Category: English

1 For five years, I had been a war correspondent, tirelessly searching for Charlie’s remains. Now, by sheer accident, I crashed his wedding. My comrades-in-arms, who had once scoured battlefields with me, froze, their faces rigid with shock. “Evie, please don’t be upset. Charlie’s faked death was necessary. Sarah’s identity is too sensitive to leave unprotected.” Behind them stood Sarah, shielded by the men who had once searched with me. She was wanted by the Alliance for leaking secrets—and Charlie’s childhood sweetheart. I wasn’t upset. My voice was calm as I said, “So to protect a traitor, Captain Davies chose to die with her.” In the silence, Charlie finally spoke, his voice raspy. “Sarah’s had it hard. You should understand why I did it.” “Understand?” I repeated, a laugh rising. “That you made me search for five years? That you all acted for me? Or that—” “You’re getting married.” Charlie stiffened. Sarah sobbed. “I’m sorry. I’m leaving in five days. This is my last wish.” I opened my mouth, but no words came. “Enough! You’ve waited five years!” Charlie snapped. “Can’t you wait five more?” I smiled. He was right. Five days was enough time to write a report that would shake the world. … My laughter echoed through the wedding venue, jarringly out of place. Even the music had stopped. Charlie’s brow was deeply furrowed. He walked slowly towards me, lowering his voice. “Don’t look at me like that. I thought about telling you, but you talk to too many people. I was afraid of leaking Sarah’s whereabouts.” I lowered my gaze to the wedding ring on his left ring finger. It was blindingly bright. Too many people. He knew all along. After his “death,” the whispers had never ceased. Everyone said he and Sarah came from old, established families, and their joint “accidental deaths” surely hid a secret. But I refused to believe it. Not just because his squad members had mourned with me, tirelessly sifting through bullet-riddled battlefields for five long years. But because I had witnessed his unwavering impartiality firsthand. To him, the mission was everything. When I had a high fever during my pregnancy, he received a call on the way to the hospital and left. When he returned, the baby was gone due to delayed medical attention. I had cried hysterically, and he had simply frowned, explaining, “Emergency missions can’t wait. As for the baby, we can have another.” When his enemies kidnapped me, he was on the front lines and hung up on the abductors. They tortured me for half a month before tossing my barely alive body by the roadside. When he rushed back from the front, I was just recovering from emergency surgery. He simply held me, promising I would never face such danger again. After his “death,” his enemies and the accusations had descended upon me. So I had applied to be a war correspondent. I searched for his “remains” in conflict zones, and with each report, I defended his honor. Now, he said he was afraid of leaking Sarah’s whereabouts. To protect her, Charlie had abandoned a decade of loyalty, abandoned his principles, and abandoned me. I smiled, a wry, helpless gesture, and slowly shook my head. When I looked up again, I noticed everyone was watching me warily, including Charlie. “Five days,” Charlie took a step closer, his voice so low only I could hear it. “I’ll get Sarah out safely in five days, then I’ll come back. This wedding… it’s just her wish. Don’t take it seriously.” He was too close. I immediately stepped back, instinctively picking up a wine glass from a nearby table. Almost instantly, everyone rushed to shield Sarah. Charlie grabbed my wrist, his grip so tight it hurt. “What are you doing? Calm down! Don’t hurt Sarah!” Sarah started to sob again. “If Evie’s angry, she can just splash me. I was selfish, wanting a wedding with friends before I leave.” Their eyes filled with even more pity for her, and their gazes at me sharpened. “Sarah saved Captain Davies’s life. He’s just repaying a debt.” “It’s just a small wish. Evie, don’t be so pushy.” “Sarah has suffered enough. Just because she accidentally sent a few lines of text, she’s labeled a traitor. But Captain Davies clearly won that battle.” I listened silently. The “few lines of text” they spoke of were the real-time coordinates of my father’s and brother’s unit. My father and brother had died in the ambush caused by that leak. And their “Captain Davies won” was a victory delayed by half a month because of that leak. That was the fifteen days I spent in a dark warehouse, with eight broken ribs and shattered kneecaps. I smiled faintly and drained the red wine in my glass. Those painful memories seemed to slide down my throat with the last drops. As everyone watched, stunned, I set down the empty glass, my voice calm. “I drink this last toast to you all. Farewell.” I turned to leave, but Charlie abruptly seized my wrist. His brows were tightly knitted, his voice forced out through gritted teeth. “You came all this way just to toast us? Was it truly an ‘accident’ you came in?” The moment his words landed, the eyes of everyone in the room pierced me like needles. “Evie… you wouldn’t… wouldn’t expose me, would you?” Sarah’s voice trembled. Almost simultaneously, several figures silently blocked the exits of the banquet hall. Charlie looked at me, took a deep breath, and held out his hand. “Your phone.” I smiled faintly and handed it over. The screen still showed an old photo of us from years ago. His movements stiffened for a moment, then he quickly scrolled through it… finding nothing, of course. I tried to leave again. But someone whispered, their voice laced with suppressed resentment, “Wasn’t Evie the one who reported Sarah for leaking information?” “Sarah saved Captain Davies’s life. Shouldn’t we be more careful with Evie?” “We can’t let Evie’s jealousy ruin Captain Davies’s five-year plan!” “Sarah has suffered so much because of Evie, hiding for all these years.” Listening to their words, I suddenly burst out laughing. I finally understood another reason Charlie had kept it from me, beyond just protecting Sarah. He also hated me. Hated me for reporting Sarah, even though every word of that report was a bloody, undeniable truth. And I, too, hated. For five years, I had hated Sarah. Now, there was one more. “Still not convinced?” I looked at Charlie, and under everyone’s watchful eyes, I emptied all my pockets. Then, I unzipped my jacket and tossed it onto the floor. Beneath, I wore only a black camisole. I raised my hand, my fingertips touching the strap— “Enough!” Charlie abruptly turned his face away, his voice hoarse. “Just go.” This time, no one stopped me. I picked up my jacket and walked out without looking back. Back home, I accessed my other phone, the screen now displaying a photo of my father and brother. This was a completely different system. In my five years as a war correspondent, I was no longer the helpless victim I had been when kidnapped. No, my presence at that wedding tonight was no accident. Three days ago, I had received a text message—a wedding invitation. The sender was Sarah, who had supposedly “died” five years ago. My heart had constricted the moment I saw the wedding venue. But there was no time for pain; other things surged forth. The graves of my father and brother, the searing pain of my shattered kneecaps, and the kidnapper’s mocking words: “Looks like Charlie doesn’t care about you that much, does he?” I dragged the photos and audio clips from tonight onto my computer, one by one. A report capable of igniting global outrage slowly took shape. Until the sound of the door lock turning. I quickly closed my laptop. Charlie pushed the door open, reeking of alcohol. “You still resent me, don’t you?” He stumbled towards me, reaching out to touch my face, but I turned away, avoiding his hand. He collapsed onto the rug at my feet, looking up at me, his eyes red. “Don’t resent me. Sarah saved my life. On the training ground, someone’s gun misfired, and she pushed me away. I couldn’t not repay that debt.” I listened in silence, suddenly remembering many years ago. I had secretly gone to see my brother. Charlie and my brother were so similar in build that in a moment of crisis, I had instinctively lunged towards him. It seemed I wasn’t the only one who had mistaken him for someone else. The bullet scar on my chest throbbed faintly. “You’re the only one in my heart,” he grabbed my wrist. “She’ll be gone soon. We can go back to how things were…” “Charlie,” I cut him off, handing him the documents I had already prepared. “Sign this.” “What is it? What do you want to buy? Sign… I’ll sign anything.” He mumbled, barely looking, and scrawled his name. After signing, he seemed to run out of strength, falling into a deep sleep. I pulled out the divorce papers and walked out. 2 After handing the divorce papers to my lawyer, I went to the cemetery. Not long after I left the gravesite, an SUV suddenly screeched to a halt in front of me, and I was pulled inside. Charlie was beside me. The smell of alcohol was gone, replaced by a terrifying, grim expression. “I really did trust you too much. You hate Sarah that much? Enough to have her kidnapped?!” I froze. He gripped my arm, his teeth clenched. “Don’t pretend! The moment I woke up, you were gone! Even if you didn’t arrange the kidnapping, you must have leaked her whereabouts!” The other men in the car spoke with complex tones. “Sarah’s been living under the radar all these years. Aside from us, no one knows where she is.” “You were the only one at the wedding last night, and this morning she was in trouble.” My chest felt like it had been ripped open, cold wind howling through the void. All these years, I had dodged fire with them, scoured fields of corpses with them, and yet, I was still not trusted. The car sped relentlessly towards a deserted factory. I was shoved inside. Sarah was tied up, her face streaked with tears and dust. The kidnappers saw Charlie and scoffed. “You came fast. Looks like this woman really is your precious darling.” “Last time, we got the wrong person. You didn’t show up for half a month of torment. This time, you’re here in less than half an hour.” Charlie’s body stiffened. He forced himself to yell at the kidnappers, his voice rough. “You’ve got the wrong person! This is my wife! That one is irrelevant! Let her go!” I turned to look at him, disbelief washing over me. The kidnappers were also stunned. “You think I’m stupid…” “Look closely!” Charlie sharply interrupted, roughly grabbing my left hand and holding it up. At the same time, I saw the plain band on his hand. It was a perfect match for the ring I’d worn for years, now almost embedded in my skin. He was wearing it again. To exchange me for Sarah? “This is a wedding ring!” Charlie shouted. “I’m exchanging my wife for her!” The kidnappers exchanged glances, seemingly hesitant. But I spoke, each word distinct: “I. will. not. be. exchanged.” “It’s not up to you!” Charlie suddenly grabbed my finger, pulling forcefully at the ring! The ring was deeply embedded in my flesh. The friction caused a tearing pain. The bones in my finger made a sickening “click.” Blood instantly gushed from my finger. He threw the blood-stained ring at the kidnappers. “Check it! Release her!” The kidnappers picked up the ring, examined it, then suspiciously scrutinized both me and Sarah. Sarah cried out, “Brother Kidnapper! Don’t hurt Evie! I’ll go in her place! I’d be happy to do something for Charlie and Evie!” Hearing this, Charlie’s eyes grew even more anxious and pained. He looked at me, almost gritting his teeth. “Evie! They were coming for you anyway! Sarah is innocent!” Coming for me? I suddenly wanted to laugh out loud. So in his mind, I deserved to be kidnapped, deserved to be tortured, while Sarah was always, perpetually innocent. But before I could speak, a sharp pain shot through the back of my neck, and the world plunged into darkness.

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The party was in full swing when my fiancé, Griffin, disappeared. I was about to go look for him when a stream of comments flashed before my eyes: 【Why is the villainess by the car all of a sudden? Our sweet heroine is still connected with the leading man!】 【I love that the villainess’s new car is about to become the love nest where the hero and heroine first taste the forbidden fruit.】 【Hehe~ Serves her right for trying to take the heroine’s place. Let her burn with rage!】 Our mutual friends quickly moved to stop me. “Griffin said he went to buy you a gift. He told you to go back inside and wait.” 【These friends are the real MVPs, covering for our favorite couple.】 【Our tall, handsome hero belongs to our girl Izzy! If I were there, I’d help them lie to the evil villainess too.】 【Damn, our boy Griffin is intense. He slammed her against the hood to kiss her and broke the bumper.】 I glanced up at the blistering midsummer sun. Then at my car, baking in the heat with the A/C off. I pulled out my phone and dialed my insurance company. “Hello, my bumper’s been hit. I need an agent here within the hour. I’ll be waiting by the car.” 【?! No! An hour? They’ll bake to death in there!】 1 The friends of Griffin and Isabelle frowned. “Aria, you’re going to wait out here for an hour?” one of them, Landon, asked. “It’s a hundred degrees out. You’ll get sunstroke. Just wait inside, we’ll let you know when the insurance agent gets here.” “No can do,” I said, shaking my head. “I look away for a second and my bumper gets smashed. What if I go inside and they do it again? This is a brand new car!” I turned and called out to the owner of the seaside restaurant. “Excuse me! Could you bring out a few large fans and a patio umbrella? And maybe twenty ice-cold watermelons? Oh, and bring out that big ice cream freezer too. We can enjoy the ocean view out here!” 【?? What’s with this sudden urge to watch the ocean? She’s out here chilling while our hero and heroine are going to die of heatstroke in that car!】 【This is bad. The A/C isn’t on. If they turn it on now, with everyone gathered here, they’ll be exposed!】 【I’m so stressed! It’s a hundred degrees outside, which means it could get up to one-thirty, one-forty inside that car! Can’t this evil witch just drop dead? All she does is cause trouble!】 “Aria Collins.” Landon, the de facto leader of Griffin and Isabelle’s friend group, stepped in front of me. “None of us are interested in watching the ocean. If you’re not coming inside, you can stay out here by yourself.” He gestured for the others to follow him. They all shot me a look of pure contempt, scoffed, and started walking back toward the restaurant. 【Yes! I love how they just turned their backs on her!】 【Landon’s got her number. The way Aria sucks up to them, she’ll be running back to apologize the second they leave.】 【This will give our favorite couple the chance to sneak out!】 My fists clenched at my sides. It was true. I was a suck-up. I did everything I could to get Griffin and Isabelle’s friends to like me. They were the ones who had grown up with Griffin and Isabelle. They were the tight-knit circle. I was the outsider, the latecomer. But we were engaged when we were five years old! 【Can the evil villainess just die already? So what if her parents were swept away by a flood saving our five-year-old hero?】 【It was an honor for her parents to save him. Not every NPC gets that kind of storyline, okay?】 【Besides, she’s the villain. The only reason the hero’s father felt guilty enough to set up the engagement was because her parents died. Does she really think she’s worthy of him?】 【She hit the jackpot and still acts like the world owes her. Ugh.】 【Don’t worry, guys. The villainess will keep tormenting our heroine and die a horrible death in the end! Just keep watching!】 The mention of my parents sent a shard of ice through my heart. I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing the pain down. When I was five, I didn’t know Griffin already had a childhood sweetheart. It wasn’t until after we got engaged in college that I realized he and Isabelle shared a whole life, a circle of friends, weekly parties, and yearly vacations that I was never a part of. I tried so hard to break into that circle. But whenever I showed up, the atmosphere would instantly freeze over. I’d bring them expensive gifts, and they’d offer a dismissive “thanks” before tossing them aside, never even bothering to take them home. I’d offer to pay for everyone to go on a trip, but Griffin and Isabelle would always be the ones to choose the destination. Just like this seaside barbecue. My eyes, burning with unshed tears, fixed on my new car. The comments said I would die a horrible death? Fine. Let’s see who dies first. “What are you still doing out here?” Landon snapped, his brow furrowed in disapproval. “Are you really going to sit here all day?” 2 “Yes. You guys go on ahead.” They all froze, exchanging bewildered glances. Normally, this was the moment I would have panicked, terrified of their disapproval, and scrambled to follow them. But I paid for the meal. I covered their travel expenses. Why was I always the one groveling? Seeing that I wasn’t budging, Landon shot a quick, nervous glance at my car, which appeared perfectly normal from the outside. His voice grew harsher. “Griffin told you to wait inside. You’re already a nobody in this group. If you can’t even follow a simple instruction, don’t bother coming out with us again.” 【Oof, what a burn! Landon knows exactly how to hit her where it hurts.】 【Everyone knows her biggest dream is to be accepted into the hero and heroine’s social circle.】 “Fine.” My single-word reply left them stunned. I heard one of them whisper, though not quietly enough. “Is it just me, or is she… different today?” Another one tried a different tactic. “Aria, stop making a scene! This is only going to make Griffin hate you more!” 【That’s right. The villainess can lose everything except the hero’s love.】 【Lmao, classic female rivalry brain. You keep doing you, girl.】 【If I didn’t know she was going to die miserably in the end, I would’ve stopped reading out of pure rage by now.】 I frowned at the stream of text. Landon smirked, thinking he had me. “Now that you understand, hurry up and come inside. Everyone’s waiting for you.” “Then let them wait,” I said, casually sipping my watermelon juice. “We can all wait together. If you don’t want to, you can go inside.” Silence. They were completely speechless. 【?! What the hell! Did this woman have a lobotomy today? Has she never seen the ocean before? Didn’t she see enough water when her parents were swept away by the flood?】 【Get lost, you bitch! Our girl Izzy is about to pass out in Griffin’s arms!】 【Turn on the A/C, Izzy!】 【Are you dumb?! If she does that, everyone will know someone’s in the car! They’re still… occupied!】 【Not gonna lie, the sweat glistening on our hero’s muscles is pretty hot. drools】 “Aria, please. We’re begging you, okay?” For the first time ever, I heard something like surrender in their voices. But I wasn’t biting. “My brand new car gets its bumper smashed, and I’m just supposed to let it go? What if someone did it on purpose? If I leave, what’s to stop them from doing something worse?” “But…” 【Lmao, ‘smashed.’ She’d probably have a heart attack if she knew it was because our hero was kissing our heroine too hard against the hood.】 【I can’t wait to see her face when she finds out the truth and has a total meltdown! Hahaha!】 【Yeah, but still, they need to get out of there. Our girl is starting to lose consciousness.】 【Don’t worry, they’re the main characters, they won’t die. Besides, being a little delirious will only make the experience more intense~】 “What are you all doing gathered out here?” A familiar voice. I paused. My childhood friend… Owen? 3 “Oh, Aria, you found out? I was just passing by and accidentally bumped your car. I was about to come find you to apologize!” “So it was you,” Landon interjected immediately. “You should have said something sooner. Aria thought someone did it maliciously and already called her insurance.” “Haha! I was in a hurry, figured I’d tell you when I got back!” Owen said, moving to pull me up. “My bad, this meal’s on me. Come on, big bro will treat you to whatever you want inside!” “No. I’m waiting for the insurance agent.” Landon was getting agitated now. “It’s Owen, Aria! Do you have to be so formal about everything?” Owen chimed in, “It’s scorching out here. Don’t stay in the sun, your skin is so delicate, you’ll burn. How much is it? I’ll pay for it. Just let me take you inside first.” “No need. We’ll go through insurance. You don’t have to spend a dime.” 【Ugh, I’m so annoyed! Is her ass glued to that chair? What a buzzkill!】 【Our heroine and hero still have the second act to get to! Nobody wants to watch you sit there!】 “Why are you being so polite with me?” Suddenly, my feet left the ground. The world turned upside down as he threw me over his shoulder. Owen… was carrying me off like a sack of potatoes! 【Yes! Go, second male lead, go!】 【Owen, you’re the man! If the villainess won’t cooperate, use force! Get her out of the way!】 【Please, universe, give me a guy like him! He knew the heroine was in trouble and came to the rescue immediately, no hesitation, even if it meant turning on his childhood friend!】 【Dude, it’s our heroine. What man could possibly resist her?】 【If I were him, I’d help our girl Izzy too.】 “Owen, put me down!” I yelled, grabbing onto the doorframe of the restaurant. Owen just chuckled and pried my fingers away. “We grew up together, don’t be shy now.” 【Go, Owen, go! Griffin has already helped Isabelle get her clothes back on! Carry the villainess inside so they can get out!】 【Too bad this bitch ruined the mood. No second round for them now.】 I gritted my teeth. And sank them into Owen’s back. Hard. “AGH!” He dropped me. Blood was already seeping through his shirt from the bite mark. 【!! Is this bitch part dog?】 【Why is she going back?! Ahhh, our heroine is about to pass out! If they don’t get out now, someone’s going to die!】 【Griffin is about to faint too, but he’s still holding her hand so tightly. I’m literally crying.】 “Are you insane? When did you start biting people?!” Owen yelled, clutching his wound. “The insurance agent is on their way,” I said coldly. “If you want to go inside, go. Don’t touch me again.” “You!” Owen looked at his blood-stained hand. “Are you coming inside or not?” “Not.” “Fine.” He gritted his teeth and pulled out his phone. “Hello? 911? I’ve been bitten. Yes, it was an assault. You can be here in three minutes? Great. Please hurry, I’m afraid she’ll attack someone else.” 【Sweet! Griffin and Isabelle might be fading, but they can hold on for three more minutes!】 【The cops will take her away, and our two lovebirds can finally escape!】 【The insurance guy is still thirty minutes out. Hahaha, serves her right. The villainess is about to be replaced!】 Sure enough, a police car pulled up just a few minutes later. Landon and the others immediately pointed at me. “It was her! We all saw her bite Mr. Roberts! We can be witnesses!” “That’s right! We’ll go down to the station with you and give our statements!” 【Aww, these friends are so loyal. I’m tearing up.】 【They’ve all known each other since they were kids. You don’t see friendships like that anymore.】 An officer looked at the wound on Owen’s back and frowned. “Ma’am, your actions constitute a serious assault. Please come with us for questioning.” “But…” Before I could say another word, I felt the cold click of handcuffs on my wrists. They started to lead me toward the patrol car. 【Yes! They’re already in the trunk!】 “I didn’t assault him! Officer, please, just wait! I’m begging you, just wait a little longer!” “You injured a man this badly. We can’t leave you out here where you might pose a threat to others. Get in the car.” “But…” 【Hurry, hurry! They’ve unlocked the trunk from the inside! As soon as she’s in the car, they can climb out!】 CRUNCH! A loud bang echoed as a car slammed into mine from behind. “Aria Collins, don’t you know how to park? Why did you leave your car in the middle of the road?!”

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At the year-end bonus distribution event, every department was grinning from ear to ear. They were receiving bonuses in the tens or even hundreds of thousands. But when it came to our Logistics Department, each person was only given a small bag of sunflower seeds worth maybe fifty cents. VP Miller looked at us with a benevolent smile: “Although the Logistics Department is somewhat dispensable, the company hasn’t forgotten you.” “A bag of seeds might not fill your stomach, but it shows our appreciation.” “I hope that next year, under the leadership of your new director, you’ll all strive to earn a cash bonus!” The jeering from the crowd below abruptly stopped. After a few seconds of stagnant air, significant murmuring broke out. “New director? Chloe has been the Director of Logistics for five years and she’s just being replaced like that?” “Who is so capable?” “I heard it’s the recently converted intern, Mia. Who knows which executive she’s connected to.” “She joined the company aiming straight for management. Chloe has no backing, so of course they’d replace her.” While I was still digesting the reality of the rumors, VP Miller confirmed it to me. “Mia will take over as Director of Logistics after the New Year. You will cooperate with the transition in advance.” Director of Logistics? No backing? I glanced sideways at Mia, who was looking at me with a smug smile. I almost couldn’t hold back a laugh. Competing with the boss’s wife for a position? Then this time, she’s probably kicked a steel plate. 01 Back in the office, a bag of sunflower seeds symbolizing humiliation sat on everyone’s desk. Everyone looked crestfallen, like frostbitten eggplants. No one said a word, but the oppressive atmosphere protested their dissatisfaction. After a long while, I heard the low sobbing of Lily. “My mom is waiting for my year-end bonus for her chemotherapy.” “Now I get a bag of sunflower seeds. What am I going to do about my mom’s illness?” Sarah also wiped her tears: “My son wants to buy a house, he’s just waiting for my year-end bonus to help with the down payment…” Jake, full of youthful vigor, jumped up, ready to demand an explanation. “I’m going to ask him, why no year-end bonus? This isn’t fair!” Sarah pulled him back, advising in a low voice: “Forget it, going won’t help…” “Why forget it? Our department’s total year-end bonus is only a few thousand dollars, not even a fraction of what one employee in the Sales Department gets.” “Distributed among us, it’s only a few hundred bucks per person.” “Is the company really that short on cash? This is blatant bullying!” After he finished speaking, everyone’s eyes turned to me. A flush of embarrassment burned across my face. The Logistics Department, six people in total, handles a myriad of miscellaneous tasks: cleaning, maintenance, purchasing and storing office supplies, etc. From a single sheet of paper or a pen, to the maintenance of electrical equipment, and even the renovation of the entire office building, everything falls within the Logistics Department’s scope of responsibility. When the toilet leaks, they find us. When the public water dispenser is empty, they find us. When the cafeteria food is too salty or too bland, they find us. Every little detail; if a speck of dust falls from the ceiling, it’s our job. Yet they call this dispensable? Jake stared at me with bloodshot eyes: “Chloe, this is naked humiliation. Are we just going to take it lying down?” Looking at their eyes, full of indignation and expectation, I picked up that bag of sunflower seeds. “Of course we won’t take it lying down.” I went straight to VP Miller’s office. Cutting right to the chase, I threw the sunflower seeds on his desk: “Mr. Miller, what is the meaning of this?” “Our Logistics Department worked our fingers to the bone for a whole year, and we’re brushed off with a bag of sunflower seeds?” VP Miller barely lifted his eyelids, not even looking me in the eye. “Is this too little? Besides spending money, what contribution does your Logistics Department make to the company?” “No contribution?” I forced down my anger. “Our Logistics Department saves the company tens of thousands of dollars a year on office supplies alone.” “Trash removal, office facility maintenance, electrical repairs—we never spend money to hire outside help, saving tens of thousands more.” “Over five years, everyone in the Logistics Department has become a jack-of-all-trades in maintenance, decoration, and clearing drains. Does this not count as a contribution?” VP Miller finally looked at me squarely, his eyes gloomy. “One order from the Sales Department leaves you in the dust, and you have the nerve to present this little bit of money as a contribution?” “Chloe, you need to broaden your perspective. The company trained you to become jacks-of-all-trades and didn’t even charge you tuition, did they?” I was truly driven mad by his shamelessness. “You mean, we should be paying the company tuition? We shouldn’t even get a salary, we should just let you exploit our labor for free?” He slammed his hand on the desk, his face darkening. “Chloe! Watch your language!” “The company needs talents who can create value, not handymen who only know how to clean toilets and do repairs.” “Compensation is based on work. The work you do isn’t even worth a bag of sunflower seeds.” “Giving them to you is to take care of your feelings. Don’t be ungrateful!” Compensation based on work? The Logistics Department has an approved headcount of 10 people. We only have 6 people but do the work of 10. When others are on vacation, we are rushing to repair electrical circuits. During the holidays when families are reuniting, we are pulling all-nighters cleaning the septic tank. Almost every department gets a salary increase every year; only our Logistics Department hasn’t seen a dime of increase in five years. When I applied for a salary increase and additional staff, how did he promise me? [The Logistics Department has no performance link, so salary increases are restricted. You are in management, you must look at the big picture. We’ll give you a larger year-end bonus so your hard work won’t be in vain.] Because of this one sentence, we endured a bitter year, only to wait for a bag of sunflower seeds! I suppressed my emotions: “Mr. Miller, either raise our salaries or give us the year-end bonus. You have to give us one or the other, right?” His face immediately turned black, and he viciously stubbed out a half-smoked cigarette in the ashtray. “Chloe! Do you think you own this company?” “Your Logistics Department hasn’t created value for the company, you all deserve a pay cut. Where do you get the nerve to ask for a year-end bonus?” “We’ve had it every year, why this year…” “Then look for the reason within yourself!” VP Miller interrupted me. “You are about to be removed as the Director of Logistics. I advise you not to stick your neck out.” “If you still want to stay in the company, keep your head down and behave!” I froze abruptly. So that was it. The entire Logistics Department was implicated because of me. I looked at him and suddenly smiled: “You’d better not regret this.” 02 Walking out of VP Miller’s office, gazes invariably fell upon me one after another. There was scrutiny, mockery, and also sympathy. The discussions grew from quiet murmurs to unbridled comments. “The Logistics Department is inherently about trivial matters.” “Trying to compare themselves to mainstays like the Sales and Marketing Departments is just humiliating themselves, isn’t it?” “That Logistics Department is used to making a big deal out of nothing.” “Getting a pen requires registration. In that time, I could have signed a contract and bought a whole truckload of pens!” “Exactly. Who doesn’t know how to clean a toilet? Which grown man doesn’t know how to change a lightbulb?” “Claiming credit for this? If I make a promotional video that increases the company’s customer acquisition rate by 30%, does that count as a monumental achievement?” “A mud idol crossing a river can hardly save itself, yet she’s advocating for others’ bonuses. How can she lack self-awareness so much!” Those piercing sarcasms were like fine needles, continuously piercing my chest. Every breath carried a dense, fine pain. To make the office environment more comfortable, the entire Logistics Department used our weekend time to go to remote rural areas. We helped flower farmers work for a day in the nurseries, just to save money and ensure every desk could have a potted plant. The restrooms had a strong odor, and ordinary air fresheners didn’t work at all. Several of us researched various materials and worked overtime until dawn for a month to create a homemade air freshener with strong odor-eliminating effects and a lasting scent. When it snowed heavily in the middle of the night, to make it convenient for all employees to park in the morning, our entire Logistics Department was on duty at 4 AM. We completely cleared thousands of square meters of snow around the office building. Sarah suffered frostbite on her hands because of this. It recurs every winter, red and itchy, yet she never utters a single complaint. And in their eyes, these are all trivial matters, just the basic duties expected of us! In the column for “Logistics Department Performance,” it is always blank. I returned to the office without saying a word. Pushing open the door, I saw everyone’s expectant eyes. My chest tightened, and the words I wanted to say stuck in my throat. I watched the light in everyone’s eyes dim little by little, finally turning into disappointment. My nails dug deeply into my palms, feeling too ashamed to show my face. Sarah comforted me, saying: “It’s okay, I’ll ask relatives to chip in for the kid’s house money.” Lily’s eyes were red, obviously having cried, forcing a smile. “Chloe, Jake lent me some money and helped me set up a GoFundMe. It’s okay…” A wave of sourness surged from the bottom of my heart. Ultimately, it was all because of me. Because someone coveted my position and wanted to show me who’s boss, they implicated my team, causing them to lose their rightful rewards. I exhaled, fighting back a sob: “Don’t worry, I won’t let this go. Salaries will be raised, and the year-end bonus will be retrieved down to the last cent.” Jake looked at me with deep concern: “Chloe, is what Mr. Miller said about changing the director true?” I didn’t answer. Jake was furious: “Why? You’ve given so much to the company.” “To save the budget, you compare prices for every single pen and binder store by store. How much money have you saved the company? What right do they have to replace you?” Lily’s eyes grew wet again, and she asked timidly: “Just now, Tom from HR told me that after Mia takes office, she’s going to lay off 30% of the staff.” “That means laying off two people. I came last, and I’m the youngest. Am I going to lose my job?” Sarah also lowered her head. If there really were layoffs, the two of them were in the most danger. Jake is a guy, capable of doing heavy lifting. The other two male employees are also multi-tasking all-rounders; they would never be laid off. Jake patted Lily on the shoulder and comforted her: “Don’t be afraid. If there really are layoffs, I’ll leave.” “I’m a guy, it’s easy to find a job. I was just thinking about switching to a company that treats everyone equally anyway.” “We’ll leave too!” The door was pushed open, and Old Lee and Old Zhao, who had gone to the After-Sales Department to fix a water pipe, walked in. “We know how to do everything. If worse comes to worst, we’ll go out and open a repair shop together.” “It’s better than being bullied in this cold-blooded company!” Sarah also perked up: “Right, Chloe, if they replace you, none of us will work here anymore!” A warm current flowed through my heart. There is nothing more moving than loyalty unto death. I smiled and said with an incredibly firm tone: “Don’t worry. I’m in management. Personnel appointments and dismissals require President Sterling’s personal signature. They wouldn’t dare make a decision on their own.” 03 But reality quickly slapped me in the face. Just minutes after I said that, a personnel appointment and dismissal notice was posted in the large company chat group. [Logistics Director Chloe Davis has treated her work with perfunctory negligence, failed to demonstrate the value of a key position, and made insufficient contributions to the company’s core operations.] [Therefore, after research by the company, it has been decided to dismiss Chloe Davis from the position of Logistics Director.] [Mia will serve as Logistics Director, officially taking office after the Spring Festival.] I was stunned for at least five seconds. I hid my identity for five years, working hard in the Logistics Department without complaint, just so that Ethan Sterling would have no worries on the home front. Ethan would absolutely never sign this. I really wanted to see who had such immense courage and reached so far. The HR Director immediately @’d me: [@Chloe, during the handover period, purchasing authority will be handled by Mia. You will still temporarily manage the basic operations of the Logistics Department. Strengthen inspections during the Spring Festival period and stand your final post well.] I was so angry I almost laughed. Only managing the money and not doing the work? I was wondering why she insisted on taking office after the New Year. It turned out she didn’t want to be caught at the company for duty inspections during the Spring Festival. In my five years in the Logistics Department, which Spring Festival was I not inspecting every corner of the company? She sure knows how to calculate things to her advantage. Mia immediately replied in the group: [Thank you to the company leadership for your trust. I will certainly live up to expectations, lead all Logistics Department personnel, and do my utmost to generate revenue for the company, building the most valuable department in the company.] The named members of the Logistics Department stared at each other; no one replied. Below was a long string of compliments for Mia. [Congratulations Director Mia, on becoming the company’s youngest manager.] [Director Mia, a suggestion: cancel those tedious processes of signing and registering. Who cares about a broken pen anyway?] [Director Mia, please replace the AC in our office with one that has fresh air ventilation.] [Director Mia, I want a 100-inch TV for screen casting during meetings.] Flattered by the repeated “Director Mia,” Mia lost all sense of proportion and agreed to everything without hesitation. [Director Mia is so generous, unlike a certain someone who is so stingy.] [This is against the rules, that has regulations, as if she were spending her own family’s money.] [That’s a sign of incompetence. Director Mia has the ability to fight for resources.] [Unlike her, no background at all, thinking getting some plants and scenting the bathroom is a great achievement.] People, familiar and unfamiliar, stepped forward to flatter the high and step on the low. They completely disregarded the fact that I, the demoted person, was still in the group. VP Jones @’d me in the group: [Chloe, personnel appointments are the result of careful consideration by the company. You are a veteran employee; don’t let your emotions get the better of you.] [The company won’t fire you. Aren’t you guys always short a janitor to clean the restrooms? You can fill that spot for now.] I simply couldn’t believe my eyes. He actually wanted me, a manager, to clean toilets? This was naked humiliation, a blatant slap in the face! Through two doors, I clearly heard the roaring laughter coming from other offices. I could even imagine Mia’s currently smug, arrogant, and gloating expression. I gripped my phone screen tightly, my knuckles turning white. Almost trembling, I replied with one word: [Okay.] Perhaps not seeing the anger he expected from me, VP Miller @’d me again. [Veteran employees have good awareness. I hope you will shine in your new position.] Mia followed up with a message: [Please rest assured, Mr. Miller, I will strictly enforce company policies and manage subordinate employees well.] She then @’d me: [Sister Chloe, I won’t be soft-hearted just because you used to be in management. If you don’t clean well, I will issue a fine.] Every word was a stab to the heart! Murder is nothing but a nod of the head. If the tiger doesn’t roar, do they really think I’m a sick cat? I replied provocatively: [Okay, I’ll be waiting for your fine.]

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While eating a $1.50 discounted meal for impoverished students in the cafeteria, I scrolled across a livestream. In the broadcast, my name tag was hung around a female dog’s neck. The rich kids of A University were playing a romantic ring-toss game. Whoever tossed a ring onto the dog would become my master. And around the dog’s neck, four rings were already stacked. The Student Body President, Oliver, scoffed. “Interesting, looks like we’re going to share the same little bitch.” The new money heir of the Finance Department, Leo, raised an eyebrow. “A newly transferred poor student, she’ll definitely be completely infatuated with the four of us.” The campus movie star, Ethan, eagerly said: “How about a bet? One month, let’s see who the bitch is most devoted to?” The medical genius, Gabriel, didn’t speak, but his eyes were full of determination to win. I exited the livestream and curled my lips coldly. What a coincidence, isn’t it? My father made me transfer to A University just to pick a desirable fiancé from among the four of them. Too bad, you’ve all been disqualified. 1 In the livestream, the girl on camera smiled and called my name to the dog. “Ava, come here!” “Good dog!” “It’s really bad luck for a poor student to run into you four bad guys at the beginning of her college career!” The crowd around burst into laughter. “A poor student coming to A University, isn’t it just to climb the social ladder? She must be dying of happiness right now!” “I remember the last few were either forced to get abortions or drop out by you guys. How about trying some new tricks this time?” “I can’t wait to see the stupid look of that poor student in love!” Oliver affectionately put his arm around the girl’s shoulder. “You clearly designed the game yourself, we’re just following your lead, and you’re still scolding us.” Leo stood on the other side of the girl, playing with her fair hand, looking completely helpless. “Yeah, last time we went easy, the girl just cried for a bit, and you were unhappy again.” “What exactly do we have to do to satisfy you? Princess?” Ethan flipped his bangs and confidently said: “Just weave a Cinderella dream for the poor student, I’m familiar with this kind of acting.” “Place your bets quickly! I bet on myself, ten million!” Gabriel still had no expression, lightly draping a jacket over the girl. “I bet fifteen million.” Watching them humiliate me, I wasn’t angry. Because my real name is actually Vivian. To secretly choose a fiancé at A University, I specifically asked my dad to get me a fake identity. And now I am Ava, an absolute poor student. But what I was angry about was that they could so boundlessly humiliate and hurt innocent girls. The four little followers trailing behind me when we were kids have now actually turned into this. I shook my head in disappointment. Gave them all a zero. These kinds of people don’t deserve to be my fiancé. Just as I was about to turn off my screen and exit, a few more comments popped up in the livestream. [Why are four men all revolving around her! Is she planning to marry all of them?] [Please, she’s Mia, the heiress of the Sterling family!] [The four of them are all Mia’s childhood sweethearts! They swore that even if they didn’t marry Mia, they would protect her for a lifetime!] Mia? Sterling heiress? When did my parents give me a sister this old? Just as I was confused, it suddenly got dark around me. Looking up again, Oliver and Leo were sitting on either side of me, with Ethan and Gabriel opposite. The noisy cafeteria instantly quieted down. Everyone’s eyes converged on my table. Oliver naturally tucked some loose hair behind my ear, saying with a pained expression: “How can you just eat this?” I could only pretend to take a few bites of rice. “Poor, no money.” A flash of contempt crossed their eyes, but was quickly covered up. Ethan got into character in a second, directly grabbing my hand. “A girl as beautiful as you, how can you eat these scraps?” Saying that, he pulled me straight out of the cafeteria, stuffed me into a luxury car, and drove all the way to the most famous Michelin three-star restaurant in the city. I was slightly stunned. Isn’t this my cafeteria? The Michelin chef here was specifically hired by my parents to cook for me, opening a restaurant for me in passing. Just as we entered, the restaurant manager saw me and respectfully came up, opening his mouth ready to call “Boss.” I shook my head slightly at the manager. The manager immediately understood. Leo pulled out a chair for me. “Order whatever you want, it’s just some home-style dishes.” I laughed secretly in my heart. These are indeed my home-style dishes. They showed off by introducing every dish to me. But I was already tired of eating them, so I picked a few bites unenthusiastically. Unexpectedly, in their eyes, there was another set of understanding. As if I didn’t even know how to eat. Gabriel reached out, took the claw of a deep-sea blue crab, shelled it, and fed it to my mouth. I glanced at the pinhole camera on his chest and suddenly got interested. 2 I pretended to be shy and asked: “Gabriel, I heard your hands only hold a scalpel.” The corner of Gabriel’s mouth twitched, taking a long time to reply: “Because you are special.” If you can disgust me, can’t I disgust you? I coyly half-pushed and half-yielded, blushing as I took a bite. Next, the four of them took turns flattering me. Picking food for me, peeling shrimp for me, and even wiping the corners of my mouth, not resting for a moment. I diligently acted with each of them. Eating a meal made me so tired I wanted to roll my eyes. After I returned to the dorm exhausted, my roommates all looked at me with somewhat complicated eyes. I opened my phone and sure enough saw Mia livestreaming again. The livestream was playing the clip of Gabriel feeding me crab legs on loop. Everyone burst into continuous laughter. Ethan slapped his thigh. “I almost couldn’t hold back my laughter! Her expression was so sincere, she really thought she was the female lead in an idol drama!” Gabriel’s face darkened: “Is it funny?! I just washed my hands three times with disinfectant, still feel disgusted!” Leo patted Gabriel’s shoulder, finding it hard to hold back. “The poor student is probably going to be fascinated to death by this move of yours! Congratulations hahaha!” After this incident, the group of four became even more attentive to me. Sending flowers and gifts, inviting me on dates. I diligently accompanied them in acting every day, providing them with amusement in the livestream. Even if classmates passing by would let out sneaky chuckles, I still pretended not to know anything. Until this day, I was suddenly pulled into a corner by someone. That person gathered his courage and said to me: “Ava, you’ve been tricked!” “Those guys are not good people at all!” Almost everyone in the whole school knew my situation. But for so long, some people just watched the fun, some didn’t dare to talk to me. He was the only one who warned me. Before I had time to say anything. He was suddenly shoved away forcefully, stumbling and falling to the ground. The group of four blocked in front of me. Oliver flashed his identity as Student Body President, threatening: “Stay away from Ava!” “You’re a poor student, I advise you not to hit on Ava, otherwise I’ll make sure you can’t graduate from A University!” After saying that, he probed: “Ava, he didn’t say anything weird to you, did he?” I shook my head blankly. They then felt relieved. “Your birthday is at the end of the month, we’re taking you to an auction to buy you a birthday present.” I then realized it was the birthday I had randomly filled in, and quickly got into character. “You guys actually remember my birthday… I’m so touched!” “But I’ve never been to an auction, what if I embarrass you…” They told me not to worry. Before the auction started, a dress was delivered to me. I frowned. My out-of-print haute couture dress should be hanging in my closet, why was it in their hands? 3 I suddenly thought of something, opened my phone to search for Mia’s account, and sure enough, she was livestreaming. “Today we brought the poor student to see the world again.” “Her dress? I lent it to her, I never wear my dresses a second time.” She covered her mouth and smiled, showing off the pigeon-egg-sized sapphire ring on her hand. “She probably doesn’t even know how to wear high heels, will she fall flat on her face in public?” My face turned cold. Mia’s dress, earrings, ring, necklace, all the outfits on her body, were mine. I walked out acting as if nothing had happened. The group of four was waiting for me at the venue entrance, and Mia was also holding her phone, ready to livestream me making a fool of myself. The moment I made my appearance, the eyes of everyone in the venue were drawn to me. “She’s so beautiful!” “Is she some family’s heiress?!” Seeing the eyes of the group of four seemed glued to me, Mia was so jealous her face twisted. I tossed my beautiful hair. Look who this lady is! The jewelry auction began. I lacked interest. Urged by the group of four, I randomly picked a necklace. Ethan immediately bid. “Three million!” Unexpectedly, Gabriel actually followed the bid: “Five million!” “Ethan, big brother is not going to let you have it this time.” Oliver also smiled and joined the battle. “Eight million!” Mia watched from the side as the group of four threw away thousands of gold pieces for me. She wanted to say something out of jealousy, but couldn’t get a word in. As if they were hyped up, the few of them crazily increased the price against each other, forcibly driving it up to thirty million. Ethan and Gabriel could only give up. Oliver was just preparing to claim credit from me when the silent Leo suddenly spoke: “Sky Lantern bid! (Match any highest bid plus an increment)” He lazily crossed his legs and put his arm around my shoulder: “I said I would personally win Ava’s birthday present, and I keep my word.” After the auction ended, I held the jewelry in my hand speechlessly. When I said I didn’t want it, I really didn’t want it. Because several of the pretty good items among these auction pieces were jewelry I had eliminated and didn’t want. Mia coyly leaned over. “Brother Leo, I also like this piece of jewelry, can you give it to me?” She pulled out a few hundred-dollar bills from her bag and threw them into my arms. “What kind of jewelry matches what kind of person, little sister better go find some pieces at the street stalls.” I looked at Leo, eyes red, about to return the jewelry to him. “I really don’t deserve it, better give it back to you…” I was breathtakingly beautiful today, coupled with a pitiful expression, Leo’s heart instantly leaned towards me. “Who says you don’t deserve it!!” He wiped the tears from the corner of my eye with heartache, glanced coldly at Mia, and reprimanded: “You even want to snatch a birthday present? Do you think it’s appropriate?” “Ava was happy, you insisted on making her cry! Apologize to Ava!” Not leaving any face for Mia at all. The surrounding gazes converged. Mia’s face flushed red with shame, and she ran out crying. The evening livestream started on time. Mia sat crying among the group of four. “You guys actually yelled at me today!” Oliver wiped her tears with heartache. “Wasn’t that to make the poor student believe we are really pursuing her?” Leo also chimed in: “Look at her totally devoted look now, when we dump her, it will definitely be spectacular!” Ethan also said: “Stop being unhappy, next time I get my acting fee, I will definitely buy you the most expensive jewelry!” Gabriel pushed his glasses up with a dark mind. “What’s the fun in buying? When the time comes, make the poor student return everything she’s gotten now double to compensate Mia!” The viewers in the livestream, seeing me in the video with eyes full of the group of four, mocked: [Just a little petty profit, look how touched she is!] [When she finds out everything is a scam, she won’t be so sad she commits suicide, will she hahaha!] [When the time comes, you must livestream it live for us! I can’t wait anymore!] Mia was coaxed by everyone, smiling at the camera and said: “Next Monday is the last day.” “At eight o’clock in the evening, we will livestream the bitch being dumped at the open-air theater on time!” I smiled faintly. Exactly on Monday, it was also the day I had to report the selection result to my father. 4 For these last few days, the group of four couldn’t wait to confirm my feelings for them every moment. To each person, I put on a deeply affectionate look of loving them to the bone. For fear they didn’t have enough confidence. Sure enough, a few days later, the entrance to my dorm was piled high with roses. Four people, four bouquets of flowers, four love letters. Just like the livestream announcement, they all asked me to meet at eight o’clock on Monday night. That day, I specially “dressed up.” Wore the dress I hadn’t “returned,” brought the “valuable” jewelry they bought for me. Gave them plenty of room to perform. I arrived at the meeting place. Before seeing the group of four, I was stopped by someone else first. “Ava!” I took a closer look, it was that boy from last time again. “You can’t go! You will regret it!” Seeing I had no reaction, he anxiously took out his phone, opened Mia’s livestream to prove it to me. “They’ve been deceiving you and playing you all along!” I tilted my head in amusement. “I know.” “But who is deceiving who is hard to say, isn’t it?” Without waiting for his reaction, I brushed past him. Waiting for me were not only the group of four, but also Mia and a crowd of people holding phones watching the fun. The four of them finally tore off their disguise. Oliver was the first to speak, with condescending arrogance: “You didn’t really think we were going to confess to you, did you?” Leo also chuckled: “Just playing with you, and you took it seriously?” The laughter around grew louder. Someone whispered jeeringly: “Does she really think she’s good enough for them?” “I think she probably had already picked one in her heart hahaha!” “A delusional girl in love is funny! A poor delusional girl in love is even funnier!” My acting bug flared up, and immediately tears began to swirl in my eyes. “So you guys… were lying to me before? Sending me flowers, going on dates with me, taking me to auctions, it was all fake?” Ethan raised his phone, clicking into the livestream. “Not only lying to you, everyone watched plenty of the fun.” “You’re as funny as a clown!” Gabriel went straight for my necklace. “Things Mia likes, you don’t deserve to wear.” Mia slowly walked up to me, looking me up and down: “They say clothes make the man, wearing my clothes, wearing my jewelry, don’t say, you really looked the part.” “Too bad, it’s time to wake up from the sweet dream.” She moved behind me and yanked down the zipper on my back. “Take it off, give it back to me.” A burst of lewd whistling sounded around. I didn’t get angry or make a scene, smiled faintly, and then backhandedly slapped Mia across the face. “Smack!” Mia widened her eyes in disbelief. The group of four also got angry. “Bitch, you dare hit Mia!” “Playing with you for a month, you can’t tell what kind of garlic you are? Do you really think you deserve us?!” “I’m definitely stripping your clothes today, making you walk back to the dorm naked!!” As soon as their voices fell, a person silently appeared behind me. Draped a jacket over me. Then backhandedly instantly took down all four people to the ground. I looked down at them condescendingly. “Inspection over.” “Unfortunately.” “You don’t deserve me either, not qualified to be the fiancé of the eldest daughter of the Sterling family!”

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1 A month after my mother’s funeral, my father brought his mistress home. I lost it—screamed, cried, and hurled a heavy crystal glass at her and her daughter. The mistress played the delicate damsel, clutching her head and leaning on my father, assuring him she was fine. That enraged him. For the first time, he shouted at me to go to my room. Blazing with fury, I didn’t obey—I stormed out. His face purpled, hand on his chest. “If you leave, don’t come back!” But I did, penniless, burning to make him regret the affair, losing me, and above all, my mother. Outside our mansion, reality was brutal. A high school dropout, I landed menial jobs—scrubbing floors, delivering takeout, maid work—earning barely $3,000 a month, nowhere near enough for a decent place. I shared a cramped, damp basement with strangers. One night, rushing a delivery, I ran a red light. The last thing I saw was a semi‑truck’s grille. I died unclaimed in a morgue, while my father threw a lavish party for his newborn son’s first month. He had his perfect family. I died alone in the dark. Then I opened my eyes—back to the day his mistress and her daughter first entered our home. This time, I didn’t scream or cry. I slipped something into my father’s tea. A little something to make sure he’d never have another child. … CRASH! The crystal glass found its mark, shattering against the mistress’s forehead. She let out a soft cry, clutching the bleeding gash as she crumpled gracefully into my father’s arms. “Ava, are you out of your mind?” he roared, his face contorted with fury. “Have you forgotten every shred of decency I ever taught you?” I stood there, stunned for a moment, the ghost of a semi-truck’s horn still ringing in my ears. It took me a second to realize it had worked. I was back. I was reborn. The mistress, Veronica, clung to his arm, her voice a syrupy whisper. “Richard, darling, don’t be so hard on her. She just lost her mother. It’s only natural she’s upset.” My father’s anger melted into concern for her. He wrapped an arm around Veronica, his glare fixed on me. “You will apologize to your Aunt Veronica this instant!” Tears welled in Veronica’s eyes as she waved a dismissive hand. “No, no, it’s not necessary. I know a girl like Ava looks down on someone like me. Please, don’t fight because of me. I’ll just go.” She turned, making a show of grabbing her suitcase to leave. That was the cue for her daughter, Jessica. She burst into tears. “Mommy, didn’t you say we gave up our apartment? Does that mean we’re homeless again?” That did it. Any hesitation my father had vanished. His expression hardened. He pointed to the master bedroom, my mother’s bedroom. “You’re not going anywhere. From now on, Veronica, you are the lady of this house.” Then he pointed at me. “And you, Ava, will go to your room and stay there until you’ve learned some respect!” The mother and daughter kept their heads down, their shoulders shaking with silent sobs, but I could see the triumphant glint in their eyes. The conniving bitch. She was the one who had an affair with a married man. She was the one moving in before the flowers on my mother’s grave had even started to wilt. And she had the audacity to play the victim. My hand instinctively clenched, ready to grab another glass. But I caught sight of my father’s face, flushed with a dangerous rage. In my last life, my pride couldn’t handle him yelling at me. I’d run out with nothing, leaving all my designer clothes and jewelry for Jessica to claim as her own. And what did it get me? Dead on the asphalt for a three-dollar delivery fee. Not this time. I would not make the same mistake twice. I relaxed my fist and dug my nails into my thigh, hard. The sting brought tears to my eyes. “Dad,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “Are you getting rid of me?” My father, who had been seconds from exploding, blinked. His anger softened slightly. “What are you talking about? You’re my only daughter. How could I ever get rid of you?” I pouted, pointing a finger at Jessica. “Then what about her? Is she here to be your new daughter? Is she going to live in our house?” “She’s Veronica’s daughter,” he said automatically. “If it bothers you, she can call me Mr. Blackwood.” At the thought of their new luxurious life slipping away, Veronica and Jessica’s faces tightened. Jessica put on her most pitiful expression. “Mr. Blackwood, does… does your daughter not like me?” Veronica jumped in immediately. “Richard, perhaps this is too much for you. If Ava really doesn’t want us here, we won’t force it.” Her voice dropped to a devoted murmur. “As long as I can be with you, anywhere is home.” My father melted, completely captivated by her declaration of love. He took a deep breath. “Ava, from now on, Veronica is your mother. And Jessica is your sister. You will treat them with respect.” My fists clenched again, my nails digging into my palms. My real mother’s memorial flowers were still fresh. How dare he? “Dad, it hasn’t even been two months since Mom… You two were married for so long. She loved you so much. Is this woman in such a hurry?” The mention of my mother brought a flicker of guilt to his eyes. He finally relented. “You’re right. I wasn’t thinking clearly. Veronica, perhaps you and Jessica could stay at the downtown apartment for a few days?” Veronica’s eyes shot daggers at me. Then, she pressed a hand to her injured forehead, her voice suddenly weak. “Richard, you know I’ll do whatever you think is best…” She didn’t even finish the sentence before her eyes rolled back and she collapsed. Jessica shrieked in terror. “Mom! What’s wrong? Mom, don’t scare me, you know your health is fragile!” My father, ever the hero, swept Veronica into his arms, yelling, “Doctor! Somebody get the doctor!” I sat on the sofa and watched the drama unfold with a cold smile. So, she’d found a way to stay. Fine. I had plenty of ways to kick her out again. 2 “The family doctor says your little stunt gave Veronica a concussion. Now go up there and apologize properly!” Upstairs, Veronica was propped up in bed, a pristine white bandage wrapped around her head, already playing the peacemaker. “Richard, don’t blame the child. I’m sure she didn’t mean it, did you, Ava?” She looked at me, her eyes full of a sweet, venomous challenge. The old me would have exploded. But the new me was better at this game than she was. I let my own eyes well up with tears. “I’m so sorry, Daddy. I was just so upset, I threw a glass. I never imagined Aunt Veronica would lunge right into its path!” My father was so taken aback by the absurdity of my apology that his anger fizzled out into a short laugh. He patted my head. “I’ve spoiled this one rotten. Veronica, don’t you mind her.” Veronica’s face darkened for a split second before she forced another radiant smile. It was fine. As long as they were in the house, she was confident she could win him over completely. Later that evening, when it was time to choose rooms, Jessica’s eyes immediately fell on my suite on the second floor. It was the largest bedroom besides the master, with the best light, a walk-in closet, and an en-suite bathroom. Veronica was quick to feign humility. “Jessica, that’s Ava’s room. You couldn’t possibly.” Turning to my father, she added, “Richard, Jessica isn’t used to such large spaces. The first-floor guest room is more than enough. We don’t want to be any trouble.” Jessica’s face crumpled, tears threatening to spill over. I saw my father’s resolve begin to waver. I stepped in. “Dad, I think Aunt Veronica is right. What if Jessica has nightmares in a room that big? Besides, our guest room is lovely. Once it’s fixed up, it’ll feel just like home for my new little sister.” The tight line of my father’s brow relaxed. “You’re right. I didn’t consider that. If you’re not comfortable, you can stay in the guest room for now.” The smile on Veronica’s face finally cracked. But mine was just beginning to bloom. Back in my room, I pulled up the feed from the micro-camera I’d installed in the guest room earlier. Jessica was in the middle of a full-blown tantrum. “Mom! You promised I’d be a princess here! Why does she still get to walk all over me?” Veronica’s face was a stony mask. “What do you know? This is called strategy. She’s just a spoiled brat. You think she stands a chance against me? Your ‘Uncle’ Richard doesn’t have a son. Just wait until I’m pregnant with his heir. We’ll see how smug little Ava is then.” With that, Veronica swept out of the room, on her way to bring my father a cup of tea in his study. And I had already dosed the entire kettle. 3 To my absolute shock, three months later, Veronica was pregnant. The news hit me like a physical blow. I frantically messaged the online seller who’d sold me the drug. What the hell happened? The reply came from a flamboyant, theatrical voice over the encrypted chat. “Darling, that’s simply impossible! This isn’t your garden-variety sterilization drug. A man who takes this for an extended period doesn’t just become sterile, he becomes…” The rest of the message made me laugh. And it confirmed one thing with absolute certainty. There was no way my father could get anyone pregnant. So whose baby was it? My father, however, was ecstatic. A son, in his old age! He was over the moon. He immediately had the master suite redecorated to Veronica’s tastes and insisted that Jessica move into my room. “Veronica says Jessica is scared to sleep alone. She can keep you company.” Veronica caressed her still-flat stomach, a triumphant smirk playing on her lips. “Ava, you don’t mind, do you?” I smiled back, just as sweetly. “Of course not. Once you have my new baby brother, we’ll finally be a real family.” My father beamed, seeing us getting along so well. He declared we were all going out for a celebratory dinner. When I went back to my room, I found Jessica standing in front of my full-length mirror, teetering in a pair of my burgundy stilettos. She saw me and grinned. “These are gorgeous. You don’t mind if I borrow them, do you, sis?” They were the last gift my mother ever gave me, for my eighteenth birthday. I’d never even worn them myself. My patience snapped. “Take them off. Now.” Jessica scoffed. “So, the nice girl act is over now that Daddy’s not around?” With a vicious smirk, she kicked her foot back, slamming the delicate heel into the mirror. The stiletto snapped with a sickening crack as the glass spiderwebbed and shattered. I froze. A moment later, hurried footsteps pounded up the stairs. Veronica appeared in the doorway, clinging to my father’s arm. She gasped, her hand flying to her mouth as her eyes reddened. “Jessica, darling! Your leg, it’s bleeding! Are you hurt?” Jessica clutched her calf, where a shard of glass had nicked her, and started sobbing. “I’m so sorry, Ava! I shouldn’t have touched your shoes! Please, don’t blame Mom for this!” The broken shoe lay amidst the shards of glass, painting a perfect picture: me, in a fit of rage, smashing the shoe against the mirror. My father’s brow furrowed, his voice dripping with disappointment. “Ava. And here I was, thinking you’d finally grown up. You’re all sweetness to our faces, and this is what you do behind our backs.” I opened my mouth to explain. “It was her, she…” “Enough!” he boomed. “You always have an excuse! The truth is you can’t stand to see this family happy!” I fell silent. He pulled out his phone and made a call, then gestured to my closet. “Pack your things. You’re an adult now. You can live on your own.” His voice was cold, final. “I’ve arranged an apartment for you. Don’t come back unless you’re invited. Veronica needs a peaceful environment for her pregnancy.” I nodded slowly. “Fine. I’ll go. But I’m taking one thing with me.” With that, I shoved Jessica aside, grabbed the shoe from her other foot, and wrenched it off. She shrieked as her hand pressed down on the broken glass, glaring at me with pure hatred. I didn’t even look at her. I just wiped the shoe clean with a look of disgust. “You win,” I said to them. “You got me out of the house.” My father started to lecture me again, but I looked him straight in the eye, my voice thick with emotion. “This was the last gift Mom ever gave me. I’m not letting them have it.” He froze. I walked past them without another word and went downstairs. The driver was already waiting. I got in the car and closed my eyes. It didn’t matter. I had already sold or replaced everything valuable in the house with fakes. My last life taught me one thing: the only thing you can truly count on is cash. As for Veronica and her daughter? Their time would come. The apartment my father arranged was near my school—an elite prep school where tuition was more important than grades. The next day, I walked onto campus and saw Jessica, holding court in the middle of a circle of fawning students. She was wearing my clothes and carrying one of my swapped-out fake designer bags. “Well, well, look what we have here,” one of the girls sneered. “If it isn’t the former princess of the Blackwood family. Kicked out of your own house and you still show your face here?” The group erupted in laughter. Jessica glided over to me, wrapping her arm around mine in a show of false intimacy. “Ava, don’t listen to them. Even after my baby brother is born, you’ll always be a Blackwood.” I pulled my arm away. “We? Is your last name Blackwood now?” Her expression faltered. “Ava,” she said, her voice dripping with hurt, “are you still mad at me? It wasn’t my fault that Uncle Richard asked you to leave.” A few of the fair-weather friends chimed in. “Don’t apologize to her, Jessica. She’s just a stuck-up snob!” “Yeah, acting so high and mighty. Let’s see how she acts when she’s cut out of the will.” I said nothing, just stared down at my textbook. I’d seen the worst of human nature in my last life. Their petty taunts were nothing to me. Jessica basked in their sycophantic praise, announcing loudly, “Well, when my baby brother has his one-month celebration, you’re all invited!” I gripped my pen, a cold smile touching my lips. Good, I thought. I hope every single one of them is there to watch the show. Ten months flew by. The day of my “brother’s” party arrived. My father called me personally, ordering me to come home. “Alright, that’s enough sulking. He’s your brother. What will people think if his own sister doesn’t show up?” I agreed instantly. I grabbed the file from my desk and slipped it into my backpack. When I arrived in my plain school uniform, my father, who was greeting guests, frowned in disapproval. “Ava, for heaven’s sake, don’t you have any sense of occasion? You couldn’t find a single decent dress to wear?” My gaze drifted to Jessica, who was preening in a couture gown. I tilted my chin towards her. “Weren’t all my clothes given to the new young lady of the house?” My father fell silent, instead beckoning an assistant to take me to get changed. Just then, Veronica approached, holding the baby. “Ava, you’re here! Would you like to hold your little brother?” Before I could even react, she was thrusting the baby into my arms. I reached out, but it was too late. I wasn’t ready. The swaddled infant slipped through my grasp and fell to the polished marble floor. A piercing, agonized wail echoed through the grand hall. I stared at her in disbelief. The woman was truly ruthless, willing to use her own son as a pawn in her sick game. Every eye in the room turned to us. Veronica let out a heart-wrenching cry. “Ava! I know you don’t like him, but how could you drop him on purpose!” My father’s face went black with rage. He didn’t wait for an explanation. His hand flew through the air and a sharp, stinging slap landed across my cheek. My head snapped to the side, my skin burning. It took a moment to register what had just happened. My father had hit me. For the first time in my entire life. An unspeakable mix of betrayal and fury exploded in my chest. He clutched his heart, his voice a disappointed roar. “I was a fool to ever trust you. You ungrateful monster, how could you harm your own brother!” Veronica was sobbing, cradling the crying infant. “He’s just a baby! How can you hate him this much? Are you that afraid he’ll take your inheritance?” The atmosphere in the room shifted. I could feel their stares: mocking, disdainful, morbidly curious. “That Blackwood girl is more vicious than she looks. Dropping a newborn like that!” My father was trembling with rage. “Do you think I’m a doddering old fool? I’m telling you right now, you won’t see a single penny of my fortune!” A collective gasp went through the crowd. I saw the undisguised joy in Veronica and Jessica’s eyes. It was happening. The entire Blackwood fortune would soon be theirs. I touched my stinging cheek and let out a bitter, self-mocking laugh. But I didn’t break down. I didn’t scream or cry. I simply reached into my bag and pulled out the paternity test. “Dad, maybe you should look at this gift before you make any final decisions.”

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My husband’s secretary was locked in a car with the windows up for half an hour, and in a fit of rage, he locked me in the storage room. I knelt on the ground, tightly gripping the hem of his shirt, admitting to a mistake I didn’t commit. He impatiently pried my fingers away, stepped on them hard, his eyes devoid of any warmth. “Who do you think you are, daring to hurt Chloe?” Suffering from severe claustrophobia, I curled up in the dark, cramped space, gasping for air. My palms were scratched bloody by my own fingernails, yet I still couldn’t resist the suffocating feeling of impending death. A week later, he returned from a trip abroad with his secretary and finally remembered me. But he didn’t know that I had long died in fear and hatred. 1 When Ethan Reed walked into the villa with his arm around Chloe Shen’s waist, the servants had already decorated the house in advance. Rose petals scattered on the floor, a diamond necklace on the dining table, and a three-tier cake with a cartoon girl drawn on it nearby. Everything proclaimed Ethan’s regard for Chloe. Leaning in Ethan’s arms, Chloe saw all this, covered her mouth in surprise, her eyes flashing with tears as she looked at Ethan: “Ethan, you are so good to me!” Ethan affectionately scraped the tip of Chloe’s nose, his tone gentle: “I have another gift for you.” Ethan turned to look at his personal assistant and ordered: “Go call Ava down. I want this bitch to kneel and apologize to Chloe in public.” I looked coldly at this man I had loved for ten years, my heart numb. “Ethan, don’t blame Ava anymore. I believe Ava didn’t mean to hurt me either. We are sisters after all, I will be sad if you punish her.” Chloe’s tone was tinged with a cry, but only I, with the God’s perspective, saw the fleeting viciousness in her eyes. Yes, I am already dead. A week ago, in a rage, Ethan locked me in a storage room less than one square meter to teach me a lesson. I clung to the door frame and admitted all the charges he placed on me, begging him not to lock me in this cramped and dark space so cruelly. But all he left me was a resolute back and that vicious sentence: “I will make you suffer hundreds and thousands of times the harm Chloe suffered. This is what you owe her!” He seemed to have forgotten that I suffered from severe claustrophobia. While he held Chloe’s hand rushing to Finland to see the aurora, I curled up in a ball, breathing with difficulty. I pinched my thighs and arms until they were bloody but couldn’t maintain my increasingly thin consciousness. Until the last moment when consciousness faded, I struggled to break free from that terrifying room. Hearing Chloe pleading for me, Ethan reached out distressingly to touch Chloe’s cheek: “You, you are just too kind, that’s why you are always bullied by her. I won’t let her hurt you again!” I couldn’t help sneering. So in his eyes, I have always been such a vicious person. Everything I paid for him seemed to have become a huge joke. At this time, the assistant ran down from upstairs in panic. 2 “Mr. Reed, there is no response in the storage room. Madam… seems to have stopped breathing.” Panic flashed in Ethan’s eyes, but soon he curled his lips knowingly, his tone containing anger: “Assistant Xu, have you also been bought by Ava?” “I haven’t settled the account with you for helping Ava lock Chloe in the car before, and this time you help Ava lie to me again.” “I think you have forgotten who your boss is. I notify you now, you are fired.” Before Assistant Xu could argue, Ethan took Chloe’s hand and went back to the room. Assistant Xu froze behind them, opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing. I really couldn’t figure out how Ethan turned into what he is now. Clearly, we used to love each other very much. I have known Ethan for ten years, and I accompanied him from starting from scratch to becoming a new prominent figure in the business world today. But only after death did I completely realize that the balance in Ethan’s heart had shifted the moment Chloe appeared. Chloe is Ethan’s private secretary and also my half-sister. A week ago, Ethan took Chloe and Assistant Xu out to inspect partners. It was also that day that my mother, who was in the late stage of cancer, was in rare good spirits, holding my hand and asking about my relationship with Ethan. But in the next second, the values on the monitor dropped straight down. I looked at the closed door of the emergency room and dialed Ethan’s number helplessly. Ethan sat silently with me in front of the emergency room until he received a call from Chloe, his face changing drastically. On the phone, Chloe weakly told Ethan about her fear, not forgetting to ask Ethan to take good care of me, his legal wife. Ethan was full of anxiety, ignored my retention, forgot to even take his coat, and immediately got up to save Chloe. What he didn’t know was that just ten minutes after he left, my mother left this world forever. What’s ridiculous is that at that time I hadn’t seen through Ethan’s regard for Chloe, until he expressionlessly pushed me into the storage room, squatted on the ground, pinched my chin hard, his tone icy: “Ava, I thought you were just jealous. How come I never found out you are such a vicious woman? Chloe is your biological sister, yet you could do such a thing.” “If it weren’t for you and your short-lived mother, how could I not be by Chloe’s side when she was in danger!” “Just reflect on yourself here properly. Come out when you know where you went wrong.” My fingers were trampled ruthlessly under his feet, leaving only numb pain in my heart. And now, he is still waiting for me to bow my head first and admit my mistake obediently. But unfortunately, this time it is destined not to be as he wishes. Ethan stood outside the storage room door, his face full of indifference: “Ava, you should curb your petty temper. You know my patience is very limited.” “If you roll out now and apologize to Chloe properly, I can barely forgive you.” His response was only silence. Ethan impatiently smashed the storage room door hard, his tone gradually becoming fierce: “Fine, if you don’t want to come out, then die inside.” I looked at Ethan’s departing back, a sudden sadness rising in my heart. I seem to have to admit that the man I once loved deeply had rotted unknowingly long ago. 3 For the next few days, Ethan stayed by Chloe’s side and never returned home. I watched him take care of another woman with all his heart, eating with her, watching movies, doing all the things couples do, and could only laugh at myself. This day was my dad’s birthday. Ethan carried big and small bags of gifts and rushed to the Shen family with Chloe early in the morning. My dad, who was watering flowers in the yard, saw the two figures and walked forward with a smile to welcome them in. Chloe ran forward and skillfully took my dad’s arm to act coquettishly, while Ethan just smiled dotingly, carrying things and following behind them. Natural as if the three of them were the family. At the dinner table, Chloe said pleasing words to coax my dad into laughter, and Ethan occasionally picked some dishes Chloe loved for her. From beginning to end, no one mentioned me. It was Ethan’s cell phone ringtone that broke the quiet atmosphere at this moment. Ethan answered the phone, but the words from the other side made his face freeze. “Hello Mr. Reed, I am a doctor at the City Hospital. We received a female corpse today. DNA comparison confirmed that the deceased is your wife, Ms. Ava Shen.” “Is it convenient for you to come to the hospital now to complete the relevant procedures?” Ethan frowned and listened to the other party’s words, then sneered lightly, his tone full of disdain: “Heh, are you also hired by Ava to help her put on a show? Tell Ava for me, don’t think pretending to be dead will make me forgive her.” “Also, this trick is boring.” After speaking, without waiting for the other side to respond, Ethan hung up the phone decisively. Seeing Ethan put down the phone, Chloe spoke with worry in her tone: “Ethan, did something happen to my sister?” Ethan raised his hand to rub the top of Chloe’s hair and shook his head. But in the second half of the dinner, Ethan was obviously absent-minded, picking celery, which Chloe hated the most, for her several times by mistake. Even my dad saw something was wrong with Ethan, so he didn’t force Ethan to stay after the meal. To my surprise, after Ethan drove Chloe home tonight, he rarely didn’t stay overnight at her place but went to the City Hospital. I followed him to outside the cold morgue. His hand was on the doorknob, but he delayed pressing it down. I saw Ethan’s mouth opening and closing, and only heard clearly what he was saying when I got close. “Ava, if I find out you are playing me again this time, I will definitely skin you!” Heh! Even at this time, he is still threatening a dead person. If I could take human form at this moment, I would definitely not be able to control myself from slapping him twice. As if finally mentally prepared, Ethan walked into the morgue. The doctor on duty responsible for guarding the corpses was dozing off in the duty room. Seeing Ethan’s figure, he stood up in horror. “Who are you?” Ethan seemed to hear nothing, walking slowly towards the corpse covered with a white cloth on the bed not far away. “Ava, get the fuck up! Stop pretending!” Ethan clenched his fists tightly, shouting in front of the corpse as if trying hard to suppress his anger. But in front of him was a corpse, how could a corpse respond to him? Ethan suddenly shook my corpse violently like crazy. Somehow, even floating in the air, I seemed to feel severe dizziness. The doctor on duty finally reacted, rushed to Ethan and hugged him who was still going crazy. “Mr. Reed, calm down!” Ethan threw off the doctor hugging him fiercely, his tone agitated: “This can’t be Ava! You are all liars! You are all lying to me!” To be honest, I really haven’t seen Ethan lose his composure like this for a long, long time, but at this moment I couldn’t control the urge to laugh out loud in my heart. The doctor looked at Ethan’s agitated appearance and shook his head, turned back to the duty room, took a piece of paper from the desk and handed it to Ethan. 4 I leaned close to Ethan and found out it was my death certificate. “Mr. Reed, it was the servants in your house who smelled an abnormal odor at home and discovered your wife’s body.” “My condolences.” The doctor patted Ethan on the shoulder, said nothing more, and left the morgue. Only Ethan was left in the room. He squatted on the ground, lowering his head and staring dead at the death certificate in his hand. “How is it possible! Ava, how could you be dead.” “You must be lying to me, right?” “That’s right, it must be so! I will expose your lie now!” Ethan stumbled when getting up, staggering towards the corpse covered with white cloth. “Ava, I give you one last chance. Get up now, and I can pretend nothing happened.” The room was silent. Ethan raised his hand to pinch a corner of the white cloth, but never lifted it. I clearly saw his fingers trembling uncontrollably. A sudden urge to scare him rose in my heart, wanting him to taste fear and despair too. Using all my strength, I blew a breath at the white cloth on the corpse. The white cloth was blown to the ground. The corpse was presented unreservedly in front of Ethan. The face turned blue and purple due to suffocation was shocking even to me. The eyes that couldn’t close until death, the two eyeballs protruded extraordinarily, looking even more scary in the gloomy atmosphere. “Ahhh!” Ethan was scared into sitting on the ground, screaming while moving backward vigorously: “Don’t come over! Don’t come over! I was wrong!” Seeing his comical reaction, the pent-up anger in my heart finally dissipated a bit. Ethan sat on the ground for a long time before recovering. When he stood up, his legs were still trembling non-stop. He moved slowly back to the corpse, staring fixedly at the lifeless corpse on the bed, his eyes scarlet. “How is it possible?” “Nothing happened between me and Chloe Shen. Stop being angry, okay? As long as you come back!” A bean-sized tear fell, followed by a second, a third. I really don’t understand this man a bit. Trampling my sincere heart on the ground when I was alive, and acting hypocritically here when I’m dead. Who is he putting on a show for?

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My mother always called me her “favorite girl,” her “little sweetheart.” She loved to tell everyone that my brother, Jace, wasn’t half as thoughtful as I was. Friends and relatives repeated the sentiment: My mom, Shelly, loved me the most. It was because of my severe childhood allergy to all red meat and seafood proteins. She was tireless, they’d say, constantly making special meals just for me. She’d spend hours online researching recipes for safe, nutritious snacks, terrified that I’d feel deprived. The problem was, Mom was a terrible cook. Everything she made was dry, overcooked, and bland. My father, Gary, worked construction contracts out of state most of the year, leaving Mom to handle Jace and me. If I ever complained to him, he’d just tell me, “Your mother is working so hard taking care of both of you. You need to be more understanding.” So, I endured. I always had. Then came my eighteenth birthday. My mother presented the cake she’d made herself. It wasn’t made with cream or flour. It was constructed from cubes of stale bread. Staring at that lopsided, garishly-colored mockery of a dessert, I finally broke. I lifted the corner of the dining table and sent everything crashing to the floor. “I just wanted a damn cake! Was that too much to ask?” The room erupted. My relatives instantly condemned me as an ungrateful brat. My father, his face purple with fury, slapped me. My mother just stood there, tears streaming down her face, insisting it was all her fault, that she was only worried about my allergies… As the accusations rained down, something snapped. In a blind rage, I grabbed a handful of the leftover beef steak and shrimp from the overturned table and shoved it into my mouth. Everyone froze. … The moment my mother triumphantly carried out the “cake,” my body went rigid. It wasn’t a cake. It was cubes of dry, day-old bread, patched together with sickeningly bright, chemical-tasting frosting. It looked lumpy and grotesque. My mother was beaming, trying to sell the lie. “You know you have such a sensitive system, Maya, you can’t have dairy. This is special, just for you.” She nudged it closer. “Don’t look at it, taste it. It’s actually very good!” I just stared at it, unable to move. My Aunt Elise nudged my arm, her expression tight. “Your mother is talking to you. Think about it, Maya. You’re allergic to everything. Only your mother has the patience to prepare separate meals for you all these years, and now a special birthday cake. See how much she loves you?” Mom’s smile grew wider. “It’s what I should do. Maya is my little sweetheart. Who else would I spoil?” She pushed the foul centerpiece toward me again. The sugary stench, mixed with the stale, yeasty smell of the bread, hit me. I couldn’t take it anymore. I shot my hand out and slammed it against the plate. The bread structure hit the floor with a dull thud. “After all these years, all I wanted was one normal birthday cake! Was it really that difficult?” The sudden silence in the room was deafening. Every smile froze. My mother’s eyes instantly welled up. “Maya, I didn’t mean… I was just so worried about your allergies…” Aunt Elise stepped in quickly. “Maya, your mother is trying her best. You can’t speak to her like that.” I dug my nails into my palms. “If you didn’t want to buy me one, I could have bought my own! I’m a legal adult! I’m not spending your money!” I fought back tears of frustration. “This is my eighteenth birthday. I just wanted a good memory! Just stop pretending to be a good person, okay?” The relatives turned on me, their faces sour. “That little girl is so ungrateful!” “You’ve been allergic to every protein since birth! Your mother had to nurse you like this, or you would have starved!” “She’s a spoiled brat. And to be so cruel on your birthday? A total shame.” “Honestly, daughters are just a burden. A son is the only one who takes care of you in the end.” My father, Gary, who had taken unpaid leave to be here, looked mortified. He glared at me. “Maya! How dare you talk to your mother that way! She’s been running herself ragged, she bought you new clothes, a new phone! Apologize. Now!” Mom was weeping silently by the counter. My heart twisted. I snatched the cheap, plastic phone he mentioned—the basic brick phone—and hurled it to the floor. “Who wants this junk?!” “I’m in college now! Why would you buy me a prepaid burner phone?” Everyone paused at the sight of the cheap device. It was the kind of basic model you’d only find in a forgotten corner of a convenience store. But someone always defends Shelly. Aunt Elise shot me a look. “What’s wrong with a simple phone? It’s for calling and emergencies, isn’t it?” “Exactly!” a cousin chimed in. “We never had anything like this when we were young!” Mom quickly scooped up the phone, wiping it clean with a desperate tenderness. She pulled Elise closer, then looked at me with a lost, helpless expression. “Maya, I’m so sorry… Your father works so hard, and expenses are high. We don’t have the money… It’s my fault. I’ll apologize. Next time, when I save up a little more, I’ll buy you a better one. I promise.” Looking into her swollen, red eyes made my chest tighten with a suffocating, familiar rage. My voice came out in a desperate, sharp squeak. “Buy it now, or stop with the performance!” Mom flinched, her hands shaking. “I… I don’t have any cash right now…” I leaned in, aggressive. “Didn’t Dad deposit thirty thousand dollars into your account when he got back? Where is the money?” Her gaze flickered away. “There are so many things the family needs. You don’t manage a household, you don’t understand the costs… Besides, it’s snowing outside, it’s cold. Maya, why don’t you wait? I’ll go later, okay?” Elise gave me a hard stare. “It’s just a phone. When does it have to be bought? You haven’t always been like this, Maya. Why are you acting so materialistic?” The relatives chimed in with fresh condemnations. Mom wiped her tears and tried to play the peacemaker. “It’s okay, it’s okay. Maya is just stressed. Don’t scold her.” She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a small bag of candy. “Here. I specifically bought you some chocolate. Have something sweet to tide you over, don’t starve yourself.” Dad and Aunt Elise stared at me, daring me to protest. “Look how good your mother is to you!” I felt the bag in my hand. It was soft and sticky—the cheap, pre-packaged chocolate had completely melted. My eyes burned with fresh anger. I threw the sticky bag down. “Who needs your cheap pity?” “If you truly loved me, you’d go out and buy me the newest phone and the best cake! If you can’t, then stop talking!” “You spoiled little brat!” Dad’s face went green. “Your mother bought you a treat because she knows you like sweets, and this is how you act?” “She can’t buy me a cake or a phone, but she shoves this cheap candy at me and tries to look like a saint? Go buy a decent cake and a decent phone!” I jutted out my chin and slammed my fist on the counter. My mother began to sob harder. Elise hurried over to comfort her, then looked at me with deep disappointment. “Maya, you’re becoming unrecognizable. How can you treat your mother like this? Your father is never home, she raised you, she sacrificed everything. Forget about repaying her—can’t you even acknowledge her efforts? Over a phone and a cake? Is it really worth it?” Dad’s face was steel. “Don’t bother reasoning with her!” “She’s spoiled rotten! I’m going to teach her a lesson right now!” He raised his hand. “No, stop! Don’t hit her! It’s her birthday!” My mother threw herself against him, hugging his waist. She looked at me, pleading. “Maya, please, don’t be upset. I promise I’ll buy it later.” “We have so many relatives here. Let’s not talk about this now. I made all your favorite dishes. You love fish, remember? I bought a huge salmon and stewed it. Let me go get it…” She rushed into the kitchen and returned with a platter of fish. It looked well-prepared. She forced a smile. “Maya, come try this.” She tugged Dad’s arm, gesturing for everyone to sit down. I fixated on the fish. She used chopsticks to gently place a piece of meat into my plate. The sight of it made every hair on my body stand on end. I grabbed the entire plate and dumped it into the garbage can. “A piece of fish, and you act like it’s a lifetime of devotion! Stop the performance!” My father finally lost control. He lunged across the table and struck me across the face. “You ungrateful viper! I should just kill you!” The relatives joined the chorus of outrage. “Her mother is so good to her! She doesn’t know how lucky she is!” “This kind of child will never be loyal. A complete waste of effort!” “Honestly, why even pay for her college? She’s useless!” I covered my burning cheek, the verbal abuse washing over me. “Look at you! What kind of person are you? I’m going to discipline you properly!” Dad was volcanic. He ripped off his belt and coiled it. My mother rushed back, hugging his waist tightly. “No, no, please, not today! It’s Maya’s birthday. Everything is my fault, not hers!” Dad was beside himself with impotent rage. “Look at you! You’re still protecting her! Does this viper care about you at all?” Elise pulled Mom back, agreeing with Dad for the first time. “He’s right, Shelly! You indulge her too much! She needs a lesson!” Mom looked at me with a pained expression, tears streaming, but still defended me. “Maya is still young. When she’s older, she’ll understand…” Dad and Elise glared, shaking their heads. The relatives sighed. “Look how much your mother loves you…” “She’s still defending you now. Don’t you feel any shame?” Mom sniffled, forcing a breezy lightness. “It’s fine, it’s fine. Everyone stop talking about Maya. I’ll get another cake and another dish.” She bent down to pick up the scattered bread pieces. I couldn’t stand it. I ran forward and kicked the mess of bread aside. “I don’t want your fake goodness!” The room went completely silent. Dad froze for three seconds, then snapped back to reality. The belt lashed out, catching my forearm. A searing, hot pain. “You wicked girl! Who do you think your mother does all this for?” He was beyond reason, whipping the belt down again and again. Mom tried to stop him but was held back by Elise. She just covered her face and sobbed. Soon, a stinging line of blood appeared on my face. I cried out, touching my cheek. My fingertips came away slick. The sight of the blood on my face startled Dad. He paused. I let out a harsh, cold laugh, pushed past him, and kicked over the dining table again, harder this time. “You abandoned me my whole life! What right do you have to hit me?” Seeing my hysteria, Dad’s chest heaved. He spat the words out. “You’re crazy! A total lunatic!” “I knew you were an ungrateful brat! All these years wasted raising you!” “If you’re so unhappy with us, fine! We’ll disown you! I can’t live with this shame, but I can certainly get rid of you!” The relatives, seeing the situation spiral, rushed to mediate. Elise insisted I apologize. I stood completely still. I stared at my father for a long moment. Then, my voice hoarse, I spoke. “Fine. Let’s do it. Disown me.” Dad had only meant to scare me. My immediate acceptance stunned him. Mom rushed to intervene. “No, Maya, your dad just said that in the heat of the moment. Please don’t…” “Don’t speak!” I cut her off, refusing to look at her red eyes. I spoke slowly, deliberately. “Whether he means it or not is irrelevant. I mean it.” Dad felt cornered. He was shaking with rage. “Fine! Fine! You want to be disowned? I’ll sign the papers!” He yelled for my brother. Jace, who had been pretending to hide in his room, came out, shot me a gleeful, spiteful look, and ran out to print the document. He returned quickly, triumphantly handing the paper to Dad. Dad grabbed a pen and signed with a flourish. “From today forward, you are no longer my daughter! You will never see a dime of my money! We won’t pay another cent of your college tuition!” “You hate us so much? Sign this and get out of my house!” The relatives tried to calm us both down. Elise held my hand, pleading for me to say something soft. “Come on, Maya, don’t be dramatic! You’re an adult now, you need to be sensible!” “Life is hard; your mom is under so much pressure. Apologize to her, and your dad will calm down!” I stayed silent. I pulled my hand from hers, picked up the pen, and signed the document decisively. Mom wailed, “Maya, don’t be rash! Don’t do this!” But my pen didn’t stop. Beside my father’s name, I cleanly, forcefully wrote my own. I was done with this house. Seeing my signature, Mom’s sobs grew louder, filled with guilt and self-reproach. She even slapped herself across the face. “It’s all my fault! I shouldn’t have made that cake…” Dad and Elise watched, their faces grim. I just smiled. “Yes, it is your fault.” Dad’s eyes flashed with fresh anger, and he lunged. I pushed him away and ran into the kitchen. I grabbed the rest of the cooked beef and shrimp, the forbidden food Mom had prepared. In front of the horrified crowd, I began to shove the meat into my mouth. Everyone was shocked. Elise reacted first, trying to pull me away. “Maya, are you insane?! You’re allergic! This could kill you!” I shoved her back, staring hard at my mother, chewing mouthful after mouthful. With every bite I took, my mother’s face went a shade whiter. The relatives were terrified. Someone was yelling for an ambulance. My father stood paralyzed. In just a few minutes, I finished the entire plate of beef and seafood. The paramedics rushed in. The doctor, hurried and worried, asked who had the allergic reaction. All eyes turned to me.

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My wife, Adora Caldwell, was sick again and terrified of calling in. She was shivering on the bed, truly frightened. I wanted to call her office myself to clear her absence, but she pleaded with me, her hand clamped tight around my arm. She just needed me to comfort her, to promise I wouldn’t go near her work. But I went anyway. For her. The receptionist’s eyes widened in confusion as I spoke. “You have to be joking, sir,” she said. “The person you’re asking about is our CEO.” “And our CEO, Ms. Caldwell, comes in and leaves with her husband every day.” “Her husband doesn’t… look like you.” In the next second, the glass elevator doors parted, and my wife—who should have been confined to a sickbed—stepped out, leaning into the arm of Trenton ‘Trent’ Abbott, her college sweetheart. Our eyes met, and the polished smile on her face froze. I looked at the designer clothes, the gold shimmering on her wrists, and the diamond earrings that must have cost more than my annual salary. I laughed until tears streamed down my face. “Those earrings alone are more than I earn in a year,” I choked out. “And you spent seven years pretending to be a $50,000-a-year junior accountant.” “You told me your startup failed and you were drowning in debt. I sold the only house my parents ever left me to cover your ‘debts.’ I sold code all day and drove for a delivery app all night. I pushed myself so hard I had a bleeding ulcer and still couldn’t afford to take a day off!” “Tell me, Adora. Why did you play me for a fool?” Adora stammered, unable to speak. Trent laughed, patting my shoulder like I was a kid who’d lost a playground fight. “Don’t blame her, man. The night she married you, she swore to me that everything she had—her body, her assets—was still mine.” “So don’t reach for things that don’t belong to you.” Seven years of marriage. I thought we were building a life of quiet solidarity. Instead, I’d been nothing more than a temporary stand-in in someone else’s play. But I was Mark Harrington, her legal husband. Could they really take everything and leave me with nothing but a memory of betrayal? 1 “Shut up, Trent! This is between us! Adora, tell me yourself. Is this true?” I cut off Trent’s smug monologue, my eyes burning. Adora sighed, a sound of weary patience. “Mark, listen to me. I just didn’t want you to become a freeloader, losing your ambition because you knew I was successful. And I didn’t want to hurt your pride. Besides, didn’t you promise you would always take care of me?” “Stop gaslighting me! Seven years! Adora, we’ve been married for seven years! Isn’t that enough time to know who I am? If I was the type to live off my wife’s money, would I have sold the only asset I had—the house my parents left me—to fund your ‘failed’ business?!” My voice cracked. “Or did you think I was stupid enough to be lied to forever?” She released Trent’s hand and reached for mine. “No, Mark. It’s not like that.” I pulled back a step, my footing unsteady on the polished marble floor. My discount store sneakers were worn to the sole, but I hadn’t brought myself to replace them yet. My gaze settled on Trent. He wore Italian leather shoes, a perfectly tailored coat, and a Rolex Submariner flashed on his wrist. Adora had once joked, “When I make it big, I’ll buy you a Rolex so you can flex on Instagram, too.” She bought one, all right. Just not for me. Swallowing the bitter taste, I asked her. “Not what? And what about him?” She glanced at Trent. “Trent is just a partner.” Trent’s mouth immediately dropped. “Rory!” Adora squeezed his hand, a silent signal, before turning back to me. “He was my first love, yes, but you knew that when we got married. I never hid my past from you.” “Now, he’s just a business partner. He’s looking to invest in the company.” I ground my teeth. “Then what did he mean by what he just said?!” Adora shot Trent a cautious look, then offered a flimsy explanation. “Oh, Trent loves to joke around. He was just messing with you…” Trent cut her off before she could finish. “I wasn’t joking. Isn’t that what you told me on a video call the night after your wedding? You said it while Mark was sleeping right beside you…” “Trent!” Adora snapped. He pursed his lips and didn’t say another word. But my heart had already hit rock bottom. It was all true. Adora wouldn’t meet my eyes. Her tone, laced with guilt, shifted into impatience. “Don’t listen to his nonsense, Mark. None of it is true. Just go home, I have a client meeting soon. I’ll explain everything tonight.” I took a deep, shuddering breath. “You don’t have to explain.” “Adora, let’s get divorced.” “We’re done. Eight words. I’ll take a million dollars for every year we wasted. That’s a fair buyout for our marriage, isn’t it? It leaves you free to be with him.” 2 “Mark, calm down. Let’s go home and talk this through.” I cut her off. “You mean that seventy-five-square-foot walk-up with the peeling paint? That home?” I couldn’t stop the laugh that felt like a sob. Her face flushed. Employees arriving for work were starting to slow down and watch. She grabbed my arm. “Don’t make a scene here, Mark. It’s unprofessional.” “Let go.” I gritted out. She held fast. “What is this? You’re just mad that I didn’t buy you a bigger car? You want to live off my success? Do you have to act like a victim in public?” “I let you sleep with me for seven years! I didn’t charge you a dime! You should be grateful!” “I’m telling you now, the more you act like this, the less money you’ll ever see from me!” I stared at her in disbelief, utterly shocked that these words were coming from the woman I’d shared a bed with for nearly a decade. I didn’t know her. Maybe I never had. Trent watched us wrestle, then sneered. “Come on, Rory, this is embarrassing. We’re going to be late.” “Didn’t you promise to get me that new watch before the client meeting?” Adora agreed instantly. “Yes, Trent, absolutely. And I’ll trade in your car for the new model, too. We need to project the right image for these meetings.” Trent shot me a triumphant look. “Hear that? Rory’s money is my money. Eight million for a divorce? Keep dreaming.” “But, hey, you looked after Rory for me all these years. That counts for something. If you call me ‘bro’ right now, I’ll talk to her about getting you a new pair of shoes to replace those discount store sneakers.” The words hit me harder than a slap. I thought of the endless budgeting, the five-year-old coat I refused to replace, the video game skins I couldn’t justify buying, the shame of being called a poor loser while driving delivery late at night for a few dollars an hour. Humiliation washed over me. As Trent leaned closer, his face twisted in a smug, mocking expression, I used every ounce of strength I had left and punched him square across his privileged jaw. Trent stumbled back a few steps. Time seemed to stop. After a few seconds, he registered the pain, his face contorting in pure rage. “You piece of trash! You pathetic cuckold! Rory! He hit me!” Adora’s reaction was immediate. She threw herself in front of Trent, cradling his face in her hands. “Mark, are you insane?!” She then grabbed her heavy designer bag and swung it at me, the metal hardware catching me on the cheek. I didn’t have time to dodge. My face stung, a fiery, blinding pain. Gritting my teeth, I yelled at Adora: “Don’t push me to hit you!” She screamed back: “Push you? Try it! If you had any balls at all, you wouldn’t have to threaten me!” “You’re the one with no ambition! Seven years and you’re still just a code monkey! If you were successful, would you have to drive delivery after work for seven years?!” “You’re a failure! Take your frustration out on the right person: yourself! You have no one to blame but the loser you are!” “I’ve been so embarrassed to even mention your name to people!” Blood was seeping from the scratch on my face, warm and sticky, but quickly turning cold. I felt frozen. I thought of the long nights coding, the toxic boss who dumped all the impossible work on me, the constant overtime—all because he knew I was desperate to pay off my ‘debts’ and couldn’t risk quitting. I never told Adora any of this, fearing she would worry. Now, that same raw pain had become the knife she was plunging into my back. I looked at them, my voice a cold rasp. “Adora, as of today, we are even.” She paused. “What?” “You think eight million is too much? Fine. The money you owe me, the blood you just drew—I will get it all back, dollar by dollar, in a court of law.” That includes our joint assets, the company she started with my money, all the profits, the house, the cars, and the watches she bought Trent. Everything. I would have my half. Trent snapped his head up. “Dream on!” I didn’t answer. I simply turned and walked toward the exit. Every step sent a sharp throbbing pain through my cheek. Every step was marked by blood. But my back was straight. A man can be knocked down, but he can’t be broken. As for whether I was dreaming, I didn’t need to answer him. My lawyer would. 3 It was dark when I left the lawyer’s office. I walked home, my face throbbing, and opened the door to see an open suitcase in the middle of the living room. Adora was packing a dress. Trent was sitting on the sofa. “You’re back?” Adora looked up, her tone as calm as if nothing had happened. “Good. I need to talk to you.” “Trent’s health isn’t good, and that punch you threw earlier caused his heart condition to flare up.” “The doctor said he needs constant care. I’m going to stay with him for a few days.” I picked up a foil packet of condoms lying on the corner of the suitcase. “Is this also a prescription from his doctor? Did ‘Dr. Feelgood’ write this?” She snatched the box from my hand with an irritable jerk. “It must have been caught in the folds of the dress. I didn’t even notice. You’re so paranoid.” “I know you’re upset, and I’m letting it go. Trent needs me right now. I’ll explain when I get back.” Need. When she needed me, I was always there. When I needed her, she was with him. Was that fair? No. But marriage was never about fairness; it was about willingness. I had been willing for seven years. Now my heart was dead, and my willingness had run out. “Fine,” I said, and walked into the bedroom. I opened the closet and started pulling out her things. My hand froze when it touched a photograph. It was our wedding picture. She was radiant, and my eyes were full of light. “Mark, what are you doing?” She followed me in, her voice finally tinged with panic. “You’re leaving, aren’t you?” I didn’t turn around, tossing the framed photo into the trash bin. “I’m helping you pack. Saves you a trip.” “I told you, it’s only for a few days—” “Then don’t ever come back. Take your things, and the man who needs you, and get out.” Adora retrieved the picture from the bin, gently placing it back on the dresser. “Stop being dramatic. I’ll be back the second he’s recovered.” Trent appeared in the doorway. Adora barely glanced at him, saying with practiced ease, “It’s fine. I’ll have the accountant wire you ten million tomorrow.” Before her phone screen went dark, my eye caught the heading of a document on it. Trent’s tenth ‘business proposal.’ Ten million dollars. How many late-night delivery runs, how many lines of code would that take me? I might die of exhaustion before I earned that much. I thought of the news reports of programmers who suffered fatal stress at 32. If I hadn’t discovered this betrayal, if I had continued to work myself sick to pay her ‘debts,’ that might have been my ending. Trent, hearing the reply, looked at me, a sly smile on his face. “What are you peering at my proposal for, Mark? Thinking of starting your own company?” He’d caught the look in my eyes. Adora spared me a dismissive glance. “Don’t be silly. He’s not cut out for this. He can barely tell a bull market from a bear market. He’d probably buy the dip right after the crash. He’ll be an employee his whole life.” I cut her off with cold finality. “Are you finished?” She froze. I pointed to the door. “Then get out. Get out of my apartment!” “Mark, this is our—” “No. It’s mine. I pay the rent, the utilities, I bought the furniture. What exactly have you contributed besides living here for seven years?” She opened her mouth, but the words didn’t come out. Because it was the truth. For seven years, I not only wired her a monthly allowance for her ‘debts,’ but I covered every single household expense. I scrimped to buy her expensive bags and makeup, terrified her friends would look down on her. The reality? She was rich. Filthy rich. She was playing me for a fool while lavishly funding another man—and claiming they were just ‘friends.’ Adora’s voice dropped to a cold threat. “Fine, I’m going. But don’t you dare regret this!” “Go!” The door slammed shut, and the room was abruptly silent. Too quiet. I could hear the refrigerator humming, and the frantic drumming of my own heart. I sank slowly to the floor, tears falling onto the wood—one drop, then two. A man in his thirties, weeping like a lost child. After an eternity, my phone vibrated. I picked it up. A photo from an unknown number. On a luxurious hotel bed, Adora’s sleeping face was nestled against Trent’s chest. A line of text followed: “Thanks for making this possible.” I stared at the image for a long, long time. Then I typed my reply: “Thank you, too. You just helped me take out the trash.” Sent. My private investigator had told me Adora was meticulous; he had never been able to get proof of physical infidelity. Now I had it. 4 The next day, I stood outside the Human Resources glass doors, staring at the ridiculous document in my hand. Embezzlement? $3.2 million? Absurd. I was a Senior Backend Engineer. The largest expenditure I’d ever approved was a team equipment upgrade. How could I possibly move $3.2 million? I addressed the HR director coldly: “I need to see the system logs and the full audit report.” The director adjusted his glasses, a hint of pity in his eyes. “The company has been acquired, Mr. Harrington. You’ll have to ask the new owner.” “And who is the new owner?!” “A Mr. Abbott.” … I flung open the door to the CEO’s office. Sure enough, Trent was sitting behind the desk. Beside him, Adora was reviewing documents, head down. “Well, well. Look who it is. Our star engineer.” Trent’s smile was sickeningly bright. “Mr. Harrington… or should I say, former Mr. Harrington?” Blood surged to my head. But I forced myself to stand still and breathe deeply. “Adora, the audit report is forged. Procurement requires three levels of approval. I only have recommendation rights, not final sign-off. The system logs will prove it.” Adora finally looked up. “The system logs were compromised by a hacker, Mark. The records are gone. Funny thing, the only records lost were the ones connected to those specific purchases.” The coincidence made me laugh without humor. “I built this company’s security architecture. I wrote the firewall rules. You’re telling me it was compromised just like that?” Trent leaned back in the CEO chair, grinning. “That’s why we suspect you, Mark. Insider jobs are the easiest, aren’t they? Changing a few log files, fabricating a few records—a piece of cake for a big-shot engineer like you, right?” I clenched my fists. “You illegally tampered with the database!” Trent stood up. “Evidence speaks, Mark. Right now, every log points to you. You’re looking at a massive civil suit for damages, and maybe even jail time.” He leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Unless… you want to get on your knees and beg me? Maybe then I’d ask Rory to take it easy on you.” My stomach churned with pure disgust. “Adora, do you have nothing to say?!” She looked at me, her voice chillingly devoid of emotion. “You had sticky fingers, Mark. This is actually a chance for us to help you.” I roared in fury. “Help me?! Haven’t you played me for a fool for seven years? Now you’re using this low-life trick to destroy me completely? You hate me that much? You won’t be satisfied until you’ve ruined my life?” Her face paled. Trent lunged, grabbing my arm. “Who the hell do you think you’re yelling at?!” “Let go! This is what you wanted, isn’t it? To see me beg? To watch me crawl over and kiss your shoes like a dog? I’m telling you, you’ll never see that day!” I spun toward Adora. “I won’t pay a dollar. I won’t accept a single charge. If you’ve got the guts, call the police! We’ll settle this in court!” Adora’s lips trembled. She opened her mouth, but Trent cut her off. “Rory, why don’t you step out for a coffee and cool down?” She hesitated for a moment, then turned and left. The instant the door closed, the mask dropped from Trent’s face. “Mark, let’s be honest. You’re not just upset about the money, are you? You’re pissed that Rory chose me. You’re pissed you won’t get a huge divorce payout. You’re pissed about the photo.” My body went rigid. “Ah, I hit a nerve.” “The photo was nice, wasn’t it? Rory’s skin is so soft, so smooth… like silk…” The blood roared in my ears. “What do you want?” My voice was a choked sound. “I want you to know you lost, Mark. You lost everything. Rory’s body is mine, her heart is mine, and now everything she owns is mine. Including this company. Including every dollar she’ll ever earn.” “And you? You’re just the garbage we’re cleaning out.” I threw a punch. It grazed his cheek. Trent touched his face, a flicker of pure malice in his eyes, but he quickly smiled again. “Angry? Mark, I’ll give you one last chance. Walk away with nothing, disappear forever, and I’ll drop the charges. I’ll let you live.” “Three point two million dollars, Mark. How many delivery runs is that going to take?” In that moment, the last shred of my sanity snapped. Just as I lunged, tackling Trent to the floor and raising my fist, the door opened. Adora stood in the doorway. Trent wiped the corner of his mouth—where there was no blood—and cried out, “Rory! He attacked me again! I was only trying to reason with him, and he just went crazy!” I tried to explain. “I didn’t—” “Enough!” Adora cut me off. She spoke a few swift words into her comms device. Two security guards appeared and instantly grabbed my arms. One of them delivered a sharp kick to the back of my knee, forcing me down to the floor. My face was pressed hard against the carpet. Then, I heard Adora’s cold, cruel voice. “Trent, whatever he did to you, you return in kind.” Trent came closer, and then his leather shoe stomped down on my face. He ground the sole against my cheek, then delivered a sharp, vicious kick straight to my nose. My nose burned, and blood immediately gushed out. I stopped feeling the pain. All I felt was a crushing, pathetic sense of irony. Seven years of pouring my heart and soul into this marriage, and this was my reward. Adora’s voice was icy. “Mark, you just can’t learn your lesson. I’m calling the police right now. Let’s see how tough you are when you’re facing a grand larceny charge.” The words were barely out of her mouth when her phone rang. She answered it, confused. As she listened, her expression grew tighter, harder. When she hung up, she stared at me in disbelief. “You… you actually filed for divorce…?”

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“Your mother left you an item.” The lawyer’s voice was calm, reciting a standard legal script. My brother received one point five million dollars. My sister received one point five million dollars. Then, my turn. The lawyer paused for three seconds, looking directly at me. “A photograph.” I froze. “What kind of photo?” She slid an envelope across the mahogany table. I opened it. Inside was a twenty-year-old snapshot. In the picture, I was seventeen, standing in the overgrown yard of our old house, wearing a stupid, lopsided grin. On the back, a line in my mother’s messy handwriting— “Hang in there, kiddo. Go get that degree.” Cameron and Madeline exchanged a glance. No one spoke. 1. I stared at the photo for a long time. Seventeen-year-old me, a buzz cut, a worn high school jacket, standing beneath the sprawling branches of the old oak tree in our yard. It was a month before my college entrance exams. Mom had made a rare trip home and insisted on taking my picture. “The minute you get into State U., I’m going to blow this up and hang it right over the mantel.” She’d been smiling that day, even changed into a clean, white blouse just for the occasion. It was the only photo she ever took of me. And the last time she ever told me, “Hang in there.” “Rory?” Maddie’s voice broke the silence of the memory. “Are you okay?” I looked up at her. Her expression was complicated, a mix of pity and awkwardness. She wanted to comfort me, but didn’t know how. “I’m fine.” I slipped the photo back into the envelope and stood up. “Is the probate done? I’m leaving.” “Wait.” Cam called out. “Rory, aren’t you going to say something?” I turned and faced him. My older brother, Cameron Whittaker, was wearing a black leather jacket and shoes that looked like they cost more than my monthly rent. He’d been back from the UK for two years, living in a penthouse condo in the city; I heard his in-laws paid the down payment. “Say what?” “I mean…” He hesitated. “Don’t you think Mom’s distribution is a little…” “No.” I grabbed my cheap backpack. “It was Mom’s estate. Her call. The will is final. What’s there to talk about?” “But—” “Cam.” I cut him off. “You got your million five. I got my photo. We’re even. Let’s move on.” Cam’s mouth opened, but no words came out. Maddie stood beside him, looking down, trying to be invisible. I didn’t look at either of them again. I pushed the door open and walked out. A cold, biting rain was falling outside. I stood in the doorway of the office building and lit a cigarette. I had quit three years ago. Today, I was smoking again. One point five million dollars. One point five million dollars. One photo. I laughed, a sharp, dry sound that tasted like regret. I didn’t know what I was laughing at. Twenty years. From seventeen to thirty-seven, I had given everything to that family. In the end, all my mother had left me was a photo from twenty years ago. My phone rang. It was Dad. “Rory, is the reading over?” “It is.” “Where are your brother and sister?” “I don’t know. I left.” “Why didn’t you wait for them?” “Dad.” I took a deep drag on the cigarette. “I’m tired. I want to go home and rest.” “Home? Which home are you going to?” I paused, the air suddenly thick and cold. He was right. Which home? The old house, the one she’d promised to hang my picture in? Mom had clearly willed it to Maddie. My own place was a cramped, north-facing fifty-square-foot rental, two hundred miles away, costing me $1,800 a month. I didn’t own anything. I was thirty-seven, five years divorced, no kids, and my total savings amounted to less than twenty thousand dollars. The start of all this was that photo. The start was that summer when I was seventeen. I had scored in the top three percent in the state. My plan was the State Flagship University, English Literature major. My mother glanced at the acceptance letter and said one sentence— “Your brother’s college is already bleeding us dry, and your sister needs tutoring to get her scores up. We don’t have that kind of money for you.” That night, I cried myself sick under my blanket. The next morning, I ripped up the acceptance letter and signed up for a job at the local textile mill. I was seventeen. Cam was nineteen, already away at his expensive university. Maddie was sixteen. From that day on, my paycheck went straight to my father. I kept three hundred a month for bare necessities. The rest I sent home. To pay for Maddie’s tutoring. To pay for Cam’s university. To help with Maddie’s house down payment. To help with Cam’s wedding. It went on for fifteen years. “Rory? Are you still there?” Dad’s voice crackled on the phone. “I’m here.” “Your brother said he wants to take everyone out for dinner, a sort of way to honor your mother’s…” “I won’t be there.” “Rory!” “Dad, I’m tired.” I hung up. Standing in the rain, I smoked another cigarette. The photo was still in my bag. I touched the envelope, but didn’t pull it out. Twenty years. I finally knew what I was worth to my mother. Not one point five million. Not fifty thousand. Not even five thousand. One photo. One she hadn’t looked at in twenty years. 2. I took a cab back to my rental. The driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror. “Everything alright, bud? You look rough.” “I’m fine. Just got soaked in the rain.” “Watch out for a cold. Nasty weather.” I nodded, leaning back and closing my eyes. My mind was a whirlpool of the past. I remembered the day the test scores came out. I had a 3.9 GPA and the kind of scores that got you a full-ride scholarship—the kind of kid the town pinned its hopes on. My homeroom teacher called, ecstatic: “Rory Kincaid! You are the best student to come out of this district in a decade! State U. is a lock!” My parents were thrilled for a few days. Relatives streamed in, congratulating them. My uncle said, “Bob, your boy is going to make something of himself! He’s getting out!” My aunt added, “A flagship school! That’s a first for this side of the county!” Dad was beaming, shoving chips and beer at everyone. Mom just sat on the porch, smoking, quiet, but I could tell she was proud. They were the happiest days I could remember. Then the acceptance letter arrived. I remember the day exactly: August 15th. The mail carrier drove his beat-up sedan into the driveway, shouting, “Rory Kincaid! Your letter is here!” I ran out and took the thick, beige envelope. My hands were shaking. I tore it open. Inside, a heavy, embossed red card. “State Flagship University, Department of English Literature.” I stared at the words, tears blurring my vision. I had done it. I had actually done it. Then Mom took the letter and looked at it. Her expression shifted. “How much is the tuition a year?” “Four thousand eight hundred dollars.” “Room and board?” “Eight hundred.” “How much for living expenses?” “…Maybe three to four hundred a month.” Mom didn’t say anything. She placed the letter on the kitchen table and the temperature in the room plummeted. That night, Mom and Dad talked for a long time behind their closed door. I put my ear to the crack to listen. Dad was pleading, “Let Rory go. The kid’s smart. He’ll make something of himself.” Mom’s voice was hard. “Where is the money, Robert? We don’t have it. Look at the Millers’ boy—he graduated and never came back. That money will be wasted.” Dad said, “But…” “Maddie needs to get ready for next year,” Mom interrupted. “Rory goes to school, that’s ten thousand a year. What about Maddie? She can’t fail, or she’ll be stuck here forever, just like us.” Dad fell silent. Then, the final surrender: “How are we going to tell Rory?” “I will.” The next morning, Mom called me out to the yard. She stood beneath the oak tree, looking out at the fading town behind our fence. “Rory.” “Mom.” “Your sister’s college prep next year, your brother’s tuition… the money’s short. You need to…” She didn’t finish the sentence. I understood everything. “You want me to stay home, don’t you?” She didn’t answer. She just dropped her cigarette butt, grinding it out with her heel. “You’re a man, Rory. School isn’t the only path. Get a steady job. That’s more important.” I stood there, paralyzed, unable to speak. Tears dropped onto the dusty ground. Mom looked at me, frowning. “Stop crying. I’m doing this for your own good.” For my own good. That night, I placed the acceptance letter deep in the bottom of my desk drawer. I didn’t tear it. I didn’t burn it. I just hid it there. Twenty years. I never opened that drawer again. The taxi stopped. The driver said, “We’re here, pal.” I snapped back to reality, paid him, and got out. The rain had stopped, but the sky was still an oppressive gray. I looked up at the window of my rented box. Fifth floor, north-facing, perpetually dim. I had lived here for five years. Five years ago, I moved from our small town to this city. Why? Because Mom had a stroke. The doctor said she would need long-term, intensive care. Cam was overseas. Maddie had just bought her first home. Dad was too old and frail to handle it alone. So, I came. I was thirty-two. I had worked at the local mill for fifteen years, finally making it up to Shift Supervisor. I quit the job. I sold the beat-up eight-year-old sedan. I rented this tiny apartment and became my mother’s full-time caregiver. Five years. 3. I unlocked the door. The apartment still held the distinct, inescapable smell. Disinfectant, old age, and a slight, persistent mildew. Five years. The scent was embedded in the drywall; it would never truly air out. I sank onto the couch and pulled the photo out of my bag. Seventeen-year-old me, smiling so brightly. I didn’t know that in three days, my life would be fundamentally redirected. I still thought that getting into college was the starting line of adulthood. I flipped the photo over and looked at the handwriting. “Hang in there, kiddo. Go get that degree.” My mother’s hand was clumsy, the script of a woman who hadn’t finished middle school. But I remembered those words for two decades. Wasn’t it ridiculous? The woman who barred me from college told me to “Go get that degree.” Then, I remembered the context. It was a month before the exam. Mom had come home for a few days—she worked long hours out of town, only making it back a few times a year. She brought a disposable camera—a cheap point-and-shoot someone had given her. “Rory, come here. Mom’s going to take your picture.” I stood beneath the oak tree, and she held the camera up. “Smile, son.” I smiled. She pressed the shutter. Then she said, “The day you get your acceptance, I’m blowing this up and hanging it over the mantel.” I nodded, feeling a warmth I hadn’t felt in months. But what happened next? I did get into college. No, I got in, but I didn’t go. The photo was never blown up. It never hung over the mantel. I assumed it was lost or thrown away. Now, twenty years later, it surfaced in her final will. It was my sole inheritance. My phone chimed. A text from Maddie. “Bro, about the way Mom divided things, I agree it wasn’t fair. I want to split my portion with you. You take half of my $1.5M.” I stared at the screen, motionless. Half. Seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Enough for a small condo in this city. Enough to secure my future. I typed a short reply. “No, thank you.” Send. Seconds later, Maddie’s name flashed on the screen. “Rory! Don’t be stubborn! I’m serious!” “I’m not stubborn.” “Then why won’t you take it?” “Because it’s not your money to give.” Maddie was silent. “What do you mean?” “That $1.5 million is what Mom left you. Since she was so clear on the division, she must have had her reasons. You keep it.” “But—” “Maddie.” I cut her off. “Do you remember who paid for your college tuition?” Silence from the other end. “I did,” I said. “Three years of high school tutoring, four years of college, three years of grad school. Your tuition, your living expenses, even the prep classes you took—it all came from me.” “Rory, I know! I’ve always remembered—” “Good. But I don’t need you to pay it back. That money was my gift to you back then. Consider it your older brother covering you.” “Rory…” “Do you remember how much your down payment and wedding fund came to?” Maddie didn’t answer. “Two hundred thousand dollars,” I supplied. “I contributed fifty thousand. The other hundred and fifty came from Mom and Dad, and sixty thousand of that was my money I’d been sending home for years.” “Rory, I…” “And what did Mom and Dad give me when I got married?” She stayed silent. “Two hundred dollars,” I answered for her. “An envelope full of bills, handed to me in front of all the guests.” “Rory, the family was tight on cash then—” “Tight on cash?” My voice finally rose. “The year you bought your house, Mom and Dad handed over a hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The year I got married, the family could only spare two hundred?” “I didn’t mean it like that…” “Maddie.” I took a deep breath, letting the smoke out slowly. “I’m not telling you this to demand payment. I’m telling you that I have paid my debt to this family, a thousand times over.” “Rory…” “Keep your $1.5 million. You and Cam can handle Dad and all the rest of it. I’m done.” “What are you saying?” “I’m tired.” I hung up the phone. I leaned back on the sofa, staring at the ceiling. Tired. God, I was exhausted. 4. I picked up the photograph again. Seventeen-year-old me, standing beneath the oak, smiling so brightly. Back then, I believed that hard work was all it took to change my destiny. Back then, I believed my parents wouldn’t let me go to college because they truly had no money. But what happened later? The year Maddie started college, my parents not only paid her tuition but bought her a brand-new laptop. That was 2008. A new laptop cost four or five thousand dollars. I had been working at the mill for five years, making barely eighteen hundred a month. The year Maddie graduated with her Master’s, Mom and Dad paid the down payment on her condo in the city. Two hundred thousand dollars. It was the money I had been sending home, combined with what they had saved. I told myself then that things had finally gotten better, that they were finally in a position to help her. I never thought about how much of that “help” was my sweat and blood. Now, I understood. From the start, Mom never intended for me to go to college. It wasn’t about money. It was about me being the middle child. “Can’t you just help the family out?” Her expression when she said that was perfectly calm. As if she were stating a simple, self-evident truth. The middle child should step aside for the eldest. The middle child should pay for the youngest. The eldest was the family’s face in the world. The youngest was the darling, who needed to be protected. The middle child? I was the anchor, the utility player, the one who kept the engine running. That was her logic. And, I realized, the logic of many people. I looked down at the photo. “Hang in there, kiddo. Go get that degree.” A bitter laugh escaped me. That was the extent of my mother’s hope for me. A four-word instruction. Hang in there. And then what? Then she told me to stay home. I placed the photo on the coffee table, stood up, and walked into the kitchen for a glass of water. Outside, the sky had darkened. The rain was beginning again. I thought of five years ago. Maddie called me, hysterical, saying Mom had collapsed and was hospitalized with a stroke. “Rory, the doctor says it’s serious. Can you come home?” I took the first overnight train. When I arrived at the hospital, Mom was lying in bed, half of her body paralyzed. Dad sat beside her, his face a mask of worry. Cam? In the UK. He called and said he “absolutely couldn’t get the time off,” and told Dad to “take care.” Maddie? She was in the hall, talking on the phone, anxious. I overheard fragments— “The mortgage is due next month. With Mom like this, I just don’t have the cash…” That night, the doctor called us into his office. “Her condition is not good. She needs long-term rehabilitation and constant care. Your family needs to discuss who will be the full-time caregiver.” I looked at Dad, in his sixties and not well himself. I looked at Maddie, newly married, with a baby on the way. Cam in the UK was a non-starter. “I will do it.” I said the words without hesitation. Because I knew there was no one else. Since childhood, whenever a crisis hit this family, I was the one who was expected to absorb the impact. “Rory, what about your job back home?” Maddie asked. “I’ll quit.” “But—” “No buts.” I said. “You focus on your new life. Dad’s too old, Cam won’t come back. I’ll take care of Mom.” Maddie opened her mouth but said nothing. Dad took my hand, tears in his eyes. “Rory, I’m so sorry to ask this of you…” “Dad, I’m your son. Taking care of Mom is what I should do.” When I said it, I believed it. Now, I realized the absurdity. Taking care of Mom was “what I should do,” but what part of Mom’s estate was mine? Five years. Eighteen hundred-plus days. I turned her, bathed her, fed her, and managed her physical therapy. I drove her to appointments, picked up her medication, and managed the hospital stays. I got up every two hours at night to make sure she hadn’t kicked the blanket off or messed with her catheter bag. I never slept a full night. I never took a trip. I never made a new friend. I quit my job at thirty-two. At thirty-seven, I was practically unemployable. Who hires a thirty-seven-year-old with no college degree and a five-year gap on their resume? And the origin of all this was that photo. That summer I was seventeen. That moment my mother asked, “Can’t you just help the family out?” Now what? My mother was dead. The estate totaled $3 million. Cam got $1.5 million. Maddie got $1.5 million. Me? A twenty-year-old photo. I stood at the window, cup in hand, looking at the rain. I finally understood. That photo was the last testament to my mother seeing me. Twenty years ago, she remembered to take my picture and tell me to “Hang in there.” Twenty years later, she only saw my siblings. Her inheritance wasn’t a gift. It was a reminder. A reminder that I was never the priority.

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I ended up with the guy who used to bully me in high school. As the morning light filtered into the room, I only slightly moved my arm. The arm clamped around my waist instantly tightened its hold. Caleb Thorne lowered his head and kissed my neck, his deep voice carrying the huskiness of just waking up. “Did you sleep well last night?” I froze for a moment, then obediently nodded. In the past, maybe I would have resisted a little, but he spent three weeks teaching me a lesson. Obedience is best. He took my hand resting by my side, intertwining his fingers with mine with interest. Burying his face in my neck, he chuckled with amusement. “Didn’t throw away the ring I gave you this time?” … He was referring to the diamond ring on my ring finger. There were two before this. One I hid in the freezer, and one I threw into the fountain in the garden downstairs. I don’t want to recall the consequences those two rings brought for now, but the result the third ring brought is probably: I am marrying him, the person I used to fear the most. 1 I like spending time in the bathroom showering. Because I don’t have to face him, and I won’t think of certain terrible memories. But staring at myself in the bathroom mirror, the misty fog couldn’t hide some glaring marks on my body. My eyes were red, staring at myself in the mirror. Until Caleb’s slow knocking sounded at the door. “Still showering?” “If you don’t come out, I’m coming in.” “…” It’s not like he hasn’t done the thing of entering the bathroom without greeting. I immediately turned off the shower and wrapped myself in a towel. … Breakfast was neatly arranged on the table as usual, but Caleb probably didn’t have time to enjoy it. The morning news was playing on TV. With his slender fingers, he neatly tied his tie. Seeing me staring at him, he leaned down and scraped my nose. “Like watching? You tie it for me next time?” I turned my face away. But he just chuckled carelessly. And he deliberately picked up the milk I had drunk, drinking from where my lips had touched. … “Be good, wait for me to come back.” “I’ll take you to see wedding dresses tonight.” 2 Caleb left. I stared blankly at the TV for a long time. Then I raised the glass he just drank from and smashed it heavily against the TV. The TV only shook, but the glass shattered on the floor. The loud noise caused the servants downstairs to exclaim. But I hugged my knees, sitting there crying. … Caleb was my nightmare in the past. In high school, he was the most vicious bully in that group. He threw all the books in my bag downstairs from a high place. He also organized classmates to isolate me. With his instigation, those girls dragged me into the restroom and slapped me. As long as he led the bullying, no one dared to help me. Because Caleb was the son of the CEO of a huge corporation. Several buildings in our school were donated by his family. He led the wanton ridicule of me. At that time, bullying me became a trend in the class. I heard his face was the dream of all the girls in school. But to me, he was the demon who tormented me sleepless night after night. Such a person. Seven years after graduation. Said he wanted to marry me. 3 I couldn’t change the habit of trembling whenever I saw Caleb. Even though I had been sleeping in the same bed with him for three weeks. No one helped me. My mom, knowing someone of Caleb’s status wanted to marry me, couldn’t be happier. Caleb seemed to have changed cars again. The back seat of this car was very spacious. But I didn’t like cars with spacious back seats. The partition in the middle had risen. No one knew what he would do with me in the back. But today’s Caleb was quieter than usual. Probably because I kept trembling. The temperature in the car rose quite high, but I was still trembling. Ignoring my reaction, he pulled me into his arms. “Evie, are you that scared?” The man’s whisper teased my ear. He knew exactly why I was like this. “I’ll take you to choose a wedding dress, okay?” I controlled my trembling bit by bit, but still laughed sarcastically. Who would have thought, the person who pushed me into the abyss step by step. Is now speaking softly about taking me to choose a wedding dress? 4 Caleb took me to this shop, located in a private villa. The crystal chandelier reflected dazzling light, illuminating the wedding dresses displayed on the mannequins. I wasn’t in the mood to look, nor to choose. I let Caleb discuss with the designer which style to customize for me. I let the assistant measure my body with a tape measure. The backyard of this shop was a small garden. I was more interested in that place. While they were chatting, I lifted my skirt and went to the small pond in the backyard. There was a door in the backyard. It seemed that passing through it would lead to a road of infinite freedom. Actually, I thought about running away countless times. But when I gathered the courage to run, I沮丧ly realized I had nowhere to go. My mom desperately hoped I would marry Caleb. She held my hand and told me not to be willful. I sat by the small pond until Caleb finished talking and came to find me. “What are you thinking about?” Caleb was often like this, high and mighty. But I showed him my arm. On my wrist, there was a small red mark. This circular scar had a layer of hypertrophic scar tissue around the edge. “Look, you burned this with a cigarette butt.” I pointed to this place. One day he was in a bad mood, pulled me into a corner, and pressed a cigarette butt there. It hurt so much, so much that I forgot what else he did afterwards. The person looking down at me concentrated for a moment, then squatted in front of me. Even though I desperately didn’t want to admit it, Caleb’s face was indeed perfect. So perfect that it looked like it was carved by the most famous sculptor in ancient Greece. If he looked at someone with a pair of gentle eyes, anyone would probably drown in them. Otherwise, why does the Western Bible say that the devil always has the most bewitching face? The light and shadow of the lighter flickered. He lit a cigarette in front of me. I subconsciously trembled, afraid the cigarette butt would fall on my arm again. But the next second, he lightly pressed the cigarette butt out on his own wrist. In the same position as mine. He looked at me quietly, “Feel better, Evie?” “…” I lowered my eyes. The ash flickered, and the fresh wound was particularly glaring. He suddenly reached out and pulled me into his arms. “Evie, if you can share a little of this pain with me, it will be fine.” Fireflies of summer slowly rose from the pond. I stared at the flowing moonlight. “Caleb, you know clearly that those pains were brought by you.” The man’s body stiffened for a moment, then he stroked my hair bit by bit. “Then I’ll atone for my sins, okay?” “…” 5 After Caleb left this morning, I threw that glass of milk at the TV as usual. At times like this, the servants would usually warm another glass of milk and hand it to me. But today, I didn’t want to drink it. Actually, I used to like drinking milk the most. When I was in school, my mom always made me bring a bottle of milk to school in the morning. But one day, during recess, Caleb sat on the desk in front of me. He was already quite tall then, leaning over, his shadow almost enveloping me. I heard someone sneering, then someone said, find some fun, Master Thorne. But he smiled at me, spreading his palm in front of me. I handed over the milk bottle in my hand. After unscrewing the cap, before the milky scent could drill into my nose. The creamy white liquid poured down from the top of my head. Nose tip, collarbone, collar, skirt hem. It seemed every place was stained with that smell, but except for me crying, everyone was laughing. “Hey, look at her like that, who is she seducing?” “I’m really impressed, Master Thorne, your bad taste…” My cheek was suddenly rubbed by a thumb. Caleb sat in front of me, supporting his chin. He pinched my chin and looked at me for a while. Sneered. “So ugly.” “…” So, now I always hate milk. But the one who hates this the most is probably Caleb. After I knocked over the second glass of milk today, the servant who brought me milk almost knelt in front of me. “Miss… just drink it…” I turned my neck, saying I wouldn’t. Then my gaze fell on the landline next to the sofa. I crawled over and pressed the buttons. This landline could only call one person’s mobile phone. Only, the male voice answering the phone this time was not Caleb’s voice. “Miss Qin?” Oh, it’s Caleb’s special assistant, the one who always drives. “I’m looking for Caleb.” “He’s in a meeting, Miss Qin…” “Then I’m coming over.” I hung up without waiting for the other side to say anything. Entry and exit to this villa area were strict. There were security guards at the gate. I raised my head and told the security guard that I was going to Caleb’s company. This is probably… the benefit of being about to marry Caleb. No one stopped me, and I walked unimpeded all the way to the top floor. Only when I was about to break into the meeting room, his special assistant stopped me. “Miss Qin, you can wait in the lounge next door first…” I pushed open the heavy door of the meeting room with one breath.

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