Category: English

1 A month after I started dating my childhood sweetheart, I stumbled upon a post on a relationship forum. [Title: My crush’s parents are obsessed with his female best friend. How can I drive them apart?] In the top-voted comment, the original poster (OP) passionately defended her position. [OP]: We’re in love, we just haven’t said the words yet. [OP]: He changed his top-choice college application, just so he could go to the same school as me. [OP]: He told me he was just “giving it a try” with his best friend, but he realized they’re not compatible at all. But it was the photo she attached that sent a shard of ice through my heart. It was a picture of two pairs of feet, angled toward each other. On the tops of their sneakers were hand-painted cartoon dragons, positioned to form a heart between them. I stared at the photo, my vision blurring, until the truth finally crystallized. The “crush” she was talking about… was my boyfriend, Ethan. 2 The comments section was a flurry of activity. [User1]: Ugh, I hate parents like that. They only care about maintaining their social circles, not their kids’ actual happiness. [User2]: I don’t even consider guys who have a “female best friend.” Who knows what kind of secret feelings have been brewing between them for years? [User3]: You’re so lucky. My crush is completely devoted to his childhood friend. … The OP replied to each one, her tone dripping with smug satisfaction. [OP]: What does it matter what his parents want? In the end, parents always give in to their kids. As long as he loves me, that’s all that matters. [OP]: I call her his “best friend” to be polite. But honestly? She’s the other woman, trying to wreck a real relationship. Someone challenged her. [User4]: Didn’t you say your crush is already “giving it a try” with her? That means they’re dating, right? So technically, aren’t YOU the other woman? The OP responded with a single eye-roll emoji. [OP]: There’s no such thing as a homewrecker when no one’s married. Whoever gets the ring in the end wins. Besides, it’s not my fault he likes me more! Finally, she posted a screenshot of a text exchange. Ethan: Not my idea. The parents are having dinner. I’m just the show pony. Krista: But my stomach hurts. I’m all alone on a bench at the mall. Ethan: Send me your location. Don’t move, I’m on my way. [OP]: See? All I have to do is say the word, and he’ll drop everything for me. I stared at the screen, at his familiar name, a hollow feeling spreading through my chest. So, this is how he talked about me to other people. Just “giving it a try.” After what felt like an eternity, I realized my phone was vibrating. It was him. “Nora,” he said, his voice rushed. “Something came up, I can’t make it to dinner. Can you just make an excuse to the parents for me? Cover for me.” I was silent for a few seconds. “What kind of excuse do you think I should use?” Ethan sighed, a hint of impatience in his voice. “I don’t know, just… tell them there was an issue with the graduation gift I ordered for you, and I’m at the store sorting it out.” When I didn’t respond, he clicked his tongue. “Is it that hard to tell one little lie? I’m serious, this is an emergency. I promise I’ll make it up to you tomorrow.” He hung up. And just like that, a strange calm washed over me. After years of nursing a secret crush, I had spent two weeks meticulously planning my confession to him after graduation. When he said yes, I had been ecstatic, immediately calling my best friend, Mia, to share the news. She had frowned, her disapproval clear. “You had to be the one to confess? I’m sorry, Nora, but I just don’t see him treating you like you’re special.” “If you hadn’t told me, I never would’ve known you two were dating. He hasn’t even posted anything about you.” She had pulled up his social media, sighing. “Gaming, basketball, hanging with the guys… wait a minute.” Mia pointed to a group photo on his feed. “See that girl? That’s Krista Sterling, the transfer student I told you about. They were always super close at school. He has pictures of her on his feed, but not a single one of you!” The memory made me laugh, a brittle, humorless sound. “Krista,” I whispered. Of course. But Ethan… we grew up together. If you didn’t like me, you could have just said so. Why did you have to play me like this? 3 I scrubbed the tears from my eyes, trying to compose myself before I had to face our parents. But the moment I pushed open the door to the private dining room and saw their expectant faces, the sting at the back of my nose was unbearable. I ducked my head and quietly slid into the seat next to my mom. Ethan’s mother, Aunt Clara, looked past me towards the door, a puzzled expression on her face. “Where’s Ethan? I thought he was coming with you.” My own mom looked at me, confused. “Yeah, honey, where is he? Weren’t you two together?” I spoke slowly, my voice flat. “He said something urgent came up. He can’t make it.” I turned to his mom. “Aunt Clara, maybe you should try calling him. My phone’s about to die.” She didn’t suspect a thing, immediately pulling out her phone. But call after call went straight to voicemail. Finally, it wouldn’t even ring. The line was dead. Under the table, I refreshed the forum post. A new update had appeared. [OP]: His mom keeps calling. It’s definitely his ‘best friend’ putting her up to it! I turned his phone off. A wave of dizziness washed over me. Aunt Clara suffered from severe anxiety. She needed to check in on her husband and son several times a day just to feel secure. Because of this, Ethan never turned his phone off. He even had special permission from our high school teachers to keep it on him at all times. I remembered once, I’d borrowed his phone to play a game and accidentally let the battery die. Even though I plugged it in and turned it back on immediately, he had still yelled at me, his face pale with panic. And now, I watched his mother’s hands tremble as she dialed his number again and again, only to be met with the cold, robotic voice: “The number you have dialed has been switched off…” I thought, with a grim, twisted sort of humor, he really does treat different people differently, doesn’t he? 4 Unable to get through, Aunt Clara started to panic. “It was just ringing before, why is it off now? What if something happened to him?” Just then, our dads walked in, laughing and carrying a bottle of wine. Seeing his wife’s distressed face, Ethan’s father stopped short. “What’s wrong?” Aunt Clara rushed to him, grabbing his hand. “I can’t reach Ethan! His phone is off! What if he was in an accident? We have to go find him!” Everyone knew about her condition. My dad quickly tried to soothe her. “Clara, if it was a car crash, a bystander would have answered his phone. I bet the battery just died. Or at worst, it was stolen. It’s fine, we were going to get them new phones for college anyway.” His logic seemed to calm her down, but only for a moment. After another half hour with no sign of Ethan, she couldn’t take it anymore. “You all eat. I’m going home to check.” The mood was ruined. “Let’s all go,” my mom said, signaling the waiter. “We’ll get everything packed up. You guys go get the car.” 5 We all moved quickly. I took the credit card to the front desk to pay, my mind racing. Should I tell them the truth? But Aunt Clara was so fragile. I remembered in middle school, our teacher had assigned us study partners. Not long after, Aunt Clara had stormed into the school. “Ethan and Nora are best friends,” she’d demanded of the teacher. “Why would you pair him with another girl?” No matter how much the teacher explained it was based on academic strengths, she had stubbornly insisted he be reassigned to me. “I don’t trust anyone else with him,” she’d told my mother later. “His own grandmother accidentally spilled boiling water on his foot when he was a baby. I can’t risk someone having ill intentions.” Remembering all this, I couldn’t bring myself to say it. What would happen if she found out Ethan had ditched his family and turned off his phone, all for a girl she’d never even met? Lost in thought, I buckled myself into the car. A call came through from our gated community’s security office. Ethan wasn’t home. The cameras showed him leaving two hours ago. My dad hung up with the highway patrol. “They said there were six accidents this afternoon, but they were all minor fender-benders. No one named Ethan involved.” My hand hovered over my phone in my pocket. I pulled it out, then shoved it back in. Suddenly, Ethan’s dad, who was driving, yelled “Shit!” and swerved hard to the right. I was thrown against my mom, who was pressed against Aunt Clara. Then came a deafening, metallic crunch. When the ringing in my ears subsided, I opened my eyes. The world was upside down. A woman was peering at me through the shattered window. “Sweetie, don’t be scared!” she yelled. “We’re getting you out!” 6 The scene, which I had only ever witnessed in viral videos, was now my reality. People were rushing over from all directions, shouting as they tried to flip the car back over. But it was too heavy. “Smash the rest of the glass!” someone yelled. “We need to get them out now! That other car is electric, it could catch fire!” The ringing in my ears finally faded, and clarity returned. I struggled with my seatbelt. My mom and Aunt Clara were unconscious. I managed to unbuckle Aunt Clara first, and the strangers outside carefully pulled her from the wreckage. But my mom’s seatbelt was jammed, pulled terrifyingly tight against her chest. The more I panicked, the more tangled it became. The woman outside coached me, her voice loud and clear. “Slowly! Loosen the shoulder strap first, then the one across her lap. Now, try to slip it over her head!” I forced myself to calm down and followed her instructions step by step. Finally, my mom was free. Kind strangers pulled us both out and helped us to the sidewalk just as a man stumbled out of the electric car we’d collided with. Smoke began pouring from its engine. “Get back!” someone shouted. “The cars are too close, it’s gonna blow!” Sure enough, a few minutes later, flames erupted from the electric car and quickly spread to ours. Two massive, heat-filled explosions followed. The woman who had helped me ran over with a bottle of water. “Don’t worry,” she said, her voice gentle. “Everyone is out. The ambulance is on its way.” 7 At the hospital, my mom, Aunt Clara, and I were all treated for minor injuries. We were shaken but coherent. But Ethan’s dad had been at the point of impact. He was still in the emergency room. Aunt Clara was sobbing as she tried to call Ethan’s phone again. “Where is he? Why is it still off?” I let go of my mom’s hand and pulled out my phone. I went straight to the forum. The OP, Krista, was still posting. [OP]: I confessed to him. He stroked my hair. [OP]: I transferred here our senior year, and it was love at first sight. I always felt like he was flirting with me, even before graduation. [OP]: The day college applications were due, I asked him if he wanted to go to school in New York with me. [OP]: He didn’t say it outright, but I know it. He likes me! I scrolled to the bottom and typed a reply. [Nora]: Tell Ethan to turn on his phone and call his family IMMEDIATELY. His parents were in a car accident. His dad is in surgery. The comment section exploded. [User5]: Wait… is this… the childhood friend? [User6]: Is this for real? They just confessed their love and now his parents are in a car crash? [User7]: Honey, take it from someone who’s been there: a man who wavers is not a man worth keeping.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “394063”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

I’m Richard Whitney’s secretary. And his fiancée. At the office, our relationship was a secret he insisted on keeping. Yet, he had no problem taking me home to meet his parents. That all changed the night I saw him cornering his sister-in-law, his eyes red-rimmed and his voice trembling with a raw, desperate rasp. “Serena, doesn’t it bother you at all?” he pleaded, his voice cracking. “If you don’t come back to me, I’m really going to marry her.” In that single moment, everything clicked into place. I finally understood why, six months ago, when I’d tumbled thirty feet from a ski lift, Richard hadn’t shed a single tear. It wasn’t that he couldn’t cry. He just didn’t waste his tears on someone who didn’t matter. I slipped the ring off my finger. “The wedding,” I said, my voice steady, “is off.” 1 At the firm, only Richard’s personal assistant, Leo, knew about us. No one else had a clue. As the workday was ending, a message from Leo popped up on my screen: 【Sophie, Mr. Whitney says you’re expected at the family estate for dinner tonight.】 I typed back a quick reply: 【OK.】 I waited for an hour in the biting wind beneath our office tower, but Richard never showed. The cold seeped into my bones, and I started to shiver uncontrollably. Finally, I gave in and called him. “Are you on your way?” A woman’s voice, warm and gentle, answered instead. “Hello, Richard’s driving right now. I’ll have him call you back when he can.” I stood there, stunned, before the line went dead with a soft click. I ended up hailing a cab to the Whitney family’s estate. When his parents saw me, their faces broke into wide, welcoming smiles. This wasn’t my first time meeting them. The Whitneys were a prominent family; his father was a business magnate, and his mother a university professor. They were the very definition of old-world class. I remembered how nervous I’d been the first time Richard brought me here, half-expecting a scene from a movie where his parents would offer me a check to disappear from his life. But they were nothing like that. His mother was kind and gracious, never once looking down on my middle-class background or my parents. “Sophie, dear,” Mrs. Whitney said, taking my hand. “Where’s Richard? Didn’t you two come together?” Before I could answer, he walked through the door. And he wasn’t alone. A woman stood beside him, her smile as gentle as the voice I’d heard on the phone. “Mom, Dad,” she said softly. I saw Mrs. Whitney’s eyes flicker between the two of them. A frown creased her brow for a fleeting second before she smoothed it over with a polite smile. “You’re here.” The woman slipped off her wool coat, and Richard caught it in a practiced motion, hanging it on the rack by the door. The gesture was fluid, seamless—a silent choreography they’d performed a thousand times. It was a level of intimacy Richard and I had never managed to achieve in three years together. For a moment, the woman seemed startled that he’d taken her coat. Richard just shrugged, his eyes soft as he looked down at her. “What’s wrong?” She shook her head, her smile returning. “Nothing.” Mrs. Whitney squeezed my hand, a flicker of hesitation in her eyes as she made the introduction. “Sophie, this is Richard’s older brother’s… wife. Her name is Serena.” The moment she said it, Richard’s expression darkened. He was clearly unhappy with that description. “You know,” his mother added quietly, “Richard’s brother passed away.” Later, when Richard and I were alone in the washroom, I finally asked him. “Why didn’t you pick me up tonight?” He kept his head down, slowly washing his long, elegant hands under the running water. His voice was a low murmur. “The office is full of people. Did you really want our colleagues to see?” he asked, glancing at me through the mirror, his gaze cool and distant. Sometimes I felt like Richard and I deserved an Oscar. Three years together, and none of our coworkers had even a whisper of suspicion. Was he that good of an actor, or was I? At the dinner table, Mrs. Whitney brought out a large platter of grilled shrimp and placed it right in front of Serena. “Go on, Serena, eat up.” Serena’s smile faltered, her chopsticks hovering awkwardly in mid-air. Without a word, Richard reached over and moved the platter to the other side of the table. “You’re allergic,” he stated quietly, his tone firm. “You can’t have this.” Mrs. Whitney laughed, a little flustered. “Oh, you’re allergic to shellfish, Serena? I had no idea.” The rest of the meal passed in a heavy silence. 2 I woke in the middle of the night to an empty space beside me. Richard was gone. I padded downstairs for a glass of water, only to freeze at the sight of two figures tangled in the shadows of the living room. The moonlight streaming through the window cast a silvery glow, illuminating Richard’s tall, lean frame. He was advancing on her, step by step, until he had her pinned against the wall, his head bowed as he stared down at her. I dug my nails into my palm, trying to convince myself this was just a nightmare. But the sharp sting of pain was all too real. In the dim light, I could see his face clearly now. The corners of his eyes were glistening, the rims red and raw. He was crying. The woman trapped against the wall was Serena. She looked like she’d been crying, too; a single tear clung to the edge of her eye. Richard raised a hand, his touch impossibly gentle as he brushed it away with his thumb. His voice was a broken, hoarse whisper. “Serena, are you leaving again? Why can’t you just look back at me? If you don’t… I’m really going to marry her.” She didn’t answer directly. Her shoulders trembled as a quiet sob escaped her. “Richard, I’m cold.” Instantly, he shrugged off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders. Then his eyes fell to her bare feet. He knelt without a second thought, retrieving a pair of plush slippers from the nearby cabinet and sliding them onto her feet. Those were my slippers. The ones I’d brought to the Whitney’s house. A sudden chill ran through me, and I looked down to realize I was barefoot, too. This was the first time I had ever seen Richard cry. Not in three years. Not on the anniversary of his brother’s death, when he’d just sat in silence, downing glass after glass of whiskey. Not when our company was nearly ruined by a traitor from within, which he handled with cold, calculating calm. And not last year, when I’d fallen from a ski lift and broken my leg. He’d rushed to the hospital, a flash of panic in his eyes that was gone as quickly as it came. He’d only stayed for a few hours before he had to leave, a frantic look on his face I’d never seen before. He, the man who was never rattled, had been completely thrown by a single phone call. He’d been in such a hurry that he’d knocked my water glass off the table on his way out. And now, here he was, weeping as he begged Serena to come back to him. I wiped away my own tears, my fingers fumbling for the ring on my hand. I twisted it off and shoved it into my pocket. When I got back to the bedroom, Richard still hadn’t returned. I remembered that Serena and I had exchanged numbers at dinner. I pulled up her social media profile. It was sparse, not like my constant stream of updates. I only ever posted so much in the hopes of catching his attention. I scrolled back, my heart pounding. I knew the exact date of my accident last year—it was my birthday. When I saw Serena had posted on that same day, I zoomed in. Her location was tagged in Mexico City. The caption read: 【Almost got mugged, that was terrifying.】 And in the corner of the photo, just visible, was the sleeve of a man’s suit. Richard’s suits were all custom-made, with his initials stitched into the cuffs. I was sure it was him. So that was it. The reason he’d lost his composure, abandoned me in the hospital on my birthday, and flown halfway across the world was because Serena had almost been robbed. My fingers closed around the cold metal of the ring in my pocket, my heart sinking like a stone. Even our engagement, I realized, was just another move in his desperate game to win her back. 3 I drifted through the night in a haze of restless sleep. When I got to the office the next morning, the receptionists swarmed me. “Sophie, did you see?” one of them whispered excitedly. I followed their gaze out the glass entrance. A sudden snowstorm had descended upon the city, and people were scurrying for cover. Richard’s car pulled up to the curb. He got out, walked around to the passenger side, and opened the door, instinctively placing a hand on the top of the doorframe to protect the woman’s head as she stepped out. It was Serena. I hadn’t asked Richard for a ride that morning. I knew what he would have said. There are too many people at the office. We agreed to keep it quiet. “Wow, is the queen of the castle finally making an appearance?” another colleague gushed. “Come on, Sophie, spill. Do you have any inside scoop? I heard Mr. Whitney is getting married soon.” I forced a smile. “I guess so.” At the mention of marriage, she turned to me. “Hey, didn’t your boyfriend just propose to you? You posted a picture of the ring. How come you’re not wearing it today?” I glanced at my bare hand. “We called it off.” Her jaw dropped. Across the lobby, Richard’s normally cool, detached expression was alive with warmth, a warmth I now realized he reserved only for Serena. He handed the keys to the valet and opened a large black umbrella, tilting it entirely over her head. The delicate snowflakes began to gather on his own shoulders, a dusting of white against his dark coat. He noticed our huddle and his gaze swept over us, his eyes turning instantly cold—a world away from the look he gave Serena. His expression hardened as he took in the scene. Our eyes met for a long, silent moment. His held nothing. No recognition, no warmth, no emotion at all. “Don’t you have work to do, Ms. Campbell?” he asked, his voice sharp as he glanced at his watch. “You’re ten minutes late. That’s your attendance bonus gone. Meeting in one hour.” The group scattered instantly. One of my colleagues muttered under her breath as she walked away, “It’s true what they say. The richer the man, the more devoted he is.” I lowered my head to my desk and let out a soft, bitter laugh. Right. Pining after his sister-in-law for seven years. How could that not be called devotion? The meeting was in an hour, and I had to prepare. I gathered the materials, confirmed the schedule, and coordinated with the department heads. Once everything was set, I noticed the water cooler was empty. I wrestled the heavy, empty jug off the dispenser. Just as I was about to hoist the new one into place, a hand shot out. Richard was there, his sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing the pale skin and the faint ripple of muscle. “I’ll get it,” he said. Ignoring him, I gritted my teeth, put all my strength into it, and heaved the heavy jug onto the machine myself. He watched me, then gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod. Every year, CHE Group restructured its staff. The executive positions were stable, but for everyone else, it was a brutal competition of performance reviews and evaluations. Just as Richard left, I received a notification. I was being put on the spot. In the upcoming meeting, I would have to compete against a new candidate for my position. I couldn’t believe it. I had no time to process it before the meeting began. The topic was one Richard himself had chosen. I took a deep breath and stood before the board table, my hands trembling slightly. After I finished my presentation, Richard fired off a series of sharp, incisive questions that left me fumbling for answers. Serena, on the other hand, was flawless. Her responses were polished, confident, and far more sophisticated than mine. Richard leaned back in his chair, his long legs crossed, his hands clasped loosely in his lap. He narrowed his eyes. “Sophie,” he said, his voice carrying across the silent room, “you’ve been here for three years, and you can’t even outperform a newcomer.” The words were a physical blow. He showed me no mercy. The quiet whispers in the room died instantly. In that moment, I felt like we were from two different worlds. He sat there, a king on his throne, capable of dismantling my entire career with a few careless words. It was just like our relationship. He was always the one in control, both in the boardroom and the bedroom. His words had a way of cutting straight to the bone. I remembered two years ago when I failed my first promotion review. I was a mess, crying and laughing at the same time, desperate for his comfort. All he said was, “Sophie, this is how the world works. If you’re not good enough, you’ll be replaced.” I stopped crying and looked at him. “But I’m your girlfriend. Can’t you pull some strings?” A faint smirk played on his lips, but he said nothing. That was the first lesson he taught me about our relationship. Richard was ruthless in business. He acted with a certain degree of warmth, but it was measured and sparse. He never let emotion cloud his judgment, and he certainly wouldn’t bend the rules just because I was his girlfriend. I took what he taught me and applied it. I worked harder, and eventually, I earned my promotion and raise. 4 This time, after failing the assessment, I didn’t shed a single tear. After the meeting, Leo, Richard’s assistant, introduced us with his usual professional smile. “This is Serena. This is Sophie. Sophie, the competition is fierce this year. Serena just returned from our New York office; she’s a real powerhouse.” Serena extended a hand, her eyes glinting with a confidence that bordered on triumphant. “It’s a pleasure to be competing with you,” she said, her tone syrupy sweet. “You’d better bring your A-game.” That evening, the team organized a welcome party for Serena. After a few drinks, everyone was feeling loose. I stepped out to the restroom and tried calling Richard. The line was busy. I tried again and again, but it never went through. I gave up. From a stall, I could hear Serena’s voice, her words slurred and thick with emotion. She was on the phone, her voice a small, tearful whine. “Why aren’t you here yet? Don’t you want me anymore?” A few minutes later, a black G-Wagon materialized out of the darkness. Richard stepped out and walked toward a tipsy Serena. When she saw him, her expression went from dazed to desperate, and she stumbled into his arms, sobbing. “It’s okay,” he murmured, holding her close. “I’m here now.” As a chorus of whispers and gasps erupted from our colleagues, Richard looked up. Our eyes met across the parking lot. He helped Serena into the car, then turned and strode over to me, grabbing my arm. “Let’s go, Sophie. Get in.” I pulled my arm away and smiled politely. “No, thank you. I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “394080”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

At my funeral, my mother clawed at my portrait, finally seeing the stomach cancer diagnosis date—the same day I sold my kidney to buy my sister a diamond necklace. My father sat frozen in his Rolls-Royce, gripping the report for my cryopreserved kidney. Outside, bodyguards forced Jane into a psychiatric van. Their philosophy? Harden the son, spoil the daughter. We were “struggling”—so they claimed. To give Jane a princess life, we all worked endlessly. When she demanded a diamond necklace, my father nearly died hauling bricks, while my malnutrition led to terminal cancer. To spare them, I sold my kidney for her gift. But returning home, I overheard the truth: “Are we too harsh?” Mom wavered. “It’s training,” Dad growled. “I’ll return his kidney when he proves himself.” Jane added sweetly, “Being soft would ruin him.” Their poverty was a lie. Jane’s fragility, a ruse. They were leeches. But they didn’t know one thing—I was already dying. 1 My father’s words were like thunderclaps, exploding in my head. I doubled over, pressing my hand against the searing pain in my stomach. He signed a check and handed it to my mother. “Get this to the owner of that back-alley clinic. Tell him to fill in any number he wants. He needs to leave the country and never come back. No loose ends.” My mother hesitated. “Don’t be so sentimental,” my father snapped. “It’s that weakness that will be our son’s downfall.” It was the end of the month, my payday. My father glanced at the calendar and made a call. “You can come over now. And remember, make it look convincing. Don’t hold back.” “He just lost a kidney,” my mother ventured. “Shouldn’t we let him rest for a few days?” “What do you know?” he retorted, his voice thick with annoyance. “It’s in moments of greatest hardship that a man’s will is forged. If I don’t shape him properly, how can I entrust him with my legacy?” “Mom, Dad’s right,” Jane added. “You can’t coddle him. You’ll only make him weak.” I saw the designer dress she was wearing, the same one I’d seen in a high-end boutique window just last week. “Enough,” my father said. He picked up the heavy crystal ashtray from the coffee table and, with a sickening crack, smashed it against his own forehead. My mother and Jane gasped, rushing to his side. “What are you doing? That’s insane!” Blood trickled down his temple, but his eyes gleamed with a feverish intensity. “I want to see what’s more important to him,” he panted. “His old man, or his money.” He waved them away. “He’ll be home any minute. Get ready.” I heard a car pull up outside. Wiping the tears from my eyes, I pushed the door open and stepped inside. “Ethan, you’re back?” my mother asked, her face a mask of concern. I managed a choked “Yeah.” This place, once my sanctuary, now felt alien and hostile. I placed the necklace box in front of Jane. Her eyes widened, and she let out an exaggerated shriek of delight. “The necklace! Oh, Ethan, you’re the best brother in the world! I love you so much!” I clutched my aching side, forcing a pained smile onto my face. My father watched me, his expression unreadable. He opened his mouth to say something, but just then, the front door was kicked open with a violent crash. “Well, well, look who’s here.” A group of menacing figures filled the doorway, led by a brute holding a thick metal pipe. My father instantly transformed into a picture of terror, scurrying forward with a servile bow. “Spike, please, just give us a little more time. I swear, I’ll have the money next month.” Spike grabbed my father by the collar and hauled him into the air. My mother dropped to her knees with a thud, tears streaming down her face. “Please, Spike, I’m begging you! We have nothing left. We’ve sold everything. My husband just had brain surgery; we haven’t even paid the hospital bills yet!” She began to bow her head, knocking it against the hardwood floor again and again. Spike’s eyes landed on Jane, a greasy smile spreading across his face. “No money? A daughter will do just fine.” He lunged, grabbing Jane from behind me. “Ah! Let go of me, you bastard!” she shrieked, her face turning crimson as she struggled. My father tried to intervene but was thrown to the ground and mercilessly kicked. The pain in my stomach flared again. My knuckles were white as I watched this elaborate, two-decade-long play unfold, a production staged entirely for my benefit. A spectacle for which I had paid with my own flesh and blood. My mother’s desperate sobs echoed in my ears. “Please, Spike, just a few more days! We’ll do anything!” “That’s enough! Stop it!” I yelled, my eyes burning. Even knowing it was all a lie, a sick, twisted performance, I couldn’t bear to watch it. “There’s fifty thousand dollars on this card. It’s my last two months’ salary. Just take it and go.” Spike snatched the card from my hand. “So you did have money,” he sneered. “Playing poor with me.” He gave me a hard shove. The fresh incision on my side slammed into the corner of a cabinet, and the world went white with pain. I nearly passed out. My father scrambled to his feet, placing himself in front of me. “Don’t you touch my son!” Spike slapped him hard across the face, leaving a bright red handprint. Tears streamed down my face. “Enough!” I screamed, my voice raw. “You have the money! Get out of my house! If you touch my family again, I’m calling the police!” For a moment, everyone froze. My mother looked at me, a flicker of what looked like genuine pain in her eyes. My father fell silent. Spike shot my father a final glare before turning and leaving with his crew. My mother ran to her room, sobbing. Jane followed to “comfort” her. My father sighed, placing a heavy hand on my shoulder. “Son, I’m sorry you have to go through this. But times are tough, and Jane… she’s a girl. She can’t handle this kind of hardship. A man has to bear more responsibility.” He squeezed my shoulder. “Don’t work yourself to death. I’ll find a way to pay back the rest of the debt.” But Dad, I thought, the words a silent scream in my head, I’m your child, too. I turned away, swallowing the lump in my throat, and gave a small nod. Back in my room, I lifted my shirt. The bandage was soaked through with fresh blood. I fumbled for the painkillers and swallowed two, waiting for the agony to recede. The moon was full and bright. The doctor said my cancer was aggressive. In two months, I wouldn’t be able to see this beautiful night sky anymore. I took a deep breath, about to close the window, when I saw them. My father and Spike, standing under the old oak tree at the end of the street. Their voices were low, but in the stillness of the night, I could hear every word. “Mr. Stone,” Spike said, respectfully handing my father the debit card. “Here is the young master’s card.” “Good work,” my father replied with a hearty laugh. “Keep the money. A bonus for a job well done.” Then, my father climbed into the backseat of a car I had seen countless times, the one that belonged to his “creditor.” A gleaming Rolls-Royce. It sped off into the night. It was only later that I learned the truth. Spike wasn’t a loan shark. He was our family’s head of security. The next morning, my mother handed me a thermos. “Ethan, I made you some thin vegetable soup. You can have it for lunch. I’m so sorry, your father and I are so useless… we can’t even afford to buy meat.” Her eyes welled up with tears. I thought of the Rolls-Royce from last night. I glanced at the fried egg in Jane’s breakfast bowl. After a long silence, I mumbled, “It’s okay. I’m a man.” 2 I spent the morning working my part-time job at the mall. When my lunch break came, I was about to find a quiet corner to eat my vegetable soup when I saw them through the plate-glass window of a high-end steakhouse. My mother and Jane. Gone was my mother’s plain, worn-out attire. She was draped in expensive furs, a dazzling diamond ring flashing on her finger. There were only two of them, but their table was laden with more than a dozen dishes. The menu posted by the door was discreetly elegant; a single meal there would cost me several months’ salary. I stood frozen in front of the window. Jane turned her head and our eyes met. She gasped, frantically tapping our mother’s arm. My mother saw me, but her expression didn’t change. There was no embarrassment, no shame at being caught in her lie. She calmly put down her silverware and gestured for me to come inside. “Ethan,” she began, her voice cool and measured, “since you’ve seen this, there’s no point in hiding it from you anymore.” “Our family is much wealthier than you were led to believe. But you must understand, everything your father and I have done, we’ve done it for you. You’re the man of the family. You will inherit this business one day. Jane is a girl; she can’t endure the kind of hardship that builds character.” I let out a broken, humorless laugh. “For me? So ‘good’ you orchestrated a play to take one of my kidneys? What else do you need from me to complete your twisted ‘plan’? Tell me now. It’s not like I have much time left anyway.” SLAP. The force of her hand sent my head ringing. Her perfectly made-up face couldn’t hide the fury raging in her eyes. “How dare you! Threatening your own mother! I thought all these years of hardship would have taught you some humility, but you’re just as defiant as you were as a child.” “Security!” The bodyguards at the door strode in immediately. “Beat him,” she commanded, her voice like ice. “Beat him until he learns to submit.” The bodyguards were professionals. Each kick felt like it was rupturing my organs. The blood from my wound mixed with the spilled vegetable soup, creating a pathetic, swirling puddle on the polished floor. I saw my mother flinch, as if she were about to call them off, but just then, my father walked in. “The defiant brat,” he snarled. “Hit him harder.” My mother opened her mouth to protest, but my father shot her a look of pure contempt. “What are you worried about? He’s a man. Can’t he take a little pain?” As the blood loss intensified, my consciousness began to fade. I drifted into a distant memory. Jane and I were children. She saw a music box in a store window and had to have it. We already had a room full of them at home, so my mother refused. Jane secretly stole our mother’s favorite jade bracelet, sold it for a pittance, and bought the music box. When my mother found out, her rage was biblical. She made us kneel in the study. “If no one confesses to being the thief, you will both be punished.” Jane was trembling, her face pale with terror. Just as my mother raised the cane, I spoke. “I took it. I wanted to buy a video game.” That day, I was beaten half to death. My back was a bloody mess. I overheard my mother telling my father, “Steals a bracelet as a child, he’ll be robbing banks as an adult. We’ve been too soft on him. A boy must be raised with a firm hand and a lean purse.” … A searing pain jolted me back to the present. My father was pouring boiling water from a teapot onto my hands. They were instantly scalded, turning a painful, angry red. “See? That woke him up,” my father said dismissively. “Boys aren’t so delicate. A few kicks and a little hot water won’t kill him.” He sneered at me. “Now get up and get out of here. Don’t embarrass us any further. This isn’t over. We’ll deal with you at home.” I followed my father to his car. So this is what the inside of a Rolls-Royce looked like. The car sped towards a gated community in the suburbs. I stared in shock at the sprawling mansions, each sitting on acres of manicured land. My father snorted. “Don’t be seduced by material things. It seems our years of training still haven’t been enough.” I lowered my head and said nothing more. When the car stopped in the driveway of our villa, I was stopped by a bodyguard as I tried to enter. “Young Master, your mother has instructed you to kneel in the courtyard and reflect on your actions.” He placed a steel washboard on the hot gravel. It was July. The sun was a merciless hammer. The heat made black spots dance in my vision. Sweat dripped onto the ground, and my throat felt like it was coated in sand. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, I could see my parents and Jane in the dining room, eating chilled sweet bean soup. My mother, worried Jane didn’t have enough, poured her own bowl into her daughter’s. Jane smiled sweetly. A pang of bitterness shot through me. My mother had never, not once, treated me with such tenderness. Any treat, any new toy, any nice piece of clothing—it always went to Jane first. A boy needs to learn hardship, they always said. The cook gave me a worried look from the kitchen. But my mother’s voice was cold and clear. “If he can’t even endure this, he’s useless. Let him kneel. When he’s ready to admit he was wrong, he can come inside.” 3 The third time I fainted and was revived with a splash of cold water, my mother was standing over me with an umbrella, her face a mask of disappointment. “So fragile,” she muttered. “Your father’s blood pressure is acting up again. There’s a project site on the east side that needs to be inspected. You’ll go in his place. There’s also an issue with one of the construction crews there. You’ll handle that as well.” I looked up at her, my voice a weak rasp. “But Mom… I don’t feel well. Can I just…” “I knew it,” she cut me off, her voice sharp as a whip. “We’ve been too lenient with you. You’re useless. Your father is getting older, his health is failing, and you can’t even be bothered to help with a simple task?” She shook her head. “We’ve raised a thankless snake. How can we ever trust you with the family business?” Sweat stung my open wound, making me gasp in pain. Seeing my distracted state only angered her more. “You have no respect! When a parent is speaking to you, you listen! Do you have any sense of responsibility? Any discipline?” “Mom, please. I think I’m going to pass out. Can I just rest for a little while?” She glanced at my pale face, and her tone softened, but only slightly. “Ethan, we’re doing this for your own good. A man must act like a man. Here’s the deal: you go, you handle everything, and when you get back, I’ll make you your favorite vegetable soup.” Without waiting for a reply, she had the bodyguards haul me into a car. She got into another one to follow, to make sure I complied. The project was on a barren, sun-scorched mountain. There wasn’t a single tree for shade. It was high noon, and the sun was at its most brutal. The construction workers were all resting in the temporary shelters. “That’s the site,” she said, pointing. “The foundation isn’t even dug yet, and the deadline is approaching. Your father is so worried he can’t even eat. You need to do your part.” I looked at the blazing sun. “Mom, it’s too hot. Even the workers are on break…” “Who are you, and who are they? If you don’t discipline yourself, do you want to end up like them?” she snapped. “I want to see if the sun can actually kill a person.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “394096”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

1 The news of John Jiang and Aurora White’s engagement went viral, met with a chorus of blessings from the entire internet. Everyone expected me to have a public meltdown. After all, I’d spent the last ten years chasing John, a pathetic, devoted puppy at his heels. They all thought I was hopelessly in love with him. What no one knew was that I had been waiting for this day for a decade. I wanted them to get married more than anyone. The wedding was a spectacle, with hundreds of cameras and a live stream hosted by a major influencer. [I can’t be the only one crying rn. Finally seeing Mr. Jiang and Aurora get their happy ending. That other woman must be absolutely fuming, LOL.] [It wasn’t an easy road for them. So happy my girl Aurora is finally getting married!] [If it wasn’t for that toxic witch, Mr. Jiang would have married my goddess years ago. But I guess we have her to thank for making Aurora realize her true feelings.] [I’m so emotional! Mr. Jiang, you have to treat her like the queen she is!] [Really hope that crazy woman doesn’t try to ruin things today.] The comments flew by. After a few, I lost interest. It was all either fawning over the happy couple or trashing me. The old me would have fired back, but ten years of this had built up an immunity to the hate. I hid in a quiet corner, my eyes scanning the venue. Please, please let this wedding go off without a hitch. To minimize my presence, I’d chosen an outfit completely out of character for me—tasteful, elegant, understated. For today, I was playing the part of a lady. The venue was buzzing. I could see John’s parents up front, alongside Aurora’s, and my own father with his new wife. Familiar faces from our social circle dotted the crowd. A massive screen overhead cycled through John and Aurora’s engagement photos, filled with the kind of radiant smiles he’d never once given me, no matter how much I’d begged. Finally, the officiant took the stage. The ceremony was beginning. It’s no exaggeration to say I was more nervous than the bride and groom. My entire future hinged on this. I was so done with being the universally despised, obsessive stalker. Call me toxic, fine, I could live with that. But the obsessive stalker label? Unbearable. John, impeccably dressed in a tailored suit, stood at the altar, his eyes fixed on his approaching bride with a look of profound adoration. “Look at the way he’s looking at her. He’s so in love.” “OMG, that look is killing me.” “The goddess is so beautiful.” Aurora White was a beloved, award-winning actress, the nation’s sweetheart. John, in a grand gesture, had given away 100 tickets to her fan club, allowing them to witness the wedding in person. The girls whispering beside me were probably some of them. “Look, they’re exchanging rings!” My attention snapped back to the stage. John had just slipped the wedding band onto Aurora’s finger. Now it was her turn. My breath caught in my throat as I watched her move in slow motion. But just as the ring was about to slide onto his finger, she stopped. Her eyes found mine across the crowded room. She’d spotted me. I never expected her to let me off the hook, not even on a day as important as this. Sure enough, she raised the microphone to her lips. 2 “Thank you all so much for coming to celebrate with me and John,” she began, her voice smooth as silk. “But there’s one person I especially want to thank. Someone you all know.” Every head in the room followed her gaze, turning towards my corner. For a moment, they didn’t recognize me. “As many of you are aware, the road for John and me has been a long and difficult one, filled with obstacles.” Yes, obstacles I had personally created. It was part of my mission, but there was a healthy dose of personal satisfaction in it, too. “Jasmine,” she said, her voice dripping with faux sympathy. “I know this must be hard for you. But I want to say that true love doesn’t follow a timeline. You were by John’s side for a long time, but what he felt for you was sisterly affection, not romantic love. I truly hope you can find someone who will cherish you.” She turned back to John. “And thank you, my love, for always standing by me.” I could feel the hostile glares, the heat of their judgment. A few people even moved closer, surrounding me, their faces contorted with anger. This was exactly what Aurora wanted. To drag me into the spotlight and publicly shame me one last time. Finally satisfied, she picked up the ring again and, without another moment’s hesitation, slid it onto John’s finger. Seeing that, a weight I’d been carrying for ten years finally lifted from my shoulders. “They’re married now,” one of the fans next to me sneered. “If you try to cause any more trouble, Mr. Jiang won’t be so lenient.” I turned to her and nodded earnestly. “Don’t worry. I hope they’re locked together forever.” Ding— [Congratulations, Host! Aurora White and John Jiang are successfully married. Mission complete. Grand Finale achieved!] [Confetti! Party time!] [Host, your mission is over. It’s time for me to go.] [Where will you go now?] The voice, which only I could hear, belonged to the system that had appeared ten years ago. A system whose host was Aurora White. It was through this system that I learned my role in this story: the toxic female side character. I tried to change my fate, but it was useless. So, if I couldn’t beat them, I’d join them. I would play my part to perfection. All to reach this moment. All to see the system leave. [I’m off to a new world!] [Okay, 1807. Thank you… for giving me a new life.] [No problem, Host! Take care of yourself. I won’t be back.] [Okay!] The voice faded. 1807 was gone. And with it gone, I could finally become the truly toxic side character. As I turned to leave, my eyes met Aurora’s on the stage. I gave her a small, knowing smile. Your fairy tale is officially over. 3 The first thing I did when I got home was throw out everything from my past life. Then I called the movers. After that, I sent a single text to the contact pinned at the top of my chat list. By the time I was done, it was past midnight. For ten long years, I’d diligently played my part. If the main couple’s romance needed a little conflict to heat things up, I was their go-to tool. But now the story was over. The plot’s control over me was gone. Who knew what could happen after the final chapter? Everything I’d been forced to give away as a plot device, I was going to take back, piece by piece. Starting with John’s position at the company. Three days passed, and the buzz around the wedding of the century was still going strong. Aurora was already leveraging the publicity to break into international markets. Then came the day for the newlyweds’ traditional visit to the bride’s family. I went too. I could hear the laughter from outside. I didn’t need to go in to picture the happy family scene. But I was here to spoil the mood. Aurora was the first to see me. “Jasmine, you’re here! We were just talking about you. It’s been so long since we all had dinner together.” She smiled sweetly. “Come, join us.” “I’d love to,” I said, my own smile genuine. Seeing their forced happiness made me feel so much better, like the air itself was sweeter. “Now that you’re here,” my father, David Shen, said sternly, “try to get along with your sister. And don’t pull any of your usual stunts. They’re legally married now. If you interfere, you’ll be nothing but a homewrecker.” I looked at my biological father, truly looked at him, and found it hard to believe a parent could say such things to their child. But I’d heard worse from him. Now that I no longer cared, the words couldn’t hurt me. “Of course. I would never do something so degrading as to pursue a married man.” The color drained from my father’s face. Luckily, the housekeeper announced that dinner was ready, breaking the awkward tension. But as soon as I sat down, Aurora spoke up again. “Oh, that’s where Mom usually sits. If you like that spot, Jasmine, I’m sure she won’t mind moving.” I gave her a half-smile. She returned it with one of her signature gentle expressions, but I knew the ugliness that lay beneath. My stepmother, Clara, just waved a dismissive hand. “It’s fine. Let Jasmine have the seat if she wants it.” Even John chimed in, his voice laced with disapproval. “Jasmine, you’re still so stubborn.” 4 SMACK! My palm hit the table, the sharp sound silencing the room. “This is my house. Since when do I need an outsider’s permission to sit at my own dinner table? If you want to eat, eat. If not, get out.” The sudden outburst stunned everyone. No one, least of all John, expected me to fight back. Everyone knew I was hopelessly in love with him. In the past, I was rebellious with everyone but him. He used to gloat about it, how the spoiled heiress would do anything he said. They all thought I was incapable of defiance. But they seemed to have forgotten the person I was before. I still had my edges; I’d just hidden them for ten years. Now that I was free, I was going to be comfortable, no matter what. “Jasmine, you’ve lost your mind!” My father slammed his own hand on the table, the sound even louder than mine, making my palm sting. “Do you want me to throw you out?” I discreetly rubbed my hand under the table. The dramatic gesture was satisfying, but painful. The old me, the one from the script, would have been terrified, her eyes welling with tears. The toxic side character’s primary motivation was a desperate need for her father’s love. He’d always used that against me. But the script was over. “Dad, you seem to be forgetting one small detail,” I said sweetly. “This villa is in my name. Jasmine Shen.” He looked like I’d struck him. Clara, sensing the shift, quickly interjected. “Jasmine, don’t joke like that. The deed is locked in the safe. Your father can’t handle these kinds of games.” My father seemed to recover, his hand tapping the table again. “You ungrateful brat!” Fine, if they didn’t believe me, I wouldn’t waste my breath. “Martha, serve the food!” “Right away, Miss Shen!” “Don’t call her Miss Shen, call her the second miss!” But Martha was already on her way to the kitchen. The food was, as always, delicious. Aurora’s face was pale. The title “Miss Shen” had clearly struck a nerve. “Are you planning to add Aurora to the family registry, Dad?” I asked conversationally. Aurora was my father and Clara’s daughter, born three months before me. “I should probably remind you that the ‘Shen’ in the Shen Corporation comes from Serena Shen, not David Shen.” Serena Shen. A gentle, brilliant woman who made the fatal mistake of falling for a man from a humble background who saw her as a stepping stone. Her story, of course, did not have a happy ending. 5 Since they didn’t believe the villa was mine, I decided to give them a little surprise. I called a realtor and had them evicted. Then I called a cleaning service to scrub the entire house from top to bottom. The meticulously manicured flower gardens were torn up and replaced with a vegetable patch. The old Jasmine Shen could never have been the owner. But Jasmine Shen, at eighteen, could be. While they were busy living their lavish lives, I was quietly biding my time, waiting for the right moment to strike. When my phone rang again, I simply turned it off. As much as I wanted to gloat, villains always die from monologuing. The priority now was to bring down the main characters. Aurora had just started filming a new movie. John was busy trying to establish his authority as the new CEO. I decided to give him a little push from behind. Let them tear each other apart for a while, and then I’d swoop in and pick up the pieces. My father and Clara eventually tracked me down. All those years as a CEO hadn’t been for nothing. He tried to slap me the moment he saw me, but I blocked his arm and redirected the blow to Clara’s face. I’d wanted to do that for a very long time. She was the one who broke my mother. She had shown up at our house while my mother was bedridden, Aurora in tow, and presented a paternity test, declaring herself the new mistress of the house. The shock had literally killed my mother. And then, Clara had the audacity to say, “I didn’t know she was that sick.” Three months after my mother’s death, Clara moved in. That was the first time I met Aurora, and the first time I heard the system’s voice. I refused to believe it. I leaked the story of my father’s affair to the press. It caused a scandal, but then Aurora went on a live stream, crying about her parents’ tragic love story. She painted them as childhood sweethearts torn apart by a wealthy heiress—my mother—who forced my father into a loveless marriage. She spun a tale that not only exonerated them but also turned my dead mother into a villain. That was when Aurora’s career took off, transforming her from the nation’s daughter to the nation’s goddess. And I, unknowingly, had helped her get there.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “394112”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

My ex-girlfriend, the award-winning actress Pamela Cahill, was filming a live reality show about revisiting her hometown when she stumbled upon a grave with my name on it. Etched onto the headstone was a QR code, with the words “Brad’s Last Tapes” carved above it in a playful, almost whimsical font. She frowned at the camera, her disgust palpable. “Brad, you’re the one who insisted on breaking up. What is this? What new game are you playing to get my attention?” “I’m with someone else now.” The someone else she was referring to was a rising star, Julian Cole. The livestream chat exploded with comments, calling me a toxic ex who couldn’t let go, a ghost from her past that refused to stay buried. The vitriol flowed until a single comment cut through the noise: [Did none of you scan the code? I think… I think he’s actually dead.] 1 Pamela’s annoyance deepened at the sight of the comment, her usually calm and composed expression cracking. “He’ll do anything to get my attention, won’t he? It’s pathetic.” The viewers chimed in with teasing remarks: [The only person who can rattle the unshakable Pamela Cahill is her clingy ex.] [Seriously. He’s the one who dumped her. Now that she’s famous, he crawls out of the woodwork every other day to get a headline.] [Yeah, I heard he sent her letters and gifts just last week. No way he’s dead.] Fueled by the audience’s skepticism, the show’s production crew scanned the code and broadcast the video that loaded. The first frame was me, holding a cancer diagnosis report, letting out a long, forced sigh of relief. “Hey. It’s day one. Day one of my diagnosis, and day one of our breakup. Happy breakup, Pamela.” “Sorry for ending things so suddenly. The last thing I wanted was to drag you down with me.” I was dressed in a sharp suit, trying to look bright and handsome, but it couldn’t hide the deathly pallor of my skin. “Let me guess, you’re crying, right? A career slump and a breakup hitting all at once… that’s got to hurt.” “But hey, you’ll bounce back. I know you will.” As it turned out, my predictions in the video had all come true. Someone dug through Pamela’s old Instagram posts and found a series of bleak, melancholic captions from the days right after our breakup. The reigning ice queen of Hollywood, revealed to be so heartbroken and vulnerable, became a trending topic for days. Back then, Pamela had quickly archived all those old posts, leaving only one public statement: [I have someone better by my side now.] It was right when her historical drama had become a massive hit. Her co-star, the male lead, was the popular young actor Julian Cole. And he had liked that post. Pamela really had moved on quickly. Her fans were thrilled for her. “Don’t worry, though,” I said in the video. “I don’t plan on bothering you. I just wanted to leave something behind.” “I’ve never asked for anything, Pamela. Just this once… let me be selfish.” As I said that, my voice choked, the sound catching in my throat. The confident, handsome man from the start of the video seemed to shrink, replaced by a small, fragile boy. Perhaps not wanting anyone to see me in such a state, the first video cut off abruptly. 2 [Date: April 9, 2019. Weather: Overcast. Hate lasts longer than love.] “Day two of the breakup. It’s an overcast day. Perfect for feeling miserable, right?” I was in my pajamas at home, brushing my teeth with one hand while holding up my phone with the other, showing Pamela’s sad posts on the screen. “Looks like you’re taking it pretty hard. But I’m sure you’ll get over it soon!” I said, my voice light, a gentle smile fixed on my face. The livestream chat erupted in defense of Pamela: [She was heartbroken over him for so long, and he just drops a casual ‘get over it’? You’d have more feelings for a dog you had for seven years! He’s a monster!] [Exactly. He doesn’t even look sick. He’s probably faking it for clout. I hope something bad really does happen to him!] [Just die already and stop torturing our Pamela!] In the video, after I spoke, I fell silent. The camera shifted to focus on my phone screen, showing a comment I’d left on her post from a burner account: [Even when you’re sad, remember to eat and rest well. A fan who will always support you!] Pamela had replied almost immediately: [Only one person used to care about things like that. Did you think I wouldn’t recognize you just because you’re using a different account?] [So, Brad, what’s the point of this fake sympathy? Are you here to laugh at me?] I stared at her words, frozen. After a long moment, I slowly typed back: [Yeah. It’s exactly what you think.] There was no reply. When I refreshed her profile, I found that she had blocked me. The chat filled with cheers: [YES! Get him! Our queen knows her worth. She deserves so much better!] [This must be when she started building that tough, ice-queen persona. We should thank this asshole for that.] [Still, I’m so curious about what she was like before all this.] [Don’t be. That must have been the darkest time of her life.] The flood of hateful comments obscured the screen. No one noticed the boy in the corner of the frame, clutching his phone, his eyes turning red. 3 [Date: May 2, 2019. Weather: Sunny. I want you to be happy more than anyone.] “Today… cough… came to see you in secret.” The moment the boy in the video appeared on screen, the barrage of angry comments suddenly stopped. “Surprised to see me like this? To be honest, I’m not used to it either. It took a lot of courage to even get in front of the camera.” The boy was wearing an ill-fitting wig, his cheeks hollowed out to a frightening degree. Yet, his face still held that familiar, gentle smile. The camera panned to show the set of Pamela’s first breakout role. She was playing the second female lead, acting opposite Julian Cole, who was then also a supporting actor. Amid a sea of fans cheering for the main actress, I stood in a quiet corner, holding a small sign with Pamela’s name on it, silently watching her perform. She had matured so much. Her features were sharper, her presence more commanding. The cheers for the lead actress grew louder. In the chaotic noise, on some strange impulse, I called out her name. The next second, as if she’d heard me through the din, she looked up. Our eyes met. I immediately dropped my head, my heart hammering against my ribs. It was only for a second, but it was enough to make me flee the set before the scene was even over. “Phew… You didn’t see me, right?” I was hiding in an alleyway, congratulating myself on my quick escape, when a firm hand gripped my wrist. “You break my heart and then you come back to spy on me? Is this fun for you, Brad?” Pamela was breathing heavily, her brow furrowed in anger. But the moment she got a clear look at my face, she froze. “You… haven’t you been sleeping?” I quickly composed myself, turning my head away. “Yeah,” I said, my voice cold. “My new girlfriend keeps me up all night. She’s a lot better than you.” Her face instantly flushed with fury. “Brad! You son of a bitch…!” Her words were cut short by Julian’s voice from behind her. “Pamela, why’d you run off mid-scene? The director is pissed. Are you okay?” Hearing him, Pamela let out a heavy breath and released my wrist. “You once told me people who betray love deserve to swallow a thousand needles. That was you.” “Forget it. Just… don’t come back here again.” I kept my head down, saying nothing. She turned and walked away. I could hear Julian asking, “Who was that? A friend of yours?” and Pamela’s reply, clear and cold: “No one important.” A bitter wave washed over me. By the time I looked up, tears had already blurred my vision. “See,” I whispered to the camera. “I told you you’d grow stronger.” “You’re right. I’m the one who betrayed our love. So let all the bad karma come to me. All I want… is for you to be happy.” 4 [Date: June 3, 2019. Weather: Sunny. Not a difficult decision.] Across the coffee table sat a sophisticated man. He took an elegant sip of his drink and looked up at me. “You want to hire me as Pamela Cahill’s manager? You know my rates are among the highest in the industry.” Someone in the livestream chat recognized him. It was David Carter, the legendary agent. With him on her side, Pamela’s path to stardom had become infinitely smoother. Pamela had thanked him publicly more than once, but his response was always a quiet, detached: “It was just a business transaction.” Now, watching the video from the studio, David Carter slowly lifted his head, his eyes beginning to redden. In the video, I nodded firmly and pushed a bank card across the table. “Mr. Carter, this has ninety-seven thousand, six hundred and forty-three dollars. It’s my entire life savings.” David’s eyes glanced at the card, his voice unchanged. “I’m a businessman, son. You understand that this isn’t nearly enough for me to tie my career to some unknown actress.” I bit my lip. The next second, I took off the wig, revealing my gaunt, ravaged face. It was the first time I had shown myself on camera without any disguise since getting sick. The livestream chat fell into a stunned silence. “Sir, to be honest with you, I have stomach cancer. I don’t have much time left.” “She’s the only thing I can’t let go of. I believe in her. I know she can make it big.” “I know this money isn’t enough to sway you, but I’ll sign over the rights to this video series I’m recording before I die. Whatever revenue they generate can be my payment. Please?” My voice was tinged with desperation. David stared at me for a long time before speaking. “And what about you? You’ve planned all this for her, but you’re just going to die quietly in a corner?” “If you used this money for treatment, you might live longer…” He trailed off as I shook my head with a faint smile. “I can’t drag her down. We’ve already been through enough hardship together.” “It’s okay. I’m not afraid of dying. I’m just afraid of her crying if she saw me like this.” My expression was calm, but the tremor in my voice betrayed me. The silence stretched. David looked up at the ceiling, blinking hard, before taking a deep breath. “Okay. I’ll do it.” 5 [Date: July 1, 2019. Weather: Rainy. It’s time to let go.] The moment I got through the door, the camera slipped from my hand and fell to the floor. A violent, searing pain in my stomach hit so fast I didn’t even have time to turn it off. It was a thousand needles stabbing me from the inside. I curled up on the floor beside my bed, cold sweat pouring down my face. In a haze of agony, I subconsciously dialed Pamela’s number. After a few short rings, the line connected, but there was only silence on the other end. Of course. She must hate my guts. Why would she answer my call? Tears mixed with sweat as I dug my nails into my own arm, but the words still tumbled out in a trembling, delirious whisper. “It hurts so much… Pamela… It hurts.” “I don’t want to die… I’m so scared…” My voice was almost a sob, punctuated by ragged, painful breaths. In that moment, death became terrifyingly real, a tidal wave of fear threatening to swallow me whole. Then, through the static, a hoarse voice came from the phone. “Where are you? I’m coming to find you right now.” Her words jolted me back to reality. She had answered. On pure instinct, I hung up. But it was too late. Pamela came. She stood outside my apartment, knocking on the door over and over. The pain had subsided into a dull ache. I leaned against the other side of the door, my eyes squeezed shut. “Go away, Pamela,” I managed to say, my voice raw. “I don’t want to see you.” Her voice exploded with rage. “Is this a game to you, Brad? Do you get some sick pleasure out of messing with me?” “You call, and I drop everything—a multi-million dollar ad campaign—and come running to you like a pathetic dog. And for what? What is the point of this?” “Brad, what did I ever do to deserve this from you?” Her fist slammed against the old, metal security door. Silence descended. I bit down hard on my lip to keep from crying out. The old doors in this building had terrible soundproofing. I could hear her on the other side, her voice breaking into quiet, choked sobs, like an abandoned puppy. I don’t know how long she stood there before her voice came again, soft and pleading. “One last time, Brad. Treat me like a dog, use me for fun, break my heart all over again—I don’t care. I’ll take it.” “Just let me see you one last time. Please.” She was met with only silence. I don’t know if she waited for three hours or the entire night. But I knew one thing with absolute certainty: I could not open that door. It was time to let go. For me, and for her.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “394128”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

I’d recently set a small goal for myself: to become an accident in the eternal partnership of the vampire prince, Alexis. The first step of my plan was a letter, penned with a quill, which I quietly left outside the iron gate of the grim castle that overlooked the entire domain. I didn’t dare write anything too explicit, opting instead to copy down a sentimental little love poem, hinting at my willingness to offer my warm blood and pure soul. I imagined his pale, slender hand, adorned with a signet ring, breaking the seal. What would his expression be? Would he be amused? Or would he scoff at the audacity of an ant? Unfortunately, the letter vanished without a trace. I suspect one of the castle’s silent servants swept it into an incinerator along with the fallen leaves. I wasn’t discouraged. After all, attracting a creature that has lived for thousands of years requires patience. He was a prince of the bloodline, the monarch of this land of eternal night. But I had my own advantages—a young life, fresh blood, and a decent face. Soon, my chance arrived. It was the annual Day of the Holy Feast, when the castle distributed provisions to the nearby townspeople. Under the pretext of collecting alms, I finally managed to get close to the fabled fortress. As my fingertips intentionally-but-not-intentionally brushed against the edge of his carriage—the cold metal carved with his family crest—my heart hammered as if it would burst from my chest. Finally, he impatiently drew back the velvet curtain. In that instant, our eyes met. A flicker of surprise crossed his inhuman, crimson irises—the color of aged blood—shocked that a boy would have the nerve to cross him in a place like this. I quickly fluttered my round eyes and offered him a smile I had practiced countless times, a carefully crafted blend of shyness and innocence. I did my best to look like a harmless fawn that had wandered into a forest of eternal night. To be fair, I knew I was likely his type. I was lean, with slightly downturned eyes, like some kind of puppy. My chin was pointed, and my cheeks still held a touch of baby fat, making anyone who saw me assume I was just a student fresh from the cloisters. But he only furrowed his brow. An invisible force shoved me back, sending me sprawling to the ground. I understood immediately: this attempt was another failure. I bit my lip and lowered my head as his indifferent guards hauled me beyond the castle grounds, my heart filled with humiliation and resentment. I thought it was all over. To my surprise, a dark figure appeared silently in my shabby lodgings that night, stating in a monotone voice that the prince wanted to see me. I was brought into the grand, somber hall of the castle I had only heard of in legends. Alexis sat upon a massive throne carved from obsidian, his tone as cold as if he were judging a heretic. “”State your purpose. Who sent you?”” Panic flared in my chest, but I quickly steeled myself. I had to seize this chance. Forcing my voice into a softer register, I began, on the verge of tears, “”I—I wasn’t… Master, I truly… I admire you, I long for you… Please, give me a chance. Taste my blood!”” “”I already have a consort,”” he cut me off, his voice devoid of warmth. “”I know! I—I’m willing to be your most humble blood thrall!”” I blurted out, throwing all caution to the wind. I lowered my voice, continuing my plea. “”Master, I also know you have a taste for young life. I’ll never disturb your consort, I only beg you…”” His brow twitched violently, and he looked at me as if I were a buzzing fly. He let out a long breath and waved a hand. “”From this day forward, you are permanently banished. If you take one step into my domain again, you will be executed on the spot.”” “”No!”” The words sent a jolt of panic through me. This was my only hope; I couldn’t be driven away like this! I scrambled forward and knelt at his feet, clinging tightly to his cold, gleaming leather boots. “”Master, let me stay, please let me stay! My blood flows truly for you! Don’t send me away, I’m begging you!”” He seemed startled by my actions. I knelt before him, looking up with tear-filled eyes, and surreptitiously wiped a few of those tears onto the immaculate surface of his boot. My cheeks were flushed from the emotion of it all, the warmth of my life a stark contrast in his frigid domain. I saw him falter for a fraction of a second, his Adam’s apple bobbing unconsciously. But his coldness returned in an instant. He kicked me away and summoned the guards. Like a heap of rags, I was dragged from the castle and thrown onto the cold cobblestone road. Chapter 2 It was ruined. Everything was ruined. I sat at the edge of the town farthest from the castle, hugging my pathetically small collection of belongings, my head hanging in defeat. This wasn’t how the story was supposed to go! Wasn’t I supposed to use my youthful body and sweet blood to seduce him? Wasn’t Alexis supposed to be tempted by primal desire and pull me into his arms? Weren’t we supposed to spend our nights in passion beneath gothic spires, until I finally achieved eternal life and became his most cherished night-pet? Where did I go wrong? I pulled out the communicator I had hidden away and dialed the number of my “”mentor,”” Samuel. When I’d graduated, orphaned and alone, I was drowning in the massive debt my family had left behind. I had always been vain and lazy, constantly scheming for a shortcut to the top. Honest work? It would take an eternity to escape my impoverished fate that way. “”You could just do what I did and find a powerful blood-drinker to protect you!”” Samuel had said when he heard my troubles, generously sharing his experience. My interest was immediately piqued. “”How do I find one?”” I asked, shameless in my pursuit of knowledge. “”You have to be proactive,”” Samuel told me. “”Those ancient creatures are always curious about new life. Look at me—I’m about to sign a formal contract with the Baron of the Jinghe family.”” “”But I heard the Baron already has retainers.”” “”What’s there to be afraid of?”” Samuel waved his hand dismissively. “”Eternal life is boring. They always need new toys. As long as you can get him addicted to you, he’ll do anything for you.”” It was a revelation. With his guidance, I pored over the roster of nobles in the domain, finally settling on the one at the very top: Prince Alexis. Before I left, Samuel had clapped me firmly on the shoulder and said, “”Don’t forget me when you’re rich and famous!”” But now, before my grand ambitions could even take flight, I’d been mercilessly banished. On the other end of the communicator, Samuel listened to my tearful account and offered a new idea. “”Why don’t you go directly to his consort? Tell him Alexis has already tasted your blood. Harass him, force him to acknowledge your existence. At the very least, you might get some money out of him to keep you quiet. It wouldn’t be a total loss.”” That was certainly one way to handle it. I tossed and turned all night on the cot in my dingy inn room, finally deciding to confront the consort, a man named Leander. Before setting out, I carefully researched Leander’s life. He was just some ancient vampire who liked to read books. As for his face… I touched my chin, studying a blurry portrait of him that had circulated from who-knows-where. He was about on par with me, I figured. The number of men and women who had confessed their love to me over the years numbered in the thousands, if not tens of thousands, but I hadn’t been interested in any of them. After all, entering the world of the bloodline, becoming an immortal being—that was my ultimate goal. My plan was perfect: Leander was a noble of high standing. If I threw my shame to the wind and caused a scene at the antiquarian library he frequented, he would surely compromise to protect his dignity and reputation. Once a crack formed in their relationship, I could slip in. The position of prince’s consort would be mine for the taking. The only flaw in my brilliant plan was that I had misjudged myself—I wasn’t very good at throwing my shame to the wind. I managed to track Leander’s movements, but after entering the library several times, I just couldn’t bring myself to deliver the declaration of war I had prepared. Dejected, I sat in the darkest corner of the reading room, watching Leander explain ancient texts to a few young vampires in a voice as smooth as flowing water. He would occasionally drop a witty remark, drawing pleasant laughter from his audience. “”Lord Leander is so charming!”” a girl next to me whispered. “”How can there be such a perfect vampire in this world!”” “”I know, right? But Lord Leander has been with the prince forever. I hear their bond is unbreakable.”” The more I listened, the angrier I got. I couldn’t stand it anymore. I shot to my feet, ready to leave. The sound of my chair scraping against the floor startled the girl beside me and caught the attention of Leander at the lectern. “”This… human?”” he asked gently, his violet eyes holding a hint of curiosity. “”Is there a problem?”” I shook my head violently and fled the library like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. Chapter 3 This latest failure struck a deep blow to my fragile little heart. I lay in bed, tossing and turning. At this rate, when would I ever become the prince’s companion? A thought suddenly flashed through my mind: I should just kidnap Leander. I was shocked by my own depravity, but the more I thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. No, not kidnap, just… scare him a little. If I couldn’t make him break up with Alexis, then at the very least, he had to give me some hush money! No sooner said than done. After scouting for several days, I finally found the perfect opportunity and cornered him on the quiet path leading from the library back to the castle. “”Who are you?”” Leander wasn’t panicked by my ambush. He simply raised an eyebrow, looking at me. “”You don’t need to know who I am. I came to say something to you.”” It was my first time doing something like this, and my heart was pounding. I tried to make my voice sound tougher. The beat of it was so loud in the silent night that I could feel his gaze piercing my skin, “”listening”” to the blood rushing through my veins. Leander must have been laughing internally as he watched me pretend to be calm. He probably saw me as a hissing kitten on the side of the road, utterly harmless. “”I… I want you to leave Alexis!”” I shouted, mustering all my courage. “”Oh?”” He looked at me with disbelief, and then his figure vanished before my eyes. In the next second, an immense force slammed me against the cold brick wall of the alley. A frigid hand clamped around my neck, choking off my breath. “”And why should I?”” The sudden reversal of power terrified me. Leander’s strength was immense; the pressure on my throat made it almost impossible to breathe. The fear of death made my brain work sluggishly. I couldn’t tell him it was because I wanted to take his place—he might actually snap my neck on the spot. I wanted money, not death! “”Still not talking?”” He saw my hesitation and his grip tightened. “”Should I help you by pulling out your tongue?”” “”Don’t! Don’t kill me!”” I began to struggle. “”I’ll talk, I’ll talk! It’s because… because I’ve fallen in love with you! Lord Leander!”” He froze for a moment, and the pressure on my neck eased. I seized the chance to slip from his grasp, gasping for air while backing away. “”That’s right. It’s because I’ve fallen in love with you. It was love at first sight, my lord.”” I started spouting nonsense, putting on my most sincere face to convince him. He quickly recovered, his brow furrowing for a moment before relaxing into a playful smile. “”A human from which town? What’s your name?”” “”I’m… I’m Samuel, from the east side of town.”” Sorry, my friend. I had to borrow your name. “”Alright, Samuel,”” he said, and to my astonishment, he believed me. “”As it happens, my lover is out hunting tonight. Why don’t you come to the castle for a visit? We can have a nice long talk about your… admiration.”” My mind raced. Alexis wasn’t there, so my cover wouldn’t be blown, and I could finally get inside the castle of my dreams. “”Of course, my lord!”” I eagerly approached him, taking his cold hand and feigning an overwhelmed, honored expression. He actually returned a gentle smile, his long fingers stroking my tousled hair as he led me home. Chapter 4 Leander brought me to his castle in the heart of the eternal night. The moment I stepped inside, I was struck by the enormous portrait of him and Alexis that dominated the grand hall. The aura of absolute power radiating from the two figures in the painting made me involuntarily take a step back. A pair of cold hands steadied me from behind. “”What’s wrong?”” Leander asked, a hint of a smile in his voice. “”N-nothing!”” I forced myself to take another step into the room. What’s there to be nervous about? I told myself. Don’t forget why you’re here! With that thought, my confidence returned. “”Lord Leander, your lover looks so… imposing,”” I said, adding a silent, Unlike you, who is both gentle and beautiful. He didn’t respond to my comment. “”Samuel, please have a seat on the sofa in the drawing room. I’ll get you a… warm drink. I’ll be right back.”” I sank into the velvet sofa, dazed. The exquisite fabric instantly soothed me, and I melted into it like an eel. Damn, the life of a vampire noble was good. I looked up to see Leander pouring me a glass of warm milk, playing the part of the gracious host. Another thought sparked in my mind: if I couldn’t win over Alexis, becoming Leander’s servant wouldn’t be so bad. He was handsome and gentle, and he could support me with Alexis’s wealth. The more I considered it, the more I liked the idea. I decided to offer some pleasantries to my new target. “”Lord Leander, do you need any help?”” “”Why, yes,”” his pleasant voice floated across the vast hall. “”Could you please stoke the fire in the fireplace for me?”” “”Right away!”” I shot up from the sofa and hurried to the fireplace, earning an appreciative smile from him. Just as I was basking in this false warmth, the heavy castle door creaked open, followed by a familiar, cold voice. “”I’m home.”” It was Alexis. What? A mouthful of warm milk caught in my throat. I wanted to shove my head into the fireplace. How could he be back? Didn’t Leander say he was out hunting and wouldn’t return until tomorrow? This was a trap! The two vampires had conspired against me! I was done for. My heart pounded so hard it rang in my ears. I wished desperately for a magic portal to appear and swallow me whole. “”We have a guest?”” The deep, commanding voice I had only heard in legends spoke. Alexis hadn’t seen my face yet; he was undoing the clasp of his blood-stained cloak, and the thick scent of iron made my stomach turn. “”A young man who… admires me,”” Leander replied calmly from his seat across from me, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world. “”Excellent. My hunt was less than satisfying. He can be dessert.”” With that, Alexis turned and walked toward me. I buried my head in the sofa cushions. Don’t look at me, don’t look at me… The footsteps stopped. I felt a gaze as sharp as a knife land on me. More importantly, he had caught my scent. It was over. “”Lift your head,”” he commanded, his tone brooking no argument. What should I do? My mind went blank. I buried my head even deeper. “”Samuel, lift your head,”” Leander’s voice was still gentle and pleasant, but to me, it now sounded like the devil’s summons. “”Allow me to introduce you. This is my lover, Alexis. Alexis, this is my admirer, Samuel.”” A hand like an iron clamp seized my shoulder and yanked me from the sofa. When I saw the mixture of shock and fury on Alexis’s handsome face, I knew everything was ruined. “”You?”” His voice rose sharply. My legs gave out, and I nearly crumpled to the floor, but the hand on my shoulder held me fast, the grip painfully tight. Terrified and in pain, I could only stammer out a plea. “”P-Prince, my lord, I didn’t mean to… Lord Leander and I met by chance, yes, by chance!”” “”By chance he brought you back to the castle?”” Alexis’s glare looked like it could flay me alive. He turned to the other vampire. “”Rio, what in the hell are you playing at!”” Leander, who had remained calmly seated the entire time, watched as if he were a mere spectator. He glanced at me lazily. “”You two know each other?”” “”He’s the human from a few days ago, the one who tried to climb into my bed. His name is Rio,”” Alexis explained, dragging me forward like a piece of evidence. “”He was banished after his failed attempt to seduce me. He must hold a grudge and is trying to get back at me through you!”” “”Oh. So your name isn’t Samuel,”” Leander said, his gaze settling on me. His eyes were calm, but they sent a chill deep into my bones. He gestured for Alexis to let me go. The moment Alexis released me, I collapsed before them like a boneless snake. All my dignity, all my plans, vanished into thin air. All I wanted was to live. “”I’m not! I wasn’t trying to get revenge! Prince Alexis, Lord Leander, please spare my life!”” “”Spare you?”” A hint of amusement entered Leander’s voice, as if he’d heard a funny joke. He tapped my inner thigh with the polished tip of his leather boot. “”We’re not barbaric demons. Why would we take your life?”” Alexis’s brow furrowed even deeper. “”He’s tried to sabotage our relationship multiple times. Could he be a spy from a rival clan?”” “”No! No!”” I was scared out of my wits. I lunged forward and hugged Alexis’s leg, sobbing uncontrollably as I confessed my entire stupid “”seduction”” plan. Talk about trying to steal a chicken only to lose the rice used to lure it. My gut twisted with regret. I blamed everything on my friend, Samuel. It was all his fault! He was the one who tempted me to seduce a vampire! Otherwise, how could a fine young human like me end up in such a mess? When I finished, a dead silence fell over the room, broken only by my muffled sobs. Finally, Leander spoke. He looked up at his lover. “”Alexis, what do you want to do with this little rat?”” Alexis looked back at him. I saw a complex emotion flash in his eyes—a mixture of desire and fury. Then, I heard the sentence that would decide my fate. “”Drag him to the dungeon,”” Leander said. Chapter 5 “”No! No! Not the dungeon!”” The words pierced me like icicles. My mind instantly flooded with all the horrific tales of vampire dungeons. A face like mine wouldn’t last long in a place like that. I just wanted to be rich; I didn’t want to be drained of blood and turned into a mummy! My face went pale with terror. I scrambled toward Leander and clung to his leg, smearing tears and snot all over him. “”Lord Leander, Professor Leander! I was wrong, I truly know I was wrong! I’ll get out of here right now, I’ll disappear! I promise, I swear, I will never appear before you again!”” I cried a river of tears, and through my blurry vision, I could see that both of them wore complicated expressions. Alexis had already summoned the guards, who were preparing to drag me away. In that moment, I felt true despair. “”Don’t! Please, don’t kill me!”” I shrieked, nearly lunging to bite him. A foot pressed down on my thigh, the gentle pressure sending a sharp pain through me that made me gasp. It was Leander. He had stopped me with effortless ease. “”We don’t have to kill you,”” he said, crouching down. His cold fingers gripped my jaw, forcing me to look into his eyes. “”But what will you offer as compensation?”” Alexis waved the guards away. I stared at Leander in horror. I had been completely wrong. This seemingly gentle, elegant vampire noble was far more terrifying than the decisive, battle-hardened Prince Alexis. “”C-compensation? I don’t have any money…”” My voice trembled. “”We don’t want your money.”” A smile I couldn’t comprehend played on his lips. “”We want you. Your body, your blood, your everything.”””

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “394146”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

On my wedding day, my bride, Tessa, hid the rings for “fun,” refusing to come out until I found them. My groomsmen and I searched frantically, sweating and nearly dismantling furniture—but nothing. As panic set in, her best friend Ryan stepped forward, smugly revealing the ring on his finger. “Here it is! Don’t worry, I’ll take it off for you.” I laughed bitterly. “You expect me to wear your ring at my own wedding?” Tessa defended him: “It’s just a ring, Leo. Stop making a scene.” Her impatience was the final blow. “The wedding’s off,” I said firmly. She stared in disbelief. “You’re canceling over this?” I nodded. “I am.” 1 “Come on, ladies, don’t make this hard on us! Just tell us where the rings are! I’ll get on my knees and beg if I have to!” one of my groomsmen pleaded with the bridesmaids. “Yeah! We’ll pay! Name your price!” My heart warmed seeing my friends go to such lengths, practically begging to get the ceremony back on track. Tessa finally relented from inside the room. “Alright, alright, we’re running out of time. Give them the rings.” Every eye in the hallway turned to the three bridesmaids. But they just stood there, unmoving. A beat later, they all spoke at once. “I didn’t hide it.” “I don’t know where it is.” The atmosphere shifted. A strange tension filled the air. Tessa’s voice sharpened from behind the door. “Check again. Don’t tell me you lost it.” But even after scouring every inch of the room, the rings were nowhere to be found. Someone whispered, “Maybe someone’s playing a prank and hid them somewhere else?” That was all it took. Without another word, everyone fanned out, searching the entire house. We turned the place upside down, but there was no sign of the rings. We were officially going to be late. One of Tessa’s friends suggested, “Tessa, the guests are waiting. Why don’t we just head to the venue? I can have a new set of rings delivered. We can just get through the ceremony for now.” Tessa didn’t answer. Her gaze, through the crack in the door, was on me, waiting for my decision. I frowned, a knot of irritation tightening in my stomach. But this was an accident. No one could have predicted it. After a moment’s hesitation, I gave a curt nod. “I guess that’s our only option.” But just as I said it, Ryan stepped out from the corner he’d been lurking in. He theatrically pulled up his sleeve, a mocking, playful glint in his eye. “The ring’s right here! Told you you wouldn’t find it.” He was oblivious to the fact that his words had just sucked all the air out of the room. Everyone stared at his hand, their faces a mask of shock. One of the bridesmaids finally pieced it together. “Oh, I remember now! I was about to hide it in the wardrobe, but Ryan said he had a better spot. Then someone knocked on the door, and I got distracted. I didn’t see where he put it.” “I’m so sorry, Tessa,” she added, glaring at him. “I never thought he would mess around with something this important.” She then turned on him, her voice sharp. “Ryan! Why would you wear the groom’s wedding ring?” Ryan gave her an innocent look, as if he couldn’t detect the accusation in her tone. He turned to me. “Bro, I was just trying to help Tessa test you. I’ll take it off for you right now. I promise you won’t be late.” Looking at his face, I didn’t need to guess. I knew this was deliberate. It all made sense now. Ryan was usually an attention-seeking pest, but today he had been unnervingly quiet, practically invisible. He had been waiting for this moment. A humorless laugh escaped my lips. “So, you’re suggesting that at my own wedding, I should wear a ring that you’ve been wearing?” My words left him speechless. He looked at Tessa, his expression twisting into one of a wounded puppy. “Tessa, I was just trying to help. I wanted to see if Leo was really worthy of you. I thought you’d be happy that I found such a good hiding spot.” He added, with a shrug, “Besides, I’ve never been married. How was I supposed to know you can’t wear someone else’s wedding ring?” Even if it wasn’t a wedding ring, you don’t just wear someone else’s jewelry, I thought, a feeling of disgust washing over me. “You may not have experience with marriage,” I said cuttingly, “but do you have any sense of boundaries?” Then again, if he had any boundaries, he wouldn’t be constantly inserting himself into my life. But what truly shocked me was that Tessa, in that moment, took his side. “It’s just a ring,” she said, her tone defensive. “Do you have to be so harsh?” I looked at her, at the frown on her face, at the complicated, unreadable emotion in her eyes. And just like that, the fire in my chest was extinguished. It wasn’t that I wasn’t angry anymore. It was that, suddenly, it didn’t seem worth it. Tessa, oblivious to the shift inside me, said impatiently, “I’ll have a new ring sent over right now. Are you happy?” The way she said it made it sound like I was the one being unreasonable. I pulled at the corner of my mouth. “Forget it,” I said quietly. “The wedding’s off.” 2 The room fell silent. Everyone stared at me, stunned by my sudden declaration. Tessa let out a sharp laugh. “Are you kidding me, Leo?” “It’s just a ring. It’s not dirty, it’s not broken. Someone else just wore it for a few minutes. And you’re going to cancel our wedding over that? Are you seriously making such a big deal out of nothing?” The person who had sabotaged our wedding was Ryan. But in her eyes, I was the one being petty and irrational. Tessa and I had been together for a year. But before that, she had spent three years chasing me. She had been clumsy but determined, always showing up exactly when I needed her, doing everything she could to win me over. Even a man with a heart of stone would have been moved. The day we finally got together, she was as happy as a child with a new toy. She had held me, crying and laughing, and sworn, “I, Tessa, will only ever love Leo!” And she had meant it. For a while, her world had revolved around me. My feelings were her priority. So, even though we hadn’t been together long, when she proposed, I said yes. But then, during the wedding planning, this “male best friend” had appeared. And Tessa had changed. Dates, dinners—it didn’t matter. One phone call from Ryan, and she would drop everything and run to him. When I got angry, she would brush it off. “Ryan doesn’t know anyone else here. I’m just looking out for him. It’ll get better.” The change was so drastic it threw me off balance. We started fighting constantly. More than once, I wondered if we should even get married. I couldn’t make up my mind, right up until the night before the wedding. But in that moment, standing there, the answer was suddenly crystal clear. I was not going to marry Tessa. Seeing my silence, she must have thought I was having second thoughts. “Alright, stop this nonsense,” she said, her tone condescending. “If you keep this up, we’ll really miss the ceremony. It’s just a ring, once…” I cut her off, my patience gone. I answered her earlier question. “I am.” Tessa froze, finally realizing I wasn’t joking. It was Ryan who broke the silence, his voice thick with fake tears. “Leo, if you’re angry, blame me. Don’t take it out on Tessa. She didn’t do anything wrong.” Then, he actually dropped to his knees in front of me. “Bro, you can do whatever you want to me, but you can’t just cancel the wedding. Tessa has put so much into this. Have you even thought about her feelings? And what about the guests? It’s not right…” He was pretending to plead with me, but every word was an accusation. But I’m stubborn. Once I’ve made a decision, I don’t back down. I was about to speak when Tessa pulled Ryan to his feet. Her face was a cold mask. “Leo, I’m giving you one last chance. If you don’t want to be utterly humiliated, you will walk down that aisle with me right now. Otherwise, you can figure out how to explain this to our parents and all our guests.” A threat. But I’m not the kind of person who responds to threats. I smiled. “Fine by me.” Tessa’s face contorted in anger. “Fine,” she hissed. “Fine. Fine.” She turned to her friends. “Let’s go.” Seeing that we were serious, they tried to intervene, but Tessa cut them off. “He’s the one who wanted to cancel. If he comes crawling back, I might not even take him!” Her words were for them, but they were aimed at me. I just smirked and said nothing. After they had gone, my best man asked, “Bro, what now? She’s right. The guests are all waiting. She just left you to clean up this mess.” I laughed. If Tessa thought this would make me regret my decision, she was sorely mistaken. “So what if I don’t have a bride? I’ll just get a new one.” I pulled out my phone and made a call. 3 She picked up right away, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Well, well. You have time to call me on your wedding day? Don’t tell me the bride ran off.” I swear, my friend Chloe has a sixth sense for disaster. She’s always right. I cleared my throat. “So… you want to come to my wedding?” A dry laugh. “Leo, have you forgotten what I said?” Of course, I hadn’t. Chloe had sworn that if I married Tessa, she wouldn’t show up even if I begged her. And true to her word, she was nowhere to be seen today. “Okay, I’m begging,” I said. “I’m short one bride. Can you help me out?” The line went silent. For a second, I thought she had hung up. Then, she said one word: “Wait.” After she hung up, I called the jeweler to have a new set of rings delivered, then turned to my groomsmen. “Let’s go.” But when we got downstairs, one of them said, “Bro, they’re gone! They took all the wedding cars. What do we do now?” Just then, my phone buzzed. A text from Tessa. “If you want to cancel the wedding, then don’t bother showing up at all!” I had to laugh. So that was her game. Well, I was definitely going to that wedding now. Cars? I had a garage full of them. But I hadn’t anticipated just how low Tessa would go. The moment I got into my car, my phone exploded with messages from both our parents. “Son, Tessa said you want to cancel the wedding. What’s going on?” “Leo, I don’t normally get involved in your arguments with Tessa, but on a day like this, you can’t be serious.” “Listen to me. Go get Tessa, patch things up, and get married. You can deal with the rest later.” Then there were the texts from friends, gossiping and asking for details. I glanced at them briefly, then replied to my mom. “The wedding is still on. If Tessa won’t come, I’ll marry someone else.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “394162”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

It was my company’s IPO celebration. My wife Isabella left the party early and didn’t return. At dawn, she stumbled in drunk, reeking of alcohol, with a vivid red mark on her neck. She hugged me, muttering her first love Paul’s name. Just then, Paul—Hollywood’s biggest star—posted cryptically online: 【We all need to take care of ourselves, so well that regret can no longer disturb us.】 The internet exploded. My wife publicly replied: 【Pretending, so well, that I’ve already forgotten you.】 Chaos followed. Furious fans flooded our company’s accounts, calling me a homewrecker. Rumors spread at work; partners pulled deals. My anxious assistant paced around. I sipped my coffee calmly. “Why panic?” “Send the security footage from last night’s garage to a hundred gossip blogs. Say the ‘wronged husband’ filmed it himself.” “And don’t blur the license plate. Let the whole city see that Lamborghini.” 1 The moment the video dropped, it seized every entertainment headline. 【Hollywood Star Paul Hale Exposed in Cheating Scandal】 【Tech Mogul’s Wife’s Affair with A-List Actor】 【Ethan Hawke Films The Whole Thing】 The three hashtags shot to the top of the trending charts, the heat around them refusing to die down. The street below my office was a swarming mass of reporters. My assistant, Mr. Evans, rushed in, his voice trembling. “Mr. Hawke, your wife… and Mrs. Hale, your mother-in-law, have both called.” I scrolled through the trending topics, my face a mask of indifference. Evans swallowed hard. “They want you to make a public statement clarifying that the man in the car… was you.” A cold laugh escaped my lips. “And why would I do that?” “She abandons me to spend the night with another man, and I’m supposed to cover for her? To drag my own name through the mud?” “Maybe you should book them an appointment with a neurologist. Only a brain-dead fool would think of using their husband as a shield for their affair!” The words had barely left my mouth when the office door was kicked open with a thunderous crack. Isabella stormed in, her eyes bloodshot with rage. She pointed a trembling finger at my face, her voice a raw scream. “Ethan, what the hell is wrong with you? Are you insane? Spreading these lies about your own wife online!” She slammed her phone down on my desk. The security footage was still playing on the screen. “Paul wasn’t feeling well, and I was just giving him a ride home! It was nothing like the sordid fantasy you’ve cooked up in your head!” “So we stayed in the car for an extra hour, what’s the big deal? Why are you making a mountain out of a molehill?” “Now Paul’s new movie is being shelved, and his endorsement deals are being canceled!” “You are going to delete that video and issue an apology right now. Then you’re going to sue every single person who reported on it!” My gaze turned to ice. “If nothing happened, then where did that kiss mark on your neck come from?” “If nothing happened, why did you spend the entire night clinging to me, crying out Paul’s name?” She froze for a second, her fury shifting to disbelief. “I was drunk! I wasn’t in my right mind!” “And who doesn’t have a passionate, unforgettable love from their past? Everyone does!” “Was it really necessary to plaster this all over the internet? To ruin us both just to make a point?” “I’m with you now! What more do you want from me?” I flipped my tablet face down on the table, my eyes like shards of ice when I looked up. “Isabella, you’re the one who destroyed your own future. And you’re the one who destroyed our marriage.” “And another thing. Do you really think a pathetic excuse like ‘I wasn’t in my right mind’ erases the disgusting thing you did?” “A woman like you, with no self-control, deserves to be publicly shamed, again and again.” “Don’t you dare wrap your infidelity in the pretty packaging of ‘unforgettable love.’ You make me sick.” Isabella’s chest heaved with rage. She kicked the coffee table over with a crash, the veins on her forehead bulging. “Ethan!” She snatched a heavy glass ashtray from the floor, her hand stopping just inches from my face. I didn’t flinch. I smiled. “Go on. Smash it. Tomorrow’s headline will be ‘Heiress of the Hale Corporation Attacks Husband in Violent Rage.’” “I guarantee you, it will be even more popular than your little tryst with Paul.” Her body went rigid, and her hand fell, trembling, to her side. A short while later, Isabella’s mother—the executive CEO of the Hale Corporation—called me herself. Her voice dripped with condescension. “Ethan, I’m giving you one last chance.” “You have five minutes to delete that video. Then, you will use the official Nexus Corp account to release a statement, telling everyone that you were the man in the car.” “The Hale family will not tolerate a scandal of this magnitude.” I leaned back on the sofa, swirling the wine in my glass. “Mrs. Hale, I’m not the one who caused a scandal. Your precious daughter is.” “After what she did, the fact that I didn’t halt my own company’s IPO is a kindness I’m already regretting.” The line went dead silent. Then, through gritted teeth, she asked, “What is it you want?” “Money? Resources? Shares in the Hale Corporation?” “Name your price. Just make this right with the media.” I took a sip of red wine. “I don’t want anything.” “I just want Isabella to pay for what she’s done.” Mrs. Hale laughed, a sound devoid of humor. “Pay? Ethan, are you sure you want to openly challenge the Hale family?” “Let me make one thing clear. Without us, you are nothing.” “You have ten minutes. If you haven’t done as I said by then, don’t blame me for being ruthless.” 2 The line went dead. Mr. Evans looked at me, his face etched with worry. “Sir, Mrs. Hale… she has a certain amount of influence.” “The projects we’ve been negotiating recently all rely on technology from the Hale Corporation. We can’t afford to—” “It’s fine.” I cut him off, my voice cold as I swiped through my phone. “I’m actually curious to see what they’ll try next.” Time ticked by. I didn’t call a single press conference. Instead, a photo surfaced online, posted by Paul’s agent. It showed him lying in a hospital bed, tears streaming down his face. The caption read: 【Thank you all for your concern. Please don’t attack anyone. This is all my fault.】 In the picture, Paul was dressed in a hospital gown, an oxygen mask over his face, his eyes red and swollen with tears. Simultaneously, the news that Paul had attempted to take his own life by overdosing shot to the top of the trending charts. Public opinion turned on a dime. My company’s social media was bombarded by his fans, a torrent of vicious curses aimed directly at me. 【He’s a monster! He’s trying to bully Paul to death!】 【Ethan Hawke needs to die! Give Isabella back to Paul!】 【We support Paul! The one who isn’t loved is the real victim!】 My phone rang again. It was Isabella, her voice seething with a hatred she couldn’t hide. “Paul tried to kill himself. Are you happy now, Ethan?” “If anything happens to him, I swear to God, I will drag you down to hell with me!” The sheer absurdity of it was staggering. “Isabella, stop blaming me for everything.” “Did I force him to swallow those pills? Did I force him to become your mistress?” “If you love him so much, why don’t you just go die with him?” “Oh, and by the way, tell Paul that next time he tries a stunt like this, he should use something stronger than a handful of vitamins.” “It’s one thing for you to be an idiot, but don’t assume the rest of the world is too.” I slammed the phone down. But my actions had thoroughly enraged Mrs. Hale. That afternoon, our company’s overseas expansion plans hit a wall. One after another, our partners sent termination letters. Not only that, but investors began pulling out of our new projects, citing “high risk due to the misconduct of Nexus Corp’s executive management.” Mr. Evans put down the phone with a heavy sigh. “Sir, another contract terminated.” “They’re trying to burn us to the ground.” In the span of a single day, I went from the celebrated CEO of a newly public company to a man drowning in astronomical debt. A message from Isabella popped up. 【This is what you get for crossing the Hale family, Ethan.】 【Apologize now if you know what’s good for you. Don’t make us get nasty.】 【The divorce papers are in the mail. Don’t even think about fighting it.】 I let out a soft laugh. And replied with a single word: 【Pathetic.】 Isabella, apparently shocked that I still refused to bow, stormed into my office with her entourage in tow. “Ethan, get the hell out!” “This is my company now. You have no right to be here!” I remained seated on the sofa, watching her with detached amusement. “Have you lost your mind, Isabella?” “I made you a general manager at my company, and suddenly you think you own the place?” “Why don’t you go check who the majority shareholder is?” “This place has absolutely nothing to do with you, or the Hale family.” She stood frozen, dumbfounded. She had assumed that the shares I’d given her when we married, combined with her own clandestine acquisitions, would have secured her the top spot. But I had been prepared for this. Standing behind her, Paul’s lower lip trembled, his eyes welling up with tears. “Isabella, maybe we should just go.” “If we make him angrier, who knows what other lies he’ll spread about me online…” He blinked, and a fat tear rolled down his cheek. The sight of it sent a pang of protectiveness through Isabella. She spun back to me, her eyes blazing. “Don’t get too comfortable, Ethan!” she roared. “Every ounce of pain Paul has suffered, I will repay to you, tenfold!” “You just wait! One day, I will run you out of this city! I’ll have you blacklisted from the entire industry!” I smirked, giving her a lazy nod. “Alright. I’ll be waiting.” 3 My gaze shifted to Paul. “By the way, Mr. Hale, next time you fake an overdose, you might want to bring a toxicology report from the hospital.” “Falsifying medical records is a serious crime, you know.” Paul’s face went white, the blood draining from his lips. Isabella shoved him behind her, her embarrassment turning to fury. “That’s enough, Ethan! You will not threaten him again!” Seeing her stand there, a righteous defender of her lover, was so laughable I could barely contain it. “Isabella, you’re the one who turned him into a homewrecker.” “You love him, but you couldn’t stand that he had no power, no status. You couldn’t give him a legitimate title, but you were more than happy to use my family’s resources to claw your way up…” “You’re the one who dragged him into this scandal! It was your insatiable greed, your need to have everything, that did this!” Isabella’s fists clenched, her chest heaving. She grabbed Paul by the arm and stormed out, slamming the door behind her. In the days that followed, the Hale family launched an all-out assault. My personal information was leaked online. Photoshopped images of me in a coffin circulated widely. My company’s internal network was repeatedly hacked by anonymous attackers. Mr. Evans reported it to the police, but each report only triggered a fresh wave of retaliation. Meanwhile, Isabella brought Paul as her date to the Hale Corporation’s annual gala, declaring her love for him in front of the entire media. “Paul,” she said, her voice ringing with emotion, “let’s get married.” The world cheered for their “epic love story.” And I was cast as the villain, a sick, twisted man. When Mrs. Hale called again, her voice was dripping with smug triumph. “Ethan, I warned you. The Hale family is not to be trifled with.” “However, if you publicly admit that you maliciously fabricated this entire story, and then get on your knees and beg me…” “I might consider letting you off the hook.” I toyed with a teacup, then lowered my voice. “Mrs. Hale, your memory must be failing in your old age. You seem to have forgotten my last name.” My father, though long retired, was a man whose word was still law in this city. My mother had founded a world-leading research institute, with connections spanning the globe. I hadn’t used my family’s power because I still held some small sentiment for the marriage we once had. I didn’t want to be utterly ruthless. But now, I could see they weren’t worthy of such sentiment. Isabella’s voice came through the line. “You’ve seen what my mother can do. If you don’t clear this up, we will crush you completely.” “I’m going to teach you the true meaning of regret.” A small, cold smile touched my lips. “We’ll see about that.” I was dying to see how a pathetic, second-rate dynasty like the Hales planned to go up against the Hawke family of New York.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “394180”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

The girl at the front desk had a thing for my boyfriend. So she decided to ruin my reputation in front of him. “You know,” she said, her voice dripping with fake concern, “this young lady was here with a different man last night.” “She made a real mess of the sheets when she checked out, too. Refused to pay the cleaning fee.” She put a hand to her mouth, feigning shock. “Oh, my goodness. Did I say something I shouldn’t have?” Her eyes, wide and innocent, darted to my boyfriend, Neo. “I’m so sorry. I just couldn’t stand to see a good man like you being deceived.” I told her to pull the security footage. She claimed the cameras were broken. What she didn’t know was that this five-star hotel… belongs to my family. 1 “Ma’am, how can I help you?” The receptionist was speaking to me, but her eyes were glued to Neo. I glanced at her name tag. Jenna. I actually remembered her, this delicate-looking girl from the front desk. She was the one who checked us in last night when Neo brought me to the hotel. She’d been so flustered by him that she’d knocked over her glass of water. After a clumsy cleanup, she’d dragged out the check-in process for another fifteen minutes, finding any excuse to keep him there. I knew Neo was a head-turner. He was tall and lean, with fair skin and handsome, chiseled features. His eyes were his best feature—warm and expressive, the kind of eyes that could make a lamppost feel cherished. It wasn’t unusual for girls to stare; I’d gotten used to it. A handsome man is a handsome man, after all. But this receptionist? Wasn’t she taking it a little too far? “Hi, I checked out this morning, but I think I left a necklace on the bathroom sink,” I said. Silence. She was still staring at Neo. “Hello? Did you hear me?” 2 Neo and I met in our senior year of college. We were the classic campus couple. Everyone says graduation is breakup season, but not for us. We ended up in different cities for work, joining the ranks of the long-distance crowd, but our bond felt as strong as ever. I was in his city for a business trip, and he’d suggested I stay at his place. But with his parents and grandparents living there, I wasn’t comfortable with it. I didn’t want to face the scrutiny of his entire family before we were even engaged. So, Neo had booked me a room at the only five-star hotel in town, The Celestial. I’d checked out early that morning. It was only after lunch with Neo, as I was getting ready to head home, that I realized my necklace was gone. I waved a hand in front of the receptionist’s face, finally snapping her out of her daze. She blushed and looked away. After a cursory glance at her computer screen, she answered without a hint of hesitation. “Ma’am, housekeeping cleaned your room this morning and reported no forgotten items. Are you sure you didn’t misplace it?” I was taken aback. I remembered it clearly. While I was brushing my hair in front of the mirror this morning, it had gotten tangled. I’d unclasped the necklace and set it on the counter. Just as I was about to put it back on, my phone rang. My client had arrived early for our meeting. I’d grabbed my bag in a rush and hurried out, completely forgetting about the necklace until after the contract was signed. “I’m positive it was on the sink,” I insisted. “Could you please double-check with the cleaning staff?” She didn’t pick up the phone. Instead, her tone became firm, almost accusatory. “We have no record of any lost items. You must be mistaken.” Neo noticed my frown and stepped forward, taking my hand. “Don’t worry, babe. Think carefully. Maybe you dropped it somewhere on the way here?” 3 A prickle of annoyance went through me. What was that supposed to mean? Did he think I was making it up? I was absolutely certain my necklace was on that bathroom sink. It was a diamond necklace my mother had given me for my birthday last month. It was incredibly valuable. “Your hotel lobby and elevators must have security cameras, right?” I said, my voice hardening. “Pull the footage. We can see if I was wearing it when I left this morning.” Neo let out a breath of relief. “Yeah, that’s a great idea,” he said, turning back to Jenna. “Could you please pull up the security footage for us?” The receptionist froze. Her eyes darted around for a second before she bit her lip, her expression turning strangely complicated as she looked at me. “Ma’am,” she began, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, “is it possible… your companion took it?” Neo and I both stared at her, confused. His face immediately darkened. “Companion? What companion?” he demanded. Jenna blurted it out. “The man who stayed with this lady last night.” She didn’t stop there. “The lady left first this morning. The gentleman didn’t check out until an hour later. When our housekeeper went to inspect the room, she found… well, stains… all over the bedsheets. It’s against policy, so we had to charge a cleaning fee. The gentleman refused to pay and made quite a scene about it.” Neo looked like he was about to explode. His face flushed a deep crimson, and his voice shot up an octave. “What man? What the hell are you talking about?” 4 I was even angrier than he was. What was wrong with this woman? I’d been up until three in the morning finalizing a contract. What man? What was this crazy story she was spinning? And dirty sheets? Stains? The insinuation was disgusting. My face went cold, and I fixed her with an icy stare. “You realize slander is a crime, right? Now, I want you to repeat that. What man was in my room yesterday?” She recoiled as if I’d struck her, taking two steps back. “Maybe… maybe I remembered wrong,” she stammered. Neo shoved me aside, his teeth clenched as he glared at me. “Sandy, don’t you dare threaten her.” He then turned back to the receptionist, forcing a strained smile. “It’s okay. Take your time. Don’t be afraid.” Jenna lowered her head, deliberately dropping her voice to a near whisper. “I… we’re not allowed to disclose guest privacy. I’m sorry, just… please forget I said anything.” My head was spinning. A hot rush of blood pounded in my temples. Neo was no better. His eyes were bloodshot, his chest heaving with rage. “Sandy, is this why you wouldn’t stay at my place? No wonder you didn’t answer my video call last night. It was because… because…” His voice cracked. “Who was he, Sandy? Who was the man?” He didn’t believe me. Some complete stranger appears out of nowhere, spews a few nonsensical sentences, and just like that, he’s questioning our entire relationship. He’s questioning me. I stared at him, feeling as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over my head. My heart felt like it was being squeezed in a vise, a dull, aching pain mixed with a bitter sting. In his eyes, was I really that kind of person? The kind who would come to her boyfriend’s city on a business trip only to secretly hook up with another man? And then, the next day, act as if nothing happened, sharing a meal with him without a hint of guilt? 5 My silence seemed to confirm his suspicions. Jenna, seeing her chance, put on a show of consoling Neo. “Sir, please don’t get too upset. Maybe that man was a relative? I did notice he was much older, maybe in his fifties? He was losing a lot of his hair… Perhaps it was her father?” If she kept talking, my blood vessels were going to burst. “Shut your mouth!” I roared, unable to take it anymore. “Spreading rumors is illegal! I’m calling the police right now. Get your manager over here. I want to see that security footage!” The color drained from Neo’s face, shifting from red to a sickly white. He gave me a long, hard look, a bitter, mocking smile twisting his lips. “Sandy, you’re really something else.” He paused. “You know I won’t let you call the cops.” “What? What do you mean, you won’t let me?” His eyes were filled with disappointment, completely devoid of warmth. “My uncle is a cop. He’s in charge of this district. If you call them, there’s a good chance he’ll be the one to show up. Is that what you want? You want everyone to know about this? You might not have any shame, but I do.” I almost laughed out loud from sheer rage. “Neo, you’ve already found me guilty based on a few words from a stranger? You think you can stop me from calling the police? This receptionist slandered me, and I’m missing a valuable necklace. Of course I’m calling them.” 6 Jenna looked deeply wounded, her eyes welling up with tears. “Ma’am, how can you say that? I… I really didn’t slander you. You’re a guest at our hotel, why would I do that? You weren’t even wearing a necklace when you checked in yesterday.” She gasped, covering her mouth as if a shocking thought had just occurred to her. “Oh! That necklace… don’t tell me it was a gift from the gentleman last night?” Neo’s face grew darker and darker. Finally snapping, he grabbed my wrist. “Sandy, stop making a scene! The necklace, the necklace, that’s all you care about! What about me? What am I to you? You’re coming with me, right now!” His grip was like iron, crushing my wrist, and I was sure he was going to break the bone. I cried out in pain as a tidal wave of fury washed over me, threatening to swallow me whole. We’d been together for two years. I thought I knew Neo. He was cheerful, kind, and hardworking. His family background was modest, but he carried himself with a quiet dignity. “Sandy, I’ll work my tail off for you,” he’d promised. “We might not be able to afford a mansion and a sports car right now, but I’ll do everything I can to give you a good life.” “I got my bonus today! Let’s go out for a fancy dinner!” He was a dedicated worker, already a department manager just two years out of college. My plan had been to take him to meet my parents by the end of the year, to finally tell him the truth about my family. 7 Because of a kidnapping incident in my childhood, I’ve always been extremely private about my family’s wealth. Throughout college, I lived modestly—my clothes, my habits, everything was designed to make me seem like an ordinary person. In the two years Neo and I had been dating, I deliberately avoided talking about my family. I’d just vaguely said my parents were small business owners and our situation was average. Seeing my reluctance, Neo, ever the considerate boyfriend, never pushed the topic. The truth is, my father owns a chain of luxury hotels. The very hotel we were standing in was just one of hundreds my family owned. My mother is in real estate. Theirs was an arranged marriage, a union of two powerful families. When they found out about Neo, they hadn’t objected. My father only had one condition: the boy couldn’t know about our wealth. Not until they had a chance to meet him and thoroughly vet his character. I’d beaten my chest and promised them. “Mom, Dad, don’t you worry! Your daughter has impeccable taste. Neo is the best person I’ve ever met. You’re going to love him.” But now? My cheeks burned as if I’d been slapped. “Let go of me!” I wrenched my arm free, meeting his murderous gaze with my own furious glare. “Neo, you believe a complete stranger over me? Is that it? Then we’re done. We’re breaking up.” My voice was cold and steady. “From this moment on, we have nothing to do with each other. If you touch me again, I’ll press charges for assault. Now get out of my way. I’m calling the police.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “394197”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

The world shattered the moment I found out about my husband and my sister. “It was never you, Clara. It was always her.” Liam’s eyes were bloodshot, his voice a blade. “You were the one who got in the way.” Each word was a hammer blow to my heart. The blood drained from my face. A tremor wracked my body—a toxic cocktail of pain, fury, and humiliation. “I was in the way?” My voice was a sharp, desperate whisper. “You knelt on the floor and begged me to marry you, Liam. And now you’re telling me it was always Ava?” A raw, hysterical laugh tore from my throat. It dissolved into a flood of tears that streamed down my face, hot and relentless. Seeing me so utterly broken seemed to jolt him from his cold rage. Panic flickered in his eyes. He reached for me, then snatched his hand back as if burned. His lips trembled, unable to form a coherent sentence. “Clara, that’s not what I meant… You… let me explain…” But I was already gone. I walked out the door like a ghost, an empty shell propelled by a pain so vast it had hollowed me out completely. I stumbled onto the street, oblivious, a zombie navigating a world that had lost all color. A blinding light sliced through the fog. The moment the truck hit me, my last coherent thought was, This still doesn’t hurt as much as my heart. 1 The sterile scent of antiseptic filled my nose. I forced my eyes open, squinting against the harsh sunlight piercing through the blinds. “Miss Hayes? You’re awake.” A young nurse came in, her voice soft. “You’ll be fine. You’re just a bit weak. We need to get your strength back up.” I stared at her, uncomprehending. The phantom agony of betrayal still echoed in my nerves, my mind a disoriented haze. This scene… I knew this scene. This was the hospital room from when I was twenty, after I collapsed by the pool. It was all coming back. Three days ago, I had won the National Dance Championship. My parents, ecstatic, had insisted on throwing a celebration at the Grandview Hotel. My younger sister, Ava, had recently failed her audition for the summer intensive. Though she pretended it didn’t bother her and my parents told her it was nothing, I knew how sensitive she was. I’d spent the whole party keeping an eye on her. When she disappeared, I went looking. I found her outside by the pool. A moment of distraction, a child running past, and I was knocked into the icy water, the shock pulling me into darkness. Before I could fully process the impossible reality of my return, the door to my hospital room opened again. Liam stood there, holding a bouquet of flowers. Behind him, her face a carefully constructed mask of concern, was Ava. “How are you feeling?” Liam walked to my bedside, his hand reaching for my forehead. “The fever’s broken. You just need to rest.” Instinctively, I recoiled from his touch. My expression was a complicated storm of emotions I couldn’t yet name. “I’m fine. Thank you.” Ava rushed forward. “Clara, it’s all my fault. If it wasn’t for me, you never would have ended up in here.” Her face was stained with tears, her voice trembling, her eyes brimming with guilt. Liam immediately wrapped an arm around her, his touch gentle as he guided her to a chair. “It’s not your fault, Ava. It was an accident.” His voice held a tenderness he had never used with me. Ava leaned into him, a subtle shift of weight, a silent claim. She looked up at him, her eyes a mix of gratitude, sorrow, and something else—a flicker of dependence I’d never seen before. I watched them, a cold, bitter clarity dawning in my heart. The intimacy, the unspoken language between them… it was so obvious. How had I been so blind my entire life? Sensing my glacial stare, Liam’s face flushed. He cleared his throat. “Ava and I are here to take you home.” Back at the house, my mother led me to the dining table. “Ava had Maria make all your favorites,” she said, placing a piece of short rib on my plate. “She cried all night, saying she wished it had been her who fell in the water…” I listened to my mother’s chatter, my stomach churning as I looked at the greasy piece of meat. I had lost my appetite. “Mom, I think I’m just going to go to my room.” She paused. “Alright, honey.” She helped me from my chair. “We’ll keep it warm for you, in case you get hungry later.” Lying in my bed, I replayed my previous life with Liam. Countless details, once dismissed as insignificant, now surfaced, each one a small, sharp piece of the devastating truth. He said I was the one in the way. Fine. This time, I would give them exactly what they wanted. I would step aside and let them have each other. This time, I would not be an obstacle. The next day, I began packing a suitcase for the dorms. “Clara, why are you moving out?” my mother asked, bewildered. “The campus isn’t far. Michael can drive you every day.” I placed my hairdryer into the suitcase. “Finals are coming up. I need to focus.” “Don’t go, Clara, please.” Ava grabbed my sleeve, her voice a soft, childish whine. “I’ll miss you if I can’t see you.” It was her signature move—the pouting, the wide eyes, the saccharine tone that always made me give in. I gently pulled my sleeve from her grasp. “I’ll be back after my exams are over.” That evening, Liam came to see me. “You’re moving into the dorm?” He held out a small box of strawberry tarts. “Can’t you stay? Ava’s really upset.” I didn’t take the box. My favorite was blueberry. He always got it wrong. I used to think he just couldn’t tell the difference. Now I knew the truth: he just didn’t care enough to remember. He never once mixed up Ava’s favorite, peach. “If you need a tutor, I can help you study. You don’t have to move out,” he said earnestly, placing the box on my desk. “No, thank you,” I replied, my voice cool and distant. “I just want to focus on my studies without any distractions.” “Alright then. But if you need anything, I’m always here for you.” He gazed at me, his expression full of the same deep concern that had fooled me for a decade. The same look that had made me believe I was the center of his world. If I hadn’t lived and died by his lies already, I might have fallen for it all over again. “I was never in love with you. You misunderstood. Our parents misunderstood.” His words from the end of my last life echoed in my head—the self-righteous justification that had shattered my reality, turning a decade of devotion into a pathetic, one-sided joke. 2 Living in the dorm was a breath of fresh air. The quiet solitude was a balm on my wounded soul, allowing me to pour all my energy into my studies and, more importantly, my dance. In my past life, I had been offered a scholarship to study abroad with a world-renowned company in London. I turned it down for Liam. This time, I wouldn’t make the same mistake. It was ten o’clock when I left the dance studio, muscles aching with a satisfying burn. “Clara, there’s someone downstairs for you,” my roommate, Jess, said, her eyes twinkling with curiosity. “Is that your boyfriend? He’s gorgeous.” I glanced out the window. A tall, familiar figure stood under the sprawling oak tree, a small box in his hand, his eyes fixed on the dormitory entrance. “No,” I said flatly, ignoring her teasing. I didn’t go down. Instead, I pulled out my phone and sent Liam a text. “Did you need something?” If I was going to cut ties, I had to be decisive. No more face-to-face meetings. My phone buzzed with an incoming call. I hesitated for a second before answering. “Clara, I brought you something to eat,” Liam’s smooth voice said through the phone. “Why don’t you come down and get it?” “Thank you, but I don’t need it.” I hung up without another word, my heart a calm, steady rhythm in my chest. Liam stood frozen, staring at his phone. He hadn’t expected such a cold dismissal. Something was different. Something had changed. When he got back to his car, Ava was waiting in the passenger seat. “Liam, did you see Clara?” she asked, her big, watery eyes full of faux concern. “No,” he said, his tone clipped. He was still reeling from my rejection. “She wouldn’t come down.” “Oh, it’s all my fault. My ankle is twisted, otherwise I could have brought it up to her dorm myself,” Ava lamented, her lower lip trembling. “She hasn’t been home in so long. I hope she’s okay.” Tears welled in her eyes, threatening to spill over. Liam’s focus snapped back to her. A wave of protectiveness washed over him. “Hey, hey, don’t cry. I know you’re worried about her, but she’ll be fine.” He gently brushed a tear from her cheek, his finger lightly tapping the tip of her nose. “You’re the one we need to worry about. You’re too thin. You need to eat more.” Later that night, Liam found himself staring at my name in his contacts. Before my curt text earlier, the last message from me was from the day of the banquet. I had asked if he could arrive a little early; I wanted to wear the necklace he was getting me. It was a new design by Mr. Chloe, a piece I had been dreaming of for months. He had planned to surprise me with it. But Ava, in her infinite helpfulness, had told me the moment he’d secured the purchase. I had been so happy, my eyes sparkling like crushed starlight. A faint smile touched Liam’s lips at the memory. He typed out a message: “Are you asleep? Want to get lunch tomorrow?” He waited. A long time passed, but the screen remained blank. A flicker of disappointment crossed his face. She’s probably just asleep, he told himself. She didn’t see it. Lying in my dorm bed, I saw his message and scoffed. Was this a date, or was he just following Ava’s instructions? Every time we’d planned to be alone in the past, Ava would miraculously appear. “Ava’s by herself, let’s just have her join us,” he would always say. And I never questioned it. Liam and I had known each other since we were kids. We grew up together. He’d sit for hours while I practiced, we’d study together, share our secrets. Our friends, our parents—everyone assumed we were destined to be together. An inseparable pair. I had believed it, too. How naive I’d been. Ava was five years younger, a little shadow who was always trailing behind us. While I excelled, she was… average. Quiet, timid, a fragile little thing wrapped in a cocoon of insecurity. My parents never pushed her, their only wish for her was to be happy. I, in turn, felt a natural, sisterly duty to protect her. It never occurred to me that she and Liam were tangled together. My husband, the love of my life, and my sister, my own flesh and blood. The two people I trusted most, conspiring to push me into an abyss. Looking back now, I was a fool. Utterly, completely blind. I remember one Valentine’s Day. Liam and I were going to walk across Lovers’ Bridge. And then, suddenly, there was Ava, turning our twosome into a clumsy threesome. I had gently tried to hint, “Doesn’t Mom need you at home?” Tears immediately welled in her eyes. “Clara… am I bothering you and Liam?” she whimpered, stumbling back a step. “I’ll… I’ll go home right now.” Her trembling shoulders and the sight of her retreating back, racked with sobs, was enough for Liam to turn on me. “Clara, she’s your sister! How could you say that to her?” I felt a hot flush of shame, instantly regretting my words. “Liam, don’t yell at Clara,” Ava cried, running back to grab my hand. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have intruded…” Liam rushed to her side, pulling her into a protective embrace. “It’s not your fault. Your sister was out of line.” And I, the fool, saw nothing wrong with that picture. I just stood there, drowning in guilt. 3 The next morning, I finally replied to Liam. “No, thank you. I have to study.” Then I put him out of my mind and dove headfirst into my work. That evening, I got a call from my dad. “Clara, Liam’s grandfather is back from his trip. We’re all having dinner at their estate tomorrow night.” In my past life, Mr. Sterling had always been incredibly kind to me. As much as I wanted to avoid Liam, I couldn’t be disrespectful. I had to go. I ignored the designer dress my parents had laid out for me and opted for simple jeans and a white shirt. When we arrived, I could see Liam and Ava in the garden, laughing together. I handed my gift to the old man. “Mr. Sterling, it’s so good to see you. I hope you’re well.” “Clara, my dear girl, come sit by me,” he said with a warm smile. He then called over to Liam. “Liam, get Clara a glass of iced tea. It’s a warm evening.” A nearby housekeeper chuckled. “The moment Miss Hayes arrives, our young Mr. Sterling steals our jobs.” “It’s what the boy should be doing,” his grandfather laughed along. I took the glass from Liam, my thanks cool and distant. Sensing the chill between us, Mr. Sterling deliberately seated us next to each other at dinner. “Clara, can I sit next to you?” Ava appeared, her eyes wide and pleading. “I’ve missed you so much. We haven’t eaten together in ages.” Before I could answer, Liam had already moved, pulling Ava into the seat between us. He then proceeded to fill her plate with all of her favorite dishes. “Liam, Clara loves this dish. You should give her some,” Ava said, pointing to a platter. “I don’t like it anymore,” I said calmly, before he could move. “Oh, Clara, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know…” Her eyes reddened, a tear trembling on her lashes. I looked up at her, my gaze knowing and direct. My stare must have struck a nerve. She flinched, her hand knocking over a wine glass in a clatter of panicked movement. “Clara, you’re scaring her,” Liam chided, his tone sharp with accusation. “She’s just trying to be nice.” I simply glanced at him before returning to my meal. His grandfather, sensing the strange tension, asked Liam to drive me home after dinner. “Clara, I wasn’t trying to blame you earlier,” he said, taking my hand as we walked to the car. “It’s just… Ava is fragile. You have to be more patient with her.” I pulled my hand free. “Okay.” “I got this for you,” he said, pulling a small velvet box from his pocket. “I saw it and immediately thought of you.” He opened it to reveal a delicate jade bracelet. “It’s warming jade. Your circulation is poor, this should help.” He moved to put it on my wrist. In my past life, he claimed he never loved me. Yet every gesture, every touch, every thoughtful gift was a lie that made me believe we were meant to be. As I got out of the car, I discreetly slipped the bracelet off and tucked it into the small compartment by the rearview mirror. If I was truly done, I couldn’t accept his gifts. Mid-week, I went home to gather a few things and took the opportunity to box up every gift Liam had ever given me. There was the pinwheel from our childhood, sand art from a beach trip, and countless pieces of jewelry. The box was surprisingly large and heavy. I taped it shut and shoved it into the deepest corner of my closet. There was no need to return it, but I would never open it again. My talent in dance had caught the attention of Professor Finch, the head of the department. He called me into his office. “Clara, there’s an opportunity to study under the legendary Alistair Finch in London. He was very impressed with your competition tape. They have resources there that could change your life. You need to take this seriously.” In my past life, Professor Finch had said the same thing. The first person I had told was Liam. “Clara, that’s wonderful,” he had said, though his smile didn’t reach his eyes. “But a young woman like you, all alone, thousands of miles from home… what if something happens? What if you get hurt?” He looked at me, his voice soft and laced with concern. “I would be worried sick.” Back then, I thought he truly couldn’t bear to be without me. I had held his arm and told my professor, “I have everything I need right here.” The memory was so absurd it was almost funny. “Professor,” I said, my voice firm with conviction. “I will take this opportunity.” “Good. Talk to your family. If there are no objections, you leave in a week.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “394216”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel