Category: English

When my parents finally found me, I played dumb. Three parts innocent, seven parts naive—I looked exactly like the real missing heiress. That’s right. I was a counterfeit. Because I looked more like them than their actual biological daughter, they mistook me for her. In my past life, I told them the truth. In return, my limbs were severed, and I died a miserable, agonizing death in a foreign land. This time, I decided to play the fool. I became the true heiress of the Sterling corporate empire. 1 When the Sterling family pulled up to the orphanage in their luxury car, a crowd immediately gathered. They held a DNA report in their hands, pointed at a picture of me in an album, and told the director: “That’s her. Our daughter, Harper.” Shocked, the director immediately sent someone to my high school to fetch me. At that moment, I was huddled in an alleyway outside the school, clutching my textbooks to my chest while being kicked and punched. Seeing someone approach, the group of rainbow-haired punks scattered without a trace. I stood up, looked at Griffin—who had easily tracked me down just like he did in my past life—dusted off my jeans, and followed him back. When Mrs. Sterling saw my battered state, taking in the bloody scratches on my face, she burst into tears. “Harper, do you remember Mommy? It’s all my fault. I didn’t watch you closely enough and let you get lost when you were five.” I looked at her with feigned confusion, purposefully letting the faint scar on my forehead show through my messy bangs. Seeing the scar, Mrs. Sterling grew so emotional she lunged forward and grabbed my hands. “Harper! Do you remember how you got that scar on your head?” I touched my forehead, pretending to search my memories. “I think… when I was really little, I was playing hide-and-seek with my brother… and I tripped on the stairs…” Then I clutched my head, acting as if the memory was causing me excruciating pain, making Mr. and Mrs. Sterling’s hearts ache. Mrs. Sterling pulled me into a tight embrace, gently patting my back. “Shh, sweet girl. Don’t think about it anymore. Mommy knows—you are our daughter!” Just like that, I followed them home and became the heiress of the Sterling Group. 2 My real name was Joy. It was the name given to me by the orphanage. When I was five, my grandmother had clutched a few crumpled dollar bills and gone out to buy me a birthday cake. It rained on her way back. The dirt road was slick, and she slipped, falling into a deep, muddy ditch by the road. She never got back up. My grandmother died, and I became an orphan. I arrived at the gates of the Sunbeam Orphanage, pretending to be a lost child. That same day, the true Sterling heiress, Bliss, also arrived at the orphanage. Because we looked so remarkably alike and were the exact same age, we were constantly mistaken for twins. In our past life, the private investigator accidentally mixed up our toothbrushes. So, when Mrs. Sterling mistakenly identified me, I corrected the error, allowing them to find the real Bliss. Bliss had put on a show of sisterly affection, begging me to go with her to the Sterling estate and continue being her “sister.” As a result, I even secretly returned the $100,000 “thank you” check Mrs. Sterling had given me back to Bliss. I thought she was grateful that I hadn’t stolen her identity. I didn’t realize it was merely the beginning of her pushing me into the abyss. First, she spilled hot tea on herself and framed me for it. Later, she pushed Mrs. Sterling down a flight of stairs, planted the blame on me since I was standing nearby, and successfully got me kicked out of the Sterling house. On the eve of my SATs, she tricked me into coming out under the guise of “talking things out,” got me blackout drunk, and tossed me to a group of local street thugs. When I woke up, I wanted to die from the shame, but she held the video of my assault over my head, threatening to release it if I breathed a word. With the SATs the next morning, I had no choice but to swallow my trauma. On the day the test scores were released, I discovered I was pregnant. On my way to an underground clinic, I drank a bottle of water she had tampered with. I collapsed. The last thing I saw before my eyes closed was her cold, mocking stare. She said, “If you want to blame someone, blame your own miserable fate!” When I woke up, I was locked inside a cage. In a dark, damp warehouse, dozens of rusting iron cages held dozens of women with swollen bellies. I instantly understood what nightmare awaited me. I refused to accept my fate. I tried to escape three times. The final time, they chopped off my hands and feet, leaving me to bleed out in agonizing pain. But the wheel of fate turned, and I was reborn! Since God gave me a second chance, I was going to seize it and return every ounce of humiliation she subjected me to! I woke up at age sixteen. I spent a year meticulously recreating a scar on my forehead identical to Bliss’s. Since I looked more like a Sterling than she did, I would simply take her place and become the corporate heiress. 3 The day I stepped back into the Sterling mansion, I was treated like royalty. Mrs. Sterling immediately enrolled me in an elite prep school in Beverly Hills, donating an entire library wing to ensure the school took “special care” of me, especially regarding my grades. However, when my initial placement test scores came back, Mrs. Sterling realized she had severely underestimated me. In my past life, once Bliss was brought home, she cared about nothing but designer clothes, luxury shoes, and Birkin bags, causing her grades to plummet. I, on the other hand, fully utilized the elite tutors the Sterlings provided, eventually securing a spot in a top-tier Ivy League university. It was just a pity that in my past life, I didn’t get to finish my education. Delighted by my perfect grades, Mrs. Sterling eagerly asked what else I wanted to learn. Since my posture was lacking, I hired a ballet instructor to correct it. I didn’t know how to play an instrument, so I hired a master harpist. I also wanted to secure a foothold in the Sterling Group, so I frequently sought out Mr. Sterling to discuss business management and corporate strategy. I was naturally brilliant and progressed at lightning speed. The way Mr. and Mrs. Sterling looked at me grew increasingly full of pride and absolute adoration. A month later, Mr. and Mrs. Sterling invited the upper crust of Beverly Hills to my official welcome banquet. The crowd expected a rough, uncultured orphan. Instead, I descended the stairs in a stunning white fringed gown, mesmerizing the entire room. At the banquet, I spotted Emmett Vance standing next to my brother, Carter. He looked exceptionally dashing. Emmett was the sole heir of the Vance family, an old-money dynasty from New York. In my past life, the moment Bliss laid eyes on Emmett, she was entirely captivated and swore she would marry no one else. Mrs. Sterling had laughed, teasing her for thinking about marriage before she was even an adult. Heh. What you begged for and couldn’t have in the last life, I will claim in this one. “Carter!” My voice was clear and bright. As expected, both men turned their heads to look at me simultaneously. 4 “Who is this? Is he a classmate of yours?” I asked curiously. Carter was about to shake his head when I saw Emmett subtly tap Carter’s shoe with his toe. Carter immediately nodded. “Yeah! A college buddy, Emmett.” I smiled sweetly and extended my hand. “Hi there! I’m Harper!” Emmett hesitated for a split second before shaking my hand. And just like that, Emmett and I were officially acquainted. A lie often requires a hundred more lies to cover it up. Since Emmett claimed to be Carter’s classmate, he found himself flying to Beverly Hills constantly because I sought my brother out for “advice” almost every week. Carter was studying finance. Since Mr. Sterling was often too busy to mentor me, I naturally had to consult my big brother. “Emmett, look! I brought you your favorite cold-brew tea.” In my past life, Bliss was utterly obsessed with marrying Emmett. She spent an exorbitant amount of time discovering his preferences, learning he exclusively drank a specific, custom-blended cold-brew tea. Rumor had it, it was the exact recipe his mother used to make for him when he was little. Sadly, his mother had passed away years ago. The day Bliss finally perfected the recipe, I had the misfortune of witnessing the entire process. I smiled and handed him the tea I had prepared myself. Emmett drank it happily, his eyes sparkling as he looked at me. “Harper’s craftsmanship is the best. Man, when you get married one day, I won’t be able to drink tea this good anymore!” Emmett teased me between sips. I didn’t say anything; I just smiled. Carter, however, chimed in from the side: “What’s the big deal? Just marry my sister, and you can drink it until you’re old and gray, right into your grave—ow! What did you hit me for?!” Emmett flicked Carter hard on the forehead, his face turning serious. “Harper is still young. Don’t joke around about her like that.” Carter rubbed his head, muttering, “She’s not that young, she’s almost eighteen…” I kept my head down, realizing that Emmett’s feelings for me hadn’t quite reached the level of love yet. 5 With the Sterling family’s backing and resources, I performed even better than in my past life and was accepted into Harvard’s finance program. On move-in day in Massachusetts, Emmett was the one who picked me up. I peeked behind him, a little confused. “Where’s my brother?” Emmett gritted his teeth. “He drank too much last night. He’s still passed out!” Carter had a famously high alcohol tolerance. There was no way he got drunk that easily. My phone chimed. I opened it to find a “You got this!” meme sent by Carter. I instantly understood. My little maneuvers hadn’t escaped my brother’s notice; he was playing wingman. College life was vibrant and exciting—something I never got to experience in my past life. I continuously applied the knowledge I learned, gradually taking over a portion of the Sterling Group’s East Coast branch operations. I balanced my studies and corporate work with ease. The only thing I couldn’t completely manage was Emmett. Perhaps afraid of blowing his cover, he rarely visited me on campus. But whenever I was at the branch office handling business, I always seemed to catch sight of him. We saw each other almost once a week. A year passed like this. Just as I thought our relationship was naturally blossoming into romance, he brought a girl to my birthday party. He introduced her to me: “Penny, this is my little sister, Harper.” I pressed my lips together, suppressing the sudden, sharp twist in my chest. “Emmett, who is she?” Emmett replied, “Penelope. We grew up together.” “Oh, so you’re childhood sweethearts…” I forced a smile, projecting what I thought was an aura of gentle, gracious elegance to welcome Penelope, completely missing the flicker of something strange in Emmett’s eyes. 6 I started intentionally avoiding Emmett. But oddly enough, we ran into each other even more than before. He kept calling me his “little sister” like always, and even brought a few more so-called “childhood friends” to introduce to me. On the day of the first snow, I agreed to go to a concert with a senior who had been relentlessly pursuing me. After the concert, with my tacit permission, he affectionately reached out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear. Just as he leaned in to kiss me, he was violently shoved aside by Emmett, who had been following us. The romantic atmosphere shattered. Furious, the senior blurted out, “Are you crazy?!” But when he got a clear look at Emmett’s face, he panicked. “V-Vance? What are you doing here?” Emmett’s brow was heavily furrowed. He stared at the senior and spat out every word: “Get the hell out of here.” The senior looked at me, looked at Emmett, seemed to suddenly realize something, turned around, and bolted. I glared at Emmett, visibly angry, demanding a reasonable explanation. Instead, he took my hand and pressed a soft kiss to the back of it. I froze in place. He looked at me with a perfectly feigned expression of distress. “Oh no, the back of your hand accidentally touched my lips. What should we do? I guess I have no choice but to take responsibility for you!” 7 Two years later, Emmett and I were engaged. He had dropped his “college buddy” disguise the night of the first snow. I deployed award-winning acting skills—first acting shocked, then angry, and finally making him and my brother pay a hefty, metaphorical price before letting them off the hook. At our engagement party, Mr. and Mrs. Sterling were surrounded by the Beverly Hills elite. “Mr. Sterling, you are truly blessed! Not only is your daughter incredibly brilliant, but she also landed the heir to the Vance family!” The Sterling family was always considered “third-tier” among the ultra-wealthy circle. After today, with the Vance family backing them, Mr. and Mrs. Sterling could walk completely unopposed in high society. Half a year ago, when I told them I was getting engaged to Emmett, Mrs. Sterling smiled so hard she gained a few new laugh lines. Mr. Sterling was even more direct—he immediately transferred 5% of the corporate shares to me and promised another 5% the day we officially tied the knot. I accepted with a smile, becoming a bona fide shareholder of the Sterling Group. The engagement of the sole heir of the New York Vance dynasty trended heavily online. The internet was flooded with photos of Emmett and me. And as the leading lady of this spectacle, I naturally caught the attention of someone lurking in the shadows. One day, an issue arose at corporate headquarters requiring all shareholders to be present. Halfway through the board meeting, we were interrupted by an employee bursting through the doors. The employee’s hesitant gaze fell on me before they spoke: “Mr. Sterling, there’s a girl causing a scene in the lobby. She claims she is your real daughter, and says if you don’t come down, she’s going to slit her wrists right there!” 8 The meeting was suspended, and a group of us headed down to the lobby. There stood a girl who looked 70% to 80% identical to me, holding a fruit knife to her wrist. She was screaming hysterically: “Bring your CEO down here right now! I am his real daughter! The one you have up there is a counterfeit!” Two security guards stood by, trying to talk her down, having already sent someone to notify the board. She pointed the blade at the guards and roared, “I told you to get him half an hour ago! Where is he?!” Someone from the crowd yelled, “If you keep this up, we’re calling the cops!” Bliss laughed at that. “Call them! It’ll be perfect to have the cops drag that fake imposter out of the building!” Her absolute certainty caused the whispering crowd to hesitate. “The CEO is here!” A sharp-eyed employee shouted, cutting through the gossip. Bliss obviously heard it too and looked our way. The moment she laid eyes on me, the hatred in her eyes exploded. Gripping the knife, she charged straight at me: “Joy, you bitch, go to hell!” Joy and Bliss—the names the orphanage had given us. The knife was sharp, glinting coldly. I stood frozen in place, acting as if I was paralyzed by fear. Seeing this, Mr. Sterling immediately yanked me behind him to protect me. Mid-charge, someone in the crowd stuck out a foot and tripped her. Bliss crashed to the floor, taking a long time to scramble back up. She looked up at Mr. Sterling—who was fiercely guarding me—her eyes brimming with tears: “Dad, it’s me, Bliss! Don’t you remember me?” Saying that, she swept her bangs aside, revealing the scar on her forehead. Mr. Sterling looked disgusted. “Don’t think faking a scar makes you my daughter!” But standing right next to him, I clearly saw his hand tremble the moment he saw that mark. Of course it did. They were biological father and daughter, after all. Blood is a mysterious thing; Mr. Sterling was undoubtedly harboring suspicions now. I decided to go with the flow. I pointed to the media reporters who were already rushing over, attracted by the commotion. “Dad, let’s take her home first. The press is here. Having a scene in front of corporate headquarters is a PR nightmare.” 9 In the Sterling living room sat Mr. and Mrs. Sterling, myself, and Bliss. Carter had rushed back the moment he got the news. When he saw me and Bliss sitting there, he froze in his tracks. “Th-Mom, did you actually give birth to twins?” After arriving at the house, Bliss had stormed into my room, washed up, and changed into a set of my clothes before coming downstairs. Freshly cleaned up, sitting quietly next to me, we looked exactly like identical twins. Hearing Carter’s words, the hostility in her eyes flared instantly: “Carter! Are you blind? I’m your real sister!” “What twins? She’s a shameless, lying bitch!” “A low-life mutt with no identity who dared to steal my life and usurp my place as the Sterling heiress!” “Mom, Dad, throw this bitch out on the street!” The older Sterling generations were highly educated, refined people. Mr. and Mrs. Sterling were over fifty, and no one had ever spoken such vulgarities in their presence. Mr. Sterling slammed his hand on the table, enraged. “Shut your mouth!” Bliss jumped, shrinking her neck back like a frightened quail. “Your mother only gave birth to one girl. There are no twins.” Mr. Sterling sighed heavily and looked at me. “Harper, what do you think?” I put on a highly conflicted expression. “Since Bliss insists she is the real Harper, why don’t we… just do another DNA test?” The moment I said that, Bliss clapped her hands in agreement. But Mr. Sterling sharply replied, “Absolutely not!”

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Born as the school’s golden girl, I ended up swapping souls with the heaviest, poorest outcast in our high school. We exchanged secrets, shared our lives, and tried desperately to find a way back into our own bodies. Until one day, she vanished. The teachers said her entire family had moved out of the country. The next time I saw her was ten years later. She was standing next to my childhood sweetheart, bearing the title of the CEO’s wife. 1. On my fifteenth day trapped in Mia Jenkins’s body, I looked in the mirror and was still horrified by how ugly I was. A heavy, bloated frame, cheeks thick with fat, and dark, unkempt skin shining with grease. A greasy side-bang fell in clumps, completely hiding my left eye. The right eye that managed to peek through was squeezed into a tiny slit by the sheer volume of my cheeks. If I wanted to open my eyes wider, I practically had to pry the fat apart. Suppressing my disgust, I hurriedly splashed my face with cold water and sprinted toward the bus stop. “Sweetie, your breakfast!” Mia’s mother, walking with a heavy limp, anxiously hobbled after me, trying to hand me a plastic bag filled with a massive breakfast. I skidded to a halt, grabbed the bag from her hands, shoved it into my backpack, and resumed my sprint to the bus stop. I say “sprint,” but it was barely faster than a brisk walk. Mia was about 5’6″ but weighed nearly two hundred pounds. Even using every ounce of my strength, I could only shuffle my legs a tiny bit faster than before. Just from that minimal exertion, my heart was already pounding out of my chest, my lungs felt tight, and I was gasping for air. I had no idea how the original Mia ever survived P.E. class. By the time I squeezed onto the crowded morning bus, the thin cotton of my t-shirt was already soaked with sweat. “Excuse me, coming through.” I dropped into a seat in the very back row. The guy sitting next to the window immediately pinched his nose in disgust. I knew this guy. He was Caleb Rivers, one of my former admirers who had relentlessly brought me breakfast for three months straight back when I was Serena. But right now, he was pressing himself as close to the window as humanly possible, acting as if I was infected with a deadly virus. 2. “Tch. Smells like garbage. Gross.” Mia’s body was severely overweight, and since it was the middle of summer, I was already sweating profusely. There were obvious sweat stains pooling at the collar and armpits of my yellow shirt. Embarrassed, I shrank my shoulders, trying my hardest to make sure my arms didn’t accidentally brush against the guy next to me. No wonder the original Mia always wore a thick hoodie, even in the dead of summer. Thinking of all the cruel mockery she endured behind her back, my eyes welled up with tears. I was going to lose this weight. Before I figured out how to swap back, I was going to help Mia shed this extra baggage. Having survived the agonizing panic and confusion of the first few days, I was finally somewhat adapting to Mia’s body. And I owed it all to Mia. She had stayed by my side those first few days, comforting me, encouraging me. She was right. As long as we worked together, we’d find a way to switch back soon. Thinking of Mia warmed my heart. Before this, she was the quiet, isolated outcast. I had almost never seen her speak to anyone. She arrived at school alone, left alone, ate in the cafeteria alone, and went to the bathroom alone. Nobody in our class liked her. The girls ostracized her, and the boys were openly disgusted by her. If I, Serena Sterling, was the bright, untouchable moon hanging over Oakridge Prep, Mia was the rotting mud beneath everyone’s shoes. Anyone felt entitled to step on her. But despite her appearance, she had an incredibly warm and kind heart. In just two short weeks, our shared bizarre experience had made us the best of friends. 3. Panting heavily, I finally made it to the classroom just before the bell rang and collapsed into my desk in the very back row, taking deep breaths. Caleb Rivers lifted his eyelids, gave me a brief glance, and immediately turned around to sleep on his desk. Nobody in the class liked Mia, so the homeroom teacher had shoved her desk right next to the trash cans in the back corner. Oakridge Prep was the most elite private school in the state. Most of the students were children of politicians or billionaires. But Caleb was here on a sports scholarship, and like Mia, he came from a poor background. Naturally, the two worst seats in the class were reserved for them. Normally, these two minded their own business—one slept all day, the other spaced out. But my arrival had clearly broken their unspoken truce. “Caleb, want some eggs?” I pulled two hard-boiled eggs out of my pocket and shoved them into his hands, then placed a carton of milk on his desk. Since I was determined to lose weight, it had to start with my diet. Mia’s family was broke, but her parents doted on her unconditionally. They wore rags and skipped meals just to spend every penny on her. And Mia had a massive appetite. For breakfast alone, she would pack away five or six eggs, two cartons of milk, and four or five heavy breakfast sandwiches. Caleb turned around, staring at me intently for a moment before letting out a scoff. “Mia, don’t tell me you have a crush on me.” I looked at him, speechless. Caleb and my childhood sweetheart, Ethan Vance, were known as the “Twin Princes” of Oakridge. The girls were constantly fighting over who was hotter. Unlike Ethan’s refined, gentle, and polished prep-school vibe, Caleb was pure bad-boy energy. Sharp eyebrows, a strong nose, and a sun-kissed, athletic build. He was undeniably gorgeous, but his rebellious, untamed aura gave him a dangerous, street-smart edge. 4. “Don’t worry, I’m not into guys.” I drank my milk, pulled a heavy breakfast sandwich from my bag, and tossed it to him. “I’m starting a diet. It’s a waste to throw it away, and since we’ve been desk-mates for a while, consider it your lucky day.” Caleb’s parents had died in a car crash during middle school. He lived with his grandparents. I’d heard rumors that his grandparents were elderly and sick, surviving by collecting scrap metal just to put him through school. He was a growing teenager and an athlete who trained for hours every day. Sometimes during class, I could hear his stomach rumbling from starvation. Caleb dropped his careless attitude and looked at me seriously. “Alright. Guess I’ll do you a favor and eat it.” I finished my milk and glanced over at my own original desk. Strange. The bell was about to ring. Why wasn’t Serena here yet? In all the time we had been swapped, she hadn’t been late once. Was she sick? I sent a text to my own phone. No reply. I called. No one picked up. Caleb kicked my shoe lightly under the desk. Phones were strictly banned at Oakridge. Before the homeroom teacher walked down the aisle, I quickly shoved it into my bag. I was distracted the entire morning study period. Yesterday, Mia had stayed up late chatting with me. She confidently promised she had found a solution and that we’d be back in our own bodies by next week. The moment the bell rang, I jumped out of my seat and jogged to the homeroom teacher’s podium. “Mr. Davis, where is Serena? Why isn’t she in class?” The balding teacher gave me a weird look, clearly shocked that someone like Mia would have anything to do with the golden girl, Serena Sterling. “She transferred.” The summer sun was beating through the windows, but I felt like I had been plunged into an ice bath. “Trans… transferred?” Mr. Davis pushed his slipping glasses up his nose. “Serena’s entire family relocated to London. She officially withdrew late last week. A few of the girls even threw a going-away party for her over the weekend. Did you not know?” I didn’t hear a single word after that, because the world faded to black and I fainted on the spot. Right before I closed my eyes, I thought I saw Caleb sprinting toward me. 5. “Hey. Are you awake?” I forced my eyes open. Everything was stark white—the walls, the curtains, the bedsheets. The school nurse, Mrs. Evans, was sitting beside me, looking at me gently. “It’s too hot outside, you got heatstroke. Rest for a bit. I got you some electrolytes.” I sat up, my head still spinning. I sat there in a daze for a long moment before it suddenly hit me why I had fainted. Mia! Mia took my body and moved to London! I jumped out of bed and bolted for the door, but because I stood up too fast, my vision whited out again. “Whoa, what’s the rush? I already excused you from your morning classes. See? You’re dizzy again. You can’t focus in class like this. Just lay back down.” Mrs. Evans grabbed my arm and forced me back onto the bed. I was so panicked I was on the verge of tears. No! I had to find Mia! I had to make her explain this! Ignoring my dizzy spells, I shoved my shoes on and stumbled out the door. Mrs. Evans tried to grab me twice but failed, muttering under her breath, “Kids these days… the academic pressure is really driving them insane!” Leaving the clinic, I headed straight for the school gates. My pale, sickly, sweaty face startled the security guard. “Hey kid, aren’t your parents picking you up? You don’t look too good. I can’t let you leave alone.” “My parents are waiting right outside the gate, sir.” I threw together a quick lie, jogged out the gates, and flagged down a yellow cab. 6. My family lived in the most exclusive gated community in the city. When the cab pulled up to the estate gates, I realized the total amount of cash on me was about $5—not even enough to cover the fare. The driver took one look at my panicked, teenage face, waved his hand generously, and let me off the hook for the remainder. When I finally ran up to the front door of my mansion, I found it locked tight. I couldn’t get in. I scrambled over the side gate into the garden and pressed my face against the floor-to-ceiling windows. Everything inside was draped in white dust covers—the velvet sofas, the dining table, even the giant teddy bear statue I loved so much. The sprawling mansion was completely empty. It was 9:00 AM. Usually, our housekeeper Maria would be vacuuming, and Chef Andre would be in the kitchen prepping my organic mid-day meals. They moved. They really moved! I collapsed onto the front steps, my mind completely blank. My parents were workaholics. I was practically raised by nannies. It was the nannies who attended my parent-teacher conferences. I saw my parents maybe a handful of times a year. Honestly, they probably knew their executive board better than they knew me. My phone! Right, I could still call them! With trembling hands, I dialed the number for my father that I knew by heart. “We’re sorry, the number you have reached is no longer in service…” Disconnected? Refusing to believe it, I dialed it again. Still disconnected. I called my original phone number—disconnected. I called my mom—straight to voicemail. Who else? Who else could I find? 7. My grandfather lived permanently in Florida, and my mom’s side of the family was in Boston. Both of my parents were only children, so I had no other relatives in the state. I wrung my hands anxiously. No, I had to find Mia. I wasn’t going to let her steal my life like this. I smacked my forehead. I was so stupid. I could go find Ethan! Ethan Vance lived in the exact same gated community as me. We had been in the same class since kindergarten. We were quintessential childhood sweethearts. When we were little, we used to play house and pretend to get married. His parents adored me. His mom used to half-joke to my mom that they should just arrange our marriage now. I stood up, wiped my tears, and sprinted toward Ethan’s mansion. The front doors to the Vance estate were wide open. Several maids were bustling around cleaning. When they saw me, they looked shocked. “Excuse me, who are you looking for?” A middle-aged woman walked over, wiping her hands on a towel. “I… I’m looking for Ethan.” The moment the words left my mouth, I felt stupid. Ethan should be in AP Physics right now. Why did I run to his house? “Young Master Ethan transferred to a school in London last week. Are you his classmate?” The world spun, and I crashed onto the driveway. Ethan went to London too?! “Oh my god, honey, are you okay?” 8. I stumbled out of the Vance estate in a daze. Holding onto my absolute last shred of hope, I dialed Ethan’s cell number. “Hello?” “Ethan! It’s me! It’s Serena!” I almost jumped out of my skin with excitement. Ethan was my best friend. He would definitely recognize me! “Mia?” Even though the original Mia was heavy and unkempt, her voice was beautiful. It was clear and melodic, like a babbling brook in the middle of summer, or wind chimes caught in a breeze. “I’m in Mia’s body right now, but I’m actually Serena! We swapped souls, just like in the movies! I swear, I—” “Mia,” Ethan sighed, cutting me off. “I know you’re unhappy with your life, but delusion is a mental illness. You need to get help.” “Serena told me everything. You constantly hallucinate that you’re her, and you desperately want to live her life.” “That’s exactly why she changed her mind and agreed to move to London with me.” “I don’t know how you got my number, but I’m changing it today.” “I hope you stop harassing Serena from now on. Take care of yourself.” Beep. Beep. Beep. The call ended. I stood frozen under the blazing sun. A jolt of electricity shot from the soles of my feet straight into my heart, leaving half my body completely numb. When I first realized we swapped bodies, my first instinct was to tell my parents. But Mia stopped me. She said they would just think we were crazy, and that we should figure it out ourselves. She asked me if I wanted to experience what it was like to live someone else’s life for a few days. She said it was thrilling and that it should be our little secret. She told me she had found a way to switch back, and that it would happen soon. I was such an idiot! From this moment forward, I was only Mia. The poor, academically average, clinically obese, isolated, ghost-like Mia. 9. I walked all the way back under the blistering sun. Even though I was wearing thin sweatpants, the inner thighs were completely chafed and bleeding. This body was too heavy. The fat rubbed together painfully with every step. No wonder Mia rarely walked and never left her seat during passing periods. My body was in agony, but I masochistically kept walking, drenched in sweat like it was raining. I shouldn’t have trusted her so easily. I shouldn’t have handed over my deepest secrets. But regret wouldn’t save me now. I needed to plan my future. Even if I was dragged down into the mud, I was going to bloom into the most brilliant flower. By the time I walked back to the school gates, it was already afternoon. My clothes had soaked through, dried, and soaked through again, emitting a sour, stale odor. It was lunch period. The classroom was mostly empty, with most students down in the cafeteria. Caleb’s eyes lit up when he saw me. “Where did you go? I checked the nurse’s office after class and you weren’t there.” I grabbed my water bottle and chugged half of it in one breath. “I went home for a bit.” “What’s wrong? You look terrible.” Because I had been bringing him breakfast lately, Caleb had warmed up to me considerably. He dropped his bad-boy attitude and looked at me with genuine concern. I pulled my textbooks from my desk and gave him a bitter smile. “Nothing. Just realized I’m a complete idiot.” “Weirdo.” Caleb scratched the back of his head, turned around, and didn’t pry any further. 10. At 5:00 AM, just as the sky was turning a hazy gray, I was already awake. I was the only one left in the tiny, cramped courtyard. Mia’s parents ran a small breakfast food truck. Every day, they woke up at 2 or 3 AM to prep, and by 4 AM, they were out on the streets selling. I washed my face, changed into workout clothes, pushed open the squeaky courtyard gate, and started power-walking down the street. This body was too heavy to run. Even just power-walking nearly took half my life. After thirty minutes of wheezing and panting, I returned to the courtyard and started strength training. I say “strength training,” but it was mostly high knees, arm circles, and step-ups on the porch. Mia’s body was incredibly weak. Just lifting my arms made my muscles burn and tremble. Push-ups were entirely out of the question. After a solid thirty minutes of training, my clothes were drenched. The light gray fabric had turned charcoal. Checking my watch, it was 6:00 AM. I went back inside, showered, changed into my uniform, and grabbed my backpack to catch the bus. Breakfast, prepared by Mia’s mom, was warming on the stove. Thirty dollars in cash was left on the table for my allowance. A bowl of boiled eggs, five massive pork buns, and two cartons of milk. Mia’s parents spoiled her. No matter how exhausted they were, they always made sure she had a massive breakfast. On weekends, they would splurge on beef and shrimp at the market to make sure she got enough nutrition. She had her own kind of happiness. When I was Serena, I rarely even sat at the same table as my parents, let alone ate a meal cooked by them. I packed the breakfast into my bag. Thinking for a moment, I ran into the courtyard and picked two crisp cucumbers and a few bright red tomatoes. Mia’s mom was hardworking. She kept the courtyard spotless and even built a small vegetable garden on the south side. Most of their daily produce came straight from there. 11. Arriving at the classroom, I routinely pulled the breakfast from my bag and handed it to Caleb. He had gone from initially refusing to now accepting it naturally. After taking it, he looked at me seriously and said: “I owe you for this. If anyone bullies you from now on, drop my name.” “No thanks. Nobody is bullying me.” I opened my books and focused entirely on the coursework. Mia used to tell me that all roads lead to Rome, but some people are just born in Rome. She said she envied me. Envied me so much she wanted to die. She said I played piano, danced ballet, and spoke French and English like a native. I wore designer clothes, lived in a mansion, and lived a dream-like princess life. But she didn’t know that the “princess” woke up at 5:00 AM every single day to study. On weekends and holidays, when everyone else was playing, I was either in the dance studio or at the piano. From the time I was five until now, I hadn’t had a single day off to just play. My life, aside from studying, was more studying. My parents believed in elite grooming. They believed in talent, but they believed in blood, sweat, and tears even more. When I was little, the only time my parents would smile at me, or reward me with a family dinner, was when I worked myself to the bone and brought home a first-place trophy. In our social circle, I was the role model every parent praised, and the ultimate nightmare for every other kid. Mia thought my excellence was just a byproduct of my wealthy family. But she didn’t know that excellence is a habit. A hardworking soul cannot be chained down by any physical body. 12. Caleb started glancing at me frequently, constantly trying to strike up a conversation. “Mia, why does it feel like you’ve been replaced by a different person?” “You’re not spacing out in class anymore. The way you’re grinding, it’s like you’re trying to get into Harvard. It’s kinda scary.” My response was a massive eye roll. There were only two months left until final exams. As the top private school in the state, Oakridge offered incredibly generous scholarships to stay competitive with the public schools. Our school had an “Outstanding Improvement Award.” Every semester, the student who showed the most progress would get a full-ride scholarship for the next year, plus a ten-thousand-dollar cash prize. The cash was secondary. My goal was the full-ride scholarship. Mia’s cousin, who was the same age, had gotten into the best public high school in the city. Feeling competitive, Mia had thrown a massive tantrum, threatening self-harm until her parents agreed to send her to Oakridge. Coincidentally, Mia’s dad had a friend in the admissions office who owed him a favor, which was the only reason she got in. But Oakridge’s tuition was astronomical. A single year of tuition practically drained the Jenkins family’s entire annual income. Her parents lived like paupers just to spend everything on her. I wasn’t Mia. I couldn’t comfortably drain their life savings with a clear conscience. “Take out yesterday’s pop quiz. Those who forgot it, you know the drill. Pick up your chair and go stand in the back.” Mr. Harrison, the AP Calculus teacher, walked into the classroom, pushed up his glasses, and glared at us coldly. Because of his brutal teaching methods and dark scowls, the students secretly called him “The Grim Reaper.” Yesterday’s quiz was brutally hard. I had stayed up until midnight finishing it. Mia’s mom had specially warmed up some milk for me, watching me work with tears in her eyes, heartbroken that I was studying so late. I rummaged through my bag. Nothing. I calmly searched it again. Still nothing. Huh? Seeing my serious expression, Caleb raised an eyebrow. “Try-hard, don’t tell me you forgot to do it?” I gave him a bitter smile. “I did it. Just forgot to bring it.” 13. For a girl, being forced to stand at the back of the classroom holding a chair over her head for an entire period was incredibly humiliating. The girls who had been punished like this before usually cried the entire time. Some with weaker constitutions would even fake sick and go home early, unable to face the class’s mockery. I had forgotten assignments before too, but as the valedictorian, I always got special treatment. But I was Mia now, not Serena. I instantly broke into a cold sweat. A nearly two-hundred-pound, heavily bullied girl standing in the back holding a chair… Plus, with my current physical stamina, I’d probably only last a minute before collapsing. Who knows how the class would mock me then? Seeing my face turn paper-white, Caleb ruffled my hair. He flashed a brilliant, cocky smile, his teeth shining brighter than the sun outside. “What are you panicking for? I got you.” Caleb shoved his own quiz paper onto my desk, stood up without a care in the world, grabbed his chair, and swaggered to the back of the class. Mr. Harrison shot him a look of pure disgust, as if Caleb were a piece of trash. I looked down at the quiz paper Caleb handed me. It was practically blank. He had bubbled ‘C’ for all the multiple-choice questions, scribbled random numbers in the short answers, and left the free-response essays entirely blank. My initial wave of gratitude vanished, replaced by a surge of anger. Caleb was actually incredibly smart. He had a photographic memory. He could skim a dense article three times and memorize the gist of it perfectly. His family was poor. Even if they were rich, he shouldn’t be wasting his talent and throwing his life away like this. No. I couldn’t let Caleb rot away like this. After all, we were practically friends now. 14. Dealing with a cocky, narcissistic teenage boy like Caleb? I had plenty of methods. “Caleb, wanna make a bet?” “Whoever gets a higher score on the finals, the loser has to become the winner’s minion. They have to stand at attention when the winner walks by and call them ‘Boss’.” Caleb looked me up and down seriously for a moment before letting out a dismissive snort. “You? Sure, my grades are worse than yours right now, but you’re giving 90% effort, and I’m giving 10%. I’m a genius, you know that right?” “I just don’t feel like studying. If I actually tried, heh, I’d scare you to death.” I nodded expressionlessly. “Then it’s a bet. After finals, don’t forget to call me Boss Mia.” “Heh, you little chubby…” Mid-sentence, Caleb aggressively slapped his own mouth, looking annoyed with himself. I winked at him. “I won’t be chubby for long.” Caleb let out an exaggerated groan. “Jesus, Mia! Please don’t ever make that face again, it’s terrifying!” “Get lost!” My relationship with Caleb improved drastically. Because of him, the attitude of the girls in class toward me suddenly became incredibly warm. “Mia, could you pass this letter to Caleb for me?” “Mia, can you give this bag of snacks to Caleb?” “Mia, we’re going to the amusement park this weekend. You should come! Oh, and ask Caleb if he wants to come too.” Caleb rejected all of them. He took the snacks, ignored the letters, and turned down every invitation.

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When the wealthiest man in the city came to the orphanage to find his biological daughter, he was looking for a specific birthmark on the back of the neck. I calmly pulled my collar high, hiding mine, and timidly pointed at the prettiest girl in the room. “Sir, are you looking for a birthmark shaped like a plum blossom? Then you’re probably looking for her.” She was taken home. For the first time in two lifetimes, I smiled a genuine smile. “Sister, without me to take the fall, let’s see if you can survive.” 1 I was reborn on the exact day my billionaire biological father came to the orphanage to claim his child. Mia, the girl I had grown up with, was practically vibrating with excitement. She kept nagging me to check the birthmark on the back of her neck. “It’s definitely there, right? I’m the only one with a plum blossom birthmark. “I can’t believe I’m the daughter of a billionaire! “Listen, if you lick my shoes right now and beg, maybe I’ll take you with me. You could be my maid.” Mia looked down at me, her arrogance and triumph impossible to hide. I stood there, acting meek and terrified, not daring to speak. But deep down, a dark, satisfying thrill was spreading through my chest. My silence seemed to agitate Mia even more. “Tch, useless. Even when I hand you an opportunity, you’re too stupid to take it.” I timed it perfectly, opening my mouth with a weak, pleading tone. “Mia, please don’t forget me when you’re rich. “You’re going to be a billionaire’s daughter now. If anything bad ever happens, could you… could you help me out?” Before I could even finish, Mia scoffed and turned away to pack her things. Before leaving the room, she shot me a final, disdainful glare. “I’m the daughter of a billionaire. You think you have the right to associate with me?” The moment she left, I finally laughed out loud. She had bullied me constantly, but that wasn’t unforgivable. Resources at the orphanage were scarce; you had to fight to survive. But what she absolutely shouldn’t have done—what she deserved to die for—was offering me up as a sacrificial lamb in our past life. Yes, I had lived this life before. In my past life, the billionaire arrived at the exact same time. Both Mia and I had the plum blossom birthmark. That was when I learned the truth: we were actually fraternal twins. We just didn’t look very much alike. When we went back to the estate, the life of a billionaire heiress wasn’t the fairy tale we imagined. The only reason he bothered to find us was because his beloved fake daughter needed a healthy kidney. To save herself, Mia faked an illness, forcing them to harvest my kidney instead for the fake daughter. But she didn’t stop there. She teamed up with the fake daughter to sell me to human traffickers deep in the Appalachian mountains. When I was finally killed, I died with my eyes wide open, utterly unresigned. God finally opened His eyes and gave me a chance to do it all over again. I looked at the billionaire kneeling in front of me, asking his questions. I timidly pointed toward Mia, who was eagerly walking out of her room. “Sir, are you looking for a birthmark shaped like a plum blossom? Then you’re probably looking for her.” Mia’s recognition was a success. She smiled, and so did I. Sister, without me to take the fall for you, let’s see if you can survive. 2 Mia clutched the hem of her dress. She didn’t even need to force the tears; they flowed naturally. The family of three held each other tightly, weeping uncontrollably. “My sweet girl, you’ve suffered so much.” The billionaire was so overjoyed at finding his beloved daughter that he immediately wrote a $100,000 check to the orphanage. The news of Mia returning to high society became legendary among the orphans. For a while, checking for birthmarks became a massive trend. “Hey, look! I have an oval birthmark right here. “Maybe one day my dad will fly a helicopter in and take me home to a life of luxury.” I just smiled. Back then, I used to be just as naive. I used to cross off the days on the calendar, waiting for my happy ending. Until two months later, when shocking news broke from the billionaire’s estate. Mia had fallen gravely ill and died en route to receiving specialized medical treatment abroad. The billionaire’s wife was supposedly so overcome with grief that she was hospitalized. A week after the news broke, I deliberately wore a spaghetti-strap tank top and loitered around the main hall where everyone gathered. “Man, it’s such a shame about Mia. She was always so healthy when she lived here.” I was telling the truth. Mia had been as healthy as an ox. “Wait, Chloe? Stay still.” The orphanage director grabbed my arm, her eyes widening. “Why do you have a plum blossom birthmark on the back of your neck too?! “Let me think… let me think. “You and Mia were found together in the same basket. Could you be…?! Oh my god, I need to call them right now!” I looked at the director with wide, clueless eyes, but a flicker of a smile danced in my heart. Even if it was just for the chance of another $100,000 donation, there was no way she would let this opportunity slip by. 3 The truth was confirmed. Everyone now knew Mia and I were twins. The billionaire family came to pick me up. “My sweet daughter, it’s all our fault we didn’t recognize you last time.” I was flanked by my billionaire parents. The woman practically soaked my shirt with her tears. I tentatively called her “Mom.” Then, I asked softly, “Mia was only home for two months. What exactly did she die from? “She used to be… so healthy.” My new mom glanced at me, then lowered her head to wipe her tears. “It was a sudden illness. We didn’t expect it either.” Oh. A sudden illness. Did you mean a sudden surgery to harvest her kidney for your fake daughter? If my guess was right, there must have been a complication during the surgery, leading to Mia’s death. Yes. The fake daughter, Audrey, had been diagnosed with kidney failure. A blood test revealed she wasn’t biologically related to the family. But the couple couldn’t bear to lose the daughter they had raised. Finding a matching kidney on the donor list was nearly impossible. So, they frantically launched a search for their biological child—solely to save Audrey. “We feel so guilty about what happened to your sister. From now on, just stay home. We will make it up to you.” I was pulled into her embrace, and she patted my back gently. “Mhm. Mia passed away from an illness. It has nothing to do with you.” The moment I said that, my mom’s body stiffened for a microsecond. I smiled coldly to myself. In my past life, Mia and I were brought back together. The couple originally wanted Mia’s kidney. But Mia refused, and instead schemed to push me onto the operating table. Things were working out perfectly now. Mia was dead, which meant one-third of my revenge from my past life was already complete. “Dad, Mom, where’s my other sister? “Did she go back to find her biological parents?” They exchanged a look, seemingly unsure of how to answer. I shrugged, looking slightly disappointed. “That’s a shame. I guess I’m just used to the noise and company at the orphanage. It would have been nice if she were here, so I’d have a sister to spend time with.” “Chloe, do you really mean that?” Her voice pitched up slightly. “We were worried you wouldn’t accept her, since you’re our real flesh and blood.” I smiled. I knew them too well. If I didn’t accept Audrey, I would end up exactly like Mia. In this life, rather than waiting passively, I decided to take the initiative. By playing the role of the understanding, generous daughter, I could keep the fake heiress right under my nose. 4 The fake heiress returned that afternoon. She walked in wearing designer heels, draped in luxury brands from head to toe. But her complexion was noticeably pale. “Audrey, come meet your sister.” I politely called her “Sister,” acting timid as I hid slightly behind my parents. Audrey smiled, but a chilling glint flashed in her eyes. “Welcome home, Chloe.” She casually pulled a platinum debit card from her designer bag. “There’s $50,000 on this. Consider it a welcoming gift from your big sister.” I looked at my mom, schooling my features into a mask of pure shock. Seeing my reaction, Audrey’s smile widened. “It’s just one month of my allowance. Take it.” Audrey, wearing her heels, was slightly taller than me. Her eyes were full of triumph and disdain. I carefully took the card, my eyes turning red. “Dad, Mom, I don’t dare spend this. “I’ve never seen this much money in my entire life.” Guilt already weighed heavily on them. Hearing my words, they fell silent. “Are you serious?” Audrey exaggeratedly covered her mouth. “Are there really people who can’t even scrape together $50,000?” Her words made me tear up. I hunched my shoulders and shrank back. The next second, my dad shot Audrey a sharp look of displeasure. “Audrey, your sister grew up in an orphanage. Of course she hasn’t had the privileges you have. “Chloe, come here. Dad will give you this one.” An exclusive, limitless black card was pressed into my hand. Audrey gripped her designer bag so tightly it deformed. Heh. Can’t even handle this? Don’t worry, we’re just getting started. 5 I was placed in the bedroom right next to my parents. To show how much they valued me, they personally took me out to pick the furniture and decor. “Mom! I want to go too!” Audrey pouted and whined. My mom looked at me, then at Audrey, and finally shook her head. “Audrey, if you like something, just order it online. “Have them deliver it straight to the house.” Before the door closed, I saw Audrey’s beautiful face twist into something hideous. But she didn’t hear my mom sigh after we left the room. “Audrey’s health is still fragile. Going out shopping with us would be too exhausting for her.” “You’re right,” my dad agreed. “That girl never knows how to take care of herself.” I listened silently, not saying a word. I knew from my past life that they loved Audrey more than anything. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have turned a blind eye to how she bullied me back then. My parents spent money without blinking, but by the time we got home, I was exhausted. I was just about to drink a glass of milk and go to sleep when Audrey cornered me in the kitchen. “Sister?” I smiled at her, neither subservient nor arrogant. Audrey looked at me, then at the glass of milk in my hand, and scoffed. “Did you have the habit of drinking milk at the orphanage too? “Things sure are different now that you’re in a mansion. You think you’re royalty. “Do you even know how much that carton of milk costs? It’s probably worth half your miserable life.” Instead of getting angry, I laughed. So, in my past life, when she sold me to traffickers deep in the mountains, she only asked for $500? Looking at it that way, I guess I really wasn’t worthy of this milk. But wait. This is my house. I took a huge gulp and dramatically savored the taste. “It really is delicious. So rich and sweet. “I bet you drink this all the time, right? But I wonder… if you hadn’t been switched at birth, would you even be able to afford a single drop of this?” Audrey’s face contorted with rage. “You little bitch! I knew your whole act in front of Mom and Dad was fake! An orphanage rat could never turn into anything good!” I dropped the smile. “You’re right. The orphanage didn’t raise anything good. “So, you better watch your back from now on.” Everything she stole from me in my past life, I was going to take back. 6 After a week at the estate, I told them I wanted to go to school. It was my senior year, I needed to prepare for my SATs, and I had much bigger plans to execute. My dad arranged for me to attend an elite private academy. The day before school started, he gave me a very serious talk. “Chloe, the kids there come from very wealthy, powerful families. Even though I’m a billionaire, you still need to get along with your classmates, understand? “You might not realize it yet, but all our families are connected through business.” I gave him a look of naive understanding. “I know, Dad.” When I got to school, I headed straight for the classroom I remembered. Even my assigned seat was exactly the same as in my past life. The only difference was that the ringleader who bullied me wasn’t here yet. Audrey had wanted to come to school with me, but my parents refused. I guessed her body still hadn’t fully recovered from the transplant, and they couldn’t bear to let her exert herself. As soon as the bell rang, a girl crossed her arms and sauntered over to my desk. “Well, well, if it isn’t Audrey’s new sister. “Life at the orphanage must have been tough, huh? How’s the mansion treating you? This kind of luxury isn’t for everyone. Just look at your short-lived sister…” Before she could finish, I tapped the shoulder of the boy sitting in front of me. “Mason, right? She’s had a massive crush on you forever. She’s the one who’s been leaving breakfast on your desk every morning.” The girl speaking was Harper. She had been secretly obsessed with the guy sitting in front of me for a long time. In my past life, she was Audrey’s biggest lackey. Audrey had learned all of Harper’s secrets and used them to mock her at home. Harper’s words died in her throat. Her face flushed a violent crimson. The boy frowned, glancing up and down at Harper with clear disdain. “Sorry, but I have absolutely no feelings for you.” Harper burst into tears and ran out of the classroom, completely forgetting she was supposed to be bullying me. 7 Everyone in the class exchanged bewildered looks, enjoying the drama. “Hey, how did you know about that?” I opened my mouth, pretending to hesitate. “M-my sister told me… at home…” A wave of shock rippled through the classroom. I followed Harper out into the hallway. She was leaning against the railing, sobbing uncontrollably. “Harper, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said that in front of everyone.” “Get away from me! You already said it, stop acting like you care!” I took a half-step back, looking appropriately scolded. “It’s just that I always heard her talking about all the sweet things you did for him, but he was completely oblivious. I got anxious and just blurted it out.” Harper kept cursing at me. But mid-rant, she suddenly froze. “The things I did? What things did I do? How do you know?” “Audrey talks about it all the time at the dinner table.” Harper’s jaw slowly clenched tight. She even grabbed my wrist. “Tell me exactly what she said! Every single word! What else did she say?! Tell me everything, and I’ll forgive you for what happened today!” I blinked. Well, Harper practically forced me to say it. When I finished recounting everything Audrey had “said,” Harper was shaking with rage. “She really said that? She said I was a pathetic loser? She said I had no self-respect?!” I pressed my lips together. I couldn’t possibly repeat those words a second time. “Harper, please don’t tell anyone I told you. If my parents find out, they’ll yell at me.” Harper looked at me. “Seeing you act so spineless pisses me off! “Did Audrey bully you? You’re the real heiress, what are you afraid of? “Useless! Just follow my lead from now on!” I smiled. Sowing discord: mission accomplished! Harper was Audrey’s number one lapdog at school, and Harper’s family business was booming. Turning an enemy into an ally had massive benefits. In just one week, Harper introduced me to her entire social circle. “The more friends you have, the easier life is, got it? “Let’s see how that little bitch Audrey tries to bully you now.” I wanted to laugh. Harper was actually a very straightforward, blunt person. Thanks to her, almost all of Audrey’s former lackeys had been successfully bought off by me. 8 When I got home that day, the atmosphere in the house was incredibly oppressive. My dad sat in the living room with a dark scowl. The moment I walked in, the interrogation began. “Chloe, how are you getting along with your classmates? “Did you get into a fight with anyone?!” I blinked, then lowered my head, intentionally stammering and hesitating. I made sure to subtly glance up at Audrey every few seconds. “Several companies suddenly canceled their contracts with us! They’re all the families of your classmates! “Chloe, I told you when you started school to build good relationships! Do you have any idea how much money you just lost the company?!” My dad chewed me out without even asking for my side of the story. From an angle he couldn’t see, Audrey raised an eyebrow at me, then immediately put on her “good girl” act. “Dad, please let it go. Chloe just got back, she doesn’t understand these things. “She grew up in an orphanage, how could she possibly understand corporate politics? “Besides, those people are all snobs. I’ll go back to school tomorrow and explain things to them. I’ll handle it.” My dad frowned at me, but his gaze softened significantly when he looked at Audrey. “Chloe, you really need to learn from your sister! “I don’t expect you to instantly become a perfect socialite, but you can’t be dragging our family down! So many canceled contracts all at once—we’re going to be in the financial news, do you understand?! Our stock is already fluctuating!” My eyes welled with tears and I whispered, “I understand, Dad.” Audrey mouthed a silent “You deserve it” at me. I didn’t argue back. I just hoped she’d keep that same energy tomorrow. 9 The next morning, my dad personally drove us to the academy gates. “Audrey, make sure you talk to your classmates. “Having so many partnerships canceled at once is really bad for our family’s reputation.” Audrey nodded firmly. “Don’t worry, Dad. I’ve got this!” I had to pinch my own thigh to keep from laughing out loud. If he was relying on Audrey, he definitely shouldn’t be worrying. He should be panicking. Audrey marched into the classroom exactly like I remembered from my past life—spine straight, chin high, even letting out a delicate cough to announce her presence. Everyone looked up, but not a single person acknowledged her. Instead, they waved enthusiastically at me. “Chloe, over here! I brought you snacks today!” Audrey frowned, opening her mouth to speak, but the bell rang. For the entire period, Audrey kept looking left and right, trying to strike up a conversation. But sadly, not a single person gave her the time of day. As soon as class ended, Audrey couldn’t hold back anymore. She marched straight over to her old clique. “Long time no see, guys! Did you miss me? “Let’s do dinner at my house tonight! I’ll have the chef set up a barbecue on the terrace!” She was met with dead silence. Audrey’s face darkened, looking incredibly embarrassed. “Harper, what’s going on?” “Tch. We’re not worthy of rubbing elbows with a billionaire’s daughter. And I definitely wouldn’t dare eat your barbecue. What if your chef thinks I’m poor and pathetic? What if he doesn’t like my ‘obsessive personality’? I’ll pass.” Audrey stiffened. “Wh-what are you talking about?” “Stop acting!” Harper actively stepped away from Audrey. “I can’t believe I actually thought we were best friends. You make me sick!” “Harper…” Tears welled up in Audrey’s eyes. Here comes her classic routine. “We haven’t seen each other in so long, why are you talking to me like this? “I even had someone bring back that French perfume you wanted…” Before she could finish, the group that had been crowded around her instantly scattered. Realizing she had just made a fool of herself, Audrey stood frozen, looking utterly bewildered. I helpfully chimed in: “Don’t forget the mission Dad gave you. “But from the looks of it, it seems like you’re the one who offended everyone~”

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The popular girl partied all day, juggling several guys, yet she was always ranked number one. I, on the other hand, was the eternal runner-up. Everyone adored her, but I remained cold and indifferent toward her. What she didn’t know was that I could hear her inner voice. [What’s the point of studying so hard? I’m the main character. Getting into Harvard is my pre-written plotline. You’re just destined to fail your finals and become my loyal little sidekick.] Is that so? I will always believe that 100% hard work makes you invincible. 1 During the long break, I was hunched over my desk, furiously doing practice problems. Meanwhile, Bella Crawford’s desk in front of me was surrounded by people. The girls chattered excitedly: “Omg, Bella, your new necklace is gorgeous. Preston gave it to you, right? I’m so jealous. You have top grades, you’re so pretty, and you have a boyfriend who adores you.” Bella giggled coyly, “If you guys really like it, I’ll gift you all something similar next time. One for everyone~” The crowd cheered, disrupting my train of thought. Frustrated, I tossed my pen down. The clatter of the pen caught their attention and sparked dissatisfaction. Someone muttered, “Still studying during break? So try-hard, yet she’s still the eternal runner-up.” I looked up. Before I could say anything, Bella stepped in to play the peacemaker. “Maya, they didn’t mean it. Don’t take it to heart. You’ll definitely catch up to me on the next test.” I slept at 1 AM and woke up at 5 AM every day, burning the midnight oil with endless practice tests, yet I could never beat Bella. Her words deflated my momentum. “Mhm,” I replied flatly. Perhaps my reaction wasn’t enthusiastic enough. I clearly saw a flash of disdain and pity in her eyes. But it was fleeting. She had already turned back around, accepting the girls’ flattery once more. “Bella, you’re just too humble. No matter how hard she tries, she’ll always be beneath you.” “Right? Look at her acting all superior just because she studies.” “What’s the point of good grades if you have no social skills?” Amidst the crowd’s gossiping, I suddenly heard another, mocking voice. [Yeah, what’s the point of studying so hard? I’m the main character. Getting into Harvard is my pre-written plotline. You’re just destined to fail your college placements and become my loyal little sidekick.] That was undeniably Bella’s voice. 2 I stared intensely at the back of the girl sitting in front of me, but she clearly hadn’t opened her mouth. Was I getting so jealous of being the runner-up that I was hallucinating? I forced myself to adjust my mindset and dove back into my sea of practice questions. No matter what, hard work is never wrong. At dinnertime, Bella came over to invite me to the cafeteria again. She invited me every single day, showing me an unusual amount of warmth, which made everyone else exceptionally jealous. After all, she was the school’s “It Girl.” Even the trust fund slacker who always hung around her had warned me not to push my luck and waste Bella’s goodwill. I declined as usual. Aside from the fact that Bella always rolled with an entourage and ordered a ridiculous, wasteful spread of food… With the final state exams approaching, I had compressed my time to the absolute limit. If I wasn’t hungry, I’d just skip dinner and stay in the classroom. Unexpectedly, she showed some concern: “Don’t work yourself to death. Studying isn’t just about brute force, it’s about talent too. You need to learn to be flexible~” She winked at me, turned, and walked away. Right after she turned around, I heard that voice again. [Just wait until you fail your finals, then you’ll realize how incredibly benevolent my concern for you is right now. When the time comes, you’ll be thanking me like a dog just for tossing you a job.] This wasn’t an illusion. It wasn’t an auditory hallucination. It was definitively a voice coming from Bella! I froze in my seat, my fingernails unconsciously digging into my palms. No wonder she never studied yet effortlessly scored first place. No wonder everyone was involuntarily drawn to her. So, in this world, true fairness really didn’t exist. 3 Evening study hall ended, and the sky was pitch black. Outside the classroom, Preston Vance, the trust fund slacker, was waiting for Bella to finish class. “Hurry up, babe. I booked a VIP booth at the club for your birthday tonight. I’ve got a surprise.” Bella replied sweetly, “I know, I know.” As she walked past me, she shot me a breezy glance. That sarcastic voice chimed in again: [Hilarious, still reading. Tonight your mom is going to end up hospitalized with carbon monoxide poisoning. Starting tomorrow, your proud head will be lowered forever. When that happens, you’ll be endlessly grateful when I toss a few pennies your way.] I snapped my head up and glared at her, my eyes terrifying. She quickly looked away and sauntered off toward Preston as if nothing happened. I didn’t even grab my backpack. I sprinted out of the classroom, shoving past Preston. Curses echoed behind me, but I didn’t care. A walk that usually took fifteen minutes took me barely seven as I ran all the way home. Inside, my exhausted mother was hunched over, preparing a late-night snack for me. Seeing me standing at the door panting, she teased gently: “What’s the rush, sweetie? You’re home early today. I just finished making you some food.” I walked straight into the kitchen and checked the stove. Sure enough, the gas valve hadn’t been shut off properly. I violently twisted the valve shut, my eyes red as I yelled, “The gas wasn’t turned off! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!” I rarely spoke to my mother like that. She froze, confused. “Huh? I usually remember. I must have been out of it today. Good thing my girl is so careful.” I looked at my mother. Barely forty, yet her hair was already greying. She was wearing a grease-stained apron. A wave of terrifying grief and relief washed over me. I threw my arms around her, swallowing the lump in my throat, and whispered, “Mom, please don’t ever forget again.” 4 That night, I looked at the photos Bella posted on Instagram. In the photos, she was in a lavish VIP booth, holding a massive bouquet of roses, laughing coyly, looking like the picture of pure innocence. The caption: [Thanks to a certain someone for the birthday surprise~] My mother had been straddling the line between life and death, while she was out partying, completely burden-free. She clearly knew the plot beforehand. She could have saved a life! Bella was just afraid that changing the plot would affect her future path as the “Main Character.” A path paved with human lives, yet she accepted it so calmly. Beneath that innocent exterior lay an incredibly venomous soul. I refused to believe that someone with such blatant disregard for human life could have a bright future. I refused to believe that my eighteen years of grueling hard work couldn’t beat some so-called “Main Character Halo.” I refused to believe that my efforts existed only to serve as her foil. I refuse. I refuse to believe that this is how the world works! A pre-written plot? Then I’ll be the one to break it. I’ll show you that human will can defy destiny, and that 100% hard work is truly invincible. The next day, as soon as I arrived at the classroom, Bella approached me with red rims around her eyes, looking like she was about to cry. “Maya, I heard your mom was hospitalized for a gas leak yesterday. It must be so serious.” I sneered and said, “Huh? Your mom had a gas leak? Is it serious? Is she dead? Do you need me to recommend a good cemetery?” Bella’s face flushed red with anger. She gritted her teeth. “I’m talking about your mom!” I pushed my chair back a step. “Why are you cursing people?” Unable to hold back, she yelled, “I said your mom had a gas leak!” I scoffed. “You were crying so hard, I thought it was your mom. Don’t worry, my mom is perfectly healthy, my mom is doing great, and my mom is going to live a long, long life!” 5 Seeing me arguing with Bella, our classmates crowded around, ready to blindly accuse me. I immediately plopped down on the floor and wailed loudly, “Everyone, look at this! Bella has such a toxic mouth, cursing my family first thing in the morning. My mom is a single mother, what did she ever do to you? Why would you curse her to die in a gas leak? Are you this cruel because you don’t have a mom of your own? Waaaah!” Perhaps because I usually maintained a cold, quiet persona, my sudden outburst left the classmates staring at each other, utterly speechless. Bella stood there, stunned, muttering, “But her mom should have already died from the gas leak…” The room was dead silent, making her murmur exceptionally loud. The classmates looked horrified. “Why is she actually cursing people’s families?” “I couldn’t tell she was that kind of person normally.” “Bella, hurry up and apologize to Maya.” Eventually, the commotion brought Mr. Davis, the Dean of Students. In the office, I cried my eyes out. “Mr. Davis, you know my family situation isn’t good. My mom raised me all by herself. For her to come up and curse my mom like that… what kind of behavior is this?!” Mr. Davis looked at me with sympathy. He often privately encouraged me to “study hard and change my destiny.” He turned to Bella sternly. “You’re supposed to be our top student, and you pull a stunt like this? Apologize to Maya right now! And write a thousand-word reflection essay!” Bella looked like she was waking from a dream. “It shouldn’t be like this… the plot isn’t supposed to go like this…” How was it supposed to go? My mom dying to pave your way? Me giving up my future to become your bag-carrying lackey? Hearing her mutter this, the Dean scolded her even more harshly. Finally, looking utterly aggrieved, Bella reluctantly apologized to me. You feel wronged just by this? Then you better brace yourself for what’s coming. 6 The moment I stepped out of the office, I saw Preston glaring at me as if he wanted to murder me. Bella threw herself into his arms, sobbing loudly, acting as if she had suffered the greatest injustice in the world. Preston rushed over, grabbed me by the collar, and spat, “You vicious bitch, apologize to Bella right now!” I slapped his hand away and said coldly, “What am I apologizing for? It’s perfectly fine for her to curse someone’s parents?” “Bella would never do that! She definitely didn’t mean it!” I looked at Preston, amused, and enunciated every word clearly: “Preston, be careful you don’t drop dead tomorrow.” Then I shrugged my shoulders. “Oops, I didn’t mean it either~” Bella cried even louder. Before leaving, I looked back at the two of them and offered my sincere blessing: “You two really are a match made in heaven.” For the next few days, Bella continued to play the innocent victim, asking about my well-being daily. When I ignored her, she’d tear up to garner sympathy. “Maya, I really lost my mind that day. Are you still refusing to forgive me?” The classmates around us chimed in, “Yeah, Maya. Bella is being so sincere, do you really have to hold a grudge?” The inner voice I heard wasn’t sincere at all. What she was actually saying was: [Why did this damn Maya suddenly deviate from the plot? She’s so hard to deal with now, and I still need her brain to help me with my investments later in the story!] I swept a cold gaze over my classmates. More or less, all of them had accepted gifts from Bella. Bella had excellent grades, plus the heir to the Vance Corporation acting as her lapdog. Even at seventeen or eighteen, many had already learned to suck up to the powerful, hoping Bella would become a valuable connection for them in the future. I chuckled lightly. “I guess it’s true what they say: take someone’s money, and your mouth belongs to them. What a pathetic bunch of future leaders.” 7 I didn’t expect my words to have such an impact. The next day, as soon as I entered the classroom, I saw a girl returning a gift to Bella. The girl looked down and said, “Bella, thank you for the gift, but I don’t think I can accept it.” Before Bella could respond, she scurried back to her seat. While some classmates woke up, naturally there were those who continued to act like lapdogs, pinning their hopes on others. They only hated me more. But I didn’t care. During break, the girl who returned the gift quietly came over to ask me about a calculus problem. Bella’s “talent” could only be used on exams. The plot would always arrange for her to write down the correct answer. But her brain knew absolutely nothing about the actual problem-solving process. So whenever classmates asked her questions, she always found excuses to deflect. I patiently explained the steps to the girl. Before leaving, she looked at me with admiration. “Maya, you’re really amazing. Let’s work hard together!” I felt genuinely moved. This was the atmosphere our class was supposed to have. Not everyone crowding around Bella, praising her latest designer jewelry. I sighed inwardly and dove back into the sea of test papers. Lately, I had more important things to focus on. I needed to negotiate with the science teachers about joining the Academic Decathlon team. Previously, I hadn’t taken official competition prep courses. Many students aiming for that route had prepared early. Someone from a poor background like me couldn’t afford it. So I had focused entirely on the standard college admissions exams, fearing that if I failed to secure an early-admissions spot through the competitions, it would tank my regular test scores. But now, since relying solely on the regular exams carried “plot” risks, I decided to play both sides! 8 The moment I joined the advanced prep class, Bella followed right behind me. She was ranked first; joining the honors track was a breeze for her. The second she stepped into the room, I heard her resentful inner voice again: [Why is she suddenly doing the academic competitions? I have to spend so many of my Reward Points to get the answers for these questions. I could have just cruised straight into Harvard. This side character is so annoying.] I curled my lips into a smile. Ah, so you have Reward Points? Let’s see what you do when those points run dry. Resources are meant to be utilized. Whenever I got stuck on a complex problem, I went straight to Bella. “Bella, how do you solve this? You’re number one, you definitely know how to do it, right~” Hearing her internally agonize as she spent Reward Points to unlock the answers was deeply satisfying. Except, every time she explained a problem, there was always someone else there freeloading off the answer. Our school’s physics prodigy, Liam Gallagher. Every time he heard Bella give the answer, he looked at her with admiration. Bella rejoiced internally: [Well, coming to the competition class makes it easier to conquer the Second Male Lead anyway. It’s a win.] Oh, I forgot. This was Bella’s other side-piece. Except this side-piece was a massive nerd. Every time, he chased after Bella asking her to break down her thought process. Hilarious. What thought process did she have? Eventually, Bella could only awkwardly deflect: “You don’t even know how to do something this simple? You should just read the textbook more.” 9 Well, perfect. Once Liam realized Bella wouldn’t explain things to him, he turned to me for help. In just a few sentences, I could point him in the exact right direction. So, he stopped leeching off Bella and started leeching off me. Watching this, Bella looked like she was ready to grind her teeth to dust. Although I had zero interest in guys, seeing her miserable made me very happy. Perhaps realizing that defeating me through studying was impossible, Bella shifted her focus elsewhere. Preston and his lackeys caused trouble for me multiple times. He threatened me: “If you dare make Bella unhappy again, I’ll have the school expel you.” The Vance family was incredibly powerful. His dad had donated two buildings to the school, so this wasn’t an empty threat. Too bad it didn’t work on me. I acted completely arrogant. “Outside of this school, there are plenty of academies fighting to recruit me. I’m tied directly to this school’s Ivy League acceptance rates. They need to put my face on the Wall of Honor to advertise their elite education. Do you really think they’d be willing to expel me?” Probably having never heard someone speak so boldly to him, Preston froze. I smirked. “A useless trust fund baby like you, who only knows how to squander family money, could never understand the joy of academic excellence. “So go ahead, guard your inherited assets and secretly pat yourself on the back. Because soon enough, you’ll realize that being born with everything is worthless compared to earning it yourself!” Before I left, I waved a recording pen at him, laughing freely.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “435849”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

Years after I graduated college, a novel I wrote about second chances and a broken romance unexpectedly went viral. The male lead was based on him. At my book’s press conference, he sat in the front row as the primary investor. His girlfriend smiled brightly at the cameras. “We’re getting engaged soon. I hope certain people don’t read too much into a fictional story and embarrass themselves.” A reporter stubbornly pressed on, “Mr. Thorne, since you clearly dislike the author, why did you buy the rights to her book?” Sebastian Thorne didn’t even glance in my direction. He answered coolly, “The plot is clumsy and cheap. I bought it so I’d never have to see it again.” 1 “Did you hear? The male and female leads never actually got back together in real life. She dumped him.” “Why?” “Because he was broke, obviously.” “Then when Sebastian Thorne became a billionaire heir, she crawled back begging for a second chance, and he shut her down.” “Wow, and she still had the nerve to write a book about it?” The AC in the press conference hall was blasting, set to a freezing 64 degrees. The murmurs and insults from the readers echoed through the room. I kept my head down, meticulously signing my pen name on the title pages. I wrote this novel the year I graduated. I never expected it to blow up. The harder the readers shipped the fictional couple back then, the more viciously they attacked me now that my history with Sebastian had been dug up. But I couldn’t afford to be upset. Even if I had to smile while being cursed at, I had to finish this event. Because this was the investor’s demand. Sebastian was currently sitting in the front row. He looked calm and authoritative, watching the girl beside him field questions from the press. “We’re getting engaged soon. I hope certain people don’t read too much into a fictional story and embarrass themselves.” The girl’s smile was sickeningly sweet. “If someone ruined a man’s life and then expected to just waltz back into it… well, that would just be shameless, wouldn’t it?” I knew this woman. Valerie Kensington. We were classmates in college. Her family and the Thorne family were old money, deeply connected. Back when I was dating Sebastian, she proactively befriended me, acting like my ultimate best friend. After graduation, she acted like I didn’t exist. The microphone was passed to Sebastian. “Mr. Thorne, rumor has it that you and the author share a very intense history. How exactly did you two break up back then?” Sebastian didn’t even look at me. “I suggest you ask the author.” His freezing tone only fueled the rumors. Confirming the narrative that I was a gold-digger who threw him away. A wave of laughter rippled through the crowd. “Someone mentioned your first choice wasn’t business, but becoming a research scientist.” “Could you tell us why you ultimately chose to return and inherit the family empire?” Sebastian’s gaze finally cut through the crowd, landing squarely on me. He stared at me expressionless for a long moment. Then, he looked away. “I was young. I didn’t know what I really wanted.” “Facts have proven that people belong in the circles they are familiar with.” “As for the rest… I just rolled with the punches.” After finishing, he asked flatly, “Miss Sterling, wouldn’t you agree?” Facing the cameras, my mind went completely blank. Just as I opened my mouth to say something, Sebastian lowered his eyes and started chatting with the executive next to him, clearly unbothered by whatever my answer might be. The massive screen in the hall cut back to a clip of his earlier interview. “What was your reason for buying the rights to this book?” Sebastian’s voice was ice. “The plot is clumsy and cheap. I bought it so I’d never have to see it again.” 2 Honestly, I only found out today that Sebastian was my investor. Hardly any of my actual fans showed up to the press conference. Instead, I was hit with an industry blacklist. My book was being pulled from all online platforms, and the physical copies were halting production. “Maya, I’m afraid the movie adaptation is dead in the water.” After the event, my editor, Oliver, pulled me aside. I stood by the exit, a little dazed. His eyes landed on my ear, hesitating for a moment. He asked, “Your… ear?” I touched the hearing aid hidden beneath my hair, feeling a flush of embarrassment. “Yeah… The doctor said there’s a new surgical implant available. I wanted to try it.” Over the last few years, my hearing had steadily deteriorated. If I didn’t stare directly at someone’s lips, I essentially couldn’t understand a word they were saying. The surgery cost $100,000. If I lost my royalties, there was no way I could afford it. Oliver sighed. “I’m so sorry. I can’t help you.” I knew it was hard for him too. We were just a small publishing house trying to survive. No one expected us to be targeted by apex capital. The manuscript I wrote years ago had been dug up and hyped into a frenzy, pushing me directly into the crosshairs. “It’s okay. I’ll figure something else out.” He patted my shoulder. Before he could finish his sentence, someone violently bumped into me. I stumbled forward, and my hearing aid flew out of my ear and hit the floor. “Oh man, I’m so sorry…” A delivery guy scrambled into the elevator and disappeared. I crouched down and realized the delicate device was cracked in half. The noisy ambient sounds of the venue were instantly muffled, turning into a thick, underwater hum. Until a shadow cast over me, blocking the overhead lights. A pair of polished black dress shoes stopped right in front of me. I looked up. Sebastian, looking impeccable in his tailored suit. Through the cold, metallic frames of his glasses, he looked down at me with absolutely zero warmth. His hand was resting against a towering stack of delivery boxes that had almost tipped over. His brows were furrowed in deep irritation. “Are you deaf?” I read his lips perfectly. I also saw the terrified delivery worker pushing the cart next to him, apologizing profusely. Apparently, I had crouched right in the middle of the hallway, blocking his path, and I hadn’t heard his warnings. Sebastian had caught the heavy boxes just before they crushed me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause trouble.” I frantically stuffed the broken pieces of my hearing aid into my purse, stood up, and apologized to the worker. Sebastian pulled his hand back, and the boxes slammed onto the floor right next to my feet. “This is my building. I don’t want any accidents happening on the premises. That is all.” With that, he turned and walked away without a single backward glance. 3 I was busy all day and hadn’t eaten a thing. I got a text from my best friend, so I gave her a quick rundown of the situation. “Valerie and Sebastian are actually together?” She immediately blew up my phone. “Does he even know what kind of monster she is?! If she hadn’t abandoned you back then, would you even be in this state?!” I paused, typing back: “Running away from danger is human instinct. I can’t… blame anyone else for that.” The June weather was incredibly unpredictable. A torrential downpour started without warning. Across the street, a massive LED billboard flashed an advertisement for a luxury real estate project co-funded by the Thorne and Kensington families. Business was booming. I remembered reading a financial analysis online once. Alliances between elite families were impenetrable fortresses. In the years since graduation, I occasionally heard updates about Sebastian from old classmates. Everyone used to think he was just a brilliant kid from a poor family. His grades were flawless, and he had even won first place at the National Physics Olympiad. When we broke up, he was actively negotiating a full-ride fellowship at MIT. But after our split, his grades mysteriously plummeted. He lost his spot. When he finally resurfaced, it was as the newly revealed heir to the Thorne empire, stepping into the media spotlight. He was a completely different person. Ruthless, cutthroat, and terrifyingly efficient. I knew exactly who was responsible for those changes. And because of that, I had absolutely no right to say a word to defend myself or clear the air about our past. Raindrops blew under my umbrella. My face and clothes were soaked. I touched my ear, hailed a cab by the curb, and went to find someone to fix my hearing aid. The muffled thunder sounded like it was wrapped in cotton, vibrating uselessly against my eardrums. 4 Oliver was a genuinely good guy. He refused to let my hard work go down the drain. He spent days calling in favors until he finally connected with a small, independent film studio. They were willing to risk offending Sebastian to produce my script. Oliver set up a dinner meeting. If we sealed the deal, I’d get my advance next week. Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on my side. The night of the dinner, Oliver got stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Leaving me alone at a table full of strangers. And to make matters exponentially worse, Valerie was there. My hearing aid hadn’t been fixed yet. So for the entire night, I had to hyper-focus on everyone’s lips just to decipher what they were saying. Valerie crossed her legs, swirling her wine. “Gentlemen, no need to be polite with Miss Sterling. For the right price, she’ll do absolutely anything.” One of the sleazy producers immediately chimed in, “Life is so stressful. Doesn’t Miss Sterling want to make things a little easier for herself?” The table erupted in predatory laughter. I kept my head down, gripped my wine glass, took a small sip, and remained completely silent. Oliver had begged for this meeting. His wife just had a baby, and he was under a mountain of pressure. I couldn’t let his efforts go to waste. I just had to wait for him to arrive. But I underestimated how far they were willing to go. The comments grew increasingly vulgar. “If you come back to my hotel tonight, I’ll—” A tall figure suddenly stepped between me and the producer, completely blocking my view. “You want her to do what at your hotel?” I looked up and saw Sebastian glaring down at the man, spitting out the words like shards of ice. Under the harsh overhead lights, his sharp features looked terrifyingly lethal. Why was he here? Valerie’s smug smile vanished. She bolted upright. “Sebastian, what are you doing here?” The sleazy producer instantly turned pale, losing his voice entirely. “Mr… Mr. Thorne…” Sebastian grabbed my wrist and dragged me away. Before I could even process what was happening, I was being pulled out of the restaurant. Valerie panicked, screaming, “Sebastian… don’t be reckless!” Her voice was quickly left behind. He didn’t stop until he practically threw me into the passenger seat of his Maybach. “How much?” The freezing words slammed into my ears. Sebastian gripped the steering wheel, the veins on the back of his hand bulging, radiating pure fury. I stared at him blankly. “What?” He let out a dark, furious laugh, reached into his jacket, pulled out a black Amex card, and threw it into my lap. “Tens of thousands? Hundreds of thousands? Millions? Swipe whatever you want. There’s no need for you to go wagging your tail and begging for scraps from those disgusting old men.” It felt like a needle had been driven into my heart. I wanted to explain. But how could I? I was desperate for money. The brutal reality of the last few years had ground my pride into dust. There is nothing more terrifying in this world than poverty. “Didn’t you want money?” Sebastian ground his teeth. “Or do you think my money is too dirty for you?” I picked up the card, clutching it tightly, and offered a weak, pathetic response: “Let me borrow $100,000. I’ll pay you back.” I knew the limit on this card was infinitely higher than $100,000. It probably had no limit at all. Sebastian’s face hardened. “Really? Remember you said that.” “Every single month from now on, I better see a deposit in my account. If I don’t, you’ll be hearing from my lawyers.” “So, you better not try disappearing on me again.” I clenched my jaw. “I’m not that kind of person.” “You aren’t?” Sebastian leaned in close, trapping me. “Maya Sterling, when it comes to me, you have a documented criminal record.” I choked on my words. I tried to open the car door, but Sebastian blocked me. He braced his hand against the window, his other hand gripping my jaw, forcing my head up. Forcing me to look him in the eye. “Now, let’s talk about the price.” I froze. “What price?” “Did you think I was just going to let you use me out of the goodness of my heart?” His freezing fingertips traced my cheekbone like a merciless blade. “Maya, you made your bed. Don’t expect any mercy from me now.” “So, strictly business—” The end of his sentence blurred into a fuzzy hum in my ears. “Sign the marriage contract, and I’ll give it to you.” 5 The car glided silently through the city streets. Sebastian didn’t let me out. Because ten minutes ago, I had blurted out a desperate lie: “I’m getting married.” Sebastian’s expression turned apocalyptic. He stared out the window at the gloomy sky, refusing to say a word. After a long, suffocating silence, he asked: “To who?” I didn’t catch it clearly. I looked at his lips. “Hmm? What?” Sebastian raised his eyes. “I asked you, who are you marrying?” I opened my mouth, but for a long time, I couldn’t produce a single name. Having navigated the cutthroat corporate world, Sebastian’s intuition was lethal. He asked calmly, “Time, location, do your college friends know?” I couldn’t answer a single one of those questions. Sebastian’s eyelids twitched. “Maya, to avoid me, you don’t even bother drafting a believable lie anymore?” “It’s none of your business.” “Sign this.” He suddenly tossed a document into my lap. The bold letters on the A4 paper read: Pre-Nuptial Agreement. My heart seized as I read the clauses. Did he… not care at all? Almost every single clause was overwhelmingly in my favor. “I’m sorry. I can’t agree to this.” “Give me a reason.” I pushed the contract back toward him. “You and Valerie—” Before I finished my sentence, I saw a profound, searching look cross Sebastian’s face. “You actually care?” “After disappearing without a trace for years, never sending a single text, never asking about me once… you care?” “So why should it matter to you who I get engaged to, or what I think?” Honestly, I wanted to scream that I did ask about him… But explaining it now would just be useless noise. Sebastian said, “Marrying Valerie was a corporate alliance arranged by the family. I have absolutely no personal relationship with her.” “Maya, think this through.” His gaze was piercing. “Marry me, and you’ll get everything you want.” “Fame, the movie adaptation, and—” “Money.” In that moment, I finally understood why Sebastian had blacklisted me in the first place. Desperation makes a person easier to control. He had always been a master hunter. He just wanted to force me out of hiding. “But what do you get out of this?” “You.” Sebastian’s tone was completely detached. “Don’t imagine our future is going to be some fairy tale.” “All the agonizing pain I’ve endured, I’m going to return it to you, piece by piece.” Actually, I had no reason to refuse. I desperately needed the money. I was willing to do it. 6 Sebastian and I got our marriage license. The very day we signed the papers, he went straight back to the office. Before he left, he handed me an address. “I expect to see you at home tonight.” His voice was ice-cold. Devoid of any emotion. I thought about it and decided to make an appointment with the hearing aid clinic. At the very least, I needed to be able to understand him clearly when we spoke. “Miss Sterling, I’m so sorry, but your old unit is beyond repair. I highly suggest purchasing our newest model.” Hearing aids are obscenely expensive. It wasn’t something I could just casually buy. Over the years, paying for my mom’s medical bills had completely drained my accounts. I stared at the price sheet, letting out a deep sigh in my heart. I pulled out Sebastian’s black card. The sales rep’s eyes lit up. “Ma’am, you could absolutely upgrade to our premium—” “No need. Just this one is fine.” I cut her off, watching her swipe the card through the machine and hand it back to me with a beaming smile. I felt sick to my stomach. Sebastian would get the transaction alert, right? Dropping a massive amount of money on the very first day of our marriage… I didn’t even want to know what he thought of me. The truth was, he didn’t say a single word to me for the rest of the day. The new hearing aid would take a while to arrive. I went back to my tiny apartment, packed my basic toiletries, and took an Uber to the address he gave me. It was a sprawling mansion in an ultra-wealthy neighborhood. There wasn’t a soul in sight. There was a small golden retriever playing in the yard. When it saw me, it happily wagged its tail. I crouched down and patted its head. “Hi there, are you Casper?” He barked happily twice and offered me his paw. Yep, definitely Casper. Sebastian hadn’t changed at all. Still terrible at naming things. The mansion was spotless, but entirely devoid of warmth or life. I hugged Casper, sitting rigidly on the edge of the massive sofa. I pulled out my phone and mindlessly clicked onto Valerie’s Instagram page. She had blocked me ages ago, but for some inexplicable reason, her profile was public today. She had posted a story just minutes ago. It was a photo of a corporate boardroom. In her frame, Sebastian sat at the head of the table, wearing his glasses, looking deadly serious as he listened to a presentation. In front of every executive at the table was a standard bottle of sparkling water. But right next to Sebastian’s seat—where she was sitting—was a cup of hot milk tea, looking completely out of place in the sterile corporate environment. The caption read: “Today’s special privilege. ✨” I locked my phone in dead silence. I tied my hair up and dragged my suitcase into the guest bedroom. I stayed busy until evening. I thought about sending Sebastian a text to ask if he was coming home for dinner. I typed half the message, then deleted it. I wanted to take a shower, only to find that the water was completely shut off in all the guest bathrooms. I waited like that until midnight. I lay on the sofa, exhausted to the bone. Casper, who was sleeping on my stomach, suddenly perked up. I realized someone had come home. I sat up groggily, locking eyes with Sebastian as he pushed the front door open. The moment he saw me, his eyes darkened. There was a suffocatingly awkward pause. Only Casper happily trotted over, rubbing against Sebastian’s legs. I opened my mouth, my voice raspy. “You’re back?” Sebastian subtly took in my messy hair, loosened his tie, and gave a faint “Mhm.” Then he crouched down to pet the dog. I tightened my grip on my ring finger, feeling the cold metal of my wedding band. It felt so absurd. Years ago, I used to dream endlessly about what our married life would be like. Years later, we were finally living together, but in the most bizarre, twisted way imaginable. I licked my dry lips. “Then I’ll… go to sleep.” “Hold on.” Sebastian’s voice stopped me in my tracks. “You’re sleeping in the guest room?” I understood his implication. “No, I’ll move my things to the master bedroom right now.” 7 As Sebastian walked past me, I caught the faint scent of expensive liquor. And on the collar of his crisp white shirt, there was a bright crimson lipstick stain. But I didn’t have the right to ask about it. The sound of running water echoed from the master bathroom. Apparently, the shower in his room worked perfectly fine. I hesitated for a long time. When the water finally stopped, I grabbed my towel and walked over. The door opened. Sebastian emerged from the steam. He only had a towel wrapped low around his waist. Water droplets trailed down his sculpted abs and disappeared into the plush white terrycloth. He held the door open. “Do you need something?” I said, “The water isn’t working anywhere else in the house.” “Yeah, I know.” His blunt reply choked me. Sebastian continued, “The pipes are broken. The plumbers can’t come until Monday.” We stood there in a silent standoff. He was waiting for me to yield. I nodded. “Then… can I borrow—” “Do whatever you want.” Sebastian dropped the icy words, brushed past my shoulder, and walked straight into his study. Leaving behind the lingering, cool scent of mint body wash. My best friend texted me: “Did you buy the hearing aid?” “Yeah, I used Sebastian’s money.” Even though I planned to pay him back, his money had undeniably saved my life. After my shower, I thought about it, sliced up a plate of fruit, and brought it to his study to thank him. Sebastian was on a business call. When he saw me, he merely threw a fleeting, dismissive glance my way. It completely wiped the carefully rehearsed speech from my brain. “Speak. What is it?” He ended his call quickly, raising his eyes to stare at my damp, flushed face. “I was worried you might be thirsty, so I brought you some fruit.” Sebastian raised an eyebrow. “Don’t you think a glass of water would be more efficient?” I stammered, “I’ll go get you some—” A sudden, forceful yank threw me completely off balance. I tumbled backward, landing squarely on his lap. The scent of mint engulfed me. “What exactly is your goal here? Do you really need to try this hard to please me?” His eyes were impossibly dark. “You hid from me for years. You took the money, and that’s still not enough? Now you’re trying to seduce me?” I suddenly realized that because of the humidity from the shower, my silk nightgown had become somewhat translucent. The atmosphere shifted entirely into something dangerous… “I wasn’t—” I tried to explain. Sebastian stood up, lifting me effortlessly, and set me down on the edge of his mahogany desk, trapping me in his arms. “You weren’t?” I was speechless. My hands balled into tight fists. Just as my eyes started to dart away in panic, Sebastian crashed his lips down onto mine. An aggressively dominant, punishing kiss immediately scrambled all my senses. My body went weak. I desperately gripped his collar, gasping for air. Maybe muscle memory was just too powerful. For a brief second, I actually kissed him back. Stacks of documents cascaded off the desk. A glass paperweight shattered on the floor. He pulled back slightly, panting heavily. He yanked open a drawer and pulled something out. “Sebastian… wait.” He paused. He looked at me with those devastatingly intense eyes, a flicker of his old, indulgent patience breaking through the coldness. “What is it?” “I have something to say.” “Say it.” “Today, I spent a lot of money.” “And? It was five grand. You really want to split hairs with me right now?” I swallowed hard. “I just wanted to come in here… to say thank you.” Sebastian stared at me silently for a few seconds. The fleeting warmth in his eyes vanished, replaced by his usual, detached cynicism. “So, to thank me, you decided to sleep with me?” “No.” “Then why?” Sebastian’s gaze was piercing, refusing to let me escape. “Maya, tell me. Look at the state of you right now. Hooking up with me like this… what exactly is your endgame?” I didn’t say a word. If I said “because I love you,” the financial transaction hanging over our heads would make it sound incredibly cheap and fake. Sebastian didn’t give me a chance to answer anyway. He picked me up and carried me all the way from the study to the bedroom. Even when I cried, he didn’t stop. Finally, Sebastian whispered into the dark: “It doesn’t matter, Maya. I don’t mind living like this…” The next morning, Sebastian left on a business trip. He didn’t leave a single message behind.

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He gave me $15,000 a month for living expenses. Because I knew how to manage money, I turned that $15,000 into $50,000. His only rule was: never let my half-sister find out I exist. 1 The first time I met my sister was on Freshman Orientation day. I was a junior; she was a freshman. My dad personally dropped her off at the university gates in a stretch Rolls-Royce. The moment it pulled up, it blinded half the student body. The gleaming black, streamlined body looked like a magnificent jewel under the sun. But more dazzling than the Rolls-Royce was my dad’s refined, scholarly look, my sister’s stunning, pampered arrogance, and Mrs. Sterling’s head-to-toe diamond-encrusted aura. “That’s Summer Sterling! She’s gorgeous!” “Well, it pays to be rich. Her dad heavily favors her. He had to donate a whole new science center just to get her admitted.” “Why would she even need to try? Her starting line is a finish line most people couldn’t reach in ten lifetimes.” …… “Chloe, what are you zoning out for? Aren’t you supposed to welcome her?” the student next to me nudged my arm. I snapped back to reality, gathered my composure, took the freshman roster, and walked toward the family of three with a polite smile. My dad saw me early on. He gave me a faint, sweeping glance, his eyes resting on me for barely a fraction of a second before moving away, as if we were strangers. Then, looking at me again, his eyelid twitched violently. Heh. Was he scared I was going to walk up and call him Dad? “Hi, Summer. I’m Chloe Davies. We’re in the same major. I’m a junior, and I’ll be your orientation guide today.” I stood in front of Summer Sterling and extended my right hand. She looked at me, her expression haughty and entirely scrutinizing. After a few seconds, she barely tapped my hand with her fingertips, as if doing me a massive favor. I raised an eyebrow slightly and flashed a sweet smile at my dad and Mrs. Sterling. “Nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Sterling. I’ll take you to the dorms first so we can drop off the luggage.” Throughout the entire process, whether it was Summer or her parents, they acted as mere spectators. Unpacking luggage, making the bed, and handling paperwork were strictly tasks for the hired help. Aside from playing tour guide, I occasionally lent the staff a hand. My three other roommates awkwardly huddled in the corner of the room at first, intimidated by the Sterling family’s grand display, before finally just slipping out of the dorm. Once everything was settled, Summer tilted her chin up at me, bossy as ever. “Hey, you! What’s-your-name. AirDrop me your contact info. From now on, if I need anything, you run errands for me.” I was taken aback by the “Hey,” and even more shocked by her casually demanding I run her errands. I couldn’t help but shoot my dad a glance: This is how the Sterlings raise their kids? Simultaneously, I pulled up my phone’s contact QR code, handed it to Summer, and smiled. “Summer, my name is ‘Chloe Davies,’ not ‘Hey.’ You can call me Chloe. If there’s something you don’t understand, you can ask me. But you do your own chores. Nobody here is your errand runner.” She scoffed, rolling her eyes at me, and muttered, “You don’t know what’s good for you. You’re just two years ahead, what’s the big deal?” “Nothing much,” I said, suppressing my temper. “Just a perfect SAT score, a full-ride merit scholarship without needing to donate a lab, and I’m the current Student Body President. That’s all.” Summer glared at me, about to explode, when my dad suddenly barked, “Summer!” The voice of a man used to giving orders. Imposing and absolute. 2 I am an illegitimate child. My dad’s last name is Sterling. My last name is Davies. I took my mom’s name. My mom wasn’t a mistress. She was screwed over by my dad. Back then, my mom was pregnant with me, and their families were already discussing wedding details. But then, a wealthy heiress took a second look at my dad. My dad, a gambler at heart, decisively abandoned my mom and went after the heiress. He was handsome, a smooth talker, and knew how to play the game. Among the heiress’s many suitors, he came out on top. From then on, my dad leaped across social classes. With Mrs. Sterling’s backing, in just ten short years, a guy with a mediocre teaching degree transformed into the CEO of Apex Pharmaceuticals. As for my mom, she became a high school literature teacher. Back then, being “unmarried, pregnant, and abandoned” subjected her to endless judgment. It was hard to find a suitable man to marry. Eventually, after the sheer exhaustion of raising me all by herself, she didn’t even want to get married anymore. My dad didn’t seek us out until I was a sophomore in high school. He said he wanted to compensate us, offering $15,000 a month. My mom didn’t refuse. She told him to deposit it directly into my account. 3 That night, my dad called me. “I’m sorry about what happened today,” he said. “Summer has been spoiled rotten by her mother. Don’t take it to heart.” “When did you become Student Body President?” he asked. “Why didn’t you tell me? I would have celebrated with you.” “Do you have enough money? If not, just tell Dad.” He also added, “Summer has never liked studying. Since you’re in the same major, guide her a bit if you get the chance.” …… What was I supposed to say? Was this a trap? What was the 100% correct answer? Only he knew if he actually wanted me to keep my distance or truly guide her. So, I replied, “Within my limits, if we happen to cross paths, I’ll do my best.” He hung up, satisfied. I opened my texts. The Sterling princess had already bombarded me with messages since the evening: “Think you’re so great ’cause of your SAT scores? Think being Student Body President makes you special? Bullshit! If I throw a hundred grand at the school, they’ll kick your ass out of that seat!” “Are you out of your fucking mind? Making me look bad in front of my parents, getting me scolded…” She didn’t finish that thought. I guessed her parents tore into her. “If you don’t roll over here right now and beg for my forgiveness, I might consider letting this go.” “Chloe Davies, don’t test me! I already gave you a chance! Think about what major you’re in. With one word, I can make sure you never find a job in this industry for the rest of your life!” So arrogant and domineering. No wonder none of the other guides wanted to take her when we saw her name on the list, despite knowing she was the heiress to a pharma empire. I rubbed my temples. I actually felt a little sorry for my dad, having a daughter like this. “Miss Sterling, read a history book in your spare time. Learn how to act like a decent human, so you don’t end up ruining yourself,” I replied. “Bitch! I’ll teach you how the real world works!” she texted back, practically foaming at the mouth. 4 I called Harper, a girl from Summer’s high school who was a year ahead of her. When the freshman assignments came out, she had strongly advised us to drop Summer like a hot potato. “Harper, how much do you know about Summer? Can you give me the rundown?” “Chloe, don’t tell me she’s already bullying you?” she asked cautiously, and before I could answer, she spilled everything like a broken dam. “I told you guys, whoever gets near her is cursed! She is pure evil!” “Back at our prep school, everyone knew her. We never had a ‘school bully’ before she arrived. After she came, everyone learned exactly what the word meant!” “She’s a monster. She was always top three in her class—except for the SATs. People did her homework. People let her cheat on tests. If they got an answer wrong or the work was too tedious, she’d have them beaten.” “Once, she got caught cheating by a proctor and was publicly disciplined. Guess what? The next day, that teacher was beaten so badly with a baseball bat that he ended up in the hospital.” “The guys who did it were street thugs. When the cops caught them, they claimed they just didn’t like the teacher’s face. They never breathed a word about Summer.” “Throughout high school, whoever she liked had to break up with their girlfriend. Otherwise, the guy would be fine, but the girl’s life would become a living hell.” “Throwing backpacks out of windows, putting dead rats or snakes in desks, pouring food on people, forcing them to jump into the pool in winter—those were the light punishments.” “Junior year, she liked a guy in our class. He had a girlfriend, and they refused to break up. Later, one night after late study hall, the girl was walking home and got dragged into a construction site…” Harper started to choke up, needing a long moment before continuing. “The girl was hospitalized for a long time. Afterward, she was admitted to a psychiatric ward… She was my best friend. Her grades were better than mine, she was Ivy League material… She didn’t even get to take her final exams…” “I’ll hate Summer Sterling for the rest of my life! She relies on her family’s money and thinks she can get away with anything!” …… I hung up the phone, my fingers still pressing deeply into my forehead. 5 Half a month later, Freshman Orientation week ended. The Student Government departments released their lists of new applicants, and I received a synced copy. Glancing through it, I actually saw Summer’s name. Her department of choice was the “Academic Affairs Committee.” The main duties of this department were: hosting academic lectures and seminars, gathering cutting-edge industry information, organizing major competitions, and evaluating scholarship grants. I didn’t believe for a second she was interested in any of this, let alone serving her fellow students. I tapped my finger against the spreadsheet a few times. I didn’t delete her name, nor did I make any phone calls to inform anyone. Three days later, the departments finalized their preliminary screening lists, and Summer’s name was still there. So, this is her showing me “how the real world works”? I was surprised, though. Whether during the prep meetings or move-in day, Summer hadn’t exactly left a glowing impression. Was my department really planning to take on this ticking time bomb? Emma, the VP of our department, lived on my floor, just three doors down. I went straight to her room. “I knew you’d come,” Emma said, not looking surprised at all. Summer’s application was sitting on top of a stack. She handed it to me. “Her pitch is too attractive! I discussed it with the board, and bringing her in has more pros than cons. So what if she’s a spoiled brat? We just tolerate it.” I skimmed the application. It was written in pristine corporate jargon, clearly drafted by a secretary at her dad’s company. The main points were: Leveraging her family’s resources to: A. Invite top industry authorities or pharma executives for academic lectures at least twice a semester; B. Share cutting-edge industry research and development data collected by their enterprise; C. Sponsor an additional $50,000 in scholarships and $50,000 for student council activity funds annually; D. Provide no fewer than 10 prime internship positions at Apex Pharma every semester… Absolute financial firepower. I looked at Emma. Her eyes were practically sparkling with ambition. I understood. If she pulled this off, it would be a massive resume booster for her. “Think carefully before you decide. Don’t stand under a crumbling wall,” I advised. “As a rule, I don’t interfere with internal department hiring.” Then, I snapped a photo of Summer’s application and sent it to my dad. Half an hour later, he replied: “It’s rare she’s showing ambition. Let her get some experience.” Exactly what I expected. Sending the photo was just a courtesy notice. Let her have her stage. Let’s see how big of a disaster she can create. 6 In the subsequent interview rounds, Summer didn’t even show up. Yet, she entirely bypassed the entry-level roles and was directly appointed “Co-VP of Academic Affairs.” In her actual classes—despite skipping orientation and barely attending lectures—she also snagged the title of “Class Academic Representative.” She posted a brag on Instagram: “Keep your chin up, or the crown slips.” The attached photo was from a past birthday gala, where she wore a backless evening gown, one hand adjusting a diamond-encrusted tiara. She photoshopped two smaller crowns next to it, labeling one “Student Council VP” and the other “Class Representative.” She made sure to tag me. What was I supposed to say? Someone who had to “buy” her way in, effortlessly getting what others worked years for, purely based on family resources. I didn’t even want to say “Congratulations.” Unsatisfied, Summer DM’d me the photo directly. — “Fifty grand. I want your position. Are you stepping down, or do I have to make you?” This was the funniest joke I’d ever heard. Did she really think a university’s Student Body President title was something you could just buy and sell? — “Miss Sterling, I told you earlier, read a history book. Even in feudal societies, you couldn’t always buy official titles.” Besides, my term was up eventually, and it wasn’t up to me who took over. — “I’ll add the hundred grand I mentioned last time.” The chat showed “typing…” for a long time. Two minutes later, a short message popped up: “Fine! $150,000 it is! You resign tomorrow and nominate me.” I stared at my phone and laughed out loud. “Miss Sterling, wash up and go to sleep. You can have anything you want in your dreams. This is a university, not your dad’s company.” Summer lost her mind and called me immediately. “Chloe Davies, are you fucking playing me?! It’s just a Student President title, you think I actually care?! Let me tell you, if I wanted to, I could own this whole school!” Her voice was shrill and piercing. I pulled the phone away from my ear. “Are you joking? You think money is omnipotent?” I laughed. “You think you can just change the university’s name? Go home and ask your dad if that’s actually possible.” “Why wouldn’t it be?” she screeched. “Money is omnipotent!” “You ants think good grades will make you successful! Success? When you graduate, you’ll still just be working for rich people like me!” “Chloe, you’ve provoked me time and time again. Mark my words, I’ll make you regret being born! You better start picking out your coffin!” …… Her voice was so loud my roommates heard every word. They looked at me with worried eyes. I glanced down at the audio recording I had just finished saving, backed it up to three different cloud drives, and comforted my roommates: “Don’t worry. We live in a society with laws. She won’t dare do anything crazy.” 7 Summer didn’t dare do anything crazy herself, but she had money. She could hire others to do it for her. One evening, after night classes, my three roommates and I returned to our dorm. The moment we opened the door— Rustle. Something roughly the size of two fists darted across the room. The roommate holding the door froze, her face turning pale. “Did you guys see that? I think it was a rat…” “I saw it,” I said, my voice much calmer than hers. We had never had rats in our dorm. I pulled her aside, reached into the room, flicked on the overhead light, and slowly stepped inside. “Rats aren’t scary,” I said slowly. “Let’s grab some bins and make some noise. See if we can scare it out.” Before I could finish my sentence— “Ribbit—CROAK—” Everyone froze. The decibel level of that sound rivaled a car horn. It sounded like a bellowing calf mixed with a vibrating drum, coming squarely from behind my roommate’s lower bunk! “What is that? Do we call 911 or Animal Control?” someone asked. “Neither,” I said, licking my lips. “That’s an American Bullfrog. Someone just delivered us a midnight snack.” Our entire dorm was full of foodies. Upon hearing it was food, the previous terror evaporated instantly. Four girls—one with a broom, three with plastic bins—started poking, prodding, and happily hunting the bullfrog around the room. “Well, it’s still early before curfew. We have time for a late-night snack! I haven’t had deep-fried frog legs in forever.” “Same! We can take it to that Cajun seafood place down the street. If we order a couple pounds of crawfish and ask them to toss this guy in the fryer, I bet the owner won’t even charge extra.” “Hey, who sent us the frog anyway? Why didn’t they send two?” …… Twenty minutes later, the four of us walked out of the dorm, carrying a shoebox containing our prize. The poor frog croaked miserably inside the cardboard. We had zero sympathy. We chatted and laughed the whole way. When we passed the Dorm Manager’s office, I even made sure to wave hello. Mrs. Higgins, the manager, stared at the croaking shoebox for an extra second but didn’t ask what it was. 8 We got to the seafood restaurant quickly. The owner enthusiastically agreed to prep and fry the frog for us. I stood by and took pictures, especially after it was prepped, the pale meat sitting on the metal tray. Someone on the other end of my phone was desperately waiting to see me terrified and furious. I wasn’t in a rush. Even when she sent a picture of a massive bullfrog with its mouth wide open, looking like a monster, asking if I had been eaten alive, I didn’t reply. Until— A steaming basket of Cajun-fried frog legs was brought to the table. I grabbed one with my fork and dipped it in hot sauce. I arranged the plate aesthetically and took one last photo. Then I sent the entire series—catching it, prepping it, frying it, and eating it—to Summer: “Sorry, we ate it… Hey, send more next time, one wasn’t enough to go around.” Summer replied with a string of raging fire emojis: “Chloe Davies, you just wait!” I replied with a simple “K,” and put my phone away. Knowing Summer was likely blowing a gasket on the other end made the meal taste exceptionally delicious. 9 I casually brought Summer up with the Dean to gauge the department’s stance on her. I asked casually, he answered casually. “Ah, she’s just here to get a diploma. As long as it doesn’t get too ugly, we just let her graduate in peace.” “I hear she causes a lot of trouble?” “If we can make it go away, it’s not trouble.” 10 The weekend arrived. My roommates were out shopping or on dates. I’ve been single my whole life and had little interest in typical weekend outings, so I spent the day at the library. Around dusk, I left the library, grabbed a bowl of noodles at the dining hall, and headed back to the dorm. Coincidentally, As I turned the corner onto our floor, I saw my roommate Mia. She was holding a takeout bag in one hand and unlocking the door with the other. “Mia,” I called out. “Yeah—” She turned to answer, but her face contorted in absolute horror. She stumbled backward, dropping her food onto the floor with a splat. Immediately, a hysterical scream echoed down the entire hallway. I rushed over. Resting on the doorframe was a massive rat snake, as thick as a baby’s wrist, mottled yellow and green, its body trailing down toward the floor. It extended its neck, flicking its tongue, its small, beady black eyes locked onto me. “Snake!” “Snake!” Other students in the hall started screaming and backing away. I wasn’t particularly afraid of snakes. Growing up in the countryside, I was bullied so much that I had to develop skin of steel just to survive. I became the toughest kid in the village; catching snakes and toads was second nature. This type of snake was non-venomous, often called a house snake back home. I swayed my body slightly to the left. The snake’s head tracked me, its little eyes focused solely on my movement. With a lightning-fast smack, my right hand pinned its head against the frame. My left hand gripped its neck, and my right hand slid down to grab its tail. I lifted it up, holding the tail and neck securely together. The crowd gasped collectively. The looks they gave me were practically overflowing with hero-worship. I glanced into our dorm room. My gut told me there were more inside, so I slammed the door shut and yelled over my shoulder: “Call Campus Security and Animal Control.” Then, right in front of everyone, holding the massive snake, I marched straight toward Summer’s dorm room.

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Three years ago, he mocked me right in front of his friends: “She’s too obsessed with love. I’m just playing around with her.” I was devastated. Walking home in a daze, I missed a step, tumbled down a flight of concrete stairs, and shattered my leg. Years later, I handed out my wedding invitations at a college alumni dinner. “I’m getting married,” I said with a smile. “I’d love for you all to come.” When the invitation reached him, he casually brushed it aside with a cold sneer. “Who gave you the nerve to marry someone else?” What he didn’t know was that the groom on that invitation was sitting directly across from him. Watching the entire scene with absolute, unnerving calm. 1 “I never expected Clara Hayes to be the first one of us to tie the knot.” “She was always so quiet and obedient. She got dumped pretty hard, so finding someone willing to marry her is good enough.” I clutched the gold-embossed invitations in my hands, completely ignoring the toxic whispers around the table. “I’m getting married next month. You’re all welcome to celebrate with us.” From start to finish, a dark, freezing gaze locked onto my face. He didn’t move an inch. I knew he would be here. Tristan Vance. My first love. And now, the ruthless rising star of the Manhattan elite. I slid the heavy ivory envelope across the table toward him, summoning every ounce of courage to meet his eyes. “Tristan, I hope you can make it.” Tristan sat in silence. He didn’t utter a single word. The entire table held their breath, their eyes darting silently between the two of us. After all, our breakup three years ago was a legendary disaster. He had publicly mocked me for being a pathetic, desperate puppy dog. The humiliation left me in such a daze that I tripped down a flight of stairs on my way home, shattering my knee. I had to leave the state just to get multiple surgeries and intensive physical therapy. Sitting next to him, Lindsey Cole broke the silence with a sweet, piercing smile: “Chloe, is your leg all better now?” I hesitated for a second, downplaying the trauma: “It still aches when it rains…” In reality, it was much worse. The joint damage was permanent. Lindsey possessively hooked her arm through Tristan’s, smiling apologetically. “I’m so sorry. I want to apologize on Tristan’s behalf.” “On… his behalf?” My grip on the stack of invitations tightened. “Did no one tell you? Tristan and I are getting married,” Lindsey said, covering her mouth with a delicate giggle. “I guess I’m just lucky.” I stood there holding my invitations, completely stunned. Lindsey. She was my best friend. Back in college, no one was closer to me than her. How could she… “Alright, alright… that’s all in the past! Come on Clara, hand out the rest of the invites!” Someone desperately tried to smooth things over. Suddenly, Tristan raised his hand, slapped the invitation away, and let out a harsh, mocking laugh. “Who gave you the nerve to marry someone else?” The moment those words left his mouth, the room fell dead silent. Even Lindsey’s smug smile vanished. My mind went completely blank. “Why shouldn’t I get married?” For three years, I had carried the weight of his humiliation and the mockery of our peers. Wasn’t that enough? Tristan offered a dark, twisted smile. “Even a dog I throw away isn’t allowed to find a new master. You think you can?” “Tristan.” A faint, chilling voice echoed from the head of the table. In the dead silence of the room, it was exceptionally clear. Sebastian Sterling slowly lifted his gaze, his tone as light as a passing breeze. “That’s enough.” Two words. Absolute finality. No one dared to breathe, let alone contradict him. After all, this man was in a league far beyond Tristan Vance. Back in university, he was the untouchable, ice-cold god of the campus. In the years since graduation, he had become a phantom billionaire, only seen on the covers of Forbes and Wall Street Journal. Tristan, who had a decent business relationship with Sebastian, didn’t push it. Instead, he snatched my invitation off the table and ripped it open. He glanced at the elegant cursive inside and let out a highly amused laugh. “Sebastian, what a coincidence. Her fiancé’s last name is Sterling, too. I’d love to meet this guy. What kind of saint is he?” The groom’s name on the invitation read: Bastian Sterling. “Is that so?” Sebastian took a slow sip of his red wine, a faint, unreadable smile playing on his lips. “That is, indeed, quite a coincidence.” 2 Sebastian didn’t stay long; an urgent phone call pulled him away. As a man who managed a global empire, attending a trivial alumni dinner was already highly unusual for him. I quickly made up an excuse to slip out as well. By the time I rushed out the front doors, panting, a chauffeur had already opened the door to a sleek, black Rolls-Royce. “Mr. Sterling!” I called out, out of breath. Sebastian paused and looked back. Under the pale glow of the streetlights, his sharp, chiseled profile looked even more unapproachable and cold. “Thank you… for tonight.” “No need.” Sebastian spoke calmly. “We are getting married. You can make it public now.” I opened my mouth but couldn’t find the words. The day I moved back to the city, I had absolutely no one. I was dragging my suitcase down the street when I randomly ran into Sebastian’s car. “Did you come back to see Tristan?” That was the very first thing he said to me. “He’s getting married,” he added. “With his controlling nature, you’ll find it very hard to survive in this city.” Then, Sebastian casually tossed out an olive branch. “I’m in need of a fiancée to get my family off my back. Think about it.” Driven by some inexplicable impulse, I agreed. Honestly, I didn’t understand what someone like him could possibly want from me. I didn’t dare use his powerful name to show off. I just wanted to keep my head down and live a quiet life. “Bastian Sterling” was his birth name, the one recorded on his secretive family registry. Very few people knew it. “I’m sorry… for causing you trouble tonight.” Sebastian stared at me quietly for a moment, looking like he wanted to say something else. Eventually, he just said, “Text me when you get home.” 3 When I turned back inside to grab my coat, some old classmates dragged me into conversation. By 8:00 PM, a torrential downpour suddenly hit the city. Stranded by the storm, a bunch of us were forced to book rooms at the hotel. Finished? Sebastian texted me. Three short words, perfectly matching his efficient, no-nonsense personality. I’m staying at the hotel tonight because of the rain. A long time passed before he replied: Send me your room number. Go to sleep. I sent the message and curled up under the covers. Whether by accident or malicious design, Tristan and Lindsey’s room was right next to mine. The hotel’s soundproofing was terrible. Lindsey’s high-pitched giggles pierced right through the drywall. It was piercingly annoying. As if terrified I wouldn’t hear her, she practically yelled, “Tristan, next time for my birthday, let’s book the room right next door—” “Shut up. It’s noisy.” Tristan’s voice was low, raspy, and carried a heavy trace of exhaustion. I froze. It suddenly reminded me of my first year dating Tristan. He threw a birthday party for me. But after midnight, he completely vanished. Lindsey was unreachable, too. A physical wave of nausea washed over me. My eyes stung. Honestly, I couldn’t even say how much I actually loved Tristan anymore. I had just poured the best years of my youth into him, only to be reduced to a humiliating punchline. The noises from next door escalated. Lindsey’s voice grew louder, dripping with intentional provocation. In the middle of this suffocating atmosphere, my hotel door suddenly clicked open with a keycard. A tall, imposing silhouette was stretched long by the hallway lights. A rush of cold, rain-scented air swept into the room. My eyes were still wet. I stared blankly at the man standing in the doorway. “Mr. Sterling? Why are you here?” Sebastian glanced around the room. “The security at this hotel is subpar. I was worried.” I don’t know if it was just my imagination, but he seemed to be in a terrible mood tonight. He radiated an icy, unapproachable aura. The noises from next door abruptly stopped. Sebastian looked down at me. “Is it unbearable?” “Huh?” “I can have them move you to a different room.” I quickly waved my hands. “It’s getting late. You have to work tomorrow, you should really go home and rest—” As the words left my mouth, I realized something horrifying. I was in a single-bed room. And the way I had just thrown back the covers… it looked exactly like I was inviting him into my bed. The atmosphere instantly turned painfully awkward. Sebastian’s gaze swept over my bare legs before he looked away and pulled out his phone to call his secretary. “Book another room—” Suddenly, Lindsey’s theatrical moans from next door roared back to life. Louder and more aggressive than before. An inexplicable surge of anger flared in my chest. Without thinking, I reached out and grabbed the hem of Sebastian’s tailored shirt, whispering, “It’s fine… just sleep here.” The moment the words left my mouth, Sebastian’s gaze turned dangerously intense. There was even a faint, predatory gleam in his eyes. My face flushed crimson instantly. Was I being too forward? “I’m sorry, I… I didn’t mean—” “Okay.” Sebastian calmly hung up his phone. “Do you want to shower first?” BANG! A massive crash echoed from the room next door. Followed by a shocked gasp from Lindsey. At the exact same moment, my phone started vibrating furiously on the nightstand. It was Tristan’s number. I didn’t answer it. Seconds later, a text message lit up my lock screen. Clara, you have three minutes to come out here. Sebastian pressed his lips together, a frigid, lifeless smile forming on his face. “He sure is a busy guy.” Before I could say anything, Sebastian abruptly stood up, unclasped his luxury watch, and unbuttoned his collar. I froze, stammering, “W-What are you doing…?” Within seconds, I was overwhelmed by the intoxicating scent of cold pine. “Ms. Hayes, since you invited me first, it would be rude of me to decline.” My heart felt like it was going to leap out of my throat. We were so close. So close I could count his eyelashes. “Will you make a sound?” he asked softly. “What?” my voice was barely a squeak. Sebastian smiled faintly. “Your voice is much prettier than hers.” I suddenly understood what he was doing. “Ah—!” My stiff, awkward sound made Sebastian chuckle low in his chest. It sounded like a reward. As if telling me I was doing a great job. Suddenly, Tristan’s muffled voice roared from the other side of the wall. Suppressing a dark, violent rage. “Clara. Answer the damn phone.” Sebastian smirked lazily, picked up my ringing phone, and answered it. His tone was perfectly flat. “She’s in the shower.” A silence stretching for an entire century followed. Tristan finally asked in a chilling whisper: “Bastian Sterling?” “Correct.” Tristan let out a dark sneer. “If you have a death wish, I’d be more than happy to arrange a funeral for you.” Sebastian gently brushed a stray strand of hair from my face, letting out a soft, mocking laugh. “Big talk. Let’s just hope your ability to act matches the speed at which you surrendered tonight.” 4 The sound of something heavy smashing against the drywall echoed from next door. Then, dead silence returned. I belatedly realized what I had just done. I scrambled backward, desperately putting distance between us. “I’m sleepy. I’m going to bed…” I rolled over to the far edge of the mattress, leaving plenty of space for him. The highly charged, intimate atmosphere evaporated instantly. Sebastian stared at the spot on the bed that was still warm from my body, his thoughts unreadable. The room fell silent, save for the steady rhythm of the rain against the windowpane. I squeezed my eyes shut, my heart still racing like crazy. Suddenly, the memory of the very first time I saw Sebastian flashed in my mind. Back then, I was still desperately chasing Tristan. At the university’s arts gala, I went on stage and performed a breathtaking classical dance. Sebastian had been dragged there by Tristan. He sat in the very front row. But his eyes never once looked at me from start to finish. He was a man completely devoid of warmth. Ice cold to the core. After that, trailing behind Tristan, I saw him a few more times, but the number of words we exchanged could be counted on one hand. I never in a million years imagined that one day, we would be lying in the same bed. I let out a soft sigh. “Can’t sleep?” Sebastian asked. My thoughts snapped back. I opened my eyes. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, bathed in the dim glow of the nightlight. His profile was sharp and cold. Exactly like the very first time I saw him. I clutched the blanket tightly. “Mr. Sterling, why did you choose me?” “Why couldn’t I choose you?” He lowered his eyes, looking at me with those pale, fathomless irises. “To me, anyone is the same. But an acquaintance is more convenient.” “Oh…” I scratched my head. “It just feels… life is really unpredictable.” Sebastian’s lips quirked up slightly. “You didn’t predict we’d get married?” “Yeah.” He stared at me for a long moment. “Clara, I never do anything unexpected.” I froze. Before I could even process what that meant, Sebastian’s phone rang. It was his executive secretary. “Mr. Sterling, the CEO of Vanguard Corp just flew in. Should we move the video conference to right now?” Sebastian checked the time. It was exactly 1:00 AM. “Fine. Come pick me up. And…” He glanced over at me. “Bring an electric heating pad.” My heart skipped a beat. How did he know my knee ached when it rained? “Mr. Sterling, you don’t have to do that for me…” “It’s no trouble.” Sebastian pulled the blanket up to my shoulders. “I’ll have my driver pick you up tomorrow. Try to avoid running into Tristan.” “You really don’t have to…” I quickly declined. “I can get an Uber. I don’t want to hold up your work.” The secretary’s car arrived quickly. It was clear his business was urgent. Sebastian hesitated for a second, then didn’t argue. “If you feel unsafe, call me.” “Okay.” He left. A hotel robot delivered the heating pad shortly after. The rain pattered against the window until dawn. I didn’t sleep well and was up before 6:00 AM. It was overcast today. I gritted my teeth, stretched my dull, aching knee, got dressed, and headed out for my scheduled hospital checkup. Who knew that while waiting for the elevator, a shadow would suddenly appear behind me. The distinct smell of tobacco mixed with mint leaves. Even with my eyes closed, I knew exactly who it was. We stood in a tense standoff, neither of us speaking. “Slept with him?” Tristan’s sudden, mocking question dripped with venom. I crossed my arms, staring straight ahead at the glowing numbers above the elevator doors, and said softly, “Yeah. His stamina is way better than yours.” “Do you know who owns this hotel?” Tristan suddenly grabbed my arm, violently forcing me to look at him. “Sebastian Sterling.” “You think it’s hard for me to have him look into someone’s background?” “Within three days, I’ll have ‘Bastian Sterling’ stripped down to his bones with nothing left.” “Clara, if I destroy your precious fiancé, are you going to cry about it?” I glared at him. “You’re the one who played with my feelings. Was I wrong to leave?” Tristan offered a sneering, contemptuous smile. “Clara, do you really think you have the moral high ground here? You took my family’s money. Why don’t you mention that?” I froze. “What money?” “Twenty thousand dollars. Wired directly into your bank account. Do I really have to throw the bank statements in your face to make you admit it?” Twenty thousand dollars? In my memory, the only time I ever received exactly $20,000 was my graduation scholarship. I said seriously, “That twenty thousand was the Outstanding Graduate Scholarship Lindsey helped me apply for.” Tristan looked at me with pure disgust. “Clara, do you know why I can’t stand you?” He let go of my arm and stepped into the open elevator. “You’re a pathological liar, and you never feel an ounce of remorse.” The elevator doors slid shut. Leaving me standing there in an absolute daze. Right before graduation, Lindsey had run up to me excitedly: “Clara, I submitted your name for the Outstanding Graduate Scholarship! The school is totally going to give it to you!” We shared a dorm for four years. Our personal information was frequently on the same spreadsheets. Submitting paperwork for each other was completely normal. Half a month later, Lindsey told me: “The scholarship money was wired directly into your bank account!” It was exactly twenty thousand dollars. Later, I had the accident and never even thought to check the official recipient list on the school’s website. With trembling hands, I sent a text to Lindsey. “The scholarship you applied for me back then… was it really from the university?” Lindsey replied almost instantly. “Clara, what are you talking about? When did I ever apply for a scholarship for you?” … 5 “Ms. Hayes, I’m very sorry, but given your current condition, I’m afraid you’ll never be able to dance professionally again.” I don’t know how many times I had heard doctors say those exact words. When I walked out of the hospital, a light drizzle had started falling. A message popped up from a college classmate: “She told you that to your face, so there’s no chat history or paper trail. You should understand what that means.” “Yeah, I know. I have no grounds to sue her.” I stood in the rain holding an umbrella, letting out a soft, shaky sigh. The suffocating injustice I had carried in my heart for years couldn’t even ignite. It just turned to cold ash. A sleek black Rolls-Royce cut silently through the rain and parked right in front of me. The tinted window rolled down, revealing Sebastian’s face. The misty rain slightly blurred our view of each other. I heard him say calmly, “Clara, get in.” I never expected him to personally come pick me up. He was a wildly busy man; even in the car, he was reviewing documents on a tablet. “What did the doctor say?” he asked without looking up. “Oh.” I forced a bright, casual tone. “It’s fine. Recovering nicely.” Sebastian merely glanced at me and asked, “What’s wrong?” He saw right through me. The fake smile froze on my face for a second. I forced my lips to curve again. “Oh, nothing.” I quickly looked down, terrified he would see my red, watery eyes. “Clara.” Sebastian put down his tablet. “Look me in the eyes and say that.” I sat in silence for a long time. The anger and profound betrayal I had suppressed for years suddenly shattered my composure. “Mr. Sterling, I… I can never dance again…” I smiled, my face stiff and agonizing. “They all thought I took the Vance family’s payoff money, but the truth is Lindsey scammed me.” “And I only just found out today.” “If we had just broken up normally… maybe that accident could have been avoided.” “I could still be dancing—” Sebastian stared at my agonizingly forced smile, his gaze growing darker and colder by the second. “Clara. You got played like a fool. Does smiling about it make you happy?” The words caught in my throat. After a long pause, I lowered my head, and the tears I fought so hard to hold back finally fell. “I’m sorry.” “You have nothing to apologize for,” Sebastian said after a heavy silence. “It’s their fault.” Raindrops hit the car window, sending ripples across the glass. Lingering for a long time. Suddenly, I felt like today wasn’t a total disaster. At least one person believed me. Sebastian dropped me off at my apartment building. Before he left, he said, “Don’t worry about your leg. I’ll find you the best specialists.” “Thank you—” Sebastian’s expression remained neutral. “No need.” After the car drove away, I got a call from an old college friend saying she was in the area and wanted to drop off some souvenirs. I walked back to the entrance of the complex. Not long after, I saw her hop out of a taxi and run over. “Hey, did you know? Because of what happened with you and Tristan a few days ago, the alumni group chat is absolutely exploding!” She started gossiping the second she saw me. “What?” “They’re taking bets. They say within half a month, you and Tristan will get back together.” “Are you joking?” “Someone saw him getting into a massive fight with Lindsey. It was definitely about you. Are you really not planning to meet up with Tristan?” Actually, I did need to meet him. I needed to wire that money right back into his account. And the dirty water he poured on me? I was going to throw it right back in his face. Facing her teasing look, I said, “I’ll talk to him. There are some… misunderstandings between us.” My friend beamed. “Exactly! Just clear the air and everything will be fine.” I forced a smile. I turned my head and saw the black Rolls-Royce parked a short distance away. It was Sebastian. He hadn’t left? Holding my umbrella, I called out, “Mr. Sterl—” The car suddenly accelerated, driving off into the distance. My friend leaned in curiously. “What’s wrong?” “Nothing… he probably just didn’t hear me…” Over the next few days, adjusting to a new project at work kept me insanely busy. As fate would have it, my boss assigned me as the lead product developer for a massive contract with Sebastian’s tech conglomerate. After a grueling pitch meeting at his headquarters, I bumped into Sebastian coming out of the executive boardroom. Just as I was about to say hello, his gaze brushed right past me without stopping. Instead, his secretary nodded at me politely. “Ms. Hayes, Mr. Sterling asks that you wait for a moment.” “Oh… okay.” I watched his broad back walk away, feeling a sudden, inexplicable tightness in my chest. That evening, his secretary walked into the lounge. “There’s a high-society banquet tonight. Mr. Sterling asks if you would be willing to attend? If you’re too tired, I can have a driver take you home.” “It’s fine, I can go.” 6 By the time I arrived, the banquet was already in full swing. The very first person I spotted was Sebastian. He was far too striking to miss. Just standing there, he was the absolute center of attention. Almost simultaneously, his gaze found mine. Across the crowded, bustling ballroom, our eyes met and lingered. I was wearing a breathtaking gown. It was a soft champagne gold, intricately designed around the collarbone, with a neckline slightly deeper than I usually wore. It hugged my curves perfectly. A sapphire pendant rested in the hollow of my throat. Shimmering under the chandeliers. Sebastian stared at me, unmoving. It wasn’t until a prominent CEO spoke to him that he withdrew his gaze and walked away, surrounded by a crowd of elites. I was just about to walk over to him when his secretary stopped me. He hesitated for a long time before saying, “Ms. Hayes, about your plan to get back together with Mr. Vance… Mr. Sterling overheard you talking about it the other day. Although it’s your private life… if there are misunderstandings, it’s best to clear them up sooner rather than later.” Without waiting for my response, he hurried off to catch up with Sebastian. I stood frozen in place. When I noticed the massive banner at the entrance bearing the name “Vance Corporation,” it finally clicked. This was Tristan’s turf. Sebastian had intentionally brought me here to give me an opportunity to meet with Tristan. Realizing he had completely misunderstood me, I lifted the hem of my gown, desperate to chase after him and explain. Suddenly, someone blocked my path. “Good evening, miss.” The man speaking was a chubby, middle-aged man with a greasy smile. “I’m Sebastian Sterling’s uncle. I assume you’ve heard of Sebastian?” So this was a senior member of the Sterling family. I nodded politely. “Hello.” He swirled his champagne glass. “You are incredibly beautiful. Do you have a boyfriend?” Realizing his intentions were anything but pure, I quickly took a step back, putting distance between us. “I apologize, sir. I have urgent business. Excuse me.” Before he could say another word, I quickly walked away. As I rounded a corner, someone blocked me again. “Clara.” Lindsey seemed to appear out of nowhere, asking with a probing, malicious smirk, “Was that your… fiancé earlier?” “No.” “No wonder his last name is Sterling,” she muttered to herself, acting as if she had just caught me in a massive scandal. “That’s Sebastian Sterling’s uncle. Everyone knows he keeps mistresses all over the city. I just didn’t expect you to be his new mistress.” Her voice was incredibly loud, instantly drawing the curiosity of the surrounding guests. People began pointing and whispering about me. I stared at her icily. “Are you done talking?” Lindsey intimately linked her arm through mine, her nails digging in. “What? Mad that I exposed you and ruined your reputation?” “When you were desperately chasing Tristan for two years, I was sleeping with him every single night.” “…He only dated you because I told him sneaking around behind your back was thrilling. You were the real third wheel all along…” “I guess being a mistress is just second nature to you now.” The rage I had suppressed for days finally erupted. Meeting her gleeful, triumphant eyes, I picked up a glass of ice water from a passing waiter’s tray and poured it directly over her head. I dropped the glass. It shattered against the marble floor with a sharp CRASH. The entire ballroom went dead silent. After a brief second of shock, Lindsey let out a piercing, hysterical scream. “Clara, what the hell are you doing?!” “Are you calm now?” I stared her down. “There’s not enough water in that glass to wash away your filth. You didn’t need to introduce yourself as trash to the whole room.” “You bitch—!” Suddenly, someone violently grabbed my arm and hurled me backward against the buffet table. Plates, glasses, and silverware crashed to the floor in a chaotic mess. A jagged shard of porcelain sliced deep into my ankle. Blood instantly welled up. I gasped in pain, frowning as I looked up to see Tristan Vance looming over me. “Clara, are you out of your fucking mind?!” Tristan’s voice was dark and lethal. “You dare cause a scene at my family’s event?” Without a second thought, I pulled a bank card from my clutch and threw it violently right at his face. “Shut the hell up.” “Treating a pathetic twenty grand like it’s a holy relic. You should be embarrassed. If I had known that money was stolen from your mother by Lindsey, I would have thrown up touching it.” Lindsey burst into theatrical tears. “You’re just a dirty mistress, what gives you the right to act so arrogant?!” “What mistress?” Tristan asked, confused. “Her so-called fiancé! It’s Sebastian’s sleazy uncle!” Tristan’s gaze swept over me, his expression complex and dark. I pulled out my phone and sneered. “If you have something to say, say it loud and clear for the camera. We’ll settle this in court.” Lindsey panicked, shrinking timidly behind Tristan’s back. “Enough.” Tristan scoffed, adopting an arrogant, dismissive posture. “Clara, you truly disgust me.” “Who disgusts you?” A faint, chilling voice drifted from the edge of the crowd. The guests automatically parted, creating a wide path. Sebastian had returned. I stood there looking like a battered mess, glaring at him. I knew causing a scene like this would make Sebastian lose face tonight. Sebastian walked straight up to me, lowered his eyes, and asked softly, “Where are you hurt?” “I’m—” I suddenly remembered his secretary’s words. I shifted my tone, putting on a pitiful, agonizing voice. “My ankle… it’s cut. It hurts…” “Who did it?” “Him.” I pointed directly at Tristan. Tristan let out a contemptuous sneer. “You really just hook up with anyone you can find. Wait until I destroy your precious fiancé. We’ll see if you’re still smiling then.” Sebastian maintained a calm, unhurried pace as he walked toward Tristan. Passing the buffet table, he casually grabbed an open bottle of vintage red wine. Tristan, assuming Sebastian was going to help him since Sebastian famously despised his uncle, laughed out loud. “Perfect timing. I know you hate your uncle too, help me—” His arrogant barking was abruptly cut off. Thick, dark red liquid poured relentlessly over Tristan’s styled hair, dripping down his face. It completely soaked his expensive, custom-tailored white shirt. And the source was the bottle in Sebastian’s hand. He stood with one hand in his pocket, using the exact same method I had used just moments ago, emptying the entire bottle over Tristan’s head. The entire ballroom was so silent you could hear a pin drop. “Sebastian.” Tristan’s voice cracked in shock and fury. “Are you off your meds?!” Sebastian casually tossed the empty bottle aside. He reached out, grabbed Tristan’s expensive silk tie, and methodically used it to wipe the wine off his own hands. His tone was dripping with absolute, aristocratic arrogance. “My apologies, I didn’t quite catch that. Are you sure… you want to destroy me?” … One sentence. It hit the room like a bomb. For the very first time, I saw absolute, unadulterated shock on Tristan’s face. Lindsey broke away from Tristan’s side, desperately trying to salvage the situation. “Mr. Sterling, I saw it with my own eyes earlier, she was hitting on—” “Ms. Cole. Are you intentionally spreading malicious rumors about my fiancée?” Lindsey’s lips trembled. She finally understood the relationship between us. “N-No, that’s not…” Sebastian placed a firm, protective hand on the small of my back, preparing to escort me out. Tristan finally snapped back to reality, yelling to stop us. “Sebastian, don’t you think you owe me an explanation?!” “An explanation?” Sebastian lazily curled his lips into a cold, mocking smile. “My wife made it perfectly clear just a moment ago. You’re blind. She was injured because of you. I haven’t even demanded an explanation from you yet, and you have the audacity to demand one from me?” Tristan choked on his words. “Don’t let her fool you! I dated her, I know exactly what kind of woman she—” “Enough. My private matters are not up for your evaluation.” Tristan was losing his mind. “Why the fuck are you turning against me for her?!” He grabbed his ruined, wine-soaked shirt. “We grew up together! You’re taking an outsider’s side over mine? Where is your logic?!” Sebastian gave him a long, dark look, and dropped a final, icy sentence: “Then sue me.” And with that, he led me out of the ballroom.

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I once went out of my way to help a severely bullied boy who sat next to me in class. When others tormented him, I stood up for him. Because his family was poor, I brought him breakfast every single day. It lasted until the day he shyly confessed his feelings to me, cheered on by a crowd of our classmates. I rejected him. As a result, sometime later, I overheard him smoking in the school bathroom, boasting to his friends: “Chloe? Please, I played her a long time ago. She acts all pure and innocent, but she practically threw herself at me.” Because of those rumors, I fell from grace, transforming from the school’s golden girl into a total pariah. When my dad went to his house to demand an explanation, he was brutally hacked to death by the boy’s schizophrenic father. My mom couldn’t handle the sheer devastation. Not long after, she took her own life to follow him. Meanwhile, that boy reached his hand out to me from the mud. He smiled, a cruel, twisted expression on his face, and said: “Chloe, you used to be so high up in the clouds where I couldn’t reach you. Now look at you. You’re rotting down here in the mud with me.” I opened my eyes. I was back to the very first day that boy transferred to our high school. 1 First period, junior year. My homeroom teacher, Mr. Davis, led a boy with his head bowed low into the classroom. “Class, we have a special transfer student joining us today. I expect everyone to get along with him. There will be absolutely no discrimination in my classroom.” Everyone stared at the new kid with burning curiosity. But as he lifted his head, a collective gasp swept through the room. The entire right half of his face was severely burned. He had no eyebrow on that side, and his eye looked like a harsh slit violently carved into the melted skin. Instantly, whispers erupted from the desks around me: “Holy crap! That guy is hideous. There is literally not a single normal feature on that face.” “Just our luck. Out of all the junior homerooms, we get the absolute freak.” “Looking at his face just made me lose my appetite for lunch.” “So gross. How does he even have the nerve to walk outside looking like that?” As the whispers grew louder, the boy’s head sank lower and lower. His hands gripped his faded, worn-out jeans in a death grip. My desk-mate nudged me, whispering frantically: “How do you think he got those scars? You think his parents were tweaking and burned him by accident?” My mind violently snapped back to reality. Caleb! I had actually traveled back in time to Caleb’s very first day at our school. The exact place where my nightmare began. In my past life, Caleb had faced intense discrimination the moment he transferred. He was the oldest in the class—already 19—but he was shorter than most of the girls. Combined with his terrifying appearance, his personality became incredibly isolated and dark. Almost no one dared to speak to him. But my sense of justice had flared up. I stepped forward, actively inviting Caleb to be my desk-mate. I had even chewed out the students who mocked him. Right now, facing my friend’s question, I coldly blurted out: “Who knows? Maybe it’s karma.” Up front, Mr. Davis was already trying to find Caleb a seat. He told Caleb to pick an empty desk. But wherever Caleb walked, students physically recoiled as if he carried the plague, shrinking away like he was a monster. Finally, Caleb slowly shuffled to a stop right next to me. “C-Can I… can I sit next to you?” This time, I didn’t stand up and warmly invite him like I did in my past life. Instead, I stood up, looked directly at Mr. Davis, and said: “Mr. Davis, I don’t want to sit next to him. If he insists on this spot, I’m requesting to move my desk right next to the whiteboard at the front.” Mr. Davis looked incredibly embarrassed. Caleb stared at me, his eyes flashing with a strange, unreadable emotion. “Chloe, I just emphasized that there will be no discrimination against our new student. This kind of attitude damages our classroom environment.” I tuned it completely out. Since God gave me a second chance at life, I absolutely refused to show Caleb a single ounce of kindness. Suddenly, a girl sitting a few rows away sneered: “Some people act so high and mighty because they’re the Class President and get straight A’s, but they’re completely fake. The new kid just wants a seat. Do you really have to look at him with such obvious disgust?” I looked at the girl who spoke up. Harper. In my past life, she had competed against me for the Class President role, but I won the vote. She held a massive grudge ever since, always looking for a reason to drag me down. Later, when Caleb spread those vile rumors about me, she was the one who broadcasted them to the entire grade and gleefully reported me to the principal. She made sure everyone knew. Staring at her now, I scoffed: “Since you’re overflowing with so much sympathy, why don’t you let the new kid sit next to you?” Harper’s smug face froze. She immediately shut her mouth. I kept pushing: “What’s wrong? You were just acting like Mother Teresa defending him a second ago. Why are you backing down now? Or could it be that, deep down, you actually think he’s too hideous to look at?” I intentionally emphasized the word “hideous.” I could clearly feel Caleb trembling beside me. His head sank even further toward his chest. Agitated by my taunt, Harper snapped: “Chloe, do you have to be such a bitch? Mr. Davis, the new kid can sit with me. I’m not a shallow snob.” In the end, Caleb became Harper’s desk-mate. I watched as Harper visibly swallowed her revulsion while forcing a fake, careless smile to help Caleb clear his new desk. A long sigh of relief escaped my lips. I couldn’t stop Caleb from transferring into our class. But I could absolutely prevent any interaction with him. I would never let the tragedies of my past life happen again. Except, in this life, Caleb’s desk-mate was Harper. The person who stepped up to “save” him was Harper. Does that mean the horrors I endured in my past life would now fall onto her? 2 The morning classes flew by amidst a blur of gossip and whispers about the new kid. As soon as the bell rang, my best friend leaned over, unable to hold back: “That was so unlike you today! Why do I feel like you’re super hostile toward the new guy with the burned face? You’re usually the first one to stand up against bullies. I totally thought you were going to help him out.” My hand, which was zipping up my backpack, twitched. So that was the impression I gave everyone? A naive, sweet girl who loved playing the hero? Is that why Caleb targeted me when his confession was rejected in my past life? Did he think that in his twisted mind, I had no right to ever say no to him? “I read a quote online once. It said you should try to stay away from people with extreme physical defects, because more often than not, their minds are just as defective.” My friend looked at me, visibly shocked by how harsh that sounded. But I didn’t want to continue the conversation. Right now, all I wanted to do was find an excuse to go home and see my parents. In my past life, when Caleb spread those rumors, it became the biggest scandal in the entire school district. Because Caleb was classified as a disabled student, the administration, desperate to show how “inclusive” and “protective” they were, merely gave him a slap on the wrist. But they turned right around and accused me of promiscuous behavior. Without even launching a proper investigation, they expelled me. My dad was so furious he stormed over to Caleb’s house to demand justice, only to be hacked to death by Caleb’s violently schizophrenic father. My mom refused to accept the verdict and filed appeal after appeal in court, only to lose every single time. I still remember the night I slapped my own face repeatedly, sobbing and begging my mom for forgiveness: “Was it wrong to help someone? Why doesn’t being good get rewarded?” My mom had said: “Helping people isn’t inherently wrong, but the prerequisite is that you must ensure you are in an absolutely safe position first. While I hope you grow up to be a kind person, I selfishly wish you had never helped him at all. Then, your father would still be coming home to us.” After saying that, she resolutely jumped off the roof of our apartment building. Even now, I can perfectly recall the arrogant, sadistic smile on Caleb’s face. He told me that mentally ill people don’t go to prison for murder. His useless trash of a father was locked away in a psych ward, which meant my dad had actually done him a huge favor by getting rid of his biggest burden. He also told me that since my parents were dead, I was finally just like him. We had both fallen into the mud, and now we could be together forever. The story of the farmer and the viper had played out right in front of me. Because of my misplaced pity, my parents met horrific ends. Right now, all I wanted was to verify they were safe. That they were still alive and breathing in this world. I hadn’t even made it to the administration office to ask for a hall pass. As soon as I stepped into the corridor, I saw Caleb being shoved into the boys’ bathroom by a few of the class delinquents. I remembered this. In my past life, Caleb was targeted by these exact guys the second he arrived. Instead of pitying his appearance, they treated him like a freak of nature. They forced him to drink toilet water, humiliated him with slurs, and even took turns urinating on him. And I, overflowing with naive righteousness, had thrown myself in front of Caleb and reported those guys to the principal. From that moment on, he decided I was his “savior.” The only person who could pull him out of the abyss. Watching the exact same scenario unfold in this life, I stepped back, completely avoiding Caleb’s desperate, pleading eyes. I watched as his head was pinned to the bathroom tiles beneath a dirty sneaker. His face was smeared with grime and filthy water. Yet, he still stubbornly reached a hand out, trying to grab the hem of my jeans: “Help me…” I smoothly dodged his touch. Only one phrase echoed in my mind: Abandon the savior complex. Respect their fate. At that exact moment, Harper walked out of the classroom. I expected her to act like a saint and rush in to help. Instead, she pretended she didn’t see a single thing and scurried right back inside. I found that quite amusing. Caleb was currently being brutalized. His cheap clothes reeked of something foul, and his hair was plastered to his wet cheeks in greasy strips. I watched as Harper peeked her head back out, putting her hands over her mouth in an exaggerated display of shock. “Caleb, what happened to you? Are you okay? Did someone bully you? Tell me, I’ll go tell the teacher for you!” She put on a masterful show of sympathy. But Caleb kept his head down, saying absolutely nothing. He only occasionally glanced up, staring at me with a deeply calculating, brooding look. Alarm bells rang in my head. I hadn’t offered him a single shred of help in this life. Why the hell was he staring at me? Was he going to hold a grudge against me just for being a bystander? 3 Honestly, I wasn’t afraid of Caleb holding a grudge. Because deep in his bones, he was a coward who only preyed on the weak. He didn’t dare retaliate against the people who actually bullied and beat him; instead, he aligned himself with them. But the people who helped him, who cared for him? Those were the ones he relentlessly exploited, genuinely believing he was entitled to their sacrifices. In this life, I didn’t help him. I didn’t volunteer to be his desk-mate, and I didn’t intervene when he was assaulted. There were countless nights in my past life where I hated myself for my misplaced kindness, for my overflowing empathy that tore my family apart. I glared at him coldly: “What the hell are you looking at? Do I have a flower on my face? I wasn’t the one who beat you up.” Caleb resentfully withdrew his gaze, keeping his head down, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. He pressed his lips together stubbornly, not saying a word. Right. This was exactly how he acted in my past life. Whenever something happened, he would just lower his head and stay silent, letting tears well up in his eyes. It was precisely this pathetic, kicked-puppy routine that made me step in to help him over and over again. Caleb’s behavior naturally drew roaring laughter from the guys surrounding him. They mocked him mercilessly: “A grown-ass guy crying like a bitch. Why don’t you just wear a skirt tomorrow? Oh wait, you’re so ugly, putting you in a skirt would probably make us puke up our lunch.” “Seriously, having this freak in our class literally brings down the average GPA of our entire grade just by existing.” One of the instigators leaned against my desk. It was Mason, the ringleader who had just bullied Caleb. In my past life, Mason had a crush on me, but I rejected him multiple times. Later, when he saw me getting close to Caleb, his jealousy morphed into disgust. He was the one who orchestrated the public event where the crowd pressured Caleb to confess to me, purely to humiliate me. This guy was absolute trash too. He saw me not answering and assumed I silently agreed. He leaned in close to my ear and whispered: “I heard his dad is practically brain-dead. They live on food stamps and government checks. If I force him to pay me protection money, do you think he and his crazy dad will just have to eat air? Hahaha.” I forcefully slammed a heavy textbook down right onto the fingers he had resting on my desk. He yanked his hand back in pain, glaring at me: “Are you psychotic? Trying to play the hero now?” Hearing this, Caleb, who had been staring at the floor, suddenly jerked his head up. He looked at me out of the corner of his eye. I sneered: “Extortion and blackmail. I suggest you look up the state penal code for how many years that carries. Oh wait, you’re a minor, so they won’t give you hard time. A few years in juvenile detention should do it.” Mason glared at me, furious. “So you are trying to stick your neck out for him?” “No,” I replied flatly. “I just wanted to tell you to stay the hell away from him. That guy is bad luck. He’ll drag you down.” As I walked out of the classroom, Caleb looked at me with an increasingly bizarre expression. 4 It wasn’t until after the final bell rang and I had walked out of the school gates. I heard a timid, cautious voice behind me. “Thanks for… standing up for me this afternoon.” I turned around and realized Caleb had been following me. I had no idea when he started trailing me, but I hadn’t noticed him at all. I immediately went on high alert, taking two large steps back. My eyes were filled with undisguised revulsion. I snapped viciously: “What do you want? Why are you following me?” He quickly waved his hands defensively. The burned half of his face twisted into an attempt at a reassuring smile, likely out of panic. But the smile only made him look absolutely terrifying: “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I don’t mean any harm. I walk home too. I just… wanted to say thank you. I know you’re not like the other kids who laugh at me. You’re a good person. You always have been.” He stammered through the sentence, looking at me with desperate expectation. It finally clicked in my head. Because Caleb’s family was destitute, he commuted to school every day. The school had approved him for a free meal program, so he only ate lunch on campus. He always walked home for dinner. But right now, looking at him only made me want to vomit: “Say thank you? You’re delusional. I never had any intention of helping you. To be brutally honest, you make me sick. It’s not your appearance, it’s your core. You radiate a foul, rotting stench. Caleb, you better stay far away from me, or I won’t mind joining them in treating you like garbage.” I didn’t actually want to cross the line from victim to abuser. But if becoming the abuser was the only way to make Caleb stay away from me and keep my family safe from his disaster… Then I was more than willing to do it. My morals and my sense of justice were built strictly on the foundation that my family and I were safe. Caleb stood frozen in place, his brows furrowed deeply. He seemed entirely incapable of understanding why I would say such vicious things to him. As I walked away, I heard him muttering to himself. “That’s not right… that’s not how she’s supposed to treat me… I’m so pitiful, she should be even more sympathetic…” Hearing those words… It felt like a venomous snake was slowly slithering up the back of my calf. A freezing chill swept through my entire body. 5 When I got home, I saw my parents, healthy and alive. I couldn’t stop the tears of pure relief from falling. Thank God. It wasn’t too late. In this life, I still had time to protect my family. Because of what Caleb muttered, I couldn’t help but be hyper-vigilant. I wasn’t afraid of much, but I was terrified of one possibility: what if Caleb was also reborn? If he was, then everything I was doing to avoid him might be useless. So, I decided to inoculate my parents early. I told them that I was dealing with some very bad elements at school. People who were actively trying to ruin my reputation. I told them about the things that hadn’t happened yet, but framed them as current threats. I heavily emphasized that going to this boy’s parents would be utterly useless. Because his father was severely schizophrenic. Against a family like that, we were completely powerless. And I didn’t want this drama ruining my SAT prep or my college applications. Finally, I tentatively suggested transferring schools. Initially, my parents were totally against it. But after hearing me lay out the stakes and the potential threat to my future, my dad just let out a heavy sigh. “We really can’t afford to get tangled up with people like that. Sometimes, the most pitiful people are also the most detestable. You’re right, Chloe. Our only option is to avoid them. We’ll transfer. I won’t let this ruin your chances at college.” 6 Transferring high schools took time. My dad had to pull strings and call in favors to get me a spot at a top-tier magnet school across town. When I went back to school in the meantime, I completely cut off any and all interaction with Caleb. Anywhere he walked, I automatically steered clear. I didn’t exchange a single syllable with him. Very quickly, the entire junior class knew that I despised Caleb. That just breathing the same air as him made me physically uncomfortable. At first, Caleb’s life was miserable. His appearance, his terrible grades—he was at the absolute bottom of the social hierarchy. But once Harper—my eternal rival—realized how much I openly targeted him, she went into overdrive showing him aggressive kindness. She bought him lunch. She tutored him. Everything I had done for Caleb in my past life, Harper was doing now. Except, her kindness was completely fake. She just wanted to prove that she was a better, kinder, more compassionate person than me. She used him to highlight my “cruelty.” Gradually, I noticed Caleb’s gaze shifting. He stopped staring at me, and his eyes started lingering on Harper. I don’t know exactly when it started. But suddenly, Caleb became tight-knit with Mason, his former bully. The two of them were always seen throwing their arms around each other’s shoulders in the hallways. Someone told me the secret. Caleb had apparently offered Mason a hefty chunk of change as “tribute.” He bought Mason’s lunches, bought his cigarettes, and officially became his lackey. Caleb grew his hair out long, long enough to completely cover the burned half of his face, making him look like some edgy, delinquent outcast. They spent their time loitering in the corridors, using predatory glares to look up girls’ skirts. They bullied the smaller, weaker boys. They ruthlessly mocked girls who weren’t conventionally attractive. If Caleb was the victim before, he had now successfully evolved into the abuser. And because of his severe facial disfigurement, the principal just turned a blind eye to it all. I had a bad feeling about how this was escalating. But my dad gave me the best news possible. My transfer was approved. Through his connections, I got a spot at the city’s premier magnet school. I would be officially unenrolled here by the end of next week. I let out a massive sigh of relief. The heavy stone that had been crushing my chest finally dropped. At the same time, I decided to set my plan into motion. Running away was a passive defense. Before I left, I needed to teach Caleb a lesson. I planned to leave him a grand parting gift. If he behaved himself in this life, the gift would be a harmless prank. But if he acted exactly like he did in my past life… Then this time, I would ensure he was the one permanently expelled. And the perfect opportunity to execute this plan arrived very quickly. On Friday, the school was hosting its annual Spring Track and Field meet. To celebrate, the administration was letting us out early for a long weekend. And in my past life, the afternoon of this exact Track Meet was when Caleb publicly confessed to me. 7 Based on my observations over the last few weeks, Caleb didn’t seem to harbor any feelings for me anymore. After all, the person pulling him out of the mud now was Harper. Even though I despised Harper… I knew what it was like to be caught in the rain. I wasn’t going to tear up someone else’s umbrella just because I was bitter. During the free activity period on the afternoon of the Track Meet. A guy ran up to Harper: “Harper, someone wants to meet you in the woods behind the bleachers. It’s a really hot guy.” The guy’s smile was sleazy and suggestive. Every high school has that spot in the woods. Everyone knows it’s where couples go to hook up. In my past life, this guy had delivered that exact message to me. In this life, the target had predictably shifted to Harper. Harper tilted her chin up, looking haughty: “Who wants to meet me? If you don’t give me a name, I’m not going.” Even though she said that, she was already smoothing out her clothes, clearly preparing to go. I subtly stuck my foot out and tripped her. Harper ate dirt. She scrambled up, absolutely furious: “Chloe, are you psychotic?! What did I ever do to you?” I stared at her coldly: “You better not go. Aren’t you afraid the principal will catch you in the act out there?” Harper’s angry face suddenly smoothed out. She gave me a weird, mocking smile: “You’re just jealous because you heard a hot guy wants to confess to me, aren’t you? Makes sense. People used to confess to you all the time, but who told you to act like such a stuck-up bitch? Your reputation is garbage now. No guy in his right mind wants anything to do with you.” I physically cringed. Was this girl actually incapable of recognizing a warning? “If you try to stop me, I’m going to go even harder. If you have a problem with it, go tell the principal! I have nothing to hide!” With that, Harper ignored the warnings of the girls around her and marched straight toward the woods to meet her “admirer.” I shook my head. I didn’t want to meddle in her business. But today was the critical nexus point of my past life. If I wanted to trap Caleb, I had to make an appearance. After thinking for a second, I whispered a few instructions to the girls I usually hung out with. I shoved a battery-powered megaphone into my backpack. And I followed Harper.

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For eight long years, I was trapped in a blurry, toxic situationship with Liam Spencer. Whenever he introduced me to his friends, he would just say lightly, “She’s my sister.” Until a few days ago, when he eloped with a girl he had known for exactly eight days. She posted a picture of their marriage certificate online. In the comments, she pinned a sweet reply: “Love isn’t measured in time.” 1 The night before Liam’s “business trip,” we spent the entire night tangled in his bed. “…Are you not tired at all?” I bit my lip, looking up at the man I had loved for eight years with a mix of obsession and pleading, hoping he would finish soon. Or at least, be a little gentler. “I’m flying out tomorrow.” Liam kissed my sweat-dampened forehead and chuckled. “Just cashing in an advance for the next month.” I was about to protest when he suddenly covered my lips. “My parents just got home.” “Be good. Don’t make a sound.” But his movements didn’t pause for even a second. A sudden wave of grievance washed over me. “Do you really hate the idea of them knowing… about us?” Liam gave a faint “Mhm,” and went back to kissing me. “It’s hard to explain.” “…” By the time the thunder woke me up, Liam was already gone. The AC in the room was blasting, but my entire body felt scorchingly hot. First thing the next morning, I sent Liam a text with a photo of a thermometer reading 102°F. He didn’t reply. While waiting for my medicine to be delivered, I started scrolling through Instagram. And then, I saw a post shared by a mutual friend. It was Liam’s official announcement— “I haven’t known you long, but I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” The post included a picture of a marriage certificate. The date of the marriage was today. The bride was a beautiful, gentle-looking stranger. I stared blankly at that tiny ID photo, a dull, throbbing pain spreading through my chest. We had been entangled for eight years. Every time he introduced me, he always said, “My sister.” Yet he had eloped. With a girl he had known for barely eight days. Under the post, she replied intimately: “Love isn’t measured in time.” 2 The location tag on Liam’s post showed he was right here in the city. He never went on a business trip at all. My hands shook so badly I could barely hold my phone. I don’t know how many frantic, questioning voicemails I left him. Or how many times I called. Liam didn’t reply to a single text, nor did he answer a single call. It was pouring rain outside. I braved the storm and searched for him like a madwoman for three whole hours. Finally, I found him at a bar he frequented. The VIP booth was loud and lively. Surrounded by the crowd, Liam was currently drinking a linked-arm toast with a woman. Through the sea of people, I saw the woman softly call him, “Liam.” The friends around them erupted into teasing cheers. “You guys are officially married! Why are you still calling him by his first name?” The woman looked down shyly and murmured, “Hubby.” “Mhm.” Liam let out a low chuckle, leaning down to kiss her. The room erupted in applause and whistles. They stood in the center of the crowd, bathed in the light, accepting everyone’s blessings out in the open. I stared at the scene in a daze, suffocating from the pain. I almost forgot why I had even come here. 3 My mom and Liam’s mom were best friends. During my sophomore year of high school, my parents moved to Europe for a business venture and left me to board at Liam’s house. Since then, I had harbored a massive crush on him. When he graduated high school, I took a gap year and studied relentlessly until I finally got into the same university as him. I had gathered all my courage to confess my feelings, only to overhear him talking to his roommate: “Chloe? Please. I’m not sick enough to want to date my own sister.” After that, I actively distanced myself from him. Until recently. I was walking home late one night when a deranged man charged at me with a knife. Liam took the blade for me. He was severely injured and spent two whole months lying in a hospital bed. That was when I realized he had been secretly waiting for me to get home every night during that period. The night he was discharged, I asked him, “How can I ever thank you?” Liam stared at me for a long time before suddenly leaning in and kissing me. We started dating that night. The first time we slept together, it wasn’t the greatest experience. I couldn’t handle the pain and ended up biting down hard on his arm. “Have you… been like this with anyone else?” I asked. “Kissing, sleeping together…” “Have other women ever bitten you like this?” “No. Only you.” “Mhm. My girlfriend.” Liam’s gentle, doting tone had felt like a true lover’s whisper. I never imagined that before we could even announce our relationship, he would secretly marry someone else. 4 When I pushed open the door to the booth, someone turned around and shouted, “Chloe?!” It was his old college roommate, Matt. Liam looked over, too. He seemed to freeze for a second, staring at my drenched, pathetic state. “How did you get yourself looking like this?” “Liam, I just want an explanation.” Liam’s expression was completely indifferent. “What explanation do you want?” I subconsciously dug my fingernails into my palms. I wanted to ask. Why did you lie about a business trip? Why did you elope with someone else when you already had me? But as the words reached the tip of my tongue, I felt the curious, judging, and even disdainful stares from the crowd around us. Every word I wanted to say was swallowed by cowardice and humiliation— He had never made our relationship public. The moment I said the words out loud, I would become the “other woman.” During our standoff, the woman walked over, wrapping her arm naturally around Liam’s. She looked me up and down with subtle, probing curiosity. “Hubby, who is this?” “A neighbor’s sister.” Liam answered without a single second of hesitation. “Chloe, this is your sister-in-law.” Someone whistled. “Oh, so it’s a little sister! Come on, say hi to your sister-in-law so Emma can give you a nice wedding gift.” Emma’s face instantly flushed. The look she gave me carried a subtle triumph and an eager expectation. In that moment, I couldn’t hold back my tears any longer. I raised my hand and slapped Liam as hard as I could across the face. “Liam, is this how you hold hands, kiss, and even sleep with your sister?” I took off the tiny ring I had always worn on my finger and dropped it into Emma’s hand. “Sister-in-law, then I wish you and my brother a happy marriage.” That ring was a graduation gift from Mrs. Spencer. Back then, she had always tried to set Liam and me up, teasing him, “Liam, when are you going to buy Chloe a real ring?” The moment I turned and walked away, I heard Liam chase after me, his voice urgent as he yelled, “Chloe!” 5 I didn’t stop. I flagged down a cab and climbed inside. Liam sent me a text— “Why would you just run in and make a scene without asking me anything?” “Chloe, I will explain everything to you.” … He married someone else behind my back, and he actually had the nerve to blame me? I blocked every single one of his contacts. I dragged myself back to my apartment. The moment I closed the door, I noticed someone moving around in the living room. My heart skipped a beat. Just as I was about to call 911, I received a text from my mom— “Aunt Sarah’s son just got back from Europe and doesn’t have a place to stay yet. Didn’t you say you were moving into Liam’s place? I told him he could crash at our apartment for a bit. He should be arriving today.” … I clutched my phone, not even getting the chance to reply before a sudden, violently hot wave of dizziness hit my brain. The moment I lost consciousness, I thought I saw an unfamiliar, incredibly handsome face. When I woke up, a man was swapping a warm towel on my forehead. Our eyes met, and the air turned a little awkward. “Are you Aunt Sarah’s son, Reid?” Aunt Sarah was my mom’s best friend who lived abroad; her husband was British. The man set the towel down and smiled at me, speaking in perfect, unaccented English. “I go by my American name here. Carter. Carter Hayes.” After chatting with Carter for a while, I was surprised to learn he was actually two years younger than me. “Until I find an apartment, I’ll be in your care, Chloe,” Carter joked. For the next few days, even though Carter was crashing at my place, he seemed incredibly busy. He left early and came back late, so we were mostly just exchanging morning and evening greetings. Since I blocked Liam, he didn’t come to harass me either. But then, I was scrolling through a mutual friend’s likes and saw photos of Liam and Emma surfing in Cabo. I stared at it in a daze. Two years ago, when I graduated college and landed an amazing job offer, Liam said he wanted to get me a gift. I had pointed excitedly at a magazine spread. “Let’s go surfing in Cabo!” Liam had frozen, then gently rejected the idea. “Chloe, I’m terrified of the water.” Later, I learned he had seen a childhood friend drown in a river, leaving him with deep trauma. In this photo, he was surfing the waves with Emma. Emma was laughing brightly, and Liam was holding her from behind. They looked incredibly in love. Turns out, even trauma depends on the person. 6 Even though I had resolved never to see Liam again, I still had some important IDs and documents at his apartment. After messaging him with no response, I picked a time to take an Uber over and get my things. When I arrived, I punched in the passcode three times. It flashed “Error.” It finally dawned on me—Liam had changed the passcode. Naturally, my fingerprint had been deleted too. The door clicked open. “Chloe?” The moment Liam saw me, a flash of something complicated crossed his eyes. The apartment was loud and chaotic. It was a party. “Oh, if it isn’t Liam’s little sister!” “Can you really call her a sister if they’ve slept together? More like a sugar sister~” “What, regretting that slap from the other day? Coming crawling back to apologize?” “Easy. Chug a few bottles for the boys, and I’ll forgive you on Liam’s behalf.” The guys burst into laughter, looking at me with frivolous, careless eyes. “Who is it?” Emma walked over holding a slice of cake. When she saw it was me, her smile slowly vanished. “I just came to get—” Before I could finish, Emma shoved the slice of cake directly into my face. My vision went dark as the thick, sticky frosting smeared across my eyes. “How do you even have the face to show up here?” “Liam told me everything. He treated you like a real sister, and you’re the one who kept throwing yourself at him.” “Trying to seduce your own brother? Are you really that desperate for a man?” The crowd broke into whispers. I wiped my face. Expressionless, I grabbed a handful of the ruined cake from the floor and hurled it right back at Emma’s face. “Right back at you.” Emma shrieked. “Are you psychotic?!” I smiled, meeting Liam’s eyes perfectly. “Liam. Was I the one who seduced you first?” He didn’t speak. He just stared at my face. In the reflection of the glass window, I could see a dense rash of red hives breaking out across my neck. Right. I’ve been severely allergic to dairy and heavy cream since I was a kid. The very first birthday I spent at the Spencers’, his mom made me a beautiful buttercream cake. I was so terrified of disappointing her as a houseguest that I carefully ate the cake slice by slice, trying to avoid the frosting. That was how Liam discovered my secret. That night, he brought me allergy medicine. “I already told my mom not to use cream on your cakes anymore.” “From now on, if anything is wrong, you can tell me first. Don’t always bottle it up inside.” There was no moon that night, but his eyes were softer and more forgiving than moonlight, wrapping tightly around my anxious, terrified heart. Over the years, he was the one who slowly pulled me in. He ran hot and cold, pulling me close and pushing me away, but in the end, I was the only one who truly fell in love. “I knew you wouldn’t admit it.” Emma’s voice yanked me back to reality. Before I could react, she gathered a pile of crumpled papers and threw them all over me. “Is this enough proof?!” “For a girl to be this clingy and desperate… it’s honestly pathetic.” I stood there, frozen. These were the letters I wrote to Liam during my gap year. Pages and pages, all scattered on the floor. The onlookers were practically buzzing with excitement. A few curious ones had already picked them up to read. “Liam, I knitted a scarf for you…” “I heard college is super demanding. Are you really busy right now…?” Back then, Liam must have been truly busy. He never wrote back, until I sent my final letter. “Your university is so hard to get into. Why couldn’t I just be a little bit smarter? I’m already trying so hard.” “I can’t go to the same school as you. I’m sorry. I’m really useless. Liam, please don’t forget me, okay…?” Every word was so pathetic, yet so sincere. Liam only replied with one sentence: “Chloe, I’ll help you.” And he did. He dropped his college work, took me to amusement parks to destress, tutored me, and reviewed my test mistakes. When I finally got accepted, he even rushed back to celebrate with me. And now, Liam had told Emma all about these things, just to prove to her that I was the pathetic stalker who wouldn’t leave him alone. Even though I had resolved to let him go, tears still streamed down my face uncontrollably. Emma’s mocking words rang in my ears, stabbing me in the heart: “Liam told me you were honestly just really annoying back then.” The strange guests joined in the heckling. “So she’s just a desperate groupie.” “The guy is married and she’s still begging for it. Yikes.” I took a deep breath and said calmly, “Whether you believe it or not, I never actively threw myself at him.” “While we were in a committed relationship, he eloped with Emma.” “I’m only here to get my ID.” Under the gazes of the crowd, I collected my documents. I turned to look at the silent Liam. “I won’t ever bother you again. Because you don’t deserve me.” 7 When I got home, I curled up on the couch and sobbed. “Are you okay?” A tissue suddenly appeared in my vision. Through the blurry haze of my tears, I saw Carter staring at me quietly. “Can you do me a small favor?” he asked suddenly. Carter’s “small favor” was rescuing a stray cat. The frail little kitten was hiding under a car, too terrified to come out. There were always strays in our complex, and I was pretty good at dealing with them, so I managed to coax it out relatively quickly. “Chloe, you’re amazing,” Carter said. I felt a little embarrassed and quickly looked away. On the walk back, I shared a bunch of funny stories about my past encounters with stray cats. I felt like I had momentarily forgotten all my miseries. During the walk, an unknown number kept calling my phone. I had a pretty good guess who it was, so I didn’t answer. It was already past 11 PM when we got back. After I showered, Carter poured me a glass of warm water. “Feeling a little better?” It finally clicked in my head, and I let out a dry laugh. “You didn’t actually need my help rescuing that cat, did you?” Carter admitted it easily. “I came back to grab a cat toy, but then I saw you crying.” When I didn’t say anything, Carter stayed quiet for a moment. “There’s so much insincerity in this world. People weighing the pros and cons, playing games, leading people on. Those people will get their karma eventually.” “But there is nothing wrong with being the one who loves deeply. There’s nothing wrong with giving your whole heart. You should never doubt the version of yourself that loved sincerely.” “It will all pass.” The rims of my eyes burned, and my emotions surged. “…You’re actually… pretty good at comforting people.” Carter chuckled softly. “It’s not like just anyone is worth me going out of my way to comfort them.” I didn’t quite catch that. “Huh?” “Nothing.” He turned and waved at me. “I’m going to sleep.” “Wait,” I called out to him. I ran to my bedroom to grab the first aid kit and pushed him back onto the couch. “Let’s put some medicine on that first.” When the kitten finally came out earlier, it had panicked and scratched the back of Carter’s neck. “You saw that?” Carter had tried to hide it, assuming I hadn’t noticed. “Lift your chin a bit.” I leaned over slightly, using a cotton swab to carefully apply the ointment. Carter obediently tilted his head back. He was only wearing a bathrobe, his hair still wet and dripping. The collar hung open slightly, exposing his collarbones and a glimpse of his firm chest. The shadows of the lamp fell over his eyes, making them look pitch black and glossy as he stared directly at me. “…Maybe you should turn your head back around.” Carter gave a small laugh. “Okay.” He turned his head, but the sudden movement threw off my balance. I stumbled, collapsing onto the couch with a heavy thud, falling right against his chest. Because he had his head turned, my lips… landed perfectly against his cheek. We both froze. Suddenly, there was a loud rattle at the front door lock. Liam stood in the doorway, his face horrific as he stared at us. “What the hell are you doing?!” 8 He stormed over, grabbed my wrist, and yanked me off the couch. “Chloe, do you really hate me this much? You’re sleeping with another man just to get back at me?” I ripped my hand away from his grip. “What right do you have to question me?” “As my brother? Or as someone else’s husband?” “Don’t make me sick.” Carter didn’t hold back either, cursing at him. “Are you gonna get the hell out, or what?” Liam looked utterly enraged, the veins on his forehead bulging. It took him a long time to choke out a hoarse sentence. “Chloe, I just came to bring you allergy medicine.” He pulled a bottle of pills from his pocket. “Allergies?” Carter raised an eyebrow. “Minor issue.” I shrugged, not elaborating. Since it was only a smudge of frosting, the hives on my neck had faded quickly. Liam watched our interaction, his tone turning even colder. “Those letters—I didn’t give them to Emma. She snooped and found them herself.” “Marrying Emma was out of necessity. My dad’s company suddenly had a massive cash flow crisis. Emma is the daughter of a huge investor, and their only condition for the bailout was that I marry her.” “Just give me a little time. Once the company recovers, I’ll divorce her.” “We can go back to how things used to be…” He paused, then added: “A woman needs to respect herself. Just because you’re mad at me doesn’t mean you should find some random guy—” I directly grabbed Carter’s hand. “He’s not a random guy. He’s my boyfriend.” Carter seemed to stiffen for a microsecond, but he was quick on the uptake. He instantly squeezed my hand back. “We’re dating out in the open. Everything we do is completely appropriate and legal.” Liam’s face paled visibly. He took two steps forward, reaching out for me. “Boyfriend? How many days has it been since we last saw each other?” “Stop acting out. Come with me.” There was an unfamiliar panic and insecurity in his voice, realizing things were spinning out of his control. “You should go back and keep your new wife company.” “I, Chloe Bennett, will never be the other woman.” His face completely darkened. Before leaving, he didn’t forget to drop a warning: “Chloe, you’re going to regret this.” … After Liam left, I thanked Carter warmly for playing along. I also promised that I would cook dinner for him from now on. “From now on?” Carter looked at me for a moment and smiled. It took me a second to realize how that sounded. My face felt a little hot. “I mean, for the duration of the time you’re staying here, I’ll handle dinner.” Carter didn’t say anything, he just kept smiling at me. I awkwardly avoided his gaze. Right as I was about to go to sleep, Liam texted me from yet another new number: “I haven’t done anything with Emma these past few days.” “If that’s what’s bothering you, let me tell you right now, Chloe: from start to finish, I have only ever wanted you.” I replied with a single sentence: “I have a boyfriend. Do not harass me again.” Liam’s chat bubble showed he was typing for a long time before he finally sent one line: “Chloe, you loved me for eight years. You couldn’t possibly fall for another man this fast.” I blocked that number too. And Liam’s words were thrown back in his face almost immediately— Emma posted a picture of an ultrasound on her Instagram story. The caption read: “He wouldn’t let me tell a certain someone, but I just couldn’t wait to share the news. So I guess this story is for ‘Close Friends’ only!” Doing the math, the conception date was way before they even got their marriage license. Which meant, while he was dating me, he was already sleeping with Emma. My stomach violently churned. Any final, lingering trace of emotion I had for Liam vanished into nothingness in that exact moment. … But Liam refused to let me go. In fact, he wanted to ruin me in the most despicable, degrading way possible. When I walked into the office a few days later, I immediately felt something was wrong. My coworkers were pointing and whispering, looking at me with a mix of schadenfreude and disgust. “She’s the star of the video. Gotta admit, her body’s incredible.” “You really can’t tell just by looking at her. She acts so professional, but in bed she’s so…” My brain exploded with a deafening roar. I rushed to open my laptop. The usually dead-quiet company Slack channel was currently blowing up. Someone had uploaded a highly explicit, intimate video. The man’s face was blurred out with pixels, but the woman’s face was crystal clear— It was my face. I stood frozen in place, trapped in an unspeakable nightmare. Liam called me at that exact moment. “Chloe, are you at the office yet?” I gripped my phone, my voice trembling violently. “Was it you?” Liam didn’t admit it, but he didn’t deny it either. “When… when did you film that?” Liam’s voice was gentle, as if he were reminiscing. “You were drunk that night. So eager, so sweet. I couldn’t resist capturing the moment.” The suffocating bitterness in my chest erupted. I roared through gritted teeth, “What you did is revenge porn! It’s a federal crime! I’m calling the police, Liam. I will never let you get away with this.” Liam didn’t seem to believe me. “Chloe, do you really love this Carter guy?” Alarm bells shrieked in my head. A sudden, terrifying premonition hit me. “What are you trying to say?” “Tell me, if he sees this video, do you think he’ll still want to be with you?” … The sheer humiliation threatened to drown me. After calling the cops and taking an emergency leave of absence from my manager, I rushed home, enduring the burning stares of everyone in the office. Carter was in the living room. He was sitting on the couch, completely motionless, staring at the screen of his laptop. When I walked in, he slowly looked up, his eyes meeting mine.

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My husband wanted to fake a divorce with me so he could marry my best friend. The excuse? Her son’s residency didn’t fall into the district for the elite public magnet school. My best friend was so anxious about it that she actually made herself sick. “Victoria, just think of it as doing Rachel a favor. Once little Mason’s school situation is secured, we’ll remarry, okay?” Hearing this, Rachel looked terrified, mumbling that it wasn’t right. Nathan, however, frowned and scolded her: “Have you looked in a mirror lately? Do you see how exhausted you look? Don’t worry about this, listen to me!” Watching the suppressed, deep affection on their faces, I quietly tucked the divorce papers back into my purse. If this was how it was going to be, the division of our assets was going to need a serious recalculation. 1 Today, Rachel’s divorce from Greg became official. To celebrate her rebirth, she threw a dinner party and invited a bunch of friends. That included me and Nathan. Nathan was her divorce attorney. If it hadn’t been for him, her lawsuit against Greg wouldn’t have been settled so quickly, and she wouldn’t have walked away with nearly as much in alimony and assets. So, she offered her very first toast to Nathan. “Nathan, thank you. I won’t make a big speech, but I want to toast you.” Nathan, however, didn’t look pleased. His brow was furrowed. He said, “I’m on medication. I can’t drink.” I gave him a weird look. I managed the medicine cabinet at home. Every time Nathan felt sick, I was the one who found him his meds. I knew for a fact he wasn’t on any medication. But I couldn’t understand why he would lie. Rachel’s hand stiffened around her glass. She stood there awkwardly. She looked at him timidly. “Then… then you don’t have to drink! I’ll drink it for you!” Nathan’s frown deepened. Watching Rachel down the glass of wine in one gulp, his eyes grew dark. Rachel was genuinely happy today. For the past six months, ever since Greg’s affair came to light, her smiles had grown rare. Today, her brow was finally relaxed. She mingled with our friends, laughing and joking, fluttering around like a little songbird. Nathan, however, seemed entirely distracted. He instinctively served food onto my plate, but his eyes kept following something—or someone—around the room. Until he placed a piece of beef on my plate. I sighed, suddenly feeling inexplicably exhausted. I am severely allergic to beef. Nathan knew this. He was usually more careful about it than I was. Whenever we ate out, he was always the one reminding the waiters. This was the first time he had ever carelessly dropped beef onto my plate. I opened my mouth, just about to say something, when he suddenly stood up. “I’m going to the restroom.” Before I could react, he had already left the private dining room. “Where’s Rachel?” I asked a friend sitting next to me. “She just stepped out, probably to the restroom! By the way, where’s your husband?” I pursed my lips and stood up. “Where are you going?” “Stepping out for some fresh air!” There was a window at the end of the hallway. I genuinely just wanted some fresh air. I didn’t go out looking to catch them in an affair, nor did I expect to. Just around the corner, Rachel was leaning weakly against Nathan’s chest. Nathan pulled a blister pack of pills from his pocket and fed them to her, then unscrewed a water bottle and helped her take small sips. He put on a stern face and pretended to be angry. “Serves you right!” Rachel playfully glared at him. “Why are you like this? Not giving me any grace in front of all those people. I was so embarrassed!” Nathan glared right back at her. “Give you grace? If I enabled you any more, you’d be in the hospital! Did you forget you have gastroenteritis?” Rachel smiled softly. “I’m fine!” Nathan scoffed and let her go. “Fine, you’re fine! If I care about you again, I’m a dog!” Rachel grabbed his sleeve, coaxing him softly. “Okay, okay, I know you’re just looking out for me! “Let’s go back, before Victoria starts worrying!” 2 I fled. The moment they stepped out from the corner, I scrambled away in a panic. One was my absolute best friend, the other the man I loved most. How was I supposed to face them?! But looking back, everything happening now felt like a trap I had set for myself. Rachel was my childhood friend. We grew up together. Over twenty years of friendship meant I trusted her more than anyone else in the world. And she trusted me just as much. So, when she found out Greg was cheating, I was the first person she called. That was an agonizing time for her. She was obsessed with why Greg cheated, why he betrayed her. She wasn’t thinking about how to legally protect herself; she stubbornly just wanted an emotional answer. I stayed by her side. We drank, we went clubbing, we took weekend trips. Nathan had a lot of complaints back then. He felt I was neglecting him for Rachel. I couldn’t help it. I just tried my best to appease them both. Later, Rachel finally made up her mind. She wanted a divorce, but Greg refused, meaning she had to take him to court. “Victoria, could you ask Nathan to represent me?” I wanted to help her as much as possible, but I was worried Nathan would say no. Sure enough, when I told him her request, he frowned deeply. “Civil litigation and messy divorces aren’t my specialty. If she needs it, I can refer her to a great family lawyer. Plus, I just don’t have the time.” Nathan was busy, but he could have made the time. I knew he just didn’t want to take Rachel’s case. Because he thought Rachel was overly dramatic, performative, and entirely too emotional. “You can’t be firm with them, you can’t reason with them. Clients like that are a nightmare!” But Rachel only trusted Nathan. “Just like I trust you. Victoria, please help me, okay?” With no other choice, I pestered Nathan relentlessly, even resorting to the “honey trap” in the bedroom. Finally, he hugged me, exasperated. “Fine, fine, I’ll take it!” I forced Nathan to take this case. So, when he and Rachel started getting closer, and eventually crossed the line, he could self-righteously say: “Didn’t you force me to take this case?” 3 When I returned to the private room, Rachel was sitting in my seat, talking to Nathan. Nathan was listening while pouring a glass of water and handing it to her. She took it so naturally, as if this sequence of actions had happened a hundred times before. Rachel noticed me first. Her expression stiffened for a split second, then she quickly stood up and grabbed my hand. “Victoria, where did you go? I didn’t see you in the hall!” I gently pushed her hand away. “Just stepped out for some air.” Rachel’s eyes looked a bit hurt. She pretended everything was fine and smiled at me. “Then you sit. I’m going to go chat with Mike and the others.” I sat back down. Nathan lowered his voice and said irritably, “What kind of mood are you throwing now?” I looked at him, confused. “What mood am I throwing?” Nathan kept a straight face, looking at me as if I knew exactly what he meant. That was interesting. I genuinely laughed out loud. Nathan looked like he wanted to say something else, but it got loud again across the room. A few people were clamoring to do tequila shots with Rachel. Almost as a conditioned reflex, Nathan started to stand up. I pressed him firmly back down. “They’re my friends. Give me some respect!” After speaking, I walked over before he could and blocked Rachel. I said, “She has stomach issues, she can’t drink! If you guys really want to go hard, I’ll drink with you!” If I had looked back at that moment, I probably would have seen Rachel turn pale. But I didn’t look back. I just smiled and played along with the crowd. They didn’t push it, even commenting on what amazing friends Rachel and I were. Later, I drank a lot. Rachel wanted to stop me but didn’t dare step forward. Nathan grabbed my hand, but I shoved him away. In the end, it was Nathan who carried me to the car. Standing outside the car, he said to Rachel, “Get in, I’ll drop you off first.” Rachel shook her head. “It’s fine, I’ll get an Uber. You take Victoria home!” Nathan was incredibly insistent. “It’s too late. I’m not comfortable with you going alone. It’s fine, it’s on the way.” Rachel suddenly lowered her voice. “Nathan, don’t do this. I’m begging you. Just go!” I eavesdropped on the whole thing without an ounce of guilt, then closed my eyes and rolled over in the backseat. Nathan ultimately surrendered to the fragile, pleading Rachel. The drive back was completely silent. No music, no talking. That night, Nathan didn’t sleep a wink, chain-smoking on the balcony until dawn. Meanwhile, I slept like a rock, and even had a rare good dream. 4 Rachel’s case wasn’t smooth from the start. Just like Nathan predicted, she was entirely driven by emotion. Every time Nathan asked a legal question, what came out of her mouth was a tearful rant, not facts. With no other choice, I became her translator and spokesperson. This made Nathan very unhappy. He slammed his hand on the desk and told me: “Get out. I need to talk to her alone!” When Nathan got mad, even I was intimidated by him, let alone Rachel. She grabbed my hand, refusing to let me leave. Nathan said coldly, “Either listen to me, or find another lawyer.” With no other option, Rachel let go of me. That day, they talked in his office for over an hour. When she came out, Rachel looked surprisingly radiant. She said, “Nathan is really amazing.” “How so?” “He’s just… so gentle!” Her description made my heart skip a beat, but I didn’t overthink it. I asked Nathan what he said to her. He said, “I just don’t like her personality, doesn’t mean I can’t handle it. She’s just not independent; she can’t function without you holding her hand. From now on, I’ll communicate with her one-on-one.” I figured Nathan’s decision made sense professionally, so I trusted him. Sure enough, from that day on, the case progressed much smoother. At first, Rachel would still share updates with me. But I don’t know when exactly our contact started to dwindle. Until one day, I called her and asked what stage the settlement was at. She sounded relaxed. “What stage? I don’t even know. Whatever Nathan tells me to sign, I sign. He handles everything.” I laughed helplessly. “Fine, I’ll just ask him when he gets home tonight.” But she said no need. “Nathan is right here with me. I’ll put him on.” And just like that, very abruptly, through my best friend’s phone, I was talking to my husband. I wasn’t really paying attention to what he said. I was just thinking, their relationship seemed to be getting better and better. Nathan joked, “I’m getting along with your best friend, aren’t you happy?” I pretended to ask casually, “Do you still hate Rachel?” Nathan was holding his laptop, dealing with some documents. He chuckled, taking a break. “She’s actually kind of cute!” Too many clues were pulling the string in my heart tighter and tighter. When did that string finally snap? It must have been that early morning. Nathan and I were asleep, but his phone suddenly rang. Half-asleep, he answered it. I don’t know what he heard, but the next second, he sprang out of bed like he had been struck by lightning. “Why are you crying? Don’t be scared, lock the door, call 911, and I’ll be right there!” His tone was calm, he was even smiling reassuringly. But the way he frantically rummaged for his clothes in the dark betrayed his panic. Nathan was always composed. That was the first time I ever saw him lose his cool. But even though he was panicking, he was still trying his best to comfort the person on the other end. That gave me a very bad feeling. I asked him, “What’s wrong? What happened?” He said, “That scumbag Greg went to harass Rachel again. Go back to sleep, I’m heading over there!” “Why didn’t she call me?” The words blurted out of my mouth. Nathan whipped his head around to look at me, his gaze sharp as a knife. “You don’t care about her safety, you only care about that?! Victoria, you’re crossing a line. Isn’t she supposed to be your best friend?!” Right, she was my best friend. But when she was terrified and panicking, the first person she contacted was my husband. Nathan was furious and practically slammed the door on his way out. I stood frozen in place for a long time, forcing down the surging emotions, and finally decided to follow him. When I got there, the door to Rachel’s apartment was wide open. Her suppressed crying was clearly audible. Along with Nathan’s low, gentle voice comforting her. “Stop crying, it’s okay, I’m here now, aren’t I? He won’t dare do anything to you!” I didn’t listen to anymore. I walked right in, looking at the two of them holding each other, and said, “What are you two doing?” Looking back, I probably should have been scared. I didn’t dare listen to more. I didn’t dare let them keep talking, afraid I’d hear something that would shatter my reality completely. 5 Nathan had been very active at work lately. He left early. By the time I woke up, he was already gone. He bought breakfast for me, left it on the table with a sticky note reminding me to eat. I stared at the food for a long time, but didn’t touch it. I got a call from a property manager in the afternoon. They asked if I forgot to turn off a faucet, saying the downstairs neighbor complained about a massive leak. It was bizarre. No one had lived in my old condo for a long time, even the main water valve was shut off. How could it be leaking? I rushed over. Turns out, it really was our problem. The bathroom faucet was gushing, and water had already flooded out into the hallway. I quickly shut the water off, apologized profusely to the neighbor downstairs, and discussed paying for the water damage. I put on a smiling face, took their scolding and complaints, and finally resolved the issue. After seeing the neighbor out, my face instantly went cold. The property manager asked if I had rented the place out, wondering who was currently living there. Right, who was living there? It was Rachel. Didn’t expect that, did you? Neither did I. When I saw a framed photo of her and her son on the counter, I actually felt dizzy for a second. Was I blind? I thought I was calm enough. But when I pulled out my phone to make a call, I realized my hands were shaking. How humiliating. My hands were shaking like a leaf. Taking a deep breath, I desperately suppressed the screaming in my head and called Nathan. No answer. I called Rachel. Still no answer. How was I supposed to process this? How could I process this? Without stopping, I drove straight to Nathan’s law firm. He might not be there, but he might be. If he was there, what was I supposed to say? My brain was a chaotic mess the entire drive. But the one thing I never expected was for Rachel to be sitting in Nathan’s office, wearing professional business attire. Rachel was sitting in the desk chair; Nathan was standing close behind her. He was leaning over, one hand on the desk, the other on the mouse, completely caging Rachel beneath his body. He was smiling, explaining something softly. Rachel looked up at him, her eyes full of complete reliance and adoration. “BANG!” I shoved the door open hard. It slammed against the wall with a sharp crack. 6 Nathan said, “I just wanted to help her. She’s been a stay-at-home mom for so long, it’s very hard for her to re-enter the workforce. I happen to need a legal assistant, so I’m letting her try it out. If she’s interested, she can study for her paralegal certificate. Whether she stays here or moves on, it’s a solid career path for her.” This version of Nathan was so unfamiliar it made my skin crawl. “I never knew you were such a thoughtful philanthropist.” Nathan looked at me, deeply irritated. “You don’t need to be sarcastic. There is absolutely nothing going on between me and Rachel. A clear conscience needs no defense!” I nodded slowly. “Got it!” But when I got up to leave, he grabbed my arm. “What does that mean?” I looked at him in feigned confusion. “Didn’t you say your conscience is clear? Do whatever you want!” When I opened the office door, Rachel was standing right outside. She looked terrified and anxious, her eyes darting like a frightened rabbit, trembling and slightly red. “Victoria, it’s not what you think, let me explain!” “No need, Nathan already made it perfectly clear.” She seemed even more terrified, whipping her head to look at Nathan, then back at me. “What… what did he tell you?” I gave a half-smile. “Don’t you know what he said?” Nathan suddenly spoke up. “You don’t have to scare her. I told her from the beginning that there is absolutely nothing between us.” Rachel secretly let out a breath of relief. I knew these two people too well. Sometimes I was grateful for that familiarity; other times I despised it. “By the way,” I said to Rachel, “you forgot to turn off the faucet when you left today. Be careful next time. As you know, my parents left that condo to me. Nathan’s name isn’t on the deed. Move out in three days, can you do that?” Rachel’s eyes went wide. She looked at me in a panic, looking like she was about to collapse. Nathan stepped forward, about to speak. I shook my head at him. “The whole office is watching. Don’t make me cause a scene!” I walked away without looking back. I heard Rachel fainted right after I left. Nathan came home to pack a suitcase and told me about it. “I let her stay in the old condo because Greg kept harassing her. I was originally going to discuss it with you, but you were constantly overthinking and assuming the worst back then. We just didn’t want you to misunderstand.” He said, “Let’s take some time to cool off. I’ll stay at the firm for a few days, and I can keep an eye on Rachel while I’m at it.” “Nathan,” I called out to him. “Have you fallen in love with Rachel?” Nathan looked at me, his gaze freezing cold. He scoffed. “Victoria, that’s enough!” He left without a shred of hesitation. It suddenly reminded me of something Greg said. Back then, Rachel was crying, asking him: “Why did you do this to me? How could you do this to me? Didn’t you say you’d love me forever?” And what did Greg say? His expression was cold, his tone heartless. “Everything in this world changes. Why can’t I change? Why can’t my feelings for you change?” And what’s even weirder is, Greg was the one who cheated. He was the one whose feelings changed. But in the end, he had the audacity to say, “I never thought about divorcing you.” As if his refusal to divorce was some kind of… charity? 7 I went to the hospital the next afternoon. Before going to the hospital, I stopped by Nathan’s firm. He wasn’t there. His colleague told me, “It’s lunch time, he probably went to the hospital. These past two days, he’s been leaving right on the dot…” The colleague paused, looking at me awkwardly. “He just has a good heart and treats people well. Don’t overthink it.” I smiled and left. Nathan had a good heart? Not really. On the contrary, he was actually quite cold. He drew a very clear line between his own business and other people’s problems. In his own words: “Not empathizing is my professional code of conduct, and it’s also respect for myself and my clients.” All these years, he never flirted with anyone, and never did anything that could cause a misunderstanding. If he treated someone well, it came from the bottom of his heart. When I arrived at the hospital, Nathan was coaxing Rachel to eat. “You need to eat a little. I brought all your favorites today, don’t ruin your body. “I’ll handle everything. Don’t worry. I’ll go talk to Victoria!” With me? Talk about what? While I was standing there confused, Rachel panicked and grabbed Nathan’s hand. “No, don’t, don’t tell Victoria. This is my problem, it has nothing to do with you two. I’ll handle it myself. Don’t get involved, don’t go to Victoria.” Nathan frowned. “What are you going to do? Tell me, what are you planning to do?” Rachel bit her lip, looking utterly helpless and fragile. Nathan sighed and rubbed the top of her head. “Don’t be scared, I’m here!” I stood at the door, watching all of this numbly. A sharp pain pierced my heart. I bit my tongue, using physical pain to suppress the emotional agony. “What do you guys want to talk to me about?” The moment she saw me, Rachel dodged away from Nathan like she had been burned. Nathan froze for a second, pulling his hand back, looking a bit lost. Rachel’s eyes trembled as she looked at me, forcing a fawning smile. “Victoria, you’re here.” I gave her a blank look, then turned to Nathan. “Tell me. What exactly do you want to talk to me about?” “Nothing! It’s nothing!” Rachel denied immediately. Nathan, however, stepped forward. “There’s something I need your help with!” “Nathan, shut up!” Rachel tried to stop him, but Nathan didn’t give her the chance. He said, “Victoria, let’s get a divorce! “Victoria, just think of it as doing Rachel a favor. Once little Mason’s school zoning situation is secured, we’ll remarry, okay?” I never thought I’d hear something so absurd. So absurd I actually questioned my own sanity. “What?” Rachel went pale, grabbing Nathan’s sleeve, stammering. “I’m begging you, stop talking!” But Nathan seemed determined. “Victoria, let’s get a divorce, just temporarily!” “Shut up, Nathan! Victoria, don’t listen to him, he’s talking nonsense!” Nathan got angry. He scowled at Rachel. “Have you looked in a mirror lately? Do you see how exhausted you are? Don’t worry about this, listen to me!” Rachel cried. Nathan looked like he wanted to raise his hand to wipe her tears, but stopped himself. His face was full of suppressed, deep affection. It made me want to vomit. I quietly tightened my grip on the divorce papers I had brought in my purse, pushing them deeper inside. “Nathan, in your dreams!” If this was how it was going to be, the division of our assets was going to need a serious recalculation. 8 Nathan chased me out of the hospital. He grabbed my arm, his brow furrowed with intense frustration. “Victoria, we need to talk!” I let out a cold laugh. “Talk about what? About getting a divorce? Nathan, you’re really something!” Nathan rubbed his temples. “I told you it’s a fake divorce. I just want to help Rachel.” “Nathan, do you even believe the words coming out of your own mouth?” “I’m telling the truth. If you don’t want to believe me, there’s nothing I can do.” Playing the rogue. “Fine, I’m in no rush anyway. Or you can always sue me. You haven’t had a chance to represent yourself in family court yet, have you!” Nathan stared at me with a deep frown. “Victoria, I’m trying to discuss this with you. I told you, I never intended to actually divorce you. This is just a temporary fix.” I shook my head. “I won’t agree! Nathan, why should I trust you?” Nathan wanted to say something else, but his phone rang. I tried to pull my arm away. He held on tight. But when he saw the caller ID, he hesitated, and I easily broke free. “I have something to do. We’ll talk later!” I stared at my wrist for a moment, then turned and walked away. Halfway down the street, I looked back, only catching Nathan’s retreating figure as he hurried back into the hospital. Rachel said she wanted to talk. I agreed. We met at a bookstore cafe we used to frequent. Rachel didn’t look well. She really might be sick; she looked exhausted. Seeing me, she stood up awkwardly. “Victoria, you’re here. Sit down. What do you want to drink?” I ordered a black coffee and sat down. “Tell me. What do you want to talk about?” Rachel pursed her lips. “Don’t listen to Nathan’s nonsense. He’s just worried about Mason’s schooling. I’ll solve it myself, I can’t keep troubling you two!” Rachel was smart for once. She grouped me and Nathan together, framing it as if she just didn’t want us to go out of our way to help her. But it was too late! “Rachel, do you like Nathan?” Rachel shook her head vigorously. “I don’t, how could I, how could I possibly like him?” “Then I don’t understand. If you don’t like him, why are you giving him signals?” “I didn’t!” Rachel denied emphatically. “Victoria, I swear I didn’t!” I smiled and shook my head. “Rachel, adults have boundaries. If you didn’t give him the ‘you can approach me’ signal, he wouldn’t dare push it. Of course, this isn’t entirely your fault. If he hadn’t crossed the line first, you probably wouldn’t have dared either. I believe this is what they call… mutual attraction? “Are you really not going to tell me the story of you and Nathan? Aren’t we best friends who share everything?” Rachel’s face was white as a sheet. She looked at me timidly. “Victoria, I really didn’t!” My gaze grew cold, and my face hardened. “Didn’t? Rachel, you’re a romantic. You like to project a man’s love for you onto little things. Like always putting you first, like rushing to your side immediately, like remembering your preferences, like buying you medicine instead of telling you to buy it, like reserving his passenger seat just for you. “You know I don’t care about that stuff, but you do. So, when you and Nathan came to see me, and you were sitting in the passenger seat, what were you thinking?” Rachel sat frozen in place. I pointed across the street. “Before you two got here, I was right over there. Great view!” So I clearly saw Nathan drop Rachel off, and after she got out, he wrapped his scarf around her neck. Rachel opened her mouth. I cut her off. “Were you going to say he was just worried about you? Rachel, don’t you think my husband’s worry for you was a bit much? He really loves you, doesn’t he!” Rachel cried, covering her face and sobbing loudly. I watched her apathetically, no longer feeling any of the pity I used to. “Victoria, I’m wrong, I’m sorry, I’m wrong!” She said, “Greg’s cheating made me doubt myself. Was I not good enough? Was it my fault? Otherwise why would he fall for someone else? “Victoria, I never wanted to hurt you, I never thought about having anything happen with Nathan. It’s just… he was so good to me, I was so happy. I suddenly felt like I was worthy of being loved too.” She said it was just vanity, she just enjoyed a man treating a woman well. It’s just unfortunate that the man happened to be my husband. “I’m sorry, Victoria, I’m wrong! The moment Nathan asked you for a fake divorce, I knew I was wrong. I promise you, there is absolutely nothing between us, I’ll back off, I’ll give him back to you! Victoria, can you forgive me, please?” I gently wiped away a tear that had escaped my eye. “You realized it that late? So, when he hugged and comforted you in the middle of the night, bought you medicine, held you and fed it to you, secretly let you live in my apartment, got you a job at his firm… you thought all of that was fine?” “No, Victoria, I…” “Pretty addictive, right? My man going out of his way to treat you well, even better than he treats me, even embarrassing me for it. Was it addictive?” Rachel cried and shook her head. It seemed she had nothing left to say besides shaking her head. “You said you’d give him back to me? So you’ve already accepted that he’s yours, right? When did he tell you he liked you?” Rachel looked up in shock, staring at me in disbelief. As if she didn’t understand how I knew. I leaned back against my chair, defeated. “Rachel, I’ve known you for over twenty years. I’ve protected you for over twenty years. No one in this world understands you better than I do!” My one sentence completely shattered her defenses. “Victoria!” “Remember the woman Greg cheated with? I ran into her a few days ago. She didn’t end up with Greg. She has a new boyfriend and they’re getting married at the end of the year. She looked great, very at peace, even feeling like she had been reborn. She said she wanted to apologize to you, said she was immature back then, and hopes you can forgive her. She said she’s started over, and hopes you can too!” I understood Rachel. And equally, she understood me. She knew what I was trying to say, which is why she cried and begged me to stop talking. But my kindness toward her was long gone. “Can you forgive her? Rachel. She tore your family apart, messed up your life, and then she brushes her hands off and says sorry, and that’s it? Why does she think she can spit out chewed-up sugarcane and you have to pick it up and eat it? Why does she think you have to accept what she gives back? Rachel, tell me, how can she be so awful?” 9 Rachel asked me what I wanted. I gave a half-smile. “A divorce! Making room for you two!” Rachel’s lips trembled. “I never thought about that before, and I won’t in the future. Victoria, I won’t be with him!” Her solemn tone made it sound like an oath. “Really?” I looked out the window. Then congratulations to Nathan, his efforts were going to be completely in vain. She said, “If you want a divorce, then get a divorce!” Before leaving, she asked me, “Victoria, are we still friends?” I didn’t answer that question. I just told her: “Rachel, what you did this time hurt me far more than what Nathan did!” Rachel and I truly grew up together. From kindergarten to marriage, we were never separated. Back then, our families lived very close, just a floor apart in the same complex. Her parents were always fighting, getting physical. She would be terrified and hide in the stairwell, crying. I would take her hand and bring her to my house. We ate together, played games together, did homework together, slept together. From kindergarten all the way to high school. The furthest distance between us was the distance between Class 1 and Class 3. Later, we studied our asses off to get into the same university, moving to the same city. My mom joked: “When you two get married, you should just marry guys from the same town!” Rachel nodded. “I can’t leave Victoria!” How hilarious. To be stabbed in the back this deeply by the person I trusted most… I really asked for it! Nathan came home at dusk. He said to me, “Victoria, let’s just pretend we’re helping Rachel. She’s your best friend, you can’t bear to see her so miserable, right?” He said, “We’re just getting a fake divorce, and when the time is right, we’ll remarry. If you’re worried, I’ll transfer all the assets to your name.” I looked at the man in front of me. Watched him blinded by love. Watched him delude himself. “Fine. Let’s get a divorce!” The divorce process was smooth and fast. I drafted the divorce agreement. The house, the cars, and the bank savings all went to me. The day the divorce was finalized, I asked Nathan to leave the house. He was stunned, looking confused. “What do you mean?” I said, “The house is mine. We’re divorced. Isn’t it normal for you to move out?” “We only got a fake divorce.” “Who told you that?” “Victoria, what exactly is your angle here?” I smiled coldly. “Nathan, I never once considered getting a fake divorce with you.” Nathan was smart. He realized it instantly. “You played me?” “Played you? I wouldn’t go that far! Didn’t I just give you what you wanted, with a little compensation for myself?” Nathan stared at me for a long time. Finally, he said, “You didn’t have to do this. Rachel and I had nothing going on before, and we won’t in the future. I really just wanted to help her, it’s impossible for anything to happen between us!” “None of my business.” “Victoria, what exactly do you want to achieve?” Looking at Nathan’s disbelief, as if he thought I was the one being unreasonable, I only felt a deep sorrow. “Nathan, how little do you understand me? Did you really think I’d turn a blind eye to your ambiguous relationship with Rachel? Did you really think I could swallow this insult? I can’t! But what am I supposed to do? I can’t kill you. So just stay far away from me, stop disgusting me!” My words were harsh. Nathan’s face darkened. “Victoria, stop throwing a tantrum!” I just looked at him and scoffed. His expression grew uglier and uglier. “Fine, don’t regret this!”

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