Author: Momo Chan

I loved Gavin for ten years, only for him to announce his engagement to his mistress, Serena. On the day of their engagement, they locked me in the basement. Gavin even locked the iron door himself, coldly tossing out a single sentence through the metal: “Don’t let her out until the engagement party is over.” Curled up on the freezing floor, I listened to the cheers and applause drifting down from the banquet hall upstairs. My crippled right hand spasmed violently, the pain so intense it eventually went numb. When the door finally opened again, they dragged me out and threw me into the pouring rain. I staggered forward on numb legs, walking aimlessly through the storm. Until a man stopped in front of me, holding an umbrella over my head. Dominic handed me a marriage agreement. “Marry me. I can save your father, heal your hand, and help you take back everything that belongs to you.” I signed the contract. Later, when the bankrupt Gavin saw me again, he rushed toward me like a madman, demanding to know why. Dominic wrapped an arm around my waist and kissed me right in front of him. “Because now,” he said, his voice icy cold, “she’s my wife.”

Lila’s POV When Gavin announced his engagement to Serena, the whole city was stunned. The yacht party doubled as Hartwell Group’s annual couture show. It was the height of extravagance. Everyone envied Serena. She wasn’t just marrying the Hartwell heir. Tonight, she was also debuting as lead designer. Her gown, “First Love.” The dress of the century. Under the spotlight, Serena wore that gown with nine hundred and ninety-nine diamonds. She leaned into Gavin’s arms, smiling with an innocent, angelic look. Under the spotlight, Serena wore that gown embedded with nine hundred and ninety-nine diamonds. She nestled in Gavin’s arms, smiling with an innocent, angelic look. And I stood in the darkest corner of the ballroom, watching it all in silence. That “First Love” gown was something I’d stayed up countless nights to make. My right hand ached so much I couldn’t hold a fork. But I sewed every stitch. By hand. The hidden pattern on the hem was my mother’s favorite design from when she was alive. Gavin once said it was a signature that belonged only to me. But now, he’d put my work on another woman, making it a symbol of their love. “Miss Sterling.” Gavin’s chief assistant, Aaron, walked up to me and handed me a paper bag. “Mr. Hartwell said this is what you asked for.” I took the bag and opened it. Inside was an old fashion design notebook, my mother’s keepsake. And a check for fifty million dollars. “Mr. Hartwell also said that after tonight, you two have no relationship anymore.” Aaron’s eyes held a trace of haughty pity. “Mr. Hartwell hopes you won’t appear in front of Miss Vale anymore to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings. After all, Miss Vale is now the chief designer of Hartwell Group.” I looked at that check and suddenly found it amusing. Three years. I’d been with Gavin for three years. I wasn’t just his mistress. I was also the “ghost designer” for his company’s design department. I’d drawn over a hundred designs for him, launched more than a dozen bestselling collections, and pushed Hartwell’s fashion empire to its peak. The price? Chronic overwork and mental stress had severely damaged the nerves in my right hand. My hand trembled just holding a pen now. I’d completely lost the possibility of becoming an independent designer. Everyone thought I loved Gavin so much that I was willing to be a mistress for money and status. Even Gavin thought so. He thought I couldn’t leave him. He thought that as long as he threw me a little reward, I’d be grateful. I pulled out that fifty-million-dollar check and, right in front of Aaron, tore it into pieces bit by bit. “Miss Sterling, what are you doing?” Aaron frowned, his tone carrying a warning. “Mr. Hartwell’s patience is limited. Don’t be willful.” “Keep this money for Miss Vale to buy candy.” I tossed the shredded paper into a nearby trash can and clutched my mother’s notebook tightly to my chest. “Tell Gavin that as he wished, we’ll never see each other again.” I turned and walked out of the ballroom without looking back. No breakdown, no tears. So calm it surprised even me. Outside the yacht, heavy rain began to fall. The cold rainwater pelted my body, yet I felt liberated. These three years, I’d endured Gavin’s mental torture just to keep my mother’s keepsake and pay for my imprisoned father’s medical treatment. He would violently take me in bed while coldly suppressing my career in daily life. “Lila, besides me, who else would want you?” “Your hand is already ruined. Without me providing you a team, you can’t even make a single piece of clothing.” “Be good and let Serena take credit for this season’s designs. She just returned. She needs this work more than you do.” He said the cruelest things in the gentlest tone. Destroying my confidence bit by bit, stripping away my pride. Turning me into worthless garbage that could only survive by clinging to him. But he didn’t know I’d never truly submitted. I was just waiting. Waiting to get my mother’s notebook. Waiting to save enough for my father’s medical bills. Now, my wait was over. I returned to the villa that had imprisoned me for three years. As quickly as possible, I packed up everything that belonged to me. Actually, there wasn’t much. Just a few old clothes and some worn books. As for all those designer bags, haute couture dresses, and expensive jewelry Gavin had given me, I didn’t take a single piece. I found a large cardboard box, packed everything into it, and left it on the living room table along with the villa key. When I left, I blocked and deleted every contact method related to Gavin from my phone. I left swiftly, without a trace of reluctance.

Lila’s POV The rain grew heavier. I dragged a cheap suitcase down the empty street. My clothes were soaked through, my body shaking from the cold, but I didn’t want to stop. I just wanted to get as far away from Gavin’s world as possible. Just then, a black Maybach slowly stopped beside me in the rain. The window lowered. Revealing a handsome face. The man wore a perfectly tailored black suit with gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. Behind those lenses, his eyes were deep, dark, and carried an irresistible sense of authority. Dominic Kane. Heir to New York’s most elite financial empire. Rumor had it he was a ruthless, unpredictable, heartless capitalist. I’d only met him once. It was at one of Gavin’s private cocktail parties. I attended as Gavin’s date but was left alone in a corner. Dominic saw this and handed me a glass of warm water, expressing concern. “Miss Sterling, in such heavy rain, where are you planning to go?” His voice was deep and pleasant, with a hint of leisure. I stopped and looked at him warily. “Mr. Kane, is there something you need?” The car door opened. A large black umbrella appeared over my head. Dominic’s assistant stood respectfully to the side. “Miss Sterling, Mr. Kane requests that you get in the car.” I didn’t move. I’d just escaped one cage. I didn’t want to jump into another abyss. Dominic seemed to see through my thoughts. He tilted his head slightly, his gaze falling on my face through the rain. “Lila, your father had a sudden heart attack in prison. He’s being rushed to the hospital right now.” “Gavin has already cut off his medical payments.” “If you go now, you’ll only see his corpse.” My brain went blank with a buzzing sound. The suitcase slipped from my hand, crashing into a puddle and splashing muddy water. “What… what did you say?” My whole body trembled, my voice shaking. “Get in.” Dominic’s tone was serious. “I’ll take you to him.” Without any hesitation, I bent down and got into the car. The cabin was heated, filled with a faint, pleasant fragrance that inexplicably brought peace of mind. Dominic handed me a clean towel. “Dry yourself off.” I took the towel and hastily wiped the rain from my face. “Mr. Kane, why are you helping me?” I stared at him, trying to find answers in his expression. I didn’t believe in random acts of kindness in this world, especially not from someone like Dominic Kane. Dominic chuckled softly. He pulled out a document from the storage compartment beside him and placed it in front of me. “I need a wife. And you happen to be suitable for the position.” I froze, looking down at the document. “Marriage Agreement.” “Why me?” I couldn’t believe it. With Dominic’s status and position, he could find any type of woman he wanted. Why would he choose someone ordinary like me, someone Gavin had discarded? “Because you’re smart enough, and strong enough.” Dominic’s slender fingers lightly tapped his knee, his gaze deep as he looked at me. “More importantly, I’ve seen your real design drafts. Gavin is a blind fool who doesn’t know how to appreciate them, but I’m not.” He leaned forward slightly, moving closer to me. His warm breath fell on my ear, carrying a hint of temptation. “Lila, marry me. I can not only save your father but also help you take back everything that belongs to you. Including healing your right hand.” My heartbeat skipped a beat. My right hand. This was my deepest pain. I looked into Dominic’s beautiful eyes, knowing I had no other choice. I picked up the pen and signed my name on the agreement. “Alright, I agree.” Dominic looked at the name on the paper, his lips curving into a satisfied arc. “Mrs. Kane, pleasure doing business with you.”

Gavin’s POV My engagement party lasted until late into the night. I’d drunk quite a bit. My head hurt. Serena leaned against me weakly, wanting to return to the villa with me. “Gavin, can I stay with you tonight?” I rubbed my temples, and Lila’s face suddenly flashed through my mind. I gently pushed Serena away. “I’m too tired tonight. Go home and rest. I’ll come see you tomorrow.” Serena was somewhat reluctant but didn’t dare disobey me. She could only nod obediently. I got in the car and instructed the driver to return to the villa. The whole way, I thought about Lila. That woman actually didn’t make a scene tonight. Usually, if I so much as glanced at another woman, she’d question me with red-rimmed eyes. Tonight I announced my engagement to Serena in front of everyone, even put the wedding dress she’d stayed up nights making on Serena, yet she didn’t shed a single tear. She even tore up the fifty-million-dollar check I gave her. Thinking about this, I couldn’t help but sneer. She just wanted to get my attention. She was becoming more and more willful. I was certain that Lila was now crying in pain at the villa. When I returned, she would definitely kneel at my feet humbly like always, begging me not to abandon her. Thinking this, my mood suddenly improved. The car pulled into the villa driveway. I pushed open the door. The living room was pitch dark, and there was no figure in pajamas coming forward with warm milk. “Lila!” I frowned and turned on the lights. In the empty living room, only a huge cardboard box sat on the coffee table. I walked over and saw clearly what was inside. All the gifts I’d given her over these three years. Jewelry, watches, haute couture dresses… On top of the box lay the villa key. My pupils contracted sharply. I rushed upstairs and pushed open the bedroom door. The closet was empty, the vanity was empty, and her toiletries in the bathroom were gone too. Throughout the entire villa, there was no longer any trace of Lila. She’d left. Left decisively, without a hint of reluctance. I stood in the empty bedroom, a sudden irritation rising in my chest. I pulled out my phone and dialed Lila’s number. “Sorry, the number you have dialed is not in service.” Not in service? She’d even canceled her number! I hurled my phone against the wall. The screen shattered instantly. “Fine, very good!” I laughed coldly in anger. “Lila, don’t you ever think about coming back!” I thought Lila was just acting out. I thought she needed me to survive. Her father’s hospital bills were piling up. Her right hand was useless. No other design firm would hire a cripple who couldn’t hold a pen. Only me. She had no choice but to come back and beg me. I lit a cigarette and took a deep drag. I wanted to see just how stubborn this woman could be. Within three days, she would definitely come back begging. However, three days passed. I hadn’t heard a single thing about Lila. I sent people to check the hospital, only to be told that Lila’s father had been taken away three days ago. Where her father went, who took him. No one at the hospital knew. I sat behind my large desk, my expression terrifyingly dark. Aaron stood to the side, trembling nervously. “Find her! Bring her back to me!” I violently swept the documents off the desk like an enraged lion. “Even if you have to search all of New York, find her!” I absolutely would not allow my prey to escape my control.

Lila’s POV These three days, I’d been staying at Dominic’s private estate. The environment here was beautiful with excellent scenery. Dominic arranged the best room for me, the finest chef, and an entire medical team. He hadn’t lied to me. My father was transferred to a private hospital under Dominic’s name and received the best treatment. He was now out of danger. And I was being cared for like something fragile. Dominic made time to eat with me every day. Though he didn’t say much, his every action showed tremendous respect and restraint, giving me a long-lost sense of peace. During those three years by Gavin’s side, I lived in constant fear and anxiety every day. Afraid I’d do something wrong and upset him. Afraid he’d stop my father’s medication in a fit of rage. Now, I finally didn’t have to follow anyone’s orders anymore. Dominic even built me a top-tier private studio on the estate. The fabrics, sewing equipment, and pattern-making tools inside were even more complete than Hartwell Group’s design department. “Mr. Kane, thank you.” I stood in the studio, looking at those expensive silk fabrics, my eyes getting warm. Dominic leaned against the doorframe, one hand in his pocket, his gaze deep as he watched me. “Lila, have you forgotten we’re already married?” He walked over and reached out to gently wipe away the tears at the corner of my eye. The warmth of his fingertip was somewhat hot. “From now on, call me by my name.” I uncomfortably turned my head away and called softly, “Dominic.” Dominic chuckled lightly, seeming very pleased. “The doctor said your right hand’s condition is due to chronic overuse combined with excessive psychological stress causing neurological spasms. I’ve already contacted the nation’s top orthopedic and neurology experts. Next week they’ll fly here to consult on your case.” “Lila, trust me, you’ll get better. Your hand will still be able to draw the most beautiful designs in the world.” His voice was low and firm, carrying a convincing power. I looked at him and nodded hard. That afternoon, I went to the mall. I wanted to buy some daily necessities and a few sets of clothes for my father. Dominic wanted to send bodyguards with me, but I refused. I didn’t want to be monitored like a prisoner. However, I never expected to run into Serena at the mall. She was holding Gavin’s arm, browsing bags at a luxury boutique. Serena spotted me immediately. She tottered over in her heels, walking with an exaggerated sway, her face displaying a victor’s smugness. “Well, well, if it isn’t Lila? After Gavin kicked you out, you don’t even have money to buy clothes?” She looked over my simple casual outfit, her eyes full of disdain. I looked at her coldly without speaking, but my gaze fell on the ruby necklace around her neck. That was a necklace Gavin once gave me. When I left, I’d left it in the cardboard box. I never imagined Gavin would give it to Serena. How disgusting. “What are you looking at?” Serena noticed my gaze and deliberately touched the necklace at her neck. “This is the engagement gift Gavin gave me. Beautiful, isn’t it? Lila, you were with Gavin for three years, drawing all those designs for me, yet he wouldn’t give you anything. Now that I’m back, he gives me everything. You’re nothing but a clown, a cheap tool.” Her words stabbed into my heart like poisoned knives. If it were before, I might have endured it, but now, I didn’t need to endure anymore. I raised my left hand and slapped her hard across the face. The crisp sound of the slap was particularly loud in the quiet luxury boutique. Serena’s head snapped to the side. Covering her face, she stared at me in shock. “You… you dare hit me?” “I hit you. Do I need a reason?” I sneered and shook my somewhat numb hand. “Serena, stealing someone else’s work as your signature piece. Do you think your own work is that terrible?” “Lila!” A sinister, furious voice came from behind. Gavin quickly walked over and protectively pulled Serena behind him. He stared at me intently, his eyes cold as ice. “What are you freaking out about?” He grabbed my right wrist in one swift motion, his grip so tight it felt like he’d crush my bones. “Apologize to Serena!”

Lila’s POV Excruciating pain shot through my right wrist. That was my most vulnerable, most painful spot. The pain made me gasp, forcing my head back to meet Gavin’s fury-filled eyes. Three years. He was always like this. As long as Serena shed a single tear, he’d pin all the blame on me. I looked at this face I once loved deeply, now finding it only unfamiliar and repulsive. “Apologize?” I forced myself to endure the spasms in my right hand, laughing coldly, my gaze unflinchingly meeting his. “Gavin, impossible! I, Lila Sterling, will never apologize to a thief who only steals other people’s designs!” Gavin’s expression instantly darkened to the extreme. He tightened his grip even more, completely disregarding my trembling hand, glaring at me furiously. “Lila, do you think that leaving me means you can survive on your own? Do you believe that with just one word from me, your father won’t get a single pill in the hospital!” He was threatening me with my father again. This was his usual tactic, his most lethal way of controlling me. He thought that as long as he brought up my father, I’d immediately kneel on the ground and beg him like before. Unfortunately, he was wrong. I looked at his arrogant face and suddenly laughed. I laughed until tears almost came out. “Gavin, you still don’t know, do you?” I used my left hand to pry his fingers off one by one, my voice cold and emotionless. “My father has already been transferred. From now on, his life or death has nothing to do with you.” Gavin froze. He seemed unable to process what I’d said, but his grip instinctively loosened. “What did you say?” His brow furrowed. I saw a flicker of panic in his eyes. “I said, I’m no longer under your threats.” I yanked my right hand back and stepped away, creating distance between us. “Gavin, we’re completely finished. From now on, you and Serena can be together forever. Don’t ever appear in front of me again.” With that, I turned to leave. “Stop!” Gavin reached out sharply, trying to grab me again. Just as his hand was about to touch me, another large hand suddenly reached out from the side and firmly caught Gavin’s wrist. “Mr. Hartwell, manhandling a lady is hardly gentlemanly behavior.” A low, lazy voice sounded above my head. My whole body jolted as I looked up sharply. Dominic had appeared behind me at some point. He wore an impeccably tailored dark gray suit, his posture upright and bearing dignified. Dominic released Gavin’s hand and naturally pulled me into his embrace. Gavin stumbled back a step, his face iron-dark as he stared at Dominic. “Dominic Kane? What are you doing here?” Gavin’s gaze swept back and forth between Dominic and me, his eyes full of shock and suspicion. “Lila, what’s your relationship with him?” Dominic ignored Gavin’s interrogation. He looked down at me, his gaze falling on my slightly trembling right hand. His brow instantly furrowed. “What happened to your hand?” He pulled out a pristine white handkerchief from his pocket, cradled my right hand, and carefully wiped the spots Gavin had touched, as if I’d just touched something extremely filthy. “How can you use the hand you draw with to hit people?” Dominic’s voice was soft but carried indulgence and heartache. “Next time you encounter such idiots, just have the bodyguards handle it. Don’t dirty your hands.” Serena’s face instantly turned pale. Gavin trembled with rage. “Dominic Kane, what do you mean?” Gavin stared at the hand Dominic had around my waist, his eyes blazing with fury. “Lila is my woman. Stay away from her!” Dominic finished wiping my hand and casually tossed the handkerchief into a nearby trash can. He raised his head, looking at Gavin with contempt, as if he were nothing but a clown. “Mr. Hartwell may not have grasped the situation yet.” Dominic pulled me closer, his lips curving into a cold smile. “Lila is now my wife. I won’t allow you to touch her again.” Gavin stood frozen, as if struck by lightning, staring at me in disbelief. “Wife? Lila, you… you married him?”

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Mom disappeared ten years ago, and Dad has hated me for ten years. He hates me for causing Mom’s disappearance. He hates my face that looks nothing like hers. So he adopted a girl who resembles Mom eighty percent, and spoiled her rotten. Dad took her traveling everywhere, brought her on parent-child variety shows, took her on talk shows, announcing to the whole world that she was the only daughter of the Foster family. Meanwhile, I wore ill-fitting clothes and lived in the servants’ quarters of the Foster house. He let her bully me, slander me, and push me–someone who couldn’t swim–into the artificial lake. He said this was what I deserved. I thought this was what I deserved too. Until my sixteenth birthday, when Mom came back. Three days from now would be my sixteenth birthday. Every year on this day, Dad would throw a birthday party for Sophia Foster. Every classmate except me had received Sophia Foster’s birthday invitation. “Chloe, don’t take it personally. Maybe the butler miscounted and missed one,” Sophia said, standing by my desk with an apologetic expression. I kept my head down, working through practice problems with a blank face, not even glancing at her. I’d experienced Sophia Foster’s endless little tricks for nearly ten years. I was used to it by now. “Sophia, why are you explaining anything to her?” A classmate who couldn’t stand watching stood up to defend Sophia. “You’re just too nice. That’s why she keeps bullying you.” “Exactly! She’s just a maid’s daughter who shamelessly lives at your house, freeloading off you. Mr. Foster even sponsors her education, but instead of being grateful, she steals from you! Only someone as kind as you would put up with it. If it were me, I’d have kicked her out long ago!” “She’s an ungrateful wretch!” “Sophia, she’s definitely jealous of you–jealous of your family background, your grades, your popularity.” “Better not invite her. Who knows what trouble she’ll cause? Don’t let her ruin your birthday.” “She lives at the Foster house anyway. Does she even need an invitation? When the master’s family has a birthday, she should be helping out with the other servants.” “Good point!” After they finished, Sophia finally spoke slowly. “Oh, I couldn’t possibly make Chloe do that. Any other day would be fine, but that day is Chloe’s birthday too.” She said ambiguously, “Chloe, I’m sorry. I originally wanted to invite you to cut the cake together, but Dad wouldn’t allow it. Who told you to do what you did back then? Can’t blame Dad for disliking you.” I threw my pen at her face. “Fuck off!” Ten years ago, Mom disappeared while picking up a birthday present she’d reserved for me. Whether she was alive or dead, no one knew. Dad frantically searched for Mom everywhere but couldn’t find her. I cried every day, wanting Mom. Mom had spoiled me into a little tyrant. In the past, I only had to cry a little and I’d get whatever I wanted. One day, the nanny couldn’t calm me down and carried me to Dad. Dad stared at me with hatred for a while, then kicked me away. “Fuck off!” “You have the nerve to cry!?” “If you hadn’t insisted on celebrating your birthday, why would Vivian have disappeared?” “Don’t let me see you again. Get out!” From that day on, I went from being the little princess Mom cherished to a burden everyone despised. Whether I could eat depended entirely on the nanny’s mood. Later, Dad adopted a girl from an orphanage who looked very much like Mom. He gave her my room, gave her my princess dresses, gave her my birthday, and gave her my identity too. When he took six-year-old her on parent-child variety shows, I was being abused at home by the nanny, eating spoiled food. The day he publicly announced that Sophia Foster was his only daughter, I realized I had lost my father.

After school, I went home with injuries. Sophia was extremely popular in class. The moment I snapped at her, a boy immediately stood up and pushed me down. When my forehead hit the corner of the desk, everyone watched me with eyes full of coldness and schadenfreude. From elementary school through high school, I’d never had a single friend. Sophia tirelessly led everyone in isolating me. I wasn’t afraid of being isolated. What I feared was that the teacher insisted my parent come to school on Monday. The boy’s parent came that very afternoon, fiercely defending their child. “My son was just being a good Samaritan. Everyone saw that she threw something at Sophia first.” “Oh my, son, are you okay? Did you get hurt anywhere?” “Someone this emotionally unstable shouldn’t be allowed in school. Who knows what she’ll do next time?” Standing there with blood all over my face, I thought–if Mom were still here, she would defend me like this too. Instead of like Dad, who ignored my injuries completely. He checked whether Sophia’s face was hurt while telling me to get lost. “You knew Sophia has to film a show tomorrow, yet you still tried to hit her face.” “Chloe Foster, your mother was so kind. How could she give birth to such a malicious child? Sometimes I really doubt you’re even her daughter!” “Wasn’t it enough that you caused your mother’s disappearance? Now you want to hurt Sophia too?” I studied Dad’s face carefully. The disgust on his face–I’d been seeing it for ten years. Ten years ago, he wasn’t like this. When Mom was here, he loved me too. Though he always regretted that I didn’t resemble Mom, he still put tremendous effort into raising me. He named me Chloe, saying I was the Foster family’s most precious treasure. He bought me beautiful dresses and jewelry. On my fifth birthday, his gift to me was an estate. When a classmate pushed me in kindergarten, he was heartbroken. Not only did he make that family come apologize, he also found several coaches to teach me taekwondo. He told me that if someone bullied me, I must fight back, no matter who they were. He also told me that no matter what happened, Mom and Dad would always have my back. The person who once promised to always have my back was now demanding to know why I hurt his Sophia. “Go back to your room and reflect properly. Don’t come out without my permission!” From start to finish, Dad never once looked at the wound on my forehead. From start to finish, I never found the courage to relay the teacher’s message to Dad. He wouldn’t go to school for me. All these years, he’d only attended parent-teacher conferences for Sophia Foster.

After being locked up all night, my wound became infected. I wanted to go out and get the medicine kit. When I opened the door, I found the house set up with cameras, with several cameramen and a host surrounding Dad and Sophia Foster. The gentle, loving expression on Dad’s face was something I hadn’t seen in ten years. Host: “As the CEO of a publicly traded company, you must not have much time to spend with your daughter, right? How did you raise her so well?” Dad: “Sophia is naturally well-behaved. She’s my only daughter. No matter how busy I am, I make time to be with her.” Sophia hugged Dad’s arm and acted cute. “My dad is the best dad in the whole world! I just wish he had even more time to play with me! Dad, I haven’t traveled abroad yet this year!” Dad smiled helplessly but indulgently. “Alright, alright. After your birthday, I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.” I blinked, feeling completely numb inside. I’d seen scenes like this too many times. It didn’t hurt as much anymore. But inevitably, I still thought back to ten years ago. Ten years ago, when Mom was still here, I would hug Mom and act cute like that too, making all sorts of little requests. Mom would agree to any request I made. She had a jade necklace she’d worn for many years. When I said I liked it, she immediately took it off and put it on me. “Chloe, you must treasure this necklace. Grandma left it to Mom, and Mom has worn it for many years.” At the time, Mom stroked my head with sadness and nostalgia in her eyes that I didn’t understand. On the other side, the host suddenly mentioned Mom. “Does Sophia often think about her mother? Mrs. Foster was a very talented actress. I heard Sophia wants to take the arts exam and become an actress in the future. Is this because of her mother’s influence?” The atmosphere in the room froze for a moment. Mom’s name was taboo around Dad. In the past, when people asked questions like this, Dad would have lost his temper long ago. But today was Sophia Foster’s first variety show appearance since growing up. Dad was paving the way for her entry into the entertainment industry. Sophia’s expression turned somber. “I’ve always missed Mom and wanted to see her. The reason I want to be an actress is because I want to become an excellent person like her.” She took out a necklace. “This necklace is a keepsake Mom left me. Whenever I’m sad, I take out the necklace and look at it, and I feel like Mom is still by my side.” Seeing that necklace, I froze, uncontrollable anger surging in my chest. That was the necklace Mom gave me! Over these ten years, Sophia Foster had taken everything from me. All I had left was that one necklace. I rushed forward and snatched the necklace back without caring about anything else. “Chloe Foster! Who said you could come out?” Dad’s face darkened. “Chloe? What’s wrong?” Sophia stood up, her face showing perfectly calibrated confusion. “Sophia Foster, when did you steal the necklace?” I checked the box where I kept the necklace every night before bed. Last night, the necklace was still safely in the box. During these years when no one cared about me, only by stroking this necklace could I keep myself alive. It represented that someone had once loved me. It represented that Mom had truly existed. “What? Steal?” Sophia’s expression was shocked and innocent. “Chloe Foster! Have you caused enough trouble? This is a live broadcast!” Dad’s face was ugly. “I don’t care about any live broadcast! This is the necklace my mom left me. Why should she take it? Hasn’t she taken enough of my things already?” “And! My mom isn’t dead! Sophia Foster, watch your mouth. This isn’t a keepsake!” “Mr. Foster, what’s going on?” The host looked at me hesitantly. Sophia panicked a little and looked to Dad for help. Dad’s eyes were cold. “A servant’s relative.” I clutched the necklace tightly, my whole body turning cold. Although Dad had long ago publicly announced that Sophia Foster was his only daughter, and Sophia always told people at school that I was the maid’s daughter. But this was the first time he personally said he didn’t want me. The panic on Sophia’s face disappeared completely, and she couldn’t help feeling triumphant. Taking advantage of my dazed state, she snatched the necklace away. “Chloe, you must be mistaken. This necklace isn’t yours.” “If it were anything else, I’d give it to you if you liked it, no matter how expensive. But this necklace is what my mom left me. I can’t give it to you.” The watching staff members looked at me with very subtle expressions, probably wondering why a maid’s daughter would suddenly go crazy and rush out to steal things from the master’s family. Someone said quietly, “What a schemer. She knows it’s being broadcast live and wants to gain notoriety.” I had no time to care what others said. I just wanted the necklace back. “Give it back! That was the last thing Mom left me. Give it back!” Sophia let me pull her, deliberately loosened her hand, and the necklace fell to the ground. The jade pendant shattered into several pieces. I staggered, my mind going blank. The last thing Mom left me was also gone. “Are you satisfied now? Get out!” Dad’s face was black, his eyes looking like he wanted to tear me apart. Sophia’s eyes brimmed with tears. “Chloe! You’ve gone too far!” Those staff members were also quietly condemning me. But I couldn’t hear anything anymore. I just quickly bent down to pick up the necklace. The fragments cut my fingers. My tears fell on the wounds–wet, hot, and painful.

I got cyberbullied. That day’s content was broadcast live, and everyone felt sorry for Sophia Foster and Dad, while I faced countless attacks and insults. Several classmates acted as informants online, claiming the Foster family sponsored my private school education, that Sophia was always tolerant of me at school, but I constantly bullied her. [Ungrateful wretch!] [See, you can’t just sponsor people randomly, or you’ll raise an ungrateful wretch who bullies your own child.] [That was jade, right? The Foster family’s things must be expensive. How does a maid’s daughter have the nerve to say her mom left it to her? If she could afford jade, why would her mom work as a maid at the Foster house?] [Feel so bad for Sophia. The keepsake her mom left was smashed like that. Make her pay for it!] [Sophia looks so much like her mom. I used to be a fan of Vivian. Seeing Sophia cry breaks my heart. If Vivian were still here, she’d be heartbroken too.] [Vivian loved her daughter so much. If she knew her daughter was being bullied like this… sigh.] Vivian was my mom. Seeing this comment, my heart ached dully. If Mom were still here, would she feel sorry for me? If Mom were still here… would she recognize me? Would she, like Dad, stand on Sophia Foster’s side too? After all, I was the one who caused her disappearance. After all, I don’t look even slightly like her. Sophia Foster’s birthday party–all the classmates came. They came to knock on my door, loudly mocking me outside, taking Sophia’s side. I was locked in my room. Dad’s orders. At the time, he wouldn’t even enter my room, lecturing me through the door. “Chloe Foster, how can you face your mother? That necklace was her most treasured possession! It was your grandmother’s keepsake!” “Do you hate your mother that much? Hate Sophia that much? Do you know how long Sophia prepared for this live broadcast?” “If your mother saw what you’ve become today, she’d regret giving birth to you!” After Dad left, Sophia came in with a key. “Chloe Foster, when you heard Dad personally call you a maid’s daughter, how did you feel?” “You’re so shameless, still refusing to leave the Foster house. You got your mom killed, and Dad hates you to death. He wishes you’d die soon–he just hasn’t said it out loud.” I ignored her, staring out the window on my own. It was very lively outside. The lawn by the artificial lake was decorated beautifully. Flowers, banners, balloons, champagne towers. Gift boxes in various colors covered the ground. The birthday cake was ten tiers high. That was the scene from my memories, the scene from my dreams. Ten years. Every year, I watched someone else take center stage on my birthday. Someone was calling Sophia to cut the cake. Sophia’s face darkened, angry at being ignored by me. “Chloe Foster! I’m talking to you!” “Why didn’t you die with your mother?” She snatched the jade fragments from my hand and threw them toward the artificial lake outside the window. I suddenly stood up. Without thinking, I climbed onto the window and jumped into the lake. A chorus of exclamations, screams, cold water flooding my ears and nose. Before losing consciousness, I seemed to hear Mom’s voice. I heard her calling my name: “Chloe! Mom is here!”

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At my boyfriend Ethan’s birthday party, I managed to snag two VIP tickets to Taylor’s concert. Our friends started cheering: “Ethan, didn’t you swear you’d propose to Sophia at this concert?” My heart fluttered as I looked at him expectantly. But he turned around and handed the tickets to Nina, sitting quietly in the corner. She was the girl next door he’d grown up with. He said indulgently: “Take them. Didn’t you spend a whole week crying about not being able to get tickets?” The private room fell silent instantly. The cheering stopped abruptly. Ethan didn’t even glance my way. He just kept comforting Nina: “Sophia and I have been together for years. We’ll have plenty of chances to see concerts. If you like it, take the tickets.” Watching him act so certain I’d be understanding, I smiled slightly. Since he didn’t want to go, I’d just take someone else. I kept my voice as steady as possible and reached out to Nina: “These tickets are registered under specific names. You can’t just transfer them. Give them back.” Her eyes instantly welled up with tears, as if she’d suffered some terrible injustice. She looked up at Ethan. “Ethan… I’m sorry, I didn’t know Sophia cared this much. I don’t deserve to go to such a nice concert anyway. My boyfriend wouldn’t want to come with me…” She held out the tickets, but tears suddenly fell onto the back of her hand. Before I could even touch the tickets, Ethan pushed Nina’s hand back. He turned to look at me, frowning slightly. “Sophia, what do you mean registered names? They’re not going to stop someone with valid tickets. You’re just being selfish. Nina and her boyfriend just got together. Their relationship is still unstable. We’re just helping her out. Don’t be petty. We’ll go next time, okay?” I stood there, frozen. To get these front-row VIP tickets, I’d recruited over a dozen coworkers to help me try. All because he’d promised to propose to me at this concert. Now, he was casually giving away my effort to someone else, and calling me petty? Our friends exchanged glances. The atmosphere was painfully awkward. Our closest friend pushed Ethan and said with exaggerated expressions: “Come on, they’re just tickets, Ethan. That’s not your focus today anyway! Didn’t you prepare the…” Before he could finish, Ethan stumbled from the push. Something slid out of his jacket pocket. A deep blue box fell onto the coffee table. The lid popped open, revealing a diamond ring. “Holy shit, a ring!” “Ethan, you’re finally making your move!” The atmosphere instantly reignited as our friends started cheering again. My heart skipped a beat. I looked at Ethan. But Ethan’s expression had gone rigid. Before he could say anything, Nina looked at the ring and suddenly burst into tears. “That’s so nice… Sophia is so lucky. Not like me. My boyfriend hasn’t given me a single gift. He even says I’m annoying… Will I ever meet someone who treats me well? Does everyone just get to bully me…” Watching her cry uncontrollably, Ethan’s eyes flashed with deep sympathy. He sighed, picked up the ring box, and suddenly grabbed Nina’s hand. “Stop crying. It’s not that big a deal.” Then he actually took out the engagement ring and slipped it onto Nina’s ring finger. “Wear this ring for a few days. It’ll bring you some good luck. Show your boyfriend that Nina has people who care about her.” Only after doing all this did he turn to explain to me: “Sophia, this ring might be a bit too small. I’ll get you a bigger one tomorrow. I’m just lending it to Nina today to cheer her up. You don’t mind, right?”

Our friends, who had been cheering moments ago, were now completely stunned. Nina showed a hint of smugness. I smiled wryly. “Fine. Whatever makes you happy.” With that, ignoring his surprised look, I turned and headed home. Five years. I’d lost count of how many times Ethan had put me in embarrassing situations for Nina’s sake. At 3 AM, Ethan came home. As the birthday boy, he naturally had to stay out with his friends until dawn. He stumbled into the bedroom and hugged me tightly from behind, reeking of alcohol. His voice was slurred but placating: “Sophia, still awake… I’m sorry. It was my birthday. Everyone was there, and Nina was crying like that. I couldn’t just embarrass her. I swear, first thing tomorrow morning I’ll take you to buy the biggest, shiniest diamond ring to make it up to you. From now on, I won’t care about anyone but you, okay?” I closed my eyes. I didn’t struggle or respond. I just listened to his breathing gradually even out, my heart like a completely dried-up well. The next morning, just after seven o’clock. A piercing phone ringtone shattered the bedroom’s silence. Ethan groggily pressed answer. Nina’s sobbing voice immediately came through. “Ethan, my boyfriend broke up with me! He dumped me! He said I came home too late from your birthday party last night. He said I have no shame… Ethan, I feel terrible. Now I have no one to go to tomorrow’s concert with… I feel like life isn’t worth living. I want to jump off the building…” Ethan, who’d been half-asleep, instantly jolted awake and sprang up from the bed. He hurriedly pulled on clothes while anxiously comforting her on the phone: “Nina, don’t do anything stupid! If no one will go to the concert with you, I’ll go with you! Where are you? I’m coming right now!” He hung up quickly and turned to grab his car keys. When he met my calm gaze, he paused briefly, but anxiety quickly took over. “Nina’s in trouble. Her boyfriend broke up with her because of last night. She’s having a breakdown right now. I need to be there for her.” I sat on the bed, watching him so flustered he’d buttoned his shirt wrong, and asked quietly: “What about what you promised me last night?” Ethan frowned, his tone carrying a hint of reproach: “Sophia, how can you worry about that at a time like this? This is life and death! We’ll buy the ring next time. Just be understanding.” With that, he rushed out without looking back. I watched the direction he’d left in and suddenly felt ridiculous. I immediately pulled out my phone and canceled his registration on the concert ticket. Then I posted the ticket code online. [Rare front-row VIP ticket, original price.] Less than a minute after posting, someone messaged me. I didn’t care who it was. I sold it immediately.

Up until the day of the concert, Ethan hadn’t come home once. He’d occasionally send a message or two on Snapchat, reporting his whereabouts. As if simply reporting them made him still a dutiful boyfriend. “Nina’s mood is still really low. I took her on a road trip to clear her head. Took her to an escape room today…” I didn’t reply to any of them. I was packing things for the concert. And cleaning out everything that belonged to me, planning to take it all with me. Five years of our relationship had seeped into every corner of this place. I’d thought discarding these things would hurt, but when I actually did it, I discovered that when your heart dies to a certain degree, you can’t feel pain anymore. That afternoon, as I was folding the last few pieces of clothing into my suitcase, Nina sent me a Snapchat message. No words, just three photos in succession. One showed Nina wearing an extremely luxurious wedding dress with a long train, wearing a tiara, smiling like a real bride. Another showed Ethan’s back as he bent down to adjust Nina’s dress train. The last was a photo of them together, Nina’s hand resting on Ethan’s arm, the engagement ring still on her ring finger. Half a minute later, Nina’s text came through. [Sophia, please don’t misunderstand. I’ve only met bad boys my whole life. No one’s ever really cherished me. Ethan took me to try on wedding dresses just to let me experience what it feels like to be a happy woman. Ethan’s also checking out dress styles for you in advance. This one is really beautiful. You’ll definitely look even better in it than me.] Looking at the words on the screen, my stomach churned. I didn’t reply to Nina. Instead, I called Ethan directly. The phone rang for a long time before someone answered. In the background, I could faintly hear a sales associate saying “Sir, your wife is so beautiful.” “Hello, Sophia?” “You took Nina to try on wedding dresses?” I asked calmly. There was a second of silence on the other end, followed by an irritated sigh. “From your tone, are you interrogating me? You know I grew up with Nina. I’ve always treated her like a little sister. She just went through such a huge blow. She’s lost all faith in love. I took her to try on wedding dresses just to help her rebuild her confidence. Besides, I’m also checking out which stores have good styles for you.” Listening to this string of justifications, I actually laughed in anger. “Ethan, since you care about her so much, why don’t you go all the way and be her groom. Let’s break up.” His breathing caught sharply on the other end, followed by a low roar: “Sophia, you want to break up with me? Just because I went with Nina to try on a wedding dress? Are you serious? When did you become so unreasonable!” “Think whatever you want.” I didn’t want to hear another word from him. I hung up directly. Looking at the empty closet, I zipped up my suitcase. I’d spent five years figuring out that a man’s so-called “sibling affection” was just ambiguity and favoritism without boundaries. Now, I didn’t want it anymore.

On the evening of the concert, I’d just found my seat in the front row center. Before long, the empty seat beside me was filled as a tall figure sat down. The man wore a high-quality black shirt with the cuffs slightly rolled up. His profile showed sharp, handsome lines. Seeing me, he nodded politely, his voice deep and pleasant: “Hello, are you Miss Sophia? I’m the buyer from the resale platform.” I smiled at him: “Hello. Are you satisfied with the seat?” “Absolutely perfect.” The corner of his mouth curved into a slight smile. “Thank you for selling it at original price. I’ve been looking for this seat for a long time.” We exchanged brief pleasantries. The atmosphere wasn’t awkward at all. Just then, all the lights in the venue suddenly dimmed. The outer screens and the center stage screen lit up simultaneously. The pre-show warmup interaction began — the classic kiss cam game. The camera swept wildly through the audience. The big screen kept flashing couples’ surprised and shy faces. “Next, whoever the camera stops on, if you’re a couple, you have to kiss! If you’re not a couple, then give the person next to you a warm hug!” I was laughing and watching the fun when a dazzling spotlight fell on me and the man in the black shirt beside me. Our two faces instantly magnified on the big screen. I froze, my heart skipping a beat. The man turned to look at me. Text appeared at the bottom of the screen: [Not a couple? Give each other a hug!] Under the gaze of tens of thousands of people, a gentle smile flashed in the man’s eyes. He saved me from embarrassment. He turned openly and extended his arms toward me like a perfect gentleman. At that moment, outside the stadium at the ticket checkpoint. Ethan stood in front of the VIP entrance, touching the diamond necklace in his pocket. He was calculating how to coax me after the concert. “Ethan! Hurry, they’re checking tickets!” Nina excitedly pulled his arm. They walked to the gate. The security guard said coldly: “Please show your tickets for facial recognition entry.” Nina eagerly placed the ticket Ethan had given her on the scanner. “Beep — ” A harsh red alert sounded. [Identity mismatch. No purchase record found.] Nina froze and turned to look at Ethan with grievance: “Ethan, what’s going on?” Ethan frowned: “They must be checking strictly.” He took out his own ticket and placed it on the scanner. Another harsh red alert. The security guard looked at them expressionlessly: “You two, neither of you has ticket information under your names. Please step aside.” “That’s impossible. My girlfriend bought these as connected seats!” Ethan’s voice rose sharply in panic. The guard checked his device and looked up coldly: “Sir, the system shows the primary purchaser kept her own seat. Your companion registration was unbound by her one day ago.” Unbound? Ethan froze. The line behind them started complaining impatiently. Nina felt utterly humiliated. Her eyes instantly reddened. Amid a chorus of jeers, Ethan retreated from the crowd in complete embarrassment. He quickly pulled out his phone and pulled up my number through gritted teeth. Suddenly, thunderous cheers erupted from the giant broadcast screen on the plaza’s outer wall. Ethan instinctively looked up. On the screen, he saw my image, smiling as I embraced a handsome man beside me.

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On our sixth anniversary, I put on my sexy lingerie, prepared seven whole boxes of condoms, and planned to give Marcus a surprise. But even by dawn, he never came home. Until someone anonymously sent me a photo and a text message. In the photo, Marcus had his arms around a disheveled woman. He was cupping her face, kissing her passionately. The text had only one line: “His first love is back. Time for you, the substitute, to fuck off.” Six years. A whole six years. I thought he’d settled down for me, but in the end, I was just a similar face, a counterfeit he could summon at will. I didn’t cry or make a scene. I took off that ridiculous lingerie and dialed my family’s number. “I agree to the arranged marriage.” Gianna POV I sat in the reserved French restaurant, watching the ice cream cake on the table gradually melt. The clock on the wall had already pointed to eleven at night. Today was the sixth anniversary of Marcus and me being together. For today, I’d reserved his favorite restaurant half a month in advance, and even prepared a men’s engagement ring in my purse. I wanted to propose to him. But Marcus stood me up. His phone was unreachable, messages went unanswered. It wasn’t until my best friend sent me a screenshot from social media that my heart completely sank to the bottom. In the photo, at New York’s largest private club in a VIP room, Marcus sat on a sofa with a red-eyed, pitiful-looking woman leaning against him. Marcus’s head was lowered, his usually rebellious features now filled with tenderness as he carefully wiped her tears with a tissue. The caption read: “After all this time, Mr. Barrett’s dream girl has finally returned from abroad.” Dream girl. I stared at those words, feeling cold all over. I’d known Marcus for six years. Everyone said this good girl had tamed Marcus’s wild heart, and I’d believed it myself. Until I saw that woman’s face in the photo, and suddenly understood. That woman had a beauty mark at the corner of her eye, and when she smiled, her features were seventy percent similar to mine. So I was never anyone special, just a substitute for consolation. I don’t know how I walked out of the restaurant. When I came to my senses, I was already standing outside the club’s private room door. The door wasn’t fully closed, and jeering voices drifted out from inside. “Mr. Barrett, now that Clara’s back, what are you planning to do with that substitute at home?” “What else? Give her some money and send her packing. If she didn’t look like Clara, would Mr. Barrett have kept her around for six years?” “True. A fake is still a fake. Now that the real deal’s back, she naturally has to make room.” I froze in place, the blood in my body seeming to flow backward in that moment. I pushed open the door. The laughter in the room came to an abrupt halt. Everyone’s eyes fell on me, filled with undisguised mockery and contemptuous amusement. Marcus looked up. The moment he saw me, his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. He didn’t let go of the arm around Clara Hayes, only speaking in a cold tone: “Why are you here?” No explanation, no guilt, just displeasure at being interrupted. I looked at him, my voice hoarse: “Today is our sixth anniversary.” Marcus seemed to remember only then, a flash of impatience crossing his eyes: “I had something come up today. We’ll make up the anniversary tomorrow.” “What could be more important than our anniversary?” I stared hard at the woman in his arms. Clara seemed startled and shrank further into Marcus’s embrace, her voice delicate: “Marcus, this must be Miss Hayes, right? I’m sorry, it’s all my fault. I just came back and was feeling down, so I asked you to keep me company. You should go back with her. Don’t fight because of me.” This retreat-as-advance tactic instantly ignited Marcus’s protective instincts. His face turned cold as he shielded Clara behind him, looking at me like I was an unreasonable stranger. “Gianna, Clara just returned and her emotions are unstable. Don’t make a scene here. We’ll talk about whatever it is when we get home.” Making a scene. Six years of our relationship couldn’t compare to a single tear from Clara Hayes. I looked at this man I’d loved for six years and suddenly felt he was completely unfamiliar. I didn’t become hysterical, didn’t cry. I simply calmly took out the engagement ring I’d prepared from my purse and, in front of everyone, threw it into the nearby trash can. “No need to make it up.” With that, I turned and walked out into the pouring rain.

Gianna POV I walked in the rain all night. By the time I returned to the apartment, I’d developed a low fever. I didn’t take medicine, just curled up on the sofa, looking at the traces of our shared life throughout the room, feeling nothing but irony. Marcus didn’t come back until noon the next day, reeking of alcohol. Seeing my pale face on the sofa, his frown deepened. “Had enough of your tantrum last night?” He loosened his tie, his tone condescending and patronizing. “Clara just got back. She has no friends here. It’s only right that I look after her more. You’re my girlfriend. Be more understanding. Don’t always act like a resentful wife.” I looked up at his self-righteous face, feeling only absurdity. “Understanding? Marcus, what exactly am I to you?” “What more do you want?” Marcus impatiently interrupted me. “I already said you’re my girlfriend. What are you still complaining about? Oh right, that ‘Starfall’ comic copyright you have—the company’s decided to give it to Clara as the lead artist.” I stood up abruptly, looking at him in disbelief. “Starfall” was a comic I’d spent three years of my life creating. It was about to be adapted for film and television, with Marcus’s company handling the development. “That’s my life’s work! Why should she get it?” “Clara studied art abroad. She needs a presentable project to establish herself in the industry.” Marcus spoke as if it were completely reasonable. “You don’t need this one copyright anyway. I’ll compensate you with a few more later. Clara has depression. She can’t handle setbacks. Just think of it as helping her out this once.” “I help her? Who’s going to help me?” I trembled with anger. “Marcus, to please your first love, you’re going to take my life’s work and give it to her?” “Gianna!” Marcus shouted sharply. “When did you become so selfish and malicious? Clara is so sick. What’s wrong with you giving in to her? I’ve already decided. Legal will send you the transfer contract this afternoon. Just sign it.” With that, he slammed the door and left. I collapsed onto the sofa, tears finally falling uncontrollably. Six years of devotion had earned me the label “selfish and malicious.” That afternoon, legal indeed sent the contract. I didn’t sign. I called Marcus directly, but he hung up. When I called again, Clara answered. “Miss Hayes, Marcus is in the shower.” Clara’s voice couldn’t hide her smugness. “You received the ‘Starfall’ contract, right? Thank you so much. Marcus said this is his welcome home gift for me. Don’t worry, I’ll draw it well.” My knuckles turned white gripping the phone. Without saying a word, I hung up. I opened my computer and looked at the thousands of “Starfall” sketches in my folder, my heart aching. Just then, my phone rang. It was Xavier calling. “Gianna, Mom and Dad found you a match for an arranged marriage. Second son of the Italian Sinclair family. His character and background are impeccable. That unreliable boyfriend of yours has been with you six years and won’t even meet the family. Break up already and come home to get married.” In the past, hearing such words, I would refuse without hesitation, even having huge fights with my family over Marcus. But this time, looking at the glaring transfer contract on my screen, I fell silent for a long time. “Xavier,” my voice was hoarse, “let me think about it some more.” I still needed a little more time to completely kill that ridiculous hope in my heart.

Gianna POV For the next few days, Marcus never returned to the apartment. But I was forced to watch his and Clara’s “sweet daily life” on various social media platforms. Clara joined Marcus’s company and became the art director of “Starfall.” She posted: “Thank you Marcus for having my back. A new beginning, please support me.” The accompanying photo was Marcus’s back as he draped a coat over her shoulders. I looked on coldly, neither liking nor questioning. Over the weekend, Marcus unexpectedly came home and tossed me a haute couture dress. “There’s a charity gala tonight. You’re coming with me.” His tone was stiff, still seemingly angry about what happened days ago. I wanted to refuse, but when I saw the dress, I paused. It was a style I’d casually mentioned liking half a month ago after seeing it in a magazine. That dying ember in my heart seemed to flicker back to life. I thought Marcus still cared about me, at least a little. That evening, I wore the dress and appeared at the gala on Marcus’s arm. However, the moment we walked into the hall, the surrounding gazes instantly turned strange. Following everyone’s line of sight, my blood froze. Not far away, Clara Hayes wore the exact same haute couture dress as me and was chatting with others with a charming smile. Wearing the same outfit wasn’t scary. What was scary was that around Clara’s neck was the diamond necklace Marcus had won at auction last month for an astronomical price—”Eternal Heart.” At the time, Marcus said it was a gift for his future wife. Now, this necklace was around Clara’s neck. The whispers around us entered my ears without any attempt at discretion. “Isn’t this the real deal and the substitute wearing the same outfit? How awkward.” “So what if they’re dressed the same? Look at the necklace around Clara’s neck. Marcus spent a hundred million on that at auction. Gianna doesn’t have a single decent piece of jewelry besides that dress.” “A fake is still a fake. Even dressed in royal robes, she won’t look like a prince.” My face turned deathly pale. I instinctively looked at Marcus beside me. Marcus’s expression was also ugly, but he didn’t comfort me. Instead, he directly shook off my hand and strode toward Clara. “Why are you wearing this dress?” Marcus frowned at Clara. Clara’s eyes reddened, biting her lip pitifully: “Marcus, I’m sorry. I didn’t know Miss Hayes was wearing this too. You had someone deliver it to my apartment yesterday. I thought you specially picked it for me…” Marcus froze, then turned to look at his assistant who had followed. The assistant explained, sweating profusely: “Mr. Barrett, you said yesterday to order two of the latest style, one sent to the apartment and one for Miss Hayes. Maybe… maybe the brand mixed them up and sent two identical ones.” The truth was out. It wasn’t that Marcus remembered my preferences. He was buying clothes for Clara and just happened to get me one too. I stood there like a complete joke. Clara timidly looked at me: “Miss Hayes, since we’re wearing the same thing, how about I go change? So you won’t feel uncomfortable.” Marcus grabbed Clara, looking coldly at me: “Change what? You’re not in good health. Why tire yourself out? Gianna, go wait in the lounge. I’ll call you when the gala ends.” He actually wanted to hide me, his actual girlfriend, to avoid making Clara uncomfortable! I looked at Marcus’s cold face, and the last spark at the bottom of my heart was completely extinguished. “No need.” My voice was so calm even I found it incredible. “You two have fun.” I turned and left the banquet hall without any reluctance.

Gianna POV The humiliation at the gala was just the beginning. The next day, my social media accounts were attacked. Clara posted several core concept drawings of “Starfall” online with the caption: “Stayed up several nights for this. Hope you all like it.” Below were water army accounts Marcus had bought and Clara’s fans flooding the comments with praise. But soon, sharp-eyed netizens noticed that these concept drawings had a style extremely similar to my previous work. Clara immediately posted an ambiguous update: “Some art styles are ingrained in your bones, after all I studied abroad for so many years. As for certain people who keep imitating me, I hope you can find your own style.” With these words, she directly painted me as a plagiarist. “The substitute even plagiarizes the art style? So disgusting!” “Gianna Hayes get out of the art community! Plagiarism dog!” Cyberbullying surged like a tsunami. My private messages were flooded with vicious abuse. I didn’t panic. I calmly organized all my drafts, timestamps, and source files from three years of creating “Starfall,” preparing to post a clarification. Just as I was about to press send, my computer screen suddenly went black. Immediately after, the apartment door was violently pushed open. Marcus stormed in with an icy aura and snatched my computer, smashing it hard on the ground. With a loud crash, the computer shattered into pieces. I froze in place, looking at him in disbelief: “Are you insane?!” “You’re the insane one!” Marcus’s eyes were bloodshot as he pointed at my nose and roared. “Gianna, are you trying to drive Clara to death? She saw the controversy online, her depression acted up, and she almost slit her wrists just now!” I laughed bitterly: “She tried to commit suicide? She stole my life’s work, turned the tables to accuse me of plagiarism, and now she’s the victim?” “What stealing? I told you ‘Starfall’ has already been given to her!” Marcus was completely unreasonable. “Once you post that so-called evidence, Clara’s reputation will be completely ruined! She’s a girl. How is she supposed to survive in this industry after that?” “What about my reputation? My life’s work?!” My eyes reddened, my voice hoarse. “Marcus, I’m also a girl, and I’ve been with you for six years! For her sake, you’re going to destroy me completely?” Looking at my red eyes, a flash of reluctance crossed Marcus’s eyes, but it was quickly replaced by coldness. “You’re strong inside. Being cursed at won’t hurt you. Clara is different. She’s too fragile.” Marcus pulled out a black card from his wallet and threw it on the table. “There’s five million in this card. Password is your birthday. Post an update immediately admitting you imitated Clara’s art style and publicly apologize to her. Then this matter is over.” I looked at that black card as if looking at the filthiest thing in the world. “What if I don’t apologize?” “Then don’t blame me for being ruthless.” Marcus’s eyes were ice cold. “I’ll have legal sue you for violating company trade secrets and make sure you can never pick up a pen again.” To protect Clara, he would personally destroy my career. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. When I opened them again, only deathly stillness remained. “Fine. I understand.” Marcus thought I’d given in. His expression softened slightly: “Be good. Once this blows over, I’ll take you to Europe for a vacation.” With that, he hurriedly turned and left, rushing back to the hospital to accompany his white moonlight. I looked at the computer fragments scattered across the floor without picking up that black card. I took out my phone and called Xavier. “Xavier, I agree to the arranged marriage. Come pick me up and take me home.”

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Claudia was dead. She left a suicide note saying I drove her to it. At the funeral hall entrance, Emmett shoved me down, demanding I kneel before her. The Simpson family wept and cursed me as a murderer. Claudia’s fans blocked the doorway, screaming for me to pay with my life. I stared at the casket that no one had opened from start to finish and asked only one question: “Where’s the death certificate?” Emmett’s eyes were bloodshot as he roared at me. “She’s dead and you still want to cause trouble?” I dialed the police. “Someone’s accusing me of driving a person to death. I’m requesting an autopsy.” The moment the call went through, the funeral hall fell silent. Emmett grabbed my wrist. “Iris, hang up.” I looked up at him. “Why?” His eyes were completely bloodshot, his voice hoarse. “Claudia’s already dead.” I lowered my gaze to his hand. “All the more reason to call the police.” I pressed the speaker button. The dispatcher’s voice came through the phone. “Hello, what’s your emergency?” Emmett’s expression changed. I looked into his eyes. “Someone used a suicide note to accuse me of murder. Now they’re demanding I confess at the funeral hall. I’m requesting the police verify the death procedures. If necessary, confirm the identity of the body in the casket.” Those words fell, and the funeral hall became completely silent. Emmett’s mother, Lydia, was the first to react. She clutched the casket, crying so hard she could barely stand. “Iris, how can you be so cruel?” “Claudia died so horribly, and you still won’t let her rest in peace?” Claudia’s agent, Mira, also looked at me with red eyes. “Miss Iris, Claudia tried to preserve your dignity even in death.” “She did so much charity work, saved so many people.” “She didn’t call the police, didn’t press charges. She only asked you in her suicide note to let her go.” “Why won’t you even give her this last bit of peace?” I looked at her. “Did you personally witness Claudia jump?” Mira froze. “Everyone saw it on the livestream!” “I asked if you personally witnessed it.” Her lips moved, but no words came out. I turned to look at Emmett. “Where’s the ambulance dispatch record?” Emmett didn’t answer. The tears on Mira’s face paused for a moment. I continued. “That casket—who verified it? The person inside—who confirmed it?” The funeral hall was so quiet, only the shouts of fans outside the door remained. I looked at them. “You have nothing.” “Just a suicide note full of my name.” “And a casket that no one has opened from beginning to end.” Mira’s face went pale for a moment. Emmett’s fingers clenched tight. I glanced down at my wrist, red from his grip. “What? The police aren’t even here yet and you’re already leaving evidence of injury on me?” He froze, then released his hand the next second. Lydia trembled with rage. “Iris! Are you threatening the Simpson family?” “Not threatening.” I said. “Reminding you to follow the law.” The fans’ shouts outside hadn’t stopped, crashing against the venue doors wave after wave. Emmett looked at me, his voice cold and heavy. “Iris, must you make a scene in front of the police?” “Claudia’s already dead. You want her examined all over again?” I smiled slightly. “Emmett, you’re the one who dragged me here.” “You threw the suicide note in my face. You were the ones who started calling me a murderer.” “Now I’m just asking the police to investigate. Why are you so anxious?” At this point, the Simpson Group’s legal counsel finally stepped forward. He pushed up his glasses, his tone still composed. “Miss Iris, of course the police can come.” “It’s just that Miss Claudia’s family has already entrusted the Simpson family to handle the funeral arrangements.” “Tonight she’ll be transferred to the funeral home according to procedure.” I looked at him. “Who are the family members? Where are Miss Claudia’s parents?” “Overseas.” I nodded. “Three hours after death, parents haven’t arrived, body hasn’t been confirmed.” “And the Simpson family can already transfer her to the funeral home?” The lawyer’s expression stiffened. “The family provided remote authorization.” “Where’s the authorization letter?” He didn’t answer immediately. I stepped forward. “Also, you said she’ll be transferred to the funeral home tonight according to procedure. What procedure? Where’s the body transfer form? Which facility is receiving her? Who signed?” The lawyer’s lips pressed tight. Mira immediately interrupted with tears. “Iris, enough! Claudia was most afraid of looking ugly. She fell from the twenty-seventh floor. She’s unrecognizable.” “Mr. Emmett wouldn’t let you see because he doesn’t want her talked about even in death.” I looked at her. “Did I say I wanted to see?” Mira froze. “I asked about the death certificate, body transfer documents, and family authorization.” “You keep bringing up dignity.” “Is it because you can’t produce these documents, or because there isn’t the person you claim inside that casket at all?” When those words fell, the funeral hall became deathly silent. Emmett’s head snapped up. “Iris.” His voice was frighteningly low. “Do you know what you’re saying?” “I do.” I looked at him. “Since you all claim Claudia is dead, then from now on, every single step needs to be backed by evidence.” I paused, my gaze returning to the casket. “Let’s prove one thing first.” “Whether the person in the casket is Claudia.”

The police arrived faster than the Simpson family expected. Twenty minutes later, the shouts outside the venue were contained behind police tape. When two officers entered, Lydia’s crying clearly paused. The Simpson Group’s legal counsel was first to greet them. “Officers, thank you for coming. This is really a family matter.” “Miss Claudia has already passed away. Miss Iris and Miss Claudia had some misunderstandings before her death. Miss Iris is quite emotional, which is why…” I cut him off. “This isn’t a family matter.” The lawyer’s expression stiffened. I looked at the officers. “Someone used a suicide note to accuse me of driving a person to death.” “Now they’re demanding I confess at this funeral hall.” “And they’re preparing to transfer the so-called body to a funeral home without a death certificate, emergency records, body transfer documents, or verified family authorization.” The officers’ expressions immediately turned serious. “Who called the police?” “I did.” I raised my phone. “Iris.” The officer glanced at me, then looked toward the casket in the center of the funeral hall. “Where’s the deceased?” The funeral hall fell silent for a moment. Mira instinctively looked at Emmett. Emmett said nothing. The lawyer answered quickly. “Miss Claudia’s body is in the casket.” The officer asked, “Where’s the death certificate?” The moment those four words came out, the Simpson family’s expressions all changed. The lawyer pulled out a folder. “Here’s the medical report regarding Miss Claudia’s condition after her fall.” The officer took it and flipped through two pages. “I need a medical death certificate, not a condition report.” The lawyer paused. “The circumstances were special. The procedures are still being completed.” I looked up. “Three hours since death.” “The funeral hall is set up, the suicide note made public, even the funeral home transfer arranged.” “But the death certificate is still being completed?” The lawyer’s lips pressed tight. Lydia finally couldn’t hold back. “Iris, must you be so aggressive in front of the police?” “I’m not being aggressive.” I looked at her. “Lydia, the Lewis Group owns three hospitals. I’ve seen death procedures. They’re not ‘completed’ this way.” Lydia’s face went pale with anger. Emmett said coldly, “Claudia jumped from the twenty-seventh floor of the Simpson Group hotel.” “Everyone saw it on the livestream.” I looked at him. “Saw her standing on the rooftop, or saw her hit the ground?” Emmett’s gaze darkened. Mira immediately cried out, “Miss Iris, why must you split hairs like this?” “Wasn’t Claudia’s final livestream clear enough?” “She cried saying you pressured her, cried saying she couldn’t take it anymore, then the camera went black.” “If it wasn’t suicide, what else could it be?” I looked at her. “After the camera went black, did you see what happened?” Mira’s lips trembled. “I…” “You didn’t see.” I finished for her. “The Simpson family didn’t see, the fans didn’t see, no one saw.” I looked at the officer. “That’s why I’m requesting verification.” The officer nodded and looked at the lawyer. “Where are the emergency records?” The lawyer glanced at Emmett. Emmett’s voice was low. “The situation was urgent. I had my private medical transport take her to a hospital partnered with the Simpson Group.” The officer frowned. “You didn’t dial 911?” Emmett paused. “The private medical transport was faster.” I laughed. “Fast indeed. So fast there’s no 911 record, no police at the scene, no scene secured.” “But the Simpson family’s obituary—that went out fastest of all.” Those words fell, and Emmett’s face completely darkened. The officer looked at him. “Mr. Emmett, a fall is classified as unnatural death.” “According to procedure, you need to report to police, preserve the scene, and verify emergency response and death circumstances.” “Why did you take the body away first?” Before Emmett could answer, Mira cried out, “Because Claudia was in such terrible condition!” “She was covered in blood, her face was…” She seemed unable to continue, covering her mouth as she cried. “Mr. Emmett just felt sorry for her.” “He didn’t want her to be gawked at.” I looked at Mira. “You saw her covered in blood?” Mira’s crying stopped. “After the livestream went black, you said no one saw.” “Now you’re saying she was covered in blood.” “Mira, did you see, or didn’t you?” The tears on her face froze. Emmett’s gaze finally landed on Mira. Mira reacted quickly, immediately choking out, “I heard it from staff.” “Which staff member?” I asked. “Name.” She opened her mouth but couldn’t answer. The officer also looked at Mira. “Please cooperate with a statement later.” Mira’s face went pale. Another officer contacted the emergency center. The call came back quickly. No 911 dispatch record for a fall from the twenty-seventh floor of the Simpson Group hotel. The air in the funeral hall seemed frozen. I looked at Emmett. “Why do you keep circumventing normal procedures?” Emmett’s jaw tightened. “Iris, are you suspecting me?” “I’m suspecting the evidence.” I said. “If you have it, produce it. If not, don’t stop me from investigating.” The lawyer’s forehead was already beaded with sweat. He tried to redirect the conversation. “Officers, Miss Claudia’s family truly has authorized the Simpson family to handle funeral arrangements.” “We have no intention of avoiding investigation.” “It’s just that the deceased had significant public influence during her life. The Simpson family made some preliminary arrangements out of concern for protecting the deceased’s privacy.” I looked toward the entrance. “Protecting privacy—by having fans and media arrive in advance?” The lawyer’s expression grew worse. The officer asked, “Where’s the authorization letter?” The lawyer was silent for a moment, then pulled out a sheet from the bottom of the folder. “Here.” The officer took it. It did have Claudia’s parents’ electronic signatures, and the authorization content was complete. Agreed to have the Simpson family handle Claudia’s funeral arrangements. Agreed to transfer to funeral home. Agreed not to publicly disclose the body’s condition. Even agreed to cremation as soon as possible. Every clause was complete. Also suspiciously urgent. The officer looked at the signing time. “11:47 PM.” I looked at the electronic clock on the wall. 12:26 AM. Claudia’s supposed time of death was 9:58 PM. I looked at the lawyer. “Less than two hours.” “Medical transport, death confirmation, notifying parents overseas, obtaining authorization, setting up the funeral hall, issuing an obituary.” “And bringing me here to confess.” “The Simpson family’s funeral efficiency is faster than emergency response.” The lawyer’s expression froze. The officer asked, “Can the authorizing parties be reached now?” The lawyer was silent for a moment. “Miss Claudia’s parents are overseas, overwhelmed with grief. It may not be convenient.” The officer’s voice remained steady. “Contact the authorizing parties for verification immediately.” The lawyer’s composure finally cracked. “Right now?” “Right now.” I looked at the phone in the lawyer’s hand. “On speaker.” Emmett finally spoke. “Iris, stop this.” I looked at him. “When the police verify the authorization, you say I should stop.” “Emmett, can your authorization letter not withstand questioning?” There was deeply suppressed fury in his eyes, but this time, he couldn’t answer. The lawyer made the call. First attempt—no answer. Second attempt—still no answer. Third attempt—the call finally connected. But what came through was a cold, automated English message. The officer frowned. “This number needs verification.” The lawyer’s hand holding the phone trembled. “It might… might be an international line issue.” The officer placed the authorization letter in an evidence bag. “This authorization requires further verification.” “Until verification is complete, the body must not be transferred or cremated without authorization.” “Additionally, we need to legally verify the identity of the body in the casket and seal all subsequent transfer procedures.” When those words came out, everyone in the funeral hall fell silent. I saw Emmett’s fingers curl slightly. Mira’s face instantly drained of all color. I turned my head and looked at the casket in the center of the funeral hall. “Did you hear?” “The police are inspecting the casket.” “Right now.” Emmett finally stared at me, his eyes cold as ice. “Iris, must you go this far?” I looked at him and calmly asked back, “Isn’t she dead?” “It’s just opening a casket.” “What are you afraid of?”

Emmett fell silent. He didn’t answer. The officer looked at him. “Mr. Emmett, please cooperate with inspecting the body in the casket.” Emmett’s throat bobbed. After a long moment, he finally spoke. “Fine.” Just those two words, spoken with weight. Lydia broke first. She threw herself at the casket, pressing down hard on the lid. “No! Claudia’s already suffered so much. You’re going to open her casket too?” Mira also knelt beside the casket, her shoulders shaking with sobs. “Officers, Claudia loved being beautiful more than anything.” “She fell from such a height. She’s unrecognizable.” “Please, don’t make her be stared at in the end.” The officer’s tone remained steady. “We’re not doing this publicly. We’re just verifying the condition of the body in the casket. Please step aside.” Lydia still tried to block them. Emmett said quietly, “Mom.” Lydia whipped her head toward him. “Emmett!” Emmett closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he looked at me. That gaze held hatred, and a trace of panic he couldn’t suppress. “Open it.” That one word fell, and Lydia’s crying stopped. Mira’s face went deathly pale. Venue staff stepped forward. The casket lid was slowly pushed open. Everyone in the funeral hall held their breath. I didn’t crowd forward. My gaze fell on the outer side of the body bag inside the casket. What hit first was a pungent smell of disinfectant. Inside the casket lay a black body bag. A white label was stuck to the outside of the bag. It read: Claudia. Gender: Female. Age: 26. Transfer Unit: Simpson Group Partner Medical Center. No hospital wristband, no police seal, no funeral home identification number. Only the Simpson family’s own label. The officer frowned. “Who put this on?” The lawyer responded immediately. “The medical center.” The officer asked, “Where’s the transfer document?” The lawyer paused. I looked at that label and smiled slightly. Mira’s head snapped up. “What are you smiling at?” “Nothing.” I said. “First time learning that identity confirmation after death relies on stickers.” Mira’s expression stiffened. The officer put on gloves and lifted the outer layer of the body bag to inspect it. Venue staff tried to step forward to block him but were stopped by another officer. Lydia turned her head away, unable to watch. Mira lowered her head, but her fingers clutched her clothes desperately. Only Emmett was still watching the casket. His face showed no grief, only tension. A few seconds later, the officer looked up. “The body is severely damaged.” “Visual identification at the scene is not possible.” “Subsequent sampling and verification will need to follow procedure.” Lydia seemed to finally grab an opportunity, crying out, “It’s already like this. What more verification do you need?” The officer looked at her. “Identity verification.” Lydia’s crying caught. Mira’s face also went pale for a moment. I looked at their reactions and said softly, “What’s wrong?” “It’s just identity confirmation. Are you afraid of that too?” Emmett finally spoke. “Iris, that’s enough.” I looked at him. “Emmett, when proving I drove Claudia to death, one suicide note was enough.” “Now asking you to prove the person in the casket is Claudia—why is it so difficult?” He stared at me hard. “I just want to let her leave quietly.” I looked up. “Leave? A dead person—what does she need to leave?” Emmett’s eyes darkened. “Leave behind these humiliating questions.” The officer continued inspecting the outside of the body bag. Soon, he pulled out a folded piece of paper from the side. The lawyer visibly relaxed when he saw it. “That’s the transfer document. It should explain the procedure.” The officer unfolded it. The paper was very new, so new the creases were still stiff. It read: Simpson Group Partner Medical Center Temporary Body Transfer Statement. Receiving party: blank. Transfer person signature: blank. Time: blank. Only a red stamp. The officer looked up at the lawyer. “This is a blank form.” The lawyer’s shoulders, which had just relaxed, immediately stiffened again. “Perhaps the staff were too rushed and forgot to complete it.” I looked at that blank form. “Every step is missing. Every step is waiting to be completed after the fact.” I looked up at Emmett. “Seems like you’re not handling a funeral. You’re racing through procedures.” Emmett said nothing. Lydia said tremulously, “Officers, can’t you just let Claudia go to the funeral home first?” “She’s already so pitiful…” The officer interrupted her. “The body can be transferred.” “But it must be supervised by police, and transfer procedures must be completed.” “At the same time, records from the venue, hotel, and medical transport will be sealed.” “The Simpson family may not handle this privately.” Lydia’s face went completely pale. Emmett looked at the officer. “The hotel records need to be sealed too?” The officer said, “The incident location was at the Simpson Group hotel. Of course it needs to be sealed.” Emmett asked too quickly. I looked at him. “Why are you so afraid of procedures?” Emmett looked at me coldly. “Stop trying to smear me.” I didn’t respond to him, because the lawyer’s phone rang again. Since the casket opened, it had rung three times. He glanced down and immediately declined the call. The officer looked at him. “Answer it.” The lawyer froze. “It’s just a work call.” The officer looked at him. “Answer it. On speaker.” Sweat appeared on the lawyer’s forehead again. He had no choice but to answer. The moment speaker turned on, a man’s lowered voice came through. “Mr. Howard, we’ve been waiting at the back entrance for twenty minutes.” “You said earlier it had to leave tonight. Now there’s police tape. Are we still going with the original plan?” The funeral hall went deathly silent. The lawyer’s face went sheet white. The officer’s voice deepened. “What original plan?” The person on the phone was clearly stunned. “Didn’t you say the paperwork would be completed later?” The lawyer abruptly hung up, but it was too late. The officer looked at him. “Who told you to arrange vehicles at the back entrance?” The lawyer’s lips moved, but no words came out. I looked at Emmett. “Paperwork completed later—seems like it’s not just the transfer form, is it?” His expression was frighteningly dark. He didn’t answer me. Mira instinctively glanced at the casket, then quickly looked away. I noticed, and said slowly, “Don’t worry. Once police seal it, no one can touch that casket.” Her face went even paler. “Iris, don’t make baseless accusations.” “Then don’t be afraid.” I looked at her. “As long as the person in the casket really is Claudia, no one can wrong her, and no one can wrong you.” Mira’s shoulders visibly trembled. The officer had already called for backup to seal the venue’s back entrance and related vehicles. The Simpson Group lawyer still wanted to explain. But as soon as he opened his mouth, a staff member rushed in—someone from the venue’s concierge. When he saw the police, his expression immediately changed. “Mr. Emmett.” Emmett shot him a cold glance. “Get out.” The concierge stood frozen, unable to advance or retreat. The officer looked at him. “What is it?” The man swallowed. “It’s… it’s Miss Claudia’s luggage that was stored at the venue last night.” Mira’s head snapped up. Emmett’s expression also changed in that moment. I looked at the concierge. “What about the luggage?” His voice grew quieter and quieter. “It was originally arranged to be sent to the airport tonight.” “But the driver’s been stopped in the underground parking by the police tape. He’s asking if he should still deliver it.” The funeral hall fell so quiet it was as if the air had been sucked out. I slowly turned my head and looked at Emmett. “The airport?” “Didn’t you say Claudia was dead?” “Why is her luggage being sent to the airport?”

After the concierge spoke, his legs nearly gave out. No one spoke. Everyone in the funeral hall looked at Emmett. Emmett’s expression had gone ice cold. “Who told you to come in?” The concierge trembled. “I… I couldn’t reach Enrique.” “It’s sealed outside. The driver’s stuck in the underground garage.” “He said according to regulations, the organizer must confirm, so I came.” The officer immediately asked, “What driver?” The concierge swallowed. “Airport shuttle driver. He was originally supposed to deliver Miss Claudia’s luggage to the airport.” “Who arranged it?” The concierge instinctively looked at Emmett. “Enrique.” Enrique, Emmett’s most trusted assistant. I looked at Emmett. “Three hours after Claudia’s death.” “Her casket is here.” “But her luggage is going to the airport.” I paused. “Emmett, how did Claudia’s funeral arrangements also include airport drop-off?” Emmett stared at me, his eyes frighteningly cold. “Iris, stop with the sarcasm.” “Then you explain.” He didn’t answer immediately. Lydia said urgently, “Maybe it was arranged by Claudia before her death. The staff didn’t have time to cancel it.” “Fine.” I nodded. “Then let’s check the records.” The officer had the concierge pull up the storage records. A tablet was handed to the officer. I also saw the information on it. Storage Name: Claudia. Storage Time: Last night, 8:37 PM. Items: Two suitcases, one handbag. Notes: Tonight at 11:50 PM, deliver to Chicago International Airport VIP access. Contact: Enrique. The funeral hall fell silent. Last night at 8:37 PM. Claudia’s supposed time of death was tonight at 9:58 PM. In other words, the day before she “jumped,” she had already stored her luggage at the venue and arranged in advance for it to be delivered to the airport. I smiled slowly. “Stored a day in advance, delivered to the airport the night of her death.” “Emmett, did Claudia have a premonition she would die, or did she book herself to leave?” Emmett said nothing. His silence made the funeral hall colder. The officer asked the concierge, “Where is Enrique now?” The concierge shook his head. “I don’t know.” “I’ve always followed his phone instructions.” “Just now after the driver was stopped, I called again and couldn’t get through.” I said calmly, “Looks like your assistant has gone missing.” Emmett stared at me, his voice very low. “I’ll have someone find him.” “Don’t trouble yourself.” The officer said. “We’ll find him.” Emmett’s expression completely darkened. Just then, the Simpson Group lawyer seemed to finally find an explanation. “Officers, this might just be Miss Claudia’s travel arrangements from before her death.” “After the sudden incident, the staff didn’t have time to cancel, which caused this misunderstanding.” I looked at him. “Misunderstanding? Then let Enrique come explain.” The lawyer’s lips pressed tight. Mira spoke quietly, “Claudia was planning to leave anyway.” Everyone looked at her. Mira clutched her skirt, her eyes red-rimmed. “She’d been in bad shape lately.” “She said she wanted to leave Chicago and recuperate in Miami for a while.” “The luggage and car—I asked Enrique to arrange them.” “Mr. Emmett doesn’t know the details.” Emmett’s head whipped toward her. Mira’s words immediately stopped. I laughed softly. “Mira, just now you said you didn’t know where she was going.” “Now you even know about Miami recuperation?” Mira’s breathing faltered. She quickly bit her lip. “I’m her agent. Of course I know some arrangements.” “Really?” I looked at her. “Then when did she give you the suicide note?” Mira froze. “Yesterday.” “What time yesterday?” She couldn’t answer. I looked at her, enunciating each word. “She was going to Miami tonight—you knew that.” “But when asked about the suicide note’s origin, you can’t remember.” Mira’s face went paler and paler. The officer also looked at her. “Miss Mira, you’ll need to cooperate with explaining the suicide note’s origin.” Mira’s lips moved, but she didn’t dare speak further. Emmett said coldly, “Iris, don’t interrogate her here.” I turned to look at him. “Then I’ll interrogate you.” The air in the funeral hall instantly tensed. The officer looked at Emmett. “Enrique is your assistant?” Emmett was silent for a second. “Yes.” “Were you aware of these arrangements?” Emmett’s gaze landed on my face. His voice was very low.”Claudia already had plans for overseas treatment.” “I just had Enrique preserve her original itinerary.” “Preserve?” I asked. “Preserve it until three hours after her death, and still have the driver continue delivery?” “Emmett, are you preserving an itinerary, or an escape route?” Emmett’s jawline tightened. The officer spoke quietly to his colleague. Soon, they contacted the airport. A few minutes later, the feedback came back. The lead officer looked at Emmett. “The airport confirmed there is indeed a VIP access reservation for 11:50 PM tonight.” “The reservation notes also include one accompanying female.” “The registered luggage information matches Miss Claudia’s stored luggage exactly.” Emmett’s expression darkened. Lydia’s head snapped up. Mira swayed on her feet. I wasn’t surprised at all. I only asked, “What’s the destination?” The officer glanced at me. “Miami.” My chest tightened slightly. The Simpson Group’s charity fund had a treatment project there, one of the accounts Emmett had always refused to let me touch. I looked up at Emmett. “Claudia was going to Miami tonight.” “Enrique made the reservation.” “The destination is Miami.” “Emmett, you still claim this is just preserving an itinerary?” Emmett’s gaze bore down. “There’s a treatment center in Miami. She just wanted to go for treatment.” “Treatment?” “The person is already dead, but the treatment itinerary is still active.” “The body is supposed to go to the funeral home, but the VIP access wasn’t canceled.” “Emmett, where exactly did you want her to go?” Lydia couldn’t sit still anymore. She lowered her voice to Emmett. “Emmett, don’t let them drag this to Miami.” “If things blow up there, where will the Simpson family’s reputation go?” I looked at her. “Lydia, Claudia is dead, and you’re not worried about finding the killer. You’re worried about protecting Miami first?” Lydia turned her face away. Mira also lowered her head at that moment. Just then, the officer’s phone rang again. He answered, and a few seconds later, he looked at Emmett. “Airport feedback again. Enrique has already used the VIP access reservation.” “There’s a woman with him wearing a hat and mask. Her build resembles Claudia’s.” “Airport police have temporarily detained them and are verifying identification.” The funeral hall went deathly silent. I looked at the casket, then at Emmett. “Emmett. There’s one Claudia lying in that casket. The airport detained someone who looks like Claudia. Who exactly died tonight?”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “393226”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

Halfway through sex, my wife Cindy suddenly pulled away and grabbed a condom, telling me to put it on. I was stunned. In our three years of marriage, we’d never used protection—we were trying for a baby. She kissed my forehead, her voice gentle. “You’ve been working overtime every day lately. You’re exhausted. If I got pregnant now, you wouldn’t have time to take care of me. Let’s wait a bit longer.” I was so moved my eyes turned red. After I finished showering and came out, I heard her on the balcony talking to her assistant on the phone. “Schedule the baby’s One-Month Celebration at the SKY Hotel. Security must be tight.” The assistant sounded worried. “What if your husband finds out…” “He won’t find out.” Cindy’s voice was cold. “Now that I have a son with Antoine, I don’t need him anymore. Pick out a few top-spec Richard Milles to give him. Consider it compensation.” Cold wind poured in from the balcony, freezing me to the bone. Actually, not having kids isn’t so bad after all.

Cindy hung up the phone and slid open the glass balcony door. Seeing me standing in the bedroom, panic flashed in her eyes. But quickly, she collected herself and leaned into my arms, resting her chin on my shoulder. “Why aren’t you waiting for me in bed? Was the water cold?” I lowered my eyes and calmly withdrew from her embrace. “I was just thirsty, came out for some water.” Cindy’s hand hung in the air, her fingers curling slightly. She poured me a glass of warm water and casually placed a gift box on the nightstand. Her fingertips brushed aside my damp bangs, tucking them to the side. “Terry, I’m sorry for what you’ve been going through lately.” “Price just got back from Europe, and I had her bring you a Richard Mille. You’ve been wanting one for ages, haven’t you?” I glanced down at the exquisite ribbon on the box but didn’t reach for it. “Thanks, but I don’t feel like looking at watches right now.” I rolled over into bed, turning my back to her. Cindy’s hand hung suspended in mid-air, her brow furrowing. But she didn’t press further, assuming I was just upset about her sudden insistence on using a condom. “I have an important business dinner tomorrow night, so I won’t be having dinner with you.” She tucked the covers around me and walked into the bathroom. The sound of running water filled the room. A month ago, she came home late from a business function. Her trench coat had a faint milky scent on it. I’d casually asked about it. She’d said matter-of-factly that a business partner had brought family, and she’d picked up the smell from their child. Now, looking back, it wasn’t a business partner’s child at all. It was clearly her own newborn son she’d been holding. At one in the morning, Cindy was sleeping soundly beside me. Listening to her even breathing, I opened my eyes in the darkness. In three years of marriage, I’d suffered so much to accommodate her and try for a baby. I drank so many body-conditioning medicines I threw up. Blood draws for tests left my arms covered in bruises and hard lumps. Every time she used work as an excuse to postpone our plans, it felt like she was slowly destroying my dignity. Her phone, charging on the nightstand, lit up. I turned my head. It was a WhatsApp message from an unsaved number. [Cindy, the baby was fussy tonight, crying for mommy. After you try the dishes for the One-Month Celebration tomorrow, can you come see us early?] I quietly watched the screen go dark. I opened my laptop and logged into my personal email account, which I hadn’t checked in ages. An email from Bulgari headquarters in Italy sat quietly in my inbox. Three months ago, they’d sent me an offer for the position of Global Chief Creative Director. I’d declined it then, wanting to focus on trying for a baby and taking care of the family. Now I opened the reply window, my fingers moving across the keyboard. [I accept the offer.]

The next morning, I drove to Cindy Group. The receptionist saw me and looked flustered, quickly bowing respectfully. “Good morning, Mr. Terry.” I nodded slightly and took the private elevator straight to the executive floor. As soon as I stepped out, I saw a man in a tailored designer suit exiting Cindy’s office. He was tall and slender, radiating smug satisfaction. Antoine was the personal assistant Cindy had hired six months ago. On his wrist was an extremely rare Patek Philippe full-diamond celestial watch. That was the unique piece Cindy had bought for twelve million at Christie’s spring auction last month. The media had widely reported it as a third anniversary gift from Ms. Cindy to her husband. I’d thought she would personally put it on my wrist at next week’s anniversary. I never expected it to already be on someone else’s arm. Antoine saw me and instinctively touched his watch, a challenge flashing in his eyes. “Mr. Terry, Ms. Cindy was just taking care of the child…” “I mean, she was just reviewing documents and got tired, so she took a nap. Should I announce you?” The smugness in his tone was practically overflowing. I ignored him and pushed open the office door directly. Cindy was sitting in her executive chair. Seeing me enter, she quickly shoved a jewelry box on her desk into a drawer. “Terry? Why aren’t you resting at home? What brings you to the office?” I sat on the sofa across from her, my tone calm. “I came to get my old design drafts.” Cindy paused, then looked relieved. “Why do you suddenly want to look at those?” “I want to find something to do, pass the time.” She didn’t suspect anything and walked to the safe to enter the password. “Next week is our anniversary. I’ve reserved a yacht and invited all your friends. Let’s celebrate properly.” I took the portfolio of drafts she handed me, watching her fake affection. “Sounds good.” I opened the door and walked out, but instead of leaving immediately, I deliberately softened my footsteps and stood outside the door. A few seconds later, Antoine pushed the door open and went in. His voice carried through. “Cindy, Mr. Terry was staring at my wrist just now. Did he recognize the watch?” Cindy’s cold voice came through the door crack. “So what if he recognized it?” “He has health issues and can’t have children. The Cindy family business needs an heir.” “You gave me a son. This ring is what you deserve.” “In a couple of years, I’ll find an excuse to divorce him and give you and the child proper status.” I closed my eyes, gripping the edge of the portfolio until it warped, took a deep breath, and walked toward the elevator without looking back. Back home, I started packing my clothes. Opening the study drawer to find my passport, I accidentally came across a birth certificate. The mother’s name was printed in black and white: Cindy. And the newborn’s date of birth was exactly one month ago. A bitter ache rose in my chest. I instinctively wanted to tear up the certificate. Just as I was about to apply force, I lost the will. I put everything back exactly where it was and packed my passport in my bag. That evening, Cindy came home and, for once, personally made soup. “Drink more. You haven’t been looking well lately. You need to build yourself up.” If it were before, I would have been moved enough to drink two large bowls. But today, I just stared coldly at the soup. Just as I was about to speak, her phone vibrated. Glancing at the screen, her expression changed, and she grabbed her phone and quickly walked to the balcony. “The baby has a fever? Don’t cry, I’ll contact a pediatric specialist right away.” The sliding door wasn’t completely closed, and her anxious voice came through clearly. I stood up and took the soup she’d personally made, pouring it all down the drain.

That night, Cindy came home very late, carrying the smell of hospital disinfectant. She lay down beside me and habitually reached to put her arm around my waist. When she touched me, nausea rose in my stomach. I jerked away toward the edge of the bed, avoiding her touch. Her hand froze, confusion all over her face. “Terry, what’s wrong?” I turned my back to her, my voice cold. “My stomach’s not feeling well. I want to sleep alone.” She was silent for a moment and didn’t push it. The next day, Cindy Group held a planning meeting for the annual jewelry show. As Chief Designer of Cindy Group and nominal Art Consultant for this show, I attended the meeting. Cindy sat at the head of the table, Antoine at her side behind her. The discussion turned to selecting the lead for the second half of the year’s main “Rebirth” collection. This was my passion project—two years of conceptual work. I’d drawn every sketch by hand. Cindy suddenly cleared her throat. “Regarding the Rebirth collection, I’ve decided to put Antoine in full charge.” “The final lead designer credit will also go to Antoine.” The conference room went silent enough to hear a pin drop. Everyone’s eyes turned to me in unison. I looked straight into Cindy’s eyes. “Why should my design go to an assistant who knows nothing?” Cindy’s expression darkened, tinged with displeasure. “Terry, your health isn’t good, and the show workload is too intense. I don’t want you overworking yourself.” “Antoine may be young, but he’s very talented. This project is perfect for him to gain experience.” Antoine stood up, his eyes reddening, looking pitiful. “Sir, if you mind, I can decline.” “I just want to help Ms. Cindy. I never meant to steal your work.” Several executives exchanged glances, their looks at me now tinged with reproach. I laughed bitterly. “Fine. If Ms. Cindy thinks he can do it, give it to him. I have no objections.” I stood up and walked out, pushing the door open. While washing my hands in the break room, Antoine followed me in. He leaned against the doorframe, watching me mockingly. “Terry, so what if you’re occupying Cindy’s husband position?” “A man who can’t even give her a child of your own is useless.” “With one word from me, everything you worked so hard on has to be handed over to me.” I pulled out a paper towel and methodically dried my hands. “Is that so?” “But even wearing a twelve-million-dollar watch can’t cover up the cheap smell of a homewrecker on you.” Antoine’s face twisted with rage. “Who are you calling a homewrecker?!” I raised an eyebrow, my tone disdainful. “What? Hit a nerve?” “Terry, have you made enough of a scene?” Cindy’s angry voice came from the doorway. She pulled Antoine behind her, looking at me with disappointment. “Antoine just took on the project and is under a lot of pressure. As his senior, instead of helping him, why are you insulting him here?” “Where did your manners go?” I watched her protect another man behind her back. The last trace of reluctance in my heart evaporated. “Think whatever you want.” I pushed past her and walked out. Cindy instinctively reached out, trying to hold me back. “Terry…” Before she could touch me. Antoine grabbed her sleeve, calling out weakly: “Cindy, I’m feeling dizzy.” Cindy’s movement stopped, leaving her in place. I scoffed and strode out of Cindy Group’s building without looking back.

That evening, Cindy came home. She pushed open the bedroom door to see me packing clothes into my suitcase. Her hand paused on her collar. “Where are you going?” “Abroad. To clear my head.” I didn’t stop what I was doing, stuffing my toiletry bag into the suitcase. She walked to the bed and pulled out a black card, her tone softening. “Milan or Paris? Buy whatever you like.” “Once the show details are finalized in a few days, I’ll come get you for our anniversary.” I zipped up the suitcase, stood up, and looked at her coldly. “Cindy, what if I leave this time and don’t come back?” Her brow furrowed, irritation flashing in her eyes. “Terry, are you really going to fight with me this long over design credits?” “I manage such a huge company every day and still have to deal with your moods. Can’t you be a little understanding?” I stared at her for several seconds, then suddenly smiled. “Fine. I’ll be understanding.” The day I left for the airport, South City was hit by a torrential rainstorm. Cindy offered to take me to the airport. I didn’t refuse. On the way, her phone vibrated. She answered, and Antoine’s anxious crying came through the receiver. “Cindy, the baby suddenly has a high fever. I’m so scared…” Cindy slammed on the brakes, jerked the steering wheel, and pulled directly into the emergency lane. She turned to me, her eyes urgent. “Terry, there’s an urgent matter at the company I need to handle immediately.” “There’s a subway station just ahead. Can you take a taxi to the airport yourself?” I looked at the pouring rain outside. I didn’t get angry or question her. I just calmly nodded. “Okay.” Cindy nodded lightly. “Let me know when you arrive.” I didn’t respond. I opened the door, grabbed my umbrella, and pulled my suitcase from the trunk. Cindy didn’t even wait for me to get my footing before hitting the gas. The car shot into the rain like an arrow. Muddy water splashed onto the hem of my coat. I pulled my suitcase and turned toward the subway station. More than ten hours later, the plane landed smoothly at Milan Airport. As I walked out of the VIP passage, several Bulgari executives were already waiting. The lead Executive President stepped forward and shook my hand warmly. “Mr. Terry, welcome to Milan. Your office and team are fully ready.”

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The night before my wedding, someone sent me a VIP resort hotel room key card. The room number was the same one where Xavier had proposed to me. I thought it was a romantic surprise he’d prepared for me before the wedding. But when I pushed open the door, I saw him naked, tangled with a woman on the bed. After Xavier finished, he casually pushed the woman out of his arms. He lit a cigarette and smiled carelessly through the smoke: “I didn’t want to keep hiding it from you anyway. I wanted you to find out early so I wouldn’t have to explain after the wedding.” He flicked the ash and added: “Don’t worry, you’re still my only wife. You’ve been with me for ten years—you won’t find anyone else to take you now!” “Tomorrow everything goes as planned. The wedding ceremony is yours, but the marriage certificate goes to her.” He thought I’d at least ask why, but I just quietly removed the engagement ring from my finger, set it down, and left. The next day, Xavier waited for me at the church in his groom’s suit. I didn’t run. I walked right up to him on the arm of his sworn enemy, waving the marriage certificate in my hand: “The wedding ceremony is yours, but the marriage certificate—I gave it to him.”

“She’s here, she’s here, the bride is finally coming out.” Quite a few reporters had already gathered outside the church. “Miss Olivia, how do you feel on your wedding day?” “Miss Olivia, what do you think about the wedding of the century that Mr. Xavier prepared for you?” I didn’t say anything and got into the car under the bodyguards’ escort. Xavier stood on the steps in his white groom’s suit, wearing a smile that said everything was under his control. This morning he called to say he’d had sex seven times last night, his body couldn’t take it, he needed to catch up on sleep, and couldn’t come pick up his bride. He was certain I would come. Xavier’s friend Matthew was the first to whistle: “She still came!” He nudged Xavier with his elbow, his face full of suggestive amusement: “Xavier’s got the magic touch—partying the night before the wedding, and the bride still shows up in her wedding dress. What do you call that? That’s what I call proper training!” Another friend chimed in: “No kidding, the way he went at it in bed yesterday, anyone else would’ve been wrecked, but Xavier can still stand here as the groom. Gotta respect that.” Several of them laughed, and Xavier’s lips curved slightly. His tone was casual: “Olivia’s been with me for ten years. Besides marrying me, who else would want her?” He glanced down at the engagement ring I’d taken off yesterday: “Throwing a little tantrum is normal. But in the end—” He paused, his voice confident: “She’ll still walk up to me and put her hand in mine.” Matthew gave him a thumbs up. The car door opened, and I stepped out in my white dress. Sunlight fell on the wedding gown, refracting into scattered sparkles. A flash of amazement crossed Xavier’s eyes, and he sincerely commented: “Olivia looks so beautiful in a wedding dress!” But before he could touch my hand, his vibrating phone pulled his attention away. He looked at the name on the screen. His lips unconsciously curved upward, and he stepped aside to answer it. “What’s wrong? Didn’t I tell you to call later?” A lazy, coquettish voice came from the other end: “Xavier, I’m flying abroad this afternoon. So I made an appointment to register our marriage in ten minutes. Can you come to City Hall? I want to get the marriage certificate before I leave.” “Ten minutes?” Xavier chuckled softly, “That urgent?” After hanging up, Matthew came over: “Who was that?” “Windsor.” Xavier put his phone in his pocket, his eyes brightening, “She’s flying abroad this afternoon and insists on getting the certificate before she leaves. She’s being so sweet I can’t say no.” Matthew raised an eyebrow: “What about the wedding here—” “What’s the rush?” Xavier didn’t seem concerned, “The wedding ceremony takes an hour or two. I’ll just go to City Hall first, it’s a ten-minute thing. You know Windsor’s personality—if I don’t humor her, she’ll actually cry at the airport.” Matthew wisely didn’t say more. Xavier walked toward me, put his arm around my shoulder, and had the nearby photographer raise his camera: “Come on, take a picture of me, for the memories.” Click. Done. He glanced at his watch, “Alright, that’s it for now. I have to go or I’ll miss the appointment.” He turned and strode toward another car. “Xavier!” I stood where I was and called out to him. He paused and looked back at me. His expression still carried that careless confidence of someone who had everything under control. “If you leave today,” I said word by word, “I’ll replace the groom at this wedding.”

He froze for a moment, then laughed with contempt and certainty: “Replace the groom? Where would you find one? You think life’s a TV drama?” “Everyone in Seattle knows you’re mine.” “Of course, if you really have the ability to find someone who dares marry you, I wouldn’t mind letting you—” He opened the car door and tossed back a casual quip: “Stop making a scene. Be good and wait for me to come back. Those other women, I know my limits, okay?” The groomsmen behind me exchanged glances. Matthew chased after him: “Xavier, you’re really leaving—” “You guys hold down the fort. It’s not like I’m not coming back.” Xavier closed the car door, his voice carrying a hint of impatience, “Windsor’s too hard to deal with. I don’t want to make trouble for myself.” The car started and drove off. I stood where I was, the hem of my wedding dress lifting in the wind. The photographer beside me held his camera, standing awkwardly. No one spoke. I looked down at my empty ring finger on my left hand and slowly curved my lips into a smile. Xavier, go ahead, go get your certificate. This multi-million dollar wedding of the century—I’ll gladly accept it. I lifted my dress and walked into the church. Guests were seated, the officiant was in position, and the wedding march was playing. Everything was perfect, except the groom wasn’t there. Matthew caught up to me with a forced smile: “Olivia, Xavier has an urgent matter. He’ll be back soon. Just sit for a bit.” Another groomsman, Edward, also came over: “Right, right, Xavier always knows what he’s doing. It’s your big day today, he’ll definitely be here soon.” “Exactly, Xavier never drops the ball on important things.” Several of them chimed in, making “the groom ran off” sound like he’d just gone to pick up a package. I glanced at the clock at the front of the church. 10:40 AM. “Okay, I’ll wait for him.” I calmly sent them away. Matthew visibly relaxed and quickly had people bring me tea and water. I’d wait. But who I was waiting for was none of their business. This wedding had been hyped for three months. Most of the groom’s important relatives were present. I looked around, my gaze falling on every detail. The white rose waterfall by the floor-to-ceiling windows, the crystal bead curtains hanging from the dome. Even the font on the guest place cards was specially designed by a designer he’d hired. Xavier was the type who, when he did something, did it to perfection. He was like that when he pursued me, and the same when planning the wedding. He’d made this wedding the talk of the town, the stuff of every woman’s dreams. Yet even his infidelity was equally extreme. No room for negotiation, no explanations. In his logic, treating someone well and hurting that same person never conflicted. And I only had one option: “accept it.” In the dressing room, my best friend Barbara, who’d flown from Australia to be my bridesmaid, held my dress train with an indignant expression. “Is Xavier sick in the head? Running off to get a marriage certificate with another woman on his wedding day? Did his brain get caught in a door?” She huffed and sat down beside me, tugging at her bridesmaid dress: “I thought he was just talking. But even if it’s true, did it have to be today?” Her voice carried a fire of indignation on my behalf: “When you two were planning this wedding together, he searched every flower shop in the city just to pick the perfect bouquet for you. When you tried on wedding dresses, his eyes got red faster than yours.” “I was so jealous of you I got sour and beat up my clueless boyfriend!” She paused, her voice dropping: “Who could’ve imagined he’d turn around and do something like this?”

I didn’t respond, just looked down at my phone. On Instagram, Windsor had just posted a new update. The photo showed men’s shirts and women’s lingerie scattered on the floor. [Someone said he’d only come for ten minutes, but ended up not wanting to leave~] She’d deliberately tagged the location—and it wasn’t City Hall. Mutual friends were already commenting: [Windsor, are you trying to piss someone off?] Windsor replied: [Whoever’s standing around in a wedding dress with no groom to wait for can get mad!] I expressionlessly took a screenshot. “Olivia, stop waiting!” Barbara snatched my phone away. “Look at this! What kind of person is this?” “You came back from graduating in England for him. Do you know how angry your parents were?” “Xavier was nothing back then, and you still dared to make a ten-year bet with your parents! Now you’ve lost everything.” “If it weren’t for you working day and night all these years helping him with proposals, bringing in investments, secretly using your identity as the shipping magnate’s daughter to get his projects off the ground, could he have achieved what he has today?” “And he turns around and gets cozy with the investor’s daughter!” “I really never saw it—he can fake it so well, faking it until the night before the wedding to let you discover he was sleeping with someone else!” “I can’t believe he came to an open room with someone else!” Barbara got more upset as she spoke, her eyes reddening: “Olivia, stop waiting. You should live for yourself for once!” “Barbara, thank you for coming today. As for Mom and Dad, after the wedding, I’ll go back and admit defeat.” Willing to bet means willing to lose. Today was the day I’d accept the price of losing that bet. After comforting my best friend and myself, I walked toward the balcony at the end of the hallway for some air. Just as I was about to push the door open, I heard several men’s voices inside. The groomsmen were hiding there smoking. “Wait, Xavier’s really not coming back?” “He said Windsor’s clinging to him, he can’t get away. He told us to stall.” Matthew exhaled smoke, “How long do you think Olivia’s temper can hold out?” “Look at her today—wedding dress on, red carpet walked, groom ran off, and she didn’t even furrow her brow.” “A wife like that, what more could a man want?” Edward sighed, “Xavier really doesn’t know how good he has it.” “Xavier’s got other things on his mind right now. That vixen Windsor has him wrapped around her finger.” Several of them laughed. Then someone made a video call: “Xavier, you finally picked up. Olivia’s still waiting. It’s not right for you not to come back, is it?” Ambiguous sounds came from the other end of the phone. “Can’t you see I’m busy?” Xavier’s voice carried impatience and the hoarseness of desire, “I can’t come back. Just take care of the relatives and friends.” “Okay, okay, Xavier, you do your thing.” Matthew said with a sleazy grin, “Olivia’s way easier to deal with anyway.” Before he finished speaking, I pushed open the balcony door. The smiles froze on their faces. Matthew hid the phone behind him, “Olivia.” I looked at them, “The wedding starts in three minutes.” “What are you doing hiding here?” “There are over three hundred guests sitting out there. Are you going to make them wait? Or let them watch this farce?” As soon as I finished speaking, several of them burst out laughing. “Olivia, stop making a scene.” Edward laughed while waving his hand, “Three minutes is enough? Xavier’s not that fast. He can’t make it…” “It’s enough.” I calmly interrupted, then turned and left. Only then did Matthew remember the video was still on. He glanced at the screen: “Xavier, Olivia says the wedding starts in three minutes. You better hurry.” Xavier’s low laugh came through the phone, carrying the laziness of unfinished pleasure: “Three minutes?” “Does this woman have some kind of misunderstanding about me?” A woman’s giggle came through the receiver, softly saying something. “Xavier.” Matthew asked quietly, “So…” The other end was silent for two seconds, then Xavier’s impatient voice came through: “Go ahead and help me hold down the scene. I’ll come over when I’m done here.” As he spoke, a woman’s coquettish sound came through in the background.

Matthew quickly hung up the video call. Several of them hastily stubbed out their cigarettes, straightened their suits, and walked out of the balcony. When they caught up to me, Edward said quietly: “Olivia, after all these years, we all know about you and Xavier. He does care about you in his heart. Men, you know…” I didn’t look at him or respond. Actually, until yesterday, I still didn’t want to believe he’d fall into the same trap of loving the new and abandoning the old. Windsor was an investor’s only daughter, fresh out of college. Ever since they met once at a celebration banquet, his eyes hadn’t been right. At the time I thought I was being paranoid. After ten years together, if I didn’t understand him, I wouldn’t have persisted this long. So I chose to believe through many ambiguous moments, many late nights with no WhatsApp replies. I didn’t believe that we, who’d finally made it through the hard times and were about to start a family, would lose to a girl fresh out of school. But he gradually grew eager to tear off his mask, becoming more and more outrageous. No longer hiding it, even deliberately letting me find out. Then packaging his betrayal as a favor: “Someone as outstanding as me, how could I have only one woman? But my heart is yours. No one but you can be Mrs. Xavier.” He expected me to be grateful. Barbara was right—he could fake it so well. Faking it until the day before the wedding to finally tear off that last layer of disguise. Using that cruelest method to make me see with my own eyes, hear with my own ears, what exactly he thought of me. Faking it until I had no way out. “Olivia, walk slowly down the aisle later, okay? We’ll be behind you to hold down the scene.” “Right, right, Xavier said once he’s done he’ll come over. You just go through the motions first.” They thought I was just going through the motions at the wedding. Thought I’d walk down the red carpet alone in my wedding dress, stand before the priest, waiting for a groom who might never show up. Then smile and say “I do” to an empty groom’s position. This was the script Xavier left for me. The groomsmen stood on either side of me, faces still wearing that “everything’s under control” smile. The church doors slowly opened, and someone stood in the backlight. Then everyone’s smiles froze. Xavier had a cigarette and buckled his belt. “You’re really leaving?” Windsor sat on the bed wrapped in sheets, her face full of displeasure, “You promised to stay with me all day. I only agreed to postpone getting the certificate because of that, and now you’re leaving?” “I have to go.” Xavier picked up his jacket, “She only gave me three minutes. If I don’t go now, with her temper—you know—” “What temper?” Windsor pouted, “Isn’t she the most understanding?” “Understanding is one thing, but today’s different.” Xavier checked himself in the mirror, straightening his shirt collar, “The wedding of the century—I promised her that.” “Then why did you come here?” “Didn’t you insist?” Xavier smiled, walked over and pinched her face, “Be good, wait for me to come back tonight.” Windsor swatted his hand away and turned around: “When will the certificate thing be postponed to?” “We’ll see.” Xavier answered perfunctorily, picking up his phone from the nightstand. The screen lit up. WhatsApp messages were exploding. All from the friend group, voice messages one after another. The last one was a video from Matthew. He frowned and randomly clicked it open, his eyes widening sharply.

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When my adoptive father first saw me, I was eating a bowl of sour, spoiled rice. Starving flies fought me for the food, and I didn’t even have a free hand to swat them away. Later, he took me home. He threw me a seventh birthday party. He said, “Maya, today is your new birthday. From now on, this day every year will be your birthday.” Everyone smiled at me. Only my adoptive mother, after the guests had left, screamed at him: “She’s your illegitimate child, isn’t she?!” 1 I was the second child of my biological parents. I had an older sister. My parents, desperate for a son, hid my mother’s pregnancy to avoid the authorities. My ten-year-old sister was begrudgingly taken in by our aunt because she was old enough to help with chores. I, at seven years old, was left at home. It was summer. My mother’s pregnant belly could no longer be hidden. She and my father had to hide in the mountains during the day, sneaking down at night to make me a little food. They would leave it covered under a bamboo basket on the table. That time, they hadn’t been home for two days. I was starving. I drank a belly full of cold water. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I scraped the spoiled, leftover rice from the big pot on the stove. I didn’t even bother with a spoon. I just shoved it into my mouth by the handful. Flies swarmed my bowl, fighting me for the food. I couldn’t even swat them away. Do you know what spoiled rice tastes like? It’s sour, a little bitter. When you scoop it up, it stretches out in long, sticky strands. It looks like… vomit. My adoptive father saw me like that through the iron-barred window. He yelled at me to stop and handed me a piece of chocolate. It was a little bitter, and it melted slowly in my mouth. It didn’t taste much better than the spoiled rice. Later, I found out it was imported chocolate. Very expensive. One piece could buy two pounds of peppermint candies. He taught me how to draw on the dirt with a twig. He waited with me for two days until my parents finally came back. They were holding my newborn baby brother. He was chubby and pale. Unlike me, who was dirty and skeletal. I heard my adoptive father wanted to take me away. My parents hesitated for a night. The next day, my mother had someone kill a chicken. In an unprecedented move, she put both drumsticks in my bowl. “Eat up!” The chicken wasn’t cooked long enough. It was tough, and chewing it made my gums bleed. But I didn’t care. I cracked the bones and sucked out every last drop of the marrow and broth. My mother stroked my gaunt face, tears streaming down hers. “Don’t blame Mommy. Every family needs a son to carry on the name. “That man looks like he comes from a wealthy family. You’ll have a much better life there than here. “When you get to his house, be a good girl. Be obedient.” 2 I hugged my mother’s leg tightly, crying and begging her: I’ll be even better from now on, please don’t send me away. But my father forcefully pried my hands off. He was impatient. “If you stay, we’ll have to pay a massive fine for your brother.” “Where are we going to get that kind of money?” The sun was brutal that day. It stretched his shadow long, covering me completely. In that massive shadow, I sobbed uncontrollably, trembling. My adoptive father stepped forward, covering my ears tightly, and frowned. “Don’t say these things to the child.” “She didn’t do anything wrong!” He lifted me onto his tall motorcycle and placed his only helmet on my head. The helmet was too big. It wobbled like a mountain. It also felt like… a massive embrace. The motorcycle roared to life, spewing a cloud of black exhaust. My mother chased after us, shoving half a bag of peppermint candies into my hands. “You can have them all, eat them all!” Usually, she locked these candies away. Only when I was exceptionally good would she reward me with one. “Don’t blame Mommy, Mommy had no choice.” … My adoptive father revved the engine. The oncoming wind scattered my mother’s instructions and her remorse. I grabbed a handful of peppermint candies and stuffed them into my mouth. So cold. So bitter! My young mind couldn’t understand. Why was one candy so sweet, but a whole handful so bitter? My adoptive father took me home and threw me a birthday party. He held my hand and said, “Today is the day of your new life. From now on, this day every year will be your birthday.” All his relatives came. Aside from my adoptive mother, who looked indifferent, everyone spoke to me gently. I wore a princess dress and held a plastic knife. In front of me sat a two-tiered birthday cake. I was stiff as a board, forcing a rigid smile for the dark camera lens. I was terrified. I felt like a thief. Like I had stolen a princess’s spotlight. And when the magic faded, I would revert to my true, miserable form. Sure enough. I couldn’t sleep that night. I heard my adoptive mother furiously interrogating him. “It was bad enough when you were flirting with those women, but now you’re bringing a child home? “Where does that leave me? “What ‘adopted daughter’ bullshit! She’s your illegitimate child, isn’t she?! “And you expect me to be her mother? You’re pushing me too far!” … The moonlight was dim. I gripped the doorframe tightly. Looking up, the door across the hall cracked open. My new brother, Leo’s, eyes pierced through the gap, glaring at me with pure hatred. 3 I carefully closed my door, too terrified to go to the bathroom. As a result, I wet the bed. God knows how despairing I felt when I woke up. My adoptive mother already hated me. On my very first day, I had ruined the soft, sweet-smelling sheets. I was sure she was going to throw me out immediately. At 5:00 AM, I sneaked out of bed, hugging the sheets, and headed to the bathroom. I dumped the sheets into a large bucket of water and stepped in barefoot to wash them. After stomping on them for half an hour, a cold voice came from behind me. “What are you doing?” I jumped in terror, stumbling backward, and fell hard on my butt. The bucket tipped over, soaking me. My adoptive mother reached a hand out toward me. I instinctively covered my head, trembling. “Dad, please don’t hit me, don’t hit me! I promise I’ll never wet the bed again.” After a long pause, a cold hand grabbed me and pulled me up from the floor. “That bucket is for the mop.” Huh? But it was cleaner than the buckets I used to carry water from the river back in the village. “Clothes and sheets can be washed in the washing machine.” I had no idea how to use the twin-tub washing machine. My adoptive mother taught me step-by-step. “From now on, you’re in charge of washing all the clothes in the house.” This was much easier than washing clothes in the freezing river. But I still messed up. I mixed the dark clothes with the lights, and my adoptive mother’s white dress was dyed a muddy, murky color. She was furious. “Do you know how much this dress cost?! I saved up for two months to buy it, and I’ve only worn it once! “You can’t even do something this simple right.” My adoptive father came out to smooth things over. “Maya didn’t do it on purpose. Just buy a new one.” My adoptive mother grew even angrier. “You make it sound so easy. That dress was expensive.” My adoptive father wasn’t just talking. He bought the exact same dress that very night. He also secretly called me outside and handed me a lollipop the size of my fist, hidden in the stairwell. “This is the biggest lollipop in the supermarket. Eat it quickly. “Your aunt complains a lot, but she has a good heart. She’s a paper tiger. Don’t be afraid of her.” My adoptive mother wasn’t acting like a paper tiger, though. She was roaring like a lioness. 4 “This lollipop cost eight dollars! Eight dollars could buy two pounds of meat! David, what is in your brain?! “And that dress! A little bleach would have fixed it! Is money burning a hole in your pocket?!” … My adoptive parents fought constantly over things like this. I didn’t understand it then, but I did when I grew up. My adoptive father was an artist. He was naturally kind-hearted, a romantic to the bone. If he only had twenty dollars in his pocket, he would spend it all on a beautiful, useless bouquet of roses for my adoptive mother. Whenever inspiration struck, he’d hop on his motorcycle and go searching for landscapes to paint. He was a handsome, wandering artist with many friends in the bohemian scene. The mundane reality of making ends meet fell entirely on my adoptive mother’s shoulders. The collision of realism and romanticism. It’s hard to say who was right or wrong. My adoptive father wasn’t exactly a great husband, but he definitely wasn’t a bad person! This made my adoptive mother both hate him and love him, leaving her constantly stressed and irritable. Which meant she never smiled at me, either. I later tried to give that giant lollipop to Leo. He snatched it, threw it on the floor, and glared at me. “I don’t want your stupid candy!” My adoptive father was not a man who could stay in one place. This time, because of me, he stayed home for over a month. Once my school enrollment was finalized, on a gloomy evening, he left a letter, hopped on his motorcycle, and set off on his wandering journey again. My adoptive mother was furious. She tore the letter to shreds, grabbed my arm, dragged me to the front door, and shoved me out. “Get out, get out! He’s gone, so you leave too! “Telling me to take good care of you? In his dreams!” … The late September night was chilly. The hallway light was broken. I hugged my knees and crouched under the window, looking at the fuzzy moon obscured by dark clouds. I guess this was my world. Even with the moon, it was just a faint, blurry glimmer. I don’t know how long I sat there. I almost fell asleep. The door creaked open. My adoptive mother looked down at me, her voice cold and annoyed: “Come inside.” On the dining table was a steaming bowl of noodles with eggs, and next to it were the chopsticks I normally used. My adoptive mother had already slammed the door to the master bedroom shut. My stomach grumbled loudly. I carefully ate the bowl of noodles. My adoptive father called home twice a week, asking how I was doing, if everything was okay. He would tell me about what he’d seen on his travels. A strangely colored flower, an exceptionally smart stray dog, the most brilliant sunrise he’d ever seen. He would also patiently listen to me share my mundane daily life. When we finished talking, right before he handed the phone to my adoptive mother, he would always say: “Maya, when Dad comes back, I’ll bring you a huge mystery gift!” Every time she got the phone, my adoptive mother’s tone was sour: “Before she got here, you didn’t even call once every two weeks.” “What, are me and your son together not as important as her?” … My adoptive mother remained icy towards me. My brother was also very hostile. We went to the same school. We went to school together every day, but I only dared to follow him from a distance. Whenever his classmates teased him: “Leo, is this your new sister?” 5 He would pull a long face: “She’s not my sister. She’s a stray my dad picked up.” Kids are very good at reading the room. My brother didn’t like me, and I was the new kid from the countryside, so everyone isolated me. During P.E., when the teacher organized partner games, I was always the one left out. It was a little sad. But it was bearable. Months passed like this. Winter arrived. When I woke up, I noticed my adoptive mother looked pale. I asked her quietly if she was okay, and she glared at me. “Are you hoping something happens to me?” I didn’t dare ask again. After leaving the house, I realized I’d forgotten my homework from the day before. So I ran back home to get it. I found my adoptive mother passed out on the living room floor. No matter how much I shook her, she wouldn’t wake up. My mind went blank. The cold air felt like it was pouring straight into my chest from all directions. I stumbled out the door and banged on the neighbor’s door. Mr. and Mrs. Higgins hurriedly drove my adoptive mother to the hospital in their truck. I insisted on going with them. Fear gripped me like countless tentacles. I whimpered softly, tears streaming down my face. They fell one by one onto my adoptive mother’s face. I don’t know how long I cried until I heard a familiar, icy voice: “Are you mourning me? I’m not dead yet!” My adoptive mother was awake. My lips trembled uncontrollably. After a long moment, I burst into loud, heaving sobs. My adoptive mother frowned. “You’re too loud.” Mrs. Higgins whispered beside her, “She was terrified. Don’t scare the child anymore.” Leo rushed to the hospital after school. His eyes were red as he pointed at my nose and yelled, “This is all your fault! Mom was fine before you came here!” Fortunately, my adoptive mother only had iron-deficiency anemia. After some IV fluids and a prescribed diet, the doctor discharged her. She needed bed rest, so my aunt came by every afternoon with enough food for the day. Three days later, my adoptive mother still looked pale. I panicked. In the kitchen, I used a paring knife to secretly cut my finger. Bright red blood dripped steadily into the soup my aunt had brought. I don’t know how much I bled, but I started to feel dizzy. Just then, Leo roared from behind me, “Why are you dripping blood into the soup?!” “Your blood is toxic! Are you trying to poison my mom?!” He ran over and shoved me hard. The back of my head hit the doorknob. The pain made my vision white out. My adoptive mother heard the commotion. She wrapped my finger in a paper towel, her voice cold: “What are you doing?” 6 I gathered my courage, looked up at her, and said shakily, “Auntie said you got sick because you didn’t have enough blood.” “I have lots of blood, I can share some with you!” Tears streamed down my face. “If you drink my blood, will you get better faster?” My adoptive mother’s lips trembled, but she didn’t speak for a long time. I looked at Leo through my tears. “Brother, please don’t hate me. “I promise I’ll only take a tiny bit of love from you.” I held up my thumb and index finger, showing a tiny gap. Then I squeezed them closer, and closer, until there was just a sliver of light between them. I offered Leo a pleading smile: “I just want this much, is that okay?” If you’ve never been loved, you can stumble through life just fine. But once you’ve tasted what it’s like to be loved… It’s like an addiction you can’t break. Leo clenched his fists, his face bright red, and yelled at me, “You idiot, drinking blood doesn’t give you more blood!” After yelling at me, he ran out of the kitchen, ran upstairs, and slammed his bedroom door with a loud bang. My adoptive mother helped me up and gave an order: “Go sit on the sofa. I’ll get the first aid kit.” She went upstairs to the master bedroom. Then, the front door knocked. I went to open it. The two people standing in the doorway hit me like a bucket of ice water, freezing the tears in my eyes. It was my biological parents! Unlike my shock, they were incredibly excited. They pushed their way inside and grabbed my hand tightly. “Maya! We finally found you!” My mother’s eyes were red, and she excitedly patted my clothes and my face. “Look at you, why do you look so pale? Were you just crying? Are they not treating you well here?” “Mommy thought I’d never find you again.” My eyes darted between them. It was strange. My heart was pounding wildly. Not with the joy of a reunion, but with the terror of an encounter that shouldn’t be happening. My dad took a drag of his cigarette, tossed the burning butt onto the hallway floor, and yanked my arm, pulling me outside. “Stop talking. Let’s go, you’re coming with us!” My mom wiped her tears, her face glowing with happiness. “They’re building a new highway near our house back home. The government is paying twenty thousand dollars for every person registered to our address.” “If you come back with us, our family gets an extra twenty thousand. With that money, our family will never have to be apart again.” 7 They pulled and dragged me toward the door. I dug my fingers tightly into the doorframe. The paper towel covering my cut fell off, and fresh blood bubbled out. It slid down the doorframe like a snake. I was fighting a losing battle, my heart turning to ice. Maybe now… Maybe this was the moment the magic vanished. The pumpkin carriage, the glass slippers, the beautiful dress, the warm home… it had all just been a dream I eventually had to wake up from. As I was about to be dragged away, I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. My adoptive mother, holding the first aid kit, stood under the warm yellow light of the hallway, looking at us with cold eyes. All my terror suddenly turned into bottomless grievance. Countless emotions surged in my throat, and almost instinctively, I called out, “Mom…” My adoptive mother’s eyes narrowed. She walked briskly toward us and snapped, “Are you blind? Can’t you see her hand is bleeding?” My dad didn’t care. “It’s just a scratch, what’s the big deal.” My mom picked up the dirty paper towel from the floor and pressed it against my finger. “Let’s go. We’re going home.” They continued to drag me outside. My adoptive mother’s thin but surprisingly strong hand clamped firmly onto my wrist. She said coldly: “You think you can just come and go as you please? Take her whenever you want? “She is a human being, not some stray cat or dog on the street. “And besides, you accepted money for her.” I froze, staring blankly at my biological mother. She guiltily avoided my gaze. My dad’s face darkened. “It was only two thousand dollars! Once we get the twenty thousand from the government, we’ll give your two thousand back!” Leo also came rushing down. He grabbed me from behind, hugging me tightly. “Maya is my sister now! None of you are taking her away.” I looked back at him, my tears falling uncontrollably. He yelled at me, “Why are you crying? You idiot, pull!” The argument and the struggle grew loud. During the scuffle, my adoptive mother’s hair came undone, and a button was ripped off her coat. The neighbors heard the commotion and came out, stepping in to help protect me. Once free, my adoptive mother smoothed her messy hair and looked at me with complex eyes. “Do you want to go with them?” My mom panted and smiled. “I worked hard to give birth to her, of course she’s going with me.” My dad also looked incredibly confident. I carefully held my adoptive mother’s hand. “I want to stay here. With you and brother.” Leo jumped excitedly and shouted, “Did you hear that? She wants to stay with us! Get the hell out of our house!” My dad was furious. He raised his hand to slap me. “I raised you for seven years, and you forget me after a few months!” “I’ll kill you, you ungrateful wretch!” He had always been like this since I was little. The slightest annoyance, and he would beat and kick me. Fear was carved into my bones. I froze in place, instinctively raising my arms to protect my head. At the critical moment, my adoptive mother pulled me behind her. That slap landed squarely on her face. Her cheek swelled up instantly, and blood seeped from the corner of her mouth. Leo shot forward like a cannonball, slamming hard into my dad’s stomach. “You dare hit my mom?! I’ll kill you!” A fiery rage burned inside me. I bit down hard on my dad’s arm. Since he had hit a woman, the neighbors couldn’t stand by anymore. They rushed forward and restrained him. My dad roared, “She’s my blood! I can hit her and curse her if I want to!” “It’s my right to take her away! What right do you have to stop me?!” … My adoptive mother held her cheek, sneering fearlessly: “You took two thousand dollars and sold your own daughter! “Child trafficking is a crime. “You’ll be arrested and sent to prison, for at least three to five years!” Mrs. Higgins’s eyes darted around, and she quickly chimed in: “Exactly! Leo, don’t just stand there, call 911!” 8 My dad looked shocked and uncertain. “I sent my own kid away, and that’s a crime?” My adoptive mother said loudly, “Taking money makes it a sale! It’s definitely a crime!” Country folks like them had a deep, primal fear of the police and jail. Neither of them wanted to end up behind bars. Leo had already picked up the living room phone. My adoptive mother demanded word by word, “I’ll ask you one last time. Look closely. Is Maya your child?” My mom was already intimidated. She pulled on my dad’s arm, smiling awkwardly. “We made a mistake! We made a mistake! We got the wrong person!” My dad was resentful, but terrified of the police, so he let my mom drag him away. Just as they reached the stairs, my mom ran back. She pulled a small handful of peppermint candies wrapped in newspaper from her pocket. Her eyes were red. “For you.” I shook my head and didn’t take them. “These candies are too bitter. I don’t like them.” I only understood when I grew up. The young me thought those peppermint candies tasted good because my life was so bitter that even the tiniest hint of sweetness felt overwhelming. But the truth was. I didn’t have to eat that bitterness in the first place. After the onlookers dispersed, my adoptive mother stood in front of the bathroom mirror. She changed out of her torn coat and slowly, meticulously combed her messy hair back into place. She took some ointment to reduce the swelling and gently applied it to her face. She had always been a meticulous, elegant woman. Even just going grocery shopping, her hair was perfectly styled. But for me, she had ended up with disheveled hair and a swollen face. Guilt swelled in my chest. I apologized softly, “I’m sorry, Auntie…” Her face darkened, and she mocked me: “When you need something, you call me Mom. When you don’t, you call me Auntie. Are you playing games with me?” I frantically tried to explain, “No, it’s just, I was afraid… afraid you wouldn’t…” She threw the ointment down, walked straight up to me, and said fiercely, “Say it…” “Huh?” She raised her voice. “Call me Mom!” I looked up at her. She looked fierce and cold. She almost never smiled at me. But in the months I’d been here, she had never hit me or starved me. The door to her bedroom was never locked; I could open it whenever I wanted. She never left me alone in the house. When we went out, if she brought Leo, she made sure to bring me too. On the crowded streets. No matter if I walked fast or slow, whenever I looked back. She was always right behind me. She was so good. I was just afraid. I didn’t feel worthy… Memories flooded my mind. My throat tightened, and I whispered shakily, “Mom…” Her eyes were bloodshot. She smacked the back of my head lightly. “How many times have I told you not to open the door for strangers! Will you remember that from now on?!” The tears were knocked loose, falling one by one onto the floor. I nodded emphatically. “I’ll remember!” “I’ll call the school and excuse you for the morning. Pack some clothes!”

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A video of me and media mogul Richard Sterling walking out of the same Hamptons mansion early Monday morning hit the internet, and Twitter practically crashed. Netizens were tearing me apart: “If she can’t hook the A-list actor, she hooks his dad. She really will do anything to marry into a billionaire family.” The A-list actor’s girlfriend even threw shade at me in an interview: “Don’t worry, the Sterling family has high standards. They would never let trash like her step foot in their house.” But she didn’t know. I am that actor’s biological older sister. And his dad is my dad. She was right about one thing, though. I absolutely would not let a piece of trash like her step foot in my house. 1 First thing Monday morning, a video of me and the legendary media tycoon, Richard Sterling, walking out of a mansion went viral. In the sixteen-second clip, I was holding Mr. Sterling’s arm, acting very intimately, with what looked like a fawning smile on my face, occasionally reaching out to touch his arm. The comment section was flooded with hate. “Jade Carter realized she couldn’t get Leo Sterling to look her way, so she went after his dad?” “To marry into the Sterling family, she really has zero bottom line.” “Maybe her true love is still Leo, and marrying the dad is just a way to get closer to him… gross.” “Please stop talking upstairs, I’m already feeling sick. Leo Sterling has a girlfriend, and it’s our sweet Brianna.” As expected, the paparazzi—never ones to miss a chance for drama—interviewed Leo Sterling’s girlfriend, Brianna Harper, asking for her thoughts. Brianna looked into the camera, her voice soft and sweet: “About Jade and Mr. Sterling? Ah, I can’t really say much, though I have heard a little bit about it. “It was Jade who was chasing him. Mr. Sterling wasn’t really paying her much attention, so Jade has been getting very desperate lately… I also don’t understand why a perfectly fine girl would do such shameless things. As her colleague, I feel very ashamed and sorry for her. “But don’t worry, the Sterling family wouldn’t let trash like that into their home.” Before I could even react, my manager, Sarah, was furious. “Brianna is such an ungrateful little bitch! Does she not remember who helped her hook up with Leo in the first place?” Oh, yes. Brianna only met Leo Sterling because of me. Back then, Brianna had just joined the agency. She played the part of the pure, innocent girl perfectly, sweetly calling me “sister,” saying she didn’t have any friends and felt lonely, and begging me to invite her to any events I went to. So, she met Leo at my birthday party. Three months later, Brianna and Leo were officially together. She came to me, looking pitiful, and apologized: “I’m sorry, Jade. You actually like Leo too, right? “But I can’t help it. Sometimes a sudden spark is stronger than years of friendship. We fell in love at first sight. I hope you won’t hold it against me.” Brianna didn’t know that Leo Sterling wasn’t just my “friend.” He is my biological younger brother. 2 My parents divorced when Leo and I were very young. He went with our dad, and I went with our mom. The public had no idea we were siblings. Later, we both entered the entertainment industry. He became the youngest, most critically acclaimed A-list actor, while I became the “evil supporting actress” specialist with a legion of haters. To avoid being gossiped about, we never publicly disclosed our relationship. But that didn’t mean we didn’t care about each other. Take, for example, that infamous video of “Jade Carter being a pathetic simp for Leo Sterling for 120 seconds.” The truth was, Leo and I were filming a travel reality show. He had been suffering from bad stomach aches, and our mom told me to make sure he drank his herbal medicine on time. There weren’t many supplies on the trip, so I found a coffee cup, poured the medicine in, and brought it to him. Leo violently refused at first, but was eventually forced to drink it, making a face like his life was over because it was so bitter. However, after the show’s editing, the version the audience saw was: Jade Carter brings Leo coffee. Leo doesn’t want to talk to her. Jade forces him to drink it. Leo, out of politeness, reluctantly takes a sip. After drinking it, he rolls his eyes at Jade. … As for the video of me and my dad, if that paparazzo had just been a little closer, he would have heard me say: “Dad, Mom actually still cares about you. You know how she is, just stubborn. Look at this suit she custom-ordered for you, it fits perfectly…” But the resulting video looked like this: Jade Carter smiles fawningly, sycophantically stroking Mr. Sterling’s arm. Mr. Sterling looks aloof and ignores her. … I really don’t understand. Everything I do is for our broken little family. Is it easy being me? Why am I always the one getting hurt?? 3 Speaking of which, my brother is great in every way. Except he’s completely brainwashed by love. He genuinely thinks Brianna is the pure, innocent flower she pretends to be, that she doesn’t want anything from him and just purely loves him. So he threw resources and endorsements at her, managing to elevate Brianna—who had terrible acting skills and couldn’t handle hard work—into a rising star. An older sister shouldn’t control her younger brother, so I usually didn’t interfere much with his dating life. But this time, Brianna directly threw dirty water on me in front of the media, and I couldn’t tolerate it anymore. I called Leo: “Did you see how your girlfriend accused me of seducing our dad in her interview?” Leo had a great attitude and apologized to me, but immediately defended Brianna: “Brianna is just a simple person. She speaks without thinking. The things she says often aren’t what she really means…” As soon as I heard that, I knew it was a lost cause. My brother’s “love-brain” disease was terminal and very hard to cure. “Let me go explain it to Brianna and tell her the truth.” “Don’t!” I cut him off immediately. That wouldn’t be any fun. “Okay, okay. If you tell her now, she’ll definitely feel guilty, but she might also blame you for not telling her sooner. I don’t want to affect your relationship with your girlfriend because of me.” If she’s going to play the manipulative victim, I can play it even better. Sure enough, Leo was very moved: “You’re the best, sis.” I immediately took advantage of the situation: “But my reputation is taking a hit right now, and it’s hard to get jobs. Do you have any projects you can bring me in on?” Leo asked his agent a couple of questions, then told me: “There’s a new live-streamed reality show. I originally took it just to bring Brianna along. Do you want to come too…” “You got it!” That was exactly what I was waiting for. Hanging up the phone, I smiled. 4 In the blink of an eye, it was the day of the reality show recording. When I arrived at the dressing room, Brianna was already getting her makeup done. She was wearing a starry-night gown. The deep purple skirt was dotted with diamond after diamond, breathtakingly beautiful. I was stunned: “Isn’t that my dress?” My assistant had sent the dress to the dressing room a day early, planning for me to change into it as soon as I arrived. I didn’t expect Brianna to be wearing it. Brianna looked in the mirror and gave a faint smile: “Jade, you’re currently hated by the whole internet. You should be satisfied just being able to get on a show. It’s useless for you to wear this dress. If the audience’s attention is all on you, won’t you just get cursed at even more? I’m doing this for your own good.” I frowned: “But this dress is haute couture sponsored by the brand specifically for me. They specified I was the only one who could wear it.” Brianna raised an eyebrow: “What brand? Do they think they can boss people around just because they sponsored the show with a little money? However much they paid, my boyfriend can pay double!” As soon as she got angry, the people in the dressing room naturally started kissing up to her. “This dress suits Brianna perfectly. Brianna wearing it makes her look like a runaway princess.” “We’ll just get someone to give the brand a heads-up later. Don’t worry about it.” Even my manager, Sarah, quietly pulled me aside: “It’s already great that we could get on this show. Why are you arguing with Brianna over this? She’s the future daughter-in-law of the Sterling family. Who would dare not give her face?” I wasn’t angry, I was just curious: “But didn’t my video with the elder Mr. Sterling also trend? Why didn’t anyone think I was going to be the Sterling family’s daughter-in-law and give me some face?” Sarah was very puzzled. “What kind of Sterling daughter-in-law are you? Brianna was personally brought on the show by her boyfriend, it’s official. What about you? “In the video, the elder Mr. Sterling didn’t even look at you. It looks like you haven’t even touched the threshold of the Sterling family…” So it was my own dad who set me up. I swallowed a mouthful of blood and decided that the next time I played chess with the old man, I would never let him win again. While we were getting our makeup done, other celebrities arrived in the dressing room. They completely ignored me and all crowded around Brianna. “Brianna, the movie industry isn’t doing great right now. If you get any new roles, please think of us.” Brianna generously declared: “No problem. Once I marry into the Sterling family, whatever scripts you want to act in, I’ll just tell Leo to invest in them. I guarantee you’ll all be the male and female leads, and you’ll all become huge stars.” The guests gasped in pleasant surprise, all surrounding Brianna and praising her to the skies. I sat on the side, silently rubbing my temples. With my old man’s stubborn-as-a-rock temper, even when his own biological daughter wanted to break into the entertainment industry, I had to start from the bottom, working my way up step-by-step from playing extra roles. Since getting my makeup done was boring anyway, I simply started chatting with them: “Aren’t you guys having too many fantasies about billionaire families? Becoming a little famous depends on backing, but becoming a superstar depends on fate. Capital isn’t omnipotent.” As soon as I spoke, the dressing room went quiet for a moment, then immediately exploded. Brianna was the first to attack: “Jade Carter, what do you mean by that? If capital isn’t omnipotent, then why did you try so hard to marry into a billionaire family?” Next to her, one of Brianna’s lapdogs immediately chimed in: “Jade Carter is just experiencing sour grapes. She can’t marry into a rich family, so she’s saying it’s not good.” Lapdog number two took the opportunity to praise Brianna: “Jade is just jealous of our Brianna. Don’t be mad, Brianna. Jade couldn’t afford the diamond ring you’re going to get when you get engaged to Leo even if she worked for fifty years. She’s going to be so jealous in the future.” I remained calm amidst the chorus of mockery. I even smiled at Brianna. You can look forward to getting engaged to Leo Sterling. But you can only look forward to it. If you can actually make this happen. I’ll write my last name, Carter, backward! … Soon, the livestream officially began. The production team naturally wanted to promote Brianna and Leo’s couple dynamic, so the sofa arrangement was very deliberate. In the middle, two single sofas were pushed together, and the backrests formed a heart shape. It was clearly a couple’s seat. Brianna was the first to enter, naturally sitting on the left half of the heart-shaped sofa. The next person to enter was me. I took a look. There was a chair next to the sofa, probably left for me by the crew. I ignored that chair and sat down on the right half of the heart-shaped sofa. Live Chat: “???” Quickly, the viewers flooded the screen, cursing me like crazy. “Is Jade Carter sick in the head? That seat is obviously meant for Leo Sterling.” “What does she mean by sitting there? Can you not ruin the vibe for us shippers?” “We want to see our Brianna and Leo. Who wants to see her huge face in the center?” Brianna’s face turned red with anger, but this was in front of the cameras. She always maintained her gentle, innocent persona, so naturally she couldn’t curse at me. So she said in a whiny voice: “Jade, this seat is for Leo.” “Ah?” I feigned confusion. “This seat doesn’t have a name tag on it.” Just then, Leo walked in. I immediately looked up and asked him: “Leo, can I sit here?” Leo glanced at the aggrieved-looking Brianna and hesitated a bit. “Okay, then I’ll move over.” I stood up and started walking toward the chair next to it. The back of that chair was hard and didn’t fit the curve of the human body. The show was going to be recorded for seven or eight hours; it would be very tiring. Not to mention my lower back was injured when I was a kid. At the time, I went ice skating with Leo, and to protect him, I fell and hurt myself. Sure enough, the moment Leo saw the chair, he stopped me. “You just sit on the sofa, I’ll sit on the chair.” As soon as he said that, the live chat was stunned. “What’s going on? Why did Leo suddenly stop protecting his girlfriend?” “Why is he being so nice to a manipulative simp?” “I get it. Leo must be considering his dad’s feelings.” “Jade Carter is truly evil. She couldn’t get Leo’s love, so she went and became his stepmom!” The production team didn’t dare let Leo sit on a folding chair, so they quickly brought over another single sofa. Now, I had Leo on my right and Brianna on my left. I was separating the young couple. I felt great. Leo didn’t think there was a problem. Only Brianna was furious. I knew long ago that Brianna had spent money to bribe the prop master of this show. That chair was placed there specifically by her to disgust me. And with her personality, she had probably already planned out how to interact with Leo and how to create viral topics. But now, with me sitting in the middle, all her ideas were ruined. As expected, an unbalanced Brianna started causing trouble. She pretended to casually nudge me: “Jade, with you showing your face on a TV show like this, won’t ‘Dad’ be unhappy? After all, their generation is very traditional and prefers women who stay home and take care of the family.” I sneered: “Mr. Sterling is just old, not brain-dead.” I was so blunt that Brianna’s fans in the chat immediately started attacking me. “Our Brianna gave her a suggestion out of the goodness of her heart, why is she acting like she swallowed gunpowder?” “That bitch Jade is just jealous of Brianna. Whatever Brianna says, she has to contradict.” “Our Brianna is just too innocent, willing to be friends with a bitch who wants to steal her man.” I wasn’t finished. I said coolly to Brianna: “Also, girls should have some manners. Don’t rush to call someone ‘Dad’. You’ve only been dating Leo for a month. You haven’t reached the level where his dad is your dad.” The hatred in Brianna’s eyes flashed for a second, but she immediately lowered her head and said softly: “You are my senior. It’s right for you to lecture me. I’ll listen to you.” When she said this, the chat cursed me even harder. “My poor daughter is so pitiful and sensible. She’s being bullied like this, and she still treats that bitch as a senior.” “What kind of senior is Jade Carter? Mr. Sterling is at best just playing with her because she’s young and pretty. Does she really think she can marry into that billionaire family?” “The Sterling family would only marry a gentle, cultured girl like our Brianna. Jade shouldn’t even dream of entering the Sterling family in her next life.” There were also passersby speaking up for me. “To be fair, what Brianna said was pretty harsh too. What’s this about Mr. Sterling not letting women show their faces… Even my 80-year-old grandmother’s views are more progressive than hers.” “And Jade and Leo have known each other since they were kids. They’re practically childhood sweethearts. It’s hard to say who’s stealing whose man, right?” But their voices were very weak, completely drowned out by the army cursing me. Just as the show was halfway through recording, something major happened. Mr. Sterling was photographed on a date with his ex-wife, Ms. Carter. 5 When the news broke, Leo and I exchanged a glance, our hearts bursting with joy. However, unexpectedly, there was someone even happier than us. Brianna’s lips were curling up so high they almost touched the sky. During a break in the show, she sneaked up next to me and smiled arrogantly: “How about that, Jade? Mr. Sterling is getting back together with his ex-wife now. Your dream of marrying into a billionaire family is completely shattered.” I couldn’t be bothered with her, but she relentlessly sighed: “When we joined the agency together, you were much more popular than me. I had to swallow my pride and beg you to bring me resources… At that time, you probably never thought I would have today, did you?” I couldn’t blame Brianna for being so smug. The Sterling family was a massive empire with deep roots. No matter who married into it, it would be like a carp leaping over the dragon gate. Now, everyone around her assumed Brianna would be the future young mistress of the Sterling family, so they were extremely respectful to her, afraid of offending her. But I didn’t care. With a cold laugh, I looked at Brianna: “I never thought you’d have today? Why, is there something special about you today? Especially stupid?” Brianna went crazy with anger. She gritted her teeth: “Jade Carter, you just wait. Once I marry into the Sterling family, banning you will just be a matter of one sentence.” I mimicked the whiny voice Brianna usually used in front of the cameras, putting on a pitiful expression: “For real? I’m so scared, boo hoo hoo.” Seeing that I had no fear whatsoever and dared to mock her, Brianna almost fainted from anger and stormed off to find Leo. But she looked everywhere and couldn’t find him. It was very simple, because the moment Brianna left, Leo came to find me. He looked at me with tears in his eyes. I also looked at him with tears in my eyes. Then, we excitedly hugged each other. “They finally got back together!” Leo shed tears: “From now on, we finally have a mom and a dad again!” I also shed tears: “If they didn’t get back together soon, I was going to die of exhaustion being this messenger.” Leo and I were so immersed in the joy of our parents finally getting back together that we didn’t notice Brianna had returned. And she happened to see this scene from afar. Seeing me and Leo hugging tightly, Brianna was blinded by rage. But she didn’t dare accuse Leo. She could only wait until Leo left, then aggressively came looking for me. I was touching up my makeup in the dressing room when she fiercely grabbed me and dragged me to a place with no people. “Jade Carter, are you fucking done? Mr. Sterling doesn’t want you anymore, so you shamelessly come back to seduce Leo?” I looked at Brianna and didn’t speak. Brianna’s voice was shrill: “Not talking? You fucking know you’re a bitch, so you’re keeping quiet, right?” No. I wasn’t talking just because… Just now in the dressing room, I had already put my microphone on. At this moment, Brianna’s words were being flawlessly broadcast into the livestream through my mic. In places we couldn’t see, the live chat had exploded. “Did I hear that right, is this Brianna?” “Isn’t Brianna a gentle, well-behaved innocent flower? Is this something an innocent flower would say?” “Oh no, I feel very much in danger right now, it seems like my house is about to collapse…” Brianna was completely unaware of the massive exodus of her fans. In her rage, she lit a cigarette. Taking a drag, she impolitely poked her finger at me: “Don’t let me see you seducing Leo again, or I’ll buy a thousand gossip accounts to destroy you.” After saying that, Brianna turned and left. Returning to the broadcast room, she flashed a gentle, beautiful smile at Leo, trotted over to hug him: “Leo, even though we haven’t seen each other for just a little while, I’ve already started missing you.” After delivering this carefully crafted line, Brianna immediately looked toward the large screen. She wanted to find the comments of fans going crazy over their sweetness. But she found that the large screen was turned off. They could no longer see the real-time comments from netizens. “What’s going on here?” Brianna was a little confused. “Nothing, just the show’s flow. The following segments won’t show netizens’ comments,” the director explained to her. It wasn’t actually true. This was a spur-of-the-moment decision the director made in the last few minutes. Because of Brianna’s dirty words just now, the show’s view count and discussion rate skyrocketed. Based on his intuition, he didn’t want Brianna to find out about all this right now. Instead, he wanted her to… reveal more of her true self in a state of complete ignorance. Brianna was a bit angry: “Ah, why didn’t you inform us in advance? Right, Leo?” Then she realized that Leo’s expression was also a bit strange. “Leo… Leo?” Leo looked at Brianna. That glance was very unfamiliar, as if he were getting to know her all over again. A moment later, he slightly pulled his arm away from Brianna’s grasp and gave a very low “Mm.” 6 During the break, Leo came to find me, looking very pained. Clearly, he had heard Brianna’s dirty words and had struggled with it for a long time. “Sis, I’m definitely a little disappointed… but I still feel like Brianna shouldn’t be that kind of girl.” I laughed as soon as I heard that. Okay, this “love-brain” disease still wasn’t completely cured. Let’s continue the treatment. “Oh, then what do you want to do?” I asked him. “I hope to bring her to see you, reintroduce you to her as my sister, and clear up the misunderstanding.” I thought about it: “Okay, then you arrange it.” From afar, I saw Brianna looking this way again. She didn’t know Leo’s sudden change in attitude was because he heard those dirty words. She still thought I was seducing Leo, which was why Leo was cold to her. Brianna’s sense of crisis grew heavier. So, when Leo told her he wanted to take her to meet his family. Brianna was simply overjoyed. She eagerly agreed. Later, she provoked me in person: “Jade, do you think you can steal him away? Let me tell you, Leo is already taking me to meet his parents.” “I meant what I said. When I marry into the Sterling family, the first thing I’ll do is ban you.” 7 Before officially meeting me, Leo and Brianna had one more date to film. During this date, Leo and Brianna sat together in a Ferris wheel. Amidst the city lights, Leo began to reveal his inner thoughts. “Brianna, I’ve rarely talked about my family before, but now, I think it’s time to tell you about my family situation. My parents divorced…” Before Leo could finish, Brianna immediately put on an understanding expression. She held Leo’s hand and comforted him softly: “Leo, don’t be sad. You still have me.” Leo: “…They divorced when I was seven. I’m not sad anymore.” The atmosphere was a bit awkward. But Leo quickly adjusted and continued. “The public always thought I was my dad’s only child, but actually I have an older sister who went with my mom back then. “Even though we don’t live together usually, my sister has always been very good to me. My parents are both very busy people, so she always came running over to take care of me. Even during my hardest times, she was the one who accompanied me through it. “She is the family member I value most. Regarding me dating, it doesn’t matter if my parents support it or not, but I very much hope my sister can give us her blessing.” Brianna nodded obediently: “Don’t worry, Leo. Your sister is my sister. I will definitely work hard to leave a good impression on her!” Leo paused for a moment. He probably remembered the grudge Brianna had formed when she insulted me for seeking a sugar daddy in the interview. But Brianna’s attitude was good. Making up for her mistakes later should be fine. On the other side, in a place we couldn’t see, the live chat was also discussing Leo’s sister. “So Leo has an older sister. That would be a female version of Leo, she must be very beautiful.” “How come we’ve never heard of this billionaire heiress before? She’s too low-key.” “So the content of the next episode is Leo taking Brianna to meet his sister?” “It should be! Ah, I really hope Leo’s sister is good at spotting fake bitches…” “Agreed, agreed. I feel like Brianna is definitely not a good person right now. I don’t want her with Leo.” “What’s wrong with our Brianna? She only cursed because that bitch Jade made her angry, okay? Do you never swear in your life? Leo likes Brianna so much, Leo’s sister will definitely like our Brianna too!” “…” Just like that, time flew by. Soon it was the episode the vast audience was looking forward to the most—Leo taking Brianna to meet his family. The meeting place was a private room in a high-end, exclusive restaurant. Brianna arrived at the private room an hour early. She seemed very nervous, repeatedly confirming the menu with the manager, and constantly adjusting her appearance in the mirror. It was no wonder she was so nervous. Whether she could win over Leo’s sister could be said to be a crucial step in marrying into the Sterling family. She couldn’t afford not to take it seriously. In the corner of the private room, the show’s hidden cameras silently started recording, broadcasting Brianna’s current performance live to the vast audience. In the chat, Brianna’s fans were very happy. “Our Brianna reached a new height of beauty today. Who doesn’t love a sweet, obedient girl?” “Brianna’s nervous look is so cute too.” “Waiting for the sister to arrive with Brianna!” And right at this moment, wearing a rose-red, one-shoulder silk dress, I arrived at the door of the private room. I knocked on the door. Brianna was very nervous: “Coming, coming.” She obediently trotted to the door with small steps and personally opened it: “Sister… Jade? Why is it you?” I lowered my eyelids, calmly meeting Brianna’s gaze. At this moment, there was no one else in the private room. Brianna looked me up and down: “Today is when Leo and I are meeting his sister. Why are you here to steal camera time?” It was no wonder Brianna’s thought process was so bizarre. After all, when she first debuted, she used this exact method to steal my camera time. So I deliberately teased her, pushing my way into the private room: “So what? Back at my movie premiere, didn’t you also dress up elaborately and come over to steal my camera time?” Brianna’s voice immediately became shrill: “Get the hell out of here!” She grabbed me and pushed me straight out the door. What she didn’t know was that the live chat had exploded. “Whoa, I remember this. That was Jade’s first time playing a lead role. Everyone else dressed very simply at the premiere, but Brianna wore a super grand dress. The press releases that day were all about how beautiful Brianna was, and no one remembered the movie itself.” “Lmao, does Jade hold a grudge? So she specifically came today to mess with Brianna.” Obviously, although Brianna couldn’t see the chat, she also thought of this point. “Jade Carter, I’m warning you. If you dare ruin this meeting between me and Leo’s sister, I really won’t let you get away with it.” To prevent me from going in again, she even called the restaurant’s security personnel, pointed at me, and said: “This person is deliberately trying to cause trouble. Don’t let her into our private room, understood!” So, the security personnel asked me to leave the restaurant. I wasn’t angry either. There happened to be a hot pot restaurant across the street, so I went straight to eat skewers. Ten minutes later, Leo arrived. He walked into the private room and asked Brianna: “Has my sister arrived yet?” Brianna shook her head: “Not yet.” Leo took out his phone: “I’ll text her and ask.” I was just dropping tripe into the spicy broth when my phone rang. Brother: “Sis, where are you?” Me: “I’ve already arrived.” Brother: “I don’t see you. When you come in, just tell the waiter the room number.” I happened to finish eating my skewers. I got up, leisurely reapplied my lipstick, and walked across the street. Those two restaurant security guards had probably taken a tip from Brianna. Seeing me wandering at the restaurant entrance again, they immediately stopped me. I smilingly took out my phone and typed to Leo: “I can’t get in.” Then I sent another message right after: “Actually, I was here earlier.” Leo was stunned. He turned to ask Brianna: “Did someone come to the private room just now?” Brianna completely didn’t want Leo to think of me, so she immediately shook her head: “No one came.” Leo was suspicious: “No one at all?” Brianna was very certain: “No, absolutely no one came.” Leo went outside to call me: “Sis, are you at the restaurant entrance? I’m coming to get you…” However, when he walked to the restaurant entrance, there was no one there. There was only a text message from me on his phone: “Let’s eat at Mom and Dad’s house tonight. I’m full from lunch.” This was the truth. My stomach was already full of tripe, chicken feet, fatty beef, and frozen tofu. I didn’t want to go in and eat this meal anymore. Leo rubbed his head, clearly finding the situation a bit strange. Brianna had already chased after him: “What’s wrong, Leo?” Leo said in a low voice: “My sister left. She said she’s not eating this meal.” Brianna had painstakingly prepared for a long time. Her dress and shoes were newly bought, and her makeup alone took five hours. Hearing this, she almost cried: “Does your sister not want to see me?” “No, no.” Leo quickly comforted Brianna. “My family has a dinner gathering tonight. My sister said we can eat together tonight.” Not only would she get to meet Leo’s sister, but she would also meet Leo’s parents. Brianna, who was on the verge of tears, immediately broke into a smile. But she didn’t know that her fans could no longer laugh. She couldn’t see it from her perspective, but the fans in front of the screen had clearly seen everything at the restaurant entrance. Even the most foolish person should have realized something was wrong by now. But Brianna was completely unaware. She happily touched up her makeup, got in the car with Leo, and arrived at the Sterling family’s mansion— Yes, the one where my dad and I were photographed.

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My younger sister always claimed I stole her glamorous life. “If I had been the one to drop out of school and enter Hollywood back then, your Oscar would be mine right now.” I always just laughed it off, until we were both reborn and sent back to the exact day we had to make that fateful choice. This time, my sister chose to drop out, leaving me to stay in school. I lowered my head and sneered. Did she really think making it in Hollywood was that easy? 1 As an internationally acclaimed, Oscar-winning actress, I was surrounded by a small army of bodyguards and assistants. Every single item I wore cost six figures. The men chasing me ranged from Silicon Valley billionaires to the hottest pop stars. They swarmed around me, eager to please, just hoping I’d cast a glance their way. All of this made my younger sister, Chloe, seethe with jealousy. Every time I went home for the holidays, Chloe would stare at me with eyes full of grievance and resentment: “Maya, tell me the truth. If I had been the one to drop out and brave Hollywood back then, and you had stayed in school, would I be the Oscar-winner today?” When I didn’t answer, she continued, lost in her own delusion: “I definitely would have climbed higher than you. I was always much prettier than you back then.” Chloe was bitter. She had chosen to stay in school, but her grades were mediocre, and she only managed to get into a low-tier state college. Now, at twenty-nine, she was working as a mid-level admin at some corporate firm, not even clearing six thousand a month. And I? I had been worse than her at everything back then, but because I made the “right” choice and entered the entertainment industry, every movie I starred in became a massive hit. Resources poured in, and the industry practically forced the Oscar into my hands. Now, at thirty, thanks to top-tier dermatologists and trainers, I looked like I was in my early twenties. Meanwhile, at twenty-nine, Chloe’s face was already showing deep signs of exhaustion. The more Chloe spoke, the more agitated she became, completely unable to pull herself out of her fantasy. I, on the other hand, was genuinely exhausted, dozing off on the sofa. Suddenly, a deafening explosion shattered the peace. The gas line in the house ruptured. A piece of shrapnel slammed into my head, and in an instant of blinding agony, I lost consciousness… 2 “Maya, Chloe, things are really bad. We just can’t afford to keep both of you in school anymore.” My mother wiped her tears, clutching the urn holding my father’s ashes. “Your dad is gone, and he left us with a mountain of debt. My salary barely covers rent. You two… you two need to figure out which one of you is going to drop out and get a job to help the family. I’m so sorry…” Before my mother could even finish, Chloe rushed forward: “Mom, I’ll drop out!” “Yesterday, a talent scout approached me and Maya on the street. He said he wanted to sign both of us! With how bad things are at home, I can’t just sit back and do nothing. Let Maya stay in school. I’ll go try my luck in Hollywood!” My mother let out a long, heavy sigh and didn’t say anything else. But my mind was racing. I suddenly realized what was happening. Chloe and I had been reborn! We had been thrown back to the exact day we had to make the choice that would define our lives! I was seventeen, a junior in high school. Chloe was sixteen, a sophomore. Our family had just declared bankruptcy, my father had taken his own life, and he had left us with an unmanageable mess. My mother couldn’t shoulder the burden alone. She needed one of us to drop out and work to support the family. In my past life, I was the one who volunteered. I gave up my spot as the valedictorian of my high school, signed with that talent agency, and worked myself to the bone to pay for Chloe’s education, eventually clawing my way up to become an Oscar-winning actress. But now, Chloe, having seen the glamorous future I built for myself, was desperate to hijack my life. I… happily agreed! In fact, I couldn’t wait. Did she really think Hollywood was an easy place to survive? She had no idea how much blood, sweat, and literal tears I shed on my way to the top. One wrong step, and you fall into an abyss you can never climb out of! She didn’t even realize how much I envied her pure, simple, normal high school life! 3 The next day, I went back to school, while Chloe was supposed to report to Apex Media. I opened my textbooks. All the knowledge I had accumulated by seventeen was still perfectly intact in my brain. I knew how to solve every problem; every concept was deeply ingrained in my memory. It was amazing. This feeling was incredible. I sat in a clean, bright classroom, laughing and chatting with my classmates, using my pen to finally fill the regrets I had carried in my past life. I didn’t have to wear heavy makeup at the crack of dawn. I didn’t have to waste my youth at seedy industry parties, enduring the leering, handsy behavior of producers old enough to be my father, just forcing a smile for a single chance to be on camera. After school, I hummed a tune as I walked home. The first thing I saw was Chloe sitting on the sofa, her makeup perfectly done, her luggage packed beside her. Just like in my past life, my mother signed the contract as her legal guardian. The agent collected the contract, transferred the signing bonus to my mother, and then shot a sidelong glance at Chloe. His eyes were full of calculation. My mother, remembering that I had an academic scholarship, gave the entire signing bonus to Chloe, telling her to take good care of herself out there. Seeing me walk in, Chloe looked incredibly smug: “Sister, this massive wave of wealth is finally coming my way. Even if you try to steal it from me now, it’s too late.” “I’ve officially signed with Apex. I’m moving into the apartment they provide. I’ll be going to auditions and casting calls. You’ll see me on TV soon.” I replied flatly, “Congratulations on getting exactly what you wanted.” Unsatisfied with my mild reaction, Chloe stood up, leaned close to my ear, and threw out a provocative whisper: “This time, the wealth, the Oscar, the fans, the billionaires chasing me… everything will be mine.” “Maya, we finally get to swap lives.” With that, Chloe held her head high and walked out the door without looking back, not a single trace of nostalgia in her eyes. My eyes were completely cold. Chloe still had no idea that the contract she just signed was a predatory trap designed to destroy her. 4 Apex Media’s signing bonus wasn’t easy money. If you didn’t generate a specific, massive amount of revenue within the first year, you were required to pay the company back tenfold as a penalty. In my past life, after I signed with Apex, they shelved me for six months, refusing to give me any auditions. Then, just as I was panicking and desperate, they suddenly threw me into a massive reality TV survival show. A hundred beautiful girls competing for five spots in a new pop group. My agent told me that I had to make the final group no matter what it took. I had to prove my value to the company, or I could pay the penalty and get out. You have to understand, the girls who made it past the initial cuts either had massive financial backers or were wealthy socialites themselves. Competing against a group like that, I was so stressed I developed a severe ring of cold sores around my mouth. I had to cake on foundation just to cover it up. That was when my agent “kindly” pointed out an alternative route. He brought me to a private dinner with Mr. Vance, the biggest sponsor of the reality show. My agent leaned in close, his voice sleazy and suggestive: “Maya, Mr. Vance loves pure, innocent girls like you. As long as you make him happy tonight, making the final group is nothing. He could even make you an A-list star…” That night, I endured the sickening dinner. When the moment was right, I secretly recorded a video of Mr. Vance sexually harassing another young actress. Then, I smashed a wine bottle on the table. I held the jagged glass to my own jugular, my other hand hovering over the “Send” button on my phone, glaring at them like a cornered, feral panther. I gambled my life, and I won. Mr. Vance didn’t get angry; instead, he laughed. He laughed at my naive audacity, laughed at how out of my depth I was. With a wave of his hand, he gave me the opportunity I wanted, acting like he was placing a bet on a wild animal, eager to see how hard I would crash and burn later. I didn’t expect to actually seize that opportunity. I fought my way into the final group and had my first viral, nationwide performance. Now, all of that was falling squarely onto Chloe’s shoulders. I was very much looking forward to seeing how she handled it. 5 Six months passed, and I didn’t hear a single word from Chloe. It seemed that, just like me in my past life, she had been temporarily shelved. Meanwhile, I took first place in the midterms and qualified for the state academic decathlon. It wasn’t until the internet was suddenly flooded with aggressive marketing for the new reality show, Apex Girls, that I unexpectedly saw Chloe in the contestant lineup. The light in her eyes flickered wildly. She wore a pure, sweet smile, but her eyes were burning with raw, unbridled ambition. During the first round of solo evaluations, Chloe’s score was dead last. I calculated that this was right around the time her agent would step in and arrange the dinner with Mr. Vance. I called Chloe. The first time, she didn’t answer. The second time, the third time… It wasn’t until the eighth ring that Chloe finally picked up. “Chloe, listen to me. Do not go to that dinner…” Before I could finish, Chloe interrupted me, her voice dripping with irritation. “Maya, are you ever going to leave me alone?” “It’s just a dinner. You went to it in your past life, why can’t I go? Are you just jealous? Are you trying to make me miss my shot?” “You are so disgusting. You got to enjoy all the wealth and fame in your past life, and now that it’s my turn, you’re trying to sabotage me?!” “Mind your own business from now on. Stay out of my career!” Click. The line went dead. Chloe hung up on me. I sighed. Fine. I’ll respect her choices. I need to let go of my savior complex. 6 I threw myself entirely into preparing for the state finals, leaving no extra energy to keep up with Apex Girls. My mom even arranged for me to board at the school to save time. Occasionally, overhearing my classmates gossip, I learned that after Chloe’s disastrous solo performance, she seemingly experienced a miracle, skyrocketing from the bottom to the top three in the second episode. She eventually secured her debut, taking the highly coveted center position. She looked much more glamorous and successful than I had in my past life. After finishing the state finals, I walked out of the exam hall and immediately checked my phone for news about Chloe. The media’s intense focus gave her a massive surge in exposure, but soon after, paparazzi caught Chloe and Mr. Vance entering the same luxury hotel, one after the other. The show’s producers immediately issued a statement claiming the entire group had a scheduled appearance and were all staying at that hotel rehearsing that night. The other members of Apex Girls quickly came forward to publicly support Chloe. The scandal was temporarily suppressed. Watching all this unfold, I secretly lamented. I knew my worst fear had come true. By attaching herself to Mr. Vance, Chloe gained a fleeting moment of spectacular fame through a shortcut. But she was entirely unequipped to handle the second major hurdle that was fast approaching. After the Apex Girls national tour, they would have the opportunity to audition for the second female lead in Director Nolan’s highly anticipated historical drama. Director Nolan famously despised actors who relied on connections, and it was an open secret in the industry that he and Mr. Vance hated each other. When I debuted with the group back then, Mr. Vance publicly stated to the press that he didn’t see any potential in me. Following his lead, the reality show’s producers subtly shaded me, and the other group members made passive-aggressive comments about me in interviews. The goodwill I had just built up from my performances plummeted. At that time, the opportunity to audition for Director Nolan’s new project felt like my only lifeline. I stayed up for nights analyzing the script, visited film sets to observe seasoned actors, and completely immersed myself in the character. That was the only way I managed to impress Director Nolan during the audition and secure the role. But Chloe… could she seize this opportunity? 7 After the Apex Girls tour concluded, it was publicly announced that they would be auditioning for Director Nolan’s new drama, Spring’s Return. In front of the cameras, Chloe looked completely self-assured and radiant. She flipped her hair, looking like victory was already hers: “The second female lead? No, I’m auditioning for the lead role, Elara!” “I’ve read the script. Elara’s resilient, unyielding character, blooming even in adversity… it resonates with me so perfectly. It’s like the role was tailor-made for me. Director Nolan has great taste; he’ll definitely pick me!” The reporter had probably never encountered an actress this “authentically unpretentious.” His mouth visibly twitched. “So, you believe you have a natural talent for acting?” Chloe’s eyes narrowed playfully, and she gave a coy smile: “Well… why wouldn’t I?” Watching that interview, I genuinely couldn’t handle the secondhand embarrassment. I had to respect the reporter’s professional composure. A few days later, a hashtag exploded to the top of the trending page— #DirectorNolanCallsChloe’sActingDisgusting# My eye twitched. I clicked the hashtag, and a video clip of Chloe’s audition popped up. The scene involved the protagonist, Elara, intentionally leaping out of a hidden cellar to draw the assassins’ attention, sacrificing herself so her younger sister, hiding inside, could survive. When Chloe’s version of Elara jumped out, there wasn’t a trace of heroic sacrifice. Instead, she looked incredibly eager and impatient, as if she already knew about the miraculous plot armor waiting for her after being captured. Even the crucial line, “You monsters will burn in hell,” was delivered softly and weakly, sounding more like a coquettish pout. Director Nolan was furious. He threw a script at her, yelled “Disgusting!”, and told her to get out. After the hashtag blew up, Chloe posted a defensive, aggrieved statement: “If Elara hadn’t jumped out, the assassins would have taken the sister. Then the sister would have gotten all the future opportunities and plot armor, and the sister would have ended up on the throne. What would Elara have gotten?” “So the way I see it, Elara was just stealing her sister’s future. What’s there to be sad about? She was just making a calculated choice that benefited her.” “The real Elara is selfish. My interpretation was the accurate one! I have no idea why Director Nolan reacted that way…” Director Nolan, probably on the verge of a heart attack from her sheer audacity, posted a public response: [Chloe might be able to sing and dance, but she is absolutely unfit to be an actor. A good actor requires empathy and a strong moral core. She has neither. I don’t understand why just anyone thinks they can act these days.] Director Nolan carried immense weight in the film industry. That single statement effectively blacklisted Chloe from acting. Perhaps triggered by Chloe’s atrocious performance, after the first round of auditions, Director Nolan shook his head and sighed: “Actors today are too superficial. We need fresh blood.” He then announced a “Nationwide Search for the Female Lead” open casting call. On the day I saw the casting notice, I happened to be heading to the state academic finals. Coincidentally, the exam venue was less than five blocks from the audition location. After thinking about it, I decided to sign up. In my past life, the second female lead I played was gentle on the surface but ruthless and selfish underneath. The role sparked massive internet outrage, which ironically made me incredibly famous. Everyone said my performance was flawless, but no one knew that I was actually desperately in love with the protagonist, Elara. I saw myself in Elara. Playing the villain required me to dissect the script and meticulously craft my performance. But Elara? I wouldn’t even need to act. Because she was me. I didn’t need to perform her sacrifice. Because I understood exactly what Elara felt when she jumped out to protect her family. Every internal conflict, every hesitation—I had lived it. That kind of sacrifice, that kind of surrender… I had already experienced it once. In the script, when Elara reunites with her sister later, the sister’s first reaction isn’t relief that Elara is okay. Instead, she marvels at the luxury of the palace and says, her voice laced with jealousy, “Sister, if it were possible, I wish I had been the one who jumped out that day.” The chilling heartbreak of that moment, the eventual death of hope, the complete disillusionment with her sister… I resonated with it deeply. So this time, not driven by desperation or poverty, but purely to fulfill a regret from my past life, I submitted my name for the role of Elara. 8 Coming out of the state finals, most of the students around me were sighing and looking defeated. A few kids who wanted to compare answers were immediately shut down: “To compare answers, you have to actually have an answer first! We couldn’t even understand the questions! Where are we supposed to get answers from?!” “Exactly! Are these questions even designed for humans? I want to see how many brains the kids who win medals actually have!” “Whatever, forget it. The test is over, what’s the point of checking answers now? Let the teachers grade it. Let’s just go have some fun. I heard there’s an open casting call for a movie nearby, and a lot of celebrities are showing up. Let’s go check it out!” I nodded. “I’m actually heading there to audition. It’s on my way, let’s go together.” “You? You’re going to audition for the lead role?” My classmates’ jaws practically hit the floor. Someone immediately made a snide, jealous comment: “I don’t want to burst your bubble, Maya, but even though you’re pretty, you’re at best ‘high school pretty.’ You think you can be the lead in a movie? Keep dreaming.” I shrugged. “I’m just going to try. I have nothing to lose. I’m just doing it for fun.” Seeing the mocking looks on their faces, I figured they probably didn’t want to walk with me anyway, so I slung my backpack over my shoulder and walked off alone. By the time I arrived, there was still half an hour before the auditions began. A casting assistant looked me up and down, then said dismissively: “Tsk, why aren’t you wearing any makeup? Are you just a high schooler?” As soon as he spoke, everyone in the waiting room turned to look at me. Most of their gazes were disdainful or contemptuous. Only one girl offered me her small makeup bag. I gave her a grateful look. Then, under the stunned gazes of everyone in the room, I transformed my face in under a minute. In my past life, constantly rushing between sets, speed-makeup was a basic survival skill. After logging my name, the assistant handed me a piece of paper. It was the scene I was supposed to perform. Unlike celebrity auditions, unknowns like me don’t get to see the full script outline; we only get a short excerpt. The scene I drew happened to be the exact same one Chloe had auditioned with. “Number 168, Maya Sterling!” I immediately stood up, smoothed out my clothes, and pushed open the door to the audition room. This was my first time seeing Director Nolan in this life. He looked exactly the same. He looked like an unkempt, grumpy old man, but his eyes were startlingly clear. Because they were so clear, they looked exceptionally bright. He was my mentor in my past life. He brought me into the industry, cast me in hit after hit, pushed me to the pinnacle of television awards, and then introduced me to the heavyweights of the film industry, helping me push for the Oscar. Back then, rumors about us flew everywhere. Some said he was my sugar daddy; others said I was his illegitimate daughter. The concept of “soulmates” was something they didn’t understand, and they didn’t believe in. That was until Director Nolan smashed a whiskey bottle in front of a camera, pointed at the broken glass on the floor, and smiled at the gossip reporters: “Eat it.” All the so-called “scandals” about me vanished overnight. The brightest jewel on that Oscar crown… I won it to give to him. But when I won the award, he was in the ICU. The day I won Best Actress happened to be the day he passed away. I could only place the jewel among his personal effects, letting it be buried with him. The day he took his last breath, his phone screen was playing my acceptance speech. They said that when Director Nolan left, he was smiling.

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