Author: Momo Chan

In my past life, my girlfriend’s first love, Derek Shaw, pretended to be rich. After I exposed him, he furiously drove his car straight at me. As I lay dying, my girlfriend’s sister knelt and begged my girlfriend to save me, but my girlfriend remained unmoved. “Ethan was the one who spread lies first! He should pay the price.” My girlfriend’s sister knelt for three days and three nights, until Derek finally dragged her away and tortured her to death. After being reborn, I am done being my girlfriend’s lapdog. After learning that Derek was impersonating a wealthy person, I immediately called my brother Alex. “Someone is impersonating me out there. Find someone to deal with him.” “Also, I want to change the arranged marriage partner from Lucy Anderson to her sister.” All these years I have poured massive resources into the Anderson family, but all I have raised are ungrateful wolves. I want to see how Lucy and her first love will act arrogant without me! “Ethan! You embarrassed me in front of everyone tonight. You’re going to regret this. Did you think you could expose me and get away with it? Did you ever see this coming?” “You’re just a nobody. Lucy doesn’t even care about you. Even if I run you over right here and leave you in the dirt, she’ll still protect me. You know it, don’t you?” Derek’s all too familiar words hit my ears. Before I could move, the blinding headlights were already upon me. I heard the engine roar, felt the crushing weight, and a sharp, white hot pain exploded through my body. That’s when I realized I’d been reborn. Reborn to the moment when Derek deliberately ran me over with his car. My shattered phone beside me had somehow dialed my girlfriend Lucy Anderson’s number. Her voice came through, cold with disgust. “Ethan, stop calling me. I know you’re just jealous of my relationship with Derek, so you’re making up reasons to drive us apart.” “Derek would never drive a car into you. That car costs tens of millions-it’s not worth totaling it just to hit you. No matter what you say this time, I won’t believe you anymore!” After she finished, she went silent, as if waiting for my response. But I didn’t explain or beg for help like I did in my past life, trying to make her believe Derek’s true nature. Instead, after watching Derek drive away, I struggled to reach out and hang up, using the phone’s last bit of battery to make another call. After it connected, I endured the pain throughout my body and said, “Alex, save me.” My ears were ringing. I couldn’t hear what he said in response, but I was certain Alex would come. I’m Alex’s most beloved brother, and one of the future heirs of the Yates family. The family’s protection of me is strict. Hiding my identity these years to date Lucy was already the limit of what they could tolerate. If they found out someone dared to hurt me, they would definitely torture that person until death seemed like mercy, making them pay back a hundred or thousand fold. I was dragging my body toward the edge of the road when I noticed Derek suddenly driving back. The car window rolled down. He stared at me with dark, sinister eyes. “Lucy said you’re not dead. Turns out it’s true.” My heart sank. If he hit me again, I really wouldn’t survive. Just as he was about to floor the gas pedal, at the moment of despair, A red car charged out from another direction and slammed hard into Derek’s Maybach. A woman got out of the car and ran toward me, calling anxiously, “Ethan, are you okay!” It was actually Lucy’s sister, Grace Anderson. Remembering how in my past life she begged people desperately to save me, and was humiliated to death by Derek at my hospital bedside, my heart filled with mixed emotions-mostly guilt and gratitude. I resolved that in this life, I would protect her and never let her get hurt again. Before I could think about why she appeared here, I pushed her away. “Don’t worry about me, just go!” But it was too late. Grace was suddenly grabbed by the hair from behind by Derek and yanked backward. Without even letting her speak, Derek kicked her directly. “Filthy bitch, where did you come from?” “Do you know who I am? How dare you get in my way! Do you have a death wish?!” Grace was kicked hard in the stomach, breaking into an instant cold sweat from the pain. Yet she mustered all her strength to bite down on his hand. Derek hissed, snatching up a rock to smash down on her. Watching Grace get beaten bloody, my heart tore. I shouted, “Stop! She’s Lucy’s sister! Don’t you think Lucy will make you pay for this?”

Derek paused, but seeing her face, he smiled wickedly. He actually slapped her to the ground, then started removing his belt. “So what if she’s Lucy’s sister? She should be grateful I’ve taken an interest in her.” “Besides, the Anderson family owes everything they have today to me. If I insist this woman is your doing, who do you think Lucy will believe-you or me? She’ll kill you herself, and this will have nothing to do with me!” My heart raced with anxiety, but with both my legs crushed, I couldn’t move. I could only reveal my true identity. “Enough! I’m the real heir to the Yates family. She’s under my protection. If you dare hurt her, I’ll use every connection my family has to make your life a living hell!” Derek laughed heartily. “Your lies sound pretty convincing, but Alex has already personally acknowledged me as his brother! How dare you try to impersonate me?” I was shocked, having no knowledge of this matter. My parents were devoted to each other and had no other illegitimate children. My brother Alex had personally promised he would only acknowledge me as his brother in this lifetime. Where did this imposter come from? Before I could figure it out, Derek’s face turned sinister as he approached me and raised his foot to kick me down. Beyond the wilderness road was a river. If I rolled down, I’d surely die. Just as I struggled to prop myself up to try to save myself, Grace lunged at him from behind, gripping Derek’s leg tightly. “Ethan, run! I’ll hold him off!” She bit down hard on Derek. This completely enraged him, and he was about to attack both of us when the sound of a helicopter tore through the sky. The Yates family had arrived! The secretary rushed down from the helicopter and rescued Grace and me. Derek was knocked unconscious and dragged away. Grace fainted from the shock. I hurriedly had people take her to the hospital for treatment, while I only had my fractured bones briefly stabilized. I sat outside the emergency room waiting for ages, until Grace was safely sent to a ward. Only then did my anxious heart settle. I immediately called Alex to let him know I was safe. Learning I was injured, Alex slammed his desk in fury. “Who did this to you? If I didn’t have urgent matters to handle, I would have flown there with the secretary myself to break his limbs and make him wish he were dead!” I didn’t want him to make a big scene out of this. I just said, “Alex, about the arranged marriage with the Anderson family next month-I want to change the person.” Alex was surprised. “You’re not marrying Lucy anymore? You’ve devoted yourself to her for three years. I thought you’d marry no one but her.” “Yeah, I don’t want that woman anymore. I want Grace.” “Also, all the resources I’ve invested in Lucy over these years-I want them all back!” I treated Lucy like the love of my life, but she treated me like a lapdog, letting her friends humiliate me. Whether in my past life or this one, she firmly protected that Derek. I’m completely disappointed in her. Alex’s voice was low. “I understand. We’ll do as you say.” “I have matters to attend to, so I’m recalling the secretary. I’ll leave bodyguards to protect you. Rest and recover well at the hospital.” “Also, don’t think you can hide your injuries from me. I’ll have people investigate thoroughly. For every finger someone hurts you with, I’ll chop off ten of theirs!” Before I could respond, he hung up. I’d wanted to ask about Derek, but it seemed I’d have to wait until next time. I turned to head to the ward to check on Grace when I heard hurried footsteps in the hallway. Looking up, I saw Lucy’s furious face. She raised her hand and gave me a resounding slap, saying furiously, “Ethan, have you lost your mind? You actually hired people to bully Derek. He’s the heir to the Yates family. Haven’t you heard how protective his brother is? You’re not far from death!” My face was slapped to the side, but I smiled mockingly. “He’s from the Yates family? Then why is his last name Shaw?” Lucy said, “What do you know? He’s the late-born son of the parents, the Yates family’s key protected person. What’s strange about having him hide his identity and keep a low profile for safety?” “I’ve been friends with him since childhood. I only just learned of his identity, so how would you know, you country bumpkin social climber?” At that moment, I saw Derek-who had originally been locked in a warehouse and beaten black and blue by people the secretary had found-actually following behind the head of the bodyguard team. Lucy looked at me with glee, thinking I was finished. I was puzzled about why he had been released when I saw the head bodyguard walking straight toward me. I thought he was going to stand in front of me to protect me, but he suddenly grabbed the baton from his waist and struck me viciously. “Who do you think you are, bullying someone under my family’s protection? You must be tired of living. I’ll teach you a lesson right now!” I was hit so hard that my forehead bled. My vision turned red, my head buzzed, and I nearly passed out. But his eyes as he looked at me were actually bloodshot, as if he were truly protecting his master behind him. I was utterly shocked. “Have you lost your mind? Don’t you recognize me? I am the heir to this family!”

But he spat viciously. “I think you’re the one on drugs! I’ve worked for the Yates for nearly ten years. I only know Mr. Derek. Who the hell are you to impersonate him?” Only then did Derek emerge from behind the bodyguard, staring at me coldly. I felt like he was looking at me like meat on a chopping board. He turned to Lucy and said, “Lucy, what do you think we should do about this? Tonight I just wanted to have a quiet drink with friends, but your boyfriend embarrassed me in front of everyone, saying I was impersonating the heir to the Yates family.” “Our family has always kept a low profile, so I held back again and again, even having someone politely escort him away in a luxury car.” “But he accused me of running him over with my car! Ruining my family’s reputation-how should we settle this account?” Everything he said twisted the facts, utterly absurd. But Lucy’s face went pale. She immediately grabbed my collar and yanked me off the wheelchair. Then she kicked my knee, making me fall heavily to my knees. She ordered people to press my head down and bang it against the floor. “Ethan, I never thought you were this kind of person. Apologize to Derek now! Keep kowtowing until he’s willing to forgive you!” I trembled with anger, struggling to get up. Alex always told me that unless it was for the person I loved, I shouldn’t kneel to anyone. From birth until now, I’d only knelt to my parents. This was a complete humiliation of my dignity! Seeing this, Lucy sneered and spoke arrogantly. “You still refuse? Let me tell you some inside information-the Yates family is going to have an arranged marriage with the Anderson family, and the marriage partner is me.” “People of our class could never be with a poor boy like you. Give up any thoughts of social climbing. Apologize to Derek now, and maybe for old times’ sake, I’ll ask him to spare your life!” My forehead veins bulged as I laughed mockingly. “Lucy, the Yates family won’t marry you under any circumstances. You’d better prepare to be kicked out of the Anderson family!” This seemed to ignite Lucy’s fury. She casually smashed a nearby vase and raised a sharp shard, about to stab it into my thigh. “Lowlife! How dare you talk to me like that?” “If you insist on being stubborn, I don’t mind completely crippling you. Let’s see if you can still be so arrogant!” I was held down, unable to move, and could only close my eyes in despair. But the expected pain didn’t come. When I opened my eyes, I found that Grace, who had appeared at some point, was shielding me. Her hospital gown was stained red with blood in large patches, but she still stood in front of me, opening her mouth weakly. “Don’t believe Derek’s words. He’s just an immoral thug and scoundrel! He’s not any heir to the Yates family at all.” “And if you want to hurt Ethan, you’ll have to kill me first!” Lucy looked in shock at the crisscrossing old and new wounds on Grace’s body, about to ask. But Derek reacted faster and spoke first. He hid the panic on his face, grabbed Grace, and slapped her, scolding her. “Shameless bitch! Still here spreading your poisonous lies?” “You think I don’t know? You threw yourself at my brother, and when he rejected you, you got so humiliated you decided to destroy us! You and Lucy are sisters-why are you so jealous she’s marrying into my family? Showing up here with Ethan, this pathetic nobody…Your game is too obvious!” Grace was slapped so hard she fell to the ground, blood spraying from her mouth. Her face went ghostly pale, and she could barely hold herself up. The bodyguard smiled wickedly and directly dragged her to a room on the side. My heart raced with anxiety as I tried to stop him, but Lucy suddenly raised the vase and smashed me to the ground. She said furiously, “No wonder, in the past life too… you two are definitely conspiring to deceive me!” I was shocked, suddenly realizing Lucy had also been reborn. No wonder in this life, even though I clearly hadn’t called her for help, she immediately insisted I was lying from the start on the phone! But as large amounts of blood flowed from my body, my head became dizzy and I couldn’t speak. I could only lie on the ground making weak struggling movements. Lucy took a deep breath and firmly gripped my hand. “Do you know the consequences of harming the heir to the Yates family?” “When he was born, a kidnapper tried to take him. The Yates family didn’t flinch. By that same afternoon, the thief’s limbs were shattered, his body was carved into eight pieces, and he was left in the wilderness to rot.” “In school, a classmate planted tacks in his path. The next day, that student’s legs were beaten into compound fractures.” “At university, a gold digger tried to play him but was caught cheating. She disappeared without a trace.” “So before you wish for the family’s full attention, you should be thanking me for my mercy.” With that, she picked up a sharp scalpel and stabbed it directly into my wrist, twisting it. I trembled with pain, gritting my teeth and saying with difficulty, “If my family finds out you’re treating me like this, you’ll be the first to die!” Derek sneered and then raised his foot to kick me hard in the stomach. “Ethan, you’re about to die and still daydreaming. You’d better worry about leaving here alive first! Today I’ll teach you the lesson your parents failed to teach you!” They took turns. One slashed the tendons in my hands, while the other rained punches and kicks down on me. Excruciating pain erupted from everywhere. I tried desperately to crawl back. But the head bodyguard pinned me down, his face twisted with viciousness as he slapped me and spat. “Still trying to run? For every hurt you caused Mr. Derek, I’ll pay you back tenfold. Now lie there and take your beating!” I was completely immobilized, unable to move an inch. I could only shut my eyes in utter helplessness and endure, silently waiting for my life to fade. Just as despair was about to swallow me whole, the hospital door crashed open. Alex burst in with a group of men. “What is the meaning of this?” he roared Then, his gaze landed on me.

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After New Year’s, my wife had her assistant, Marcus Smith, host the company’s celebration banquet. At the meeting, Marcus handed out bonuses to every employee—except me. Just as I was about to step forward and demand an explanation, he publicly mocked me: “Quinn Foster, you’ve contributed absolutely nothing to this company. How do you still have the nerve to stand here begging like this?!” I gave him a slight smile, tore off my employee badge on the spot, and ground it under my foot. As I turned to storm out, Marcus called after me: “You can leave, but you need to leave the company uniform behind! Take it off right now!” I froze. Did he really not know that I was the company’s actual owner? At that moment, everyone in the room was staring at me. I dialed several times before the call finally connected. Then Vivian Caldwell’s impatient voice came through the phone: “Quinn, what are you freaking out about now?” “This meeting is critical for the company. Can’t you wait until I get back?” I glanced at Marcus from the corner of my eye and said firmly: “No!” The next second, Vivian started cursing at me through the phone. “Yes! I told Marcus to fire you. Are you satisfied now?!” I paused for a moment before speaking again. “Give me a reason.” Vivian let out a scornful laugh and said coldly: “A reason? I’m the chairman of Caldwell Group. Do I need a reason to fire someone?” “You’ve held the title of Sales Manager for three whole years without a single shred of performance. How do you still have the nerve to ask me why?!” By the end, even though I’d turned the phone volume to its lowest setting, Vivian’s voice still echoed throughout the entire conference hall. “Quinn, listen carefully! My Caldwell Group doesn’t support deadweight!” After that final statement, she hung up directly. The room fell dead silent. “Everyone just heard that, right? Even Vivian herself called Quinn deadweight. Why keep someone like that around?” Marcus stood on stage, looking at me triumphantly. “I suggest you pack up your things and go home to sleep.” Halfway through his sentence, he suddenly smiled at me. “If you’re going to live off someone, you should at least act the part. Don’t you think I’m right, Mr. Foster?” I looked at him expressionlessly and let out a cold laugh. “So what Assistant Marcus is saying is that I’m completely unnecessary at this company?” Seeing me deliberately walk into his trap, Marcus’s face lit up with glee. “Well, what else?” “During work hours, you’re either on your phone or playing games. You know absolutely nothing about the business. If it weren’t for your relationship with Vivian, you would’ve been fired ages ago.” “Keeping deadweight like you at the company is just a waste of resources.” I held up my index finger and shook it gently. “No, no, no. I think everything Marcus said before was correct, but there’s one thing I disagree with.” Marcus looked somewhat surprised at my confident tone. “What don’t you agree with?” “You don’t actually think Caldwell Group can survive without you, do you?” I gave him a slight smile, then nodded emphatically. “You’re absolutely right.” “If I leave the company, Caldwell Group will collapse immediately.” As soon as I finished speaking, the previously silent conference hall erupted. “Oh my God, this guy is so full of himself. Caldwell is a publicly listed company, one of the top 500 nationwide. How could it possibly collapse because of one little manager?” “Exactly! This guy just relies on being the chairman’s husband. He’s been lazy for years, doing no work but taking a salary for three whole years.” “He’s so disgusting. How can people like this even exist? Pretty boy, freeloader—just go die already!” The cursing around me grew louder and louder, but I didn’t care at all. Because every single word I said was the truth. The reason Caldwell Group went from a tiny company with just a few people three years ago to a publicly listed corporation with over ten thousand employees today was entirely because of me—or rather, because of the power behind me. It had absolutely nothing to do with the Vivian they kept talking about. Back then, Caldwell Group’s founder, Gregory Caldwell, traveled all the way from Boston to New York just to beg me to marry his granddaughter. And he was holding a marriage contract. It did indeed bear my grandfather’s personal signature. I was young back then and didn’t understand what love was. I just figured that since my grandfather had arranged it this way, he must have had his reasons. But I never imagined that after single-handedly building Caldwell Group into what it is today, they would turn around and call me deadweight. At that thought, my anger surged. Right then and there, I decided to confront Gregory Caldwell face-to-face and ask him clearly whether the Caldwell family was planning to turn their backs on me. If he continued to let Vivian serve as chairman, I wouldn’t mind sending the Caldwell family right back to where they were three years ago. “Wait!” Just as I turned to leave, Marcus’s voice called out. “You’re just going to leave like that?” I slowly turned back around and looked toward the stage. “What? Is Marcus planning to invite me to stay for dinner?” Marcus stared at me with a wicked grin for a long moment before speaking. “Before you go, you need to leave the company’s property behind.” I narrowed my eyes and met his gaze directly. “I already gave you my badge. What else could there be?” Marcus let out a scornful laugh, then raised the microphone in his hand. “Take off that company uniform you’re wearing!”

As soon as he said that, the entire conference hall erupted again. The vast majority of employees looked at me with schadenfreude. Only a few people I was close with gave me sympathetic glances. When the wall falls, everyone pushes. When I was still a manager, they all kissed up to me. Now that I’d been fired, not a single person stood up to speak for me. Was this the quality of employees at a publicly listed company? In my opinion, three years was too short a time for the company to grow this large. It happened too fast for the Caldwell family. Seeing that I wasn’t responding, Marcus’s tone became impatient. “Hey, I’m talking to you. Are you pretending not to hear me?” I smiled slightly and looked at him calmly. “What if I don’t take it off?” “In all my years, you’re the first person who’s dared to threaten me to my face. I wonder who gave you the guts.” Marcus raised his eyebrows, his eyes full of contempt, as if he didn’t take me seriously at all. “Quinn, even your wife doesn’t want you anymore. What right do you have to act tough in front of me?” Hearing his words, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “Who told you I need to rely on Vivian?” As soon as I finished speaking, several employees close to Marcus started bombarding me. “Oh wow, look who’s talking. Turns out it’s just the dog Vivian keeps.” “Exactly! I thought you had some impressive background. Turns out you’re just a freeloader, a pretty boy.” “If Vivian finds out about this, you’ll probably be kneeling on a washboard all night.” They talked and laughed, looking very excited. I quietly noted down all their names. “If I’m not mistaken, you few are with Marcus, right?” As an excellent businessman, sharp observation is a basic skill. From the very start of the meeting, these people had been exchanging glances with Marcus. The red envelopes they received were noticeably larger than others—some could barely fit in their pockets. Company policy clearly stated that the annual bonuses were the same amount for everyone, regardless of rank or position. But these few were obviously different from the other employees. Marcus must have done something behind the scenes. Poor Vivian, so foolishly entrusting such an important task to him. Even I, the actual owner behind the scenes, couldn’t stand watching this. “You’re talking nonsense! We have no relationship with Marcus whatsoever.” “That’s right. We’re just speaking up because we can’t stand you hogging company resources.” “You’re just a freeloader. What right do you have to question us?” I struggled to stay calm and glared hard at them. “I admit I’m better looking than all of you, and younger too, but…” Halfway through, I suddenly raised my voice, and my gaze turned sharp! “I personally hate being called a pretty boy. I hope you won’t use that term again.” “Otherwise, I’ll get angry. And the consequences will be severe.” The sudden intensity I displayed scared those lackeys badly. They couldn’t squeeze out a single word for ages. Seeing someone bullying his subordinates, Marcus’s expression immediately changed. “You little punk, I guess I’ve been too nice to you.” “You’re just some unemployed nobody who got fired from the company, and you dare lecture my employees in front of me?” “Let me tell you, today I’m not only firing you—I’m going to make you streak out of here!”

Hearing Marcus’s words, I almost couldn’t hold back my laughter. It seemed Boston’s business world was definitely more entertaining than New York’s. At least here I could watch clowns perform. “Marcus, can your words represent the company?” I looked at him calmly, though I was actually quite excited inside. As soon as I finished speaking, Marcus waved his hand dramatically: “Of course!” “Quinn, let me tell you straight—Vivian is about to divorce you.” “She never liked you from the beginning.” I smiled slightly, my face showing no trace of panic. “Oh? Really? Did Vivian actually tell you that?” Marcus nodded instinctively, his eyes full of contempt. “What else? You don’t actually think the chairman of a publicly listed company would like a useless person like you, do you?” “If it weren’t for the old chairman’s sake, you should’ve been kicked out long ago.” So I was right. The Caldwell family thought their wings were strong enough now and wanted to fly solo. But they obviously picked the wrong target. This trick of discarding someone after using them wouldn’t work on me at all. If I could make the Caldwell family the top of Boston’s four great families in such a short time, I could naturally pull them down from that pedestal and leave them with nothing. For me, it was just a matter of one phone call. But suddenly I changed my mind. This game of cat and mouse had to be played to the very end to be interesting. After all, the main character hadn’t even appeared yet. How could it end so quickly? Marcus still didn’t know what I was planning. Seeing me standing motionless, he thought I’d chickened out and became even more brazen. “Hey, Quinn, everyone’s waiting. Are you going to strip or not?” “If you don’t do it yourself, I’ll get someone to help you.” With that, he raised the microphone and shouted toward the door. “Security! Get in here, now!” Following Marcus’s shout, more than a dozen workers wearing Caldwell Group badges rushed into the conference hall. Under Marcus’s command, these security guards quickly rushed toward me and surrounded me. At the same time, Marcus had already walked down from the podium. But he was quite cowardly—he only dared stand behind the security guards, about two meters away from me. “Marcus, are you planning to use force on me?” “Don’t forget, I’m not divorced yet. Aren’t you afraid Vivian will hold you accountable?” As soon as I finished speaking, Marcus burst into loud laughter. “I knew you’d use Vivian as a shield. Good thing I prepared ahead.” With that, he pulled out his phone in front of everyone and called Vivian. After the call connected, he smiled sinisterly and handed me the phone. “Vivian has something to say to you.”

Vivian’s voice quickly came through the phone. “Quinn, I want a divorce!” I spoke expressionlessly. “Judging by your tone, Vivian, you’ve already found your next man, haven’t you?” I could feel Vivian’s excitement even through the screen. “How much money do you want? Name your price.” “As long as you agree to divorce me, you can ask for whatever you want.” She didn’t answer my question directly, but I wasn’t in a hurry. After all, boiling a frog in warm water required patience. “I don’t need the money. I’m sure it won’t be long before the Caldwell family collapses.” Then I suddenly changed my tone, my voice turning colder. “I just want to know one thing right now. Who’s the one who dared to interfere and steal my woman?” Sensing my anger, Vivian immediately let out a scornful laugh. “You’re not worthy of knowing his name.” “But I can tell you this—he’s from New York, at a level you could never reach.” Hearing Vivian’s words, I almost laughed out loud. Someone from the same place as me, and I wouldn’t know them? Impossible. I was just curious about who exactly this person could be. To dare steal my woman—they must have a death wish. Before I could respond, Marcus snatched the phone back. “Alright, alright. Even if Vivian told you who it was, what could you do about it?” “I suggest you just take off your clothes obediently. That way you’ll at least get some severance pay.” “For a freeloader like you, that’s a pretty good deal, wouldn’t you say?” Facing Marcus’s repeated provocations, not only did I not lose my temper, I endured it again and again. Not because I was afraid of him, but because I still hadn’t figured out who was behind all this. Now that the truth had surfaced, I naturally didn’t need to indulge him anymore. “Enough!” I scanned my eyes around the room. “This meeting clearly can’t continue. So now I’m giving all of you two choices.” “Those who know what’s good for them should leave immediately. The rest, I’ll consider enemies of Quinn.” “And I never show mercy to my enemies.” As soon as I finished speaking, the surrounding employees burst into laughter. “Everyone heard that, right? This pretty boy is actually giving us choices. How hilarious!” “Quinn, you don’t still think you’re a manager, do you?” “Everyone heard that phone call. Even Vivian has abandoned you. What right do you have to spout such arrogance here?” I suppressed the anger in my heart and spoke slowly. “I wonder if any of you have heard the saying: there’s always a higher mountain, always someone better.” “When I, Quinn, do things, I never rely on women.” I looked disappointedly at the smiling faces before me, feeling somewhat let down. Was this what the workplace was really like? Usually when they called me a freeloader or a pretty boy, I just took it as a joke. But I never expected that just because Vivian wanted to divorce me, everyone would laugh at me. Was this the consequence of keeping too low a profile? Because of my special status, I’d been hiding all these years, rarely showing my face in public. Even when I occasionally overheard company employees gossiping about me behind my back, I just laughed it off. But I never imagined my usual easygoing attitude would become these people’s license to be arrogant. Seeing that I still wasn’t moving, Marcus’s face immediately darkened. “Hey, Quinn! I’m counting to three. If you still don’t strip, I’ll have them do it for you!” I put my hands in my pockets and looked at him sideways. “Alright, alright. I’ve played along with your little show long enough. It’s time to demonstrate some real power.” My words instantly enraged Marcus. He rolled up his sleeves and charged at me. Just then, the conference room doors suddenly opened. All the employees, including Marcus, turned around in unison. A young man about my age swaggered into the room. “Mr. Foster, I heard you were asking about me?”

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The day my husband’s first love returned to the country, I rushed to pack my bags and run. But my husband pressed down on my suitcase. “Where are you going so late?” “Celeste is back. I should step aside.” Before he could respond, my Father-in-law, Mr.Bob and mother-in-law, Ms.Bella were already upset. “Nonsense!” Mr.Bob, grabbed my suitcase and dragged it back inside. Ms.Bella took my hand and comforted me. “The Morrison family only recognizes you as our daughter-in-law.” My husband hugged me tightly with an amused expression. “Silly girl, I forgot about her long ago. Now I only love you.” But I calmly wrote down how Celeste would frame me after her return: 1. Mock me for being just a substitute 2. Spill red wine on herself at the banquet and accuse me 3. Fall down the stairs and frame me for it Mr.Bob and Ms.Bella gasped. Ms.Bella immediately sent the list to her assistant: “Starting tomorrow, everyone in the estate wears a body camera!” My husband looked at the last item and laughed: “Don’t worry, she’s a good person. She would never hurt you.” Until Celeste White saw me for the first time: “So this is Scarlett? She does look quite like me. Landon, you’ve done well for yourself these past few years~” The moment Celeste’s words fell, Mr.Bob, Ms.Bella, and Landon all froze. I helplessly spread my hands, silently conveying with my eyes: “See? I told you so.” However, unexpectedly, Celeste’s tone shifted. She walked forward with a beaming smile and gently took my hand: “Scarlett, don’t misunderstand. I mean, Landon is blessed to marry such a beautiful wife as you. You two are well-matched.” Her tone was sincere, her gaze warm, leaving me momentarily dazed. This white moonlight wasn’t following the script? Landon gently wrapped his arm around my waist and whispered in my ear: “See, I told you you were overthinking. Celeste is a good person. She won’t make things difficult for you.” Mr.Bob and Ms.Bella also breathed a sigh of relief. Ms.Bella patted the back of my hand: “Scarlett, you’re just too sensitive. Relax. The Morrison family only recognizes you as our daughter-in-law.” Halfway through the banquet, I excused myself to the restroom, wanting to clear my head. Just as I reached the hallway, I ran into Landon’s junior colleague, Miranda Smith. She’d always been hostile toward me, and now she didn’t bother hiding the mockery in her eyes. “Oh, if it isn’t our substitute wife?” She leaned against the wall, looking at me with contempt. “Now that the real deal is back, how do you still have the nerve to stay here? If it were me, I’d have packed my bags and left long ago.” I gave her a cold glance: “You’re so concerned about whether I stay or go—could it be you’re jealous I married Landon?” Miranda’s face instantly flushed red. She ground her teeth: “You! Fine, Scarlett Hayes, just you wait!” Halfway through the banquet, I held a wine glass and headed toward the terrace for some fresh air. Just as I passed near the buffet table, Celeste stood with her back to me, exchanging pleasantries with several elders. I was about to walk around her when suddenly a strong force came from behind—someone had shoved me hard! “Ah!” I cried out. My body lurched forward uncontrollably, and the red wine in my hand arced through the air, landing squarely on the chest of Celeste’s expensive white evening gown, instantly spreading into a large, glaring stain. The scene froze. Celeste looked down at her ruined chest, her face deathly pale. The surrounding guests all turned to look, whispering among themselves. “Scarlett!” Miranda’s shrill voice immediately rang out. She quickly stepped forward, her face full of perfectly calibrated shock and anger. “Even if you’re jealous of Celeste, you can’t deliberately spill wine on her in public! This is too much!” I stumbled a step and steadied myself, immediately understanding this was Miranda’s clumsy trick—the person who’d pushed me was clearly her!

I took a deep breath and looked toward Landon and his parents, who had rushed over at the sound. Their faces showed bewilderment. “It wasn’t on purpose,” I explained calmly, looking straight at Miranda. “Someone pushed me from behind.” “Who pushed you? Everyone saw you walking straight toward Celeste with that wine glass!” Miranda wouldn’t let it go, her tone both aggrieved and indignant: “Landon, Mr.Bob, Ms.Bella, you must stand up for Celeste!” Landon looked at me, his expression complex, with a trace of imperceptible scrutiny. Then he looked at the pitiful, disheveled Celeste, his brows knitted tightly. A sense of helplessness rose in my heart. Sure enough, when the white moonlight is wronged, reason easily crumbles. I turned to Landon with a bitter smile and said quietly: “See? Item two on the list—late but here. Now, can you let go of my luggage? Let me leave.” The onlooking guests whispered among themselves: “How can the Morrison family’s daughter-in-law use such lowbrow tactics to compete for favor? So petty.” “She must be jealous. This woman is really possessive. The romance between Mr. Morrison and Miss White was legendary.” “Shh, I heard this Scarlett is just a substitute.” “Nonsense!” Mr.Bob’s face darkened, his voice booming over the surrounding chatter. “Scarlett isn’t that kind of person! Until we figure out what happened, no one can jump to conclusions!” Ms.Bella immediately took my hand, her tone firm: “That’s right! There are cameras everywhere in this venue. We’ll pull the footage right now! We’ll see who’s really causing trouble!” Just as the butler was about to carry out the order, Celeste, who had been silently wiping away wine stains, suddenly lifted her head. She first cast an indescribable glance at Miranda, then looked at me, speaking in a gentle tone: “Mr.Bob, Ms.Bella, Landon, there’s no need to check the surveillance.” She paused, drawing everyone’s attention: “Just now… someone did accidentally bump into Scarlett, and she lost her grip on the glass. It was an accident, not intentional. Please don’t misunderstand her.” Miranda stared in disbelief, eyes wide. “Celeste! You…” Celeste gently but firmly interrupted her: “Miranda, thank you for your concern, but it really was an accident.” She then turned to me with a somewhat pale smile: “Scarlett, it’s fine. It’s just a dress. Don’t take it to heart.” The truth was lightly glossed over, protecting my innocence, yet making this white moonlight even more inscrutable to me. Landon visibly relaxed. He stepped forward to put his arm around my shoulder and whispered: “See? I told you Celeste is kind. She wouldn’t falsely accuse you.” Ms.Bella also patted the back of my hand reassuringly. I watched Celeste’s back as a server led her away to deal with the stain, then glanced at Miranda’s face, which had turned various shades of red and green. I felt no relief. Celeste… why didn’t she take the opportunity to frame me, but instead helped me out of trouble? After Celeste’s candor and “rescue,” she won everyone’s favor, including my in-laws. Ms.Bella patted the back of my hand: “Scarlett, Celeste is so sensible. You were just reading too much into things last time. You need to be more gracious.” Mr.Bob sat in the living room reading the paper, not even looking up as he chimed in: “That’s right. Landon and she are old classmates. She has good intentions. Stop being so paranoid.” Landon was even more relieved. As he tucked in my blanket before bed, he sighed: “Now you can rest easy, right? I told you Celeste isn’t like that.” Only I stared at the ceiling. After everyone had fallen asleep, I pulled out my notebook. I checked off item five: Everyone starts defending Celeste, and I become “unreasonable.” In the days that followed, Celeste became a regular at the Morrison house.

She arrived promptly at nine every morning, carrying either imported coffee that Mr.Bob loved or imported silk scarves that Ms.Bella preferred. When chatting with Landon about college club activities, the two would laugh themselves silly, but she always stopped abruptly when I approached, turning to smile at me: “Scarlett, Landon used to be so clueless. Once he forgot to bring the microphone to an event, and I had to run and borrow one.” At the dinner table, she’d serve me the steak I liked, saying softly: “Landon always says you have a sensitive stomach. Eat more.” Her tone was so natural, as if she were the lady of the house and I were merely a guest. My hand gripping the fork turned white. When Landon went to his study, I followed him in, my voice trembling: “Did you keep me here just to watch Celeste play lady of the house?” Landon’s hand, which had been flipping through documents, froze. He turned to look at me with impatience in his eyes: “Scarlett, do you have paranoid delusions? She let go of the past years ago. But you—what’s the point of constantly dwelling on it?” Then he slammed the door and left. The first escalation of conflict occurred at the weekend family meeting. Mr.Bob tapped on the table, saying Morrison Group lacked someone to head the overseas partnership project. Celeste came in carrying a fruit platter, and as she set it down, she “casually” mentioned: “Last time I was in London, I liaised with this consortium’s Asia regional director. He said he wanted to work with a familiar team.” Mr.Bob’s eyes lit up. He turned to me: “Scarlett, what if we let Celeste help out at the company? Her experience matches perfectly.” “No!” I stood up abruptly. “How can we let an outsider handle the company’s important projects? She…” My words caught in my throat, forced back by Landon’s glare. Celeste’s eyes instantly reddened. Her fingers twisted the edge of her apron: “Mr.Bob, I was presumptuous. I just saw Landon so busy he couldn’t sleep, and I wanted to help. After all, in the past…” She didn’t continue, but her shoulders trembled slightly, as if she’d suffered a great injustice. Landon’s face darkened: “Scarlett! Celeste is a professional who’s thinking of this family. How did you become so petty and jealous?” Ms.Bella quickly pulled me back down: “Scarlett, Celeste has good intentions. Don’t think the worst.” I looked at the room full of eyes favoring Celeste, my nails digging deep into my palms. That night, I added two more items to my list: “Will infiltrate the company under the guise of ‘helping’” and “Excels at playing the victim to manipulate opinion.” But it didn’t matter anymore. I’d already decided to leave. Whatever game Celeste was playing, it had nothing to do with me. The next day, a scream woke the entire household. Ms.Bella screamed as she rushed into the living room, saying the imperial green ring that had been passed down three generations in her treasured jewelry box was missing. The whole family turned the house upside down, from the storage room to the garage. Even the housekeeper’s room was searched. Finally, Landon’s assistant found the ring in the hidden compartment of my jewelry box. There was even a strand of my long hair tangled around the ring. Caught red-handed. Such a crude framing technique. I never expected that even as I was preparing to leave, I’d still be caught up in something like this. Landon clutched the ring, his knuckles white, looking at me as if I were a stranger: “Scarlett, if you wanted jewelry, I could buy it for you. Why would you steal mom’s heirloom? It’s the most precious thing from her dowry!” “It wasn’t me!” I said coldly. “Someone planted it. Celeste was in my room yesterday afternoon!” But he suddenly flung my hand away and stepped back: “Celeste was downstairs with mom arranging flowers all afternoon. There were people watching the whole time. Scarlett, can you stop slandering her?” I looked at his silence, at the disappointment in my in-laws’ eyes. My heart felt like it had been pierced by an ice pick. At that moment, Celeste walked over, supporting Ms.Bella’s arm. After hesitating for a long time, she said quietly: “Mr.Bob, Ms.Bella, Landon, I think I saw Scarlett lingering outside mom’s jewelry room the other day… Maybe she just had a momentary lapse in judgment. Please don’t blame her.”

Mr.Bob slammed his hand on the table so hard the teacups rattled: “Scarlett! The Morrison family doesn’t deprive you of food or clothing, yet you do something this disgraceful!” I laughed coldly: “Dad, mom, didn’t you install recording devices throughout the estate? Just check the surveillance and you’ll know.” I stared intently at Celeste, expecting to see a flicker of panic. Instead, her face remained completely calm. “What’s there to check? The only person in this house with dirty intentions is you, muttering to yourself all day, thinking the whole world is out to frame you.” “You stole mom’s jade because mom praised Celeste. Scarlett, you’ve really disappointed me.” Landon said furiously. Groundless accusations need no evidence. No amount of explaining would help, so I simply gave up: “Fine. I took it.” I returned to my room and grabbed my luggage. I couldn’t stay in this house one more moment. I’d just pulled my suitcase to the door when Landon and Celeste chased after me. “This act again?” Landon grabbed my suitcase, his tone commanding. “Explain things clearly before you leave!” I struggled to break free. Just as I was about to speak, an out-of-control car suddenly came barreling from the intersection, its piercing brake screech cutting through the air. In the chaos, Celeste suddenly threw herself at Landon. They both rolled to the roadside, while I was knocked down by the momentum, my knees scraping against the ground until they bled. Landon scrambled up and immediately rushed to Celeste’s side. Seeing blood seeping from her chest, his eyes turned red. When he turned to look at me, his gaze was full of hatred: “This is all your fault! If you hadn’t insisted on leaving, how would this have happened? If anything happens to Celeste, I won’t forgive you!” The ambulance wailed as it arrived. As Celeste was lifted onto the stretcher, she said weakly: “My blood type is rare… I don’t know if there’s a match…” Landon immediately grabbed my wrist: “Go to the hospital and donate blood for Celeste!” “I won’t go!” I struggled desperately. “Her situation has nothing to do with me!” Landon simply clamped down on my shoulder and dragged me toward the ambulance. The rough ground tore through my pants, pulling painfully at my knee wounds. Ms.Bella ran over, grabbing my arm, her tone icy: “The Morrison family has treated you well. Just donate blood for Celeste, and I’ll give you that jade ring. We’ll let bygones be bygones.” To kill without mercy—nothing could be crueler. Watching them willing to buy me off with what I despised most, all for Celeste’s sake, I found it both laughable and devastating. Mr.Bob had somehow also arrived. He stood before me with his cane, his usual refinement completely gone, slamming the cane hard on the ground: “Outrageous! Still being willful at a time like this! Celeste saved Landon’s life. What’s wrong with you donating some blood? If you dare disobey, I’ll publish an announcement right now, sever your relationship with Landon, and throw you out with nothing!” Seeing I wouldn’t budge, Landon called over two bodyguards. “Let go of me! Landon, let me go!” I screamed hoarsely, tears mixing with the dirt on my face. “Have you forgotten the last item on my list?! The more innocent someone seems, the more vicious their heart!” Landon froze for a second, reluctantly lowering his head. He waved his hand, and they forcibly stuffed me into the car. At the hospital, as the nurse approached with a needle, I looked at the cold point and felt chilled to the bone. Through my fading consciousness, Celeste was wheeled to the bed next to mine. I heard her say softly: “Do you know why I went abroad?” “To find someone.” She paused, a strange smile playing at her lips: “Remember when we first met, I said we looked alike?” My heart lurched violently. Just then, Landon’s secretary suddenly shouted: “This is bad, Mr. Morrison! The overseas project…”

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For five years, I sold my blood to pay for my husband’s treatment abroad. He recovered, but lost his memory. He mistook his caregiver for his girlfriend and wanted to return home to marry her. I tried everything to awaken his memories, but all I ever got was one cold response: “I don’t know you.” Until I was diagnosed with heart failure, with only a week left to live. I finally chose to let go and went to say my final goodbye to him. But then I heard the caregiver leaning against his chest, asking in a coquettish voice: “Zachary, isn’t it a bit wrong for you to pretend to have amnesia just to marry me and deceive your wife?” My heart seized. The diagnosis in my hand crumpled into a ball. Disdain flickered in Zachary Knight’s eyes. “Vivian and I have been tied together since childhood. I’m sick of it.” “Besides, you gave yourself to me last week. Even if the sky falls, I’m going to marry you.” Watching the two of them pressed intimately together, waves of dizziness washed over me. So when Zachary proposed and swore I’d be his only woman for life, it was all just a joke. The announcement came over the speakers—the flight back home was beginning to board. Zachary wrapped his arm around Veronica Stone and headed to the queue, not forgetting to whisper sweet nothings. “As soon as we get back, we’ll get married immediately. I’ll give you the most luxurious wedding of the century!” A sharp pain stabbed my chest. I remembered when Zachary and I got married—it was during the most difficult time of his startup. The diamond ring was fake, the wedding dress was the cheapest available, and there wasn’t even a wedding ceremony. After slipping the ring on my finger, Zachary pulled me into a tight embrace, his eyes red. “Vivian, I’m sorry you had to settle. When I have money, I’ll give you the grandest wedding!” The ringing of a phone interrupted my memories. Zachary stepped aside to answer it. I quietly followed. The voice of Zachary’s assistant came through the phone. “Mr. Knight, in the first year of your illness, you pretended to go bankrupt and forced your wife to work to earn money. But I found out she’s also been selling blood this whole time. I’m afraid her health…” Zachary cut him off impatiently. “It’s her own fault for coming to the hospital every day to see me, making it impossible for me to spend time alone with Veronica!” “I pretended to go bankrupt to give her something to do, so she wouldn’t be idle all day and ruin my plans!” The assistant spoke again. “But Mr. Knight, selling blood continuously for five years can cause severe anemia, and if it’s more serious…” “Anemia can be fixed with supplements, can’t it? It’s not going to kill her, is it?” Zachary’s voice was ice cold. “Your only task right now is to prepare properly for my wedding with Veronica!” The call ended mercilessly. My legs nearly gave out beneath me. The dense needle marks on my arm reminded me how laughable I’d been all these years, hiding my blood donations from Zachary to keep him from worrying. Veronica suddenly let out a delicate cry. Zachary immediately rushed over, his face full of concern. Veronica looked aggrieved. “I accidentally pricked my finger with my brooch. It hurts.” Zachary lifted her hand and kissed away the bead of blood. Then he carefully fastened the brooch for her. His movements were as gentle as if handling a priceless treasure. “Veronica, from now on I’ll handle these small things. I’ll never let you shed another drop of blood.” The familiar words reminded me of our youth. I’d scraped my knee and it bled. Zachary was disinfecting it for me, and I gasped from the pain. He looked so distressed, swearing earnestly: “Vivian, from now on I’ll protect you and never let you get hurt again!” Over a decade had passed in the blink of an eye, and that boy who only had eyes for me had vanished with time. After watching Zachary lead Veronica onto the plane, I bit my lip and found the nearest blood donation center. After collecting enough for a plane ticket, I dragged my weak body to the ticket counter. “Hello, I’d like to buy a ticket home.”

When I reached the familiar villa entrance, my key wouldn’t open the lock. I had no choice but to ring the doorbell. Veronica answered the door. She yawned before speaking slowly. “Zachary kept me up too late last night. In a bit he’s taking me to try on wedding dresses. What do you need?” I bit my lip. “This is my home! Get out!” “I think the one who should leave is you!” A Maybach pulled smoothly into the courtyard. Zachary stepped out of the car, his cold gaze locking onto me. My eyes stung. “This villa—you bought it with the first money you made from your startup.” “When we moved in from our rental apartment, you said this was our love nest, and I was the only mistress of this house.” Zachary’s eyes flickered, then turned cold. “I told you, I don’t know you at all. The only mistress here is Veronica.” He walked past me. Lowering his head, he placed a kiss on Veronica’s lips. “Let’s go. No matter how expensive the wedding dress, I’ll buy it for you. I’ll make you the most beautiful bride.” I dug my nails into my palms to keep the tears from falling. Veronica glanced at me, her eyes hiding a provocative smile. She wrapped her arms around Zachary’s neck, speaking affectedly: “Thank you, honey.” The corners of Zachary’s mouth lifted involuntarily. I stood frozen in place. On our wedding night, Zachary had been just as happy when I called him “honey,” pestering me to say it over and over. When I got tired of his pestering, I casually asked if he’d be this delighted if any woman called him that. Zachary had cupped my face very seriously. “Vivian, I’m only happy because it’s you. If it were anyone else, I’d just feel disgusted.” “You’re the only one in my heart. From childhood until now, you’ve always been the special one.” But it seemed I wasn’t so special after all. Looking at the villa that held seven years of memories between Zachary and me, I bit my lip and rushed inside. Zachary’s angry voice chased after me. “Vivian Clark! How dare you!” I headed straight for the master bedroom. The wall where our wedding photo had hung was empty. The closet was filled with Veronica’s clothes, while mine were carelessly tossed in a corner. I picked up a photo frame that had been placed face-down on the nightstand. I was smiling brightly, and Zachary had his arm around me, his face full of affection. “You bumped into Veronica and made her twist her ankle! Apologize to her right now!” Zachary, who had followed me in, was holding Veronica in his arms like a princess, glaring at me furiously. I held the photo up in front of him. “You say you don’t know me—then how do you explain this photo?” He hesitated for a moment, but still insisted stubbornly: “I have no memory of it. I would only take photos like this with Veronica.” “Stop changing the subject! Apologize to Veronica now!” I suppressed my heartache and pulled a silver bracelet from the drawer. Inside the bracelet, our initials were engraved. “On my eighteenth birthday, you gave me this bracelet. You also said you’d grant me any request.” “Now, I want you to honor that promise. Stop pretending to have amnesia.”

Panic was written all over Zachary’s face. Veronica smiled bitterly and made as if to leave his embrace. “Zachary, put me down. My foot isn’t that bad.” “But maybe we should cancel next week’s wedding…” “No!” Zachary’s voice shot up abruptly. He held Veronica even tighter. “I told you, even if the sky falls, I’m going to marry you!” He turned with a darkened expression to look at me. “I don’t understand what promise or amnesia you’re talking about! All I know is that Veronica is my fiancée!” My heart ached so badly I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t help bending over, pressing my hand to my chest. Zachary was relentless. “Who are you putting on this act for? Don’t think pretending to be sick will let you get away with hurting Veronica!” Cold sweat broke out on my forehead. I gritted my teeth. “I didn’t push her! Besides, her ankle isn’t even swollen—she’s the one pretending!” Zachary instinctively glanced at Veronica’s ankle, which showed no signs of injury, and hesitated. “Zachary, my foot hurts so much, I can’t move it at all. Do you think it could be a more serious fracture?” Veronica squeezed out two tears, and instantly Zachary couldn’t care about anything else. “Don’t worry, I’ll take you to the hospital right away! Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you just like you once took care of me!” My vision darkened in waves. I called out to Zachary. “Take me to the hospital. I can’t hold on much longer…” Zachary looked at me, his face full of shock. “Why is your face so pale? Your lips have no color at all!” Even breathing was becoming difficult. Zachary stood frozen, torn with indecision. Veronica was crying, her face covered in tears. “Zachary, my foot hurts so much. If we delay any longer and I need an amputation, I won’t be able to be your bride!” Zachary hesitated no more and turned to leave. I used all my strength to shout: “If you don’t take me to the hospital now, you might never see me again!” Zachary turned around, a mocking smile on his lips. “You seem pretty energetic to me. You traveled all this way just to be my wife.” “Are all con artists as dedicated as you? Your acting skills deserve an Oscar.” With trembling hands, I pulled the diagnosis from my bag. “I’m not lying to you…” But Zachary didn’t even look. He carried Veronica and strode out the door. I stumbled after them. “Zachary! I have heart failure. I won’t live past this week. Just look at it once and you’ll know I’m not lying…” I finally managed to shove the medical report into Zachary’s hand just before they got in the car. He didn’t even spare it a glance, tossing it aside carelessly. “Keep up the act! I’m telling you, this trick won’t work on me! I’ll deal with you later for pushing Veronica!” The car door slammed shut mercilessly. The Maybach sped away. The medical report now bore a tire mark. My body collapsed. I could no longer hold on, and my consciousness plunged into complete darkness.

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Just because I refused to give my only hand warmer to my husband’s first love’s child. My husband threw me out of the car right after my surgery. On a highway in minus twenty degrees, I froze until my body went rigid and my wounds tore open. But my husband’s first love sat in the passenger seat, enjoying the heater and posting on social media. The photo showed her child playing with my life-saving medication, with the caption: “His godfather still loves him the most.” I desperately pounded on the car window begging for help, but my husband locked the doors and sneered at me through the glass. “Didn’t you say adults need to learn patience?” “Then stay out here and reflect. When you learn not to argue with children, then you can get back in.” Just as I was losing consciousness, a convoy of luxury cars pulled up in front of me. Outside the car window, the highway stretched endlessly through white emptiness. Inside, the heater was blasting, but I still felt cold. The heart surgery I’d had half a month ago had already drained all my energy. When I was discharged, the surgeon had warned me repeatedly in front of Ethan that I absolutely could not get cold. Ethan had listened so carefully then, even gripping the doctor’s hand and promising to take good care of me. But now, I was curled up in a corner of the back seat. My hand clutched the last hand warmer—my lifeline. It was my only source of heat in this whole car. “I want that! I want that warm thing!” A shrill wail shattered the car’s silence. In the passenger seat, Lauren’s spoiled brat Jason was pointing at my hand warmer, kicking and throwing a tantrum. He was wearing a thick down jacket, and his neck was covered in sweat from overheating. Lauren turned around, looking at me with a troubled expression. “Hope, look how much Jason’s crying. He’s sweating all over. The heater’s on full blast, and with all this fussing, he’ll catch a cold from going back and forth between hot and cold.” “Can you just let him play with the hand warmer for a bit to calm him down?” I glanced at the sweat on the child’s face, pulled my coat tighter, and shook my head, my face pale. “No. I just had surgery. My wound still hurts, and I’m cold too.” It was the truth. The ten-inch incision on my chest was aching from the cold. Ever since we got in the car, Ethan had adjusted all the vents toward the front to accommodate Lauren and the child. By comparison, the back seat felt like an icebox. I pressed the hand warmer closer to my chest. When Jason heard my refusal, he cried even harder. He even grabbed his toy and hurled it at me viciously. “No! I want it! Mean lady! Stingy! I’ll tell my godfather to kill you!” The hard plastic corner hit me right on the temple. “Ah—” I gasped in pain, my body lurching forward. “Screech—!” Ethan, who was driving, slammed on the brakes. The momentum threw me hard against the seat in front. My barely healed chest wound tore open instantly, the pain nearly making me pass out. I thought Ethan was worried about me. But the next second, he turned around. Those eyes that once looked at me with affection were now filled with nothing but impatience and disgust. “Hope, do you have any compassion at all?” “Jason’s only five years old. You’re the adult here. Why are you arguing with a child? Will it kill you to give him that cheap hand warmer?” “It’s just one hand warmer. How much could it cost? If you’re that stingy, I’ll buy you a whole box when we get home, okay?” I clutched my wound in pain, unable to believe this was the man I once loved. Three years ago, I was the cherished daughter of the Walker family. For him, I broke ties with my family and lived in a basement apartment, eating instant noodles with him. Back then, he said, “Hope, I will never let you down in this lifetime.” “Ethan, I’m a patient. I just came out of surgery.” My voice trembled as I pointed to my chest. “The doctor said I absolutely cannot get cold. Only the front of this car has heat. Are you trying to kill me?” Ethan let out a cold laugh, his eyes full of mockery. “Enough. Stop pretending.” “You’re not usually this delicate. How come you start having all these issues the moment Lauren gets in the car? Cold, pain, everything.” “You just want me to kick them out, don’t you? Hope, how can you be so petty?” “Lauren’s a single mom raising a kid. It’s not easy. Can’t you be more understanding?” Lauren quickly grabbed Ethan’s sleeve, her voice breaking. “Ethan, don’t blame Hope. It’s all my fault.” “I shouldn’t have asked to ride with you back home. I definitely shouldn’t have brought Jason.” “Jason, stop crying. This lady is delicate. That hand warmer is her lifeline. We don’t deserve to use it.” This retreat-to-advance tactic completely ignited Ethan’s anger. He looked at Lauren’s aggrieved expression with such heartache, then turned to me with even more vicious eyes. He yanked off his seatbelt and pointed at the door, shouting at me. “Hope, either give Jason the hand warmer, or get the hell out of my car right now!” “There’s no room in this car for a cold-blooded person like you!” I looked at his resolute face, my heart sinking deeper and deeper. “Ethan, what did you say?” “I said, get out!” With that, he unlocked all the doors.

“Ethan, this is a highway. It’s minus twenty degrees outside.” “And I have an open wound. Are you sure you want to throw me out?” Ethan sneered dismissively. “Who are you trying to scare? The service station is just three miles ahead.” “Since you’re so afraid of the cold, get out and run. Running will warm you up.” “It’ll be good for a spoiled princess like you to wake up and learn how to be a decent human being!” “Don’t think I’ve forgotten how your father humiliated me back then.” “Now the tables have turned. It’s time you got a taste of being thrown out too.” So he’d been holding a grudge all this time about the harsh things my father said when trying to stop me from leaving with him. Even though I gave up my inheritance for him. Even though I became a housewife for him, the thorn in his heart had never been removed. Cold wind rushed in through the door crack, bone-chillingly cold. Jason made faces at me from the front seat with glee. “Bye-bye! Mean lady get out! Godfather’s the best!” I looked at the ugly faces of everyone in this car, and the last bit of hope in my heart died completely. “Fine.” I didn’t argue anymore. With trembling hands, I pushed open the door. As I got out, I looked back at Ethan one last time. “Ethan, don’t regret this.” Ethan didn’t even look at me as he hit the gas. “Slam!” The door wasn’t even fully closed when the car shot forward. The wheels kicked up dirty snow and ice water, splashing all over me. My pants were instantly soaked through. I stood on the deserted highway, surrounded by endless white. I still clutched that unopened hand warmer in my hand. Worse yet, my backpack was still in the car. It contained the anti-rejection medication I had to take on schedule after surgery. The doctor had said that if I went more than an hour without this imported anti-rejection drug, my heart would go into severe failure. I had less than half an hour until my next dose. The minus-twenty-degree wind felt like needles piercing densely into my pores. I pulled my thin cashmere coat tighter. Every step I took sent tearing pain through the incision on my chest. This coat was one I’d brought with me three years ago when I left home for Ethan. Back then he said he’d buy me the finest fur coat one day and never let me suffer the cold. The irony was almost laughable now. My phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out. My frozen fingers could barely swipe the screen. It was a message from Ethan on SnapChat. Just a photo. In it, Lauren sat in the passenger seat. She was wearing Ethan’s down jacket, holding a pink rechargeable hand warmer. Jason was draped over Ethan’s shoulder, laughing happily, playing with several hand warmers in his hands. The caption read: [Some people just need to be taught a lesson. Let her freeze out there and cool off, then she’ll know who really runs this household.] Right after that, Lauren’s social media updated too. [Even though it’s freezing outside, it’s warm and cozy in here.] [Thank you Ethan for taking care of us and finding hand warmers everywhere. Jason says his godfather loves him the most.] The photo was a close-up of Jason. In his hands, he was tossing around a plain white pill bottle like building blocks. The moment I recognized that bottle, my whole body froze. My blood felt like it turned to ice. That was my life-saving medication! These pills were extremely fragile—the slightest pressure would crush them and make them ineffective. Ethan, you’re trying to kill me!

I called Ethan frantically. The wind was too strong. My hands shook even harder. I nearly dropped the phone. First call—he hung up. Second call—he hung up. Third call—he finally answered. “Hope, are you ready to apologize?” Ethan’s lazy voice came through the phone, accompanied by cheerful music in the car. “Ethan! Tell Jason to put down that pill bottle!” I screamed into the phone. The cold wind rushed into my mouth, making me cough. “That’s my life-saving medication! It can’t be dropped! It can’t be played with!” “Where are you? Stop the car! I need to take my medication! Please, give me back my pills—cough, cough!” The line went silent for two seconds, then Lauren’s sweet voice came through. “Hope, don’t be so fierce. You’re scaring the child.” “Jason’s just curious and looking at it. He’s not throwing it around. Look at you—where’s your maturity as an adult?” “Besides, it’s just a bottle of vitamins. Do you really need to make such a big deal out of it?” “If you want some, I’ll buy you a bottle at the service station up ahead.” Ethan chimed in impatiently. “Hope, are you addicted to acting?” “Making up stories about life-saving medication just to trick me into coming back for you? Do you think I’m stupid?” “The bottle’s covered in English. You think I can’t read? It’s just some cheap health supplement.” “Jason likes the sound the bottle makes. What’s wrong with letting him play with it for a bit? Is it really that serious?” Tears were about to fall from my desperation. “Ethan, I’m not lying. That really is medication the doctor prescribed! If it breaks, it’s useless!” “My heart feels terrible right now… Ethan, I’m begging you, that’s my life…” My voice was already breaking into sobs. The once-proud Hope Walker was now humbled into the dust. On the other end of the line, Ethan seemed to pause for a moment—perhaps my tone was too desperate. But soon, Lauren’s voice came through again. “Ethan, look at Hope. She’ll say any curse just to get you to come back.” “Didn’t the doctor say last time that she was recovering well? How come she’s suddenly dying the moment she gets out of the car? I think she’s just jealous of how good you are to Jason.” “Ethan, I’m not lying, it really is—” Ethan let out a light laugh. “You want your medication? Fine.” “Beep—” He hung up. When I called again, his phone was off. I looked out at the vast snow and wind. My feet could barely move anymore. My chest started feeling tight—a sign my heart wasn’t getting enough oxygen. I knew I didn’t have much time left. I had to find help before I collapsed. But on this cursed highway, because of the snowstorm closure, not a single car had passed for ages. I gritted my teeth and dragged my heavy legs forward. My crooked footprints in the snow were quickly covered by fresh snowfall. Back when I was with the Walker family, I was the cherished daughter. If I so much as got a paper cut, the whole family would worry for days. For Ethan, I learned to cook, learned to haggle at the grocery store, learned to endure his bitter mother. I thought if I just gave my true heart, even a stone would eventually warm up. But now I understood. Stones don’t warm up. They just kill you. My vision started to blur. I’d lost all feeling in my hands and feet. Just then, my phone screen lit up again. It was a video call from Lauren. With trembling hands, I answered, hoping to beg them to bring back my medication, or at least leave it by the roadside. The moment the video connected, I saw a scene that shattered my heart.

Jason was taking my pill bottle and slamming it against the car window. “Bang! Bang!” “Watch my meteor hammer! Gonna kill the big monster!” Each impact felt like it was striking my heart. “Stop… please… stop…” I begged weakly, my legs already unable to support my weight. I collapsed into the snow. Ethan glanced at my pitiful state on the screen and laughed again. “Hope, you look so ugly right now.” “Want your medication? Fine.” “Kneel down on video and apologize to Lauren and Jason. Say ‘I was wrong, I shouldn’t have been so petty,’ and I’ll consider stopping the car to wait for you.” I looked at that face that once captivated me, now only feeling utterly disgusted. “Ethan… you’ll regret this…” “If I die… you won’t survive either…” If I died here, the Walker family would never let him off. But Ethan burst out laughing, as if he’d heard the funniest joke. “Die? You, Hope, with your tough life—you left home for three years and didn’t starve to death. You think walking a few steps will kill you?” “Stop playing pitiful. I’ll count to three. If you don’t kneel, Jason’s throwing away these pills.” “Three.” “Two.” Jason grinned as he started to reach his hand out the window. At that very moment. “Crack!” The fragile pill bottle shattered under Jason’s forceful grip. White pills scattered all over the car, then Jason swept them disgustedly onto the floor mat. “Eww, gross!” Jason shrieked, stomping on the floor mat several times. The originally white pills instantly turned to powder, mixing into the dirty water. Lauren let out a cry. “Oh my, this child’s so strong. Ethan, look, your car’s getting dirty.” Ethan frowned, glanced at the powder on the floor, and said dismissively: “It’s fine. Just some cheap vitamins. We’ll buy more later. The car can be washed.” In the video, he turned to look at me and shrugged. “Hope, see that? That’s what you get for dragging your feet.” “The pills are gone, so stop acting. If we don’t see you at the service station up ahead, we’re leaving.” My heart convulsed violently. That was the feeling of life draining away. The phone slipped from my frozen hands and fell into a snowdrift. The world began to spin. Darkness consumed me from all sides. I collapsed onto the frozen snow. My cheek pressed against the ice, but I felt no cold because my body was colder than the snow itself. On this New Year’s Eve, like an abandoned dog, I was about to die on this deserted highway. I suddenly thought of my family. Scenes flashed through my mind like a film reel. In the last moment before losing consciousness, I saw several blinding headlights appear on the horizon in the distance. Those were… luxury cars Ethan could never afford in his lifetime.

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In the fifth year of my long-distance relationship with Zachary Bolton. The last time we parted at the airport, he cried and promised me, “Lydia, when the first snow falls in New York this year, let’s get married, okay?” I checked the weather forecast—it was going to snow heavily tomorrow. So I immediately bought a plane ticket to New York. I was going to propose to my boyfriend! In the swirling snowfall, I looked through the bridal shop’s display window and saw Zachary in a sharp suit. Before I could feel happy, a woman threw herself into his arms. Zachary wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her passionately. “Melanie, you look so beautiful in that wedding dress! You truly are my fiancée. I love you—far more than I ever loved Lydia Smith.” My heart seized violently. My boyfriend of ten years had cheated on me with my best friend, Melanie. Heavy snow fell on my eyelashes like goose feathers. Having lived elsewhere for years, I’d never seen such a heavy snowfall. But I had no heart to appreciate it. My eyes stayed fixed through the glass window on Zachary and Melanie. One was my childhood sweetheart. The other was my closest confidante. The sight of them kissing each other so passionately hit me with devastating force. Melanie gasped for breath, her face flushed, reluctantly pulling away from Zachary’s lips. She coyly lifted the hem of her wedding dress and twirled in front of the mirror. Zachary’s eyes overflowed with love. “Miss, this wedding dress your fiancé personally designed for you is absolutely stunning—the most beautiful one our shop has ever produced.” “Love really does make people glow! You two have been together for five years, and you’re finally about to tie the knot.” Melanie turned to look at Zachary, her eyes sparkling with affection. “Zachary, I absolutely adore this first snow gift you gave me!” “They say people who witness the first snow together will stay together until their hair turns white. So for the rest of our lives, please take good care of me!” I heard every single word but couldn’t understand what any of it meant. When did my boyfriend become my best friend’s fiancé? Why did the staff member say they’d been in a relationship for five years? My mind went blank, the neon lights blurring before my eyes. The next second, Zachary’s lips curved into a smile as he suddenly dropped to one knee before her. My gaze followed his movement, landing on the proposal ring inside the red velvet box. “Ah!” Melanie cried out, covering her mouth with both hands, tears welling in her eyes. Zachary held up the ring reverently. “Melanie, I love you. So, so much. Will you marry me?” “I want to spend the rest of my life with you from this first snow day, until our hair turns white, never to part.” The shop staff crowded around, recording this touching proposal with their phones. When I saw Zachary solemnly slide the ring onto Melanie’s ring finger, my heart felt like it was being stabbed by thousands of needles, torn to bloody shreds. Scalding tears rolled down one by one into my mouth. Inside, they seemed to be starring in a romantic, blissful drama. The surprise I’d traveled thousands of miles to deliver had become a devastating shock. So Zachary’s first snow promise could be meant for another woman. So Melanie, who’d always been so good to me, could so shamelessly steal my boyfriend behind my back. My fingers dug fiercely into the wall. I wanted so badly to burst in and confront them both, to tear away every shred of their dignity. But my legs felt like lead—I couldn’t move forward a single step. Zachary held Melanie in his arms and asked the staff member lazily, “Do you have any other wedding dress styles?” “Yes, we can show you pictures and rush-make one for you.” “No need to look. Just pick any two and send them to me.” Two minutes later, I received a message from Zachary. He sent three wedding dress pictures. [Baby, work has been exhausting, but looking at these wedding dress pictures and imagining you wearing them recharges my batteries.] [Take a look and see which one you like. I’ll take you to buy it someday.]

My tears finally broke free, falling torrentially, crashing into the snow and punching holes in it. So the difference between love and indifference was this obvious. Zachary personally designed a wedding dress for Melanie and brought her to the shop to try it on during the first snowfall. He lied to me, saying he was working overtime at the company, when in reality he was proposing to Melanie behind my back. Even the wedding dress pictures he sent me were just random ones the staff had given him to placate me. If he’d looked carefully even once, he would have known these three design sketches included patterns and small details I didn’t like. But he chose to brush me off. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, the moment I received his message, I would have been moved to tears. Inside the shop, Zachary knelt down, holding Melanie’s foot with one hand while gently rubbing her reddened heel with the other. She sighed. “Zachary, when are you planning to break up with Lydia?” “If she finds out we’re together, we won’t be able to stay friends anymore, will we?” Zachary paused for a moment. “Soon. Next time we meet, I’ll bring up the breakup.” “The main thing is my parents really like her. I’ll use her as a shield for a while longer. After all, her family did my family a favor back then.” I couldn’t listen anymore. I ran away through the accumulated snow, stumbling and disheveled. Like a walking corpse, I wandered aimlessly down the street. But my gaze was drawn to a small coffee shop. The shop’s name was “Melanie & Zachary’s Love.” My heart felt like something had struck it hard. I pushed the door open and went inside. A staff member recommended the shop’s signature drink. “This is a coffee flavor our owner and her fiancé created together. Everyone really loves it.” “Their five-year love story is as romantic as a novel! We even have a display wall in the shop!” I followed the staff member’s pointing finger. The white wall was covered with intimate photos of Zachary and Melanie. Standing before the photo wall, reading those captions, the blood drained from my face bit by bit. March 5th—I collapsed at my desk from menstrual cramps. A coworker rushed me to the hospital. Zachary ordered me plain porridge for delivery. That same day, claiming he was on a business trip, he took Melanie to a wild concert. April 17th—our anniversary. I bought a train ticket to visit him. He said, “Baby, this project is too important. I can’t get away. For the sake of our future home together, let’s skip the anniversary this time, okay?” So I canceled my ticket. In reality, he’d taken Melanie for a beautiful photoshoot that day. April 29th—I found out I was pregnant. Panicked, excited, and anxious all at once. I desperately wanted to see him. “Zachary, we’re going to have a baby. Can you come see me?” His expression grew somber. “Lydia, we can have a baby later. The timing isn’t right now.” “Let’s work hard to save more money first, then welcome a baby, okay?” Seeing his exhausted face, I nodded. The day of the procedure, I lay trembling in the hospital. I couldn’t reach him no matter how many times I called. Later he told me he’d been in an emergency meeting. Now, through the photos, I learned the truth—Melanie’s hand had been scratched by a stray cat, leaving barely visible red marks. In the photo, Zachary carefully applied medicine to her wound. He said, “I won’t let Melanie get hurt ever again.” Melanie’s barely noticeable injury had his heart aching. But he left me alone on the operating table after my miscarriage. I felt like I’d never really known this version of Zachary. The one who, in New York, told me on his phone that I’d always been part of his future plans. The one who, at every moment I needed him most, lied to me and stayed contentedly by Melanie’s side. Seeing my eyes brimming with tears, the staff member mistakenly thought I’d been moved by her boss’s love story. “Our owner came from Los Angeles to open this shop in New York just so she could see the person she loves every day.” “We just opened in January. Mr. Bolton comes to help in the shop every day, afraid Miss Melanie will get tired. He makes sure she eats on time—so gentle and considerate!”

The coffee in my hand dropped to the floor with a thud. The sound of my heart breaking in despair filled my mind. Throughout January—a whole month—I felt like I was walking through an abyss. I’d just quit my previous job and started at a new company. My relationships there were a complete disaster. My supervisor constantly gave me trouble. The endless overtime drained every ounce of my energy. Coworkers relentlessly sabotaged me, nearly driving me insane. I lost ten pounds in three days. All I could do was call Zachary late at night and sob hysterically. At that time, I desperately wanted him beside me, giving me a hug, offering grounded comfort and support. But he said he’d been pulled into a major project and would need at least two months before he could break away to see me. On the video call, his eyes turned red with distress. This usually strong man’s voice even choked up when he said my name. “Lydia, I wish we were together. Then I wouldn’t have to watch you cry through a screen, feeling my heart torn apart while being completely helpless.” “Quit your job. Come to New York to be with me. I’ll take care of you. With you here, I won’t be afraid of anything.” Tears streaming down my face, I pressed my phone to my chest, as if that would bring him closer to me. Looking at him, I nodded then shook my head. “No, I can’t be a housewife who depends on you.” “Zachary, trust me. I can handle everything and establish myself at this new company!” He smiled with relief, sending me kisses and hugs through the screen. “I, Zachary, have unconditional faith that our brave Lydia will make everyone look at her with new respect!” Distance was a problem, but we loved each other deeply. He called me every day to make me laugh and transferred money for me to buy small gifts. I found it unbelievable that during that hellish month, he was helping Melanie renovate the coffee shop. Working toward a future where they could see each other every day. Zachary—his love could apparently be divided in two. In the staff member’s bewildered gaze, I walked out of the coffee shop. The next second, my mom called. Her voice carried excitement. “Sweetheart, did you see Zachary? Did you two get your marriage license?” She knew I was planning to register my marriage with Zachary. Without warning, my foot slipped. I fell hard, landing directly on my bottom on the nearby steps. Intense pain spread throughout my body. I was a complete mess. A overwhelming sense of grievance crashed over me. I couldn’t hold back anymore. I broke down crying. “Mom, Zachary and I can’t get married. He doesn’t love me anymore.” “He cheated on me. Five years—he lied to me for five whole years. Does he even have a heart?” Mom listened to my breakdown on the other end, anxious but helpless. She said, “Sweetheart, people change. The seventeen-year-old Zachary loved you sincerely and purely, but at twenty-seven, he’s no longer that boy who cherished only you above all else in the world.” Tears silently slid into the snow. When I was a sophomore, I transferred into Zachary’s class as the new student. Unable to keep up with the pace that semester, my grades kept dropping. I secretly cried while looking at my report card. Zachary, my deskmate, wiped the tears from my face with a tissue. “Don’t cry. I’ll tutor you. I guarantee your grades will skyrocket!” One semester passed, and I made tremendous progress. From the bottom of the class, I became like him—consistently ranking in the top three. My real dependence on him transformed when he witnessed my alcoholic father beating me with fists and kicks. In that alley, he recklessly pulled my scumbag father away and dragged me by the wrist as we ran. The warmth of the young man’s embrace was scorching, his heartbeat in his chest racing faster and faster. “Lydia, I’ll protect you. Trust me.” I clutched his school uniform tightly. “Keep your word, Zachary. Don’t lie to me.” Later, we naturally became a couple. I introduced him to Melanie, who attended my previous school. After meeting him, Melanie fiercely warned him, “Zachary, if you dare hurt my precious Lydia, I’ll fight you to the death!” Zachary always said Melanie was formidable—my knight protector. But reality always catches you off guard. After graduation, Zachary went to work in New York, Melanie went to Los Angeles, and I stayed in San Francisco. At first, Zachary came to see me every month. To save money, he rode trains like they were subway lines. With limited time, we’d eat one meal together, then just hold each other under a tree sharing stories about our lives. Every parting at the station tore my heart apart with pain. Zachary held me tightly, greedily absorbing my scent. “Baby, I’ve also taken on online freelance work. That means extra income, so I can buy a house sooner and marry you.” From New York to San Francisco—over two hundred train tickets stacked up to nearly half my height. Yet he proudly collected them. “Because you’re worth it. These are my medals, proof of my love for you.” I felt sorry for his dark circles, so I secretly took on two part-time jobs myself. Naively believing that if we both worked hard together, we could build a happy home. In the end, it only earned me the double betrayal of him and my best friend.

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On the day of the family reunion, I had just walked through the front door when a five or six-year-old boy suddenly rushed in and grabbed onto my leg. He claimed to be my son, saying I had gotten pregnant out of wedlock with some thug and gave birth to him, then abused him. “Grandma, Mom said she’s the real heiress and wants to come back to enjoy the wealthy life.” “I’m her stain, I don’t deserve to come with her…” “But I really wanted to meet you all, even if Mom beats me to death for it!” As he spoke, he cautiously glanced at me. Garrett, the eldest son of the Morrison family, frowned in disgust. “Shameless. What an embarrassment to our family!” The fake heiress offered fake sympathy. “Don’t blame your sister, she just made a mistake. The child is innocent, after all.” Hearing this, the little boy pulled out a photo showing him and me embracing intimately. He grabbed my hand. “Mom, I’ll leave…” “From now on, I’ll disappear. I’ll go back to scavenging trash to survive. I absolutely won’t affect your position in the Morrison family!” I turned my head and looked at him with amusement. I never actually said that I was the real heiress who had been switched at birth, did I?

As the little boy spoke, he stood up and stumbled toward the exit. Mrs. Morrison snapped out of her shock. “Wait a moment!” Her voice was loud from excitement. The little boy immediately covered his head with his arms, crouched on the ground, and trembled all over. His lips quivered as he spoke. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry… I won’t do it again, Mom, please don’t hit me!” “I’ll slap myself right now, until you’re satisfied.” He raised his hand to strike his own face, but Garrett grabbed it to stop him. Garrett’s expression was dark as he spoke in disbelief. “Stop it!” The boy first looked at me timidly, then quickly lowered his head with a frightened expression. Mrs. Morrison crouched down and tentatively touched his head. “Good child, don’t be afraid. Just tell us what happened.” The boy immediately lifted his head, tears welling in his eyes as he looked at Mrs. Morrison. “Grandma, you’re so kind. Mom has never spoken to me so gently…” “After she gave birth to me, Dad ran away, so Mom has always hated me.” “She always calls me a filthy dog.” “Until I was three, Mom kept me chained to a tree and fed me from a dog bowl!” “Later, the neighbors couldn’t stand it anymore and said they’d call the police to report her for child abuse. Only then did she let me live inside the house…” As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the Morrison family turned their eyes directly toward me. Garrett pointed at me and shouted angrily, “Melissa, are you even human?” “He’s your own biological son!” “You couldn’t control yourself, had a shameless affair with some random man and had a child, but you took all your resentment out on the child!” “Someone like you doesn’t deserve to be part of our Morrison family!” Mrs. Morrison also shook her head, looking at me with disappointment. “If you’re this cruel to your own biological son, how could you have any genuine feelings for us?” “It seems this child is right—you’re just after the Morrison family’s wealth, wanting to enjoy it without working for it!” The fake heiress, Helena, who had been silent until now, quickly reached out to rub Mrs. Morrison’s back. “Mom, you’re not in good health. Don’t get angry!” “I’m sure Melissa must have her reasons. If you have any grievances, just explain them clearly to Mom.” “Were you… forced?” I didn’t answer her. Instead, I looked at the boy and caught a flash of triumphant satisfaction in his eyes. Seeing me look his way, he immediately started trembling again and spoke timidly. “Mom, don’t worry, I definitely won’t tell Grandma that you want to kick out her adopted daughter and take over the Morrison family!” “You also said that the fake heiress stole your life, and after she’s kicked out of the Morrison family, you’ll find several men to defile her and make her suffer every humiliation!” After speaking, he quickly covered his mouth, pretending to be remorseful as he murmured, “Mom, I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have said that out loud…” I looked at him with a half-smile. “You certainly didn’t leave out a single thing you were supposed to say.” “Haven’t you heard? Children who lie get punished and turn into mutes.” The boy’s face instantly paled. His eyes widened in terror. “Melissa, shut your mouth!” Garrett’s face flushed red with anger. “You dare threaten a child right in front of us!” “You want to kick Helena out? You even want to find people to defile her? How can you be so vicious!” “Let me tell you, even if we kick you out, we’ll never drive Helena away!” “She’ll always be my sister!” Mrs. Morrison nodded in agreement. “That’s right! Melissa, even though we’ve brought you back, Helena is still my daughter. You must accept that!” Helena’s eyes reddened. She took several deep breaths and walked up to me. “I don’t blame you, because I really did take your life.” She reached out and grasped my hand. “But I can’t bear to leave Mom, Dad, and my brother. Please don’t make me leave… Can’t we just be real sisters?” “I’ll spend my entire life making it up to you!” “Ah!” As soon as Helena finished speaking, she suddenly cried out in pain and pulled her hand back. She looked at me in surprise, her voice aggrieved. “Melissa, why… why did you pinch me?” Seeing this, the boy quickly stepped forward and grabbed the hem of my clothes. “Mom, calm down. You can’t just hit people randomly. Only me—you can only hit me.” As he spoke, he deliberately rolled up his sleeve, revealing bruises on his arm.

Mrs. Morrison gasped at the sight, then grabbed Helena’s hand. Sure enough, there was a reddish mark on her palm where it had been pinched. She whipped her head toward me. “Melissa, you dare lay hands on Helena? You uncultured thing!” Garrett was even more direct. He raised his hand to slap my face. I grabbed his wrist, my voice cold. “Don’t you want to check the injuries on this child’s body first?” Garrett froze, then looked at me with disgust. “What? Now you suddenly care about the child? Stop putting on an act!” I ignored him and reached out directly to grab the boy’s hand. He instinctively struggled, a flash of malice crossing his eyes. I forcefully wiped his arm. Mrs. Morrison immediately pulled him into her arms protectively. “What are you trying to do now—” “Why does your injury smear off?” I interrupted her, laughing mockingly. “What…” Mrs. Morrison was stunned for a moment, then looked down at the boy’s arm. Where his arm had shown purple bruises, a clear smear mark now appeared, revealing the originally clean skin beneath. Before anyone could react, I grabbed Helena’s hand and forcefully wiped it. “Why does your pinch mark smear off too?” Both Helena and the boy’s faces flashed with panic. I crossed my arms and spoke sarcastically. “Sorry, I forgot to tell you—I always carry makeup remover with me.” The air instantly went silent. Mrs. Morrison and Garrett stood with their mouths open, not knowing what to say for a moment. After a long while, Mrs. Morrison finally spoke. “That still doesn’t prove you didn’t pinch Helena. You just didn’t pinch hard enough to leave a mark.” “As for the red mark on her hand, she probably got something on it without noticing.” “And the child needs no explanation—you’ve been abusing him all along. It’s only natural that at such a young age, he’d develop some tricks to protect himself.” After this absurd explanation, I almost had to admire Mrs. Morrison. However, Garrett frowned, looking deep in thought. Seeing this, the boy immediately pulled out the photo of him and me again. He spoke with feigned sorrow. “Mom, don’t be angry. I only did this to get your attention…” “Mom has never wanted to be close to me since I was little. I begged for so long before you agreed to take this photo with me.” “I thought that if I got hurt, maybe Mom would pay a little more attention to me…” Mrs. Morrison sighed. “What a poor child.” Helena recovered from her earlier panic and quickly spoke up to comfort everyone. “Melissa grew up in such a poor place, so naturally she never received a proper education.” “Although she did something so cruel, I believe she didn’t mean it. She just… no one ever taught her better…” Mrs. Morrison’s expression became even more disgusted as she looked at me. I glanced at the photo and spoke casually. “The photo is photoshopped.” “I don’t know this boy, and I’m not his mother.” Mrs. Morrison and Garrett both froze. Mrs. Morrison actually laughed out loud. “Melissa, I never imagined you’d turn out like this!” “Selfish, cruel, and a pathological liar. If you’d just admitted it honestly, I might have thought better of you. Acting like this only makes me find you more disgusting!” I had initially intended to deny it outright, but these people kept talking over each other and established it as fact. I was also curious to see what other tricks this little boy had up his sleeve. Helena shook her head disapprovingly. “There’s even a photo, and you still want to deny it?” “We’ll help you raise this child. Please don’t refuse to acknowledge him, okay? That would be too cruel…” “Don’t worry, even if people gossip a little, it’s nothing serious. You don’t need to take it to heart!” For Helena, other people’s gossip naturally wasn’t a big deal—after all, people would only criticize the Morrison family’s real heiress for being shameless. I raised my eyebrows and glanced at her. “Whether the photo is composite or not, just find someone who knows how to photoshop and they can tell at a glance.” “With this level of technique, even an apprentice could spot it immediately.” “Don’t worry, this won’t take much time.” Helena’s face instantly paled, and then she deliberately murmured quietly, “What if the person they find is in on it?” I scoffed and was about to say something. But Garrett took the photo and examined it carefully for a while. “It really is photoshopped.” “Could this little boy actually not be Melissa’s child?” Helena’s face grew even paler. At that moment, the butler rushed in frantically. “Madam, there’s a man outside claiming to be Miss Melissa’s husband!” Helena’s pale face visibly flushed with color. She subtly curved her lips into a smile.

As soon as the butler finished speaking, a man rushed into the villa. When he saw me, his eyes lit up, and he immediately tried to grab my hand. “Honey, I knew you’d be here! Come home with me!” He revealed a mouth full of yellow teeth, his voice loud and grating. The disgust on Mrs. Morrison’s face was almost impossible to hide. The man ignored everyone else’s reactions and continued shouting. “I’m Tyler Brooks! Honey, what are you spacing out for? Have you forgotten that amazing night we had?” “Back then, you seduced me. After our one-night stand, I wanted to marry you, but you thought I was poor and just ran away!” “All these years, I’ve been looking for you! Melissa, I’ve had such a hard time finding you!” The boy suddenly chimed in from the side. “You… you’re my dad? So I do have a father…” His voice trembled as large tears rolled down his cheeks, looking pitiful. Tyler stepped forward and pulled the boy into an embrace. “Yes, I’m your father!” “I’ve always known about you, good boy. I’ve been searching for you all along!” The “father and son” instantly embraced, acting as if they were having an emotional reunion. I clapped my hands amusingly, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “Very touching indeed, but I don’t know you at all.” “If you keep making these random claims about me, I’m going to call the police.” Tyler’s expression changed dramatically. He instinctively looked toward Helena. My suspicions were confirmed—I was now certain of my theory. Helena avoided Tyler’s gaze, then deliberately touched her shoulder as if unintentionally. Tyler seemed to remember something and shouted excitedly. “I have proof! The night you slept with me, I saw it—you have a red birthmark on your left shoulder!” Helena immediately rushed forward and pulled open my collar. A vivid red birthmark appeared before everyone’s eyes. Helena covered her mouth in shock. “How can this be!” “I didn’t believe what this man said, so I wanted to check and prove your innocence, but…” “Please don’t blame me, I really didn’t mean anything by it…” I looked at her and raised an eyebrow slightly. “Your investigation was quite thorough.” Hearing my words, her gaze flickered for a moment before she lowered her head with feigned guilt. “I really didn’t expect this,” she said, then looked at Tyler with a firm voice defending me. “This doesn’t count! It’s just a birthmark. It doesn’t prove anything!” “Do you have any other evidence? If not… then… ahem… get lost!” Helena became emotional and coughed continuously. Garrett quickly put his arm around her, speaking with concern. “Don’t get worked up, it’s bad for your health.” “This birthmark is enough to prove that Melissa had something going on with him—that she’s an indecent woman. You don’t need to argue on her behalf anymore.” He looked at me, his face flushed. “I’m ashamed of you! How could our Morrison family have a daughter like you!” “From now on, when you go out, don’t you dare say you’re my sister!” Tyler rolled his eyes and started shouting excitedly again. “Who says I don’t have other evidence!” “If this evidence isn’t enough, I have a paternity test report that proves this kid is my son!” He proudly lifted his chin and pulled a report from his pocket. However, no one noticed that Mrs. Morrison had stopped talking the moment my birthmark was revealed. She kept staring blankly at my shoulder.

“You two only just met today, and the paternity test results are already out?” I looked at Tyler with a half-smile. Helena secretly shot him a vicious look. Tyler instantly looked regretful. He forcibly changed the subject. “None of that matters! What matters is that you definitely had an affair with me!” “Of course, I understand that with your current status, you look down on me even more now!” “I won’t ask you to marry me anymore, but you have to compensate me!” “Melissa, I heard that ever since you found out you’re the Morrison family’s real heiress, you’ve been bragging everywhere about how rich they are!” Garrett glared at me, then reluctantly spoke. “How much compensation do you want?” Tyler greedily surveyed the villa. “Five hundred… no, ten million! I want ten million!” “Impossible!” Garrett waved his hand in annoyance. “I advise you not to be so greedy!” “If you don’t give it to me, I’ll spread the word about everything between me and Melissa. I’ll let everyone see how cheap the Morrison family’s daughter really is deep down!” “You rich people care most about your reputation, don’t you?” Tyler looked at him smugly. Garrett stared at him furiously, then pointed at me viciously. “Look at what you’ve done!” I’d seen enough of this show. I scoffed and looked at the little boy. “Am I really your mother? Did I really say I wouldn’t bring you back to the Morrison family to enjoy the good life?” He immediately nodded without hesitation. I turned to the man. “Am I really your wife?” The man lifted his head proudly. “Of course! You even said that after returning to the Morrison family, you wouldn’t let me pester you!” I laughed lightly. “Your stories are quite interesting.” “At this point, stop making excuses and just think about how to resolve this matter.” Garrett rubbed his temples wearily. Helena sighed. “Melissa, it’s not that I don’t want to believe you, but… the evidence is overwhelming. Just admit it.” “Who said I’m Melissa?” I spoke calmly. Helena froze, instinctively responding. “What? What do you mean?” I glanced at her. “I never actually said I was the Morrison family’s real heiress, Melissa Morrison, did I?” Garrett and Helena’s eyes widened as they stared at me in shock. Just then, Mr. Morrison pushed the door open, his face full of joy. “Honey, I’ve brought Melissa back!” “Melissa, come here. This is your mother and brother.” A girl softly acknowledged and slowly walked out from behind Mr. Morrison.

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Ten years after our divorce, I ran into my ex-husband at a nightclub. He was the domineering CEO buying drinks for the entire venue to celebrate Rose’s birthday. And I was the delivery driver bringing them condoms. The whole time, he pretended not to see me. Until I got down on my knees and begged, all for a five-star rating. Looking at my gaunt, skeletal face, he grabbed my chin and demanded coldly: “You’d rather deliver food than stay married to me?” “Mata, you’re pathetic!” I didn’t take it to heart. I just pointed at his phone. “Could you… give me a five-star rating?” Ten years had passed. Whatever love we once had was long gone. But every five-star rating brought me closer to getting promoted and earning more money. Money I desperately needed to secure the last available treatment slot. “Begging on your knees for a five-star rating!” “Mata, is this how you degrade yourself?” Alex’s face darkened instantly, probably embarrassed. Then again, a five-star rating meant nothing to people like them. But enough of them could get me promoted and earn me more money. Rose giggled as she wrapped her arm around Alex’s, marking her territory. She wore a strapless dress, and the hickeys on her neck were painfully obvious. The onlookers started cheering. “Kiss! Kiss!” Alex didn’t shy away. Instead, he grabbed her waist and kissed her. The expensive wine he’d ordered for Rose’s birthday—over a hundred bottles. But I’d need to earn thousands of five-star ratings just to afford one bottle of that wine. Rose leaned close to me, a mocking smile on her lips. “Alex has been waiting for you to apologize. But you divorced him out of spite and now you’re out here delivering food. Aren’t you embarrassed?” I knew she was trying to provoke me. In the past, when other women challenged me, I’d grab them by the hair and slap them senseless. But now, I just looked at her calmly. “I work for what I need. What’s there to be embarrassed about?” Hearing my response, Alex flew into a rage, laughing coldly. “You want a five-star rating? Then show me some sincerity.” I was used to her deliberate humiliation by now. Instead of lashing out, I reached for an empty wine bottle on the table. Alex immediately stepped in front of her, watching me warily. “Crack!” But as the sharp sound of shattering glass rang out, everyone froze in shock. “Alex, we’re all working people. It’s not easy for anyone.” “There’s no need to make things hard for a delivery driver…” Rose nestled into his arms, whimpering pitifully. Alex’s brow furrowed. “You want to stand up for her?” He cut off the employee mid-sentence, his casual tone now laced with anger. “If you don’t want to get fired, shut up!” The employee had only spoken casually, not wanting trouble, so he laughed awkwardly: “I’m just worried she’ll make a scene and damage the company’s reputation. I didn’t mean anything else…” I’d hit myself too hard. My stomach convulsed violently. The pain made me grimace as I crouched on the floor. But soon, I covered the bleeding wound on my forehead, stood up, and reached for a second bottle. Alex suddenly grabbed my arm. “Are you trying to kill yourself?” “Is this sincere enough?” The moment the words left my mouth, someone slapped me hard across the face. “Smack!” I fell to the ground, my ears ringing. My elbow was cut by broken glass on the floor, blood flowing freely. Alex glared down at me, so angry his hands were shaking. “You’d debase yourself for money, but there has to be a limit!” “When you die, I’ll pay for a grand funeral. Otherwise, don’t expect a penny from me!” I could only silently clutch my wound, my whole body trembling as I struggled to my feet. That’s right. Cold and ruthless. This was the Alex I remembered. In an instant, memories buried deep in my mind came flooding back like a tide. “You bitch! You drugged me just to steal my billion-dollar deal!” “You love money so much, why don’t you just die?”

My thoughts returned to the present. I looked up at Alex with a faint smile. “If this sincerity isn’t enough, Alex, I can still—” “Enough!” His gaze fell on the small medicine bottle at my feet. He picked it up before I could, examining it closely. “Ten painkillers at once? Are you trying to kill yourself?” After we married, Alex frequently brought women home. Each one was trouble. Some even secretly drugged Alex with aphrodisiacs to climb their way up. The situation was urgent, so I took the antidote for Alex myself. But when Alex woke up, he was convinced I’d drugged him, causing him to lose a billion-dollar deal. From then on, he systematically destroyed my family’s business until we went bankrupt. I desperately tried to explain that Rose was the one who drugged his drink. But Rose cried, and he refused to believe me. My family went bankrupt, and after divorcing Alex, I left with nothing. To escape my family’s debts, I hid and struggled daily, barely eating. During that time, Alex actually transferred me some living expenses. In ten years of marriage, it was the first time he’d helped me when I was down. But reality threw cold water on me again. To get that money, I had to apologize to Rose. I couldn’t take it anymore. I refused his charity and shouted at him: “Alex, you’re hopelessly stupid! I’ll say it one more time! I wasn’t the one who drugged you! It was your secretary Rose!” After Alex hung up, my parents were humiliated that very night and jumped from the company rooftop. I begged everyone on my knees to borrow money for their burial, but Alex spread word throughout the city: anyone who lent me a single penny was his enemy. So I had nowhere to turn. I went from a wealthy lady to a delivery driver. Meanwhile, Alex attended business events with Rose. He even spent millions chartering a luxury yacht for three days just to celebrate her birthday and make her smile. I watched their happiness from afar, eating my meals mixed with tears. For ten years. But misfortune picks on the miserable. I was diagnosed with late-stage stomach cancer at the hospital. I’d spent everything paying off debts. My pockets were emptier than my face, let alone affording those expensive targeted drugs. Desperate, I even worked as a hostess at a nightclub, where I encountered a gloomy-looking Alex. His expression was indifferent. “Mata, you’ve really got some nerve!” “I understand you’d drug me for money, but you dared to frame Rose. You’ll pay with your life. However much money you want, I’ll burn it for you!” I shook my head with a bitter smile, but tears fell from my eyes first. Fine. If he wanted me to pay with my life, so be it. Living this long had been exhausting anyway. I rushed to the restroom to clean my wound. Alex followed me out and grabbed my chin, trying to kiss me. He said it was compensation. I bit down hard on his hand and spat out the blood. “Get lost!” Alex’s face darkened. He laughed coldly. “What five-star rating? At the end of the day, you just need money, right? Sleep with me once, I’ll give you five hundred!” “Stop pretending! You drugged me back then for money, didn’t you?” He pressed me against the wall, his hand reaching into my jeans. “Alex! You animal, don’t touch me! You disgust me!” Alex punched the wall right next to my head. He seemed enraged, deliberately finding ways to humiliate me. He made me deliver a bag full of sex toys and condoms to a couple’s hotel. Alex leaned against the doorway in a bathrobe, looking me up and down with that casual gaze. I knew Rose was in his bed. But I didn’t care anymore. I ignored him, just set the delivery by the door and turned to leave. Alex couldn’t stand it anymore. He chased after me and grabbed my arm. “Stop! Is this how you treat customers?” His voice betrayed barely concealed panic. My bandaged wound started bleeding again. The door wasn’t closed. The pungent smell made me nauseous. Seeing I didn’t care, he flew into a rage and slammed the door. “Get lost!” Two days later, I’d just returned to the company. My supervisor threw a resignation letter in my face. Then came a tirade. “How did you offend Rose? She came to the company herself! That’s Alex’s sweetheart!” “We can’t pay you. Don’t drag us down with you. Pack up and get out!” My stomach twisted painfully. I leaned against the wall and crouched down. After swallowing over a dozen painkillers, I finally managed to say: “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have offended Rose.”

In ten years, I’d lost both my parents. Every day I did the hardest work, desperately trying to survive at the bottom of society. I survived on this job’s meager wages. Now that was gone too. Where could I possibly go? Perhaps the pain in my abdomen grew worse. I collapsed on the floor, cold sweat beading on my forehead. I didn’t even have the strength to move. Then the hospital called demanding payment. “I barely managed to save the last treatment slot for you. Do you still want the targeted therapy or not?” “I’ll hold it for three more days. Pay the balance within three days, or face the consequences!” My voice was urgent. “I just got fired. I don’t have that much money right now. Can you give me a few more days…” But they cut me off, voice rising sharply. “You think the hospital’s a charity? If you don’t have money, why are you even trying to get treatment?” I was about to speak when they hung up. To raise the money in three days, I went to my father’s business partner to ask for some dividends. But his tone was even colder. “I’ll tell you straight up, you won’t get a penny of interest back.” “The money your father invested? You won’t get that back either!” I felt chilled to the bone, my voice shaking with urgency. “That’s breach of contract! I’ll sue you!” But the person on the other end wasn’t afraid at all. He even laughed smugly. “Be my guest. Alex is providing us with the best legal team anyway!” “I heard you’re short on cash! Let’s drag this out and see who dies first, shall we?” So Alex didn’t just get me fired—he’d already lined up a legal team, waiting for me to walk into the trap. A metallic taste surged up my throat. The bone-deep pain struck again. I quickly opened the bottle, poured out a handful of painkillers, and swallowed them dry. Cold sweat had already soaked through my work uniform. I slid down against the wall, a bitter smile on my lips. Why? Why could he destroy all my hope with just a flick of his finger? I just wanted to try to survive. But it wasn’t over yet. Just as I dragged my exhausted body back to my rental room. A celebrity gossip notification on my phone immediately caught my attention. [Female Secretary Drugs and Seduces Listed Company CEO!] The photo showed Rose and Alex entering a hotel together, looking affectionate. But the angle was hidden, clearly taken secretly. I scrolled down. The next second, my eyes widened. My name actually appeared in the news.

Rose’s affair with a married man was exposed, and she instantly became the internet’s public enemy. The comment section was flooded with curses. Some even threatened to come after her. This was clearly her own staged performance. I returned to Alex’s house. Alex was taking care of Rose, who was lying in bed. “What right did you have to get me fired? And provide legal support to those deadbeats? Do you know I—” Before I could finish, Alex slapped me across the face without asking any questions. He said coldly: “You still have the nerve to come back? Looks like you really won’t cry until you see your coffin!” “Mata, spreading rumors online wasn’t enough, you even hired people to stalk and harass Rose, driving her to jump in the river. Lucky I showed up in time to save her. If anything had happened to her, ten of your lives wouldn’t be enough to pay for it!” “No! You must apologize to Rose in front of all the media!” Hire people to harass her? Alex had pushed me to the point where I couldn’t even afford medicine. Where would I get money to hire anyone to harass her? But whenever he was unhappy, he pushed me into desperate situations again and again! I laughed at Alex’s words. “Then should I just die to apologize to her?” He seemed enraged by my words. “Even your life wouldn’t be enough to repay what you owe her!” With that, he dragged me in front of the media, ignoring my resistance. My abdomen hit the steps. The pain made cold sweat pour from my forehead. A flash of heartache crossed Alex’s eyes, but when he glanced at the frail Rose, he stopped looking at me. “Mata, until the truth comes out, I won’t let you die!” Fine. Before I die, I’ll explain everything. Give him and Rose a clean slate. As soon as I appeared, media from all outlets swarmed around. “Mata, you submitted articles to various media saying Rose is a homewrecker. Is this true?” “Yeah! Even if you’re angry, you can’t pay for publicity to slander someone’s reputation!” I froze in place. Looks like Rose had already bribed the media to turn the tables on me. My heart was completely calm. I just wanted to explain everything clearly and never see them again. But Alex’s fingers dug into my wound, and he leaned close to my ear, saying through gritted teeth: “Mata! Watch your mouth!” I broke free from Alex’s hand and said formally: “Rose, I’m sorry! I deliberately hired people to market false stories online to slander you, and I hired people to stalk and harass you! It was my fault. Please be magnanimous and forgive me!” I met Rose’s gaze, but she didn’t dare look me in the eye. A reporter couldn’t help but defend her. “Do you think a few painless words of apology can make up for all the harm Rose has suffered these past days?” “We, on behalf of the audience, demand that you kneel and kowtow in apology until Rose is satisfied!” Rose shook her head tearfully, shrinking into Alex’s arms, her voice trembling. “I didn’t seduce Alex. The person who drugged him back then wasn’t me…” Alex quickly pulled her into his embrace, his eyes full of heartache. “Mata! You’d kneel and beg for a five-star rating, so why act high and mighty now!” Seeing I wouldn’t move, his fingers flew across his phone screen. Then my phone buzzed. A friend sent me a high-definition video. “Mata, look quickly. Is the woman in bed you…” It was a video from my wedding night with Alex ten years ago. Now it portrayed me as a shameless slut who actively stripped and seduced men! At this moment, I truly understood he was trying to drive me to my death. I endured the humiliation and knelt down. I smiled bitterly and swallowed the blood rising in my throat. “Alex and I just had a business marriage. In ten years of marriage, he never loved me. The only person he’s ever loved is Rose. Back then, I secretly drugged him to steal the billion-dollar deal, and I deliberately sowed discord to frame Rose…” “Alex, are you satisfied now?” Since he was convinced I did it, explaining further was meaningless. For someone about to die, the truth didn’t matter anymore. I clutched my stomach and laughed wildly. Seeing my crazed appearance, Alex roared: “What are you laughing at? Won’t you be satisfied until you’ve driven me to death!” That night, lying in bed, he thought about how I’d knelt and apologized. The laughter carried deep despair. His heart grew even more panicked. Just as he was about to call me to ask what was going on, he received a call from the hospital. “Are you Mata’s ex-husband? She left your number.” Alex was about to ask, but heard the other party say bluntly: “She owes the hospital quite a bit of money for treatment. I won’t refund the deposit for the targeted therapy!”

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My foster sister used AI to create a fake video of herself being kidnapped by homeless men, demanding five million dollars in ransom from Mom. I immediately exposed her lies and advised Mom not to fall for it. But I didn’t know my foster sister had secretly sent Mom a fake death video. When Mom pushed me off the high-rise building with her own hands, I saw her bloodshot eyes: “It’s all because you wouldn’t let me pay the ransom, and now Lily’s been killed!” “Why wasn’t it you who got kidnapped! I wish I never had you as a daughter!” After being reborn, I returned to the day Mom learned that Lily had been kidnapped. This time, I won’t stop her. Since one wants to be kidnapped and the other wants to pay the ransom, I’ll help both their dreams come true! “My poor Lily, how could she be kidnapped! Emma, what kind of sister are you! Did you offend someone and drag Lily into this? How come Lily got kidnapped but you’re perfectly fine?” “Five million—you’re not even worth five million if I sold you! How can I possibly raise five million in three days!” Once again, I found myself back on that afternoon that changed my fate. Mom gripped my arm so hard it hurt, staring at that video of Lily’s AI-generated kidnapping, firing question after question at me about what happened. In my previous life, I saw through the video at a glance—it was just that AI-generated homeless man trending online recently. I told Mom it was AI-generated by Lily, not a real kidnapping at all. Mom was skeptical but, reassured by me, didn’t pay the ransom. I thought the joke would end there. I never imagined Mom would later receive an AI-generated video showing Lily being brutally murdered. She believed it was real and buried her hatred for me deep in her heart. Until the day I finally agreed to my boyfriend’s proposal, she called me up to a rooftop under the pretense of offering her blessing. I went to meet her full of joy, only to be viciously pushed off the building. Her bloodshot eyes burned with pure hatred: “Why was Lily the one killed while you get to live? If it weren’t for you, my Lily could have married better and been so much happier!” “I wish I’d never found you! You’re nothing but bad luck—give me back my Lily!” But the Lily she claimed was dead had just messaged me saying she’d snuck out to have fun and ran out of money, asking me to send her some! It was obviously a fake death! This time, watching that video, I calmly pulled my arm free from Mom’s tight grip: “We should call the police right away. I’m sure they can rescue Lily.” “No!” Mom immediately shrieked. Worry blazed into fury in her eyes: “We can’t call the police! Emma, are you doing this on purpose!” “What if they get angry and kill Lily? Do you hate her that much!” “You need to sell your apartment and car right now! Go cry to your boss and coworkers, get on your knees and beg them if you have to, be their servant if necessary, but you must borrow that money!” I hadn’t expected her to say something like that. Suppressing my urge to argue, I asked: “Then why don’t you sell this house?” She immediately glared at me defensively: “This house can’t be sold—I’m saving it for Lily when I’m old! Don’t you dare think about getting your hands on this house!” “What about me? This is the only house in the family. If you leave it to her, what happens to me?” A sour feeling surged in my chest. I couldn’t help clenching my fists as I confronted her. Mom stared at me with disgust, her face full of disappointment and self-righteousness: “Why do you always have to compete with Lily for everything! She’s young and sensitive. Ever since you came back, she’s suffered so much!” “You’re capable and you’re the older sister—what’s wrong with giving way to her? She already feels inferior for not being the biological daughter, so of course the family assets should all go to her!” “Lily’s been kidnapped and you’re still this cold-blooded, fighting with me over who gets what?” Even though I knew she didn’t love me and had all her thoughts on Lily, hearing such blatantly biased words still made my heart ache. I held back the sting in my nose. Give way to my sister. Ever since I was found and brought back in my teens, this phrase had haunted me like a ghost. Eating her leftover snacks, wearing her hand-me-down clothes. Her birthdays were like a princess surrounded by classmates. While I had to finish washing dishes in a restaurant kitchen before squatting in a corner, reeking of grease and sweat, silently wishing myself a happy birthday. I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm: “Fine, I understand, Mom.” “You can give her all the assets. I just want to ask one thing.” “What about elderly care? When you’re old, will Lily handle that too?”

An expression of extreme disgust instantly appeared on Mom’s face. She pointed at me in disbelief: “Is all you do calculate everything?” “All these years, Lily’s been the one staying by your dad and me, being filial on your behalf. You’re not grateful and now you’re even complaining about this?” “I raised you for nothing! Don’t worry, when we’re old we’ll stay with Lily. You just need to send over alimony every month!” “And give Lily an extra three thousand a month! Taking care of us all the time isn’t easy for her!” I could hardly believe my ears. I was the one who got lost and spent over a decade in an orphanage. Lily was the one adopted to enjoy over a decade in my place! Now they were saying I should thank her? My monthly salary was only fifteen thousand. After giving them 8,880 and Lily another 3,000, would I not need to eat or drink? Given their level of favoritism, all that money would probably end up in Lily’s pocket anyway! I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I opened my mouth to argue and refuse, but was interrupted by a series of notification sounds. Mom received a bunch more AI videos from Lily. After watching them, her face immediately turned ashen. The next second, a heavy, vicious slap landed on my face, stunning me completely. “How can you be so cruel? She’s your sister! She’s suffering at the hands of kidnappers, and you’re here asking questions, refusing to give a single cent! Are you hoping she dies so you can take all our assets?” “Let me tell you, don’t even think about it! If anything happens to Lily, you won’t have it easy either!” My cheek burned with pain. That slap completely shattered all my illusions about maternal love. I grabbed her hand as she tried to hit me again, laughing coldly: “Mom, when have I ever coveted your assets? You only brought me home in high school and gave me 88 dollars a month for living expenses—not even enough to eat!” “After college, you said I was an adult and shouldn’t be a burden anymore! You never gave me another cent!” “As soon as I started working, you made me pay exorbitant rent, utilities…” “Don’t bring up all that ancient history with me!” Mom shoved me hard. Another crying AI video from Lily popped up on her phone. “Lily needs five million in ransom now. You must sell that apartment of yours!” “Impossible.” I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms: “That’s my own house. It has nothing to do with any of you! Figure out Lily’s situation yourself!” I grabbed my bag and turned to leave. Behind me came Mom’s vicious cursing and crying, along with threats telling me to get out and never come back. I walked forward with my back straight, didn’t look back, only felt my heart soaking in ice water, chilled to the bone. In my previous life it was the same—I rushed back from Seattle overnight because of one sentence from Mom, only to not even get a sip of hot water. To her, I was always cold-blooded and disobedient, not like her daughter at all, more like her enemy. As soon as I reached the hotel, I received a call from Lily. Her voice carried its usual smugness and mockery: “Emma, sorry about that. Did I get you scolded by Mom again? Oh well, Mom just loves me too much.” “By the way, don’t tell Mom about the AI videos. I’m just short on cash lately. Even if Mom finds out, she won’t blame me.” “But if you expose it, and something happens to me, who do you think Mom will believe—me or you?”

That evening, the hotel room door was pounded so hard it shook. I’d barely cracked the door open when Mom burst in and grabbed my wrist, her nails nearly embedding in my flesh as she dragged me outside: “Come home with me now! The kidnappers said they’ll take one of you as a hostage—either you or Lily! Go take Lily’s place!” She yanked me so hard I stumbled. When I understood what she meant, I couldn’t help closing my eyes. I knew Mom didn’t love me, but I never thought she could hate me this much. If this were all real and not AI, would she trade my life for Lily’s? If she never wanted me, why did she insist on bringing me back! “Mom, isn’t my life worth anything? Wouldn’t it be dangerous for me too? Am I your biological daughter or not!” But Mom gripped my wrist forcefully, her tone carrying an almost cruel certainty: “How can you and Lily be the same? She’s been pampered since childhood—she barely even falls down! You suffered so much in the orphanage, you’re stronger and tougher than her. You’ll definitely find a way to escape on your own!” “Stop talking about biological or not! Don’t ever say things like that at home again—Lily will be hurt if she hears it!” “Escape on my own?” I found it absurdly laughable. Looking at Mom’s face, anxious and worried only for Lily, I felt like a clown: “So Mom, you never planned to pay ransom for me at all? When Lily gets kidnapped you’ll sell everything to save her, but when it’s my turn, you just tell me to escape on my own and that’s it?” She looked away, only urging me to hurry. The motion-sensor lights in the hallway turned on and off with our footsteps, just like my hopes rising and shattering again and again. As soon as I got back to that house and sat down, I received a text from Lily: “See, sis? I didn’t lie to you. Mom loves me the most after all. As soon as I mentioned the choice, Mom chose to save me without hesitation. You’re so pitiful—the biological daughter, yet you’re not even as good as a replacement.” Reading “not even as good as a replacement,” I had to admit my heart felt like it was being pricked by needles. But immediately after, Mom, who’d just been frantically anxious, suddenly calmed down. She sighed and sat down beside me, forcibly taking my hand with a stiff but rarely gentle smile: “Emma, Mom was just joking earlier. What choice? You and Lily are both Mom’s daughters. I’d be worried if either of you got kidnapped!” I froze, unsure what game she was playing. Her hand carried an unfamiliar but warm heat, her tone holding a coaxing gentleness she’d never shown me: “It’s just that Lily’s situation is urgent, so Mom panicked and said nonsense. Don’t worry, I’ve already had your dad sell the house to raise money. I would never let you take that risk!” “Tonight, just stay home. Tomorrow once we’ve raised enough money, you’ll go with Mom to deliver the ransom, okay? Your dad and I are old now—you’re the only pillar of this family!”

This was too suspicious. Even though that heart instinctively seeking maternal love trembled slightly, I couldn’t possibly listen to her. I’m not an idiot! Suddenly asking me to stay home—who knows what scheme Lily might have put her up to! I flatly refused. She tried persuading me a few more times but surprisingly didn’t force me to stay when I left. My suspicions only grew. So the next day, when Mom called asking me to come home for lunch, I hesitated, sent my boyfriend a text letting him know, then went home anyway. “Emma, look! Mom made a whole table of your favorite dishes! Go wash your hands and eat.” As soon as I walked in, Mom enthusiastically and affectionately helped me with my bag and coat. Dad, who’d always been invisible at home, actually sat at the dining table serving me rice, looking at me like I was some kind of prize. But my heart, which had warmed slightly, turned ice cold when I saw the food on the table. I dodged Mom’s attempt to pull me along: “My favorite dishes? Radish, onions, and green beans—did you pick these up from the market?” “What are you being picky about…” Mom instinctively flew into a rage to scold me, but forcibly stopped herself. She wiped at nonexistent tears: “All our money is going toward the ransom, we can only afford these… What are you doing?!” Ignoring her, I yanked open the refrigerator. It was packed full of crabs and lobsters. I turned back: “This is what you call having no money?” Mom’s expression darkened instantly. She angrily pried my hand away and slammed the refrigerator door shut with a “bang”: “Those are all Lily’s favorites. She’s been kidnapped and traumatized—I’m buying her some good food in advance. Is that wrong? Are you competing over this too?” “Crabs are cold in nature, and aren’t you allergic to lobster anyway? What are you trying to eat—you’re so greedy!” I looked at the scratch marks she’d clawed into my hand, my face completely cold: “What exactly do you want?” What allergies, what cold nature—when I first came back, everything I did was timid and careful. Eating too much got me scolded, trying to please was despised, everything was wrong! Lily gets delicacies prepared for her, while I only deserve stir-fried radish and onions! “Since you asked, Mom won’t hide it.” She dropped the pretense of maternal kindness, sitting on the sofa imperiously: “We’re still three hundred thousand short for Lily’s ransom. It just so happens John’s son is getting married, and he’s willing to pay over three hundred thousand as a marriage gift to marry you! Your dad and I already agreed. This afternoon they’re coming to take you to register!” “Tomorrow’s the last day—we can’t delay Lily’s ransom any longer! As the older sister, shouldn’t you make some sacrifices? Besides, John’s family is wealthy—marrying into it would be a blessing for you!” John’s son? I was so angry my vision blurred. Everyone knew about John’s super-male syndrome son who was always sinister and violent, beating his wives until they miscarried and broke limbs. Anyone wanting a divorce had to shed blood and tears! And this is called a blessing? Should I also be grateful that I’m worth three hundred thousand and sold for a good price? I furiously swept everything off the table. Dishes and food crashed to the floor: “Why should I marry that super-male! Whoever wants to use a marriage gift to save Lily should marry him themselves!” “Mom, didn’t you say it’s a blessed life? Then you marry him. After all, saving Lily is most important, right? As a mother, shouldn’t you sacrifice something too?” After this outburst, I ignored my parents’ shocked and furious expressions, stepped over the mess, and tried to leave. But amid Mom’s venomous screeching curses, something struck the back of my head hard. My vision went black as I collapsed to the ground. Mom casually picked up my buzzing phone, but when she saw the caller ID, her pupils contracted and she threw the phone away in fright.

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Lately, I noticed that my custom panties kept disappearing—a few pieces here and there, every few days. When I asked my husband Derek about it, he just shrugged it off, saying I must have carelessly misplaced them somewhere. At the company’s annual gala, while everyone was eating together, a system prompt suddenly echoed in my mind: [Mind-reading mode is now activated.] Before I could even process what was happening, another voice followed: [The thrill of being touched by Serena’s husband while wearing her panties is absolutely exhilarating!] [Harder… yes… I’m coming!] My blood ran cold as I looked at Derek sitting beside me. His hand was hidden beneath the table, and his assistant Vanessa was biting her lip with a flushed expression, as if she was trying to hold something back. They were flirting right here at the dinner table—in front of everyone! Fine then. Don’t blame me for spicing things up. 0 Before I could fully react, the voice in my head grew even more shameless: [Derek’s hand is so hot… this lace is digging into me so tight.] [Harder… feel good, yes! I’m coming!] Lace panties… Last week, Derek had taken me to a lingerie boutique to have them custom-made. Purple lace with an iris flower pattern. He said they’d look sexier on me. I wore them once, and then they vanished. The voice echoing in my mind—I recognized it immediately. It was Vanessa, Derek’s assistant. Our company only hired top graduates, yet she’d landed the assistant position with just a high school diploma. I always assumed it was because she was exceptionally capable. The truth is, she climbed her way up by sleeping with my husband. Derek’s left hand was clearly under the table, and Vanessa’s eyes had that distant, glazed look. Everyone was tipsy from drinking, so no one was paying attention to what was happening below. Hoping to confirm my suspicions, I deliberately dropped my fork and bent down to take a look. But Derek stopped me before I could. With a perfectly considerate expression, he said, “You’re wearing a dress—it’s not easy to bend down. Let me get it for you.” His smile was so warm and thoughtful. Flawless. Then, the voice returned: [Thank God Derek reacted fast, or they would’ve seen my panties on the floor. He’s so bad, pulling them off like that. But going commando feels kind of exciting!] My face went pale. The filth I was hearing made me sick to my stomach. Derek stood up, raising his glass and gesturing for everyone to follow: “Our collaboration with Mr. Sullivan went incredibly smoothly, and Vanessa played a huge role in making it happen. Starting today, Vanessa will officially become the Director of Project Division One!” The room erupted in applause. People stood up to toast her. Vanessa smiled sweetly, graciously accepting every glass raised in her honor. “Thank you all for your support.” [It’s so breezy down there… what a rush!] Derek noticed I hadn’t moved from my seat. He frowned. “Serena, do you have a problem with this?” I looked up and challenged him directly. “She’s the Project Director now? Then what am I?” Derek hesitated. Vanessa jumped in with a smug tone. “Serena, you’ve been Project Director for a while now, but you haven’t closed any major deals. Why not let me have the position? I’m confident I can do better than you!” I had been Project Director for five years. I’d signed dozens of deals. And as far as I knew, the entire company’s operating funds came from those deals. “Serena, you know how hard it was to land the Sullivan deal. Vanessa pulled it off, so she deserves this promotion.” “As for your position…” Vanessa seized the moment. “Mr. Thompson, I’m new to the director role and still getting the hang of things. How about Serena becomes my assistant to help me adjust?” Vanessa’s flirtatious act was absolutely masterful. Derek didn’t hesitate. He made the decision on the spot. I immediately protested. “I don’t agree!” Derek’s face darkened. I had just embarrassed him in front of everyone. “Serena! Personnel decisions are made by management. As an employee, you accept them!” Colleagues started whispering: “If you can’t cut it, step aside!” “All she does is collect a paycheck!” “I heard everyone who worked on the Sullivan deal with Vanessa got double bonuses!” “We backed the wrong horse!” I clenched my fists and slowly exhaled. “Fine. I’ll step down.” 0

Vanessa hadn’t expected me to give in so easily. The insults she’d prepared died on her lips. [What’s wrong with her today? Since when is she this agreeable?] She had no choice but to play nice on the surface. “That’s great, Serena! With you assisting me, I’m sure things will go even smoother!” That night, back home, Derek was clearly drunk. He stripped off his clothes and collapsed onto the bed. I stared at his discarded clothes, deep in thought. I crouched down and searched through his pockets. Sure enough—there it was. A purple lace panty with an iris pattern. I held back my disgust and stretched it open. There was an obvious wet stain on it. The thought of Vanessa stealing and wearing my underwear made my stomach turn. I ran to the bathroom sink and dry-heaved. Furious, I threw the panties right onto Derek’s face. But he was too drunk to even flinch. I collapsed onto the couch. Tears of humiliation and rage streamed down my face. The next morning, Derek came to me holding the panties, his eyes slightly evasive but his tone defensive. “Where did you find these?” I glanced at him coolly. “In your suit pocket.” He pressed his lips together. “The washing machine must’ve tangled them into my pocket. See? I told you they wouldn’t just disappear.” I took the panties from him. They’d been washed spotless. “But I’ve lost more than just this one pair.” Derek’s expression tightened. He quickly explained, “You probably left them somewhere around the house. Where else could they have gone?” Before I could press further, the doorbell rang. It was Vanessa. “Mr. Thompson, the meeting with Mr. Sullivan is almost time.” Derek immediately grabbed his briefcase and headed for the door. “Oh, Serena—be a good assistant and print out all these documents for me.” Vanessa shot me a condescending look, her tone dripping with contempt. [Bossing Serena around feels amazing.] I looked down at the files she’d sent me. Over a thousand pages. I didn’t know what she was planning, but I followed her instructions and printed everything. From my observations, I realized my mind-reading ability had limitations. I could only hear Vanessa’s thoughts, and only within about fifteen feet. Like right now—when I placed the printed documents on her desk, she didn’t even glance at them before slamming her hand down. “Are you stupid? You’ve been here long enough to know company printing standards! Key points need to be in bold! Go reprint everything!” “You only told me to print them. You didn’t—” She cut me off. “Do I have to spell everything out? Can’t you think ahead? The company doesn’t pay you to be a brainless waste of space!” I gritted my teeth and nodded. Before I even left her office, I heard: [So this is what being a director feels like. I’m going to put her in her place every chance I get!] Every chance? She wouldn’t get many more chances. 0

I reorganized the documents and reprinted them. As I was leaving the printer room, a colleague behind me started complaining loudly: “I waited an hour in line, and now the printer’s out of paper!” “One print job takes an hour? What a waste of everyone’s time!” “Acting like company paper is free!” “Never seen anyone so shameless!” I held the stack of papers and replied coldly, “Director Vanessa requested these prints. If you have a problem, take it up with her.” The colleague scoffed. “Director Vanessa? A director wouldn’t print this kind of stuff!” She shoved a piece of paper at me. The title read: [How to Seduce a Man: A Detailed Guide] I frowned and examined it closely. The content was full of cheap, sleazy tricks. “Someone as capable as Director Vanessa would never have you print something like this!” “Making things up without even trying to be convincing. Does she still think she’s a director?” “She’s just Vanessa’s little lapdog now!” I clenched my fists, instantly realizing I’d been set up. Vanessa had hidden this garbage among the thousand pages of documents. How thoughtful of her. The commotion drew Derek and Vanessa over. “What’s all this noise about?” The gossipy colleague immediately tattled to Derek. Derek exploded. “Serena, the company doesn’t pay you to play dirty games!” “Exactly, Serena. I thought you had real talent like me!” I calmly held up the paper so everyone could see it clearly. “This looks like a screenshot from some online post. But whoever took it wasn’t very smart—they forgot to crop out their profile picture.” Everyone leaned in for a closer look. “That profile pic… isn’t that Director Vanessa…?” Vanessa’s face went pale. [Damn it! How could I forget to crop out my picture!] She stammered out an excuse. “I accidentally sent that to Serena along with the other files… But Serena, as an assistant, you should’ve double-checked everything!” “What if you’d printed confidential materials for a client meeting this carelessly? You’d be damaging the company’s reputation!” The whispers continued: “Didn’t she say she never stooped to these tactics?” “Did she sleep her way to the top?” Vanessa’s face flushed red. Derek grabbed her hand to comfort her. “Vanessa’s abilities speak for themselves. I personally promoted her!” “Everyone has a private life. Let’s keep work and personal matters separate. Is gossiping about colleagues really appropriate?” The crowd finally dispersed. Derek glanced at me. “The Morrison deal has a networking event in a few days. Go with Vanessa and make sure we close it.” Vanessa immediately objected. “No!” 0

When no one else was around, Vanessa tugged at Derek’s sleeve, pouting. “Derek, let me go alone this time. I can handle it!” [As if I’d let Serena come. What if she steals my credit?] Derek looked conflicted. After all, I was the one who’d always dealt with Mr. Morrison. “Don’t worry, Derek. I’ve already familiarized myself with all of Division One’s projects. This deal is guaranteed to go smoothly!” “Besides, Serena couldn’t even handle a simple printing task today. She’d only embarrass the company at the event!” She turned to me with a sweet smile. “Right, Serena? You’re not going to shamelessly tag along, are you?” I smiled back and slowly pulled out an invitation from my pocket. “Well, Mr. Morrison already sent me a personal invitation. It would be rude not to go.” Vanessa’s face froze. She couldn’t believe it. “That’s impossible… That invitation was sent to the company!” I opened the invitation and showed her the inside. It clearly read: Invitee: Serena. “I’m not going as a company representative. I’m going as myself. Any other questions?” Vanessa clenched her teeth. [That bitch! How did she get a personal invitation to the event!] Derek cleared his throat. “Then we’ll split up. Division One will represent the company at the event.” I turned and left. Over the next two days, I dug out all my old meeting notes with Mr. Morrison. I prepared meticulously for the negotiation. I knew exactly how much Vanessa was worth. I couldn’t let her destroy the client relationship I’d carefully cultivated. The day of the event arrived. Mr. Morrison warmly welcomed me and even arranged a private lounge for me. Shortly after, Vanessa and Derek arrived with a few key team members from Division One. They approached Mr. Morrison with smiles and toasts. I stayed quiet in the background. Vanessa shot me a gleeful look. [She’s like a pathetic little rat! Without Derek, she’s nothing!] I smirked and picked up a glass of red wine, walking straight toward her. As I passed by, I “accidentally” stumbled, splashing wine all over her dress. Vanessa shrieked. “Serena, are you insane? This is designer! Can you even afford to replace it?” “Oh, I’m so sorry.” I made a show of trying to wipe it off. Derek instinctively steadied Vanessa and snapped at me. “Serena! Since when are you this careless? Don’t you know how important tonight is for the company?” “Are you trying to sabotage Vanessa’s pitch to Mr. Morrison?” I calmly offered a solution. “I have a spare dress in my lounge. Go change—it’ll work for now.” Vanessa stormed off, cursing under her breath. I smiled. A while later, Derek spotted Vanessa emerging and quickly called her over to meet Mr. Morrison. “Mr. Morrison only has thirty minutes for us.” Vanessa nodded and began her pitch with a smile. I watched from a distance. She started squirming, pressing her thighs together. Her face grew increasingly strained. Even her speech became halting and confused. Her voice echoed in my mind again: [Ah! It burns down there!]

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