Category: English

The night I became CEO of Shaw Corporation, Richard Shaw’s heir, Edmund, stormed into my office. He grabbed my chin, his voice dripping with threats: “Don’t think that sleeping with my dad gives you the right to boss me around!” I shot back: “Maybe you’re just terrible at your job! What are you gonna do about it, coward?” He leaned in closer: “You think I won’t do anything?!” Before I could push him away, he bit my lip with his teeth. I struggled hard. My tight skirt tore open, exposing my bare chest. Edmund’s eyes turned bloodshot. He looked like a starving, feral wolf. He ripped my clothes off violently. Then he threw me onto the massive desk and kissed me savagely. I kept my voice low: “Edmund, stop! This is so childish!” “Is it?” His lips curved into a smirk. “Then let’s play some grown-up games!” Edmund unzipped his pants. His movements became even more aggressive. His large hands pinned my wrists down. His body weight pressed against me. I couldn’t move. I could only let him enter me. Even though it was late at night and the curtains were drawn tight, every nerve in my body fired intensely. Sweat dripped from my skin. In the silent night, the sound of our bodies colliding echoed loudly. He breathed heavily in my ear. My body gradually dropped its defenses, responding to wave after wave of heat. His touch, his kisses, his breath, the rhythm of his body, and his favorite positions… Everything felt too familiar. Edmund was my ex-boyfriend. We dated for a year. We’d done this countless times before—desperately claiming each other like this. But this time felt different. This time, he was more like a beast. I knew he was angry at me. I was the executive Richard Shaw had parachuted into the company. The moment I arrived at Shaw Corporation, I held major shares, became CEO, and had absolute authority. Rumors spread throughout the company that I was Richard’s mistress. Some even said Richard was going to completely abandon Edmund as his heir. The truth was, Richard had asked me to change Edmund. To ignite Edmund’s fighting spirit so he could deal with the wolves circling inside Shaw Corporation. I still remembered Richard’s absurd reason for convincing me. He said he’d never seen Edmund so obsessed with anyone—except me. I laughed bitterly. When we broke up, Edmund had been so decisive. But saving Edmund before I die, repaying Richard’s favor, and giving Shaw Corporation some hope? I was happy to do it. My thoughts snapped back. I looked at Edmund’s reddened eyes and closed mine. Right. He came here to take nude photos of me so I’d resign in shame. With a “click” from the camera, my heart skipped a beat. But strangely, Edmund didn’t take more pictures. Instead, he turned and left. I watched his back with some longing, but mostly disappointment. Facing the enemy who’d stolen most of Shaw Corporation’s shares, how could he be so soft-hearted?

The next day, as Shaw Corporation’s CEO, I attended a networking conference. In the women’s restroom, a woman with heavy makeup deliberately approached me holding a glass bottle. I ran out cautiously, but she chased after me relentlessly. She screamed while running: “You bitch! You stole my man! You deserve to die!” I rushed toward the crowded area. Unable to catch me, she opened the glass bottle and threw the liquid viciously in my direction. I dodged the first time. The liquid splashed on the floor. A conference attendee passed by, saw the bubbling liquid on the ground, smelled the strong odor, and screamed: “Acid… it’s acid! Ah!” I covered my head in terror, afraid that life-destroying substance would hit me next. Suddenly, a figure rushed out. He pulled off his coat and threw it over my head. Under the coat’s cover, I heard Edmund’s voice. He was talking to the attacker: “You don’t need to ruin yourself over a woman like her!” Ha. “A woman like her.” Ironic, wasn’t it? He saved me, yet he despised me and hated me. The woman with heavy makeup seemed to know Edmund. She shouted: “Why are you helping this slut?” Edmund sneered coldly: “Help? Nobody hates her more than I do!” Security personnel arrived and restrained the crazy woman. Afterward, I learned that this woman was the girlfriend of Dylan Garrett, the son of Shaw Corporation’s Director Garrett. Dylan had lied and told her I was his new girlfriend, which caused this psycho to attack me. It would destroy me and get the crazy woman arrested—killing two birds with one stone. Absolutely vicious! Makes sense. The moment I joined the company, I started collecting evidence against Director Garrett. Dylan must be desperate. But compared to Dylan, Edmund should hate me more. So… why did he save me? I soon got my answer…

Ding dong… ding dong… The doorbell rang so urgently it was annoying. I wrapped myself in a bathrobe and opened the door. Edmund threw a document at my feet: “That crazy woman misunderstood everything! Dylan didn’t even know she’d go after you. And because of her, you’re suspending all these people? That makes no sense!” “It’s a vacation. After all these years of hard work, they deserve a long break.” Edmund was too naive. He couldn’t see how Director Garrett was secretly colluding with those people, slowly devouring Shaw Corporation. Edmund pushed the door open and barged in. He backed me against the wall, eyes fierce: “You suspended so many people! The company will suffer huge losses!” Too noisy. He couldn’t keep his cool. He needed to be trained! I stared provocatively at Edmund’s opening and closing lips, teasing: “They’re gone. The sky won’t fall.” “You—” My finger pressed against Edmund’s lips. He seemed a bit restrained. His ears started turning slightly red. “Alright, you can leave now.” But Edmund pulled me back. During the struggle, Edmund accidentally noticed a circle of small red marks on my shoulder. His pupils widened. I instinctively pulled my bathrobe back to cover that red mark. “These marks are fresh. My dad’s still in the hospital, and you’re already cheating on him. You… shameless…” He couldn’t finish. Maybe when he learned his ex-girlfriend had become his father’s lover, something inside him had already snapped. Let him hate me. Both Richard and I wanted Edmund to become more ruthless! I continued teasing, whispering in Edmund’s ear: “That’s right. Your dad can’t satisfy me. Why don’t you, his son, satisfy me instead?” Edmund’s breathing suddenly quickened. Fury and desire surged in his eyes like a storm. He stopped talking and bit down hard on that red mark. Pain mixed with tingling pleasure. I moaned softly, my fingers threading through his hair. He roughly yanked my bathrobe tie open. The fabric slipped off my shoulders, exposing large areas of skin. He leaned down and kissed me, no longer hesitating. Our lips and tongues tangled. Our breathing grew more ragged. The air filled with scorching heat. His hardness pressed insistently between my legs through the thin fabric, rubbing back and forth. The heat was frightening. I couldn’t help moaning. My waist went soft. I deliberately pressed up, feeling him get harder and bigger. His Adam’s apple bobbed. He growled low, his palm sliding directly into my bathrobe, against my skin, moving down, over the small of my back, squeezing my ass, pressing me hard against him. I was already soaking wet between my legs. His fingers pressed against that sensitive spot through the drenched fabric. With just one press, I trembled and moaned. He panted harder. His cock thrust several times through the fabric like it wanted to break through. I bit his earlobe, my voice hoarse: “Look clearly. I’m your stepmother. Do you really want to do this with me?”

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The new intern in the PR department, Chloe, posted a TikTok today using the company account. “First day on the job and my boss is totally into me. He’s such a shy type, probably too embarrassed to make a move, so I’m taking matters into my own hands! I’m going to ambush him with kisses, however many likes this video gets, and see how he reacts~” The video unexpectedly went viral, becoming the most-viewed clip the company had ever seen. Chloe burst into my office, ready to pounce and kiss me. I dodged her in a panic, snapping at her to leave. She just shot me a disdainful look. “Stop playing innocent! I know you like me. So many people are waiting for the follow-up, don’t act like you’re too good for this, or I’ll tell everyone you sexually harassed me!” I laughed, a humorless sound, at her audacity, then switched on the hidden camera on my chest. My big boss, Mr. Sterling, had given me this camera. It was meant for recording important meetings when he wasn’t around. Never thought it would come in handy today. Chloe saw my silence and mistook it for fear, a smug grin spreading across her face. She walked to my desk, leaning in close. “Mr. Alex, cut the good guy act!” “On my first day, I had stomach cramps, and who was it who specifically got me a hot drink and told me to rest, huh?” “If that’s not liking someone, what is?” Her words stirred a memory. On her first day, I’d seen her, a young woman new to the professional world, and felt a flicker of concern. It was a brief moment, no more than fifteen seconds. I hadn’t even said anything extra, let alone made any ambiguous gestures. Just how severe was her delusion to twist that into me being interested in her? I frowned, patiently trying to explain. “That was just normal colleague-to-colleague concern, nothing more. Besides, I’m already married.” “So what if you’re married?” Before I could finish, she cut me off, completely unapologetic. “Being married doesn’t stop you from liking me! Mr. Alex, I’m giving you a chance right now. Just be with me, divorce your ugly wife, and I’ll pretend nothing ever happened.” She spoke with such arrogance, as if she were doing me a favor. It made my stomach churn. I’d initially thought she was just a young girl new to the world, no need to make a big deal out of it. But now, it was clear I’d been too soft. “Who do you think you are? Get a reality check. You think I’d ever look twice at someone like you?” Chloe’s face instantly flushed crimson. She shrieked, rushing towards me, tearing at her own clothes wildly. “Since you’re not going to be reasonable, I guess I’ll have to use other methods!” The words were barely out before she pushed past me, screaming like a madwoman as she ran towards the door. “Help! Help me! Mr. Alex is trying to assault me!” Her voice instantly echoed through the entire office. My colleagues were already buzzing about my relationship with Chloe because of that viral short video. Now, it was pure chaos. A few female colleagues even took off their jackets and draped them over Chloe, asking curiously what happened. Chloe leaned into a colleague’s embrace, fake-sobbing a couple of times. “As soon as I walked into the office, Mr. Alex forced me to take off my clothes.” “He said if I didn’t listen to him, he wouldn’t let me pass my internship and would fire me. I refused, and he lunged at me, trying to kiss me. I fought him off and managed to escape…” She spun such a convincing tale that if it weren’t for the camera, even I would have believed her nonsense. The expressions of my colleagues instantly turned complicated. “Mr. Alex always seemed so decent, not the type to take advantage of people, right?” “You never know. Didn’t you notice Mr. Alex is usually nicer to female employees than male ones? So that’s what he was up to.”

“I’m telling you, I’ve seen Mr. Alex lurking around the women’s restroom several times, not sure what he was doing!” “Shouldn’t we call the police? We can’t just let him get away with this!” I wasn’t flustered. I slowly walked out of my office. “You’re saying I sexually harassed you?” “Well, I’m saying you sexually harassed me.” Chloe heard my voice and, feigning fear, shrank further into my colleague’s arms. “Why would a girl like me ruin my own reputation to frame you? Mr. Alex, isn’t it just because you liked me, and I rejected you, that you’re now bitter and falsely accusing me?” At her words, my colleagues’ eyes widened, looking at me. “Mr. Alex? Did you really confess to Chloe?” Chloe nodded, crying even harder. “Yes, just a few days after I started, he secretly approached me and told me he liked me. But I rejected him! I never imagined he would try to force himself on me because of that!” She grew more and more outlandish, twisting black into white. Too annoyed to argue further, I pulled out the camera and held it up for everyone to see. “Everything that just happened in my office is clearly recorded right here. You can all come and see for yourselves.” Suddenly, the air grew silent. Colleagues exchanged glances, their eyes full of curiosity. A few closer to me were already eager to step forward and view the footage. Chloe’s face instantly turned ashen, her eyes wide as she stared at the camera in my hand. In just three seconds, she lunged at the camera in my hand, smacking it, completely wrecking it. Then she clutched her head, letting out a piercing scream. “I have depression! Mr. Alex, stop pushing me! If you push me any further, I’ll die right here!” After shouting that, she turned and ran without looking back. My colleagues were smart; how could they not understand what was really going on? They exchanged glances and slowly dispersed. As if nothing had happened. I watched in a daze for a while as Chloe disappeared, before finally snapping back to reality. Honestly, her smooth string of moves had truly opened my eyes; I was momentarily speechless. But after this scene, she had thoroughly embarrassed herself. She definitely wouldn’t be coming to work tomorrow. That was probably for the best, a lesson learned, letting her know that not everything can be said carelessly. For now, the incident was over. I didn’t see Chloe again until it was time to leave work. Near closing time, Chloe’s team lead reported to me that Chloe had packed her things and left the company. I was getting ready to leave too. As soon as I got into my car, my phone rang. It was Mr. Sterling, the big boss. He asked me to go with him to entertain a client. I immediately called my wife, Sarah, telling her to go to bed early and not wait up for me. At dinner, I toasted glass after glass. The client was very pleased with me, and we got along great. The collaboration details were smoothly finalized. But I was pretty tipsy, my head heavy, and people started to blur before my eyes. By the time the dinner ended, it was very late. If I went home now, I’d definitely wake Sarah. She was pregnant, and I truly didn’t want to disturb her. So I went to the hotel next door to crash for the night. After entering the room, I collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep. I don’t know how much time passed, but I was woken by my phone. I groggily opened my eyes, my head throbbing. I pulled my phone from under the pillow and answered the call. “Hello?” My neighbor, Mrs. Henderson, sounded anxious on the other end, her voice mixed with a chaotic din of arguments.

“Mr. Alex! Where are you? Come home quickly! Something’s happened at your place!” I instantly woke up, bolting upright in bed. “Mrs. Henderson, what’s wrong? What happened at my place? Please tell me slowly!” Mrs. Henderson, frantic, blurted out a long string of words. “A girl showed up at your doorstep, claiming she’s your girlfriend! She’s arguing with Sarah right now! Hurry back!” At that moment, I was completely sober. I quickly got dressed and hailed a cab home. Rushing to my doorstep, I saw Sarah, surrounded by neighbors, and the person claiming to be my girlfriend. It was Chloe! Of course, it was her! My rage instantly boiled over. Yesterday, I’d been kind enough to let her off the hook! And today, she dared to come to my house to cause trouble? Chloe stood there, haughtily provoking Sarah. “Let me tell you! In this world, the unloved one is the third party! Alex doesn’t love you anymore! If you’re smart, pack your things and leave! And get rid of that thing in your belly too, don’t try to pin it on us!” Mrs. Henderson stood by Sarah, protectively shielding her. “Young lady, how can you say such things! The baby’s eight months along, almost due! Getting rid of it now could kill her! Besides, the young couple’s relationship is perfectly fine; *you’re* the one destroying someone else’s family!” Chloe completely ignored Mrs. Henderson, her eyes fixed on Sarah’s belly, filled with venom. “What does her life have to do with me?” “I’ll tell you the truth, Sarah! Alex and I have already slept together! He’s fantastic in bed, I almost couldn’t get out of it today, my back still aches!” Her shameless words made the surrounding neighbors look at her with disgust. After all, people usually saw wives confronting mistresses; who had ever seen a mistress proactively showing up at the door? Sarah, instead of getting angry, actually smiled. She looked calmly at Chloe, her voice laced with mockery. “You said you slept with Alex?” “Yeah! So what? You don’t believe me?” Chloe said, deliberately stepping closer. “He said he’s sick of you, you ugly woman! If it wasn’t for you being pregnant, he would have divorced you already.” The neighbors couldn’t help but feel indignant for Sarah. “This girl is too much! Spouting nonsense!” “Exactly! Alex and Sarah are such a great couple, how could he ever be interested in her?” “Sarah, don’t listen to her, she’s just trying to provoke you! You’re pregnant, don’t get worked up!” Sarah wasn’t at all provoked by Chloe’s words; she even looked Chloe up and down with amusement. “You’re lying! Alex would never sleep with you.” Seeing her provocation fail, Chloe, enraged, lunged to hit Sarah. “You dare not believe me!” I quickly pushed through the crowd and grabbed Chloe’s arm. Once Chloe realized what happened, she became even more brazen. She leaned into me suggestively: “Oh, you’re awake? Do you remember last night?” Last night? I frowned, my mind a blur. Last night I’d just collapsed into bed at the hotel; could something else have happened? Seeing my confused expression, Chloe feigned shyness and lowered her head. “Last night, after you drank, you called me and asked me to come over. As soon as I arrived at the hotel, you pulled me straight into your room…” She said, pulling out her phone from her pocket, finding a picture, and holding it up for everyone to see: “Look! This is proof!” In the photo, I was wearing clothes and sleeping soundly. Chloe, however, was lying naked beside me, a triumphant smile on her face, snuggled into my arms. It certainly looked like the two of us had slept together.

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When my fiancé Dean was accompanying me to try on wedding dresses, he suddenly said: “This mermaid dress looks better on Chloe. Her hips are perkier than yours, and her waist is slimmer.” I was furious. “You let your secretary wear my wedding dress?” Dean shrugged. “If you mind wearing a wedding dress that someone else has tried on, you don’t have to wear it. And if you mind marrying a man who’s slept with someone else, you can walk away too.” “You… you hooked up with her?” My lips trembled. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. “A young, fresh woman actively throwing herself at me, how could I refuse? Besides, we’ve been together for too long, and honestly, I just don’t feel any desire for you anymore.” He took a long drag. “I didn’t want to lie to you.” Big, hot tears suddenly streamed down my face, hitting the floor with soft plops. Dean reached out to wipe them away. “Claire, when you buy roses, don’t you always pick the freshest, most delicate ones?” I was sobbing so hard I could barely breathe when his phone rang. It was Chloe. He didn’t answer, just watched me, unhurried. “So, are you still sure you want to marry me? Please hurry up and give me an answer, she’s waiting for me.” I violently slapped his hand away, grabbing a glass and throwing it at him in a fit of pure despair. “Get out!” He didn’t dodge. Blood welled from his temple. He bit down, his face darkening. “Fine, I’ll go. Anyway, I’ll always take care of you financially.” The slamming door reverberated, making my eardrums throb. I was alone in the dressing room. I tore off the wedding dress, ripping it to shreds like a madwoman. Fifteen years of our relationship, defeated by natural wrinkles? Staring at my reflection, I smashed the mirror in utter breakdown. Through the piercing pain, I saw glimpses of the past. We were abducted by these so-called “guardians,” with no memory of where we came from, and nowhere to go. I couldn’t steal, and I couldn’t beg for money. Our “guardian” decided to cripple me so I could earn more. Ten-year-old Dean rushed in, clutching a fruit knife. As the police led him away, he smiled at me: “Don’t be scared, Claire. I promised I’d protect you.” After he got out of juvie, he had no education, a record, but he did everything to ensure I had a good life. He took on any job, no matter how dirty or dangerous. He swallowed his pride and let others walk all over him. The hardest time was when he was transporting illicit goods and got two ribs broken, lying in the hospital, barely clinging to life. I cried, asking, “Is it worth it, all for me?” He squeezed my hand, cold sweat beading on his forehead. “Why wouldn’t it be worth it? You’re the most amazing person in the world.” It was cold, so incredibly cold. A kind store clerk, seeing my hysterical state, thoughtfully booked me a nearby hotel room. I wrapped myself in the duvet, swallowing a handful of pills. If it was a nightmare, I’d wake up and it would be over. But when I woke up, my phone was blowing up. Scandalous photos of Dean and his secretary getting intimate in a car had already gone viral across the internet. Dean’s call came immediately. His voice was lazy. “Claire, go talk to the media and get them to take the photos down. If you don’t know how, you can ask Mrs. Davies, she’s got experience. You’ll likely have to deal with these kinds of things a lot in the future.”

“You know how much I hate the media.” My hand shook as I held the phone. I knew Dean hated interviews, hated the media digging into his past. The first time he ever accepted an interview was when the media took candid photos of me and widely reported that I wasn’t good enough for him. Dean had even gathered dozens of online media outlets, smiling so gently into the camera. “My partner is the best partner in the world. Being even a little worthy of her is my luck.” He even punched a reporter who badmouthed me, not caring about his image. From then on, everyone in New York knew that the one person you couldn’t afford to offend was me. But just three years later, the same reporters were waiting to see me fall. I couldn’t take it anymore. When I got home, a strapless top and a man’s shirt were strewn across the living room, trailing one by one into the master bedroom. The sounds of a man and woman laughing playfully came from the wedding bed I had personally chosen. The door wasn’t closed. The girl arched her back in pleasure, looking up, and her eyes met mine. A wave of brutal emotion instantly tore through my mind. I leaned against the wall to keep from collapsing. Dean’s voice came from behind her. “You can go home now.” The girl didn’t move, looking at me curiously. “So, this is your wife? She does look pretty old, no wonder you’re not interested.” Dean gave her a faint glance. “I said, leave now.” The girl didn’t dare argue, pouting unhappily. “Fine, but I’ll be waiting patiently for you tonight!” The girl bounced up, ambiguously stroking Dean’s arm. “You have to promise me you won’t touch this old woman! You’re all mine.” Dean patted her bottom. “Alright, you’re all mine.” Dean watched her retreating back and chuckled. “Cute girl, right?” My fingernails dug deeply into my flesh. Maybe I couldn’t let go. Or maybe it was because I had no family, no friends; Dean had once been my entire world. I wanted to hold on to something, anything. “Dean, if you think we’re separating, you’re dreaming!” I caused a huge scene at the company, and as a founding shareholder, I easily made sure Chloe would never be able to hold her head up in this industry again. But what I didn’t expect was that when I returned from my business trip, my assistant had been replaced by the girl I had sponsored for seven years. I had saved her from human traffickers, paid for her education, and treated her like my own sister. She had once knelt before me, bumping her head on the ground, swearing to repay me for life. But when I cornered her in Dean’s office, she looked at me defiantly. “Claire, we just couldn’t resist.” I overturned his office desk, screaming at him like a lunatic. “Why are you doing this to me?!” Dean just looked at me indifferently. “So many people want to get into my bed; as long as they’re young and beautiful, I’ll take them.” I couldn’t stand it. I mobilized all my resources to boycott him, made a scene at that girl’s university, used every means to make his life miserable. Dean, however, just watched me squirm, even with a hint of indulgence. “Claire, your little tantrums are actually kind of cute.” But then he gave me a taste of his own medicine. He donated a building to a university abroad and sent that girl out of the country. Then, he colluded with other shareholders and ousted me from the board. The day I was kicked out of the company like a dog, surrounded by reporters, Dean was sending that girl off abroad. Making sure everyone knew his devotion had found a new home. Bold, passionate photos of the two of them abroad started flooding my phone. I became the laughingstock of all New York. In those photos, I also saw a necklace. Dean had given her the first gift he ever gave me. The necklace wasn’t expensive, only a few hundred dollars. But that was when we were squeezed into a leaky basement, sharing a single piece of toast because we were so broke. Life was so hard, yet on my eighteenth birthday, Dean still pushed himself to the limit to get me that birthday gift. “What everyone else has, my Claire deserves too.” “Claire, trust me. I’ll always love you, and I’ll make sure you have a good life.” I cried, begging him on the phone to give me back the necklace. This time, he finally answered. Through the receiver, he sighed with a hint of exasperation. “Claire, it’s just a few hundred-dollar trinket. My little mistress liked it, so I gave it to her. You wouldn’t do it anyway.” He was doing it on purpose. He knew exactly how to make me hurt. The last thread in my mind finally snapped. I plunged a utility knife into my arm.

Dean had to come back. “Claire, it’s not like you don’t have other options. Why are you putting yourself through this?” “If it’s that painful, then let’s just break up.” I lay on the hospital bed, lost in thought, remembering a time I was misdiagnosed with cancer. Dean had prayed for me for three days and three nights in a church. But he only cried the day he found out it was a misdiagnosis. “I almost thought I was going to lose you. I didn’t know how I would live without you.” My mental state was terrible, and Dean stayed by my side in the hospital for a while. But eventually, he couldn’t resist. Young bodies held a fatal attraction for him. He started again—influencers, minor celebrities, every woman caught in a scandal with him was younger and more delicate than the last. The youngest was even 18. But the last woman caught by the media was different. Her name was Brenda. An ordinary figure, plain looks, with wrinkles around her eyes that she couldn’t hide. Thirty-three, even a few years older than me. I threw a photo violently at his face. “Didn’t you say you liked young women? Explain yourself!” He picked up the photo, gently wiping away a speck of dust from her face. “She’s different. Her massage technique is good, and she’s very gentle.” My head buzzed, and I asked in disbelief. “Haven’t I done these things for you?” He often got headaches, so I had studied massage for two years. I burst into uncontrolled sobs, but Dean just looked at me coldly. “She’s a very gentle woman. Don’t try any of your tricks on her, or else…” Gradually, Dean stopped coming home at all. I would stake out places where he was likely to appear, just wanting him to come home. But Dean, fearing I might harm Brenda, obtained a restraining order from the police. Forbidding me from coming near them. He even spent a fortune, buying Brenda an astronomically priced diamond ring. I smashed the TV, my heart felt tightly wrapped in asphalt, aching so much I couldn’t breathe. He had proposed to me the moment we were old enough. But back then, starting our business was tough; we were deep in debt, and mice scurried through our apartment at night. I picked out a three-hundred-dollar plain silver ring. Happily, I let him put it on my finger. He clutched the ring, his eyes red for a long time. He said that when things got better, he’d give me the best things in the world to make up for it. But later, when things did get better, he could easily afford the best rings. And he put one on someone else’s hand. What finally crushed me was that Dean, who always claimed to enjoy his freedom, cut off all his other women. And proposed to Brenda with that very ring. “She’s older, she wants to settle down, enjoying freedom isn’t that important anymore.” I was completely shattered. I broke through the police’s barrier. A group of people held me back as I screamed hysterically at them. “Dean, just tell me, why *her*? Why can *she* have it?!” Dean shielded Brenda behind him and coldly glanced at me. “What are the police for? Take her away.” A surge of indignation ignited within me. I pulled out a utility knife and held it to my throat. Threatening to kill myself if he didn’t come with me. Dean actually laughed. “You didn’t die last time, did you? And you’re still using a knife.” My fragile composure broke again, and I struggled free from the police. Dean impatiently pushed me. “Stop making a scene! If you want to die, go do it at home.” I lost my balance and tumbled down the grand spiral staircase of the mansion. I was pregnant, though I didn’t know it then. The baby was gone.

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After we broke up, I suddenly remembered all my pajamas were still at his place. I called Liam, asking him to send them over, but he told me to come get them myself. When I arrived at his door, he was only wrapped in a bath towel around his waist. Droplets of water from his hair trailed down his Adam’s apple and chest muscles. I was about to step inside when he suddenly pulled me into his arms. His bath towel fell to the floor, and I felt the hard press between his legs against my stomach. I couldn’t resist. We ended up having a wild night. The next morning, I woke up in his arms. We spoke almost simultaneously. “How about we start over?” I asked. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m getting married.” The morning light was a bit harsh, catching on Liam’s sculpted abs. My mind went blank. I thought I’d misheard him. “What did you say?” Liam looked calm. He leaned against the headboard, lit a cigarette. “All my friends are married. I’ve had my fun; it’s time to settle down.” Smoke billowed, making me cough uncontrollably. In the past, he would have immediately put out his cigarette and come to comfort me. But this time, Liam just casually grabbed some clothes off the floor and tossed them at me. “Get dressed. You should go.” “Oh, and take that half-box of condoms from the nightstand. I won’t be needing them anymore, anyway.” A soft, tender smile touched his lips, as if he’d just thought of something. “With any luck, I could be a dad by this time next year.” My heart felt a sharp, bitter pang. It was like being stabbed. I was about to say something when a knock suddenly sounded at the door. Liam glanced at his phone, muttering a curse under his breath. “Damn it, I forgot my fiancée, Chloe, is coming today.” He frantically put out his cigarette, rummaged through the closet for a white T-shirt, and pulled it on. “Stay in here and don’t make a sound.” I stood there, frozen. Watching his back as he turned and walked away without a backward glance to open the door. I sniffled, but my tears betrayed me, spilling down my cheeks. As if to force myself to give up hope. I inexplicably pulled the bedroom door open a crack. The girl at the door was elegant and spoke softly. When she and Liam were setting out breakfast, she’d blush even at a slight brush of hands. And Liam was no longer his usual arrogant jerk self. He spoke carefully, afraid of saying anything too harsh. It wasn’t until Chloe looked down, asking in a quiet voice, “I heard you had a girlfriend for three years.” Her voice grew softer. “What if she comes back for you someday? Will you leave me and get back together with her?” “After all…” “We’ve only known each other for less than a month, and you two had three years together.” “Who’s spreading that nonsense!” Liam’s face instantly darkened, his tone icy. “Is someone jealous that I found true love, deliberately telling you all that bullshit!” The next second, seeing Chloe’s teary eyes, he panicked. Liam sighed, rubbing his temples helplessly, then bent down and gently coaxed her. “Chloe, I’m not mad at you.” He let out a breath, as if suppressing his anger. “I didn’t mean to keep it from you.” “It’s just my ex, Stella, she was such a drama queen. Her temper was awful, like a firecracker, always exploding at the slightest touch.” “And, we broke up because she was unfaithful and cheated on me.” Chloe’s eyes widened, looking at him in disbelief. Seeing her reaction, Liam immediately added, “I just thought she was too embarrassing to mention to you.” “Think about it, why would I give up a perfect fiancée like you and go back to a rotten person like that? Have I lost my damn mind?” A few seconds of silence. Chloe let out a giggle, turning her head shyly. “I’m not as perfect as you say…” I softly closed the door. All the strength seemed to drain from my body. I sat on the cold floor, hugging my knees, letting the despair wash over me.

When Liam opened the door and walked in, I had cried myself to sleep. He didn’t even notice my state. He pulled out his phone, fiddled with it for a moment, and said lazily, “I transferred twenty dollars to you.” My eyes were swollen and sore, and my mind was still hazy. Then I heard him say casually, “Didn’t you run out of your streaming service membership? Get one yourself. I gave my account to Chloe.” “Don’t use such lame excuses to see me anymore. It’s getting boring.” I wanted to argue, but the lump in my throat choked my words. Liam stared at my red eyes, his gaze darkening slightly. “Crying?” He leaned closer, his warm breath fanning my face. The atmosphere became strangely unsettling. In that instant, all I could think about was how good he’d been to me for three years. In college, he was known as a playboy, but I was the only girlfriend he ever officially acknowledged. Though we’d broken up and gotten back together many times, he was never stingy with me and kept his distance from other women when we were together. His looks and family background were impeccable. Thinking of this, I was about to tentatively say, “Actually, I’m not completely against marriage.” “It was you who found the responsibility too much pressure, so I went along with you about not getting married.” Before the words could fully escape, a blinding flash of light hit my eyes. Liam’s beautiful, upturned eyes narrowed slightly, full of mockery. “First time I’ve seen you cry like this. Let me take a picture for old times’ sake.” He put away his phone, satisfied, and looked down at me, his voice laced with scorn. “Seriously, Stella. You didn’t shed a single tear when I broke my arm saving you in that car accident.” “So what are you crying for now?” Before I could answer, Liam reached out and, as he used to, habitually flicked my nose. “Don’t try to be like Chloe.” “When she cries, it’s elegant. You just look ridiculous.” “Go practice some more.” Looking at his arrogant and infuriating expression. I took a deep breath, swung my arm, and gave him a hard slap. Then, without another glance at him, I turned and slammed the door shut. Out of the hotel, I blocked him on all my social media and bought the earliest flight home. This Oceanview City, with Liam in it, was a place I never wanted to step foot in again.

During my time off. To keep myself from overthinking, I packed my schedule full. But I’d forgotten something. A university classmate’s wedding. Liam and I had already promised to be groomsman and bridesmaid. There was no choice. I had to brace myself and fly back to Oceanview City a day early, going to my friend’s house. My hand was just raised, ready to knock. Then I heard Liam’s lazy voice from inside: “Chloe’s a bit timid, so watch what you say later; don’t scare her.” Someone joked, “Are you and Stella really over for good?” “What happened this time?” Liam paused, then grunted a muffled “Yeah.” “It was exciting at first, but after a while, it was just… whatever.” “She was too controlling. Always trying to tell me what to do.” “No smoking, no drinking, no coming home late—no touching her without a condom, no matter how urgent.” The groom scoffed. “Then just marry her! I think she really liked you. She’d definitely say yes if you proposed.” My hand, poised to push the door open, froze in mid-air. Immediately after, I heard Liam say, word by word, “I just didn’t want to marry her, so I lied about being against marriage.” “Women like her are fine for fun, but for marriage, it has to be someone sweet and sensible like Chloe.” “You guys don’t even know, Chloe is incredibly compliant, she barely has a temper…” The latter half of his sentence stopped abruptly the moment I pushed the door open and our eyes met. Liam visibly flustered for a moment, but the next second he regained his composure, smiling as he greeted me, “You’re here.” Then he stood up, apologizing to everyone in the room, “It’s almost time. I need to check in, or my significant other will start worrying.” After he left, the atmosphere in the room became extremely awkward. Everyone joked and tried to change the subject. Only Caleb, Liam’s quietest friend, suddenly walked over and coldly dropped a line: “I told you two weren’t right for each other a long time ago.”

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The bitter truth finally hit me when Chloe got pregnant: her heart had never belonged to me. She’d stayed by my side purely to keep tabs on me, to ensure I wouldn’t hurt the man she truly loved. Because she was someone who’d been reincarnated. She knew what a twisted, villainous man I’d been in her past life. But what she didn’t realize was that the soul in this body wasn’t from this world. And I wasn’t the evil man she thought I was. Holding the pregnancy test results, my hand gently caressing the tiny life growing inside my wife Chloe, I felt a peace I’d never known before. I’d lived in this world for thirteen years, and in this moment, it finally felt like I’d found a real home, a true connection. After I died, I’d been reborn into this novel world as Liam Miller – the villainous side character who shared my name and had committed countless atrocities. But I considered myself lucky. When I arrived, the story hadn’t fully started, and I hadn’t done anything to antagonize the main characters. In fact, since Adam was so outgoing, we’d become best friends, sharing everything with each other. I played matchmaker, encouraging him to pursue his true love, plotting and celebrating as he and Skylar fell deeply in love. I even stood beside him as best man when he married the woman of his dreams. In this world, my wife was my only family. So he was the first person I thought of, the first one I wanted to share this wonderful news with. I gently kissed Chloe’s lips. My wife, Chloe, was originally the gentle secondary female lead in the novel, always silently devoted to Adam. Maybe it was the butterfly effect of my presence, but she wasn’t Adam’s follower anymore. Instead, she poured all her attention and affection into me. After thirteen years of walking hand in hand, I truly felt loved, so I jumped into marriage with her without any regrets. Now our little family was about to welcome a new life, and I could barely contain my excitement. But thinking about her health, I still managed to keep my emotions in check.

I grabbed my phone and went to my study, eager to share this joy with my best friend. As I pulled open a drawer to put the pregnancy test results away, I caught sight of the worn edge of an old notebook tucked under some neat files. It looked completely out of place, like its owner had hastily abandoned it there. I instinctively picked it up. The cover had a common student-era starry night design, but it was old—frayed edges, crumpled pages, yellowed with age—clearly well-loved and frequently flipping through. We’d always been open with each other, so I naturally opened it up. On the flyleaf, large English cursive read: For My Forever. I smiled, warmth spreading through my chest. Could these be old love letters she’d written for me that I’d never seen? I took out the pregnancy test results, thinking I could carefully tuck them inside. Let this brand-new joy in my life blend with her cherished past. With a hint of anticipation and tenderness, I turned to the first page. Instantly, I froze— My everlasting morning star—Adam. Adam. My best friend. The main character of this story. Suddenly, all the blood rushed to my head before draining away just as quickly, leaving me ice-cold. My throat felt tight, making it hard to breathe. My fingers trembled uncontrollably, yet I kept flipping through the pages, one after another. With a stubbornness that bordered on self-torture, I read every single word. It wasn’t a diary—it was more like an unsent love letter, with one core message: Chloe loved Adam, a love she could never have. So Chloe was a reincarnator. So her heart had always belonged to Adam. So all the tenderness and attention she’d shown me these past years were just an act! She stayed by my side just to keep constant watch over me, to stop me from doing anything that might hurt the man she loved. The joy I’d felt for our child, which had just filled my heart, vanished without a trace, leaving only endless, bitter emptiness. For thirteen years, I’d never once thought of harming Adam. But in that moment, I distinctly felt jealous of him. Jealous that a fleeting act of kindness he might not even remember could leave such an indelible mark on a woman’s heart—driving her to gamble thirteen years of marriage, turning it into a cage, all just to protect him. A whirlwind of emotions churned inside me, pain and despair tangled together. I don’t know how long I stood there, frozen, but everything around me felt foreign and unreal.

Exhausted, I fell asleep on the couch, only to be jolted awake by faint rustling from the kitchen. I opened my eyes and saw Chloe standing by the water dispenser, getting a drink. Maybe sleep had lowered her guard, or maybe she just didn’t need to keep up her perfect act when she thought she was alone in the quiet of the night. Her gaze was slightly unfocused as she stared ahead, unconsciously murmuring: “Adam…” I stiffened, feeling like I’d been stabbed with a thousand icy needles. I stared intently at her, my nails digging deep into my palms. “Adam.” She repeated it softly again, clearer this time, with a dreamy tenderness and concern. Instinctively, I responded in the easy, teasing tone I thought Adam might use: “Chloe?” Chloe whirled around, the sleepiness in her eyes instantly replaced by a clear flicker of concern and tenderness—an expression that absolutely shouldn’t have been there right now. “Adam… Are you doing okay lately? Please, take care of yourself.” That short sentence felt like a red-hot iron searing into me, clamping down and nailing me back into that cage of deceit. I could barely breathe, and the room started to warp and spin before my eyes. I couldn’t stand to stay any longer. I practically stumbled, fleeing back into the cold shadows of the living room. The love I’d embraced so wholeheartedly, from start to finish, had been nothing but an absurd joke.

I didn’t sleep at all that night. All the heinous acts of the novel’s villain, Liam Miller, replayed frantically in my mind. Liam bullying and ostracizing Adam with his clique, Liam setting up business traps to sabotage Adam, Liam using his family influence to constantly throw obstacles in Adam’s path… Suddenly, the Liam Miller in my dream turned around, and it was a face identical to mine. That face was twisted with malice, a terrifying sneer etched across it, making even me feel horrified. Time flowed fast in dreams, and Adam and Skylar grew quickly before teaming up to retaliate against me. Chloe’s eyes, cold and indifferent, stared at me like I was some lifeless object. “Since you enjoy trampling others with your power, then taste what it feels like to crash from grace, to lose absolutely everything.” The dream shifted. I was framed, stuck with massive debts. The Miller family enterprise collapsed, and my parents, crushed by pressure and shame, fell ill and passed away one after another. And there I was, abandoned by everyone, riddled with poverty and illness, choking on my last lonely, painful breath. “No!” I shouted, startling myself awake! I looked up to meet Chloe’s concerned gaze, which overlapped with the brutal, vicious look from my dream, making me tremble with fright. Chloe was covering me with a blanket and looked completely confused. “Honey, what’s wrong? Why didn’t you sleep in bed? You’ll catch a cold on the couch! Are you mad at me for waking you up last night? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.” I shook my head, overcome with exhaustion and fear, not wanting to say anything. There were no guest rooms in our house. Chloe had sworn she’d never upset me; even if we had disagreements, she’d communicate openly and never let arguments linger overnight. As a result, when I really needed space, I didn’t even have a room where I could hide alone. I was indeed being “watched” very closely by her. Chloe didn’t notice my odd behavior. She rubbed her temples, her voice tinged with weariness as she complained. “Honey, I think I might have caught a chill last night. My head hurts so much. Do we have any headache medicine?” “I don’t know.” I actually knew where the medicine cabinet was, but I didn’t want to move. Chloe came from a humble background, while I was born into privilege. She always insisted on achieving success through her own efforts, earning my father’s approval, proving she was worthy of me. Because of this, Chloe worked incredibly hard. In her early years, to close deals, she’d work tirelessly, networking and pulling all-nighters when stress hit. I deeply loved Chloe. As her husband, I’d always meticulously cared for her health, finding remedies and focusing on her well-being. If I hadn’t known her true feelings, I might still have been the considerate, devoted partner I’d always been. Yet in reality, my efforts were nothing but one-sided love. [Liam Miller uses his family background to harm Adam. I can’t let him have even the slightest chance to hurt Adam. I need to establish myself in the business world, gain enough power to stand against the Miller family. If they harm Adam like they did in the previous life, I’ll make the Miller Group pay a heavy price!] Chloe’s desperate efforts were simply to gain real power, to protect the man she truly cared about.

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The moment my sister rushed to my ailing grandfather’s bedside, demanding to care for him before I could even move, I knew. She’d been reborn too. In my past life, my sister Seraphina and I both qualified for interviews at an Ivy League university. But on interview day, Grandpa Arthur suddenly took a turn for the worse. I chose to stay and care for him, missing my chance. Seraphina, though, went on to enroll successfully. As it turned out, Grandpa Arthur left his entire estate to me before passing away. I achieved financial freedom without ever having to struggle through college. Seraphina, on the other hand, had a miserable time in college. She constantly alienated her peers and even managed to anger a professor. Eventually, she took all her frustration out on me, shoving me off a rooftop. I died instantly. After my death, my fiancé Lucas helped her fabricate an alibi, claiming I’d been depressed and had jumped. They then forged my will and stole everything I owned. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day Grandpa Arthur fell gravely ill—the day I had to choose whether to stay and care for him.

“Grandpa, let me take care of you! I’m not going anywhere!” Seraphina darted past me and burst into Grandpa’s room. As she held his hand, vowing to care for him, then demanded he hand over the pocket watch that symbolized his inheritance, I knew. She’d been reborn too. Clutching the family pocket watch Grandpa handed her, Seraphina turned with a defiant smirk. “Sorry, Stella, the inheritance is mine now.” I just shrugged. “I wasn’t planning to fight you for it.” Seraphina clearly didn’t believe me. She scoffed, tucking the watch into her bag. “How could that be? You only stuck around Grandpa because…” She abruptly stopped herself. I knew where she was going with this. In my past life, I’d chosen to stay and care for Grandpa. Because of that choice, I missed the deadline and arrived too late for the interview. Seraphina got her acceptance letter from the Ivy League school. But Grandpa, in return, left everything to me. She enrolled in college; I inherited the fortune. But in college, everything fell apart for her. She crumbled under the pressure and pushed everyone away. In a violent rage, she pushed me off that rooftop. Seraphina smirked. “I’m not going to college. You love being a bookworm so much, Stella—you can have my spot.” I nodded toward Grandpa. Then, without hesitation, I turned and left for my interview. That night when I got back to my apartment, there was Lucas—my fiancé—with his arm around Seraphina’s shoulders. I must have been blind in my past life, only realizing on my deathbed they’d been in this together all along. When they saw me walk in, they didn’t even hesitate—their faces showed open defiance. Lucas looked at me with disgust. “Stella, the one I really love is Seraphina. I was only with you because your family had money.” “But now things are different. Seraphina’s about to inherit a fortune. We’ll never have to worry again.” “I won’t have to settle for someone as dull as you just for money anymore.” My fists tightened. So that was their game. My own sister and my fiancé. I’d always been so easygoing with them, never minded their little slights. Now I saw them for what they were—leeches, clinging to me and draining me dry. Since fate gave me a second chance, I’d make sure they paid back a thousandfold for everything they took from me in my past life! Seraphina scoffed. “Stella, I used to let you have your way because you were useful.” “But now I’m getting an inheritance. I’ll never worry about money again. What could you possibly offer that compares?” “You’ll be stuck as a struggling student forever, but Lucas and I? We’re set.” “We’re going to travel the world. That’s a life you’ll never even imagine.” They packed their bags and moved out of the apartment that same day. I watched their retreating backs and let out a cold laugh. How naive. Did they really think it would be that easy?

I aced my interview and got accepted to the Ivy League university. This was the best opportunity someone from my background could hope for. The university was far from home. After talking it over with my parents, I decided to rent a small apartment near campus. I went to a real estate agency, and the agent, Mr. Harrison, had just shown me several properties. Suddenly, a familiar voice boomed from the doorway. “Someone needs to help us right now! Show us your best apartments!” I turned to see Lucas strutting in with Seraphina on his arm, a cocky smirk on his face. When they saw me, they immediately sauntered over and sneered. “Stella, drop the act. You can’t actually afford a place here, can you?” “I checked. Even if you sold all your old stuff, you couldn’t come up with a down payment in a decent neighborhood.” At his words, Mr. Harrison’s previously eager demeanor instantly cooled. I shot back, “I can’t afford it, but you two can?” Seraphina lifted her chin with a smirk. “Of course. I’m getting a fifty million inheritance. I could buy several of these places cash.” Mr. Harrison’s eyes lit up, and he hurried over to them. “Ma’am, how can I assist you today?” Seraphina raised her chin. “I want that apartment over there.” Mr. Harrison’s eyes sparkled as he launched into his sales pitch. “Ma’am, you have excellent taste! This is our premium unit with the best location and views in the complex.” “It’s only three million—quite reasonable for someone in your position.” “Three million?!” Lucas and Seraphina froze, clearly shocked. They hadn’t realized apartments in good areas cost that much. Mr. Harrison added, “If it’s a bit steep, we do offer financing options.” Seraphina bristled at the suggestion, pride wounded. She lifted her chin defiantly. “Financing? I’m getting fifty million! I’ll pay cash!” Mr. Harrison’s enthusiasm grew even more hearing that. “If you’re interested, we just need a 10% deposit to hold it.” Lucas and Seraphina exchanged nervous glances. I frowned, losing patience. “I doubt you’ll ever see that fifty million. Are you just here wasting everyone’s time?” “If you can’t afford it, stop wasting our time and leave!” Lucas’s face turned red with anger. “Shut up! Seraphina *will* get that inheritance. The paperwork just isn’t done yet.” I waved them off. “Whatever. I’ll take this apartment then.” They both panicked when they heard that. Seraphina gritted her teeth and stepped forward. “I want this apartment! Just wait! I’ll get a loan and pay the deposit right now!”

Over the next few days, Seraphina and Lucas flooded their social media with travel photos from around the world. Every post was filled with luxury items. They even took out high-interest loans to buy a house and a fancy car. I watched their reckless spending with watching coldly from the sidelines， knowing such excess always leads to ruin. I just blocked them on everything. Three months into the semester, Grandpa took a turn for the worse. This time, there was no saving him. The day of the funeral, Seraphina posted in the family group chat. After the funeral, we’re having a small gathering at the house to thank everyone for coming. Please be there. She even messaged me directly. Stella, you have to come. Grandpa would want the whole family together. I simply replied, “Okay.” A lot of relatives wondered why she was having this gathering after the funeral. Only I knew why. She was desperate to flaunt her “victory” in front of everyone. After the funeral service, everyone gathered at the house. That’s when Seraphina and Lucas finally showed up—fashionably late, with Seraphina clinging to Lucas’s arm in a bright red dress that screamed “party” and clashed horribly with the somber mood. They immediately drew every eye in the room. They looked completely different—dripping with expensive clothes and jewelry that felt totally out of place. Seraphina started passing out expensive gifts to all the relatives and younger guests. “Family and friends, thank you all for coming to say goodbye to Grandpa today. Please stay for dinner—my treat!” Relatives stared at them like they were crazy. People started whispering about how inappropriate this all was. Seraphina pulled the pocket watch from her designer bag, waving it around for everyone to see—fake tears in her eyes but a huge smile on her face. “Before he passed… Grandpa gave me this. It means I get his whole inheritance—fifty million dollars!” The room went silent for a second, then everyone started talking at once. “Fifty million?” “Grandpa left all his money to Seraphina?” “Oh my goodness, that’s…” Finally, one of the older relatives spoke up. “Seraphina, your grandfather just passed. Has the lawyer even read the will yet? How do you know about this inheritance already?” Seraphina waved her hand dismissively. “Grandpa promised me directly. This watch is proof. The paperwork will be done soon, and the money will be in my account any day now. I’m just honoring his memory by showing him I can handle things.” Someone in the crowd muttered under my breath, “Wasn’t Lucas dating Stella? What’s he doing with Seraphina now?” Facing their confused and disgusted looks, Lucas just pulled Seraphina closer, not even fazed. “Everyone wants to get ahead in life. You all understand that, right?” “Stella might get into a good school, but she’ll just be some overeducated academic. Seraphina’s different.” “Besides, Seraphina and I are actually in love.” That comment made a lot of relatives frown. One relative spoke up. “But Stella got into an Ivy League school! That’s a real future!” Seraphina almost laughed out loud, shoulders shaking with amusement. “Ivy League? So what if she goes there? Will she ever make fifty million in her lifetime?” “These days, a fancy degree doesn’t mean anything. Just more studying and an uncertain future!” She then looked triumphantly at me in the corner. “Stella, even though you don’t deserve to be here, if you’re nice to me, maybe I’ll remember we’re family and help you out.”

The other relatives were shocked by her behavior at the funeral, faces red with embarrassment, but held back from saying anything out of respect for the occasion. Some of the more kiss-up distant relatives already started gathering around her. “Seraphina is so responsible. Grandpa made the right choice.” “Our family will have to rely on Seraphina from now on.” “Exactly! Don’t forget about us relatives when you’re rich!” Deep down, they knew Seraphina had a point. Fifty million was more than most people made in a lifetime. Some even started putting Stella down to butter Seraphina up. “Seraphina’s just being practical. Stella might graduate from an Ivy League, but she’ll still be working for someone else. She can’t compare.” I smiled faintly, standing quietly in the corner. The opportunities from a top university were worth more than any amount of money to someone with vision. Seraphina had crashed and burned in my past life because even with money, she couldn’t buy class—her insecurities always gave her away, making her a joke in high society. After everyone ate, Seraphina touched up her makeup, smoothed her expensive dress, and walked to the center of the living room like she owned the place. Meanwhile, I noticed about a dozen people with phones and cameras had quietly joined the crowd. Seraphina gave them a little nod. So she’d planned this whole spectacle for Grandpa’s funeral. Seraphina pulled out the pocket watch again. Facing the obvious livestream cameras, she put on a fake cry and spoke in a loud whisper: “To everyone watching, thank you for sharing this sad moment with me. I just lost my dear Grandpa Arthur, but he left me his love—and about fifty million dollars. Now I can honor his memory without struggling to get by.” “But look at my sister—all she does is study. She’ll be stuck in college, just another academic drone with no real future or dignity.” She gave me a pointed look as she said it. The livestream chat blew up immediately. I couldn’t read the comments, but they probably weren’t nice. Seraphina didn’t care. She suddenly pointed at me, speaking in a stuck-up tone. “Stella, Grandpa’s lawyer should be around organizing papers. Go get him. We’ll read the will right now—with all the relatives and viewers watching as witnesses.” I said nothing. Lucas stepped forward, looking annoyed. “Stella, are you deaf? Today’s about Seraphina. She’s honoring you by asking. With your status, you’re not even good enough to shine her shoes. Just run the errand—maybe she’ll throw you a bone later.” Some relatives couldn’t take it anymore. “Grandpa’s barely cold in his grave! What is this?” “Stealing her sister’s fiancé and showing off at a funeral…” Seeing I wouldn’t budge, Seraphina put on a sad-but-strong face for the cameras. “Stella, wake up. Grandpa left me everything. We’re in completely different leagues now. I’m giving you a chance by asking nicely.” I checked my watch and said calmly, “We’ll wait five more minutes.” Seraphina had no idea what I was planning. She kept up her camera-ready smile. “Fine. But waiting won’t change the fact that Grandpa left me his inheritance.” I smiled faintly. We’ll see about that. Just then, a sharply dressed middle-aged lawyer with a serious expression walked quickly in from outside. He addressed Seraphina, who was surrounded by people, in a deep, firm voice. “Ms. Seraphina, according to the will, your grandfather did *not* leave you his inheritance.”

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My best friend, Chloe, had always been obsessed with romantic dramas, convinced she’d marry a handsome, rich man one day. To my surprise, she actually hooked up with a billionaire. Their whirlwind romance led to a quick wedding. She called me after the wedding: “I’m all alone in this mansion, it’s so boring. Come live with me!” Her husband, Alex, also chimed in: “I’m too busy with work to keep Chloe company. Please, come stay with her.” I agreed. Excitedly, I dragged my suitcase to their mansion, a wide smile on my face as I addressed the butler: “I’m Chloe, your lady’s best friend! She invited me to move in!” The butler, Mr. Hayes, looked bewildered. “Chloe? Who’s that? Mr. Vance has always been single.” 1 My smile froze solid, shattering into a million pieces. “You’re very funny,” I forced a laugh. “Chloe! Alex Vance’s wife!” “I even shared a toast with you at their wedding. Don’t tell me you’re playing games.” Mr. Hayes stared at me, his face devoid of emotion. “I have no time for games. There’s no Chloe here. Only Mr. Vance and I live in this house. If you keep causing trouble, I’ll call the police.” With that, he moved to close the gate. “Hey! Don’t!” Panic flared in my chest. I grabbed the iron gate, fumbling for my phone with my free hand. “I have proof! How can you forget such a huge wedding? Are you losing your memory?” I quickly opened Ins, scrolling through my saved posts for the wedding live stream replay. I remembered taking screenshots and sending them to Chloe, tears of envy streaming down my face. But the moment I clicked the link, a pop-up appeared: [This content has been deleted or does not exist.] A frantic buzz filled my head. No way. I clicked on several news articles from my browser bookmarks, refusing to believe it. “Billionaire Spends a Billion to Marry a Cinderella”, “Chloe: The Girl Kissed by God.” Every single link, the moment I clicked it, was dead! “How… how could this be? It worked last night…” Mr. Hayes watched my every move with cold eyes. “Miss Miller, it’s illegal to spread fake news or manipulate photos. Are you that desperate to snag a rich guy?” “I’m not making it up!” I roared, my fingers trembling as I switched to SnapChat. “I have chat logs! Look! She just messaged me a minute ago!” On the screen, Chloe’s selfie avatar and our conversation box were crystal clear. [Babe, I just put on my face mask… Mr. Hayes will let you in…] “You wait! I’m calling her right now!” My voice cracked, almost a shriek. “When she comes down to get me, you’ll be out of a job tomorrow!” The next second, a cold, mechanical voice echoed in my ear: “We’re sorry, the number you have dialed is not in service. Please check the number and dial again…” I froze. Not in service? I glanced at my SnapChat screen again. She was just talking to me a second ago! A chilling dread slithered up my spine, coiling around my heart. SnapChat instant replies, but a dead phone line? What kind of messed-up situation was this? Mr. Hayes’s gaze was unwavering, without a hint of surprise. He looked at me with utter contempt, as if I were garbage. “Get lost. If you don’t leave now, I’ll have security throw you down the hill.” Bang! The courtyard gate slammed shut with a heavy thud. I stood under the scorching sun, but my entire body felt like it had plunged into an ice bath. What in the world was going on? Chloe was clearly in there, so why was Mr. Hayes denying it? Why had all the news articles vanished from the internet? Could it be… something happened to Chloe? The world of the super-rich is a deep, dark place. Was Alex keeping Chloe under house arrest, pretending to be single, and erasing every trace of her existence? A shiver ran down my spine at the thought, a tidal wave of fear and righteous fury crashing over me. No, I couldn’t leave! If I left, she’d truly be alone and helpless! I gritted my teeth until my jaw ached, then dragged my suitcase and sat right in the middle of the iron gate. I refused to believe Alex wouldn’t come out! Sure enough, less than ten minutes later, a black Maybach slowly approached. I recognized it – it was the very car Alex had driven to pick Chloe up for their wedding. A surge of reckless impulse coursed through me. I lunged forward, spreading my arms wide, blocking the front of the car! “Alex! Get out here! Where have you hidden Chloe?!” The driver’s face went white with shock. He was about to get out and yell at me. But the rear window slowly rolled down. It was none other than my best friend’s newlywed husband, Alex. I rushed to his window, shouting furiously. “Mr. Vance! Mr. Hayes says you’re single, and that there’s no such person as Chloe!” “We even FaceTimed when you and Chloe were vacationing in Hawaii half a month ago! What’s going on?!” Alex’s brow furrowed slightly, a flicker of confusion in his eyes. “Chloe? Hawaii?” I saw him about to play innocent and was ready to explode. But the next second, he gestured to Mr. Hayes to open the grand gate. “Since you’re here, come in and explain yourself. I, too, am quite curious to know… where exactly this ‘Mrs. Vance’ you speak of is.” 2 The moment the gate opened, I didn’t even wait for Alex to get out of the car. I dragged my suitcase and charged straight into the mansion. Mr. Hayes tried to block my path, but I shoved him aside with a force I didn’t know I possessed. “Don’t touch me!” I navigated through the living room like I owned the place, heading straight for the second floor. I knew the layout of this mansion intimately! On their wedding day, I’d been with Chloe in the master bedroom on the second floor. “Chloe! Come out!” I kicked the door open. I burst in, my gaze frantically sweeping the room. Nothing. No Chloe. Not even… a single trace of a woman living here. “How could this be…” Refusing to believe it, I tore open the walk-in closet door, almost ripping it off its hinges. “The closet! Yes! The walk-in closet!” I remembered it clearly! On their wedding day, behind this door were two entire walls filled with Hermes bags! I even remembered screaming with delight while holding a Himalayan Birkin, and Chloe had laughed, offering to get me one. Whoosh— The closet door swung open violently. My hand froze, suspended in the barren air. Empty. Only a few dark, custom-made suits hung there, stark and alone. No Hermes. No Chanel. “Impossible… This is impossible…” I sank to the floor, my hands frantically searching the wooden planks at the bottom of the closet, desperately trying to find even a single long strand of hair, or an earring. But there was nothing. The place was as clean as a display home. Alex leaned against the doorframe, his voice flat. “Had enough, Miss Miller?” I sat slumped on the floor, my mind a churning vortex of disbelief and terror. Was this really some kind of elaborate scam? Was the Alex that Chloe met a fake? But… this mansion was real! Could a con artist be that resourceful, renting a billionaire’s mansion just to put on a show? And if it was a scam, why was the real Alex still living here now that Chloe was gone? “I don’t believe it!” I scrambled to my feet, pointing at Alex. “You’re the imposter! You’ve hidden everything, haven’t you?” “I’m calling the police! I have video proof! You two were on your honeymoon in Hawaii just half a month ago!” Alex looked at me as if I were a wild animal, utterly beyond reason. He pulled out his phone and dialed 91

“Hello, police department? This is Alex.” “Someone has trespassed onto my private property. Please send someone over.” Ten minutes later, the police arrived. “Officers! I want to report a missing person! Chloe is gone! He definitely did something to her!” “I have proof! They were on their honeymoon in Hawaii just half a month ago!” The officers looked at me, then at Alex. Alex wore an expression of weary resignation. “Officer, I’ve been in the country for the past half-month, dealing with a corporate merger. I haven’t been to Hawaii at all.” “If you don’t believe me, you can check my travel records.” The officers immediately ran a check on their terminal. Two minutes later, an officer showed me the terminal screen. “Miss Miller, the system shows that Mr. Vance has no overseas travel records in the past three months.” Boom! A thunderclap ripped through my skull, shattering whatever remained of my sanity. No travel records? “That’s impossible! I clearly saw it… the waves, the beach…” The officer put away his terminal, his expression serious. “Miss Miller, filing a false police report is a crime. Considering you were genuinely desperate to help someone and perhaps misled, this will be a verbal warning.” “Please leave immediately, or we’ll have to charge you with disturbing the peace.” I stood frozen, my hands and feet icy cold. A monstrous wave of sheer terror engulfed me, stealing my breath. Alex stood nearby, his gaze as cold and detached as if he were looking at a bag of trash. “Mr. Hayes, escort our guest out.” “If she ever dares to step foot in the Vance mansion again, call the police immediately and have her arrested.” Mr. Hayes immediately stepped forward, roughly pushing my suitcase towards the door. “Miss Miller, if you please.” I gritted my teeth, shaking with fury. I refused to accept this! Everything was clearly real, so why was it suddenly me who was going crazy? I dragged my heavy suitcase, looking back every few steps. As I passed the trash can next to a grand decorative vase in the entryway, my suitcase wheel accidentally bumped the side of the bin. Clang. The trash can toppled over. A pile of crumpled paper balls rolled out. Mr. Hayes immediately frowned, scolding me. “Stop messing around! Just leave!” Just then, a crumpled, wrinkled receipt caught my eye. One look, and all the blood in my body instantly froze. It was a convenience store receipt. Item: Orange burst cigarettes. Time: Yesterday, 2:30 PM. Those were Chloe’s favorite cigarettes! 3 I discreetly hid the receipt and walked out of the mansion, trying to appear nonchalant. As soon as dawn broke, I called Ava, Chloe’s former colleague. “Ava, it’s Mia! Where’s Chloe? Did she contact you guys after the wedding?” There was a pause on the other end, then Ava’s voice rose in volume. “Mia, are you sick? Chloe doesn’t even have a boyfriend, what wedding are you talking about?” A cold dread seized my heart. “You didn’t see the wedding streamed live across social media last month? Alex!” “Are you delusional?” Ava impatiently cut me off. “She quit her job last month and moved back home to clear her head!” Before I could react, the call was disconnected. My hands trembling, I dialed my mom. “Mom! Something’s happened to Chloe! Alex is denying everything, saying he never got married! You have to come!” My mom was silent for five seconds. “Mia… what nonsense are you talking about?” “When did Chloe get married?” I was stunned. “Didn’t they send you the wedding money? Eight million dollars!” “What wedding money? Are you running a fever, child?” My mom’s voice was urgent. “Chloe told me last month she was going back home to unwind, and she sent me pictures! Where would she get a boyfriend?” “Don’t talk nonsense and ruin Chloe’s reputation!” Click. The phone was hung up again. I was completely flummoxed. Had they bought off my own mom too? I refused to believe it! I hailed a cab directly back to my mom’s house. The moment I walked in, I grabbed her. “Mom! Something’s happened to Chloe! Everyone in the world is lying to me!” I spilled everything that had happened in the past two days. My mom listened, then looked at me, her expression bewildered, and touched my forehead. “Mia, when did Chloe get married? How come I don’t know anything about it?” My brain imploded, a chaotic symphony of alarm bells. “Mom! Don’t joke with me!” “We watched the live stream together last month! You even praised Alex for being handsome!” My mom frowned. “Last month you were working late, and I was watching TV. When did we ever watch a live stream?” “No, I’m not wrong!” I pulled out my phone and shoved it in front of her. “Look! This is proof!” “Chloe shows off her life as a billionaire’s wife to me every day! Yesterday she even told me to hurry inside!” My mom glanced at the screen and sighed. “Mia, these are just those rich-guy fantasies you two used to play when you were little.” “Stop playing, you’ll really blow things out of proportion.” Make-believe? I stared intently at the screen. A tsunami of unanswered questions threatened to drag me under. If it was just make-believe, what about that wedding? If I was dreaming, how did I know the layout of Alex’s mansion’s bedrooms? What’s more, if Chloe and Alex hadn’t gotten together, I wouldn’t even know who he was! And most importantly, where was Chloe now? Suddenly, something clicked. There was one more place that could prove it! I rushed out, hailing a cab. “To the city’s financial district! ‘Everlasting Love’ Wedding Planners!” 4 Chloe’s wedding had been handled by Everlasting Love, the biggest wedding planning company in the city. I refused to believe such a huge company could just vanish into thin air! Ten minutes later, I stared blankly at the sealed door in front of me. [Everlasting Love Wedding Planners: Temporarily closed due to operational difficulties.] The date on the seal was exactly half a month ago. The day after Chloe’s wedding ended! I peered through the glass door. Inside, it was a mess, chairs overturned, documents scattered everywhere. Did they just skip town? The biggest wedding company in the city, which had just secured a billion-dollar deal from one of the country’s wealthiest men, went bankrupt and fled the very next day? I pulled out my phone and dialed the number I had for the owner. “We’re sorry, the number you have dialed is not in service…” Another disconnected number! An icy tendril of dread snaked up my spine, gripping my very soul. Everyone and everything related to that wedding was slowly disappearing. This only proved that something was terribly wrong. I wouldn’t give up! There had to be something that hadn’t been cleaned up yet! “The spa! Yes! The spa!” I remembered! Just a week before the wedding, Chloe had taken me to a high-end spa for a facial and massage. To show off, she’d directly charged a half-million dollar VIP membership card for me! “Mia, here, take this card. Come whenever you want, it’s on Alex’s secondary card anyway!” I immediately hailed a cab and rushed to that spa. “Can you check the balance on my membership card?” The receptionist typed a few keys on her computer. “Miss Miller, your VIP card balance is still four hundred ninety-eight thousand dollars.” A wild, desperate hope surged through me! Four hundred ninety-eight thousand! Where would I, an average office drone earning three thousand dollars a month, get half a million dollars to put on a card? “Quick! Pull up the top-up history for me! Who charged it?” The receptionist turned the screen towards me. “It says you charged it yourself.” I was stunned. “What do you mean I charged it myself? Chloe swiped that card! Alex’s secondary card!” The receptionist looked utterly bewildered. “Chloe? We don’t have a member named Chloe here.” “Impossible!” I shouted. “Check the surveillance footage! Chloe and I came here together that day!” The receptionist was startled by my outburst and quickly called the manager. The manager frowned, an impatient look on her face. “I apologize, Miss Miller, but surveillance footage involves the privacy of other clients and cannot be arbitrarily accessed.” “You won’t check it, huh?” I scoffed, pulling out my phone. “Then I’ll call the police! Suspicious financial activity involving a huge sum of money – surely the police have the right to check?” Twenty minutes later. The police arrived. And following behind them, was Alex. He still wore that same look of weary resignation. “Miss Miller, how much longer are you going to keep this up?” “Stop wasting time! Check the footage!” At the police’s request, the manager reluctantly pulled up the recording from that day. Everyone stared at the screen. On the screen, I walked in. Beside me… was no one. I pulled out a black card and handed it to the receptionist, saying something. But beside me, from beginning to end, there was no one. The entire surveillance room was eerily silent. The officers’ gazes at me changed, filled with both sympathy and wariness. Alex sighed, walking over as if to put a hand on my shoulder. “Miss Miller, you should go to the hospital. I’ll cover the costs.” I stood frozen, my entire body trembling. Was I really alone? Had I truly gone insane? Was all of this just my imagination? Just as the police were about to take me away. Something suddenly clicked in my mind. So that’s it! That’s how this all works! I snapped my head up, staring intently at Alex. “Alex, you can stop pretending. I know where Chloe is.”

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My brother brought his girlfriend home for a holiday dinner for the first time. During the dinner, his girlfriend suddenly turned to me. “Chloe Davis, you look so familiar! I remember now! I saw your pictures on Pornhub. You have a really hot body.” She finished, then quickly clapped a hand over her mouth, pretending she’d spoken out of turn. All the relatives at the dinner were stunned. Then, they started pointing fingers at me. “Young people these days really have no morals.” “What’s her stage name? I wanna check it out too!” I, however, calmly set down my fork and smiled at her. “I also think you look familiar. Oh, I remember now, I performed several abortions on you!” My brother was bringing his girlfriend home this year, and my mom was so thrilled she gathered all our relatives for a big family dinner. At the dinner table, my brother’s girlfriend, Serena Lewis, was incredibly well-behaved. She proposed toasts to the adults, told jokes, and not only charmed my mom completely, but even had the relatives praising Brandon for his good taste. Just as everyone was soaking in the warm atmosphere Serena had created, a relative turned to me. “Chloe, you work in New York. You must be earning a lot of money! Your cousin graduates next year; you really should help her find a good job!” Other relatives chimed in. “Your mom says you give her fifteen hundred dollars a month. That’s amazing! Not like our useless son, who can’t even find a job.” “Chloe, what exactly do you do in the big city?” I was about to answer when Serena suddenly put down her glass and asked me. “Chloe, even though this is our first time meeting, I just feel like I’ve seen you before!” I offered a polite smile. “Maybe I just have one of those faces.” Serena shook her head, staring intently at me, scrutinizing my features. “No, it’s not an average face. I definitely saw you somewhere… Ah!” It was as if something clicked for her, and a look of sudden realization dawned on her face. “I know! You’re an influencer on Pornhub, aren’t you?” The moment she said that, several relatives at the table visibly stiffened. Serena seemed oblivious to the sudden change in atmosphere and continued. “I’ve seen your pictures; your body is so hot! I can’t believe I’m seeing you in person now!” She finished, then abruptly clapped a hand over her mouth, looking like someone who’d just said something regrettable. I was stunned. I couldn’t believe Serena would fabricate such a rumor right there. My first instinct was to confront her. “What in the world are you talking about?” She immediately put on a show of being wronged and apologized. “I’m so sorry, Chloe! I just spoke without thinking! I never imagined it would be you. I really didn’t mean it, please don’t be angry.” Serena’s words were so direct that all the relatives’ gazes shifted, scrutinizing me. “Young people these days are so… open-minded.” “No wonder she always says she’s busy and only comes home once a year. So that’s what she’s been busy with.” “No wonder she’s so rich. She’s selling herself!” “How embarrassing!” The relative who had just asked me to help her daughter find a job quickly retracted her words, clearly worried I might lead her daughter astray. “What I said earlier doesn’t count. My daughter would never do something like that; it’s utterly disgraceful!” 2 My mom’s face was beet red from the relatives’ whispers, her hands trembling. She looked at me in disbelief. “Chloe, are you really an influencer on Pornhub?” My brother’s eyes were also red with anger, glaring at me. “Chloe, is what she said true? Did you really do something so shameless?” “No, I didn’t!” I cut them off, my voice firm and resolute. Hearing my explanation, they still looked skeptical, their faces tight with doubt. I stared at Serena, the architect of this slander, a suffocating knot of anger in my chest. This was my first time meeting Serena. We had no history, no grudge, yet she had inexplicably pulled a stunt like this. I said, my voice low. “Serena, you can’t just go around spreading lies. Defamation is a serious offense!” At my words, Serena seemed to grow even more tearful. Her eyes red, she whispered timidly. “Chloe, I really didn’t mean it. Can you please forgive me?” It was something that could have been cleared up with a single sentence, but Serena deliberately chose to be vague. I truly didn’t know what I had done to provoke her. But for Brandon’s sake, I still managed to hold back my anger. “Serena, the person you’re talking about isn’t me, and it couldn’t possibly be me. You must be mistaken.” I tried to guide her toward an explanation, but she acted as if I was pressuring her. She immediately choked up. “Chloe, don’t be so mean, you’re scaring me. I truly didn’t mean it. I didn’t know your family would care so much about this… I just thought the person in the photo looked a lot like you and casually mentioned it. How can you say I’m slandering you?” Serena kept circling back to the same point, continuously implying that I had been involved in something illicit but was too ashamed to admit it. This time, I couldn’t hold back anymore and yelled. “Serena, we have no personal vendetta. There’s no need for you to target me like this!” And then Serena cried. She sobbed, hiding behind my brother, presenting herself as a poor, wronged victim. She explained to Brandon. “I’m just a straightforward person, I say what I think. Brandon, you have to believe me, I really wasn’t targeting Chloe.” Seeing her distress, Brandon immediately pulled her into his arms to comfort her. Then he turned on me, furious. “Chloe, do you have to be so aggressive? If you really didn’t do anything like that, how could Serena just make it up out of thin air? Don’t you have any self-awareness?” My brother’s barrage of accusations, his words, showed no regard for my situation as his sister. Even if our sibling relationship wasn’t the best, I never imagined he’d side with an outsider to bully me after hearing just a few words. The relatives, hearing him, chimed in their agreement. “Exactly, if you don’t want people to know, don’t do it!” “Serena is such a sweet, sensible girl; how could she possibly spread rumors without reason!” “I think Chloe really did something shameful!” My mom slammed her hand on the table, pointing a finger at my nose. “Chloe! You tell me clearly! Did you or did you not do those unspeakable things? If you really did, I’ll disown you!” I reiterated to my mom that I hadn’t done anything. Then I scanned the faces of all the relatives present, my gaze finally landing on Serena. I said. “Serena, since you claim you saw my photos in that ‘circle,’ then produce the evidence. Otherwise, I’m calling the police right now to report you for defamation!” Serena’s eyes flickered, then she stood up to go get her phone from the room. “To prove my innocence, I’ll find those photos and show them to you right now!” Soon, she returned with her phone and, in front of everyone, pulled up *that* photo of me. 3 She let everyone browse the picture, then thrust it in front of my face. Her tone was slightly triumphant. “Chloe, see for yourself. It’s really not me slandering you! I just had my best friend’s boyfriend look it up on that site. This side profile picture is definitely you!” The full-body side profile photo on Serena’s phone showed someone in revealing lingerie, and the side profile did indeed bear a nine-tenths resemblance to me. But I hadn’t done it, so I wouldn’t admit to it. As soon as Serena came back with her phone, I felt a pang of suspicion, like I’d been secretly photographed. I vocalized my thought. “What can a side profile picture prove?” “Oh, right. You just secretly photographed me, didn’t you? And used my picture for AI synthesis?” I stared into Serena’s eyes, and sure enough, I saw a flicker of guilt. But she stubbornly refused to admit it. She once again put on that wronged, pitiful expression, choking out. “Chloe, you can’t accuse me just because you don’t want to admit it! We’re family; why would I slander you?” “I should have known better than to come with Brandon. If it weren’t for me, your family would definitely be happy!” Serena spoke with such apparent sincerity that the relatives quickly rallied to her defense. Aunt Carol mocked me for having no upbringing. “Chloe, you’re shameless, and you still have the nerve to blame others? Having you as a relative truly embarrasses me!” Uncle Robert angrily reprimanded me for disgracing the family name. “Our Davis family reputation will be ruined by you! How can you face us, how can you face your deceased father?” Other relatives chimed in, their words as malicious as possible. “Shameless, what was the point of college?” “If she were my daughter, I’d have slapped her to death already!” “So unlucky to have such a dirty thing in the family!” My mom listened, trembling all over. She had always been very concerned with appearances, and now, seeing the so-called evidence, she was absolutely furious. “Chloe, how did I raise you? You insist on shamelessly degrading yourself, don’t you? How could I have given birth to such a disgraceful daughter like you!” Hearing the harsh accusations, I felt a deep sense of powerlessness. My own mother and brother, the people closest to me, didn’t believe me. At the same time, Serena spoke again. This time, she urged me to admit my mistake and turn over a new leaf. She said. “Chloe, it doesn’t matter if your body is dirty, as long as your heart isn’t! Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone about this.” At her words, I let out a cold laugh, then spoke with a chilling edge. “Serena, you know best whether the person in that photo is me or not!” “As for ‘dirty,’ you’re the dirtiest one here!” I locked eyes with Serena, wanting to see just how far her depravity truly went. Serena seemed startled by me, instinctively shrinking further into my brother’s arms, her voice trembling slightly. “You… what are you talking about! How am I dirty? You’re the one selling your body, not me!”

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Mrs. Sterling saw something in me. She hired me to be a stand-in for her son, Julian Sterling’s first love. It was all because I looked so much like her. Mrs. Sterling said I bore a striking resemblance to Julian’s first love. Ever since his first love left, he’d become cold, ruthless, and utterly dejected. My job was to keep him company, to make him happy again. The mission went surprisingly smoothly. He didn’t just smile; he even started creating small romantic gestures for me. Until three years later, his first love, Serena, returned, fresh from a divorce. That’s when he lied to me for the first time. I cried to Mrs. Sterling, pouring out my heart, detailing my sorrow and the crushing unfairness of it all. My goal was simple: get a bigger payout and then vanish. But then Julian’s voice, dark and cold, cut through the air from just outside the door: “Stop the act. I’m renewing the contract.” I was grabbing my usual coffee downstairs at the company when Serena Vance, without a word of warning, slid into the seat opposite me. Her voice was soft, gentle. “How much did Julian pay you to hire you?” I looked at her. Eight years. She hadn’t changed much from the photo I’d seen. Still the same long, straight black hair, a simple, solid-colored dress, and the lightest touch of makeup. Only now, a subtle maturity etched itself between her brows. Her voice softened even more. “I know, it hasn’t been easy, accompanying Julian and taking care of him for three years. But this isn’t fair to you. No girl wants to be anything less than true love.” As she spoke, she lightly traced my cheek. “And no girl wants to be a stand-in.” A stand-in… she didn’t need to keep reminding me. I hadn’t forgotten it for a single moment. Three years ago, I was a fresh college graduate, just about to step into the working world. As I hustled around, résumé in hand, Mrs. Sterling herself sought me out. All because I looked seventy percent like Julian Sterling’s first love. She handed me a blank check. She promised that if I could get Julian back to his old self, I could fill in any amount I wanted on that check. And on top of that, a million dollars would be deposited into my account, right on time, every month. I got it. This was the classic stand-in trope. The deal was incredibly lucrative. No one could refuse it. Not even me. That was Julian Sterling—a legend in Sterling City. I didn’t hesitate for a second. I accepted. Under Mrs. Sterling’s guidance, I styled myself after Serena. I straightened my hair, swapped out my wardrobe for simple, solid-colored dresses. And smoothly became Julian Sterling’s personal assistant. The first time Julian saw me, he seemed to frown, but he didn’t say anything. To mold a perfect stand-in, Mrs. Sterling also gave me a thick stack of files. They meticulously detailed Julian Sterling’s preferences. From his morning coffee to his evening routine, his wardrobe, even his travel habits—every single thing. I was getting paid, so I followed every instruction without question. At first, I thought someone like Julian Sterling would be incredibly difficult to deal with. Julian was decisive, detail-oriented, and hated idle chatter. So, I focused on efficiency and precision, ensuring every detail was flawless. My proposals, often drafted overnight, had almost zero errors. My reactions and patience were sharp enough to handle any sudden emergency. My phone was always on, twenty-four hours a day, ready to answer his calls, never a word of complaint. Everyone said I was the best assistant he’d ever had. Slowly, he began to accept my presence. He’d eat the meals I cooked. He’d drink the coffee I brewed. Sometimes, when I personally prepared his lunch, he’d comment, expressionless, “It’s awful.” Then he’d eat every last bite. Our relationship grew closer with each passing day. After a perfectly ordinary banquet, I drove him home as usual. Without warning, he pulled me closer and kissed me. That night, our silhouettes intertwined against the windowpane… The next day, Julian had all my belongings moved to his mansion in the West Hills. When a black card was placed in front of me, I automatically unlocked a new identity: mistress. Besides the money from Mrs. Sterling and my assistant’s salary, I was now receiving a third income. This arrangement was overly lucrative. At least from my perspective, we were like any other couple. We went to work together, cooked together. During intimate moments, I followed my instincts and responded with passion. Yet, in my heart, I remained perfectly clear. I was Chloe, not Serena. This play, it would end one day. I just didn’t expect that day to come so soon.

I lost all interest in my coffee, getting up to leave. Behind me, Serena dropped the act, her tone laced with a hint of disdain. “I’m back. You didn’t actually think that little bit of affection you got, just because you look like me, would be enough to get you through the Sterling family’s front door, did you?” I turned and looked at her, countering, “And you think you can?” She and Julian were from families of equal standing. But she had abandoned everything to go abroad when Sterling Corp faced a crisis. She married, then divorced. And now she was back. At least, from what I knew of Mrs. Sterling, it was almost impossible for Serena to get into the Sterling family home. Unless, of course, Julian insisted. That evening, I accompanied Julian as he worked in his study. I sat in front of my computer. But my eyes kept drifting to him. Sterling City was teeming with talent. A fresh graduate like me, with no background. Without this face as my ticket in, I would never have had the chance to enter Sterling Corp. No chance to earn wealth most people could only dream of in a lifetime. And no chance to be by his side for so long. Looking at it that way, if his true love returned, I should be happy for him. Clinging on would only make me look clingy and ungrateful. “Come here.” Julian’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I obediently walked over to him. Naturally, he pulled me onto his lap. “What’s wrong?” I asked him. He looked at me, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “Nothing. I just thought, this way you can see better.” Caught staring, my face flushed hot instantly, and I even held my breath for a moment. When did he start getting so charming? I hadn’t explicitly told him about Serena’s return. But that didn’t mean it could be kept secret for long. She quickly appeared at a business banquet, champagne in hand, heading straight for Julian and me. Her voice was still so soft it sounded like it could melt, “Julian, you’re here.” Many people present knew about their past, and whispers began to spread. I glanced at Julian. Even with his first love, whom he hadn’t seen in years, standing before him. His face showed absolutely no reaction. The murmurs around us grew louder. “When did Serena Vance get back? Didn’t she get married?” “You’re way behind on the news. She just divorced, probably rushed back before the ink on her divorce papers was even dry.” “Look at the woman by Mr. Sterling’s side, doesn’t she look a lot like Ms. Vance?” “I’ve thought so for ages. Mr. Sterling found a stand-in for his first love, huh?” “How devoted.” “Now that the real deal is back, shouldn’t the stand-in step aside?” Julian’s sharp gaze swept to where the voices came from. Those few people instantly clamped their mouths shut. Others wisely dispersed to different areas. I figured he was upset that his beloved was being criticized.

In an instant, only the three of us remained within a ten-meter radius. When someone had mentioned her divorce earlier, Serena had lowered her head slightly, a touch of embarrassment on her face. Now, as she looked at Julian again, her eyes were brimming with tears. Her voice, laced with a hint of grievance, trembled slightly. “Julian, please don’t misunderstand. I just wanted to come back and see how you were doing.” In such a dramatic scene, my presence felt incredibly awkward. After all, no one ever considered the feelings of the stand-in. I excused myself to the restroom, but in reality, I slipped out to the balcony to hide. Then I went online to find a resignation letter template. Preferably one that highlighted my dedication. After finding one, I made some quick edits and sent it to Mrs. Sterling. Her reply came swiftly: [Stay put for now.] “Looks like the little assistant got dumped, huh?” A lazy, teasing tone wrapped around a hint of mockery. Without even turning around, I knew it was Blake, the young master of the Blake family. I turned sideways, directly facing his leaning-in face. “There are plenty of beauties in the ballroom tonight, Blake. How can you bear to miss such a good opportunity and come bothering me?” He leaned in a little closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. “Isn’t the most beautiful one right in front of me?” I raised an eyebrow. Blake’s eyes twinkled with even greater amusement, his fingertip lightly tracing the rim of his glass. “Want to consider switching jobs? I’m much easier to please than Julian Sterling.” Julian’s voice cut in before I could reply. “Chloe.” Not far away, he stood under the lights, clearly showing a hint of anger. I suddenly felt a little guilty. I wondered if his anger was because he knew I hadn’t told him about Serena’s return right away. On the way home, he didn’t say a word. I remembered my mission. My eyes misted over, and I said sweetly, “Julian, I didn’t mean not to tell you about Ms. Vance’s return.” “I just…” My voice was so choked with emotion it was almost a sob. “I was just afraid you’d leave me once you knew Ms. Vance was back.” “I just wanted to stay by your side a little longer, even if it was just one more day, one more hour, one more minute.” After saying all that, I didn’t dare breathe. Julian remained silent, offering no response. My mind raced. My golden ticket was definitely gone. How could I negotiate a larger severance package from Mrs. Sterling? Once we got home, Julian hoisted me up and tossed me onto the bed. He didn’t say a single word throughout. But his actions were rougher than usual. I interpreted it as deliberate retaliation. At the height of our passion, on a whim, I asked him, “Julian Sterling, do you know who I am?” The words were barely out of my mouth when I regretted them. He seemed to freeze for a moment but didn’t answer. Then he gripped my chin, kissing me back with a retaliatory intensity. In that moment, I got my answer. Just before I drifted off into an exhausted sleep, I thought I heard him whisper something in my ear. The next day, he uncharacteristically didn’t go to work. First, he took me to get my waist-length hair curled. Then he took me shopping for clothes at the mall. As I stood in front of the changing room mirror, in a red dress with chestnut-colored loose waves. It felt like a strange twist of fate had brought me back to how I looked three years ago, when Mrs. Sterling first found me. Julian wrapped an arm around me, approvingly murmuring, “Beautiful.” The first love returned, and the copycat was sent back to her original form.

A few days later, Serena Vance arrived at the office, clutching a bouquet of lilies. Seeing my new look, she first scrutinized me from head to toe, then sneered. “Ms. Chloe, have you finally given up trying to imitate me?” I ignored her comment and asked, as a matter of routine, “Ms. Vance, do you have an appointment?” She looked like she’d heard the funniest joke imaginable. “I never need an appointment to see Julian. His rules are for outsiders.” I nodded, saying, “Please wait a moment. I’ll call and confirm if Mr. Sterling is available right now.” She pressed her hand down on mine, stopping me from dialing the CEO’s internal line. “Chloe, are you genuinely clueless or just pretending? Don’t you know, if it weren’t for your face looking like mine, you wouldn’t even have a chance to get close to Julian?” I reminded her, “Ms. Vance, Mr. Sterling isn’t 22 anymore; he’s 30. He doesn’t have the energy for your games.” The next second, the blooming bouquet of lilies in her hand brutally slammed into my face. I raised a hand to wipe away the pollen from my face. And swiftly delivered a slap. I hit her so hard my hand went numb. Serena froze, her face a mask of disbelief. “You dare hit me?” I shook my hand, my tone flat. “Ms. Vance, I was merely acting in self-defense.” Being a stand-in was one thing; getting hit required separate compensation. She trembled with rage, raising her hand to slap me back. Just as her wrist was about to descend— A cold, deep male voice abruptly rang out. “Stop.” Julian Sterling had appeared at the doorway, drawn by the commotion outside. His gaze first fell on my face, which was stained with shattered petals and pollen, and faintly reddened. Then he looked at Serena’s hand, still raised in mid-air, poised to strike. I discreetly lowered my eyelashes, my voice laced with just the right amount of grievance and timidity. “Mr. Sterling, Ms. Vance insisted on coming in without an appointment, and I merely tried to remind her, and then she…” Serena quickly interjected, “Julian, it’s not what you think. She hit me first, see?” She turned her left cheek, revealing a clear palm print. I kept my eyes fixed on the floor, pretending to be invisible. After a brief silence, Julian told me to go to the restroom to clean up. He then led Serena into his office. A sharp pang pierced my chest, making my eyes sting. It must have been the lily bouquet hitting me so hard. The eight-figure number in my mobile banking app made me feel incredibly secure. That was my true purpose for being here. Everything else was irrelevant. I shouldn’t get caught up in their messy romance, fighting tooth and nail with his first love. With that thought, I decided to act first and apologize later. I would resign and leave Julian Sterling.

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My daughter seemed like a completely different person! My husband had been abusing me for years. My parents stood by coldly, even helped him sometimes. I couldn’t take it anymore. I was about to end my life. But then, my 8-year-old daughter rushed over and slapped me across the face. She yelled at me, “Sarah! What the hell are you doing?! Get your act together!” I was stunned. How could my usually sweet and adorable daughter say something so vulgar? Her whole demeanor wasn’t that of an 8-year-old at all. My daughter’s hand was still small, but she’d put every ounce of her strength into that slap. My face stung, a fiery throb. She glared at me, her round eyes blazing with anger. I was too shocked to react. “Lily… you…” She pointed at the rooftop ledge, her voice accusatory. “Were you going to jump?” My nose tingled, and tears instantly welled up. I didn’t know how to answer her. I’d raised this child mostly on my own since she was little. We had such a close bond. She was the only person in this world I couldn’t bear to leave. But, my darling, Mom really couldn’t go on anymore… “Good girl, why don’t you go home first? Didn’t I buy you a little stuffed bunny? Go play with it for a bit.” I wanted to coax her away, but she pulled her hand from mine, her face full of impatience. “Don’t change the subject! You’re going to jump, going to kill yourself, but did you even think about me?” “As a mother, abandoning your child to an alcoholic father and just dying – is that fulfilling your responsibility as a mother?” “And even if my dad is an alcoholic and hits you, why don’t you fight back? What kind of modern woman doesn’t know how to protect herself these days?” Her small mouth opened and closed, her expression serious and stern. I was rooted to the spot in shock! Just this morning, she was still cuddling with me, begging for a plush rabbit to be her ‘sister.’ She was only eight! I quickly reached out to touch her forehead. Was she sick? She slapped my hand away. “I don’t have a fever!” “My dear, what’s wrong? Do you feel unwell anywhere?” “I’m fine, perfectly fine. It’s you I’m worried about. If you jump, you’ll be free!” “But think about my dad, my grandma, and your entire family – who among them will take care of me?” The thought plunged me back into despair. I pulled her into my arms, tears streaming down my face. “Mom doesn’t want this either, but what can I do? I can’t take you with me…” She gently stroked my back, a comforting rhythm. “Listen to me. Neither of us has to die. They’re the ones who should suffer.” “Don’t worry, I promise I’ll free you from all this pain.”

My daughter truly seemed like a different person. But I looked her up and down, from every angle, and she was indeed my daughter. “Stop staring. It’s your daughter, authentic and genuine.” She spoke softly, as if rolling her eyes. I just couldn’t wrap my head around it. I was about to talk to her when the front door of the house was suddenly kicked open with a loud bang. My heart instantly clenched. Mark was back! From the sound of him kicking the door, he must have been drunk again. I quickly led Lily back to her room. “Lily, no matter what you hear, don’t come out. Just like normal, okay?” Mark’s angry shouts echoed from outside the door. I closed it, quickly smoothing my hair. With another bang, he pushed the door open, reeking of alcohol. He squinted, scanning the room. I took a deep breath, forcing down the trembling that wracked my body, and stepped forward to help him. “You’re back…” A familiar silence, then an explosive outburst! He grabbed my hair, yanked me to the floor, first with punches and slaps, then standing over me, kicking again and again… “Bitch! Whore! You worthless woman!” I curled up, hugging my head, my eyes squeezed shut. Just hold on a little longer. He’d drunk a lot today; he’d tire himself out soon… Just a little more… Just as I felt myself fading, I heard a commotion, and he yelled, “What are you doing?! Let go of me!” I struggled to open my eyes and saw three or four police officers restraining him! He was furious, swearing at them. Lily was standing right there. Suddenly, I didn’t feel the pain anymore. I sprang up and pulled her into my arms, shielding her. “Why did you come out? Are you okay, honey?” I frantically checked her over. But she wasn’t flustered at all. She took my hand and spoke to the officers. “Officers, you saw it. This man has been abusing my mother for a long time. If you hadn’t arrived in time today, my mom might have been beaten to death!” Mark had sobered up quite a bit. “Bullshit! You little Asshole! Did you call the police?!” “Oh, Sarah, you’ve really gone too far. You’ve learned to call the police!” I shook my head frantically, but Lily continued. “Officers, he goes crazy every time he drinks. My mom is covered in bruises. You have to arrest him!” In the end, Mark was taken away by the police, cursing and swearing all the way out. I shivered uncontrollably. “It’s no use. He won’t stay in there forever.” But Lily said, “But there will be a police record, and my testimony, and the neighbors’.” “What are you planning?” A confident look settled on her small face. “First, divorce. We’ll figure out the rest later.”

Divorce… I dreamed of divorce. But Mark would never let me go that easily. For years, he’d held that one thing over my head, knowing my vulnerable situation. “It’s just your first love ran off; there’s nothing to worry about.” Lily said it so casually, and my mind went blank with a loud whoosh. How did she know about that?! Seeing me cover my mouth and stare with wide eyes, she quickly rephrased. “It wasn’t your fault anyway. You were the victim. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.” “He’s always used that to threaten you. As long as you’re not afraid, as long as you’re not threatened, you’ll definitely get a divorce.” That was the first time it felt like someone was truly on my side. My tears flowed instantly, a dam breaking… At seventeen, I didn’t understand people. A few sweet words, and I believed in “love.” Against my family’s objections, I eloped without a second thought. Later, we ran out of money, and he abandoned me for a wealthy businesswoman. I returned to my hometown in shame. My parents were embarrassed; my brother Daniel and his wife Jessica looked down on me. Eventually, they forced me to marry Mark, with no conditions or expectations. Six months later, I gave birth to Lily. Everyone said she didn’t look like Mark; she was too fair and beautiful. Mark developed a grudge, and my life, from then on, became a living hell… I knew it was all my own doing. But now. Lily was saying I was the victim. I couldn’t understand how an eight-year-old could say such things. “You’re too young; you don’t understand…” It wasn’t that I hadn’t suggested divorce before. But my family would point fingers at me, calling me trashy. Mark also threatened to tell everyone that Lily was a Asshole! I honestly didn’t know what else I could do… “You’re just too weak!” Lily sighed, pulling out a tissue and handing it to me. “You’re not some ignorant woman who hasn’t been to school. You should know that no one has the right to dictate your life!” “You were hurt, and you should have faced it bravely, walked out of the predicament! But what did you do? You gave up, came back to your hometown with a bad reputation, didn’t resist your parents’ unreasonable arrangements, and after marriage, you chose to endure your husband’s abuse. You weren’t wrong, but your current situation is all because of your weakness!” Every one of Lily’s words felt like a knife piercing my heart. It hurt, but it was a sobering pain. “Yes, you’re right. I was weak. Even a child like you understands this, yet I pretended to be foolish for so many years.” Lily then added, “Mom, while Mark is locked up for a few days, let’s go back to your parents’ house tomorrow. We’re going to get even with them. I’ll tell you what to do!”

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