Author: Momo Chan

My fiancé, Carter, was a prominent psychiatrist, but he fell in love with his patient, Audrey. I didn’t hesitate. I went straight to the hospital administration and reported their relationship. Carter was disciplined. Audrey, overwhelmed by her depression, committed suicide. And I became the target of Carter’s misplaced rage. He pushed me off a balcony. “Falling in love with Audrey was my mistake, but what gave you the right to kill her?!” I was reborn. I woke up to hear eighteen-year-old Carter sending a voice message to Audrey. He was clarifying our relationship, his tone dripping with affection. “Harper and I are just neighbors. You’re the one I like, my little rose.” Separated only by a door. I crumpled his cancer diagnosis report in my hand, the paper crinkling under my grip. 1 Carter and I grew up together. Our families were close. The adults used to joke about us getting married someday. Almost everyone assumed we were a couple, just waiting for one of us to make it official. During the winter break of our senior year of high school, Carter and I both got physicals. I was perfectly healthy. All my vitals were normal. But Carter’s blood work showed early-stage leukemia. The moment I got the report, I ran straight to his house and we looked at it together. Thanks to early intervention, the cancer hadn’t spread. He was in remission within a year. In my past life, I spent that year by his side through chemotherapy, missing my own college entrance exams. I retook the exams a year later, but I didn’t get into my dream university or my preferred major. Carter, however, having recovered, overperformed on his exams. He somehow managed to get into the most prestigious pre-med program in the state. And after graduating, he became a highly sought-after psychiatrist. This time, I absolutely refused to sacrifice my future and my youth to help a scumbag grow. I left his medical report on the console table by the front door of the Carter house. I also left the spare key I used to come and go as I pleased. Carter’s dad was always busy with business dinners, leaving early and coming home late. His mom loved playing bridge and socializing; she wouldn’t stop until she had played her fill for the day. As for when they would actually see that medical report? God only knew. 2 I went back home. Seeing my parents looking so much younger, happily discussing something, felt surreal. My dad saw me come in. He told me they were thinking about buying a new house. The house we lived in was assigned to my grandparents by their old company. By the time I was a senior in high school, three generations of our family had lived in it. In my past life, my parents had finally scraped together enough for a down payment on a new place. But because I refused to abandon Carter when he got sick, and because the Carter family couldn’t afford his medical bills, I begged my parents to use a portion of their down payment to help them out… This time, a genuine smile spread across my face as I enthusiastically replied at the dinner table: “That’s great! Are you thinking about the new development on the Southside?” My parents exchanged a surprised look. They had looked at several developments, and the one on the Southside was exactly the one they liked best. We currently lived on the Eastside. My school and my parents’ offices were all downtown. The commute was manageable. But… My mom asked with concern: “Will the move disrupt your studies?” I smiled sweetly. “Mom, for the second semester of senior year, I can just live in the dorms. It’s just…” My mom’s eyes paused. “…It’s just that I won’t be able to help you guys pack and move.” Hearing that, my mom visibly breathed a sigh of relief. After dinner, I went to my room to study. In reality, I kept my ears open, listening to my parents chat in the living room. My dad, while washing dishes, said to my mom: “Kids are so unpredictable. Weren’t you worried? But you tested the waters today, and she said it wouldn’t affect her, right?” My mom, still a bit anxious, replied: “I hope so. Moving further away… do you really think Harper is willing to leave Carter behind?” My dad was more optimistic. “Harper has always prioritized her future. Don’t worry, she knows what she’s doing.” 3 In my past life, after Carter and I started dating, my mom was always a bit skeptical of our relationship. I asked her why. “You’re always the one giving, and Carter is used to just taking. That kind of dynamic isn’t stable. Once…” Back then, I cut her off before she could finish. I was completely blinded by my love for him. I thought, we’ve known each other for over a decade; how could we not be stable? Until the day he stood me up when I was trying on wedding dresses. I went to the hospital to find him. I saw him lifting Audrey onto his desk, the two of them kissing passionately. Heh. There’s no such thing as an unbreakable bond in this world. I secretly took photos through the crack in the door. Then I immediately emailed them to all the hospital administrators. If Carter had cheated with anyone else, I might not have been so enraged, so desperate to see them both ruined. But the person he cheated with was Audrey. In my past life, Carter had inexplicably fallen in love with Audrey, a poor transfer student, during our senior year of high school. For her, Carter took the blame for their underage relationship, and his grades plummeted. Skipping class, getting called to the principal’s office, getting suspended for fighting… he committed every cardinal sin a high schooler could. And what did Audrey do? She turned Carter’s high school years upside down and nearly destroyed his future. But the moment Carter was diagnosed with cancer, she immediately cut ties with him. Later, I tried to track her down for Carter while he was battling cancer. But the Audrey I found was completely different from the gentle, resilient girl I remembered. She was involved with several wealthy heirs. Looking at Carter fighting for his life in his hospital bed, I couldn’t bring myself to tell him the ugly truth. … Years passed, and Carter and I were about to get married. And yet, they managed to find their way back to each other. My years of devotion to Carter were like a child I had raised with my own hands, only to watch it drown in the river of time. My heart bled. So, I wanted them to hurt more than I did. But when the scandal broke, I didn’t get to see Carter grovel or apologize. Audrey died. It was entirely unexpected. I had no idea her depression was real. I thought it was just another manipulation tactic to win Carter back. Just like in high school, when she played the pitiful poor student, yet I saw her casually getting into a Porsche parked on the corner. She was too good at playing the victim. But Carter blamed me for everything. He fought with me. “Falling in love with Audrey was my mistake, but what gave you the right to kill her?!” I fought back fiercely, refusing to back down. “Did I really kill her? Why don’t you admit that you were a terrible doctor and failed to cure her? “Carter, you have no professional ethics! Is sleeping with your patient your idea of treatment? “You had a fiancée, and she knew you were getting married. You two made the mistake first, why are you blaming me?!” Carter laughed and cried hysterically, on the verge of a mental breakdown. But that didn’t stop him from grabbing me with one hand and shoving me out the window. 4 The rapid sensation of falling from a high altitude. It perfectly matched the terror in my dream. I woke up screaming. My parents heard me and immediately rushed into my room to comfort me. “Harper, what’s wrong?” “Don’t be scared, it was just a nightmare.” Just a nightmare? I looked up, saw the concerned faces of my parents, and wiped the sweat from my forehead. “Mom, Dad, can we move as soon as possible?” My parents exchanged a look and quickly agreed. After being reborn, I had two simple goals. Wait for Carter to die. Make sure he dies far away from me. 5 Before the new semester started, I stayed locked in my room. When Carter texted or called, I looked at them but never replied. I muted any group chats involving him. Since his family lived right upstairs from mine, he came looking for me a few times. He either got the cold shoulder or was politely brushed off by my parents. Carter thought it was strange. In the past, I always made him the center of my universe, revolving my life around him. My sudden disappearance definitely threw him off. But his life was quickly filled by Audrey. On his social media, he actually started posting about going out to the suburbs early in the morning to pick vegetables, taking photos of the sunrise from a rusty produce truck, and sharing funny stories about selling vegetables at the farmer’s market… At such a crucial point in our senior year, he somehow had the free time to run from his downtown home all the way to the suburbs to help Audrey’s family. While all the other students were burning the midnight oil preparing for the SATs, he was bathing in the morning sun and sweating in the fields. I was staying up late, my eyes red, drowning in practice tests and textbooks, trying to scrape together every precious point. He was at the farmer’s market, haggling over pennies with customers. … Every word on his social media revealed a shift in his worldview. He now viewed the days of simply studying without worrying about livelihood as boring, dull, and suffocating. The simple buying and selling at the farmer’s market seemed vibrant, passionate, and full of life to him. I couldn’t tell for a moment. Was it Audrey’s charm, or had the cancer cells already reached his brain? He hid these posts from his parents and teachers, showing them unreservedly to his classmates and friends. His friends weren’t going to just watch him throw his life away. They tried to talk sense into him, but he ended up convincing them to buy a few extra pounds of vegetables before they left. They had no choice but to go to our teachers, Carter’s parents, and even me, hoping we could help talk him down. 6 My desk mate from high school, Mia, who used to be the biggest shipper of Carter and me. She called me, sounding like she was about to explode. “What is going on with you and Carter? Over winter break, he turns into a modern-day Romeo, picking vegetables all over the countryside!” I actually found it amusing. “Don’t laugh! Did you and Carter break up?” I told Mia about Carter confessing to Audrey. “Carter and I grew up next door to each other, so we seem a bit close, that’s all. He never confessed to me, and I never said I liked him. Mia, we were never together, so we can’t break up.” Mia paused for a second, then went into full rage mode. “Bullshit! What kind of scumbag is Carter?! He remembers your period schedule, brings you heating pads and ginger tea, and you call that just being neighbors?! “When we had to choose between the humanities and STEM tracks, Carter was better at STEM. But for you, he chose humanities, fought with the counselor in the office, and eventually, you compromised and went to the STEM track with him! “Every holiday, except maybe Memorial Day, when did you ever not get him a gift? And he used to give you gifts back too! “Aren’t you guys just missing a formal confession? How did it turn into this?” … I listened quietly as Mia listed all these moments. Finally, my heart clenched. Weren’t we just missing a formal confession? In my past life, I finally got that confession at Carter’s hospital bed. Carter saw me, exhausted, falling asleep by his bed. He couldn’t resist ruffling my hair. And he whispered those words. “Harper, I do like you.” Promises are so beautiful, probably because we were too young. I thought his love was unwavering. But in reality, it was just Carter’s pity or gratitude towards me. I pulled Carter back from the brink of death with all my might, yet he easily took my life because of Audrey’s death. Who was truly unwavering in their love? Wasn’t the answer obvious? “Mia, he’s just Carter. How is he more important than the SATs?” Mia’s family was wealthy. If she bombed the SATs, she could easily be sent abroad for college. So, she could ship us without any pressure. But I couldn’t. Mia was easygoing and didn’t dwell on it. “Let the scumbag rot. Once we get to college, Harper, you’ll have your pick of hot guys!” I laughed and brushed it off. I had already wasted too much on a relationship that wasn’t worth it. Now it was time for me to reclaim my own life. 7 That night, my family was having dinner. We suddenly heard loud shouting and the sound of things smashing from Carter’s apartment upstairs. My dad stood up. He and Carter’s dad used to be colleagues. Hearing the commotion, his first instinct was to go break up the fight. My mom frowned and told him to wait. My parents exchanged a look, inevitably resting their eyes on me. I said calmly: “Dad, they’re in the heat of the moment. You should go later.” My dad gave an “Mhm” and sat back down. My mom said softly: “Word around the neighborhood is that Carter has been running off to help a girl sell vegetables. Someone they know saw him and told his parents.” My dad picked up his chopsticks again. “Oh, so that’s what’s happening.” Since it didn’t concern our family, there was no need to get involved. But unexpectedly, after dinner. Carter’s mom knocked on our door, dragging a bruised and battered Carter behind her. My parents were stunned but couldn’t exactly refuse them entry. My mom was pulled down onto the sofa by Carter’s mom, forced to listen to her cry and complain. I thought she was just venting. But Carter’s mom pointed at Carter, who was standing stiffly in the living room, and scolded: “This boy has always prioritized Harper! It’s all because of that vegetable-selling girl leading him astray that he’s acting up at such a crucial time in his senior year, neglecting his studies to go to the suburbs and help her sell vegetables! “Our families have known each other for years, and I only accept Harper! I absolutely will not let that vegetable-selling girl ruin Carter’s future! “It’s Carter’s fault for letting Harper down. You bring Harper out here, and Carter must apologize to her!” Carter’s mom was rambling incoherently. But the underlying message was that she wanted to tie my relationship with Carter in a tight knot. My mom gently brushed her hand away. “You must be out of your mind with grief. “Who is this vegetable-selling girl? What is her relationship with Carter? “And how does any of this involve Harper?” My dad chimed in as well: “Harper hasn’t left the house all winter break, nor has she seen Carter. Carter, isn’t that right?” Being called out, Carter, with an icy, handsome face, said very proudly: “Mom, stop wasting your breath. I only like Audrey! I have nothing to do with Harper!” My mom chuckled softly. “Carter’s mom, you heard what Carter said, right? “Who Carter likes has nothing to do with Harper! “Apart from being classmates and neighbors, they have absolutely no relationship!” My dad’s tone hardened as well. “He’s a senior in high school, and he’s still focusing on relationships? I’m going to go ask Arthur what he thinks about all this.” Seeing Carter undermine her and my parents not buying into her drama, Carter’s mom stopped crying and hurriedly dragged Carter away. She had come here behind Arthur’s back. If he found out, the house would be turned upside down again. As my dad opened the door, he made sure to shout after them. “Don’t come back next time!” After closing the door, he complained to my mom. We needed to move as soon as possible. These neighbors, relying on years of acquaintance, actually dared to treat his own daughter as a backup plan right to his face. Her precious Carter was a treasure, and someone else’s daughter just had to accept him? What absolute garbage!

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In our past life, my sister was adopted by a wealthy family, and I was taken in by a school janitor. As it turned out, the wealthy family was plagued by toxic infighting. The parents were cold, the older brother was a ruthless bully, and she was eventually kicked out without a single penny. My adoptive family, on the other hand, was warm and loving. The billionaire heir even fell in love with me, the resilient, innocent poor girl. It was like a plot straight out of a teen romance movie. Consumed by hatred, my sister murdered me—and we were both sent back in time to the very day we were adopted. This time, she sprinted ahead and threw herself into the janitor’s arms. “Sister, this time, it’s my turn to be the main character,” she whispered to me. But what she didn’t know was that a true main character doesn’t rely on her background to win. 01 My sister and I were reborn on the exact day of our adoption at St. Jude’s Children’s Home. Two families stood in the director’s office: the Sterlings and the Millers. The three members of the Sterling family were dressed to the nines. The man wore a tailored suit, the woman was dripping in diamonds. Even their teenage son, Ashton, wore an elite prep school uniform paired with globally limited-edition designer sneakers. They were the most prominent family in Chicago. Mr. Sterling was a corporate titan whose empire contributed the most taxes in the city, while Mrs. Sterling was a socialite, constantly clinking glasses with A-list celebrities at charity galas. Their son, Ashton Sterling, was widely known as the untouchable prince of Chicago. In stark contrast, the Miller family standing next to them looked worn and exhausted. Both the husband and wife had the rough, calloused hands of manual laborers. They were likely wearing their Sunday best, but faded sweat stains still clung to the collars. According to the director, they both worked at Oakridge Prep, the most elite high school in the city. The husband was a janitor, and the wife was a cleaning lady. In our previous life, my sister Maya had chosen the Sterlings without a second thought. But right now, acting as if she were terrified of being left behind, she launched herself into the cleaning lady’s arms. “Mom! Take me with you! I want to be your daughter!” “From today on, my name is Maya Miller!” Amidst Maya’s excited cheers, I calmly walked over to the Sterling family. Just like that, our choices were made, and we were taken to our respective new homes. As we left the orphanage, I overheard the director muttering to herself. “How strange. Maya has always been the most competitive, picky girl here. In the past, if a prospective family even looked a bit middle-class, she wouldn’t give them the time of day.” “A real billionaire family finally shows up, and she doesn’t choose them? Why?” The director didn’t understand. But I did. 02 In our past life, Maya plotted and schemed to be adopted by the Sterlings, becoming Maya Sterling. She thought a life of luxury and princess-like pampering awaited her. Not to mention having Ashton, the prince of Chicago, as her older brother. To her, the wealthy heir and the adopted sister was a classic romance trope. Living under the same roof, she figured it would be incredibly easy to spark a forbidden romance. But Maya never expected that Ashton wouldn’t show an ounce of brotherly affection. Instead, he found her absolutely repulsive. “I despise social climbers more than anything in this world,” he had told her. “Don’t think I can’t see right through you. You manipulative little gold digger, the only thing you want is our family’s money.” At home, Ashton tormented her. At school, he led a gang of lackeys to brutally bully her. Even when Mr. and Mrs. Sterling found out, they only offered half-hearted scoldings. They had no real love for Maya. The only reason they adopted her was because a celebrity psychic told Mr. Sterling that adopting a daughter would bring him a decade of explosive financial luck. Between an adopted daughter and their biological son, the Sterlings naturally favored their own blood. While Ashton bullied Maya, he treated me—the girl adopted by the Millers—incredibly well. He watched me accept financial aid, ace every exam to become the top of the class, study all day, and help my mom scrub floors at night. I lived an exhausting life, but I never complained. “Harper Miller. This girl… she’s actually pretty interesting.” Just like a movie, the rebellious, arrogant rich boy fell in love with the unyielding, resilient poor girl. Later on, the Sterling parents passed away in an accident. When the inheritance was divided, Ashton and his legal team ruthlessly maneuvered Maya out of the estate. She was left with absolutely nothing. A few months later, Ashton married me. At our wedding, he publicly declared, “Harper, from now on, everything I own is yours.” Unfortunately, I never got to enjoy a dime of Ashton’s wealth. A few days later, driven insane by jealousy and despair, Maya ran me over with her car. Reborn into this life, my sister didn’t hesitate to choose the Millers. To her, even though they didn’t have billions, they lacked the toxic scheming of the rich. She believed she could enjoy the pure, unconditional love of a warm, happy family. She believed her new background would make the wealthy heir pity and protect her, ultimately leading to a fairy-tale wedding of the century. She smiled at me smugly. “Sister, this time, it’s my turn to play the female lead.” “It’s about time you tasted everything I suffered through.” 03 Maya’s prediction wasn’t wrong. In fact, Ashton’s bullying started even earlier than in our past life. In the school courtyard, my head was forcibly shoved into a freezing fountain. Around me, a group of teenage boys laughed viciously. Just as my lungs were about to burst from lack of oxygen, someone grabbed the back of my collar and yanked me up. Ashton smiled down at me brightly. “You want my family’s money? Sure thing.” “Drink all the water in that toilet bowl over there. I’ll give you ten grand a gulp. How about it?” His lackeys hooted and hollered in excitement. I stared at Ashton. This was the man who had gently told me he loved me in our past life. Right now, he was unleashing his unfiltered malice on me without a second thought. But Ashton wasn’t looking at me. His gaze drifted past me, focusing on something behind my back. I knew exactly what it was. Maya Miller was bending over, scrubbing the hallway floors. “Isn’t that Maya?” one of the boys asked. “Why is she still mopping the floors?” Another lackey chimed in to explain, “Her mom is the school’s cleaning lady. She goes to classes during the day and stays late to help her mom work.” A flicker of shock crossed Ashton’s eyes, quickly followed by a pang of heartache. He called out loudly to her, “Hey! It’s freezing out here. Stop scrubbing. No one’s going to check it anyway.” Maya straightened her back. Her dark hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her delicate face wore a look of stubborn pride. She shook her head. “I can’t.” “If someone checks and finds the floor dirty, my mom will get a hundred dollars docked from her paycheck.” “I know a hundred dollars is nothing to a rich kid like you, but for my family, that’s our grocery budget for the whole week.” After finishing her speech, Maya bent back down and continued scrubbing. Honestly, her manipulation was painfully obvious. With an entire building of floors to mop, she deliberately chose to scrub right in front of Ashton. She even specifically let her hair down and angled her face perfectly to look as tragic and beautiful as possible. Unfortunately for me, Ashton fell for it hook, line, and sinker. Sure enough, Ashton walked over, grabbed Maya’s arm to pull her up, snatched the dirty rag from her hands, and threw it at one of his lackeys. “You guys. Finish mopping this for her.” He looked down at Maya’s hands, which were red from the cold water. Without hesitating, he draped his custom blazer over her shoulders. “It’s late. How are you getting home?” “I bike.” “You’re biking in this weather?” Ashton looked appalled. He spoke with undeniable authority. “Go wait in the lobby. I’m having my driver take you home.” Maya was escorted away under Ashton’s protective wing. Before she turned the corner, she didn’t forget to glance back at me, flashing a mocking, triumphant smirk at my soaked, pathetic state. A few moments later, the crowd dispersed, leaving me alone by the fountain. Struggling to stand, I used my sleeve to wipe the freezing water dripping from my hair. “Use this.” A cool, quiet voice spoke from behind me. I turned around to see our class president, Riley Brooks. She was a quiet, introverted girl who studied relentlessly and always wore long sleeves, regardless of the season. In my past life, when Maya was the one being bullied, Riley had tried to help her too. She handed Maya a towel and urged her to report Ashton’s bullying to the administration. But Maya had violently slapped Riley’s hand away. “What do you know?! He’s my brother!” Back then, Maya was still dreaming her delusional fantasy that she could make Ashton fall in love with her. After that, Riley stopped trying to help her and returned to being a silent loner. Later, right before graduation, Riley committed suicide. That was when everyone finally learned she grew up in agonizing poverty. Her grandmother was bedridden, and her father was a violent gambling addict who brutally abused her and tried to sell her off to pay his debts. Right now, she stood beside me, holding a clean towel. I stared at her for a second before taking it. She didn’t say a word. She just turned around to walk away. She probably figured someone like me—the spoiled Sterling heiress—had nothing to say to her. Just as she was about to disappear down the hall, I suddenly spoke up. “Hey, class prez!” Her footsteps faltered. I scratched my head awkwardly. “So… I just transferred here, and I don’t really know my way around.” “Where’s the cafeteria? Mind showing me?” 04 The cafeteria table was loaded with food: BBQ ribs, steamed eggs, garlic butter wings, roasted vegetables, and clam chowder. Oakridge Prep truly lived up to its reputation as the best private school in the state; the food was incredible. I scratched my head again. “Ah, I accidentally ordered way too much.” “Wasting food is a sin, and you probably haven’t had dinner yet, right? Want to help me finish this?” Riley remained silent for a moment before finally picking up a fork and taking small, hesitant bites. I looked at the wrists peeking out from her uniform sleeves. They were painfully thin, practically just bone. Honestly, girls like the class president were the ones who truly needed saving. But because they weren’t conventionally glamorous, and because they suffered in silence without crying for help, they were treated like invisible weeds in the background. They didn’t even qualify to be the female lead in a teen romance. In this life, I wasn’t just going to save myself. I was going to save her, too. Having made up my mind, I spoke up. “Ugh, AP Calculus is literally killing me. I don’t understand a single thing the teacher says.” “Riley, you’re a genius. How about you tutor me?” Riley sat there with a piece of rib halfway to her mouth, looking at me with an expression that screamed, Are we even friends? I didn’t give her a chance to refuse. I threw an arm around her shoulders and smiled brightly. “Awesome, it’s settled then! I’ll pay you top hourly rates!” 05 I handed Riley an envelope of cash, calling it an “advance payment for tutoring.” When she saw the stack of crisp hundred-dollar bills inside, she was too stunned to speak. Truthfully, whether in my past life or this one, the Sterlings never shortchanged their adopted daughter when it came to basic living expenses. To a rich kid like Ashton, this was pocket change. But for Riley, it was enough to buy her grandmother’s medicine and pay the hospital bills. It was even enough for her to rent a tiny apartment off-campus and finally escape her abusive father. After setting a time for our tutoring session the next day, I headed home. The massive luxury mansion was empty. Mr. Sterling was out schmoozing clients, and Mrs. Sterling was at a high-end spa. As for Ashton, he was likely having dinner at the Millers’ house. In our past life, Ashton had his driver take me home, and my adoptive parents enthusiastically invited him to stay for dinner. Then, just like a standard romance trope, that single dinner allowed the cold, lonely heir to experience the deep, fiery warmth of a working-class family. The Miller parents always had simple, rustic smiles plastered on their faces. Their cramped, run-down apartment was filled with the cozy smell of home-cooked food. It made Ashton yearn for that life, and it made him fall even harder for the innocent poor girl who grew up in that environment. Right now, even though he and Maya were probably eating a cheap, meatless dinner, they were likely incredibly happy. I slowly changed into a Hermes silk robe, washed my face with Chanel cleanser, and ate a bowl of premium bird’s nest soup prepared by the housekeeper, a cold smirk playing on my lips. No one knew that the Miller couple might be poor, but they were certainly not pure-hearted. They were deeply sexist and originally wanted to adopt a boy. But the orphanage didn’t have any healthy boys available at the time. So, they settled for the next best thing: adopting the prettiest girl they could find, strictly so they could marry her off to a rich man and secure their retirement. Seeing Ashton Sterling personally drop their daughter off, their blood must have boiled with greed. They instantly dragged their potential golden goose inside to butter him up. The “warmth” and “cozy family vibes”? It was all an act. After all, if they wanted to impress a billionaire’s son, that was the only currency they had. In my past life, when I told them I didn’t want to marry Ashton, my adoptive mother locked me in my room, and my adoptive father beat me half to death with a table leg and a leather belt. Maya thought she had chosen heaven in this life. She didn’t realize that a true heaven doesn’t exist. The Sterlings were a glamorous hell, and the Millers were an impoverished one. Who crawled out of hell alive all depended on their own strength. 06 In the following days, Ashton’s malice escalated. When I opened the lunchbox the housekeeper packed for me, it was filled to the brim with thumbtacks. Dead spiders were squeezed into my toothpaste and face wash. The designer dresses in my closet were ruined with cigarette burns. And every time I looked up in shock, I was met with Ashton’s cruel, mocking smile. He mouthed the words to me: Harper, you deserve it. Ashton expected me to cry. Instead, I calmly threw the thumbtacks in the trash, flushed the spiders down the toilet, and neatly folded the ruined dresses away. Seeing this, the smile vanished from Ashton’s face. He glared at me, his voice practically dripping with venom. “Let’s see how long you can keep up this act.” … Fortunately, even though I had to endure Ashton’s bullying this time around, I also had full access to the Sterlings’ resources. I no longer had to go to school during the day and be forced to scrub toilets for my adoptive mother at night. Instead, I had a housekeeper to cater to my needs, a private driver, and all the time in the world to focus on my studies. In my past life, if I wanted to buy SAT prep books, I had to hoard pennies for months, constantly terrified my adoptive father would find my stash and steal it to buy booze and lottery tickets. Now, my closet was overflowing with designer clothes, and my jewelry box was stuffed with Cartier and Van Cleef—all casually gifted to me by Mrs. Sterling without me spending a dime. On top of that, I received a $50,000 cash allowance every month and a credit card with a $100,000 limit. If I maxed it out, all I had to do was text the butler, and it would be reloaded within thirty minutes. The grinding, suffocating poverty of my past life had fallen entirely onto Maya’s shoulders. I watched her sleep through all her classes. Because she had to help her adoptive mom clean at night, she was severely sleep-deprived. Her grades began to plummet, and eventually, she started handing in blank tests. In my past life, I practically survived on black coffee. When I was too tired to keep my eyes open, I would stab my own thigh with a compass needle just to force myself to study. But Maya had lived her previous life as a pampered socialite. She didn’t have that kind of grit or willpower. Not to mention, she didn’t care about studying anyway. To her, becoming the fiancée of the Sterling heir was infinitely more valuable than getting accepted into an Ivy League. So, she poured all her energy into making Ashton love her more. She ignored lectures to secretly write a diary specifically meant for Ashton to “accidentally” find. She skipped dance rehearsals, sneaking out of school to go on joyrides and stargaze with him. And then, right before the school’s annual dance showcase… She sat outside the rehearsal studio, crying. I figured she had meticulously studied how heroines cry in movies—tilting her head up at a 45-degree angle, tears welling perfectly in her eyes, looking too stubbornly proud to let them fall. Naturally, Ashton just happened to walk by and see her. The moment he asked her what was wrong, the tears Maya had been holding back finally spilled over. She threw herself into his arms and wailed. “Ashton, I lost my spot in the showcase!” “Every other girl in class gets to go on stage. Harper is the only one who won’t let me perform…” Ashton already hated me to my core. Hearing this, he exploded. “Why?!” Maya bit her lip, trying desperately to stop crying but failing to suppress her sobs. “She said my mom is just a cleaning lady, and my dad is a security guard.” “She said I can’t even afford the costume, so I don’t deserve to be on stage.” Ashton’s face darkened with rage. He looked at the hyperventilating girl in his arms and said softly, “It’s just a costume, right? I’ll buy it for you.” Maya shook her head, radiating the pure, uncorrupted righteousness of an innocent poor girl. “No. They cost eight hundred dollars each. I can’t accept such an expensive gift from you.” Ashton was furious, yet his heart broke for her. “Who the hell does Harper think she is?!” he spat. Tears streamed down Maya’s face as she shook her head sadly. “She’s your sister. She’s the Sterling heiress.” “Your family donated half the buildings on this campus, and your dad is an honorary board member. Even if the teachers know she’s bullying me, what can they possibly do?” Maya failed to notice that at that exact moment, a local journalist visiting the school happened to be walking past them. Poking his head around the corner like a shark smelling blood, the reporter asked sharply, “Bullying? Who is being bullied?” 07 The situation blew up instantly. The school’s massive conference room was packed with people. The Principal, Vice Principal, Dean of Students, and our homeroom teacher were all there. There were also several reporters from different news outlets. Both sets of parents had arrived. The Millers stood protectively over a tear-streaked Maya in the corner, radiating grievance and righteous anger. Mr. and Mrs. Sterling initially hadn’t wanted to come when they got the call about me being in trouble. It wasn’t until they heard that the newly appointed State Superintendent of Education was present that they rushed over. Oakridge Prep was the most prestigious school in the state, and the Superintendent used it as a benchmark for educational standards. Mr. Sterling clearly had a prior relationship with the Superintendent. As soon as he walked in, he smoothly approached the man with a diplomatic smile. “All this fuss over a little disagreement, and it even dragged you down here, Superintendent.” “Honestly, it’s just kids having a petty argument…” But the Superintendent was notoriously strict and didn’t buy it for a second. “Mr. Sterling, bullying is never a ‘little disagreement.’” “I know Harper is your daughter, but every child in this room is a student, a sapling. I will not stand by and watch them grow crooked.” Hearing this, Mr. Sterling couldn’t push the issue further. He forced a polite smile. “Yes, of course. We aren’t entirely sure what happened either. Please, conduct a thorough investigation.” Returning to his wife’s side, the two exchanged a silent, cold look. I knew exactly what that look meant. If the bullying allegations were proven true, the Sterlings would instantly abandon their emotionally distant adopted daughter and cut all ties with me to save their reputation. If that was the parents’ attitude, Ashton’s was even worse. Standing next to a sobbing Maya, he murmured soft comforts to her before looking up to shoot me a gaze colder than ice. Seeing that everyone was present, the Principal turned to Maya. “Maya, why don’t you tell us what happened?” Maya looked up with red, swollen eyes, quietly repeating the same sob story she had fed Ashton. The reporters were already practically foaming at the mouth with righteous indignation. One reporter immediately spoke up. “We did some preliminary digging. Harper and Maya grew up in the same foster home and were once as close as sisters.” “Later, Harper was adopted by the billionaire Sterling family, while Maya’s adoptive parents are humble school employees.” “Does marrying into wealth give Harper the right to bully her former friend and strip her of her rightful opportunities?” Dead silence fell over the room. The reporters stared at me like hawks, the red recording lights on their cameras blinking relentlessly. No one wanted to miss the scoop of the year. After all, this was a massive social issue. In an era of extreme wealth inequality, a rich kid stealing educational opportunities from a poor, hardworking student was enough to spark statewide outrage. Not to mention the incredible dramatic irony of Maya and I being the two main characters in this story. In the suffocatingly quiet office, I suddenly burst out laughing. It was a sharp, jarring sound. The reporters looked at each other in confusion. “Mr. Reporter,” I said smoothly. “I read in a book once that journalists are supposed to cross-reference their sources and fact-check their information.” “What? Are you in such a rush to publish a viral headline that you’re just skipping basic journalistic integrity?” The reporter’s face instantly flushed bright red. I stood up and pointed coldly at Maya. “Right now, your only source of information is her. Everything you’ve heard is a completely one-sided story.” I looked at Maya’s pale, tearful face. I really did treat you like a sister once. But in our past life, you murdered me out of jealousy. In this life, you’re trying to frame me to climb the social ladder. If I completely destroy you right now, you brought it upon yourself. “Since the reporters are asking, I’ll tell you what I know.” “Maya is jealous of me. She thinks that since we started from the exact same place—and she believes she’s prettier and smarter than me—it’s completely unfair that I get to live a better life than her.” “Her jealousy turned into hatred. That’s why she fabricated this entire story to frame me.” As soon as the words left my mouth, Ashton aggressively stepped forward to defend her. “That’s a lie! She—” He wanted to say that Maya chose the poor Miller family on purpose. Therefore, she couldn’t possibly be a gold digger, and I was just twisting the truth. But before he could finish his sentence, the conference room doors were shoved open. A thin, quiet figure with short hair stood in the doorway. She looked like an unnoticeable weed. Our homeroom teacher recognized her instantly. “Riley? What are you doing here?” At this exact time in our past life, Riley Brooks had already taken her own life. But in this life, she survived. Step by step, she walked into the room and stood right beside me. She spoke quietly. “I’m here to testify.”

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My sister and I were both bound to a “Life Reversal” system. My sister chose the “Beauty System,” while I chose the “Genius System.” Unexpectedly, because she couldn’t secure true love from a man, my sister lost her beauty, ending up destitute and miserable. Meanwhile, I became the youngest fellow at the National Academy of Sciences, making groundbreaking contributions to cutting-edge physics. I was even pursued by the heir to a powerful New York dynasty—a man my sister had failed to win over. I had both fame and fortune. Consumed by jealousy, my sister ran me over with her car. When I opened my eyes again, we were both back on the day we were bound to the system. This time, my sister beat me to the punch and chose the Genius System. “Sister, this time, let me be the top genius in the academic world for you.” I looked at her triumphant smile and slowly curled my lips. She didn’t know that all of destiny’s gifts come with a hidden price. 01 It was only after Chloe ran me over with her car that I realized she had always regretted her choice. When we were sixteen, Chloe and I both received a binding system—a chance to reverse our lives. A mysterious voice told us we only had one chance to choose. “Do you want unparalleled beauty, or to become a high-IQ genius? You only get one choice in this life. Have you decided?” In our previous life, my sister chose the Beauty System. She firmly believed that beauty was the ultimate stepping stone into high society. But when she actually tried to use her beauty to climb higher and see the broader world, she realized that beauty was not a scarce resource. She was just treated as an after-dinner dessert by wealthy heirs, never able to win their true love. They were obsessed with her face, but it was only a fleeting infatuation. In the end, because she couldn’t secure true love, my sister lost all her beauty, was abandoned by her wealthy backers, and lived in abject poverty and agony. I, however, had bound the Genius Reversal System. I became the youngest fellow at the Academy and was pursued by Liam Sterling, the powerful New York heir my sister had never managed to win over. I had it all. After she killed me out of jealousy, we both returned to being sixteen. This time, before the mysterious voice could finish speaking, my sister shouted loudly: “I choose the Genius Reversal System!” The mysterious figure revealed half a face, smiling at my sister. “But, didn’t you just say you wanted unparalleled beauty? “The system is born from your inner desires. Do you truly want to become a genius?” My sister was greedy and eager: “Yes, yes, yes, I want to be a genius this time!” “Intelligence is way more important than beauty!” The mysterious figure pondered for a moment, then looked at me: “And what about you?” Seeing the mysterious figure actually asking for my opinion, my sister suddenly lunged forward and snatched the colorful orb from the figure’s right hand. The moment the orb touched her, it merged with her. My sister’s eyes filled with wild joy: “This is great! This time, the fame, the fortune, the chance to be pursued by Liam Sterling—it’s all mine!” The mysterious figure didn’t move; their smile only grew warmer. “You can only bind the Beauty Reversal System now.” After shoving the other orb into my hands, the figure slowly became transparent and gradually disappeared. “The gifts bestowed by destiny have been handed over to you. Please complete your tasks diligently, Hosts, and enjoy a happy life.” My sister focused all her attention on her newly bound system. She looked up and gave me a cold sneer: “You enjoyed so many benefits in your past life, Sister. It’s my turn this time.” I looked at her, slowly curling my lips, and didn’t say a word. Chloe still didn’t know that the so-called gifts bestowed by destiny were not without a price tag. Even with a machine to help you, you still have to put in the work. 02 Chloe began to enjoy the benefits brought by the system. At the very beginning, both our systems provided “cheat codes.” The Genius System enhanced Chloe’s memory and comprehension, making her studying twice as effective with half the effort. She joyfully showed off her photographic memory to the teachers and students. “How did Chloe suddenly get so smart?” “I’m so jealous.” Chloe floated on air, reveling in everyone’s praise. Catching a glimpse of me out of the corner of her eye, she covered her mouth and chuckled softly: “Actually, my sister studies really hard at home too, but she just can’t seem to get it. “Sigh, if she wanted, I could share my study methods with her, but she refuses to ask me.” Her deskmate, who was hoping to ask Chloe how to solve a problem, immediately agreed: “Oh, come on, Mia isn’t smart. Even if you taught her, it wouldn’t work. “You’re from the same mom, how come you’re so smart and Mia is so dumb?” Dumb? I looked at my math test, which scored a 95 out of 100. Honestly, my grades weren’t even bad now, but Chloe constantly reinforced this stereotype in her conversations, making people think I studied secretly at home and was jealous of her grades. During high school, everyone always has a filter for the “genius” students. Especially the type like Chloe, who doesn’t seem to study hard but still gets good grades. Intelligence is a scarce resource. Because it’s hard to attain, it makes people especially envious. Meanwhile, the boys in class started intentionally teasing me, trying to get my attention. The Beauty System was also revealing its power. Chloe and I originally looked very similar, but I was gradually starting to develop differently. I was growing taller, my waist was getting slimmer, my skin was fairer, and my features were becoming more beautiful. In a school where everyone went bare-faced, people began to notice my stunning beauty. “What’s the use of being pretty? A student’s main job is studying.” “Yeah, Mia is pretty, but Chloe is so smart! My goddess is still Chloe.” Chloe was incredibly smug about this. I watched coldly from the sidelines, never saying a word to her. She didn’t know that the Genius System didn’t make you smart for nothing. In my past life, she needed to win over others and gain the true love and affection of the “Child of Destiny”; And I also needed to put in double the effort, bury myself in my studies, to achieve academic results. But just being smart wasn’t enough. The people who make it to the top are never lacking in talent. In the end, what everyone was really competing on was who worked harder, who could endure the loneliness of not seeing immediate results. In this world, there are many beautiful people, and there are many smart people. But not everyone can achieve success. If you look glamorous in public, you have to put in double the effort behind the scenes. Destiny never rewards those who want something for nothing. 03 Chloe quickly secured the top spot in our grade. The people surrounding her were all top-tier students. But she noticed that I didn’t seem to be isolated by all the girls like she was in her past life. On the contrary, everyone still joked and laughed with me. She couldn’t understand why, even though we both possessed beauty, and I had been posted on the school’s confession page several times and recognized as the school’s “it girl,” I wasn’t facing jealousy from other girls. In reality, the reason she was hated in her past life wasn’t because she was beautiful. “Mia, I’m taking you out to karaoke after school, you in or not?” Jackson, the bad boy from the class next door, appeared at our classroom door again. Jackson’s family was wealthy. His dad was involved in both legitimate and shady businesses, and the biggest entertainment complex in town belonged to his family. With a background like that, even the teachers didn’t dare cross him. In my past life, Jackson had fiercely pursued Chloe. Chloe was very high-profile back then, frequently riding on the back of Jackson’s motorcycle, showing off around town. Like a heroine in a teen drama, while others were studying hard, she skipped class every day and bullied classmates, relying on Jackson’s power. So, even though she was impossibly pretty, many people still hated her. But I wasn’t going to follow her path. Jackson slammed both hands on my desk, looking down at me. He was good-looking, generous with his money, had many fangirls, but had a terrible temper. “Are you going or not? Give me an answer.” I shook my head: “No, I have to go home today.” This was the fourth time I had rejected him. He was clearly losing patience, a hint of anger in his eyes, and the way the people around him were looking at him made him even angrier. “Mia, don’t push your luck! “I like you right now, so don’t play hard to get with me.” Everyone watched the drama in silence, no one daring to speak up. After all, Jackson had just put a guy who offended him in the hospital with severe injuries last month. I lowered my eyes and pinched my thigh hard. Then I looked up, my eyes red, brimming with tears. “Jackson, how could you be so mean?” The anger boiling inside Jackson instantly deflated. He scratched his head, looking lost. “Oh, shit, I didn’t even say anything bad! “Don’t cry, okay? If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to.” I didn’t respond to him, just sniffled, wiped my tears, and ran out of the classroom. I had to run, otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to force out any more tears. I had to admit, beauty was sometimes a weapon. But it’s a double-edged sword. When not used properly, it only hurts yourself. Going head-to-head with Jackson was obviously unwise. Showing appropriate weakness was the only way to keep myself safe. Before I had a way to protect myself, my beautiful face was like a child holding a block of gold in a crowded market. But I didn’t plan to do what Chloe did and find a powerful man to protect me. Entrusting your life to a strange man, using beauty to tie them down, is clearly a decision that goes against human nature. No matter how beautiful a flower is, there will come a day when someone gets tired of looking at it. A canary in a gilded cage is destined never to fly high. What I wanted to do was be an eagle soaring freely. 04 I looked delicate, but I was actually a very fast runner. By the time Jackson came out looking for me, I was long gone. In an old, run-down storage room, I sat on a gym mat with exposed stuffing and pulled out the vocabulary notebook I had shoved into my bag during the chaos. Perfect. It was quiet, a great place to memorize vocabulary. As I wrote from memory, I set up my phone tripod to record a video of myself. I planned to post it online when I got home. In an era of highly developed internet economy, unparalleled beauty could quickly be monetized. I frequently posted videos of my daily study routine on TikTok, and I had already amassed six hundred thousand followers. My followers affectionately called me their “internet daughter,” and they loved watching me study. A pale, pretty girl, studying diligently and behaving perfectly—who wouldn’t want a daughter like that? Among a sea of beauty influencers, I quickly broke out. Ninety percent of my followers were women; I basically had an army of internet moms. Just as I suspected, the system’s collection of “affection value” wasn’t limited to men. The love from my internet moms counted as successful conquests. Once the beauty bestowed by the system was augmented by my “good student” persona, it was no longer aggressive or intimidating. Sometimes, looking in the mirror, I couldn’t help but marvel at how amazing my face was. My DMs were flooded with scouts and inquiries. They all said I should go to Hollywood to shine and become a big star. In my past life, Chloe had briefly entered the entertainment industry, but she was a flash in the pan, quickly hidden away by the men who desired her. Later, after she lost her beauty, gossip accounts often posted side-by-side comparison videos, lamenting the fading of a beauty. Fading my foot, she was only thirty-two at the time. In this life, I didn’t have high intelligence anymore. My brain was just average. Going into academia to compete wasn’t suitable for me. But I also didn’t plan on debuting this early. If a normal person works hard, they can still get into a good college. With the internet economy, I could use my beauty to quickly monetize. Selling your face isn’t a long-term plan. While my account was thriving, Chloe’s grades started to slip. She angrily asked the system: “Aren’t I a genius? Why am I still running into problems I can’t solve?” The system’s mechanical voice was rigid and cold: “I can only grant you intelligence. The host still needs to study on their own.” Chloe was never the type who could sit still. Making her study was worse than killing her. But after scoring second in her grade again, she had to start reading and studying. With the system’s boost, studying was very easy for her. She quickly returned to being number one in her grade. Our parents were very satisfied with this. Everyone loves a kid who loves to read, and my parents were especially obsessed with academic credentials. “Mia, can you learn from your sister? You only ranked in the seventies, while Chloe is always number one.” I tilted my head, looking at him, and smiled: “Dad, but I’ve improved from before too. “My homeroom teacher said my grades could get me into a pretty good college.” My mom frowned. In my past life, she didn’t like Chloe either, especially as Chloe grew more and more beautiful. She always felt Chloe wasn’t decent. In this life, that suspicion fell on me. “I heard you’ve been getting close to some shady boys? “Mia, don’t you dare go out and embarrass our family!” Chloe looked at me, gloating. After my parents finished venting, she walked over with a smile and pulled me to look in the mirror: “Sister, what’s the use of being beautiful? This time, the one Mom and Dad truly love is me.” I looked at her, sighing inwardly. Why, even after being reborn, was she still obsessed with these things? Actually, my parents didn’t love either of us. They only liked the child who could bring benefits to the family. In my past life, after I became a well-known scientist, my parents became the role models among our relatives and friends. Just for the sake of saving face, they frequently called me out of the lab to meet people. Not everyone is lucky enough to meet parents who love their children unconditionally. Sometimes, parents’ love also comes with a price. But that’s okay. In life, you have to accept imperfections. 05 Chloe told our parents about Jackson pursuing me. Lately, my mom had been watching me like a hawk. She wasn’t afraid of me doing anything to disgrace the family; she practically wanted to tie me up at home and not let me see anyone. “Don’t you dare do anything cheap. “There are plenty of opportunities for men in your life. If something happens to you, I won’t be able to save you. “Back in the day, a woman who messed around with men would have been thrown into the river in a pig basket!” My mom’s shrill voice rang in my ears. I just treated her like a supporting character in a brain-dead novel and ignored her. But today, I didn’t go straight home, because Jackson blocked me at the school gate. “Mia, your sister told me everything. You look down on me, don’t you?” Chloe understood Jackson very well. He was all brawn and no brains, quick-tempered, and cared deeply about his reputation. Knowing that I repeatedly rejected him because I looked down on him, Jackson furiously sought me out. He dragged me away from the school gate and angrily asked me what I meant. “You look down on me, huh? “I have plenty of ways to deal with you!” I looked at Jackson helplessly and sighed softly. I used the same old trick. “Are you going to bully me along with Chloe too?” Teenage boys are actually very easy to fool, even someone with no moral compass like Jackson. Before I had absolute certainty of winning, going head-to-head was incredibly stupid. I still had a beautiful life ahead of me. I couldn’t go down with a piece of trash. “Who’s bullying you?” I covered my face and started crying. No matter how Jackson asked, I wouldn’t speak. In the empty, deserted equipment room, there was only the sound of my crying. It gave Jackson a headache. — Chloe dragged Liam Sterling along, heading towards the equipment room under the pretext of discussing a project design. Jackson acted recklessly when his temper flared up. He took Mia away today, so she definitely wouldn’t have a good outcome. Not only did she call Liam, but she also called other classmates, and even called my parents in advance, saying her sister had left with a delinquent and she couldn’t stop her. A massive group of people marched towards the equipment room. Along the way, Chloe was all smiles, her steps light. It was as if she was about to see my reputation ruined in a matter of moments. Liam followed behind her, looking a bit impatient: “Why do we have to go to the equipment room to do problems?” Chloe whispered: “I think the equipment room has a better vibe.” Remembering that there were other classmates around, Liam didn’t say anything else. As she pulled open the door to the equipment room, Chloe saw my parents running over from a distance. She didn’t even look closely at what was happening inside before shouting: “Mom, don’t come over! Sister… I can’t believe she’s doing something so shameful!” Hearing this, my parents immediately started cursing about bringing shame to the family and pushed past the stunned classmates to go inside. Then they froze in the doorway. “Ms. Hayes, what are you doing here?” 06 Inside the equipment room, it wasn’t the scene of me and Jackson tangled up together like Chloe had imagined. Because there was a third person here. Jackson’s older sister, Ms. Hayes. A large table was set up on the spacious floor. Jackson and I were sitting on opposite sides, and Ms. Hayes was holding a test paper, currently explaining the key points for the exam. Seeing so many people standing in the doorway, she couldn’t help but be stunned. “Why are you all here? “Are these two the parents? What’s going on?” The atmosphere was incredibly awkward for a moment. The classmates who came with Chloe had all heard what she just said. But the scene in the room was clearly far from shameful. My parents were halfway through their curses; they couldn’t swallow them, nor could they spit them out. My dad almost rolled his eyes back in his head from choking on his words. “This, this, why is Ms. Hayes here with Mia?” Ms. Hayes’s eyes were calm, carrying a teacher’s unique sternness: “Mia had some questions she wanted to ask me. “I promised to answer them for her after class.” Hearing this, everyone turned to look at Chloe. One classmate couldn’t help but say: “Chloe, didn’t you see Ms. Hayes just now? Why would you say something like that?” “Yeah, you made me think Mia was doing something sketchy in there.” Liam, who was already somewhat impatient, looked even more displeased. “Chloe, I didn’t come here with you to watch sisters catfight.” “Liam!” Chloe mournfully called out his name, but unfortunately, her efforts were wasted. “I didn’t know my sister was here either. “I really saw wrong earlier. I only saw Jackson and my sister, and I thought…” She deliberately paused, saying ambiguously: “After all, everyone knows Jackson is pursuing my sister.” Hearing the word “pursuing,” my mom’s face contorted. If Ms. Hayes hadn’t been there, she probably would have started screaming at me. In her eyes, any conflict between a man and a woman could be blamed on the woman’s promiscuity. Living in the present, but with a mindset from the Qing Dynasty. My mom was a true relic of the past. If it weren’t for the lack of opportunity, I’d suggest sending her to a museum. She could vividly reenact the thoughts and feelings of an ordinary woman from the late 19th century. My mom didn’t say anything, but Jackson did. He was a jerk, but he wasn’t completely brainless. He immediately understood that he was being used by Chloe. “Chloe, stop faking it. Didn’t you tell me to come find Mia today?” Jackson let out a cold laugh: “I get it now. You set us up on purpose, didn’t you? “Do you think I’m like you? Young but full of schemes! Let me tell you! The relationship between me and Mia is pure friendship among classmates. We’re here today to study with my sister. “Study, do you understand? “Is your bladder connected to your tear ducts? Piss leaking from your eyes? You see everyone as a slut? Your mind is dirty, so everything looks dirty to you.” Unable to endure the strange looks from others after being ruthlessly blasted by Jackson, Chloe covered her face and ran away crying. My mom glared at me and hurried after her. When Jackson finished talking, Ms. Hayes apologetically chimed in: “Parents of Mia, please don’t mind him. My brother is in his rebellious teenage phase and refuses to be disciplined. He talks nonsense.” Saying that, she signaled Jackson with her eyes to apologize. Jackson grunted rebelliously. “Sorry, Mr. Miller. I just love telling the truth.” In front of the teacher and a bunch of classmates, what could my dad say? It was humiliating enough. He babbled a few polite phrases and followed my mom out. Before leaving, he told me to hurry home after studying. A few classmates awkwardly said goodbye and scattered in a panic. To ruin my reputation, Chloe had specifically brought along the notorious gossip from our class. I believed that gossip wouldn’t disappoint me. Chloe’s stunt would spread to every corner of the campus. 07 After Jackson was sent home by Ms. Hayes, she drove me home. During the evening rush hour, traffic was heavy. In the dim twilight, taillights merged into a beautiful river of red. Ms. Hayes asked me: “How were you so sure Chloe would bring people to the equipment room?” I smiled: “From the day she went to find Jackson, I had already started making arrangements.” Unlike what Chloe imagined, although I always rejected Jackson, I actually maintained a loose connection with him in private. I maintained him like a client, occasionally having ambiguous conversations with him. So, I easily found out the time Chloe and Jackson were meeting. From Jackson’s response to my messages, I guessed that Chloe wanted to set me up today. Knowing Chloe, the method she would come up with was nothing more than exposing the fact that Jackson and I were “dating” in front of everyone, making my parents disappointed in me, and forcing me down the path she took in her past life. In her past life, Jackson and Chloe had also been caught in the equipment room by a teacher. Chloe was taken home by our mom and severely disciplined. She had to promise to be a good role model for her sister before our mom agreed to let her go back to school. She wanted to repeat her old tricks, calling our parents to make me lose the chance to study. She not only wanted to possess the life I had in my past life, but she also wanted to destroy me. We were born from the same mother. We should have been the closest people in the world. But twin flowers taking root in the same soil do not necessarily share the same life force; instead, they might steal resources from each other to nourish themselves. Whether it was because Chloe killed me in my past life or because she wanted to destroy me in this life, I shouldn’t harbor any goodwill toward her. “Ms. Hayes, thank you so much for believing in me and playing along with this act.” When I saw Jackson’s figure at the school gate, I made a voice call to Ms. Hayes, which is why she rushed to the equipment room so quickly. While I was in the equipment room dealing with Jackson’s fake crying, Ms. Hayes got there first, pushing open the heavy doors of the equipment room with exam papers in hand. Ms. Hayes focused on driving. Her profile was like white jade. Behind her rimless glasses, her eyes were sharp, carrying the wisdom and calmness unique to highly educated women. “It wasn’t too much trouble for me to come here. To gain a connection, I was more than happy to do you a small favor. “Frankly speaking, this was also a test.” Ms. Hayes calmly analyzed her thoughts: “You said you could help me fight for the inheritance of the Hayes family. I also needed to know your capabilities. Just talking wouldn’t cut it. “I know my brother very well. He’s just a simple-minded guy with all brawn and no brains, who likes to rush into things. He’s not smart and doesn’t have any special skills, but he luckily incarnated as the only boy in my family, with a massive family business at his fingertips. “Destroying him is easy, but doing it without my parents noticing isn’t so easy. “However, you did well. I’m very satisfied. “Happy cooperation.” Yes, I was in a partnership with Ms. Hayes. Ms. Hayes had studied at a top business school abroad, but after returning, she was arranged by her family to be a high school teacher. She also had to carve out three days a week to go on blind dates with men of equal family standing, preparing for a marriage of convenience. Even so, the Ms. Hayes of my past life had painstakingly carved out her own path, becoming the head of the Hayes family. Even though she didn’t remember it, she and I had once been comrades who entrusted our backs to each other. The path might be different, but using the right methods, we could still reach the finish line. Sometimes I think life is like a game of cards. Everyone’s starting hand is different. How to arrange limited cards to maximize benefits is the key to winning. Whether it’s the Beauty System or the Genius System, they can both be combined with existing resources to achieve the ultimate goal. The most important thing isn’t the system or the cheat codes, it’s me.

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I was the principal pianist for the symphony orchestra, but on the eve of a major performance, I suddenly forgot every single technique I knew. At that exact moment, my young assistant beside me received a system prompt: [Congratulations to the host. Successfully plundered Piano Talent (Max Level).] Amidst the gasps and sighs of the crowd, I plummeted into the mud, while she climbed to the clouds. I begged my assistant to return my talent, but she heartlessly pushed me off the building. When I opened my eyes again, the doorbell rang. I looked at the young woman applying for the assistant position in front of me and revealed a playful smile. 1 I was reborn on the day I was selected as the pianist for the Philharmonic Orchestra. Outside the window, a fierce rainstorm raged, while hearty and impassioned piano notes poured from my fingertips. Unwillingness, anger, hatred… “Ding dong.” The doorbell rang, incongruous and abrupt, interrupting my performance. She was here. “System, is Harper the piano genius we’re looking for?” “Yes, host. As long as you gain enough affinity, you can plunder her talent.” “Great! I want to be the principal musician of the future exhibition!” Through the thin door, the conversation between Chloe and the system came through clearly. I curled my lips in a cold sneer and raised my hand to tuck a stray hair behind my ear. In this life, things probably wouldn’t go as they wished. 2 “Miss Harper, I’m here to apply for the assistant position.” Seeing me open the door, Chloe’s face flushed slightly with excitement. She tugged at her hem somewhat nervously, appearing both innocent and shy. In my previous life, she used this harmless facade to deceive me. I concealed the fierce light in my eyes and, meeting her expectant gaze, chuckled and shook my head: “I’m sorry, I don’t need an assistant.” “How… how can that be!” This answer was completely unexpected for her. The smile on Chloe’s lips froze instantly. Her face looked terrible, and the fingertips gripping the recruitment flyer turned slightly pale. “Please, Miss Harper, I really need this job…” She lowered her head, revealing a back soaked by the rain. Her whole person seemed fragile and pitiful. But I felt that I, who fell from the eighteenth floor with my brains splattered, was even more pitiful. “Who is it?” From behind, a large hand domineeringly wrapped around my waist. A man’s lazy and hoarse voice sounded in my ear. Seeing Chloe blush under his aggressive scrutiny, I leaned into Ethan’s embrace and smiled even more delightfully. In my previous life, he always said that the people around me had impure motives, and I didn’t think much of it. Until the day I was pushed downstairs, I heard Chloe’s hysterical roar: “I already have your talent, why does he still love you!” “The position of Mrs. Sterling belongs to me!” … “What’s wrong, do you know her?” “No, I don’t.” My thoughts returning, I pinched Ethan’s chin and pecked him on the lips. Realizing she was being ignored, Chloe, with tears in her eyes, looked helplessly at the man. “Sir, I’m here to apply for the assistant position, but Miss Harper doesn’t seem to like me very much…” The little white flower stood in the rain, hesitating to speak, shedding tears, looking utterly pitiful. But no one paid attention to her. Ethan passionately squeezed my waist, urging in a hoarse voice: “I’m tired, hurry up.” “Miss, take care on your way out. I won’t see you out.” With a smile on my lips, I ruthlessly slammed the door shut. The last thing in my line of sight was Chloe trembling with anger. Her small face was ashen, and the gaze she directed at me was filled with greed. “System, I must get Harper’s talent, and everything else she has!” 3 Sitting behind the door, I clung to Ethan’s neck and kissed him absentmindedly. How should I play Chloe to death? Disguise it as a car accident… slash her throat… or drown her? “You’re brushing me off.” Ethan dissatisfiedly nipped at my lip and ground his teeth. I pushed him away in pain and coldly pulled back my clothes. “From now on, don’t casually interfere in my business.” “Just helping you swat away an annoying fly, your business is my business.” Under his resentful gaze, I paced to the familiar Steinway Fibonacci piano. Taking a seat, raising my hands, the passionate melody soared once more. After my talent was taken in my previous life, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t play a complete note. This was the piano I loved above all else! The feeling of having it back now was truly… incomparable! I suppressed the surging joy in my chest, followed by an even more intense hatred. After a piece was finished, Ethan tenderly bowed his head and kissed my fingertips. His eyes were full of admiration and infatuation. “Don’t come looking for me recently, I’m going to the orchestra, very busy.” “Harper, what’s more important, the piano or me?” “…What do you think?” I seriously withdrew my hand and, following the melody in my mind, played another piece. The sound of the piano echoed melodiously in the room, and in a good mood, I practiced continuously for three hours before stopping. Tomorrow was the first day reporting to the orchestra. This time, I would surpass my former peak. 4 “Harper, I’ve arranged an assistant for you… She’s a kid who just graduated from music school, got some talent.” As soon as I entered the theater’s concert hall, the orchestra director came over to notify me. After speaking, he waved gently to the distance. A bad premonition welled up in my heart, and I raised an eyebrow and turned around. “Teacher Harper, I just came to the theater to try my luck, I didn’t expect… please guide me from now on!” Sure enough, Chloe walked over timidly, politely bowing deeply to everyone. The look in her eyes when she saw me was full of sincerity and admiration. Perhaps afraid of my refusal, she hurriedly added with feigned clumsiness: “I can endure hardship, I hope Teacher Harper won’t dislike me.” Hearing these unpretentious words, the orchestra members immediately had a favorable impression of Chloe. Everyone smiled and told her not to be so polite. “Chloe, don’t be afraid, Harper is very easy to talk to.” “Yes, we are all a family here.” Seeing my silence, the director secretly winked, urging me. It was as if my not accepting her kindly would be making things difficult for her, making me the bad guy. But I deliberately wouldn’t let them have their way. “No thanks, I don’t need an assistant.” I smiled gently, but firmly refused to her face. Then I ignored everyone’s expressions and walked towards the piano in the corner. The scene instantly fell silent. The orchestra conductor, who had been watching from the sidelines, walked over. He was about thirty years old and looked gentle and refined. “Harper, I think this kid is pretty good.” “I think she’s just mediocre.” Being abruptly contradicted by me, he froze awkwardly. Seeing this, Chloe immediately bit her lower lip in embarrassment, forcing a smile. “It’s okay, thank you everyone for the welcome… It’s my poor aptitude that doesn’t make me fit to be an assistant, everyone shouldn’t make things difficult for Teacher Harper.” “I will figure out a way for my mom’s illness, if not, I can work at a bar.” As she spoke, tears kept falling from the corners of her eyes. It made everyone feel a little sympathetic. Before the director could comfort her, I opened the score, looked up, and replied: “Yeah, your aptitude is indeed a bit lacking.” In my previous life, I taught her hand-in-hand through wind and rain for three years, and in the end, she was still a piece of trash. 5 “Obviously she’s a newcomer herself, isn’t she a bit too arrogant.” “Bullying Chloe because she’s easy to talk to, pure-hearted.” In the crowd, I didn’t know who muttered a few words softly. I lowered my eyes, bowing my head and mockingly curled the corners of my lips. Obviously they were trying to force someone on me, and didn’t allow me to refuse. If I didn’t need to use the orchestra’s name to participate in the international music competition three months later, I would be too lazy to play with them. Not getting the title of International Piano Master in my previous life was my regret. In this life, I don’t want any regrets. I fondly stroked the keys beneath my hands, ignoring them and started to play. Dense music like raindrops sounded, echoing continuously in the empty theater. The scales vibrated, exploded, leaped. “Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3?!” The originally frowning conductor suddenly looked up in astonishment. Several seasoned members of the orchestra also gathered around. “Harper’s piano level is much higher than during the qualification exam.” “To be able to interpret Rach 3 like this… is one of the few in today’s piano world.” “She’s a bit too genius!” Amidst the low praises of everyone, Chloe, who was left out in the cold, clenched her fists, full of jealousy. She opened her mouth to say something, but found that no one was paying attention to her. It wasn’t until the piano lid closed that everyone came back to their senses. The director cleared his throat, still deciding to smooth things over: “Harper, since she’s already recruited, and there are so many performances, I think you still need a practice assistant.” “No, this isn’t a garbage shelter, whatever waste you have, please resolve it yourself.” I restrained the smile on my lips and seriously scanned Chloe a few times. It wasn’t until I had sufficiently admired her livid face that I walked in a happy mood to the lounge. Speaking like this was a bit excessive. But who said I wanted to be a good person? “Sorry, Chloe, you…” Seeing me leave with a firm attitude, the director had no choice but to refuse Chloe, but was interrupted by a man’s refined voice. “If Harper doesn’t want her, I’ll take her, Chloe can learn from me, I think she’s quite pleasing to the eye.” “Thank you conductor, I will definitely work hard and not embarrass you!” The orchestra conductor… seems to have been married for a few years. Thinking of that good deed I almost ran into in the stairwell in my previous life, I playfully rubbed my fingertips. But this Chloe is quite hard to chase away. But what I have is patience. Watching her slowly climb to the clouds and then fall hard seems more fun than killing her directly. And this kind of embarrassment in the eyes of a small person is really interesting. 6 “Bravo!” “Encore…” The piano solo ended, and thunderous applause erupted from the audience. I bowed deeply and walked off the stage flamboyantly, swaying my mermaid skirt. In the corner, Chloe resentfully kicked the instrument at her feet. “System, I’ve been working hard for a month already. Harper still doesn’t seem to like me very much, is there any other way to strip her of her talent?” “Host, you can accumulate others’ affinity to improve your luck. When your luck surpasses hers, you can snatch the talent.” As I passed by her, I heard her conspiracy with the system again. Chloe pretended to be friendly, raised her little face, and smiled at me. I completely ignored her, chatted with someone beside me, and walked away. “What are you pretending for, if I had this kind of talent, I could play this well too!” Talent? In my previous life, after having my talent, Chloe was also a piece of trash. If everything in the world only depended on talent, then what would my more than ten years of hard work amount to. 7 After the performance, the orchestra held a networking banquet in the side hall of the theater. I sat in a box on the second floor, quietly observing Chloe, who was holding a violin downstairs, ready to act. What is she doing with a violin? She clearly doesn’t know how to play the violin. “Today’s solo was outstanding.” The door was pushed open, and Ethan walked in with large strides. His face was cold, his eyes dark and deep, looking domineering and aloof. All the performances of the Philharmonic Orchestra received sponsorship from the Sterling family, so he had unrestricted access here. “Genius, your favorite irises.” With a smile on his lips, he stuffed the flowers into my arms. Seeing me satisfied, he took off his black scarf and gently wrapped it around my neck a few times. “It’s ugly, is Mr. Sterling very free lately?” “After signing the contract, I took a plane back, fortunately I didn’t miss it.” I leaned lazily in his arms to rest, but suddenly the melodious sound of a violin performance came from downstairs. Chloe, dressed in an elegant white dress, stood in the performance area, eyes closed, playing the violin intoxicatingly. She was like a pure and delicate dodder flower, stumbling into a luxurious banquet. This strong contrast immediately drew the onlookers of the celebrities. “What do you think of her level?” Ethan buried his head and kissed my collarbone again and again, paying no attention to the commotion outside. Hearing the question, he obediently looked up, panting low, his voice very hoarse. “Far inferior to you.” The sound of the violin was far inferior to mine, but objectively speaking, it was very good. Chloe studied vocal music at the music academy, not orchestral music. In her previous life, she had never played the violin. The scene before me made me have a guess in my heart. I pushed Ethan away and immediately dialed the phone: “Check Chloe’s interpersonal relationships in the orchestra, especially the violinists.” After doing odd jobs around the orchestra conductor for a month, Chloe must have gained the affinity of many people. If high affinity can strip talent… “Miss, a week ago, Chloe saved a person from a drunken homeless man at the door of the theater, named Mia.” I lowered my eyes and recalled carefully. Mia, the violinist in the second tier of the orchestra. “Investigate the homeless man’s identity and financial movements, and send the results directly to Mia.” “Yes.” Hanging up the phone, I threw my head back and drank the red wine in my hand in one gulp. Wantonly stripping others’ precious talent, destroying others’ lives. Chloe, you really deserve to die! When the wine in the bottle bottomed out, the sound of the violin stopped. The celebrities applauded enthusiastically and asked about the performer’s identity one after another. Chloe ran off the stage shyly, but accidentally bumped into the man in the corner. He was slender, his white shirt worn loosely, revealing a small patch of fair collarbone. The man’s face was full of gloomy ruthlessness, with a trace of paranoia. My dad’s illegitimate son, Liam. With red wine splashed on his expensive white shirt, she panicked and started shedding tears. I lay on the railing, yawned, got up, and left. “Boring act, let’s go home, Mr. Sterling.” “Okay, there’s a new dish from French cuisine, I’ll go home and make it for you.” “I’m going to practice the piano tonight, I don’t have time to accompany you.” “It’s okay, you practice yours, I’ll leave after I finish making food for you.” “…Okay.” 8 The next day, the director suddenly summoned the orchestra members for a meeting. I pushed open the door of the conference room with coffee, but saw Chloe in the corner. When everyone saw me, they looked at each other with unclear meanings and began to whisper. After that piano solo, I became famous overnight. In the domestic music world, it can be said that my reputation soared, and my limelight was unparalleled for a time. Under many gazes, I sat down and drank coffee to myself. “Everyone, there are personnel changes in the orchestra. Mia from the second team resigned and left the orchestra due to personal reasons.” “Let’s welcome the new violinist—Chloe.” Sitting in the main seat, the director crossed his hands and smiled when he announced. He looked very satisfied. As Chloe walked out of the corner shyly, the scene erupted in enthusiastic cheers. “Harper, won’t you welcome the newcomer?” Seeing me indifferent, the orchestra conductor, wanting to support Chloe, called me out in front of everyone. I raised an eyebrow and immediately smiled generously in response. “Of course I welcome her.” The game has just begun, welcome to the venue. Chloe sat down uneasily and carefully glanced at me: “I don’t have any talent, I’m just a little diligent, I still have a lot to learn from everyone in the future!” Many people praised her, with occasional coaxing laughter. Of course, there were also people who secretly mocked me. “What diligence, Chloe just started practicing the violin not long ago, to be able to enter the orchestra in such a short time is definitely relying on talent!” “Slap in the face, someone even said Chloe’s aptitude is not good.” “Chloe work hard, you will definitely surpass those who look down on you soon.” Sitting on the edge, Chloe restrainedly shook her head, but the eyes she secretly cast at me were full of pride. I drank coffee calmly, occasionally lowering my head to tap on my phone. When the director announced the end of the meeting, it was unknowingly lunchtime. I stretched, got up, and threw the bottomed-out coffee cup into the trash can. “Trash is trash, sure enough, it still has to stay in the trash can.” “Harper, didn’t we say that everyone is going to Chloe’s welcome party at noon?” Seeing me walk back to the lounge, the orchestra director frowned and stopped me. His eyes were filled with deep disapproval, probably having a lot of opinions about my trash can remark. I curled my lips into a shallow smile and bypassed him. “Lunchtime is my personal freedom, there’s a distinguished guest in the lounge, please excuse me.” “Harper, you have to change this temper of yours…” “Bang!” 9 “Harper, is what you said true?” Seeing me enter, the woman sitting in the lounge stood up abruptly. Her face was haggard, her eyes covered in red bloodshot. I nodded, took out the violin from behind me, and placed it in her trembling hands. “Mia, try playing it.” Under my serious and encouraging gaze, Mia bit her lower lip. Taking a few deep breaths, she turned her head and clamped the violin on her shoulder, lightly resting the bow… What flowed out were still broken notes. Mia let go, fell to the ground, covered her face, and cried bitterly: “I can’t play the violin anymore, I’ve learned the violin for twenty years, I can’t play the violin anymore…” The sound insulation of the lounge was very good, no one outside could hear the commotion inside. I sat quietly to the side, waiting for her to vent her emotions. The person on the ground cried loudly for a few minutes before calming down. “At the banquet last night, Chloe played Paganini’s ‘Witches’ Dance’, this is the piece you perform best.” To show friendliness, I symbolically handed over a handkerchief. Mia got up from the ground and wiped the tear stains off her face with her bare hands. She clenched her teeth, a touch of ruthlessness revealing in her eyes: “Thank you, I won’t let that bitch go.” “I look forward to it.” After reaching a consensus, a smile finally appeared on Mia’s lips, and her pale little face was no longer decadent. Before leaving, she stopped, turned back to look at me, and seemed extremely serious. “Harper, you are the pianist with the highest talent I have ever seen.” “But you have to be careful, that bitch has a lot of schemes and a lot of backing behind her.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “421038”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

I was photographed getting into a car with the world’s biggest superstar, and the internet immediately tried to burn me alive. The “it-girl” of the moment was the first to twist the knife: “Some people are just so desperate for fame, they’ll crawl into any man’s bed.” The superstar in question almost lost his mind. He didn’t wait for his PR team. He logged onto X in the middle of the night. “Holy shit, I’m her literal brother!” “I’m begging you, stop poking the bear. I’m the one who’s going to get a lecture from our mom when we get home. Are you guys going to pay my medical bills?!” 1 The day after those photos went viral, my manager was still tearing her hair out, trying to find a way to spin the damage. Meanwhile, I had to show up for the filming of a high-stakes reality show. My manager had worked herself to the bone—and probably promised away her firstborn—to get me this slot. The cast was stacked with A-listers and icons. Compared to them, I was just a one-hit-wonder from a sleeper-hit drama. I was basically an extra in my own life. The second the cameras turned on, eagle-eyed viewers started dissecting my outfit. They realized I was wearing the exact same brand of hoodie, joggers, and sneakers as the global superstar, Leo Brooks. Then came the clip from the day before: me, standing on a curb, flagging down a car. Leo’s SUV pulled over, I slid into the passenger seat like I owned the place, and then—according to the edited narrative—I was “kicked out” and left on the sidewalk. The internet came for my throat. [I’ve never seen a pick-me girl this delusional. Flagging down his car on the street? Really?] [Shameless. Absolutely disgusting. Everyone thinks they can ride his coattails.] [Look at that hoodie. It’s probably a knockoff. There’s no way she can actually afford the real thing.] I ignored it all. I let the comments slide off me like water. Until the first game started. The host told us we had to call someone in the industry and ask to borrow $100,000. If they said yes, we passed. I was genuinely stuck. Leo was the only person I knew well enough to ask for that kind of money… but he had just sent me cash for a new designer bag a few days ago. I wasn’t sure if his “sibling generosity” had a daily limit. While I was agonizing over the choice, the “it-girl” next to me, Sierra Vance, had already dialed. “Hello?” A deep, velvet-smooth voice echoed through the speakers. It was the kind of voice that belonged in a sold-out arena. I knew that voice. It was the voice that told me to do the dishes every other Tuesday. 2 “What’s up?” the voice asked. “Hey… big brother,” Sierra said, her voice dropping into a sugary, coquettish pout. “What are you doing? Can I… borrow a hundred thousand dollars?” She followed it up with a shy, breathless giggle. She looked exactly like a girl talking to a guy she was head-over-heels for. Her face was flushed, her voice was soft. The live chat exploded. [NO WAY. I know that voice anywhere. LEO BROOKS?!] [Omg my heart just stopped. He sounds so hot even over the phone.] [To the people under a rock: Sierra and Leo have been close for a long time. They’re basically the industry’s power couple. Unlike certain people who just stage car-raids, Sierra is the real deal.] Wait. Brother? Since when did I have a sister I didn’t know about? The transfer went through instantly. Sierra showed the confirmation on her screen, and the crowd went wild. The other guests were practically bowing to her. Leo Brooks was notoriously cold and unapproachable. People spent years trying to get a “follow back” from him, yet Sierra could call him and get six figures in seconds. “Oh, it’s nothing,” Sierra said, blushing as everyone teased her. “Leo’s mom actually told him he needed to take better care of me…” The chat: [MEET THE PARENTS?!] [The ship has officially sailed!] In the middle of all the “aww-ing,” I raised my hand. I couldn’t help it. “Why did you call him ‘big brother’?” I asked. The chat went silent for a microsecond. […] […] [Don’t mind her, she’s just a child. Go play in the sandbox.] [I call my boyfriend ‘Daddy’ or ‘Big Brother’ all the time. Is this girl literally living in the 1800s?] [LMAO, what a dumb question.] Sierra saw the comments defending her and looked at me with a gaze that said, You poor, pathetic thing. I sighed. Fine. I dialed Leo’s number. The second he picked up, he sounded annoyed. “What now?” I remembered there were millions of people watching, so I tried to be polite. I pitched my voice high and sweet. “Big brother, can I borrow a hundred thousand dollars?” “…” Leo’s voice turned suspicious. “I know scammers use AI to mimic voices now. Is this a prank? Or is this another scammer trying to hit the same target twice?” I was speechless. “It’s really for a hundred thousand.” Leo: “Don’t believe you. Get lost.” He hung up. Great. I tried to be nice, and he treated me like a telemarketer. In my head, I was already planning the ten different ways I was going to roast him when I got home. The chat was a riot. [Help! Who does she think she is, calling the King and expecting a handout?] [I’ve never heard Leo sound that annoyed. She must have been harassing him privately for months.] [Savage! Leo is a legend!] 3 The game ended. I was the only one who failed. The host looked awkward. It wasn’t great for the show’s vibe to punish only one person so harshly. “It’s okay, it’s okay,” Sierra said, stepping in to play the “good girl.” “Harper probably just saw me succeed and wanted to try her luck. It’s hard being yelled at like that. Everyone, don’t be too mean to her.” “Aria, if you need it, I can just wire you the money myself?” I almost laughed. What a perfect “sweetheart” performance. At that moment, my phone buzzed. It was Leo calling back. “Are you actually Harper?” Me: “Heh.” Leo: “Fine…” The next second, I turned my screen to the camera. It showed a bank transfer for one million dollars. 4 The room went silent for exactly two seconds. The host was stunned but quickly found a way out. “A-and Harper passes too! Moving on to the next segment!” Sierra crossed her arms, a sneer tugging at her lips. “Photoshop is getting really fast these days,” she muttered. The chat caught it and turned instantly. [Holy shit, Sierra is right! I didn’t even think of that!] [It’s definitely fake. She almost had us. What a loser.] [She probably faked Leo’s voice too. The audacity.] [One million dollars with one phone call? I’ll believe she’s the Queen of England before I believe that. LOL.] Sierra saw the tide turning back to her and lifted her chin. “Maybe you should focus on Photoshopping yourself out of that ‘car-crash’ video from yesterday first?” That was a low blow. She was determined to keep me buried under the scandal. I was honestly more curious about her claim that my mom told my brother to “take care of her.” Was that actually true? I couldn’t be bothered to deal with her passive-aggressive energy. She wasn’t even a tenth as annoying as my brother. I shrugged. “Oh? Are you only bringing that up because you’ve never actually been allowed in his car?” “Don’t worry. Next time I’m ‘climbing into his car,’ I’ll let you sit in the trunk.” Sierra turned bright red. “You… you have no shame! I am nothing like you!” I looked at her with pity. “Yeah. You’ll probably never get a ride from him in your life.” The chat went nuclear: [The nerve! Does she really think she’s proud of being a stalker?] [The ego on this girl! Does she even know who Sierra is to Leo?] Fine, fine. You’re all like fireworks—one spark and you blow up. 5 Sierra was beyond humiliated. She decided to go for the kill. “I’m going to call Leo right now and tell him exactly what kind of person you are. He’ll stay miles away from you!” I highly doubt that, I thought. We live in the same house. The director, smelling a ratings goldmine, scurried over. “Uh, Sierra? Since you and Mr. Brooks are so… close… do you think you could ask him to join the show as a guest for a few days?” “We’ve tried reaching out to his team, but he’s always ‘too busy’.” “It would be such an honor for the show…” Sierra looked at me triumphantly, then put on a “troubled” face for the cameras. “I don’t know, Director… he really is very busy…” But the chat was already pushing her. [OMG is it actually possible?! PLEASE! I need to see Leo!] [Sierra said they’re close. It’s just one phone call away.] [Sierra, bring the King! Show this girl what a real connection looks like!] Sierra couldn’t stand being doubted. She caved. “I’ll see… but I’m sure it won’t be a problem!” She called him. This was the third call my brother had received in thirty minutes. 6 “Join a reality show? Tell the director to talk to my manager. I’m busy.” Leo’s voice was like velvet—deep, resonant, and currently dripping with irritation. Sierra didn’t notice. She kept whining. “Just come for me? Come see the fun? There’s this really annoying girl on the cast who keeps bullying me and trying to use your name. I hate her.” Leo: “???” Leo: “If you don’t like her, don’t talk to her. I’m hanging up.” His voice was steady, but I knew that tone. He was on the edge of a breakdown. Before he could hang up, I leaned toward Sierra’s phone and spoke. “Just come.” Sierra looked like she was about to explode. She covered the mic. “Who told you to talk?!” Then she went back to being sweet. “Bye, Leo!” But Leo didn’t hang up. There was a pause. “Harper?” His usually calm voice actually sounded shocked. “Why the hell are you on a reality show? Do you know Sierra? She was just complaining about some ‘annoying girl’ who bullies her…” The silence stretched for a few more seconds. Then he spoke again, a hint of realization dawning on him. “Wait. Is the annoying girl… you?” Me: “Bingo! But there’s no prize!” Leo let out an exasperated laugh. “Fine. If you’re on that show, I’m booking a flight.” 7 Thanks, bro. That was the second time I hit the trending list that day. #LeoBrooksGuestAppearance #LeoBrooksJoinsRealityShow #HowMuchDoesLeoLoveSierra Wait… #LeoBrooksSaysHarperIsAnnoying ??? The trending topics were taking a weird turn. The chat: [Leo Brooks, I’m crying. He’s so in love.] [He was going to say no until he heard Sierra was being bullied!] [I ship them so hard.] I couldn’t even imagine their faces when they found out I was his literal sister. Sierra looked down at me like I was a bug under her designer shoe. “Just so you know,” she said, “my relationship with Leo is something you could never understand.” She actually believed he was coming “just for her.” She warned me: “When Leo gets here, you better watch your mouth. Don’t you dare try to get close to him. He’s here for me, understand?” I dragged out my voice in a mocking imitation: “He’s~ here~ for~ you~” Sierra looked like she wanted to scream. 8 When Leo finally arrived, Sierra was dressed to the nines, waiting at the gate. I was wearing a plain oversized tee and leggings. Sierra laughed when she saw me, looking at me with pure condescension. The cameras panned to the entrance. Leo Brooks stepped out of the SUV, wearing a baseball cap and a mask. Even covered up, his presence was staggering. He was doing his “cool and aloof” act, walking like the sidewalk was a runway. Then, he looked up. He saw me standing there, arms crossed, watching his little performance. Leo actually stumbled. He almost rolled his ankle. I burst out laughing. Sierra rushed over to steady him. “What happened? Are you okay?” Leo looked at me with a complicated expression and waved her off. Sierra took “waving off” as “I’m fine,” but she didn’t let go of his arm. She leaned in, trying to rest her head on his shoulder. I watched the disaster unfold. My brother was frantically shooting me “save me” eyes. I cleared my throat. “He’s waving because he wants you to let go.” Sierra froze. The bluntness of it hit her like a brick. She scowled, about to snap, then suddenly laughed. “Oh, you’re just jealous, aren’t you?” I looked at Leo and gave him a look that said: I can’t save you from this. Leo coughed and pulled his arm away, creating some distance. Sierra looked devastated. Like a kicked puppy. But she immediately turned her glare on me, blaming me for “ruining the moment.” 9 The other guests and the crew finally caught up and tried to greet Leo. He didn’t say a word to them. He just grabbed my arm and dragged me away. He had sent me a dozen texts that I ignored, and he was ready to interrogate me. He led me to a corner with no cameras. “Since when are you in show business? Why didn’t you say anything?” I had been scouted right after I got back from studying abroad. I just wanted to see what my brother’s work life was actually like. Leo wasn’t a big tech guy. He didn’t spend much time on social media, so he had no idea about the “car-stalking” scandal or the fact that I’d gone viral for being “hated.” I put on a pained face. “I didn’t realize you worked so hard out here, Leo.” He immediately forgot he was mad. He stood up a little straighter, adjusted his collar, and cleared his throat. “Tsk. It’s not that hard. I mean, it’s a lot of work, but I do it for the family…” I cut him off. “Must be exhausting wearing those 2-inch height-boosters in your shoes all day. No wonder you almost tripped earlier.” Leo let out a literal screech. “HARPER! I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!” For a man, height is a matter of national security. We ended up in a scuffle. I poked his forehead. “Seriously, what is the deal with Sierra Vance? She thinks you’re in love with her. Don’t you see it?” Leo sighed. “It’s complicated.” “When you were abroad, Mom was lonely. She wanted to help someone, and she chose to sponsor a student from a rough background. That happened to be Sierra.” “She was a drama major. When she graduated and wanted to enter the industry, Mom told me to ‘keep an eye on her.’ That’s literally it.” Mystery solved. A gust of wind blew by. Leo, who had a lingering cold, started coughing. I rolled my eyes, but I reached out and patted his back to help him catch his breath. It was a perfectly normal sibling moment. But that was the exact moment Sierra burst through the door, livestream running on her phone. “Leo!” she screamed, then saw us. She lunged forward and shoved me away from him. “Get away from him!” Leo was baffled. “What are you doing? This is my—” I caught my brother’s eye and shook my head slightly. The chat saw it all. [OMG she’s already moving in! Sierra, protect our King!] [Get that homewrecker away from him!] [Harper, get off the show!] Leo caught a glimpse of the comments. His chest started heaving with rage—and pure confusion. He didn’t understand why everyone was being so toxic to his sister. Mom had always taught him to protect his sister, and I had always been taught to… well, tolerate him. I wasn’t ready to reveal the relationship yet. First, I wanted to see if Sierra was actually worth the sponsorship money my mom was giving her. Spoiler: She wasn’t. 10 Sierra acted like I didn’t exist. She turned to Leo, beaming. “Leo, I remember your family has a place in the city. The production ends in a few days and we have some free time. Can I come over? I really miss your mom.” She was doing this in front of millions of viewers to “prove” her intimacy with the Brooks family. I chimed in. “Sounds fun. Can I come too?” Sierra put on a pained face. “Oh… I don’t know. You and Leo aren’t that close, and you’ve never met his mother. It might be a bit awkward to just crash, don’t you think?” I almost laughed. “I’ve been there once or twice. Right, big brother?” Leo, being a little shit, played along. “Yeah. Once or twice.” Sierra tried to act cute and grab Leo’s arm again. Leo’s expression went cold. “Sierra,” he said firmly. “Know your place.” 11 The final day of filming arrived. We were set to head to the city. Leo went ahead to the estate. Sierra and I were left in the courtyard. She suddenly started a livestream. She was being all sneaky about it. “Shh, guys, don’t take screenshots yet! I promised I’d show you Leo’s family home. We’re in the front courtyard now!” I stepped in front of her camera, blocking the lens. “Recording on private property without permission… isn’t that illegal?” Sierra, caught red-handed, hid her phone behind her back. “None of your business!” Then she got her confidence back. “You’re only here because I let you tag along. You’d never see a place like this in your entire life otherwise!” I sighed and checked her stream. The comments were all: [Exactly! She should keep her mouth shut and be grateful.] [I can’t even look at her face.] The viewership was peaking. I looked at Sierra and let a small smile touch my lips. 12 A fluffy head popped out from around the corner. It was our family’s Shiba Inu, Mochi. I was about to go over and give him some love when Sierra beat me to it. “Aww! This is Leo’s dog, Mochi! He loves me so much!” She started making “pspsps” noises at him. Mochi looked over. His eyes lit up, his ears went back, and he charged like a rocket. Sierra crouched down, arms open… and then watched as Mochi dodged her and slammed directly into my chest. “Aww, baby! Did you miss me? Do you want a treat?” Mochi’s tail was a literal propeller as he licked my face. Sierra stood up, looking both furious and embarrassed. “I guess he just likes anyone today.” “Yeah,” I said, mimicking her tone. “Unlike some people, whom dogs don’t like at all.” Sierra glared at me. “You!”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “421037”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

Vincent’s sweetheart got into a severe car accident in the remote desert. I advised him to have her treated at the nearest hospital. But the girl eventually died from massive blood loss. Afterward, Vincent didn’t blame me. He poured his heart and soul into the corporation. Three years later, I suffered a severe hemorrhage during childbirth. He stepped in and stopped the doctors from saving me, dooming both me and our baby. “Stella, this is your retribution. How does it feel to bleed to death?” All for that girl, he had hated me this much. Reborn in this lifetime, when the news of the girl’s car accident reaches the corporation, I choose to simply do nothing. Let it rot. I quietly watch as Vincent deploys private medical jets, forces all 5,000 corporate employees to donate blood, and dispatches hundreds of luxury cars to clear the highways, kicking off a “deeply moving” extreme rescue mission. 1 “We must transfer Chloe back to New York for the surgery! “The Sterling family has money! Even the Grim Reaper has to wait in line! You useless fools, figure it out! If anything happens to Chloe, you’re all fired from Sterling Corp!” Upon receiving the news of Chloe Adams’s car accident, Vincent Sterling was pacing like a madman, erupting in fury in the middle of the office. Everyone’s expressions were complicated as they turned to look at me. “Manager Vance—” As the head of Crisis Management for Sterling Corp, it was indeed my turn to speak. “This is a matter of life and death. Aside from the victim’s closest loved ones, no one else has the right to make suggestions. I respect all of Mr. Sterling’s decisions, and I will absolutely obey and cooperate.” Vincent stared at me in shock, momentarily stunned. “This is madness!” VP Carter couldn’t take it anymore. He slammed his hand on the table and stood up, pointing at me angrily. “Stella! That is incredibly irresponsible of you! A rescue mission spanning over 2,000 miles, with such high difficulty and tight timing—do you have any idea how many resources that will consume? “If this affects our upcoming IPO, can you bear the consequences?” I smiled faintly. “Mr. Carter, you can’t shift the blame onto me like that. Ultimately, the decision-making power rests in Mr. Sterling’s hands.” I quietly stepped back into the crowd. Without me mediating in the middle, the unilateral opposition from the others only triggered Vincent’s rebelliousness. “Just do it! I will take full responsibility for everything!” he declared boldly. In the end, he overruled all objections, unlocking all the corporation’s resources, connections, and funds. He didn’t care about the cost; he only wanted Chloe safe. Watching Vincent’s determined and arrogant figure as he left, I lowered my head to hide the mocking glint in my eyes. In my previous life, after fully understanding Chloe’s injuries, I specifically consulted specialists and objectively analyzed the pros and cons of local treatment versus a transfer to New York for Vincent. He gritted his teeth and asked, “Stella, what would you choose?” At that time, the company was in the critical observation period for its IPO. Transferring her back to New York required a massive investment, and more importantly, there was a high risk of complications during the journey. I advised that Chloe be hospitalized and treated locally. My calm, objective analysis left Vincent speechless. He stared at me for a full thirty seconds, his expression incredibly complex, before finally saying, “Fine, I will trust you this once.” To honor that trust, I immediately arranged for two teams of specialists to fly out overnight to assist locally. But despite calculating everything, I didn’t anticipate that Chloe had Rh-negative blood. The local blood bank ran dry, and ultimately, Chloe died of excessive blood loss on the operating table. Ridden with guilt, I tried to resign, but Vincent fiercely grabbed my neck. “You think you can just walk away? Not a chance!” Then, he suddenly kissed me. “Stella, don’t leave. Don’t leave me all alone.” I hugged him, crying and apologizing. After that, Vincent seemed like a changed man—steady, reserved, and entirely focused on his career. A year later, Sterling Corp successfully went public, and that very day, Vincent proposed to me. It wasn’t until I suffered a massive hemorrhage during labor and he coldly refused to authorize my emergency treatment that I realized this marriage was nothing but a scam, a conspiracy! In the delivery room, he had held me, crying bitterly, deeply telling me to be strong and hold on. Yet, as I slowly lost consciousness, he whispered into my ear with twisted satisfaction: “Stella, can you finally feel the despair Chloe felt when she bled to death on that operating table? “If it weren’t for you, I would have risked everything to save Chloe! “You used the IPO to pressure me? Heh, for Chloe, I would have gladly become penniless!” It turned out he had never forgotten Chloe’s death. He had endured the humiliation, harboring a deep-seated hatred for me all along. 2 With Chloe’s life hanging by a thread, Vincent issued order after order, all deployed within a short ten minutes. Chairman Sterling’s private medical jet, carrying a team of twenty top-tier professors and emergency specialists, had already taken off. To ensure Chloe’s swift transport from the plane to the hospital, Vincent leveraged all his corporate partners and wealthy socialite friends to assemble hundreds of luxury cars. When the time came, the convoy of luxury cars would carve out a life-saving corridor, grand and earth-shattering. It was bound to become a legendary tale of devotion. By the time Mrs. Sterling found out about Vincent’s absurd actions, the news had just reached the company that Chloe had Rh-negative blood and would need nearly ten thousand milliliters of blood for the surgery. I was urgently summoned to the CEO’s office by the Sterling family. As soon as I pushed the door open, Mrs. Sterling accused me of ignoring the company’s best interests and failing my duties. She conveniently ignored the fact that this was entirely Vincent’s dictatorship. This was the typical Sterling family dynamic—she dragged me into it because she was afraid of creating a rift with her precious, rebellious son. Chairman Sterling, his face livid, sternly ordered me, “Forget the chartered flight, call those cars back immediately! This is absolute madness!” I glanced at Vincent. Having just been reprimanded by his parents, his face was clouded with gloom, though a hint of rebellious defiance still lingered in his eyes. “Manager Vance, what do you think?” He lifted his eyelids, spinning an expensive fountain pen erratically between his fingers. Heh, trying to use me as a scapegoat again? I continued to embrace the chaos, putting on a look of absolute loyalty: “Mr. Sterling, rest assured, as long as you give the word, I will walk through fire and water for you.” As a veteran of the PR department, as long as I didn’t have to take the blame, I could say all the pretty words in the world. I would never be as stupid as I was in my past life. “You—you—” Mrs. Sterling was so angry her eyes rolled back. Her assistant hastily fed her heart medication. “I really raised an ungrateful snake—” Mrs. Sterling pointed at me with bitter hatred. How laughable! To repay their supposed kindness, I had given up my dream of becoming a top surgeon to help Vincent manage the company. And what did I get in return? When Vincent explicitly refused to save me, I had used all my remaining strength to grab her hand, my eyes full of pleading for her to save my life. But she peeled my fingers off one by one, hypocritically advising me, “Stella, this is between you two. Vincent wouldn’t harm you.” I still remembered, in my past life, the moment Chloe had her accident, I immediately reported it to her: “Mrs. Sterling, you’d better come to the office. I’m worried Mr. Sterling might—” She had smiled and encouraged me: “Stella, I believe in you. I know you’ll watch over Vincent for me and keep him from doing anything foolish.” Just then, a phone call came in. After Vincent answered, his face changed drastically. He shot up from his chair. “Enough! The top priority right now is to collect a massive amount of Rh-negative blood. Gather your teams and get to the hospital—the nurses are already waiting!” I pursed my lips. “Mr. Sterling, such a massive and rare blood supply isn’t something we can gather in a moment’s notice—” Vincent paced frantically. “I knew it! You never genuinely wanted to save Chloe! If it were you—” “Mr. Sterling!” I raised my voice, cutting off his accusation. I pulled out a document I had prepared in advance and said smoothly, “I understand your concerns. To ensure I don’t interfere with Miss Adams’s treatment, I voluntarily resign.” Then, I handed Mrs. Sterling a ledger, speaking with emotional detachment, “This is the itemized list of your financial sponsorship since I was 12. I’ve adjusted for inflation, multiplied it by five, and I am returning it all to you.” Mrs. Sterling stared in shock as I added, “Oh, and of course, I included the interest.” Who would have thought that the ledger I used in my past life to remember their kindness would now become my ultimate weapon to cut ties with the Sterlings. In this life, they wouldn’t use gratitude to chain me down ever again. Vincent was furious. He shoved past me and stormed out, raising his voice: “Trying to provoke me? I’ll show you exactly what kind of power I have to save Chloe! “Get out! Get the hell out of here!” Naturally, I got the hell out. As soon as I returned to the main office floor, the company was in an uproar. Panic was spreading. The HR Director had just ordered all employees downstairs to donate blood. Until blood types were confirmed, no one was allowed to leave the building. The storm was brewing, and everything was progressing toward the absolute worst-case scenario I had envisioned. As I headed downstairs, I bumped into a few pregnant employees discussing how to avoid the blood drive in the stairwell. “What is the company thinking? I actually have that rare blood type, and I’m terrified,” one of them said. My footsteps faltered, but ultimately, I turned and walked away. The tragic experience of my past life taught me one thing: let go of the savior complex, respect the fates of others, and never carry someone else’s karma. 3 When I got home, I collapsed into the bathtub, feeling a surreal, dreamlike detachment. I dozed off, only to be suddenly jolted awake by a nightmare. By the time the city lights flickered on outside, a former colleague called. She told me Chloe had been successfully admitted for surgery, while the rest of them were still stuck doing miserable overtime. She complained endlessly on the phone: “Stella, the highway from the airport to First General Hospital was barricaded by hundreds of luxury cars today. People are posting videos everywhere, trying to guess what kind of VIP is arrogant enough to do this. “Everyone in our department is working our fingers to the bone trying to report and take down those videos. Sigh, nobody is sleeping tonight.” After hanging up, I scrolled through my phone for a while. Indeed, I couldn’t find any news related to it. Right now, Vincent was entirely focused on staying by Chloe’s side. The company was being managed by Chairman Sterling, who was undoubtedly spending a fortune to silence the media and clean up the mess. I stood up, walked to my desk, and looked at the investigation report on Chloe in my drawer. A cold smirk touched my lips. In my previous life, I had suggested a local surgery partly out of consideration for the company’s IPO. The other reason was that my investigation revealed Chloe was not the innocent, hardworking girl she portrayed herself to be. She went to the Mojave Desert simply to accompany a prominent fashion photographer looking for “thrills.” That photographer was notoriously vile. He didn’t just sleep around with models; he was a well-known predator in the industry. Because he had won international awards, his connections were vast, attracting countless ambitious women willing to throw themselves at him. After the car crash, he only suffered minor injuries. Seeing Chloe’s gruesome state, he got scared and fled the scene immediately. On one side was a young, devoted billionaire CEO. On the other was a notorious playboy. Yet Chloe hadn’t hesitated to choose the latter, proving she was an incredibly ambitious woman who wanted fame and was willing to climb at any cost. In my past life, her death wiped her slate clean. I didn’t see the need to drag a dead woman’s name through the mud, and though Vincent was depressed for a while, he quickly recovered. So I never brought it up and secretly destroyed the report. Before I died, my biggest regret was that I had worked a hundred times harder than a normal person to crawl my way out of the mountains… Only to become collateral damage for a vain, lying woman, sacrificed on the altar of their dirty love story. I hated it. A coward like Vincent, who stepped on my blood to find his own peace of mind—what right did he have to achieve success and glory? A notification sound broke my train of thought. I took a deep breath, reined in my emotions, and unlocked the screen. It was a message from Vincent. “Chloe is awake. The lead surgeon said it’s a miracle! Anyone else would have absolutely died today! “This is a monumental triumph! Stella, look closely—this is the true power of my Sterling Corporation!” In the voice memo, he laughed triumphantly, arrogant to the extreme. A domineering, cliché line suddenly popped into my head: I command you not to die, do you hear me! The devoted, overbearing billionaire, personified. [Congratulations, Mr. Sterling. With your profound love, Miss Adams will surely be deeply moved.] I replied with a smile. How wonderful. A medical miracle. Since it’s a miracle, it naturally shouldn’t be forgotten in the dust. Three days later, Chloe woke up. Having survived a near-death experience and learning of everything Vincent had done, she couldn’t wait to show off on all her social media accounts. The attached photos were incredibly shocking. For example: renowned medical professors and specialists, pulled off their own operating tables, rushing onto private jets. A massive fleet of luxury cars forcibly slicing a “corridor of life” named “Chloe” through the city’s gridlocked traffic. Thousands of corporate employees donating blood overnight, none daring to be absent. United will, boundless love. Across a grid of nine photos, there was a short, simple caption: [My dear, you are truly amazing!] To let everyone know just how miraculous her survival was, Chloe thoughtfully attached a picture of her medical diagnosis. It detailed just how severe the car crash was—massive ruptures to her gallbladder, spleen, and kidneys. An ordinary person would have died a thousand times over. [You guys don’t know this, but the doctor said I used over 7,000 milliliters of blood. It’s like replacing all the blood in my body twice over! Sob, I’m so moved.] With the subject herself stepping up to spill the details, the incident exploded instantly. The shockwave was no less than dropping a nuclear bomb. Chloe was immediately crowned “The Golden Blood Girl,” rocketing to the top of the trending lists, overshadowing A-list celebrities, and soaking up unprecedented limelight. The “dear” she mentioned was dubbed “The Mad Billionaire” by netizens. Various influencers and marketing accounts jumped in to comment. Chloe was famous now, but it was infamous fame. The internet was outraged. Netizens actively provided clues, determined to unmask who “The Mad Billionaire” really was. By the time Vincent realized something was wrong and ordered the entire company to report the posts, it was already too late to turn the tide. 4 Three days later, Mrs. Sterling showed up at my door with expensive gifts. “Oh Stella, you really are something, still holding a grudge against me,” she said with faux reproach, affectionately grabbing my hand. It was as if the current public relations nightmare hadn’t affected her at all. But she didn’t know that she couldn’t hide the anxiety in her eyes and the exhaustion on her face. Even the silver at her temples had multiplied. I pulled my hand away and smiled faintly. “Mrs. Sterling, just get straight to the point. I imagine you don’t have time for small talk.” A flash of displeasure crossed her eyes, but she suppressed it, shedding a tear instead. “Stella, that woman has evil intentions. She’s trying to ruin us! My Vincent is so pure and innocent; he’s been terribly deceived by her.” As the CEO of a company on the verge of an IPO, completely failing to foresee how this rescue mission would decimate the corporate image—he truly was “pure” and “innocent.” After cursing Chloe, she softened her tone, hinting that as long as I was willing to help, she would acknowledge me as her daughter-in-law. I flatly refused. Out of options, Mrs. Sterling settled for the next best thing: “Then you must return to the company to handle the fallout! Even if you resign, you have to work your notice period for another month until we find a replacement!” She was using corporate policy against me, and she was right. Besides, I never said I wouldn’t go back. With Sterling Corp in a state of emergency, if I, the head of Crisis Management, just walked away, no one in the industry would ever dare hire me again. Plus, I wanted a front-row seat to see exactly how Vincent’s life would end in this lifetime. … Back at the office, complaints echoed everywhere. The situation was worse than I had imagined. It was absolute chaos, both internally and externally. First, Sterling Corp had been summoned by regulatory authorities and ordered to quell the internet storm immediately to minimize negative social impact. Partnering companies were rapidly cutting ties. Vincent’s wealthy friends, whose luxury cars had dragged them onto the trending lists, were being scolded by their families and wanted nothing more than to stab Vincent in the back. Internally, minor shareholders led by VP Carter, seeing their IPO dreams going up in smoke, were not only plotting to oust Vincent but also demanding the Sterling family compensate them for their losses. Yet, amidst all this, Vincent pulled a disappearing act, staying at the hospital to play the devoted boyfriend with his true love. The company’s accounts were bleeding. Initially, to save Chloe, resources, connections, and cash had been burned recklessly. Now, the shareholders refused to invest another dime. You can’t make bricks without clay. Mrs. Sterling really overestimated my abilities. However, a job is a job, and being broke just requires a different strategy. I believed transparency was better than suppression. Now was the time to respond to the public’s doubts with utter sincerity. So, I proposed to Chairman Sterling and the shareholders that we hold a direct press conference. We would disclose the truth behind the rescue mission to the public, preventing malicious actors from spinning the narrative online. “This rescue was indeed a massive overreach, especially regarding the disruption of public traffic and the hoarding of medical resources,” I said sternly. “But in the face of life and death, it can be understood. As long as Mr. Sterling shows the right attitude—reflects, apologizes, and takes accountability—it is possible to salvage the corporate image.” Ultimately, the board approved this plan. After the meeting, I went to First General Hospital. On Chloe’s social media accounts, the braggy photos and texts were still up. Engagement was through the roof, and shares were increasing exponentially. Everyone at the company knew she was Vincent’s precious treasure, so no one dared touch her. It had to be me stepping in to negotiate. Just as I reached outside her hospital room, I heard Chloe’s suppressed, angry voice: “Derek, you bastard, you almost got me killed, do you know that?!” A man chuckled sleazily. “If I hadn’t run, would your boyfriend have gone to such extreme lengths to save you? Honestly, you should be thanking me.” Derek? That scumbag photographer was inside? I lowered my hand and stood quietly by the door. “I can’t do anything to you, but our partnership is over!” “Chloe, you’re practically an A-lister right now, while the Sterling family can barely protect themselves. Are you really going to settle? My resources can guarantee you reach the next level.” Chloe hesitated. “But Vincent told me that as long as I delete the posts, this will blow over quickly, and it won’t affect Sterling Corp.” Derek laughed meaningfully. “The rougher the seas, the richer the catch. Deleting those posts means cutting off your own path. Think about it—without this rescue, who the hell would even know the name Chloe Adams?” As their negotiation neared its end, he threw out the ultimate bait: an exclusive ticket into the international elite fashion circle. To Chloe, a model, this was an irresistible temptation. She grew instantly excited. “Are you sure I can go?” Derek tossed an invitation directly to her. In the end, Derek swaggered out of the room, a victorious smirk plastered on his face. I shook my head and abandoned the idea of negotiating with Chloe. I just wondered if Vincent’s love was enough to make her give up her wild ambitions. As soon as I got downstairs, my phone rang frantically. My heart skipped a beat, a sudden, inexplicable dread washing over me. “Manager Vance, get back here right now! A female employee from Marketing 2 miscarried because she donated too much blood!” My subordinate reported like a machine gun over the phone, “Now her in-laws are downstairs pulling up protest banners. That family is completely unhinged.” Vincent really outdid himself. Not only did he dare to take a pregnant woman’s blood, but he also took an excessive amount. It was beyond reckless! 5 Just as I walked out the hospital’s main entrance, I saw Vincent walking toward me carrying takeout bags. “I heard you went back to the office? Since you’re willing to make amends, I’ll let your previous behavior slide,” he said, looking at me out of the corner of his eye, acting high and mighty. Vincent would never know just how pathetic and laughable he looked to me right now. I didn’t bother arguing. There was no point. He was just a stupid, pitiful man. Of course, the version of me from my past life was even more pitiful. “Stella! Didn’t my dad say you should come to me if there was an issue?!” He immediately got unhappy, pulling a long face and grabbing my arm. I shook off his hand and said coldly, “Vincent, it looks like your luck has really run out. I don’t need to come to you anymore. You better start preparing your apologies!” Right now, even God himself couldn’t save Sterling Corp! Once I got into my car, I immediately called the employee, Rachel. “Manager Vance, I never thought this would happen, sob… Mr. Sterling said he’d pay 10,000 dollars for every milliliter, so I thought it would be fine if I—” Rachel cried as she explained the situation. I asked her if she knew her mother-in-law was protesting at the company. She timidly replied that she was too weak right now and couldn’t control her mother-in-law. Then, in a panic, she hung up the phone. My eyes darkened. It was hopeless; that family was going to bleed Sterling Corp dry. When I got to the office, I immediately invited Rachel’s mother-in-law into a conference room to negotiate. The shrewd woman’s eyes darted around. She opened her mouth and demanded ten million dollars, not a penny less. “It was six months along! It was a baby boy, my precious golden grandson! These godless capitalists, they treat the lives of poor people like trash!” Rachel’s husband stood next to her, filming the entire thing on his phone, looking incredibly arrogant. “Hurry up and pay the money, or I’m posting this video everywhere! I’ll let everyone know your boss is ‘The Mad Billionaire’!” But where would the company find that kind of money? Rachel’s family was roasting the Sterlings over an open fire. Mrs. Sterling practically got on her knees, but it was useless. In the end, Chairman Sterling had no choice but to swallow his pride and sell his private jet overnight at a massive loss. He had bought it for two hundred million, but only managed to sell it for forty million. After giving Rachel’s family ten million, only thirty million was left. Vincent was called back to the office and violently cursed out by Chairman Sterling. He looked utterly defeated. The difference was, this time, the rebellion and defiance were entirely gone from his eyes. Thinking about it made me want to laugh out loud! How glorious was it when he deployed that private jet to race against death just days ago? Within days, it was a total disaster. Vincent’s eyes were bloodshot. He no longer cared about keeping up appearances. “You’re very proud of yourself, aren’t you? Watching me make a joke of myself?” I shook my head. “It’s just an airplane. Human life is more important than anything.” Vincent looked even more miserable. “Stella, you—” I raised an eyebrow. “I thought—” He looked at me with immense complexity, but his mouth seemed glued shut. He couldn’t force out another word. Finally starting to panic, are we? No, it’s still too early for that. A cold smirk escaped my lips, and I turned and walked away. My mood was terrible right now—not because of Vincent, but because of the six-month-old dead fetus. I sat on the steps in front of the corporate building, quietly mourning the unborn child. Then, someone patted my shoulder. It was Jessica, the pregnant employee who had said she had the rare blood type in the stairwell that day. “Manager Vance, you’ve been working so hard lately. Rachel’s mother-in-law must be really tough to deal with.” “I was just thinking, if I had stopped Mr. Sterling that day, Rachel might not—” My chest felt suffocatingly tight. I had promised myself I wouldn’t interfere in others’ karma, but whose head did this sin fall on? “How could anyone blame you? If you had stopped him, wouldn’t Miss Adams have died?” Jessica said. “Sigh, honestly, it was the money that pushed her. She called her family before she gave blood that day. When they heard how much money was on the line, her mother-in-law encouraged her to donate as much as possible. “Look at me—I didn’t try to make that money, and I’m perfectly fine, aren’t I? Don’t overthink it.” After greeting me, Jessica left. But I tossed and turned all night, only falling asleep after drinking. The next day, I suddenly overheard colleagues gossiping. They were saying how pitiful Rachel was—her in-laws used her to extort ten million dollars, and then immediately filed for divorce. Still recovering from the miscarriage, she had already been sent back to her maiden home. I stood frozen in place for a long time, unable to move. 6 Chloe’s social media posts showing off the rescue mission were still up, and the situation was escalating rapidly. Vincent’s confident promise that Chloe would cooperate with PR now looked like an absolute joke. The entire company was secretly laughing at him. He poured out his true love, but Chloe only cared about generating hype for herself, completely ignoring whether Sterling Corp lived or died. Meanwhile, online, the calls to investigate “The Mad Billionaire’s” background were growing louder and more aggressive. Sterling Corp was forced to make a decision. The shareholders urged me to finalize preparations for the press conference. It was a desperate last resort. But no one anticipated that Mrs. Sterling, unable to bear seeing her precious son bow his head and admit fault, would accept an exclusive live interview with a major media outlet the day before the press conference. She threw all the blame directly onto me. She sobbed during the broadcast, claiming that I had single-handedly orchestrated the entire rescue operation and that Vincent was an innocent victim. “Stella was sponsored by our family through college. She has always been obsessed with my son. A girl from her impoverished background dreams of marrying into a family like ours.” The host asked in confusion, “If that’s the case, wouldn’t it have been better to just let Chloe die in the desert? Why go through all the trouble to save her?” Mrs. Sterling scoffed coldly. “Go ask anyone in the industry how capable Stella is at Crisis Management. Do you really think she didn’t foresee the consequences? “She did it on purpose! She knew my son loved Chloe, so she egged him on, manipulating him into risking everything to save her. She wanted to destroy my son! “My son’s only mistake was trusting Stella too much and loving Chloe too deeply!” The host looked at her in disbelief, flashing an awkward smile at the camera. The live chat was exploding with comments: [Is this Mad Billionaire even a legal adult?!] [Didn’t a bunch of doctors analyze that medical chart? Without Mad Billionaire’s unlimited funds, Chloe would have been 100% dead! Thank God Stella didn’t tell him not to save her.] [Right? Otherwise, I can’t even imagine how vicious this mother-son duo would be behaving right now.] [Holy shit, working at Sterling Corp sounds terrifying. You make a basic salary, but the capitalists expect you to pay with your life.] Mrs. Sterling had no idea that the more she talked, the worse she made it look. She was still desperately trying to slander me to wash Vincent clean. “A person with no professional ethics like her is a cancer to the corporate world! We have already fired her, and I hope the industry thinks twice before hiring her!” The live chat suddenly unified, entirely filled with: [Corporate employees are humans too! Boycott Sterling Corp immediately!] Just then, a highly visible, furious long comment cut through the uniform chat: [SHE IS FULL OF S**T! Vincent Sterling forced the entire company to take blood tests! He privately interrogated anyone with Rh-negative blood, implying they’d be fired if they didn’t donate! You think Manager Vance manipulated him into doing that?! What a joke!] An internal Sterling Corp employee had appeared. Netizens immediately clamored for her to spill more tea. Mrs. Sterling faded entirely into the background. My eye twitched. I had a sneaking suspicion this person might be Rachel. [I am the unlucky pregnant employee who donated blood. I lost my baby, and my husband divorced me. [My child didn’t have to die. But I wasn’t as lucky as his girlfriend. I didn’t have top-tier doctors to protect me, and I didn’t have thousands of people forced to bleed for me.] Rachel grew increasingly agitated: [Vincent Sterling never treated us employees like human beings! We’re the ones forced to take the blame, and we’re the ones getting literally bled dry! [The most disgusting part is that his girlfriend used our blood to show off and build her brand! Their so-called ‘love story’ makes me sick!] Mrs. Sterling’s meticulously planned whitewashing campaign was completely obliterated by Rachel’s raw outburst. By the end of the broadcast, Sterling Corp’s reputation had plummeted into the abyss. I stood alone on my balcony for a long time. I never expected Rachel to speak up for me, even if it was fueled by her own anger and motives. [Thank you.] I didn’t dare call; I just sent a text message. Rachel didn’t reply. Vincent’s identity was fully exposed. Soon enough, paparazzi staked out the hospital and caught him discharging Chloe. Faced with aggressive reporters shoving microphones in his face, the usually arrogant Vincent lost his temper. He roared at the cameras: “Chloe is my girlfriend! I have the money and the power to save her! Why shouldn’t I?! “What does that woman’s miscarriage have to do with me?! Didn’t I pay her?! Get out of my way!” The moment that video dropped, it was like kicking a hornet’s nest. The IPO plans were officially dead. And thanks to the mother-son duo’s spectacular blunders, the employees’ hearts turned to ice. People resigned in droves every single day. No matter how hard HR tried, they couldn’t attract a single candidate for an interview.

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I frequently dreamed of a strange man. We would lose ourselves in passion, doing things too explicit to describe. But every time I woke up, I couldn’t remember his name. Six months later, I finally found him. Good news: He’s just as handsome as he was in my dreams. Bad news: He’s my fake boyfriend’s older brother. 01 Cole Harrington was taking me back to his hometown to meet his parents. When he told me, it was a command, not a discussion. “Dress up. Make it sexy.” I said, “It’s winter. Sexy means freezing.” “You got a problem with that? Then let’s break up.” He was careless and arrogant. He knew I wouldn’t agree to break up. I fell silent for a moment. “I don’t have money for new clothes.” “Knew it.” He wired me five thousand dollars, then waved me off impatiently. “Take the cash. I’m gaming. Don’t bother me.” I lowered my eyes and walked away, acting like a pushover. The young master hopped on a Discord call with his frat-bro friends. “Yeah, I’m bringing her back. I refuse to believe Lexi won’t get jealous this time.” “I only got with this girl to piss Lexi off. You think I’d actually fall for her?” “Taking her home? Gotta make the act convincing. Lexi and I dated for four years and never met the parents. I’m taking this one home after a month. That’ll sting enough, right? Don’t worry, my older brother calls the shots in my house. And her—” Cole played with his phone, letting out a dismissive scoff. “She’s exactly the kind of woman my brother hates the most.” 02 A month ago, Cole suddenly set his sights on me and asked me out. The whole campus knew the wealthy heir had just broken up with his first love. Asking me out now meant I was a rebound. A toy. There was absolutely no genuine affection. But I still said yes. I desperately needed money. To save up for my mom’s surgery, I had been working multiple jobs. But recently, her condition had worsened. She couldn’t wait any longer. Right at that moment, Cole tossed me an olive branch. The Harrington family owned a massive, publicly-traded conglomerate, currently run by his older brother. Hanging around a trust-fund kid like Cole who loved racing supercars—even just picking up the crumbs—would be enough to cover the medical bills. But Cole didn’t know that. He thought I was hopelessly, madly in love with him. 03 Cole booked first-class tickets. As soon as we boarded the flight, he put on his heavy noise-canceling headphones, forbidding me from disturbing him. I was happy for the peace and quiet and quickly fell asleep. Suddenly, a strange sensation washed over me. I was nestled in a man’s embrace, my skin burning hot. Again? How many times this month? Doesn’t he ever get enough? He gently stroked my swollen, kissed lips and asked, “You look beautiful today. Where are you going?” “To my boyfriend’s house.” “You have a boyfriend?” I said stubbornly, “Yeah.” He went silent for a long time. I lifted my gaze and met the dark storm brewing in his eyes. He was an incredibly striking man. His features were a bit cold, but his body was practically perfect—lean muscle, broad shoulders, narrow waist. If he wasn’t, I wouldn’t have kept sinking into these dreams. “Break up with him, okay?” His voice was clean and deep, carrying a hint of coaxing. “No.” “Why? What am I not doing right?” You’re doing great, a little too great actually. But— “Who spends their life devoted to a man in a dream? When I wake up, I have nothing.” I didn’t know if that sentence stung him, but he didn’t say anything else. … The turbulence of the plane’s descent jolted me awake, pulling me from the dream. Cole was looking at me, frowning. “Sydney, are you hot?” I wiped a thin layer of sweat from my forehead. “I’m okay.” I had that dream again. About six months ago, this man appeared out of nowhere and invaded my dreams. At first, the dreams were pretty normal. Until one time, I realized he not only perfectly matched my type, but his body was flawless. So, I started getting handsy. From then on, the dreams went wildly out of control… I didn’t know who he was. Every time I asked his name, I would forget it completely the moment I woke up. Only the sensations from the dream remained, as clear as if they had actually happened. I secretly saw a doctor. The doctor said it was just a dream. I was young, hormones were high, it was normal. Makes sense. After all, I had never even held a man’s hand in real life. Cole found me boring, and I was just using him. So we tacitly maintained a delicate distance. “Your face is red,” Cole noted. It was just me blushing, but he hadn’t seen it before. I calmly touched my cheek. “It’s a little warm.” “First time on a plane, huh?” “Yeah. First time. Thanks.” I was so honest that it choked back whatever mocking words Cole was about to say. A moment later. He inexplicably reached up and adjusted the overhead AC vent for me. Even he froze for a few seconds after doing it. “Thanks.” I didn’t pay it much mind, just looked out the window. 04 After landing and grabbing our luggage, Cole walked off to the side to make a call. “Did you guys invite Lexi? Cool. See you in a few days. The girlfriend? I’ll dump her after I see Lexi.” Seeing me approach, Cole quickly hung up. “Sydney, I need to warn you about something.” “Hm?” “At my house, my parents are easygoing. But watch out for my older brother.” “Why? Does he eat people?” Cole gave me another weird look. Before, when I talked to him, I just said “mhm” and “oh,” playing the obedient girlfriend. Now that I almost had enough money, my desire to act was plummeting. “…My brother has a bad temper. He’s very dominant. What he says goes, both at home and at the company. Even my parents are a little scared of him now. Just keep your head down when you see him.” As unruly as Cole was, the mere mention of his older brother brought a look of fear and reverence to his face. “Got it.” I really couldn’t care less about his family dynamics. But Cole looked even more confused. “Aren’t you happy to be coming home with me?” “I’m ecstatic,” I said with a deadpan face. Cole: “…” A chauffeur picked us up and drove us to the Harrington estate. Just as Cole said, his parents were quite friendly and asked me all sorts of caring questions. Until right before dinner. Nathaniel Harrington came home. Cole’s arrogance vanished completely. He stood up straight like a schoolboy and greeted him obediently, “Nathaniel.” “Mhm. Rough flight?” It was a lukewarm, apathetic voice. It had the smooth, cold texture of jade. It was so familiar my scalp tingled. I turned my head and my eyes widened in shock. It was him. The man from my dreams. 05 “Nathaniel, this is my girlfriend, Sydney Kensington.” Nathaniel’s gaze swept across my face. “Welcome.” He looked exactly like he did in my dreams. The sharp jawline, the slightly hooded eyes that made him look cold and ruthless. He first loosened his tie and took a sip of water. A drop of water rolled down his Adam’s apple and slipped under his collar, dampening the fabric to reveal the faint outline of his chest. Only then did he sit down at the dining table. Everyone’s voices instinctively lowered. Cole was acting so well-behaved he seemed like a different person. During the meal, the conversation occasionally turned to me. “Sydney, Cole mentioned you’ve never dated anyone before?” “Yes, Mrs. Harrington. Cole… is my first boyfriend.” “Oh my. For a girl as pretty as you not to have dated, that’s quite rare.” I nervously swallowed hard, my peripheral vision darting toward Nathaniel. He was cutting his steak, acting as if he hadn’t heard a thing. Right. He probably didn’t know me. It was just my own one-sided dream. As for why I dreamed of him? Probably my subconscious. Maybe I had caught a fleeting glimpse of Nathaniel’s photo in some financial magazine, and it manifested in my dreams. I adjusted my mindset and responded positively. “Mrs. Harrington, this is my first relationship. I’m incredibly lucky to have met Cole. He’s a star on campus, and I’ve looked up to him since freshman year.” “Our Cole can be a bit rebellious, but he’s good at heart. Sydney, I hear you’re an honors student. Please take good care of him.” “I will. I really care about Cole.” No, what I care about is the fat red envelope of cash you’re about to give me. Suddenly, I felt a gaze land on me. I instinctively looked back. Nathaniel was replying to a work message on his phone. He wasn’t looking at me at all. Just now… was that my imagination? 06 After staying at the Harrington estate for a few days, I got used to it. Nathaniel was rarely home. When we occasionally bumped into each other, he just gave me a polite, distant nod. I grew more and more certain that the dreams were mine alone. The day to meet Lexi was approaching. Cole wasn’t satisfied with the clothes I brought, so he had someone buy me a new outfit. A slip dress. Something you’d only wear in the summer. He made me put it on to take a few photos with him. The fabric was paper-thin. Even with the estate’s central heating, I was shivering. But Cole didn’t notice. He was determined to take the perfect photo to make his first love jealous. The next day, I caught a cold and spiked a fever. Did Cole care? Of course not. He was busy going out drinking with his buddies. As he was leaving, I heard him complaining on the phone: “Of course she gets sick right now. If she embarrasses me in front of Lexi in a few days, I swear… Do you guys have any other girls around? I need a backup…” I was burning up, feverish and groggy, blurring the line between dreams and reality. My throat was agonizingly sore. I got out of bed to get a glass of water. The study door across the hall was wide open. When I looked up, I actually saw Nathaniel. 07 At this hour, Cole was out partying, and his parents were out running errands. Nathaniel should have been at the office. Why was he home? There was only one possibility—I was dreaming again. If it’s a dream, that makes things easy. I stumbled in and threw myself aggrievedly into his arms. “I feel awful.” He stiffened for a moment, then asked, “Did you take medicine?” “Yeah.” “Go back and rest.” But I clung to him, refusing to let go. “I met someone who looks exactly like you.” “…Did you?” “But I know he isn’t you.” “How do you know?” “Because you’re a dream. The moment I see the mole on your collarbone, I know I’m dreaming.” With practiced ease, I unbuttoned his dress shirt. I was far too familiar with this mole. In my dreams, I had bitten it countless times. I sat on his lap, tracing the mole with my finger. “Nathaniel” suddenly stopped me. “Didn’t you say you really liked him?” “What?” “You said you really liked Cole.” “How do you know about Co—” My brain exploded. All the romantic tension cooled in an instant. I pinched my own thigh hard. It hurt. This wasn’t a dream. This was reality. The man I was currently pinning down was the real Nathaniel Harrington. “Sydney.” He called my name in a low voice, the end of the word sending a shiver down my spine. “I asked you in dreams for six months, and I finally remembered your name.” That sentence froze me in place again. What did he mean? He was dreaming too…? My CPU was short-circuiting. I was still straddling him, wearing only my pajamas. His shirt was disheveled, and his eyes were dark and bottomless. Right at that moment. A knock came at the door. “Nathaniel, have you seen my girlfriend?” Cole? Why was he back? “Nathaniel, are you in there? I swear I just heard Sydney’s voice.” Dead silence. “No one? I’m coming in.” Cole turned the handle… 08 Cole stepped into the room. “Nathaniel, you’re here.” Nathaniel asked, “Why are you back?” “I just felt bad leaving her alone when she’s sick. Anyway, Nathaniel, I just checked the bedroom and didn’t see Sydney. Have you seen her?” “No,” Nathaniel lowered his eyes. At this very moment. I was crouched under the massive mahogany desk, pressed right against Nathaniel’s suit pants, not daring to make a single sound. “Maybe she went to the bathroom. I’ll wait here for a bit.” Cole plopped down on the sofa and pulled out his phone to play a game. Before the match even loaded, he suddenly frowned. “Nathaniel, why does it smell so good in your study?” “I lit an incense candle.” “Aren’t you the one who hates that stuff the most? Did the sun rise in the west today?” Cole still didn’t suspect anything. But he stood up and started looking for the incense. He was about to walk behind the desk. Nathaniel reached out and stopped him. “Get out.” “Huh?” “I’ll wire you ten grand. Take Niki to the groomers. The dog smells.” “That’s the housekeeper’s job!” “Are you going or not?” Nathaniel raised a pair of eyes that brooked no argument. “You can keep the change.” “On it! I’ll make sure she’s squeaky clean!” Cole headed downstairs to find the dog. Once the house was quiet again, I crawled out from under the desk. Holding my dizzy head, I cut straight to the chase: “Have you been having the exact same dreams as me?” “It appears so.” “How is that possible… Do the timelines match up?” Nathaniel adjusted his rimless glasses. “The first time, on August 10th, you treated me like an emotional dumping ground and ranted about a lot of nonsense.” “The second time…” “The sixth time, you said: ‘You up? Let me see those abs.’” Me: … “The seventh time, in September, the relationship took a turning point, and we—” “Okay! You don’t need to say anymore!” It was definitely shared dreaming. The information overload, combined with my fever, made my vision swim. I almost fainted. Nathaniel caught me. “Don’t think about it right now. Get some rest.” He picked me up to carry me back to the bedroom. But halfway there, we ran into the housekeeper. The housekeeper slowly widened her eyes, forgetting to even say hello. “Sir, is that… Ms. Kensington in your arms?” 09 I tried desperately to cover my face. Nathaniel said calmly, “You know what to do.” His tone was polite and even, but it carried the murderous aura of silencing a witness. The housekeeper quickly scurried away. “Oh my, I’m getting old. My eyesight is terrible. I can’t see a thing…” Nathaniel placed me on the bed and pulled up the covers. “Martha is trustworthy. She won’t gossip. Just focus on getting better.” I was truly exhausted and had no energy to argue with him. That evening, Cole returned from washing the dog. He tossed a box of medicine onto my nightstand. “We’re going to that party the day after tomorrow. Don’t embarrass me.” I thought he was going to leave after that. But he suddenly sniffed the air twice. “Wait a minute. That smell is so familiar…” Crap. Am I busted? 10 I gripped my water glass tightly, my mind going blank. Cole, being as oblivious as he was, didn’t connect the dots. “My brother’s study had the exact same scent. It actually smells pretty good.” I secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Then, I heard him mutter, “My brother went on a business trip. I’m finally free for a few days.” “A business trip?” “Yeah. Left right after lunch.” He was probably hiding from me. Nathaniel didn’t come home until the day of the party. When he saw me, he still just gave a faint nod. As if nothing had happened. The day of the party arrived. I had recovered from my cold and went with Cole to his high school reunion. With Cole’s personality, he was the center of attention wherever he went. By extension, I was also in the spotlight. Cole’s buddy slung an arm around his neck and whispered, “This is the girl you brought to make Lexi mad? Bro, are you blind? This girl is way hotter than Lexi!” “You’re the blind one. She doesn’t even compare to Lexi.” “Did you warn her? Lexi’s going to target her tonight.” “No need to tell her,” Cole said lazily. “The more Lexi targets her, the more it proves Lexi isn’t over me.” I sat nearby and heard every word clearly. Cole turned to clink glasses with someone. “We’re drinking until we drop tonight!” Someone joked, “Young master, you sure you wanna drink? Aren’t you afraid your brother will beat you up?” “My brother can’t babysit me today. He went on a blind date.” My mind, which had been wandering, suddenly snapped into focus. Who was Nathaniel Harrington? The current head of the Harrington Group. Powerful and handsome. Everyone was incredibly curious about his gossip. Cole was happy to share: “He’s a chronic bachelor. I don’t know how they convinced him to go on a blind date this year. Probably because she’s pretty, and I heard she comes from a prestigious family.” “Tsk. Looks like I’m getting a sister-in-law soon.” The loud music suddenly made me feel incredibly irritable. Just then, the VIP room door opened. “Lexi’s here!” “Welcome, Prom Queen!” 11 Cole’s first love was very pretty. But she was highly hostile toward me. Surrounded by her clique, she made passive-aggressive comments meant to put me down. The atmosphere was tense, so I volunteered to wash the fruit knives to get away. At the same time, I was calculating something else. Cole spent money like water. I never explicitly asked him for money. Just by collecting the scraps he threw my way, I had finally saved enough for the surgery. It was time to break up. How should I bring it up? As I was pondering, Lexi and her squad surrounded me from behind. She dropped her goddess persona, acting like a total mean girl. “Did you roll your eyes at me just now?” “No.” “Liar! We all saw it!” “You’re overthinking it,” I said lazily, wiping down a fruit knife. “I can’t even be bothered to look at you. Why would I roll my eyes at you?” Lexi grew even more furious. Several girls lunged forward to tear at my dress. “Look at this dress, Cole definitely bought it! His taste is terrible!” “Today, we’re going to teach you who you messed with!” I was incredibly annoyed. Before they could ruin my dress, I reached out and grabbed Lexi by the hair. With a swift spin, I shoved her head right under the faucet. Let her wash her hair and cool down. The clique didn’t expect me to be so strong and all took a step back. I said coldly, “Just looking at you proves Cole’s taste is indeed terrible.” “You—glug glug—” Lexi was cursing quite colorfully, but I didn’t care. I was helping her rinse her mouth. “If you’re pissed off, go yell at Cole. Taking it out on me proves nothing. Only brainless, insecure girls like you would treat a trash man like a prize.” Lexi stopped cursing and started wailing. The bathroom was close to our VIP room. Cole and the guys rushed over upon hearing the noise. Lexi finally broke free from me. Looking like a drowned rat, she ran crying into Cole’s arms. “Your girlfriend bullied me!” “No way, Sydney isn’t like that…” Cole said instinctively. Lexi cried even louder. “Cole! Harrington! Didn’t you just see it? she shoved my head into the sink!” The clique finally snapped out of their shock: “Yeah, we all saw it.” “She bullied your ex-girlfriend and you’re not doing anything? Are you even a man!” Unable to withstand the provocation, Cole immediately looked at me sternly. “Sydney, apologize to her.” 12 Apologize? That’s hilarious. Spinning the fruit knife in my hand, I walked steadily toward Cole. No one dared to make a sound. Under my intimidating glare, Cole kept backing up. Until he tripped over the sofa and fell into it. I planted one foot right between his legs on the sofa cushion. A fraction of an inch more, and my black velvet stiletto would have crushed his most prized possession. “Time to settle the score, fuckboy.” The flat edge of the fruit knife brushed against Cole’s face. He flinched, seemingly startled by the cold metal. “You used me to make your ex jealous. I’ll let that slide. Luckily, all I wanted was your money, so you couldn’t break my heart. We’re even.” “But as of right now, we are broken up. Please don’t ever show your face in front of me again.” Cole froze, then suddenly reached out and grabbed my ankle. “What do you mean, all you wanted was money?” “It means exactly what it sounds like. Did you skip English class?” “Sydney Kensington, you don’t like me?” “I don’t. In fact, I find you incredibly annoying.” Under the dim lighting, Cole actually looked lost. “Impossible. How could you not like me? You’re always so obedient—” I stabbed the fruit knife down. Cole was petrified. A long moment later, he realized the knife was just stabbed into the sofa cushion next to him. “Even coming home with you this time was just for your family’s money. Stop flattering yourself—” Just as I finished speaking, I suddenly felt the atmosphere shift behind me. I turned around. Nathaniel stood in the doorway. He heard everything.

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Rumor has it that Carter Sterling, the notoriously aloof billionaire heir, never lets women get close to him. Yet, on the very first day of my return to the States, a distinct lipstick mark was plastered across his tailored suit. That same day, #SuitKissMark skyrocketed to the number one trending spot online. His face was thunderous. “Stella Vance! Look at what you’ve done!” I replied, the picture of innocence, “I was only trying to help you. Otherwise, your sexual orientation was going to be questioned by the press.” “Get out!” 1 I took off my sunglasses and dialed the pinned number in my contacts. It was picked up on the second ring. “What do you want?” His deep, familiar, and magnetic voice came through the line. I glanced at the busy traffic outside LAX and said, “I’m at the airport. I’m giving you a chance to show your devotion. Come pick me up.” “I don’t have time.” “Fine. Then I’ll call Mason and ask him to come.” I hung up before he could respond. Of course, that was a bluff. I didn’t want to bring unnecessary trouble upon myself. Walking out of the terminal, I hailed a cab and hopped in. But we hadn’t driven far before a sleek Rolls-Royce abruptly cut us off, forcing the cab to a halt. A figure I hadn’t seen in a long time stepped out of the luxury car. He tapped on my window. “Get out.” I rolled the window down, looking at him with a smirk. “Well, well, Mr. Sterling. Didn’t you say you didn’t have time?” He stared at me blankly. “My old man told me to come.” The underlying message: I didn’t want to come; I was forced. But from the moment my plane landed, I hadn’t contacted anyone but him. Aside from him, no one else in the world knew I was back. I raised an eyebrow. “Is that so? Should I call your dad to verify?” I picked up my phone. He snatched it right out of my hand. “Get in or don’t. Your choice.” With that, he turned and walked away, taking my phone with him. I opened the door, dragged my suitcase out of the trunk, and shouted at his back, “Mr. Sterling, the least you could do is pay my cab fare!” His hand paused on the door handle. In three quick strides, he marched over, didn’t even glance at the meter, and shoved a fifty-dollar bill at the driver. I smiled. “Thanks, Mr. Sterling.” He shot me a glare. “Get in the car.” 2 I was two years older than Carter Sterling, and we had known each other for twelve years. From the time I was just a struggling college student to my debut in Hollywood, all the way to my crowning as a Best Actress winner, he was there through it all. To say I didn’t have feelings for him would be a lie. I freely admitted it: I loved him. Three years ago, we were actually together. But on the day I went to the Sterling estate as his girlfriend, I overheard his father talking in the study. “The daughter-in-law of our family will absolutely not be one of those messy girls from the entertainment industry.” Hiding in the corner like a rat in the sewers, I felt utterly exposed and ashamed. That single sentence shattered me. I booked a flight out of the country that very night and hastily announced my retirement from acting. Since my parents passed away, the Sterling family had helped me out a lot, mostly on Carter’s account. I was incredibly grateful. But because they had always been my benefactors, I constantly felt that Carter and I were from two different worlds. I thought that as long as I made my own money, everything would be fine. So I threw myself into Hollywood, clawing my way to the top. But in the eyes of the Sterling family, my achievements meant nothing. With their wealth, they could effortlessly manufacture a dozen actresses just like me. The pride I had built up over a decade didn’t allow me to lower my head, ask why, or cling to a doomed relationship. After I went abroad, Carter called me endlessly. I didn’t answer a single one. Finally, he sent a text: Why did you leave without saying a word? You couldn’t even tell me? I replied: I’m just tired. At that moment, gripping my phone, I was sobbing uncontrollably. Ultimately, I wasn’t worthy of him. That was the last message between us. And just like that, we cut ties for three whole years. 3 In the car, I propped my chin on my hand, watching the scenery blur past the window. Carter suddenly asked, “Why did you come back now?” I snapped out of my daze. “I just wanted to.” He let out a scoff. “Couldn’t make it out there in Europe?” I turned my head and saw the faint, mocking smirk on his lips. I nodded enthusiastically. “Yep. How did you know? You’re so smart, Mr. Sterling. So amazing. I just love it.” His face instantly darkened. “Stop making me sick.” I looked at him with feigned disappointment. “Oh, fine. I guess my love is unrequited. “But that makes sense. You must be hiding a beautiful mistress somewhere. Keeping yourself free of scandals for years, letting the press think you’re gay—she must really be something…” “Shut up! One more word and you’re walking.” He sat on the other side of the spacious backseat, shutting me down without mercy. I wasn’t mad. I just nodded. “Okay. Shutting up now.” A moment later, he asked again, “Tell me the truth. Did you really come back because you couldn’t survive over there?” “No,” I replied. “Then why did you come back?” he asked, his brow furrowing. I met his gaze, smiled, and said, “Secret.” Why did I come back? Honestly, I didn’t know. Maybe it was because, even after three years, he still haunted my dreams every night. I was tired of waking up crying, full of regret. Since I couldn’t let it go, I had to face it eventually. Carter Sterling, long time no see. 4 Carter drove me to his mansion in Beverly Hills. I looked at the massive estate and teased him. “Bringing me here, aren’t you afraid your little girlfriend will find out and get mad? “This must be your cozy little love nest.” He was busy pulling my luggage out of the trunk. Without missing a beat, he said, “You’re sleeping on the street tonight.” I shook my head, laughing. “It’s rare for you to bring me here. I can’t just leave after being your hidden treasure for the night. Just thinking about it gives me a thrill.” He shot me a vicious glare. “If you don’t want to stay, go sleep on the porch.” I chuckled, trailing behind him. Right as we stepped inside, my sharp eyes caught sight of a pair of women’s slippers in the shoe cabinet. I smiled. “Mr. Sterling, these women’s slippers just exposed you. “Your little wife hasn’t even been gone a few days, and you’re already moving another woman in? Isn’t that a bit inappropriate?” He let out a cold humpf, pulled the slippers out, and threw them at my feet. “Why don’t you look at the shoe size first?” “Maybe we wear the same size,” I countered. “Heh. You’ve sure got a wild imagination. Why don’t you take a sniff and see if they smell like some other woman, or if they just reek of your own foot odor?” He said this while unlocking the inner door. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. He turned back. “What are you laughing at?” “Not telling.” He ignored me and pushed the door open, walking straight in. After touring the house, I realized Carter had prepared everything in advance. He had bought everything in pairs. Two toothbrushes, two mugs, and the bed in the guest room was already perfectly made. “Thanks,” I said genuinely. He gave a curt nod. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught him drinking water from one of the mugs. In an instant, I noticed something. “Mr. Sterling, that mug… it looks an awful lot like a matching couple’s set with mine.” I leaned against the doorframe, giving him a knowing look. His hand paused, but his face remained perfectly neutral. “It was buy-one-get-one-free. I bought mine, they threw yours in.” I nodded slowly. “Got it. Mr. Sterling is learning to be frugal. A mug is what, ten bucks? And you still went out of your way to find a BOGO deal. Impressive.” I smiled at him. Hearing this, he practically sprinted toward his bedroom, not hesitating for a second before slamming the door shut with a loud BANG. Before the door clicked, he threw out one last sentence: “You talk too much nonsense.” 5 Once I was settled in, my agent, Tara, called me. “Stella,” she said. “The Foster family is hosting a gala tonight. They sent an invite. Do you want to go?” Lying on the bed, my first instinct was to text back: Not going. Just landed. Exhausted. But then I remembered Liam Foster was hosting it. He had helped me out immensely back in the day. I owed him. “I’ll go,” I told her. “RSVP for me.” She said okay and hung up. After the call, I got up and knocked on Carter’s bedroom door. “What?” came the muffled reply. “I have a gala to attend tonight. Just letting you know I’ll be heading out.” A moment later, he offered a brief “Hmm,” acknowledging me. With his response, I went back to my room to start my makeup and get ready. To my surprise, halfway through my makeup routine, there was a knock on my door. I opened it to find Carter already dressed in a sharp tuxedo. “Aren’t you going to change?” he asked. “Were you planning on walking there yourself later?” I paused, then smiled. “Seeing as Mr. Sterling is feeling so helpful, I suppose I can lower myself to ride with you.” An hour and a half later, I changed into my evening gown. When I opened the door, Carter was sitting in the living room, watching TV with immense boredom, waiting for me. The moment I stepped out, his eyes locked onto me. I saw a brief, undeniable spark light up his eyes, but he quickly looked away. “You’re slow, and you look ugly,” he muttered. Yet, the tips of his ears were burning red. I tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear, walked up, and smiled. “Really? If this dress is so ugly, why did you keep it? Didn’t I tell you to throw it away?” He didn’t look back at me. “I packed it in a box and forgot to throw it out.” “Ah, I see. And here I thought you kept it just for me. Silly me, being so presumptuous.” Honestly, I could tell at a glance that he had never intended to throw it away. The gown had been hung perfectly in the closet, without a single wrinkle, and it even smelled faintly of expensive cedar and vanilla. Clearly, someone had taken meticulous care of it. But the man was just as stubborn as he was three years ago. 6 Actually, the Carter Sterling of today was vastly different from the Carter of three years ago. Back then, he used to follow me around like a lost, over-eager golden retriever, arrogant to the world but sweet to me. This cold, aloof, sharp-tongued persona was reserved only for strangers back then. But the blatant favoritism he used to show me had dissipated over time, leaving no trace behind. I climbed into Carter’s Rolls-Royce in my gown. As I ducked to get in, he stood behind me and muttered, “Next time you get in and out of a car, remember to cover your chest.” I slid into the seat, instantly knowing what he meant. Having been a star for years, I knew all the tricks to avoid wardrobe malfunctions. I was just so used to being comfortable around him that I hadn’t bothered. But I replied anyway, “Got it. I’ll be careful next time. Thanks for the tip, Mr. Sterling.” He didn’t answer. He just opened the door and slid into the seat on the opposite side of the spacious back row. Once he was in, the driver pulled away, heading for our destination. Familiar Los Angeles scenery flashed by the window, scene by scene. It was hard to believe that after three years, I was actually back here. I had fled in a panic back then, but now, I felt entirely fearless. I had nothing left to lose. If things went terribly wrong, I’d just leave the country again. I turned my head to look at Carter. He was leaning against the leather seat, his eyes closed, resting. After a long while, his lips twitched. “How much longer are you going to stare at me?” Hearing that, my eyes drifted to his ears. They were bright red. I leaned in close and whispered, “I didn’t want to stare. It’s just… this is the first time I’ve ever seen Mr. Sterling with his ears this red.” The moment the words left my mouth, I saw his body visibly stiffen. A second later, he hit the button to raise the privacy partition between us and the driver. He shifted as far away from me as possible and muttered, “It’s a natural physiological response.” And then, his ears turned even redder. In fact, a flush started creeping up his neck and cheeks. Realizing he was completely compromised, he turned his head entirely toward the window, hiding his face from me. I smiled softly and turned back to look out my own window. 7 Half an hour later, Carter’s car pulled into the Foster estate’s private driveway. Looking out, the red carpet entrance was already swarming with paparazzi and journalists. After Carter stepped out, he looked back at me, still dawdling in the backseat. “Are you coming or not?” “You go ahead,” I replied. “It wouldn’t be good if the press caught us together right now.” His expression instantly darkened. “Suit yourself.” He turned and walked away with long, angry strides. Watching his retreating back, I let out a helpless sigh. I wanted to stand beside him under the flashing lights too. I wanted to be his plus-one. But this was my very first day back. If I was photographed with Carter Sterling right now, God knows what kind of rumors would explode. If his family found out and grew disgusted with me again, it would be a disaster. I couldn’t rush this. I had to take it one step at a time. I waited a few minutes after Carter entered before smoothing my hair, lifting the hem of my gown, and stepping out into the spotlight. The moment I appeared, the relentless clicking of cameras abruptly stopped. In the dead silence, I heard someone ask weakly, “Is… is that the Best Actress winner, Stella Vance?” I lifted my chin, smiled flawlessly at the crowd, and said, “Yes. It’s Stella Vance.” The next second, the camera shutters went absolutely crazy, deafeningly loud. My sudden retirement three years ago had sparked endless debates, and then I had simply vanished from the face of the earth. Now that I was suddenly back, to them, I was the biggest headline of the night. Having survived in Hollywood for years, I knew exactly what the media wanted. “Miss Vance, why did you really retire three years ago?” “Why are you making an appearance now?” “Miss Vance, does this mean you’re planning a massive Hollywood comeback?” The questions fired at me like machine guns. I lowered my head, offering a polite, practiced smile. “I’m sorry, it’s not convenient to answer these questions at the moment.” Because honestly, I didn’t have the answers myself. Ignoring the clamoring voices behind me, I lifted my dress and elegantly glided into the gala venue. 8 As soon as I walked through the doors, I spotted Carter talking to Liam Foster. Carter turned his head toward me, and Liam’s gaze followed his. In an instant, Liam’s eyes lit up. “Well, well! Stella, you finally made it!” I smiled and stepped forward to give him a hug. “Liam, it’s been way too long.” He patted my back affectionately. “Way too long.” Ten years ago, it was Liam who gave me my first big break in the industry. The only reason I survived the shark-infested waters of Hollywood for so long was because of his protection. I owed him a lot. I pulled back, looked at him, and joked, “Liam, I came to your gala on my very first day back in the country. Doesn’t that show how much I respect you?” He nodded. “Absolutely. You’re much better to me than this guy. I asked Carter to come show his face, and he flat-out told me he wasn’t coming.” “Really?” I paused, slightly surprised. “Yeah,” Liam continued. “At first he said no. But then, out of nowhere, he texted me saying he was coming. “Tsk, tsk. You kids these days. I’m getting too old to understand you. “Especially you two. Showing up separately? I really don’t get the games you little couples play.” Liam’s teasing had me laughing uncontrollably. I quickly clarified, “Liam, you better be careful with those words. In the eyes of the public, Carter and I are completely unrelated. “If the media heard you say that, we’d be doomed. “Besides, we aren’t even together right now. Calling us a ‘couple’ is a bit premature. But I’ll take it as a blessing.” Right as I finished speaking, Carter, who had walked off to grab a glass of wine, returned. “What are you laughing about?” I smiled. “A secret between Liam and me.” He let out a cold scoff. “Whatever. Like I care.” He took a sip of his wine, turned on his heel, and walked off to mingle with the other guests. 9 Because my return was so sudden, many of my old industry friends were shocked and came over to chat. There were also a few bitter rivals who came over to throw some thinly veiled insults my way. It was all harmless, petty noise. I was thinking about this while taking a sip of my wine. When I looked up, I saw a familiar figure approaching. He clinked his glass gently against mine and offered a charismatic smile. “Stella Vance. Long time no see. You’ve been quite popular tonight.” I curled my lips into a polite smile. “Mason Wright. You haven’t been doing too badly yourself.” “Compared to you, I’m falling behind. I’ve been watching you all night, trying to find a window to come say hi. I had to sneak over just to get a word in.” “You’re joking, Mason. I saw you chatting up all those gorgeous young starlets all evening. You didn’t have time for me. “I’m practically ancient in Hollywood years. I can’t compete with these fresh, dewy new actresses. They’re so delicate and stunning; even I can’t take my eyes off them.” I laid the compliments on thick, but he just laughed dismissively. “What’s the point of a pretty face? They’re like empty vases. Ask them to do a crying scene, and they can’t even squeeze out a single tear. It’s a waste of my time.” I put a finger to my lips in a “shush” motion. “Mason, there are ears everywhere. Loose lips sink ships.” He understood my warning, smiled, nodded, and clinked my glass again. Right as our glasses touched, a third glass aggressively inserted itself between ours. I looked up. Carter had materialized out of nowhere. He was smirking, but his eyes were incredibly cold. “Mason. Stella. What are we chatting about? Mind if I join in?” I looked at Mason. “Mason, what were we just talking about?” Following my lead, he looked at Carter with feigned innocence. “Nothing really. We were just about to start catching up when you walked over.” Hearing this, Carter’s face darkened visibly. “If you haven’t started, then don’t.” He sounded like he was grinding his teeth. Then, he turned his piercing gaze on me. “Wait for me later. We’re going home together.” I shook my head. “No thanks. There are too many people watching. I already had Tara send a van for me. I’ll take my own ride back.” He gave a stiff nod, turned, and walked away. His expression was downright murderous. 10 After Carter left, Mason looked at me in shock. “Are you two living together?” I offered a dazzling smile. “Just like you heard.” “So… are you guys back together?” he asked again. This time, I shook my head. “Not exactly. He’s my sponsor. I’m his hidden little trophy.” After delivering that line with a laugh, I put my glass down and walked away, leaving Mason standing there, utterly bewildered. Hey, he paid my fifty-dollar cab fare. Doesn’t that count as being a sugar daddy? Let him interpret it however he wants. But before I headed home, I had one last piece of business to take care of. I pulled out my phone and sent Carter a text. Moments later, he appeared in front of me. “What?” he asked, his face still looking like a storm cloud. I grabbed his arm, pulled him into a quiet, secluded corner, and smiled. “Mr. Sterling, your suit is dirty.” He frowned, looking down at his chest. “No it’s not.” He turned to leave, but I quickly grabbed his arm and pointed to his back, where he couldn’t see. “It’s on your back. Let me brush it off for you. “You’re too handsome to walk out of here with a dirty suit. The paparazzi are going to take pictures, and we can’t have your flawless outfit ruined.” Seeing my entirely serious expression, he didn’t doubt me. He turned around, offering me his back. I pretended to dust off his jacket, giving it a few firm pats. Then, seizing the moment, I leaned in and pressed my lips firmly against the dark fabric of his shoulder blade. Stepping back, I said, “All clean. But your tie is a little crooked. Let me fix that for you too.” He turned back around to face me, his gaze dropping to my chest for a split second before darting away. I was wearing a strapless gown today. I adjusted his tie, smiled, and said, “Perfect.” Without a word, he turned and practically fled down the hallway. I called out to his retreating back, “Mr. Sterling, you’re going the wrong way. The exit is in the other direction.” His footsteps halted abruptly. He kept his head down and quickly pivoted, marching hastily toward the correct exit. Watching him, I couldn’t hold back a genuine laugh. 11 By the time I left the gala and made it to the underground parking garage, Tara was already waiting for me. I had specifically asked her to swap out the van I used three years ago for a new one the media wouldn’t recognize. I didn’t want my entire life completely dug up on my very first day back. The van drove out of the garage. As we passed the main entrance, I saw a massive mob of paparazzi still waiting. They had absolutely no idea I was sitting in the unremarkable black van that drove right past them. I made it back to Carter’s mansion without a hitch. But the moment I unlocked the door, I was met with Carter standing in the foyer, his face black with rage. He was holding his suit jacket, pointing a trembling finger at the lipstick mark on the back. “Stella Vance! Look at what you’ve done! You better give me a damn good explanation for what this is!” “Just what it looks like, Mr. Sterling. A lipstick mark.” “I’m asking you why you put it there!” “Do you have any idea that the number one trending topic online right now is this exact lipstick mark?!” Carter glared at me, absolutely furious. I calmly pulled out my phone, checked Twitter, looked up at him, and smiled. “Mr. Sterling, the number one trending topic just changed.” However… #CarterSterlingSuitKiss The popularity of that hashtag was neck-and-neck with #StellaVanceReturns. If you refreshed the page, they kept swapping between the number one and number two spots. Clearly, Carter wasn’t satisfied with my nonchalant response. He continued: “The point isn’t whether it’s number one or number two! I’m asking you why you did it!” I looked at him with wide, innocent eyes. “I was only trying to help you. Otherwise, your sexual orientation was going to be questioned. “Before I came back, I read the gossip blogs. The media was already starting to think you were into men. If I didn’t help you out, you were going to be permanently labeled as gay.” “Get out!” “OK.” I smiled, nodded politely, and walked straight to my guest room. 12 The truth was, that lipstick mark wasn’t just to tease Carter or generate cheap hype. My real goal was… I needed to know who had gotten close to him over the past three years, and who dared to manufacture scandals with him. I had been gone long enough for another woman to claim a place in his life. When you’re starting at a disadvantage, you have to play a little dirty. … I sat back and watched the trending topics explode, watching as the media dug up Carter’s past “scandals.” Soon, several new hashtags related to him shot up the trending list. #LipstickShade #LipPrintMatch Seeing those two hashtags made my heart skip a beat. Never underestimate the terrifying investigative power of the internet. Because Carter hadn’t had a lipstick mark when he entered the venue, it meant the kiss had to happen during the gala. Internet sleuths compiled a list of every woman at the event, analyzing their lipstick shades to cross-reference with the mark on the black suit. However, distinguishing red shades on black fabric is notoriously difficult. Several women’s lipstick shades were deemed “possible matches”—including mine. When they couldn’t definitively prove the shade, they started analyzing the lip print itself. Thank God I had the foresight to press my lips down twice, overlapping the prints, making it completely impossible to extract a clear lip pattern. I let out a breath of relief and kept scrolling. Then I saw… #CarterSterlingChloeDavis #BillionaireHeirSecretGirlfriend #MatchingCouplesOutfits The words “Matching Couples Outfits” caught my attention instantly. I clicked on the hashtag. Fans had pointed out that the sleek, modern cheongsam dress Chloe Davis wore to the gala shared an incredibly high design overlap with Carter’s suit. Not only were the color palettes identical, but the intricate embroidery patterns were shockingly similar. Furthermore, the lipstick Chloe wore tonight was a near-perfect match for the smudge on the suit. Piece by piece, the internet was building a bulletproof case: they were a secret couple, and they had worn matching outfits. But I absolutely refused to accept that. Because I designed the suit Carter wore tonight. It was my 18th birthday present to him. To me, it held immense sentimental value. Furious, I took a screenshot of the trending page and texted it to Carter. [Kiddo, I custom-designed that suit for you, and you turned around and gave the design to your little girlfriend to make a matching dress? Do you have any respect for me?] He replied instantly: [Stella, what kind of psychotic break are you having tonight? I don’t have a girlfriend! [And I had no idea about her dress. I’m taking care of it now.] [Okay then.] 13 After that, I sent him a barrage of voice memos. “I’m so sorry, sweetie. I had no idea doing that would cause you so much trouble. It’s all my fault. Please don’t be mad. “Going to bed angry is bad for your health. “Goodnight. Sweet dreams.” I made my voice as soft and gentle as humanly possible, sounding as innocent as a lamb. After all, when you make a mistake, you have to own up to it. Even men need a little coaxing sometimes. Not long after, Carter sent me a screenshot. It was a text conversation. Carter had directly confronted Chloe Davis, demanding an explanation. He bluntly stated that if she didn’t issue a public apology immediately, he would ensure she was entirely blacklisted from the industry. Chloe instantly folded and begged for mercy. I opened the trending page again. #ChloeDavisApologizes It was hanging brightly at the very top of the list. Chloe’s official statement: “Thank you all for the love and attention regarding my dress tonight. However, I must sincerely apologize to Mr. Carter Sterling. My dress and Mr. Sterling’s suit were NOT matching couples’ outfits. I saw how stunning Mr. Sterling’s suit was in the past and commissioned a replica design for myself. I never expected it to cause such a massive misunderstanding and controversy. I am incredibly sorry. I promise not to make this kind of mistake again, and I hope you will all give me a chance to learn from this. Thank you.” I clicked on the comments. “Ahhh! They were so gorgeous together! I was shipping them so hard, and the ship sank in less than an hour! Sobbing!” “God! I really thought they were dating!” “This debunking happened way too fast. Did the real ‘Mrs. Sterling’ get mad?” Replies flooded in beneath that comment. “I think so too! The real girlfriend definitely laid down the law. Otherwise, Carter wouldn’t have been so ruthless.” “Do you guys think it could be Stella Vance? She comes back, and the exact same night Carter gets a kiss mark on his suit? That’s too much of a coincidence. He’s never had a scandal like this before.” “Are you insane? Anyone saying they’re together knows nothing about them. People investigated this years ago. The only connection they have is going to the same high school and the same university.” “I also feel like it’s Stella. Just a gut feeling.” The internet was in chaos, throwing around endless theories, but no one could prove a thing. Then, a new hashtag appeared. #HowTheInvisibleMrsSterlingControlsHollywood Seeing that, I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. The internet’s imagination truly was boundless.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “421034”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

Silas Vance was the son of my father’s bodyguard. I spent ten years of my life hopelessly in love with him. When high school ended, I went to him, my heart overflowing with joy, and confessed: “Silas, marry me. I’ll give you the family you’ve never had.” He narrowed his eyes in pure disgust. “Get lost. Stay the hell away from me.” Later, my world crumbled. I, the princess of a golden empire, was dragged into the mud. I did exactly what he wanted. I got lost. I vanished without a sound. But now, he’s the one panicking. He looks at me with desperation in his eyes. “I’ll give you my body, my soul, my everything. Just stay.” I look back at him, my voice colder than ice. “Don’t you think you’re being a bit pathetic?” 01 Ten years. That’s how long it’s been since I’ve set foot in this city. The moment I stepped off the plane, my phone was bombarded with messages from Chloe. She was insisting that I attend the high school reunion organized by our old class president tonight. Ten years ago, my father’s company collapsed overnight. Scams, scandals, and debt collectors were all anyone could talk about. My father loved me. In the final, desperate moments, he managed to ship me off to London. I stayed there for a decade. Walking out of the airport, I pulled my sunglasses down. The crowd moved around me like a tide. On a massive billboard nearby, a man stood tall. His features were sharp, his gaze lethal. He was Silas Vance—now a world-renowned billionaire. Ten years. Everything has changed. I felt a bitter smile touch my lips. The proud red rose of the past had withered in the dirt, while the silent, lone wolf had fought his way to the highest peak. At 8:00 PM, I changed into a simple, modest outfit and headed to the reunion. I hadn’t wanted to go, but Chloe wouldn’t take no for an answer. In high school, I was the “it-girl.” I was the crown jewel of the Thorne family. I had been wealthy, well-educated, and genuinely kind to my classmates. Because of that, even when I showed up in my plain clothes, no one sneered at me. They were as warm as ever. “Oh my god, Elena! You’re finally back! We missed you so much!” “Exactly! As soon as Chloe said you were back, I must have called her twenty times to make sure she brought you!…” I was ushered to a seat in the center of the group. I took a sip of red wine and just smiled. I scanned the large private room several times, but I didn’t see him. Just then, someone in the crowd blurted out, “Hey, is Silas Vance skipping again this year?” The table went dead silent. A few people glanced at me, then quickly shifted the conversation back to other topics, pretending they hadn’t heard a thing. The question was drowned out like a pebble thrown into the ocean. 02 Twenty years ago, my father hired a new bodyguard. That bodyguard brought along a young boy with a fierce, handsome face that mirrored his father’s intensity. They moved into our guest house. That boy, Silas, went to the same private school as I did. I was only eight then. Spoiled by my father’s affection, I was bossy and arrogant. I demanded that Silas be my personal bodyguard at school. It was a status symbol. I walked through those hallways feeling like royalty because I had Silas trailing behind me. I don’t know exactly when my feelings for him shifted into something more. Maybe it was middle school. By then, Silas had grown into a strikingly handsome, rugged young man. He was already much taller than me. I was 5’6″, barely reaching his shoulder. Walking home together after school, I would watch our shadows in the sunset—sometimes close, sometimes drifting apart. I always found myself subconsciously leaning closer to him. … “Elena.” Chloe tapped my shoulder. I snapped out of it. “What?” “Silas hasn’t attended a single reunion since our high school graduation party,” Chloe whispered in my ear. I gave a soft “mhm” and stood up. “I’m going to the restroom.” I knew Silas hated me. He probably hated everything about high school. After all, I had used my family’s wealth and his tragic background to treat him like a servant for a decade. From age eight to eighteen, Silas never once refused me. Except for that one time. And if I hadn’t heard him say, “Get lost. Stay the hell away from me,” I might have forgotten that Silas had pride, too. The guilt weighed heavy on me as I walked toward the door. Just as I reached for the handle, it was pushed open with force. I gasped, my eyes widening as I looked straight into a pair of cold, dark eyes. Ten years. It really was long enough to change a person. The fierce boy had become a mature, imposing man. He was taller now. He wore a black suit that emphasized his broad shoulders and lean waist. His long legs stood firm, and his deep gaze was locked onto me. 03 “Elena Thorne? It really is you!” Another man at the door shouted in surprise. “Yeah.” I nodded and offered a small smile. “Liam, it’s been a long time.” I didn’t acknowledge the heavy, dark stare Silas was leveling at me. I stepped aside to let them pass. As I walked out, I heard Liam’s boisterous voice behind me. “Silas, Elena is back. Why are you acting like you’ve seen a ghost?” I gripped my napkin tightly, my lips curving into a hollow smile. What reaction was he supposed to have? I was just a reminder of a humiliating past when he was “lesser.” Seeing me probably only deepened his resentment. Silas’s arrival turned the lively reunion into a stiff, quiet affair. He sat directly across from me. People at the table kept sneaking glances at him, then at me, before returning to their food in silence. The power dynamic had completely flipped, and no one knew how to handle it. After all, I used to be the one on the pedestal. Liam, being the social butterfly he is, noticed the tension and smirked. “Hey, let’s play Truth or Dare.” The idea was met with immediate approval from everyone desperate to break the awkwardness. Even away from the table, Silas sat directly across from me. His long legs were stretched out lazily. He leaned back against the sofa, his eyes half-closed, his gaze flickering over me as if I weren’t even there. But every time I looked up, he was looking elsewhere. It made me feel like I was hallucinating. After a few rounds, the atmosphere finally lightened. Until… The beer bottle on the table spun and pointed its neck at me and its base at Silas. I looked up. Our eyes met. 04 “I’m first! I’m first!” Liam rubbed his hands together, grinning like a shark. “How many relationships have you both had?” The rules were that both people the bottle pointed to had to answer or take a penalty. The room went quiet again. The vibe turned weirdly electric. Chloe sat beside me, her grip on my arm tightening. I patted her hand and said softly, “It’s fine. Go grab me a glass of wine.” “Come on, what’s with the hesitation?” Liam prodded. “You either have or you haven’t. It’s not that deep.” He looked at me and added pointedly, “Unless the answer is ‘none’.” I tilted my head, feeling a sudden urge to laugh. I glanced at Silas. He had always been a masterpiece, but ten years had refined him into something dangerous. Under the dim lights, his jawline was a sharp blade, his features flawlessly carved. Once Chloe returned with my wine, Liam realized he couldn’t bully Silas into answering, so he turned his focus to me. “Are we continuing the game or what? You’re stalling the whole party!” “Three,” I said flatly. The man on the sofa snapped his eyes to mine. His gaze was heavy. I took a sip of wine and smiled at him. “One in high school, two abroad.” The room went silent. Liam looked like a stunned bird. I kept the smile on my face even though my palms were sweating. Silas’s eyes were a storm of emotions before they turned into a black abyss. He stared at me with a terrifying intensity. After a long pause, he rasped, “None.” Heh. I sneered inwardly. Keeping yourself pure for your secret lover? 05 Ten years ago, right after graduation, our class had a party. I was wearing an expensive gown my father had bought me for my 18th birthday. I was holding 99 deep red roses, and I ran to Silas with a heart full of hope. My smile was brighter than the flowers I was holding. “Silas, marry me. I’ll give you a real home.” A cool breeze swept through the evening air. Everyone was cheering and watching, even our teachers. The world had given me all the status I needed. And Silas gave me exactly what I deserved. He narrowed his eyes in disgust, his voice cold and hard. “Get lost. Stay the hell away from me.” The wind messed up my hair. It blew the petals off the roses. That night was the first time I didn’t go home with Silas. I stayed out late, wandering the streets in a daze. In the early hours of the morning, under the pale moonlight, I kicked off my heels and quietly pushed open the front door. A familiar voice drifted from a dark corner of the foyer. “Don’t worry. I’ll take you to New York with me later.” A girl’s voice chirped in surprise. “Really?!” The man’s voice was still cold, but softer. “Mhm.” I stood barefoot on the cold tile, feeling completely lost. My heart felt like it was drowning in a vast, dark sea. I couldn’t catch my breath. No wonder he told me to get lost. He already had Maya. I laughed a bitter, internal laugh. … The reunion ended as a heavy rain started to fall. People were calling Ubers or hopping into cars. Chloe pulled at me. “Elena, do you want a ride? My boyfriend can drop you off.” “No thanks,” I said with a smile. Silas walked out behind me, stopping about six feet away. Chloe asked, “Did you drive here?” I shook my head and waved my phone. “No, someone is picking me up.” “Oh…” Just then, a black Maybach pulled up through the rain. 06 A tall, elegant man carrying a black umbrella stepped out of the car. He walked over to me and complained in slightly broken English, “This weather is absolutely insane!” Something about his tone made me giggle. I naturally looped my arm through his. “You’ll get used to it.” A gaze as sharp as a cold blade swept over us from six feet away. I looked over, confused. Silas’s lips were pressed into a hard, thin line. Chloe gasped. “Elena, is this your billionaire boyfriend from abroad?” Silas’s eyes darkened, his jaw tightening visibly. I looked at Joe and smiled, ignoring the question. “We’re heading out. Bye, everyone.” The walk from the door to the car was short, but I felt like a cold sword was pressing against my back, ready to run me through. “You’re using me as a shield again,” Joe grumbled once we were inside the car. I pressed my palms together. “Big thanks. Just one last time.” “Sure, sure,” Joe rolled his eyes and shrugged. I laughed. Joe was my business partner from London. The reason we were back was that the headquarters wanted us to scout some talent for the company’s upcoming global campaign. Maya was on that list. The rain got heavier. Exhausted from the flight and the reunion, I leaned against the window and slowly fell asleep. 07 Maya and I were nothing alike. Chloe once said I looked like a silver fox in a snowstorm—cold and beautiful. Maya was the opposite. She was pure, cute, and full of energy. She was the daughter of our old housekeeper, Mrs. Miller. Mrs. Miller had worked for my family since I was five. After her husband died in a drunk driving accident, my father brought her and her two-year-old daughter into our home and gave her a job. My mother passed away early, so Mrs. Miller practically raised me. We were very close, and I always treated Maya like a sister. Two years later, my father played matchmaker for Silas’s father and Mrs. Miller. They got married. Maya became Silas’s stepsister. When Silas and I were in middle school, Maya was in elementary. When we were in high school, Maya was just starting middle school. Back then, I blamed my own denseness. I never realized when something started happening between Silas and Maya… I remembered that suffocating morning again. The morning the Reaper arrived. Five hours after I got home, my father’s company was hit by a massive financial crisis. Three days later, they filed for bankruptcy. A week later, the scandals broke. I was on a plane leaving the country that raised me. My father was driven to his death. I saw the photos of his final jump on the news. “Elena!!” I woke up sobbing, seeing Joe’s worried face. I wiped my eyes with a tissue, my voice raspy. “I’m okay.” Joe handed me a bottle of water. I took a sip. “Joe, you should go to Skyline Entertainment alone tomorrow.” Skyline was the biggest agency in the country. Silas Vance had acquired it five years ago. Joe was confused. “Why?” I smiled faintly as I pushed the car door open. The rain muffled my voice. “Because I have a reputation to maintain.” 08 It turns out, even the proudest person has to bow for a paycheck. I was at the hotel researching talent when I found a promising young actor, and Joe called me. “Elena, you have to come down here.” I was a mess, huddled in my computer chair. “What happened?” “The people at Skyline said that if you aren’t here, our company isn’t showing enough ‘sincerity’.” Sincerity my foot! I rushed to the bathroom to get ready. “Give me thirty minutes.” Thirty minutes later, Joe and I were waiting in the CEO’s office at Skyline. The mission was simple: sign Maya. Ten minutes later, the CEO walked in. He was tall, confident, and moved with a purpose. I stood up and walked over, extending my hand with a professional smile. “Hello, Mr. Vance.” “Mhm.” The man’s dark eyes swept over me. “Sit.” “Mr. Vance, our company has already sent an invitation to your agency. We’re looking to—” Before Joe could finish, the man on the sofa crossed his legs and glanced at the files. He looked up at us and interrupted, “Business partners?” “Uh, yes…” Joe was completely baffled by the question. I frowned slightly. “Mr. Vance, we’re here because we want to collaborate with Ms. Maya on our upcoming campaign. If it’s convenient…” “It’s not.” His voice was cold and hard. “If your company wants to shoot a campaign, my agency has plenty of other talented stars. But Maya is off-limits.” “Then forget it.” I cut him off, my voice turning icy. I stood up to leave. “We look forward to a potential future collaboration with Ms. Maya.” I said it through gritted teeth as I dragged Joe out of the office. Anyone but Maya. Silas, you really are a devoted lover, aren’t you? I was so angry I could barely breathe. 09 A week later. I was wearing an expensive evening gown, attending a star-studded gala. Skyline wasn’t the only agency in town. I took a glass of champagne and walked toward a promising young actor I’d scouted—the one I’d found while researching at the hotel. Hollywood can be a shark tank. Before I could reach him, a greasy, balding man in a cheap suit blocked my path. His fleshy hand landed on my waist, his smile making my skin crawl. “Hey gorgeous, I haven’t seen you around before.” My expression went cold. “Let go.” “Oh, don’t be like that. Every girl here is looking for a sugar daddy, right?” “Didn’t you hear her? She said let go!” A perfectly tailored leg swung out with lethal precision. The greasy man slammed onto the floor on his ass. Silas stood there, his presence overwhelming, his eyes full of murderous intent. He walked forward slowly and stepped his polished dress shoe onto the man’s right hand. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” “Mr. Vance, please! Have mercy! I didn’t know!” The man was pinned to the floor, his face contorted in agony, begging for his life. Silas looked down at him with an icy stare. “Which hand touched her? This one? Or both?” He pressed down with his heel. A sickening crack echoed through the room. The man’s bones shattered. “AHHHH!!!” The man’s scream was blood-curdling. Silas looked exactly like the fierce, unyielding boy from ten years ago. I stared at him, dazed. A wave of conflicting emotions hit me. I felt bad for him, and I felt bad for myself. If it weren’t for me, he might have had a better life. And I… I was the one who had made his life a living hell. … While I was lost in thought, security dragged the man away. Silas turned to look at me. I snapped back to reality. I offered a polite, professional “Thank you.” Then I turned and started walking toward the young actor. “Elena Thorne.” A large hand suddenly clamped around my arm. 10 “You want him?” I turned back to find Silas’s gaze heavy and deep. I looked at his hand on my arm and smiled sarcastically. “Why? Mr. Vance, surely he isn’t one of your actors?” After a long silence, Silas’s Adam’s apple bobbed. His voice was hoarse. “Anyone at Skyline. If you want them, they’re yours. Except Maya.” “Let go!” I wrenched my arm away, my face flushed with anger. Maya, Maya. If I heard that name one more time, I was going to lose it! Silas’s eyes were a swirling vortex of emotion. He narrowed them, then finally compromised and let go. “Fine.” I gave him a dismissive look and walked away. The next second, the world spun. I was thrown over Silas’s broad shoulder. “Silas! What the hell are you doing?!” I was screaming and hitting his back, but it was like hitting a brick wall. Silas didn’t miss a beat. He carried me out, threw me into his car, and drove me to his house. As expected of the richest man in the city, his mansion was even more luxurious than the one I grew up in. “What do you want?” I was furious at being forced. I turned to confront him. But the moment I looked at him, I saw his face was deathly pale. I panicked. “Hey, what’s wrong?” He looked at me, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He didn’t say a word. The next second, his massive frame collapsed. I lunged forward and caught him just before he hit the floor. By the time I managed to drag him onto the sofa, I was panting for breath. Silas was slumped against the cushions, his brow furrowed in pain. Seeing him like this for the first time, a pang of worry hit me. My voice softened. “Silas, what is it?” He was in too much pain to speak. Just then, his phone started ringing. It rang for ten seconds, but he didn’t move. I didn’t care about his privacy anymore. I reached into his pocket and pulled it out. I swiped to answer. “Hello?” 11 “Holy shit!” That familiar, annoying voice. “Elena?” I felt a headache coming on. “Yeah.” “How do you have Silas’s phone? Are you guys together? Wait, since when are you two a thing? Also…” I cut him off. “Stop. I have one question: does Silas have a medical condition? He’s… not doing well right now.” I looked down at the man on the sofa. He was pale and shivering. It looked bad. “Oh crap, did he drink again?” Liam yelled. “That idiot has a severe stomach ulcer!” “Is it serious?” “Yeah! At the reunion last week, I looked away for one second and he drank until he had a stomach bleed. He had to be rushed to the ER.” I hung up. Liam’s words were echoing in my head. Joe’s FaceTime call came through while I was in the kitchen making honey water. Silas’s fridge wasn’t empty, which was a good sign. “Elena, where are you?” I walked out of the kitchen with the glass. “What’s up?” “Come to the club! I found a great guy for you!” Joe’s end of the call was a mess of flashing lights and loud music. He was clearly at a bar. I put the phone on speaker and set it on the coffee table. I sat down and helped the “fragile” man sit up. “Go have fun. I’m busy.” “Why?” Joe looked horrified. “Don’t tell me you’re using me as a shield again? My girlfriend is going to kill me!” I was confused. “Since when do you have a girlfriend?” After a few minutes of rest, Silas seemed to be feeling a bit better. He lazily opened his eyes, staring at me, then at the honey water in my hand. He didn’t say anything. “I just met her! She’s so cute, so beautiful…” Joe was rambling when his face suddenly changed. “Elena, don’t interrupt. Seriously, this guy I found for you… he’s very handsome!” I handed the honey water to the man on the sofa and reached for my phone. “Fine, just send me his contact info. I don’t have time today—” Crash! A sudden sound of breaking glass. I turned around, stunned. 12 In an instant, the man with the bloodshot eyes knocked the honey water out of my hand. He grabbed my wrists, flipped us over, and pinned me beneath him. He leaned down and bit my lip hard. It happened so fast I couldn’t move. I turned my face away and yelled, “Silas, you’re crazy!” “Yes, I’m crazy.” He grabbed my face and forced me to look at him. His voice was raw. “I’m crazy for you. I’m driving myself insane with jealousy over those men.” I froze. He took the opportunity to kiss me desperately. A few seconds later, my eyes were burning. I used every ounce of strength to push him away. “Silas, what are you doing? What about Maya?! Aren’t you afraid she’ll see this?!” “What does this have to do with Maya?” The man stopped. He stayed pinned above me, his brow furrowed as he stared into my eyes. “You’re literally with her…” I turned my head away, trying to hide the tears in my eyes. Silas didn’t let me. He forced my head back, his voice demanding. “Elena Thorne, look at me.” My voice was trembling. “What? You dog! You want your cake and you want to eat it too!” Silas let out a frustrated laugh. “Which idiot told you I was with Maya?” “…” I stayed silent. He pinched my chin and kissed me again, hard. “Who I love… you still haven’t figured it out?” I felt a mix of awkwardness and a strange, sour sweetness. I pushed him away in a panic and ran for the door. He caught my wrist, sat up, and pulled me back into his lap. “Where do you think you’re going?” I felt a bit ridiculous. Maya was the one he’d been hiding and protecting. And he was the one who told me to stay away from him. Even if he wasn’t with Maya, the damage was already done. I looked at him, my eyes clearing. “But Silas, I don’t love you anymore.” The man’s grip on my wrist tightened. I tried to pull away. Surprisingly, he let go easily this time. He sat there for a long time, his broad shoulders slumped, looking defeated. Finally, his voice came out raspy. “It’s late. You can stay in the guest room. I’ll take you back tomorrow.” 13 The next day was another rainy day. Silas drove me back to the hotel in total silence. When I tried to open the car door, it was locked. I looked at him, confused. The man’s sharp features were hidden in the shadows. His eyes were like a dark vortex, ready to swallow me whole. “Elena Thorne.” His voice was terrifyingly raspy. “Are you leaving again?” My heart skipped a beat. After a long silence, I listened to the rain and whispered, “Yeah.” “Two weeks,” Silas said suddenly. I looked up. “What?” “In two weeks, I’ll take you to see Maya. Just stay away from that prick Lucas until then.” Off-limits Maya. He really was keeping her hidden. I wiped my mouth aggressively, feeling a wave of disgust. Lucas was the young actor I’d scouted. Noticing my confusion and annoyance, Silas pressed the door unlock button. “He’s dirty,” he explained. I suppressed the discomfort in my chest, nodded, and opened the door. “Elena.” Silas frowned and called out to me again. “Did you hear me? Stay away from him.” I stepped into the rain with my umbrella. “I heard you.” Silas was a mature, stable man. If he said Lucas was dirty, I believed him. Joe had been sent by the company to find another star who was filming in another state. He left, and I was alone at the hotel. Since that day, Joe’s old room had been taken over by Silas. He was right across from me. Knowing that, I rarely went out. I didn’t want to run into him. One rainy day, I had a sudden craving for a bowl of spicy noodles. Even though I had no family here, I still missed home. I missed everything about this place. It was only 5:00 PM. Silas should still be at the office. I grabbed my umbrella and cautiously left my room. 14 As soon as I stepped into the elevator, a pair of long, elegant legs followed me in. I instinctively gripped the handle of my umbrella tighter… Silas followed me for a long time. To get my noodles, I had to cross a wide road. At the pedestrian crossing, the light turned green. Ignoring the person behind me, I started walking across. The rain got heavier, pounding against my umbrella. The road was flooding, and my sandals were soaked. Suddenly, a massive truck barreled toward me. It kicked up a huge spray of water in the torrential rain. I stood frozen under my umbrella. In the next second, a powerful force swept me up. A broad, warm body slammed into me, and we tumbled toward the curb. The rain soaked through our intertwined bodies. Rainwater mixed with bright red blood. I lay on the ground, my head ringing. I pushed myself up, feeling weak. Silas was lying in the street, blood pouring from his body. I frantically pushed my wet hair out of my face, my body shaking with cold. I fumbled for my phone in the water and dialed 911. “Elena, why are you crying?” the man on the ground opened one eye and offered a weak smile. “I’m not dead yet.” Rain mixed with my tears as I pulled him into my lap. “I’m not crying!” Silas smiled and tried to close his eyes. I was terrified he would drift off. I kept talking to him. “Silas, why did you run out there?” He let out a soft laugh, blood bubbling from his mouth. “Because… I’m your bodyguard.” I tasted the rain. It was salty.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “421033”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

The boyfriend I had been dating for a year turned out to be a married father! When his actual wife came crashing into my life, the realization hit me like a slap to the face, leaving me completely stunned. If you deceive me, you have to pay the ultimate price. 01 I had been dating Carter for a year. He traveled out of town for work frequently, but when he was around, he treated me like gold. Even my parents said he was a reliable man I could trust my future with. But lately, I noticed something was off. His “business trips” were getting longer and more frequent. He’d only come to see me every two or three days, and whenever we did meet, all he wanted to do was sleep. At first, I didn’t think much of it. I just assumed work was stressful and wanted to be an understanding girlfriend. But tonight, I accidentally spotted a scratch on his arm. A woman’s intuition told me it wasn’t just a normal scratch. Carter didn’t notice my suspicion. The moment he walked through the door, he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “Mia, I missed you so much these past few days.” I played the part of the sweet girlfriend, massaging his shoulders while casually asking, “How did your arm get scratched?” He clearly hadn’t expected the question. His eyes darted away for a second before he quickly pulled me toward the bedroom. “Oh, it’s nothing. Accidentally scraped it on a pen at the office. Let’s go to bed.” He practically lunged at me. I put a hand to his chest to stop him. “It’s my time of the month. I’m not feeling well.” I thought he would be concerned, but instead, a flash of annoyance crossed his face. “Then when can we? Mia, we’ve been dating for over a year.” “When we get married, of course,” I answered with a playful smile. It was true. Despite dating for a year, I was very traditional. Carter and I hadn’t actually crossed that final physical line yet. But Carter always seemed incredibly impatient about it. Today, it looked like he had reached his limit. A dark cloud of anger settled over his features. “Mia, I respect you, but you need to be a little considerate of me too, right?” I was appalled. He had been disappearing on “business trips” constantly, yet no matter how late he came back, I would force myself to stay awake and cook for him. Whatever he needed, I provided. Wasn’t that considerate enough? Seeing he was genuinely upset, I tried to lighten the mood. “Then how about you take me to meet your parents in a few days? Let’s make things official.” Carter’s expression instantly shifted. His anger vanished, and he just put his arm around me and lay down to sleep. But my gut was screaming that something was terribly wrong. 02 Carter and I met through work. His office was close to mine. One night, after a brutal shift of overtime and a harsh scolding from my boss, I walked out of my building feeling miserable, only to be met with a torrential downpour. That was when Carter appeared with an umbrella, a warm smile on his face. “Careful, miss. You don’t want to catch a cold.” Later, as we walked toward the subway, I twisted my ankle in my heels. He actually offered to carry me all the way home. I was fresh out of college, struggling alone in a big city. Working late every night was draining, and Carter was one of the few people who genuinely seemed to care about me. Maybe that was the moment my heart fluttered. Later, he got my number, asked me out, and we naturally fell into a relationship. His monthly income was pretty low, so I basically paid for all of our living expenses. But throughout the year, he took such meticulous care of me that he even won my parents’ approval. I still remembered what Carter said to me early on, looking a bit embarrassed. “Mia, don’t worry. I promise I’ll give you a great life in the future.” He told me his job was demanding and that we might not have much time together. I told him I understood. But lately, that time was shrinking to almost nothing. And every time we met, all he wanted was to get into my pants. Ding. My phone lit up with a message from my best friend, Chloe. It was a photo. In the picture, Carter was holding hands with a strange woman at a shopping mall. They were laughing and chatting intimately. Chloe: “Mia, I just took this at the mall. I think Carter is seeing someone else. You’re being played!” Fighting the sickening feeling in my chest, I texted her back, trying to comfort myself. “Carter told me he has an older sister. Maybe it’s just her.” 03 The next day, Chloe dragged me out for tacos and margaritas. The restaurant was right near that same shopping mall. As soon as we ordered, Chloe activated her inner detective. “Seriously, Mia, aren’t you worried he’s scamming you? That woman looked absolutely nothing like him.” Meaning, it definitely wasn’t his sister. I took a bite of my taco, the spicy salsa hitting my tongue as I mumbled, “Don’t worry. Carter treats me so well. He doesn’t seem like the type to cheat.” Chloe sighed heavily. “Tsk. Women in love are blind.” But I was slapped with reality very quickly. Maybe the salsa was too spicy, because my stomach suddenly cramped. “Chloe, my stomach is killing me. I’m gonna run to the restroom.” I grabbed my phone and hurried out. About fifteen minutes later, I washed my hands and walked out of the restroom. Suddenly, I felt a slight bump against my leg. I looked down. A toddler, maybe two or three years old, had fallen onto his bottom and was staring up at me with tearful, pouty eyes. He was wearing an adorable cartoon onesie, looking like a little dumpling. I squatted down to help him up. “Auntie, I can’t find my daddy,” he sniffled, getting ready to burst into tears. I quickly patted his back. “Don’t cry, sweetie. I’ll help you find your daddy.” The little boy stopped crying and looked up at me blankly. In that split second, I froze. There was something incredibly familiar about this kid’s face, but I couldn’t put my finger on who he looked like. I mentally scrolled through everyone I knew, but drew a blank. Just as I took two steps with him, a woman blocked my path. “Excuse me, miss. This is my son.” Even though the woman was wearing heavy makeup, it couldn’t hide the exhaustion and the toll life had taken on her face. But I recognized her instantly. She was the exact same woman from the photo Chloe sent me yesterday. “Miss?” The woman waved a hand in front of my face. I swallowed the strange, sinking feeling in my chest and forced a smile. “Your son wandered off. We were just talking about going to find his dad.” Hearing that, the little boy threw himself into the woman’s arms and started whining again. “Mommy, why isn’t Daddy here yet?” The woman hastily thanked me and hurried away with her son in her arms. Driven by a gut instinct I couldn’t explain, I followed them. I watched the woman strap the child into a family SUV, but I couldn’t catch any other clues. Two days later, Carter returned from his “business trip.” 04 He had clearly been drinking. The stench of alcohol hit me the moment he opened the door. I walked over to help him onto the couch. He immediately started complaining, “Mia, you’re the best. You never lose your temper with me.” It was true. Carter and I rarely fought because I always tried to be understanding about his work stress. I paid for our rent and daily expenses, and I even gave him cash gifts on holidays. But as I leaned in to adjust his collar, I noticed something damning. There was a very faint trace of perfume on his collar. It was the exact same scent the mother at the mall had been wearing yesterday. Faint, but undeniable. Chloe’s warning echoed in my mind, and my heart sank to the floor. Even with all my patience, I couldn’t ignore this. I linked my arm through his and asked as casually as I could, “Carter, do you have any sisters or anything?” He frowned and answered without hesitation. “No. I’m an only child. You know that.” My suspicions locked into place. Thanks to the alcohol, Carter quickly passed out on the couch. Suddenly, his phone screen lit up with a notification. Curiosity drove me to grab his phone. Client A: “Hubby, why aren’t you home yet?” My heart slammed against my ribs. Hubby? Wasn’t Carter my boyfriend? My hand froze around the phone. Carter was sleeping heavily. My first instinct was to unlock the phone and dig deeper, but I didn’t know his passcode. Throughout our relationship, Carter rarely got this drunk, and because he had always been so attentive, I never had a reason to suspect him of cheating. Could it just be a crazy client harassing him? Another message popped up from Client A: “Leo says he misses you.” It was followed by a photo. The truth was screaming at me. Trembling, I quietly crept closer to Carter, took his thumb, and pressed it against the phone’s sensor. It unlocked instantly. The chat with Client A opened right up. I stared at the photo. It was the exact same little boy I had helped at the mall yesterday. In that instant, my blood turned to ice. With shaking fingers, I clicked on Client A’s social media profile. Her last post was from yesterday. Client A: “Out shopping with hubby and the baby today~” My brain exploded. The white noise was so loud I couldn’t hear anything else in the room. The man in the photo was my boyfriend, Carter. The location was the same mall I was at yesterday. The comment section was filled with friends congratulating their happy family. So yesterday, while I was eating tacos with Chloe, Carter was out playing house with his wife and child. I felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over my head. I was paralyzed. So Carter was really married? With a kid? Then why the hell was he with me? Staring at that picture-perfect family portrait, a dull, agonizing ache spread through my chest. Suddenly, the phone buzzed again. It was a text from Derek, a buddy from his office. Derek: “How’s it going, man? Your wife came to me asking questions again today. Did she find out you’re sneaking around with your mistress?” I started shaking uncontrollably. I couldn’t breathe. If I was looking for excuses for him a minute ago, now I had absolute, irrefutable proof. I was the other woman! What was the last year of my life even for? I had spent all my savings on Carter, covering all his living expenses. And now I find out he’s a married man, and I’m the home-wrecking mistress! Everything Chloe said was true. Carter had been playing me from day one. My fists clenched involuntarily. Anger washed over me like a tidal wave. I was going to make him pay. Maybe sensing the cold phone, Carter shifted on the couch. His eyes fluttered open groggily. I quickly backed out to the home screen and turned the display off. “Mia, what are you doing?” My heart was pure ice, but I forced a sweet smile onto my face. “I was just about to help you into bed.” Carter nodded and sluggishly pushed himself up. In the bedroom, he habitually wrapped his arm around me and fell fast asleep. I wanted to vomit. Every fiber of my being was repulsed by his touch. All I could see was that photo. Even in his drunken sleep, Carter was mumbling, “Mia, working is so hard… I had to take clients out to dinner, and now I’m broke for the rest of the month…” Normally, I would have made him a hangover remedy and handed over my paycheck with an aching heart. But right now, the man lying next to me was the most repulsive thing on earth. My skin crawled. From the day we met to now, Carter claimed he was constantly traveling to build a better future for us. Looking back, there was no future. He was just a married cheat living a double life. It was incomprehensible to me. My loving, attentive boyfriend of one year was legally bound to another woman, with a kid old enough to run around. The thought made me physically sick. But I wasn’t going to just roll over and take it. A flawless revenge plan was already taking shape in my mind. 05 The next day, I spilled everything to Chloe. She was absolutely furious. “That is so disgusting! Wait right there, I’m grabbing my bat and we’re going to break his legs!” I quickly stopped her. “No. I have a better way to teach him a lesson. Can you get me his wife’s phone number?” “You’re asking the right person. I know everyone in this city.” Thanks to Chloe’s wealthy background and massive network, getting the number was a breeze. Contacting Sarah, the wife, was a bit rockier. I called three times. The first two were rejected. On the third try, it took her a few minutes to answer. She sounded exhausted and annoyed. “Who is this?” Before I could speak, I heard screaming in the background. My gut told me it was Carter. “Do you have any proof?! Why do you always accuse me of cheating? Can you stop being so damn paranoid?!” A child’s crying mixed into the background noise. It was definitely the kid from the mall. Carter’s voice was getting closer to the phone. A flash of panic hit me. Thankfully, I had used a burner app to make the call. But to be safe, I hung up. I waited three hours before calling Sarah again. This time, she answered quickly. “Who is this?” I kept my voice as calm as possible. “Sarah, your husband is definitely cheating on you. And I have the proof.” I could hear Sarah’s breath hitch. Her voice trembled with suppressed emotion. “Don’t lie to me. How do you…” “Sarah, it’s hard to explain over the phone. We need to talk in person. I’ll be at the Starbucks on 5th Avenue tomorrow at 3:00 PM.” I hung up without giving her a chance to argue. I knew with absolute certainty she would show up. The next afternoon, I arrived at the cafe right on time. From a distance, I spotted Sarah sitting in a corner booth, staring anxiously at her phone. She was desperate for the truth. I walked over. “Hi, Sarah.” She looked up sharply. Recognition flashed across her face. “Aren’t you the woman from the mall the other day?” I nodded and got straight to the point. “The other day, you left your perfume on Carter’s clothes. The next day, I sprayed a different perfume on him. And the night after that, a new lipstick mysteriously appeared in his laundry.” “Obviously, you were trying to mark your territory.” Smack! Sarah finally processed what I was saying. A dark cloud of fury overtook her, and she slammed her coffee cup onto the table. “So you’re the tramp who’s been seducing my husband?!” I grabbed a napkin to wipe the splashed coffee off my shirt. “Sarah, I only just found out Carter has a wife and kid. When he pursued me, he swore he was single.” Sarah wasn’t buying it. Her anger escalated. “Is that your excuse for being a homewrecker?! Do you have any idea how miserable my kid and I have been? It’s all because of you!” The word “homewrecker” stung, but I looked at the hysterical woman in front of me. Knowing her husband was cheating had taken a massive toll. She didn’t have the polished makeup from the mall; she just looked deeply, painfully exhausted. This broken marriage was driving her insane. I waited for her to finish venting before sliding a glass of warm water toward her. “Sarah, I genuinely didn’t know he was married. He told me he was single and had never even been in a serious relationship before.” Sarah stared at me blankly. Suddenly, she let out a bitter laugh. “Right. You’re young and gorgeous. You wouldn’t knowingly throw yourself at a married man with no money. I was the blind idiot who married him.” “How long have you been together?” she asked. “A year,” I replied. Sarah laughed again, a harsh, self-deprecating sound, but the fire in her eyes burned brighter. “When we got together, he was dead broke. I gave him a child, and he’s out there telling people he’s single!” I offered a sad smile. “For the past year, I’ve paid his rent and his living expenses. He always claimed he was working hard and traveling to build a better future for us. Now I know he was just juggling multiple women.” The revelation pushed Sarah past her breaking point. “I’m going to go home and kill him right now!” I quickly grabbed her arm. “Sarah, I hate Carter just as much as you do. That’s why we need to make him pay. Just exposing him isn’t enough.” My words seemed to ground her. She took a deep breath. “Tell me, Mia. What’s your plan?” I hesitated for a second. “Are you planning on staying married to him?” She had a child with him, after all. I couldn’t blindly push her into a trap. But Sarah answered without skipping a beat. “I kept telling myself he wasn’t cheating, living in denial until you told me the truth today. I’d rather have a clean divorce than live every day fighting with a man who doesn’t love me, terrifying our child in the process.” She sighed. “My family actually has a lot of money. But I stubbornly insisted on marrying Carter. My parents were so furious they didn’t even come to the wedding. After we got married, his attitude toward me completely changed. It’s been four years, and I regret it every single day.” I stayed quiet. Carter really was a parasitic gold-digger, preying on women for their money. Thank God I saw his true colors early. “Sarah, is it possible Carter is hiding other secrets?” She frowned. “What secrets?” “We just have to push him a little to find out,” I said slowly. “You’re an only child, right? You haven’t seen your parents in years. They must miss you terribly.” Sarah looked confused, so I explained. “You can’t just divorce him now. We have to make sure he leaves with absolutely nothing. Especially since you want full custody.” “How do we do that?” “Make him sign a postnuptial agreement. Doesn’t he constantly deny cheating? Now that we have proof, you just need him to sign a legally binding document stating that if he’s ever caught cheating, you get full custody and all the assets, and he leaves penniless.” Sarah frowned. “But you know how he is. We’re fighting constantly. Getting him to sign something like that will be almost impossible.” “That’s why we have to offer him a little bait first,” I smirked. 06 Three days later, Sarah texted me: “It’s done.” She attached a photo of the signed and thumb-printed postnuptial agreement. The terms were clear: if he was caught committing infidelity, he would leave the marriage with nothing, and all assets and custody would go to the wife. Soon after, my phone rang. It was Sarah. She called while Carter was out. “Mia, I did exactly what you said. I reconnected with my parents and borrowed $80,000 from them. I told Carter my parents gave it to us to help out. You should have seen him—his attitude did a complete 180! He immediately started sweet-talking me into transferring the money to his account. “I used the opportunity to say I was feeling insecure lately and wanted him to sign an agreement for my peace of mind. He agreed instantly!” I laughed. He took the bait hook, line, and sinker. Sarah snorted coldly. “Men like him are absolute garbage.” I gave her some reassurance. “Don’t worry, he won’t get to keep a dime of that money. He’s going to pay for what he’s done very soon.” Sure enough, probably high on his newly signed contract and Sarah’s lingering suspicions, Carter ghosted me for three straight days. I played dumb and texted him: “Carter, where are you?” It took him half a day to reply. “Baby, I had to fly out for another work trip. I’m so exhausted.” I sneered at my screen. Exhausted my ass. You’re just terrified of getting caught cheating, and you’re probably rolling around in that $80,000 right now. Fighting back my nausea, I replied: “Make sure you get lots of rest. Come back to me soon.” He didn’t text back. Meanwhile, Sarah pressed Derek about Carter’s whereabouts. At first, Derek tried to cover for him. But when I told Sarah about Derek sexually harassing female colleagues at work, Sarah used it to blackmail him. Derek folded instantly. My guess was right. Carter did have another secret. On top of a long-suffering wife and a one-year girlfriend, Carter was tangled up with Lexi, a girl who worked at a sketchy massage parlor. According to Derek, Carter had been visiting that spa for the last six months, hooking up with Lexi. After he got his hands on that $80,000, he started acting like a high-roller, visiting the spa every day to get pampered. Lexi threw herself at him, and Carter happily soaked it all up. A trash bag will always be a trash bag. Give him ten thousand choices, and he’ll still choose the garbage. But this actually made Sarah and my plan much easier to execute. A week later, Carter showed up at my apartment. As soon as he walked in, he looked exhausted and reeked of alcohol. I put on my best act and went to support him. “What’s wrong? Why was the trip so long this time?” Carter immediately started spinning lies. “Mia, I’m just so tired. But it’s all for our future, right? Oh, by the way, how much was your paycheck this month? Did you get your commission bonus?” I sneered internally. This leech always came to me for money. I used to be so blinded by love that I handed it over, thinking we were saving for a house. In reality, he was using my money to play around behind my back. “Don’t even mention it. Not only did I not get a bonus, but my base pay got docked,” I lied smoothly. “Since your trip was so long, your boss must have given you a raise, right? Hand over your debit card, let me check.” Hearing the words “debit card,” Carter’s drunken haze vanished, replaced by instant panic. “No way. You know how my boss is. I’m totally broke right now…” Heh. The second I mention money, he dodges like I’m the plague. And to think I was the one paying for his dinners out! I nodded understandingly. “Okay, sit down and relax. I’ll go heat up some hangover soup for you.” After he slumped onto the couch, I went into the kitchen, heated the soup, and played the perfect, dutiful girlfriend as I handed it to him. Under the dim living room lights, Carter took the bowl, looking incredibly satisfied. “Mia, you really are the best to me.” “Drink up before it gets cold,” I reminded him with a smile. Did he think he was an emperor choosing concubines? ‘You’re the best to me’? Oh, buddy, the best is yet to come. He must have been incredibly thirsty because he gulped down every last drop. I smiled to myself. Soon enough, the drugs took effect. Carter passed out cold. Yes, I had crushed up sleeping pills and mixed them into the soup. Given how “exhausted” he had been lately, the pills knocked him out effortlessly. As his loud snores filled the living room, I frowned in disgust, pulled his phone out of his pocket, and expertly pressed his thumb against the sensor. I opened his texts. Sure enough, there was a new contact: Client C. The messages were incredibly explicit. This had to be Lexi. And my contact name? Client B. He really was running a whole harem out here. I scoffed, using a tool I prepared earlier to pry open his phone case. I slipped a microscopic GPS tracker and listening device inside, snapped the case back on, and slid the phone back into his pocket. Everything was in place. Now, all we needed was a little spark. 07 The next evening, Sarah and I met at a cafe. I pulled out the receiver and handed Sarah an earbud. According to Derek, Carter was hyper-excited lately because of his frequent dates with Lexi. But to play it safe, they always chose different locations to hook up. I planted the bug specifically for this moment. Soon, we heard Carter and Lexi talking on the phone. “Daddy, I miss you so much. When can we see each other again?” A sickly sweet, high-pitched voice pierced our eardrums. Carter sighed, sounding burdened. “Ugh, I miss you too, baby. But you know the old hag at home has been keeping a tight leash on me lately. Otherwise, do you really think I wouldn’t come see you?” Lexi whined in response. “Boo hoo, you don’t love me anymore! How am I worse than your wife? Waahhh…” Sarah and I exchanged looks of pure disgust. Carter, however, seemed to be loving it. “Pfft, what are you talking about? After that hag had a kid, I don’t even want to touch her. She’s nothing compared to how sweet and gentle you are.” Lexi sniffled. “Really? Then when are you going to divorce her? You promised you’d marry me…” “Okay, okay! She’s still got some money left, right? Give me two months. I’ll drain her accounts, divorce her, and marry you!” Lexi stopped crying instantly, her voice bubbling with excitement. “Really?! Then where should I meet you tonight?” “It’s a promise. Alright, meet me tonight at 9 PM at The Grand Monarch Hotel. Couples Suite 1039. Make sure no one sees you.” Carter’s voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. I chuckled darkly. Carter sure knew how to live it up. The Grand Monarch was the most expensive luxury hotel in the city. A little bit of cash and he was living like a king. He chose that hotel because it was luxurious, but also because they had ironclad privacy policies. But what he didn’t know was that my best friend’s family owned it. Lexi got the hint, letting out a shy “Mhm.” “Make sure you get there early and wait for me.” The call ended, and Sarah and I pulled out our earbuds. Sarah looked at me, worried. “Mia, what do we do now?” “We go catch them in the act, obviously,” I replied like it was the most natural thing in the world. “But The Grand Monarch won’t just let us waltz into a guest’s room.” I smiled confidently. “I have my ways. You go home and watch the kid. Wait for the good news.” Sarah’s imagination ran wild. “Mia, you aren’t going to do anything crazy, are you? I know you hate him as much as I do, but you can’t murder him! Murder is illegal…” I almost died laughing. I patted her shoulder. “Relax. I’m not throwing my life away for a piece of trash.” After finally convincing Sarah to go home, I immediately called Chloe. Hearing that it was time to destroy the scumbag, Chloe was vibrating with excitement, swearing she was going to chop him into a million pieces. We met up at The Grand Monarch. Chloe marched right up to the manager, claiming she needed to perform a surprise VIP inspection on behalf of her father. The manager happily escorted us straight to Room 1039. Chloe waved a hand dismissively. “You can wait out here. We’ll go inside and check the standards.” The manager happily obliged. After all, Chloe was the sole heiress to the hotel empire. Once inside, Chloe and I locked the door. The hotel security was top-notch, and the privacy was absolute. Aside from the hallways and elevators, there were no cameras. So whatever we did in this room, Carter would never know. I walked swiftly toward the bedside table. It was a Couples Suite. Translation: a romantic fantasy room. It was stocked with all the “essentials.” And that was exactly what I was counting on. Chloe watched in absolute shock as I picked up the bottle of premium personal lubricant. “Holy sh*t! Mia, you’re not going to tamper with that, are you?” I nodded. Under Chloe’s horrified gaze, I unscrewed the cap and dumped my special-grade, time-delayed industrial superglue inside. I had visited multiple specialty hardware stores to find this exact glue. When freshly unsealed, it looked and felt exactly like water. The adhesive properties only activated after an hour of exposure to air and friction. Once it set, ten bulls couldn’t pull it apart. It was currently 8:05 PM. Carter told Lexi to meet him at 9 PM. To be absolutely foolproof, I also swapped out the bedside condoms. I replaced them with a batch I had specially prepped at home—laced with the same industrial glue. They looked identical to the hotel’s standard issue. The whole process took barely three minutes. Chloe and I walked out of the room with pleasant smiles. The manager was waiting outside. Chloe played her part perfectly. “Alright, we’ve finished inspecting this room. Hygiene standards are perfect.” The manager breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Miss Chloe.” Step one complete. Chloe and I went to a restaurant across the street, put our earbuds in, and started monitoring Carter’s movements. It was 8:17 PM. Lexi was probably on her way. About forty minutes later, the bug picked up a woman’s flirty voice. “Daddy, what took you so long? I’ve been waiting for you forever.” A loud thud followed. Carter had probably thrown Lexi onto the bed. “Little vixen, I’m here now, aren’t I? Let me teach you a lesson! Tsk, this hotel has great service. They’ve got everything we need right here.” Hearing that, I leaned forward in anticipation. Sure enough, Carter’s frustrated voice muttered, “Hold on, let me put some of this on. Why is this cap so hard to unscrew?” A brief wave of panic hit me. Did the glue set too early? Thankfully, Lexi urged him on. “Hurry up, Daddy.” Caught up in the heat of the moment, neither of them stopped to question if there was something wrong with the “lubricant.” Carter quickly poured the liquid out. “Ah! It hurts!” Lexi suddenly shrieked. Carter was still excited at first. “Don’t be scared!” The next second, his entire body must have frozen. “What the f*ck?! What’s happening?!” “AH! HOLY SH*T! MY JUNK!” Carter suddenly started screaming in pure agony. “Stop moving, Carter! It hurts so much!” Lexi started sobbing. “What did you do?!” Panic erupted. The earbuds were instantly filled with chaotic crying and screaming. “You bitch! What did you do to this?! What the hell is going on?!” Carter started screaming profanities. Lexi was furious. “What do you mean what did I do?! You’re the one who put it on! What the hell did you use?! You psycho! What do we do now?!” “How the fck should I know?! Fck my life!” “Call 911! I’m dying!” Lexi sobbed. Her delicate, flirty persona was completely gone. Carter snapped back, “We can’t call! If the old hag at home finds out, I’m dead!” “Waahhh, then what do we do?!” “I don’t f*cking know! It hurts like hell!” Lexi cried even harder. “No, I can’t take it anymore!” The next second, a loud, shrill alarm started blaring. Ding-dong! Ding-dong! It was a special feature of The Grand Monarch. Every bed had an emergency panic button installed on the headboard in case guests experienced medical emergencies. “Don’t press it!” Carter tried to stop her, but it was too late. He could only curse under his breath. Seconds later, the door to Room 1039 was violently kicked open, followed by a chorus of shocked screams from the hotel staff. Because Carter and Lexi had been so focused on arguing about how to hide the situation, they completely forgot they were still stark naked. I took out my earbuds and dialed a number. “You guys can head to the lobby of The Grand Monarch now. There’s about to be some massive breaking news.” I had arranged for a swarm of paparazzi to wait near the hotel specifically for this moment. I hung up. Chloe looked at me, bewildered. “What are you doing?” I smiled. “Sending them to the front page.”

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