Category: English

My name is Ivan Barnes. I was born a people-pleaser, always going above and beyond to meet others’ demands. The nanny wouldn’t let me eat ice cream, saying hot water was better for my health, so I brought her boiling water to drink. My cousin said he deserved a share of my property, so that evening at the family dinner, I actually pulled him aside and asked my parents to adopt him as their son. Over time, no one dared to act out in front of me. As long as I’m around, everyone speaks with caution. The year I graduated from college, my parents arranged a fiancée for me, Rylee Lynch. She has a deeply bonded foster brother named Finley Lynch. That day on the yacht, Finley raised his glass and smiled at me, “Ivan, Rylee is your benefactor from a past life. The butterfly birthmark below her chest is the proof.” “You must repay her with a lifetime of gratitude!” The deck burst into laughter instantly. Rylee’s friends covered their mouths, giggling, and egged me on to swear to be a good husband. I put down my glass and said to the gentle and elegant woman sitting beside me, “Take off your dress, let me see your proof.” Everyone on the yacht looked at each other in disbelief. They all thought they had misheard. Finley awkwardly scratched his head and said, “Ivan, what are you talking about?” “I’m just joking, why take it seriously? You’re embarrassing Rylee.” I snapped my fingers, and the surveillance footage appeared on the big screen, while the music from the speakers stopped. The screen lit up, the speakers played again, and his joke from moments ago repeated over and over. I stared at Finley’s pale face and smiled slightly. “Sorry, I’m the kind of person who always believes what I hear.” “If I tear Rylee’s dress and find no birthmark, it means what you said isn’t about past-life romance but an affair between you two. I’ll post the video online and make sure you both become famous.” The crowd around was stunned. Rylee lost her composure, her face turning pale as she stomped on my foot. Taking advantage of my pain and loosening grip, she jumped away and grabbed a friend’s jacket to wrap around her shoulders. She glared at me with fury. “Ivan, you’re insane!” “Finley is my brother! We’ve bathed and swum together since we were kids, so of course, we’ve seen each other’s birthmarks.” “It was just a joke, and you want to ruin our reputation?” Oh, a joke. Many people have used that excuse before. It seems that as soon as they use that word, all the blame falls on me, and they don’t have to take any responsibility. But I never buy it. I lightly tapped the table, and the big screen switched to play an anonymous video received the day before yesterday. On the screen, Finley was draped in only a silk throw, looking smug and provocative. He deliberately aimed the camera at the sleeping woman beside him, clearly showcasing Rylee’s delicate features and the kiss marks on her shoulder. Finley chuckled lightly. “Ivan, you and Rylee are about to get married. “But you’re in her husband’s position, yet you’ll never win her heart. “Want to bet? On your wedding day, she’ll still be in bed with me.” The video looped, and I spread my hands to everyone. “Now, do you still think this is just a little joke?” “Tell me, can you accept your fiancé having such an ambiguous relationship with his sister?” The woman I stared at fell silent, her eyes fixed on her toes, not daring to lift her head. I tilted my chin at Finley. “Mr. Lynch, how would you feel if your girlfriend and her brother were lying naked in the same bed and someone filmed it to humiliate you?” Finley was speechless, his eyes nervously darting toward Rylee. Rylee was stunned too. It was only now she realized that while she was asleep, Finley had secretly recorded such a video to provoke me. Finley took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and with humiliation and pity on his face, apologized to me, “Please forgive me, Ivan.” “I sent you that video because I made a bet with my friends, betting that you love Rylee and would never doubt her.” “I really didn’t expect you to play it in public.” The last sentence he said was filled with grievance, tears rolling down. A trace of heartache flashed in Rylee’s eyes. Seeing this, Finley cried, “Please don’t hold me accountable! I promise to learn my lesson and stay far away from Rylee from now on!” Before I could say a word, Rylee rushed over and hugged him. She frowned at me, her tone displeased. “Ivan, Finley has already apologized to you. What more do you want?” “Just let it go. Look at the mess you’ve caused, no one is happy today!” “If this blows up and affects the marriage alliance between our families, can your parents handle it?” Without waiting for my response, she pulled Finley up and walked into the cabin, holding him tightly. The others, as if having watched a drama, dispersed one after another. However, the looks they gave me before leaving were full of mockery, pity, and disdain. I sat alone on the open-air deck sofa, poured a glass of champagne, and softly hummed a tune. Rylee is certain I won’t cancel the wedding. Why cancel? I’m looking forward to that day.

Since that day, Rylee’s followers didn’t dare to mess with me. She was chatting, but as soon as she saw me approaching, she immediately went silent. They pretended not to see me and wouldn’t message me online either. But I saw their Instagram posts, a group partying everywhere, celebrating all night. I scrolled through the pages, my smile growing wider. Half a month later, Rylee’s parents, Gideon and Bailey, held a banquet for their 30th wedding anniversary. After all, I am Rylee’s fiancé in name. She still invited me. I handed the prepared gift to a maid, instructing her to place a hundred pinhole cameras in every room. She hesitated. “Mr. Barnes, this is illegal. If Ms. Lynch finds out, I’ll be kicked out.” I smiled faintly. “You’re overthinking. This is just a joke between Rylee and me.” “She knows, see, I even put some up myself.” I pointed to the miniature camera disguised as a shell suit button in front of me. She stared at me for a moment, suddenly shivered, and nodded repeatedly. She finished posting and ran off with her suitcase. I walked into the banquet hall alone and saw Rylee and Finley arriving arm in arm. Their suit and dress were obviously a matching couple’s set, with sweet and intimate smiles. Seeing me, Finley’s face suddenly changed, as if he had run into the Grim Reaper. He abruptly let go of Rylee’s hand, staggered back, and bumped into the long dining table. His voice trembled, “Ivan, don’t get me wrong. I understand what you mean, I’ll disappear right now.” He said that, wiped the corner of his eye, and ran off. Rylee gave me a fierce glare and ran after him. The two of them ran to the backyard garden. Gideon and Bailey stood beside me and said earnestly, “Ivan, we all know about what happened on the yacht a few days ago. “Finley grew up in our family and shares a deep sibling bond with Rylee. “As Rylee’s fiancé, don’t target Finley anymore. “In the future, Rylee will attend many social events. Are you going to get jealous every time? It’s too unbecoming.” I sneered. “Oh, so they’re just purely close like siblings, huh? “Truly enviable. I’m an only child, never seen such close relatives.” I took out my phone and opened the remote camera app. In the hollow of the rockery in the backyard garden, Finley was holding Rylee tightly, one hand firmly on her hip. He choked up, “Once you get married, you’ll leave me all alone. I’m so sad.” “Can you leave me something to remember you by?” Rylee placed her hands on his neck, gently stroking him, and said, “What do you want? I can give you anything.” He slowly lowered his head, his lips almost touching hers. “A child. We don’t have a child yet.” “We’re not related by blood. But with a child, we’ll have a lifelong bond.” “If you don’t want to have sex with me, I can donate sperm instead.” Gideon and Bailey’s faces instantly turned pale. I closed my phone and let out a heartfelt sigh of admiration. Actually, when I found out Finley had consulted a sperm donation agency, I already guessed he wouldn’t hold back. But hitting on his sister at his adoptive parents’ wedding anniversary party, he’s truly bold. I looked at Gideon and Bailey. “I’m naturally a people-pleaser. If this is what Rylee wants, I can help find a top doctor to ensure she gets pregnant quickly.”

Fifteen minutes later, Rylee and Finley returned one after the other. The two kept about a meter of social distance, as if they were just coincidentally heading the same way. Who would have thought that just moments ago, they were privately discussing how to have a love child? Seeing me talking with Gideon and Bailey, a trace of jealousy flashed across Finley’s face, but it quickly disappeared, replaced by a sorrowful and aggrieved expression. He humbly said, “Dad, Mom, I’m sorry I haven’t helped you prepare for the banquet these past few days.” “I made a joke earlier that upset Ivan, and I’ve been too scared to come home.” Gideon, expressionless, told him to follow him to the upstairs study. Finley’s heart tightened. Normally, Gideon would pat his shoulder, say a few comforting words, or even scold me a bit on his behalf. Why was he so indifferent instead? He was full of doubts, but what he didn’t expect was that as soon as the study door closed, Gideon gave him a hard slap! His cheek went numb, followed by sharp pain. Rylee, shocked and anxious, tried to separate the two. But before she could speak, Bailey grabbed a hardcover book from the shelf and hurled it at her. Rylee hurriedly dodged, her face full of grievance. Gideon’s eyes were bloodshot as he pointed at her and roared, “I told you to take care of your brother, and now you’re taking care of him by having an illegitimate child?” “Shameless thing! You and Finley have completely disgraced the Lynch family!” “How do you expect the Barnes family to see us?” Rylee’s eyes turned red, her lips trembling as she glared at me with hatred. “You all know? Spying? Surveillance? Ivan, it’s you behind this, isn’t it?” I smiled and showed the phone screen. “You’re my fiancée, of course, I have to fulfill whatever you want.” “But the more, the merrier. Let your parents watch the live stream and brainstorm together!” Rylee gritted her teeth, almost spitting blood. Her eyes shifted, and she surprisingly held back her anger, instead smiling at me with grace and gentleness. “I’m sorry, Ivan, I didn’t consider your feelings.” “Finley and I are just like siblings, you don’t need to worry. You are my only husband.” “I promise, it will never happen again. Once we officially marry, I will arrange for Finley to study abroad.” “Rylee!” Finley blurted out, looking at her in disbelief. Rylee slightly shook her head at him. Finley suddenly turned to me, wishing he could tear me to pieces. I gave him a bright smile. I’m a good person, wholeheartedly trying to please both of them. Aren’t they close? What’s there to hide?

The wedding day arrived. Finley volunteered to be the best man, but his suit was exactly the same as mine, the groom’s. He walked arm in arm with Rylee, looking as perfectly matched as a newlywed couple on the red carpet. Their eyes were full of love, while I felt like the villain ruining their romance. I really wanted to puke. I didn’t want to see them anymore, so I packed up and went to the small balcony for some air. Suddenly, a strong force pulled me into the guest room behind me. Finley held up a spray bottle and sprayed my face several times. Caught off guard, I inhaled it and instantly felt weak all over. He swaggered, punching and kicking me, laughing, “Ivan, aren’t you so arrogant?” “I’ll make you livestream as a bitch at the wedding, guarantee you’ll be world-famous, and you’ll even thank me for it!” I collapsed on the ground, gasping weakly. “Do you think the Barnes family is easy to mess with?” He sneered coldly, his eyes full of disdain. “The Barnes family? Just a small clan about to be swallowed by the Lynch family, and you dare threaten me?” “Maybe before the takeover, your whole family will already be dead.” He casually kicked me, stripped off my clothes, and after checking, said, “You like recording? Don’t worry, what gets filmed later will only be you and the dog.” “In just a few days, your parents will join you in hell.” He stood up, snapped his fingers, and barking came from the corner. Three burly men walked over, each leading a female dog in heat. Finley glanced back at me, eyes filled with malice and glee, then left with a smile. I lay on the ground and chuckled softly. Finley, go ahead and laugh. Soon, you won’t be able to laugh anymore. Meanwhile, the banquet began, guests took their seats, the host was in place, but the bride and groom were nowhere to be seen. My parents, Archer and Stella, kept glancing around, their brows furrowing tighter and tighter. Gideon and Bailey, palms sweating, quickly flattered, “Don’t worry, maybe they got held up with something private.” “I’ve already instructed the servants to go and fetch them.” “Today will definitely be a perfect wedding, nothing will go wrong.” Archer remained expressionless, while Stella lightly curled her lips. “Don’t forget the wedding is being live-streamed. If something goes wrong and we don’t cover it up, your company’s stock price might not survive tomorrow’s opening.” No need to finish the sentence; the meaning is clear. Gideon and Bailey turned pale but didn’t dare say more. Suddenly, the music from the speakers stopped. After a brief silence, there was a deep, irregular noise. Bailey roared, “Who’s in charge of the sound system? Fix it now!” Immediately, she forced a smile and said to Archer and Stella, “Just a small issue, it’ll be fixed soon! Look, the host is already on stage.” But after the noise stopped, it wasn’t music that played—it was an extremely suggestive moan. In an instant, Archer and Stella turned their heads, looking around, their eyes uniformly filled with shock, anger, and confusion.

My name is Alexa Stevens. On the fifth anniversary of my marriage to my husband, Kevin Foster, when he should have canceled all work, he showed up at Haley McCoy’s show. Haley had just announced her official return to the country, and he immediately drafted a divorce agreement, demanding I hand over all shares, or he’d make my entire family disappear! The next day, I invited all the city’s media and held a press conference to expose and sell Kevin’s secrets. “Congratulations to Moore Group for successfully acquiring the ‘Exclusive Video of a Top Rich Heir and His Supermodel Friend’!” “This ‘Rich Heir’s Contact List,’ I’ve decided to give for free to my friend with the ID Sword Action.” “And as for the ‘HD Photoshoot of the Rich Heir’s Sister,’ consider it a little treat for everyone.” The press conference was buzzing, the entire internet was lively, and the live stream viewership reached tens of millions. Kevin and the Foster family rushed over and knelt on the spot, begging me to stop. But I directly revealed my trump card. “Next, let’s welcome Kevin’s biological father to unveil the mystery of his origins.” ***** It’s been three hours since Kevin sent the last message, and the dishes I carefully prepared have lost their color. I held the phone, the call log filled with his number. Suddenly, a news alert popped up: [Supermodel Haley McCoy spotted at a fashion show with a mysterious man, showing intimate interaction]. The photo was blurry, but just one glance left me completely disheartened. The Patek Philippe on Haley’s wrist was the one I had specially customized for Kevin. When he said he was busy, was it to watch the show with her? I smiled and downed the rest of the red wine in my glass. It was late at night when Kevin finally came back. He glanced at the dishes on the table and my outfit, without a trace of guilt in his eyes. He walked toward me, carrying the scent of Chanel No. 5, Haley’s favorite fragrance. “You’re still awake, good, saves me the trouble of waking you up.” He coldly pulled out a document and slapped it on the table. “Sign this.” Seeing it was a divorce agreement, my heart sank sharply. “Is it because of Haley?” He paused, his tone still cold. “Good that you understand, saves me from having to explain.” I looked up at him, seeing his dismissive attitude. My eyes reddened as pain and resentment tore at me. I said, “Kevin, our five years of marriage can’t compare to just one word from her?” This time, he finally looked me in the eye. But those once gentle eyes now held only disgust. “Alexa, what do you think you are? How dare you compare yourself to Haley?” “You know exactly why you married me. Stop pretending to be sentimental here!” For five years, I tried my best to fulfill my role as a wife, but in his eyes, it was just a facade? Five whole years, even raising a dog would build affection, yet all he feels for me is disgust? At this moment, I felt like I had fallen into an ice cave, my blood seemingly frozen. “I won’t sign,” I said. My answer instantly angered him. He slammed me onto the table, his voice cold and vicious. “Alexa, you’ve enjoyed five years as Mrs. Foster. You should be satisfied. Don’t push your luck!” “If you don’t sign, the Stevens family will disappear from New York tomorrow!” My gaze fixed on the wedding photo on the wall; his gentle image in it only highlighted his current ferocity, shattering the last shred of hope in my heart. “I’ll sign,” I said, closing my eyes, my voice hoarse. After I signed, his expression immediately softened. “Since you’re being so obedient, you can stay here a few more days.” After speaking, he grabbed the agreement and hurriedly turned to leave. I smashed the wine bottle against the wedding photo, watching the crimson liquid stain Kevin in the picture. I sent a message to a number. [Derek, inform the media, press conference tomorrow!] Early the next morning, dressed to the nines, I arrived at the venue Derek had arranged. Only about a dozen media outlets showed up at the scene. I got straight to the point, “Media friends, please start your live streams and boost the traffic now. Today’s content will definitely not disappoint you!”

Everyone was puzzled but still followed the instructions. As rows of cameras pointed at me, I smiled slightly and said, “Good morning, everyone. Today’s press conference is a bit special. We’re not launching a new product but revealing Kevin Foster’s secret.” Since it was morning, the audience across all live streams was sparse, totaling just over a hundred people. But as my words ended, the live chat instantly became lively. [Who is this woman? She looks pretty stunning!] [The wife of Kevin Foster, heir to New York’s top family, the Foster family. You don’t know her?] [But what does she mean? Are they fighting and using us as their emotional trash can?] [Sensationalizing, what nonsense?] Looking at these comments, I chuckled softly. “I need to correct everyone; I’m no longer Kevin’s wife. Last night, we officially divorced, and I left with nothing.” The media was shocked, and so were the comments. [Really? Could it be just for hype?] [Yesterday was their fifth wedding anniversary, how did they suddenly divorce? Could there be some hidden reason?] [The Foster family has a billion-dollar fortune, can she really give up everything? I don’t believe it.] Facing the doubts, I didn’t explain and simply continued, “Although I chose to leave with nothing, I still need to find a way to make a living. Next, I will reveal a few secrets about Kevin. If you’re interested, you can bid.” I playfully winked. But the netizens were completely stunned. [What does that mean? A press conference turned into an auction?] [Is she out of her mind from the shock? Coming up with such a way to make money.] I gave a signal to the person Derek arranged and then spoke, “I’m sure everyone is familiar with the international supermodel Haley McCoy, right?” “She has quite an extraordinary relationship with my ex-husband!” As my voice trailed off, the big screen suddenly displayed a pair of stunningly long legs, tightly wrapped around a man’s waist. Amid the panting and moaning, the camera slowly panned up, revealing two faces—Kevin and Haley! The screen froze on this scene, and it felt like the entire venue was paused too, followed by an uproar. “Mr. Foster,” “international supermodel,” and “marital affair”—the combination of these three keywords created a truly shocking sensation. The number of viewers in various live streaming platforms skyrocketed, and the stream arranged by Derek surged to 900,000 viewers and kept climbing! Apart from the overwhelming comments, dozens of big shots started showering gifts like crazy. [I’ll pay one million dollars for the video. I’m Mary Wilson from Aura Jewelry.] [I’ll offer five million dollars! Send me the video, and I’ll transfer the money immediately!] [I’m Owen Harris. I’ll offer twenty million dollars! Who dares to compete with me?] As soon as Owen’s name came up, everyone else immediately gave up bidding. Of course, I recognize him, the heir of the Harris family, who has been openly and secretly competing with Kevin for many years. I smiled and replied, “Alright, Mr. Harris. I’ll send you the HD content right away, along with a few exclusive portraits as a bonus.” Owen didn’t disappoint me. Within ten minutes of getting the video, it had taken over all major social platforms. He even openly mocked Kevin in a post, [Mr. Foster, would you like to endorse our company’s adult products?] Below was a photo captured of the two during their intimate moment, with their company’s product Photoshopped onto it. The male and female leads of the video quickly got the news and started calling me like crazy. I looked at the alternating calls and pointed the camera at them. “It seems our leads are a bit upset. Could it be they think my filming wasn’t professional enough?”

Although the scandalous photos spread like wildfire, the Foster family, being the top wealthy clan, quickly quelled the public uproar and launched a swift counterattack. [Kevin and Haley were maliciously face-swapped.] [Alexa willingly signed the divorce agreement but went back on her word.] Headlines like these suddenly emerged. Under the guidance of behind-the-scenes manipulators, uninformed netizens instantly turned against them. [Whoa, I almost got fooled by this woman!] [Exactly, Mr. Foster’s status is so distinguished, how could he possibly be secretly photographed? Ridiculous.] [This woman clearly didn’t get any money, driven by revenge, truly vicious!] Haley’s hardcore fans went completely overboard, directly cursing and insulting me and my family. I expected all of this. If they didn’t fight back, it wouldn’t achieve the result I wanted. I said, “It seems Mr. Foster isn’t quite satisfied with my gift? Don’t worry, the show is about to begin.” I bent down to open the safe at my feet and took out a heavy leather file folder. “Inside is Mr. Foster’s list of acquaintances.” “Over the years, he has seized residential land, manipulated real estate prices, and ruthlessly profited off the public, all relying on this group of powerful individuals. I think I don’t need to elaborate on the value behind these names, do I?” If what I mentioned earlier was a scandal, then what I just said is outright illegal news! After tens of seconds of dead silence, the livestream erupted into a frenzy of discussion. The online viewers skyrocketed, surpassing five million, with even multiple official accounts joining to watch. Doubts followed. [Nonsense! How could a woman like you get hold of the core secrets of a family as powerful as the Foster family?] [I think she’s just here to scam money! Causing such a scene, let’s see how she ends this!] Even Owen, who just bought the video, was full of doubt. [That’s the lifeblood of the Foster family! How could Kevin let you access something like that? You better stop while you can.] I still didn’t explain and directly had someone release a few pictures. Kevin supported a radiant middle-aged man as they walked out of a high-end club. That man was Bryson Welch, the director of the City Planning Department. Just as someone questioned what this could prove, the sound of their conversation played. “Mr. Welch, the best-located villas in the north of the city have been transferred to your nephew’s name. You can check them out when you have time.” “Kevin, I just love your efficiency! Rest assured, that piece of land can only belong to the Foster family.” This recording instantly left everyone speechless. Moments later, the big shots in the livestream started bidding wildly again. [I bid fifty million dollars!] [Fifty million dollars? Dream on! I bid one hundred million dollars!] In no time, the price skyrocketed to a staggering two billion dollars. As I was enjoying the show, an account named “Sword Action” caught my attention. I clicked on its profile and discovered it was the official account of the Bureau of Investigation. I was already aiming to take down the Foster family, so instead of selling to capital, handing these evidences to the relevant authorities would be faster. With my mind made up, I slowly spoke to the camera, “Sorry, everyone. A mysterious user just offered me an irresistible deal. So, I’ve decided to hand over all the evidence to them.” After speaking, I sent all the evidence of the Foster family’s illegal activities through the channel provided by the other party. After finishing all this, I picked up the still vibrating phone and answered the call. Kevin’s furious roar came through immediately. “Alexa, you bitch, where did you get those things? Delete them right now! Do you hear me? Or I won’t let you off!” I teased, “Mr. Foster, everything you said has been heard by millions of viewers. Say hi to everyone!” There was a pause on the other end, followed by an extremely suppressed voice saying, “What exactly do you want?” I said, “Don’t you know what I want? I want the Foster family to disappear completely!”

An hour later, media reported that over a dozen enforcement vehicles entered the Foster Group headquarters, taking away almost all the senior executives. The entire group instantly fell into chaos, with nearly half the employees resigning or switching jobs. At the same time, Foster Group’s stock price plummeted drastically. All the names mentioned in the records were taken for investigation. The power structure of New York’s elite is about to change drastically. As the protagonist, I am leisurely scrolling through Foster Group’s updates and netizens’ comments at this moment. My phone keeps vibrating, but the caller has changed from Kevin to his family. I accidentally answered a call from Kevin’s mother, Audrey Foster. That usually elegant and noble woman was now hurling insults. “You shameless woman! When has the Foster family ever wronged you?” “Let me tell you, you think you can destroy our Foster family like this? Dream on!” “We will never let you go! You’ll die a horrible death!” I was already familiar with her character, so I wasn’t surprised. The viewers in the livestream, however, were quite surprised. Turns out, even wealthy ladies from prestigious families curse just like common shrews. I said, “Instead of saying all this, you’d better learn how to beg first.” She wanted to say something else, but I directly hung up the phone and blocked her. Facing the camera, I said, “Everyone, what you just saw was merely an appetizer. What comes next is the real secret of the Foster family.” Hearing my words, the viewers who were about to leave instantly perked up. Even that level of scoop is just an appetizer? How explosive must the main course be? With such anticipation, the number of viewers in the livestream didn’t decrease but instead surged, heading toward tens of millions. At this moment of widespread attention, my livestream was suddenly shut down, and the entire venue’s signal was directly cut off. I immediately called Derek and found out that the Foster family had hired top hackers with a hefty sum to forcibly cut off my livestream channel. “Don’t worry, it’ll be fixed within ten minutes,” Derek’s voice was calm and confident. I had no doubt about his abilities, so I got up and went out for some fresh air. When I came back, the livestream had already resumed. Strangely, the media in the audience were looking at me with somewhat unusual expressions. I was puzzled and looked at the livestream; the viewer count was skyrocketing. But to my surprise, the netizens who were cheering for me just moments ago had suddenly turned to insults. The comments were filled with all kinds of words slandering me. My heart sank as I quickly opened the trending searches on my phone. I saw that Kevin had posted an article ten minutes ago. The article claimed that he and Haley had been together since childhood and were already engaged. It accused me of using despicable means to drive them apart, create misunderstandings, and then blackmail him with private matters to force him to marry me. After marriage, I relied on the Foster family’s power to act arrogantly and was obsessively controlling towards him. If he didn’t answer my calls, I would smash things at home. In the end, he couldn’t take it anymore and filed for divorce, but I demanded half of Foster Group’s shares. When he refused, I started holding press conferences to maliciously smear him. The lengthy article, nearly ten thousand words, portrayed him and Haley as star-crossed lovers, while I was painted as the venomous woman who tore them apart. At the end of the article, the sentence “As long as you stop in time, I won’t blame you, I still love you.” became the ultimate bait to manipulate readers. In just a few minutes, the comments exceeded a million, filled with sympathy for Kevin and Haley, and curses and insults directed at me. [This kind of woman is terrifying, Mr. Foster is truly unlucky to have met her!] [Let’s all stand together and seek justice for Haley!] [I support Mr. Foster and Haley getting married.] Looking at these twisted words, I couldn’t help but laugh. It seems I’ve been too kind to him. This time, I directly put a set of bold and provocative photos on the big screen. The audience in the live stream was instantly captivated. [Who is this beauty? Her figure is amazing!] [Alexa is my goddess from now on. Anyone who dares insult her will have to deal with me!] [Wait, isn’t this Mr. Foster’s sister, Lena?] [Don’t talk nonsense. How could a wealthy heiress take such photos?] Everyone kept arguing until Owen cleared it up for them. [That’s right, this is Kevin’s younger sister, the well-known socialite in the circle, Lena Foster.] A wealthy heiress? A socialite? Putting two completely opposite terms together made everyone’s minds freeze. Seeing everyone’s confusion, I finally spoke, “I suppose you’re all curious about why Lena ended up like this? Then we have to start with her background.” “An hour later, I will unveil this wealthy family’s secret.”

After an hour of buildup, when I went live again, the viewership instantly surpassed 30 million, and the livestream room crashed several times due to traffic overload. All the big shots in New York, including everyone from the Foster family, were glued to their screens, waiting for my story. When the livestream finally stabilized, I didn’t reveal the truth right away but started telling a seemingly unrelated story. “In New York, there’s a story that goes like this. “There was a prestigious family with a century-old legacy. By this generation, only two brothers remained. The elder brother and the younger brother had completely different personalities. The elder went into business, while the younger disliked constraints and pursued diverse interests. “During a horse racing accident, the younger brother suffered injuries to his lower body, losing the ability to have children. The elder brother, unwilling to let him face the blow, had the doctor alter the diagnosis. “Later, the elder brother entered into a family-arranged marriage, while the younger brother married a girl from an ordinary family and was very happy. “Ironically, during their interactions, the elder brother fell in love with the younger brother’s wife. One night, after drinking, he lost control and violated her. “From just that one time, she became pregnant. The younger brother, completely unaware, thought it was his child and was overjoyed, treating his wife with even more love. “His wife wanted to confess several times but was stopped by the elder brother. This secret was kept for twenty whole years! “Poor younger brother, unknowingly raised his elder brother’s child for twenty years.” “At first, everyone was a bit confused, but as I explained, they increasingly felt this was the true portrayal of the Foster family!” “But that absurd story is truly hard to believe.” “Everyone had a vague suspicion in their hearts, but no one dared to uncover the truth.” “At that moment, my phone started vibrating like crazy. Calls from the Foster family members came one after another. I didn’t answer but placed photos of Lena and Kevin’s father, George Foster, together, followed by a paternity test report from New York Hospital.” “The test results showed that George and Lena are indeed parent and child.” “The truth was revealed, everything was self-evident.” “This is the real reason behind Lena’s misconduct!” “The internet instantly went into chaos, and at this moment, the people in the Foster Manor were even more so.” “The moment he saw the results, George’s brother Bruce suddenly collapsed onto the chair. When his wife hurried to help him, his eyes turned red, and he violently kicked her to the ground, then grabbed the vase on the table and smashed it hard at George.” “He roared, ‘George! You beast! You deserve to die!’” “For a moment, the brothers turned against each other, fighting fiercely, while the women around them wept uncontrollably.” “The once century-old Foster family instantly turned into a live drama of family ethics.” “Losing billions couldn’t shake its foundation, yet at this moment, it began to crumble.” “A century-old legacy might be destroyed in an instant.” “When I learned about this scandal, I was ready to never speak of it. It’s all Kevin’s fault for annoying me.” “I looked at the camera, eyes playful. ‘Mr. Foster, who’s the real disgrace now?’”

My name is Julia Cooper. My employee Layla Johnson accused me in a livestream of refusing to approve her marriage leave. She said, “The low marriage and birth rates in our country are caused by vicious capitalists like you!” “You won’t even approve my marriage leave. What am I in your eyes? You don’t see me as a person at all.” “I really regret believing you back then. You said you wanted to start an all-women company and create a female-friendly workplace. And now? Your true colors as a vicious capitalist have finally been revealed!” As soon as the video was posted, it instantly went viral. Countless young people empathized with her. They all started cursing me online, and some even found my home address and sent me razor blades. As the boss, I went live directly to confront her head-on. I said, “Sorry, I can’t approve Layla’s marriage leave. “She can resign and go for labor arbitration, or she can sue me in court, but I just won’t approve her marriage leave.” The livestream went viral that day. Many supporters of Layla claimed to be lawyers and expressed their willingness to help her sue me for free. Layla showed a hesitant expression. “I just wanted to take marriage leave, never thought about resigning, let alone actually suing Julia.” As soon as she said this, the comments section went completely out of control. [Oh my god! Look at what she’s been pushed to!] [She’s still speaking up for Julia.] [Julia, you’re a demon, you’re mentally controlling your employees!] [Who’s a lawyer? Quick, sue her! This woman must pay the price!] [She’s definitely jealous of her employee! She can’t get married and doesn’t want others to either!] In an instant, I became a “cold-hearted, oppressive, vicious female capitalist.” My assistant Lily Moore and a few female colleagues couldn’t stand it and quietly defended me off-camera. “It’s not like that!” “Layla actually…” “Ms. Cooper is nothing like what everyone says.” Their voices were soft but clearly picked up by the microphone. The livestream viewers instantly got angry. [Did everyone hear that? She’s threatening other employees!] [Those girls are still speaking up for Julia.] [Oh my god, this company is so scary, and the other employees are so awful.] [Those women have all been brainwashed by Julia! They’re blindly defending her!] [Is this some kind of cult company?] My phone vibrated wildly on the table, Alex Fowler’s name flashing on the screen. That’s my investor. I ignored it. I quietly stared at the insults on the screen. They called me “inhumane,” “crazy,” “psychopath.” In the end, I personally ended the livestream in front of millions of viewers. The screen went black. This livestream ended in my complete defeat. Layla gained everyone’s sympathy online. And I became the “jealous boss, a manipulative and vicious capitalist controlling the entire company.” The next day, as soon as I entered the company, the operations director rushed into my office, pale-faced. She said, “Ms. Cooper, something’s wrong!” “All our company’s products have been removed from all platforms. “The platforms stated that our company’s values have serious issues. “All our partners have unilaterally sent termination letters.” The company is in a shutdown crisis. As soon as she finished speaking, the office door was kicked open. Alex rushed in, eyes bloodshot. He slammed his phone onto my desk. He pointed at my nose and roared, “Julia, you dared to hang up on me yesterday?” “Are you out of your mind?” “For an intern, are you going to ruin the whole company?” Before I could speak, Vice President Violet Wood stepped in front of him. She said, “Mr. Fowler, please calm down.” “Ms. Cooper is the most upright person. If she did this, she must have her reasons.” Alex sneered, “Violet, have you been brainwashed by her too?” “What benefits did she give you? Why are you all defending her?” Violet did not answer. She took out her phone, logged into her real-name social media account in front of him, and posted an update. [I swear on my character, Ms. Cooper is the best boss. She is absolutely not the kind of person described online.] Immediately, Lily, who spoke in the livestream yesterday, along with several female employees from the tech and marketing departments, commented on the post with their real names. [Our company has the best atmosphere in the industry, and Ms. Cooper would never bully us.] [Ms. Cooper is very kind to each of us.] [We support Ms. Cooper!] This post, along with all the comments, quickly sparked heated discussions.

In less than ten minutes, Layla posted a new video. She shared screenshots of Violet’s post and all the employees’ comments. She was crying so hard in the video that she could barely breathe, trembling all over. “I’m so scared. They’re all bullying me!” “Ms. Cooper controls the entire company. All the female employees have been brainwashed by her.” “They’re all forced to defend her!” “This company is terrifying. They’re ganging up to bully me!” “Group bullying” instantly topped the trending search list. A wave of online harassment against all our employees began. Violet’s home address was posted online. Her child’s photo was maliciously edited into a memorial picture and spread wildly across major social platforms. Every call Lily received was filled with insults and death threats. All the employees who supported me were cyberbullied. Their accounts were flooded with abusive messages. Netizens called them “accomplices” and “brainwashed idiots!” and even cursed them and their families. The day Violet came to me, her eyes were swollen, her expression dazed, and she could barely stand. She deleted that post in front of me, crying. She said, “Julia, I’m sorry. “My child is only three… These netizens are so vicious! “My husband wants to divorce me because of this…” She handed in her resignation letter. Next was Lily. Then it was the employees from the tech and marketing departments who supported me online. The constant harassment and threats broke them mentally, leading them to resign one after another. But Layla became a hero for “standing up against workplace bullying.” My company was labeled as “manipulative and bullying towards subordinates.” A week later, all the employees resigned, leaving only me. I sat alone in the completely empty office. The computer screen showed an interview video of Layla and her fiancé Martin Nielsen. Martin wrapped his arm around her shoulder, promising to protect her for a lifetime on camera. Meanwhile, my phone was filled with thousands of vicious messages cursing me and my family. My ID number, home address, and personal phone number were all exposed. Someone kept splashing paint at my doorstep. On my door, someone had written in thick black marker: “Vicious old woman, go die!” The property management cleaned it three times a day, but it still couldn’t be cleared completely. My mom called me. As soon as the call connected, she yelled, “Julia! Are you crazy?” “Look at how people online are cursing you!” “Do you still want to save your company’s reputation? Go apologize to that girl right now!” My dad shouted from the side, “Just because no one wants to marry you, you’ve gone crazy!” “You’re jealous that the girl could get married so quickly, aren’t you?” “You’ve completely embarrassed your mom and me!” I listened in silence and hung up the phone. The phone had just gone quiet for two seconds when Layla’s livestream started again. She livestreamed the entire wedding preparation process—trying on dresses, choosing a diamond ring, decorating the wedding room. But every time she livestreamed, she would “accidentally” mention me. She said, “I’m really grateful to my former boss. It was her oppression that made me see who truly loves me.” “Why must women make things hard for each other? I hope she can figure things out someday.” Netizens all praised her for being kind. Alex convened an emergency board meeting. After the meeting, he called to inform me, “Julia, you now have two choices. “First, hold a press conference immediately, publicly apologize to Layla, approve her leave, and compensate for emotional distress. “Second, all shareholders will join forces to dilute your shares and force you out. “Your choice.” I calmly replied, “I refuse to apologize.” There was silence on the other end for a few seconds, followed by an angry roar. “You’re insane!” He slammed down the phone. The next day, the industry completely blacklisted me. All business forums removed my name. I went from “Female Entrepreneur of the Year” to “Industry Disgrace.” No one dared to mention my name again. And Layla posted her wedding e-invitation on Instagram. She didn’t block me. She even specifically invited a few former colleagues who had left, including Violet and Lily. She did it on purpose to make me see. In the evening, my best friend also came to persuade me to apologize. She looked at my door and said worriedly, “Julia, you can’t fight public opinion.” “For a newcomer, ruining your ten years of hard work isn’t worth it!” “Just apologize to that girl, and this will be over!” “Why are you so stubborn?” I didn’t explain. I just stared at the door covered in insults, feeling nothing inside. Then, I opened my phone’s notes and quietly jotted down Layla’s wedding date and the hotel location from the invitation.

The board issued a public statement: [In light of Julia Cooper’s egregious personal misconduct, which has caused irreparable damage to the company’s brand, the board has unanimously decided to remove her from her position effective immediately and freeze all her shares.] I was fired from the company I built with my own hands. The news broke, and the entire internet erupted with excitement and outrage. On the same day, Layla’s grand wedding took place. She started a live stream of the entire event, quickly surpassing ten million viewers. She wore an expensive custom wedding dress, with flawless makeup and a radiant smile. She was enjoying her moment in the spotlight. During the live stream, a viewer brought me up again. [What happened to that vicious boss? Is she dead?] Layla immediately covered her mouth and sighed with feigned tolerance, “Oh, everyone, let’s not mention her. Today is my wedding.” “Honestly, I do feel sorry for her. She has nothing now.” She looked into the camera, her eyes brimming with undisguised pride and provocation. She said, “If she really thinks I forged documents or deceived the company in any way, she can totally hire a lawyer and sue me.” She then burst into laughter. “I’ll be waiting for her lawyer’s letter.” After that, everyone in the livestream started mocking me. [Where does she have the money to hire a lawyer now?] [Let her sue! Let’s see if she can win!] [Layla, just ignore that lunatic.] My phone rang again. It was a call from my mom. Her voice trembled as she pleaded, “Julia, I’m begging you, your dad has a heart problem and is already hospitalized.” “Stop being so stubborn. We’re old and really can’t handle this kind of social pressure.” I hung up the phone. Violet, who was dragged into this because of me, also messaged me to persuade me. [I give up.] [I can’t fight them, I’m just an ordinary person.] [You should give up too.] I silently watched the live stream. Just as Layla and Martin were about to exchange rings, I turned off the live stream. At the wedding venue, the music was reaching its climax. The host loudly announced, “Now, the groom may kiss the bride!” The whole crowd cheered. At that moment, the banquet hall doors were suddenly flung open. The loud noise drowned out the music. All the guests, along with millions of livestream viewers, turned their cameras toward the door. The smile on Layla’s face froze instantly. When she saw it was me, her face turned deathly pale. She pointed at me and let out a piercing scream. “Security! “Security! Get this crazy woman out of here! “She’s here to cause trouble!” The security guards rushed over in a panic. I didn’t stop walking. Ignoring her screams and the shocked gazes around me, I walked straight onto the stage. The host stared at me in shock, forgetting to speak. Martin stood in front of Layla and shouted angrily, “What are you doing here? Get out!” I took the microphone from the host. I smiled slightly, my gaze falling on Layla’s face. My voice wasn’t loud, but it spread through the venue and the livestream via the speakers. I said, “Don’t be afraid, Layla. I’m here to give you a gift.” I turned to the livestream camera, to all the guests. I held up the USB drive in my hand and said, “Weren’t you going to sue me? I’m here to give you the evidence.” I walked to the wedding control console at the side of the stage. Before the staff could react, I plugged the USB drive into the computer. A crystal-clear document appeared on the screen. It was Layla’s employment certificate from my company. The live stream comments completely froze at that moment. I picked up the laser pointer and aimed at the most crucial date. Her start date was the day before she took marriage leave. The wedding venue instantly fell into dead silence. Then, the whole place erupted!

I looked straight at Layla, my tone calm. “She hasn’t been officially confirmed yet today.” “I want to clarify one thing, what I rejected was an unreasonable marriage leave request. “What I rejected was an unreasonable request from an employee who just joined two days ago, still in the probation period, demanding full employee benefits and attempting to use public opinion as pressure.” I spoke every word clearly and loudly. The scene fell silent for several seconds. Immediately, the screen behind me switched to the live broadcast. The comments flooded in so fast that it was almost impossible to read the words. [Did I just hear that? Layla has only been on the job for two days?] [She just started and already wants marriage leave? That’s outrageous!] [Isn’t it common sense that probationary employees don’t get company benefits? Is Layla crazy?] [I thought it was ruthless capitalists exploiting employees, but it turns out it’s the employee maliciously slandering the company.] [This isn’t defending rights, it’s a farce!] The public opinion has completely reversed. Layla’s face instantly turned pale. She clutched the wedding dress, her body starting to tremble. She stammered in defense, “I don’t know. I didn’t see clearly! I know nothing.” Her eyes were red as she tried to guilt-trip me. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier? You did it on purpose! You want to ruin me!” I calmly asked, “Do you really not know?” I took out an attendance sheet. “This is the sign-in record for the new employee orientation on October 18th. In the bottom right corner is Layla’s signature.” I then took out another stack of printed materials. “These are the training materials from that day. I specifically folded one page.” I held it up to the camera, with the section about leave benefits highlighted in fluorescent marker. I said, “The leave policy in the training materials is very clear.” “Layla not only received the materials but also signed to confirm she had read and understood all the terms.” “Layla, are you telling me now that you didn’t know about this rule?” Layla had no way to argue anymore. She opened her mouth but couldn’t make a sound, with tears still on her face, looking both ridiculous and pitiful. “You…” she mumbled. “Enough!” A furious roar exploded in my ear. The speaker was Martin, standing next to Layla. His face was grim, and his chest heaved violently. He suddenly turned to look at Layla, his eyes bloodshot, filled with shock, shame, and a hint of bewildered betrayal. Suppressing his anger, he questioned in a low voice, “You’ve only been at work for two days?” “Didn’t you say you were already a supervisor?” “How much are you hiding from me?” Layla trembled all over. She quickly said, “Martin, let me explain, it’s not like that, it’s her…” “Shut up!” Martin interrupted her. The guests below were already in an uproar. Their whispers turned into loud discussions. “Looks like she not only faked the marriage leave but also deceived her fiancé.” “She’s really shameless, turning her own wedding into this.” “She just joined two days ago and already cheated company benefits. Who gave her the nerve?” “Martin is so pitiful, being deceived by Layla for so long.” The atmosphere was unbearably awkward. Everyone’s gaze at Layla shifted from sympathy to disdain and confusion. Her sobs caught in her throat, leaving only whimpers. I stood quietly aside, waiting for her next move. The wedding background music had stopped, leaving only the suffocating silence.

I spent three years undercover by Julian Thorne’s side, the son of a notorious crime boss, only to personally send him to prison. At the arrest scene, his eyes were bloodshot, fixed on my swollen belly. “What a brilliant strategy. Using our child to trap me.” “Since you love justice so much, then this child, tainted by a criminal’s blood, shouldn’t exist either.” He snatched a gun and, in front of every SWAT officer, shot me through the abdomen. That single shot severed every tie between us. After the false news of my death in the line of duty spread, Julian went completely insane in prison. When we met again, he was a condemned man awaiting execution, and I was the agent assigned to interrogate him. He stared at me, whole and unharmed, his laugh a broken, twisted sound, far more agonizing than a cry. “Serena, you made me suffer hell with your lies.” Three months after Julian’s arrest, the police interrogation hit a dead end. As the notorious kingpin of a massive crime syndicate that had wreaked havoc across the continent, he held the decryption key to a dark web trading chain worth billions. As long as he remained silent, that dirty money and the powerful figures protecting him would never be uncovered. The task fell to me. Because I was Julian’s only weakness, and the very person who pushed him into this hell. When I stood outside the interrogation room’s one-way glass, clutching a file, the sight within stole my breath. The once untouchable Julian, the powerful scion of a ruthless empire, who used to command the city with a whisper, always impeccably dressed in custom suits, now wore a rough prison uniform, his hands and feet bound by heavy shackles. He was skeletal, a ghost of his former self. His cheekbones jutted sharply, eyes sunken deep, and his jaw was covered in dark stubble. He slumped lifelessly in the metal chair, his hollow gaze fixed on a stain on the ceiling, like a walking corpse utterly devoid of soul. The guard told me that when Julian first arrived, he’d gone completely wild. He refused to eat, refused to sleep. Every night, he’d ram the walls like a wild animal, roaring a single name. “Serena.” That was my undercover name, Serena Reed. And he, the man who hated me most in this world, also loved me more than anyone. Later, the guard lied, telling him Serena was dead, her body cremated. Only then did Julian quiet down. From that day on, he became a mute, like a dead man. No matter how much they interrogated him, he gave no reaction. “Officer Reed, he’s completely unyielding. Are you sure about this?” Officer Mike asked, his voice laced with worry. I instinctively touched my flat stomach, where a grotesque bullet wound scar snaked across. Though long healed, it still ached faintly on rainy days. A chilling reminder of how utterly ruthless he was when he pulled that trigger. “Open it.” I adjusted the collar of my police uniform and pushed the door open. The heavy clang of the iron door didn’t get Julian’s attention. Not until I pulled out the chair opposite him and slammed a stainless-steel cup onto the table. The sharp clang echoed in the claustrophobic room. Julian finally stirred. Like a rusted machine, he slowly turned his neck, his gaze inching up from the floor. It landed on my police boots, then my trousers, finally settling on my bare, makeup-free face. In that instant. I heard the violent clatter of chains. The man, previously so lifeless, shot up from the chair like a corpse suddenly reanimated, slamming against the interrogation table’s barrier, ignoring the restraints of his handcuffs. “A ghost…” His hoarse, broken voice was laced with extreme terror and trembling. “Serena?” He stared at me, his eyes wide and bloodshot, seeming ready to burst from their sockets, a chaotic mix of emotions swirling within: Shock, wild joy, disbelief, and… an ocean of hatred. I sat down expressionlessly, opened my interrogation notebook, and spoke in a cold, professional tone: “Julian, I am Officer Serena Reed, assigned to your case.” “Now, let’s talk about that decryption key.” Julian froze as if struck by lightning, my voice calm to the point of being chilling. He reached out a trembling hand, wanting to touch my face, but the iron bars between us cruelly blocked him. “Not dead…” He mumbled to himself, then let out a choked, guttural cackle, as if he’d heard the funniest joke. The laughter grew louder, more frantic, eerily piercing in the confined room. Tears streamed from his dry eyes, carving paths down his stubbled cheeks. “Not dead… You’re actually not dead!” “Serena! You’re actually alive!” He violently head-butted the iron bars, a loud bang resounding. Blood immediately welled from his forehead. “You lied to me! All of you lied to me!” “I thought I was suffering in hell, paying for my sins, all for you! And you? You were just watching me, laughing from the sidelines!” I watched him lose control. Three years ago, when I first went undercover, if I merely scalded my finger with hot water, his eyes would well up with genuine pain. Now, here he was, head gushing blood right in front of me, and all I wanted was for him to confess. “Julian, calm down.” I looked at him coldly. “My being alive… does that disappoint you?” Julian’s laughter instantly ceased. He fixed me with a dark, menacing stare, a cruel smirk twisting his lips. “Disappointed? No, Serena, why would I be disappointed?” “I was just thinking, since you’re not dead…” His gaze slowly dropped, falling to my flat stomach, and his eyes instantly filled with a bloodthirsty frenzy. “What about that abomination?” “That child, tainted by my criminal blood… is it dead?”

The air in the interrogation room seemed to freeze. My fingers tightened around the pen, knuckles white. That child. The one he’d personally snuffed out before it even had a chance to breathe, amidst a storm of bullets. I took a deep breath, meeting his challenging gaze, and forced a sarcastic smile. “Mr. Thorne, have you forgotten? You were the one who pulled the trigger.” “At the warehouse, in plain sight.” “Do you truly believe an unborn child could survive a Desert Eagle at point-blank range?” Julian’s pupils constricted violently. His facial muscles began to twitch uncontrollably. The veins on his hands, gripping the bars, bulged ominously, and blood seeped from beneath his fingernails from the sheer force. “Dead… Good, good riddance!” He gritted his teeth, as if chewing on someone’s bones. “Good riddance! That… thing never should have existed!” “Serena, you’re really something.” “To trap me, you even used your pregnancy as leverage.” “Watching me suffer hell over that bastard’s death, watching me grovel like a dog in this cell, repenting for you – did that give you some kind of sick satisfaction?” He spoke the most venomous words, yet he was trembling. I knew him too well. He was lying. He was using this extreme tactic to mask his inner collapse. Back in his empire, he’d genuinely looked forward to that child’s arrival. He would whisper stories to my belly late at night, pore over dictionaries for names, and even decorated the nursery himself. But now, he could only call the life he once cherished above all else an “abomination.” Because only then could he clutch onto his last shred of pitiful dignity in the face of this brutal truth. “Julian, enough with the reminiscing.” I didn’t want to dwell on the past with him. I tapped the table. “Where is the key?” The frenzy on Julian’s face gradually faded, replaced by a chilling stillness. He leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, adopting a posture of refusal to communicate. “You want the key? Fine.” He spoke nonchalantly. “Beg me.” I frowned. “Do you really think you’re in a position to bargain right now?” “I’m about to die. What position do I have to lose?” Julian sneered, opening his eyes, his gaze lightly scanning my body. “Serena, you know me. I respond to kindness, not force.” “Back when you were chasing intel, you weren’t afraid to go all out, were you?” “Why put on that uniform and suddenly become so high and mighty?” He leaned forward, lowering his voice, his tone intimate and crude. “Just like before, call me ‘Jules,’ sweet-talk me until I’m happy, and maybe I’ll tell you.” I fought the urge to throw the file in his face. I knew he was doing it on purpose. He was trying to provoke me, to humiliate me, to reclaim the control he’d lost. “Julian, you’re disgusting.” I spat the words out coldly. Julian’s smile faltered, then he laughed even harder. “Yeah, I’m a worm in the mud. You’re the one who decided to get involved.” “Officer Reed, if you find me so disgusting, then get out.” “Don’t expect to pry a single word from me.” With that, he clamped his mouth shut. No matter how much I pressed, it was like shouting into the void. The first interrogation ended fruitlessly. By the time I walked out of the interrogation room, my back was soaked with sweat. Though I’d appeared calm and composed in there, I knew facing Julian was never easy. Three years, living side-by-side, caught in that tangled web of genuine and fabricated emotions… it was like a festering wound. Even after I cut it out, the scars remained, deep and undeniable. Back in my office, Captain Miller walked over, handing me a mug of hot water. “Didn’t get anything?” I nodded. “His psychological defenses are impenetrable, and he’s completely given up on life. He’s a dead end.” Captain Miller sighed. “He’s a tough nut to crack. Command gave us a deadline: we need that key within two weeks, or the dark web data will reset, and all our leads will vanish.” “I know. I’ll find a way.” I rubbed my throbbing temples. Over the next few days, I interrogated Julian daily. But he seemed determined to outlast me, offering only sarcastic remarks or silently meditating. Until the fifth day. I changed my strategy. Since force wouldn’t work, I decided to hit him where it hurt: his heart. I specifically wore an off-white dress – the same one I’d worn the first time we met. When I entered the interrogation room, Julian’s gaze flickered noticeably. But he quickly masked it, scoffing, “Are you trying to play dress-up, Officer Reed? Too bad. Wearing that dress now just makes you look even more hypocritical.” I ignored his taunts and took a thermos from my bag, placing it on the table. Opening the lid, the rich aroma of hearty chicken and rice soup filled the air. Julian’s Adam’s apple bobbed instinctively. It was his favorite. Back then, whenever he’d overdo it at his lavish business dinners and upset his stomach, I’d make this soup for him. “The cafeteria food not to your liking?” I ladled a bowl and pushed it towards the bars. “Have some.” Julian stared at the bowl for a long time, his eyes unreadable. Just when I thought he’d refuse, he suddenly reached out, grabbed the bowl, and tipped it back, draining it in one go. Finished, he slammed the bowl onto the floor. Fragments scattered. “Serena, you think a bowl of soup will buy me?” He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his eyes vicious. “Have you forgotten who put that hole in your stomach?” “Aren’t you afraid I might have poisoned the soup?” I asked calmly. “Poison?” Julian suddenly laughed, tears streaming down his face. “Serena, you underestimate me.” “Dying by your hand… that’s a better end than those cold, brutal interrogations.” With that, he suddenly reached through the bars and grabbed my wrist. His grip was astonishingly strong, and the iron shackles clanged harshly against the bars. “Julian! Let go!” The nearby guard immediately rushed forward to intervene. But Julian clung to me fiercely, his eyes bloodshot, his voice a hoarse whisper, dripping with raw emotion. “Serena, I just have one question.” “These three years… did you feel anything for me, even for a second?” “Even one second, was it real?” His nails dug agonizingly into my flesh, as if a single ‘yes’ from me would give him permission to die right then and there. I looked at his desperate, pleading eyes, and a sharp, icy pang shot through my heart. But I knew I was a police officer, and he was a criminal. Any wavering would be a desecration of the badge. “No.” I met his gaze, speaking each word distinctly. “From the very beginning, I approached you only to catch you.” “Every single minute, every second, was an act.” “Julian, I never loved you. Not once.” The light in his eyes, a flicker that had momentarily returned, was snuffed out completely. He seemed to lose his very spine, slumping back, his grip loosening. “Good… Good, ‘not once’ you say.” He lowered his head, his shoulders trembling violently, letting out a series of choked, mournful sounds. “Serena, you are truly cruel.” “In that case, don’t blame me for what comes next.” He suddenly lifted his head, a twisted smile appearing on his face. “You want the key, do you?” “Unless… you let me see that scar.” “I want to see with my own eyes what that bullet, fired by me, truly did to you.”

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At the engagement party, I called off the engagement. The reason? My boyfriend’s Instagram profile picture now had a Santa hat on it. Everyone thought it was unbelievable. “All because of a Santa hat?” I tapped to enlarge the picture and saw the watermark on the hat. My expression was cold. “Yes. All because of this Santa hat.” His mother screamed insults at me like a madwoman. “My son is a great catch! You’re the one losing out by not wanting him!” My dad forced me to apologize in front of everyone. “Look at the occasion! Is this really the time for your tantrums?” I ignored them and called my best friend. “Did you get the stuff? I’m calling off the engagement.” I handed my phone to my boyfriend, Ryan. “Change the Santa hat on your profile pic. Or photoshop an identical one onto mine, so we match.” Ryan didn’t even think about it. “Sienna, listen to me. That hat just doesn’t suit your picture.” I looked down at our Instagram profiles. Ryan and I had been together for almost ten years. My profile picture had always been a photo of us together. But his was just a professional headshot. He’d never even posted a single picture with me on his feed. He looked completely single. Ryan’s mom jabbed a furious finger at my phone screen, as if trying to break it. “Look! Ryan’s Instagram is all about his career. My son is hardworking and dedicated. And you? Throwing a fit over a Santa hat!” My dad’s face darkened, his tone leaving no room for argument. “Today is your engagement day. Drop the spoiled brat act. You’ll have a good life with Ryan from now on.” Ryan took my hand, looking at me with sincere apology in his eyes. “Sienna, is this because I’ve been working late so much lately? Did I make you feel neglected?” “I’m sorry, okay? Please forgive me. Everyone’s watching. Don’t make a scene.” The warmth from his hand made my mind go blank for a second. How long had it been since he last held my hand? When was the last time we even saw each other? Every time I asked to meet, he’d say he was working late. Then he’d send a photo of his office as ‘proof.’ “Sienna, I need to work hard. I need to be worthy of you.” If it weren’t for this scheduled engagement party, where his presence as the groom was mandatory, I probably wouldn’t have had the ‘privilege’ of seeing him at all. I gave a bitter laugh, pulled my hand away, and repeated myself. “I said it. Change the hat, or give me the same one. Your choice.” The guests around us murmured in confusion. “Living for a long time may see everything. A Santa hat on a profile picture is grounds for calling off an engagement?” “Maybe she got dumped around Christmas once and is triggered by anything festive?” “They’re each other’s first love. Been together almost ten years. Their relationship was always so good.” “Didn’t you hear Ryan say he’s been busy with work? He probably just neglected her feelings a bit. She’s throwing a tantrum.” “If she’s this difficult, they’re better off apart. Save him the misery later.” Each word was like a needle, pricking at our parents’ nerves. My dad pointed at my nose, his disappointment palpable. “Look what you’ve done! You’ve embarrassed us all!” Ignoring him, I quietly used my phone to cancel the orders for the car and the apartment down payment. My parents had paid the down payments for our future married life. But I didn’t need them anymore. Ryan’s mom gasped in horror and snatched my phone. “Sienna, are you trying to ruin us? Do you have no heart?” Ryan tried to calm his agitated mother, then turned red-rimmed eyes to me. “Sienna, it’s just a Santa hat. What’s the big deal?” I snorted. “Right. Just a Santa hat. So why can’t you just change it to make me happy?” “If you can’t even do that, what’s the point of marrying you?” My words seemed to stun him. It took him a moment to bow his head in a show of weakness. “Sienna, I’m sorry I upset you. I promise, after we’re married, you’ll be the boss. Okay?” This stalemate felt pointless. I called Willa again. “Did you get it? I can’t wait any longer.”

Willa sighed. “Stuck in traffic. Won’t be back for a while. What’s happening on your end?” I told her the truth. “I told him to change his profile picture or photoshop the same hat for me. He refuses.” Willa hung up without another word. Less than two minutes later, she sent me a picture. It was a photo of me, with an identical Santa hat photoshopped onto my head. Willa sounded furious over text. That bastard. He couldn’t spare two minutes. He’s definitely hiding something. I forwarded the picture to Ryan. “Willa managed to do this from the back of a cab. And you? You can’t even do this one small thing for me.” His mother glanced at my new profile picture and urged impatiently. “There. Picture’s changed. Can we get on with the engagement now?” Then she muttered under her breath, “Such a fuss over nothing. Spoiling her rotten.” My mom pulled my hand, urging me to apologize. “Look at this mess. Thank goodness Ryan is a good man and isn’t making a big deal.” “A woman doesn’t have many ten years to waste. Just take the win and move on.” I felt a pang of irony. Right. A woman doesn’t have many ten years. So should I spend them with a man who won’t even give me two minutes? Before I could reply, Ryan refused, looking horrified. “You can’t use that Santa hat from my picture!” My gaze sharpened, my tone turning brittle. “Why not?” Ryan’s eyes darted around. He stammered. “That hat… a colleague drew it for me. It’s her original design. If you use it, you might get sued for copyright infringement.” The crowd seemed to understand. “Must be a female colleague. Sienna’s jealous.” “But why be jealous over a hat? It’s almost Christmas, lots of young people put Santa hats on their pics.” “If a female colleague drew it, I get the jealousy. But calling off the engagement is too much. Sienna’s just being a spoiled, dramatic brat.” Ryan huffed and puffed, then sent me a new picture. “Here. I put a Santa hat on your picture too. Are you happy now?” I opened the image and zoomed in. It was clearly a cheap stock image he’d found online, slapped onto my carefully taken portrait. The hat looked tacky, making my lovely photo look garish and awful. My mom tried to smooth things over. “Alright, alright. The picture’s changed, problem solved. Let’s continue the engagement.” I looked up sharply, not backing down. “No. I want to call it off.” Just then, Willa called. “Babe! I got it! And guess what? None of the data was lost!” “Wait for me. I’m gonna slap that cheater’s face with the truth!”

Ryan’s mother finally snapped. She grabbed the collar of my dress. “Sienna! Enough is enough!” “You wanted the picture changed, now it’s changed, and you still want out? You think your family’s money makes you special? My son is an executive, lots of girls like him. He doesn’t need you!” I couldn’t help but let out a derisive laugh. An executive? Only because my parents had pulled strings behind the scenes to push him up the ladder. My attitude angered my dad. He gripped my shoulders hard, forcing me to bend over. “All these relatives and friends came today for your engagement, and you keep throwing a childish tantrum.” “Apologize to everyone. Now.” Ryan was quick to pull my dad’s hands away, speaking up for me anxiously. “Mr. Sterling, please don’t. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have used that picture and upset Sienna. Don’t blame her.” Ryan gently rubbed my sore shoulders, his eyes overflowing with a tenderness so thick it was almost tangible. “Sienna, does it hurt? I’m so sorry I made you jealous. I can explain.” The guests were visibly moved by Ryan’s actions. “Oh, Sienna hit the jackpot with a guy like Ryan. What more could she want?” “Some people just don’t know when they’re well off. Maybe Sienna’s just testing how much he loves her by making a scene. Poor Ryan has to put up with so much.” A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched Ryan’s lips. He showed me his phone’s chat screen. “Sienna, my colleague just likes to draw. For Christmas, she drew Santa hats for a few colleagues’ profile pictures. Mine included.” “She works in the same company. I see her every day. I couldn’t really refuse. It’s just a holiday trend.” Ryan’s mother shrilled at me. “Open your eyes and see! Ryan is popular with women. But he’d never do anything to hurt you. Stop trying to smear his name!” It was true. Ryan’s chat log with the person was perfectly normal. He had her saved as [Marketing – Chloe], and the conversations were all about work. Her profile picture was a selfie of a young, lively-looking girl with a similar Santa hat photoshopped on. Nothing unusual. The most recent messages showed Chloe sending Ryan a picture. [Wearing a Santa hat at Christmas brings good luck!] Ryan’s reply was perfectly proper, just two words. [Thanks.] It was so polite, so normal, it made me look like a paranoid, jealous mess. The parents at the main table saw the chat. My dad glared at me. “The misunderstanding about the picture is cleared up. Can we proceed now?” My reply was ironclad. “No. I want to call off the engagement.”

As soon as the words left my mouth, my dad’s palm connected with my cheek. His eyes were bloodshot, as if I were his enemy, not his daughter. “Sienna! Have we spoiled you so much that you have to throw a fit now, of all times?” “What other reason could you possibly have? You’d better explain yourself.” My mom looked like she was about to cry, pulling on my hand, pleading. “Sienna, please stop. Everyone can see how good Ryan is to you. What else could you possibly be unhappy about?” I pressed a hand to my burning cheek. My heart felt like a cold, dead stone. “I don’t love him anymore. That’s my reason. Is that good enough?” That made my dad even angrier. Without another word, he kicked me hard in the shin. If I hadn’t grabbed a chair, the pain would have sent me to my knees. There was something murderous in his eyes. “Listen to yourself! Ryan is a good man. He’s taken care of you meticulously for ten years.” “Even someone as hard-hearted as me was moved. We bought you a car, put a down payment on an apartment, all so you could marry him and have a good life.” “And you want to call it off because you ‘don’t love him’? I’ll beat some sense into you!” My dad raised his foot to kick me again. Ryan instinctively moved to shield me. “Mr. Sterling, please! It’s my fault. Don’t take it out on Sienna.” He lowered his voice, pleading with me. “Sienna, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.” “If you don’t like my picture, I’ll change it. If you’re upset I work late, I’ll take time off to be with you. Anything you want. Just… not calling off the engagement. We need to be together.” The guests murmured sympathetically. “Love? Who cares about love? Maybe Sienna’s found someone else and is using this as an excuse.” “Ryan is so devoted. Even after all this, he’s still protecting her.” All I felt was a wave of disgust at Ryan’s scent. I pushed him away. “Get off me. Don’t touch me.” Ryan finally broke. He looked like a child whose toy had been snatched, his voice choked with tears. “Sienna… do you hate me that much? Is it true, like they say? Is there someone else?” My dad shoved the shielding Ryan aside and roared. “Ryan, move! I don’t care if there’s another man! If she won’t go through with this engagement, I’ll beat her until she agrees!”

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Three days before I died, I gave my company to my adopted brother. I handed my wife over to him. I made my daughter change what she called him— right in front of me, she called him “Dad.” Everyone was satisfied. It wasn’t until after I was dead that they finally realized— I had left them nothing at all. Cancer in its final stage. The only chemotherapy opportunity that could save my life was snatched away by Chloe for Ethan, who was in the early stages of cancer. I gave up on the doctor’s life-saving plan and swallowed a powerful pain-blocking drug. The price was organ failure and death after three days. During these three days, I gave up everything. When I handed over all my hard-earned assets to Ethan, my parents smiled with satisfaction. When Chloe presented the divorce papers and I signed them without hesitation, she sighed and said I was being sensible. When I pushed Sophia to call Ethan “Dad”, she excitedly said Dad was the best. Even when I transferred all my property and assets to Ethan, They didn’t notice anything unusual, They just looked at me with contentment and said, “Our little Adrian has finally learned his lesson.” But I’m also curious, after I die, will they remember me? Under the doctor’s pitying gaze, I swallowed the pain-blocking drug. I had three days left until my death.

After taking the medicine, I went to Ethan’s hospital room. Inside, Dad was peeling an orange for Ethan, while Mom was chatting with him. When they saw me enter, the smiles on my parents’ faces instantly turned cold. “What, done pretending to be sick and here to cause trouble for Ethan again? Adrian, I’m telling you, as long as we’re here, don’t even think about bullying Ethan!” Dad said to me, his tone icy. “Our family has always been strict with discipline. I don’t know where you learned to be so wicked, jealous of Ethan and even trying to steal his chemotherapy opportunity,” Mom scolded, pointing at me. “If I had known, I shouldn’t have given birth to you in the first place!” In a corner out of my parents’ sight, Ethan smiled at me, his eyes full of provocation. I lowered my gaze. I had heard these words from my parents countless times before. In the past, I would have argued with them and exposed Ethan’s fake persona in public, Even though my parents never believed a single word I said. But now I was tired, too exhausted to fight anymore. “Well, it’s good that you’re here. I have something to discuss with you,” Dad spoke up. I smiled faintly, “Dad, I have something to tell you too.” “Ethan wants my store business and company, right? I’ve thought it over. He can have it all!” Dad was stunned for a moment, and Mom looked at me with surprise. “How did you know I was going to talk to you about this today? You agree?” I forced a smile. No wonder they were surprised and kept confirming. Ethan had wanted my stores and company for a long time. My parents had said all kinds of things, good and bad, to try to get me to hand over my hard-earned business to Ethan, But I had never given in. Now, as a dying man, these things meant nothing to me anymore. Seeing my serious expression, Mom finally smiled with relief and stepped forward to pat my head. “You’ve finally come to your senses!” “Ethan has always been more excellent than you since school. Even though he’s sick now, his financial management skills are better than yours,” “We feel at ease letting him manage your stores and company,” I forced a smile and handed the transfer agreement to Ethan. After seeing Ethan sign it, my parents happily held my hands, calling me a good child over and over. A hint of mockery arose in my heart. How ironic. Only when I gave in to Ethan would Mom smile at me. But I was also curious, If Mom discovered Ethan’s true face and found out about my death afterwards, Would she and Dad regret it?

In the evening, I returned home. I saw my wife Chloe and daughter Sophia cooking in the kitchen. Perhaps because of my late-stage cancer, I closed the door quietly. The mother and daughter seemed not to hear me as they laughed while cooking. Chloe turned around with the dish and saw me. Her smile froze for a moment before returning to normal. “Adrian, when did you get back? I didn’t hear anything.” I silently looked at the dish in Chloe’s hand – stir-fried vegetables, Ethan’s favorite. Judging by its appearance, it looked as good as a professional chef’s work. It’s quite ironic. I was about to die, And only now did I learn that Chloe, who had lived with me for 5 years, could cook. In the past, she always complained about my cooking. Under Chloe’s “influence”, Sophia gradually started to look down on me too. I worked hard for this family, but in the end, I didn’t win any respect. If it were before, I might have started ranting hysterically, But now I just calmly walked past them and sat on the sofa, sorting through the things in my bag. Seeing my silence, Chloe hesitated for a moment. After putting the dish on the table, she came over. “Adrian, I have something I want to discuss with you today.” Chloe bit her lip somewhat unnaturally, hesitated for a moment, but still spoke up: “It’s about your brother Ethan.” My heart sank, and a not-so-good thought suddenly came to mind. The next second, Chloe’s words left me stunned: “After Ethan’s cancer chemotherapy surgery, he’s been very depressed. So your parents want me to marry Ethan, to cheer him up,” My ears were ringing. It took a long time before I found my voice again. “So, you agreed?” Chloe sighed, “Adrian, although Ethan isn’t your biological brother, he’s still family after your parents adopted him,” “Besides, it’s just to cheer him up. Once Ethan is discharged from the hospital, I’ll still be your wife, Sophia’s mom.” Before I could speak, Sophia chimed in: “That’s right, Dad. Uncle Ethan has been feeling really down lately. You should try to understand him!” I silently looked at the mother and daughter in front of me. This was the woman I had loved for years. This was the child I had raised with great effort. I asked myself, I had never done anything wrong. To my family, wife, and child, I had always been conscientious. In the end, what I got was their betrayal. But it doesn’t matter now. If Ethan wants everything, I’ll give it all to him. All of it, I don’t want any of it anymore. I looked up at Chloe, “Alright, I agree!” Chloe’s eyes flashed with surprise, “Really?” She quickly took out divorce papers from the drawer and put them on the table. I smiled bitterly. Chloe, oh Chloe, you can’t even hide your eagerness? I picked up the pen and quickly signed the papers. After signing, Chloe’s face was full of relief, her expression solemn and affectionate. “Adrian, after Ethan is discharged, we’ll remarry. Don’t worry, I’ll never let you down!” After saying this, Chloe also signed the divorce papers. After signing, She looked at me and sighed, “Adrian, you’ve become much more reasonable than before. I’ve made mistakes in the past too, I was wrong,” “After Ethan gets better, Sophia and I will come back to take care of you!” “That’s right, Dad!” Sophia also spoke up like a little adult, “Dad is so good to Uncle Ethan, I’m proud of you!” Looking at them, my heart turned to ashes. Before this, I had held onto a last glimmer of hope for Chloe and Sophia. But now… Forget it. Apart from death, I have no expectations left. I stood up, intending to go around them and return to my room to rest. A strong wave of dizziness hit me, and I couldn’t help but faint. In the moment before everything went black, I saw Chloe’s anxious face.

I was awakened by a chill. When I opened my eyes, I found myself still lying on the floor. Looking at Chloe and Sophia again, both mother and daughter were looking at me with disappointed expressions. “Mom, I told you, Dad was faking it again!” Sophia said. “Dad, can you stop being so childish? You’re really holding us up from visiting Uncle Ethan at the hospital!” Faking it? At this moment, Chloe also spoke with disappointment: “Adrian, can you stop making a scene?” “I’ve told you, even though we’re divorced, I still love you. You don’t need to use such childish tricks like pretending to faint to test me!” After hearing Chloe’s words, I finally understood. The pain-blocking drug I took could shield me from all illness and pain for these 3 days. During this time, I would look like a normal person, with complexion no different from others. But the side effects were severe. After 3 days, I would die from organ failure. It seems this drug is really effective. I struggled to stand up, “It might be low blood sugar, it’s nothing. I’ll go to the hospital with you.” “There are some transfer procedures that still need Ethan’s signature.” Chloe nodded. There was no surprise on her face. It seems my parents must have told her in advance. After arriving at the hospital, Ethan was watching TV in the ward. “Adrian, you’re here!” Ethan’s face was still very pale, But his spirits were clearly much better. However, I didn’t miss the smugness and arrogance in his eyes. “Adrian, thank you for trusting me and letting me manage your business. Don’t worry, I won’t let you down!” “That’s right, Adrian. Letting Ethan manage your stores and company is great. You can stay at home and enjoy the dividends every day!” Mom said with a smile. I took out the remaining paperwork from my bag. “In that case, let him manage all my assets too,” “This way I won’t have to worry about anything in the future.” Everyone in the ward was stunned. “Adrian, are you serious? You want to give all your assets to Ethan?” Chloe grabbed my arm, her eyes full of surprise. This time, it was my turn to be confused. In the past, they always sided with Ethan, giving him whatever he wanted. If I didn’t agree, they would scold me endlessly. How come now that I’m giving everything to Ethan, They don’t understand? Dad was the first to come to his senses, his eyes full of satisfaction, “This child has finally learned his lesson, he’s grown up! Our efforts in raising you weren’t in vain!” “Adrian, you’ve learned to accept your brother now, that’s a good thing!” “From now on, you two live well together, and we can rest easy even when we’re old!” Rest easy? Dad, Mom, you’ve been fooled by Ethan’s fake persona for too many years. Do you really believe Ethan will manage everything well for me? My head started spinning again, and my nose felt itchy. I touched it and realized it was a nosebleed. “Adrian, why are you having a nosebleed? The weather isn’t even dry lately?” Mom asked at this moment. My hand paused as I wiped the blood. I couldn’t help but look at them and speak: “Dad, Mom, if one day I really die from illness, would you regret it?” But Mom’s expression didn’t change at all, she just smiled and glanced at me, “Your complexion looks so good, how could you possibly die from illness? Stop saying such unlucky things!” “Yes, Ethan is different. When he gets better, we need to make sure he eats well to recover!” Dad said while looking at Ethan with concern. “I think so too!” Sophia chimed in, “Dad is very healthy, Uncle Ethan is the one we’re most worried about!” The last glimmer of hope in my heart disappeared completely. I have nothing left to look forward to… I looked down at Sophia and smiled, “Sophia, didn’t you always want your Uncle Ethan to be your real dad?” “I agree now. Ethan is your dad now, why don’t you call him Dad?” Sophia’s eyes lit up with joy, “Really?!” I smiled faintly, “After you call him Dad, you can always eat the food he cooks and have him accompany you from now on!” “This has always been your wish, are you happy?” Sophia jumped up excitedly, “That’s great! Dad is the best in the world! Thank you, Dad!” After saying this, Sophia let go of my hand and hugged Ethan. My parents and Chloe watched this scene with satisfaction. I turned to leave, looking back at them one last time. My parents were playing with Sophia together with Ethan, while Chloe stood by with a smile on her face. No one noticed me. I closed the door of the ward and left the hospital.

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On the packed Amtrak train home for Christmas, a spoiled kid was in my seat. He kicked my seatback and stole my food, while his mother pointed at me and sneered, “You’re an adult. Why are you arguing with a child?” Later, she doctored a clip of me, twisted the story, and sent her followers to cyberbully me— then demanded $300,000 in “emotional damages.” She thought I was just an easy target, an ordinary corporate drone. She didn’t know— the one thing I’m best at is sending people exactly where they belong. “Excuse me, this is my seat. Could you please have your child move?” Looking at the kid bouncing on my Amtrak coach seat, I triple-checked my ticket just to make sure I wasn’t in the wrong car. Work in Silicon Valley had been insane, and I hadn’t made it home for the holidays in three years. This year, I finally snagged a ticket after a last-minute cancellation, and I was all smiles, chatting with Mom and Dad on the phone before boarding. But that smile didn’t last ten minutes before it was wiped clean off my face. I glanced around, but no one seemed to claim the kid. “Hey! Who are you? What do you think you’re doing touching my kid?!” I was just about to guide the kid’s arm, but my hand froze mid-air. I looked at the woman sitting right behind my seat. Just a moment ago, when I’d asked around, she’d been loudly munching on chips without a care. Now, suddenly, she was a fiercely protective mama bear. The kid in the seat showed no sign of fear. Instead, his eyes darted around, fast and calculating. I’m not usually judgmental, but he didn’t look like an innocent child at all. His eyes screamed ‘trouble,’ like he was already plotting something. Being able to go home for Christmas had put me in a great mood. I just pointed at the kid’s mother, not wanting to argue any further. But she wasn’t having it. “What kind of girl are you? You look so young, yet you’re trying to hit my son!” “He’s just a kid, he doesn’t know any better! Besides, it’s not your seat, is it? When you take public transport, you can’t be so picky!” Hearing that, I sized her up. “Oh, so your son gets to act like that because he’s young? Sounds like he’s pretty wild and untamed.” It took her a moment to catch my meaning. She started flailing her arms, ready to grab me, just as the Amtrak conductor came by to check tickets. She huffed and grudgingly sat down, shooting me a dirty look. Someone glaring at me isn’t going to make me lose a piece of myself. Years of corporate life had forged in me an ironclad patience. My home is clear across the country from where I work. By plane, I could be home in two hours, but of course, with the holiday storm cancellations, I couldn’t get a flight. This train ride would take me an entire day to get home. I’d barely been seated for ten minutes when my seatback started vibrating like it had an angry massage chair built into it. Kick after kick, with a relentless rhythm. I gritted my teeth, turned around, and tried to talk to the woman. “Can you please control your child? He’s constantly kicking my seatback, can’t you see that?” The woman looked up, gave me a quick glance, then went back to filming her kid on her phone. “Aww, Jaxie’s such a good boy! So full of energy!” “It’s all thanks to the organic superfood blends Jaxie’s been taking! Otherwise, where would he get all that vitality?!” Cheered on by his mom’s praise, Jax kicked even harder. He was having a blast, but I was the one suffering. “Are you going to control him or not?! If you can’t, then don’t bring him out in public!” With that, I reached out and firmly grabbed the kid’s raised leg. That finally got his mom to stop pretending to be deaf.

“Honestly, I have to say, you young girls have zero tolerance these days, don’t you?” “Energetic kids are healthy kids. You just don’t understand a mother’s heart.” “And besides, he’s so small. What’s the big deal if he kicks a few times?” I looked at Jax, sitting on the seat, his neck stiff as he glared back at me. Calling him a little Michelin Man wouldn’t be an exaggeration. “You’re saying it’s no big deal if your little Michelin Man kicks a few times? Then why don’t you switch seats and let him kick your seatback?!” As soon as that came out, some people sitting nearby couldn’t hold back their laughter. Jax’s mom, hearing her pride and joy insulted, finally snapped. “You have such a vicious mouth for someone so young! This is called a solid, healthy build, don’t you know?!” Whether he had a ‘solid build’ or not, I didn’t care to explore. Right now, this whole family just seemed… off. Especially when I heard her next line: “He’s just a child, you’re an adult, don’t stoop to his level. It’s so undignified.” “If you can’t sit there, just move.” My fists clenched. I decided the most infuriating people in the world weren’t my bosses anymore; it was these two. With this mother-son duo behind me, no one wanted to switch to my seat. I pulled out $200 in cash. The person behind her went from unwilling to swiftly moving themselves and their luggage. Jax’s mom continued to record her precious Jax on her phone, the camera briefly sweeping past my face. This time, her words were clearly aimed at me. I adjusted my posture, then started kicking my own seatback hard, making her seat shake. Before I even got to the third kick, she couldn’t take it anymore. She put her hand on the seatback and stood up, looking at me. “Are you crazy?! Don’t you know there’s someone behind you?! What are you kicking for?!” I looked up at her, but my leg didn’t stop. “Oh, Ma’am, you look older than me. Why are you being so mean to me?” “Compared to you, I’m just a kid. Don’t argue with me.” After saying that, I extended my leg to her son’s seat as well, kicking both seatbacks rhythmically and forcefully. Soon, Jax’s cries filled the air. His mom, whose name I’d later learn was Brenda, had no time to scold me; she turned to comfort her precious Jax. The conductor heard the noise and came over. Seeing it was us two again, he frowned. After learning what happened, the conductor warned Brenda. With the warning, Brenda, however unwilling, quieted down with Jax in her arms.

Since the journey was long, I took out the instant noodles I’d prepared. When I came back from the snack car, I found the contents of my backpack scattered everywhere near my seat. Suppressing my anger, I scanned the area. The guy next to me subtly gestured for me to look ahead. Jax was holding a snack and eating it, while Brenda was still on her phone, documenting their wonderful life. My backpack was full of snacks, so I’d just placed it on the overhead rack. Who would have thought that while I was just getting hot water, someone would go through my bag? “You two went through my bag, didn’t you?” Jax shoved the small, freshly opened bag of gourmet popcorn in his hand into his mouth in two bites. I watched as he almost choked. Brenda blew up first: “What are you talking about?! Who would bother going through your bag?! Don’t you dare falsely accuse good people!” As she spoke, she kicked some trash on the floor further forward. I suddenly laughed out loud and leaned closer to her little Michelin Man. “Let me tell you a story, little boy.” “Once upon a time, there was a kid who always stole other people’s food. And one day, guess what happened?” Jax looked at me curiously. “That kid died! He died a horrible, horrible death. His stomach burst open, and his intestines spilled out everywhere!” WAAAH! Jax started screaming again, crying and clinging to Brenda. He kept yelling that he was going to die, and no matter how Brenda tried to soothe him, he wouldn’t calm down. When the conductor came for the third time, he had no smile on his face. I quickly sat back down. “She scared my child!” Meeting the conductor’s gaze, I picked up my bag. “I haven’t even called the Amtrak police yet. My bag was rummaged through, and all I did was tell her child a story.” Everyone around us was craning their necks to watch. We were both escorted to a quiet compartment to speak with the Amtrak police. Brenda immediately started yelling, accusing me loudly and demanding justice. “You’re just bullying a struggling single mom and her kid! She’s been targeting me since we got on the train! Now she’s slandering my child, saying he stole her things!” I raised an eyebrow. “When did I say your child took anything? Aren’t you confessing without being asked?” Jax still looked dazed, making me wonder if there was something actually wrong with the kid. Lost items on a train weren’t just a simple disagreement, so the officers took it more seriously. I rummaged through my backpack. “Some snacks are missing, and $500 cash is gone too.” “$500 is enough to press charges, isn’t it?” I looked at Brenda’s changing expression and gave a slight smile. “I’m not great with the law, so I’m not sure about the specifics, but I guess you won’t be celebrating Christmas.” The officers conferred for a moment and asked if I wanted to file a report. I pretended to think, looking at Brenda. “Well, it’s not out of the question. No one touched my bag besides me. I think checking for fingerprints would be straightforward.” “Wait a minute!” All of us turned our attention to Brenda. “Jax might have looked in your bag, but we didn’t see any money in there!” “My kid is just little, he saw you taking snacks out of your bag and wanted some! Who knew you’d be so stingy?!” “How much can one child even eat?” I looked at the officers. “Oh, I suddenly remembered, the cash was in my coat pocket. But I can still claim compensation for my snacks, right?” The officer nodded. Brenda, hearing it was just snack money, looked scornful. “It’s just a few snacks, why are you so picky? Give me your Venmo, I’ll send you $50, that should be more than enough!” “It’s $500 in total.” Brenda’s hand froze, then she roared, “Are you crazy?! He only took a few things! How is it $500?!” I pulled a receipt from my pocket. “They’re all imported, boutique snacks. Check for yourself. The retail value is $500, if not more. Otherwise, I’ll file the official report.” When I returned to my seat, Brenda looked like a deflated balloon. I looked at the fresh $500 transfer notification on my phone, secretly pleased. Although dealing with that mother and son was torturous, I considered it a profit. Those snacks were samples from my company’s overseas gourmet line. As an employee, I got them for free. The receipt, however, reflected the full retail price. The rest of the journey was smooth. Jax, perhaps tired from playing, quieted down and didn’t cause any more trouble. It was still eight hours until I got home, and my back and legs ached from sitting in the coach seat. Hearing that two roomettes had opened up, I quickly grabbed my luggage and went to find the conductor to upgrade. It wasn’t until I lay down on the narrow bed that I felt my back and legs come alive again. Even better, I was far away from those two.

The further north the train went, the more people got off. Eventually, I was the only one left in my roomette. I had been working overtime until late last night to get home, and my eyelids were already heavy. Just as I was drifting off to sleep, I vaguely heard a commotion outside. I rolled over, not thinking much of it. With so many people on the train, arguments were bound to happen. After all, I had just had one myself. The commotion grew closer, and the voices became increasingly familiar. “Come on, Jaxie, stick with Mommy. Don’t mind them. She just got her skirt accidentally lifted, what a sensitive little thing.” The voices conveniently stopped right outside my roomette door. I slid the door open, and Brenda and I stared each other down. Seriously, why did this woman feel like a bad penny that just wouldn’t go away? My fancy organic cucumber snack was still on the small table nearby, and Jax reached out to grab it. “This cucumber is expensive, you know? From a specialty farmer’s market. Do you really want to eat it?” Jax’s outstretched hand was quickly slapped down by Brenda. “Don’t eat her stuff. It’s probably stale. Mommy will buy you something delicious when we get home.” “Some people just like to hoard their things like treasures, don’t they? Hope you don’t choke on it.” Listening to Brenda’s taunts, I picked up the cucumber and took a bite. “Some people might not have any manners, but they sure have a lot to say.” “I used to hear that you could tell if someone was lacking in the common sense department just by looking at them, and I never believed it. Today, I realize it’s true.” Brenda’s eyebrows shot up, and she opened her mouth, ready to unleash a torrent of curses. I narrowed my eyes. “This roomette has a door. That’s nice. If I lock it, nobody would know if someone had a little… accident, right?” She looked at our respective sizes, snorted, and then climbed onto her upper bunk with Jax. Even with my noise-canceling earbuds in, I could still hear Jax’s racket. I opened my eyes and, good heavens, he was wearing his shoes and stomping all over the bed again. The previously clean sheets and blanket were now covered in black footprints. When the conductor came in and saw the scene, I clearly saw him take a deep breath. I asked if I could switch roomettes. “I’m very sorry, ma’am, but this is the last available sleeper accommodation on the train right now.” Desperate times call for desperate measures. This time, when I left to use the restroom, I made sure to take my backpack with me. Jax was clamoring for instant noodles, and Brenda, with no other choice, had to buy a cup from the café car for her precious boy. After I’d happily taken care of business, I hadn’t even reached my compartment when I saw two people standing by the door, pointing and talking about something inside. An uneasy feeling crept up on me. As I walked in, I saw that little Michelin Man causing trouble again. My bunk was now covered in instant noodle soup. That little Michelin Man was reaching into the noodle cup, pulling out strands, and flinging them onto the wall. And to top it all off, my prized down jacket was on the bed.

Seeing me return, he darted away quickly, immediately throwing the noodle cup on the floor and scrambling up to the top bunk. I gritted my teeth and slammed the compartment door shut. Brenda was on the top bunk, headphones on, seemingly busy with something on her phone. I wasn’t sure if she couldn’t hear her child or just chose to ignore him. Either way, my loud door slam finally got her to move. “What’s your problem? Why are you slamming the door so hard?! What’s gotten into you now?!” I took a deep breath first. “Take a look at what your son did. You’re paying for this.” I held up my down jacket, stained with oily broth. “What does this have to do with me? Why should I pay? Didn’t I just give you $500? Are you out of your mind from being broke?!” I reached out and grabbed Jax’s ankle. With a forceful tug, he slid right off the ladder. This time, Brenda couldn’t stay put. She instantly sat upright and then jumped down from the upper bunk. “What are you doing hitting my child?! I’m telling you, if anything happens to him, I’ll sue you until you’re bankrupt!” I looked at her unreasonable, nagging demeanor and felt disgusted to my core. “Your son poured noodle soup all over my down jacket and my bed. I’m saying it again: pay for the damages.” Brenda snatched her son from my hands. “It’s not like he poured it on your bed at home. The staff will clean it.” “Besides, you can just take that jacket home and wash it, can’t you? Haven’t you ever spilled anything?!” “If you keep being so unreasonable, don’t blame me for getting nasty.” I picked up the noodle cup from the floor. “So, you’re saying that because he’s young, this kind of behavior is forgivable?” Then, before she could react, I flung the tepid instant noodle soup directly at both of them. Brenda’s face and hair were instantly covered, while Jax, being shorter, only got some on his clothes. A shrill shriek was about to erupt, but I swiftly crumpled the empty instant noodle cup and stuffed it into Brenda’s open mouth. She sounded like a duck whose neck was squeezed, her voice getting cut off. I then pushed Jax’s head down and, with one hand, grabbed a clump of noodles from the floor, stuffing them into his mouth. Perhaps out of fear, he opened his mouth wide to cry, which conveniently made it easier for me to stuff the noodles in. Brenda wiped her face and charged at me, trying to rescue Jax, but I smeared another handful of noodles onto her face. “AHHHH! You little b! Do you have a death wish?!” She lunged at me viciously, her hand flying up to slap me. Instinctively, I held Jax up between us. I heard a loud SMACK, and Jax’s cries became utterly uncontrollable. “Mommy hit me! Waaah! Mommy’s a bad person!!” I looked at Jax’s face and couldn’t help but marvel internally: even though Brenda looked small, she had quite a swing. Jax’s right cheek was now completely red and swelling. From crying, noodle bits were even spurting out of his nostrils. While Brenda was busy cradling and comforting Jax, I took both their winter coats from the hook and used them to wipe the worst of the mess on my bed and the floor. The Amtrak police, arriving with the conductor and seeing the chaotic mess in the roomette, gasped. The onlookers gathered at the door also had their eyes wide open. Brenda sat on the floor, holding Jax, and started wailing. I assessed the situation; it really looked like I was bullying them. This kind of “vulnerable” scenario was definitely not in my favor, so before the officers could even speak, I directly lay down on the floor.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “324454”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic #重生Reborn #校园School #励志Inspiring

My twin sister was always the “good one.” I was the failure. That’s what everyone believed. They never knew she was the one who dragged me to gaming lounges, then slipped away to study in secret. She told me grades didn’t matter, only connections—while quietly stealing every opportunity I built. In my last life, I died in childbirth. At my funeral, she cried the loudest and said, “She was smart. She just didn’t work hard enough.” This time, I’m back—six months before the SAT. I opened my eyes. I was back at the Nexus Gaming Lounge, locked in an intense gaming session with my team. I shook my drowsy head, grabbed my grimy backpack, and sprinted home. At home, Chloe was furiously scribbling notes under her desk lamp. Seeing me, she quickly stashed her study sheets. “Zoe, why are you back? Now your team is one short. How will they win without you?” It was always Chloe who dragged me to the lounge. Then, she’d yawn, fake being tired, and sneak off to study at home. I grabbed my untouched SAT prep books and taped my target, “Stanford,” on the wall. Chloe’s face darkened with rage. “You? Stanford? Who do you think you are?” Not only would I aim for Stanford, but I’d show her that natural talent could never be surpassed by hard work. The smoky, sweat-filled air of the Nexus Lounge lingered in my memory as my teammates shouted obscenities after a loss. It hit me—I’d been reborn. I was back at seventeen, just one month before the first major SAT practice test. I didn’t care about the commotion I left behind. Grabbing my filthy bag, I bolted. “Zoe, you promised to carry us to diamond rank!” they yelled after me, but I didn’t turn back. My future mattered more than their fleeting victories. When I got home, it was 1 a.m. Chloe’s light was still on, her silhouette reflected in the window. Her pen raced across the paper. I barged into her room. Chloe jumped, hastily shoving her study guide under a textbook. Smirking, I recorded her with my phone. “You said you were too tired to study. So why are you still up?” I yawned. Feigning nonchalance, she replied, “Oh, I woke up to use the bathroom and realized my backpack wasn’t packed. I’m just fixing it before going to bed.” Chloe turned off her lamp. I returned to my room, flicked on a desk light I hadn’t used in ages, and opened my blank prep books. In my past life, I barely scraped into high school by cramming during my final weeks of middle school. Chloe, meanwhile, convinced me that being friends with the “cool kids” mattered more than grades. The school’s “donation-based” Honors Track was filled with rich kids who slacked off but got in through connections. I believed Chloe and started skipping classes to hang out with them at Nexus Lounge. We measured status by gaming prowess, and I became the best of them. But I hadn’t realized they were all wealthy. By senior year, they transferred to elite private schools or left for boarding schools overseas, ready to inherit family businesses. My parents, though, were just regular workers. Without good grades, I had no future except the local factories. At Midwest Automotive, Tyler—a worker with bleached blond hair—took an interest in me. I mentioned it to Chloe, who cheered me on. “True love is priceless,” she said. “If Tyler loves you, that’s all that matters. Love conquers all.” I believed her. Tyler and I moved in together, had a baby without a wedding, and barely signed the marriage certificate. Once married, Tyler started beating me. Drunk, he’d mock me. “You and Chloe came from the same parents. Why is she so brilliant while you’re as dumb as a rock?” I cried bitterly, wondering where I had gone wrong. I used to be the smartest one—the girl who could solve problems at a glance, memorize pages instantly. My middle school teachers couldn’t believe I had failed my SATs.

My tragic fate culminated in a difficult labor. Tyler refused a C-section, resulting in both my baby and me dying. On my deathbed, I called Chloe endlessly, but she claimed she was too busy. The moment I passed, she showed up. At my funeral, people shook their heads, saying, “How did such a bright girl end up like this?” Chloe put on a show of grief. “Zoe was so smart but wasted her potential. Her downfall was her own fault. Unlike me, I worked hard and changed my fate through perseverance.” Once everyone left, Chloe gloated over her victory. Turns out, Chloe had always been jealous of me. As a child, I was the center of our parents’ attention. Her envy consumed her. She manipulated my trust and orchestrated my downfall. This time, I wouldn’t fall for her tricks. I wrote “I will get into Stanford” in bold letters and taped it above my desk. Opening my freshman-year textbooks, I started from the first page. By 3 a.m., I’d finished two books, every concept burned into my memory. I caught two hours of sleep before heading to school at dawn. By the time my classmates arrived, I’d already memorized both volumes of freshman English vocabulary. “Zoe Miller’s actually studying? That’s a first!” “Only six months until the SATs. Even if she tries, the best she can hope for is community college.” “With her grades? A state school’s out of reach. She’ll end up in some overpriced for-profit college at best.” I ignored the chatter. My scores would do the talking. Chloe showed up late as usual, barely beating the bell. “Zoe, why didn’t you wake me up this morning?” she complained. “I’ll be at school by 5 a.m. from now on. Set your own alarm if you want to join me.” Chloe looked puzzled. “Why would you get here so early? You don’t even study.” From behind me, Ethan chimed in. “Your sister’s been up since dawn memorizing vocab. She’s already gone through two books. Something’s seriously up with her.” Chloe froze, then exploded, “Zoe, we’re just here to get a degree. After we graduate, we’ll both head to Midwest Automotive. I’ve heard top workers make good money there—over $4,000 a month!” I pulled out my phone and played the video I’d recorded. “If the factory’s so great, why are you sneaking in late-night study sessions?” Chloe’s face went pale. Ethan grabbed my phone and barked, “Chloe Miller! No wonder you always ditch our games midway. You’ve been secretly studying all this time!” “All that effort, and you still only scored in the 400s? Guess your brain’s not built for this.” Chloe flushed with rage. She opened her notebook and tried memorizing vocab, but after ten repetitions, she still couldn’t get it. After school, I still went with the rich kids to the Nexus Lounge. I wasn’t about to cut ties with them. Someday, they’d be valuable connections. In my past life, Chloe snatched up all the relationships I’d worked so hard to cultivate. This time, that wasn’t happening.

After leading my team to five straight wins, I rushed home. When I walked in, my parents immediately went on the offensive. “Well, look who decided to come home early! Didn’t you say you’d rather die at Nexus Lounge than come back here?” “Why don’t you just stay there forever? Let’s see what kind of SAT scores you’ll pull off.” In my last life, my parents had tried everything to get me to study, but I blindly believed Chloe’s lies and rebelled. Eventually, they gave up on me, only making sure I wasn’t starving but otherwise washing their hands of me. After my death, though, they mourned for a long time. My mom was hospitalized from the grief. I dropped to my knees with a thud. “Mom, Dad, I’m sorry. I was so stupid before. I’ll study hard and get into a good college—I swear!” My mom turned to look at me, stunned. Then she quickly wiped her tears, pretending she wasn’t crying. My dad helped me up immediately. “It’s alright. You finally understand. I always knew you weren’t a bad kid at heart. There’s not much time left, but give it your all. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll figure something out—even if it means taking a gap year.” I nodded firmly. “Don’t worry. I’ll get in on the first try. I’m aiming for Stanford!” Chloe stepped out of her room holding her notebook. “Zoe, why are you back? Weren’t you gaming with Ethan and the others at Nexus?” She walked up to me, fake innocence dripping from her expression, before dramatically pinching her nose. “Eww, Zoe, you reek of cigarettes! The smell is unbearable!” My mom leaned in, sniffed, and instantly slapped me across the face. “I knew it! You can’t change your ways, can you? Lying about studying, coming home stinking of smoke. With grades like yours, scoring in the 200s on the SAT, and skipping class to play games, if you can get into Stanford, then pigs might fly!” Disappointed, my dad sighed and followed my mom back to their room. Alone with me, Chloe dropped her mask. “Zoe, stop wasting your time. Six months isn’t enough for you to surpass me. I’ve been holding back; I’m not just a 400-range scorer.” I laughed coldly and walked to my room. Words wouldn’t convince anyone—I’d let my results speak for themselves. Weekly tests rolled around, and while I showed improvement, my scores were still far from good. Chloe, on the other hand, dropped her façade and performed at her real level—second in the class and tenth in the grade. The homeroom teacher praised me, saying I had a shot at getting into a state college. I glanced at Chloe’s test papers. She hadn’t solved the hardest questions. Her brain just wasn’t built for it. Chloe shoved her paper in front of me, pointing at her scores. “Zoe, look! I got a near-perfect score in English and 1290 on the practice SAT. What about you?” She pretended to examine my scores. “Wow, a 590 in math? So close! If the test was out of 800, you’d be just okay. Too bad it’s out of 1600, and you’re way below average.” “Oh, and you’re so much better in reading and writing—600 in English! Your verbal scores definitely beat your math!” Ethan tried to console me. “Zoe, maybe studying isn’t your thing. You’ve stopped pulling all-nighters with us at Nexus. Without you, we’re losing ranks like crazy!” Chloe jumped in with fake scolding. “Ethan, don’t say that about my sister. She’s aiming for Stanford!” The whole class erupted in laughter. “Seriously? Zoe Miller, the future Stanford scholar?” “With a total score under 1000, she thinks she can get into Stanford? That’s hilarious!” “She must think she owns Stanford and can just waltz in whenever she wants.” Ignoring them, I pulled out a SAT prep workbook and got back to solving problems. Suddenly, my homeroom teacher, Mr. Davis, barged into the classroom, waving a stack of scratch paper. “Zoe, is this yours?” I nodded, confused. To my surprise, Mr. Davis hugged me. “You’re a genius, Zoe! An absolute genius!” “The principal always says I can’t teach beyond General Track students. But here I am, proving him wrong—teaching a future Stanford student!” Chloe froze in shock. “Mr. Davis, my sister’s scores improved, sure, but she’s still under 1000. How could she possibly get into Stanford?” Mr. Davis patted my shoulder proudly. “She’ll make it. Zoe is the smartest student I’ve ever taught.” Ethan muttered, “Is Mr. Davis losing it?” Mock exam results came out, and the school rankings were posted in the hallway. Chloe ranked 20th in the grade. I placed 98th. Chloe immediately seized the chance to mock me. “Wow, Zoe! You’ve improved so much—up to 98th! Stanford is just around the corner!” Laughter echoed through the halls. The grade director, who had been watching, muttered, “Zoe Miller could be ranked first in the grade.” Chloe’s face twisted in anger. “Zoe’s scores are pathetic. Why does everyone believe in her? There’s no way she can go from a 200-range to 1500+ in six months!” Leaning close, I whispered, “Want to know why everyone believes I can make it to Stanford?” I spread out my test papers and answer sheets in front of her. Chloe’s eyes widened as she scanned them. “This can’t be real!” “It’s impossible! You must have cheated! I’m reporting you!” My answer sheet was a masterpiece. I’d ignored all the simple, basic questions but solved every difficult one, using elegant shortcuts. Chloe had only answered half of the questions I had—and she’d gotten some wrong. Grabbing my papers, she stormed into the principal’s office, bursting in without knocking. “Principal Wilson, I’m here to report Zoe Miller from 11-B for cheating on the mock exam!” Inside, the principal sat with several teachers, analyzing my test papers. Seeing us, Dr. Wilson gestured for me to join them. “Perfect timing, Zoe. We were just discussing your results. Can you explain why you left all the easy questions blank but solved the hardest ones so well?” “I didn’t want to discourage my peers. If I went all out from the start, my scores would be too intimidating. I’ll save my best performance for the final mock and the SATs.” I glanced at Chloe, whose face darkened. Mr. Davis laughed. “Exactly as I thought! Zoe’s strategy is brilliant.” Dr. Wilson made an immediate decision. “Both Zoe and Chloe are being transferred to the Honors Track.” I refused the transfer—it didn’t matter where I studied. Chloe, however, declined for one reason: she needed to stay close to sabotage me. After school, Chloe gathered Ethan and some others to corner me. “Zoe, let’s do an all-nighter at Nexus tonight. I’ve got a big promotion match.” I agreed, leading them to five more wins before heading home. Just as I was leaving, a man, at least seven or eight years older than me, leaned over from behind and wrapped his arms around me. “Your moves are sloppy. Let me teach you.” The stink of body odor and cheap cologne made me gag as I slipped away. “Who the hell are you?” Chloe stepped forward. “Zoe, this is Ricky, the most powerful man around here. With him protecting you, no one would dare mess with you.” Ricky lit a cigarette, blowing smoke rings as if he were the star of some cheesy movie. “Zoe Miller, I like you. You’re my girlfriend now. Let’s go.” Chloe shoved my bag at me, grinning. “You’re so lucky, Zoe. I’ll cover for you with Mom and Dad.” Ricky reached for me, but I darted away. “Don’t touch me.” Ricky grinned, revealing yellowed teeth. “Quit playing hard to get. Your sister says you throw yourself at men all the time.” Ethan stepped between us, pulling me behind him. “I don’t care who you think you are, Ricky. Back off. Lay a finger on Zoe, and I’ll end you.” Ricky, furious at being challenged, lunged at Ethan, who held his ground.

The fight landed us all at the Midtown Police Precinct. Ethan sported a few bruises, but Ricky looked worse—his nose broken as he whined to the officers. When my parents arrived, they were livid. “You’re not only ruining yourself, Zoe, but dragging Chloe down with you. How many times do I have to tell you to stop being a bad influence?” My mom tried to slap me again, but an officer stopped her. “Mrs. Miller, please calm down. Things aren’t what they seem.” Before the officer could explain, Chloe burst into tears. “Mom, I’ve been trying so hard to help Zoe. She’s improved her scores recently, so I thought if I kept her away from gaming, she could do even better. I saw her at Nexus again tonight and tried to bring her home, but then she got involved with this guy, and things escalated.” “Maybe you should send her to a digital detox retreat. Once she’s better, she can take the SAT again and aim for Stanford!” My mom sighed heavily. “Maybe that’s the only way. Zoe used to be so bright, but gaming has ruined her. I’ll call the program tomorrow.” Ethan, head bandaged, rushed to defend me. “Mrs. Miller, Chloe’s lying! She’s the one who dragged Zoe to Nexus tonight. She even set Zoe up with Ricky, trying to force her into being his girlfriend. Zoe refused, and that’s why I stepped in!” Chloe’s face turned pale as she stammered, “Ethan, I know you like Zoe, but you don’t have to make up stories for her. Why would I ever associate with someone like Ricky?” “If Zoe’s such a saint, why does Ricky say she’s been hanging around him for ages?” My mom, without waiting to hear more, slapped me. “I’m so disappointed in you, Zoe. If you won’t focus on school, at least stop hanging out with these kinds of people. You’re going to the retreat tomorrow. And you’ll cut ties with Ricky.” Behind my mom, Chloe smirked triumphantly.

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Three hours after my husband’s affair went viral, he came to me with divorce papers— and asked me to cooperate. He said it was temporary. Said he needed me to step aside so the woman he loved wouldn’t break under public pressure. The only person he was willing to sacrifice was me. Last life, I screamed, begged, and fought. I lost everything. This time, I didn’t argue. I signed. He thought my silence meant obedience. He didn’t know I simply never went back. “Claire, after this is all over, will you remarry me?” I was sitting on a stone bench in the villa garden, lost in thought when Julian and Emily walked up to me. Just three hours ago, Emily was exposed by the paparazzi as Julian’s lover. The whole internet dug into her past, calling her the mistress who ruined the sweet love between Julian and me, a homewrecker. Julian’s image as the loving husband collapsed, and the Chapman Group’s stock began to tumble. In my past life, when Julian came to me with those divorce papers, I was furious. I tore up the roses he had planted for me in the yard and screamed at him, demanding to know his relationship with Emily. She was just the daughter of his mentor. There were a million ways he could have handled this. But he chose to sacrifice me. He did it only to avoid worsening Emily’s depression. What he didn’t know was that, during the media frenzy, I had been diagnosed with moderate depression. “Claire,” Julian called my name again, pulling me out of my daze. I looked down at the divorce papers on the stone table. He kneeled on one knee before me, his deep eyes fixed on mine. His warm hand gently covered my hand, his tone coaxing and gentle. “Claire, please, for me, will you? “We’ll tell everyone that our marriage was already on the rocks. We planned to divorce a year ago but just didn’t find the right time.” I stayed silent. Behind him, Emily, dressed in a white dress with Julian’s jacket draped over her shoulders, had pale lips and red, swollen eyes. “Claire, please help me,” she pleaded, her voice weak, tears in her eyes. “My mother killed herself because of online bullying and depression. I don’t want to follow in her footsteps. Please, Claire, I’m begging you…” Just as Emily was about to kneel, Julian quickly stood up, caught her, and held her close. His face darkened as he softly scolded, “What are you doing?” Emily swallowed, her voice still trembling with emotion. She looked down with her tearful eyes. “I… I just want Claire to feel better.” Julian’s expression grew impatient, and he looked at me, the tenderness in his gaze fading completely. “Claire, I didn’t come here to negotiate. “I’ve already made up my mind. If you’re unwilling to divorce, don’t blame me…” I slowly looked up to meet his gaze. His words stopped, but I knew what he was about to say. He wanted to say, “Claire, you know my methods. I have countless ways to make you sign those papers. “If we go to court, you won’t win against the Chapman Group’s lawyers.” Those were his exact words in my past life. Eventually, I was set up and sent to the beds of several male models with proof of my affair. Overnight, I became the adulterous woman, publicly humiliated, while he and Emily were seen as innocent victims. “I can sign the papers, but you have to promise me one thing,” after a long pause, I spoke.

Julian glanced at me and then nodded in agreement. He handed me the pen, and without any change in my expression, I signed my name on the divorce agreement. “Aren’t you going to look over the agreement again?” Julian asked, furrowing his brow. I smiled faintly, “No need.” He left with almost nothing, giving up all his assets to me, just for Emily, just to repay a past kindness. “Take some time tomorrow to go to the courthouse,” he said. “Okay,” I replied. Julian paused for a moment with the divorce papers in his hand. He looked at me, his eyes filled with confusion, but in the end, he said nothing. As they were leaving, Emily turned around and shot me a mocking glance, her lips silently moving. “You lost.” I did lose. I lost last time, so now I didn’t want to lose anymore. After a while, my phone lit up with a message from Julian. [I’m sorry for making you go through this today, Claire.] [Once this is all over, I’ll throw you a grand wedding, and we’ll remarry.] [I couldn’t just stand by and watch Emily’s depression worsen. You understand, don’t you?] I read his message and couldn’t help but smile, tears welling in my eyes. It was the same in my past life. To force me into a divorce, Julian had his friends come up with schemes and then got so drunk. But he forgot, his friends were also my friends. Arthur Dodson had tried to persuade Julian, telling him not to sacrifice his marriage just for Emily. Then, he came to me, trying to get me to understand Julian, saying that he was a good man. If it hadn’t been for Emily’s father recognizing Julian’s abilities, investing in him, and helping him start his business, Julian wouldn’t be where he was today. Back then, I had cried and argued back. “Julian could have cleared things up a thousand different ways. Why did it have to be a divorce?” Arthur fell silent. He had asked Julian, and Julian had replied at the time. “There has to be someone I let down, so I’ll make Claire suffer. She loves me, and she’ll understand.” Because I loved him, I sacrificed myself. Where was the fairness in that? Luckily, I still had a chance.

When it came to anything involving Emily, Julian always acted quickly. Just hours after signing the divorce papers with me, he arranged a press conference and sent his assistant to invite me to attend and clarify things. I hadn’t even said a word yet. The assistant thought I might refuse, but fortunately, he relayed Julian’s message to me. He said, “Ms. Buckley, you should attend this press conference. Even if it’s not for Mr. Chapman, at least for your reputation.” I paused for a moment and then gave a cynical laugh. Julian was threatening me. He was trying to use the same tactics he had in my past life to force me into submission, to smear my name, and let me struggle under public opinion. In the end, I would have no choice but to give in. I still couldn’t figure out whether Julian saw me as his wife or as his enemy… Now, he wanted to publicly clarify his relationship with me. I had no choice either. The press conference was held in the grand lobby of Jymara’s most luxurious hotel, with only the most influential reporters invited. When Emily appeared in a dress, arm-in-arm with Julian, the reporters swarmed them. Julian instinctively shielded Emily, stepping in front of her to block the microphones with a smile. “I’ll answer all your questions one by one. Please give us some space.” His voice was gentle, and as he looked up, he happened to meet my eyes. I was surrounded by reporters. At that moment, I actually hoped Julian would step in and help me out of this situation. But the next second… He calmly shifted his gaze away, his smile still present as he held Emily’s hand and walked onto the stage as if he hadn’t seen me at all. I gave a bitter laugh. The reporter closest to me seemed to be an intern, nervously handing me the microphone and asking. “Ms. Buckley, is it true that you’re divorced from Mr. Chapman?” “Yes,” I smiled and nodded in response. The intern adjusted her glasses. “But you met Mr. Chapman in high school, dated for seven years, and were married for five. “Mr. Chapman even bought you an island last month, spending a fortune, and named it after you.” I kept smiling, but it was not a warm one. “That’s what he owes me.” To make up for missing my birthday while caring for the sick Emily, he gave me that gift. In my past life, I had even felt proud of that gesture, only to later learn that the idea was Arthur’s, the island was picked by Julian’s assistant, and Julian didn’t even know where it was. “Do you still love Mr. Chapman?” She looked at me nervously, and the reporters around me fell silent. Even Julian, on stage, looked at me. His brows furrowed slightly. I met his gaze for a moment and then smiled and said, “Not anymore.”

I didn’t stay for the rest of the interview. After Julian clarified that our marriage had been falling apart for over a year, I left. Overnight, I became Julian’s dumped woman. Meanwhile, Emily became the only victim of this public scandal. That interview stayed pinned on social media for days, and the buzz didn’t die down. Especially the part where Julian said: [Claire and I had already planned to divorce a year ago, but it wasn’t the right time.] [We wanted to handle it quietly, but now it has affected others, so we had to clarify things publicly.] [Emily is not the cause of our breakup.] [She is the only person my mentor cares about in this world. I take care of her, and there’s nothing wrong with that. I hope everyone can look at this rationally.] Some fans, led by this, claimed that the reason our relationship fell apart was because I couldn’t stand the idea of Julian’s pure sibling bond with Emily and that I was too petty, unable to understand his deep loyalty. They said I was small-minded, and after five years of marriage, I hadn’t learned Julian’s sense of loyalty and care. The topic kept gaining traction for days. I became the target of public scorn. After getting the divorce certificate from the courthouse, I walked out. Julian stopped me. “Don’t take what’s said online to heart. It won’t be long before everyone forgets about it.” I stopped in my tracks and couldn’t help but laugh lightly. How was it that the difference was so stark, even though we were both being slandered online? “Claire, the Christmas is only two months away. “Why don’t we remarry early next year?” He looked at me, stepping closer, but I took a step back and, with a calm expression, turned my gaze to the reporters not far away, blocked by the bodyguards. Julian seemed to sense that it wasn’t the right moment and stopped in his tracks. “Julian, I’m going back to Gerelden.” “You really haven’t been back in a long time. It might be good for you to visit. When Christmas comes, I’ll come to pick you up…” “I’m not going back to Jymara,” I calmly interrupted Julian. His faint smile froze on his face, and his eyes were filled with confusion. I continued, “When I agreed to sign the divorce agreement, you promised me something. Now, it’s time to fulfill that promise.” Julian stared at me, stunned. When I first came back to life this time, it only took me a few seconds to digest my feelings of love and resentment towards Julian. The moment I saw the divorce papers, I considered going crazy and tearing them up, maybe even causing more trouble with him. But in the end, reason prevailed. After a long silence, I smiled. “Julian, I hope you never show up in front of me again.”

After Claire finished speaking and disappeared into the crowd, Julian was left frozen, unable to react. For a brief moment, he felt a strange panic, as if he were about to lose something incredibly important. It was the same feeling he had when Claire calmly signed the divorce papers, a quiet unease in his heart. She hadn’t yelled or caused a scene. It seemed as though she had already predicted the outcome. But just not long ago, Claire had been furious with him for forgetting her birthday, causing a huge uproar. He even got slapped by her. He had thought when he brought up about faking the divorce, Claire would have gone crazy, causing a scene, and he was even prepared for it. But she didn’t. She picked up the pen. Her expression was calm. At that moment, he had thought about stopping her, but in the end, he did nothing. He convinced himself it was okay, that Claire loved him. They were only faking it, and after things settled down, he would propose to her again, giving her the marriage she deserved. But Emily was different. She couldn’t be hurt because of him. If it hadn’t been for Emily’s father recognizing his talent all those years ago, taking the risk of being kicked out of the shareholders’ meeting to invest in his project, and helping him grow and rise as a new force in Jymara, he wouldn’t have achieved what he had today. He didn’t deserve Emily. Before Emily’s father passed away, he had asked him to protect Emily, to ensure she lived a peaceful life. He didn’t want to be the kind of person who betrayed his word. Arthur had once asked him, “If one day, both Emily and Claire fall off a cliff, who would you save?” At the time, he laughed, thinking the question was beneath him. He would save Emily, but he would die with Claire. Arthur laughed along but then asked, “But what if Claire doesn’t want to die? “Julian, you can’t always take Claire’s love for granted. If she can’t feel your love, she will despair.” At the time, he didn’t take his words seriously. He had never even considered them important. He didn’t expect it, but in the end, his words came true.

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Before the wedding, Julian’s adopted sister, Sera, burst into the venue, her clothes disheveled and torn. She claimed my half-paralyzed father had assaulted her. Julian insisted we finish the wedding, promising to uncover the truth. But six months into our marriage, my father was castrated. My six-month-old baby, during a routine prenatal check-up, was tragically lost due to what they called an intern’s misdiagnosis. I was heartbroken, utterly devastated, and wanted to end my life. But Julian stayed by my side, encouraging me to pick myself up. I thought he genuinely loved me and I started to recover. Until I got pregnant again, and accidentally overheard his conversation with a doctor. “You knew your father-in-law was innocent, yet you still wanted revenge? And you forced your wife to miscarry twice?” His eyes were bloodshot, his voice hoarse. “But Audrey is already suffering from trauma-induced depression. If I don’t keep her happy, she’ll kill herself!” In that moment, my face went utterly ashen. All my suffering, all my torment, had been nothing but a cruel charade to appease Sera.

In the operating room, after the doctor’s cold declaration of death, I completely lost consciousness. The image of my baby’s blue-purple face haunted my mind. In my dream, a two-year-old boy looked at me with deep hurt. “This is my second time. Why do you and Daddy not want me again? I hate you both, I don’t want you anymore!” I screamed desperately, running towards him, wanting to tell him I did want him. But my feet felt as if they were tightly bound, unable to move. Watching his figure gradually disappear, I cried uncontrollably. “Don’t leave me, don’t leave Mommy!” I jolted awake, a tearing pain erupting from my fresh incision. My cold hand was tightly clasped. Opening my eyes, I saw Julian’s bloodshot gaze. “Don’t cry. We’ll have other children.” He’d said the same thing last time, when our first baby died on the operating table. But then he turned around and tricked me onto the operating table with a fake medical report, claiming the baby had a nuchal cord. The truth, blurted out while they administered anesthesia, felt like a dagger ripping my heart to pieces, again and again. I slapped him across the face. “Why did you do this to me! What did I ever do to deserve this? That was your own child!” His expression froze. Just as he was about to speak, the door burst open. Sera, sobbing uncontrollably, her face streaked with tears, knelt before me. “I’m so sorry, Audrey. Even though you weren’t cooperating, it’s still my fault we couldn’t save this baby!” The cutting pain on the operating table was still vivid in my memory. It was her. After the oxytocin started working, she gave me a muscle relaxant injection. The baby couldn’t be delivered naturally, and its heartbeat slowly weakened. Then she swapped my epidural for a sedative during the emergency C-section. After two hours of agony, they finally took out the baby that was already stillborn. My eyes bloodshot, I grabbed the blanket from the nightstand and threw it at her. “You deliberately delayed! You intentionally wanted to kill him!” She clutched a shard of glass to her wrist, her eyes growing resentful. “Yes, I deserve to die! I’ll go die right now, I’ll go pay for my nephew’s life!” Julian instantly rushed over, snatching the glass shard from her hand. “It’s not your fault! This baby was unlucky, it was his grandfather who did too many bad things. It has nothing to do with you!” Before, hearing that, I would have been consumed by guilt and self-blame. But now, I just found it laughable. How could they so shamelessly twist the truth? Julian glared at me fiercely. “You clearly weren’t cooperating with the delivery! Are you trying to push my sister to her death?” He dragged me into the Hayes family living room, forcing me to kneel on the shattered glass from earlier. “Harming our baby, framing my sister, assaulting me right here, and showing no remorse. You’ll kneel here and reflect properly!”

The sharp shards pierced my flesh, and blood immediately flowed. I remember when he knelt right here, suffering a humiliation to prove his love for me, just to marry me. It was all a lie. Just beyond the wall, he was softly comforting Sera. I endured the pain, slowly picking myself up, and stood at the doorway. “Let’s get a divorce, Julian.” The voices inside the room fell silent. Julian walked out, looking at me, utterly broken. A flicker of guilt crossed his eyes. He sighed, a mix of helplessness and irritation. “Audrey, you know Sera has depression. Why can’t you try to understand me?” “I know you’ve suffered a lot today, and being punished to kneel was unfair, but it was just for show. Sera is your sister,too For her, can’t you just play along, endure a little hardship?” Looking at this man who only knew how to morally blackmail me, my heart was a tangled mess of hatred and coldness. Since the last miscarriage, I had been battling postpartum depression and anxiety. Whenever he saw me in agony, he would blame himself, slap his own face, and stay up all night with me. He said he would protect me, protect our children, even fearing the slightest bump or bruise. But now, with his adopted sister’s revenge plan successful, he could look at my bruised body without a single flicker of emotion. I let out a cold laugh. “Right, her life matters, but mine doesn’t.” “Julian, Sera is so precious! Anyone would think she was your wife.” His pupils trembled. “I didn’t realize your heart was so filthy!” He slapped me across the face. A burning pain flared on my cheek. I lost my balance and stumbled to the ground. This was the first time he had ever laid a hand on me in all our years of marriage. But what about me? Right after we got married, he leaked my private videos across the internet. Now, anyone who mentions me calls me a notorious slut. At its worst, everywhere I went, men would try to take advantage of me. When I exposed them, they flipped the script and accused me of seducing them. I was publicly shamed and physically assaulted by furious strangers who believed the lies, my clothes ripped off on the street. My compromising photos were plastered everywhere, even on flyers. For an entire year, I was afraid to leave the house. Tears silently streamed down my face. Julian panicked. His eyes red, he shakily crouched in front of me. “I’m sorry, Audrey, I… I didn’t mean it. I was just so afraid you’d misunderstand and leave me.” Just as he tried to help me up, a heavy thud echoed from the room. Followed by Sera’s painful cry. He immediately let go of my hand and rushed inside. Julian came out, carrying her. As he passed me, he only spared me a fleeting glance. “Sera fell and hurt herself. I’m taking her to the hospital. You’ll be home alone tonight, be careful. Don’t bring up sensitive topics again, she’ll blame herself!” With that, he hurried past, bumping into me. Another searing pain. I wiped away my tears, using the wall to slowly pull myself into the bedroom. I immediately called my lawyer to draft divorce papers. The pain kept me awake all night. Close to dawn, a sliver of sleepiness finally set in. Just as I managed to drift off, a bucket of cold water was splashed all over me. I opened my eyes to Julian’s furious glare. He gripped my neck tightly. “Was it you! Was it you who spread the news that Sera deliberately didn’t use anesthesia for your surgery and intentionally caused the baby’s death?” “Do you have any idea that your reckless slander will ruin her? The entire internet is demanding her professional license be revoked! That she be fired!” The suffocating grip made me struggle uncontrollably. “I… I didn’t!” “Still denying it! You only lost a child! But she now only has her career, that one belief keeping her alive, and you want to destroy it! Do you really want her dead?” Blood continuously welled from my wounds with every violent struggle. Hearing him say “only lost a child,” my heart convulsed. When we were intimate, he would whisper over and over about wanting a home with me, wanting a daughter or son as lovely as me. Turns out, nothing compared to his adopted sister.

For a moment, I even wished I would die right then, to join my mother, to join my children. But no. Julian released his grip, his eyes dark and sinister as he stared at me. “Now, get dressed and record a clarification video for me. Tell everyone that you were jealous of her, that you slandered her, that you wanted to destroy her!” “Otherwise, I will make your father in the ICU pay the price for you at any moment!” I trembled all over. I looked at him, disbelieving. Once, when he was in business, a rival tried to provoke him, claiming I was a jinx and had betrayed him. He not only didn’t believe it, he beat the man unconscious and sent him to the hospital. He pointed at his rival, saying anyone in the world might betray him, but I never would. He said then that he would trust me unconditionally for life. And now, I was lying at home, unable to move, yet he was pinning this blame on me. My eyes turned red, glaring at him fiercely. “I told you I didn’t.” He looked at me coldly, pulled out his phone, and showed me the surveillance feed. On the screen, my father’s life support ventilator was unplugged, and he thrashed like a fish on the verge of suffocating. Watching the plummeting numbers on the monitor, tears uncontrollably streamed down my face. I trembled as I looked at him. “Julian, you know my father is innocent…” But before I could finish, his phone rang. In the video, Sera stood by a window, looking utterly despairing. Medical staff surrounded her, trying to calm her. “I’m so sorry, Julian. It was my mistake that the baby was lost, and it’s caused you and Audrey to consider divorce. Audrey isn’t wrong to want revenge on me.” As she spoke, she lifted one leg over the windowsill. “Audrey, I don’t resent anything you’ve done. I just hope my death can bring you and Julian a stable and happy life together!” Julian screamed, almost breaking down. “No, no! I promise I’ll make her apologize and clarify immediately! Please don’t do anything foolish!” He hung up, found a clean dress in the closet, and roughly tore off my blood-stained clothes. The cotton nightgown, soaked with blood, had dried on my wounds. He yanked it hard, and the barely clotted blood surged out again. Seeing my agonizing struggles, he only paused for a moment, then grabbed a roll of tape from a drawer and haphazardly stuck it over all my bleeding wounds, with some tissue paper underneath. Looking at this Julian, who used to fret over my slightest untreated cut getting infected, and frantically learned how to clean, disinfect, and bandage wounds… The last warmth in my heart completely drained away with the loss of blood, leaving only an icy coldness. He picked me up bridal style. “First, go apologize to Sera, then record the clarification video.” “What if I don’t?” He paused. “Then you’ll watch your dad be killed because of you.” I laughed, tears falling. “Yes, if I hadn’t married you, my mom, my two children, and my dad wouldn’t be like this. I hurt them, you’re right.” “The biggest regret of my life is marrying you. If I’d known you loved your sister this much, I never should have!” “Don’t worry. If my dad dies, I won’t live alone. Five lives from my family for your sister’s happiness—is that enough?” Julian’s eyes were filled with shock. But ultimately, nothing could deter him from sacrificing everything for his sister. In the hospital room, he pressed me down, forcing me to my knees. As he demanded, I had to show no hint of coercion, only genuine sincerity, as I bowed my head three times. “I’m sorry, Dr. Thompson, I slandered you. I deliberately smothered the baby and framed you for it, and I was intolerant to the anesthetic but intentionally didn’t tell you.” “It’s all my fault, please forgive me, I’ll never dare to do it again.” She stood on the windowsill, unmoving. Julian pressed my head down, forcing me to keep bowing until the blood from my forehead blurred my vision. Finally, Sera said, “It’s okay.” Julian sighed in relief, violently letting go of my hair. With a thud, I collapsed to the floor. He carried her down from the window and told the doctors who were recording the apology video to stop. After a long moment, he looked down at me. “Learn from your mistakes. Don’t ever do it again.”

I pushed myself with my last ounce of strength, rushing like a madwoman to the ICU. But when I finally reached the door, I saw my father being wheeled out, covered by a white sheet. I stumbled and fell. “No, Dad, wake up, don’t scare me!” The doctor beside me looked at me with scorn. “Neither the daughter nor the father is a good person. If it weren’t for Mr. Hayes being reasonable, Dr. Thompson would have been completely destroyed.” In an instant, I was surrounded by righteous people criticizing me and my father. “Well, well, if it isn’t that tramp again? Lost another baby, huh? Did some guy knock it out of you? Your videos are still hot, I’ve watched them for three years and never get tired. When can I get a taste, huh?” “This shameless bitch, are you really still hooking up with her? Aren’t you afraid of catching something? I wouldn’t touch her even if she paid me.” “Bitch, how dare you slander Dr. Thompson!” “Serves you right, your dad deserved to die! You deserve to die too!” With that, several patients and their families started throwing instant noodles, herbal soup, leftover food, and trash at me. I trembled, covering my father’s ears. “Don’t listen, Dad, they’re all lying.” The voices around me grew louder, more chaotic. So loud that I could no longer hear my father’s breathing. I desperately slapped him, but he would never again open his eyes and say, “Just kidding, I’m perfectly fine.” The curses from the crowd accompanied me as I pushed my father’s body to the hospital entrance. Gusts of cold wind made me unsteady on my feet. My clothes and hair, covered in filth, quickly froze. Suddenly, Julian’s voice came from behind me. He ran over and draped his jacket over me. “What happened? How did you get yourself like this?” People around us whispered. “Mr. Hayes, she’s rotten to the core, she’s not worth your genuine affection. If you ask me, you should divorce her.” “That’s right, a manipulative, shameless, and cruel woman like her doesn’t deserve you!” Julian shot a deadly glare around. Everyone immediately shut up and dispersed. His gaze finally landed on the gurney in front of me. “What’s this? Who are you pushing?” My eyes were hollow as I stared at him. “My dad.” His eyebrows twitched, his eyes filled with horror and panic. But just as he reached out, Sera’s startled cry suddenly came from behind him. She clutched her chest. “I accidentally bumped myself when I was climbing out the window just now. It hurts so much.” Julian picked up Sera bridal style, and his eyes instantly turned sharp as he looked at me. “Know when to quit, stop acting out! You just had surgery yesterday, go home and get some rest!” He walked away from me, carrying her. The funeral home car, mysteriously, never showed up, and no taxi on the road would give me a ride. I pushed my father’s body through the freezing snow for two hours until I reached the funeral home. Two hours later, my father’s once mighty body turned into a handful of ashes, placed in a cold urn. Soon, on my phone, the online channel of the taxi, and on all the big screens in the shopping malls, the video of me kneeling there to apologize to Sera was playing in a loop. Suddenly, a message popped up on my phone. It was from Julian. [Didn’t I tell you to go home? Where are you? I’m warning you, don’t try any more meaningless stunts. Think about your father, think about those videos from three years ago. I can suppress it, and I can also make it resurface.] [As for the apology video playing outside, it’s a small punishment for you. Don’t take it to heart. Just come back and write a guarantee that you won’t bully Sera again, and we can go back to how we were.] The cold wind howled. It scattered the warmth from the urn. And it scattered the last of our feelings. I opened the blacklisted messages from a week ago, from Caleb Stone, Julian’s biggest rival. Without a moment’s hesitation, I dialed the number. “I agree to the partnership you mentioned.” An hour later, Julian, who had been waiting endlessly for Audrey’s reply, saw the latest business headlines. [CEO Julian Hayes’s Two Children Tragically Die, Wife Kneels in Apology, Marriage on the Rocks] [Julian Hayes’s Adopted Sister’s Accusation of Father-in-Law’s Assault Suspected to be a Hoax]

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