Category: English

Opening my eyes, I found myself sitting at the dining table. The nightmare hadn’t happened yet. The lavish dinner was just beginning. The root of my past life’s tragedy was the girl standing across from me. The impoverished student I had funded for years. To impress my billionaire fiancé, she had slaughtered Ranger, the retired combat K-9 my father brought back from his deployments. She had him cooked into a dark, heavily spiced exotic stew. Ranger wasn’t just a pet. He was a decorated war hero who had saved countless lives. In my previous life, my fiancé casually picked up a piece of meat from the bowl. “It’s just a dog. I’ll buy you a better breed tomorrow. Look at the effort Beth put in. You should be grateful.” He didn’t know that Ranger’s death would bring apocalyptic wrath upon our families. My father’s company went bankrupt. My parents died in a mysterious car crash. And Tristan, my fiancé, personally locked me in a psychiatric ward where I was tortured until my last breath. 1 Beth brought the steaming ceramic pot to the table, her eyes practically begging Tristan for approval. Tristan smiled warmly and ladled a bowl for me. “Try it, Monica. Beth made this special exotic dish just for you.” I smiled, took the bowl, and pulled out my phone right in front of their bewildered faces. I dialed my father’s old commanding officer. “Uncle Marcus,” I said, keeping my voice deadpan. “Tristan wants to know what a decorated military hero tastes like. I saved a portion for you. When are you coming to collect it?” A heavy silence fell over the line. The kind of silence that precedes an airstrike. I could already picture Uncle Marcus’s scarred, weathered face darkening like a thundercloud. Tristan’s gentle smile froze. A shadow of annoyance flickered in his handsome eyes. He clearly didn’t understand the gravity of my words. “Monica, what kind of childish tantrum is this?” Beside him, Beth, the girl whose tuition and rent I had paid for five years, instantly turned pale. Her hands trembled so violently that a drop of the boiling broth splashed onto her knuckles, leaving a blistering red mark. She didn’t even flinch. She just stared at me with wide, terrified, innocent eyes. “Monica, I… I didn’t mean any harm. I just heard Tristan say he wanted to try some rare game meat, so I…” Tears spilled down her cheeks like shattered pearls. That pitiful, fragile act had fooled me completely in my last life. Even after she killed Ranger, I thought she was just tragically ignorant. How pathetic I was. I ignored her, waiting for the voice on the phone. Tristan’s patience evaporated. He snatched the phone from my hand, his tone dripping with the arrogant entitlement of a billionaire heir. “I don’t care who this is. Monica is having a bad day. We are done here.” He moved to end the call. Suddenly, Uncle Marcus’s voice erupted from the speaker. It was the roar of a man who had commanded troops in the deadliest war zones on earth. “Done? Who the hell do you think you are to tell me we are done?!” “Put Monica back on the phone. Now!” Tristan froze. For the first time, a flicker of genuine shock crossed his face. I smoothly pulled the phone from his rigid grip and brought it to my ear. “I am fine, Uncle Marcus.” “Send me your coordinates. I am on my way.” His voice left absolutely zero room for negotiation before the line went dead. An eerie quiet settled over the massive dining room. Tristan stared at me. He looked at me like I was a stranger he found trespassing in his home. “Since when do you associate with people like that, Monica?” he demanded, his pride clearly wounded. I slowly pushed the bowl he had served me toward the center of the table. The dark broth simmered. The rich, nauseating aroma filled the air. “Tristan, didn’t you just say Beth put a lot of effort into this?” I looked him dead in the eye. “Tell me. Butchering my father’s decorated war dog and turning him into a stew… is that what you call effort?” Tristan’s face hardened into a mask of pure ice. “You are willing to humiliate everyone at this table over a goddamn dog?” “Tristan, please don’t be mad at her,” Beth sobbed, pressing her delicate body against his arm. She clutched her burnt hand while gripping his tailored shirt. “I thought Monica would love the surprise. I had no idea the dog was that important to her. I really didn’t.” She gasped for air between her tears, playing the ultimate victim. Tristan immediately wrapped his arm around her shoulders, whispering sweet comforts to her while glaring at me with absolute disgust. “Look what you did. You terrified her. She is a poor girl from the middle of nowhere. How was she supposed to know about some military mutt? She was just trying to make you happy.” “Even if you don’t appreciate it, you have no right to be a bitch about it.” That gentle tone he used with her. That protective stance. It was the exact same way he held his new lover right before he locked me in the asylum. My heart had already burned to ash in my previous life. All that remained was cold, calculating hatred. “Make me happy?” I let out a dry, bitter laugh, pointing at the simmering pot. “By slaughtering my father’s brother-in-arms to entertain me? Do you even hear yourself, Tristan?” He slammed his hand on the mahogany table and stood up, towering over me. “Enough, Monica! It was just an animal! It’s dead. Get over it. I will write you a check for a hundred pedigree puppies tomorrow! Are you really going to burn our relationship to the ground over this?” Behind his back, hiding in his embrace, Beth shot me a tiny, triumphant smirk. I saw it. It was the exact same smirk she wore standing outside the reinforced glass of my psychiatric cell. I remembered her gloating voice. “Look, Monica. Tristan chose me in the end. Your parents, your company, your dog. Everything that belonged to you is mine now.” The memories crashed over me like a tidal wave of battery acid. I dug my fingernails into my palms until the sharp pain grounded me. Right on cue, the doorbell rang. Sharp. Urgent. Unyielding. Tristan scowled. “Who the hell is that?” No one answered. The bell just kept ringing. Frustrated, he stormed over and yanked the heavy oak door open. Standing on the porch was Uncle Marcus, dressed in full tactical dress uniform. Behind him stood two young, heavily muscled military officers, their faces carved from stone. The silver stars on their shoulders gleamed under the porch lights. Uncle Marcus looked right past Tristan. His eyes locked onto me, filled with a mixture of heartbreak and a terrifying, lethal rage. Then, his gaze drifted to the dining table. To the ceramic pot. The oxygen in the room seemed to evaporate. Tristan stood frozen at the door. He was a shark in the corporate world. He had dined with politicians and tycoons. But he had never faced an aura like this. It wasn’t the soft power of money. It was the suffocating, metallic stench of blood and gunpowder. “Can I help you?” Tristan’s voice lacked its usual arrogant bite. Uncle Marcus ignored him entirely and marched into the foyer. His heavy combat boots struck the marble floor with methodical thuds. Every step felt like a hammer striking Tristan and Beth’s chests. His eyes remained glued to the dining table. “Where is Ranger?” Uncle Marcus’s voice was gravelly, possessing the terrifying calm of a hurricane’s eye. I stood up, walked to his side, and pointed. “Right there, Uncle Marcus. That’s Ranger.” The general’s massive frame went completely rigid. The two officers behind him turned a violent shade of purple. The younger one’s knuckles popped loudly, his eyes turning bloodshot. “You sick bastards!” the young officer roared, lunging forward. Uncle Marcus raised a single hand, stopping the man in his tracks. He walked slowly to the dining table. He reached a trembling hand toward the ceramic pot, hovering inches above the rim. His thick fingers shook violently. Tristan finally snapped out of his shock. He glanced at the silver stars on Marcus’s uniform, then back at me. A flash of hesitation crossed his face, but his wounded pride quickly overtook it. “So, you are Monica’s family,” Tristan said, falling back on his billionaire persona. His tone was detached and diplomatic. “This is just a massive misunderstanding. Monica threw a fit over a dog, and I apologize that it dragged you all the way out here.” He brushed off the situation like a minor inconvenience. “Please talk some sense into her. Whatever the financial loss is, the Vanguard Group will compensate you generously.” He spoke so casually, as if negotiating a minor contract dispute. Uncle Marcus slowly turned around. His piercing eyes locked onto Tristan. “A misunderstanding?” “You call this a misunderstanding?” His voice was low, but it dropped the temperature in the room below freezing. “A dog?” he repeated, spitting the word out like poison. He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a small object wrapped carefully in a velvet cloth. He unfolded it. A heavy, gleaming piece of metal caught the light. The Medal of Valor. The highest military honor a combat K-9 could receive. “Open your ignorant eyes and look at this!” “Six years ago, in a hostile desert compound, Ranger drew the fire of thirty armed insurgents to cover his squad’s retreat. He took seven bullets!” “He cleared a path through a live minefield with his bare paws so my men could walk out alive. He lost half a leg in the blast!” “He is a registered, decorated war hero! A soldier who saved the lives of hundreds of my men!” “And you stand there and tell me he is just a dog?!” Uncle Marcus’s voice escalated with every word until it became a deafening roar. The two officers behind him glared at Tristan and Beth with lethal intent. Tristan’s face went from pale to a sickly green. The sheer volume and fury stunned him into absolute silence. His mouth opened and closed, but no words came out. Beth was practically paralyzed with fear. She shrank behind Tristan, shaking like a leaf. “I… I didn’t know… I swear I didn’t know…” Her crying sounded hollow and pathetic in the heavy air. Uncle Marcus’s gaze sliced through her. “You didn’t know?” “When Monica paid your tuition, did she never mention Ranger’s history? Did you not see the heavy titanium dog tags around his neck?” “When you lured him out of the estate, did the housekeeper not explicitly tell you he wasn’t allowed to leave the grounds?” The rapid-fire interrogation left Beth completely speechless. She could only shake her head frantically. I watched her clumsy performance with pure disgust. In my past life, that exact innocent act made me believe it was a tragic accident. But the moment I was reborn, the first thing I did was pull the estate’s security footage. The footage showed Beth expertly unbuckling Ranger’s collar. She used a piece of cured steak tied to a rope to lure him past the gates. When the housekeeper ran out to stop her, Beth lied smoothly, claiming I had ordered her to take the dog to the park. She knew exactly what she was doing. It was premeditated murder. Tristan finally realized he had stepped on a landmine. He wasn’t stupid. He knew exactly what a military medal of that caliber meant. Money could not fix this. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead. He forced an incredibly stiff, unnatural smile. “General, sir… this was a catastrophic oversight on our part.” He lowered his head, completely dropping his arrogant posture. “We are willing to issue a formal apology. Name your price. The Vanguard Group will pay it without hesitation.” He was still trying to buy his way out. It was his only survival tactic. Uncle Marcus looked at him with absolute contempt. “Pay it?” “With what?” “Are you going to pay me with the lives of the hundreds of soldiers that dog saved?” Uncle Marcus took a heavy step forward. The oppressive aura made Tristan instinctively step back. “Do you have any idea what the federal penalty is for the mutilation and desecration of a decorated military veteran?” Tristan’s lips quivered. “Tristan…” Beth tugged at his sleeve, her voice cracking. “Call the police… please call the police.” Call the police? I almost laughed out loud. She actually thought this was a simple civil dispute. Tristan grabbed the idea like a lifeline and yanked out his phone. Uncle Marcus just watched him, making no move to stop him. The call connected. Tristan found his arrogant voice again. “Yes, 911? I need police at my residence immediately. Armed men have trespassed on my property and are threatening my life!” He exaggerated the scene, painting Uncle Marcus as some rogue, power-hungry thug. The dispatcher listened patiently. Finally, she asked one question. “Sir, what is your exact address?” Tristan recited his luxury estate address. A few seconds of silence followed. Then, the dispatcher spoke in a cold, robotic, official tone. “Sir, we have logged your situation. However, the coordinates you provided have just been designated as a temporary classified military zone. Civilian law enforcement has no jurisdiction to intervene. Goodbye.” “What?” Tristan’s voice cracked. “A classified military zone? Are you insane?!” The line went dead. Tristan stood frozen, the phone slipping from his sweaty grip. The color drained from his face completely. He finally understood. This was not a game he could win. He had provoked an entity that could crush his entire empire with a single phone call. He whipped his head around, staring at me in absolute horror. “Monica… what did you do?” I looked at his terrified face, feeling nothing but profound peace. This was only the prologue. Every ounce of suffering they inflicted on me in my past life, I was going to collect with interest. Uncle Marcus pulled out his secure encrypted phone and dialed a number. His tone was crisp, efficient, and ruthlessly military. “Special Operations Military Police? This is General Marcus.” “Location is the Vanguard Estate, Sector 4. We have a severe case of desecration of a decorated military asset.” “Yes. Extremely hostile.” “Deploy a containment team immediately. Lock down the perimeter and detain everyone inside.” “And notify Richard, CEO of the Vanguard Group. Tell him to get his ass down here right now.” He hung up the phone and looked at Tristan like he was looking at a corpse. “You wanted to know who I am, boy?” “General Marcus. First Special Operations Command.” “Ranger was my soldier. I personally handed him over to Monica’s father.”

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1 The press conference to introduce the new CEO’s wife is tomorrow, and I’m the main event. No one at the office knows yet. I can hear the snickers of my female colleagues from the breakroom. They’re gossiping about the new secretary who was just fired for trying to seduce Mr. Knight. “She should have taken a good look in the mirror. Does she really think a man like Mr. Knight would ever fall for her?” “Seriously. Talk about punching above your weight.” I hear every word as I stand just outside the door. I turn with my coffee and walk back to my tiny, windowless cubicle. Sitting down, I open my messaging app and send a text to the contact pinned at the top, “Mr. Knight.” You’re sleeping on the couch tonight. After all, no one knows that the untouchable Vincent Knight they’re all talking about was washing my feet just last night. … “Did you hear? The new secretary tried to make a move on Mr. Knight and got kicked out.” In the breakroom, a few of my colleagues were cackling. I stood in the doorway, mug in hand, hearing everything with perfect clarity. “As if he’d ever look at someone like her.” “I know, right? Some people are just delusional.” I turned and walked back to my little cubicle, the one without even a window. I sat, opened my phone, and tapped out a message to the contact at the top of my list, “Mr. Knight.” You’re sleeping on the couch tonight. No one knew that the man they considered a god, the great Vincent Knight, had been washing my feet the night before. And no one knew that the press conference tomorrow, the one to introduce the mysterious Mrs. Knight, was all about me. My name is Ava, the hidden majority shareholder of this company and Vincent Knight’s legal wife. I took this secretarial job because Vincent said the office culture had gotten toxic lately, and he wanted me to go “undercover” to see what was really going on. I thought I’d be catching a few employees slacking off. I didn’t expect to find a nest of vipers all trying to claw their way to the top. Jessica, the prettiest girl in the administration department, was now swaying into my cubicle. She slammed a thick stack of documents onto my desk. “Ava, get these printed and distributed to every department before you leave.” I looked up at her. “That’s an administrative task.” Jessica sneered. “Right now, I’m your superior. You do what I say. Got it?” I glanced at the stack. The top sheet was the itinerary for tomorrow’s “Mrs. Knight Introduction Gala.” “I heard you got thrown out after trying to deliver coffee to the top floor today,” Jessica leaned in, her voice a low hiss. “Ava, a person needs to know their place. A man like Mr. Knight is not someone a piece of trash like you can even dream about.” I just smiled, saying nothing. I was, in fact, “thrown out,” but only because Vincent had tried to kiss me in his office, and I’d pushed him away. He’d walked me to the door with a pout on his face, and Jessica, who was passing by, must have caught a glimpse and assumed the worst. “Still smiling? Get to work!” Jessica rolled her eyes and stomped away on her stilettos. I picked up the documents and ambled over to the printer. Passing the breakroom, I saw the same group of women was still there. “Hey, what do you think the boss’s wife will be like?” “Definitely some supermodel, or an heiress from a powerful family.” “One thing’s for sure, it won’t be a plain Jane like Ava.” I listened to their chatter, feeling nothing at all. I was just wondering what their faces would look like if they knew the “plain Jane” they were mocking held 40% of the company’s stock. My phone vibrated. Mr. Knight: Honey, I was wrong. I’ll never try anything in the office again. Mr. Knight: The water for your foot bath is ready. Can I please not sleep on the couch? I replied with a single word: No. Putting my phone away, I saw Jessica furtively stepping into Vincent’s private elevator. It required a fingerprint and a passcode. How did she have the passcode? I narrowed my eyes. This “undercover mission” was getting more interesting by the minute. 2 Jessica entered the elevator with a look of feverish determination. I stood around the corner, watching the numbers climb and stop at the top floor. Besides Vincent, I was the only person who knew the passcode to his office. Unless someone had leaked it. I went back to my desk, in no hurry to catch her in the act. Instead, I opened my laptop and logged into the company’s backend security system. As the majority shareholder, my clearance was even higher than Vincent’s. On the monitor, I watched Jessica stand before the CEO’s office and enter the passcode with practiced ease. The door opened. Vincent was at his desk, frowning at a financial report. Jessica glided in, her voice dripping with honey. “Mr. Knight, here’s the coffee you asked for.” Vincent didn’t even look up. “Put it down and get out.” Jessica didn’t move. Instead, she circled the desk and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Mr. Knight, you’ve been working so hard. Let me give you a massage?” I could feel Vincent’s body tense up even through the screen. He shot to his feet with such force that Jessica stumbled back. “Who gave you the passcode?” His voice was pure ice. Jessica froze, her eyes instantly welling with tears. “It… it was Mr. Richard, the Vice President. He said you’ve been under a lot of stress…” Richard. My fingers tapped a light rhythm on my desk. That would be Richard Knight, Vincent’s cousin, the one who had always coveted the CEO position. “Get out,” Vincent pointed to the door. “And don’t ever set foot on this floor again.” Jessica ran out, sobbing. I closed the monitor, one piece of the puzzle falling into place. Richard was trying to set a honey trap for Vincent, hoping to catch him in a compromising position. If Vincent had touched Jessica today, Richard would be using the footage to blackmail him tomorrow. Too bad he’d underestimated Vincent. And he’d underestimated me. When Jessica returned to the admin department, her eyes were swollen. She shot me a venomous glare as she passed my desk. “What are you looking at? I’ll gouge your eyes out!” I took a calm sip of my coffee. “Ms. Miller, is your work done?” She trembled with rage, pointing a finger at my nose. “Ava, don’t you get cocky. If I’m going down, I’m taking you with me! You’re uninvited from the gala tomorrow. Go to logistics and help move boxes!” I raised an eyebrow. “Whose decision is that?” “My decision!” Jessica shouted. “I’m in charge of this department!” Our colleagues glanced over, their eyes filled with a mixture of pity and scorn. “Poor Ava, she picked the wrong person to mess with.” “Well, Jessica has VP Richard backing her up.” I nodded. “Fine. I’ll go move boxes.” I was actually curious to see how they’d handle tomorrow’s meticulously planned gala without the main character. After work, a Rolls-Royce pulled up right as I stepped out of the building. The window rolled down to reveal Vincent’s handsome face, now etched with a pleading expression. “Honey, get in.” I ignored him and kept walking. He scrambled out of the car and ran after me, grabbing my hand. “I was wrong, I was really wrong. Richard planted her here, I swear I didn’t even get a good look at her face.” I stopped and looked at him. “She had the passcode to your office.” Vincent’s expression hardened. “Richard must have spied on me to get it. I’ve already had the locks changed.” I pulled my hand away. “Tonight, you’re sleeping on the balcony.” “Honey…” He trailed after me like a giant, dejected puppy. The setting sun stretched our shadows long on the pavement. Who would have thought that the ice-cold CEO of Knight Industries was such a clinger in private? 3 The next morning, the atmosphere in the company was a strange mix of tense and electric. The lobby was lined with a red carpet, and the air was thick with the scent of Bulgarian roses flown in overnight. Everyone was whispering about the mysterious “Mrs. Knight.” And me? I was in the logistics warehouse, dressed in a gray janitor’s uniform, counting bottles of mineral water. Jessica appeared at the warehouse door, dressed in an expensive custom gown and towering heels, preening like a peacock. She pinched her nose in disgust. “Ava, all this water needs to be moved to the banquet hall by 10 AM. If even one bottle is missing, you can pack your things and leave.” I looked at the mountain of boxes. “This is a mover’s job,” I said calmly. “In here, you are whatever I tell you to be,” Jessica smirked. “Oh, and I forgot to tell you, VP Richard said he’s recommending me to give the employee representative speech at the gala today. I’m going to have Mr. Knight fire you in front of the entire company.” I smiled and loaded a case of water onto a dolly. “Well, Ms. Miller, I wish you the best of luck.” At ten o’clock sharp, the gala began. The banquet hall was a sea of glittering lights and flashing cameras. Vincent stood on the stage, his expression thunderous. He kept checking his phone, his eyes frantically scanning the crowd. I knew he was looking for me. I’d told him I had a surprise for him. Richard sat in the front row, a calculating smile on his face. He leaned over and whispered something to Vincent, which only made his face darken further. Jessica stood nervously in the wings, clutching her speech and fluffing her hair. I pushed a cart of water through a service entrance at the back of the hall and found a spot in a dark corner to watch the show. “Thank you all for coming,” Richard stood up, taking the microphone as if he were the host. “Today, in addition to revealing the identity of Mrs. Knight, we have another important matter to address.” He shot Vincent a venomous look. “We need to rectify some… unwholesome elements within our company culture. For instance, certain secretaries who try to sleep their way to the top.” A wave of murmurs swept through the audience. The reporters aimed their cameras squarely at Vincent. Vincent’s voice was cold steel. “Richard, do you have any idea what you’re saying?” “Of course, I do.” Richard clapped his hands. A video flickered to life on the large screen behind the stage. It was the security footage of Jessica entering Vincent’s office yesterday. From the camera’s angle, it looked as though Jessica was throwing herself at him, and Vincent wasn’t pushing her away. Jessica let out a small shriek from the side of the stage, lowering her head in a brilliant performance of shame. “Mr. Knight, Ms. Miller here has told me everything,” Richard said, his voice full of feigned disappointment. “As the CEO, how could you engage in such an affair with a subordinate? What will your future wife think?” Vincent actually laughed, a humorless, angry sound. Just as he was about to erupt, I stepped out from the shadows. I shed the gray janitor’s coat, revealing the priceless red silk gown I wore underneath. As I walked, I reached up and pulled the tie from my hair, letting it fall in waves over my shoulders. “What will his wife think?” My voice wasn’t loud, but the wireless microphone clipped to my collar, a special one Vincent had prepared for me, carried it to every corner of the hall. In that one, stunning moment, every single head in the room turned to look at me.

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The moment I opened my eyes, I was back. Back to the day Sophie promised to buy the entire class a set of Labubus. I’d never forget this scene. Not in a million lifetimes. In my past life, this was the exact moment my world shattered and plunged into darkness. Sophie, my roommate, had secretly stolen my black card. She was parading it around, boasting that she was taking everyone on a shopping spree for the new limited-edition Labubus. Pick whatever you want, she’d said. She had no idea that Labubu was my family’s brand. That my mother was the CEO of the world’s largest designer toy conglomerate. In my past life, she used that card to rack up an insane bill, saddling me with a mountain of debt I couldn’t explain and turning me into a pariah. When I confronted her, she collapsed into my boyfriend’s arms, sobbing, “Aria, how could you blame me just because you can’t handle your own spending problem?” Later, on my way to the bank to get the transaction records, Sophie ran me down with her car. The most chilling part? My entire class testified against me, claiming I’d faked the accident out of jealousy. This time, as Sophie’s boastful promise echoed in the room, I knew what was coming. I knew the panic that would seize her when the class chose the ultra-rare diamond editions, each worth a staggering fifty million dollars, bringing the total to over a billion. … 1 “Listen up, everyone! The new Labubu line drops tomorrow. We’re all going to the flagship store, and it’s my treat. Pick whatever you like.” Sophie’s chin was held high, her voice bouncing off the dorm room walls. A tremor shot through me. I was really back. Back to the day my personal hell began. Sophie swayed over, linking her arm with mine in a show of friendship. “Aria, honey, I heard that flagship store is VIP-only. Doesn’t your bank card have some kind of priority access? Let me borrow it so I can get everyone in without waiting in line.” The exact same excuse she used before. My mother, wanting me to experience a normal college life, had given me a special supplementary card. It had a modest daily limit on the surface, but it was secretly linked to her corporate account’s highest level of clearance. Last time, Sophie had used the excuse of “borrowing” it, only to steal it and go on a wild shopping spree, maxing out what she thought was the limit. The debt made me the laughingstock of the campus, cementing my reputation as a “gold digger.” When I confronted her, she’d cried and thrown herself into the arms of Mark, my boyfriend of three years. “Aria, I know your family doesn’t have much, but you can’t just accuse me of theft because you can’t pay your bills.” And Mark… he’d slapped me, calling me a vain, materialistic bitch. On my way to the bank for proof, Sophie’s car had slammed into me. She hadn’t stopped. She’d reversed and run me over again, and again, until I stopped breathing. As a ghost, I’d watched Mark and my classmates lie for her, telling the police I was a desperate scam artist who’d thrown myself in front of her car. My mother, who was overseas on business, was devastated. By the time she uncovered the truth, Sophie’s family had already smuggled her out of the country. The grief and rage made my mother sick. The memory made my blood boil. I wanted to tear the woman in front of me to pieces. I swallowed my rage and looked at Sophie’s perfectly fake smile. “My card? I don’t have it with me.” Mark was sprawled in my desk chair, glued to his game. Without looking up, he scoffed, “Don’t be a spoilsport, Aria. Sophie’s being generous. The least your useless card can do is be helpful for once.” He stood up, snatched the bag hanging from my bedpost, and dumped everything onto my mattress. His eyes landed on the black card. He tossed it to Sophie. “Here, Sophie. Go ahead. Don’t mind this cheapskate.” Sophie beamed, pressing herself against Mark. “You’re the best, Mark. I hope Aria isn’t mad.” Mark’s face was soft with affection for her, but when he turned to me, his eyes were full of disgust. “What is your problem, Aria? It’s just a card. Get over yourself.” I walked toward him. CRACK! The sound of my hand connecting with his cheek echoed in the sudden silence of the room. I’d put every ounce of my strength into it. In the stunned silence, I smoothly plucked the card from Sophie’s grasp. “What gives you the right to touch my things, Mark?” He cupped his cheek, his eyes wide with disbelief. “Aria! Are you insane? You’re a scholarship kid living on financial aid. You dare hit me?” CRACK! Another slap, this time on his other cheek. “Do I need to make an appointment?” 2 “Aria, how could you hit Mark!” Sophie immediately threw herself in front of him, her eyes welling with tears. “It’s all my fault, I’m the one who wanted the card. Please don’t be mad at him. If you have to hit someone, hit me.” She was a picture of tragic beauty. I let out a cold laugh and, without hesitation, slapped her across the face. “As you wish.” “And save the act. You’re not fooling anyone.” Sophie clutched her face, her eyes wide with shock. Mark’s eyes went bloodshot. He lunged forward and shoved me, hard. I stumbled back, the corner of the metal bed frame digging into my lower back, a searing pain that made me break out in a cold sweat. “Aria! Don’t push your luck! What right do you have to hit Sophie? She’s the kindest person I know!” I clutched my back, staring him down. “She was asking for it!” Our other roommates gathered around, their voices a chorus of condemnation. “Aria, that’s so out of line. Sophie was trying to do something nice, and you attack her just because you won’t lend her a card?” Sophie was sobbing hysterically, clinging to Mark’s arm. “Mark, don’t blame her. It must be because she’s poor… it makes her insecure. But I swear, there’s nothing going on between us.” Mark was completely taken in, pulling her into a protective embrace. “Sophie, you’re just too pure. That’s why vultures like her take advantage of you.” He glared at me, his gaze dripping with contempt. “Aria, drop the ghetto attitude. Give Sophie the card and apologize. Now. Or we’re done.” I almost laughed. How had I been so blind? “Done? I’d love nothing more!” I announced. “Mark, consider yourself dumped!” Sophie feigned shock. “Aria, don’t be rash! You two have been together for three years, you can’t just throw that away!” Then her expression shifted to one of magnanimous charity. “How about this, Aria. You lend me the card, and all the loyalty points from tomorrow’s shopping spree can go to you. I heard VIP cards like this can rack up enough points to redeem for rare collectibles. You could sell one for tens of thousands. See? It’s a win-win for you.” Mark chimed in, “She’s giving you a way out, Aria. Don’t be an idiot. Hand over the card.” I smirked. “My card. My rules. And I’m not lending it.” A flash of venom crossed Sophie’s eyes. “Aria, I just really want everyone in our class to have a Labubu they love. If you just lend me the card, I’ll even throw in one of the newest blind boxes for you, personally. How about that?” The other girls in the room started to pressure me. “Come on, Aria, that’s a great deal. You get points and a freebie.” Mark added snidely, “You just wanted a bigger piece of the pie, didn’t you? Take the deal and stop being pathetic.” I scanned their greedy, foolish faces. In my past life, every one of them had lied to seal my fate. “Are you all deaf? I said no.” A murderous glint flickered in Sophie’s eyes before vanishing. The next second, she was wiping away tears and turning to a group of students from another class who had just walked in. Her voice was the epitome of heartbroken innocence. “I’m so sorry, everyone. I promised I’d treat you all to Labubus tomorrow, but… Aria won’t lend me her VIP card, so we can’t use the priority access. I’ve broken my promise.” With that, she covered her face and wilted into Mark’s arms. Mark, burning with righteous fury, looked at me as if he wanted to kill me. He stormed over and slapped me viciously across the face. “You bitch, Aria!” He followed it with a sharp kick to my stomach. I crumpled to the floor, pain exploding in my abdomen. Mark stood over me, snarling, “You did this on purpose, didn’t you? You can’t stand that Sophie is popular! You’ve always been jealous that she has more money and more friends than you!” 3 His words riled up the crowd. Their promised free-for-all was gone. A girl grabbed a glass bottle from a desk and hurled it at my head. “You’re disgusting, Aria! We finally had a chance to get a limited edition, and you ruined it!” Then, someone splashed the dregs of last night’s coffee on my face. Others followed, throwing whatever trash they could find at me. I was a mess, covered in sticky, foul-smelling garbage. But the hatred inside me erupted. I surged to my feet, grabbed a nearby chair, and hurled it into the crowd. “GET OUT! ALL OF YOU!” The chair crashed to the floor with a deafening bang, startling everyone into silence. “Aria, you’re crazy!” Ignoring the throbbing pain, I pulled out my phone and dialed 911. “Yes, I’m being attacked by a group of people. The address is…” The mention of police sent Mark into a panic. He lunged, snatched my phone, and slammed it onto the ground. The screen shattered. “What the hell is wrong with you, Aria! It was just a joke between classmates! Are you trying to ruin everyone’s lives?” I stared at him, my voice ice. “You had the guts to attack me. I have the guts to call the cops.” Ten minutes later, the police and our student advisor arrived. But it was my word against everyone else’s. They all stuck to the same story: I’d had some kind of breakdown and was making false accusations. The advisor, eager to sweep it under the rug, vaguely supported their claims. Despite my protests, with no clear evidence, the police simply gave a lecture on getting along and left. They weren’t punished, but at least the immediate danger was over. As I was leaving, I noticed the zipper on my backpack had been tampered with. A cold knot formed in my stomach. I said nothing. I just went back to my apartment. After a long shower, I took out the black card and examined it closely. It was a fake. Sophie had swapped them. It must have happened during the chaos, when they were all surrounding me. She’d planned it all along, provoking me to create a diversion so she could make the switch. I thought I had taken my card back, but the real one was already in her hands. If she succeeded tomorrow, I’d be right back where I started in my last life, buried under a mountain of debt. Not this time. This time, there would be no escape. I picked up my spare phone and dialed a number. “Ms. Ross, is everything alright?” It was Andrew, my mother’s chief of staff. “Andrew, my card’s been stolen by a classmate.” “What?” His voice instantly sharpened. “Are you safe?” “I’m fine. But the thief is planning to use it at the downtown flagship store tomorrow. She thinks it has an unlimited line of credit.” Andrew understood immediately. “I’ll contact the bank and have the card frozen at once.” “No,” I cut in. “Andrew, don’t freeze it.” “Why not?” I took a deep breath and laid out my plan. “They want to play? Let’s play. Andrew, I need you to contact the manager of the flagship store. Tomorrow, I want the Eternal Diamond Collection placed in the most prominent display in the entire store.” Andrew audibly gasped. “The Eternal Diamond Collection… that’s the ten-year anniversary series. Only one hundred were ever made, each one covered in VVS-grade natural diamonds. They’re fifty million dollars a piece.” “Ms. Ross, are you sure?” “I’m absolutely sure. They want to buy Labubus? Fine. Let them buy the best.” After hanging up, I allowed myself a small smile. My card had a security protocol. Any single-day transaction total exceeding one hundred million dollars required biometric verification from the cardholder—my iris and my fingerprint. Sophie thought she was holding a key to an endless vault. She had no idea that the vault had a final lock only I could open. Last time, her spending spree hadn’t hit that threshold, so the transaction went through. Sophie. Mark. Tomorrow, you’re going to learn what the word “priceless” really means. 4 The next day, I went to the Labubu flagship store downtown. I took a seat in the second-floor café, at a table overlooking the entire showroom floor. Before long, Sophie, Mark, and the rest of the class—a loud, boisterous group of over thirty people—poured into the store. Sophie, dressed in a designer knockoff, clung to Mark’s arm, beaming with self-importance. She brandished my black card at a sales associate. “My aunt works for your corporate office,” she lied smoothly. “She said this card gets us VIP access.” The associate glanced at the card, and her eyes widened slightly. She immediately radioed the manager. The manager himself came out to greet them, leading them with practiced deference to the central VIP display. “Distinguished guests, you’ve arrived at the perfect time. We’ve just received a shipment from our archival collection.” The class erupted in oohs and aahs. “Wow, Sophie, you’re so well-connected!” Sophie soaked in the praise. “It’s nothing. Please, everyone, pick whatever you like. Don’t be shy.” The manager smiled and hit a switch. Lights illuminated a row of figures, each shimmering under a bulletproof glass dome. They were Labubus, but unlike any they had ever seen. Crafted from the finest flocked vinyl, their eyes were rare black diamonds, and their bodies were encrusted with a glittering array of pink and white diamonds. The entire class was stunned into silence. “Is… is that a Labubu? Are those real diamonds?” Even Sophie was taken aback. She was vain, but not stupid enough to mistake these for ordinary toys. But with the black card in her hand, she felt invincible. To save face, she forced a laugh. “Of course they are. This is the special collection I arranged for you all. Why settle for the regular stuff when you can have the best?” Mark wrapped his arms around her. “Sophie, you’re incredible!” “It’s just money,” she said, waving a dismissive hand. “Come on, everyone, pick one out.” With a collective cheer, the students swarmed the displays. The manager, ever so helpful, began carefully placing each selected diamond Labubu into a specially designed, heavily padded case. From my perch upstairs, I watched the feeding frenzy. Thirty-two classmates, plus Sophie and Mark. Thirty-four in total. I walked down the stairs, timing my path to intersect with theirs. Mark spotted me, a sneer instantly forming on his face. “Well, well, look who it is. Aria. You here to buy a Labubu? Or just to window shop?” I glanced at the diamond-encrusted figure in his hands. “Be careful with that,” I said calmly. “It’s… delicate.” Nothing set Mark off more than my condescension. “What do you know about luxury, Aria? Don’t act all high and mighty.” To show off, he tossed the Labubu a few inches into the air and caught it. “See? Sophie can afford it. We can play with it.” Sophie giggled. “Don’t mind her, Mark. She’s probably never seen anything this expensive before. It’s just a toy. If it breaks, it breaks.” I just shook my head. “If you say so. You must be very rich.” My apparent submission only fueled Mark’s arrogance. He glanced at Sophie, wanting to impress her. “Watch this, Aria!” he shouted. “This is what real money looks like!” And with a grand, theatrical motion, he hurled the diamond Labubu down onto the marble floor.

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Opening my eyes, I was a child of three again, in my tiny childhood bedroom. Watching my little sister sleep beside me, I swore a vow: this time, I would make sure she and my mother remained bound to each other forever. In my past life, my mother had asked an online forum which child to take in the divorce—the baby or the toddler. Strangers told her to take me, and she never let me forget it. Nightly, she poisoned me with guilt, claiming my sister suffered at the hands of a cruel stepmother because of me. I believed her. To atone, I woke at dawn to cook and clean, wearing faded rags and eating scraps, while every treat and toy was saved for my sister. That life ended in college, when a doctor told me I had advanced stomach cancer. I begged my mother for help, but my sister, the one I’d sacrificed everything for, spat that I deserved to die. My mother agreed, called me a burden, and threw me out. I froze to death under a bridge, alone. 1 “Why is everyone telling me to take Luna? Jennifer is just a baby. She needs her mother the most. Asking these people online is completely useless.” I blinked against the morning light, taking in the familiar faded wallpaper. My mother, Diane, was sitting at the edge of the bed. She cradled my baby sister, Jennifer, in one arm while angrily scrolling through her phone. Looking down at my own tiny, chubby hands, the reality set in. I had been reborn. This was the exact day my parents were finalizing their divorce. In my previous life, my mother took me away, marking the beginning of my living nightmare. The bedroom door creaked open. My father, Rob, walked in with heavy bags under his eyes. He saw that I was awake and offered a sad, exhausted smile. “Luna, sweetie,” he began softly. “Mommy and Daddy are going to live in different houses now. Do you want to go with Mommy or stay with Daddy?” This exact moment had played out before. Back then, I hesitated but eventually reached out for my mother. This time, I did not hesitate for a single second. “Daddy. I want Daddy.” Diane snapped her head toward me and rolled her eyes in pure disgust. “Ungrateful little brat. You share my blood, but you choose him. Fine. Since you made your choice, don’t ever blame me for playing favorites.” She stood up abruptly. “I am packing my things and taking Jennifer today.” Diane had already packed her suitcases. Standing in the entryway, she held Jennifer against her hip and gripped the handle of her luggage. “I am leaving this house to you,” Diane sneered at my father. “But I am taking every single cent from the joint accounts. You will pay me three thousand dollars a month in child support. As for Luna, she is entirely your problem now.” This house was paid for entirely by my paternal grandparents before they passed away. Diane legally could not touch it. But taking all the liquid assets was a deliberate, vicious move. She wanted to ensure my father and I starved. “Diane, if you empty the accounts, how am I supposed to feed Luna?” Rob pleaded, his face pale with stress. “How is that my problem? Did you think about how to feed us when you were out cheating on me?” Diane’s voice pierced the air like a siren. “I told you I never cheated! What you saw was a complete misunderstanding!” “Save your breath. I am too good for a dirty liar like you. I take the money, or we go to court. Non-negotiable.” Hearing this, I immediately threw myself onto the floor and let out a deafening, theatrical wail. “Mommy! Please don’t let me starve! Please leave Daddy and me some money to buy food!” In my past life, she only demanded two-thirds of the savings. She even secretly funneled money to Jennifer over the years to ensure her comfort. A toddler’s scream is piercing. I wailed with every ounce of air in my little lungs. Within seconds, neighbors began poking their heads out of their doors, drawn by the commotion in the apartment hallway. “What are you screaming about, you stupid girl?” Diane hissed, her face turning red. “Your father is a cheater! And you take his side? You really treat your own mother like an outsider!” Whispers broke out among the neighbors. “He looks like such an honest guy. I can’t believe he had an affair.” “She gave him two beautiful daughters. Men are truly pigs.” Rob’s defensive arguments were drowned out by the judgmental murmurs of the crowd. He looked completely defeated. I rubbed my tear-soaked eyes and looked up innocently. “Mommy, what does cheating mean?” “Does cheating mean talking to strangers on the phone?” Diane’s eyes lit up. She thought I was handing her the ultimate weapon. “Did you see your Daddy talking to a strange lady on the phone, Luna? Tell Mommy the truth. Mommy will buy you candy and pretty dresses.” Under her eager gaze, I nodded slowly. The neighbors gasped. Rob stared at me in absolute shock. “I saw Mommy talking to a strange uncle on the phone all the time in the bathroom. He called you baby. Is that what cheating is?” The hallway went dead silent. The expressions on the neighbors’ faces flipped instantly. The woman who had just called my father a pig now looked like she had swallowed a lemon. “Wait. She’s the one sneaking around?” “Accusing him of cheating when she’s the one doing it. That takes some nerve.” “What are you talking about? Did your father tell you to frame me?!” Diane shrieked. Her face twisted in utter rage. Before anyone could react, she swung her hand down and slapped me across the face with all her strength. The impact threw my tiny body against the hardwood floor. A sharp, ringing pain exploded in my ear. “Are you insane?! You don’t hit a child!” Rob yelled, shoving past her to scoop me into his arms. “Luna! Are you okay?” He glared at Diane with pure hatred. “Are you happy now, Diane? We split the assets fifty-fifty. If you disagree, I will drag you to court. Let a judge decide how much a cheating, abusive mother deserves.” Diane glared at me with venomous eyes. “Have the money ready by Friday.” With that, she hoisted Jennifer up, dragged her suitcase out the door, and pushed her way past the whispering neighbors. I knew Diane had accepted the fifty-fifty split. 2 The moment she was gone, Rob rushed me to the emergency room. The doctor was furious. “You do not strike a child in the head! You could cause permanent brain damage!” If I hadn’t been free of other bruises, the doctor would have called child protective services immediately. The right side of my face was swollen like a bruised peach. “I know, I know. I am so sorry. It was a domestic dispute, and her mother lost control,” Rob apologized repeatedly, his voice shaking with guilt. The examination results came back within the hour. A minor perforated eardrum. It required medicated drops and careful observation to heal naturally. “Daddy, can I play with your phone?” I asked, putting on my best puppy-dog eyes. Riddled with guilt and pity, he immediately unlocked it and handed it to me. I knew exactly what forum Diane used. She had gloated about it in my previous life. My small fingers clumsily typed the keywords into the search bar. Within seconds, I found the trending post. Title: Divorcing. Two kids. One is a year old, the other is three. Which one should I take? The top comment read: Take the older one. A three-year-old is easier to manage and will be in school soon. She can help with chores. Plus, she already has memories and will bond with you better. The baby knows nothing and might be turned against you by the father. Just buy the younger one gifts later to make up for it. Diane had replied with just one sentence: But my baby girl needs her mother’s presence so much right now. That single reply triggered a wave of sympathy from other users. “My heart breaks for the original poster.” “She clearly favors the baby. Why ask for advice?” “Did you notice she mentioned the baby first in the title? Psychology says you list what you care about most first.” “The three-year-old is going to suffer. I feel so bad for her.” I scrolled down to the very bottom. There was a new comment posted by Diane just an hour ago. “You can stop defending the three-year-old. She just told everyone she wants to stay with her father. She is an ungrateful little snake. I nearly died giving birth to her, and she betrays me the moment things get hard.” She conveniently omitted the part where I exposed her infidelity. In my memories, I hadn’t caught her on the phone that often. But living with her in my past life, I remembered the strange men who would constantly visit her apartment after the divorce. I had taken a gamble today by accusing her of having an affair. Based on her violent reaction, I hit the bullseye. Diane thought the men she invited over were good people. But I knew the horrifying reality of living with men who shared no blood with you. In my past life, I had to lock the bathroom door twice when showering. I slept with a chair wedged against my bedroom door. I never dared to wear shorts in summer. I was actually grateful Diane bought me oversized, ugly clothes. It kept me hidden. Within a week, Rob finalized the paperwork and transferred half the assets to Diane. Watching the ink dry on the divorce papers, I let out a massive breath of relief. I was free. The timeline remained the same. Six months later, my father remarried. I finally met my stepmother, Sarah. She was the woman Jennifer would later claim was an abusive monster. Sarah was a sharp, professional woman dressed in a crisp blazer. She didn’t look mean; she just looked efficient. “I am going to be your mother from now on,” she said, kneeling to my eye level. “But if you aren’t comfortable calling me Mom, you can just call me Aunt Sarah.” “Aunt Sarah,” I chirped immediately. Only an idiot would reject an olive branch. “Rob, you know Luna is still so little. She needs a maternal figure,” Sarah told my father later that evening, not bothering to hide the conversation from me. “I cannot have biological children. I promise you, I will raise Luna as my own flesh and blood. You have nothing to worry about.” Hearing this, the final puzzle piece clicked into place. In my past life, Rob only remarried to give Jennifer a complete family. And Sarah was completely infertile. She poured all her resources into Jennifer, yet Jennifer repaid her with nothing but hatred. 3 Living with Sarah and Rob, I experienced true warmth for the first time in two lifetimes. In my previous life, despite being starved and overworked, I managed to claw my way into a decent state university. This time, with a healthy environment, I was unstoppable. As I entered elementary school, I realized what Jennifer meant when she complained about “suffering” under Sarah. Sarah was incredibly strict about my education. My daily schedule was packed with tutoring, piano lessons, and reading assignments. But it wasn’t a prison. She strictly enforced rest periods, made sure I ate nutritious meals, and took me on educational trips across the country during summer vacations. These were experiences I could only dream of in my past life. By the time I reached middle school, Sarah’s rigorous foundation paid off. I was consistently at the top of my class. I was healthy, tall, and confident. During my eighth-grade year, a familiar face appeared at the gates of my private academy. It was Jennifer. She looked exactly like she did in my past life. Soft, pale, and slightly chubby. Even though she wore a public school uniform, her sneakers and hair clips were expensive designer brands. “Sister,” she called out, running up to me with a sickly sweet smile. “Mom misses you so much. She told me to bring you home for dinner.” A child’s acting is terribly clumsy. I saw the malicious glint in her eyes instantly. “Sure,” I smiled back. “Let me just make a quick phone call, and I’ll walk with you.” Ignoring the hateful glare burning into my back, I typed out an emergency text to the police, attached my live location, and set it on a fifteen-minute delayed send. This time, I was going to send that monster straight to hell. I followed Jennifer to a dingy apartment complex. The moment she unlocked the door, I could sense her physical hesitation. She was terrified to go inside. I lingered in the hallway for a moment before stepping in. Sitting on the stained living room sofa was a man. Greg. Just the sight of him made my stomach churn. The smell of stale beer and cheap tobacco hit my face. “So this is Luna,” Greg slurred, his eyes dragging up and down my body like he was appraising a piece of meat. “Your mother talks about you a lot. You don’t look anything like Jennifer.” I suppressed my nausea and gave a tight nod. “Sister, come look at my new toys in my room,” Jennifer urged, her voice trembling slightly. “Okay.” I followed her into the cramped bedroom. The moment the door clicked shut, I secretly pressed the record button on my phone and slipped it into my pocket. Jennifer dropped her sweet act immediately. She lowered her voice, her face twisting in pure hatred. “Luna, if it wasn’t for you, I would have stayed with Dad! I would be the one going to that fancy private school! I would be the one getting perfect grades! Why do you get to have the perfect life?!” I looked at her with pity. Even if she had the opportunity, she never had the discipline to succeed. “Did you really think Mom wanted to see you?” Jennifer sneered. “She wishes you were dead.” A heavy fist pounded on the bedroom door. “Are you done in there?” Greg’s muffled, greasy voice demanded. Jennifer flinched violently. “It’s time you experience what it’s really like to live here,” she whispered maliciously. She yanked the door open, slipped past Greg, and bolted out of the apartment, leaving me trapped inside. Greg stepped into the room, blocking the exit. “Jennifer is a little busy right now,” he smiled, revealing yellowed teeth. “Why don’t you play with me instead?” “We are going to play a game you have never played before.” “No. I need to go home. My dad and Aunt Sarah are waiting for me,” I said, backing against the wall. He lunged forward. The suffocating stench of his unwashed body brought back terrifying flashes of my past life. The moment his rough hands grazed my shoulder, I let out a bloodcurdling scream. “Don’t touch me! Get away from me!” I unzipped my backpack, pulled out a sharp utility knife I used for art projects, and slashed wildly. The blade dug deep into his forearm, slicing right down to the bone. Blood sprayed across the cheap carpet. “You little bitch!” Greg roared in agony, clutching his bleeding arm. “I’m going to teach you a lesson you will never forget!” He threw his massive weight toward me, his eyes wide with violent rage.

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1 I got a video. It was from her assistant. On the screen, my wife was locked in a passionate kiss with him—in my car. There were even wet stains glistening on our son’s child safety seat. The excuse? She’d lost a game of dare. I forwarded the video to her directly. “Is Belmont Enterprises going bankrupt, Victoria? Is my car the only place you can afford for your little affair?” Her reply was a voice message, her tone syrupy with wine and flirtation. “We have a business arrangement, Zac. Did you actually start thinking you were my husband? It was just a game. Why are you getting so worked up over nothing?” A cold laugh escaped me. It was time to teach her that some games have consequences you have to pay for. … I made a single call and killed the massive overseas deal Belmont Enterprises was set to sign next week. A moment later, my phone blew up with calls from my wife, Victoria Belmont. My secretary fielded every one of them. “I’m sorry, Ms. Belmont, Mr. Kingsley is in a meeting.” She wanted to play the silent game? Fine. I could play too. It didn’t take long. Victoria stormed into my office, her heels clicking like gunshots on the marble floor. She slammed her palm down on my desk. “Zac, have you lost your mind? That’s a three-hundred-million-dollar deal! You’re going to ruin my company over a stupid dare?!” The ever-poised, sophisticated Victoria Belmont, now screeching like a banshee. All for another man. I set down the financial report I was reading and looked up at her, my eyes tracing the furious twist of her beautiful features. “You have fifteen minutes.” Ten minutes later, a picture arrived on my phone. The interior of my Maybach, spotless and pristine, being detailed by a professional cleaning crew. I immediately notified the overseas department. “The signing proceeds as planned.” Then, I sent Victoria a picture of my own. Her most treasured couture gown, the one she adored, was trampled on the floor. Her favorite pair of custom-designed heels were submerged in a filthy mop bucket. “This is a game of dare too, Victoria. Remember where my lines are drawn. This is just a warning. Piss me off again, and you won’t like the consequences.” Silence from her end. I knew she was incandescent with rage. But my own anger burned hotter. She was the one who pushed for this marriage between the Kingsley and Belmont families. She was the one who rejected the idea of an open relationship, insisting on a real commitment. In six years, we went from polite strangers to a true partnership, a team. Especially after our son, Noah, was born. I poured everything I had into our family, leveraging my power to make both our family companies flourish. I thought we had an agreement. A life we would build together, supporting each other until we could retire, old and successful. But she had just shattered that illusion. That three-hundred-million-dollar deal I’d briefly suspended? That was just the opening shot. 2 That night, for the first time in our marriage, Victoria didn’t come home. The next day, I walked straight into the Belmont Enterprises headquarters and took the executive elevator to the top floor. The reception area was empty. Normally, both our assistants would be stationed here. I hadn’t brought mine today, but where was hers? A wave of unrestrained laughter drifted from her office, slicing through the silence. Through the gaps in the blinds, I saw him—her assistant, Ryan Cole—holding a hairdryer, attentively styling her hair. Victoria was leaning back in her executive chair, a relaxed smile on her face as they chatted. She had always been a person who valued her personal space. Besides me, no one was ever allowed to linger in her office. But the casual intimacy she showed Ryan was a knife twisting in my gut. Even more jarring was the watch on Ryan’s wrist, its metallic sheen catching the light. It was the exact custom timepiece she’d picked out for me on her last trip abroad. My birthday gift. An intern like Ryan couldn’t afford a single link of that watch, even if he sold himself piece by piece. I pushed the door open. Ryan jumped as if electrocuted, dropping the hairdryer. A sycophantic smile stretched across his face. “Mr. Kingsley, what brings you to this part of the building?” I gave him a look that could freeze fire. “I’m a director and general manager of this company. The last person I need to explain my presence to is an intern.” I leveled my gaze at him. “Go get the head of HR. I want to ask her when the hiring standards at this company dropped so low.” Ryan shot a desperate look at Victoria. She gave him a slight nod, a silent order to make himself scarce. As he turned to leave, my voice cut through the air, cold and sharp. “Take off the watch.” He froze, his hand instinctively covering the timepiece as he looked at Victoria like a kicked puppy. My eyes were locked on hers. “Explain,” I demanded, my voice low. “Why is my birthday present on his wrist? The deposit slip is still in my desk drawer.” Victoria’s expression hardened with impatience. “He’s my assistant. He represents my image. You made such a scene about him being in your car, people are looking down on him. So I gave him a watch to help his professional appearance. What’s the big deal? Your own assistant wears custom-tailored suits you paid for.” “My assistant is a professional who earns his compensation through competence,” I sneered. “What has this parasite done to deserve anything? Or does he just… service you well?” Her face went pale, then flushed a deep, furious red. “It’s just a watch! Consider it compensation for the humiliation you put him through!” she shot back. “I’ll buy you a better one for your birthday, okay?” 3 I laughed, a harsh, grating sound. “A limited-edition masterpiece. What gives him the right to wear it?” “Victoria, a person needs to act in accordance with their station.” I took a step closer, my voice dropping to an icy whisper. “Mrs. Kingsley wears exclusive jewelry, couture gowns, and limited-edition heels. That is as it should be.” “But for a mistress to access that level of luxury… money alone isn’t enough.” Victoria erupted. “Zac, we have important work to discuss! Ryan has put an immense amount of effort into this deal. I need you to leave, now!” She was actually shouting at me. For this leech. “Fine,” I said with a chilling smile. “Let’s see what your brilliant assistant is truly capable of.” In a fit of pique, Victoria snatched her handbag and threw it at Ryan before storming out. He shot me a smug, greasy smirk before scurrying after her. I waited until the sound of her heels faded completely, then I made a call. “It’s time. Make sure Mr. Donovan gives them the welcome they deserve.” I ordered a coffee and settled into a chair by the floor-to-ceiling window. I’d barely taken two sips when Victoria called, her voice so shrill I had to hold the phone away from my ear. “Zac, you despicable bastard!” “Donovan just ripped up the contract in front of everyone! He called Ryan a kept man who services rich women and then he… he accused me of sleeping my way to the top!” “This was you! You set this up! I was blind to ever marry you!” I calmly set my cup down. “People say what they want, Victoria. How can I control that? If your conscience was clear, you’d have nothing to fear.” Before I could finish, she shrieked. “The deal is dead, and Ryan ran off completely humiliated! Are you satisfied now?” A slow smile spread across my face. “Satisfied? I’m just putting things back where they belong.” She hung up with a strangled sob. I called HR and had every trace of Ryan Cole scrubbed from the company. I thought I’d given her enough of a warning, enough of a chance to back down with a shred of dignity. If she would just behave, be my wife again, we could move past this. But she had no intention of taking the lifeline I’d thrown her. 4 Our son, Noah, was running a fever of 101.3°F, and he was clingier than ever. I stayed home with him all day, holding his hand through the IV drip, playing quietly by his side. When Victoria came downstairs, dressed to go out again, Noah’s small, weak voice stopped her. “Mommy, don’t go!” She hesitated for a moment, then sat down on the edge of the bed. Seeing the relieved smile on my son’s face, I felt a flicker of hope. Maybe she was coming to her senses. But that fragile moment of peace was shattered by the jarring ring of her phone. It was Ryan, his voice thick with fake tears. “Victoria, someone’s following me! And online… they’re calling me a gigolo, a leech, a homewrecker!” “Is Mr. Kingsley trying to destroy me? Please, just tell him I’ll stay away from you. Tell him to just leave me alone!” I didn’t even look up, just continued building a block tower with Noah. I had expected Ryan would face some backlash, but he was laying it on thick. Victoria, however, reacted as if her own tail had been stepped on. She slammed her phone onto the coffee table with such force that it cracked. Noah, startled by the noise, burst into tears. She didn’t even glance at him. Instead, she rounded on me, her face a mask of fury, pointing a shaking finger at my nose. “Enough, Zac! I am sick to death of you and your manipulative games, acting like you control everything and everyone!” “You already drove Ryan away, why can’t you just let him be?” “I married you, I didn’t sell myself to you! You have no right to police every aspect of my life!” My patience snapped. “If you want to scream, get out!” I pointed toward the door. “Don’t you dare scare our son!” She let out a bitter laugh. “You want to destroy him, Zac? Fine. I’ll be the one to protect him!” And with that, ignoring Noah’s desperate cries, she stormed out, slamming the door behind her. I watched her go, a cold darkness settling over me. She’d truly lost her mind. After getting Noah back to sleep, I opened my laptop. The morning’s gossip about Ryan the homewrecker had been buzzing everywhere. By the afternoon, it had all vanished. She’d used the company’s PR department. For him. It was pathetic. I was about to close the laptop when I saw it. An official statement, issued by Belmont Enterprises. It praised Ryan Cole’s “outstanding professional abilities,” condemned the “malicious rumors,” and threatened legal action. Simultaneously, a message from my own HR head popped up. Victoria had officially promoted Ryan Cole to Operations Manager. He was given a private office on the executive floor and a vice-president’s compensation package. My assistant forwarded me a screenshot from Ryan’s social media. There he was, smug and triumphant in a new bespoke suit, that damn watch glittering on his wrist. I stared at the screen, a humorless smile twisting my lips. Fine, Victoria. You want to prop up this parasite? Don’t blame me for what comes next. After setting my own plans in motion against her company, I rushed home, only to find Noah gone. “Where is he?” I demanded of the nanny. “M-Ma’am came back,” she stammered. “She took the young master with her…” The rage I’d been suppressing finally erupted. My assistant tracked Victoria’s location to an amusement park, and I sped there, my heart pounding with a terrible premonition. I found them near the carousel. Victoria and Ryan were walking ahead, whispering intimately, completely oblivious to our sick little boy stumbling to keep up behind them. Noah’s small face was flushed red with fever and slick with sweat, his voice a choked plea. “Mommy… slow down… it hurts… wait for me…” A cruel, vicious smile curled Ryan’s lips. He subtly stuck his foot out. Thump. Noah fell hard onto the pavement. He was stunned for a second, then his face crumpled, and he let out a heart-wrenching wail. Victoria instinctively moved to help him, but Ryan spoke first, his voice dripping with faux innocence. “Victoria, do you think… maybe he doesn’t like me? Is he faking it to get attention?” At his words, Victoria froze. Her hand dropped. She turned and glared down at her own crying son. “Ryan was kind enough to bring you here to have fun, and you’re faking falls? Why are you being so difficult?” I was a blur of motion. I sprinted past them and scooped my sobbing, hyperventilating child into my arms. The fire of my fury was hot enough to burn the world to ash. Victoria’s face paled. “Ryan said I shouldn’t have left Noah when he was sick,” she explained, her voice frantic. “He suggested I bring him to the park to make it up to him…” “He’s two years old,” I said, my voice dangerously calm as I looked at her over our son’s shaking shoulders. “What could he possibly do at an amusement park? Watch you two flirt? Or get tripped on purpose by your boy-toy?” The air went still. Ryan’s triumphant smirk froze on his face. Victoria’s eyes widened in shock, an angry flush quickly replacing it. “Zac, don’t twist our good intentions! We were just—” I held my son tighter, his terrified sobs muffled against my chest. I cut her off. “Victoria. We’re getting a divorce.”

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001 Stella insisted I wear the silver locket she gave me after her tragic miscarriage. I hated wearing jewelry, but her eyes had been so hollow, so desperate, that I eventually caved and fastened it around my neck. This morning, the ultrasound screen was a black, silent void. My perfectly healthy baby had lost its heartbeat. Meanwhile, sitting in the very same waiting room, Stella texted me a picture of her positive pregnancy test. I walked out of the hospital clinic like a wandering ghost. The sunlight felt cold. Suddenly, a scruffy old man stepped directly into my path, his piercing eyes locked onto my chest. “Girl,” his voice rasped, sharp as an ice pick. “You are carrying a child, yet you wear the ashes of the dead. You are trading your own flesh and blood to buy life for someone else’s womb.” A chill violently violently down my spine. Stella’s sudden pregnancy. My baby’s vanishing heartbeat. I shoved past the old man and ran. I didn’t stop until my lungs burned and I was safely behind my own front door. My hands shook wildly as I tore the silver locket from my neck. Without thinking, I roughly looped it around the neck of my pregnant black Lab, who was resting on her bed. … I stood in the entryway, panting, staring at the little silver pendant. It was filled with a fine, grayish-black powder. Bone ashes? My mind went entirely blank. “Those are the ashes of a stillborn!” The old man’s grave expression flashed in my mind. “It’s a dark exchange. Life for life. The baby inside you will rot, and the one who gave you that locket will give birth to a perfectly healthy child.” My chest tightened until I could barely breathe. Stella and I had grown up together. We were closer than blood. When she lost her baby, I waddled over to her apartment with my own heavy pregnant belly just to cook for her and hold her hand. I couldn’t believe she would do something so evil to me. But what if? My baby’s heartbeat was really gone. Outside the hospital, when I tried to throw the locket into the street, the old man, who introduced himself as Danny, had grabbed my wrist. “The ritual started the second it touched your skin,” he warned. “If you want out, you must pass the burden to another pregnant vessel to complete the cycle. Toss it away blindly, and both you and your child will die.” I had begged him for another way. I wasn’t going to curse an innocent woman just to save myself. “You have until midnight to pass it on. Once it’s done, call me. And remember, do not alert the ones who cursed you.” He handed me a crumpled piece of paper with his number and vanished into the crowd. It was five in the afternoon. Seven hours left. My thoughts were a chaotic mess as I stumbled deeper into my house. The moment I approached the study, a sound froze the blood in my veins. Heavy, satisfied panting. The distinct, wet sounds of the aftermath of sex. Then, Stella’s breathless giggle drifted through the cracked door. “You should have seen your wife walking out of the clinic, Nolan. She looked like a walking corpse. I almost laughed out loud.” My husband’s voice, low and coaxing, replied. “Just wait until the ash ritual is complete. When she finally passes that dead lump of flesh, she’ll cry her eyes out. It’ll be hideous, but you’ll love the show.” Lightning struck my brain. Danny was telling the truth. I wanted to kick the door open, scream at them, tear them apart with my bare hands. But Danny’s warning echoed in my ears. Do not alert them. Biting down on my lip so hard I tasted copper, I silently backed away. I slipped out of the house I shared with Nolan and drove straight to the small apartment I owned before we got married. The second I locked the door behind me, my knees gave out. I collapsed onto the hardwood floor and sobbed until I choked. When I finally wiped my face and looked up, my pregnant black dog was cowering near her crate, keeping a wide distance from me. I had raised her for seven years, yet she never warmed up to me or Nolan. Strangely, she absolutely adored Stella. Looking at her swollen belly, a dark, desperate thought clicked into place. Danny never explicitly said the locket had to go to a human. A cold hardness settled in my eyes. They wanted to play God with my child. Let them burn. 002 I poured half a bowl of premium dog food. While she was distracted, I cautiously wrapped the silver locket around her thick belly, hiding the chain beneath her fur. Then I nudged her into her large crate and draped a blanket over it. Maybe I was losing my mind, but the moment the locket rested against her skin, the dog looked up at me. Her eyes held a human-like, venomous disgust. My fingers trembled as I latched the crate. Just then, the front door clicked open. Nolan walked into the entryway, juggling several grocery bags. “Hey, honey,” his voice dripped with his usual buttery warmth. “The gate guard mentioned you came into the complex. When you weren’t at our house, I figured you were hurting and came here to hide.” He set the bags down. “I bought fresh chicken. I’m going to make you a rich broth tonight to build your strength back up.” His words sounded so caring, but a layer of icy sweat broke out across my back. He tracked me down. Bang. The black dog suddenly rammed her head against the crate door, bursting it open before I could even flinch. I watched in absolute horror as she trotted straight to Nolan, rubbing her head affectionately against his legs, whining for his attention. My nerves snapped tight. She always hated Nolan. Why was she acting like this? Nolan looked surprised, but as he bent down to pet her, his eyes caught the gleam of silver buried in her fur. His expression instantly darkened. “Harper,” he said, his voice dropping an octave. “Why is the locket Stella gave you on the dog?” “Oh, that…” I forced a light laugh, my heart hammering against my ribs. “I thought it looked cute. I was going to record a little video for social media. Might go viral.” Moving on pure adrenaline, I whipped out my phone, filmed the dog for ten seconds, and posted it online right in front of him. Nolan’s face remained stormy. “You put expensive jewelry on an animal? What if she breaks it? Stella poured her heart into this gift!” He snatched the locket off the dog. As he stepped toward me, his voice morphed back into that sickeningly sweet tone. “Come here. Let me put it back where it belongs.” The moment the silver left her body, the dog reverted to normal. She bared her teeth and snarled viciously at Nolan. He shot her a single, murderous glare. The dog shivered, tucked her tail between her legs, and bolted back into her crate. My stomach churned. Before I could back away, Nolan’s hands were around my neck, fastening the clasp. The locket felt like a line of frost burning into my skin. My windpipe constricted. A sharp, violent cramp ripped through my abdomen. 003 I let out a painful gasp, doubling over. “Honey, what’s wrong?” Nolan asked, feigning panic. “My stomach… it’s cramping really badly. I need to lie down.” Clutching my waist, I limped into the bedroom, pretending to be in agony. My plan was simple. Wait until he was distracted in the kitchen, rip the necklace off, and tie it back onto the dog. But the second my fingers brushed the silver chain, a shadow fell over me. “What are you doing, Harper?” My heart jumped into my throat. Nolan was leaning against the doorframe, watching me with dead, unblinking eyes. It was the exact same venomous look the dog had given me. “I’m changing my clothes,” I retorted, forcing myself to frown. “Why are you hovering over me?” His gaze stayed glued to my chest. “With the baby’s complications today, I’m just worried about you. Just rest. I’ll go start dinner.” He wasn’t going to let me take it off. I swallowed my terror and fury, waiting for another opening. But Nolan was like a shadow. Even when I went to the bathroom, he knocked on the door after three minutes. Time bled away. The clock hit nine-thirty. Less than three hours until midnight. Under the crushing anxiety, my head began to spin heavily. Nolan practically carried me back to bed. A while later, I forced my heavy eyelids open. Peeking through the cracked door, I saw Nolan sitting on the living room sofa, his back to me, phone pressed to his ear. “Relax. I’ve been watching her like a hawk. She hasn’t touched the necklace.” He paused, a cruel smirk evident in his tone. “I slipped a little something into her soup. She’ll be out cold until tomorrow morning. By then, the ritual will be locked in.” “Feel bad for her? Are you joking? She lies there like a dead fish. If it weren’t for her bank accounts, I wouldn’t have looked at her twice.” “Once she goes under the knife to remove the dead tissue, I’ll keep spiking her food. When she finally drops dead, everything she owns is ours.” Silent tears spilled hot tracks down my cheeks. With my parents gone, Stella and Nolan had been my entire world. I never imagined the depths of their depravity. They didn’t just want to sacrifice my baby. They wanted to slowly murder me. Hearing Nolan end the call, I snapped my eyes shut and leveled my breathing. His footsteps approached, stopping right beside the bed. Every muscle in my body screamed to run, but I stayed perfectly limp. Thankfully, he only observed me for a moment before retreating to the spare room. I waited another agonizing ten minutes before opening my eyes. I checked my phone. Eleven o’clock! I pulled up the apartment’s security feed on my phone. Nolan was stretched out on the sofa bed in the spare room. Moving with agonizing slowness, I slipped out of bed. I took the leftover soup he had spiked and poured it into the dog’s bowl. She lapped it up and was unconscious within minutes. Thank God I had only swallowed a few spoonfuls at dinner. I could still push through the dizziness. Fighting the fog in my brain, I tied a towel securely around the dog’s snout, scooped her heavy body into my arms, and sneaked out the back door. I hailed a cab and rode to a sprawling, dimly lit park miles away. In a secluded grove of trees, I secured the silver locket tightly around the dog’s waist. It was five minutes to midnight. There was no time to exhale. I pulled a brand-new smartphone out of my coat pocket, swapped my SIM card, and hurled my old phone into a nearby pond. I didn’t know if Nolan had installed tracking software on it, but I wasn’t taking any chances. The new phone was supposed to be his birthday present. The irony tasted like ash in my mouth. With three minutes to spare, I called my lawyer. I was not going to let them get away with this. The second the clock struck midnight, I dialed Danny’s number. Just as the line connected, the unconscious black dog suddenly convulsed, letting out a muffled, agonizing shriek. 004 Dark, foul-smelling blood began to seep onto the grass beneath the dog. Her swollen belly visibly, horrifyingly deflated. If I hadn’t passed the locket on, that would be my baby. My voice trembled uncontrollably as the old man answered. “Danny. I passed the locket on. What do I do now?” “Get to my place, now,” he ordered. “The ash locket is a parasite of the dark arts. Your child’s life force has already been drained. We need to restore it tonight, or you will still miscarry.” “I’m on my way.” I pressed a hand to my belly. A tiny, incredibly weak flutter pushed against my palm. My baby was fighting. A fierce wave of adrenaline washed over me. I sprinted toward the main road to flag down a cab. Just as I reached the curb, headlights blinded me. A car violently jumped the curb, speeding directly at me. Through the windshield, I saw Stella. Her face was ashen, her eyes manic. She leaned halfway out the window, screaming like a banshee. “Harper! Who did you give the locket to?!” I dove onto the pavement, narrowly avoiding the bumper. A yellow cab screeched to a halt nearby, and I scrambled into the backseat. Crash. Stella’s car slammed into a concrete planter. She stumbled out of the driver’s seat. Her summer dress was soaked in a massive, terrifying patch of blood. She pointed a trembling, bloodstained finger at me. “You can’t run from this, Harper!” “Drive!” I screamed at the cabbie. “She’s out of her mind, get me out of here!” The driver slammed the gas, leaving Stella raving in the rearview mirror. When I finally reached the address Danny had given me, my legs turned to jelly. I slid down the wooden doorframe, gasping for air. My new phone buzzed. A picture message from Stella. It was a photo of the park. The black dog lay lifeless in a dark pool of blood on the grass. A sharp hiss escaped my lips as a fresh, agonizing cramp seized my stomach. I felt a warm dampness between my legs. I didn’t know if my water had broken, or if I was bleeding out. Then, Nolan’s number flashed on the screen. I declined it. He called again. Ten times. Fifteen times. I looked up in sheer panic as Danny opened the door. He ushered me inside, moving quickly to arrange thick white candles and pour coarse salt into a large runic circle on his living room floor. “Hold on, girl. Almost ready.” I tried to slow my hyperventilating. Since I wouldn’t pick up, Nolan’s text messages started rolling in. “Honey, where are you? Let me come pick you up.” “You really think ditching your phone means you can hide from me, you stupid bitch?” My heart skipped a beat. The next image he sent made my blood turn to ice. It was a photo of the rusted iron gates at the entrance of Danny’s apartment complex. The texts kept coming, rapid-fire. “See? Found you.” “I’m in the courtyard. Pretty rundown place.” “I’m in the stairwell. God, no elevator?” “I’m at the door.” My breath caught in my throat. A split second later, a heavy fist pounded on the wood right beside my head. “Honey! Be a good girl and open up!”

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The day I picked up my daughter from kindergarten and found her sobbing was the day I realized just how massive a storm my simple refusal had caused in the parents’ group chat. The day before, a notification had popped up in the class WhatsApp group. A mother I had never even spoken to tagged me directly, demanding that I pack a daily lunch for her son. She generously offered to pay me twenty dollars a day for my trouble. I found the entire proposition absurd. Charity suffered from severe food allergies and a highly sensitive stomach. Every single ingredient in her bento box was flown in directly from specific organic farms. A single meal cost me well over five hundred dollars to prepare. Faced with this insulting twenty-dollar charity offer, I didn’t hesitate. I typed a flat refusal into the group. I never expected things to escalate the very next day. My daughter’s lunchbox was snatched away by her classmate, and the teacher actually had the nerve to scold her for being selfish. Since they had decided to rip off the mask of civility, I saw no reason to play nice anymore. This ridiculous farce needed to be completely dismantled. 1 Staring at the constant stream of notifications popping up on my phone, I let out a cold laugh. The sender’s profile picture was a selfie with her son. Her display name was Toby’s Mom. Seeing that I hadn’t replied, she fired off several more messages in rapid succession. “Charity’s mom, are you seeing this? My Toby hasn’t had much of an appetite the last couple of days, but he really liked the look of Charity’s lunch.” “You’re already cooking anyway. Making one extra portion won’t kill you.” “Twenty dollars a day is plenty. That’s what a meal costs at a fast-food joint. I know it’s not easy being a single mom, so just treat it as some extra grocery money to help out your household.” The condescending, charitable tone dripping from her words made my stomach turn. I had no idea where she heard the rumor that I was a single mother. It was true that I always did the school run alone, and I usually dressed in casual loungewear. She had clearly pegged me as an easy target. My daughter Charity was born with a hyper-sensitive digestive system and severe allergies to many common ingredients. Because of this, I personally handled every single aspect of her diet. Her food was sourced from exclusive private farms. Just a small cut of the premium Wagyu beef I used cost hundreds of dollars, not to mention the meticulously selected organic vegetables. Twenty dollars? That wouldn’t even cover the cost of her custom lunchbox. I couldn’t be bothered to entertain her delusions. I simply typed a response into the group. “Sorry, I don’t have the time. Furthermore, the ingredients for my daughter’s meals are very expensive. Twenty dollars won’t cover it.” I assumed such a blunt rejection would shut her up. Instead, she immediately sent a long string of voice memos. “Oh come on, Charity’s mom. We’re all parents in the same class. What’s wrong with helping each other out?” “It’s just a few pieces of meat and some leaves. How expensive could it possibly be? Do you really think you’re feeding her Michelin-star truffles?” “Besides, what’s the point of feeding a little girl so extravagantly? My Toby is a growing boy and needs the nutrition. How can you be so selfish and clueless?” Listening to those voice notes, a white-hot rage flared in my chest. What century were we living in? I couldn’t believe this toxic garbage was coming out of another woman’s mouth. I was just typing out a furious retort when the homeroom teacher, Ms. Harper, chimed in. “Charity’s mom, Toby’s mom is just looking out for her child. Our class has always encouraged the kids to learn how to share.” “Since Toby likes Charity’s food so much, it wouldn’t hurt for you to put in a little extra effort. It will help the children bond and build a good relationship.” Seeing Ms. Harper so blatantly take her side, my expression turned ice-cold. I had just transferred Charity to this supposedly prestigious bilingual preschool. I thought a high-end academy would have a higher caliber of staff. I was clearly mistaken. I ignored the rest of the buzzing notifications and tossed my phone onto the passenger seat. They could say whatever they wanted. There was absolutely no way I was cooking for that brat. 2 The next afternoon, I arrived at the school to pick up Charity. The moment I stepped into the hallway, I saw my little girl standing completely alone in a corner. Her eyes were red and swollen. She had obviously been crying. My heart twisted violently. I rushed over and pulled her into my arms. “Charity, sweetheart, what’s wrong? Did someone hurt you?” Seeing me, Charity burst into loud sobs, her tiny hands gripping my sweater like a lifeline. “Mommy, I’m so hungry. Toby took my lunch away.” Hearing those words, a loud buzzing filled my ears. I packed exactly enough food for her nutritional needs. If she didn’t eat her lunch, she had been starving for the entire day! More importantly, her delicate constitution meant that missing a meal could easily trigger severe hypoglycemia and stomach cramps. Suppressing the fury boiling in my veins, I turned and marched straight toward Ms. Harper. The teacher was chatting and laughing with a group of other parents. When she saw me approaching, her smile vanished. “Charity’s mom, you’re right on time. I was just about to look for you.” “Charity was very unreasonable during lunchtime today. Toby just wanted a little taste of her food, and she threw a massive tantrum and refused to share. She even made Toby cry.” “I’ve already reprimanded Charity. I suggest you take her home and teach her some manners. A child shouldn’t be so terribly selfish.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My daughter’s food was stolen from her, and somehow she was the one in the wrong? “Ms. Harper, the lunch my daughter brought belongs to her. Why on earth should she be forced to give it to someone else? Is this how you run a classroom?” I didn’t bother lowering my voice. The surrounding parents all turned to stare. Feeling humiliated in front of her audience, Ms. Harper puffed up her chest and hardened her tone. “Excuse me? What kind of attitude is that? It is completely normal for children to share food!” “Besides, Toby’s mom already reached out to you in the group chat yesterday. You refused to cook an extra portion, fine. But what’s the big deal if Toby takes a couple of bites today?” “Do you have no sense of community spirit whatsoever?” I was shaking with anger. I pointed a finger directly at Ms. Harper’s face. “Don’t you dare try to lecture me about community spirit! My daughter’s lunch is a specially customized allergy-safe meal. That boy stole her food, you did absolutely nothing to stop him, and now you have the nerve to call my daughter selfish?” “Let me make this perfectly clear. This is not over!” Without waiting for a response, I picked Charity up and walked straight out the door. When we got home, I immediately cooked Charity a fresh meal. Watching her devour the food like she was starving brought tears to my eyes. I pulled out my phone and tagged Toby’s mom and Ms. Harper directly in the class group. “I expect a full explanation for what happened at lunch today! Since when is it acceptable to steal another child’s food?” “I will be waiting at the school tomorrow morning. If I don’t get a formal apology for my daughter, there will be hell to pay!” The response was instantaneous. “Wow, look who’s playing the victim now!” “My Toby eating a few bites of your kid’s food is a blessing. Don’t push your luck, you ungrateful witch!” “Tomorrow morning it is. You think I’m scared of a nobody like you?” 3 The parents’ group chat was exceptionally lively that night. Following her arrogant outburst, Toby’s mom, Brenda, began aggressively rallying the mob against me. “Everyone, judge for yourselves. This woman couldn’t even keep a man, so now she’s a bitter single mother with a twisted personality.” “My Toby just felt sorry for her daughter. He was trying to be friendly by sharing her food, and now she’s screaming and throwing a fit in the group.” “A kid raised in a broken home like that is definitely going to have psychological issues. You all better keep your kids away from her daughter before they catch her bad habits.” A few mothers who usually sucked up to Brenda immediately jumped in to agree. “Exactly! Acting all high and mighty all day long. Does she think her food is sprinkled with gold dust?” “Kids from single-parent homes are always so greedy and defensive. I think Ms. Harper was totally right to discipline her.” “Don’t waste your breath on her, Brenda. Your husband is an executive at a massive corporation. You don’t need to stoop to the level of some lower-class trash.” I stared coldly at the screen, reading those nauseating comments. My fingers flew across the keyboard. “Lower-class trash? A corporate executive?” “So that’s what gives you the confidence to steal from little girls?” “Since you all think thievery is perfectly justified, we will settle this face-to-face tomorrow. We will see exactly who doesn’t deserve to be at this school!” After sending that message, I closed WhatsApp. Rage was churning wildly in my chest, but I forced myself to remain perfectly calm. This Brenda woman was throwing her weight around the preschool just because her husband had a decent job title. Even the teachers were bending over backwards to kiss her ring. Did she really think her pathetic little background made her untouchable in this city? I walked out to the balcony and dialed my assistant’s number. “Sarah. Get me the security camera access codes for Oakridge Elite Prep for tomorrow morning. And look into a parent named Brenda. Find out everything there is to know about her husband’s corporate background.” “I want every single detail. Pull all their cards.” Hanging up the phone, I took a deep breath of the crisp night air. I had purposely kept a low profile to give Charity a quiet, normal childhood. I even had my driver attend the parent-teacher conferences so I wouldn’t draw attention. I never expected my restraint to become a stepping stone for these arrogant fools to walk all over me. Since they were so determined to step on my head, they couldn’t blame me for tearing their entire world down. Early the next morning, I arrived at the preschool with Charity exactly on time. Instead of heading to the classroom, I led Charity straight toward the principal’s office. I was going to have the director pull the security footage right then and there to expose exactly what happened yesterday. But halfway down the hall, Charity suddenly tugged on my sleeve. “Mommy, I left my sketchbook in the classroom. Can I go get it real quick?” I nodded, letting her run ahead while I waited in the corridor. Less than two minutes later, a piercing, terrified scream echoed from the classroom. It was Charity. My heart stopped. I sprinted toward the door as fast as I could. The moment I burst into the room, my vision went red. 4 Charity was collapsed on the floor, her pale little face stained with tears. That overweight boy, Toby, was violently tearing pages out of Charity’s sketchbook, making ugly faces at her as he ripped her drawings to shreds. And standing right beside him was his mother, Brenda. She held a dry, cheap piece of grocery store bread in her hand, ruthlessly shoving it toward Charity’s mouth. “Eat it! You love protecting your food so much, you little brat? I’ll make sure you get plenty to eat today!” “My Toby wanting your things is an honor! Don’t you dare hide from me!” Charity was struggling frantically, coughing and choking on the dry crumbs. Her face was flushed bright red, and she could barely breathe. Seeing Charity trying to push away, Brenda lifted her foot and brought the sharp heel of her stiletto crashing down squarely on Charity’s tiny hand as it rested on the floor! “Ahhh!” Charity let out an agonizing shriek. In that split second, the blood rushed to my head. My sanity completely snapped. I charged in like a wild animal. I kicked a desk out of my way, the massive crash startling everyone in the room. I grabbed a fistful of Brenda’s hair, violently slamming her back against the nearest wall. I pulled my arm back and delivered a vicious, echoing slap across her face! Smack! I put every ounce of my strength into that strike. Brenda was completely stunned, a trickle of blood instantly appearing at the corner of her mouth. I didn’t stop. I immediately followed up with a second brutal slap to the other side of her face. “If you ever touch my daughter again, I will kill you!” I screamed like a madwoman, my eyes bloodshot. Brenda finally snapped out of her daze. She shrieked like a banshee and lunged at me. “You psychotic bitch! How dare you hit me! Do you have any idea who my husband is!” She grabbed a heavy glass tumbler from the teacher’s desk and hurled it directly at my head. I dodged to the side. The glass shattered against the wall, sending shards flying everywhere. Brenda snatched up a large, jagged piece of broken glass and pointed it at me, her eyes venomous like a coiled snake. “My husband is Greg, the Regional Director of Apex Capital! You dare lay a hand on me? I’ll have you and your little bastard completely destroyed! I’ll make sure you can never show your faces in Chicago again!” Just then, Ms. Harper and two security guards rushed into the classroom, drawn by the commotion. Seeing the chaos, Ms. Harper didn’t even ask what happened. She immediately pointed an accusing finger at me. “Charity’s mom, have you lost your mind?! How dare you assault another parent on school grounds!” “Grab her, quick! If Toby’s mom gets hurt, you’ll never be able to afford the medical bills!” The security guards instantly closed in on me. Holding the jagged glass, Brenda let out a twisted, incredibly arrogant laugh. “Scared now? Too late! I’m going to make you and your brat get on your knees and lick my shoes clean!” Looking at her sickening, entitled face, I pulled Charity tightly into my arms. The coldness in my eyes could have frozen hell over.

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His first love woke up. Right in the middle of our engagement party. Leaving a hall full of elite guests and me standing there completely humiliated, he sprinted toward the hospital without a single backward glance. He tossed out just one sentence. “Hold the fort.” I held it. I held it so well that exactly one week later, I walked straight into City Hall and married his absolute worst enemy. When he blocked my path at the bottom of the municipal steps, his eyes bloodshot as he demanded to know how I could be so heartless, the man beside me let out a low, dark chuckle. “President Sinclair. You might want to get your facts straight before opening your mouth. I married Linda.” I looped my arm through my new husband’s, smiling like the morning breeze. “Did you honestly think you were the only person in the world waiting for a first love? What a coincidence. The exact day you destroyed our engagement, the man I waited ten years for finally came back to me.” 1 My engagement banquet with Tristan Sinclair was supposed to be the event of the season. Until the woman who had been in a coma for three entire years woke up. “Darling, Lily just woke up. She absolutely cannot be alone right now. I have to go to her immediately.” His knuckles turned white as he gripped his phone. Wild ecstasy flooded his eyes, masking a tiny, insignificant sliver of guilt. “You have always been so understanding. Keep the guests entertained. We will deal with this when I get back.” He did not even wait for my response. Tossing those words like spare change, he shoved through the crowd and sprinted out of the ballroom. He trampled my dignity and the reputations of both our families right into the marble floor. Everyone assumed I would wait for him to return like a pathetic, loyal little dog. A full week later, he finally remembered I existed. But instead of tears, he was greeted by a brand new marriage certificate. Looking at the document in my hand, Tristan completely lost his mind. His custom tailored suit was wrinkled. His hair was an absolute mess, and dark circles bruised the skin under his eyes. He stared at the paper, his gaze burning with enough heat to set it on fire. “Linda! Did you marry my biggest rival just to get back at me?!” The man beside me took a slow, deliberate step forward. His tall, broad frame shielded me completely. His tone dripped with raw mockery. “President Sinclair, get your facts straight before opening your mouth. I married Linda.” I tightened my grip on his arm, meeting Tristan’s furious glare head-on. “Did you honestly think you were the only one desperately waiting for a first love? Too bad. The exact day you blew up our engagement, the man I waited ten years for happened to come back.” People were constantly walking in and out of City Hall. Tristan’s rising voice was drawing a crowd of curious onlookers. “Explain yourself! What do you mean, the man you waited ten years for? What about the five years we spent together!” I was sick to my stomach of being treated like a circus animal on display. Especially since I had just been played for the biggest fool in front of hundreds of socialites a week ago. Before I could even part my lips, Victor Cross blocked their view entirely. He stood half a head taller than Tristan, radiating an icy, suffocating pressure. “This is a private matter between my wife and me. Do not trouble yourself over it.” Victor’s voice was not loud, but every word stabbed into Tristan like an ice pick. “Your wife?” Tristan laughed like he had just heard the most absurd joke on earth. He tried to step around Victor to grab my wrist. “Linda, stop throwing a tantrum and come home with me! I know you are angry. You are mad that I left you at the banquet. I apologize. I will give you whatever compensation you want. Just do not joke around with your entire future!” His fingers never even grazed my skin. Victor snatched his wrist in midair. “Have some respect.” Victor’s voice dropped to a freezing temperature. “Linda is legally my wife. The law protects her now. If you try to touch her again, I do not mind having the police teach you some manners.” Victor’s grip was bone-crushing. Tristan’s face instantly drained of color. “Do not get too arrogant, Victor! You know exactly what kind of dirty tricks you used to trick Linda into this! Do you really think you won?” Tristan struggled, his facial features twisting in blind rage. I peeked out from behind Victor’s broad shoulders, calmly looking at the man I had loved for five years. What did I ever love about him? Was it his money? His handsome face? Or was it the fact that he only ever treated me like a beautiful, low-maintenance decoration? Bile rose in my throat. “No one tricked me. It was entirely my choice.” I looked him dead in the eye. “Five years of feelings were wiped to absolute zero the second you turned your back on me for Lily. I owe you nothing, and you owe me nothing. We are walking separate paths now. Do not ever contact me again.” “Wiped to zero? You say that so easily!” Tristan’s eyes were terrifyingly red. “You cannot do this to me! Lily… she is just my responsibility!” “Responsibility?” A genuine, bitter laugh escaped my lips. It was purely ridiculous. “So your so-called responsibility had to be paid for with our families’ reputations, my personal dignity, and five years of my youth? Stop lying to yourself, Tristan. You love her. From the very beginning, it has always been her.” What was I for the last five years? Just a convenient stand-in for Lily. A perfectly obedient tool to cure his boredom and pacify his elders while his true love was asleep. Now that the real owner of his heart was awake, the understudy was naturally expected to get off the stage. I was too exhausted to even voice those thoughts out loud. There was no point. “Linda…” “Please address me as Mrs. Cross.” I cut him off, clinging tighter to Victor’s arm. “My husband is waiting to take me home. Get out of the way.” Victor naturally wrapped a strong arm around my waist, guiding me toward the black sedan parked by the curb. Tristan stood frozen in place, looking like a statue struck by lightning. I did not look back. Once inside the car, Victor handed me a bottle of warm water. “How are you holding up?” he asked softly. “Never better.” I twisted the cap off, took a sip, and let out a long, heavy exhale. It felt like I was expelling five years of built-up toxicity, along with every ounce of humiliation from that banquet. The car merged smoothly into the traffic. The city streets blurred outside my window, but my mind uncontrollably dragged me back to seven days ago. The union of the Davis and Sinclair families. I was wearing a custom gown flown in from Paris. My arm was hooked through his, and I was soaking in the applause, genuinely believing I was the luckiest woman alive. Then his phone vibrated. I watched the color drain from his face, replaced by shock, then unhinged joy, and finally, a fleeting glance of guilt directed at me. My heart plummeted. He hung up and squeezed my hands, his voice trembling. “Linda, Lily… Lily is awake!” Lily. That name had been a poisoned thorn festering in my heart for five years. His childhood sweetheart. The woman sitting firmly at the apex of his heart. Three years ago, she got into a horrific car accident trying to save him and fell into a vegetative state. Tristan’s world collapsed that day. I was the one who pulled him out of the dark. I foolishly believed time could dilute his pain. I thought my devotion would make him let go of the past. I thought his proposal meant he had finally fallen in love with me. It turned out I was just delusional. “Darling, Lily just woke up. She absolutely cannot be alone right now. I have to go to her immediately.” He looked at me, begging with his eyes. I stared at him, then at the hundreds of guests behind us, then at the bright, expectant smiles on our parents’ faces. My blood ran completely cold. “You have always been so understanding. Keep the guests entertained. We will deal with this when I get back.” He did not even wait for my permission. Tossing my hand aside, he pushed through the sea of people and ran. The massive ballroom fell deathly silent. Hundreds of eyes locked onto me like spotlights. Pity. Sympathy. Malicious glee. I was standing in the center of the most glamorous stage in the world, wearing the most expensive dress, feeling utterly naked and foolish. My parents rushed the stage, their faces livid. Tristan’s parents looked mortified and furious. I barely remember what happened next. I only remember taking off my torturous heels and walking down the stairs barefoot. I did not cry. I did not scream. I walked up to my parents and whispered, “Dad, Mom, let’s go home.” That night, I locked myself in my bedroom. Still no tears. Just a numb, hollow emptiness. My phone screen kept lighting up. Dozens of missed calls from my best friend, Zoe. A flood of text messages. “Linda, are you okay? That absolute trash! I am so furious!” “Babe, please do not do anything stupid. He is not worth it!” I ignored them all. Around midnight, an unknown number called. Acting on pure instinct, I answered. “Is this Linda? It is Victor Cross.” The deep, resonant voice on the other end of the line carried a strange, haunting familiarity. Victor Cross. Tech billionaire. Tristan’s ultimate nemesis in the business world. And my deepest, ten-year-old secret. “What do you want?” My voice was terribly hoarse. “I am back,” he said smoothly. “Tomorrow morning. Nine o’clock at City Hall. Bring your ID. I will be waiting.” I stopped breathing for a second. “What exactly are you saying?” A short pause followed. Then, his voice dropped, laced with a faint, warm amusement. “I am saying that if Tristan Sinclair does not know how to treasure you, I do.” He hung up. I sat in the pitch-black room clutching my phone for a very long time. Eventually, I smiled. The next morning, ignoring my parents’ shocked protests, I grabbed my documents and walked out the door. Which led to the scene on the municipal steps. “What are you thinking about?” Victor’s voice pulled me back to the present. I turned to look at him. He was focused on the road, his jawline sharp and immaculate. “I was just wondering if rushing into a marriage with you was a bit too reckless,” I joked lightly. He shot me a side-glance, the corner of his mouth curving upward. “It is too late to regret it now. Mrs. Cross, once you board my ship, you are never getting off.” The car eventually glided into the underground garage of an ultra-luxury high-rise. I expected a man like Victor to live in a cold, sterile, monochromatic penthouse, much like Tristan’s soulless mansions. But the moment the private elevator doors opened, I froze. There was no gaudy crystal chandelier. Just a soft, warm amber entry light. A pair of comfortable men’s slippers sat neatly on the floor. Right next to them was a brand new pair of plush, pink bunny slippers. Exactly my size. My heart skipped a tiny beat. “Make yourself at home.” Victor shrugged off his suit jacket, hung it up, and bent down to place the bunny slippers right at my feet. “Thank you.” I slid my feet into them. The material was heavenly. I followed him into the living room. The space was enormous, but the interior design was surprisingly inviting. A light gray fabric sofa, warm oak floors, and large floor-to-ceiling windows lined with vibrant, thriving potted plants. The air smelled of sunlight and fresh coffee. It actually felt like a home. “What would you like to drink? Water, juice, or maybe… wine?” He opened the refrigerator and glanced back. “Just water, please.” I sat stiffly on the edge of the sofa. We were legally married, but practically speaking, we were strangers. I knew he was a ruthless tycoon and Tristan’s worst nightmare. Beyond that, nothing. He handed me a glass of warm water and took a seat in the armchair opposite mine. A thick, awkward silence settled over the room. A bride dumped at her engagement party, and a corporate rival swooping in to claim her. No matter how you looked at it, we seemed like a temporary alliance forged out of spite, not newlyweds. “Um…” I cleared my throat, taking the initiative. “Thank you for getting me out of that situation earlier today.” “I was not just getting you out of a situation.” His dark eyes locked onto mine, intense and serious. “I was protecting my wife’s dignity.” My wife. The words rolled off his tongue so naturally, as if he had been calling me that for decades. My cheeks flared with heat. “But we…” “Linda,” he interrupted gently. “Do you think my proposal today was just some sudden whim? Or that I only did it to humiliate Tristan?” I pressed my lips together, essentially agreeing. It sounded exactly like a cheap soap opera plot. Stealing the rival’s humiliated ex-fiancée was the ultimate power move. Suddenly, he smiled. His smile was breathtaking. The usual cold, unapproachable aura melted away like snow under a spring sun. “What if I told you I have been waiting for this exact day for ten years? Would you believe me?” My breath caught in my throat. Ten years? The timeline was too specific. Too impossible. “I do not understand…” My voice was dry. “Ten years ago, in the back alley behind Oakridge High School, there was a girl. To protect the miserable kid who shared her desk from getting mugged, she grabbed a broken brick and scared off three older delinquents like a feral street cat.” He spoke softly, as if narrating a distant fairytale. But an explosion went off inside my brain. The blurry memory instantly snapped into sharp focus. A sweltering summer afternoon. The deafening sound of cicadas. I was taking a shortcut through an alley on my way home from school. I saw the quiet, gloomy transfer student from my class backed into a corner by three vocational school dropouts. Rumor had it he was rich but neglected, making him an easy target. I had no idea where I got the liquid courage. Blood rushing to my head, I scooped up a jagged piece of brick and charged. “What are you doing! I already called the cops! They are five minutes away!” My voice must have been high-pitched and shaking. But the thugs were cowards. Startled by my kamikaze energy, they cursed and ran away. I helped the tall boy up. He kept his head down, his long bangs hiding his eyes. I asked if he was okay. He nodded. I asked his name. He stayed silent. Annoyed by his lack of gratitude, I shoved the heavy brick right into his chest. “Keep this! If anyone tries to bully you again, smash their heads in! Do not be a coward!” Then I marched away like a victorious general. The transfer student vanished from school shortly after, and I eventually forgot the whole ordeal. I looked up, staring in utter disbelief at the man sitting across from me. Mature. Imposing. Powerful. I could not reconcile him with that skinny, silent teenage boy. “You… you are…” “Victor.” His eyes crinkled, looking at me like I hung the moon. “I am that unlucky desk-mate you saved.” My brain short-circuited. No screenwriter would dare write a script this absurd. “How… how did…” I babbled. “My father forced me to transfer out immediately. I never got the chance to say thank you, or even tell you my name,” he explained quietly. “I was sent abroad right after. But I never forgot you.” “You remembered the girl wielding a broken brick like a little gangster?” I blurted out. He laughed again, a rich, chest-deep sound. “Yes. I remembered. You were incredibly cute.” Cute? What part of a screaming girl with a weapon was cute? “So you came back… just to…” “To marry you,” he stated with absolute certainty. “But you do not even know me anymore! It has been a decade! What if I grew up to be a horrible person?” I still felt like I was walking on clouds. “I trust my judgment.” His gaze turned heavy and piercing. “Besides, I have been keeping a very close eye on you. I know your likes and dislikes. I know you were with Tristan for five years, and the idiot never even realized you are deathly allergic to mangoes.” My chest absorbed another heavy blow. Tristan really did not know. On one of our dates, he ordered a mango crepe cake and pushed it toward me. I simply smiled, said I was not craving sweets, and watched him eat the whole thing. I never corrected him because I did not want to be an inconvenience. I always thought loving someone meant being agreeable and accommodating. And yet, this “stranger” sitting in front of me knew. He knew me better than the man I had shared a bed with for five years. Was it ironic, or was it just incredibly lucky? “You investigated me?” I frowned slightly. “Not an investigation,” he admitted freely. “As a business rival, looking into President Sinclair’s personal life is standard procedure. I just accidentally ended up paying way too much attention to you.” He made it sound effortless, but I knew “accidentally” did not cover the sheer amount of resources he must have spent keeping tabs on me from the shadows. “So the night of the banquet, you called me…” “I never intended to rush things like this.” He sighed. “I wanted to court you properly. Formally. But Tristan forced my hand.” His eyes darkened with dangerous intent. “When I saw the news breaking that he abandoned you at your own engagement party, I knew I could not wait another second.” “Linda, I refuse to watch you suffer another grievance. Never again.” Looking into those dark, resolute eyes, I suddenly realized that signing those marriage papers was not an act of impulsive revenge. It was fate. That night, I tossed and turned in the guest bedroom. Victor had insisted on giving me time to adjust, so he took the master suite. We were separated by a single wall. The proximity made my skin tingle. I pulled out my phone and opened Zoe’s chat. Her messages were still sitting there, unread. Taking a deep breath, I typed: “Zoe, I got married.” Less than three seconds later, my phone vibrated violently with her incoming call. “Holy shit! Linda! Are you out of your mind?! With who? Do not tell me it is actually Victor Cross!” I pulled the phone away from my ear. “Yeah. It is him.” “Oh my god! You are insane! Do you even know him? Do you know what kind of ruthless predator he is? He is Tristan’s arch-nemesis! He is definitely using you to humiliate the Sinclair family!” Zoe’s panic was deafening. I understood her reaction. Any normal person would lose their mind hearing their best friend married her toxic ex’s biggest enemy a week after getting dumped. “Zoe, calm down,” I said patiently. “It is not what you think.” I gave her the abridged version of the brick-wielding incident from ten years ago, and how Victor had been watching over me ever since. Dead silence fell over the line. A full minute later, Zoe finally spoke, her voice sounding completely detached from reality. “So… this is not a ‘marrying the enemy for revenge’ trashy drama. This is a ‘ten years of secret pining finally comes true’ epic romance?” “… You could interpret it that way.” “Damn it!” Zoe cursed loudly. “This is better than a movie! So, how is he? Is he treating you right? Is he hot? How is the body?” The conversation was taking a very dangerous turn. “He is great. And he is… extremely handsome.” Victor’s face flashed in my mind, making my pulse race. “As for his body… I have not really looked.” “Idiot! That is the most important part!” Zoe practically screamed. “Hurry up and find an excuse to inspect the goods! If the merchandise is faulty, demand an immediate refund!” My face flushed crimson. “Zoe!” “What are you blushing for? You are legally married!” I quickly hung up and buried my burning face into the pillows. Unfortunately, my traitorous brain instantly began imagining what Victor looked like underneath those tailored suits. Broad shoulders, a narrow waist, long legs… Stop it, Linda! Have some shame! Right at that moment, two soft knocks landed on the door. “Linda, are you asleep?” It was Victor. My heart vaulted into my throat. Did he hear me talking to Zoe? Were the walls that thin? “No… not yet.” I scrambled to sit up, smoothing down my silk pajamas and clearing my throat. The door opened a crack, and Victor stepped in. He was out of his suit, dressed in dark gray loungewear. His hair was damp from the shower. The sharp, aggressive edge he carried during the day was gone, replaced by a devastating, domestic warmth. “I saw your light was still on. I figured you might have trouble sleeping in a new bed.” He held a mug of warm milk. “Drink this. It helps.” So that was it. I let out a breath I did not know I was holding, though a weird, tiny part of me felt disappointed. “Thank you.” Our fingers brushed as I took the mug. His skin was incredibly warm. He did not leave immediately. Instead, he leaned against the doorframe, studying me. “What is on your mind?” “Nothing, just… it all feels a bit surreal,” I mumbled, cradling the warm mug. “You will get used to it.” His voice was like velvet. “From now on, this is your home.” My home. Since childhood, my home was the massive Davis estate. Later, I thought my home would be the cold, modern penthouse I was supposed to share with Tristan. Now, this man was telling me that this apartment—a place I had just stepped foot in today—was my true home. My nose stung. “Victor,” I looked up at him. “Do you… do you think I am too easy? We just…” “No.” He cut me off, his gaze burning bright. “Linda, in my eyes, you deserve the absolute best this world has to offer. Tristan being blind is his own tragic loss. Getting to marry you is the greatest privilege of my life.” How could he say things like that with a straight face? My cheeks were definitely hotter than the milk. “It is late. Get some rest.” Noticing my embarrassment, he offered a gentle smile and quietly pulled the door shut behind him. The room returned to silence. I took tiny sips of the sweet milk, feeling a profound warmth spread from my stomach straight to my heart. He definitely did not hear Zoe’s scandalous comments, right? Yeah. Definitely not. The next morning, I woke up to the mouthwatering smell of breakfast. Walking out of the bedroom in a daze, I found Victor in the open kitchen, wearing a… pink apron. He was expertly frying eggs. The morning light spilled through the windows, casting a golden halo around his broad shoulders. Hearing my footsteps, he turned around and gave me a crisp, bright smile. “Good morning, Mrs. Cross. Go wash up. Breakfast is almost ready.” Sitting on the dining table were perfectly cooked sunny-side-up eggs, golden toast, warm milk, and a small bowl of fruit salad. My exact favorite breakfast combination. “How do you know my exact order?” I had to ask. “I told you. I have been paying attention.” He slid a glass of milk toward me, sounding as casual as if he were discussing the weather. I felt a rush of complex emotions. Having a man quietly observe you for years, memorizing even your breakfast preferences—if I hated him, I would be terrified. But because it was Victor… I found it incredibly sweet. After eating, he began getting ready for work. “What are your plans for today?” he asked while tying his shoes. “I…” Reality came crashing down. I had a massive mess to clean up. I needed to face my parents regarding the canceled wedding, and more importantly, drop the bomb that I was already married. Just thinking about my parents’ incoming wrath gave me a headache. “Do you want me to come with you?” He noticed my hesitation. “No, it is fine.” I shook my head. “It is my mess. I need to handle it myself.” I refused to act like a fragile flower that needed to hide behind him at the first sign of trouble. “Alright.” He did not push it. Instead, he pulled out a sleek, obsidian black card and handed it to me. “The pin is your birthday. Buy whatever you want. Do not hold back.” Here we go again with the overbearing billionaire tropes! And yet, my heart was racing. “I… I have my own money,” I whispered, trying to refuse. “This is what a husband is supposed to provide.” He pressed the heavy metal card into my palm, leaving no room for argument. “Be good. Take it.” Before I could process it, he leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to my forehead. Then he turned and walked out the door. I stood frozen in the entryway for a solid ten minutes, clutching the card that still carried his body heat, my face burning up. Oh my god! He kissed me! Even if it was just the forehead! I took several deep breaths, forcing my racing heart to calm down. Get it together, Linda! You are a married woman now! It was just a forehead kiss! Mentally preparing myself for battle, I dialed my mother’s number. “Linda! Where are you? Are you okay? You terrified us!” Eleanor’s frantic voice burst through the speaker. After the disaster at the banquet, I had locked myself away and then vanished the next morning. Of course they were terrified. “Mom, I am fine. I am perfectly fine.” I tried to sound as normal as possible. “I am out right now… I have something important to tell you and Dad.” “What is it? Where are you? We will come get you!” “No, it is okay. I will come home this afternoon to talk.” I hung up and looked at my reflection in the mirror. My eyes were a little red, but my gaze was remarkably steady. It was time to face the music. That afternoon, I took a cab back to the Davis estate. Walking into the grand living room, I found both my parents sitting on the sofas, their expressions grim. Spread across the coffee table were today’s newspapers. The headlines were universally vicious. Tristan Sinclair Abandons Bride at the Altar for Comatose Ex-Lover! Five-Year Romance Turns to Dust: Linda Davis Humiliated in High Society! “Linda, you are back!” My mother jumped up and rushed over, grabbing my arms to inspect me from head to toe. “Where have you been? You did not answer any calls! We were going out of our minds!” “I am fine, Mom.” I patted her hands reassuringly. My father, Arthur, sat rigidly on the couch, his face dark with fury. I knew he was furious at me for disappearing, but mostly furious at the Sinclair family. “I will make the Sinclairs bleed for this,” my father finally growled, his voice thick with wrath. “Do not worry, Linda. I will not let you suffer this indignity for nothing.” Seeing them so fiercely protective of me warmed my heart and solidified my resolve. I reached into my designer bag, pulled out the crisp marriage certificate, and gently placed it on the coffee table. A suffocating silence descended upon the room. My mother’s eyes widened. She looked at the document, then at me, her lips trembling, unable to form a single word. My father’s face shifted from red to purple, then to a ghastly pale. He picked up the document with shaking hands and flipped it open. When his eyes landed on the name “Victor Cross”, his hand spasmed, dropping the booklet onto the rug. “This is madness!” He slammed his hand against the glass table and shot to his feet, pointing a trembling finger at me. “Linda! What on earth are you doing! Did you use your own marriage as a tool just to spite Tristan? Do you know who Victor Cross is? He is Tristan’s sworn enemy! You marrying him turns the Davis family into a circus act! How are people going to look at you?!” “Dad!” I met his furious gaze without taking a single step back. “I am not doing this out of spite, and this is not a joke. I am entirely sober and I know exactly what I am doing.” “Sober? You call marrying a man you have met barely a handful of times in one week being sober?!” he roared, losing his usual aristocratic composure. “He is not just a man I met a few times.” I took a deep breath and proceeded to lay out the entire truth. I told them about the incident from high school ten years ago, and how he had been waiting in the shadows ever since. I naturally omitted the part where Victor had “investigated” me, framing it instead as him quietly watching over me. When I finished, the living room plunged back into a prolonged silence. My mother’s expression morphed from shock, to disbelief, to a faint glimmer of being deeply moved. My father slowly sank back onto the sofa, massaging his temples, lost in thought. After a very long time, he spoke, his voice laced with exhaustion. “Even so, this is entirely too reckless. Marriage is not a game.” “Dad, I am an adult.” I looked at him with absolute sincerity. “I know what I want. For the past five years with Tristan, I lived like a puppet on a string. I always had to be the bigger person. Always understanding. Always stepping aside. But now, I want to live for myself.” I paused, dropping the final, most crucial weight onto the scale. “Besides… he treats me incredibly well.” My father stared at me for what felt like an eternity. I braced myself for another explosion of anger. Instead, he let out a heavy, defeated sigh.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “404821”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

A crisp notification chime echoed from my roommate’s iPad. I instinctively looked up, my eyes landing on the glowing screen. A WhatsApp message bubble popped up, and the name of the group chat was glaringly obvious: “Free ATM Club.” Driven by some inexplicable gut feeling, I reached out and tapped the bubble. The members of the group included Connor, who had just stepped out, our landlord, and my other two roommates. “Celebrating another massive payday this month!” “All thanks to Connor’s quick thinking. Bumping up Oliver’s rent saved us a fortune!” someone texted excitedly. “Exactly! With Oliver acting as our free full-time maid, we’re saving on cleaning fees and takeout too!” another chimed in. The screen was instantly flooded with celebratory memes and laughing emojis. I stood rooted to the spot, my blood running ice cold. Because in this house, I was the only one excluded from that group. I was Oliver, the gullible ATM. 1 My fingers began to tremble uncontrollably. Swiping the screen, I scrolled up through the chat history piece by piece. Group Admin: Connor. Date created: January twelfth of last year. That was the exact day after I got a high-paying offer from a tech company and excitedly bought him drinks to celebrate. He had been plotting this since then. And judging by the tone of the messages, he and our landlord had known each other for a long time. “Gary, I found a fat sheep for us.” “He’s my college roommate. A total nerd who only knows how to work. Dumb but loaded.” Our landlord replied almost instantly. “Beautiful work, Connor. Let’s do it the usual way.” In the first few weeks, there weren’t many messages. Mostly just Gary asking when Connor planned to move in and if he needed any furniture. It wasn’t until late January, after the New Year holidays, that two more people were pulled into the chat. Felix and Dylan. They were buddies of Connor from his hometown. “Welcome to the Free ATM Club, boys.” Connor sent a GIF of confetti falling. “Bro, can we really live here for free?” Felix was clearly curious. “Absolutely! The sucker already paid the deposit.” “Connor, you’re an absolute genius!” “I freaking love this group name.” “Man, we should have met ages ago.” Dylan followed up with a starry-eyed emoji. “We’re one big happy family from now on!” Gary the landlord popped in to add. Staring at those blinding words, my stomach churned, a wave of nausea rising in my throat. I quickly pulled out my own phone, opened the camera, and recorded the entire chat history from top to bottom. When Felix and Dylan first joined, the conversation was somewhat restrained. They mostly discussed how to split the monthly rent and handle the transfers. Connor: “I set this whole thing up, so I’m taking the master bedroom with the en-suite bathroom. No objections, right?” Felix: “Dylan and I can share the big east-facing bedroom.” Dylan: “How are we splitting the money?” Connor sent a long audio message. The transcribed text was crystal clear: “This apartment is in a prime location and comes fully furnished. The market rate is somewhere between three and four thousand bucks.” He paused, then sent another text. “I told Oliver the total rent is sixty-six hundred. So technically, we should all be splitting it evenly at over two grand a head. But I just made him cover twenty-two hundred himself.” “The actual bottom-line price for this place is thirty-six hundred. We just need to split the remaining fourteen hundred.” “Since I brought you guys on board, I’ll pay six hundred. You two split the remaining eight hundred.” “As for utilities, internet, and HOA fees, I’ll Photoshop the bills and inflate the numbers.” “Whatever extra cash we squeeze out of Oliver there, we split forty-forty-twenty.” “The landlord and I take forty percent each, and you two split the remaining twenty.” “How about that? We basically get to live in a luxury apartment for free, and we might even make a profit every month.” Dylan replied instantly. “I’m totally down. What about you, Felix?” Felix sent a thumbs-up. “I’m in. A golden location and a high-end apartment like this? It’s a no-brainer.” The rent they claimed was thirty-six hundred, yet I was paying twenty-two hundred all by myself! And I was sleeping in the smallest, worst-facing bedroom in the entire apartment! What an incredible scheme. Click. The sound of the front door unlocking echoed from the entryway. I instantly shoved my phone into my pocket and exited the WhatsApp interface on his iPad. Connor walked in carrying an Amazon package. He tossed it aside, picked up his tablet, and obliviously resumed playing the trending TV show he had been binge-watching. “Oliver, is dinner ready?” he yelled toward the kitchen. “Almost done.” I turned and walked back into the kitchen, forcefully suppressing the rage boiling in my chest, pretending absolutely nothing was wrong. Just like I had done countless nights before, I pulled the hot food from the oven, set it on the dining table, and called them out to eat. 2 “Wow, the smell of this beef stew is unreal.” Felix took an exaggeratedly deep breath, a look of pure intoxication on his face. “Oliver could open a five-star restaurant with these skills.” Dylan chimed in with his usual flattery. Looking at their sickeningly fake smiles, a chill ran down my spine. “I purposely left out the onions. I know Connor can’t stand the taste.” I kept my voice perfectly flat. “You know me best, man.” Connor smiled radiantly, flashing his white teeth. “Eat up before it gets cold.” I pulled out my chair, sat down, and picked up my fork. “Oh, by the way, Oliver, Gary texted today. He said we need to pay the entire rent for next year upfront by March first.” Connor said casually, stuffing a piece of beef into his mouth. “What? Haven’t we always paid every six months?” I played along, feigning surprise. “Gary says this apartment is right downtown, and people are lining up for it.” “There are a few corporate guys working in the financial district offering more than we pay, and they’re willing to drop a whole year’s cash at once.” “He’s only keeping the price the same as a favor to me.” “But the hard condition is we have to pay all twelve months in one lump sum.” My hand hovered over my plate for a fraction of a second. Images of their dirty deals and money-splitting grins flashed through my mind. I decided to play right into his hands. “I see. I only budgeted for six months, so I’ll probably have to pull some funds from my investment accounts.” I kept my head down, staring intently at the potatoes on my plate. I couldn’t bear to look at his revolting face. “As long as you can pull it together. I was honestly worried you wouldn’t have that kind of cash on hand.” Connor let out a heavy sigh, putting on a mask of deep distress. “You know I live paycheck to paycheck. By the time I pay off my credit cards, I’ve got nothing left.” “Just thinking about a whole year’s rent makes my head spin.” “Yeah, the economy is terrible right now. Making a buck is harder than eating dirt.” Felix echoed the complaints. Listening to them put on this poverty charade, my mind replayed the endless stream of payment screenshots and transfer receipts from their group chat. The hard-earned money I bled for had become their endless bankroll to party in this metropolis. The meal tasted like sawdust. My throat felt like it was coated in sand. Yet they ate with immense pleasure, wiping the very last drop of gravy from the pot with their bread. The moment they finished, Connor collapsed onto the plush living room sofa. “I’m so stuffed. Oliver, I’m leaving the dishes to you, man.” “The season finale of my show is tonight, I gotta catch up.” Felix and Dylan also found quick excuses, slipping away into their rooms. Looking at the messy dining table. I didn’t say a single word. I just silently gathered the greasy plates and silverware. The cold water in the sink stung my knuckles. But it was nowhere near as freezing as the chill in my heart. Hearing the muffled sounds of video games and laughter bleeding through their doors. I dried my hands, walked into my tiny bedroom, and locked the door behind me. Pressing my spine against the cold wood, I let out a long, heavy breath that had been trapped in my chest. I pulled out my phone, put on my noise-canceling headphones. And opened the video I had just recorded. 3 Those chat logs were like rusty knives. Plunging into my flesh, one after another. The timeline in the video went back to the week before Thanksgiving last year. We had agreed to do a deep clean of the apartment over the weekend. But that morning, Connor woke up clutching his stomach, rolling around on the couch in agony. “Oliver, my stomach is cramping so bad. I can’t even stand up.” Seeing him pale and sweating, I actually ran three blocks in the cold to a pharmacy to buy him heavy-duty medication. I even told him to go back to bed and rest. Shortly after, Felix called. He claimed his boyfriend’s car broke down on the highway and he had to go pick him up. Then, Dylan sent a voice note complaining that his company landed a last-minute project and his whole department was forced to work overtime. In that massive apartment, I was the only one left. Thinking the place needed to be spotless for the holidays, I gritted my teeth and did all the scrubbing myself. And what was the reality? In that hidden chat, Connor posted a photo of my back as I knelt on the living room rug, violently scrubbing a stain. “Look at our free housekeeper going to town.” “Haha, he was born to do the grunt work,” Felix replied instantly. “I’m at the designer boutiques downtown right now. How do these limited-edition sneakers look?” Dylan followed up with a mirror selfie. “Sick! Drop a pin, I’m right around the corner. I’ll come meet you,” Felix texted back. “It feels so good having a servant at home.” Connor sent an emoji of a guy smoking a cigar in sunglasses. I stared at my own hunched, exhausted back on the screen. My fingernails dug so deeply into my palms they almost broke the skin. I was so exhausted that day I couldn’t even stand up straight, eating nothing but a slice of cold toast for dinner. Meanwhile, they were spending my money, ruthlessly mocking my stupidity in their little club. I took a deep breath, blinked away the burning in my eyes, and dragged the progress bar further back. A blizzard hit us last December. I caught the flu. My fever spiked to a hundred and three degrees, my bones aching so badly I didn’t have the strength to get out of bed. I texted Connor, begging him to grab some fever reducers from the convenience store downstairs on his way home from work. He refused without hesitation. “Sorry bro, I’m swamped today. I’ll probably be stuck at the office until midnight.” “Maybe you can order something on Uber Eats.” In the end, I had to drag my completely shattered body out into the snowstorm, waiting thirty minutes for a cab to the ER. I sat in a freezing hospital chair hooked up to an IV for four hours. Not a single one of them checked on me. At one o’clock that afternoon. Felix posted a receipt in the chat. It was a lavish seafood feast totaling eight hundred and eighty dollars. “The extra rent and internet money cleared today. Let’s treat ourselves, boys.” While I was delirious with a fever in the hospital, unable to even get a sip of water. They were sitting in an upscale restaurant, using my cash to feast on sweet Alaskan king crab and oysters. I clenched my jaw and kept reading. October eighteenth of last year. My birthday. I took a half-day off work, wanting to cook a huge dinner so we could celebrate together. I happily slaved away in the kitchen for three hours, laid out a massive spread, and sent a picture to our main group chat. A full thirty minutes passed before Connor replied. “Ah man, my bad Oliver. My boss just dumped a massive project on my desk. I’m not gonna make it back tonight.” “Same here, my manager is breathing down my neck.” Felix chimed in. “I’m stuck in the suburbs with a client. I can’t make it back either. Go ahead and eat without us, man. Happy birthday.” Dylan offered his excuse. That night, I sat alone at the long dining table. Listening to the wind howl outside, watching the food slowly turn cold. And where were they? In their secret group chat. Connor posted a selfie from a high-rise steakhouse with panoramic city views. Felix and Dylan were in the background, laughing hysterically and holding up champagne flutes. “Cheers! Celebrating another night of saving on dinner!” Connor captioned the photo. “That idiot is probably still sitting at home waiting for us to cut the cake.” Felix sent a crying-laughing emoji. “The slop he cooks is so bland anyway, I wouldn’t even feed it to a dog.” Dylan added his ruthless remark. Those blinding words. They ignited a raging fire in my chest, burning away every last ounce of goodwill I had left for them. The brotherhood I thought we shared. The mutual support I believed we had in this cold city. It was all one giant, humiliating joke. 4 I closed my eyes, turned off the video, and used every ounce of strength I had to steady my trembling breath. I backed the video up to the cloud, took screenshots of every single conversation, and meticulously analyzed every number mentioned. Hunched over my desk, I compared their logs with my bank statements, line by line. The more I calculated, the colder my blood ran. Without realizing it, I spent nearly a week staying up late every night. I finally matched almost every single chat screenshot to a specific transfer from my bank. I stood up and walked over to the window. Outside was the mesmerizing skyline of the city, millions of bright, warm lights. But this cramped, west-facing bedroom I was in felt as lifeless as a freezer. I would never let them drain another drop of my blood. Not a single drop. My phone screen suddenly lit up on the desk. A text from Connor. “Oliver, you asleep? My stomach is totally empty.” “I’m craving those handmade tacos from the food truck down the street.” He appended a pathetic, begging cat emoji. I stared coldly at the screen, locked my phone, and pretended I never saw it. Ten minutes later, he came over and pounded heavily on my door. I remained frozen in my chair, choosing to be deaf. After a long while, the sound of the front door opening echoed through the apartment. He went downstairs himself. I immediately slipped out of my room and crept into his master suite. I tapped his iPad awake, needing to see what they were plotting now. “Why is that idiot so quiet tonight? I’m starving.” “Probably dead asleep by now.” “Sleeping like a log. I knocked forever and got nothing. Now I have to put on a jacket and freeze my ass off going downstairs.” Connor sent an eye-rolling emoji, then dropped a massive bombshell in the chat. “Next Sunday is the deadline for next year’s rent and HOA fees.” “Once he pays up, I’m going to start some drama and find an excuse to force him out.” “Then I’ll have my brother move in. My brother said he’ll cover the rent going forward.” The chat exploded the second that message went through. Felix spammed three exclamation points. “Bro, that is an absolute kill shot!” Dylan followed up with a barrage of blurry, over-excited reaction images. No wonder they were forcing me to pay a full year upfront. They had dug a massive grave and were just waiting to bury me in it. I quickly screen-recorded the conversation, retreated to my room like a ghost, and continued reconciling the final batch of bills. Want to bleed me dry? Want to kick me to the curb? Keep dreaming. But once I calmed down, thinking about Connor’s reminder for the annual rent and the cut they were taking, something didn’t add up. Based on their percentage split, Gary the landlord was risking a felony by forging leases and faking bills just to make a couple of hundred bucks extra a month. The risk-to-reward ratio made zero sense. That wasn’t Gary’s style. He was a shrewd businessman. I opened up an apartment rental website, typed in our building’s name, and messaged a few brokers about the real market rates for a unit like ours. The broker’s reply hit me like a sledgehammer. “Sir, for a unit with that floor plan in your building, if it’s newly renovated with high-end furniture, the monthly rent is around forty-five hundred.” “If it’s an unfurnished, older unit like you described, it sits at around three thousand dollars.” “And if the interior hasn’t been maintained well, the price is negotiable. You could get it down to twenty-five hundred.” The apartment we were in had outdated fixtures, and the furniture was a mismatched collection of thrift store finds. Some of it was literally picked up off the curb. If they were really making a killing off this place, the true bottom line had to be significantly lower than three thousand. I sat frozen in front of my monitor, my mind racing. If he wasn’t even making a few hundred extra dollars on the spread, why would the landlord risk going to jail to help them fake a lease? Was he getting a much bigger cut somewhere else?

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “404805”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

Three years ago, I championed Amelia Thorne’s entry into the company. From intern to HR Director, every promotion she received, I had vouched for her. Now, there were 23 names on the redundancy list. Mine was at the top. She had submitted it. “Helen, I couldn’t help it.” Her eyes red-rimmed, “It was decided by management.” I said nothing. Her phone vibrated. A text message. Top contact, marked with a red heart emoji. The profile picture was a man’s side profile. A dark blue plaid shirt. The same one I had personally ironed for Oliver Goddard last night. Oliver Goddard is my husband. I put the list into my bag and stood up. “Amelia, the shirt the person in your top contact is wearing—” “I ironed it last night.” Her face went white. 1 “Helen! Helen, wait!” Amelia’s voice, tinged with a sob, chased me down the corridor. I didn’t look back. My heels clicked on the tiled floor, a steady rhythm. The elevator doors opened. She caught up to me, grabbing my arm. “You misunderstood, that person isn’t Oliver…” “Dark blue plaid shirt, with a small scorched hole under the left chest pocket.” I looked at her hand. “I accidentally ironed it like that last night.” Her fingers loosened. “Helen…” “Amelia.” I pressed the elevator button. “You’ve been using that trick on me for three years—your left eye reddens first, then your right. It’s not very effective anymore.” The elevator doors closed. I leaned against the elevator wall, watching the numbers drop. Basement one. Parking garage. I got into my car, closed the door. My phone lit up. A message. Amelia sent a voice note; I didn’t open it. Another text came: “Helen, if you don’t believe me, you can ask Oliver directly. He’ll explain.” I stared at the message for ten seconds. I opened Oliver’s social media. Last Wednesday, he posted a picture of coffee with the caption: “Working late, this coffee delivered tastes extra good.” That night he told me he was busy with a project at work; I hadn’t sent him any coffee. The first comment was from Amelia: “You’re working hard [heart emoji].” Oliver replied with a smiling emoji. I scrolled down further. A month ago, during the holiday weekend, he said he was taking clients for golf in the Bahamas. No pictures posted on his feed. But Amelia had posted. A beach, sunset, red bikini, with the caption: “Be good to me, holiday.” In the bottom right corner of the second photo, a man’s hand, wearing a very familiar wedding band on the ring finger. The scratch was on the left side—Oliver always rested his left hand on the steering wheel when driving, wearing it down. I exited the app, started the car. I arrived home at 7:30. Oliver poked his head out of the kitchen, smiling. “You’re back? Why so early today?” “Nothing much, so I came home.” “Wash up, dinner’s ready. The ribs just came out of the oven.” At the dining table, he served me food, recounting his day at the office. “You remember Mark from finance? Today he added an extra zero to a report, and the boss thought our department’s revenue had increased tenfold. He was happy for a whole hour…” He smiled very naturally. I smiled too. “Oh, right,” he said, “you ironed my blue plaid shirt, didn’t you? I have an important meeting tomorrow.” “It’s hanging in the third compartment of the closet.” “Thanks, wife.” He reached over and squeezed my fingers. His fingertips were warm. After dinner, he went to wash the dishes. I went into the bedroom and opened the closet. The blue plaid shirt was hanging there. I picked it up and sniffed it closely. Beneath the scent of laundry detergent, there was a faint fragrance. Bleu de Chanel. I had given it to Amelia for her birthday three years ago. “I love it so much!” she had hugged me then, saying, “Helen, you’re truly the best person in the world to me.” I hung the shirt back up. In the pocket, I felt a crumpled receipt. Two cups of coffee from a local cafe. One Americano, one low-sugar latte. I drink Americano. Oliver also drinks Americano. Whose was the low-sugar latte? The sound of water stopped in the bathroom. He walked out, wrapped in a towel. “Wife, I might be home late tomorrow; a project needs finishing.” “Okay.” “Don’t stay up too late.” He kissed my forehead. “Oliver.” “Hm?” “How long has it been since you celebrated our wedding anniversary with me?” His movement paused. “Last month wasn’t…” “Last month you said you had an unexpected business trip to the Caribbean.” “Right, that client couldn’t be put off…” “Did that client wear a red bikini?” His expression flickered, then returned to normal. “What are you talking about? The client is a bald man in his fifties.” “Oh.” “Why are you suddenly thinking about this?” “Nothing. There’s a small hole under the pocket of your shirt. I accidentally did it while ironing; I hope you don’t mind.” “Not at all.” He smiled. “You ironed it for me; even the hole looks good.” I turned off the light. In the darkness, his breathing gradually became even. My eyes remained open. At 2 AM, his phone lit up. A message popped up, labeled “Project Team – Kevin”: “Hubby, I’ve handled the last issue. She won’t have a chance to turn things around. Don’t worry.” Followed by a kissing emoji. Hubby. She. Turn things around. The screen darkened. Oliver turned over, his arm resting on my waist. “Mmm… wife…” he mumbled indistinctly. I didn’t move. “Goodnight,” I said. No one replied. 2 “Here, I bought you coffee, a sugar-free Americano.” Amelia stood at my cubicle, smiling gently, holding a Starbucks cup. Her other hand briefly rested on my shoulder. “I thought about yesterday all night; it truly was management’s decision. I tried to advocate for you.” I took the coffee. “Thank you.” “What you said yesterday… about the shirt,” she leaned in, lowering her voice, “my boyfriend happens to have an identical one. It’s just a coincidence, don’t overthink it.” “Your boyfriend?” “Mm, we’ve only been dating for two months, haven’t gone public yet.” She winked. “I’ll introduce you sometime.” “Okay.” She smiled and walked away. I took a sip of coffee. Americano, but with sugar. I never take sugar in my Americano. She remembered Oliver’s low-sugar latte, but couldn’t recall my preference. At 10 AM, my colleague Alex passed my cubicle, dropping a stack of documents, and whispered, “Helen, there’s something I’m not sure if I should tell you.” “Tell me.” She looked around, then pulled me into the breakroom. “The redundancy list… I saw three versions on the printer.” “Three versions?” “The first version had 15 people, and you weren’t on it. The second had 20, and you were number eight. The third is this current one, 23 people, and you’re number one.” “Who changed it?” “Amelia. All three revision records are under her account. Each time someone was added—” Alex bit her lip, “—it was always someone you mentored.” I said nothing. “And one more thing.” Alex lowered her voice. “Did you see last week’s department annual performance review?” “I submitted it.” “Not your version.” She pulled out her phone and showed me a screenshot. On the screen, under the department review section: “Helen Fraser: Average organizational skills, aggressive management style, poor team cohesion. Recommended for salary reduction, role reassignment, or optimization.” A red cross was next to my name. “Below that was a section for role recommendations.” Alex scrolled to the next page. “Amelia wrote it, recommending her assistant, Beth, to replace you. Someone who’s been with the company for less than six months.” “When was this report submitted?” “Two weeks ago. Three days before the redundancy list.” “Is the original report still in the system?” “Yes. But the permissions were changed; only Amelia and the administrator can see it. I saw it last week during system maintenance when IT recovered a batch of files.” Alex looked at me. “Helen, she did it on purpose.” I knew. At noon, Amelia came to find me again, sitting opposite me and placing a chicken wing in my bowl. “Helen, eat more, you’ve lost weight recently.” “Mm.” “Dinner tonight? Let’s get a barbecue. It’s been a while.” “He’s working late tonight.” “Then just the two of us.” She took my hand and held it. “Helen, no matter what happens, you’re my best friend.” Her palm was warm. The same temperature as when Oliver squeezed my fingers last night. “Amelia.” “Hm?” “What does your new boyfriend do?” Her eyes flickered. “Finance.” “Which company?” “A small company you wouldn’t know.” “What’s his name?” “Helen, why are you so interested in my boyfriend?” She smiled. “Are you jealous?” “Just asking.” In the afternoon, I went to HR’s shared folder. I didn’t have administrator privileges, but the old system’s backend entry was still open. Three minutes later, I found all the documents Amelia had submitted. Besides the tampered performance review, there was something else. Title: “Core Employee Seating Adjustment Plan.” The content was simple: Move Helen Fraser’s workstation from the eighth-floor department area to the third-floor administrative area. Reason: “Optimize office space.” The third-floor administrative area. Next to the restroom drainage pipe, no windows. She had even planned where I would sit. At the bottom of the document was a footnote. Not Amelia’s handwriting. “Confirmed with HR, to be executed next Monday. —Oliver Goddard.” Oliver. My husband’s name, appearing on a document that moved me next to the restroom. I opened the company directory and searched for “Oliver Goddard.” One result. Finance Department. Senior Finance Manager. Start date—two years ago. Two years ago, he told me he had switched to an investment company. “It’s a small company; you wouldn’t know it even if I told you.” Exactly what Amelia had said earlier. He had been working at my company for two years. In the same building. I was on the eighth floor, he was on the tenth. Separated by the ninth floor—the HR department, Amelia’s floor. My phone rang. Oliver. “Wife, what do you want for dinner tonight?” “…Anything.” “What’s wrong with your voice?” “A bit tired.” “Then leave work early. I’ll wait for you at home.” I hung up. I found the screenshot of that message from earlier that morning. “Project Team – Kevin.” Hubby. She won’t have a chance to turn things around. Kevin. “Amelia, you are truly something else.” 3 “Ms. Fraser, please attend the management meeting this afternoon.” My assistant, Emily, brought in documents, her expression subtle. “What’s the agenda?” “It’s being led by Director Thorne. Department budget reviews and personnel optimization plans.” At 2 PM, over a dozen people sat in the conference room. Amelia stood before the projector, dressed in a white turtleneck, looking intellectual and gentle. “Everyone, the company is facing some pressure this year, and we need to optimize our human efficiency.” She flipped to the next slide. “First, a report on each department’s semi-annual performance.” A table appeared on the screen. Marketing Department, 120% completion. Tech Department, 115%. Sales Department, 98%. Operations Department—my department—47%. 47%. I had led my team to achieve $18 million in revenue in the first half of the year, targeting $20 million. That’s a 90% completion rate. Not 47%. “The Operations Department’s performance is indeed less than ideal.” Amelia’s tone was regretful, glancing at me. “Ms. Fraser has worked hard, but the data doesn’t lie.” “How was this data calculated?” I asked. “Finance calculated it. Do you have any objections?” “The data I submitted was $18 million, a 90% completion rate.” “Finance performed a recalculation, and the revenue attribution for several projects was adjusted.” “What was the basis for the adjustment?” “That’s a professional judgment from Finance; I’m not entirely clear.” She shuffled the documents in her hand. “If you have questions, you can check with Finance after the meeting.” “Furthermore,” she continued, “after a comprehensive evaluation, the Operations Department’s human efficiency ranks last among all departments. Therefore, our optimization list has a higher proportion from Operations.” Out of 23 people, my department accounted for 14. More than half were to be laid off. “Helen,” she used my nickname in front of everyone, “don’t feel pressured. It’s not your personal problem; it’s the general economic climate.” Gentle, thoughtful. As if she was concerned for me. In reality, she had just used fake data to sentence my department to death. After the meeting, I went straight to the tenth-floor finance department. I found the finance manager, Mr. Davies. “Mr. Davies, on what basis was the Operations Department’s revenue recalculated?” Mr. Davies adjusted his glasses. “Last month, Director Thorne submitted an adjustment request, stating that the revenue attribution for three projects needed to be reclassified, moving them from Operations to Marketing.” “Who signed off on it?” “The process requires sign-off from the department liaison.” Mr. Davies handed over the document. On the signature line was a very familiar handwriting. Oliver Goddard. “This Oliver Goddard,” I pointed at the signature, “which department is he from?” “Finance Department. He’s responsible for liaising on all departmental financial matters,” Mr. Davies looked at me. “Doesn’t Ms. Fraser know him? He’s been here for two years.” “I know him.” I walked out of the tenth floor. The window at the end of the corridor was open. The November wind blew in, bitingly cold. Oliver had been working at the company for two years. He helped Amelia adjust my department’s data. Signed off on it. Then he went home, cooked me barbecue ribs, kissed my forehead, and said, “Wife, you’ve worked hard.” I took the elevator down to basement one and found Oliver’s car—the one I brought as part of my dowry. The car was unlocked. A beige silk scarf was draped over the passenger seat. Hermes. The one Amelia always wore. I opened the glove compartment, and inside was a crumpled hotel receipt. The Grand Hotel, Presidential Suite, costing $8,600. Date: October 15th. That day was our third wedding anniversary. Oliver said he was on a business trip to the Caribbean. He even sent a picture of a beautiful island. I replied then, “The island is beautiful, take me next time.” He said, “Definitely.” Hanging on the rearview mirror was a pair of keychains. Two small bears, one red and one blue, with the letters “W” and “H” engraved on the base. Wei and Heng. Not Tang and Heng. I photographed the receipt and put the keychains in my pocket. Back at my desk. Alex came over again. “Helen, Amelia was just in the breakroom telling some department heads—” She hesitated. “Word for word.” “She said, ‘Helen has been very emotional since she found out about the redundancies, and yesterday she said some rather incoherent things in my office. Please be understanding with her; she’s very pitiful.’” Unstable. Incoherent. Pitiful. Three labels affixed. From now on, no matter what I say, it will be dismissed as the rambling of someone having an emotional breakdown. My phone rang. Amelia. “Helen, are we still on for barbecue tonight?” “You decide.” “A steakhouse? You said last time you wanted a good steak.” “Amelia.” “Hm?” “Where were you on October 15th?” There was three seconds of silence on the other end. “Helen, why are you suddenly asking that?” “That was my wedding anniversary. Oliver was away on business, and I ate instant noodles alone at home. I just wanted to know if everyone else had a better day than me.” Another three seconds of silence. “…I worked late that day. Alone at the office until very late.” “Oh, that’s tough too.” “It is. So, barbecue at seven?” “Okay.” I hung up. The Grand Hotel receipt, check-in time 3 PM. “Worked late.” “Amelia, your ‘overtime’ location is quite luxurious.” 4 “Helen, what are you doing here?” Amelia looked up, in the process of changing the water for a bouquet of white roses. The flowers on her desk, at least thirty, were tied with a satin ribbon. “Who sent them?” I walked in and closed the door. “My boyfriend,” she smiled, moving the flowers aside. “Sit, can I get you something to drink?” “No need.” I sat across from her. I took three items from my bag, placing them one by one on her desk. A beige Hermes silk scarf. A Grand Hotel receipt. A pair of bear keychains, W & H. Amelia’s smile slowly faded. “The scarf was found in Oliver’s car, in the passenger seat. Yours, right?” She didn’t speak. “The Grand Hotel, October 15th. My wedding anniversary. Oliver told me he was in the Caribbean.” Her fingers subtly tightened. “The keychains are engraved with two letters. W for Wei, H for Heng.” She closed her eyes for a moment. Then she looked up at me, her eyes red again. “Helen… I know you’re hurting…” “I’m not hurting. I’m confirming facts with you.” “The fact is—” her voice trembled slightly, “—Oliver and I do know each other.” “Know each other.” “But it’s not what you think.” “Then what is it?” “He pursued me first,” she bit her lip. “Last year, at the annual gala, you left early. He had too much to drink and added me on social media.” “And then?” “I rejected him! Helen, you’re my best friend, how could I possibly—” “Best friend.” “Yes! So I kept avoiding him, but he kept seeking me out, sending messages, gifts…” “And you couldn’t avoid him, so you stayed in the Grand Hotel’s Presidential Suite?” She froze. “Couldn’t avoid him, so you flew to the Bahamas together?” “The Bahamas wasn’t what you think—” “You posted pictures. A red bikini. His hand is in the bottom right corner of the photo, a wedding ring on his ring finger, with scratches on the left side.” Amelia’s tears finally fell. “I didn’t mean to hurt you…” “Then what about the redundancy list?” My voice was calm. “You revised it three times. Each time, you added people from my team. My name wasn’t on the first version; you added it.” She wiped away her tears. “You also changed the performance review. My performance was $18 million, and you wrote it as less than $8 million. The difference was entirely reallocated to the Marketing Department.” “That was a Finance Department decision—” “The person who signed it was Oliver Goddard.” She fell silent. “You also wrote my seating adjustment plan. Moving me from the eighth floor to next to the restroom on the third floor. And Oliver’s handwriting was in the annotation column.” “Helen…” “You two work very well together.” “It’s not what you think!” she suddenly stood up, her voice changed—no longer a soft sob, but sharp, urgent. “Oliver promised me, he said he would handle—” She stopped mid-sentence. Realizing she had let something slip. “Promised you what?” I looked at her. She covered her mouth. “Handle me?” “No… I didn’t mean that…” “Amelia. Three years ago, when you came for your interview, that internship experience on your resume was fake. I helped you cover it up.” Her breathing hitched. “Your first probation review didn’t pass; I found three reviewers to speak up for you. When you were promoted to manager, your competitor was stronger, and I fought for you in the meeting.” “I know…” “From intern to HR Director, three years, I pushed you every step of the way.” “Helen, I’m grateful to you…” “Your way of showing gratitude is to sleep with my husband, falsify my data, and put my name first on the redundancy list.” She opened her mouth, wanting to explain something. The office door was pushed open. Oliver stood at the doorway. A cup of coffee in his left hand, another in his right. “Amelia, I—” He looked up. He saw me. His smile froze on his face. Both coffee cups tilted simultaneously, brown liquid spilling onto his leather shoes. He didn’t move. Amelia didn’t move. I didn’t move either. Three people, two seconds of silence. Quiet enough to hear the coffee dripping onto the tiled floor.

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