Author: Momo Chan

In our past life, my sister forced me to marry a poor, ugly street thug. Ten years later, that thug became a billionaire stock market god, and I lived a life of unimaginable luxury by his side. Reborn, my sister raced to grab the thug’s hand, determined to marry him at any cost. But what she didn’t know: The true “Stock God” was me. Her man knew absolutely nothing; he was just a puppet I placed in the spotlight. 1 When I was reborn, I was in a dimly lit high school equipment room. In front of me was a heavy-breathing figure. It was my husband from my past life, Vince. He had ripped open the buttons of my shirt, pressing his face into my neck like a wild animal. My entire body was weak, my limbs twitching uncontrollably. Amidst the chaos, I forced myself to realize: time had rewound. I was seventeen again. I had returned to the day my sister, Chloe, drugged me. Just as my clothes were about to be completely torn off by Vince, the equipment room door burst open from the outside. Someone rushed in. It was Chloe. She looked like she had sprinted all the way here, her hair plastered to her sweaty face. Ignoring the mess, she rushed forward and hugged Vince tightly. “Vince! Don’t be with her! You belong to me!” It suddenly dawned on me. Chloe had been reborn along with me. 2 In our past life, Chloe liked the star quarterback of the school, but he ended up writing a love letter to me. Consumed by jealous rage, Chloe drugged me and forced me to marry the most pathetic, lowlife thug in school, Vince. Who would have expected that over a decade later, Vince would become a billionaire investing legend known as “V-God.” Because of him, I became a wealthy socialite living in absolute luxury, switching out rare Hermès Birkins daily and being chauffeured in a half-million-dollar Rolls-Royce. Everyone envied me. They said: “Audrey is so lucky she married a great husband.” “When Vince was a nobody, Audrey had the foresight to see his potential. Now she gets to enjoy the fruits of her labor!” Meanwhile, Chloe’s rich-kid husband had long since gone bankrupt, becoming a deadbeat chased by debt collectors. He even tried to kiss up to Vince: “Brother-in-law, you’re V-God, right? I idolize you! Can you take me under your wing on your next investment?” Every time Chloe looked at me, her eyes were filled with uncontrollable jealousy and deep, bitter regret. Sure enough, during a family gathering, when Vince excused himself to use the restroom, I saw Chloe secretly follow him. In the hallway, hiding in the shadows, I listened through the thin door to my sister’s drunken, tearful voice. “Vince, the one you liked back then was clearly me!” My sister hugged Vince, trying to kiss him. Vince inhaled sharply and violently pushed her away. He said stiffly: “That was over a decade ago.” My sister fell to the floor, continuing to cry relentlessly: “Have you forgotten? You brought me breakfast every day, rode me around on your bike, told me I was your goddess forever, and said you’d do anything I asked… Vince, it should have been me!” Vince ignored her. He straightened his clothes, which my sister had rumpled, and hurriedly fled out the door. He looked like he was running from a plague. Having lost all hope, my sister sat slumped on the cold tile floor of the restroom. I pushed the door open, looked down at her, and said coolly: “Stop sitting there. People who know the truth know you failed to seduce your brother-in-law. People who don’t might think you’re starring in a tragic teen romance movie.” Chloe’s head snapped up. She glared at me, her eyes full of hatred. “Why you, Audrey? “How are you better than me? Why are you the one who married into wealth?” I coldly brushed her hand away. “Chloe, get your facts straight. Me being with Vince is entirely thanks to you. “Now that you see Vince is successful, you regret it? Too bad. It’s too late.” My sister glared at me fiercely. After a moment, she shook her head and smiled a venomous smile. “Audrey, you’re wrong. It’s not too late at all.” … Back then, I didn’t understand what that meant. But right now, looking at my seventeen-year-old body, I understood. Chloe must have bound herself to some sort of system that brought her back to when we were seventeen. Given a second chance at life, she wanted to win back the man who rightfully “belonged” to her. Right now, in the equipment room, Vince was breathing heavily, his face written with lust. He looked at me: “I feel so hot…” Chloe forcefully grabbed Vince’s face, forcing him to look at her instead of me: “Vince, I love you.” She initiated a kiss, and the two were quickly tangled together. I watched the two of them passionately making out nearby, struggled to my feet, buttoned my shirt, and stumbled out the door. Thank God. Thank you, Chloe. I never in my wildest dreams thought I would get to do this over again and escape this nightmare. In my past life, Chloe spiked both mine and Vince’s drinks and locked us in the equipment room. Then she brought our parents and neighbors to “catch us in the act.” The neighbors witnessed my disheveled state with Vince. My parents felt deeply humiliated, decided no other man would ever want me, and forced me to marry him. When I refused, they locked me in the house, denying me food and water, beating me viciously every day. Chloe even cried next to me, urging: “Audrey, just marry Vince. Otherwise, to protect the family’s reputation, they’ll just beat you to death.” In the end, clinging to life by a thread, I was forced into marrying Vince. Later, even though we had immense wealth, that trauma haunted me for life. Now, I had finally escaped that shadow! 3 Chloe came home during dinner. Her face was flushed with excitement. As soon as she walked in, she couldn’t wait to announce that she was going to marry Vince. Upon hearing this, our parents almost dropped their forks. “Chloe, why on earth? “Vince has been held back for years; he’s in his twenties and still repeating his senior year. How is he good enough for you?” Chloe shook her head, stating firmly: “Dad, Mom, I promise you, Vince is only down on his luck right now. He will definitely be incredibly successful in the future!” How could our parents believe that? They tried even harder to talk her out of it, and Mom even started sobbing. Finally, fed up, Chloe yelled: “It’s useless to try and stop me! I’ve already given myself to Vince.” She touched her flat stomach: “For all I know, I’m already pregnant with his child!” Our parents were stunned. Seeing their shocked and despairing faces, Chloe smiled calmly. She sat next to them, affectionately putting her arms around their shoulders, and comforted them: “Dad, Mom, you have to believe your daughter. “Before, I told Dad not to go into business with Uncle Dave, and I told Mom to stop going to that shady clinic on the east side. What happened? It came out that Uncle Dave embezzled money and ran off, and that clinic got shut down for medical malpractice. “You see, everything I say comes true—ever since I was little, the fortune teller said I was a lucky star. Did you forget?” After Chloe said this, our parents’ expressions softened significantly. She pressed on: “So, you have to trust my taste in men too. Vince carries immense wealth in his destiny. We’ll be living in luxury because of him in the future.” Mom was the first to be swayed: “Really?” Chloe smiled: “Of course.” Dad also gradually started to believe Chloe’s certainty. He even began worrying in advance: “If Vince becomes successful, will he treat you badly?” Chloe smiled nonchalantly: “No, he won’t. You can tell just by looking at him that Vince is the kind of guy who spoils his wife.” She must have been thinking about our past life. After Vince’s identity as “V-God” was revealed, young, beautiful women wanting to throw themselves at him were a dime a dozen. But he never even glanced at them. Instead, he treated me, his original wife, better and better. He would always open the car door for me, serve me food at dinner, and if I said go east, he wouldn’t dare go west. Meanwhile, Chloe’s rich-kid husband, despite being buried in debt, still shamelessly stared at every young girl on the street with a good figure. Comparing the two, it was no wonder Chloe’s eyes bled with jealousy. Right now, listening to Chloe praise Vince to our parents, I kept my head down and ate my rice, pretending I didn’t hear a thing. I didn’t want to engage with Chloe, but she insisted on rubbing her presence in my face. That night, Chloe pushed open my bedroom door. She stared at me, who was focused on doing homework, and let out a cold laugh. “Audrey, don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking—acting all quiet on the surface, but secretly plotting how to snatch Vince back. Am I right?” How should I put this… with my sister’s level of thinking, I was embarrassed to admit we had the same mother. But I was very happy she misunderstood me like this. Let Vince attract all her attention. Only then would she not compete with me for the things that truly mattered. Chloe walked over as she spoke. She grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at the mirror nearby. “I advise you to save your energy. Look at yourself. If I make a move, how could you possibly compete with me?” The mirror reflected a dark, skinny girl wearing thick, heavy glasses and a worn-out, baggy school uniform that looked like a potato sack. Next to her stood Chloe, with a face as fair as jade, smooth dark hair, wearing the season’s newest dress—a beautiful girl with a 100% head-turning rate on the street. I was indeed not as refined as Chloe. Combined with my parents’ favoritism—giving Chloe the best food and clothes, leaving me malnourished and sallow—the gap was even more obvious. “Look at yourself. Do you really think any man would like you?” Beside my ear, Chloe relentlessly mocked me, as if trying to vent all the grievances she suffered in her past life. “Vince was my simp to begin with. In the last life, he only married you because he couldn’t get me. “This time, I won’t give you another chance. “As soon as I’m of age, I’ll marry him immediately. When he becomes V-God, half of his wealth will be mine!” Chloe’s eyes were practically glowing as she said this. Right. At his peak, V-God had billions in assets. Getting half in a divorce would be enough to live in luxury and date young models for the rest of her life. I spun my pen and kept my head bowed deeply. Chloe thought I was crushed by her words. But actually, I was lowering my head to hide the smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. My dear sister, I really love how much you underestimate me. Because of this deep-rooted underestimation, I’m afraid even if you were reborn ten thousand times, you would never guess— The true V-God is me. Yes. I was the legendary mastermind who built an empire from scratch using intelligence, courage, and luck. First, I won massive capital in the stock market, then capitalized on the perfect timing to load up on Bitcoin, achieving absolute financial freedom. Because my burner ID on an investing forum was “qwertyu,” randomly mashed on a keyboard, people called me V-God (using the ‘V’ from ‘Value’ or ‘Vision’ in the English adaptation). Too many people were curious about V-God’s true identity, and I knew I couldn’t hide behind the scenes forever. So I pushed Vince to the front, making him my puppet. Or rather, my scapegoat. After all, our circle is full of drastic ups and downs. Sudden immense wealth makes you the target of everyone’s jealousy, while sudden ruin breeds desperate, dangerous people. Over those years, Vince was kidnapped three times and brutally beaten by enemies four times. Once, when we went back to visit family, he had just been beaten up, and one of his ribs was still broken. That was why when Chloe hugged him, he not only inhaled sharply in pain but immediately pushed her away. But even while taking all the heat on the front lines, Vince would absolutely never dare tell the truth. He didn’t dare cross me. By being a puppet, he at least got to enjoy wealth and luxury. Without me, he truly was nothing. Right now, looking at the completely clueless Chloe, I offered a sincere smile. “Sister,” I said softly, “I wish you and Vince a lifetime of happiness.” You go ahead and bind yourself to him. While I focus on my SATs, save up money, go to college in New York, and leave this family forever. 4 I genuinely hoped Vince and Chloe would stay together forever. However, after school, Vince blocked my path. He parked his bike horizontally in front of me and blew a sleazy whistle: “Audrey, you look pretty good today. Where are you going dressed up so nice?” I took a step back, feeling a wave of disgust. I knew exactly what kind of person Vince was. He was a complete scumbag. In a scumbag’s world, the one they haven’t slept with yet is always the best. In our past life, that person was my sister. Now, it was me. Clenching my jaw, I tried to dodge around him: “I’m going to work. Move.” I was recently helping out as a cashier at a local supermarket, trying to save up some starting capital for myself. The boss was a good guy. Seeing me in an ill-fitting, too-short school uniform, he brought his daughter’s clothes for me to wear. A light blue cardigan and a snow-white midi skirt made me look much prettier than usual. And as a result, I caught Vince’s eye. At this moment, he leaned in with a sleazy grin. “Work? What kind of work? Your big bro here has some ‘work’ for you, you want it?” As he spoke, he tried to press his body against mine. Suppressing my nausea, my hand had already quietly reached into my backpack, gripping a pair of scissors for self-defense. But before I could pull them out, a figure suddenly charged out from the side. She shoved me hard aside and stood protectively in front of Vince: “Audrey, why are you rubbing yourself against Vince?!” Her voice was loud, pointing her finger right at my nose: “Seducing your own sister’s fiancé, do you have any shame?” Vince stood a bit further away, rubbed his nose, and played along: “I just ran into Audrey while riding my bike, and she wouldn’t let me leave.” Hearing this, Chloe’s anger flared even higher. “Audrey, are you still not giving up? Take a look in the mirror, how are you good enough for Vince? “I am definitely marrying Vince in this life. If you dare seduce him again, believe me, I’ll have Mom and Dad sell you off to some backwoods town.” With that, Chloe grabbed Vince and turned to leave. But clearly, she wasn’t reassured. That night when I got home, I found my room completely ransacked. The metal tin box I used to save money had been found and lay open in the middle of the room. It contained all the wages I had saved from working at the supermarket, but now it was empty. The cash was clenched in Chloe’s hand. Chloe looked at me triumphantly. She waved the bills in one hand and pointed at my nose with the other, her long nails almost poking my face. “This is Audrey’s secret stash. “She’s been hanging out outside lately, but she’s actually sleeping with the supermarket owner. “I saw with my own eyes the supermarket owner giving her money and taking her to buy new clothes.” Chloe pointed at the cardigan and skirt I was wearing and scoffed. “Tsk tsk, I bet everyone over there knows our family produced a mistress.” Before I could say anything, my dad, with a dark expression, rushed forward and slapped me hard across the face. My mom cried and complained from the side: “That fortune teller back then said this girl was bad luck. I took several doses of abortion medicine, but she just wouldn’t come out. Now look, she’s completely disgraced our family…” My parents were always like this. They favored my sister unconditionally. Whatever she did could be forgiven. But because a psychic called me a jinx when I was still a fetus, and my dad’s business went bankrupt shortly after I was born… Everything I did was wrong. Right now, my dad confiscated all the money I had saved and started whipping me with his belt. A smug smile played on Chloe’s lips, but her voice carried a fake tone of distress as she stood by adding fuel to the fire. “Audrey, don’t blame Dad for hitting you hard. “If he doesn’t hit you hard, you won’t learn your lesson. “Girls need to respect themselves. Make sure you never earn that kind of dirty money again.” Finally, I passed out from the excruciating pain. When I woke up, I was lying in the yard. My parents had taken Chloe shopping. Chloe was getting engaged recently, and they were buying her a nice dress. And I had lost all my savings, without even basic first aid supplies around me. Struggling to my feet, I stumbled out of the yard. The yard next door belonged to my cousin. At this moment, only my cousin-in-law, Brenda, was outside washing clothes. Seeing me so weak I couldn’t even speak, she was startled. “Audrey? Oh my god, what happened?” Brenda dropped the clothes and came to support me, her hands getting covered in my blood. “Sit down, I’ll get you some medicine.” I lay on the empty patch of dirt in the yard, looking up at the sky. The moon was very bright, but there are always dark corners in the world its light can’t reach. Brenda applied the medicine for me. “Your parents, why did they hit you so hard… you’re still their biological daughter…” Brenda wiped her tears. She was a soft-hearted, good person. But her life was very bitter. She wasn’t very literate, forced to drop out of school in the third grade to help at home and take care of her younger brother. Later, her dad basically sold her to my cousin to raise the bride price for her brother’s wedding. Right now, she was tenderly applying medicine to my wounds, and I gently touched her arm, which was equally covered in scars. My cousin beat her frequently. In our past life, before I even turned twenty, Brenda passed away. After a long silence, I suddenly spoke: “Brenda, do you have any secret savings?” Brenda froze for a moment. “Don’t be afraid, I won’t tell him.” She breathed a sigh of relief: “I have two thousand. Why? “Are you going to college and your family won’t give you money? “If that’s it, take it. Education is important, girls should go to school.” My nose stung. I bit the inside of my cheek hard to stop myself from crying. At the most bitter points of destiny, pitiful people try hard to offer each other a little bit of sweetness. I said softly: “No, Brenda. I don’t want you to sponsor me. I want to take you to make money. “I can turn your two thousand into twenty thousand, maybe even two hundred thousand…” Brenda burst out laughing. She clearly didn’t believe me, coaxing me like a child: “Alright, alright, just use this two thousand for school. When you graduate college, you can pay me back. We’re family, it’s not like I’m going to charge you interest.” I didn’t say anything, just looked at the boundless night sky. In my past life, I became successful too late. By the time I returned to my hometown, Brenda had already died of depression. In this life, I definitely had to help her. And help myself too. Chloe, you are too stupid. Given the chance to rewind time, all you have in your head is stealing a man. While my head is full of stock ticker symbols. Do you even know what kind of cheat code you gave me? 5 Early Monday morning, I took the money Brenda gave me and went to school. I planned to sneak out during the long recess when no one was paying attention and open a brokerage account. I didn’t expect that just as I rode my bike out of the school gates, a figure would suddenly dart out from an alley ahead. The person swung a spiked wooden bat at me. I dodged in a panic, tumbling straight off my bike and crashing hard onto the pavement. I ignored the pain, first clutching my backpack tightly to my chest. Inside was all of Brenda’s secret savings. In front of me was a pair of brand-new, expensive sneakers. Looking up, a round, chubby face looked down at me, sporting a malicious smile. I recognized him. It was Chloe’s husband from my past life, Kevin. Since middle school, Kevin had been a loyal simp trailing behind Chloe. He was a rich kid whose dad did business down south. Back when we were all wearing drab school uniforms and knockoff sneakers, Kevin could already rattle off the names of various foreign luxury brands. Kevin had pursued Chloe for years. Chloe disdained his looks but couldn’t bear to let go of his wealth, so she strung him along throughout her entire teenage years, treating him as her ultimate backup plan. Later, when Chloe got older and hadn’t met a better man, she married Kevin. Who knew that shortly after they got married, Kevin’s family went bankrupt? Chloe, who had invested with them, was implicated, and their whole family became deadbeats, not even allowed to buy plane tickets. But no matter how miserable the future Kevin would be, the Kevin right now was still that arrogant, wealthy young master from a prominent family, someone nobody dared to offend. So I clutched my backpack, cautiously scooting backward, not wanting a direct confrontation with him. But Kevin wouldn’t let me go. He nudged my face with the tip of his shoe and sneered: “Chloe always tells me her sister is a sneaky little rat, and I actually caught you—sneaking out of school, what are you trying to do?” I whispered: “Buy some things.” “Buy things?” Kevin chuckled. He suddenly stopped smiling, violently yanking my backpack strap and dumping everything out. Pencil case and textbooks scattered across the ground, and an envelope slipped out. I tried to grab it, but Kevin was faster, snatching the envelope immediately. “Wow, so much money?” Kevin waved the cash. “What are you buying? Wedding candy for you and your sister?” He pocketed the envelope and said coldly, “Don’t think I don’t know. Chloe told me everything. You’re vain and jealous of her, so you wouldn’t hesitate to be someone’s mistress just to earn money for pretty dresses. I bet you stole or scammed this money. I’m going to tell Chloe right now.” I was kicked into the corner by Kevin. Dust flew up, making me cough violently, but my mind suddenly cleared. Kevin following me was indeed under Chloe’s orders. Having been reborn alongside me, even though she had already stolen Vince, she still wasn’t at ease about me. So she sent her simp, Kevin, to keep an eye on me. But that wasn’t the main point. The main point was the phrase Kevin had inadvertently blurted out just now. “Wedding candy for you and your sister.” I suddenly burst out laughing. Perfect. Kevin really didn’t know about Chloe and Vince being together. It made sense. Kevin was only useful to Chloe if he was kept in the dark. If Chloe told him she was getting engaged to someone else, how could he possibly still do her bidding? Kevin originally planned to turn and leave, but suddenly saw the smile on my face. He couldn’t help but frown: “What are you laughing at?” My smile grew even brighter: “I’m just happy for my sister.” “You love her so much and protect her. I’ll definitely have a great brother-in-law in the future.” I said softly, “I can’t wait for you two to get married.” This was exactly what Kevin wanted to hear. His expression softened, but he still eyed me suspiciously: “Saying nice things now, hoping I’ll let you off the hook?” “You don’t need to let me off the hook. I haven’t done anything wrong.” I stood up, dusting off my clothes. “This money is from my cousin-in-law. She heard about my sister’s good news and asked me to buy some gifts for her.” Kevin’s gaze instantly changed. He frowned: “What good news?” I feigned confusion: “I don’t know either, but I heard my parents say they plan to hold an engagement party for my sister before she goes to college in the city. After all, you guys are childhood friends from the same town, and everyone knows each other. It’s better than going to the big city and getting scammed by bad men.” I observed Kevin’s expression, then smiled: “Silly, you still haven’t figured it out?” Kevin looked a bit dazed: “Figured what out?” “My sister’s fiancé is definitely you.” I said with a beaming smile. “Think about it. Everyone knows you like my sister. My parents mentioned ‘childhood friends.’ Among all the boys around here, who is a better match for my sister than you?” Kevin’s face lit up with joy, though he hesitated: “Why hasn’t Chloe ever told me?” I chided playfully: “My sister is shy, she’s definitely just embarrassed. But she’ll probably tell you in the next few days—oh, I’ve seen her running to the small woods behind the school a lot lately. She must be preparing some surprise for you.” Kevin, completely blinded by love, exclaimed: “Really?!” “You can go check it out yourself right now.” I held out my hand to Kevin: “Give me the money. I still have to pick out a dress for my sister—brother-in-law, do you like pink or blue? I’ll pick according to your preference.” Being called ‘brother-in-law’ made Kevin euphoric. Without overthinking, he slapped the envelope into my hand: “Pink!” After saying that, he sprinted off toward the school. He was probably anxious to see what kind of surprise Chloe had prepared for him. I smiled, got on my bike, and was in such a good mood I even started whistling. This surprise… is definitely going to make Kevin remember it for the rest of his life. 6 When I hurried to the brokerage firm, Brenda was already waiting anxiously at the door. It was her first time in a trading hall. Looking at the screens filled with fluctuating colors and numbers, she felt completely lost: “Audrey, you understand this stuff?” I didn’t even need to look. From the moment I bought my first stock, the market trends for the past and future ten years were etched into my brain like a photograph, unforgettable. I didn’t explain this to Brenda; I just smiled: “I understand it. Just trust me.” At the brokerage firm, I also saw a familiar figure. Kevin’s father, Mr. Hayes. He was originally handling business accompanied by his secretary, but after receiving a phone call, his face drastically changed. He hurriedly got into a black sedan parked at the entrance and sped off toward our school. I stood at the door, silently watching the sedan disappear. After finishing the paperwork, Brenda came to my side: “What are you looking at?” I glanced at the sky: “Nothing, just that the weather is about to change.” … And the weather did change. Under my “encouragement,” Kevin excitedly rushed to the small woods, waiting to see the surprise Chloe had for him. But as soon as he entered the woods, he heard indescribable noises. Taking a closer look, he discovered the main characters were his goddess Chloe and the street thug Vince, whom he had never even given the time of day. This could be considered the biggest shock Kevin had received in his nearly twenty years of life. By the time he reacted, the sound of ambulance sirens was already echoing all around. Vince was beaten so badly by him that he was sent straight to the ER. When I arrived at the hospital, Vince was already awake, wrapped in bandages like a mummy, lying immobilized in bed. This scene was quite familiar to me. After all, in my past life, when I pushed him to the front as my shield, he often got beaten up like this. But Chloe had never seen a scene like this before. She sat by the hospital bed, crying so hard she could barely breathe. Kevin was marched into the hospital room by his father, Mr. Hayes. Mr. Hayes, fearing his son would go to jail, had come to negotiate a cash settlement. But Kevin was like a charging bull. The moment he entered the room, his eyes went red, and he charged straight at Vince. If Mr. Hayes’ two secretaries hadn’t been quick enough to restrain him, Vince probably would have been thrown straight out the window. “Kevin! Apologize right now!” Mr. Hayes was frantic. “Apologize for what?! I didn’t do anything wrong!” Kevin panted, pointing at Vince on the bed. “He was raping Chloe, that’s why I beat him up!” Poor Kevin. As an ordinary person without the perspective of being reborn, seeing Vince and Chloe together, his first reaction was naturally that. At this moment, Kevin looked eagerly at Chloe: “Chloe, please say something for me. I was trying to save you.” Mr. Hayes also saw a glimmer of hope and looked at Chloe: “Young lady, you are an eyewitness. Please tell everyone the truth.” Suddenly, the eyes of everyone in the hospital room landed on Chloe. She gritted her teeth, plunging into a long internal struggle. Finally, blushing, she whispered: “It was consensual.” Kevin’s face instantly went deathly pale. “What? Chloe, you couldn’t possibly…” On the hospital bed, although Vince was covered in casts, he still managed to squeeze out a smug smile. A gutter rat like him had never been able to make a wealthy young master like Kevin eat dirt in his entire life. Chloe actually giving him this opportunity made him feel like he was flying high. “That’s right, Chloe and I are truly in love.” Vince, ignoring the pain from his wounds, said loudly. “Kevin intentionally assaulted me! He belongs in jail!” Mr. Hayes’ face darkened. He took a step forward, not looking at Vince on the bed, but attempting to pressure Chloe: “Young lady, I advise you to think carefully before you speak…” The Hayes family had immense power and influence locally. Even my parents began to feel scared, hinting to Chloe: “Chloe, maybe you should think it over again…” But you could tell Chloe was genuinely conflicted. But she couldn’t afford to offend Vince. Not only could she not offend him, but she also had to firmly grasp his heart. That was the future V-God! Compared to the billions in wealth of the future, the Hayes family right now seemed insignificant. So she tightly gripped Vince’s hand: “Think about what! Vince and I are truly in love. Anyone who hurts Vince must pay the price!” Kevin couldn’t hold back anymore. He shook off the secretary’s hand, rushed forward, and slapped Chloe across the face: “Chloe, are you blind?!” In our past life, Kevin went bankrupt shortly after getting married, and he acted incredibly pathetic in front of Chloe. Chloe had always looked down on him. This was her first time being slapped by this utterly despised man. She went completely crazy. “Kevin, who do you think you are?!” She shoved Kevin hard. “A useless rich kid, do you think having money makes you special? Let me tell you, in a few years your family is going to be bankrupt!” As soon as these words left her mouth, even Mr. Hayes, standing a bit further away, turned ash-grey. Finally, Mr. Hayes stormed out, slamming the door. Kevin chased after him, leaving only our family in the hospital room. My dad rubbed his hands together anxiously: “This… this, Chloe, why on earth did you offend the Hayes family?!” In recent years, my dad had relied on the Hayes family’s resources to run a small business. With Chloe offending them like this, my dad could forget about doing business with them anymore. Chloe frowned impatiently: “Dad, don’t be so short-sighted. If the business is gone, it’s gone.” She looked at Vince tenderly, with the gaze of someone looking at a rare treasure: “With Vince, we’ll have everything.”

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After awakening to the fact that I was the cannon fodder true heiress in a novel, my entire family suddenly started hearing my inner voice. I complained internally about my dad’s right-hand man, and he immediately fired him. I complained about my mom’s best friend, and she cut ties with her instantly. I roasted my brother, and he rushed to the hospital for a full-body scan. My family, who originally only doted on the fake heiress, were now fighting tooth and nail to treat me well. The fake heiress was clueless until the very end. She hadn’t changed, so why was everyone growing to despise her? 1 “Sister, do you like it? Here, you can have it.” “Everything in this house belongs to you anyway. I’m just grateful Mom and Dad let me stay.” “As long as you like it, Sister, I’ll give you anything.” Serena’s delicate face wore a faint smile, her eyes slightly red, as she offered me a diamond watch. Watching her theatrical performance, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. If I hadn’t awakened to the truth, I would have fallen for her trap again. It was only after my awakening that I realized I was a cannon fodder supporting character in a “True and Fake Heiress” novel. Serena, the fake heiress, was the female lead. I was her foil. We were switched at birth. She grew up surrounded by luxury and wealth in the Sterling family. I was thrown into a remote countryside, surviving like a stray dog. Not long ago, the Sterlings found me and brought me back. I was dark and scrawny, my hair was dry and yellow, and my face and hands were rough like an old woman’s. My biological father, Arthur Sterling, said I had “no table manners and no proper posture,” and my academic grades were even more unwatchable. Meanwhile, their adopted daughter, Serena, was beautiful, elegant, played the piano, spoke foreign languages, and excelled academically. Comparing the two of us, my biological parents really couldn’t bring themselves to love me. Even the name they gave me was lazy: Maya Sterling. 2 Right now, the diamond watch Serena wanted to give me was the limited-edition reward her mother, Eleanor, had given her for placing third in her class on the practice exams. I, on the other hand, got no reward because I bombed the test. I had just glanced at the watch twice, and Serena asked if it was pretty. I casually said yes, and the very next day she was trying to give it to me. But this was actually a trap she set. According to the plot, I was supposed to happily accept the watch. Then, the watch would suddenly snap into several pieces in my hands. She would cry and say that if I didn’t like it, I didn’t have to accept it, but why did I have to destroy it? This was a custom piece her mother had ordered way in advance, a treasure she protected with her life, and I had ruined it. This manipulative speech would successfully make Eleanor despise me even more. Fearing I would harm Serena again, she would banish me to the servants’ quarters in the back. “Serena, if it was given to you, keep it. It’s your reward! Maya, if you like it, I’ll naturally buy you one when you get good grades. In this house, no matter who it is, rewards and punishments are clearly separated.” Hearing Serena’s “magnanimous” words, Eleanor felt a pang of sympathy and spoke up, frowning. Serena acted even more considerate and humble: “As long as Sister is happy, I don’t need a reward. Sister, take this watch.” Saying that, she forcefully tried to shove the watch into my hands. I stepped back several paces: “I don’t want it, use it yourself.” I sneered inwardly: [Give it to me? You’ve already smashed the watch band and barely pieced it back together just to force it on me. The moment I touch it, the watch will shatter into pieces, and then you’ll frame me for being malicious.] [If I touch it, even if I had a hundred mouths, I wouldn’t be able to explain myself.] Ever since I returned, Serena had been especially keen on setting traps for me, desperate for the family to despise me and kick me out as soon as possible. At first, I tried hard to explain. But as soon as she cried, the family took her side. No one listened to a word I said. So now, I couldn’t even be bothered to explain. I knew Eleanor wouldn’t believe me anyway. I no longer cared about parental love or family affection. I planned to avoid the female lead as much as possible, save up some money, and leave the Sterling family the moment I turned eighteen. It wasn’t that far away anyway. 3 Seeing that I didn’t fall for it, Serena froze. After all, I had been naive and easy to trap since I came back. She tried to insist, but Eleanor suddenly reached out and grabbed the watch. “Mom—” Serena didn’t even have time to snatch it back. Eleanor took the watch in her hand and gave it a slight twist. Snap. The watch broke into several pieces, two of them falling to the floor. One look and it was obvious someone had intentionally broken it. Eleanor froze. I was also taken aback: [What’s going on? This isn’t following the plot.] [Could it be that Eleanor has awakened too? Does she know Serena intentionally broke the watch to frame me, so she could drive me out to the servants’ quarters, making it easier for her to torment me?] Serena’s face went completely pale. Because the watch band was extremely sturdy; it couldn’t have shattered into pieces with just a gentle twist. But she reacted quickly, putting on a face of complete ignorance: “How did this happen? This watch was perfectly fine when Mom gave it to me yesterday, right—” She turned to look at me, her face turning terrified: “Maya, what did you do in my room early this morning? It was you, wasn’t it—” “Enough!” Eleanor sternly cut her off. Serena, who had never been scolded by Eleanor before, was stunned. But what followed shocked her even more. Eleanor called the butler over and ordered him to pack Serena’s luggage and move her to an empty room in the servants’ quarters in the back. The butler and Serena were both dumbfounded. Then, Eleanor looked at me, her expression somewhat unnatural: “Maya, you move into Serena’s old room. I’ll have someone replace everything in there with things you like.” Serena’s room was right next to the master bedroom, decorated lavishly and dreamily. Even the bed alone was worth the price of a normal person’s house. I was also a bit stunned, couldn’t help but think: [Could it be that Eleanor really has awakened? Then she should know who her precious adopted daughter’s biological mother is—] At that moment, Serena’s agitated questioning interrupted my thoughts. Hearing that she was being sent to the servants’ quarters, Serena panicked, asking pitifully: “Mom, did I do something wrong?” Eleanor sneered: “The custom gift I got you, if you didn’t like it, you didn’t have to accept it. Why did you have to destroy it?” “I really didn’t expect that while I treated you as my biological daughter, your heart was so dark.” “Since you despise me as a mother, go live in the servants’ quarters and stay far away from me, so you don’t offend my eyes!” “Butler, hurry up and move her!” “Yes, ma’am!” The butler was startled, not daring to hesitate any longer, and led the staff to start moving her things. I felt a rush of secret satisfaction; thankfully I hadn’t taken that watch. Serena: “…” Serena burst into panicked tears, trying hard to make excuses: “It’s not like that, I really didn’t break it. I treasured it so much, how could I bear to ruin it…” Just then, the eldest son of the Sterling family, Lucas, arrived. Serena immediately ran to him, throwing herself into his arms: “Lucas, help me, help me explain to Mom. Mom told me to give my room to Maya and wants me to live in the servants’ quarters. I’m willing to give it to her, but I don’t want to live in the servants’ quarters, I’m scared, boohoo~” Lucas doted on this sister the most. Seeing her crying her eyes out, he immediately hugged her. He turned to look at me, scolding me without a second thought: “Maya, if you’re not satisfied with your room, just say so. We’ll change it for you. Whatever you need, we’ll buy it. Why did you have to steal Serena’s room?” I hadn’t even spoken yet. Eleanor anxiously shouted at him: “Get out of here, stop sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong, and get back to work!” Serena hugged Lucas’s neck, pressing her whole chest tightly against him, crying even more pitifully: “Lucas, boohoo~” Lucas naturally hugged her back: “Mom, are you confused? Serena grew up in our family. She’s pure and kind-hearted by nature, and doesn’t like to fight with others. How can you bear to let her be wronged? Butler, stop moving!” I scoffed inwardly: [Tsk tsk, what a fiercely protective brother. I hope in a few days, on the night of her eighteenth birthday, after she drugs you and climbs into your bed, you’ll still think she’s pure and kind-hearted by nature?] [But he probably won’t even live to see that day, because his health is already terrible right now. He suffers from insomnia every night, and has heart palpitations and headaches during the day, but never takes the time to go to the hospital.] [By that day, when he’s drugged with those powerful aphrodisiacs and tormented by Serena all night, a perfectly capable young man will be turned into a drooling idiot at the sight of a woman.] Smack. The other half of the watch slipped from Eleanor’s hand and fell to the floor. And Lucas, who was always stubbornly protective of Serena, actually had a stiff expression as he reached out and pushed away his precious sister. [Looking at the timeline, the tumor in Lucas’s brain is probably about to turn malignant, right? I should tell him to get a checkup at the hospital.] [Forget it, last time I just handed him a bowl of soup, and he told me to mind my own business, not to be overly affectionate, and not to fight over everything. If I try to advise him now, he’ll probably think I’m just jealous of his dear sister again.] Serena never expected to be pushed away by the brother who loved her the most. Caught off guard, she almost face-planted onto the floor. After steadying herself, she moved towards Lucas again. But Lucas took two sudden steps back. He suddenly looked at me, his expression complex. After a long while, his voice sounded uncertain as he said: “Sorry, I have something to do. I need to go out for a bit.” He left in a hurry. “Lucas!” Serena cried out tragically. But Lucas didn’t even look back. Serena’s expression shattered. 4 Serena didn’t go live in the servants’ quarters. She packed a simple, small bag. She only packed a few changes of clothes. She intended to move out of this house. She bowed deeply to Eleanor, tears falling like pearls, her voice hoarse: “Thank you for taking care of me all these years. I’m leaving. When I graduate, I’ll work hard to earn money and repay your kindness in raising me.” Eleanor frowned: “You made a mistake, I scolded you, and you’re feeling wronged? Is this you threatening to run away from home?” Serena cried and shook her head: “I’m not throwing a tantrum, I genuinely want to leave. Maya has suffered a lot outside these past few years, so please dote on her. You don’t need me anymore.” “Eleanor, there was a shipment of fresh fruit at Whole Foods today. I picked out a few for you, come have a taste.” Bursting in like a whirlwind was Eleanor’s best friend, Brenda. Eleanor was always overbearing, so she had very few friends. Brenda was the only one who accommodated her in everything. Because of this, the two were very close. Seeing Brenda, the cold Eleanor’s expression softened a bit: “Thank you.” I laughed inwardly: [What’s there to thank her for? She’s buying you fruit with your own money.] [You loaded her membership card with ten thousand, and eight thousand of it was spent by Brenda.] Eleanor’s face, which had just relaxed, froze again. Brenda, oblivious to this, ran over to comfort Serena: “Oh my, what’s going on? Who upset our Princess Serena? Your pretty little face is all smeared with tears like a messy kitten.” Serena held her bag, crying even harder: “Aunt Brenda, boohoo, I’m moving out. I’ll come visit you when I have time.” Brenda looked surprised: “What happened?” Serena: “The watch Mom gave me broke. I don’t know how it broke, but it made Mom mad, and Maya felt wronged, so it’s best if I move out.” Brenda laughed it off: “Is that all? Serena, just apologize and it’ll be fine. You’re so pretty, if you go out there alone you’ll be kidnapped by traffickers. Your parents and brother would be heartbroken. Right, Eleanor? You wouldn’t bear to let this beautiful girl wander the streets alone, would you?” [Hmph, with her biological mother right here, how could Serena ever wander the streets? The luxury condo you borrowed from Eleanor, the princess room you meticulously decorated, wasn’t that all prepared for Serena?] As soon as I finished my internal rant, Eleanor suddenly asked: “What did you say?” Her eyes were wide open, her voice trembling slightly. Seeing her staring at me, I was taken aback and shook my head: “Nothing, I didn’t say anything.” I continued complaining in my head: [It’s a pity we can’t choose our origins. Otherwise, I definitely wouldn’t have chosen to be born into the Sterling family.] [Eleanor is blind, completely oblivious to the fact that Brenda swapped their two daughters.] [While I was in the countryside fighting dogs for food, my own biological mother was raising someone else’s daughter like a princess, and even letting her leech off the Sterling family, paying for all her food, clothes, housing, and expenses.] [Later, when Serena turned the Sterling family upside down and seized all their assets, she moved Brenda into the Sterling family’s mansion. Do you remember what Brenda did to Eleanor?] [She called Eleanor a moron and an idiot, saying Eleanor must be blind to fall so low. She even said she never treated Eleanor as a best friend, but rather as a servant, and that now she was the master.] [When Arthur fell ill, Eleanor went to Brenda to borrow money. As a result, Brenda forced Eleanor to kneel and lick her shoes clean.] [Even though Brenda and her daughter are barely human, specializing in inhumane acts, and Serena never said a word even when she knew about her true parentage early on. Even if I told Eleanor these things, she probably wouldn’t believe me. Better not be overly affectionate again. I’ll just watch how things unfold for them. Anyway, I must get out of this house as soon as possible.] [Speaking of which, this isn’t my home at all. I’m just a pitiful ghost temporarily lodging here. No one considers me family anyway.] At this time, Brenda pushed Serena in front of Eleanor: “Eleanor, it’s not a big deal. Why kick the child out? Everyone envies you for having such a daughter—beautiful, smart, and elegant. You couldn’t find another like her in all of New York. If she runs out and something happens, wouldn’t you cry yourself to death?” Brenda urged Serena: “Go on, apologize to your mom.” Serena looked softly at Eleanor: “Mom—” Before she could say another word, Eleanor abruptly interrupted her: “Serena, since you want to leave, then move out.” Both Serena and Brenda were dumbfounded. Eleanor stepped aside to make a phone call, then took my hand: “Come with Mom to the hospital to see your brother.” I was confused and bewildered. This was the first time she had held my hand, and the first time she used the words “Mom” and “Brother” in front of me. I was led away by her in a daze. Eleanor drove, and I sat in the passenger seat. She fastened my seatbelt for me with unprecedented gentleness. As we drove out of the garage, Brenda pulled a sobbing, stumbling Serena to block the car: “Eleanor, is Lucas at the hospital? What’s wrong with him? Serena is very worried about her brother too. Let us ride with you—” Eleanor locked the car doors immediately and said coldly: “No need. Lucas isn’t her biological brother, so there’s no need for her concern.” With that, she maneuvered the car around the stunned Brenda and Serena, hit the gas, and sped away. In the rearview mirror, Serena’s cries grew even louder. 5 Lucas said he wasn’t feeling well and went to the hospital for a checkup, where they found a tumor. Thankfully, it was caught early and wasn’t a major issue. After surgery, he would be fine. We had just arrived when Serena and Brenda followed right behind us. “Lucas, are you okay?” Serena’s eyes were red and swollen again, her face full of concern. She handed an exquisitely packaged bag to Lucas and said considerately: “This is chicken soup from your favorite deli, Lucas. It’s still hot. Drink some, and you’ll get better faster.” Hearing “chicken soup,” I instinctively glanced at the packaging box a few more times: [The drug Serena slipped to Lucas on his birthday was mixed into this chicken soup. Turns out it’s his favorite. No wonder he was completely oblivious to being drugged.] [With a fake sister this attentive, it’s no surprise Lucas likes her.] [Too bad this affection won’t last. Later, when Lucas turns into a fool, his dear fake sister will immediately send him to a mental asylum with the worst conditions.] [He tried everything to make a phone call to her, but this fake sister found it annoying and had the asylum orderlies electrocute him to death with stun batons.] Crash. The soup fell to the floor, splashing everywhere. It turned out that when Serena handed it to Lucas, he outright refused it. Because he pushed it away too fast, it fell to the ground. Not only did he refuse it, but he also looked terrified, backing up continuously on his hospital bed. If there wasn’t a wall behind him, he would have retreated even further. Serena froze, tears “whooshing” out again, looking on the verge of a breakdown: “Lucas, am I a ghost? Why are you hiding so far away from me?” Lucas had a “you’re scarier than a ghost” expression and said coldly: “Leave. I’m fine. I don’t need your concern.” Serena looked pitifully at Eleanor again. Eleanor looked away and also said coldly: “Hurry up and leave.” Serena was even more heartbroken. “Then get some rest, Lucas.” Brenda gave Eleanor and Lucas a deep look and pulled Serena away. As she passed by me, Serena glared coldly and drove me away: “My brother needs to rest, and he doesn’t want to be disturbed. Stop being so full of yourself and lingering around here. Get out.” Just as she finished trying to kick me out. Lucas called out: “Maya, you don’t need to go.” I originally didn’t want to stay, but with Serena right there, I intentionally stayed and smiled slightly at her: “He insists on me disturbing him.” Serena: “…” Serena’s face turned green with anger. 6 After Brenda pulled Serena away. Lucas grabbed a carton of milk from the bedside table—delivered by his assistant—opened it, and handed it to me, saying somewhat unnaturally: “Maya, want to drink this?” I refused without a second thought: “No thanks.” [What are you pretending for? Eleanor already knows you find me annoying and hate me, so what’s the point of playing the loving sibling act in front of her? Besides, she hates me to death herself; why would she care how you look at me?] Lucas froze, his face inexplicably turning red, looking guilty. And Eleanor’s eyes inexplicably turned red too. She took my hand and choked back a sob: “I’m sorry, Maya. Since you came back, Mom hasn’t properly cared for you…” Lucas suddenly apologized to me as well: “Maya, it’s my fault too. I don’t even know what you like to eat. Tell me, and I’ll buy it all for you from now on.” His eyes were also red: “Maya, I don’t hate you. We’re biological siblings. You’re my biological sister.” He deliberately emphasized the words “biological sister,” as if afraid I wouldn’t believe him. Me: “?” This drastically different attitude before and after made me suspect they had both been possessed. I gave an awkward smile and played along: “Haha, right, we’re siblings.” [Whatever, I’m only staying for a few days anyway. Once I turn eighteen, I’ll have saved up some money. Then I’ll move out and stop hoping for some supposed blood relation.] I didn’t say anything overly harsh. For some reason, Eleanor and Lucas looked even sadder and more guilty. 7 Serena actually started trying hard. She didn’t return to the Sterling family for several days in a row. Without her causing trouble at home. My treatment in this house instantly skyrocketed. The biggest room was now mine. Every day, the chefs prepared food tailored to my preferences. A Rolls-Royce was assigned to pick me up and drop me off. Seniors barely had any days off, let alone time to go shopping, yet Eleanor bought me heaps of clothes, shoes, and bags. Eleanor gave me a card, and Lucas gave me a card too. They both said it was my allowance. I checked; both cards had over a million dollars each. And they both said they would transfer money to the cards every month, telling me to spend it freely. Actually, when they brought me back, they didn’t give me any pocket money. Like Serena, they probably felt that since we were kids, giving us large sums without restriction wasn’t a good idea, so they never gave me such huge amounts before. Earlier, when I first returned, seeing my poor grades, my parents originally planned to hire private tutors for me. But Serena volunteered to tutor me. Mom and Dad were very pleased and agreed. But when she tutored me, she intentionally threw in foreign languages that I couldn’t understand at all. Naturally, I didn’t improve one bit. Serena would then show my tests, covered in red ‘X’s, to our parents, smiling helplessly and saying I gave her headaches. Her expression practically etched the words “naturally stupid” on my forehead. My parents probably assumed my academics were beyond saving. After that, they never mentioned hiring tutors for me again, only asking Serena to continue paying closer attention to my studies. But these past few days, Eleanor hired several private tutors for me in a row, all of them top-tier professors. Before, problems that sounded like gibberish to me became understandable once these professors broke them down into simple terms. Although the Sterling family was treating me very well right now, I still didn’t dare let my guard down. I studied desperately with the professors while continuing my master plan to save money. Except for essential expenses, I didn’t dare spend a single extra penny of the money the Sterling family gave me, carefully saving it all. 8 Serena returned a week later. Brought back by Mr. Sterling, Arthur. He had returned from a business trip and, because he hadn’t eaten for a day and a night, he went to a restaurant near the airport with his trusted assistant to eat. There, he ran into Serena and brought her back. Serena was still wearing the same outfit she had worn when she left. She had dark circles under her eyes, and her complexion was sallow. Her hands were covered in band-aids. Arthur held Serena’s hand tightly, his heart clearly aching for her. As soon as he got back, he confronted Eleanor, demanding to know why she let a high school senior move out alone over such a trivial matter. He angrily accused Eleanor: “Do you have any idea what she was doing out there? She was washing dishes in a restaurant! Going to school during the day, washing dishes at night, and washing dishes on holidays too! If I hadn’t run into her, her whole life would have been ruined by your hands!” Surprisingly, Eleanor didn’t feel sorry for the miserable-looking Serena. Instead, she asked skeptically: “What a coincidence? Out of all the restaurants, she happened to be washing dishes at the exact one you went to eat at after your business trip?” [Is it really a coincidence? They planned it all out beforehand.] [Brenda and her husband, Kevin, are relying on this daughter to leach off the Sterling family. How could they let her suffer?] Kevin was Arthur’s trusted assistant, and also Brenda’s husband—Serena’s biological father. [Looking at Serena’s dark circles, she probably went through several palettes of eyeshadow.] [Tsk, and her hands. To play the victim, how many band-aids did she waste?] I was just complaining internally when Eleanor suddenly picked up a pot of tea and splashed it right at Serena’s face and hands. Splash. The makeup on Serena’s face was ruined. Serena screamed, raising her hands to cover her face. Because she had applied it so thickly, the eyeshadow started running down. And the band-aids on her hands, soaked through, fell off. Revealing smooth, completely unblemished fingers underneath. The air instantly went dead silent. Eleanor sneered: “Act! Keep acting! I’m the one who failed as a mother. I meticulously raised you for eighteen years, only to raise a deceitful liar!” Arthur was stunned. Serena, completely caught off guard, was also dumbfounded. I was in awe of Eleanor. She actually recognized that Serena’s “pitiful look” was just makeup. 9 Arthur stared at Serena in disbelief, speaking with disappointment: “So, you even lied to me? The dark circles, the band-aids on your hands—it was all an act?” Seeing she had been exposed, Serena dropped to her knees with a thud: “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Dad. I didn’t mean it. Mom was very angry with me, and I was afraid… I was afraid you guys really didn’t want me anymore. Dad, you love me the most, you definitely won’t stay mad at me, right?” [What Dad? She already reunited with her biological parents five years ago. She intentionally kept it from you because you’re rich and she wanted to use you as an ATM.] [I also don’t know why Arthur chose Kevin as his confidant. Kevin is even more disgusting than his wife, Brenda. He secretly runs a small company, embezzles company funds to gamble, and loses millions in a single game. And that’s not even the worst of it.] [He also uses his position as the CEO’s confidant to hook up with countless mistresses at the company. The employees below hate him to the core. With him causing so much trouble, Arthur is completely clueless. Truly impressive.] [No wonder the company was later seized by Serena and her biological father, Kevin. At his age, Arthur is too easy to fool.] “What?” Just as I was ranting, Arthur suddenly seemed unwell. His face and lips turned pale, and he collapsed onto the sofa. Eleanor quickly had someone call the family doctor. When the doctor arrived, the examination revealed a blood pressure issue. They gave Arthur some blood pressure medication. Once he stabilized, Arthur stared at me for a long time, his eyes full of complex emotions. [Why is he staring at me like that? Does he still think I’m bullying his precious adopted daughter?] Arthur’s expression froze. Serena tried to move closer to Arthur again. But he pushed her away. He slowly stood up, looked at me, and spoke with unprecedented gentleness: “Maya, there’s no school today. Do you want to come play at Dad’s company?” Before I could answer, Serena eagerly interrupted: “Dad, I want to go! I’ll go with you right now.” There was an unspoken rule in the Sterling family: if the children were chosen by the head of the family to be taken to the company, it meant they were intentionally being groomed to pave the way for their future entry into the business. And Serena had been waiting for this day. She thought she would only have a chance after she officially turned eighteen. She didn’t expect the opportunity to present itself now, and she was eager to seize it. However, Arthur ruthlessly rejected her: “You don’t need to.” He turned back to me, his expression softening: “Maya, can you accompany Dad to the company? Think of it as an internship. Dad will pay you an hourly wage, is that okay?” I couldn’t figure out what he was up to, but hearing I could earn money, I agreed. “Dad!” Serena’s face contorted with anger, her voice trembling. “How could you treat me like this too? Are you trying to force me to die? Boohoo~” [You won’t die. Your biological parents are waiting right outside the mansion.] As soon as I finished my internal commentary, Eleanor, who had regained her composure, picked up her phone, dialed a number, and said coldly: “Brenda, come pick up your goddaughter.” Brenda had become Eleanor’s best friend in order to stay close to Serena, and had even acknowledged Serena as her goddaughter. Brenda quickly ran in, out of breath. Seeing Serena’s ruined makeup and the removed band-aids, she tried to smooth things over: “Eleanor, is Arthur home too? You all know? Well, I couldn’t bear to let the child wander outside, so I let her stay at my place for a few days. She cried every day because she missed you all.” “I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I came up with this bad idea. Don’t blame her. If you want to blame someone, blame me, okay?” “You see, you guys were such a happy, perfect family before. You were the envy of everyone. Now you’re arguing like this. Aren’t you just letting people laugh at you for no reason?” After Brenda finished, she glared at me, her eyes filled with such resentment that they almost shot daggers: “Maya, you caused all this, didn’t you? You intentionally drove a wedge between Serena and her parents, trying to drive Serena out?” I scoffed in anger: “Are you crazy? What does this have to do with me?” Brenda’s voice grew louder: “Heh, look at your manners. Is that how you talk to your elders? Country bumpkins truly can’t present themselves in public! Do you think you can win just by being loud and throwing tantrums?” “Let me tell you, Serena is the meticulously groomed heiress of this family. You have no grades, no grace, you can’t compare to her in any way. Just because you’re lazy, you stir up trouble in the Sterling family, driving a wedge between Serena and the family. You’ve completely disgraced the Sterling family—” Before she could finish her sentence. Smack! Eleanor slapped her hard across the face. Eleanor trembled with anger: “Who do you think you are? What gives you the right to dictate matters in my family? Get the hell out!” “Eleanor, you hit me?” Brenda stared at Eleanor in disbelief, clutching her cheek as tears welled up. “I hit you! If you say one more word about my daughter, I’ll hit you again!” Eleanor roared even louder, “Get out!”

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This was the tenth time I had faked my death to scare my husband. But this time, it was his secretary who I ended up terrifying as she walked him home. For the first time, Caleb exploded at me. “Are you ever going to stop this pathetic acting? If you really want to die so badly, then just go do it!” He didn’t know that I actually was dying. Every “prank” was just a desperate attempt to desensitize him, so he wouldn’t be so devastated when the real day came. But as I watched him tenderly comfort his secretary, a cold curiosity gripped me. When the truth finally comes out… will he actually feel a single shred of regret? 1 When I heard the electronic lock click, I put down my makeup sponge and glanced in the mirror. Even the palest foundation could barely hide the gray, sallow tint of my skin. The blood on my T-shirt was real—I’d coughed it up earlier—and it looked more convincing than anything in a slasher movie. I slumped onto the floor. A second later, the door swung open. The sound that followed wasn’t Caleb’s voice, but a woman’s sharp, terrified scream. It took a moment for me to “recover” and open my eyes. I saw a woman huddled in Caleb Sterling’s arms. She was sobbing pitifully. “Mr. Sterling, I’m so scared.” It was his secretary, Heather Miller. Caleb stiffened, but he didn’t push her away. When he turned to look at me, his eyes were overflowing with nothing but irritation. “How much ketchup did you use this time? Jade, are you actually addicted to this drama?” Heather clutched his arm, letting go only when she saw me sit up. “Mrs. Sterling, that was horrifying. I’m okay, but Mr. Sterling is exhausted and had a few drinks. What if something had actually happened to him because of the shock?” I stared at their proximity. Caleb didn’t look even slightly guilty. “Aren’t you getting up?” he snapped. I whispered, “I don’t have the strength.” He didn’t believe me. He reached down and roughly hauled me to my feet. It was the first time I’d ever seen him this angry with me, and it was for the sake of another woman. “Jade, aren’t you tired of this?” “I spend all day at the office grinding for this family. I don’t expect you to be grateful, but stop making my life a living hell with these stunts!” Heather poured a glass of water and handed it to him. “Mr. Sterling, I’m sure she didn’t mean it. She didn’t know you were stressed today.” Caleb’s knuckles turned white. He grabbed the glass and hurled it at the floor. Smash. The shards flew everywhere. A jagged piece sliced across my wrist. Bright red blood began to bead and drip. “There’s a lot she doesn’t know,” Caleb said, his gaze cold and disgusted. “Since you love playing dead so much, why don’t you just go ahead and do it for real?” 2 Caleb was wrong. I knew a lot of things. I knew he was “busy” at the office, so I spent my days brewing nutritious soups to keep him healthy. I knew he worked late, so I stayed up every single night waiting for him to come home. I also knew his alcohol tolerance was high. So why did he need Heather to “walk him home” because he was supposedly drunk? To foster a more “intimate” connection between a boss and his subordinate? I sat in the hallway outside our apartment all night thinking about it, until I eventually started laughing at myself. A neighbor passed by, startled by the sight of me, and muttered, “Freak,” under their breath. I hugged my knees. The hallway was freezing. Caleb really must have been “out of it.” After Heather left, he’d shoved me out the door to “sober up” and told me to stop looking for trouble. I was locked out. I knocked, but there was no sound from inside. Caleb had fallen asleep. I checked my wrist. The bleeding had stopped. It stung, but compared to the gnawing agony of stage four stomach cancer, it was a paper cut. I didn’t have my phone. I had nowhere to go. I suddenly remembered the first time I faked my death. Caleb had turned ghost-white. His hands shook as he held me. As if the world were ending, he whispered my name over and over. “Jade? Jade, please!” Then I’d popped my eyes open and grinned. “Gotcha!” Caleb had stared at me for a long time before frantically wiping away his tears. He couldn’t even find the words; he just held me so tight I could barely breathe. His eyes told me everything: He was terrified of losing me. That was the method I’d chosen. I wanted to make him so used to the idea of me dying that when it finally happened, it would just feel like another one of my jokes. I thought I was being kind. 3 The next morning, Caleb opened the door and pulled me back inside. He had those beautiful, drooping eyes that made him look innocent when he was apologetic. “I’m sorry, Jade. I can’t believe I left you out there all night.” He patted my stomach and coaxed me, “You must be starving. It’s all my fault.” You see, even when he was “apologizing,” he hadn’t called me by my nickname in months. I acted angry, blaming him for letting me freeze. It was a Saturday. I told him he had to give me the whole day. First, I made him watch a movie with me. In the film, a husband comes home every day to find his wife “dead” in various creative ways. Caleb’s brow furrowed. “Is this where you got it from?” He paused the TV. “Are you really that bored? You’re basing your life on a movie to torture me?” I didn’t look at him. I just stared at the frozen screen. “But her husband thought it was cute…” Caleb let out a cold laugh. “Movies are movies. In real life, it’s exhausting. It’s annoying as hell.” “I admit I was a jerk yesterday because of the drinks, but you need to hear this.” “Real life isn’t cute. It’s irritating. Do you understand that?” His voice wasn’t loud. His tone was calm. But it felt like a tiny, poisoned needle stabbing directly into my heart. I was glad the room was dark, lit only by the faint glow of the television. He couldn’t see my smile cracking. I understood. Maybe the wife in the movie understood, too. “The movie is halfway done. Just finish it with me.” Suddenly, his phone shrieked. The name Heather Miller flashed on the screen. Heather’s panicked voice came through clearly: “Mr. Sterling, I think I ruined the Harrison account.” “The CEO tried to… touch me. I said no, and then he…” Caleb bolted upright, grabbing his coat. I reached for his hand, but I hit the wall of his heavy, darkened eyes. “Stop making a scene,” he said. He brushed my hand away. The front door slammed shut. The movie kept playing: The truth is revealed. The wife had a terminal illness. She faked her death over and over so her husband wouldn’t be so sad when she truly left. The husband in the movie thought his wife was cute. But when the credits rolled, my phone buzzed. It was a call from Heather. I heard Caleb’s voice in the background, soft and comforting. “Don’t cry. If we lose the account, we lose it. It doesn’t matter.” “You must be hungry. Let’s go get dinner. There’s a new place near the office.” Heather chirped happily, “Okay, I’m going to make you pay for the most expensive thing on the menu—” I suddenly spoke into the phone: “Which restaurant? Maybe I should join you?” 4 The silence lasted for a second before the line went dead. Heather clearly didn’t expect me to be listening. But it didn’t matter. I knew where they were going. Because I was the one who had suggested that restaurant to Caleb months ago. It was a famous romantic spot—The Glass House. I’d begged him to take me. What had he said? He’d said he was too busy. Busy making money. Busy building our future. On our last anniversary, he’d pushed me away and said, “Jade, can you just give me some space?” That night, he’d stayed at the office. Later, I saw Heather’s Instagram post. They were the only two left in the building. Caleb looked relaxed without his glasses, a cup of tea by his side. He looked nothing like the irritable man he was at home. Heather had captioned it: Late nights at the office. Boss is working so hard! That was when I first started noticing her. And now, he was taking her to the restaurant he refused to take me to. When I arrived, Caleb was alone by the car. He was leaning against the door, smoking. He didn’t look surprised to see me. He just took a long drag and exhaled. “Finished already?” I asked. “I’m not eating,” Caleb said, blowing a cloud of smoke toward me. “Jade, you’re becoming really pathetic.” Through the haze, his eyes held nothing but weary exhaustion. My heart twisted. I looked away, my voice trembling. “Where’s your jacket?” The car window slid down, revealing Heather’s flushed face. She was in the passenger seat, draped in Caleb’s blazer. She smiled at me. “Mrs. Sterling, I’m so sorry. I accidentally hit the call button on my phone earlier.” Caleb crushed his cigarette. “Get in. She’s shaken up. I need to drop her home.” Seeing me stare at Heather, he offered a brief explanation. “She gets car sick. The front seat is better for her.” “So, I’m supposed to just move to the back for her?” It was absurd. She was just a secretary. Why was she so precious? She “accidentally” calls the wife after a crisis, and then “rightfully” takes the wife’s seat. Seeing my displeasure, Heather bit her lip. “Is Mrs. Sterling upset? Maybe I should just take an Uber.” “Mr. Sterling, don’t worry about tonight. It was my own fault for not being careful. I shouldn’t have bothered you.” She made a move to get out, but Caleb stopped her. He turned to me, scowling. “Jade, do you have any humanity left?” “She went through that because of me. You’re both women—can’t you show some empathy?!” I looked at his self-righteous anger. “She says she was harassed, and you just believe her?” “No woman would lie about her dignity like that.” “She says she called me by accident, and you believe that too?” Caleb paused. “She’s not that kind of person.” I wanted to laugh. What was I even doing here? He had unconditional trust in his secretary, but none for his wife. A searing, suffocating feeling rose in my throat. I doubled over. “I’m not getting in the car.” Caleb’s voice dropped an octave. “What are you doing now?” He grabbed my arm, opened the back door, and tried to shove me inside. The pain was explosive. It felt like my entire body was breaking. “I’m not getting in!” I screamed. I used every ounce of my remaining strength to tear my arm away from him. Caleb froze. He had always had things his way. Even when we started dating, I was the one who pursued him. I was always the one who lowered my posture in this relationship. This was the first time I’d ever defied him. When he recovered, he let out a cold sneer. “Fine, Jade. You’re really something today.” “You don’t want to get in? Fine.” He climbed into the driver’s seat and slammed the door. “Then stay here!” The car sped away. Through the rear window, I saw Heather tilt her head toward me, adjusting Caleb’s jacket on her shoulders. I stood there for a long time, completely lost. I tried calling him, but he didn’t pick up. I opened my messages and typed, deleted, and retyped. Finally, I sent one sentence: “Caleb, I want a divorce.” 5 I ended up eating at that restaurant alone. A romantic spot where even the dish names were themed around love. The waiter looked at me, confused. “Table for one?” He muttered under his breath, “Who eats alone at a place like this?” I just smiled. The food didn’t taste as good as I’d imagined. I couldn’t even remember why I’d been so obsessed with coming here with him. It started raining outside. When Caleb said he was leaving me there, he meant it. The waiter suddenly ran over and handed me an umbrella. “You look really pale. You should get home.” “Whatever is bothering you, don’t neglect your health.” My nose stung. It was strange. No matter how much it hurt before, I didn’t want to cry. But this small act of kindness from a stranger almost broke me. When I got home, Caleb was waiting with a face like stone. He looked me up and down. “Do you regret it now?” Regret not getting in the car? Regret talking back? A stranger could see how sick I looked, but my own husband was only concerned with whether I had “yielded.” I looked at the man who was my husband and slowly shook my head. Caleb’s face darkened. Before he could speak, I asked, “Did you see my text?” “What text?” He glanced at his phone, and as he realized what I meant, his voice turned sharp. “What are you trying to pull now?” “Jade, you’re crossing a line. I let your little games slide before, but now you’re bringing up divorce?” “You think you can threaten me with a divorce?” In his eyes, everything I did was just a performance. I wiped my eyes. I wasn’t crying, but they were burning. I looked at him as if seeing him for the first time. “I don’t want anything. I just want a divorce.” Seeing that I wasn’t joking, Caleb calmed down. “I know we’ve been fighting lately, but that doesn’t give you the right to be impulsive.” He rubbed his temples. “Jade, you can’t live without me.” “Don’t call me Jade.” I took a deep breath, trying to keep my voice steady. I didn’t want to look like a hysterical woman. Now he was using my name softly. He always did that—he’d use a gentle tone only when he thought I was being difficult. What did he take me for? Even a child wouldn’t fall for such cheap tactics. “The divorce papers are being drafted. Please sleep in the guest room tonight.” Caleb was shaking with rage at my defiance. “I’m moving out. I’m giving you time to clear your head.” He sneered. “Jade, I’ll be waiting for the moment you come crawling back, begging for me to come home.” 6 But why would I beg him? I was practically dead already. With Caleb gone, I had the deepest sleep of my life. I slept so hard I thought I might never wake up. But I was jolted awake by someone pounding on the door. I opened it to find my mother. She grabbed my hands, her face etched with anxiety. “What happened? Why are you fighting with Caleb?” When I didn’t answer, she grew frantic. “Caleb is a catch! Where are you going to find another man like him?!” I wanted to tell her I didn’t have a “future” to worry about. But her next words turned my blood to ice. “Your brother is about to graduate from his Ivy League school. We were counting on Caleb to pull some strings for his career. You stupid girl, why are you causing trouble now?!” She looked at me with pure resentment. “Listen to me. Go to Caleb and apologize. Now.” Then she grabbed my wrist and tried to drag me toward the door. My wrist was skeletal from my illness. She didn’t notice. Her nails dug into my skin, all for the sake of her son’s “future.” I thought she might at least ask why I wanted a divorce. She didn’t. I was her child, too. Or so I thought. “I’m not going,” I said. She glared at me. “You heartless brat. I raised you, and now you won’t even help your own brother!” A violent surge of nausea hit me. I wrenched my hand away and used the last of my strength to push her out of the apartment. I collapsed onto the floor, the world spinning around me. Sometime later, my phone rang. It was Caleb. His voice was cold and detached. “Jade, your mother came to my office.” “She’s begging me not to divorce you.” 7 By the time I reached his office, a crowd had gathered outside the door. Caleb was standing there, while my mother was on her knees, sobbing hysterically. Heather handed me a glass of water. “Mrs. Sterling, you should really talk some sense into her.” She glanced inside and smirked. “This isn’t exactly a good look, is it?” I met Caleb’s eyes. They were filled with cold mockery. They said: See? I told you you’d be the one begging. Now your mother is doing it for you. The sight made my heart lurch. It felt like a physical blow to the face. I couldn’t find a single second of peace. I walked slowly into the room and tried to pull my mother up. She refused to move, her nails digging into my arm. “You ungrateful bitch! I’m not leaving!” It hurt. It hurt so much. Was there anyone who would save me? I looked at the faces around me. They were all enjoying the show. No one was coming. The last thing I saw was Caleb’s expression suddenly shifting. I couldn’t hold on anymore. I coughed, and a spray of blood hit the floor. 8 I woke up in a familiar hospital room. Caleb was sitting by my bed, his expression unreadable. I thought he finally knew. Seeing me awake, he tucked the blanket around me. “The doctor said it was an emotional collapse.” Oh. He still didn’t know. I had told the doctors here to hide my condition from him. Originally, it was so he wouldn’t be sad. But now, I’d changed my mind. “Let’s stop fighting, okay?” he said. “I was wrong. I shouldn’t have been so hard on you.” “We won’t get a divorce.” He kept rambling. It was strange; I hadn’t seen him this concerned about me in a long time. I stared at him for a while, then said: “Okay.” Caleb choked on his next words. He looked up, a flash of genuine surprise and joy on his face. “You promised. No taking it back.” I nodded. “I won’t.” He seemed truly happy. He personally handled my hospital paperwork. He stopped going to the office, moving a small desk into my room so he could work by my side. Heather came by occasionally to drop off files. Each time, she would stand there biting her lip, but Caleb wouldn’t even look at her. “Just leave the files and go. There are too many people in here; the air is getting stale.” Heather’s eyes turned red instantly. She turned on her heels and left. Once I was “asleep,” Caleb whispered my name. “Jade?” When I didn’t respond, he stepped out of the room. I stood by the door, watching through the crack as Heather threw herself into his arms. “Mr. Sterling, I love you.” Caleb’s back was to me. I couldn’t see his face. Was he happy? Was he hesitating? The sunlight through the window hit them both, making them look like a perfect couple. If only I wasn’t his legal wife. I let out a soft cough. I don’t know if it was my imagination, but Caleb’s entire body went rigid. He turned around and looked directly at me. “Jade—” He pushed Heather away and strode toward me. “It’s not what it looks like.” He looked genuinely distressed. His perfectly styled hair was a mess. “She confessed to me. I was just about to turn her down.” I watched his feigned regret for a moment, then reached out and slowly smoothed his hair. “I know. She’s the one who initiated it. I don’t blame you.” Caleb’s expression finally relaxed. I looked into his eyes. “But I don’t like her. Can you find a new secretary?” Our gazes met. Caleb lowered his eyes. “Okay,” he promised.

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Liam Miller died in a high-speed crash while vacationing on a private island with his assistant. By the time the police notified me and I arrived at the scene, his assistant was still kneeling by his body, screaming his name and sobbing hysterically. But I saw him. I saw Liam’s soul, floating right there in the air. I guess the devil doesn’t have a vacancy for traitors yet. 01 The detective standing next to me cleared his throat awkwardly when I didn’t say a word. “Mrs. Sterling?” That one sentence cut right through Elena Vance’s wailing. She was Liam’s “assistant,” currently draped over his body. It seemed Liam really did love her. In that violent wreck, he had taken the brunt of the impact. He was dead, while Elena walked away with nothing more than a few scrapes and bruises. But Liam’s love… I glanced at the translucent shimmering figure of the man hovering above us and scoffed internally. Liam’s heart changed colors faster than a chameleon in a neon light district. When Elena looked up and saw me, her expression shifted from grief to pure shock. Then, she lunged at me, her face flushed with a manic energy. Liam’s spirit reacted instantly, just like he would have when he was alive. He tried to step between us, desperate to shield Elena from any imaginary harm I might inflict. But he had no physical form. He had to watch, helpless, as Elena passed right through his chest and grabbed my shoulders. “Elena, be careful!” he barked, his brow furrowing. Then he turned his venomous gaze toward me, trying to intimidate me with a look. “Vanessa, I’m warning you. Don’t you dare touch her.” It was a scene we had played out a thousand times before. Except now, I was the only one who could hear his hollow threats. Elena’s grip tightened on my jacket, her face contorted with malice. She wasn’t here for a sisterly chat. I stepped back, pulling away from her. The detective stepped in, steadying her before she could fall. “Ms. Vance, you need to compose yourself,” the officer said firmly. “The arrangements for Mr. Miller are the responsibility of his legal wife, Mrs. Sterling.” The detective wasn’t an idiot. He had clearly clocked the dynamic between the CEO and his “assistant.” He put a heavy emphasis on the word wife. Elena froze. Her face twisted into something grotesque—like a demon out of a horror movie. “Officer, I want to report a crime!” Elena shrieked. “This wasn’t an accident! She did this! She killed him!” The detective sighed heavily. I looked at her, watching her lose all control, and tucked myself behind the officer. I didn’t want this lunatic scratching my face. Liam was standing right beside her now, his eyes cold as he stared at me. I couldn’t read his ghostly expression perfectly, but I knew him. He was probably suspecting me, too. 02 The detective looked exhausted. As he opened his mouth to speak, I cut him off, looking directly at Elena. “If you don’t have proof, that’s defamation,” I said calmly. “And I will sue you for every cent you don’t have.” Elena gnashed her teeth, her rage bubbling just under the surface. I found the whole thing tedious. I decided to offer her some “friendly” advice. “I suggest you go home and start cataloging everything Liam ever bought you.” I paused, letting the silence hang. “Since we were legally married, everything he spent on you is technically marital property. My son, Leo, and I are the sole heirs to Liam’s estate. I wonder how fast I can get a court order to claw back every dollar he wasted on you.” Elena, who had been sobbing just seconds ago, went deathly silent. Seeing her finally quiet down, the detective signaled a female officer to escort her out. As Elena left the room, Liam tried to follow her. To his horror, the moment he reached the doorway, an invisible force yanked him back. I smirked. Serves you right. “Mrs. Sterling, we’ll handle the paperwork from here,” the detective said. They had already investigated. The crash was a textbook accident—blown tire at high speed. They had only asked me some routine questions on the way over. I had no interest in looking at Liam’s face, especially not the post-crash version. I didn’t want nightmares. I called my assistant and my lawyer to handle the logistics, then turned to leave. Everything had been so rushed. I had sent the nanny to pick up Leo from preschool, but I was still anxious. Leo had grown up without his father’s presence. He was clingy, and I was worried he wouldn’t go to sleep if I wasn’t there. I finished the formalities, confirmed my assistant was on the way, and headed straight to the airport for the first flight home. 03 It was confirmed. Liam couldn’t leave my side. I looked up at the ceiling of the plane, knowing he was tethered to the roof or the seat next to me. I squinted into the air. This was going to be fun. The moment I landed, the nanny sent me a video. There was Leo, in his cute pajamas, his big dark eyes blinking at the camera. He refused to go to sleep, constantly calling for “Mommy.” It wasn’t until the nanny told him I was watching that he sat up and gave the lens a weak, tired smile. “Mommy, I want to cuddle. Please come home soon.” Leo was five. He was starting kindergarten next year, but he still had that sweet, high-pitched toddler voice that could melt stone. I hurried home. My driver was waiting, and I was through my front door in less than an hour. The nanny was showing Leo a picture book. When he heard me, Leo sprinted to the door and dove into my arms. I held him tight, carried him to his room, and tucked him in. I read him three stories before he finally drifted off. While I was occupied with Leo, I caught Liam out of the corner of my eye. He was sitting on the padded window seat in Leo’s room. When he was alive, he never bothered with the boy. He claimed he didn’t like “kids,” but the truth was he just didn’t like me. He almost never spent time with his son. That was why, during the whole bedtime routine, Leo never once mentioned his father. I heard Liam’s ghostly murmur. He was asking himself why Leo wasn’t asking for “Daddy.” I almost laughed. I kissed Leo’s forehead and went to the master bedroom. 04 I wasn’t in the mood for games. I sat at the edge of the bed and spoke into the empty air. “Leo is five years old. In those five years, how many times did you actually play with him?” “Did you ever take him to the park? Did you ever tuck him in? What reason does he have to miss you?” “Leo is closer to our driver than he is to you.” I looked at the spot where I felt his presence. We had been married for ten years. He had been cheating with his assistant for three. The semi-transparent soul suddenly met my eyes. The room went cold. His face was a mask of pure shock. He didn’t look like the powerful “Mr. Miller” anymore. “You can see me.” I didn’t answer. I just looked at him like he was an idiot. Liam sighed and sat at my vanity. When he realized he didn’t have a reflection in the mirror, he sat there dazed for a few seconds. I let out a short, dry laugh and crossed my arms. “So, Mr. Miller, even in death, you can’t seem to quit me?” The moment I discovered his affair with Elena, I had asked for a divorce. He refused. He claimed he couldn’t live without me, that Leo needed a father—every excuse in the book to block the filing. I even tried to take it to court. But I lacked the “smoking gun” evidence. Elena was his assistant; they were expected to be together around the clock. After enough fighting, I gave up. I looked at it from a different perspective. A billionaire husband who is never home but provides a limitless credit card? That’s just a high-end ATM. So I started buying real estate in Leo’s name. I focused on my own career. I was always prepared for him to eventually force a divorce on his terms. I never expected he’d drop dead first. Liam had no siblings. His parents passed away years ago. That meant Leo and I were the sole beneficiaries of his entire empire. The legal wife and the biological son. What a generous man. 05 We didn’t talk much that night. I went to sleep quickly. Early the next morning, my assistant emailed me the cremation certificate and a video of the coffin entering the furnace. Liam drifted over to see what I was looking at. He watched his own body turn to ash. “You aren’t even a little sad?” His voice was muffled, hollow. I took a sip of my coffee, feeling quite refreshed. I didn’t bother answering. I went to Leo’s room to wake him up. He had preschool. Furious at my silence, Liam started pacing around me, his voice rising in a ghostly roar. “Vanessa!” Leo couldn’t hear him. He just woke up, rubbed his eyes, and giggled as he crawled into my lap. “Mommy, can I take extra snacks to share with my friends today?” While he brushed his teeth, Leo was dancing with excitement. I smiled, helped him pack his favorite treats into his backpack, and sent him off. 06 After dropping Leo off and confirming a few things with my lawyer, I went to Miller Group HQ. Liam was still in a foul mood, so he didn’t say anything. He just sat in the passenger seat, arms crossed. I knew he was probably hoping to see Elena. He was going to be disappointed. Men are notoriously slow at figuring certain things out. Like the true nature of the women they keep. When we reached the office, Elena was nowhere to be found. Liam’s other assistant, Ms. Gable, already knew the news. My lawyer had called her. She knew exactly why I was there. She had already scheduled a board meeting for 2:00 PM. Ms. Gable led me into Liam’s private office. “Mrs. Sterling, please make yourself comfortable. I’ll bring the files over.” She hesitated for a second, then opened a concealed door in the wood-paneled wall, revealing a hidden suite. “If you’re tired, you can rest in here.” The room had a king-sized bed, a walk-in closet, and a designer tub. I frowned. Thinking about what Liam and Elena might have done in there made my skin crawl. Actually, the whole office felt tainted. “It’s filthy in here,” I said, avoiding Liam’s gaze and stepping back. I wiped the tip of my nose. “I’ll wait in your office, Ms. Gable.” Liam, who had been silent, was now glaring at me with pure rage. I ignored his fury and followed Ms. Gable out. 07 I spent the morning reviewing files and consulting with a specialist my assistant had hired. By noon, Liam realized what my plan was. As I followed Ms. Gable to the executive cafeteria, Liam was screaming in my ear the whole way. I had known him since we were seventeen. We started dating at eighteen and married at twenty-three. This was the first time I’d seen the “Great Liam Miller” lose his mind. “Vanessa, how dare you sell my shares!” “You bitch!” “That’s mine! You have no right!” Liam came from a comfortable middle-class background. Everything he had, he built himself. He was the golden boy of his generation. He had proposed at twenty and waited until twenty-three to marry me, promising he’d give me the world. But seven years into the marriage, he cheated. I waited until Ms. Gable went to grab our trays before I finally looked at his ghost. “It’s mine now.” I didn’t offer any further explanation. Liam froze, his ghostly eyes turning a deep, angry red. “Vanessa! I hope you rot in hell!” After lunch and a quick nap, the board meeting started. Before I even reached the conference room, I heard a familiar voice. It was Elena. I leaned against the doorframe and looked back at Liam. The look of desperate expectation in his eyes was pathetic. Men are so predictable. “Members of the board…” Elena’s voice wavered through the door. Liam tried to rush inside, his gaze darting to me repeatedly. But he was tethered. He couldn’t go in unless I did. He had to stand there and listen with me. “Mr. Miller has passed away…” Elena’s voice was shaky, acting the part of the grieving, loyal employee. I didn’t want her ruining my play, so I pushed the door open. “Ms. Vance. What a surprise.” 08 At the sound of my voice, Elena, dressed in a modest white chiffon dress, visibly flinched. “Good afternoon, everyone,” I said, ignoring her as I addressed the board members. Elena was still standing in front of my designated seat. I casually tossed my designer bag onto the table and raised an eyebrow at her. “Do you have a reason for being here, Ms. Vance?” Elena wasn’t smart. She couldn’t hide her tells. I saw the calculation in her eyes. It was the same look she gave me three years ago when she first slept with Liam and came to flaunt it to my face. She was trying to align herself with the board, hoping to leverage Liam’s “bequest” for her own gain. But Liam was a fool. He missed the greed in her eyes entirely. Instead, he only saw the “timid” look she gave Mr. Davenport, the senior board member sitting next to her. Seeing that look, Liam’s ghostly heart broke for her. He hovered next to me, trying to look through me with his murderous glare. “Vanessa, you treat her well, or I swear I’ll drag you to the grave with me!” Tch. The grave? I ignored him and glanced at Mr. Davenport’s balding head. Elena’s taste in men was really going downhill. I knew exactly what Elena was up to. Every person in this room knew about the affair. Elena was a toxic asset now; anyone with a brain would stay far away from her. But Mr. Davenport was famously horny and incredibly rich. I nudged Elena aside and pulled out my chair. “I’m here to discuss the future of the company.” I signaled Ms. Gable to give the board a summary of the transition. As she spoke about the “accident,” the board members began looking at Elena with varying degrees of suspicion. In the early days, Liam didn’t have a driver. If there was a crash with Elena in the car, nobody believed she was entirely innocent of distraction. But since she was the only witness and she claimed it was an accident, the police couldn’t do much. Even Mr. Davenport’s gaze toward her lost its warmth. Elena bit her lip, her eyes red, her eyelashes fluttering. She looked like a wounded bird. I tapped the table. “I’m not familiar with the inner workings of Miller Group. After consulting with my team, I’ve decided to liquidate Liam’s majority stake.” “I value the contributions you’ve all made, so I’m giving the board right of first refusal.” I pulled a stack of my assistant’s business cards from my bag, handed them to Elena, and smirked. “Ms. Vance, would you be so kind as to hand these out to the board members?” When she first started with Liam, she was careful. But after two months of realizing Liam and I were strangers, she stopped hiding. She used to walk past me wearing the jewelry Liam bought her just to see my reaction. Now, suddenly being treated like a low-level clerk, Elena’s eyes welled with tears. The perfect damsel in distress. Liam was fuming, but he couldn’t touch me. Mr. Davenport, however, stepped up. He waved a hand, a greasy smile on his face. “Mrs. Sterling, let’s not be hard on Ms. Vance.” He reached out and took the cards from her hand himself. I shrugged. “You have three days to consider the offer. After that, I’m opening the floor to outside buyers. All fifty-five percent.” I stood up to leave, then paused at the door, looking back at Elena. “Ms. Vance, remember what I said at the station? I’m coming for my money. You might want to start packing.” Then I walked out on my four-inch heels. 09 The tether snapped tight, forcing Liam to follow me out of the building. In the car, Liam sat next to me. Seeing that I was dead serious about selling his life’s work and ruining Elena, he finally stopped fighting. His voice softened. “Vanessa, I know I messed up. But I was good to you in my own way. I’m begging you… sell the shares to Graham. And please, stop targeting Elena.” Graham was Liam’s co-founder. He had been the best man at our wedding. I hadn’t seen him in the meeting. He’d sent a proxy. I kept my head down, watching a video the nanny had sent from the preschool. In the video, Leo was handing out snacks to his classmates. The kids were cheering, surrounding him in a circle. Leo was in the middle, his eyes crinkled into little crescents, laughing with pure joy. Liam hadn’t gotten a response, so he leaned over to look at the screen. When he saw Leo’s happy face, his voice caught. He stopped talking. He just stared at the image of his son’s smile, over and over. The car pulled up to the estate. My assistant was waiting for me. Ever since the island, he had been working around the clock. He looked exhausted. Thinking about the cards I’d just handed out, I felt a slight pang of guilt. “Your year-end bonus is doubled,” I told him as I walked inside. His face instantly lit up with energy. He followed me in, handing me the formal death and cremation certificates. “I’ve already forwarded these to the legal team. They’re finalizing the asset transfer to you and Leo.” I took the papers and tossed them casually onto the armchair where Liam was sitting. “Good work.” Just as I said that, the assistant’s phone rang. He looked at me, I nodded, and he put it on speaker. A man’s voice, slightly breathless, came through. “Tell Mrs. Sterling I’ll take the shares. All of them.” The voice sounded a bit old. It was Mr. Davenport. I took a sip of water. The timing. The tone. Tch. Elena sure moves fast.

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At a high school reunion, my ex-boyfriend held his fiancée and announced their engagement. I snapped a photo and texted it to his mother. “They look like a perfect match. Congratulations on getting exactly what you wanted.” Just as I was about to hit send, my wrist was gripped viciously. “Oh? Still keeping in touch with my mother?” He glared at me, his face dark and menacing. “What, haven’t squeezed enough money out of her yet?” The room went dead silent. I looked up at him, my face draining of color. I didn’t even notice when the music stopped. I had become the center of everyone’s attention. 1 Everyone knew I had dumped Caleb Thorne for money. During the year he loved me the most, I accepted two million dollars from his mother, Evelyn Thorne. And then I walked out of his life without a backward glance. Furious with his mother’s interference, he went on a hunger strike, starving himself until he was barely recognizable. His friends, unable to watch him destroy himself, swallowed their disgust for me and showed up at my door, begging on his behalf. I refused to see a single one of them. Later, when he was on the brink of death, his mother, “out of options,” called and begged me to be a “mediator.” When I appeared in his hospital room, he clung to me like a drowning man and refused to let go. Even though he was emaciated, the sheer force of his grip made my bones ache. “Maya, you came. You still love me, don’t you? I knew it—” The joy in his voice was unmistakable. I pushed him away coldly. I played an audio clip for him and showed him a text message. The audio was a recording of me demanding three hundred thousand dollars from his mother in exchange for visiting him. The text was the bank notification confirming the transfer. He stared at me, his eyes wide and blank. When it finally registered, he shoved me away violently. But because he used too much force, he fell out of bed, coughing until it sounded like his lungs would tear. “Maya, get the hell out of here!” He lay pathetically on the floor, grinding out each word through clenched teeth. I did exactly as he asked. I walked out cleanly, without ever looking back. I don’t know whose mouth leaked the story. From that day on, I became a massive joke in New York high society. Anyone who knew the story said that my greed was only matched by my cruelty. Others claimed I never loved Caleb to begin with; I was only with him for the money. As for the truth? No one cared… Later, when Caleb recovered, he agreed to a corporate marriage with Serena Vance, the treasured daughter of the Vance Group’s CEO. I received over a dozen invitations to his engagement party. Sent by none other than his loyal friends. Honoring my “agreement” with his mother, I completely vanished from his world. But over the years, I knew his every move like the back of my hand. I knew he and Serena went to the US for grad school, living together the whole time. I knew that in just two years, he completed a grueling JD/MBA joint program at Harvard. I knew that the moment he entered his family’s company, he ruthlessly handled several massive crises, forcing the veteran executives who doubted him to bow in respect. I knew that even though he and Serena hadn’t officially held a wedding, they were already calling each other’s parents “Mom and Dad”… It wasn’t that I was intentionally seeking this information; his friends were practically tripping over themselves to report back to me. A good ex should be as quiet as the dead, but they constantly wanted to dig me up and parade my “corpse.” It was as if proving how exceptional Caleb was somehow proved how incredibly stupid I had been. Today was our high school reunion. It was the first time I had seen Caleb in three years. Tomorrow, I would be leaving for a completely different life. From then on, he would remain high up in the clouds, enjoying his wealth and power. And I would be down in the dirt, enduring the harsh realities of the world. Before coming here, I had called his mother with a request. “You can go, but remember what you shouldn’t say and what you shouldn’t do.” That was her exact phrasing. I agreed. And my official reason for being here was simply to accompany an old friend, Julian. My actual reason was to find an old classmate who specialized in nephrology, to verify some medical records. There were things I had to know before I could finally let go… I had anticipated Caleb’s humiliation and coldness. I had anticipated the mockery and bullying from my old classmates. What I hadn’t anticipated was that Caleb would turn this reunion into a pre-wedding celebration. As the undisputed center of attention, he navigated the drinking games with Serena with effortless grace, putting on a sickening display of affection. The atmosphere was electric. No one was tactless enough to bring up the past. I also got the answers I needed from my old classmate. Because Julian got tied up chatting, I ended up staying a bit longer. I never expected that in the brief moment it took to snap a photo and type out a text, Caleb would materialize in front of me like a ghost. Dragging me out to be scrutinized by everyone. 2 “So what if I’ve squeezed enough, and what if I haven’t?” I met his gaze provocatively. “Is Mr. Thorne offering to pay the difference?” “Maya, three years later, and you’re still as cheap as ever!” He looked down at me from his towering height, those beautiful eyes freezing over with hostility. His words were like a sword, twisting in my gut until my organs ached. I scrutinized him through the hazy club lighting. The man he used to be was like a beam of light—real, stubborn, standing firm in this unpredictable world. Now, he was impeccably dressed in a tailored suit, his striking looks undiminished, but his eyes were like a bottomless abyss. Looking at me now, there wasn’t a single trace of the gentle affection he once had. I twisted my wrist, forcing him to lean in closer. “Flirting with another woman right in front of your fiancée… tell me, who’s really cheaper?” I fought him, “tooth and nail,” just like I always used to. Only, we used to whisper sweet nothings. Now, we were spitting razor blades. Caleb seemed to snap back to reality. He violently shoved my hand away, grabbed a wet wipe from the table, and meticulously, repeatedly scrubbed his hands. The humiliation was deafeningly clear. I didn’t want to stay a second longer. I exchanged a look with Julian, stood up, and prepared to leave. But Caleb stepped into my path, blocking my exit. “Serena, come here. I want to introduce you to someone.” He reined in his hostility and waved Serena over. “Caleb, is there something special about this lady?” Serena trotted over, taking small, delicate steps. She intimately linked her arm through Caleb’s, leaning softly against him as if she had no bones. Just as her name suggested, she looked sweet and adorable, clearly a girl who had been pampered her whole life. “She’s very special.” Caleb directed his words to Serena, but his eyes were locked on me. “This is the ex-girlfriend who dumped me for two million dollars. Maya.” His voice wasn’t loud, but it was loud enough for everyone to hear. The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly. A massive wave of shame threatened to swallow me whole. I kept my face perfectly neutral, quietly hiding my trembling hands behind my back. Because tonight, I could hurt, I could laugh, but I absolutely could not show a single ounce of vulnerability. “Is two million a lot? The jewelry set Caleb gave me cost ten million.” Serena’s pale, manicured fingers lightly brushed the dazzling diamond necklace around her throat. Matching earrings swung from her delicate earlobes. “Ten million?! Eight figures!” A chorus of gasps rippled through the crowd. Followed closely by jeers and mockery. Mocking me for giving up a handsome, billionaire boyfriend for a mere two million. Crack— From the crowd, came the sharp sound of an aluminum can being crushed. Startled, I turned toward the noise. Julian was casually tossing a mangled beer can between his hands, a dark, unreadable smirk playing on his lips. I shook my head slightly at him, signaling him to stay calm. Caleb suddenly let out a low, dark chuckle. He pulled a thick stack of hundred-dollar bills from his jacket and casually tossed them into the air. “Maya, I have plenty of money.” “But you. Don’t. Deserve. It!” The bills fluttered down like snow, landing on my face, my shoulders. And scattering around my feet. “With a boyfriend this amazing, you better hold on tight, little sister.” I forced a smile, enduring the onslaught of judgmental stares. “Of course I will.” Serena looked up at Caleb. Her gaze met his, perfectly perfectly matching his look of adoration. “Wow, so sweet, so romantic~” “If you guys don’t kiss right now, it’s a crime against nature!” I don’t know who started it, but the chants of “Kiss! Kiss!” grew louder and louder. Caleb suddenly hooked an arm around Serena’s waist, dipped her back onto the sofa, leaned down, and kissed her. The atmosphere hit a fever pitch. Under the flashing lights, barely an arm’s length away from me, they kissed passionately. Around me, the crowd roared. But in my ears, there was nothing but dead silence. 3 I threw up in the bathroom until I felt like I was going to pass out. When I stumbled out, the first thing I saw was a tall, blurry figure standing in the shadows. People were walking in and out of the nearby private rooms. The strobe lights flashed across his face, illuminating a storm of pure fury. It was Caleb. My body reacted before my brain. I turned on my heel and power-walked in the opposite direction. I was fast, but Caleb was faster. Just as my foot hit the floor, he grabbed me hard by the back of my shoulder. “Running the second you see me? Feeling guilty?” He used all his strength, his grip making my shoulder throb with pain. I tried to break free, but it was useless. “Guilty about what?” I laughed, my voice raw. “I just don’t think we have anything left to catch up on.” “Maya, you’ve been strutting around right under my nose all night, and now you say that? Isn’t it a bit late?” His voice was chillingly cold. “What do you mean, strutting around right under your nose? Just because we broke up doesn’t mean I can’t come to a high school reunion.” I straightened my spine, turned around, and swatted his hand away. “If that’s true, then why were you hiding in the bathroom puking?” He reached out and pinched my chin. “Did you get knocked up by some random guy, or did I just make you sick?” The memory of him kissing another woman flashed through my mind, and my stomach violently churned again. To avoid blowing my cover, I bit down hard on the inside of my cheek. “I didn’t eat much, so it was mostly just dry heaving,” I gave him my assessment, ignoring his question. My words made his eyes burn with anger. “Caleb, we’ve been over for a long time. What exactly do you want?!” I shoved him hard, but he pinned my wrists against the wall. “I should be asking you that.” He leaned in close. “Since you disappeared, why did you show up again?” The disgust and loathing in his eyes were completely undisguised. The blood in my veins turned to ice. I suddenly smiled brightly. “What answer do you want to hear? That I can’t forget you and want to get back together? Or that I regret everything and want to beg for your forgiveness?” He didn’t say anything. He probably really wanted to hear an excuse. “Of course it’s because—” “She came with me.” Before I could finish, a teasing male voice cut in. A few feet away, Julian was leaning against the wall, hands casually stuffed in his pockets. I had no idea how long he’d been watching from the corner. “Bro code dictates you don’t touch your buddy’s girl. Caleb, you’re crossing a line.” He added calmly. “What… what do you mean?” Caleb’s voice suddenly trembled slightly. “It means Maya is my girlfriend now.” “I’m a year older than you. What, are you the only one allowed to have a fiancée, but I can’t date?” Julian lazily rolled up his sleeves. It was obvious that if Caleb didn’t let go, he was ready to throw down. “Are you two really… together?” Caleb’s gaze shifted back to me. Even in the dim light, his stare felt incredibly heavy. “Do you need a French kiss as proof?” I lowered my eyes and sneered. “Be my guest…” Caleb let go of me, turned, and walked away. Julian let out a sharp whistle, a sly, victorious smirk spreading across his lips. With my facade entirely shattered, I slumped weakly against the wall, closing my eyes in exhaustion. “I told you not to come, but you wouldn’t listen. Do you consider this a self-inflicted wound?” Julian’s exasperated huff sounded in my ear. I opened my eyes and looked at him. “There are some things that no one else can do for me.” Knowing I was going to see our old classmate who was a doctor, he had offered to ask on my behalf, but I refused. Because I needed to hear the truth with my own ears. “But you can fool yourself; you can’t fool anyone else when it comes to feelings.” Julian stepped closer, placed one hand on the wall behind me, and looked down at me. “Maya, I’ve watched over you for seven years, and you never gave me the time of day.” “Just now, when he was publicly humiliating you, I wanted to punch him, and you wouldn’t even let me.” “Is he really that great? Is he really worth you agonizing over for three years after you broke up?” Even though he was saying hurtful things, the underlying heartache in his voice was impossible to hide. I raised my arms, wrapped them around his waist, and buried my face in his chest. He visibly stiffened. “Julian, some forms of protection have nothing to do with love, and life doesn’t offer many chances to turn back.” “Back then, when he begged to see me, I refused. So of course my presence today is an eyesore to him.” “If he needs to curse me out to feel better, I’ll take it. After all, I’m the one who needed a favor today.” I patiently explained it to him. “Did you get the answers you wanted?” Julian sighed. I nodded slightly. “Then let’s head back.” He ruffled my hair. “I’ll go get the car. Wait for me at the entrance.” “Okay.” I slowly let go. In the periphery of my vision, a figure quietly walked away… 4 On the drive home, Julian was unnervingly quiet. He didn’t speak, and I definitely didn’t have the urge to say anything. “Remember what you promised me. I’m driving you tomorrow.” When I went to get out of the car, he suddenly hit the central lock. I was about to refuse, but when I saw his stubborn expression, I changed my tune. “Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten.” I gave him a reassuring smile and flashed an “OK” sign. Only then did he unlock the doors. As Julian’s car sped away, I stood on the sidewalk, lost in thought. He and Caleb used to be best friends. They grew up together, as close as brothers. Before Caleb and I got together, Julian had publicly given me a love letter. When I rejected him, he shamelessly declared he wouldn’t give up “until the bitter end.” After Caleb and I started dating, he started dating too, but he cycled through girlfriends quickly, never staying with one for long. I thought his interest in me had just been a passing phase. But he gradually faded out of Caleb’s and my life, eventually becoming entirely estranged from Caleb. I once thought I would never cross paths with him again in this lifetime. But after my family’s tragedy, he was the one who spent countless agonizing days and nights with me at the hospital. He even acted as my smokescreen, successfully making Evelyn drop her guard around me. Besides my parents, I have two great regrets in the first half of my life. One is failing Caleb, and the other is being unable to return Julian’s love… The cold night wind started to pick up, biting into my exposed skin like needles. I wrapped my scarf tightly around my face and turned to walk toward my apartment building. Not far away, a car’s hazard lights suddenly flashed twice. By the light of the streetlamp, I recognized the person in the driver’s seat. It was Carter, the trusted driver of Caleb’s mother. I couldn’t help but sneer. Talk about lingering like a ghost. I quickened my pace, pulled open the passenger door, and slid inside. “What is it?” “Please pack your things, Ms. Sterling. We’re leaving tonight.” His voice was as stiff and uncompromising as ever. “Isn’t my train ticket for 6 AM tomorrow?” I turned to look at him. “Can’t Mrs. Thorne even wait one night?” He didn’t answer. Instead, he placed his phone on the center console. It was mid-call, on speaker. “Does Ms. Sterling have a problem with that?” Serena’s voice came through the speaker. It was arrogant and domineering, a far cry from her demure and gentle daytime persona. “I wouldn’t dare.” I frowned and chuckled. “I just wanted to know if this is Mrs. Thorne’s order or Ms. Vance’s?” “Does it make a difference?” A scoff came from the other end. “It doesn’t matter whose order it is. Ms. Sterling just needs to know that only when you’re gone can Mrs. Thorne have peace of mind.” She paused. “Only then can I have peace of mind.” Remembering the figure I saw leaving the KTV earlier, I laughed out loud. We only met once, and she was already guarding against me. And I, what power did I have to command such fear? “I’ll go.” I was too tired to argue, and moved to get out of the car. My things had been packed for a while; all that was left were a few everyday items. When I finished packing, I zipped up my suitcase and took one last look around. My parents bought this apartment. We lived here for over twenty years, and every corner held traces of our family. But now, everything was different, and even the property deed had changed names. I placed the keys on the shoe cabinet by the entrance, locked the door, and carried my suitcase downstairs. As the car headed toward the highway, I opened my phone to send a goodbye message to my new employer. I immediately noticed an unsent message. The urge to antagonize Evelyn was long gone. I put my phone away and stared out the window, silently bidding farewell to this bustling city. The city lights illuminated the pitch-black sky; towering skyscrapers stood everywhere, and the neon lights were blinding. This city held countless lonely souls, countless joys, angers, sorrows, and tragedies. But it no longer held a place for me… 5 The car drove further and further from the city center. It wasn’t until I saw a familiar courtyard that I realized with a shock that Carter had driven to the Thorne estate. “Mrs. Thorne wanted to say goodbye to you in person.” Carter parked the car and politely opened the door. “Is that really necessary?” I remained seated. I could count on one hand the number of times I had been here, but each visit was unforgettable. I didn’t want to add another. “I’m just following orders,” he said, looking straight at me. “I hope Ms. Sterling won’t make this difficult for me.” I sat in the car, locked in a stalemate with him. “The young master hasn’t lived here for a long time.” After a long pause, he added. Only then did I step out of the car. Walking boldly into the house, I saw Evelyn sitting in the parlor, watching financial news. A woman nearing fifty, her skin was still porcelain smooth. Under the sparkling light of the crystal chandelier, she seemed to glow. “Here is your ID. Carter will see you to the station.” After I sat across from her, she turned down the TV volume and handed me an ID card. The woman in the photo looked a bit like me. “Mrs. Thorne certainly went through a lot of trouble to hide my tracks.” I smiled. “Where are my actual documents? When are you giving them back?” “After Caleb and Ms. Vance are married.” She pushed a brand-new smartphone toward me. “Until then, I expect Ms. Sterling to know her place.” I instantly understood her intent: she was confiscating my phone. My throat suddenly felt tight. Wasn’t it enough that she took my residency and ID? Now she wanted to cut off my social network too? “And if I refuse?” I pressed my hand against the pocket holding my phone. Caleb gave me this phone five years ago; it was a matching set with his. I had used it all these years, and it was already lagging and crashing. Because it held so much, I couldn’t bear to replace it. I even winced if it got bumped… “I don’t want outsiders coveting my chosen daughter-in-law’s husband.” She pushed the new phone closer again. “Ms. Sterling, don’t force my hand.” Her single sentence clarified the power dynamics and her stance. Knowing I had no way out, I reluctantly pulled out my phone and placed it on the table. “Carter, handle it.” She gestured. Carter picked up the phone, removed the SIM tray, snapped the card in half, and then broke the phone in two with his bare hands. I watched helplessly as my phone was reduced to a mangled mess. “Thank you for your cooperation, Ms. Sterling.” Evelyn nodded in satisfaction. “If that’s gratitude for my obedience these past three years, I accept.” My gaze drifted over the ruined metal and plastic. “If it’s for my inability to fight back today, then keep it.” “The road ahead is long. Ms. Sterling is still young; you need to look forward.” She raised her chin and ordered Carter, “It’s getting late. Take Ms. Sterling to the station.” “Yes, ma’am,” Carter replied. I stood up silently, lowering my head as I walked toward the door. Carter took two quick steps and shoved the new phone into my hand. I took it numbly. “Maya—” Just as Carter was about to open the parlor door, Evelyn spoke again. I turned around like a marionette. “Live well. Nobody wants to compete with a dead woman.” She crossed her arms, exuding an aura of absolute authority. I let out a bitter, silent laugh. All these years, she guarded against me like I was a thief. She even destroyed my phone before I left to prevent me from contacting Caleb again. But Caleb was such a proud man; after I had hurt him so many times, how could he ever look back? The most ridiculous part was that after doing so many unspeakable things, she still hypocritically wished me a long life… “Understood.” I answered coldly, brushing past Carter to open the door. The moment the door opened, I froze in my tracks. Caleb stood right outside. His posture was rigid, his breathing steady. But those dark eyes burned with a dark, smoldering fire. 6 “Caleb, what are you doing here?” Evelyn’s voice couldn’t hide her shock. “You told me to come home if I missed it, didn’t you, Mother?” “Now that I’m back, Mother seems so surprised—” The corner of his mouth twitched up, as if he was smiling, but not really. “Is it because I’m not welcome here, or is Mother up to some shady business again?” Every sentence used the formal “Mother,” but every word was coated in venom. I frowned as I listened. Even though Caleb’s relationship with his mother used to be tense, he at least called her “Mom.” Now he couldn’t even be bothered to say “Mom,” yet he called Serena’s parents “Mom and Dad.” What exactly had happened these past few years… “Ma’am—” Carter suddenly rushed toward the area behind me. My thoughts abruptly cut off, and I turned around in confusion. Evelyn lay stiffly on the mahogany sofa, her breathing ragged, her usually composed face a sickly shade of grey-blue. I couldn’t help but feel anxious. Because with Carter moving away, the space around me felt suffocating. I could even smell the faint scent of alcohol on Caleb. For me, this proximity was far too dangerous. In any other setting, I might have just lashed out. But here, in the Thorne estate, right in front of Evelyn, I couldn’t bring myself to scream or curse. It would only make me look like a cheap clown. I casually took two steps to the side, trying to distance myself from Caleb. But he took a large stride forward, hooked an arm around my waist, and dragged me straight toward his mother. His arm felt like an iron bar. I wanted to glue my feet to the floor, but I lacked the strength, forced to let him drag me forward. “It’s so late, and my dear Mother is still hosting guests. Working so hard.” Caleb forcefully pushed me down onto the sofa. “What kind of deal did you strike? Let me hear it too.” “Carter, take Ms. Sterling home.” Evelyn caught her breath, but she radiated a dark, oppressive energy. I obediently stood up. But Caleb pushed me back down again. “I’m basically half the master of this house now. If Mother acts like this, isn’t it a bit disrespectful to me?” He adjusted his watch, his expression lazy, but every word was a warning. With Evelyn glaring like a hawk in front of me and Caleb aggressively cornering me, I was trapped. I touched the cold, new phone in my hand, caught in a dilemma. After three years away, I had absolutely no desire to meddle in their family drama. I wanted to just walk away, but all I had was a fake ID. Without Carter’s help, even if I knew where to go, I wouldn’t pass the facial recognition at the station. As the three of us remained locked in a standoff, Evelyn spoke again. “Don’t you want to know what happened three years ago? Let her leave, and I’ll tell you.” “God knows what kind of lies you’ll spin. Compared to you, I’d rather hear it from her.” Caleb’s tone was flat. Evelyn sneered. “If you want to hear it from her, you have to see if she’s willing to tell you.” Everyone’s eyes immediately fell on me. “I don’t have a fetish for catching up with my ex.” The corners of my lips curled up. “I’m afraid my boyfriend, Julian, would get jealous.” Caleb kicked the coffee table, sending it crashing over. He clenched his fists, the veins on his neck bulging, looking like lightning hidden in thick, dark clouds, ready to destroy everything. I knew he was absolutely furious. But I felt zero sense of accomplishment. As someone who once loved him deeply, I always knew exactly where to stab him so it hurt the most. When we were together, I never thought a day would come where I’d use my knowledge of him as a weapon against him. Over these three years, I had ruthlessly poured all that knowledge out to wound him… “Let’s go.” I stood up and signaled Carter. He looked at Evelyn. Evelyn gave a stiff nod. As we walked out, Carter kept looking back, clearly worried about Evelyn’s safety. “If you don’t leave now, you might regret it.” I offered a subtle warning. Carter flinched, and his steps instantly quickened. This time, Caleb didn’t try to stop me.

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For me, the global superstar Austin Sterling refused all on-screen kisses and kept a cold distance from every female artist in the industry. He wrote endless love songs, chronicling our ten-year romance for the world to hear. Everyone knew he was a “simp”—a man hopelessly, dangerously devoted to me. Until I found the photos. The photos of him and my best friend, tangled together in a betrayal that dated back two years. It took me a long time to let go of everything, to stage my own death and leave. And then, he lost his mind. 1 At the Grammy Awards, Austin Sterling took home the Artist of the Year trophy. When the host asked about his next move, he leaned into the microphone and said: “My wife is pregnant. I’m stepping away from the spotlight for a year to focus entirely on her.” Austin was born with a cold, sharp handsomeness. Standing at six-foot-three, he usually radiated a chilling indifference that kept people at a distance. But at that moment, his eyes were overflowing with joy and anticipation. The corners of his mouth lifted into a natural, involuntary smile. The whole country knew Austin Sterling was “love-brained.” Two years ago, at the peak of his fame, he announced our marriage. It caused a massive exodus of fans, ended several high-profile contracts, and sent his career into a freefall. A reporter once asked if he was pressured into the marriage or if he regretted marrying so young. He looked directly into the lens, his voice steady and sincere: “I was the one who pressured her. I can’t live without her. I wanted to tie her to my side forever.” “Marrying Sienna is the greatest stroke of luck in my life.” That interview went viral, and Austin’s “devoted husband” persona won him immense public sympathy. He focused on his music and acting, relying on pure talent to claw his way back to the top. Finally, today, he stood at the summit again. And yet, because I was pregnant, he announced another year-long hiatus. In an industry where you’re forgotten in a week, this move was professional suicide. But he told me he didn’t care. He just wanted to be with me. At night, he would pull me into his arms, humming love songs until I fell asleep. Austin loved me very, very much. I could feel it. That was why, two years ago, when the “System” told me my mission was complete, I refused to leave. I married the man I had nurtured and mentored from a struggling trainee to a global icon. The System warned me: “The human heart is a dark forest. Do not gaze into it for too long.” But I believed Austin would love me forever. What did it matter if my real body was dead in another world? Wasn’t living in a beautiful dream a form of happiness? Until I found the photos. Austin and my best friend, in a state of intimate abandon. The timestamp on the files went back two years. Which meant, before he ever proposed to me, he had already betrayed me. 2 When I woke up in the morning, Austin was already researching prenatal recipes. He had cleared his schedule. He just wanted to be there for me. My morning sickness was brutal; I couldn’t keep anything down. So, he spent his days coming up with new, enticing dishes. Pregnancy made me lethargic and irritable. I felt useless and out of focus. So, he bought a hoard of magic tricks to perform for me, trying to make me laugh. Once, while trying to produce a rose from a fireball, he accidentally singed his forehead. His bangs were scorched into curls. As I applied ointment to his skin, tears of pity blurred my vision. He simply handed me the hair clippers and told me to give him a buzz cut. He joked that he’d go for the “tough guy” look—a scar and a buzz cut, the ultimate protector vibe. But I was still sad. He pulled me close and whispered: “Sienna, if it’s too hard… we don’t have to have the baby.” “I only need you.” His voice was incredibly soft. He genuinely pitied me, yet he was terrified that I might actually choose to give up the child. The giant whiteboard in our study was covered in scribbles. Visitors thought he was working on new lyrics. But if you looked closer, you’d see they were baby names. We designed the nursery together. Whenever I made a little handicraft, he’d praise me: “I hope our child turns out exactly like you.” He was so, so excited for the baby’s arrival. I never once doubted his love for the child. But the part that broke me… Was knowing that this love wasn’t exclusive. Long ago, he had already shared it with someone else. “Austin, I want to see the ocean. It’s been a while.” “Sure, honey. Where to?” “Let’s go to Montauk. Madison is there. We haven’t seen her in forever.” Austin’s hand tightened on mine for a split second, but he quickly flashed a smile: “It’s been cold there lately. You’re pregnant; we should go somewhere warmer. Let’s wait for the summer to visit her, okay?” He spoke with such tenderness, acting as if he were only considering my well-being. I searched his face for a crack. There was none. He was a classically trained actor. Flawless performance was his specialty. But his cloud storage backup didn’t know how to act. That morning, I was looking for an old file on a spare phone and accidentally opened his auto-sync gallery. I saw a world of data I didn’t recognize. I realized it was Austin’s private account. Years ago, for convenience, I used to sync my photos to his drive. But after getting a new phone and taking fewer pictures, I had forgotten all about it. As I scrolled through the old memories, my heart felt sweet. Until the later photos hit me like a physical blow— Austin, sleeping in various hotel rooms, always with the same person beside him: my best friend, Madison. Sometimes, they were naked, entwined in bed. Sometimes, Austin was asleep, and Madison was taking a playful selfie with him. Sometimes, the angles were suggestive and blurred… The earliest photo was dated two years ago. And the updates had continued, off and on, ever since. 3 In the ten years I had known Austin, Countless starlets and colleagues had tried to get close to him. He was too beautiful, and his public persona was so cold and distant—like a moon hanging high in the sky. People looked up at him, and they longed to possess him. But he always told me, “Sienna, unless you don’t want me anymore, I’ll never leave your side.” “Sienna, stay with me. I will never betray you.” “Sienna, marry me. Stay with me forever.” His words were so moving. His eyes were so sincere. Was it all a lie? They say the onlooker sees most clearly, so I wanted to ask someone. But my entire life in this world revolved around Austin. All my friends and associates were from his circle. Except for Madison. She was the only non-industry friend I had made during my mission. Madison was sharp, fiery, and brave—like an untamable wild mare. In the past, when my mission hit a wall, I would often go to her for advice. She always told me I was too soft, that I didn’t know how to say no, and that I’d end up suffering for it. I would laugh and say, “Well, I have you. You’ll always knock some sense into me and show me the way.” In this world, the two people I cherished most were Austin Sterling and Madison. Now, that world had finally, completely collapsed. 4 Regarding the trip, I insisted on Montauk. Austin had no choice but to agree to drive me. The night before we left, I heard him get up in the middle of the night to make a secret phone call. “I’ve booked the tickets and the hotel. You have to leave tonight…” “I’m begging you. Sienna isn’t emotionally stable right now. She’s your friend; you know she can’t handle this.” “Madison, I’ll give you anything you want, except for this.” After a long silence, he hung up in the bathroom and climbed back into bed. Seeing that I was “sleeping soundly,” he kissed my forehead. Austin fell asleep. I finally opened my eyes. In the darkness, my tears soaked the pillow. 5 Montauk was beautiful. Austin booked a luxury beachfront villa so I could wake up to the sound of the waves every day. I mentioned wanting seafood, so he woke up at dawn to go to the docks, waiting for the first catch of the day. He took it to a local restaurant to have the chef prepare it. He even said he wanted to watch and learn so he could cook it for me himself. Around noon, the doorbell rang. Austin wasn’t back. It was Madison. Austin had told her to leave last night, but clearly, Madison had no intention of obeying. “Sienna, I don’t want to hurt you,” Madison said, cutting straight to the point. “But I don’t want to settle for less, either.” “I’ve been with Austin for a long time.” Madison always acted like the type who said whatever was on her mind. But I realized now that it wasn’t like that at all. What she said and what she felt weren’t always aligned. She said she didn’t want to hurt me, but she had shown up specifically to do just that. In the past, when she saw a “green tea” girl trying to manipulate Austin, she’d teach me how to spot them and how to defend myself. But she was the one hidden deepest of all. She met Austin through me. She became the “cool bro” to both of us. She played the “big sister” role when we fought. She shared secret little moments with Austin that I knew nothing about. She covered for him at parties I didn’t attend. They had a first time, a second time, a third… and then countless more. “So what do you want me to do?” I asked coldly. “Are you still expecting me to give you advice?” Madison let out a short laugh. “You probably don’t even know. I was going to leave the country, but Austin went to the airport to stop me.” A dull pain throbbed in my lower abdomen. “So? You think Austin will divorce me for you? He loves me.” I realized, as the words left my mouth, that even I didn’t believe them anymore. “Is that so?” Madison sneered and stood up. “Then let’s see who he chooses in the end.” Madison left shortly before Austin returned. Acting guilty, he noticed the extra teacup on the table and asked if anyone had visited. I told him it was a lady from next door who brought over some local pastries. Austin told me not to open the door for strangers. I nodded and ate the hot meal he brought back. Suddenly, nausea surged, and I ended up throwing everything up in the sink. Austin tenderly patted my back and handed me a glass of water. “Austin, do you love me?” “Of course.” “Only me?” “…” Austin nervously asked what was wrong, if I had seen some tabloid gossip. I shook my head and said I was just too invested in a TV show. In the show, the abandoned female lead was so pitiful. Austin laughed and said shows were fake, but his love for me was real. In the middle of the night, Austin was woken by a vibrating phone. He declined the call several times, but the person on the other end was persistent. He finally had to hide in the bathroom to call back. “What? Which hospital?? I’m coming right now!” Austin hurriedly started putting on his clothes. I pretended to just wake up and asked where he was going. He stammered, saying a relative of his had been hospitalized and he had to go check on them. Maybe much later, when he wasn’t so nervous, he’d realize how ridiculous his lie was. He was an orphan. He grew up in the system. He told me when we married that I was his first and only family. So who was this “relative” that suddenly appeared? “I’ll go with you.” I wanted to give him one last chance to be honest with me. But he quickly held me down. “No, it’s the middle of the night. Go back to sleep. I’ll be right back.” Without waiting for me to say anything else, he hurried away. For the next several days, he spent his time at the hospital. He hired a nanny to cook for me and kept me confined to the house. But I faked a stomach ache and went to the hospital myself. 6 Austin and I had our location shared on our phones. Usually, we didn’t check, but he was so preoccupied with his “relative” that he didn’t notice I was already standing outside the hospital room. Through the glass window, I saw this scene— A beautiful, haggard woman with bandages on her wrists, suggesting a suicide attempt. A handsome, gentle man carefully blowing on a bowl of porridge, feeding her spoon by spoon. They looked like a peaceful, happy young couple. The image made it hard to breathe. Suppressing the urge to gag, I dialed Austin’s number. Austin saw the call, and a flash of panic crossed his face. He wanted to decline it. But Madison reached out and hit the “Accept” button. “Sienna… what is it?” Austin’s voice was dry. “Austin, where are you?” I tried to keep my voice as steady as possible. “I’m with that relative. I’ll be home soon.” As soon as he finished, Madison leaned in and kissed his neck, then suddenly bit him hard. Austin couldn’t help but let out a sharp gasp of pain. My heart skipped a beat. “Okay. I’m hanging up.” Maybe I couldn’t hold it back; my voice carried a hint of a sob. Austin panicked. “What’s wrong?” “Nothing. Just a bit of a stomach ache.” “Stomach ache? I’m coming home right now…” He started to stand up, but Madison grabbed him, looking at him with teary, pitiful eyes. Austin softened. “Traffic is bad right now. It’ll take me a while to get back. Look, I’ll call the nanny. Have her take you to the clinic immediately.” I smiled. “Okay.” I hung up and watched them. Madison playfully reached into Austin’s waistband to pinch him. Austin grabbed her hand, tucked it back under the covers, and then leaned over to tell her something—likely telling her to rest and stop acting out. I suddenly felt a violent urge to vomit. I ran into the restroom and threw up until my face was covered in tears. My phone pinged. A message from Madison: Porridge made by Austin is the best. Attached was a photo of Austin holding her hand as he slept by her bedside. I closed my eyes and booked an appointment at an OB-GYN clinic. Austin, you were so excited for this baby. But I’m not. 7 The doctor told me the procedure carried a high risk. The hospital refused to do it. I walked out of the hospital into the warm breeze, but my heart felt colder than ever. I knew I had two choices: Either endure a violent “death” to trigger the system and enter an unknown next world—which could be worse than this one. Or, stay here, pretend I know nothing, and continue to live in the sweet, hollow illusion Austin had built. My mind was a mess. Thoughts raced through my head until my phone rang. It was the nanny. “Ms. Sterling, where are you? Mr. Sterling is home and he’s frantic.” I checked my location. Austin was at the villa. But half a minute later, the dot started moving again, heading straight for Madison’s apartment. The nanny said, “He took a call. A woman was crying on the other end, and he just bolted again…” This was my future. Austin might maintain our marriage, but he would always have a soft spot for Madison. I would be trapped in this eternal triangle, suffering without end. I chose to walk away. 8 The risks for my procedure were too high for the major hospitals. I needed a private clinic. Miraculously, it was as if fate had heard my wish. I found a private clinic online. I followed the address. This was where I would say goodbye to this world. The street was quiet. The clinic looked clean. The office had a faint scent of cedarwood, and the doctor was refined and cool. He didn’t take the massive bribe I offered. He just lowered his eyes, pursed his lips, and thought for a moment. I noticed his name tag: Dr. Silas Thorne. “Are you sure?” He looked at me, his eyes unreadable. I nodded. “Have you really thought this through?” I nodded again. “Yes.” He didn’t say anything else. He took the payment. “Thursday. Come back then.” I felt a sense of relief, as if something had finally been settled. But leaving the clinic, the heatwave felt exhausting. I went to a nearby cafe for a piece of cake. My phone had died. The cashier asked if I had cash. I looked at my empty pockets, feeling humiliated. Just then, a payment card was tapped behind me. It was Dr. Thorne. “Together,” he said simply to the cashier. The cafe was tiny. By the window, there was only one wooden table and two chairs. So I sat across from Dr. Thorne. He had his coffee; I had my cake. Neither of us spoke. But I had a very strange feeling. As if I had lived this moment before. Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out behind me: “Sienna?” It was Austin. He looked furious. He marched over, pulled me behind him, and glared at Dr. Thorne. “Who the hell are you?” he asked coldly. I tried to explain, but Austin cut me off. He grabbed my hand, showing my wedding ring to the doctor. “Don’t you know you should keep your distance from a married woman?” “Austin!” Terrified of offending the doctor I needed, I pulled Austin back and apologized to Silas. “I’m sorry… thank you for the cake.” I signaled him to leave quickly. Dr. Thorne said nothing. He gave Austin a cold, indifferent glance. Just as Austin opened his mouth to say something even more unpleasant, Silas turned and walked away. I breathed a secret sigh of relief. The next second, Austin gripped my shoulders nervously. “Who is he? Why aren’t you answering my calls?” I pointed to my dead phone and briefly explained the cake situation. Austin pulled me into an anxious embrace, sounding both helpless and protective. “You can’t just take food from a strange man.” “Don’t do it again.” I smiled in his arms. “It was just a piece of cake. Why the temper?” Austin tightened his grip. “Don’t you understand? It’s because I love you. It hurts to see you with anyone else.” His voice was deep and pleasant, his warm breath brushing against the skin of my neck. His words were always so moving, so warm. I smiled softly. “I understand.” Of course I did. I gently pushed him away. “I’m hungry. Let’s go home.” “Okay, let’s go home.” Austin gallantly opened the door for me and waited by the curb for an Uber. As we turned the corner, while he wasn’t looking, I pulled the ring off my finger and dropped it into a trash can.

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Good news: I’m the real daughter of a billionaire. Bad news: I was a fake all along. At a family dinner, the “fake” daughter ran to my parents, soaking wet and looking pitiful. “Sister, why did you throw red wine on me?” I looked around, hugged the 2-liter bottle of soda next to me, and gave her a wide, innocent stare. “Are you talking about me? But I’ve been drinking Coke this whole time.” 1 I am Maya Sterling, the youngest daughter of the Sterling Group. My eldest sister, Olivia, is a gold-medal director who wins awards until her hands are sore, internationally renowned. My older brother, Liam, is the current second-in-command of the Sterling Group, with a limitless future. And me… I am a clueless, useless idiot. Maybe my parents’ genes took a wild detour when they made me. Aside from my looks, I didn’t inherit a single one of their outstanding talents. Not only that, but my reactions have always been a bit slower than everyone else’s. In my sister’s words, I was like a Samoyed that snuck into a pack of wolves, getting bullied but still wagging my tail happily, barking, “Big doggies!” Logically, someone at the very bottom of the food chain like me should have been the first cannon fodder sacrificed in any billionaire family feud. But my mom said: “So what if she’s a little slow? Two heads are better than one, and we have a whole family to protect her.” But my mom was wrong about one thing. Since I couldn’t follow the elite billionaire heir route, she dedicated herself to throwing money at me so I could be a carefree, spoiled rich kid. But when other rich kids were thrill-seeking and street racing, I barely managed to pass my driver’s test. When they were out partying and binge drinking, I was allergic to alcohol. When they were playing the field and keeping boy toys, the most I dared to do was hold hands. Over time, my mom had to comfort herself. “It’s better to be a little slow. It doesn’t attract unwanted attention. Keeps the drama away.” But even living like this, I still became a target. 2 Liam brought home a frail girl who looked about 70% like me. The moment she saw my mom, she tragically dropped to her knees, crying her eyes out. “Mom, I finally found you!” My dad instantly felt the chicken leg in his bowl lose its flavor. He put down his fork and stared wide-eyed. “What’s going on? You have a kid on the outside?!” My mom was horrified. “I didn’t! I swear I don’t!” The girl crawled on her knees and bowed deeply to my dad. “Dad, I missed you so much!” My mom dropped her panicked expression, put her hands on her hips, and pointed at my dad’s nose. “You still have the nerve to ask me! Is this one of your past mistakes?!” The girl on her knees choked back tears, while my parents were still immersed in their game of passing the buck. Neither of them paid her any attention. “Dad, Mom, she says she is the real Maya Sterling.” In the end, it was Liam who got straight to the point. “What does that mean? How is that possible?” “I’ve seen the DNA test report. It’s real.” “Then what about our youngest?” My mom pointed at me, who was still burying my head in my food. “The youngest is, of course, your biological daughter, my biological sister.” Liam’s words carried no hesitation. He stood coldly to the side, with no intention of helping the so-called “real” sister up. The girl suddenly raised her head and glared at me fiercely. “She’s a fake! If Mom and Dad don’t believe me, you can take her for a DNA test. You have no biological connection to her!” Her certainty made Liam frown. My parents didn’t respond to her accusation, and Liam continued asking. “So I brought her back to ask you, is this some illegitimate daughter you had on the outside?” My parents shook their heads violently like rattle drums. After a long pause, my mom slapped her forehead. “I know!” I rubbed my forehead and spat out the last chicken bone. Thanks to this farce grabbing their attention, I got to eat all the chicken legs today. Except for the half still in my dad’s bowl. My mom’s eyes shone brightly, incredibly excited. “It turns out I had twins back then!” 3 Everyone’s eyes turned to my mom. The girl was the first to object. “How is that possible? There was clearly only me! I am your only daughter!” “Mom, if you take her for a DNA test, you’ll know…” Her words were cut off by my mom. My mom took her hand, pulled her to sit on the sofa, and looked at her with maternal love. “Sweetheart, a piece of flesh fell from my own body, wouldn’t I know how much it weighed?” “I always wondered why my belly was so big back then. It must have been twins.” “Don’t you agree, honey?” My dad showed a look of sudden realization and nodded repeatedly. “I thought it was because you ate too many supplements during the pregnancy. So it was twins.” “You almost had a difficult labor back then. It must have been during the panic that the hospital lost one of the babies.” Surprisingly, everyone accepted this absurd explanation. Even Liam’s expression softened. The girl looked pale, trying to argue further. Her gaze fell on me, as if expecting me to react with violent rejection. But all I could think was: “No wonder my reactions are so slow.” This girl’s mouth fired off words like it was on 2x speed. All the excellent genes must have gone to her! But I wasn’t jealous. I was always going to be last place anyway. What did it matter if I had one more sibling? I frowned. I had eaten a bit too much and was feeling stuffed, which slowed my thinking even more. “So, between the two of us, who is the older sister?” Under the girl’s expectant gaze, I threw out a completely useless question. “You be the older sister, Maya. Take care of your new younger sister.” My mom smiled brightly, observing the girl’s reaction. She bit her lip, seemingly unwilling, but eventually, slowly nodded. “Mom, my life before this was so hard…” She rolled up her sleeves, perhaps intending to show the scars on her arms. My mom stopped her and thoughtfully draped a blanket over her thin clothes. “Sweetheart, let’s not talk about the past.” “Let’s give you a new name.” “You are the child we lost to the outside world, so we’ll call you… Ava.” Ava swallowed her grievances. “Okay, Mom.” My mom took Ava’s hand and warmly gave her a tour of the house. Overnight, everyone in the Sterling Group, except for Olivia who was away filming, learned of Ava’s existence. And Ava’s challenge to me officially began at that moment. 4 As expected, Ava crushed me in every aspect. She effortlessly blended into the social circles I couldn’t fit into. She played instruments I couldn’t master with ease. Indeed, she looked more like a child of the Sterling family than I did. Piled high with money and the ultimate luxury services, Ava never again showed the timidity of our first meeting. She tried multiple times to steer our parents into taking me for a DNA test. But my mom said: “There’s no need. Our family doesn’t lack the money to raise one more person.” At the autumn gala, Ava fluttered through the crowd like a butterfly. Today, her identity as the “Fourth Miss of the Sterling Family” would be officially introduced to high society by our parents. For this day, she had meticulously prepared a haute couture corset gown, the tailored fabric accentuating her proud curves. Ava followed our parents closely, elegantly and confidently toasting and making small talk with everyone. I sat in a corner, discreetly pulling a 2-liter bottle of Coke from under the heavy tablecloth and filling my wine glass. Elegant. Truly too elegant. I swirled the glass and let out a satisfied burp. The only flaw was that room-temperature Coke wasn’t stimulating enough, and the carbonation dissipated too quickly. I held my wine glass and strolled leisurely out into the courtyard. I had never been good at handling these big scenes since I was a kid, so I was especially grateful for Ava’s existence. While daydreaming, I heard hurried footsteps approaching and instinctively ducked behind some bushes. The heavy, sticky sound of kissing and the rustling of clothes made me blush. Holy crap, who is making out in the garden?! “Tyler… someone might see us…” Ava’s soft moans mixed with a man’s heavy breathing. “Baby, you look so beautiful today.” Tyler was my arranged fiancé. Rather than being surprised that they had hooked up, my main thought made me cover my mouth in a silent scream: Did they not know our family’s exterior was covered in full-color, thermal-imaging infrared security cameras?! Thinking of the security guards staring at each other in front of the HD monitors in the control room… Oh my god, I felt embarrassed for them! 5 It took forever for those two to leave, and my legs were numb from squatting. My engagement to Tyler was a verbal agreement made by our elders. A business marriage, very normal. But the two of us never really clicked. Tyler thought I was boring and plain, and I thought Tyler was a player. The engagement kind of just faded away. But it looked like Ava was very happy to be the rebound. Tyler was the sole heir to the Vance family. Old Mr. Vance’s marriage plan for him was: “Best to have two kids in the first year, three in two years, the more the better.” Looking at Ava’s frail frame, I had deep doubts. Oh well, as long as she’s happy. Before I could even bend down, lift the tablecloth, and refill my drink, a swaying white figure crashed into me. “Ah! Sister, why did you throw red wine on me?” Ava’s eyes were filled with tears, her face pale, as she questioned me, trembling. A large, dark wine-red stain bloomed across her layered skirt. At first glance, it looked like she had just run from a murder scene. Before I had time to react, Tyler was there too. “Maya, how could you bully your sister? Are you jealous that she’s better than you?” “Sister definitely didn’t do it on purpose, Tyler, don’t say that…” The drama at the gala naturally drew everyone’s attention. Soon, everyone noticed the corner where I was standing. Under the curious, drama-hungry gazes of the bystanders, I slowly hugged the 2-liter bottle of soda next to me, my eyes clear and innocent. “Are you talking about me? But I’ve been drinking Coke this whole time.” Everyone showed a look of utter speechlessness. Tyler kept pushing it. “What kind of person drinks Coke at a gala? You just bullied Ava and won’t admit it. Do you know how hard she worked for today…” I didn’t know. I really didn’t know how hard she worked. “I’m allergic to alcohol. I never drink.” “Then you must have snatched Ava’s glass!” Then I would have needed to be holding two glasses. I didn’t really want to keep arguing with this troll. In the end, Ava interrupted the argument. “It was me who didn’t look where I was going and bumped into my sister. It’s my fault. I apologize to you, Sister.” She bowed deeply to me, tears welling in her eyes, while the onlookers whispered among themselves. Honestly, nobody really cared whose wine it was anyway. Ava’s goal was singular: to create the illusion that I was targeting her, thereby establishing her persona as respectful and humble. The rest she left to the rumors and wild guesses. With a teary-eyed Ava in front of me and an aggressive Tyler behind me, I felt a bit distressed. This was broken by an elegant, tall figure. Olivia’s long, slender fingers lifted Ava’s chin, a half-smile on her face. “You’re very talented. Want to be the female lead in my new movie?” 6 Ava accepted, flattered and overwhelmed. A spot in Olivia’s movies was hard to come by, let alone the lead role. After thinking about it for a long time, I decided to hint to Olivia to be careful of Ava. Stuttering in front of Olivia for a while, I only managed to squeeze out one sentence. “She’s not a good person.” Olivia blew a smoke ring at me, watching with a smile as I pinched my nose and coughed. “If you’re worried, come join the crew with me. Big sister will take you to watch a good show.” Ava’s sudden casting caused a heated debate among the crew. “Director Sterling really does favor talented people.” “Look, Ava gets the lead role right away, while Maya can only watch.” “I’ve heard for a long time that Maya is a useless heiress. Maybe the rumors are true, and she’s not really a Sterling.” I sat under a sunshade drinking juice, watching Ava sweating under the blazing sun. I scoffed at the whispers nearby. I had heard these things so much lately that my ears were growing calluses. Ava’s first scene involved wirework over water. Although she had undergone systematic training before shooting, she still looked a bit hesitant. Olivia put her arm around her shoulder and pointed at the award-winning actor, Ethan Cole, not far away. “Ava, your starting point is acting opposite an A-lister. You’re already better than so many people.” “Don’t put pressure on yourself. It doesn’t matter if you mess up. You definitely won’t be worse than Maya.” Since Ava arrived, “little sister” was no longer my exclusive title. Such intimate instructions obviously worked perfectly on Ava. “Sister, I will definitely do a good job!” She nodded confidently. Then came eighteen consecutive NG takes. Olivia strove for perfection and never went easy on anyone. Hoisted high up, dropped heavily down. I thought Ava would call it quits, but she actually pushed through. It wasn’t until evening that I understood the meaning behind Ava’s actions. A comparison photo of us on set was trending online. #AvaNaturalBornActress #AvaDedication #AvaMayaComparison #WhatIsItLikeToHaveAMeanOlderSister In the photos, Ava was respectfully performing difficult stunts mid-air, while I was sitting with my legs crossed in the shade playing cards on my phone. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to work. It was that I really wasn’t helpful. Despite the internet condemning me for making things difficult for Ava, my mom was the first one to get angry at home. “How many times have I told you not to cross your legs! You never listen!” Okay, my bad. 7 After tagging along with Olivia’s crew for a few days, I didn’t want to go anymore. Those days, I was secretly photographed 360 degrees by paparazzi, constantly trending alongside Ava and being gossiped about. It was so annoying. However, Ava was enjoying it. Her popularity was soaring, even driving up the Sterling Group’s stock. My dad generously transferred 5% of his shares to Ava as a wrap gift. The circles were saying that this was the favored true heiress, and questioning what kind of life Maya lived before—no car, no house, no power. No comparison, no damage. True, I thought they had a point. But I had a mouth. I could ask my parents for money. Having money was good enough. Ava clearly wasn’t satisfied. Not only did she have a massive fan base, but she had also gained the family’s approval. My mom put two duck legs in her bowl. I admit, I was sour. Ava smiled gently: “Mom, actors need to maintain their figures. I can’t eat greasy food. Let my sister have it.” “It’s okay, you eat it. Your sister had too much meat before, she needs to eat lighter to rest her stomach.” Ava’s smile twisted slightly, but she quickly adjusted. “Dad, I want to join the family company to learn. Can I?” “Of course. It’s good to be proactive. Liam, arrange it.” My usually silent second brother nodded. “Is Maya coming too?” I shook my head violently. Making me work a 9-to-5 desk job was akin to prison. I wasn’t going. My dad deadpanned a final blow. “Don’t force her. Isn’t lying around at home nice? It’s not like we can’t afford the electricity bill.” See? This is how my uselessness was cultivated. A week after Ava went to the company to “learn,” an anonymous email arrived in the inboxes of the Sterling Group employees. It was the DNA test result between me and my dad. The result showed: “The DNA match between the samples is low. No biological relationship.”

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A long time after breaking up with the heir to the Sterling Group, he had already found someone new. He blocked my resources and snatched a role I had spent six months preparing for, just to pave the way for his new flame. On the day I won the Best Actress award, the host asked me: “I heard that the theme song ‘Prayers,’ which you sang when you first debuted, was named after the love of your life?” In the audience, Julian Sterling suddenly looked up, his face full of disbelief. Very few people knew that the heir to the Sterling Group was named Julian. Until this moment, he didn’t realize that I had once loved him with all my heart. Hiding his name in a song title. But now, I just shook my head and smilingly denied it: “That’s all in the past.” 1 On the way to the film festival, my manager, Sarah, informed me with a grim expression: “Our endorsement contract with Dior for the Asian region has been terminated. They’ve replaced you with Mia Jiang again.” I calmly lowered my eyes and said, “I’m used to it.” She lit a cigarette, unable to suppress her anxiety: “How many resources has she snatched from you this year? From the lead role in Director Lee’s new movie, to top-tier commercial and variety show contracts, and now the most important blue-blood luxury endorsement you had. That lead role in Director Lee’s movie—you prepared for it for six months, kept your schedule clear for a year, gained twenty pounds, and then lost it again. Just as filming started, they swapped you out.” The endorsements and resources were one thing, but I couldn’t let go of that movie role. I pulled the cigarette from Sarah’s fingers. My eyes stung slightly, and I reminded her softly: “Sarah. There’s nothing we can do.” There was nothing we could do. Because backing Mia Jiang was the heir to the Sterling Group, Julian Sterling. The Sterling family held controlling stakes in much of the domestic entertainment industry. Even our own agency was no exception. Mia Jiang was the only girlfriend Julian had ever publicly acknowledged. Within a year of entering the industry, she was already working with famous directors and producers. This time, she was nominated alongside me for Best Actress at the film festival. Julian was lifting her up, making sure to place the absolute best right in front of her. It just so happened that I was in the way. Sarah looked at me: “If you end up being a placeholder for Mia Jiang again this time, and get mocked on the trending topics, you won’t even get a look at any good scripts anymore.” Relying on Director Lee’s movie, Mia Jiang received an award nomination in her first year in the entertainment industry. I started my career from the bottom, working as an extra and a stand-in. Over the years, I became an acclaimed actress, nominated multiple times, but always going home empty-handed. My haters mocked me, calling me the “Almost-Best-Actress.” I looked out the car window at the endless stream of traffic. If I went home empty-handed again, my situation would only become more difficult. Still resentful about the lost luxury endorsement, Sarah spoke without thinking: “Scarlett, you used to be with Julian too. How come he never paved the way for you like this?” I pulled my gaze back from the window, fell silent for a moment, and looked at Sarah. My voice was very light: “Sarah. I was just dating him.” I wasn’t “with” him in that transactional sense. I wasn’t kept like a canary in a gilded cage. We were dating. That’s all. But everyone else didn’t think so. 2 Because he and I belonged to entirely different social classes. We were never on equal footing from the start. Actually, Julian had done something like that for me, but not often—just once. It was for a top-tier fashion resource that every female artist in the country fought tooth and nail for. Sarah had racked her brains figuring out how to get the brand to notice me. But Julian used his private jet to fly me to Europe to attend a small, private dinner hosted by Dior’s CEO. Upon my return, I received the invitation to be the brand ambassador for the Asia-Pacific region. But I was quiet on the flight back. While the plane cruised at an altitude of tens of thousands of feet, Julian knelt on one knee in front of me, cupped my face, and laughed in exasperation: “Why are you suddenly upset for no reason?” I wasn’t angry. I just… didn’t know what to say. “Julian, everything you give me is too expensive. Please don’t do this anymore.” Julian laughed, leaning in until our noses touched, his warm breath falling on my face: “Compared to my entire heart, what is this? We’re dating. What’s wrong with me treating you well? My only fear is that I can’t give you enough.” His nuzzling tickled. I pressed my lips together, and the question I had wanted to ask remained unspoken. If, one day, you don’t like me anymore, how will we settle the score for all these things? If you give your heart to someone else, what then? Now, I already have the answer. Regardless of whether he gave it or not. He will take it all back. 3 The red carpet moment before the film festival is always considered a highlight. Before I even finished walking my section, a commotion erupted behind me, and the cameras of the media and photographers instantly swiveled away. I looked back, and sure enough, it was Mia Jiang. But there was someone beside her—Julian. They were arriving together. Julian had always been extremely reluctant to expose himself to the public eye. I never expected him to be willing to walk the red carpet with Mia Jiang. He saw me, but withdrew his gaze in an instant, looking down to help Mia arrange the train of her dress. Mia asked, “What’s wrong?” I heard him chuckle softly: “Nothing, just a passerby.” 4 During the Best Actress award presentation, the host read my name twice before I dazedly stood up. The large screen on the stage was playing clips of my performance in the film. Amidst the cheers, the moment I took the trophy, I finally realized that I had won. Julian and Mia were sitting in the front row. Having just lost, Mia’s face was ashen. Julian kept his eyes lowered, ignoring Mia. It was as if he was carefully listening to my acceptance speech. My acceptance speech was very long. Name after name tumbled from my lips in gratitude. By the end, Julian’s name still hadn’t appeared. The person who used to hold the number one spot on my list of gratitude had long been personally erased by me. I could only see his jaw clenched, as cold as iron. The host was a famous comedian in the country. While lightening the mood, the host joked: “Scarlett, Reddit has dug up all your stories. I heard that the theme song ‘Prayers,’ which you sang when you first debuted, was named after the love of your life?” Back then, I not only sang the theme song but also wrote the lyrics for it. Selfishly, I hid the name of the person I loved most in the song title. (Note: ‘Prayers’ in Chinese is ‘Qi’, sharing the same character as Julian’s Chinese name ‘Yan Qi’). I saw Julian in the audience suddenly look up, his face full of disbelief. Very few people knew that the heir to the Sterling Group was named Julian. Until this moment, he didn’t realize that I had once loved him with all my heart. I looked at a panicked Mia next to Julian, shook my head, and smilingly denied it: “That’s all in the past.” 5 After returning to my seat with the award, my hands and heart were burning hot, and it took all my willpower not to cry. Before the film festival, the industry hadn’t been optimistic about my chances of winning. The hot favorite was Director Lee’s leading lady, Mia Jiang. I never expected to pull off such an upset. Suddenly, a tissue was handed to me, accompanied by a low voice: “The cameras aren’t panning this way right now. Dry your tears.” Sitting next to me was the Grand Slam Best Actor, Caleb Thorne, a true genius of an actor. He was the male lead in the film I won the award for, and we shared many scenes together. If it hadn’t been for Caleb’s recommendation, the director wouldn’t have thought to let me audition; if it hadn’t been for his acting, I couldn’t have gotten so deep into character and performed at an unprecedented level. But I looked at the tissue in front of me, my fingers curling slightly before I took it, softly saying: “Thank you.” Caleb didn’t say anything more, just gave a guttural “hmm,” his eyes on the stage, as aloof and unapproachable as the rumors suggested. It was just like… The day we wrapped filming. By the sea where we shot, the moonlight spilled across the water. Caleb had confessed his feelings to me, but acted as if nothing had ever happened. 6 The atmosphere within my team when we left was completely different from when we arrived. Sarah was glowing, sweeping away all the previous gloom. Before getting into the car, I was stopped by a few fans who popped out of nowhere. The security guards wanted to drive them away, but I stopped them. I signed autographs for each of them. They were young girls who had traveled God knows how far, and it would be a shame for them to leave empty-handed. As I finished the last stroke of my signature, I heard someone call out to me from behind. The final stroke of my name became slightly stiff. Julian stood a short distance behind me, calling out: “Scarlett.” I kept my eyes lowered, pretending I didn’t hear him. Smiling, I said a few parting words to my fans, then, with my assistant helping with my dress, I got into the car. The engine started, the window half-rolled down. I saw the smiling faces of the fans outside, and Julian standing alone. The arrogant young master’s usual swagger was completely gone. A pair of peach-blossom eyes held no laughter, only a silent, dazed stare directed at me. The last time he called my name like this was the day we broke up. Back then, utterly disappointed and furious, he had said: “Scarlett, you say you love me. Why have I never felt your love?” Through the car window, I waved to my fans and Julian from afar, a peaceful smile on my face, like a final goodbye. The luxury van drove forward. Julian, go look for the answer. If you’re willing to. In those expired memories, maybe there is the answer you’re looking for. But that’s all in the past now. 7 After returning, I was removing my makeup. My assistant, who was a pro at internet surfing, let out an “Ah,” and handed me her phone: “Scarlett, your expired ship is trending.” Tonight, all the trending topics were about the film festival, and I alone occupied several spots. But the number one trending topic was actually a Reddit thread digging up my first love. It had become the top legendary thread on Reddit, titled “Best Actress Scarlett and the Summer She Was Blessed By Him.” The naming of the song “Prayers” was uncovered here. I pressed my lips together and read through the long post, feeling a bit dazed. I had forgotten some of these things myself. Once, when I was filming at Mount Rainier, I had purposely climbed to the snowy peak to hang a red prayer ribbon for Julian. A local TV station was randomly interviewing citizens and tourists, asking them to say a few words to the person they were praying for. Wearing a mask, I smiled and said: “Julian, it’s so cold.” Julian, of course, would never watch a small local TV station. So he never knew that the snow on Mount Rainier fell so heavily that day. The accuracy of the post was actually quite high. It even included a very old interview of mine. Back then, my face was still youthful, and I smiled as I envisioned the future: “If I can win an award one day, he will definitely be the first person on my thank-you list.” The reporter pressed: “Who is he?” In the video, I smiled until my eyes crinkled, but didn’t answer. But on my thank-you list tonight, the first person was the female director of my previous film, thanking her for recognizing my talent. It wasn’t the person I had promised back then. We had already broken up ungracefully; there was already no ending for us. Netizens could tell that my romance had long since had a bad ending. Yet, they were shipping this expired couple so hard they were laughing and crying at the same time. Everyone guessed every male actor I had ever worked with, but no one had a clue. Julian’s name never appeared from beginning to end, and only then did I feel relieved. Netizens can easily go overboard when shipping couples, not to mention that Julian already has another girlfriend now. The internet will forget about this in two days anyway. 8 After winning the award, scripts from famous directors came flooding in. My manager, Sarah, and I were still picking out scripts. There was a transition period between now and the scheduled start date of the script we favored. Sarah arranged for me to be a judge on a highly acclaimed acting competition reality show called “The Actor’s True Colors.” Record one episode and leave. But I didn’t expect to run into so many familiar faces. Among the judges was Caleb Thorne, the Best Actor I had just worked with. I ran into Mia Jiang head-on. Only then did I learn she was participating in this reality show as a contestant. The show’s producers sure knew how to generate buzz. The two of us had just competed for the Best Actress crown at the film festival, and now we were reunited in an acting competition show. The difference was, this time I was a judge, and Mia was a contestant. The ratings were guaranteed to skyrocket. This time, unusually, I didn’t see Julian accompany Mia to the recording set. I heard he cares about her very much. Every time she joins a cast, he accompanies her to check the set’s safety facilities and living conditions. Rumor in the industry was that Julian was the epitome of a devoted, twenty-four-karat good boyfriend. With Julian’s arrogant, young master demeanor, it was hard to imagine him associated with that title. Before the show officially started recording. I had debuted many years earlier than Mia, so I was considered her senior. We sort of knew each other, so I gave her a polite, neutral smile. Just as we were about to brush past each other. Mia called out to me: “Scarlett, I haven’t congratulated you on winning Best Actress yet.” I stopped and turned around. Mia stood there, the corners of her mouth curling up: “Originally, my boyfriend thought I was going to win. He forced me to memorize a long acceptance speech thanking him before the film festival. He’s so childish.” I looked at her quietly. Waiting for her next sentence. Mia’s smile faltered, the corners of her lips drooping as she continued: “But maybe you don’t know, my boyfriend is Julian Sterling. He said the song ‘Prayers’ you wrote the lyrics for is really awful to listen to, and he hopes you won’t use it to disgust him again in the future.” I wasn’t angry. I thought for a moment before offering a bland critique: “Then you two are quite alike. His taste and your acting are equally terrible.” 9 Mia had always had smooth sailing and had never heard such blunt criticism before. She turned pale with anger. If it hadn’t been for the famous director, a great script, and top-tier production backing her, she wouldn’t have even had a chance to be nominated alongside me. I ignored her and walked forward. Turning the corner, I realized someone was standing there. Caleb leaned against the wall, biting down on a cigarette, but unlit. The clear sunlight fell on his face, making him look even more aloof. I never expected him to participate in this variety show. He didn’t even do interviews or commercials, keeping an extremely low profile. I pressed my lips together and called his name, not knowing how much he had just heard: “Caleb.” He turned his head and gave a slight nod. He must have been passing by, accidentally witnessed the confrontation between the two actresses, and had to avoid us to stay out of the drama. He tossed the unlit cigarette into the trash can. Caleb opened his mouth, his voice low and raspy: “The production team is looking for us. Let’s go together.” He wasn’t a man of many words. Even though we had worked together on a movie set for half a year and shared a lot of intense scenes, we weren’t particularly close. Walking side by side down the quiet hallway. The man beside me, with his cold demeanor, suddenly dropped a sentence. Caleb said: “Your ex-boyfriend’s taste is indeed terrible enough.”

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1 Midnight had just passed when my phone lit up with a barrage of texts from another kindergarten mom. She sent a video of the kids eating lunch at school. A second later, a message popped up. “Megan’s Mom, why isn’t your Megan eating her shrimp?” Fighting off the exhaustion of a long day, I typed back a quick reply. “She has a severe allergy.” I thought that would be the end of it. Instead, my phone began vibrating off the nightstand. I flipped it to silent, not wanting to deal with the drama, but then her actual caller ID flashed across the screen. “Megan’s Mom, an allergy is no excuse to just skip food! Kids are super impressionable right now. Because your Megan refused her shrimp, my Penelope decided to copy her and didn’t eat hers either!” My brain completely short-circuited. My remaining sleepiness vanished in an instant. Was this something a normal, functioning adult actually said? Fearing I had misheard her, I reiterated my point. “It is like this, Penelope’s Mom. My daughter is deathly allergic to shellfish. She absolutely cannot eat shrimp.” “Well, obviously I know she’s allergic!” The voice on the other end grew piercingly shrill and dripping with impatience. “But does she have to be so stubborn about it? Spoiling a child is one thing, but you are taking it to another level. You are not only being completely irresponsible with your own kid, but you are actively corrupting other children!” “Honestly, talking to you is exhausting. It is no wonder people say the lower class shouldn’t breed. You don’t even possess basic communication skills.” Hearing that, a hot spark of anger flared in my chest. “Penelope’s Mom, if you have an issue, state it. There is absolutely no need for personal attacks. I will say this once more…” Before I could finish, she cut me off. “Oh, save it. I am not wasting another breath on you.” “Because your daughter refused her food today, my Penelope was deprived of essential nutrients. Since they are classmates, I am going to be generous. You owe me fifty thousand dollars in nutritional compensation for my daughter. Pay up, and we can drop this. But if it happens again, it won’t be resolved so easily.” Fifty thousand dollars? Over a single piece of uneaten shrimp. Why didn’t this woman just go rob a bank? I am a reasonable person, but I refuse to be bullied. I certainly wasn’t going to indulge this sheer lunacy. “Penelope’s Mom, what my daughter eats is her own business. If your daughter is mimicking her, that sounds like a failure in your parenting, not mine.” With that, I hung up, cutting off whatever toxic garbage she was about to spew next. This bizarre encounter left me tossing and turning all night. Keeping Megan in a class with a mother like that was a ticking time bomb. I made up my mind to transfer her to a new private school. “But Mommy, I really want to go today! I promised my friends yesterday I would bring them the cookies we baked. I don’t want to break my promise.” Looking at my daughter’s sweet, pleading face all scrunched up in worry, my heart melted entirely. I couldn’t bear to disappoint her. One more day wouldn’t hurt. As for Penelope’s mother, she was likely just a loudmouthed paper tiger. The kindergarten had teachers everywhere, and security cameras lined every hallway. Thinking of this, my anxiety settled slightly. “Alright, Megan. But if anything feels wrong, you ask a teacher to call me immediately, understand?” “I know, Mommy! Bye-bye!” Just to be safe, I texted Ms. Jenkins, the head teacher, asking her to keep an extra close eye on Megan today. After checking every possible box, I threw myself into my work. My company was bidding on a massive new project, and my workload had doubled. I was drowning in spreadsheets until past one in the afternoon, barely finding a second to grab a glass of water. I opened my messages, instinctively checking my chat with Ms. Jenkins. The screen showed my message from this morning, left completely unread. Ms. Jenkins was usually busy, but she always replied within an hour or two. A four-hour radio silence was entirely unprecedented. A cold knot formed in my stomach. I dialed the teacher’s number. It rang out to voicemail. I tried again. Nothing. Panicking, I tried calling my daughter’s smartwatch. The automated operator voice that echoed through the speaker froze the blood in my veins. The number you have dialed does not exist. 2 A suffocating sense of dread washed over me. Abandoning my lunch, I grabbed my keys and drove straight to the preschool, breaking every speed limit along the way. The moment I burst through the front doors, I spotted Megan’s teacher. I lunged toward her like a drowning woman grabbing a lifeline. “Ms. Jenkins! Where is Megan?” “Oh, Megan’s Mom! Megan is taking her afternoon nap right now. Is there an emergency?” Ms. Jenkins tried to maintain her usual overly bright customer-service smile, but the moment her eyes met mine, a distinct flash of raw panic betrayed her. I ignored her pleasantries and pushed past her, heading straight for the sleeping quarters. “Wait, you can’t go in there! The children are resting! You cannot just barge in!” Ms. Jenkins tried to physically block my path, but a mother’s resolve is absolute. Her slight frame was no match for my adrenaline. “Megan! Mommy is here to take you home!” I yelled down the colorful hallway. Normally, I wouldn’t even need to call her name three times before she would come running with a bright smile. But today, there was only dead, heavy silence. I threw open every door along the corridor. Not only was Megan missing, but the entire nap room was completely empty. There wasn’t a single child in sight. More teachers flooded out from the staff rooms, surrounding me and trying to herd me toward the exit. “Where the hell did you take my daughter!” “Please calm down! This is a school environment, you cannot scream like this. Let’s go to the office and talk this through.” “Exactly, your behavior is incredibly aggressive and inappropriate.” Instead of helping me find my missing child, they began gaslighting me, acting as if my sheer terror was just an irrational tantrum. I was the victim here, yet they looked at me like I was a hysterical trespasser. If she wasn’t in the nap room, she had to be somewhere else. The cafeteria, the art room, the playground. I tore through the building like a hurricane. “If you don’t stop this instant, I am calling the police!” Ms. Jenkins shrieked. “Do it! Call them right now, let them see what you are hiding!” The air in the hallway went completely still. In that split second of silence, I heard it. A muffled, agonizing cry. It was coming from the janitorial closet at the end of the hall. The teachers heard it too, and the color drained from their faces. “That is a staff-only area, you are strictly forbidden to enter!” Their words were meaningless background noise. I threw my entire body weight against the heavy wooden door. It was locked from the inside. I backed up and rammed my shoulder into it again and again. With a loud crack, the lock gave way, and the door flew open. What I saw inside ignited a blinding, murderous rage in my soul. My precious little girl was kneeling on the cold tile. Her tiny wrists and ankles were bound with heavy tape. Someone was prying her mouth open, violently forcing raw shrimp down her throat. “What the hell are you doing to her!” Hearing my voice, Megan struggled with all her might, but she was so small, so completely overpowered. I lunged forward like a wild animal, desperate to rip them away from my baby. But a crowd of women surged forward, forming a human barricade between me and my daughter. Sitting in a chair right in the center of the room, looking utterly smug, was a woman I recognized instantly. Vanessa. Penelope’s mother. “I tried to warn you last night. I told you to discipline your child. Since you refused to be a decent mother, I had to step in and do the parenting for you.” As she spoke, she casually picked up another shrimp and shoved it toward my daughter’s face. Megan’s face was completely covered in a terrifying, angry red rash. Her lips were swollen to twice their size, and she looked like she barely had the breath to cry, let alone speak. Every gasp she took felt like a knife twisting directly into my heart. In all her life, I had never so much as raised a hand to my daughter. And now, she was being subjected to this barbaric torture! “Don’t be so dramatic,” Ms. Jenkins said, stepping in front of me with an expression of sickening sincerity. “Vanessa is a medical professional. She is simply administering a desensitization treatment for Megan’s own good.” “Exactly,” another mother chimed in from the barricade. “Ms. Jenkins approved it. You should be thanking us.” “A preschool is a community. We can’t have special snowflakes ruining the ecosystem. If everyone else can eat shrimp, why should your kid be exempt? If she corrupts our children into becoming picky eaters, who takes the blame? You?” I knew some parents were ignorant and entitled. But the teachers? They were supposed to be educated, licensed professionals. How could they stand by and facilitate this absolute nightmare? 3 I threw myself against the wall of women, fighting tooth and nail, but there were simply too many of them. Vanessa had planned this meticulously. She had brought at least ten other mothers with her. They locked arms, creating an impenetrable flesh wall that kept me agonizingly out of reach. My heart pounded wildly against my ribs. “Let her go right now! She is going into anaphylactic shock, you are going to kill her!” Megan’s cheeks were swelling visibly by the second, her breathing shifting into a terrifying, wet wheeze. Yet, through her pain, my brave little girl used every ounce of her fading strength to comfort me. “Mommy, I’m okay. It doesn’t hurt.” Vanessa smiled, a cruel, wicked twisting of her lips. “See? I told you she was fine. Be a good girl, Megan. Just eat ten more, and Auntie Vanessa will forgive your mommy for the money she owes us.” “Okay, Auntie… you have to promise,” Megan rasped out, tears spilling down her swollen cheeks. “No!” I screamed, my vocal cords tearing. “Megan, do not eat it! Listen to Mommy, keep your mouth closed!” Megan hesitated, pressing her lips tightly together. But in the next second, Vanessa’s hand shot out. She grabbed a fistful of my daughter’s hair, violently yanking her head back to force her jaw open. Another mother eagerly rushed over to help pin the child down. Chunks of Megan’s soft hair were ripped from her scalp. She let out an agonizing, broken wail. “You absolute psychopaths! Let her go! If she dies, every single one of you will rot in prison! Do you want your children to grow up knowing their mothers are murderers?” “I already called 911 on my way here! You are all going down for this!” The threat of prison made a few of the mothers pale. They exchanged nervous glances, the human wall wavering just enough for me to spot a gap. I readied myself to sprint through. Then, Vanessa’s cold voice echoed through the closet. “Let the cops come. Who cares? Everyone knows the Reed family owns New York.” “Keep that crazy bitch pinned down! When I tell Sebastian about this, I will make sure he rewards you all. Any of you whose husbands need corporate backing from the Reed Empire, you will be first on the list.” The Reed family? Sebastian? Sebastian Reed! That was my husband! Since when did he belong to her? Before my brain could even process the sheer absurdity of her claim, hands shoved me violently backward. The promise of wealth erased their guilt. Someone wanting to prove their loyalty to Vanessa grabbed my daughter by the hair and slapped her across the face. “Eat the damn shrimp, you little brat!” Vanessa tilted her chin up, utterly delighted. Seeing her approval, the others joined in. My daughter was tossed around like a fragile, dying leaf in a storm. I screamed until I tasted blood in the back of my throat. “She is lying to you! She isn’t Mrs. Reed! I am!” Under the barrage of blows, Megan was losing consciousness, her tiny chest barely rising and falling. “Lying is an ugly habit,” Ms. Jenkins sneered, intentionally stoking the fire. “No wonder Megan is so disobedient, she learned it from her delusional mother.” I lunged forward and backhanded the teacher across the face with everything I had. “Shut your mouth!” “If you don’t believe me, I will FaceTime him right now!” Vanessa stood up with agonizing slowness, smoothing out her designer skirt, and sauntered over to me. She looked down at me with pure mockery. “A video call proves nothing. Deepfakes exist, darling. You need real, tangible proof in this society.” “Besides,” she smirked, tapping her watch. “You said you called the cops an hour ago. Do you see any flashing lights? Hear any sirens?” It had been over an hour since I made the call from the car. Even in city traffic, they should have arrived by now. My stomach plummeted into an endless abyss. Catching the absolute despair in my eyes, Vanessa covered her mouth and giggled. “Let me let you in on a little secret. The Reed family has this entire block locked down. Unless your precious little mistake finishes every single shrimp in that bucket, nobody is leaving this building alive.” “Mr. Davis, bring in the special gift I prepared for Megan.” The door clicked open, and a man in a tailored suit stepped into the room. When I saw his face, a spark of hope ignited in my chest. It really was him. Assistant Davis, Sebastian’s right-hand man!

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I had a best friend I grew up with. We shared absolutely everything. When we were heartbroken, we cried together. When we were happy, we celebrated together. When she bought me cheap street food, I treated her to Michelin-star dinners. When she gifted me knock-off designer bags, I gave her real Hermès in return. But on my birthday, while playing Truth or Dare, she looked at me with a smirk and said, “I hooked up with your husband. A solid 69.” I froze on the spot. My husband, Brandon, laughed it off and tried to explain, “Babe, Marta is your best friend. If she’s happy, you’re happy. I was just trying to keep the mood light!” Marta didn’t look the least bit apologetic. “Aren’t we supposed to share everything, Serena? If you ever need him, I could lend you my boyfriend too. Oh wait, that would be weird, wouldn’t it? Haha~” 1 The room fell silent. Someone muttered, “Wow, you two really are close.” The words felt like a slap in the face. I instinctively looked at Marta’s hand, which was resting casually on Brandon’s shoulder. “Marta, how could you do this to my brother?” Marta gave me a wide-eyed, innocent look. “It’s not like I cheated on him.” “But honestly, Serena, why didn’t you ever tell me Brandon was so good with his mouth? That’s just selfish of you!” My face cycled through shades of red and green. Our friends started hooting and hollering. “Damn, Brandon, how good are you? Teach us your ways! You bagged both besties at once!” Marta laughed, waving her hands to play it down. “Hey, hey, don’t get crazy. Brandon and I are strictly platonic. I just got lucky because Serena and I share everything~” She wasn’t exactly lying. We really did share everything. We drank from the same cups and slept in the same bed. During puberty, we shared bra sizes. She shared every graphic detail of her first time with me. Over the years, she never held back on sharing her bedroom secrets, down to the exact measurements of every guy she dated. She had even generously offered to let me “try them out” if I wanted. But this was my husband! How could they do this behind my back? Marta must have noticed my face turning to stone. She quickly wrapped her arm around my shoulders to comfort me. “Oh, come on, Serena. Your husband is one hundred percent devoted to you. He literally had to stare at a picture of you just to get hard that day. He didn’t even look at me the whole time!” “Alright, alright, next round!” I couldn’t stomach it. I shoved her arm off me, my face deadpan, and turned to leave. Brandon quickly grabbed my wrist. “Serena, you know Marta has a sex addiction. She had a sudden episode that day. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to worry!” I stared at him, feeling absolutely disgusted. Before I could even voice my fury, Marta gasped dramatically. “Brandon!” “Truth or Dare! You have to do twenty push-ups over a girl!” The second the words left her mouth, Brandon dropped my hand and practically sprinted over to the center of the room, completely forgetting I existed. Everyone else seemed to forget the awkward tension from a minute ago and started cheering. “Serena’s pregnant! She’s got a huge belly, she can’t do it!” “Yeah, what if he crushes the baby? That’s too risky!” Marta stepped up, looking entirely too eager. “I’ll do it then!” She shot me a exaggerated wink. “Keep it in the family, right Serena? Don’t worry, I promise I won’t catch feelings for your man~” Brandon was already enthusiastically ripping his shirt off. “Exactly, babe! You two have been sisters for years. Even if I was butt-naked, she wouldn’t look twice at me!” Marta playfully slapped his bare abs right in front of me. “So true! Even if he was the last man on earth, I wouldn’t touch him!” The room erupted in laughter. Marta unhooked her bra, pulled it out from under her shirt, and laid flat on her back on the carpet. Brandon positioned himself directly over her, his chest pressing flush against hers with every downward motion. I stood there, forced to watch as Brandon’s weight crushed against Marta’s chest. I could literally see the bulge in his pants growing larger with every rep. By the third push-up, Marta suddenly let out a giggling squeal. “Brandon, your belt buckle is digging into me!” My husband didn’t even hesitate to shoot back, “Well, your headlights are poking me back!” The room exploded into a chorus of hoots and laughter. “Serena, I’ve never seen a guy get along so well with his girlfriend’s bestie. You guys are like one big, happy, weird family!” I couldn’t take another second of this humiliation. I turned on my heel and headed for the door. Marta scrambled up from the floor and grabbed my arm. “Don’t leave yet, Serena! You haven’t even opened your presents!” She reached into the pile of gifts and pulled out a box wrapped in a bright pink bow. “Since you’re pregnant and can’t really do the deed right now, we picked this out specifically for you.” She wiggled her eyebrows at me, her eyes dripping with vulgarity. “Your husband used this exact model on me when I had my episode. It feels amazing~” 2 My stomach violently turned. I genuinely felt like I was going to throw up. Brandon sidled up to me and wrapped an arm around my waist. “Babe, I did it for you! I was terrified of buying something cheap that might hurt you or the baby, so I had Marta test-drive it first. It’s completely safe!” While he was saying this, his eyes were blatantly glued to Marta’s braless chest. I shoved him away with all my strength. “What else did you ‘test-drive’ with her? Are you treating her like your wife?!” Clutching my pregnant stomach, I stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind me, leaving my birthday cake uncut. The night air was biting cold, and the street was busy with traffic. Brandon didn’t immediately chase after me. About an hour after I got home, I saw a new post pop up on Marta’s Instagram story. “Serena wasn’t feeling well and went home early for her birthday, so I’m cutting the cake and taking shots for her! Happy Birthday, bestie!” In the video, Brandon was hovering over Marta, protecting her from the crowd like she was the love of his life. Staring at the screen at the two people I trusted most in the world, my heart shattered into a million jagged pieces. People always say men cheat when their wives get pregnant. But I couldn’t comprehend how the best friend who claimed to share everything with me had turned into this boundary-less, toxic nightmare. Late that night, Brandon knocked on my bedroom door, reeking of cheap alcohol. “Babe, are you asleep?” I ripped the door open, furious. “Who is your actual wife? Her or me?” In the past, Brandon would never have let me walk home alone at night, let alone on my birthday. Now, I was heavily pregnant and vulnerable, and he completely ignored me! Brandon looked deeply conflicted. “Marta was taking all the shots for you. She kept saying you couldn’t drink because of the baby, so she’d take the hit. I was worried she’d get hurt or taken advantage of if she got too drunk. You and your brother would be devastated if something happened to her.” Hearing that she had gotten blackout drunk just to protect me made my resolve waver. My heart softened slightly. Since I got pregnant, I had to get up constantly during the night. Brandon had been sleeping in the guest room next door so he could be close by to help me. Later that night, I woke up with a sudden craving. I called out his name a few times, but the house was dead silent. I rolled over. The bed was empty. I waddled out into the living room and heard muffled noises coming from the guest bedroom. I pushed the door open, and my entire body froze. “What the hell are you doing?!” Brandon didn’t even look guilty. He actually took a second to dial up the vibration setting on the toy in his hand. “Marta was feeling sick from all the alcohol, so I came to check on her. I didn’t expect her to have another episode right now…” Marta was writhing on the bed, completely delirious, moaning loudly as the toy worked against her. She was practically climbing up Brandon’s arm. I couldn’t take the absolute disrespect. I slammed the door shut and stormed off. It wasn’t until Marta’s loud, erratic screams echoed through the house that Brandon finally emerged from the room. “Babe, Marta is your best friend. She’s practically my sister-in-law. I couldn’t just leave her suffering, could I?” I was already boiling with rage. “Is that how you treat your family?!” “I didn’t even get hard! I was literally just doing a medical favor for you.” Brandon genuinely didn’t seem to think he had done a single thing wrong. The next morning, Marta woke up acting like absolutely nothing had happened. “Serena, I slept so good last night! For a second, I thought your brother came home and got in bed with me.” She must have completely blacked out. She didn’t remember a thing. Furious, I immediately pulled some strings at my company and arranged for Marta to be sent out of state on an extended business trip. Marta was eating breakfast in her pajamas when she got the email. She didn’t complain. She just frantically started packing her bags. Before she left, she gave me a massive, tight hug. “I’m heading out, Serena! Don’t miss me too much! I’ll bring you back a present!” She was acting exactly like she always did. Warm, bubbly, like a little ray of sunshine. She always remembered to bring me a souvenir whenever she traveled. Watching her rush to put her shoes on, a wave of guilt washed over me. I started questioning if I was overreacting, projecting my own insecurities onto her. 3 She had always been loud, reckless, and completely lacking a filter. Maybe she genuinely didn’t have any ulterior motives. But before my guilt could even settle, Brandon texted me, saying he was suddenly being sent on a business trip too. A sickening knot formed in my stomach. I immediately booked a flight and followed him. The second I landed, my assistant sent me a text. They were together! I rushed to the location my assistant pinned. I spotted them instantly. They were walking shoulder-to-shoulder, looking incredibly cozy, browsing inside a high-end adult toy boutique! Panic clawed at my throat. I immediately dialed my brother’s number. “Tyler, when are you coming back to the States?!” There was a two-second silence on the other end, followed by heavy static. “Serena, what’s wrong? My signal is garbage out here. Once I wrap up this acquisition…” The call dropped before he could finish. I was so anxious I was about to storm into the store, but my phone buzzed. It was a text from Marta. “Serena, which one do you like better?” She sent a picture of herself holding up two completely different adult toys, saying she wanted to buy one to make up for ruining my birthday. Before I could even type a reply, she bought both of them and posted a picture on her Instagram story. “Picking up some gifts for my favorite mom-to-be! Just because you’re pregnant doesn’t mean you can’t have fun!~” My heart skipped a beat. A massive wave of shame and guilt washed over me for suspecting them. Marta grew up in grinding poverty. She never spent money recklessly. When we were kids, she used her hard-earned allowance to buy me street food, and I paid her back by taking her to Michelin-star restaurants. When we got older, she saved up for months to buy me high-quality fake designer bags, and I bought her real Hermès so she wouldn’t look out of place. She hated spending money on herself. Every piece of designer clothing she owned was a gift from either me or my brother. Those two toys were incredibly expensive. Buying both cost nearly two grand, which was her entire living budget for the month. But she dropped the cash without blinking, just for me. She had been doing this for the last two years. She didn’t make much money, but she always prioritized buying me gifts. I felt violently guilty. How could I accuse my best friend of seducing my husband? But when I looked up, they were gone. They had vanished from the store. My anxiety completely overpowered my logic. The sickening dread returned. I was terrified they were off doing something unforgivable again. I paced the mall, trying to convince myself they had just split up to go to their respective work meetings. As soon as I walked out of the shopping center, a friend who worked at a luxury hot spring resort texted me. “Your husband and your bestie just booked a private VIP bath together.” I couldn’t control myself. I hailed a cab and rushed straight to the resort. When I shoved the door to the private suite open, Marta was sitting in the steaming water, looking utterly shocked. “Serena? What are you doing here?” I stared at the empty room. She was alone in the bath. I stood there, completely mortified, not knowing what to say. Until Brandon stepped out from behind the wooden privacy screen. My worst nightmare was confirmed. I stared at them, my entire body shaking. “What the hell are you two doing?!” Marta gave me her classic, innocent wide eyes. “Taking a medicinal bath…” Brandon immediately jumped in to explain. “I ran into Marta at the airport and we walked together for a bit. Suddenly, she had another episode and passed out.” My parents died when I was very young. I only had my older brother, Tyler. But Tyler was constantly traveling for work. Marta was the only person who was always there for me. Years ago, I suffered a severe lupus flare-up. I was literally on my deathbed. Marta didn’t even hesitate. She gave me one of her kidneys. “Best friends share everything. My kidney is your kidney.” After the transplant, Marta’s health was incredibly fragile. The doctors had specifically instructed her to take immediate medicinal baths whenever she had an episode to stabilize her body. Brandon suddenly caught on. “Wait, babe, are you seriously suspecting us of something?” Marta looked at me, her eyes brimming with deep disappointment. “Serena… are you still mad about the push-up thing?”

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