suggest you obediently sign the agreement. I understand Miss Mandy’s thoughts better than anyone. You are an outsider, so know your place, and your life will be a little easier.” Seeing that I was young and dressed very low-key, he did not take me seriously at all, and his tone carried the superiority of a master. “Whoever wants to sign such a dignity-stripping agreement can sign it, but I definitely will not!” Although the Kosa family was low-key, we were definitely not soft targets anyone could push around. So what if she was a New York socialite? At worst, I would refuse to acknowledge this engagement today! With that, I set down my wine glass and turned to leave, only to be stopped by Vincent beside me. “The dinner is about to begin, so where exactly do you think you are going, Mr. Carter?” I clenched my fists without realizing it and stared hard at him. “My legs are on my own body, so I can go wherever I want, and what does that have to do with you?” Faced with my warning, Vincent not only failed to restrain himself, but became even more reckless as he stepped closer, lowered his voice, and spoke in a tone full of provocation. “Mr. Carter, I advise you to stay put. When it comes to Miss Mandy’s affairs, I have always had the final say. If you sign it, everyone saves face. If you do not… I am afraid you may not even have a place to stand in New York in the future.” He shoved me hard, his eyes filled with threat. Ever since I came of age and began taking part in family affairs, I had trained day and night with private instructors, and the pride carved into my bones did not allow me to compromise. Seeing him act so arrogant, the anger in my heart kept rising. “And what if I insist on leaving?” As soon as I said that, the servers and several early guests in the lounge immediately began murmuring. “Oh my God, is this guy crazy? Mr. Vincent is Miss Mandy’s most trusted person, so if he offends him, how can his life in the Young family be easy?” “He should just sign it. It is just a formality anyway. Who doesn’t know about Mr. Vincent and the young lady’s relationship? Why ask for trouble?” “Exactly. Just pretend not to know and take the benefits from the Young family. Can dignity put food on the table?” As the surrounding discussion grew louder and louder, Vincent’s expression became even smugger, as if he were the real master here. “Did you hear that? Smart people know what to do. A puppet like you, with nothing but an empty title, should be grateful that we are still leaving you some dignity, and yet you still dream of talking about pride?” Faced with everyone’s mockery, I did not care at all, and even found it a little funny. In New York, the Young family could indeed be called rich, with endless wealth to their name. But if they wanted to compare foundations with the Kosa family, that would only be a fight beyond their means. No matter how much money they had, before true power and the rules of the game, it was only a string of cold numbers. “Vincent, I will warn you one last time, move.” Perhaps he was frightened by the cold aura that suddenly burst from me, because Vincent paused for a moment, but then he showed an even more contemptuous smile. “Fine, fine, fine, kid, you… you actually dare talk to me like this. I… I will invite the young lady here right now, and we will see how long you can keep acting arrogant!” I spread my hands with an indifferent attitude. “Be my guest.” 0

Before long, the door of the lounge was pushed open. A tall young woman walked in, surrounded by a group of bodyguards, and Vincent immediately put on an attentive expression as he went up to greet her with movements that were natural and familiar. “Mandy, you’re here. This Mr. Carter has a ‘tiny’ issue with the agreement.” “You are Mandy Young, my fiancée?” I carefully looked over the woman in front of me, and I had to admit that she was indeed beautiful. She was nearly five-foot-seven, and her luxurious gown wrapped perfectly around her flawless figure. If I had to find one flaw, it could only be that her gaze toward me was too cold, while when she exchanged glances with Vincent, there was a faint intimacy that was hard to notice. “Miss Young, since this is our first meeting, please allow me to briefly introduce myself.” “My last name is Carter, and my first name is Ash, and I am from the Ko—” “No need!” Before I could finish speaking, Mandy impatiently raised a hand to cut me off while naturally accepting the wine glass Vincent handed her. “I have absolutely no interest in who you are. You only need to remember that once you are in the Young family, you will follow Vincent’s arrangements in everything.” I had wanted to state my background so that she would restrain herself a little, but I never expected this arrogant young lady to refuse to even let me finish speaking. From her eyes and her tacit interactions with Vincent, it was not hard to see that her heart already belonged to someone else, and I was nothing more than an inconvenient symbol in this arranged marriage. “Miss Young, although you and I have never met, and this engagement was our parents’ idea.” “But you will not even let me finish speaking, and isn’t that a little too disrespectful?” As soon as I said that, my fiancée’s expression changed at once, as if she had heard some kind of joke. “Respect?” “Carter, you need to understand your own position. Respect is for useful people, not for a… ‘decoration’ like you.” My fiancée gave me a contemptuous glance and let out a cold snort. “I can tell you clearly that if my father had not insisted on forcing me to get engaged to you, I would not even bother to glance at some random man like you who came out of nowhere!” At the end, she suddenly raised her voice, as if she were saying it for Vincent beside her to hear. “And after you sign the agreement, you may be my husband in name, but in reality, stay away from me. Vincent is enough to worry about my affairs.” I stared hard at her, then swept a glance at Vincent, whose lips held a smile, and my tone carried not a trace of emotion. “Since Miss Young is so unwilling to get engaged to me, why make yourself suffer?” As I spoke, my tone suddenly changed. “Why don’t… we cancel the engagement, which would be good for you, for me, and for your… ‘capable assistant.’” I had wanted to resolve this peacefully, but the self-righteous woman in front of me could not listen at all and instead thought I was mocking her. “You useless loser, stop playing games with me!” “Do you know how many men in New York are lining up to marry me?” Instead of getting angry, I laughed. “Miss Young, I do not care what other people think. I simply feel that since you two are in love, why should I step in and make myself a nuisance?” “As for Mr. Young, I will personally explain everything clearly to him, so you do not need to worry about that.” After several exchanges, the entire lounge immediately erupted into an uproar. “My God, is this guy stupid? He actually offered to call off the engagement? Isn’t he pushing away wealth and glory that were already in his hands?” “Exactly. Miss Young is the goddess in the hearts of so many men in New York, and this idiot has no idea how lucky he is.” “If it were me, I would probably wake up laughing from my dreams if I could get engaged to the Young family’s heiress.” The doubts around me kept coming, but I did not care at all. In families like ours, marriage was never only about matching status, and loyalty and dignity mattered even more. It was obvious that this wealthy heiress, whose relationship with her assistant was murky and ambiguous, was not only not my type, but was also trampling on the dignity of both families. Even now, I still remembered the way Mandy’s father, Michael Young, the CEO of Young Enterprises, had treated my grandfather with deep respect. During a meeting that lasted less than half an hour, sweat had been beading on Michael Young’s forehead the entire time, as if he were afraid of saying a single wrong word. I guessed he still did not know that the protection he had begged so hard for, as well as his family’s dignity, were being trampled underfoot by his daughter and this ill-intentioned assistant. “Carter! I will ask you one last time, are you truly going to break off the engagement with me?” I slowly raised my head and met her eyes, my gaze firmer than ever before. “Without question. I will accept neither this engagement nor this ridiculous agreement.” 0

The scene was terrifyingly quiet. Mandy probably never imagined in her dreams that I would give up so decisively, and her face flushed bright red, mostly from the anger of being unable to save face. Just when she did not know how to end the situation, Vincent beside her gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders and comforted her softly. “Sweetheart, do not be angry because of someone like him. It is perfect if he leaves, because we will never need this eyesore of a cover between us again.” My fiancée leaned into his arms and nodded, but there was still some worry in her eyes. “But Vincent… the invitations have already been sent out, and with so many guests watching, where will I put my face if we suddenly announce that the engagement is canceled? Where will the Young family put its face?” Vincent glanced at me with ill intent, then lowered his head and spoke to Mandy in a gentle but clear voice loud enough for the people around us to hear. “Babe, what is there to be afraid of? As long as you insist on choosing me, Mr. Young will understand in the end. We have been together for so long, and how much have I done for you and for the Young family? How could a fiancé with nothing but an empty title compare to someone as caring, attentive, and capable as me?” He extended a few fingers, not to show any money trail, but as a gesture of comfort and promise. “Besides, haven’t I been the one helping your father handle several of the Young family’s recent major deals? What I can give the Young family is far more than this kid ever could. In the future, we can be together openly, and the Young family will be better off too.” Mandy lifted her head and looked at Vincent, her eyes showing dependence and love. “You’re right… Vincent, you are still the one who understands me. Then you… are you really willing to stay with me forever and help my dad manage the family business?” Vincent looked at her affectionately and vowed with certainty. “Of course! Everything I have is yours. My heart and my body have belonged to you for a long time. Your family business is naturally our future too.” Seeing this scene in front of me, I finally understood completely. It turned out that this absurd agreement was a shackle this man and woman had created in order to completely exclude me and allow Vincent, this so-called “insider,” to permanently control the situation. He wanted not only the woman, but also to use this relationship to gradually control the Young family’s business. It was just a pity for the Young family’s heiress, who was so blinded by love that she had no idea where she was being led. “That is enough.” “Miss Young, although I have already broken off the engagement with you, isn’t this impatient display from you and your ‘capable assistant’ a little too ugly?” As I spoke, I raised a hand and pointed at Vincent, who was holding her tightly. “Right now, I only want to know one thing: which one of you came up with this agreement that treats me as invisible and even requires me to remain respectful toward your assistant?” Based on what I knew of Mandy, although she was arrogant and domineering, her brain might not have been capable of drafting such detailed and controlling clauses. In this, Vincent had “contributed greatly.” However, her expression at this moment just happened to confirm the guess in my heart, because the way she looked at Vincent was full of complete trust and reliance. “What does it matter whose idea it was? This was a joint decision made by me and Vincent! You are an outsider, so what right do you have to question it?” “You need to keep your word. Didn’t you just say you wanted to cancel the engagement? Now you are asking questions left and right, so are you trying to go back on it?” I raised an eyebrow lightly and let out a cold laugh. “Go back on it? You think far too highly of yourselves.” “I just wonder what your father would think, Miss Young, if he knew that his capable assistant was planning how to sideline his future son-in-law and even further control his family business.” Halfway through, I turned my head and looked at Vincent beside her. “Or, Mr. Vincent, does Mr. Young know about this affectionate performance and long-term plan of yours?” For Mr. Young’s sake, I had wanted to wake up this foolish woman, but who knew she would not appreciate it at all and would instead act like a cat whose tail had been stepped on? “Carter, I am warning you, stop trying to drive a wedge between us!” “Vincent is loyal to me and to our Young family! Weren’t you the one who swore you wanted to cut ties with me just now? What, now that you see Vincent treating me well, you are jealous? Regretful?” After hearing those words from her, the last shred of pity in my heart disappeared. The Young family had at least been a powerful force in the business world for so many years, so how had they produced such an idiot who was being played in the palm of her lover’s hand? “Kid, did you hear that? You are not welcome here, and Mandy does not need a fiancé like you. If you know what is good for you, hurry up and get lost!” Vincent stared at me with a provocative expression, his arm tightening around Mandy as he declared his ownership. I merely smiled faintly, my gaze sweeping toward the door. “It is still uncertain who should get lost.” “But before I invite the two of you out of my sight, I would like to see what you, Vincent… actually amount to without the status of the Young family’s future son-in-law.” As soon as I finished speaking, the door to the lounge was pushed open, and it was not someone Vincent had arranged, but Michael Young’s butler, who glanced inside nervously before bowing and stepping aside. Michael Young himself was standing at the door with a livid face. 0

“Sir!” The butler reminded him in a low voice. Michael Young ignored everyone else, his gaze first pausing briefly on me as he nodded slightly in acknowledgment, then locking fiercely onto Vincent, who was still holding his daughter, with fire almost shooting from his eyes. When Vincent saw Michael Young, he instinctively released the arm wrapped around Mandy, but there was not much fear on his face, and instead, he carried a hidden, almost provocative smugness as he nodded at Michael Young. “Mr. Young, you’re here. Perfect timing, Miss Mandy and Mr. Carter have a small misunderstanding between them, and we need you to make the decision.” Michael Young jogged all the way over to me, then bowed slightly. “I am sorry, Mr. Carter, I am late. What… is going on here?” I raised my hand in a slight supporting gesture, my tone calm. “Mr. Young, you came at just the right time. Half an hour ago, I just broke off the engagement with your daughter. The reason is that she and your assistant, Mr. Vincent, jointly drafted a ‘marriage agreement,’ and I find it unacceptable.” Before Michael Young could even digest those words, Mandy beside him violently shook off Vincent’s hand as he tried to comfort her and shrieked. “Dad! Don’t listen to his nonsense! This kid doesn’t know what’s good for him, and I asked him to sign the agreement for everyone’s sake, but he actually dared call off the engagement with me! He even slandered Vincent!” I looked up at her and spoke coldly. “Miss Young, slander? Do I need to read Article Ninety-Eight aloud in front of Mr. Young? ‘The husband must acknowledge that the wife’s relationship with Mr. Vincent takes priority’—is this the kind of clause a ‘loyal’ assistant should write in, or is it a power claim from an ambitious lover?” Michael Young’s face instantly turned deathly pale, and he suddenly turned to look at Vincent, his voice trembling with anger. “Vincent! That agreement… you drafted it? And this clause… you and my daughter…” Vincent stepped forward and actually managed to remain calm. “Mr. Young, please listen to my explanation. This agreement… is for Miss Mandy’s good, and also for the stability of the Young family. Mr. Carter is an outsider after all, so setting some rules in advance avoids trouble later. Miss Mandy and I… we truly love each other. I can take better care of her, and I can also better assist you in managing the Young family.” “Truly love each other? Assist me?” Michael Young shook all over with rage. “So the two of you joined hands to draft this humiliating agreement and drive away the honored guest I worked so hard to invite? Vincent, I treated you well, and you actually dared… actually dared covet my daughter and interfere in the Young family’s marriage arrangements!” Seeing this, Mandy hurriedly stood in front of Vincent to protect him. “Dad! Why are you yelling at Vincent! I asked him to draft it! I am the one who likes him! What is so good about that Carter guy? He is some poor kid from who knows where, and in what way is he more thoughtful or capable than Vincent?” “You… shut up!” Michael Young pointed at his daughter, his fingers trembling. “You idiot! Do you know who he is?!” “I don’t care who he is!” Mandy stiffened her neck. “In any case, I want to be with Vincent! This engagement must be canceled today!” Vincent also seized the chance to put on a helpless yet affectionate expression. “Mr. Young, I know my status is low and that I am not worthy of Miss Mandy. But my feelings for Mandy are real, and my loyalty to the Young family is also real. As long as you agree, I will definitely…” “Enough!” I finally spoke and interrupted his clumsy performance. I looked at Michael Young, who was so angry he was about to faint, and my tone was icy. “Mr. Young, it seems your daughter and your capable assistant have already made a ‘thorough’ plan for your family business and future. Since that is the case, I will not disturb you further. The engagement is canceled, and from now on, our two families are even.” With that, I turned to leave. “Mr. Carter! Please wait!” Michael Young hurriedly shouted, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. He knew better than anyone what offending the Kosa family meant. That was not business damage. That was destruction. “Wait? What else is there to say?” I stopped, but did not turn back. “Does Mr. Young also think that agreement was fair and reasonable? Or do you also think your assistant is more suited than me to become your son-in-law and take charge of your future family business?” “No! That is not it! Mr. Carter, this is all a misunderstanding! My daughter is ignorant and was deceived by a villain!” Michael Young was so anxious that his voice changed pitch, and he glared fiercely at Vincent. “You traitor! Get out! From this moment on, you are fired! Get out of the Young family!” The calm on Vincent’s face finally cracked, and he had not expected Michael Young to show him so little mercy. But he still forced himself to hold on, because he knew he controlled many of the Young family’s internal affairs and secrets, and that was his final bargaining chip. “Mr. Young, you cannot do this! I have made great contributions to the Young family! I know a lot about the Young family’s…” He did not finish his sentence, but the threat in his words was already obvious. Mandy also screamed. “Dad! You cannot drive Vincent away! Without him, there are many deals you cannot handle! If you drive him away, I will leave with him!” The scene completely spun out of control, and an ugly family farce was displayed vividly in front of all the guests.

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