Category: English

Today was my little darling’s fifth birthday. My husband, who usually buried himself in work, had, for once, agreed to take our first family photo. I was so excited I woke up early, scrambling to book the city’s most exclusive photography studio. But as the appointment time drew near, there was no sign of my husband or son. I waited at the studio until closing time, and then my husband’s message finally arrived. He casually mentioned that his company had organized an end-of-year trip, and he’d already left with our son. Right after, my son sent a voice message, his tiny voice saying the trip was super fun and he’d take pictures with me when he got back. I smiled at the screen, sent a “Sounds good!” back. Then, with a flick of my finger, I messaged the chairman of my husband’s company: “Your company organized a trip? Why wasn’t I, your biggest shareholder, informed?” … 1. A voice call came through immediately, laced with bewilderment: “What trip? Are you still half-asleep? End of the year is crunch time for sales, everyone’s running themselves ragged. There’s no way I’d arrange a trip. Everyone in the company is working overtime, except for your husband, who took annual leave.” My best friend, Quinn, her voice crackled through the receiver. I tightened my grip on the phone. “I understand.” “Wait, no, what’s going on?” Quinn heard the shift in my tone and pressed anxiously. I pressed my lips together, looking at myself in the mirror – impeccably dressed in a haute couture gown, hair perfectly styled, yet utterly alone. I felt like a joke. “Come pick me up.” I gave her the address. “Alright, five minutes.” I hung up, still frozen at the vanity. The studio staff had already begun packing up their equipment, ready to close. I could feel the shift in the air; the staff, who had initially eyed my extravagant private booking with envy, now looked at me with blatant pity. Amidst their hushed whispers, I vaguely caught phrases like “stood up,” “poor thing,” and “what’s money good for anyway?” Just then, the studio manager approached, carrying a thick photo album. “Ma’am, please don’t be too upset. Perhaps your husband had an urgent, unexpected matter.” The manager gently pushed the album towards me. “Although today didn’t work out, you can take a look at our sample prints. This is our collection of family portraits; you can choose a style for next time, and when you bring your husband and son, we can start shooting right away.” I felt dispirited, but out of politeness, I casually opened the first page. The moment I did, my entire body froze. Staring back at me, proudly displayed on the title page as a studio showpiece, was a huge family portrait. The background was warm and luxurious. A man in a crisp suit smiled gently; a woman in an elegant gown stood beside him. In the middle, a little boy in a miniature suit, eyes curved into crescent moons, held a bouquet of daisies. That was my five-year-old son. That was my husband, the man I shared a bed with. And that woman… The manager, seeing my stunned expression, thought I was amazed by the photo’s quality. She immediately launched into a gushing explanation, a hint of pride in her voice: “Ma’am, you have excellent taste, choosing this one right away. This family is our studio’s model family, and they’re long-time clients.” “The gentleman in the photo is the general manager of a listed company, earning millions a year. He’s handsome and charismatic. The lady next to him is also impressive, famously doting on her husband and child.” “This family of three, they’ve been coming to us for family portraits every year since the child was a month old. Look at this little boy, he’s incredibly photogenic, loves having his picture taken, and is always so happy every time he comes. The entire staff loves to play with him.” “Oh, by the way, they booked the Grand Hall at the Grand Estate Hotel for a birthday party today. Our studio photographer was even invited to follow and document it.” Every word from the manager felt like a knife, slicing into my heart, one by one. Years ago, for my husband Liam’s dream, I had willingly stepped back. Fearing he’d be bullied, I secretly got him into Quinn’s company, continuously investing anonymously to make him an undeniable top performer, earning him the General Manager position. Immediately, my mind flashed back to every time I’d tried to take photos of my son. He would always frown, either hiding behind his father or outright covering his face with his hands, yelling: “Go away, Mom! I hate photos!” Back then, Liam always protected him, scoffing at me: “If the kid doesn’t like it, just drop it. Don’t force him; your photography skills aren’t that great anyway.” But now, looking at my son smiling in that photo, I suddenly felt a chill run through me, a bitter coldness deep in my heart. He didn’t hate photos; he just hated taking photos with me. My gaze slowly shifted to the woman in the picture. At first glance, she looked familiar. Now, on closer inspection, wasn’t this Seraphina Song, the impoverished college student I had sponsored for four full years? I had seen her diligence and hard work, not only paying for her entire university education, but when she graduated and struggled to find work, it was I who used my connections to get her a job at a well-regarded state-owned enterprise known for its excellent benefits. I never imagined that the bright student I had sponsored would end up not only in the company I arranged for her, but also in my home. The manager was still chattering away: “Ma’am? Ma’am, what do you think of this style? If you like it, next time…” Just then, the roar of a sports car came from the doorway. Followed by hurried footsteps: “Chloe!” Quinn burst in, a whirlwind of energy. She spotted me instantly, unable to resist a playful tease: “Whoa! This look, you’re stunning! Anyone would think you’re walking the red carpet.” She surveyed the empty studio, puzzled. “Why are you alone? Where are Liam and Leo? Didn’t you say you were taking family photos? Are you done?” I closed the album. This was utterly humiliating. “What’s wrong, Chloe? You look awful.” Quinn dropped her playful demeanor, looking at me with concern. I looked at her and gave a short, bitter laugh: “To the Grand Estate Hotel. I hear my son’s having a birthday party today.” 2. Quinn paused for a moment, then floored the accelerator, driving us straight to the Grand Estate Hotel. The Grand Estate Hotel was not only the most luxurious hotel in the city but also an establishment owned by Quinn herself. Standing at the entrance of the banquet hall, a massive welcome poster greeted my eyes. On the poster was that family portrait: Liam had Seraphina in his arms, our son perched on Seraphina’s shoulders, and the title read: [Our Beloved Son Leo’s Sixth Birthday Bash]. Sixth birthday? I froze. Wasn’t Leo five? Quinn’s face turned stormy. As the big boss of this hotel, she was about to explode, but I held her back. I pushed open the banquet hall doors, and the clamor inside instantly ceased. Hundreds of eyes turned in unison towards the entrance. Most of them were employees of Liam’s company; I didn’t show up often, but I had delivered food to the company a few times, so some recognized me. “Oh, isn’t that the freeloading wife of Manager Smith?” Someone in the crowd scoffed, and then whispers swelled like a tide. “What bad luck, what’s she doing here on such a joyous day?” “I heard she’s worse than the nanny at home, just washing and cooking all day, completely dependent on Manager Smith. Truly a disgrace to women.” “Look at her, dressed to the nines. I bet that gown was bought with Mr. Smith’s credit card.” Liam was standing center stage, cutting the cake, a long knife in his hand. Seraphina’s hand rested intimately on his. They looked utterly coupled. Seeing me enter, Liam showed no trace of guilt, instead frowning. “Chloe Johnson, what are you doing here? Didn’t I tell you to stay home? Don’t come here to embarrass me!” He didn’t even bother to step down from the stage, reprimanding me from above. I walked towards the stage, step by step. “Embarrass you?” I pointed at the large number on the poster, my voice hoarse. “Liam, is Leo five this year, or six?” Liam’s eyes flickered, then he became even more self-righteous. “What’s the difference between five and six?” At that moment, Seraphina walked out, smiling. She wore a perfectly tailored haute couture gown, exuding the air of a successful professional. Holding a glass of champagne, she looked at me with an expression that was seemingly polite but truly mocking. “Since you’re here, find a corner and grab something to eat. Today is Leo’s birthday party, hosted by Liam and me, and it’s also a gathering to celebrate my promotion. Don’t spoil everyone’s fun.” “Go away!” Suddenly, a small figure darted out and pushed me hard. It was my son, the one I had doted on for five years. He wore a prince-like suit but glared at me as if I were his enemy. “I won’t let you bully Mommy Seraphina! Mommy Seraphina said you’re a useless good-for-nothing, you only drag Daddy down!” In that moment, my heart shattered into a million pieces. I stared in disbelief at the son I had hand-fed, the one I had stayed up all night watching when he had a fever. “Leo, I’m your mom…” “No, you’re not!” Leo hugged Seraphina’s leg, proudly lifting his chin. “Mommy Seraphina is my mom! She earns lots of money and can buy me lots of things. Mommy Seraphina said I have excellent blood, just like her, not a good-for-nothing like you!” The entire hall erupted in gasps, then quickly dissolved into roaring laughter. “Looks like someone’s a step-mom!” “Hahahaha, raising someone else’s kid for five years, what an incredible cuckold.” “No wonder Mr. Smith doesn’t like her. That kind of waste deserves to be a pawn.” Those employees who usually respectfully called me “ma’am” were now, eager to flatter Seraphina and Liam, speaking with increasingly cruel words. Six years ago, I sponsored Seraphina through her senior year of college. Liam and I met around that time; he tearfully recounted how he’d been unlucky in love and wanted to settle down with a stable person. It turned out that from beginning to end, this was a scheme to find a free meal ticket for Seraphina’s child. “Liam.” I took a deep breath, suppressing the hatred about to erupt in my chest. “So, for these five years, you’ve been acting?” Quinn finally lost it. She rushed forward, pointing at the executives. “You blind idiots! Open your damn eyes and see who I am! And Chloe Johnson, standing right in front of you, is your company’s biggest—” “Security!” Liam impatiently cut Quinn off, casting a cold glance at us. “Get these two disruptive lunatics out of here. Especially the one next to Chloe Johnson, dressed like a lowlife thug. She must be some poor relative of this good-for-nothing, right?” Eager to impress, the employees didn’t even wait for security. Several tall managers rolled up their sleeves and surrounded us, sinister smiles plastered on their faces. 3. “Who dares touch me!” Quinn roared, enraged. She usually presided at the group headquarters, rarely inspecting this branch office. Plus, dressed casually today, these people truly didn’t recognize the legendary Chairman. “Is that woman crazy? ‘Who dares touch her’?” A department manager sneered. To curry favor with Seraphina, she was the first to rush forward and shove Quinn. “Who are you anyway? Don’t you know Mr. Smith is the General Manager here? Getting rid of you is as easy as squashing an ant!” Seraphina stood on the stage, holding her son, arm around Liam, watching us being encircled as if it were a play, a smirk playing on her lips. “Everyone, whoever cleans out these two pieces of trash today, so they no longer dirty mine and Liam’s eyes, will have their year-end bonus doubled next year.” Generous rewards always spurred bravery. The pushing and shoving crowd instantly turned violent. Someone kicked Quinn hard in the knee, sending her stumbling to the ground. I rushed to help her, but a heavy punch to my back made my vision go black. “Chloe Johnson, do you really think you’re someone important?” I spat out a mouthful of blood, looking up at Liam. “Can you really afford the consequences of marital infidelity and marriage fraud?” Liam walked off the stage and stopped in front of me, looking down at me on the floor with eyes full of disgust and contempt. “Since we’re speaking so plainly, I won’t hide it from you anymore.” He pulled a marriage certificate from his bag and threw it directly in my face. It bore the names Liam Smith and Seraphina Song, and the registration date was a year earlier than mine. I shot my head up, my pupils contracting violently. “No need to look, the marriage certificate we got back then was fake.” Liam sneered. “Back then, Seraphina had just graduated, her family was poor, and she didn’t have a stable job. She couldn’t give the child a good life. We had to find an honest person to take care of things, right?” “You’re an orphan with no parents, the easiest to control. I originally planned to dump you after you raised the kid. I just didn’t expect you to be so ungrateful, causing trouble at a time like this.” “Fake.” I mumbled, feeling as though my insides were twisting in agony. So, these five years of days and nights, these five years of devoted effort, even the legal recognition, were all a deception! “This marriage doesn’t even need a divorce, because it never existed.” Seraphina walked over, stepping on the back of my hand and grinding her heel down hard. “Senior, thank you for your sponsorship back then, and thank you for helping me raise my husband and child for these past five years. Now that I’m successful, it’s time for a good-for-nothing like you to make your exit.” I endured the excruciating pain, trying to get up, but she kicked me in the chest again. Quinn, trying to shield me, was savagely struck on the head with a wine bottle, blood instantly gushing down her face. Quinn was almost incoherent, still desperately trying to protect me. “You… you’ll regret this…” “Regret?” The manager who had struck her spat on her. The surrounding people laughed. “Hit them! Hit them until they’re dead! Mr. Smith will take responsibility for anything that happens!” Quinn and I huddled on the ground, taking countless kicks. My vision was already blurring, and the smell of blood filled my nostrils. Liam watched it all coldly, then turned and covered his son’s eyes. “Leo, don’t look, it’s dirty.” Just as that manager raised a solid wooden chair, preparing to smash it onto my head. “Bang!” The banquet hall doors were violently forced open from the outside. Immediately after, a team of bodyguards rushed in. Before anyone could react, a middle-aged man with gold-rimmed glasses and a refined aura stumbled in. When he saw Quinn, battered and bloody in the pool of her own blood, his entire body froze. “Chairman?!” He then looked up and saw me, also bruised and bloody, his face turning ashen. “Miss… Johnson…”

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1 I was escorting a high-value prisoner on a commercial flight when a flight attendant began openly flirting with the man next to me. I shot her a warning look and quietly asked her to move us to a secluded pair of seats. She rolled her eyes. “Do you own this airline? What’s the problem with me talking to this gorgeous guy? Are you jealous or just painfully single?” Her boldness left me speechless. I called for the chief attendant, but before help arrived, she broke into dramatic tears, telling everyone I was bullying her. Sympathetic and accusing eyes turned toward me. I could not explain aloud that the “gorgeous guy” was a notorious serial killer on death row. Just as the tension peaked, the prisoner made his move. He seized her in a chokehold and yelled for the pilot to turn the plane around. Since you’re so eager to please a man, now is your chance. … My name is Renee. I am a homicide detective. I spent three grueling months deep undercover just to track down Silas, a serial killer who had terrorized the entire country. It took everything I had to finally slap the cuffs on him. Following strict orders from the top brass, I was transporting him back to the state precinct via a commercial flight. Before boarding, my captain emphasized one rule above all else. Total secrecy. If the passengers found out who Silas was, it would trigger a mid-air panic. I kept my badge tucked away and draped a thick jacket over the steel cuffs binding Silas to my wrist. I whispered a harsh warning for him to behave, my eyes scanning every single face in the terminal. I couldn’t afford a single second of distraction. Shortly after the plane leveled out, a fresh-faced intern flight attendant pushed her beverage cart down the aisle. The moment her eyes landed on Silas, they stuck to him like glue. She purposefully slowed her pace, completely invading my personal space as she leaned over me to get closer to him. Her voice dripped with an artificial, sugary sweetness. “Hey handsome, what can I get you? Water, coffee, or maybe some juice?” Silas slowly looked up at her. A chilling smirk played at the corner of his mouth. My stomach dropped. I instantly answered for him. “No thank you. He doesn’t need anything. We are trying to rest, so please do not disturb us.” The intern acted like I was invisible. She shot me a look of pure disgust before leaning even closer to Silas. “Are you feeling okay, handsome? Do you need me to grab you some medicine?” I forced down the rising anger in my chest and deepened my voice, heavily stressing my next words. “I said we do not need anything. We want to rest. Do you not understand English?” I glanced around the half-empty cabin. “Also, I need you to move us to the back row. Keep us as far away from the other passengers as possible. I don’t like the noise.” That was apparently the wrong thing to say. The girl flared up like a cat backed into a corner. She slammed her plastic cup onto my tray table. Water splashed directly onto my shirt, but she didn’t offer a shred of an apology. “Excuse me, lady, but I was talking to him. Did I ask you?” “Did your daddy build this airplane? You think you can just demand seat changes? Why don’t you go sit on the wings then?” My eyebrows knitted together. I kept my voice as level as humanly possible. “We are traveling together. I am speaking for him. He isn’t eating or drinking. Please stop hovering.” I flicked my eyes downward, practically begging her to notice the silver handcuffs hidden beneath the coat. She was completely oblivious. Instead, she raised her voice, dripping with pure arrogance. “Drop the act, lady! You must be seriously starved for male attention if you’re throwing a tantrum just because I said hi to a hot guy!” Her loud, piercing tone drew the attention of half the cabin. Heads swiveled in our direction. “Seats on this flight are assigned. You think you’re some kind of royalty?” My eyes widened. I genuinely could not fathom how a supposedly trained professional was acting like a high school mean girl. Having said her piece, she turned back to Silas, her voice suddenly morphing into a whiny pout. “Sir, look at her. I was just trying to offer you good customer service, and she’s attacking me.” “If she tries to file a complaint against me after we land, you have to promise to defend me, okay?” Silas gave me a dark, amused look before speaking in a low, slow drawl. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. A pretty girl like you doesn’t deserve to be in trouble.” The intern blushed furiously, staring at her feet. She immediately dug a notepad out of her apron, scribbled down her number, and slid it toward him. “Here. My name is Brittany. Add me on Insta.” I took a massive breath, grinding my teeth together so hard my jaw ached. “I said, change our seats!” 2 Brittany jutted her chin out, looking completely untouchable. “And I said no! Even if you drop dead today, you’re dying in that exact seat!” My hands began to shake with suppressed fury. I couldn’t hold it back anymore. “Go get your Chief Flight Attendant right now! I want to know if this is the standard of professionalism Trans-Global Airlines accepts!” Brittany scoffed loudly. “God, women are so pathetic. Always letting jealousy ruin everything and instantly crying to the manager.” “Call her! You think I’m scared of you?” Whispers broke out across the cabin. A fiery rage spiked in my chest. I had been a detective for eight years. I had personally taken down some of the most vicious predators to ever walk the earth. But I had never met someone so willfully, painfully stupid. She had absolutely no idea that the gorgeous guy she was throwing herself at was a monster with hands soaked in innocent blood. The Chief Flight Attendant hurried over shortly after. She put on a polite, practiced smile. “Ma’am, is there a problem I can assist you with?” Before I could even open my mouth to explain, Brittany stepped forward and practically threw herself at the older woman. “Aunt Helen!” Then she buried her face in her hands and started sobbing hysterically, making sure every single passenger in the cabin was watching her performance. “Aunt Helen, this woman is bullying me! I was just doing my job, and she started screaming at me out of nowhere! She’s demanding a seat upgrade and threatening to get me fired!” She deliberately shouted the words bullying and fired, playing the role of a frail, helpless victim to absolute perfection. The passengers in the front rows swallowed the bait instantly. People started standing up, craning their necks to look. A few even pulled out their phones to record me, their voices laced with pity for the weeping intern. A middle-aged man in a polo shirt pointed a thick finger at me. “Hey lady, you need to back off! The poor kid is just an intern doing her job. What kind of monster threatens a young girl’s livelihood?” His wife nodded vigorously, glaring at me with utter contempt. “Exactly. Dressed so nice but acting like pure trash. That girl is someone’s daughter. You’ll have kids of your own someday, you know! Have some compassion!” “Some hags just can’t stand seeing a young, pretty face. It’s pure, bitter jealousy.” “Don’t worry, sweetie! If she tries to report you, we will all write to the airline and defend you!” A businesswoman across the aisle violently yanked off her sleep mask and shot me a lethal glare. “Can you shut up? Your life must be incredibly sad and pathetic if you get off on harassing service workers.” The wave of baseless accusations made my blood boil. “Are you all blind? Or just completely brain-dead?” “She is completely twisting the truth! I politely told her multiple times to leave us alone, and she refused to stop harassing us. All I did was ask for a seat change, and she flips the script and plays the victim!” Seeing the crowd rally behind her, Brittany cranked up the waterworks. She choked out her words through heavy sobs. “Thank you, everyone. Thank you for seeing the truth. I’m just trying to do my job, and she’s targeting me!” She then actually buckled her knees, pretending she was about to drop to the floor. “Ma’am, I’ll take the blame! I’m so sorry! Please, I’m begging you, don’t get me fired! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” A chorus of disgusted clicks and sighs echoed through the plane. “Flight attendants are human beings too. Look at how terrified the poor thing is.” “This lady is out of her mind. Does she think she owns the sky?” Helen’s polite mask vanished instantly. She yanked Brittany up, shielding the girl behind her own body, and stared at me with eyes like shards of ice. 3 “Ma’am, I suggest you watch your tone. Service workers are not beneath you.” “Professionally speaking, she is my subordinate, and checking on passengers is her literal job description. She did nothing wrong.” “Personally speaking, I am her aunt. I helped raise her. I know her character infinitely better than some bitter stranger.” She paused, making sure her voice carried to the back rows. “It is 2026. As a fellow woman, why are you tearing down another girl just to get a man’s attention? You’re a textbook pick-me. Maybe log off the internet and stop projecting your insecurities onto innocent women!” “A pick-me? Tearing down women?” I genuinely let out a dry, humorless laugh. The sheer absurdity of the situation had pushed me past the point of anger. I looked her dead in the eye. “You have a lot of nerve. You didn’t even bother to ask for my side of the story. You blindly took your niece’s word for it. Isn’t that the exact same thing you’re accusing me of?” “She’s an intern, so fine, I’ll write off her stupidity. But you are the Chief Flight Attendant. You are in charge of this cabin. Did you not read the pre-flight briefing regarding a high-risk VIP on board? Do you have any idea how much trouble you are in if you compromise my operation?” The whispers grew louder, tinged with heavy sarcasm. “Oh please, a VIP? Who does she think she is? If she was important, she’d be in first class.” “Empty cans rattle the loudest. Just listen to her.” “This is hilarious. It’s like she’s never been on a plane before. The secondhand embarrassment is killing me.” Hiding behind her aunt, Brittany flashed me a smug, victorious smirk, her eyes practically dancing with mockery. Helen faltered for a fraction of a second before her face hardened again. “Don’t you dare try to intimidate me with some fake VIP status. I have the manifest for every single person on this aircraft, including you! If you don’t want me calling your employer when we land, I suggest you sit down and shut your mouth. One more word, and I’m calling the Air Marshal.” We were locked in a stalemate. My fingertips brushed against the cold leather of my police badge inside my pocket. Right at that moment, another flight attendant rushed out from the back galley and grabbed Helen’s shoulder. She leaned in, whispering frantically. “Helen, I just double-checked the system. There is a high-level VIP on this flight! The company flagged it with absolute top priority. We cannot mess this up!” The smugness washed right off Helen and Brittany’s faces. The older woman hastily grabbed her company tablet, her fingers swiping frantically across the glowing screen. 4 Brittany leaned over her aunt’s shoulder, her eyes glued to the alert on the screen. Her initial panic faded. Within seconds, a nasty, triumphant grin spread across her lips. Helen locked the tablet and slowly looked back at me, radiating pure arrogance. She let out a sharp laugh. “You’re actually right. There is an incredibly important VIP on this flight. But guess what? It’s not you.” She stood a little taller. “We are hosting Dr. Arthur Harrison, the country’s top cardiovascular surgeon. He’s flying out for an emergency medical summit. Corporate gave us strict orders to ensure his absolute comfort and silence.” The entire cabin erupted into cruel laughter. “Oh man, she actually had me going for a second. Thought she was a senator or something.” “Did you hear the lady? Dr. Harrison needs quiet. What are you gonna do when you stress out a surgeon, huh?” Brittany, utterly drunk on her own perceived victory, rolled her eyes so hard I thought they might get stuck. She turned to Silas, her face softening into faux concern. “Sir, I honestly think the woman next to you is mentally unstable. For your own safety, why don’t I escort you up to first class? We can actually talk without the crazy lady screaming at us.” She reached out, attempting to grab his arm and pull him up. Panic surged through my veins. The last thread of my patience snapped. I didn’t care about being humiliated. But Silas was a lethal weapon. I could not let him leave my side for a single second. I yanked my badge out of my pocket and held it up high. “I am a police detective! I am in the middle of an active operation!” Before I could even blink, Brittany snatched the leather wallet right out of my hand. She didn’t even glance at it. She just ripped the internal ID card cleanly in half. “I could buy a whole box of these fake badges on Temu. If you’re a cop, then I’m the freaking President of the United States!” She puffed out her chest, acting like a superhero saving the day. “Do you realize what you’re doing? Handcuffing him to you is illegal imprisonment! I am saving this man!” With a sudden burst of manic energy, she grabbed the steel chain linking my wrist to Silas’s. She planted her feet and pulled upward with all her body weight. “Let him go! Let him go right now, you absolute psycho!” I lunged forward, desperately trying to pry her fingers off the metal. “Do not touch the cuffs! You are going to get everyone killed! He is a convicted murderer!” We wrestled violently in the cramped aisle. Snap. The metal link shattered. The sudden release of tension threw me completely off balance, sending me crashing hard into the armrest. I threw my head up. Silas’s wrist was completely free. Half of a broken, jagged handcuff dangled uselessly from my own arm. 5 A blur of motion tore past my vision. It was so fast my brain struggled to process it. By the time I scrambled upright, Silas was already standing directly behind Brittany. His massive hands clamped down around her throat. The sheer force was horrifying. Brittany’s face instantly turned a sickening shade of crimson. “Tell the pilot to turn this plane around! Now! Or I snap her neck like a twig!” Brittany’s eyes bugged out of her skull. Her tongue protruded slightly as she gasped for air that wouldn’t come. Her manicured nails clawed frantically at his thick forearms, tearing at his skin, but he didn’t even flinch. He was an unmoving wall of muscle. “I am not going to repeat myself! Turn the plane around or every single one of you dies up here!” Silas’s voice was devoid of any human emotion. The entire aircraft plunged into a terrifying, suffocating silence. The passengers who had been laughing and mocking me seconds ago were now paralyzed, their faces drained of color. A heartbeat later, absolute pandemonium broke out. Screams, sobs, and terrified prayers bounced off the curved ceiling. Passengers scrambled over each other, trying to press themselves as far back into their seats as possible. Helen, the Chief Flight Attendant, looked like she was going to vomit. She cowered behind the Air Marshal, her legs physically giving out beneath her. “Please! Don’t hurt us! We’ll give you whatever you want, just don’t do anything crazy!” Trapped in a suffocating grip, Brittany was drowning in pure terror. She choked out a pathetic, rasping whimper. “P-please… handsome… I’m sorry… cough… let me go…” Even as she was being strangled to death, she pathetically tried to rub her cheek against his arm, acting like her flirtation could save her. She was banking on a miracle. She severely underestimated the monster holding her. Silas didn’t care about her pretty face. His eyes darkened, and his grip tightened until a sickening, wet popping sound echoed from her throat. He leaned in close to her ear, his voice laced with venomous mockery. “I really should be thanking you, sweetheart. I never would have gotten these cuffs off without your help.” Brittany’s complexion shifted from crimson to a bruised purple. Her airways were completely crushed. Tears of agonizing regret spilled down her cheeks. She couldn’t even manage a whisper anymore. I ripped the broken cuff off my wrist and locked my eyes onto him. Every muscle in my body was coiled like a spring. “Silas, there is nowhere to run! Hijacking an aircraft is a federal offense. You let her go, put your hands up, and I swear I will ensure you make it to trial alive!” A decade of intense police training kept my heart rate steady. I couldn’t afford to panic. But Silas wasn’t a street thug. He was a trained, calculated apex predator. Good cops had died trying to put him behind bars. Taking him down inside a metal tube thirty thousand feet in the air, surrounded by civilian hostages, was a nightmare scenario. Silas shot me a sideways glance, letting out a dark chuckle. “I’m already sitting on death row, detective. What are they gonna do? Kill me twice?” “Besides, it’s just you up against me. You really think you can take me down?” His eyes darted around the chaotic cabin, calculating his next move, looking for a better insurance policy. Right at that exact second, Brittany, desperate to save her own skin, managed to wheeze out a single, damning sentence. “I… I know where the doctor is! Take him! He’s worth way more than me!”

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

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It was time for the company’s end-of-year review. The boss announced that revenue was down. To boost morale, he decided to take my entire annual commission and distribute it to everyone as a holiday bonus. My coworkers were absolutely thrilled. One guy chimed in that since I drove a BMW and didn’t have student loans, I should look out for those of them who had families to feed. Another preached that a company only thrives when its employees are happy, telling me to be a team player and show some sacrifice. I just smiled, nodded, and immediately stepped out to call my clients, telling them to freeze all their pending payments. Fast forward to the week before the holidays. The company had zero cash flow. They couldn’t even make payroll. Panic set in. And one by one, they all came crawling to me, begging for help. 1 “The economy is tough right now. To make sure everyone has a great Christmas, Riley has generously agreed to donate her entire commission for the year. It will be distributed as your holiday bonuses!” The moment our boss Victor finished his sentence, the conference room erupted into thunderous applause. As the subject of this supposed generosity, I sat there completely stunned. Using my commission as the company bonus pool? This was the first time I was hearing about it. Swallowing the bitter taste of anger in my throat, I spoke up. “Our sales volume increased by fifteen percent compared to last year. Logically, the company is highly profitable. We shouldn’t be in a position where we can’t afford standard holiday bonuses, right?” Victor’s fake smile instantly vanished. “Do you have any idea how much it costs to keep all of you employed? I match your 401k, I pay for premium health insurance. Have I ever mistreated you?” “What do you know about operating a business? Just because you say we’re profitable doesn’t make it true! Why don’t you sit in this chair and run the company!” Victor was getting more agitated by the second, slamming his hand flat against the mahogany table. Terrified of getting caught in the crossfire, my coworkers kept their heads down, exchanging nervous glances. The room fell dead silent until Victor’s assistant finally broke the ice. “Come on, Victor, don’t get mad! Riley definitely didn’t mean it like that. She’s a veteran here. She would never just sit back and watch us struggle through the holidays.” Serena, our Sales Director, had always hated my guts. There was no way she was going to let an opportunity to screw me over slip by. “Riley, whenever you needed help, Victor and I never hesitated! You’ve always been the most mature one here. The company is facing a rough patch and needs your sacrifice. Don’t be ungrateful!” With that, she shot a pointed look at Valerie sitting next to her. Valerie’s eyes darted around before she took the cue. “Look, most of us spend our paychecks covering mortgages, car loans, or kids’ tuition. You’re different. Your parents bought your condo in cash. Even without this commission, you’re going to have a fantastic holiday.” “But don’t worry, your generosity won’t go unnoticed!” She plastered on a sickeningly sweet smile and addressed the room. “Everyone, when you visit your hometowns this break, make sure to bring back some local treats for our girl Riley!” “Oh, absolutely! My whole family will be so grateful to you, Riley. I’ll bring you some of my mom’s famous homemade maple syrup!” “Riley, I promise to work twice as hard next year! I’m going to toast to your health on New Year’s Eve!” “I’m not great with words, but I’ll put it out there. From now on, whatever you need, just say the word and I’ve got your back!” One by one, they chimed in, piling the fake praise higher and higher. Seeing his employees act so obediently, Victor finally cracked a smug smile. “I always knew I wasn’t wrong about Riley. When the employees thrive, the company thrives! Come on everyone, let’s give it up for Riley’s selfless contribution!” The applause grew louder, but my heart turned entirely to ice. As the top sales rep in the company, I was scraping by on a pathetic base salary of three thousand a month. If my family wasn’t financially comfortable, and if my parents didn’t occasionally help me out, I wouldn’t even have enough cash to cover the fancy dinners required to entertain my clients. It wasn’t like I had never complained about this. I had told Victor that the base pay was insulting, expense reimbursements took months to clear, and relying on my own pocket to build client relationships was hurting our business growth. His response back then? An awkward chuckle and a personal Venmo transfer of five grand, framed as a “personal loan” to tide me over. He had heavily implied that I needed to understand the company’s struggles and tough it out. He even promised that when my year-end commission was calculated, he would throw in interest for the hassle. Like a fool, I believed him. I gritted my teeth and worked like a dog. I had been counting down the days until the end of the year. The moment December hit, I sat down with our new accountant to run the numbers. When I saw my accumulated commission was sitting at a cool hundred grand, I was ecstatic. I had it all planned out. I was going to pay my parents back and use the rest to take them on a luxury vacation to the Bahamas. And now? Without a single word of consultation, he took my hundred thousand dollars and handed it out as charity to buy loyalty. It hit me then. Victor never intended to pay me a dime. If he was going to play dirty, I was going to play ruthless. I held up a hand, stopping a younger colleague named Noah who looked like he was about to speak up in my defense. I let out a cold, sharp laugh. “Alright. Since everyone feels so strongly about it, let’s consider it done.” 2 Victor clearly hadn’t expected me to cave so easily. A flicker of suspicion crossed his eyes, but he didn’t push his luck. With a stiff chuckle, he patted my shoulder and dismissed the meeting. My coworkers filed out, side-stepping me. As they brushed past, the mocking glints in their eyes practically screamed that I was the biggest sucker on the planet. I sat alone in the quiet room, waiting until the last person was gone before returning to my desk. “Alright everyone, our holiday bonuses are secured! To celebrate the good news, afternoon coffee is on me!” Serena clapped her hands, her voice loud enough for the whole floor to hear. Noah, who was on my team, immediately jumped in. “That new place downstairs has a seasonal roast. I’ve been dying to try it.” He glanced over at me. “Riley, what do you want?” Before I could politely decline, Valerie’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “Oh please. Riley drives a Beamer. She wouldn’t be caught dead drinking drip coffee from downstairs. She only does artisanal lattes. Just order for ourselves.” Noah looked deeply uncomfortable. I saved him the trouble. “I’ve been dealing with insomnia anyway. I’ll pass.” Grabbing my phone, I walked straight to the rooftop terrace. The biting winter wind cut through my rage, bringing a sharp clarity to my mind. I found a contact and hit dial. “Harper. Put a hold on this year’s final payments. There’s no rush.” After a burst of bright, infectious laughter, Harper started teasing me. “Are you playing hard to get, Riley? Relax. I already approved the paperwork this morning. The funds will drop in two days. I promise you won’t be stuck living off a three-grand base salary anymore!” “I’m not joking, Harper. Seriously, hold the payment.” Sensing the shift in my tone, Harper’s voice instantly dropped the playful edge. “What happened? Who messed with you?” “Let me guess. Victor lost his damn mind and disrespected his top earner?” “…Don’t tell me he backed out of paying your commission.” I let out a heavy sigh. On the other end of the line, Harper sounded like she had just struck gold. “I told you! I told you to come work for me! If you jump ship and join my team, I’ll beat whatever commission rate they gave you by a full percent!” “Don’t answer right now. Just think about it. My door is always open.” She hung up quickly, almost as if she was afraid I would reject her on the spot. Truth was, I had no intention of rejecting her. If anything, I was incredibly grateful for how she had looked out for me over the years. I wasn’t some corporate heiress. I didn’t have a CEO father or family connections to pave my way. I wasn’t even that great at schmoozing executives over expensive cocktails. But I knew how to be genuine, and people remembered that. When one client’s mother was diagnosed with diabetes, I consulted a specialist and personally typed up a custom dietary plan. When another client was too busy to notice her daughter was being relentlessly bullied at school, I was the one who drove down there and raised hell in the principal’s office. Every single account I won, I bled for. I earned my title as top seller from the ground up. After hanging up with Harper, I dialed a few more of my key accounts. Thankfully, these were people who actually considered me a friend. They were more than happy to help me serve up a cold dish of revenge. Satisfied, I slipped my phone into my pocket and headed toward the stairwell, fully intending to march down to HR and quit. But as I rounded the corner, Victor’s voice echoed from the hallway. “A hundred grand is not chump change. Once it hits my accounts, it’s my money. Riley isn’t asking for her commission. She’s reaching into my wallet and robbing me.” “I’m withholding it on purpose. What’s she going to do? She’ll swallow her pride and keep working like a dog to make me rich.” My stomach dropped. I quickly stepped back, hiding behind a row of filing cabinets. I heard Serena’s voice next. “People online say firing your top earner is like cutting a major artery. You aren’t worried she’ll quit and take the clients with her?” Victor scoffed loudly. “Top earner? She’s a gullible idiot!” “She only pulls those numbers because she has the Apex brand backing her. Any account she can close, I guarantee you can close too!” I heard the dull clink of ceramic as Victor playfully bumped his coffee mug against Serena’s. Serena giggled. “Well, I know my place, unlike her. I’d gladly take a lower commission rate. Thanks for the opportunity, boss!” They erupted into laughter. “She brought this on herself. If she wants someone to blame, she can blame her own high numbers!” My fingernails dug so hard into my palms they almost broke the skin. The blood roared in my ears. Originally, I was just going to hand in my resignation and take the commission issue to the Department of Labor. But now? The game had changed. I was going to make Victor fire me. And I was going to bleed him dry for every single cent of severance and commission I was owed. 3 The end of the year was a nightmare of deadlines. Normally, the sales department was deserted by mid-afternoon as reps went out to meet clients. Today, everyone was glued to their monitors, furiously typing away. If I wasn’t actively plotting my own termination, I would be drowning in work right now, chasing down delayed invoices while drafting strategic plans for the first quarter. Pulling twelve-hour shifts was the standard. But today? I was in absolute paradise. I played three rounds of a mobile game on the clock, streamed an episode of a new reality show, and when I got bored, I wandered down to the lobby to gossip with the receptionist. Before I knew it, it was quitting time. My coworkers were still typing frantically, completely oblivious to the clock. With exactly five minutes to spare, I shut down my laptop, packed my designer tote, and stood right in front of the fingerprint scanner. The second the clock struck five, I punched out and practically skipped out of the building. I had barely made it to the intersection down the street when my phone lit up with Serena’s name. “Riley! Everyone is grinding out these deadlines and you just clock out without submitting your proposal?! Get your ass back here right now! The Crestwood Corp pitch is in a few days. I need that deck on my desk tonight!” “The deadline isn’t for another three days. Chill out. I’ll have the deck ready by the pitch.” “Your pitch needs company approval first! I’m telling you for the last time, turn around and come back to the office. Disobey me, and I’ll pull you off this flagship account!” I let out a dry laugh. “I don’t even get commission anymore. Taking me off the account just sounds like a paid vacation.” “Fine. You’re going to regret this!” Serena slammed the phone down. I powered my phone completely off. After a nice, quiet dinner at home, I took my parents out for an evening walk in the park. I couldn’t even remember the last time I had done this. Since I started working, my life was a relentless cycle of quotas and metrics. The fear of being dead last and publicly humiliated at the weekly meetings kept me constantly on the road, swallowing insults and forcing smiles for clients. And every year, the quotas got higher. The corporate greed was quite literally a bottomless pit. The next morning, I swiped into the office at exactly nine. Not a minute early. Walking past Serena’s glass office, the harsh stench of stale cigarette smoke hit my nose. I asked Noah about it. He whispered that Serena hadn’t gone home at all. She stayed up all night desperately trying to build the Crestwood proposal herself, but Victor kept rejecting her drafts. By lunch, she looked like a zombie. She didn’t even stop to eat before dragging Victor out of the office with her. A few days later, the morning of the Crestwood pitch finally arrived. Serena’s exhausted aura was completely gone, replaced by an air of arrogant victory. Before heading out, she gathered the sales floor for a quick huddle. “Every ounce of success you have is because of this company. Don’t ever delude yourselves into thinking that just because you have decent numbers, the company has to bow down to you. Get too full of yourself, and you’ll find yourself out on the street!” I knew the threat was aimed directly at me, but I was so desperate to get fired that I couldn’t stop the massive grin spreading across my face. Serena looked like she wanted to strangle me. Thankfully, Victor knocked on the glass, telling her the Uber was waiting, and she managed to swallow her rage. Noah leaned over and whispered that Serena and Victor had spent the previous evening taking Arthur Brooks, a VP at Crestwood, out for a very expensive dinner. Rumor had it the proposal was greenlit in private, and today’s pitch was just a corporate formality. He looked at me with genuine anxiety. “Riley, aren’t you worried at all? If Serena lands Crestwood, she’s going to use that leverage to get rid of you.” Arthur Brooks? I smirked, but kept my mouth shut. Over at Crestwood’s headquarters, Serena was scheduled as the final presenter. She pulled up her deck, strutting across the front of the boardroom, words spilling out of her mouth a mile a minute. Just as she was hitting her stride, the lead executive cut her off. “Is this your actual proposal? The quality is completely unrecognizable from your previous work. You haven’t even grasped our core demographic or strategic direction for Q1. I don’t have time to entertain this garbage.” Serena froze like a deer in headlights. Her confident smile shattered. A thin layer of cold sweat broke out across her forehead. “We… we built this exactly to Arthur’s specifications…” The executive didn’t even let her finish. He waved his hand dismissively and pushed his chair back to leave. Victor scrambled forward, panic in his eyes. “Please! The rep who normally writes our decks had a medical emergency! Give us one more chance. I’ll have her send the real file over right now!” The executive paused, checked his watch, and slowly sat back down. Two minutes later, my phone rang. It was Victor. “Riley, get your ass over here right now!” When I didn’t immediately respond, his voice shifted into desperate pleading. “If you save this account for us, I swear on my life I will pay out your full commission!” “Deal! With a promise like that, boss, consider it done.” I hung up, grabbed my coat, and took a cab straight to the venue. Having worked with these executives for years, we were on great terms. When I walked into the boardroom, the icy atmosphere instantly thawed. “Hey, Riley!” “Thank god you’re here, Riley. We were starting to get worried.” I gave them a warm smile and immediately plugged my flash drive into the console. Victor, entirely convinced I had swallowed his bait about the commission, didn’t even bother checking the file before tossing the remote to Serena. Serena stood back up, cleared her throat, and launched into a renewed opening statement. She got exactly two words out before the screen flashed. Suddenly, a massive, glitchy cartoon donkey appeared on the eighty-inch monitor, blasting a deafening, bass-boosted remix of “Old MacDonald” at max volume. The entire boardroom fell dead silent. Serena jumped backward, letting out a shriek. She frantically mashed the buttons on the clicker to close the presentation. But the clicker was totally unresponsive. The screen froze, leaving the neon donkey spinning upside down while the terrible music blared on a loop. A few people in the room started snickering. The lead executive slammed his hands on the table, absolutely furious. “Is this how Apex treats a multi-million dollar account?! Are you people making a joke out of us?!” At that exact moment, every single eye in the room turned to look at me.

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1 When I opened my eyes, I found myself right back in the chaotic moments before my wedding. Julian and his identical twin brother, Perry, were standing directly in front of me, both dressed in the exact same bespoke tuxedo, their hair styled identically. “Chloe, can you tell which one of us is me?” Julian asked, his voice teasing. In my previous life, I had picked Julian out instantly. He had smiled, taken my hand, and walked me down the aisle, vowing in front of all our family and friends that he would love me forever. After the wedding, he treated me like absolute royalty. I honestly believed I had found true happiness. That is, until Monica, a girl from Julian’s college, died when her cruise ship was hit by a freak tsunami. Everything shattered. He lost his mind. He dragged me to the roof of a high-rise and threw me off, screaming like a madman, “If you had just picked the wrong brother at the wedding, I could have gone with Monica to travel the world! She wouldn’t be dead!” “Chloe, why did you have to recognize me that day!” His voice was choked with pure despair and venomous resentment. This time, without a single second of hesitation, I threw myself directly into Perry’s arms, my voice sickeningly sweet. “How could I ever not recognize you!” I heard Julian let out a quiet sigh of relief beside us. But he didn’t notice how tightly Perry’s arms wrapped around my waist, nor did he see the raw, burning ambition hidden deep in his twin’s eyes. … “You guessed right.” Perry’s eyes darkened instantly, his grip on my waist tightening possessively. “Chloe, the ceremony is starting soon,” Julian urged from the sidelines. “You two head out first. I need to change out of these clothes,” Julian added, shooting a triumphant, conspiratorial look at his brother. I pretended not to notice a thing, linking my arm through Perry’s and stepping out of the bridal suite. The moment we pushed the door open, we practically bumped right into Monica. Her gaze swept past me and locked onto Perry’s face. After a few seconds of intense scrutiny, a flicker of sheer, unmistakable glee danced in her eyes. “Chloe, wishing you and Julian a very happy marriage!” She placed heavy, deliberate emphasis on “Julian,” her congratulations laced with thick, biting mockery. Monica was sneering at me for picking the wrong groom. In my previous life, she had run away from the suite in tears. When I asked about it, Julian brushed it off, claiming Monica was just emotionally unstable due to some career setbacks. I trusted him implicitly. I didn’t give it a second thought. It wasn’t until Julian hurled me off that building that I finally learned the truth. He and Monica had made a sick bet. If I failed to pick him out on our wedding day, he would assume Perry’s identity and spend the next three months traveling the world with Monica, a grand romantic gesture to make up for the fact that they couldn’t be together permanently. After the three months were up, he planned to switch back with Perry and pretend absolutely nothing had happened. In this life, I decided to give them exactly what they wanted. I looked at the undisguised triumph in Monica’s eyes and flashed her a blinding, radiant smile. “And I wish you everything you’ve ever wanted.” Without giving her a chance to process that, I pulled Perry toward the grand ballroom. The orchestral music swelled, signaling the start of the ceremony. My name and Julian’s were emblazoned in massive gold letters across the screens behind the altar. But Julian and Monica were sitting in the dimly lit audience, leaning against each other intimately as if no one else was in the room. It was as if this wedding had absolutely nothing to do with him. The ceremony flowed flawlessly until the final, crucial moment. The officiant smiled warmly at the crowd. “Now, the bride and groom may embrace and share their first kiss.” I leaned into Perry’s chest and tilted my head, my eyes sweeping over the crowd. A memory struck me. In my past life, when Julian pulled me in for this embrace, he had secretly kissed my earlobe and whispered, “Chloe, I finally get to marry you.” Right now, he was in the audience, holding another woman. When my gaze locked onto his, Julian instinctively dropped Monica’s hand. But as his eyes shifted to the man standing beside me, the reality that they had swapped identities finally hit him. He rubbed his nose, looking suddenly guilty and uncomfortable. Monica stared down at her empty hand, her expression turning incredibly dark. Suddenly, she stood up and shouted toward the stage. “A hug is so boring! Let’s see a real kiss from the newlyweds!” Her outburst ignited the crowd. The guests immediately started cheering and chanting. “Kiss! Kiss!” “You’re married now, don’t be shy!” Julian stopped breathing. He shot to his feet, violently yanking Monica back down into her chair, and roared at the crowd. “They don’t like PDA! Stop pressuring them!” A month ago, when going over the itinerary with the planner, Julian had specifically insisted on skipping the kiss. Looking back, he had already been laying the groundwork for Perry to take his place at the altar. Thinking of this, I reached up, grabbed Perry by his silk tie, pulled him down, and stood on my tiptoes. I kissed him deeply. “Chloe!” 2 Julian violently kicked his chair back, vaulting himself onto the stage in one fluid motion. Under the shocked gasps of hundreds of guests, he practically tore me away from Perry, screaming in my face. “Chloe! Have you lost your mind?! How could you kiss him?!” I blinked at him, the picture of wounded innocence. “I’m kissing my own husband at my own wedding. How is that crazy? And why are you so angry about it?” Perry grabbed my hand, smoothly pulling me behind his broad back. “‘Perry,’ I know it’s hard to watch your brother get married, but Chloe is your sister-in-law now. Show some respect.” As he spoke, he casually swiped his thumb across his lower lip, wiping away a smear of my lipstick, looking as if he were savoring the taste. Julian’s eyes went completely bloodshot with rage. “You need to remember who…” Before he could finish his threat, Monica rushed onto the stage and forcefully grabbed his arm. “Stop it!” She leaned close to his ear, hissing through her teeth. “Julian, whatever your problem is, deal with it backstage! Can’t you see the press and the entire city are watching you?!” Julian finally looked out at the audience. Hundreds of pairs of eyes were glued to him. The media crews hired by Sterling Corporation had every camera lens zoomed in on his face. The sheer stupidity and impulsiveness of his actions finally dawned on him. If the press found out that the heir to the Sterling empire had forced his twin brother to stand in for his political marriage to the Davis family, the resulting scandal would obliterate the company’s stock. Seeing Julian finally regain some sanity, Monica quickly stepped to the microphone to run damage control. “I apologize, everyone! ‘Perry’ is just overwhelmed with emotion seeing his brother tie the knot. He had a bit too much champagne to celebrate.” “Please, enjoy the reception! Don’t mind this little brotherly spat.” The MC, a seasoned professional, immediately seized the opportunity to defuse the tension. “It seems the Sterling brothers share an incredibly deep bond! Moving on, let’s welcome the phenomenal pop star, Lexi, to sing a special blessing for our beautiful newlyweds!” Before Julian stepped off the stage, he shot Perry a look of pure, venomous hatred. “You’re dead, kid. Just wait.” Perry maintained his calm, polite smile, but his eyes were absolute glaciers. While the grand ballroom outside was filled with music and laughter, the private bridal suite was a warzone. Julian hurled his crystal champagne flute directly at Perry’s feet. A shard of shattered glass bounced up, slicing a thin red line across Perry’s cheek. “Perry! I told you to stand in for the ceremony! I didn’t tell you to actually act like her husband!” “Chloe doesn’t know the truth, but you damn well do!” “When she kissed you, why didn’t you push her away?! You were actually enjoying it, weren’t you?!” Perry slowly raised a hand, wiping the drop of blood from his cheek. “Push her away? And have tomorrow’s headlines scream that the Sterling heir is disgusted by the Davis family bride?” “Or maybe you’d prefer ‘Sterling Heir Publicly Rejects Arranged Marriage at the Altar’?” Julian stared at the cold mockery in his brother’s eyes. He lunged forward, grabbing Perry by the lapels of his tuxedo, his voice shaking with suppressed fury. “Don’t think I don’t know exactly what game you’re playing!” “I should have known you didn’t agree to help me and Monica out of the goodness of your heart. You never got over Chloe!” “But don’t delude yourself into thinking you can swoop in and steal her!” He slowly released his grip, his gaze turning to absolute ice. “I’ve transferred you to the European tech acquisition project. It lasts exactly three months. Your flight leaves tonight.” “In three months, everything resets.” “I am the heir to the Sterling empire, and the only man marrying Chloe is me.” I stood right outside the door, hearing every single word. But Julian had made one massive miscalculation. Whoever I married became the heir to the Sterling empire. 3 Years ago, the Sterling patriarch, Julian and Perry’s grandfather, had allowed me to choose which of his grandsons I wanted to marry. The three of us had practically grown up together. I knew perfectly well that both brothers were in love with me. The event that finally pushed me to choose Julian was a terrifying accident. When I was eighteen, I was kidnapped by a ruthless corporate rival of my father’s. Right as the kidnapper raised a knife to execute me, Julian burst in, took the blade directly into his own stomach, and saved my life. The day he was discharged from the hospital, I told the Sterling patriarch that my choice was Julian. That was the exact day our engagement was announced, and simultaneously, the day Julian was officially named the heir to the Sterling empire. He saved my life, and in my past life, I repaid that debt with my own blood. In this life, our ledger is completely clean. Hearing footsteps approaching the door, I quickly turned and walked down the hallway, pulling out my phone. “Set up a meeting for me. I need to speak privately with Chairman Sterling.” That night, Perry didn’t follow his brother’s orders. He didn’t board a flight to Europe. He walked straight into our new marital penthouse. When he opened the door, I was lounging on the velvet sofa, swirling a glass of whiskey. A flicker of surprise crossed my face, but I smoothly stood up, poured a second glass, and offered it to him. “Drink?” Perry took the glass, his intensely heated gaze locked onto the damp residue of whiskey on my lips. “I’m thirsty for something else…” His Adam’s apple bobbed, his voice low and incredibly gravelly. “Chloe.” Before I could react, his shadow fell over me. He cupped my face in his large hands and crashed his lips against mine. Maybe it was the alcohol in my bloodstream. I didn’t push him away. Instead, I leaned into him and kissed him back. My response seemed to obliterate his remaining self-control. He became insatiable. From the living room to the hallway, from the sofa to the mattress. Right up until the point of no return. He suddenly froze, his muscles taut. “Chloe, do you know exactly who I am?” He stroked my cheek, his eyes a storm of agonizingly restrained desire and complex fear. I wrapped my arms around his neck, arched up, and whispered directly against his ear. “Perry.” Before the word fully left my mouth, he crashed down on me. Moonlight spilled through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting tangled shadows against the wall. It wasn’t until the first faint light of dawn breached the horizon that the room finally grew quiet. The next morning, the shrill ringing of Perry’s phone woke me. “The project manager in Europe just called me. You never got on that plane.” “Perry! Where the hell are you right now?!” Julian’s enraged roar echoed through the speaker. Perry pinched the bridge of his nose, his voice lazy and completely unapologetic. “It was my wedding night. Where do you think I was?” His voice was still raspy from the night before. A beat of silence passed before Julian’s voice cracked, rising an entire octave. “Perry! This isn’t funny! Get your ass to the airport right now.” “I’m currently on a yacht, and I’m about to lose signal.” Half-asleep and annoyed, I mumbled into the pillows. “Turn that down, it’s too loud.” Dead silence on the other end of the line. When Julian finally spoke, his voice was visibly shaking. “Was that Chloe?” “Is she in bed with you? Did you sleep with her?!” Before Perry could answer, the call dropped abruptly. Julian had probably lost his satellite connection on the water. With that chaotic wake-up call, my exhaustion evaporated. I felt an intense gaze burning into the top of my head. Remembering the absolute madness of the previous night, a violent flush of heat rushed to my cheeks. Perry finally broke the silence. “Chloe, you knew it was me from the very beginning, didn’t you?” I nodded slowly. “Since we were kids, I have never once confused the two of you.” Even though they shared the exact same face. One look was all it ever took for me to know exactly who was standing in front of me. “Then why did you pick me yesterday?” Looking at the desperate, fragile hope swimming in his dark eyes, I told him the absolute truth. “Because the man I wanted to marry was always you.” Perry froze, blinking as if he couldn’t comprehend the words, before letting out a low, breathy laugh. “So Julian thought he was playing you this whole time, but he was actually the one being played.” But by noon, Julian, who was supposed to be halfway across the ocean on a romantic cruise with Monica, suddenly burst through the penthouse doors. He grabbed Perry by the shoulder and violently shoved him toward the master bathroom. “Perry, take your clothes off right now! We’re switching back!” 4 Seconds later, Monica stormed into the apartment, completely ignoring the protests of the building’s head of security. She walked right past me as if I were invisible, marching to the bathroom door and pounding her fists against the wood. “Today is my birthday! You promised you would spend my birthday with me!” Her voice cracked, thick with dramatic tears. “This was my only wish last year! We had a deal! Just give me this one last day!” Exactly one year ago today, I had been in a minor car accident and was rushed to the ER. Julian told me he was stuck on a business trip overseas and couldn’t get a flight back. The truth was, he was throwing Monica a birthday party. The bathroom door clicked open. Julian stepped out. Seeing the crystalline tears clinging to Monica’s eyelashes, his face softened instantly. He pulled her tightly against his chest. “Stop crying. I promise, I’ll stay.” Monica buried her face in his shirt, her shoulders trembling delicately. “I knew you wouldn’t abandon me.” Perry leaned against the doorframe, watching them with icy indifference, before walking over to me. “Chloe.” It was only then that Julian finally realized I had been sitting on the sofa the entire time, quietly observing the whole spectacle. A flash of genuine conflict crossed his eyes, but he quickly composed himself. “Since today is Monica’s birthday, why don’t the four of us go out and celebrate together?” “‘Julian,’ Monica is just your old college friend, right? You shouldn’t mind.” He shot Perry a look loaded with silent threats. Perry completely ignored him, turning his gaze down to me. “What do you think, honey?” I stood up, looping my arm casually through Perry’s, and shook my head. “We’ll pass. We’re heading to the courthouse this afternoon to file our marriage certificate.” In my past life, Julian had been terrified of upsetting Monica, so he kept making excuses, calling the certificate a “meaningless piece of paper” to delay making our marriage legally binding. But Perry was different. He wanted the ink dry and the legal standing absolute. Julian’s eyes widened in sheer panic. “You’re filing the certificate today?!” His face drained of color, turning a sickly shade of gray. But it only lasted a fraction of a second before he forced a tight, stiff smile. “Well, if you have paperwork to handle, we won’t get in your way.” Right before he left, he subtly slipped his own ID into Perry’s jacket pocket. Making sure I couldn’t hear, he leaned in and hissed at his brother. “I know you’re just mad on Chloe’s behalf, and that audio clip this morning was just to piss me off.” “But I swear I am not betraying Chloe. I just want to be here for Monica as a friend, to help her check this world tour off her bucket list.” “I swear, after today, we switch back permanently. I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to Chloe.” “You file that paperwork for me, and I’ll forget this whole stunt you pulled.” The second the door closed behind them, Perry pulled Julian’s ID out of his pocket and casually dropped it into the trash can. Watching him do it, everything clicked into place. Julian actually believed Perry was just putting on a performance to scare him. He thought he was so incredibly clever. He had absolutely no idea that the woman he was supposed to marry, and the empire he was supposed to inherit, were already gone. At the courthouse, the paperwork was processed with lightning speed. Forms filled. Signatures signed. Photos submitted. The heavy steel stamp slammed down. Two small red booklets were handed to us. Under the names of the legally bound couple, it read: Chloe Davis and Perry Sterling. Right on cue, a text from Julian lit up Perry’s screen. “Did you get the certificate done?” “Send me a picture of it right now.” “You do this for me, and when I officially take over the Sterling empire, I’ll make you a full partner. We’ll run it together.” Perry snapped two photos of the open certificate and hit send. A second later. Julian’s phone call ripped through the silence of the car.

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

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The unexpected twist on our graduation trip tore me and my fiancée apart for good. For six hours, I scoured the unfamiliar city like a madman, hunting for any trace of her. It wasn’t until I passed a cozy, warmly lit pub on a street corner that a voice drifting out froze me solid. “I never planned on bringing him anyway, I deliberately ditched him.” Willow’s drunken complaint pierced my ears. “Landon is just too clingy, it’s honestly annoying.” Her senior, Noah, chuckled in agreement. But she pressed on, “If only he could be as mature and steady as you.” I stumbled back to the beach, screaming her name with all my might until my throat was raw and bleeding. I couldn’t stop. Finally, I had no strength left even to confront her. I dragged my leaden legs back to the hotel, grabbed my passport, and hailed a cab straight to the airport. The city outside the window blurred into a smear. At the boarding gate, my phone finally lit up with her name. “Just charged it. You must have been worried sick, right? Send me your location, I’ll come find you right away.” Hearing her utter lack of apology, I hung up. My trembling fingers typed out four words: Wedding cancelled. 1 “Landon, what do you mean? You couldn’t keep up with me, you ran off, and now you’re taking it out on me?” Three seconds after I sent the message, Willow’s call came through. Faintly, I could hear our friends trying to calm her down on the other end. Noah, the senior, was clearly the closest. “You’re getting married, Willow. Talk to Landon nicely. Boys need to be coaxed.” A chorus of laughter erupted, and Willow’s voice grew colder. “We only booked the venue, the invitations haven’t even gone out. If Landon wants to cancel the wedding, fine by me!” She hung up. Willow’s fury, just like that, vanished. My phone wallpaper still showed her sunny smile. I paused, then decided to change it immediately. But when I opened my photo gallery, Willow was everywhere. I loved capturing every moment I spent with Willow. The way she’d scrunch up her nose at bitter Americano. The disgusted look as she picked out mushrooms I’d prepared. And the goofy hand dances I’d dragged her into. I selected them, one by one, deleting them. In the end, I simply cleared the entire album. For some reason, a huge chunk of my heart felt empty too. A fellow traveler tapped me on the shoulder, reminding me that my phone was buzzing relentlessly. It was Willow again. This time, her tone was softer. “Landon, I was out of line earlier. I was just too stressed.” “Don’t be mad at me. Where are you? I’ll come pick you up right away.” Seeing that I still said nothing, Willow grew a little anxious. “We planned to go snorkeling tomorrow, isn’t that what you’ve always wanted to do?” I opened my mouth, a reflex to say something. Willow loved snorkeling. As someone who couldn’t swim, I’d specifically hired a private instructor before this trip, practicing tirelessly. I didn’t want my clumsiness to wear out Willow’s patience. So I repeatedly overcame my fear, holding my breath and diving, my eyes bloodshot from the water after each lesson. Now, I felt it was all for nothing. “I…” I wanted to say let’s break up, I’m not getting married. But my throat felt like it had been scraped with gravel, dry and painful. The silence, lasting several seconds, completely infuriated Willow. “Landon, you’re really something.” “An hour of me not finding you at the hotel, and we’re done!” Whenever Willow and I argued, this tactic always worked. Because I loved her, seemingly more than she loved me. But this time, I wouldn’t budge. As the final call for boarding echoed, I walked towards the counter with my passport. The ground staff looked up at me, then handed the document back. It was then I realized, in my haste, I’d picked up Willow’s passport by mistake. And tomorrow’s flights back home were fully booked; the earliest I could rebook was the day after. An hour and a half later, exhausted, I rushed back to the hotel. My plan was to swap passports and find another place to stay. But just as I entered the lobby, I ran into Willow and Noah. Willow was clearly drunk, leaning on Noah’s shoulder. “Landon is really something too, how could he just leave without a word and abandon me?” “Here, have some water.” Noah held a glass to her lips. There was a noticeable lipstick print on the rim. Seeing me, he guiltily pushed Willow towards me. “Good you’re back, I’ll leave Willow to you.” I have allergies. As soon as I got close, the perfume scent clinging to Willow made me sneeze twice. Without thinking, I pushed her back to Noah. My voice was flat. “The senior got her drunk, so the senior can take care of her.” On the way back, I’d bought throat lozenges, and they helped a lot. I turned and walked upstairs, ignoring Noah’s darkened expression. There were six of us on this trip, three of them Willow’s college roommates. She wouldn’t be without a place to sleep tonight. After showering in my room, I realized Willow’s phone was on the bedside table, buzzing with notifications. Annoyed by the noise, I planned to mute it. But the stored facial recognition automatically unlocked the phone. The first thing I saw was Willow’s group chat. “Why does Willow put up with Landon, the rich kid? He’s useless except for being clingy.” “She was so wasted, Noah had to bring her back. I think they’re a perfect match.” “Wasn’t it because Noah was almost engaged that Willow even said yes to Landon?” My fingers stiffened, unable to press the power button. Because Noah had a girlfriend, even though Willow was overly attentive to him, I never dug too deep. At most, I’d pretend to be mad for a couple of days and wait for Willow to sweet-talk me. The more I thought, the more it hurt. Since I’d decided to break up, why did I still care about these things? Seeing the latest message pop up in the chat, I scoffed. “You didn’t know? Noah broke up with his girlfriend at the beginning of the month.” I paused, then suddenly understood why Willow had been so eager to organize this trip. Take me snorkeling? Film beautiful videos for me? All the reasons she’d spouted were just excuses. I turned to my suitcase, filled with all sorts of clothes. For me, this was supposed to be a journey of special significance. Because after returning home, I’d dive into wedding preparations, ready to become a husband, even a father. The day before we left, I stayed up all night planning. But fate always seemed to mock the earnest. Whether this relationship, or this trip, both had been utter failures. I looked out at the tranquil ocean beyond the French doors, feeling tears were utterly superfluous. Just as I was about to put down my phone and sleep, Willow’s phone received another message. From Noah. Just a few simple words: “Feeling better?” I stared at it for two seconds, then, on a whim, tapped the video call icon. The call connected instantly. Noah, on screen, was wearing a silk robe, his physique clearly visible. “You… why are you…?” Facing his undisguised embarrassment, I smiled. “Senior, really. If you want to hook up with someone else’s girlfriend, at least wait until I’ve dumped her. Then you’d be legitimate, wouldn’t you?” Noah’s face turned green, and he ended the call. … Perhaps it was sheer exhaustion, but I slept deeply. Until Willow burst in and dragged me out of bed. “Landon, Noah just broke up, why would you provoke him? If anything happens to him, I’m done with you!” This morning, with Noah missing, Willow had been a nervous wreck. Calling the police wasn’t enough; she even wanted to contact the embassy. I kept wondering if Willow had ever worried about me like that. But it seemed, never once. I always arrived ten minutes early for dates. I’d always report what I was doing, who I was seeing. If Willow missed me, even if I was vacationing with my parents, I’d take the fastest flight to be by her side. This was how I loved her. But in Willow’s eyes, it had become clinginess. Annoying. I didn’t know if I had used the wrong approach. Or perhaps, the fault wasn’t mine at all. This morning, Willow had publicly scolded me in front of her roommates, then later returned to ask for my help contacting the local business association. Out of respect for my parents, they would certainly lend a hand. But why should they? Noah and I had absolutely nothing to do with each other. And even Willow, not yet married, was no one to me. So I refused. “Noah is an adult. He’s responsible for his own safety.” Those were Willow’s words, spoken to Noah after she’d ditched me yesterday. Now, I returned them to her verbatim. But Willow grew furious. “Landon, I just realized today what a petty man you are! Do you think every woman in the world should revolve around you? You just didn’t like me inviting Noah on this trip, why didn’t you just say so?” Even her roommates chimed in from behind. “Willow was just worried you’d be uncomfortable as the only guy, so she invited Noah.” “Landon, Willow’s been good enough to you, what more do you want?” Before Noah left, he’d texted saying he didn’t want to spoil my fun. They all assumed I’d said something nasty to him. I had, but it was all true. Yet Noah had turned it around on me, and he’d succeeded. Since I couldn’t leave, I didn’t want to waste any more time. I was now at the beach, warming up for snorkeling. The instructor said there was a good chance of seeing whale sharks today, and I was absolutely thrilled. As we were about to set sail, I saw Willow and her friends approaching, clustered around Noah. “I told you you wouldn’t hold a grudge against Landon, it was all a misunderstanding.” Willow winked at me, signaling me to say something nice to Noah. I fought hard not to flip the table right there and then, and instead climbed onto the boat. There would be no peace today, I figured. It turned out Noah had just been in a bad mood and had gone to explore the local market alone. He’d even thoughtfully brought back gifts for everyone. Leaving no room for complaint. Once the boat set off, Willow, right in front of me, put on the handmade necklace Noah had given her. “Noah, your taste is really impeccable.” Willow cherished it like a treasure. And the one she’d taken off, she casually handed to me. I remembered, it was the birthday gift I’d given her last year. Willow had said she’d wear it forever, a promise to keep her close. Now, it seemed the meager sense of security she offered was just a temporary thing. I silently let my hand drop, allowing the necklace to be silently swept away by the waves. Letting go was my freedom, too. When we reached the snorkeling spot, Willow’s three roommates eagerly jumped into the water. She, like an expert, patiently helped Noah adjust his mask, fins, and other gear. By the time Willow remembered me and turned around to offer help, I was already fully geared up and had flipped into the water. No fear, only the passion to explore the ocean. Even in the few seconds a whale shark swam alongside me, I felt immense satisfaction. Life’s choices, perhaps some right, some wrong. But they always corresponded to different scenery. Having been here, having loved, was enough. After snorkeling, the atmosphere on the boat ride back was incredibly awkward. Noah, the university league’s 1000-meter butterfly champion, had been afraid to get in the water today. Willow had to sit with him on the boat all afternoon. When the instructor enthusiastically showed me the snorkeling videos and photos he’d taken of me, Willow looked a little regretful. “Landon, let’s come back again when we get married and go on our honeymoon.” Even now, Willow thought I was just speaking in anger yesterday. I was about to seize the opportunity to make things clear, when the sea suddenly grew windy. The change happened in an instant. When the boat capsized, it would be a lie to say I wasn’t scared. My hand instinctively reached for Willow, who was closest to me. But my fingertips brushed past her arm, grasping empty air. I watched Willow swim, without hesitation, desperately towards Noah. Stunned for a moment, a huge wave crashed over me, pushing me into the deep sea. I struggled with all my might, but it was futile. Both Willow and the shore drifted further and further away. Willow and I were neighbors, went to the same primary and middle school. Back then, my parents’ business was just starting, and they were very busy, so they’d have Willow and me walk to and from school together. Willow had always loved to tease me. On the first day of school, she deliberately left me behind. I was timid back then, dared not go anywhere. I just sat at the school gate, from sunset until late at night. “Landon!” It wasn’t my parents who came, but Willow. “Are you stupid? You don’t even know your way home!” After scolding me, Willow opened her backpack. It was stuffed with snacks, all her apologies. “Remember to stick with me from now on, got it?” Because of Willow’s words, I became her shadow. Dazed, I almost followed Willow into the girls’ restroom once. I was so embarrassed, I didn’t want to go to school. Willow, however, punched out the front teeth of the kid who was leading the teasing. As if telling everyone, being her sidekick was nothing to be ashamed of. In high school, my parents sent me to an international school. Willow went to a top-tier state high school. Every Friday, I’d wait for her early outside her school gate. Willow would always impatiently toss her backpack at me, no longer full of snacks, but instead, envelopes filled with love letters. Some for her, some for me. “Landon, don’t come looking for me at school anymore, your admirers are driving me crazy.” I habitually followed behind Willow, timidly apologizing. But secretly, I’d open the love letters people sent her. Reading the lines, sometimes subtle, sometimes bold, I’d get so jealous I couldn’t sleep. I don’t know why, but I just felt that I was the only one who could be Willow’s boyfriend. She was never a patient person. Yet she’d spend entire afternoons with me at the library. She’d wait two hours in line with me for trendy ice cream. On my 18th birthday, Willow, amidst everyone’s cheers, kissed my forehead. My face was so red I wanted to crawl into a hole. My friends said Willow would definitely confess to me after college started. To go to the same school as her, I worked incredibly hard. Even my parents, who insisted I study abroad, were convinced by me. But I never expected Willow to make an exception for another guy on the very first day of freshman orientation. Noah was a year ahead of us, responsible for greeting new students. On orientation day, my parents were busy, so Willow and I went together, eager to explore the campus where we’d study and live for the next four years. At the club recruitment fair, someone bumped into me. Willow, protecting me, got into an argument with Noah and almost came to blows. Noah stepped in to mediate, and Willow accidentally scratched his elbow. Willow panicked, insisting on taking Noah to the infirmary. In the crowded hallway, I couldn’t hold onto her arm. Willow’s phone was dead, I couldn’t reach her, but I thought she’d eventually come back for me, so I waited in place. In the end, Willow never appeared. That day, Noah showed Willow around the school and invited her to join the swim club. At the freshman welcome dance that evening, they were the most dazzling pair, while I arrived late. From that moment on, I decided not to wait passively anymore. I memorized Willow’s class schedule, always secretly sneaking into her classrooms. If the photography club had an event, I’d sign up as an external staff member. Everyone called me Willow’s inseparable shadow. But no one knew I was afraid, afraid Willow would be snatched away by someone else, like a Sword of Damocles hanging over my head. College life was different. Willow had many friends; she no longer included me in everything, even lied to me. I heard Willow was celebrating New Year’s Eve with her roommates by the river. Even though it was jam-packed, I braved the cold wind and rode a shared bike for two hours, just to see the fireworks with her at midnight. But when I shared my location, Willow was ten kilometers away at a shopping mall, celebrating Noah’s birthday. “Landon, actually, since you’re on the way, could you pick up a box of caramel egg tarts on Fortune Road? Noah wants some.” Even though both ends of the phone were noisy, I felt an eerie silence all around me, pushed and shoved by the New Year’s Eve crowd, like driftwood at sea, without a branch to cling to.

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Two years into the divorce proceedings, I ran into Richard at our high school reunion. My first love was standing outside the venue’s restrooms, blocking my path. “Still dragging things out with Marcel?” he asked. “If you don’t mind, let me represent you.” I smiled and nodded, not offering a refusal. Richard was undeniably brilliant. He managed to secure half of Marcel’s assets for me. But on the day we were supposed to sign the final papers, I overheard their conversation through the cracked office door. “You’re quite the genius, Richard. Using your position as her attorney to steal evidence and hide assets,” Marcel’s tone dripped with mockery. “Do you think Kristen is going to lose her mind when she finds out I’m actually on your side, and that this fifty percent is just the tip of the iceberg?” Richard’s voice was like ice. “I am not on your side.” “I am doing all of this for Maya’s happiness. If you ever dare to hurt her, I will make you pay ten times over!” Maya. Maya Ford. The secretary Marcel had been having an affair with. My knuckles turned white as I gripped the door handle, my chest aching as if a knife had been twisted into it. All those comments at the reunion about how perfect we looked together, all the nostalgic regret over our past… it was all a cruel joke. 1 Taking a deep breath, I pushed the door open and walked in. Both men turned to look at me simultaneously, not a trace of guilt on their faces. “Kristen, sit over here.” Richard spoke first, waving me over. With their conversation still echoing in my ears, I tightened my grip on my purse strap and walked toward him. Richard pulled out a handkerchief, thoughtfully wiping a few raindrops off my jacket. “I should have picked you up, but my car broke down halfway there. Did you get caught in the storm?” I shook my head. He explained himself while pulling out a chair for me. During our four years in college, Richard had taken care of me with this exact same meticulous devotion. In the six months since we reconnected over this lawsuit, his attention had only intensified. Our mutual friends constantly teased him. “Richard, you’re going to spoil her rotten.” “This is true love, waiting for her before the ink is even dry on the divorce.” Others laughed at him, calling him a sucker. They brought up the ancient history of our messy breakup, saying Richard was a lapdog who had forgotten the sting of the whip. But Richard ignored them all. He would cover my ears. “I already lost you once. I am absolutely not letting you slip away a second time.” I actually thought he was still holding onto our past. I thought he genuinely wanted to try again. Now I realized how incredibly pathetic and delusional I had been. The warmth in his eyes was nothing but a custom-made honey trap. Looking at the chair he pulled out, I set my purse down and leaned slightly toward him. “Walk me through the finalized documents.” Richard nodded, highlighting the key points on the pages, his signature clean, crisp cologne washing over me as he leaned in. I tilted my head, listening intently, occasionally leaning close to whisper something with a smile. Marcel slouched lazily in his chair, his eyes narrowed, a glint of sharp scrutiny in his gaze. “Your legal representation comes with quite the premium service package, Richard.” “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were sleeping with my soon-to-be ex-wife!” Marcel’s sarcastic remarks cut through the air. He was clearly pissed. The two of us looked entirely too intimate. Even the brief exchanges of eye contact between Richard and me were getting under his skin. No one responded. I just quietly looked at the two men sitting across from and beside me. “I’m sorry I’m late.” A sweet voice drifted in as the heavy mahogany door swung open. It was Maya. This time, the two men didn’t just turn their heads; they both stood up. “Maya, what are you doing here?” Marcel quickly walked over to her, wrapping his arm around her waist without a shred of hesitation. In my peripheral vision, I saw Richard’s fists clench tight. “I was worried about you…” “And this is a huge moment in your life. I felt like I needed to be here with you.” Halfway through her sentence, Maya turned her gaze to me. I smirked, looking down to play with my wedding ring, pretending I hadn’t noticed her at all. “Who is this pathetic, star-crossed lover act for? Do you think you’re the last woman who’s going to end up in Marcel’s bed?” The moment the words left my mouth, Marcel’s eyes darkened, the smug smile completely vanishing from his face. “Kristen, there’s no need to be so incredibly vicious.” “I know you can’t bear the thought of divorcing me, which is why you’ve dragged this lawsuit out for two years. What, getting cold feet at the finish line?” I let out a cold, sharp laugh, raising my eyes to look at the perfectly victimized expression on Maya’s face. “I won’t be having any regrets today.” “Marcel, didn’t you always obsess over my first love? Well, here he is.” I gestured to Richard, who was sitting just one seat away from me. 2 “You’re Kristen’s first love?” “The one she dated for four years? The one she had that dramatic, life-shattering breakup with?” Marcel fired off the questions rapidly, his gaze fixed on Richard, suddenly shifting. His tone was laced with a deep, bitter resentment. Richard stiffened, shooting me a look of pure confusion. I shrugged and smiled. “We’ve been married for five years, and he has always been a thorn in your side. But I know how to keep a secret. You dug around for five years and found absolutely nothing.” Richard blinked, his eyes darting briefly toward Maya before he finally nodded. “A pleasure, Marcel.” Marcel’s face turned an ugly shade of purple, his eyes darting frantically between Richard and me. “Stop staring. You’re not going to figure it out by glaring at us.” “Just sign the papers so your true love doesn’t have to keep playing the role of the dirty little secret.” I leaned over, grabbed the thick stack of documents from Richard, and signed my name on every single line without hesitation. This divorce had been dragging on for two years. We had reached the mediation stage at least three or four times. And every single time, right at the precipice, I backed out. It wasn’t because I loved Marcel. It was because I refused to lose to a woman like Maya. The first time I saw Maya was in Marcel’s office. She was fresh out of college, looking for a job. A high ponytail, a flannel shirt, canvas sneakers—she radiated a raw, unpolished youthfulness. The second I laid eyes on her, I thought of Richard. When Richard was a freshman, he had that exact same earnest, unrefined look, as if he hadn’t quite figured out how to exist in a city like New York. But I had fallen hopelessly, irrationally in love with him. I chased him relentlessly for three months. Finally, he agreed, his face dark with frustration. “Kristen, you’re like a piece of gum stuck to my shoe. It’s so annoying.” “One year, Kristen. We date for exactly one year, and then we break up.” We ended up dating for four years. I was the one who initiated the breakup, right before graduation, the day before his birthday. Richard knelt in the pouring rain outside my dorm, begging me for an entire night. I stayed hidden in my room, never taking a single step downstairs. The whole campus called me heartless. They said Richard had been played by a rich girl and tossed aside when she got bored. After we broke up, I never saw him again. So when I saw Maya, my heart inexplicably softened. Marcel flipped through the resumes in front of me, his finger stopping on Maya’s. “You’ve seen this one. HR says she’s solid, but I think she looks too incredibly plain. I’m looking for an executive assistant, not a charity case.” Marcel’s mouth was brutal. He grew up obsessed with flashy, superficial things. He only liked beautiful people. Like me. He had liked me since we were kids. Mostly because I was beautiful, and because I completely ignored him. That was exactly why, when my family’s company collapsed and everyone else ran for the hills, Marcel stepped up and offered to marry me. I put my hand over Marcel’s, stopping him from flipping to the next page. “Hire her. I think she’s great.” “She looks genuine, and her skills are solid. It’s not a bad idea to mold someone from the ground up.” To make me happy, Marcel hired Maya. Back then, the novelty of our marriage hadn’t worn off for Marcel. When he wasn’t at the office, he was practically glued to my side. After every time we slept together, he would relentlessly interrogate me. “What was your college boyfriend’s name?” “How far did you guys go? Did he ever bring you here?” “Am I better in bed, or was he?” “Kristen, do you still love him?” Marcel was unbelievably immature. From the day we eloped, a seed of insecurity had been planted deep in his mind. Everything he saw reminded him of Richard; everything he did was a competition with a ghost. But I never said a word about him. The next time I saw Maya, she was wearing a designer tweed suit, sitting just outside Marcel’s private office. The heavy makeup made her look older, sophisticated, and striking. You couldn’t help but look twice. “Miss Davis.” “Mr. Stark is still in a meeting. You’ll have to wait out here.” In this entire building, everyone called me Mrs. Stark. She was the only one who called me Miss Davis. In the entire executive suite, no one would ever dare block my path. She was the only one who told me to take a seat and wait. I stared at the faint red marks on her neck and the incredibly expensive necklace resting against her collarbone. “You must be exceptionally good at your job, Maya.” “You’ve been at Stark Corp for less than six months, and you’re already buying six-figure jewelry.” 3 “It was a gift.” Maya’s delicate face instantly flushed crimson. In that exact moment, I knew she was sleeping with Marcel. That necklace was something I had bought to hit a purchase quota for a Birkin bag. It had been sitting untouched in my jewelry box for months. A few days ago, Marcel had asked me for it. I assumed he was giving it to a client’s wife. He gave it to Maya. Since we got married, Marcel hadn’t returned to his old playboy ways. He had actually stayed faithfully by my side for two years. Doing the math, I suppose his patience had simply run out. A man like him was never going to settle down for anyone. This marriage was nothing more than a strategic alliance for me, a tool to keep my family’s legacy from entirely collapsing. So I wasn’t heartbroken. My only concern was how to maintain this hollow marriage, or, failing that, how to extract as much of the Stark fortune as possible in the divorce. I just hadn’t expected the other woman to be Maya, the girl he initially couldn’t stand. And unfortunately for me, Maya wasn’t content playing the quiet mistress. While she was texting me graphic photos and videos of them together, I was navigating a Stark family dinner, flawlessly playing the perfect wife. I was expertly deflecting his parents’ demands for a grandchild while simultaneously figuring out how to handle her. [Miss Davis, I’m pregnant with Marcel’s baby.] [Marcel and I are truly in love. Please, let him go.] I ignored the messages. I pretended none of it was happening. But I never expected Marcel to come home blackout drunk that night and confess everything. “Maya is pregnant. The baby is mine.” “I want her to have it.” I stared blankly at Marcel sitting across from me. My mouth opened and closed, my hand instinctively resting over my own stomach, giving a violent twitch. “Are you absolutely sure?” “I am. I’m going to make room for her.” Marcel looked at me in pure disbelief. Perhaps he hadn’t expected me to agree so easily. But the brief flash of joy vanished instantly. He grabbed my wrist, his voice rising in an angry accusation. “Kristen, have you ever actually loved me?” “Are you still hung up on that damn college boyfriend?!” “I have an affair, ask for a divorce, and tell you I’m moving my pregnant mistress into this house, and you don’t even care!” I watched Marcel throw his tantrum. I watched him smash an entire cabinet of expensive liquor. I let him pin me down and take whatever he wanted from me, without a single ounce of resistance. “Kristen, could you just… even a little bit. Could you just love me a little bit?” I didn’t say a word. After that, Marcel rarely came home. He started bringing Maya to high-profile events. When I wasn’t there, Marcel would intercept drinks for her, hold her umbrella, and drive her to and from the office. They played the perfect, deeply-in-love couple. The tabloids went wild. Every single time, I stepped in, paying exorbitant sums to kill the stories and scrub the internet. I sat comfortably on my throne as Mrs. Stark, cleaning up Marcel’s messes. But Maya couldn’t handle the waiting. Or rather, her baby couldn’t wait. “Miss Davis, when are you going to agree to the divorce?” “I refuse to let my child be born a bastard.” I stirred my coffee, finding the whole situation almost tragically funny. “Getting a kid a birth certificate is incredibly easy. Marcel can make one phone call.” “You are way too naive, Maya. Dissolving a high-society marriage involves an immense amount of capital and corporate interests. It isn’t that simple.” “Think about it. Do you really believe the Stark family is going to welcome a mistress and an illegitimate child through the front door?” “Furthermore, I’m not the one refusing to divorce. Your precious Marcel is the one dragging his feet.” Maybe my words cut a little too close to the bone. That very night, Maya attempted suicide. She lost the baby. Marcel rushed home, his eyes bloodshot with rage. He pinned me to the wall by my throat, nearly choking the life out of me. “Kristen, who told you to go see her!” “Do you have any idea she almost died?! Because of your vicious little speech, she lost our child!” “Do you want a divorce that badly, Kristen?” “Fine! We’ll get a divorce!” 4 I found out later that Maya slitting her wrists to force the divorce was what actually caused the miscarriage. She told Marcel I had tracked her down and threatened her. Her single tearful sentence, “I love you so much,” locked down Marcel’s heart. Her other sentence, “Kristen never loved you,” completely severed the final thread between Marcel and me. “Maya was never actually pregnant.” “She’s just a gold digger trying to secure the bag. She staged the whole tragedy.” “Mrs. Stark is way too forgiving. If it were me, I’d drag the divorce out for years just to make that cheating bastard and his mistress absolutely miserable!” When those rumors finally reached my ears, my hand froze right as I was about to sign the divorce papers. “I’m not signing this.” “Marcel, you are at fault here. I want you to leave this marriage with absolutely nothing.” And so, the legal battle dragged on for two agonizing years. It dragged on so long that Richard eventually walked back into my life. Honestly, I didn’t care how much of the Stark money I walked away with. I just wanted to make Maya’s life a living hell. But Richard’s sudden reappearance, the elaborate trap he set… it suddenly made the whole thing feel incredibly tedious and exhausting. I didn’t even have the energy to care about their secret relationship anymore. “Just sign it.” I pushed the documents across the table toward Marcel. But Marcel just sat there, his pen hovering over the paper. Maya watched him with frantic anxiety, looking as if she wanted to snatch the pen and sign it for him. “Marcel, I have an OBGYN appointment this afternoon,” Maya murmured, keeping her head bowed, her voice soft and coaxing. She was pregnant again. Marcel’s pen stopped entirely. He couldn’t bring himself to press the ink to the page. After a long, suffocating silence, he tossed the pen aside. “We’re not signing this today.” “I’ll take you to the doctor.” Maya hadn’t realized her little nudge would completely derail the plan. She grabbed his arm. “I’m not in a rush! Let’s just finish the paperwork first.” Marcel froze, shooting a dark glare at me and Richard. “I’m not signing it.” “Kristen, you’re just waiting for this divorce so you can run back to him, aren’t you?” “Let me tell you something. Keep dreaming!” Marcel turned on his heel and stormed out of the conference room without a backward glance. Maya shot Richard a frantic, tear-filled look before chasing after him. Before I could even process what had happened, Richard rushed out after them. “I’ll go find out what he’s thinking.” The sheer panic on his face looked like it was for my benefit, but I knew the truth. He was worried about Maya. Sure enough, just around the corner, Maya was buried in Richard’s chest, sobbing. “Richard, what do I do?” “What am I supposed to do now?…” Richard gently rubbed her back, whispering soothingly before asking, “You told me Kristen was the one refusing to finalize the divorce, but based on what just happened, it’s way more complicated than that.” “You need to find the right moment to figure out exactly what Marcel’s end game is.” “Maya, you know I’ve got you.” “As long as it gets you the life you want, I will handle everything.” …

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We were together for six years when Victoria betrayed me without hesitation. At first, I was ready to rage, but then strange “reader comments” flooded my mind. Voices claimed she’d been injected with a neurotoxin and warned that if I confronted her, I’d die homeless on the streets. They told me to stay silent for our daughter’s sake—or I’d lose them both forever. Fearing those prophecies, I buried my anger and stayed quiet. From then on, I watched Victoria and Ben together in our own home. I even cleaned their sheets like a servant. Then one day, I overheard Victoria and her friend laughing. Her friend said the mind-control drug worked perfectly—it made me believe I was in a novel, turning me into an obedient dog. Victoria blew out smoke, smirking. She said that because I’d embarrassed Ben at his party a year ago, she’d strip me of all dignity and make me feel a hundred times the humiliation. When her friend asked what if I snapped, Victoria just flicked her ash. “He’s too well-trained to leave now.” Their footsteps faded. Hiding in the shadows, my heart felt dead. They didn’t know this really was a novel’s world. I’d already completed 997 of Victoria’s demands. Just three more, and I could escape this nightmare for good. 1 In a daze, a sharp stone smashed hard into my forehead. Blood instantly gushed out. I hissed in pain and immediately covered the wound. Two centimeters lower, and that rock would have popped my eyeball right out of its socket. I looked toward where the stone came from. That tiny figure used to hug my neck every night and sweetly call me Daddy. But now, she tilted her chin up, copying Victoria’s exact posture, her eyes filled with chilling apathy. “Is your brain busted or are you just deaf? Uncle Ben is waiting for you to draw his bath. Hurry up!” Once upon a time, her eyes were full of pure adoration. She used to follow me around, saying I was her favorite person in the whole wide world. She was terrified of dogs, but whenever a stray barked at me, she would instantly throw her arms wide open and stand in front of me. “Don’t be scared, Daddy! I’ll protect you!” On the day Victoria cheated and shamelessly brought Ben into our marital home… Laura acted like an angry little beast, grabbing everything she could get her hands on and throwing it at Ben. “Get out! This is my Daddy’s house!” But as the drug and the system forced me into total submission, I became a bowing, scraping shell of a man. The way she looked at me shifted from confusion to blatant, unfiltered disgust. She despised me for being a spineless loser who would not even squeak when stepped on. So she banned me from attending her parent-teacher conferences, claiming I embarrassed her. Instead, she held Ben’s hand and showed him off to her classmates, saying he was elegant and much more suited to be her real Dad. A sharp, stinging pain radiated from my forehead. Warm blood mixed with something unexplainable slid down the corner of my eye, feeling exactly like a tear. I looked at her blankly. “We have maids for that. It is not my job.” Laura frowned deeply. “But Uncle Ben asked for you specifically, so you have to do it!” She raised her slingshot, pulling the rubber band back and aiming right at me. I obeyed Victoria’s orders because the system forced me to. That did not mean I had to take orders from a spoiled brat. I stood my ground. “Go get a maid.” I turned around, intending to go clean the blood off my face. But I never expected Laura to actually let go of that rubber band. The second stone sliced through the air and hit the back of my knee with pinpoint accuracy. Blinding pain shot up my leg. My knees buckled, and I crashed heavily onto the hard marble floor. I landed horribly. A sickening crack echoed through the hallway. I knew right then my wrist was broken. Laura clearly froze for a second. The slingshot slipped from her hand. She took a step forward, seemingly wanting to help me up. But a slender hand pressed firmly onto her shoulder. “Great job, Laura. That is exactly how you deal with a disobedient dog. You have to be ruthless.” Ben had walked downstairs at some point. He stood there, looking down at me, enjoying the pathetic sight of me sweating in agony. Hearing his praise, Laura instantly swallowed whatever pity she had. She looked up at Ben, her eyes practically begging for a treat. Just then, Victoria walked through the front door and took in the scene. Her face darkened instantly. The deep, bleeding hole on my forehead was obviously the work of a slingshot. Her eyes flashed red. She marched over and grabbed Laura’s wrist. “Who taught you to raise your hand against an elder? You are completely out of control. Where are your manners!” Laura flinched. Ben reacted with lightning speed, his eyes welling up with tears. “Victoria, don’t blame Laura. Nolan started it. He was running his mouth, cursing me to die a horrible death, saying awful things about our future baby… Laura just got so mad she couldn’t help it.” “Ask her if you don’t believe me.” A hint of panic flashed through Laura’s eyes. Treating Ben as her lifesaver, she nodded frantically. “Yeah.” She cast a guilty glance at me before raising her voice. “He cursed Uncle Ben first, and he cursed the new baby… That is why I shot him.” The next second, a hand grabbed my hair, jerking my head back violently. 2 Victoria’s eyes were as cold as ice. “Is that true, Nolan?” I glanced at Laura, who was hiding behind her mother. The girl kept her head down, staring intensely at her own toes, too scared to meet my gaze. I forced a smile. “What do you think?” Victoria let go of me abruptly, shoving me hard against the floor. “A leopard never changes its spots. You played nice for barely half a month, and now your vicious nature is showing again. I shouldn’t have gone easy on you!” “Now, crawl over to Ben. Bow your head and beg for his forgiveness! If anything happens to Ben because of your disgusting curses, I will make you pay!” The broken bone in my wrist pulsed with agonizing pain. I stared blankly at the floor, asking softly, “Is this your demand?” We had known each other for ten years, loved each other for six. I had never said no to a single thing she asked of me. In the past sixteen years, I had agreed to and fulfilled nine hundred and ninety-seven of her demands. Including today, that made nine hundred and ninety-eight. Victoria did not hesitate for a second. “Yes. That is my demand.” Before she could even rush me, I bent my knees. With every inch I crawled forward, the broken bone ground against my flesh, sending sharp, knife-like pain shooting through my nerves. To make things worse, I had to press my upper body close to the ground to show my absolute submission. My broken hand twisted into a horrifying angle. After just a few steps, I was drenched in cold sweat, my breathing shaky and shallow. But Ben, sitting comfortably on the sofa, spoke up with a victimized tone. “Victoria, I heard an apology like this has to be perfectly executed. If the posture is wrong, it means he isn’t sincere, and God will punish me for it. Nolan is shaking so much. Is he doing it on purpose to curse my lifespan?” Victoria’s face turned pitch black. “Get over here and hold him down! Don’t let him shake!” Several burly male servants rushed over. They were brutally rough, stepping directly onto my back, practically grinding my face into the floorboards. My broken hand took the brunt of it. Heavy leather shoes stepped right onto my wrist, the bones making a stomach-turning crunch. In the end, I didn’t even know how I survived that torturous punishment. All I remember is being swallowed by total darkness the moment it was over. When I opened my eyes again, the harsh smell of disinfectant filled my nose. Victoria was sitting by my hospital bed, tightly gripping my hand. Seeing my eyelids flutter, she pulled her hand back like she had been burned. “I tell you to crawl and you actually crawl. Is my word really that absolute to you?” “You didn’t even make a sound when your bone broke. If the doctor hadn’t noticed the severe dislocation, this hand would have been crippled for life!” There seemed to be a fleeting trace of emotion in her tone, but I didn’t have the energy to care. I only focused on one thing. “Did the punishment count as finished?” Emotions swirled intensely in Victoria’s eyes. “Yes. It counts.” I let out a long breath of stale air. “Good. Only two left.” Victoria frowned, clearly missing the meaning of my words. She took a deep breath and changed the subject. “I watched the security footage from the garden.” “Laura was the one who shot you first.” Immediately, she started making excuses for Ben. “Don’t hold it against Ben. He only lied to protect Laura from getting punished.” “At the end of the day, the problem is you. You raised Laura, and now she turns around and throws rocks at you. You are a complete failure of a father. Do you admit it?” Her words cut like knives. To wash Ben clean, she had zero problems dumping all the blame on me. But was she really that blind? Everything Laura did now was a carbon copy of her. Copying her cold shoulders, copying her creative ways to humiliate me, copying the way she treated me like a disposable stray dog. I closed my eyes, swallowing every bit of emotion. “I admit it.” That answer finally satisfied her. In a rare moment of kindness, just like before our relationship shattered, she tucked me in and told me to get some rest. When her hand reached out to brush my cheek, I turned my head away, dodging her touch. Victoria’s face instantly frosted over. She turned on her heel and slammed the door behind her. 3 By the afternoon, Ben strolled right into my hospital room like he owned the place. He wore that sickeningly smug smile on his face. “Victoria is so silly. You’re the one lying in the hospital bed, but she insisted that being near your dirty blood brought me bad luck. She specifically gave me an antique pendant to cleanse my aura.” He proudly pulled out the tarnished silver cross necklace hanging around his neck. Just one glance, and all the blood rushed to my head. My fingertips trembled. That was the amulet my late mother prayed for on the cold stone floor of our hometown church. It was the only keepsake I brought over from my original world. For sixteen straight years, I protected it like my own life. I barely even touched it, keeping it carefully locked in the bottom drawer of my nightstand. Even when Laura used to cry and beg to play with it, I never gave in. Victoria actually dug through my things while I was unconscious and casually gave it to Ben to cleanse his aura? “Give it back!” Blinding rage made my chest heave with a metallic taste. Forgetting my broken wrist, I lunged at him like a madman. But before I even grazed the edge of the necklace, a heavy kick sent me flying backward. “Ben, are you okay?!” “Uncle Ben!” Victoria and Laura had appeared at the door out of nowhere. The mother and daughter swarmed Ben, protecting him like he was made of glass. My back slammed hard against the wall. My vision went black, and it felt like my organs had been rearranged. Ben buried his face in Victoria’s shoulder, whining with fake tears. “Victoria, Laura, Nolan is acting like a psycho! I came to check on him, and he just lunged at me like a rabid dog, trying to strangle me! He even accused me of stealing his necklace!” Victoria’s eyes turned sharp. She stood like an iceberg in front of Ben. “It is just a piece of junk jewelry. Is it worth throwing a psycho fit over? You never even wear it. What is the big deal if Ben borrows it to ward off bad energy?” I screamed, my voice tearing. “That is mine! That is my mother’s relic!” “If you want to ward off his bad energy, go pay a bishop at a cathedral to bless him! Why did you touch my things!” Hearing the word “relic,” Victoria frowned slightly, seeming to waver. But Ben gripped the silver cross tightly, refusing to budge. “Victoria, I really like this one. It feels perfectly in tune with my soul.” Victoria instantly shifted her stance. “Since Ben likes it, just give it to him. You always used to listen to me. Be a good boy, don’t throw a tantrum over something so trivial.” She spoke in that dismissive tone she would use on a pet, entirely certain I would cave in. I gritted my teeth, shaking my head stubbornly. “He can take anything else from that house. But absolutely not this cross.” Laura angrily ran over, her small fists raining down on me. “You bad man! You’re just jealous of Uncle Ben. You want to make him sad on purpose, don’t you!” She hated me so much now. Her punches weren’t strong, but every hit on my chest hurt worse than the stone from yesterday. Victoria pulled Laura back, stared right into my eyes, and delivered the final verdict. “Nolan, this is my demand.” I froze instantly. Only my pupils trembled violently. Whenever Victoria said those words, my physical autonomy locked down completely. I literally could not say the word no. Listening to the sizzling static of the system in my brain. Hot tears finally spilled over. “Okay.” “As long as it’s your demand, I agree.” Seeing my total emotional collapse, Victoria unexpectedly froze. “Nolan…” Her throat bobbed. A highly complex flash of regret passed through her eyes. “Don’t be like this. When you get discharged, I’ll hire the best silversmith to make you an exact replica.” I didn’t waste another word on her. No matter how expensive the replica was, it wouldn’t have my mother’s warmth. For the first few days after leaving the hospital, I locked myself in the dark guest room to recover. I blocked out all the noise from the outside world. Until one morning, Victoria kicked my door open. Veins popped on her forehead as she lunged at me like an enraged lioness, choking me tightly. “Nolan, how can you be so venomous! You actually cursed that cross!” 4 Cursed? I gasped for air, struggling to speak. “What… what the hell are you talking about?” She let go, throwing me hard against the floor. “Save the innocent act! I hired a top psychic, and she said you used that necklace to put a vicious hex on Ben!” “No wonder Ben has been running a high fever and having nightmares every single night. You’re the one pulling the strings. I never knew you were this sinister!” My back hit the hardwood floor with a painful thud. Pale and breathless, I shook my head frantically. “That is impossible! My mother prayed for that sacred item in a church. How could it carry anything dark!” “Besides, you guys forced it off me. I haven’t even touched it!” “Exactly!” Victoria’s eyes looked like they could burn me alive. “That is why you built up so much resentment and silently cursed whoever wore it. You hated Ben for taking your necklace. But if you’re so mad, come at me! Torturing an innocent man is just pathetic!” She gave me one last look of profound disappointment and sorrow before waving her hand at the bodyguards waiting outside. A few bulky men stormed in, roughly stripping off my pajamas and forcing me into a ridiculous, mothball-scented clown suit. Victoria stood at the door, her voice devoid of any warmth. “Tonight is Ben’s birthday gala. He said that if you wear this suit and play the clown to entertain everyone, he will be merciful and let the cursing incident slide.” Looking at my reflection, smeared with exaggerated face paint and a stupid red nose. I finally connected all the dots. Victoria went through all this trouble just to get back at me for humiliating Ben at his birthday party a year ago. I made her precious lover lose face, so she was going to make me pay it back a thousand times over. I looked in the mirror, laughing until tears streamed down my face. “Is this your demand too?” Victoria paused slightly before answering coldly, “Yes.” I wiped the tears from the corner of my eyes. “Alright.” Victoria, this is the very last time. Dragging my heavy feet, I arrived punctually at Ben’s outrageously lavish garden birthday party. Most of the people in Victoria and Ben’s circle knew who I was. In the past, they used to call me their brother and compliment how perfect Victoria and I were for each other. Now, they clustered in small groups, holding back laughter while pointing their phone cameras right at my painted face, eagerly recording my humiliation. I spotted Laura in the crowd, wearing a custom princess dress. When her eyes met mine, they churned with blatant disgust and furious embarrassment. A little girl in a pink dress next to her asked curiously, “Laura, who is that clown? Do you know him?” Laura turned her head away sharply, her voice piercing. “I don’t know that freak!” The paint hid my expression. This was fine. Since Laura was thoroughly disgusted by me, I could leave without a single shred of attachment. “Nolan, I can’t believe you actually had the guts to show up.” Ben walked up to me holding a glass of champagne, a fake, dramatic look of surprise on his face. He shook my hand, digging his long nails deeply into the soft flesh of my wrist until it bled. He lowered his voice so only we could hear. “Nolan, a year ago when you publicly called me home-wrecking trash, did you ever think you’d be begging on the floor like a dog today?” He immediately pulled his hand back, turning to Victoria with his brightest smile. “Victoria, I want to see the clown dance.” I didn’t even wait for Victoria to give the order. Like a marionette with its soul ripped out, I stiffly walked onto the stage and began to flail around, performing a vulgar, comical clown dance. Some of the people who knew me looked awkward, while others whistled and cheered at the spectacle. I treated them all like thin air, mechanically running through the final script. Until a sticky slice of cream cake hit me square in the face, clogging my nose. “Enough! Have you thrown away your last shred of dignity!” Through the gap in the frosting, I looked at the person who threw the cake. A strong metallic taste rose in my throat. I slowly wiped the cream off my eyes, ready to continue the dance. The next second, my arm was yanked hard. Victoria dragged me forcefully down the stairs. “It is over, Nolan.” She stared at me, her eyes chaotic, like something was choking her. While planning this party, she fully believed that seeing me act like an utter fool would give her the ultimate high of avenging Ben. But when it actually happened, all she felt was suffocating irritation and an indescribable panic. Maybe this absurd punishment game really needed to end. I looked at her lifelessly, my voice hoarse. “Is your demand complete?” She froze, nodding instinctively. “Yes.” Bzzzt… In that exact moment, the long-lost mechanical voice of the system finally rang loud and clear in my head. “Ding. Congratulations to Host 508 on completing the redemption side-quest. Please terminate all vital signs within ten minutes to prepare for world extraction.” “Nolan…” Victoria seemed to want to say something else. But without wasting a single second, I turned around and took large strides toward the roof of the main mansion. Seeing my resolute back, Victoria’s heart skipped a heavy beat. She subconsciously reached out to grab my shirt. But Ben held her arm tight. “Victoria, it’s time to cut the cake!” Victoria stood there, her eyes locked on my fading silhouette. For the first time, she realized that at some point, I had withered down to just skin and bones. Even that ridiculous clown suit hung loosely on my frame. She made a silent vow right then and there. Once this party ended, she would cut ties with Ben for good. The massive, multi-tiered fondant cake was rolled out. Victoria grasped the knife handle, somewhat distracted. Right at the moment the sharp blade pierced the frosting… Bang! A sickeningly heavy thud echoed from the courtyard outside.

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1 On the day of my sister’s wedding, I personally handed Grant, my new brother-in-law, the gift I’d spent weeks picking out. But when it came time to open the gifts, a hush fell over the entire room. The exquisitely wrapped Hermès box didn’t contain a luxury handbag. Instead, a crude, anatomically correct sex toy lay exposed on the stage. The note attached—”Curious to see which one you like better~”—sealed my fate, cementing the “fact” that I was trying to seduce my sister’s new husband. My sister, Brooke, flew into a rage, accusing me of treachery and attacking me right there at the reception. Even my own parents, convinced I had deliberately sabotaged the wedding, filmed my “disgrace” and posted it online for the world to condemn. In an instant, hashtags like #SisterInLawGivesSexToy and #MaidOfHonorHitsOnGroom went viral in our city. My life, my career, and my future were annihilated by the storm of rumors. Later, unable to bear the relentless cyberbullying, I was on my way to the police station when I got into a car accident. When I opened my eyes again, I was back at my sister’s wedding. And the gift I had personally handed over was sitting center stage, gleaming under the lights… … “And now, let’s see the wonderful blessing the bride’s sister has for the happy couple!” The MC’s voice, identical to the one in my past life, sent a jolt through my entire body. The moment her hand was about to touch the gift box, I shot up from my seat and rushed onto the stage. Under the stunned gaze of every guest, I slammed my hand down on the lid. In my last life, this was the exact moment my carefully chosen gift was revealed to have been swapped for a sex toy. In front of everyone, I was branded a homewrecker trying to steal my sister’s husband. Brooke cut me out of her life, my parents threw me out of the house, and every good thing I had ever known came to a screeching halt on that day. Even my life itself ended in a torrential downpour three months after her wedding. “Ava?” Brooke stared at me, her face a mask of confusion. “What are you doing up here?” I couldn’t let her open it. The tragedy of my past life could not be allowed to repeat. Taking a deep breath, my mind raced. “Brooke! Just opening a gift is so boring! Don’t you want to see the thought I put into getting it for you?” Before Brooke could respond, Grant cut in, his voice laced with irritation. “Don’t make a scene, Ava. This is a big day for your sister and me. We have a schedule to keep, so let’s not waste time. Just open the gift. We can talk about your… ‘thoughtfulness’ later, in private.” I gave him a smile that didn’t reach my eyes. I remembered how, in my last life, after he learned of my supposed ‘unrequited love,’ he acted like a concerned elder trying to guide me away from a dark path, all while subtly hinting to everyone that I’d been obsessed with him for years. The memory made my stomach churn with nausea. Keeping my hand pressed firmly on the box, I played along with his words. “It’s because it’s your big day that we can’t be so casual!” Without giving him a chance to argue, I gestured to the tech booth. The large screen behind the stage flickered to life, playing the vlog I had prepared. The video showed me walking into an Hermès boutique, carefully browsing the collection, and finally, signing the receipt for a custom piece with a staggering six-figure price tag. In my past life, Brooke loved luxury goods, but Grant was broke and always bought her fakes. To avoid any suspicion about the gift’s authenticity, I had specifically filmed the vlog, planning to play it after she opened the gift. But because of that damn sex toy, the wedding descended into chaos. Even when I later showed the video to prove my innocence, no one believed me. This time, I was making a preemptive strike. This had to change the outcome. And it worked. The moment the bill appeared on screen, Brooke’s eyes lit up. The suspicion on her face vanished, replaced by a greedy excitement. She grabbed my hand, her voice eager. “Ava! You really shouldn’t have… this is too much!” Despite her words, her other hand shot out to grab the gift box without a moment’s hesitation. “Not so fast, sis!” I pressed down on the box again, cleverly positioning my body between her and the gift. “It’s crowded in here, and people are moving around. What if someone bumps into it or takes it by mistake? That would be a tragedy. It’s better if I hold onto it and give it to you personally after the ceremony.” I kept my hand firmly on the box, my knuckles turning white with tension. I knew the contents had already been swapped. If Brooke insisted on opening it now, the nightmare would just start all over again. Thankfully, though she was reluctant, the thought of keeping her expensive gift safe won out. “You’re right, you always think of everything. You better guard it with your life! Don’t let it out of your sight!” I nodded with a smile, letting out a small sigh of relief as I picked up the box to head off the stage. But as I turned, the floor beneath my feet suddenly vanished. The portable steps I had used to get on stage were gone. I fell hard, and the gift box flew from my hands, tumbling through the air. Its contents spilled onto the floor, and under the brilliant stage lights, the items gleamed with the tell-tale, fleshy sheen of silicone. In that instant, the entire hall fell dead silent. Brooke’s shriek was so piercing it nearly shattered my eardrums. “Ava! Is this your wedding gift to me?!” My heart plummeted, and an icy dread flooded my veins. Could it be that even with a second chance, I was doomed to repeat the same fate? 2 In that split second, as chaos erupted, I swiftly snatched the flirtatious handwritten card that had landed near my hand and tucked it up my sleeve. By then, Brooke was dragging Grant down from the stage, her face a storm of fury. “Ava!” she screamed, her eyes wide with disbelief. “You handed this box to Grant yourself! I saw you! I thought it was something special, but… you used this disgusting trash to humiliate me!” She clung to Grant’s arm, her eyes red, playing the part of the deeply betrayed sister. “And you even filmed that video as a cover? Tell me, was this whole elaborate scheme just an excuse to seduce your own brother-in-law?” The moment the words left her mouth, the contemptuous stares of the guests pinned me down, just like before. Grant stepped forward then, wrapping a protective arm around Brooke. “Brooke, calm down! Let me explain!” He shot me a look of feigned helplessness. “Ava… she’s young, she doesn’t know any better. Of course, I have no improper feelings for her. Even if she… feels something for me… my heart only has room for you.” He paused, his voice thick with performative pain. “I just can’t believe she would resort to this to ruin our wedding. Brooke, this is my fault. I’m so sorry you have to go through this.” His words acted as a cue, and the whispers around us grew into a wave of condemnation. “So shameless, pulling a stunt like this at her own sister’s wedding!” “She always seemed so innocent, but she’s got a filthy mind.” “Giving a gift like that? It’s a blatant provocation, isn’t it?” My parents, shaking with rage, stormed over to me. My father’s slap cracked across one cheek, my mother’s across the other, leaving my ears ringing. They grabbed my shoulders and forced me down onto the carpet. “You disgraceful thing! On your sister’s happiest day, you just had to make a scene! Are you that desperate for a man you’d go after your own sister’s husband? Apologize to your sister right now!” With that, they shoved their phones in my face, ready to film my humiliation. Everything was happening exactly as it had before. A surge of fury shot through me. I snatched the phone from my mother’s hand and smashed it on the ground. “Are you done?!” I looked up, my face already swelling, my voice colder and calmer than I had ever heard it. “You all keep saying I gave them this, that I’m trying to seduce Grant. Where’s your proof?” Brooke lunged, trying to grab my hair, but I sidestepped her. She stumbled into my mother’s arms. “It’s right here in plain sight! You little tramp, and you still won’t admit it!” I let out a cold laugh. “Are you blind? Did you not see the video? I spent three hundred thousand dollars on your wedding gift. Why on earth would I swap it for this cheap piece of junk?” Brooke froze. She knew a toy like that was nowhere near the price of a custom Hermès. I had already spent the money. The bag was a one-of-a-kind piece, custom-made for the wedding, with their names and wedding date engraved on the hardware. It made no sense for me to switch it out at the last minute for something so worthless. Just then, Grant, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up. “Maybe you changed your mind! Maybe you bought the bag and then regretted it, so you decided not to give it! Ava, I know you can be a bit of a spender, but I never thought you’d do something like this. If you didn’t want to give it, you shouldn’t have! Did you think we would force you? Why use this to drive a wedge between me and your sister and deliberately ruin our wedding?” His twisted logic instantly shifted everyone’s focus back to me. Before the guests could even react, my father shoved me from behind. “Is what your brother-in-law said true?” he bellowed. “Ava, did you really get selfish and swap out your sister’s wedding gift?” My mother clutched her chest, acting as if I’d given her a heart attack. “Is this how I raised you? I told you sisters to support each other! You’re living the high life in the city now, with your own apartment and car, and you can’t even spare a decent gift for your sister? You ungrateful brat! It was only three hundred thousand dollars, not your life savings!” Their baseless accusations sent a familiar chill through me. Growing up, my parents had always favored my sister. They kept Brooke with them, giving her everything she ever wanted, while I was dumped with my grandparents in the countryside, without a cent of support from them. When Brooke dropped out of high school, they pulled strings and borrowed money to get her a cushy office job. Meanwhile, I fought my way through college on student loans and part-time jobs, finally establishing a life for myself in the city. But every time I came home, it was always the same story. “Look how hard your sister has it. You need to help her more.” “You got lucky and made some money, but don’t you forget who gave birth to you!” “What’s wrong with buying your sister something nice? She’s your family!” No matter what I achieved, all I ever got was a dismissive wave. “What’s the point of being so successful if you’re never around? Not like your sister, she stays here to take care of us in our old age.” So, I bought the bag. A three-hundred-thousand-dollar bag, without blinking an eye, all to make my sister happy, to earn their approval, to get just one single look of pride from them. And what did I get in return? A public slap in the face, a violent shove, vicious curses, and baseless slander. I sneered, pulling out my phone and taking several sharp photos of the obscene objects on the floor. “We live in a digital age. Every purchase leaves a trail. Since you’re so convinced I bought this to ruin the wedding, let’s just contact the online seller and have them look up who the real recipient is.” 3 In my last life, when I was drowning in online hate, some internet sleuths had actually managed to track down the custom online shop based on a serial number on the bottom of the toy. So for me, finding the seller now was easy. Sure enough, a quick reverse image search led me straight to them. The moment I did, Grant, who had been standing by looking distraught, went pale. He rushed forward, his tone doing a complete one-eighty. “Ava, that’s an invasion of privacy! Stop this nonsense! It’s my fault, okay? It’s all my fault. I didn’t handle things right, and you got hurt.” He then tried to guilt-trip me. “Whatever it is, we’re family. Let’s deal with it behind closed doors! Don’t air our dirty laundry for everyone to see. Please, Ava, I’m begging you. For your sister’s sake, let’s give her some dignity.” I coldly shook off his hand as he tried to grab my arm and projected my phone screen onto the main display. “My dear brother-in-law, suddenly we’re ‘family’? A minute ago, when you were implying I was trying to seduce you, you didn’t seem so concerned about keeping things private.” I flashed a brittle smile. “Someone went to a lot of trouble to ruin my reputation today, but I have nothing to hide. Since some people refuse to believe me, let’s find out the truth right here, right now, in front of everyone!” “You!” “What’s the matter, Grant? Are you… nervous?” Before he could react, I hit the call button. A moment later, a professional customer service voice echoed through the banquet hall. “Hello, thank you for calling. How can I help you today?” I explained the situation, and the representative on the other end quickly pulled up the order information. Unfortunately… it had nothing to do with Grant. “Are you sure the recipient’s last name is Reed, and the phone number ends in 8977?” “Yes, ma’am. That’s all the information I’m authorized to provide.” After I hung up, Grant visibly relaxed. “See, Ava? Stop making a big deal out of nothing. Your gift must have been swapped by this Ms. Reed person. Your sister and I will check the guest list later. Now, can you please drop it? We have a wedding to finish.” I laughed, a harsh, humorless sound. “A three-hundred-thousand-dollar gift just vanishes, and you call that ‘making a big deal’? It seems my reputation is worth about as much as that bag in your eyes—absolutely nothing.” “Will you ever let it go?” My mother grabbed my arm, yanking me off balance. “So we misunderstood you for a minute, what’s the big deal? We get it, you’re rich, you bought your sister a lavish gift! Someone else proved the nasty thing wasn’t from you, so that should be the end of it! Are you really going to hold up your sister’s entire wedding over this?” “Mom! That was three hundred thousand dollars…” Even Brooke was getting antsy. Just then, the MC on stage, Lorna, spoke up. “Bride and groom, we still have a long schedule ahead, and we’re running on a very tight timeline.” “If we continue to be delayed by this matter, it could seriously affect the rest of the ceremony. We might have to cut some parts of the program if we run out of time. What would you like to do?” Brooke had hired Lorna specifically because she was a woman known for running elegant, modern weddings without any awkward, old-fashioned rituals, focusing entirely on the couple’s experience. Just as expected, Lorna’s words made Brooke hesitate. Lorna was a top-tier MC, and her schedule had to be booked a year and a half in advance. She was incredibly hard to get. After a moment of deliberation, Brooke’s desire for a perfect wedding won out. She gritted her teeth and told Lorna to continue with the ceremony. With my parents watching me like hawks, I was unable to investigate any further. Sitting back at my table, my mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. Something wasn’t right. Based on Grant’s reaction, he was definitely involved in the gift swap. But the name and address from the seller didn’t match him at all. So who bought the sex toy? Who was trying to frame me? Soon, the wedding ceremony drew to a close. The MC and the rest of the wedding planning team were packing up to head to their next event, and my parents sent me to see them off. After a few polite goodbyes, I was about to head back into the hall when the hotel receptionist called out to me. “Ma’am, your party left something in storage here!” I was about to explain that I wasn’t with the wedding team when she started reading off the information. “The item was left under the name Ms. Reed, phone number ending in 8977. Is that correct?” A jolt went through me. I whipped my head around. “What did you just say?!”

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