Category: English

My twin sister eloped for love, and I was forced to pretend to be her and marry Matias. But I was also Matias’s secretary. So during the day, Matias wore sharp suits, all refined and restrained, scolding me with an icy face until I wanted to die. At night, he’d loosen his tie and turn wild, insatiable and filthy-mouthed, biting my neck and saying: “Kate, if it weren’t for you, I would’ve fired your sister Violet ages ago.” Me: “…Haha.” The second before my total breakdown, my twin sister Kate came home, demanding I give her back the position of Matias’s wife. At the same time, Matias told me to get lost. “You’ve been secretly seducing me all along. Don’t think I haven’t noticed! Out of respect for your sister, I’m giving you face. Resign yourself. I don’t want to see you again!” Me: “…Wow.” I scammed them both out of a fortune and made a clean getaway. Three months later, I was lying on a beach sunbathing when Kate called me crying: “Matias won’t touch me. Come back and help us have a baby, please?” “Violet, I’m begging you to help me.” I hung up and fell into deep thought. Matias, that horny bastard, went three months without sex? How hasn’t he died from pent-up frustration?

I was Matias’s secretary, but I was about to quit. Who would’ve thought that Matias, who was ice-cold and kept everyone at arm’s length during the day, turned into a horny mess in bed at night? During meetings, his slender fingers would tap lightly on the table, his expression sharp and commanding, radiating intimidating pressure. But all I could think about was how he’d worn black lace lingerie last night, curling his toes and whining sweetly: “Hurry up~” “Violet!” A colleague next to me poked me, and only then did I hear Matias calling my name. I immediately apologized: “I’m sorry, I was just…” “Spacing out during a meeting? Am I paying you all this money to sit around doing nothing?” His face was full of disgust: “Don’t you sleep at night? You look half-dead every day. And when did SKY’s secretaries start coming to work looking so disheveled?” I was confused for a moment. Following his gaze, I realized he was talking about the hickey on my neck. Even my scarf couldn’t hide it. I pressed my lips together and said softly, “I’m sorry, I…” “I don’t need explanations!” He looked at me coldly: “Violet, I hope you understand—if it weren’t for your sister, you wouldn’t even deserve to be in this position! “Keep things with your boyfriend under control. I don’t want to see this kind of indecent display again. One more time, and you’re fired!” With that, ignoring my utterly mortified expression, he slammed the documents on the table, lifted his chin, and declared sharply: “Meeting adjourned!”

I’d been scolded, and I felt ashamed, but I still couldn’t muster any energy. Last night I’d only managed three hours of sleep total. My head felt like it was about to explode. I sat at my desk in a daze, looking depressed. Near lunchtime, I wobbled downstairs and went to the company’s adjacent apartment building. I rummaged through the closet and pulled out an elegant haute couture outfit and a dazzling diamond necklace. Under the dim lighting, the yellow diamond was as rich as solidified amber. It was the set Matias had bought for his wife at an auction last month. Worth ten million dollars, it even made headline news at the time. Now it was in my hands, and I was casually tapping it against the table, playing with the sound it made. That’s right—the wife he loved to his core was me, and the secretary he scolded into wanting to die was also me. He thought we were twin sisters, but it was actually both me. The hickey he found indecent—he’d made it himself last night. Half a year ago, I’d just started working as Matias’s secretary when my parents called me home. They said Kate had eloped with her boyfriend, and now there was no one to marry into the Williams family. They wanted me to marry him, under Kate’s name. “Kate will definitely regret this later. We can’t leave her without options!” Mom cried and begged me: “Violet, you’ve been with us since you were little, but Kate stayed in the countryside—she hasn’t had your advantages. She didn’t even get into high school.” “Just think of it as paying back what you owe her. Do this for her, okay?” She threatened to kill herself. Helpless, I agreed. I’d originally thought I’d just need to be Matias’s wife in name only, like most couples—politely minding our own business, maybe even living separately. At first, that’s exactly how it was. But later, Matias turned into a sex-crazed demon, clinging to me every night. Whenever I said no, his eyes would turn red and he’d look at me pitifully, his strong thighs wrapped around my waist, asking hoarsely: “Honey, don’t you love me anymore? Do you have another man out there?” Sigh… What could I do? He was the one clinging to me, so I could only reluctantly indulge him. It was exciting at first, but later, I just wanted to castrate Matias. Especially this past month—I’d averaged only three hours of sleep per night. Severely sleep-deprived, I made mistakes at work constantly, getting chewed out every single day. This life of working during the day and “overtime” at night—I really couldn’t take it anymore. I clutched my hair and collapsed onto the bed. Before I could figure out what to do, I fell into a drowsy sleep.

An hour later, the alarm woke me up. Resentfully, I put on makeup, pinned up my hair, transferred takeout into lunch boxes, and carried them over to Matias to bring him food. He was in a video conference, his brows sharp as he listened to reports from his European subordinates. When he saw me, he beckoned me over, gesturing for me to sit on his lap. “Why so late?” He buried his head in the crook of my neck, half-acting spoiled, half-complaining: “I thought you weren’t coming today.” The computer was still playing the formal report on speaker. Even though the mic and camera were off, I still felt embarrassed. I pushed him away uncomfortably and said: “You’re still in a meeting. Don’t do this.” “What’s there to be afraid of? We’re married. It doesn’t matter if others see.” “Don’t you think it’s indecent?” He paused before catching on, his face darkening instantly: “Did Violet complain to you again?” “She’s a young woman. Being scolded by you in public would hurt her feelings too… Don’t scold her next time, okay?” Matias fell silent. After a long moment, he kissed the corner of my mouth: “I know you’re kind, but don’t you think she’s imitating you in every way?” “Huh?” Matias turned on his mic and told them to move the meeting to the afternoon, then turned back to me: “Even twins can’t be identical in behavior and preferences. “But you like pearls, so she wears pearl earrings every day; you have a lively, cheerful personality, so she bounces around at work; you have a rising inflection at the end of your sentences, and she does the same. It’s obviously calculated.” “You mean…” “She’s imitating you to seduce me.” Matias said with certainty: “I’ve seen plenty of women like her. They take advantage of your trust in them to steal your man.” “You’re just too kind, that’s why you think she’s a good person. She’s bullied you since childhood, and your parents favor her. You need to be careful.” As he spoke, his fingers caressed my waist. His tone was serious and earnest, adopting the posture of educating his naive wife, leaving me thunderstruck. “Are you sure you’re not mistaken?” I smiled weakly: “Violet isn’t that kind of person.” “I knew you’d say that.” Matias sighed in disappointment: “Kate, I’m the person closest to you. Why don’t you believe me, and instead trust her?” Me: “…” I was speechless. Fortunately, Matias didn’t dwell on this matter. He just lovingly kissed me and held me while we ate in that position. When I left, he pulled me in for a goodbye kiss. After I tiredly walked out of the Williams Group building and had just wiped away the sticky sensation on my lips, I received a call from Matias. He tore into me: “Are you a child? Running to Kate to tattle when you get scolded? And what about last month’s report? It’s riddled with errors. If you can’t do the job, get out! Useless!” In that instant, I couldn’t control the twisted expression on my face. The next second, another call came in. I answered furiously: “I already said I’d be right back. Can you stop rushing me—” “Violet.” A gentle, familiar voice came through: “It’s me, Kate. I’m back.”

My relationship with Kate was complicated. We were indeed twins, but we hadn’t grown up together. I’d been with our parents in New York while they ran their business; she’d stayed with our grandparents in our hometown. Our parents always felt they’d wronged her. After bringing her to New York, they doted on her excessively and made me give in to her in everything. Whenever anything happened, it was always: “You stole Kate’s affection. You owe her this!” Later, when my sister didn’t get into high school, our parents sent her to study in Europe while I stayed in the country. We weren’t very close to each other. So hearing her speak to me in such a warm, familiar tone, my first reaction was confusion: “What do you want?” “I heard from Mom about our family’s arrangement with Matias.” Hearing my impatience, she stopped with the fake politeness: “Now that I’m back, shouldn’t you return the position of Matias’s wife to me?” “Come back to steal the position! What, did that gangster boyfriend dump you?” I mocked. “Violet, don’t push your luck!” She lowered her voice angrily: “Don’t forget, the Matias’s wife that the Williams family acknowledges is only me, Kate. What right does a fake like you have to be arrogant?” She had a point. Whether it was the Johnson family claiming their married-off daughter, or the wife Matias publicly acknowledged, it was Kate. Sometimes when Matias got in the mood, he’d call me Kate sweetly in bed. Disgusting. I crossed my arms: “I can’t clean up your mess for nothing!” “What do you mean?” She asked warily. “Give me ten million, or we’ll go to Matias and hash out who’s really his wife.” I said with a beaming smile: “Ten million for the position of Matias’s wife—that’s a great deal.” Out of guilt toward her, our parents stopped giving me money after I became an adult, using all their money to support her instead. When I was working odd jobs everywhere to pay for tuition, she was living it up in Europe. I had to get back some of what I was owed. But no matter how much our parents spoiled her, they couldn’t give her the entire family fortune. Ten million—even if she could come up with it, it would cost her dearly. So she hesitated for a long time before asking cautiously: “You promise you’ll leave after taking the money?” “If you don’t trust me, forget it. I’ll go right now…” “Don’t… I’ll give it to you!” She made up her mind: “I’ll give it to you, but you have to promise never to appear in front of Matias again.” I agreed readily. After hanging up, my mood improved considerably. I removed all my makeup, put on a blouse and pencil skirt, and admired my figure in the mirror. Thinking about how Matias said I was imitating and seducing him, I was silent for a moment, then let out a soft laugh. I found it absurd, but I didn’t want to cause more trouble. I replaced the pearl earrings with sapphire ones, then dug a long trench coat out of the closet, covering my body’s curves completely, before heading out to work.

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The night before our engagement, Marcus had my stepsister Olivia pinned down on our wedding bed, tangled up together. He didn’t answer my calls. Only after finishing sex did he bother to text me back. “I’m having dinner with a client. My phone died earlier. What’s up?” I uploaded the surveillance footage I’d just downloaded straight to Twitter and announced the cancellation of our engagement. Marcus hadn’t noticed my Twitter post. He was too busy cuddling with Olivia in his arms for another round. Less than a minute after I posted, my notifications blew up to 99 messages. Marcus’s cousin Lester messaged excitedly: “Shit, this content is R-rated! No minors allowed!” “Sophie, did you get hacked?” “You and my brother should watch this kind of porn video under the covers, not post it publicly~” “Wait a second! Why does this guy look like my brother??” I sneered and replied: “It looks like him because it IS him. Your brother’s starring in it himself.” I didn’t bother replying to the other comments. Instead, I posted another pinned tweet: “Thank you all for your concern. My engagement to Marcus tomorrow is cancelled.” After posting that, I logged out of Twitter. My mom called me several times in a row. I didn’t answer. She was extremely satisfied with Marcus, practically wanting to announce to the whole world that I was about to marry into a wealthy family. Now that she’d suddenly seen I was calling off the engagement, she’d definitely make me delete everything. My phone kept vibrating in my palm. I simply turned it off. Out of sight, out of mind. After driving to a bar, I ordered a whiskey and waited patiently. Someone like Marcus never checked Twitter. It was normal that he hadn’t seen my messages yet. But I knew it wouldn’t be long before someone with a loose tongue would notify him. My friend asked why it took me so long to arrive. I laughed bitterly: “I was helping someone catch cheaters.” And speak of the devil—here came the cheater himself. Marcus pushed through the noisy, crowded bar toward our private room. His brows were furrowed, his expression dark. He kept pulling out his phone to make calls, like he had urgent business. And the woman who’d just been desperately entangled with him in bed was following right behind him, step for step. She wrapped her arms around his waist from behind and said something I couldn’t hear, tears in her eyes. Marcus looked extremely impatient. He pried her arms off and shoved her aside, turning to leave without a backward glance. The woman burst into tears, sitting on the ground crying her heart out. I hadn’t been able to see her face clearly in the surveillance footage earlier. Now, as the bar lights flashed, I finally got a good look at her. Fair skin, beautiful features, big eyes, an oval face—exactly Marcus’s type. And as it happened, I knew this person too. It was none other than Olivia, the daughter my stepmother had brought into the family. I stared at her in a daze. My friend patted my shoulder. “Sophie, is your phone dead?” The bar was too noisy for me to hear her clearly. Seeing this, she sighed and leaned closer. “Marcus is going crazy looking for you! He even called me!” She held her phone in front of me, showing an active call. The bar was blasting DJ music at that moment, making my head throb. My friend very considerately held the phone to my ear. I could faintly hear Marcus’s voice on the other end. “Sophie, it’s not what you think! Let me explain!” I snatched the phone and threw it into the ice bucket. My friend shrieked, “Sophie, my phone! Why are you dragging me into your fight!” My gaze swept over the woman who’d been crying her eyes out moments ago. I snorted coldly: “I’ll buy you a new one later.” “Men are like phones. When they don’t work right, you throw them out.”

At three in the morning, I dragged my exhausted body home. Sure enough, Marcus was waiting at my door. He crushed out his cigarette and quickly walked toward me. “Sophie, where were you? Why didn’t you answer any of my calls?” Smelling the alcohol on me, his tone turned concerned: “You’re drunk. Let me carry you inside.” I shoved away his embrace. “Don’t touch me. You’re filthy.” Marcus’s hands froze in midair. “Sophie, let me explain. It’s not what you think.” “That video must be AI-generated. I absolutely didn’t do anything to betray you!” I looked at him coldly, my face full of mockery: “Marcus, can you stop treating everyone like idiots?” “I downloaded that video from the surveillance system myself. I’m not blind. I saw everything crystal clear.” Marcus’s expression froze instantly on his face. His body went rigid, and his eyes dodged mine in panic. The alcohol hit me, and my stomach churned violently. I shoved past the man in front of me and rushed into the bathroom to throw up endlessly. Marcus followed me in. He gently patted my back, handed me tissues and water. I even accidentally threw up on him. Marcus had a cleanliness obsession. If he’d done this for me before, I would have been touched. But now, images of him and Olivia tumbling together in bed played on repeat in my mind like a movie. I just found this man utterly hypocritical. “Marcus, leave my house. I don’t want to see you anymore.” Marcus didn’t answer me. He just silently cleaned up the bathroom, then went to the kitchen to make hangover soup and placed it by my bedside. “Sophie, remember to drink the hangover soup.” “Let’s not talk about this right now. Get some rest, and we’ll talk after you’ve sobered up.” I closed my eyes to avoid looking at him and coldly spat out one word. “Get out.” I couldn’t sleep all night. And my mom showed up right on time at eight in the morning. She literally dragged me out of bed. “Sophie! You still have the nerve to sleep!” “Who gave you that video? That absolutely cannot be Marcus! Don’t let people manipulate you—they just can’t stand to see you happy!” “You called off the engagement without consulting your family. Do you know how many people are laughing at us? You’ve completely humiliated me!” I rubbed my throbbing temples and sighed: “Mom, I downloaded the video from the surveillance system in our new house myself. It can’t be faked.” “Marcus cheated. He…” My mom didn’t let me finish. She cut me off directly: “Don’t give me your lectures! Who is Marcus? When he stomps his foot, all of Los Angeles shakes! It’s completely normal for a man like that to have women throwing themselves at him! You eat his food and wear his clothes—can’t you show him some understanding? You think calling off an engagement is like playing house when you were three? Where are you going to find another man with such good conditions after leaving Marcus!” I wasn’t at all surprised to hear these words from my mom’s mouth. Her low standards for men were legendary. But I was different from her. “Mom, if you like Marcus so much, why don’t you marry him yourself? The engagement can go on as planned.” My mom’s face turned red with anger. She raised her hand to hit me. My stomach churned violently. I pushed her aside and rushed into the bathroom to hug the toilet. Behind me, my mom cursed that I was outrageous—nearly thirty years old and still getting drunk, not knowing how to take care of my body at all. Finally, the topic circled back to Marcus. “The Williams family is prestigious. Marcus is handsome and rich. If you miss him, think it through yourself!” My mom’s words, spoken word by word, made me think again of Olivia lovingly entwined with Marcus. “Look at you—this room is a complete mess. Can’t you clean up a bit? Why is there blood on the sheets?” “Look how sloppy you are. Who would want you besides Marcus! And you’re still not satisfied!” I silently closed the bathroom door, blocking out her voice. Curled into a ball, I buried my face in my arms and let my tears flow freely.

The story between Marcus and me wasn’t what outsiders saw—him chasing novelty, me chasing money. We’d been together for eight years. We got together back in high school when the school was cracking down hard on teen dating. When we celebrated our eighth anniversary, I couldn’t help asking him while cutting the cake if there’d be another anniversary to celebrate. He smiled and pinched my nose, pulling out a diamond ring and slipping it on my ring finger. “Next time we’ll celebrate our first wedding anniversary together.” “Sophie, will you marry me?” No. I regret it. I should have refused then. Marcus, you said you’d love me forever. You said I was your first love, your first kiss, and I’d be everything for the rest of your life. Then who is she to you? My mom made a huge scene at my place, trying to get me to reconcile with Marcus. But when she found I was completely unmoved, she eventually cursed at me a few times and left. I stayed home for two days with my phone off, refusing to look at any messages about him. Trying to patch up my heart that was riddled with holes. On Monday, I pulled myself together and went to work as usual. As soon as my coworkers saw me, they congratulated me and asked for wedding candy. “Sorry, my engagement is cancelled. I’ll bring you some another time.” My coworker’s smile froze on her face. “Oh, that’s okay.” “Um… are you alright?” I nodded and smiled: “I’m fine. Really good.” With that, I opened my computer and started working. During lunch break, I overheard several coworkers chatting together in the hallway. “Why did Sophie suddenly call off her engagement?” “Her boyfriend is so handsome and rich. Did he dump her?” “Don’t talk nonsense. I’ve met her boyfriend. Last time when it was snowing and the roads were so slippery, her boyfriend came to pick her up in a Porsche. When he saw Sophie wearing high heels, he got out of the car and just picked her up. They seemed so in love—how could they just break up like that?” “Then what else could it be? Did Sophie cheat?” “I told you not to spread rumors. We’ve worked with Sophie for so long—don’t you know what kind of person she is? Sharp tongue but soft heart. She’s a really good person.” I didn’t keep listening. I turned back to my workstation to continue working. Two messages popped up on my phone screen. My mom was nagging at me again. [I heard from Marcus that you blocked him?] [You’re too old for this kind of behavior. Hurry up and add him back. Apologize. Talk through whatever misunderstanding you have.] I stared at her messages in a daze. My heart was completely calm. Coming back to my senses, I clicked on my mom’s profile and put both her and Marcus on my blocklist together. After work, it started drizzling. I opened a rideshare app. It showed 120 people in the queue. I stood in front of the building, waving goodbye to my coworkers one by one until I was the only one left. I suddenly thought of Marcus. All these years, whether it was windy or rainy, he always came to pick me up. Because I depended on him, I’d stopped even carrying an umbrella. Habits really are a terrible thing. Holding my bag over my head, I took a breath and rushed into the rain. I’d barely run a few steps when someone grabbed me and pulled me under an umbrella. The moment I looked up, I met Marcus’s eyes. “Sophie, I came to take you home—” “Get lost!” I pushed away his hand and ran toward the bus stop without looking back. But Marcus persisted. He kept following behind me, desperately holding the umbrella over my head. “Sophie, be good. What if you get sick from the rain?” “Even if I die, it has nothing to do with you!” I turned around and couldn’t help hitting him several times with my bag: “Can’t you understand human language! I don’t want to see you anymore! Every word you say to me makes me sick!” “Stop bothering me! We have nothing to do with each other anymore!” “Get lost! Just get lost!” My hysterical appearance in the rain made me look like a madwoman. Turns out losing control of your emotions really does happen in an instant. I’d had a pretty good day up until then. The weekly meeting went smoothly, my boss praised me, and I’d even treated everyone to coffee. But the moment I saw Marcus, he so easily shattered all my strength. Marcus seemed nailed to the spot. He stood motionless, letting me hit him until it hurt. My bag fell to the ground. He bent down to pick it up and placed it in my hands. His lips moved like he had something to say, but ultimately it was all swallowed by the rain. I flagged down a taxi and got in without looking back. In the rearview mirror, Marcus’s figure grew farther and farther away. Finally, I couldn’t see anything clearly anymore. After getting home, I took a hot bath. While I was in the kitchen making soup, I received a call from an unknown number. “You dare block me! Marcus just got in a car accident, do you know that?!” “Los Angeles Hospital, get over here now! Any later and you won’t even see him one last time!”

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To replace my husband’s car, I secretly applied for a housekeeping job. The first time I saw such a luxurious house, I got nervous and accidentally broke a cup. Just as I was feeling anxious, Kelly, the lady of the villa, let out a scornful laugh: “It’s just a cup worth over ten thousand dollars. Is that really worth getting so nervous about? Don’t worry, you don’t have to pay for it.” I got even more nervous: “Thank you, ma’am. If even a single cup in your house costs over ten thousand, you must be really rich.” Kelly smiled: “It’s not that I’m rich. It’s that my sugar daddy is rich.” She showed me: “This bracelet cost a hundred and eighty thousand. My sugar daddy bought it for me without even blinking.” I froze. I had seen this necklace before on my husband’s phone. He said that once we had money, he’d buy it for me. Looking at it more would give me motivation. I smiled enviously: “Your sugar daddy is really wealthy. My husband said he’d buy it for me too, but there’s no way he could afford it. Still, just knowing he has that intention is enough for me.” Hearing me say this, Kelly looked disapproving. “Let me tell you, women need to treat themselves better.” “Otherwise you’ll end up like my sugar daddy’s wife. My sugar daddy is a billionaire, but his wife still lives in a rental in the slums.” Looking at the photo on her phone, I froze. Wasn’t this my home?

I tightened my grip on the cleaning cloth in my hand. “But since your sugar daddy has already become a billionaire, why doesn’t he tell his wife?” Kelly blew out a puff of smoke and laughed, “Actually, I’ve asked him that too. Guess what he said?” I shook my head. “He said that a woman willing to suffer hardships with him is so rare, someone who’s devoted her whole heart to him. That kind of genuine love shouldn’t be tainted with money.” Kelly sneered, “If you ask me, my sugar daddy is just tired of that old hag at home.” “I heard that old woman has been with him since she was eighteen. To support his startup, she went out to run a street stall every day. She did that for nine years straight.” “In that kind of street stall environment, exposed to wind and sun, no matter how good-looking someone is, how attractive can they stay?” She lowered her voice: “Let me tell you, my sugar daddy actually succeeded in his business five years ago. He’s loaded!” “But to keep up the act of being poor, even when his wife was eight months pregnant, he still made her go out to the street stall.” “Once, some troublemakers showed up. His wife’s belly got hit, and she almost died along with the baby!” She clicked her tongue with a sigh: “When his wife called him from the hospital, he was still on top of me, working hard, if you know what I mean.” “I asked him if he was going to go. He said he’d told his wife he was on a business trip with his boss, so if he went, his cover would be blown.” “I heard that poor wife had it terrible. She lost the child, and her uterine wall got scraped so thin.” “Who knows if she’ll ever be able to get pregnant again in this lifetime.” I instinctively covered my stomach. My memory drifted back to that winter. That day, I went out to my street stall as usual. A bunch of thugs came to eat burgers. When it was time to pay, they claimed there was a fly in the burger and refused to pay. I got anxious and grabbed the man’s hand, asking him to pay up. I didn’t make much money from a single burger. Going out in such cold weather was just to earn a bit more. But the man got angry and shoved me away hard. The gutter on the ground was frozen over. I slipped, and my whole body fell heavily to the ground. The pain felt like my pelvis had cracked. That group of thugs ran off immediately. I called Howard many times, but couldn’t get through. Later, someone nearby called 911 for me. After getting to the hospital, I was sent straight to the emergency room. The doctor told me there was an imported medication that might save the baby and would be better for my body too. But one injection cost fifty thousand dollars, and I needed two injections total. I called Howard. This time he finally picked up. On the other end, he sounded both anxious and hesitant, but in the end said we didn’t have that much money, so maybe we should just forget it. My child was just gone like that. And because of that surgery, my body was completely ruined. A day later, Howard appeared before me. He knelt heavily in front of me, slapping himself repeatedly. He said it was all because he was useless, and swore viciously that he would make big money in the future and never let me and our child face danger again. But I never imagined that he was already very rich back then. He was just busy pretending to be poor, busy rolling in the sheets with Kelly. Howard’s message suddenly came through. “Honey, I’m accompanying my boss on a business trip today. I got an extra five hundred dollars!” “Look at the gift I bought you. You’ll definitely love this necklace.” The picture showed a silver-plated necklace. Kelly let out an excited cry: “Look, my sugar daddy bought me an emerald and diamond necklace. I checked, and it costs three million eight hundred eighty thousand!” “He also said he’s coming to see me tonight. It must be to make up for not being with me the day my mother-in-law died!”

I was stunned. “His wife’s mother passed away?” Kelly nodded. “Yeah. That old woman was apparently from a single-parent family. Her mom worked hard to raise her alone and developed all kinds of health problems.” She wrinkled her nose. “Talk about bad luck. That day was our five-year anniversary, and she just had to pick that day to die. So annoying!” “I didn’t want to let him go, but he said her mom died trying to save his parents from a fire, so he had to go.” “I managed to delay him for three hours, making him have sex with me twice before leaving.” “Thinking about it now, I’m still a bit angry!” “If you ask me, that old hag deserved to die. She just had to go check on my sugar daddy’s parents.” I suppressed the rage in my heart and said hesitantly: “She was probably worried about them and wanted to make sure they were okay.” Kelly let out a scornful laugh and rolled her eyes. “His parents usually live in a villa community with plenty of housekeepers taking care of them. Why would they need that dead old hag to check on them?” “If it weren’t for cooperating with my sugar daddy’s act, they never would have gone back to that old rundown house.” “If they hadn’t gone back, there never would have been a fire.” “So you see, that old hag just had a cheap life. She deserved to die!” I clenched my fists. “So you’re saying your sugar daddy’s parents always knew their son had become rich, but they went along with him to deceive his wife and his wife’s mother?” Kelly admired her manicure and said casually: “No matter how heartless my sugar daddy is, he couldn’t possibly let his own parents suffer, right?” “His parents didn’t want to go along with it at first. They gave my sugar daddy a harsh scolding.” “But when my sugar daddy mentioned that his wife probably couldn’t even have children anymore, they agreed.” My heart felt desolate. When I first met Howard, his father was critically ill and his mother was disabled. They were the type who got bullied by neighbors even in daily life. When my mom found out I had a boyfriend, the first time she went to meet his parents, she saw them being bullied by a group of people. Those people threw stones at them and dunked their heads in sewage for fun. My mom’s loud voice scared them off as she swung a broom at them. Later, my mom felt sorry for them and would bring groceries to visit them from time to time. My mom even paid out of her own pocket to find doctors to treat them, trying to lighten my burden. That day, my mom went to check on them as usual, but a gas leak caused a massive fire. Seeing the bad situation, my mom forced her body to carry his parents, who had already been knocked out by the smoke, outside. My mom suffered severe burns over a large area of her body, and right before getting out, a falling beam crushed her leg. That day I knelt in the hospital begging the doctor to save my mom. The doctor said skin grafts and leg surgery were both major operations that would cost a lot of money—at least three hundred thousand. That day I kept calling Howard, wanting to tell him to maybe withdraw the money from his bank account for emergency use. But the phone just wouldn’t go through. My mom was tortured to death by the pain! And he was rolling in the sheets with Kelly again? Kelly seemed to remember something and laughed. “Let me tell you, his wife kept calling while my sugar daddy and I were having the time of our lives, so I just threw the phone away.” “Later when we finally finished, my sugar daddy wanted to call his wife back. Guess who picked up? That dead old hag.” She laughed heartily. “I’m telling you, when I heard that old hag’s voice, I moaned right into the phone.” “After a brief pause on the other end, she actually got so angry she started screaming at us through the phone, cursing us for being shameless.” “That day my sugar daddy got angry for the first time and actually slapped me.” She said indignantly, “Later I heard that dead old hag died.” She lowered her voice. “But let me tell you, that old hag actually could have survived.” “But my sugar daddy was afraid his wife would find out about his affair, so… he had someone pull the old hag’s tubes.”

Furious beyond control, I slapped Kelly across the face. “You scumbags and homewreckers, go to hell!” I grabbed Kelly by the throat, wishing I could drag her down with me. “You… what’s gotten into you? Someone, get over here and pull her off me!” I was quickly restrained by the other servants. Kelly slapped me across the face again and again, beating me until my mouth was full of blood. “You crazy woman, what’s gotten into you?” Enraged, I kept trying to lunge at her even as the servants held me down. One servant tried to reason with me: “My God, do you know who you just hit?” “That’s the woman of the Aimar Group CEO!” “She has power and influence. She could crush people like us with just a finger. Stop this madness!” I let out a cold laugh. Aimar Group? When Howard said he wanted to start a business, he said the company name absolutely had to be ‘Aimar.’ Because my name is Aimar. This was the new name my mom gave me after she took me away from my father’s hellhole. Howard used to say this company was created so I could live a good life. So not only would he use my name, but all the money the company made would go to me. He said no matter what he did, everything would only be for me. But I only knew about going out to my street stall every day. I didn’t even know his company had already been established! I struggled hard to break free, shouting, “I just can’t stand these homewreckers!” Seeing I still wouldn’t back down, the servant punched me several more times. He growled in my ear in a low voice: “Who do you think you are to look down on mistresses?” “People laugh at poverty, not prostitution. If you’re so capable, make your husband rich too. Otherwise, why are you working as a housekeeper?” “Let me tell you, since you’re working as a housekeeper, keep your mouth shut. Not everyone is someone you can afford to provoke!” Kelly started calling Howard, and the call connected in a second. Kelly’s voice was pitiful and tearful. “Hello…” Hearing something was wrong, he immediately asked what happened. “What’s wrong, baby? Who doesn’t want to live anymore and dared to bully you?” Kelly glared at me hard. “It’s the newly hired housekeeper.” “I don’t know what got into her. She just jumped up and hit me!” “She hit me so hard it hurts…” The other end sounded heartbroken, constantly comforting her. “It’s okay, it’s okay, baby. I’ll be home soon. When I get back, I’ll teach her a harsh lesson for you!” Kelly seemed unsatisfied. “How is that enough? That housekeeper even dared to call me a gold digger!” The other end chuckled lightly. “She’s not wrong, though. Aren’t you a gold digger?” Kelly got angry and shouted at him: “It’s one thing for me to be insulted, but can you really bear to let your son be called a bastard as soon as he’s born?” I froze. She even had a child?

Howard seemed equally shocked. “You’re pregnant?” Kelly glanced at me smugly. “Of course. You worked so hard planting seeds, naturally I got pregnant!” She said coquettishly: “You’ve been tired of the one at home for a long time, haven’t you?” “When are you finally going to kick her out and give our mother and son proper status?” Howard coaxed, “Be good. Let’s not keep the child. Find a time to abort it, and I’ll go with you.” Kelly sounded incredulous. “Howard, you’re actually saying you want to abort our child?” “I’ve been with you for five years. Am I still not as good as your wife in your eyes?” “Let me tell you, if you don’t give our mother and son proper status, I’ll make a scene in front of your wife!” The other end went silent for a moment, then Howard’s voice rang out again. Different from before, this time his voice was frighteningly cold. “Didn’t I tell you? Don’t even think about positions you shouldn’t covet.” “What are you to compare yourself to my wife?” “Let me tell you, if you dare make a scene in front of my wife, I’ll make your life a living hell!” Kelly got scared. “I… I won’t make a scene. I’ll be good.” The other end quickly softened his tone. “Good girl. I like it when you’re obedient. Pick any bag you want. This is your reward for being good.” Kelly nodded like she’d been frightened silly. She suddenly looked at me. “But I’m still not satisfied about that housekeeper hitting me!” Howard on the other end laughed. “Didn’t she call you shameless? Then make her become a plaything for men too. That way you’ll feel better, won’t you?” Kelly’s eyes lit up. “Howard, you’re right!” “She keeps going on about how great her husband is, acting like she loves him to death.” “I want to see if she’ll still have the face to call me a mistress after she has sex with another man in front of her own husband!” I struggled frantically, trying to speak. “No, I…” But my mouth was quickly covered. Howard on the other end sounded puzzled. “Who was that talking just now? Why does the voice sound so familiar?” Kelly dismissed it with a wave. “Just that crazy woman.” She excitedly grabbed my phone. “Howard, I’ve got her phone. I’ll call her husband in a bit.” “I want her husband to hear with his own ears the sounds of her sleeping with another man. Then we’ll see who’s more shameless!” She looked at me with a mocking smile. “I’ve already had someone strip off her clothes. Howard, when will you arrive? I want to watch with you.” A chuckle came from the other end. “I’m already at the door.”

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I was born with a natural milky scent. Any baby who came near me would stop crying. The owner of the maternity care center was amazed by my talent and offered me a $50,000 salary on the spot to work there. But I refused immediately and went to Europe to study the most difficult finance program. Because in my past life, I worked as a top-tier maternity nurse for the wealthiest family in the country, taking care of their newborn daughter and granddaughter. At the baby’s full moon celebration, a woman’s underwear stained with a fragrant scent suddenly fell from the wealthy heiress’s husband’s jacket. When confronted, that damned son-in-law insisted I had tried to seduce him and failed, then planted my own underwear to frame him. I desperately tried to explain, but because the underwear carried the exact same scent as mine, the wealthy heiress had me dragged out and mauled to death by dogs. My parents came to seek justice for me, but they were chopped into pieces and fed to fish. When I opened my eyes again, I painfully rejected the $50,000 salary and went overseas, working myself to the bone to become a Chief Securities Analyst. With a million-dollar annual salary, I successfully joined an international company and was invited to attend the full moon celebration of a business partner’s great-grandson, while also evaluating their company. At the celebration, the wealthy heiress’s husband’s jacket once again dropped that same piece of underwear. Facing the wealthy patriarch’s interrogation, he calmly looked past the crowd and pointed directly at me. “She tried to seduce me and failed, so she deliberately planted her intimate clothing to frame me!” “I can swear to God that I’ve never done anything to betray Scarlett!” —

The lace underwear was stained with bodily fluids. The full cup size definitely didn’t belong to the flat-chested heiress Scarlett Harper. Meeting Scarlett’s gaze that wanted to cut me into a thousand pieces, I calmly set down my wine glass. My eyes showed none of the panic from my past life. Instead, I looked directly at the Harper family’s son-in-law, Marcus Kane, and spoke. “Mr. Kane, I went abroad to study at eighteen and only returned today after completing my studies.” “Today is the first time we’ve ever met. How could I possibly plant underwear in your jacket?” “I’m afraid you had an affair and still weren’t satisfied, so you kept your lover’s underwear in your jacket to reminisce over it from time to time!” My words were too blunt and explicit. All the guests stared at him in shock. Marcus’s face turned red as his thoughts were exposed, but he still defended himself. “Nonsense! You’re clearly one of the maternity nurses working at my house!” “From your first day on the job, you kept making eyes at me. When I ignored you, you kept trying to seduce me!” “Last night I was caught off guard when you pushed open my door and crawled into my bed, offering yourself to me.” “If I hadn’t threatened you that my wife was right outside the door and I’d call her in to fire you if you didn’t leave, you wouldn’t have given up!” Marcus’s words made Scarlett frown slightly. Ever since giving birth to the baby, she had been sleeping in a separate room from Marcus on the professional maternity team’s recommendation. Last night when she got up thirsty for water, she did hear noises when passing by Marcus’s room. Her sharp gaze immediately fell on me. Seeing that Scarlett believed his words, Marcus continued to slander me with a pretentious air. “I saw you were a woman trying to make a living as a maternity nurse, so I didn’t want to expose you.” “I never expected you to be so vicious—failing to seduce me, you went straight to framing me! What a wicked heart!” “My daughter absolutely cannot be left in the care of such a maternity nurse. She should be fired immediately!” Marcus’s words hit Scarlett’s sore spot. Scarlett immediately demanded of Nathaniel Harper, the patriarch. “Nathaniel, this maternity nurse is too sinister. I’m afraid she’s already done something harmful to the baby.” “We should bring out Shadow and interrogate her thoroughly until she confesses on her own!” Nathaniel nodded. The next second, a huge iron cage was wheeled to the center of the banquet hall. When the black cloth was removed, a hunting dog as tall as a person stared at me fixedly, letting out excited low growls. The bodyguards opened the cage, preparing to stuff me inside. The image of being torn to shreds by the vicious dog in my past life seemed to play before my eyes. I immediately spoke up. “This underwear has the smell of breast milk on it. I’m not in my lactation period, so the clothing definitely isn’t mine!”

Marcus’s face darkened immediately, and he looked panicked as he tried to throw the underwear into the nearby swimming pool to destroy it. Unfortunately, Scarlett beat him to it, taking the underwear and having it examined. After seeing the obvious stains on it, her face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. Her gaze swept over my unremarkable chest, then she backhanded a slap directly across Marcus’s face. “I remember everyone who’s been breastfeeding my daughter. It’s definitely not her!” “Who is that bitch?” Marcus’s face was scratched bloody by the ring on Scarlett’s hand, but he didn’t dare show even a hint of anger. He could only lock his venomous gaze on me and continue throwing dirt on me. “Who says people not in their lactation period can’t have this scent?” “I’ve heard of people with special gifts who secrete milk even when not lactating, and they carry a unique fragrance on their bodies.” “No matter how fussy a child is, they’ll stop crying when near such a person and can’t help but feel close to them.” “She’s so young yet earning a $50,000 salary as a maternity nurse at the Harper house. Maybe it’s precisely because she has this exceptional quality.” “The owner of that underwear is her!” Marcus spoke with such conviction that Scarlett demanded I undress on the spot to prove my innocence. Naturally I refused, taking out my phone to call the police. But Marcus snatched my phone and smashed it on the ground. “If you say it’s not you, just have someone verify it! Why keep avoiding it? I think you’re guilty!” I wasn’t backing down either. “I didn’t do it, so I didn’t do it! Just because of baseless slander, I have to use this humiliating method to prove myself? Well then, I say you’re impotent!” “Why don’t you take off your pants and prove it to everyone?” Marcus was left speechless, but Scarlett’s brow furrowed tightly. She told me, “Marcus would never slander someone randomly. Since you say this underwear isn’t yours, then find a way to prove it.” “Or else, go in and have a chat with Shadow.” “I believe facing Shadow’s fangs, any liar will become honest.” Scarlett was forcing me. Either strip to prove my innocence, or enter the cage to be fed to the dog. The Harper family’s bodyguards had already surrounded me. If I showed any sign of trying to escape, they would immediately swarm forward, capture me and stuff me into the dog cage, making me a wronged soul under that hunting dog’s claws. Taking a deep breath, I made my choice on the spot. I pulled out my credentials from my carry-on bag. A graduation certificate from a top German university, a doctorate degree in economics. And an employment certificate as Chief Securities Analyst for Oceanic International Corporation. But I didn’t take that one out. I didn’t want to mix business with personal matters. Showing the two certificates, I told Scarlett. “Miss Harper, I studied at university in Germany. Anyone knows how difficult it is to study there.” “I spent six years working myself to the bone to become a finance doctorate from a world-class institution, with a million-dollar annual salary.” “Do you think I would work day and night for a measly $50,000 monthly salary taking care of a crying child and constantly watching out for ill-intentioned men in my employer’s household?” That last sentence was deliberate. I wanted to tell Scarlett that I looked down on her $50,000 maternity nurse position. Only a wealthy heiress like her—born into privilege but with an underdeveloped brain—would believe the lies of a man like Marcus who constantly ran his mouth. Sure enough, Scarlett’s gaze at me softened after seeing those two certificates. No matter how stupid she was, she should understand the value of a German doctorate. Her sharp gaze fell back on Marcus, but then a woman rushed forward and slapped me three times, screaming. “Sophia Clark, have you lost your mind! Forging credentials to deceive the wealthy heiress.” “Aren’t you afraid of being exposed and dragging our whole family to hell with you!”

My cheeks swelled up from the beating. Five clear finger marks appeared on my face. Looking closely at the woman before me, I realized I didn’t recognize her at all. With a cold expression, I covered my injured cheek and warned her. “I don’t know you at all! If you don’t apologize and compensate me immediately, I’ll have my legal team sue you!” But the woman wailed dramatically. “God help me! How did I give birth to such a troublemaker!” “To deceive people, she won’t even acknowledge her own mother!” “Miss Harper, Mr. Kane, I apologize to you. I failed to raise my daughter properly.” “However you want to punish her this time, go ahead. I won’t stop you anymore, to prevent her from continuing to swindle people everywhere!” The woman’s words caused an uproar. Many people gasped. “This girl is actually a professional con artist?” “Even her own mother is saying this, it must be true!” “Thank goodness she showed up in time, or we’d all have been fooled!” Scarlett gritted her back teeth and asked me. “Is it fun to play me for a fool?” “Someone, lock her up with Shadow. I want her to have a really good time!” Seeing the triumphant expressions flash in both the woman’s and Marcus’s eyes, I immediately called out loudly. “I’m not lying! This woman isn’t my mother! I’m not called Sophia Clark either.” “My name is Madison Smith. She doesn’t even know my name, so how could she be my mom?” Only then did Scarlett notice that the graduation certificate and degree in my hands indeed had the name Madison Smith written on them. Seeing the wavering in her eyes, Marcus quickly stepped forward to cover. “How could a mother possibly mistake her own daughter?” “She is Sophia Clark!” “To deceive you, she could even forge credentials.” “It’s just a name. Who knows if she made it up randomly because she’s swindled so many people and is afraid of being held accountable!” I immediately demanded that Scarlett send someone to the police department’s identity records to verify. My name was Madison Smith, and the parents listed in my records were definitely not this woman in front of me! Scarlett called the records department skeptically and soon received confirmation. I was indeed called Madison Smith, and the woman before me was not my mother. But facing Scarlett’s sharp gaze, the woman insisted she was my biological mother. “Sweetie, I divorced your abusive, cheating father when you were three years old, all for your sake, and raised you into adulthood by myself.” “You can’t just stop acknowledging your mother because that bastard said he’d buy you a car and house if you took his surname!” “He’s lying to you! Only I truly love you!” The woman spoke with tears streaming down her face and even pulled out a paternity test proving she was indeed my biological mother. Only then did I remember that when I was young, my father did tell me that the woman living with us wasn’t my biological mother. My birth mother was a gambling addict who tried to bet me at the card table when she got desperate. My father couldn’t stand her being so despicable, so he divorced her immediately, moved overnight, and cut ties completely. Our family hadn’t kept a single photo of her all these years, no wonder I didn’t recognize her. But no one believed my explanation. Even Nathaniel, who had been silent all along, stood up and said. “Miss Smith, I want to believe you too.” “But your mother has been working at the Harper house for twenty years. I trust her character.” “I absolutely won’t allow a woman who tries to destroy my daughter’s marriage and lies constantly to continue living in this world.” With a wave of his hand, Nathaniel signaled the bodyguards to stuff me into the dog cage. My gaze fell on Scarlett nearby, who had breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly thinking of something, I quickly grabbed Nathaniel’s pant leg. “Mr. Harper, I know who the woman having an affair with your son-in-law is! It’s her!”

Everyone looked in the direction I was pointing. Seeing that I was pointing at Scarlett herself, they all thought I’d lost my mind. Even Scarlett was amused by my accusation. “Madison, do you know what you’re saying?” “I’m Marcus’s wife! Me having an affair with him? Does that even make sense?” Nathaniel also looked at me with utter disgust. “If I’d known you were such a stupid con artist, I should have let Shadow tear you apart before you even spoke your first word!” “Take her to the beast arena. Notify the fireworks crew to postpone tonight’s fireworks display. I, Mr. Harper, invite everyone to watch a show of human versus beast combat!” Nathaniel spoke cruelly, and I was dragged toward the beast arena by the bodyguards. I struggled desperately to explain, but they found me too noisy and gagged me. Just as I was about to be taken out of the banquet hall, a business card fell from my shirt pocket with a soft sound. The bodyguards looked closely, and the next second their faces went white with fear. Trembling, they handed the card to Nathaniel. I also straightened my clothing and told Nathaniel. “To be honest, my real identity is Chief Securities Analyst for Oceanic International Corporation.” “I came to this family banquet today to evaluate whether the Harper family qualifies for Oceanic International’s first investment opportunity domestically…” “Ha ha ha!” Before I could finish, Marcus was laughing so hard tears came out. He clutched his stomach, pointing at me. “Madison, though your con is clumsy, I really admire your imagination.” “First a high-achieving overseas student, now Chief Securities Analyst for Oceanic International.” “Oceanic International is the world’s largest financial company. Even a janitor there makes more in a month than you do in a year!” “You’re just a nanny who wipes shit and piss. Stop putting gold on your face! Just go perform in the beast show!” Scarlett’s face also wore mockery as she casually tore up the business card and tossed it in the air. “I’ve seen this kind of trick plenty of times. You can’t fool people just by randomly printing some business cards.” “Your mouth is too stubborn. Shadow alone might not be enough to handle you.” “Nathaniel, didn’t you just buy me a few lions and tigers from Africa as gifts? Why not release them today and let everyone see?” Nathaniel’s gaze fell on the gold-embossed business card on the ground. The special watermark shone in the Smithlight so brightly he could barely open his eyes. But he still nodded, signaling his subordinates to throw me into the beast arena with the predators. Lions and tigers that had been starved for days immediately stood up, roaring excitedly at me through the bars. Marcus grabbed my hair, forcing me to make eye contact with the beasts. He didn’t forget to lower his voice by my ear, speaking in a volume only the two of us could hear. “Madison, you’re very clever. You almost got close to the truth.” “What a pity—you had bad luck. Just be good and let the beasts tear you apart, and no one will discover my secret.” He laughed arrogantly, raising his hand to signal the bodyguards to lift the bars. I watched helplessly as the bars were slowly raised. Death was only one step away from me. Just as the entire barrier was about to be opened, a hearty laugh suddenly rang out from outside the door. “Mr. Harper, congratulations on your great-grandson!” Seeing that it was the U.S. representative from Germany’s Oceanic Corporation, Nathaniel’s eyes lit up, and he enthusiastically invited the man to sit and watch the beast show. But when the man’s gaze fell on my disheveled appearance in the beast arena, his expression changed dramatically. He rushed into the arena regardless of everything, shielding me with his body.

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On May Day, my cousin had a wedding. I specifically turned down several major clients. I cleared out the top-floor banquet hall of our family’s five-star hotel to host her wedding reception for free. Who knew that during the toasting ceremony, her mother-in-law would die from suffocation after suffering an asthma attack without her medication. My cousin’s family immediately spread rumors that our hotel’s wild mushroom soup contained poisonous mushrooms. They claimed the old lady ate them, had hallucinations, and then fell ill, demanding we pay them a million dollars in compensation. The incident made it to the top of the local trending topics, and the hotel was shut down by the authorities. After my family of three went bankrupt and ended up homeless, we were hit and killed by a car. Those relatives who had been drinking wine worth tens of thousands of dollars per bottle at the wedding banquet even cursed me in the comments, saying I deserved to die. When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to one week before May Day. My parents were discussing: “Lily, your cousin suddenly decided to get married on May Day. It’s hard to book a venue. Should we reserve a few private rooms for her at our hotel?” I put down the ledger. “No need. Don’t even reserve a single table.” My parents froze. “But everywhere is fully booked for May Day, and her in-laws are so stingy…” I let out a cold laugh. “What the hell does that have to do with me!”

I touched my frantically beating heart. The excruciating pain of being crushed by that truck in my previous life still lingered in my mind. Looking at my parents standing before me, completely unharmed, my eyes welled up. But I quickly calmed down. The bitter lessons of my previous life taught me that showing kindness to these bloodsucking relatives was asking for death. I grabbed the desk phone and called my assistant in. “Contact Mr. Lee immediately, the one who wanted to book our May Day slot.” “Tell him the panoramic banquet hall on the top floor is available for his business association event.” “Increase the price by ten percent from the original quote. The deposit must be paid in full today, or no deal.” My assistant looked somewhat surprised but moved quickly, immediately going to return the call. In less than half an hour, an urgently printed high-priced contract was placed on my office desk. I stared at the five million dollar deposit that had just arrived in the account and finally relaxed. I filled up all the hotel’s available slots during the May Day period. In this life, my cousin could forget about freeloading at our hotel. At two in the afternoon, someone kicked open my office door. My aunt Martha swaggered in with my cousin Shannon. Martha didn’t even knock, plopping her butt down on my leather sofa. She grabbed the imported cherries from the fruit plate and shoved them in her mouth. “Lily, your cousin is getting married on May Day. Have someone go change the carpet in the top-floor hall right away.” “That color is too dark, not festive enough. Change it to bright red.” Shannon, wearing high heels, walked to my desk and rolled her eyes. “Lily, that French menu of yours is too plain. It won’t impress anyone.” “My in-laws care about appearances. You must add Australian lobster to the menu.” “Oh, and wild mushroom soup – that dish looks high-class. Every table must have one.” “You can cover the price difference yourself. After all, you run such a big hotel, this small amount won’t matter to you.” Hearing this entitled tone, I almost laughed from anger. In my previous life, she used these exact words to get a million-dollar wedding banquet for free. I leaned back in my chair, watching this mother-daughter duo perform with cold eyes. Martha spat out a cherry pit and urged impatiently: “I’m talking to you! Are you deaf? Hurry up and call the kitchen to prepare the ingredients!” I pulled open my drawer, took out the newly signed contract, and slapped it hard in their faces. “No need to call.” “All the banquet halls have been booked.” “During May Day, our hotel is fully booked. We can’t even spare a spot in the employee cafeteria.” “Find someone else.” Shannon froze for a moment, picked up the contract, glanced at the numbers, and her face instantly turned extremely ugly. “Lily, what do you mean? You know I’m getting married!” Martha threw a tantrum on the spot, slapping the desk. Cherries rolled all over the floor. “You’re obsessed with money, aren’t you!” “For a few stinking dollars, you don’t even care about your cousin’s lifelong event?” “I’m your aunt! Is this how your family treats relatives?” Shannon’s eyes turned red. She squeezed out a few tears and started playing pitiful. “Lily, my life is so hard. My in-laws are poor and can’t afford a wedding.” “I was counting on hosting a grand wedding at our family hotel to collect more gifts and save face.” “If you don’t help me, how can I get my investment back?” I stared into her eyes and mercilessly exposed her. “How is your in-laws being broke any of my business?” “Are you going to split the gifts you receive with us?” “If you want a luxury wedding, pay for it yourself. Coming here to freeload – do you think I run a charity?” Shannon’s expression changed drastically. Her previously righteous gaze suddenly became flustered and evasive, and even her crying stopped. I keenly caught this detail. In my previous life, I found it strange – why would this family of extreme cheapskates insist on putting up a false front for an extravagant wedding? It seemed there was something going on here that I didn’t know about.

Seeing I was unmoved, Martha decided to go all in. She threw herself on the floor, kicking and screaming like a toddler having a meltdown. “This is outrageous! Rich people bullying poor relatives!” The commotion drew the attention of employees in the hallway. My parents happened to walk by after inspecting the guest rooms and were shocked by the scene. Seeing my parents, Martha immediately crawled over and grabbed my father’s leg. “Richard! You can’t forget your roots!” “Thirty years ago when you were dirt poor, I lent you two hundred dollars to buy rice.” ” I did you a small favor back then, and now you should repay me tenfold.! Now you run a five-star hotel and won’t even arrange a wedding venue for Shannon!” “You’re trying to kill us mother and daughter!” My father was soft-hearted and couldn’t stand hearing about these old debts. He looked troubled, glancing at my mother, then at me. “Lily, how about… we clear out the employee cafeteria on the first floor and set it up simply for Shannon’s wedding?” My mother Emily chimed in: “Yeah, they’re family after all. It’s not good to make things too ugly.” The horrifying scene of being crushed to death in my previous life flashed crazily through my mind. I felt a surge of rage shoot straight to the top of my head. I slammed the desk and pointed at the door, roaring. “Absolutely not!” “The banquet halls have all been rented to major clients. The first floor is also an auxiliary exhibition hall for their business association.” “The five million dollar deposit is already in the account!” “Breaking a contract with a billionaire client means we can’t survive in this industry!” “Whoever dares agree to clear the venue can pay the five million dollar penalty fee themselves!” My parents immediately shut up when they heard “five million dollars.” Shannon was so frightened by my murderous aura that she took two steps back. But she still wasn’t willing to give up, pointing at my nose and cursing. “Lily, you’re a cold-blooded monster!” “You’re such a vicious woman, you’ll never get married in your life!” I looked at her flustered, exasperated expression and sneered back. “Whether I get married or not is none of your business.” “But you, requesting time off for May Day and rushing into a wedding.” “Is there something unspeakable in your belly, and you’re desperately looking for an honest man to be your cleanup crew?” Shannon jumped up. “Bullshit! How dare you slander me!” She raised her hand and rushed at me to slap me. I was prepared, dodged to the side, and delivered a crisp slap in return. The sharp crack echoed as Shannon was sent staggering and fell to the ground. Half her face instantly swelled up red. Martha shrieked and lunged at me to pull my hair. “You little bitch, how dare you hit my daughter!” I coldly pressed the intercom on my desk. In less than ten seconds, four burly security guards rushed into the office. “Throw these two troublemakers out. If you ever let them into the hotel again, the security captain is fired immediately!” The guards immediately took action, dragging the shrieking mother-daughter duo and throwing them out of the hotel entrance. That evening, I stayed late to check the storage room. While inspecting the fire escape in the back alley of the hotel, I smelled cheap perfume. Then I saw a familiar figure – Shannon. What was she doing at the hotel so late? I lightened my footsteps and pressed against the wall corner. In the dark corner, Shannon was covering her swollen face while making a phone call, her voice trembling. I quietly turned on my phone and started recording. After listening to Shannon’s phone call, my whole body trembled. I finally understood the truth behind being scammed to death in my previous life. The poisonous mushroom scam in my previous life wasn’t an accident at all. What a vicious scheme. In my previous life, you stepped on my entire family to get ahead. Since that’s the case, in this life I’ll not only cut off your money path but personally send you to hell.

Early the next morning, my phone was bombarded with messages. The family group chat had exploded. Martha had posted a thousand-word essay in the group, tearfully accusing us. She denounced our family for being heartless after making money, refusing to acknowledge poor relatives. She said I beat my own aunt and cousin black and blue and threw them out the door, ruining my cousin’s marriage prospects. Several distant relatives who usually liked to freeload and didn’t know the truth immediately jumped out to take sides. George, a distant relative: “So what if you’re rich? You’ve lost all humanity!” Helen, another relative: “Lily has been heartless since she was little. She won’t even help relatives. When the hotel goes bankrupt, let’s see who goes to eat there!” Some even threatened to unite the whole family to boycott our hotel. Shannon also put on quite a show on social media. She posted: “Maybe I don’t deserve a perfect wedding. I’ve prepared everything, just missing a stage.” The accompanying image was an obviously filtered and blurred photo of her wrist with red marks, a fake suicide attempt photo. My father sat on the sofa, looking at the screen full of curses. His blood pressure nearly spiked as his hands trembled. “What… what is all this! We’ve offended all our relatives!” He anxiously typed on the screen, wanting to apologize and clarify in the group. He even planned to pay out of his own pocket to book a few tables for them at another hotel. I sneered and walked over, pressing down on my father’s hand and taking away his phone. “Dad, showing kindness to these bloodsuckers will only make them bite harder.” I took out my own phone, opened the financial software, and directly exported a statement. This was a receipt three meters long. I threw it directly into the family group chat. The statement clearly recorded every detail of Martha’s family’s consumption at our hotel over the past five years. Including but not limited to: eating for free, taking things for free, forcibly taking gifts. Down to the plate of peanuts she took last Thanksgiving, all with surveillance footage to match. The last line was marked in large red letters with the total amount: one hundred twenty-five thousand four hundred dollars. I directly @ Martha in the group. “Since Aunt Martha keeps saying we want to cut ties, then settle this account first.” “We’re family after all, so I’ll round down. One hundred twenty thousand, not a cent less.” “As long as you settle this one hundred twenty thousand, I’ll immediately pay out of my own pocket to host a wedding for you at the highest standard.” The distant relatives like George and Helen, who had just been wildly attacking, all played dead. These relatives had all freeloaded food and drinks at our place to some extent. They were afraid the fire would spread to them. After a minute, Martha sent a furious voice message in the group. “Lily, you’re full of shit. You forged the statement. You’re crazy for money and extorting your elders.” I had anticipated she would deny the debt. Calmly, I opened my photo album. I posted a surveillance video screenshot to the group. In the footage was last month when she brought people to dine and dash. After eating, not only did she not pay, but she also sneaked into the bar. When the cashier went to the bathroom, she directly shoved a box of cigars into her pants and took them. The video was extremely clear, even capturing the greedy expression on her face. I sent a voice message: “Martha, theft of property worth over five thousand dollars is prosecutable.” “Do you want me to call the police to arrest you, or will you pay back the money immediately?” Public opinion instantly reversed. Although the relatives didn’t dare speak up, soon several younger family members posted screens full of mocking emojis below. Shannon also quietly deleted that wrist-cutting post from social media. The mother-daughter duo became the laughingstock of the entire family. I knew that ever since I overheard Shannon’s phone call and learned that secret, given her viciousness, she would never let this go.

As I expected, after Shannon’s online narrative backfired, unable to gain relatives’ sympathy, she was planning another big move. Three days later at noon, Shannon brought her mother-in-law Edith, who suffered from severe asthma, and swaggered into our hotel lobby, ordering a table of the cheapest dishes. I figured this wasn’t just a simple meal, so I quietly sent a message to my friend who was deputy director of the emergency department at a major hospital, asking him to drive over immediately. At the same time, I called the security captain to my office. “Prepare two of the most concealed hidden cameras for me. Follow and film those customers comprehensively with no blind spots. Don’t miss a single fly.” Sure enough, after they quickly finished eating, they walked straight to the center of the hotel’s revolving door. Edith plopped down on the ground and started wailing. “There’s no justice. A five-star black-hearted shop bullying honest people.” “There were bugs in the food and they won’t refund the money, and they even hit an old woman.” “They promised to host a wedding banquet here before, now they suddenly broke the contract.” ” If you don’t agree to host my daughter-in-law’s wedding today, I’ll throw myself against this wall and make sure you get sued and let you lose all your business.” It was peak lunch hour, and more and more diners and passersby gathered to watch. Shannon took the opportunity to crouch down next to Edith, pretending to comfort her, while secretly slipping a small white medicine bottle to her mother-in-law. Edith immediately threw one pill into her mouth. At first, the old woman was still throwing a tantrum on the ground, and the onlookers were pointing and watching the excitement. But in less than a minute, after wailing twice, she suddenly convulsed violently all over and collapsed on the ground. Edith’s eyes rolled back, clutching her chest tightly. A wheezing sound came from her throat. She looked like she was dying from an acute asthma attack. Martha, who had been hiding outside the crowd, immediately rushed in, screaming at the top of her lungs. “Murder. A black-hearted five-star hotel drove my in-law’s mother to death.” “Everyone look. This restaurant has poisonous food.” This sudden turn of events attracted a large number of internet celebrities who had been camping nearby, all holding up their phones and starting live streams. Shannon, with red-rimmed eyes and the appearance of a wronged, filial daughter-in-law, pointed at my nose and cursed. “Lily. My mother-in-law just ate at your hotel, and now she’s dying.” “If someone dies today, your hotel is fully responsible. Compensate us. If you don’t pay several hundred thousand, this isn’t over.” I quickly calmed down. I arranged for security to maintain order while having my emergency department friend rush forward with a first aid kit. At the same time, I dialed 911 to report. I led the doctor through the crowd. “Everyone move. This is a deputy director physician from the emergency department. Let her perform first aid.” Seeing the doctor arrive, Shannon’s eyes instantly panicked, and she reached out to block. “We don’t need your fake kindness. Don’t touch my mother-in-law.” I was quick-eyed and quick-handed, fiercely grabbing Shannon’s wrist. With my other hand, I pulled out the white medicine bottle from Edith’s pocket. Shannon was shocked and wanted to scream and snatch it. But I had already quickly handed it to security to take to the hospital for drug testing. Just then, the piercing sound of police sirens roared in.

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I joked with my husband Damian about having an affair. Who would’ve thought he’d let out a long sigh of relief when he heard the news? “Emma, that’s great. Actually, I’ve been keeping something from you for a long time too.” His face bore a relieved smile that made my heart sink. “Since you’ve cheated, let’s break up. Your best friend Chloe is pregnant, and the baby’s mine. She’s been living in the apartment right below us. Every time I said I was working late, I was actually taking her to prenatal checkups.” “I’ve always felt guilty about this, but now that you’ve cheated too, I don’t feel bad anymore. This house goes to me—consider it compensation for your affair.” That night, he even told me outright he was going to sleep with Chloe. Watching him rush to leave, I laughed coldly. Want a divorce? There was no way I’d let him off that easily. A month later, Damian knelt before me with red-rimmed eyes. “Emma, I’m begging you, divorce me already!” “What’s with that look?” When Damian saw I wasn’t saying anything, his smile became even more unbridled. “We’re both adults. Since you found some other guy first, leaving me this house as compensation isn’t too much to ask, right?” He straightened his collar, his tone full of calculating entitlement. “Besides, you’re usually so dull and boring, and you just lie there like a dead fish in bed. Chloe is so much better than you—understanding, gentle, and adventurous. Not emotionally clueless like you.” Listening to his shameless remarks, I felt my stomach churning, disgusted to the point of nausea. “When did you two start sleeping together?” I forced my voice steady, staring at him intently. He shrugged carelessly and answered without hesitation. “About two years ago, right when your dad died.” Two years ago. Those three words crashed down on me, freezing every drop of blood in my veins in that instant. Back then, my dad had died suddenly from a heart attack. I’d completely broken down, unable to eat anything. I cried myself senseless every day. I thought Damian was leaving early and coming home late to support our family for me. Turns out, while I was drowning in grief, he was tumbling in bed with my best friend! “You had that miserable look on your face all the time back then—it was so depressing. I couldn’t stand seeing you like that.” “Chloe saw how stressed I was and invited me downstairs to comfort me. We ended up having sex.” He made his affair sound so noble, as if he were the one who’d suffered the greatest injustice. Looking at this man I’d shared a bed with for five years, I felt he was terrifyingly unfamiliar. He didn’t care whether I lived or died. He turned toward the door and changed his shoes. He couldn’t wait to go downstairs to his gentle haven—he didn’t want to stay even one more second. With his hand on the doorknob, he suddenly stopped and looked back at me. “Oh, remember to make some chicken soup for Chloe tomorrow.” “She’s been having severe morning sickness lately and can’t keep anything down. She’s lost so much weight.” “That chicken soup you made when I was in the hospital last time tasted pretty good. Chloe would definitely love it.” Hearing this, the fury in my chest exploded. Last time he was sick? That was a year ago when he’d gotten into a serious car accident, broke two ribs, and nearly died. When I got the call from the hospital, I was terrified out of my mind. I rushed to his bedside and took care of him day and night without rest. To make him chicken soup to help his recovery, I didn’t wear gloves while handling almonds, and my hands had an allergic reaction and swelled up red. Enduring the piercing itching and pain, I’d simmered the soup for four whole hours and fed it to him spoonful by spoonful. “That car accident—was that also because you were going to see her?” I forced my voice to stay calm. He paused for a moment, then waved his hand irritably, looking completely impatient. “Oh come on, that’s all in the past. Why bring it up now!” “Chloe said she wanted some macarons from that shop on the west side of town. I was rushing to see her and drove too fast, so I crashed into the guardrail.” “Anyway, now that we’ve laid everything out, we can each live our own lives. I wish you and your new lover a long and happy life together too.” He revealed the truth so casually, completely shattering the last shred of marital affection I had for him. So that accident that nearly killed him was also to please his little mistress. The scars my hands still bore from tearing them raw for his sake now seemed like the biggest joke in the world! I stood there in despair, too exhausted even to question him further. Before leaving, he didn’t forget to bark orders at me. “Pack up my stuff from the study tomorrow.” “From now on I’ll live downstairs. I’m not coming back—don’t want to disturb you and your boy toy.” “I’ll have my lawyer draft the divorce papers and send them to you. Sign them as soon as possible.” BANG—the security door slammed shut heavily. The empty living room held only me. I walked to the window and looked at the lights coming on downstairs, unable to hold back a cold laugh. Did he think one flippant sentence could erase two years of betrayal and deception? Did he think taking my house would let him live happily ever after with his mistress without a guilty conscience? Dream on. Divorce? That would be letting this pair of cheaters off too easily. Since he was so convinced I’d cheated, I’d make that joke come true. I would make them pay a much more painful price. I’d personally smash to pieces the love they were so proud of and the happiness they’d built together.

The next morning, the door was pushed open. Damian came back to move his things, looking smug and pleased with himself. I sat on the sofa, my eyes red-rimmed. “Are you really leaving?” My voice was hoarse as tears fell perfectly onto the back of my hand. “These five years, my whole heart has been with you. How am I supposed to live after this?” He paused in his movements, his face showing undisguised mockery. “Enough with the act. Don’t you already have some other guy?” He tugged at his tie. “We were married—you don’t need to make it seem like I’m forcing you.” I covered my face, sobbing uncontrollably. “I was just saying that to make you angry! There’s no one else! I just wanted you to spend more time with me…” I cried as if my heart was breaking. “You’re taking the house—where am I supposed to live? I don’t even have basic security. Are you trying to drive me to my death?” Hearing that I hadn’t actually cheated, he froze first, then couldn’t hide the smug satisfaction on his face. So he had such great appeal that I couldn’t live without him. “Ah, why put yourself through this?” He sighed, putting on a magnanimous air. “Chloe is kind-hearted and doesn’t want to see you homeless. How about this—I’ll transfer the three hundred thousand in savings to you. Consider it your living expenses for the future.” To prove to Chloe that he could handle me properly, and to show off his wealth, he immediately took out his phone and transferred the money to my account. Seeing the deposit notification, I kept my head down, desperately suppressing the smile at the corner of my mouth. The moment he moved his luggage downstairs, I immediately dropped the pitiful act. Wiping away my tears, I opened the computer and logged into his cloud account that he’d never signed out of. For five years, he’d been so convinced of my cluelessness that he hadn’t even changed his password. Those disgusting chat records, call logs, and Chloe’s prenatal examination reports—I saved them all. That afternoon, I printed out these photos and chat records and sent them all to Chloe’s parents back in her hometown—retired teachers who valued their reputation more than their lives. The next day, fierce arguments erupted from downstairs. Chloe’s parents had taken the overnight train and come straight over, breaking down their door. “You shameless bastard! We paid for your education, and you became a mistress for a married man!” The sound of slaps accompanied Chloe’s screams. Her father was shaking with rage, cursing viciously. “And pregnant out of wedlock? You’ve disgraced the entire family! If you don’t abort that bastard today, I’m disowning you as my daughter!” Damian rushed over to protect Chloe, only to have Chloe’s mother scratch his face bloody. “Who the hell do you think you are! Tricking my daughter into having your baby? If you don’t give us a clear explanation today and fifty thousand dollars in compensation, I’ll ruin your reputation!” Downstairs had turned into complete chaos while I leisurely sipped a glass of red wine upstairs. Damian must be frantic right now, desperate for money to shut the old couple up. Unfortunately, he couldn’t come up with a single cent now. Yesterday, I’d already taken his card to the most upscale mall in the city center. After such a huge shock, I deserved to buy some supplements to take care of my health, right? Truffle oil,caviar, limited edition handbags—I swiped without mercy. When the card ran out of money, I pulled out his credit card. The credit limit of several hundred thousand—I maxed it out in one morning. My phone kept getting notifications about exceeding the spending limit. I blocked his number. Right now, he was being pressured by Chloe’s parents to produce money, yet he couldn’t even scrape together next month’s rent for Chloe.

Just as I was contemplating my next move, the next morning, there was suddenly a knock at the door. “Open up! You little bitch, get out here right now!” As soon as I opened the door, my mother-in-law barged in aggressively. “My son just found someone else who can actually bear children, and you’re making a fuss about it?” “You’re a useless woman who can’t even have children, can’t even keep your man’s heart, and you still have the nerve to spend our family’s money?” Spittle flew from her mouth as she spoke, as if she wanted to tear me apart. “Hand over the property deed right now! This house needs to go to the child in Chloe’s belly!” “You jinx, hurry up and divorce him with nothing. Stop taking up space!” She rummaged wildly through the house. When she couldn’t find the property deed, she furiously lunged at me. I sidestepped, and she missed, tumbling awkwardly onto the sofa. “The property deed has my name on it. It’s my premarital property. If you want to steal it by force, I’ll call the police right now.” I looked at her coldly. My mother-in-law’s eyes went wide as she pointed at my nose, jumping with rage. “Bullshit! My son pays so much for the mortgage every month—how can it be your premarital property? You’re even scheming to take our family’s money!” “Mortgage?” I laughed coldly. “You must be senile. My dad bought this house in full for me. Your son never paid a cent of the down payment—where’s this mortgage you’re talking about?” My mother-in-law was rendered speechless, so she simply plopped down on the floor. “I can’t go on living! Evil daughter-in-law bullying her mother-in-law! Bullying us helpless women!” Too lazy to deal with her, I called building security directly and had her removed for trespassing. Then I opened the building residents’ group chat. “Everyone, please help me judge this situation. I’m pregnant, but not only does my husband refuse to acknowledge it, he’s also been sleeping with my best friend who lives in the apartment below me.” “The woman in the photos is Chloe from Unit 102 in Building 3. Not only is she pregnant with my husband’s child, but now the mistress’s parents and my mother-in-law come to my door every day forcing me to divorce and trying to steal my house. I really can’t go on living…” As soon as the message went out, the group chat exploded. The aunties and uncles in the group hated this kind of moral depravity the most. “That woman usually looks so innocent, but she’s actually a homewrecking mistress!” “So shameless! Even rabbits don’t eat the grass near their own burrow, but she’s stealing her best friend’s husband!” “These morally bankrupt cheaters deserve to die!” The combat effectiveness of these aunties was legendary. In less than half a day, Chloe’s reputation had spread throughout the entire complex. Whenever she went out, the uncles and aunties would point and gossip, and some even splashed dirty water and threw rotten vegetables at her door. She was so scared she kept her door locked tight, not even daring to go downstairs to throw out the trash. This was just the appetizer I’d prepared for her. My husband proposed to Chloe to appease her. But Chloe’s parents weren’t buying it at all. They laid it out straight. “Want to marry our daughter? Get divorced first! Then give our daughter fifty thousand dollars and transfer the house into Chloe’s name! Miss even one thing, and you can forget about marrying her!” Damian was cornered with no way out, so he could only pin his hopes on work. Unfortunately, I’d already blocked this last escape route for him too. I’d sent all his dirty laundry to his company’s client group chat long ago. His boss was furious and immediately removed him from the important partnership project he’d been working on for six months. Colleagues who used to be polite to him now took detours to avoid him, afraid of being contaminated by association. In just one week, he’d been tortured beyond recognition. That evening, there was a knock at the door. I opened it to find Damian with heavy dark circles under his eyes, disheveled hair, and a haggard face. With a thud, his knees buckled and he dropped heavily to his knees before me. His eyes were red-rimmed, his voice thick with tears. “Emma, I’m begging you, divorce me already!” “I don’t want anything anymore—the house is yours, the money is yours. Please just let me go, okay?” Looking at his pathetic state, I felt not a ripple of emotion in my heart. “Divorce?” I looked down at him from above, laughing coldly. “What’s the rush? The game is just getting started.” I was calculating my last trump card—it would be enough to let him taste true despair.

He jerked his head up, his face full of shock. “Didn’t you cheat? Didn’t you desperately want to get rid of me?” “I was just messing with you—it was a joke. Did you actually believe it?” I laughed lightly. “This house was left to me by my dad. Why should I move out? I’m going to drag this out with you.” Damian collapsed to the floor, his face ashen. “If you won’t divorce me, Chloe’s parents will kill me!” He grabbed his hair, shouting in complete breakdown. “That’s your problem, nothing to do with me.” I kicked him aside and shut the door. The next day, I timed it perfectly and went downstairs. Chloe was sneaking out wearing a mask to throw away trash. Once glamorous, she now had greasy hair and a sallow complexion. Seeing me, she turned to run as if she’d seen a ghost. “What are you running from? Afraid I’ll eat you?” She watched me warily. “What else do you want? Damian doesn’t want you anymore!” I scoffed and leaned close to her ear. “He doesn’t want me? Last night he was on his knees begging for my forgiveness.” Chloe’s eyes went wide. “You’re lying! He said today he’d divorce you!” “Divorce? He hasn’t even drafted the agreement.” “He personally promised me this house will always be mine, to support me in my old age.” “As for you, his exact words were: Chloe is just a breeding tool. Once she gives birth, he’ll give her some money and send her away.” “You’re lying! Damian isn’t that kind of person!” Chloe was shaking with rage, her nails digging deep into her palms. “Don’t believe me? Then go ask him why he still refuses to go to the courthouse with me.” I glanced contemptuously at her belly and turned to leave. Back upstairs, I took out my phone. It contained dozens of chat screenshots. Recently, to recover his performance metrics, Damian had been frantically flattering a “wealthy female client.” He had no idea this generous woman was someone I’d hired. In the chat records, Damian was extremely obsequious. “Baby, I’m so sick of those two crazy women at home.” “Some bitch got pregnant and uses that lump of flesh in her belly to pressure me for fifty thousand and marriage every day. She should take a good look at herself in the mirror—as if she’s worthy.” “You’re so much better—understanding and considerate. Once I get rid of them both, I’ll come keep you company.” I packaged these screenshots and sent them directly to Chloe’s SnapChat. Calculating the time, my mother-in-law should be downstairs serving her right about now. Sure enough, in less than three seconds, ear-splitting screams erupted from downstairs. “Damian! Get back here right now!” The downstairs door wasn’t closed properly, and the arguing came through clearly. “What are you yelling about! What if something happens to the baby in your belly? Hurry up and take your medicine. Your main task right now is to give me a child!” “Give birth for your ass!” Chloe completely lost it, accompanied by the crisp sound of a water glass shattering. “Damian is garbage! A scumbag juggling three boats!” “He lied and said he’d transfer the house to me, but behind my back he told his wife I’m a breeding tool!” “Now he’s out there seducing some old woman! Absolutely disgusting!” Immediately after, urgent footsteps echoed in the hallway. Damian came running back out of breath. “Chloe, what’s wrong? Why are you so angry?” “You still have the nerve to ask!” Chloe shrieked. “Look at your phone yourself!” Damian clearly saw those screenshots, his voice instantly panicking. “Chloe, let me explain! That was all to close a business deal! That woman is a client!” “A client? Does doing business require you to call me a crazy woman who’s forcing you into marriage?” “You’re a complete liar! You want to get something for nothing—make me have your baby for free!” My mother-in-law heard this and wasn’t having it. “What do you mean for free? Bitch, you’re lucky to marry my son!” “Hurry up and drink this medicine! If you hurt my grandson, I won’t forgive you!” “I’ll make your whole family unable to have descendants!” Chloe screamed hysterically. “I’m going to abort this bastard right now! None of you will get a single cent!” “You dare!” My mother-in-law shrieked. Then came violent shoving sounds, followed by Chloe’s painful screams.

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At the Dubois Pack’s moonlight ball, I was a temporary server pouring drinks for the wolves. I had told my six-year-old daughter Lily to stay put in the kitchen and wait for me, but she snuck out and came to my side. Along the way, she accidentally bumped into a drunk wolf. The wolf spilled his entire drink on me and started cursing me out. My ex-husband, Alpha Caius, appeared and got me out of the situation. He sighed. “Let’s remarry. Lily’s still young. She can’t keep living like this.” I agreed without hesitation. After we got back together, I stopped getting jealous and throwing tantrums. Lily also stopped competing with Kitty—the daughter of Caius’s childhood friend Aisling—for her father’s attention. When he stayed out all night with Aisling and her daughter, Lily and I didn’t call to check on him. When we ran into them outside, Lily and I tactfully kept our distance. We became exactly the kind of understanding wife and daughter he always wanted. But his eyes turned red. “Honey, why aren’t you angry?” “Lily, why won’t you come close to Daddy anymore?”

On the night of the moonlight ball, Caius marked me, and we became mates once again. The next day, after signing the remarriage papers, we returned to Caius’s mansion. He came up the steps behind us. Lily and I were standing at the door. “Why aren’t you going in?” I said calmly, “The password’s been changed.” As we spoke, the door opened from inside. Aisling appeared wearing an apron, her voice full of playful reproach. “What took you so long? Kitty’s asked about you several times—Talia?” I nodded politely. “Talia, please don’t misunderstand. Caius has been so busy with pack business lately, I just came to make him some soup.” “I always forget the password, so Caius changed it to my birthday. I’ll change it back right away.” But she made no move to do so. The smugness in her eyes was impossible to hide. “Daddy!” Aisling’s daughter Kitty threw herself at Caius’s legs. Aisling frantically covered her mouth, putting on a show of being afraid of me. “Kitty, didn’t I tell you to call him Uncle Caius?” Caius looked over at me awkwardly. Seeing that Lily and I weren’t making a scene like we used to, a flash of surprise crossed his face. Lily’s room was full of new things. Aisling bit her lower lip lightly. “Kitty sometimes sleeps here…” The little hand in my palm clenched tight. Lily said softly, “Mom, I can switch to a different room.” My heart, which had been completely calm until now, suddenly ached. In the past, whenever she saw Caius doting on Kitty, she would pout and cry, shouting “Daddy is mine and mine alone.” Every time, Caius would scold me for not disciplining her properly. Now she just quietly looked at her changed room. Children are sensitive. She already understood that only the favored ones could act spoiled. Caius frowned. Aisling hurried to say, “I’ll take the stuff away. Talia, please don’t be angry at us—” The mother and daughter huddled together, trembling, looking pitiful. In the past, I was always provoked by her passive-aggressive remarks, which led to fights with Caius. But now, I just looked at her coolly without saying a word. Caius suddenly spoke. “Don’t come in and out of my house so casually anymore. You’re a single mother—people will talk.” After packing up her things, Kitty said through tears, “Daddy, I want you to take me home.” Caius hesitated, looking at me. I smiled. “You and Aisling have so many years of history together. Of course you should take them home.” He opened his mouth to say something, but I turned to boil some water. Before leaving, Caius said hurriedly, “Wait for me to come back. We need to have a proper talk.” Only after everyone left did Lily and I truly relax. Soon, a message popped up on my phone. Aisling: [Sorry about this, Talia. Kitty’s used to having Caius watch cartoons with her, so he’ll be back a bit late.]

That familiar “sorry about this” again. I smiled and sent a brief reply: [Okay.] Caius didn’t come back until the next day. I was reading Lily her pre-nap story. I didn’t demand to know where he’d been. Throwing jealous fits like I used to would only make him resent me more, and it would affect Lily too. After Lily fell asleep, Caius handed me a box. It was the black diamond necklace I once wanted but that someone else had won at auction. In the past, I probably would have been overjoyed and thrown myself into Caius’s arms. But now, my heart was completely calm. I used to love jewelry. But after the divorce, I moved into a rough neighborhood and was dragged down the stairs by a thief yanking my necklace, ending up bloody and bruised. From that moment on, I realized these things were flashy and useless, and could even cost me my life. Not getting the enthusiastic reaction he expected, Caius’s expression flickered. “Let me put it on you.” I smiled and dodged. “Thank you, but I don’t like wearing jewelry anymore.” He stiffened. I went to the kitchen to cut some fruit. When I came back out, Caius was already gone. That afternoon, I took Lily out. Money had been tight these past two years. Lily often wore hand-me-downs from the landlord’s daughter. Now I could finally buy her clothes that fit properly. As we entered the children’s clothing store, we ran into Aisling and her daughter. And Caius. The sales clerk fawned over them. “Alpha Caius, Miss Aisling, these just arrived yesterday. They’d be perfect for Kitty.” Kitty shouted, “I want this one!” Caius smiled and swiped his card. “Ma’am, can I help you with something?” Another clerk approached me. I said softly, “I’d like to buy a couple outfits for my daughter to wear now.” Caius and the others also looked our way. I pretended not to notice and pulled Lily inside. When we came out after trying on clothes, Aisling and her daughter were gone. Caius looked at me with a complicated expression. “Today is Kitty’s birthday. I was buying her clothes as a gift…” “I see. Please send her my best wishes.” After speaking, I turned to the puzzled-looking clerk. “I’ll take both of these outfits.” Just as I was about to pay, Caius grabbed my arm. I quickly pulled my hand away. The clerk’s eyes darted between us. “Ma’am, you and Alpha Caius…” I smiled. “We’re friends.” A loud crash came from behind me. “Mr. Caius, you dropped your phone!” I turned around. Caius was staring at me intently. “What nonsense are you talking?” I looked puzzled. “Aren’t you going to celebrate her birthday with them?” He continued glaring at me, his chest heaving violently, but he said nothing. I didn’t understand, but I didn’t dare provoke him, so I pulled Lily toward the exit. The moment we left the store, Caius grabbed me. He asked in a low voice, “We’re clearly husband and wife. Why did you say we’re friends? Why did you just let them misunderstand our relationship?” I laughed. “Aisling was right there next to you. They obviously all thought Aisling was your girlfriend. If they knew you were already married, it would be terrible for Aisling’s reputation. Don’t you care most about Aisling’s reputation?” Caius was stunned into silence. After a long pause, he finally spoke. “Why are you so different from before?” In the past, I would have made a huge scene over something like this. Caius was always impatient. “Stop being unreasonable. Aisling is a widow raising a child alone. It’s not easy for her. If people think she’s my girlfriend or mistress, at least they won’t bully her.” But what was the point of fighting with Aisling over these things now? I just wanted to raise Lily properly and let her live the comfortable life she deserved. I said calmly, “Isn’t this what you always wanted?” Caius’s face turned dark. He turned and left in anger. I didn’t care. I took Lily out to eat and shop, buying quite a few things. This life without worrying about making ends meet felt like it had before the divorce.

After getting married, I became a stay-at-home mom. Everyone around me envied me. Although I was just an ordinary wolf, I was Alpha Caius’s fated mate. We dated, got married, and I became the Luna of Dubois Pack—all perfectly natural. When we first got married, Caius treated me very well. The day I received the pregnancy test results and discovered I was expecting Lily, Caius was so excited he couldn’t contain himself. He held me and spun me around again and again. At that time, he gently caressed my belly and said, “I’ll make you and our child the happiest people in the world.” For a while, I truly believed I would stay this happy forever. Until Aisling’s mate died. That day it was pouring rain. Aisling came to our door with Kitty. She was soaked through. The moment she saw Caius, she threw herself into his arms, crying that her mate had died. And Caius didn’t push her away. Later, Caius told me he was just being considerate of Aisling’s grief over her recent loss. I believed him. Until Caius missed our anniversary for the first time. He told me he was handling pack business. But the moment he got home, Aisling showed up at our door to return his tie. I was confused. He just pinched the bridge of his nose. “Aisling was helping me with work. She brought it over on her way.” I wanted to ask more questions, but seeing how exhausted he looked, I didn’t have the heart. I lived a pampered life at home while he worked so hard outside. It really didn’t seem right to doubt him. I told myself that spouses needed basic trust. I couldn’t let jealousy run wild. But later, things like this happened more and more often. On our anniversary, Caius left me alone at the restaurant to go rescue Aisling from her difficult landlord. When sudden rain trapped Lily and me at the early learning center, Caius was taking Aisling and Kitty home. When Lily came down with the flu and had a fever-induced seizure, I couldn’t reach Caius. I took her to the hospital alone, only to find him bringing an entire team of pack medical specialists to treat Kitty’s scratched hand. Every single time, Aisling would proactively message me to “report.” [Sorry about this, Talia. Caius said I can’t stay here anymore, so he’s arranging for me to stay at another one of his properties.] [Sorry about this, Talia. It’s my fault for getting dizzy. Caius will come pick you up right after he drops me off.] [Sorry about this, Talia. Caius is just too worried about Kitty. I’ll talk to him about it later.] I couldn’t take it anymore. Again and again I demanded to know who his real wife and daughter were. At first he patiently explained. “We’ve known each other for so many years. I’m just helping her out when I can.” But he grew more and more impatient. “Aisling lost her parents and her mate. She has no one to rely on. Can’t you show her some compassion?” “Aisling is a widow raising a child alone. Why do you have to target her?” “Can’t you take care of yourself? I have so much pack business to handle. Do I really have to revolve around you two?” “If you can’t raise the child properly, get someone else to do it! She’s so young and already bullying others. What kind of monster will she be when she grows up?” Lily and I stopped waiting eagerly for him to come home. Because whenever he came back, all this little family got was fighting. Lily grew quieter and quieter. Even her daycare teacher came to ask if something was wrong at home. What finally made me decide to divorce him was what happened at the New Moon Festival celebration. I’d been exhausted and sleepy all the time during that period, and I completely forgot about the event. By the time I woke up, the celebration had been going on for quite a while. Then I saw a post on social media. [Alpha Caius and Aisling look so perfect together.] The attached photo showed Caius and Aisling sitting together at the event. Caius was cutting steak for Aisling. I called Caius five or six times. No answer. On the seventh call, someone finally picked up, but it was Aisling’s voice. “Talia, Caius is very busy right now. You can tell me whatever you need.” I told her to put Caius on the phone. But she just laughed coquettishly. “Talia, I’m Caius’s secretary. He has no secrets from me.” “You know, today so many people said I’d make a better Luna.” My whole body shook. I hung up and rushed to the venue still wearing my slippers.

Aisling had her arms around Caius’s waist, her whole body leaning into his embrace. I furiously pulled them apart and glared at Caius. “Is this what you do when I’m not around? Holding and hugging her?” Aisling came over to pull at me. “Talia, I had too much to drink. Don’t misunderstand—” I shook off her hand and glared at her. “Don’t touch me! Homewrecker!” I hadn’t used much force, but she cried out delicately and fell to the ground. “Talia! What’s wrong with you?” Caius roughly shoved me aside and helped Aisling up with concern, carefully checking her over. My lower back hit the corner of the table. The pain brought tears to my eyes. Aisling’s eyes were red as she held back tears. “It’s all my fault. Please don’t fight because of me…” Caius rushed to comfort her. “It has nothing to do with you. She’s the one having a breakdown.” Then he turned to me, his voice cold. “Talia, I’ve told you so many times—Aisling’s mother asked me on her deathbed to take care of her.” “Do you have any idea how hard it is for her to raise a child alone? You’re both women. How can you be so cruel as to call her a homewrecker?” The look he gave me was icy, even carrying a hint of disgust. “My patience with you has limits. Know when to stop.” “Don’t make me regret marrying you.” The moment those words left his mouth, my ears started ringing. I looked at Caius in disbelief. I wanted to say, “You’re my husband, Talia’s husband. How can you take an outsider’s side?” I wanted to say, “Aisling shows off and provokes me every time. Don’t you know that?” I wanted to tell him about Aisling’s true face on the phone earlier. But something was stuck in my throat. After a long time, all I could say was, “Then let’s divorce. We’ll break the mate bond.” The moment it came out, I suddenly felt liberated. I didn’t even want to bother with Aisling’s gloating expression. Caius froze for a moment, then laughed mockingly. “Talia, besides threatening divorce, what else can you do? Is fighting for attention and being jealous all your life amounts to?” With that, he helped Aisling leave. That day, I sat in the living room until dawn. It wasn’t until Lily started crying that I realized my legs were covered in blood. Only then did I learn that my recent drowsiness was because I was pregnant again. And by the time I realized it, I had already miscarried. The second child who came quietly had left just as quietly. A week later, Caius and I broke our mate bond and signed divorce papers along with custody and property division documents. I got custody of Lily. Later, my father suddenly fell critically ill. The doctor said he’d been poisoned with wolf’s bane, which could only be purchased from witches. My father was just an ordinary wolf who lived an honest life. I had no idea who would want to harm him. Despite several attempts to save him, he passed away. I used what little savings I had left to arrange his funeral. I tried to find work, but for some reason, no company would hire me. Many companies notified me of employment only to reverse their decision and reject me. With no other options, I could only take on various odd jobs for meager wages. Just like that, I went from being the esteemed Luna to a single mother living in a low-income neighborhood. Lily suffered a lot because of me. I woke up crying from nightmares countless times, regretting that I had ruined her life. This time, I wouldn’t fight with Caius over jealousy again. As long as I could provide a good life for myself and Lily, even if Caius found ten more “Aislings,” I would turn a blind eye.

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I walked in on my husband, Blackrock Pack Alpha Kane, rolling around in our marital bed with his mistress Talia. I demanded a divorce on the spot. Talia, clothes still disheveled, immediately slapped me across the face and shrieked mockingly: “You’re nothing but a lowly waitress from a border club. What makes you think you have the right to ask an Alpha for a divorce? Do you really think you’re the Luna of Blackrock Pack?” Kane’s sister Jessa chimed in from the side: “So what if my brother has a mistress? What are you making such a fuss about?” Kane looked at me with undisguised impatience and warned: “Everything you have, I gave you. Without me, you’re nothing. Are you really going through with this divorce?” I nodded decisively: “Yes.” After all, my father, the Rogue King who strikes terror into the hearts of North American werewolves, was about to be released from prison. He’d been wanting to throw Kane to the rogues at the border to be torn apart for a long time now. Talia was Kane’s most favored mistress. Despite her humble origins, she was the most arrogant of all his lovers. Seeing my determination to divorce, a flash of joy flickered through Talia’s eyes. She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, sneering at me with contempt: “Ungrateful women never come to a good end.” “Kane is the Alpha of Blackrock Pack. For a lowly waitress like you to marry him was your good fortune. Instead of being grateful that he pulled you out of the gutter, you’re making a scene about divorce over such a trivial matter as him having other women. You’re an absolute fool.” “You just got lucky, meeting Kane before he became Alpha. Otherwise, with your status, you wouldn’t even qualify to set foot in Blackrock Pack territory.” “If I could become Kane’s mate, I would never be as jealous as you. I would arrange all the women around him properly and never let such trivial matters distract him!” Talia’s words made it clear she wanted to steal my position as Luna. In the past, I might have confronted her angrily. But now, I’d completely given up on Kane. This so-called Luna position was nothing more than a cold cage to me. Jessa toyed with a sharp dagger, sneering at me with contempt: “You waitress, are you planning to use this divorce to blackmail my brother and force him to give you an astronomical settlement?” “Raina, can you stop being so naive?” “Do you think divorcing my brother will let you take a share of Blackrock Pack’s power and wealth? Like that Omega who divorced the Whitespire Pack Alpha a while back and became a top-tier rich woman overnight?” “You’d better abandon that idea right now! Before my brother married you, he made you sign a prenuptial agreement. And with me, Blackrock Pack’s chief lawyer, here, the moment you dare to divorce, you’ll leave with nothing but the clothes on your back. Not even a single strand of wolf fur!” Jessa certainly had grounds for her confidence. She’d studied countless loopholes in Alliance law. Though not the most elite lawyer, she’d fought plenty of divorce cases with extremely ruthless tactics. Even though I’d completely given up on Kane, hearing Jessa’s naked threats, I couldn’t help but feel a bone-chilling cold rise in my heart. I glared at Jessa and shouted: “Without me, the lowly waitress you speak of, you siblings wouldn’t be where you are today!” “Your brother was critically injured by rogues back then. I stayed by his side day and night, which let you study without pressure.” “And you? You couldn’t even afford tuition back then. If I hadn’t used my savings, you would’ve been expelled from the academy and sent back to the border long ago!” “You knelt before me back then, saying if your brother ever treated me badly, you’d be the first to hold him accountable…” Without my help back then, Jessa never could have completed her education. Kane would have died in the border’s snowfields long ago, let alone risen to his current position as Alpha. Back then, the siblings were grateful to me, practically wanting to worship me. I foolishly thought I’d found people who truly cared about me. And what happened? “You grabbed my hand back then, crying and saying I’d given you this life, and anyone who disrespected me would have to answer to you…” Without my unreserved efforts to save them, Jessa would have become just another corpse at the border long ago. Kane would have died in some unknown corner, never becoming Blackrock Pack’s Alpha. Back then, the siblings treated me like a second parent, ready to give me their very hearts. I foolishly thought I’d found family I could trust with my life. And what happened? After Kane firmly secured his position as Blackrock Pack’s Alpha, he stopped coming home. Instead, I frequently saw him in tabloid news, entering and leaving clubs with different Omegas, living it up without a care in the world. Ever since Jessa became Blackrock Pack’s lawyer and started dealing with elite wolves from various packs, she looked down on me more and more. She thought I, a club waitress, wasn’t worthy of her brother and brought shame to both siblings. Now they fancied themselves superior, never mentioning those days of struggling to survive in the garbage dumps. As if that period when they relied on my support was the greatest stain on their lives.

Kane and Jessa’s faces instantly turned ashen. Before I could finish speaking, Jessa suddenly grabbed the teacup beside her and hurled it viciously at me. The heavy cup struck my temple, and pain exploded through my head, darkening my vision. Warm blood trickled down from my brow bone, blurring my sight and leaving me in a wretched state. Jessa stared at me with vicious eyes and cursed: “Ungrateful trash! Who do you think you are, bringing up the past in front of me?” “Without my brother elevating you, you’d spend your whole life licking boots for lowlife wolves at that club! That little bit of kindness you showed us was your own choice. Did we beg you?” Kane leaned back on the sofa, legs crossed, watching me coldly: “Enough, Raina. Let me be frank with you. Omegas wanting to climb into my bed could form a line from here to the border. You’ve occupied the Luna position for years. I’ve provided you with the best food and lifestyle. I’ve done more than enough.” “This divorce is happening whether you like it or not. I don’t want people digging up the fact that my Luna used to serve plates at a club.” “Sign voluntarily, and I’ll let you keep some dignity. If you insist on making trouble, I have a hundred ways to make you disappear without a trace.” “But since you’ve been with me these past few years, I won’t go to extremes. Sign this agreement, and I’ll give you a million dollars. Take the money and disappear forever.” Kane had me sign a non-disclosure agreement. The agreement stated that after the divorce, I couldn’t mention how I’d helped the siblings in the past, and I couldn’t tell any pack that I’d been Kane’s partner or Blackrock Pack’s former Luna. I agreed without hesitation. Although Kane and I had been married for over three years, almost no one outside knew of my existence. Everyone assumed Blackrock Pack’s Alpha Kane was still single. After all, our wedding was extremely simple with no guests from any pack invited. The only witnesses were Blackrock Pack’s old priest and Jessa. Plus, after the marriage, Kane began his philandering, deliberately maintaining his persona as a single, eligible Alpha. Jessa also hinted at various occasions that both siblings were single. So these past three years, very few people knew I was Kane’s partner. I signed both the divorce and non-disclosure agreements, picked up the million-dollar check Kane tossed at me, and turned to leave this place that disgusted me. Just then, Talia spoke up with a mocking laugh: “Now that’s better. Raina, being sensible is good for everyone.” “Oh, by the way, isn’t your crippled old man in prison about to get out? What do you think he’ll do when he finds out his only daughter got kicked to the curb? Will he get so angry he ends up back inside?” Jessa picked up the thread, adding coldly: “Her dad? Ha, one old waste raising a younger waste, that’s all. If my brother hadn’t been kind-hearted back then, trash bloodlines like yours wouldn’t even qualify to step foot in our Blackrock Pack territory.” Kane looked at me coldly, his voice devoid of warmth: “You’ve signed the agreement and taken the money. From now on, you have no relationship with us siblings.” “I don’t care where you go or what you do, just don’t appear before me and dirty my sight.” “If I hear even half a word about us outside, I have ten thousand ways to make you regret leaving here alive.”

I said nothing, suppressing the grief and rage churning inside me, and walked out of Blackrock Pack’s main fortress without looking back. Returning to what used to be our residence, I quickly packed my personal belongings, tears falling despite my efforts to hold them back. Who could I blame for things ending up this way? I could only blame myself for being blind, for showing mercy back then and saving these ungrateful siblings! I dragged my suitcase out of the residence, wanting to take a shortcut through the back alley behind the main fortress to get to the station. I’d just entered the alley when I heard chaotic, heavy footsteps behind me. Before I could turn around, several rough hands shoved me hard from behind. Several burly men blocked both ends of the alley, each emanating the fierce aura of werewolves. I recognized them. The leader was Vorn, Kane’s head of security. Vorn and his men used to be rogues from the border. After following Kane, they’d transformed into Blackrock Pack’s guards. Before, when they saw me, they would respectfully call me Luna. Now, their faces were twisted with savage grins, looking especially terrifying in the dim alley. “Why the rush? Luna,” Vorn drawled, stepping closer to me. “The brothers haven’t seen you off yet.” I backed up until my spine hit the wall, saying in a low voice: “I’ve already signed the divorce papers. I have nothing to do with Blackrock Pack anymore. Let me pass.” Vorn and the men behind him laughed. “Let you pass? That won’t do.” He walked up to me and looked down, lowering his voice: “Don’t blame us for being ruthless. You shouldn’t have offended people you can’t afford to offend.” “Jessa said it herself—you taking that million and walking out the door is like slapping her face. She needs to teach you that Blackrock Pack’s money isn’t easy to take.” “She told us brothers to take good care of you, preferably filming something as a keepsake. That way, even if you try to make waves later, you’ll have to consider your own reputation first.” “Talia said you were quite good at servicing people at the club back in the day. Today we’ll let you practice your old skills so they don’t get rusty.” “Blame your own bad luck for deserving to be disposed of like garbage!” With that, Vorn and his men reached out with lecherous grins, trying to tear at my clothes. At this critical moment, a tremendous noise came from the mouth of the alley. They turned with furious expressions, ready to curse, but the next second, that anger froze on their faces, replaced by bone-deep terror as they all looked toward the alley entrance. A group of men radiating fierce auras, carrying steel pipes and silver blades, surrounded Vorn and his men. The leader strode up to us and shoved Vorn aside roughly. Vorn and his men trembled under the oppressive presence, hastily begging for mercy: “Bosses, have you got the wrong people?” “We’re from Blackrock Pack. Our boss is Alpha Kane!” “Bosses, let’s talk this out, let’s talk…” The group of men completely ignored Vorn’s pleas and turned in unison to bow respectfully to me: “Luna Raina, Rogue King Gareth wishes to see you!”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “390957”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster

I loved the three Hunt brothers for ten long years. I thought giving them everything would make them cherish me. It didn’t. I gave them my heart. I worked for them for free for ten years. But they took the glory that should have been mine. They took my wedding dress. They gave it all to Serena. That fake little snake. The most ridiculous part? When the earthquake hit, I was the one who risked my life to save them. And they still chose the fraud who stole my identity. They pushed me into the frozen lake. The moment the water closed over my head, my heart died. After they pulled me out, I called their uncle. “Can we move up our wedding?” Elara’s POV “The winner of this year’s Most Influential Internet Personality Award is…” The spotlight swept across the vast ceiling. The entire audience held its breath, waiting. I sat in the front row, took a deep breath, and lifted my dress. As a lifestyle blogger with thirty million followers, I had to win this award. And tonight’s gala was hosted by Hunt Corporation. The three Hunt brothers, Cole, Nathan, and Ethan, weren’t just the presenters. They were the men I’d grown up with. The men I was supposed to marry one day. I planned to officially announce my choice of husband in tonight’s acceptance speech. “Serena Shaw! Let’s congratulate Serena!” The host’s voice rang out, brimming with excitement. My hand stopped on my dress. The spotlight swung past me and hit a woman in the back row. White dress. Fake surprise plastered on her face. Serena Shaw. She’d been active for less than six months. Her entire career was built on copying me. She was also the Hunt family maid’s daughter. The room was stunned. My followers erupted. “What’s going on? Elara’s award was stolen?” “How does Serena even qualify? She clearly cheated!” But what really made my blood boil were the three men coming down from the stage. Cole Hunt, wearing an expensive suit, extended his hand to Serena. Nathan Hunt carefully smoothed her dress. And Ethan Hunt, the superstar, casually put his arm around her shoulders and led her toward the stage. The three of them didn’t even glance at me. I sat there in the front row, awkward and furious, like a complete fool. After the awards ceremony ended, I returned to the backstage lounge. I pushed open the door to see the three brothers celebrating with Serena. I asked them, hurt and confused. “Why? My fan vote count was clearly far higher than everyone else’s.” Cole frowned with impatience. “Elara, you already have thirty million followers. Do you really care about one trophy? Serena’s just starting out. She needs this award to support her career more than you do.” “Exactly,” Ethan laughed, playing with his lighter. “Can you stop being so greedy? Don’t you know how long Serena prepared for this gala?” Nathan said coldly, “As compensation, I can give you ads for next quarter. Stop making a scene. You’re acting like a clown.” I looked at these three familiar faces, my heart clenched by an invisible hand, the pain suffocating. These were the three men I’d loved for so many years. For Cole’s media company, I’d worked for free as a tool to boost engagement for all his accounts. For Nathan’s investment business, I personally helped him sell products. For Ethan’s acting career, I promoted his work on my account every single day. But now, they were viciously putting me down just to make Serena happy. “I understand.” I didn’t lose control. I just answered very calmly. I turned and walked out of the lounge. The cold wind outside hit my face, and my mind had never been clearer. I’d planned to marry one of the three. But now I had a better idea. Half an hour later, I stood shivering in my grandparents’ living room. “I’ve decided. The person I want to marry is Damon Hunt.” Grandma was so shocked she nearly dropped her cup. “Are you crazy, Elara? Damon is Cole’s uncle! He’s six years older than you, cold, and impossible to get along with…” “I’m not crazy.” I clutched my clothes, nails digging into my palms. “Those three don’t love me, and I’m done hurting myself. Please, Grandma. Ask Damon if he’ll marry me.” Grandma saw the pain in my eyes and let out a long sigh. She dialed Damon Hunt’s number. The moment the call connected, I was incredibly nervous. “Hello.” Damon Hunt’s voice was deep and pleasant. Grandma briefly explained the situation. The silence on the other end was suffocating. Every second of pause was torture for me. My mind went blank. I’d even prepared myself for a ruthless rejection. After a long time, Damon Hunt on the other end laughed softly, his tone lazy and unreadable. “Sure. Tell Elara I’m willing to marry her.” The weight on my heart finally lifted. Tears streamed down my face. I squeezed my eyes shut.

Elara’s POV When I returned to the villa I shared with Cole and the others, it was already late at night. The villa blazed with lights. Serena’s and the Hunt brothers’ cheers pierced my eardrums. Streamers hung in the living room. A champagne tower was stacked high. Cole, Ethan, and Nathan surrounded Serena as she cut a cake, celebrating her award. Hearing the sound of the door opening, everyone looked at me. Serena fearfully hid behind Cole, calling out softly, “Elara, you’re back… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to take your award. Cole and the others insisted on giving it to me…” “Enough, Serena. Why are you apologizing to her?” Ethan impatiently cut her off, then turned to look at me with contempt. “Elara, who are you throwing a tantrum for? It’s just an award. Does it really make you this crazy?” I ignored him and walked straight toward the stairs, ready to pack my belongings. “Stop.” Cole’s loud voice halted me. His tall frame blocked the stairway. “Since you’re back, there’s something I need to tell you. Hand over the password to your account with ten million followers. Give it to Serena.” I suspected I’d heard wrong. “What did you say?” “Are you deaf?” Nathan mocked. “Serena just won an award. She needs traffic and exposure right now. Your account has a lot of followers. It’s perfect for her to use for business deals. You have other accounts anyway.” I was livid with rage. I’d spent four years building that account. I’d traveled alone to cities all over the country with my camera, spent countless nights editing videos, slowly accumulating those followers! And now they wanted me to just hand it over to Serena with one sentence? “Impossible.” I looked into Cole’s eyes and immediately refused. “That’s my personal property. It has nothing to do with you. Want to give my account to Serena? I refuse.” “Elara, you’re such a bitch!” Ethan suddenly stood up, pointing at my nose as he cursed. “You usually spend our money, live in our house, and now when we ask you to help Serena with one small favor, you refuse. How can you be so selfish and vicious?” “I spend your money?” I said mockingly. “I bought this villa. I earned the money for your daily expenses by taking on ads! Who’s spending whose money?!” “Enough!” Cole’s expression turned ugly, as if I’d hit a nerve. “Elara, I’m asking you one last time. Are you giving up the account or not?” “No.” “Good. Very good.” Cole laughed mockingly and pulled out his phone to call his assistant. “Freeze all of Elara’s social media accounts registered under the company immediately. No one is allowed to unlock them without my permission.” After hanging up, he looked at me with contempt. “Since you’re so principled, let me see how you survive on your own without our help. When you come to your senses, kneel down and apologize to Serena. Then I’ll consider returning your accounts.” Serena gently tugged on Cole’s sleeve from behind, saying softly, “Cole, forget it. Elara just cares too much about that award. I don’t need her account anymore…” “Serena, stay out of this. We need to fix her arrogant attitude today!” Nathan chimed in. Looking at these three men in front of me, I suddenly felt disgusted. I didn’t want to spend another second in this house reeking of disgust. I turned and went upstairs. Ten minutes later, I came down dragging a suitcase. “What are you trying to do now?” Ethan sneered. “Running away from home in the middle of the night? If you’ve got guts, don’t come back once you walk out that door!” I didn’t give them a single glance. I dragged my suitcase straight toward the door. The moment my hand gripped the doorknob, I paused. Without turning back, I said, “Don’t worry. I’ll never set foot in here again. I don’t want this house anymore.” The door slammed shut with a bang, cutting off the noise inside. The night wind was very cold. I pulled my coat tighter and took out my phone. Looking at the forced logout notification on the screen, my eyes held no tears, only hatred. It’s fine. If my account is gone, I can rebuild.

Elara’s POV The day after moving out of the villa, I received a call from my mother. The moment she answered, her abuse came through. “Elara, have you lost your mind?! What did you do to make Cole angry? This morning he cancelled three collaboration projects with our company! Are you trying to destroy our whole family?!” I gripped my phone tightly, saying painfully, “Mom, they forcibly froze my accounts just to promote Serena, and they tried to steal my work…” “I don’t care!” Mom’s shrill voice stabbed my eardrums. “What use is a woman doing social media? Your job is to please the Hunt men and successfully marry them! I order you to go apologize to them right now. Even if you have to kneel to that woman, you need to get those collaborations back for me!” Before I could speak, she hung up. I looked at the darkened screen, my lips twisting into a smile uglier than crying. This was my family. In their eyes, I’d never been a daughter, just a bargaining chip for profit. Taking a deep breath, I pushed down the bitterness and took a cab to Hunt Corporation. I wasn’t going to apologize. I was going to retrieve my personal hard drive. It contained all my original footage and unreleased work from the past few years. My only capital for rebuilding my accounts. When I reached my former private office, I was shocked. The office door stood wide open. The minimalist decor that had been mine was completely gone, replaced with frilly lace and stuffed animals. Serena sat in my chair, playing with my personal hard drive in her hands! “Who said you could touch my things?” I strode in, demanding coldly. Serena jumped in fright. Her hand slipped, and the hard drive hit the desk with a clatter. “Elara…” Serena’s eyes instantly reddened like a startled rabbit’s. “I’m sorry. Cole said this office is mine now. I didn’t know this was yours…” “Give it back to me.” I was too lazy to listen to her talk. I reached out directly to take it. Just as my fingertips were about to touch the hard drive, Serena suddenly cried out. Her body lurched backward, and along with it, the hard drive in her hand fell heavily toward the massive decorative fish tank beside her! Splash! The hard drive sank instantly to the bottom, releasing a few bubbles before being completely ruined. “My hard drive!” I screamed in shock and pain. That contained five years of my work! “What are you doing?!” An enraged male voice came from the doorway. Cole rushed in quickly, shoving me aside and carefully helping Serena up from the floor. Nathan and Ethan followed behind them. Seeing this scene, their expressions instantly darkened. “Elara, have you gone crazy?!” Ethan rushed forward, pointing at my nose as he cursed. “You not only ran away from home, now you’re coming to the company to attack Serena? Are you sick?!” “I didn’t push her. She fell on her own and threw my hard drive in the water!” I pointed at the tank, my whole body trembling. “That had all my footage!” “Enough!” Cole cut me off, his eyes as cold as if looking at an enemy. “Serena is so kind. How could she deliberately destroy your things? You’re clearly jealous she took your office!” Nathan pushed up his glasses, his tone cutting. “Elara, you’re getting more and more insane. It’s just a hard drive. How much could it be worth? You scared Serena like this. Apologize to her immediately!” Looking at these three stupid men, I suddenly felt absurd. I used to think that if I just tried hard enough, was enthusiastic enough, I could eventually move them. But now I understood. Idiots can’t see the truth. “Apologize?” I stared at them, the light in my eyes extinguishing bit by bit, turning into a desolate wasteland. “Impossible.” I didn’t look at the hard drive in the tank again. I turned, straightened my back, and walked out of the office step by step. Ethan’s shout came from behind. “Elara, if you dare walk out that door today, even if you beg us on your knees later, we’ll never forgive you!” My steps didn’t pause. Forgive me? You don’t deserve to.

Elara’s POV After leaving Hunt Corporation, I went to New York’s largest underground auction house. Next month was my wedding with Damon Hunt. Although it was a contractual marriage, Damon had given me enough dignity and respect on the phone. I wanted to prepare a wedding gift for him. In the auction catalog, a pair of sapphire cufflinks from European royalty in the last century caught my eye. Expensive and luxurious. They seemed exactly like the feeling Damon gave me. I checked my account. Although my main account was frozen, I still had some money in my personal account. Just enough to buy these cufflinks. The auction progressed to the second half, and the cufflinks were finally presented on the display stand. “Starting bid, two million.” I bid without hesitation. “Two million five hundred thousand.” “Three million.” A female voice came from the front row. I frowned and looked up to see Serena sitting on Nathan’s lap, holding up her bidding paddle. Cole and Ethan sat on either side of her. Just my luck. I gritted my teeth and raised my paddle again. “Three million five hundred thousand.” Serena looked back at me, bit her lip pitifully, and acted coy with Nathan. “Nathan, those cufflinks are so beautiful. I want to buy them as a birthday gift for Cole, but it seems Elara really likes them too…” Nathan laughed coldly and raised his paddle directly. “Five million.” The whole venue was shocked. Five million for a pair of cufflinks was way over market value. My palms were sweating. I only had eight million in liquid funds in my account. “Six million.” I gritted my teeth and followed. Ethan laughed mockingly. “Elara, we kicked you out, and you still have money left? Buying expensive men’s cufflinks. Who are they for? Don’t tell me you’re trying to butter us up and get back in our good graces.” Cole said contemptuously, “It’s useless. Anything you give, I’d find dirty.” I didn’t even look at them, keeping my eyes on the auctioneer. Nathan was enraged by my disregard and raised his paddle directly. “Eight million.” At that number, my heart sank completely. I had no more money to bid. Just as the auctioneer was about to drop the hammer, Serena suddenly grabbed Nathan’s hand. “Nathan, forget it. Elara doesn’t even have a job now. This might be her last savings. I don’t need them. Let her have them.” Nathan snorted coldly. “She’s lucky. Serena, you’re just too kind.” In the end, I bought the cufflinks for eight million. I emptied every penny in my account and walked out of the auction house with the beautifully packaged velvet box. Just as I reached the main entrance, Serena blocked my path. Cole and the others stood not far away smoking, not following over. “Elara, can I see the cufflinks?” Serena’s face wore a provocative smile. “Something you spent all your savings on must be very precious, right?” I looked at her coldly. “Get lost.” “Don’t be so stingy.” Serena suddenly reached out and snatched the box from my hands. “What are you doing!” I was furious, reaching to grab it back. But Serena suddenly stepped back and loosened her hand. Click. The velvet box fell to the ground, and two exquisite sapphire cufflinks rolled out. Serena’s high heel seemed to accidentally step forward, directly kicking one of the cufflinks into the nearby storm drain grate! “Oh no!” Serena covered her mouth, crying out in surprise. “I’m so sorry, Elara. I didn’t mean to. My hand slipped…” My brain buzzed. That was the gift I’d spent all my money on for Damon! I raised my hand and slapped Serena hard across the face! Smack! The crisp sound of the slap was especially loud in the night. Serena screamed and fell to the ground, clutching her face as she burst into tears. “Elara, you’re asking for death!” Ethan was the first to rush over, shoving me aside. My back slammed hard into a solid column, making me gasp in pain. Cole and Nathan also rushed over. Seeing Serena’s swollen face, their eyes instantly became terrifying. “Elara, you actually dared to hit her?!” Cole grabbed my throat, pinning me against the column, his eyes full of rage. “They’re just cufflinks. Serena accidentally dropped them. We’ll pay you double! How dare you get physical!” “Pay?” I was being choked, struggling to breathe, but I still stared at them, a cold smile on my lips. “Pay with what? You blind trash don’t even understand what’s valuable!” “You still dare to talk back!” Nathan’s eyes were frightening. “Ethan, throw her in the lake nearby. Let her sober up!” Ethan didn’t hesitate. He came forward, grabbed my arm, and regardless of my struggles, dragged me toward the icy lakeside. Splash! The lake water was freezing, instantly swallowing my head.

Elara’s POV The freezing lake water rushed into my nose. I struggled violently in the water. I couldn’t swim. On the shore, the three Hunt brothers watched coldly. “What’s she pretending for? The water’s only five feet deep. She could stand up and live.” Ethan had his hands in his pockets, saying mockingly, “Elara, your acting is way too fake.” Serena leaned against Cole, deliberately saying, “Cole, Elara really seems like she can’t swim. Maybe we should pull her up. What if something happens…” “What could happen? She’s strong as an ox.” Nathan pushed up his glasses, his eyes cold. “Let her soak in the water for half an hour. Then we’ll see if she dares hit you again.” Underwater, I heard these words, and the despair in my heart was colder than the lake water. I gave up struggling and let my body slowly sink. Just as my consciousness was about to blur, park staff finally noticed something was wrong and jumped in to rescue me. I was completely soaked, coughing violently on the shore in a wretched state, almost vomiting bile. Cole looked down at me from above, like looking at garbage. “Today’s just a warning. If there’s a next time, I guarantee you won’t be able to stay in New York.” After speaking, they escorted Serena into their luxury car and left. The night wind blew, and I shivered all over. I dragged my heavy steps to kneel by the storm drain grate, using my frozen fingers to pick at the gaps bit by bit, trying to retrieve the fallen cufflink. But it was too deep. I couldn’t feel anything. I was alone on the deep-night street, like a pitiful ghost abandoned by the whole world. The next day, I developed a high fever. I forced myself to open my phone, only to find that online abuse had completely drowned me. Serena had done a livestream last night. In the stream, she held my golden retriever “Buddy” that I’d raised for three years, crying miserably. Buddy looked very unwell. Serena said in the livestream, “Poor Buddy. His previous owner often locked him in a cage for work and didn’t even feed him. Now that I’ve brought him home, I’ll definitely take good care of him.” The three Hunt brothers even reposted this video from their respective accounts with the caption: “People who abuse animals don’t deserve forgiveness.” This was undoubtedly slandering me with a scandal. Online fury was completely ignited. “Elara can go die! Dog-abusing bitch!” “I used to like her, but she’s actually a poisonous woman!” “Boycott Elara! Make her get off the internet!” I looked at those vicious curses on the screen, my whole body shaking with anger. Buddy was a pet I’d raised from a puppy. I loved him like family. The day I moved out of the villa, Cole forcibly kept Buddy, saying he’d give him to Serena. Now they were turning it around, slandering me for abusing him! Just then, Mom called again. “Elara! What have you done! Cole officially announced the withdrawal of investment today. Our company’s stock has already hit the limit down!” Mother screamed on the other end. “You need to start a livestream right now and kneel to apologize to Serena! Admit that you abused the dog, that you’re jealous of her! Otherwise, I’ll act like I never had a daughter!” I closed my eyes as tears finally slid down my burning cheeks. “Mom,” my voice was hoarse, “I have a fever. One hundred and three point six degrees. I’m dying.” “That doesn’t matter!” Mom cut me off. “Even if you die, you need to resolve our company’s crisis first! I’m giving you one hour to post an apology video, or don’t ever come home again!” The call was hung up again. I curled up in the cold blanket, feeling like all the blood in my body had frozen. No one cared if I lived or died. My lovers. My family. My fans. Every one of them was pushing me toward the edge. Just as I was suffering, my phone screen suddenly lit up. It was a text from an unknown number. “Need help? -Damon Hunt.” Seeing this short sentence, my despairing heart suddenly beat violently. I bit my cracked lips and replied with trembling fingers. “No. I can handle it. Damon, can we move up our wedding?” He replied almost instantly. “As you wish. See you tomorrow, Elara.”

Elara’s POV After recovering from the high fever, I completely changed my life focus. I didn’t post an apology video, didn’t pay attention to the online abuse, but focused wholeheartedly on wedding preparations. Although Damon was abroad, he arranged the best team to assist me. The wedding venue was set at New York’s most expensive hillside manor, a private property under Damon’s name. That afternoon, I went to the bridal shop to try on the wedding dress I’d personally participated in designing. I’d spent an entire year designing it, originally intending to wear it for Cole and the others. Now, I just wanted to wear it and marry Damon beautifully. After trying on the dress, I took the packaged gown and headed to the hillside manor to decorate the wedding venue. However, the moment I pushed open the manor’s main door, I was completely shocked. The romantically decorated wedding venue was now in complete chaos. Expensive imported roses were trampled into mud. Carefully selected delicate decorations were thrown everywhere. In the center of the living room, the three Hunt brothers were playing loud music, partying with a group of friends. And Serena was wearing an extremely familiar white dress, laughing happily in the crowd. That was my backup wedding dress! “Well, well, if it isn’t our big star Elara?” Ethan walked over with a wine glass, swaying drunkenly, his face full of mockery. “What, did you come to attend Serena’s birthday party?” I stared at the wedding dress on Serena, my voice cold as ice. “Who allowed you to come in? Who allowed her to wear my wedding dress?!” “What are you yelling about?” Cole walked over frowning, protecting Serena behind him. “This manor is our company’s property. We can use it if we want. As for this cheap dress, Serena thought it looked nice. What’s wrong with her wearing it? Are you really that petty?” “Exactly.” Nathan sneered. “Elara, don’t tell me you actually think that by finding some random man and holding a fake wedding, you can provoke us?” They thought there was no way I could actually marry someone else. Everything I did was just to pressure them. Serena deliberately tugged at the wedding dress hem, saying delicately, “Elara, I’m sorry. I didn’t know this was your wedding dress. But this dress fits me perfectly. Cole said when we get engaged, he’ll let me wear this one.” As she spoke, she deliberately let her hand slip. Her wine glass tilted, and dark red liquid instantly splashed onto the pure white dress, leaving conspicuous stains. “Oops, I got it dirty.” Serena covered her mouth, apologizing without sincerity. I watched this scene without losing control like before, without shedding a single tear. I suddenly felt it was ridiculous. How stupid must I have been to fall in love with these three idiots? I calmly took out my phone, opened the camera, and clearly recorded this floor full of trash and their ugly faces. “What are you doing? Put your phone down!” Ethan’s expression changed, reaching to grab my phone. I stepped back, avoiding his hand, a mocking smile on my lips. “Cole Hunt. Nathan Hunt. Ethan Hunt.” I called out their names one by one, looking at them like they were already dead. “This wedding dress? Think of it as Serena’s funeral gown. And this venue? Since you like it so much, stay as long as you want. Play slowly.” “Because tomorrow, I’ll put on the world’s most expensive wedding dress, at New York’s most luxurious hotel, and marry a man you could never measure up to.” After speaking, without a trace of reluctance, I turned and walked out of the manor. Cole roared from behind. “Elara! Walk out that door, and tomorrow we’ll crash your fake wedding. We’ll make you the joke of New York.” I didn’t stop. I just kept walking. Crash it? Good. I’m looking forward to it. I couldn’t wait to see their faces when they found out who the groom really was.

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In the end, during that final mission, Regina didn’t hesitate. She pulled the trigger to save the man who had always been the ghost in our relationship—her “one who got away”—and the bullet tore right through me. She knew. She knew I had the Protocol backing me up. To her, my death was nothing more than a temporary glitch, a brief nap before the reboot. For three days, she stayed by Becket’s side, nursing him, comforting him, erasing me from her mind as if I’d never existed. By the time she finally remembered I was a person who actually occupied space in her life, she wasn’t greeted by a sleeping fiancé. She found a corpse beginning to succumb to the heat. I remember asking her, just before we set out, clutching onto a final, pathetic shred of hope: “Would you ever actually kill me, Reggie?” She had gone quiet for a long time before the words tumbled out: “No.” At that moment, both I and the Protocol felt a heavy sink in our collective chest. We knew it was a bad omen. If she had just said yes—if she had actually killed me by choice—my mission would have ended right then and there. But that “no” made me delusional. It made me think she actually loved me. It made me think the mission was about to get a whole lot more complicated. Looking back, all that worrying was for nothing. It wasn’t love. It was just me, making a fool of myself until the very end. … I sat on the edge of the roof, reaching out as if I could brush the stars with my fingertips. Before I could lean out too far, the Protocol’s voice hissed in my ear, sounding genuinely bewildered: [Host, please tell me you aren’t doing something stupid. We’ve put in too much work to get this close to the finish line. Don’t you dare jump.] My mouth twitched into a grimace. “Relax. I’m just catching the breeze. Do you really think I’m that fragile?” In fairness, the view from the roof was spectacular. It gave me a front-row seat to my fiancée wrapped in another man’s arms in the garden below. Becket looked like the protagonist of a tragic indie film, his eyes brimming with a manufactured sorrow. “You have to forget me, Regina. We’re a secret that can’t survive the light. This isn’t going to end well for us.” Regina spoke to him with a tenderness I had never once been allowed to taste. “I’ll take care of everything. I just need a little more time.” But Becket wasn’t playing along this time. “I’m almost thirty, Reggie. How much more time am I supposed to waste waiting in the shadows?” Regina started to say something, her lips parted in a desperate plea, but Becket cut her off with a sharp wave of his hand. “I’ve agreed to the setup my mother arranged. A blind date. A real future. Reggie, I’m begging you… let me go.” Regina turned her face away, her jaw tight with irritation. “Becket, stop being dramatic, okay?” He gave a hollow, bitter laugh and turned on his heel, disappearing into the darkness of the driveway. I watched her standing there, a lonely silhouette against the manicured lawn, and shook my head. “See that? That’s the tax you pay for an affair.” The Protocol chimed in: [Technically, you two aren’t married yet.] I rolled my eyes. “You don’t know a damn thing. Watch this. I’m going to go down there and push her buttons. If I’m lucky, she’ll get pissed enough to just stab me and get it over with.” The Protocol gave me a mental thumbs-up. [High-risk, high-reward. I like it.] I kept my pace light and bouncy as I walked down the stairs, finding Regina exactly where I expected—looking like a woman whose world had just collapsed. “Ouch. You look like you just got dumped. Want to talk about it? I’m a great listener,” I said, flashing a grin and throwing an arm over her shoulder. Her face remained a mask of stone. She shoved my arm off with a cold efficiency. “It’s nothing.” Nothing? No, that wouldn’t do. I needed more fire than that. “Come on, Reggie. I saw the whole thing from the roof. Getting dumped isn’t the end of the world, it’s just—” I didn’t finish the sentence. Her hand flew out, catching me by the throat with a strength that felt like iron. She looked like something that had crawled out of a nightmare. “You were spying on me?” she hissed. Her eyes were bloodshot, shimmering with a terrifying intensity. “Have I been too kind lately? Have you forgotten who you are in this house?” Looking into her murderous eyes, I felt my lips curl upward. Yes. That’s it. Just squeeze. Kill me. Let me go home. “Yeah, I followed you. So what?” I gasped out, leaning into the pressure of her grip. “Are you really that ashamed of being caught acting like a common tramp? I don’t blame him for leaving. A woman who wants the whole world while she’s already got a man at home? Even I’m starting to find you pathetic.” I poured every ounce of venom I could into my voice, terrified she might soften. Her grip tightened. Her knuckles turned white. To be honest, the sensation of dying isn’t pleasant—it’s a panicked, primal sort of pain. But the thought of home, of ending this grand humiliation, was a powerful anesthetic. Then, abruptly, she let go. I crumpled to the pavement, my lungs burning as I hacked and coughed, trying to pull in air. “I was wrong to snap,” she said, her voice dropping back into that terrifyingly cool professional tone. “I’ll keep my distance from him from now on.” My heart stopped for a different reason. I looked up at her, eyes wide with disbelief. But she didn’t look back. She just gave me the cold view of her retreating back. “Protocol… what the hell was that?” I whispered, my voice trembling. The Protocol sounded just as stunned. [She let you go? Are you kidding me? A woman who treats men like disposable tissues actually showed mercy?] I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt. But nothing could change the fact that I was still here. By the time I was halfway through my third bag of chips in the kitchen, the Protocol finally spoke up. [Host, why are you eating your feelings?] I crunched down viciously on a chip. “I’m going to get so fat she can’t stand the sight of me. Maybe then she’ll finally put a bullet in my head.” The Protocol decided I had finally snapped and went quiet, leaving us both to sit in our shared misery. It was a pathetic scene: one man and one invisible AI, failing at suicide-by-fiancée. I was plotting my next move when a knock sounded at the door. It was Becket. He stood there with a thin, polite smile, holding a crisp white dress shirt. “I’m so sorry to bother you,” he said, his voice dripping with faux-humility. “Regina stayed over at my place a few nights ago and I… well, I accidentally got some wine on her shirt. I didn’t want you to get the wrong idea if you found it, so I brought it back myself. You aren’t upset over such a small thing, are you?” I knew what he wanted. He wanted the explosion. He wanted me to scream and throw a punch so Regina could come running to his rescue. But I had too much on my mind to play my part in his melodrama. “Thanks. Appreciate it,” I said, reaching for the shirt. Becket’s smile faltered. The lack of a reaction clearly bothered him. He suddenly grabbed my wrist, his grip surprisingly tight. “What are you acting for?” he spat, his voice dropping the polite facade. “I’m telling you, it doesn’t matter how ‘understanding’ you are. she’ll never truly look at you. If I hadn’t moved away, you wouldn’t even be a footnote in her life. You’re just a cheap placeholder. A discount version of me.” It was a textbook provocation. Amateur hour. “Believe whatever helps you sleep at night,” I said. “Now let go.” I tried to pull my hand back, barely using any force, but the moment I moved, he went limp. He collapsed toward the floor like a puppet with cut strings. “Ah!” he cried out. Before he could hit the hardwood, Regina appeared as if summoned by a spell. I didn’t even have time to blink before her palm connected with my face. Crack. “Ewan, I’ve warned you so many times,” she said, her voice trembling with rage. “Why can’t you just behave?” My cheek burned. The pain was sharp enough to bring involuntary tears to my eyes. I didn’t defend myself. I just stared at Becket. He buried his face in Regina’s shoulder, a calculated sob escaping his throat. “Reggie, it’s my fault. All my fault. I shouldn’t have upset him. You two are getting married… don’t let me be the reason you fight.” He made a weak motion as if to pull away. “I just wanted to see you one last time. Now that I have, I’ll leave you both in peace.” Regina wasn’t about to let that happen. She gripped his hand with a fierce protectiveness and led him toward the master bedroom, brushing past me as if I were a piece of furniture. She didn’t even give me a second glance. The look she had given me—the sheer, unadulterated disgust—left no doubt in my mind. If Becket hadn’t been there to play the victim, she might have actually finished what she started earlier. “What are you still standing there for?” Regina’s voice drifted back, cold and hollow. “Get out.” I looked down at my phone. A message had just come in from the rescue coordindator. I felt a ghost of a smile touch my lips. “Regina,” I called out. “If I keep hurting him… would you kill me?” She went silent. I already knew the answer, but I wanted to hear it. If the end was already written, I wanted the closure of the spoken word. She didn’t answer right away. I didn’t wait. The rescue team was blowing up my phone. A notorious cartel cell had moved into the valley. People were dying, the medical teams were overwhelmed, and they needed every able body. I sighed. “The protection is in the drawer. I probably won’t be back for a while. Do whatever you want.” I shouldered my pack and turned to leave. But just as my foot hit the threshold, I heard it. Her final answer. “No.” Two days of grueling travel later, I arrived at a hidden mountain village. The team leader barely looked up before tossing a trauma kit at my chest. “Move! We’ve got casualties that won’t last another hour!” I’d heard stories, but the reality was a visceral shock. The ground was littered with the wounded, their cries a dissonant chorus of agony. It was a slaughterhouse. “How did it get this bad?” I asked, already kneeling over a man with a jagged shrapnel wound. The leader’s face was grim. “These people are monsters. Right now, our priority is getting the hostages out of the compound across the ridge.” I frowned. “There are more?” The compound was a fortress. Trying to pull someone out of there was a suicide mission. The leader sighed. “Yeah. Some poor kid. Apparently, he was lured out here by a girl he met on a dating app. He’s been in there for twenty-four hours. God knows what’s left of him.” My heart went out to the guy. Even in this “scripted” world, I’d spent enough years here to feel for the locals. Most of them were just ordinary people trying to survive, no different from the office drones I knew in my real life. The cartel had sent word: they would trade the hostage, but only for a medical professional and a full trauma kit. They were bleeding out over there, too, and they were desperate. I volunteered. It wasn’t because I was a hero. It was because the Protocol guaranteed my resurrection as long as the mission wasn’t “complete.” Regina knew that. It was the safety net that allowed her to be as cruel as she wanted. I walked toward the enemy lines, the trauma kit heavy in my hand. When I was only a few yards away, a sharp gasp cut through the mountain air. “Ewan?” I looked up. My heart skipped a beat. Looking back at me, his eyes wide with terror, was Becket. What the hell was he doing here? The cartel gunman didn’t give us time for a reunion. He pressed the barrel of his rifle against Becket’s temple. “Don’t just stand there! Hand over the kit if you want him to live!” Becket was a mess—bruised, bloody, and shivering. He looked broken. “Are you deaf? Give it to them! Move!” If I weren’t a member of this team, if I didn’t have a code of ethics to uphold for every life, I would have dropped the bag and walked away. I took a breath and held out the kit. “Take it. Now let him—” Before I could finish, men surged from the brush on either side. A heavy boot slammed into the back of my knee, and I hit the dirt hard. “You bastards! We had a deal!” I snarled. the leader laughed, a cold, rasping sound. “You talk about deals with us? Here’s the truth: we never planned on letting you go. An extra hostage is just an extra insurance policy.” I felt a surge of genuine fear. Resurrection or not, the pain was real. These men weren’t the type to give you a quick, clean exit. “Why waste your breath on him? He’s a dead man anyway.” I was already calculating my escape when I saw it. Becket wasn’t being held down anymore. He calmly untied the ropes around his wrists and sat down on a grimy sofa in the back of the room. The realization hit me like a physical blow. The wounds, the terror—it was all a performance. He wasn’t a victim. He was a partner. “Why?” I asked. I used to think he was just a petty, jealous man. But this? This was a different level of evil. He chuckled, leaning back. “You really thought I was at university in Europe all those years? Please. I dropped out months in. This business pays way better than a desk job. Every man for himself, right, Ewan?” I went quiet. When I looked up, I just felt a weary kind of pity. “What do you want?” He pulled a knife and traced the flat of the blade along my cheek. He gave me a brilliant, manic smile. “I want to play a game.” A cold pit formed in my stomach. “What game?” He checked his watch. “Regina will be here in a few minutes. I want to see who she chooses. You… or me?” All this effort, all this blood, just to play a sick game of “who do you love more” with Regina. I didn’t know whether to be disgusted or impressed by the sheer scale of his obsession. But I couldn’t say a word. They taped my mouth shut before I could respond. Time became a blur of silence and mountain wind. Eventually, the sounds of an arrival echoed from outside. “Miss Thorne! What an honor to have such a powerful woman visit our humble home!” The cartel leader grinned and shoved both Becket and me toward the door. We were bundled like cargo. Regina’s eyes swept over the scene. Her gaze didn’t even pause on me; it locked onto Becket immediately. “Let them go. Name your price. I have the wire transfer ready.” The leader scratched his ear. “You misunderstand, Regina. It’s not about the money anymore. I want to play.” “What?” Regina’s eyes narrowed, her hand drifting toward her holster. “I know you’re armed,” the leader said. “But my boys have their fingers on the triggers. One wrong move, and we all go up in flames.” Regina stopped. “What do you want?” He pointed at the two of us. “Simple. You can take one man with you. The other… you have to shoot him yourself.” “…Name a price for both. I’m not playing this,” Regina said after a long, agonizing silence. The leader barked out a laugh. “You think you’re in a position to negotiate? You have ten seconds. If you don’t choose, I’ll kill them both.” I looked at Becket. He was actually risking his own life for this. If Regina chose me, he’d die. He was insane. Bang. The bullet tore through the air before I even realized what was happening. I felt the impact, a sudden, blinding heat in my chest. My body began to tilt backward. Blood sprayed into the air, vivid and bright against the gray sky. Regina hadn’t even hesitated. She had made her choice in a heartbeat. All those promises, those years together—they meant nothing. Not even a second of doubt. As my spirit drifted from my body, I stood there, a ghost watching the wreckage. I watched her sprint past my cooling corpse, not even looking down as she stepped over my arm to reach Becket. She gripped his hands, her voice frantic as she checked him for injuries. She really did hate me that much. Suddenly, a triumphant chime echoed in my head. [Congratulations, Host! Mission Complete. Proceed to return to the real world?] [Warning: Upon return, this body will be truly deceased. No further resurrections will be possible in this plane.] I watched Regina’s retreating back as she led Becket away. I smiled. “Yes. Do it.”

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