I’m a well-known socialite in the city’s nightlife scene. Despite my average looks and unremarkable figure, I’ve made quite a name for myself with my silver tongue, able to charm anyone into opening their wallet. I play both sides – the wealthy patrons and their wives. My reputation as a discreet informant is excellent because I’m only interested in money, not fame or status. But recently, I hit a snag. The hospital said there was a new treatment for my sister’s illness. After two years of medication, there was hope to control her condition enough for surgery. However, each pill cost $2,000, and two years’ worth was equivalent to the price of a house in the city. I couldn’t worry about that now. I started frantically accumulating money, taking on difficult clients I’d usually avoid. Like Lucas Graham. The first time we met, he transferred half a million dollars into my account for drinks without hesitation. Everyone in the club was green with envy, encouraging me to pursue him. But I remained surprisingly calm. Because the way he looked at me wasn’t filled with the usual lust. It was pure and clear, like a schoolboy caught red-handed delivering breakfast to his crush. One glance and I knew he liked me, but I only wanted to empty his pockets. I held his hand, kissed him softly, sent “good morning” and “good night” messages, showered him with sweet nothings. Soon enough, I had saved up for the medication. I had also won Lucas’s affection. He wanted to divorce his wife and elope with me. At first, I didn’t take it seriously, assuming it was just a moment of passion. But on the third day, he actually pulled out divorce papers, asking for my input on how to write them without shortchanging his wife. I was stunned. Unlike my usual role as a double agent informing the wives, this time I was helping the original wife win back her husband’s heart, solidifying my reputation in the circle. I had considered marrying into a wealthy family myself. Even if it angered my sister to the point of collapse, money could save her. But for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. So the next day, I went to stake out Lucas’s house at dawn. I thought I’d have to wait until mid-morning, or maybe even miss her entirely. But after circling the area a few times, I spotted a woman who might be the wife in the garden. She was standing with her back slightly turned to me, her long, slender neck exposed. Wearing a long white dress, she was bent over tending to some flowers. She looked every bit the goddess. I couldn’t help but marvel. Men truly are greedy, keeping the red flag flying at home while raising colorful flags outside. If I had a wife with both a perfect body and face, I would— I’d rip her heart out! After admiring the beautiful woman’s figure, I eagerly waited to see her face. I crouched patiently by the fence, waiting for her to turn around. When she finally did, I felt my blood freeze instantly, then surge back through my body, rushing to my heart and brain. It was a face that had tormented me for nearly ten years. Even though I’d seen so many disgusting faces since then, seeing her again made me tremble with fear, which slowly turned to excitement and wild joy. Natalie Cove, I’ve finally found you. In middle school, I was admitted to the city’s best high school with the top score in the city. I wasn’t excited about getting into the best school, but because it meant three years of free tuition. I happily told my sister that we were getting closer to our dream. Once I got into the best university, I’d take her to see the world and earn big money for her treatment. My sister was equally joyful. She had always been proud of her little sister who now had a bright future. Unfortunately, our happy fantasy didn’t even last until the first day of school. The homeroom teacher announced in the class group chat that he had been assigned an outstanding student from a poor family, a genius he had never seen before in his career, and asked everyone to take care of me. Although there wasn’t a single derogatory word and he called for everyone to protect me, he had clearly set me apart from the others. At the time, I naively thought that if I performed well in front of my classmates after school started, they wouldn’t isolate me. After school started, I realized I wasn’t isolated because of my excellent grades, but because I was from a poor family yet had excellent grades. Natalie Cove was the ringleader of the bullying. The screws on my chair were loosened, causing me to fall; I was locked in the boys’ bathroom, then reported to the teacher for trying to seduce male classmates; during the school sports meet, they switched my pants, causing me to expose my underwear in front of thousands of people. For a long time after that, I was too scared to go to school. My sister was already overwhelmed, so I didn’t dare tell her. Every day, I pretended to go to school but went to work odd jobs instead. Until the homeroom teacher came to my house with a dropout notice, tearfully telling my sister how stubborn and antisocial I was at school. He said he had tried to persuade me, but I wouldn’t listen, and now I had even been caught skipping classes and was being strongly advised to drop out. I didn’t dare tell my sister what I had been through. I could only submit to the homeroom teacher, kneeling and begging him not to expel me. After my sister and I pleaded with him, I was granted a special pardon to return to school. When I went back, I found out that without me to bully, Natalie and her group had pressured the homeroom teacher to bring me back, threatening to ruin his promotion if he didn’t. I started learning to keep my head down. If they wanted me to eat leftovers, I ate them. If they told me to write love letters to gang members to seduce them, I wrote them. If they forbade me from studying, I didn’t study. I suppressed all my resentment, obediently waiting for them to get bored and leave me alone. During this time, I quietly sabotaged Natalie’s relationship, causing her to fall out with her friends and isolate each other. As the college entrance exam approached, I even prepared a big show for them. Unfortunately, Natalie’s grades were too poor to hope for university, so her family arranged for her to study abroad. The others were also arranged by their families, and from one day on, they never came to school again. Until today, nine years later, I finally saw Natalie Cove again. I hired a private investigator to look into Natalie’s background and experiences, while I started to string Lucas along. The report showed that Natalie came from a blended family. When she was four, her mother married into the powerful Cove family in River City. Because of the questionable methods her mother used to marry up, and the family patriarch’s lukewarm attitude towards them, the mother and daughter didn’t have an easy time in the Cove family, enduring all sorts of hardships. But marrying into the Cove family with a child in tow proved her mother’s exceptional skills, which were demonstrated again in Natalie’s marriage. Lucas and Natalie’s marriage wasn’t voluntary. Before this, he had a girlfriend of 8 years, but Natalie’s mother maneuvered to break them up, successfully arranging for her daughter to take her place. Despite this, Lucas still harbored feelings for his ex-girlfriend. Although he didn’t mistreat his wife after marriage, he didn’t love her either. And I happened to look very similar to his ex-girlfriend, a sort of spiritual replacement. I couldn’t help but sneer. Rich people really are all the same. As I flipped through the expensive information, slowly crafting my revenge plan, I suddenly saw the Cove family patriarch, Natalie’s stepfather – Victor Cove. I had seen him at the club before. The man wore gold-rimmed glasses, his shirt buttoned up to the last one, his large hands with distinct knuckles holding a wine glass, his well-tailored clothes outlining his muscular and smooth body lines. Just one look made me blush. What a catch! No wonder Natalie’s mother had gone to such lengths to get into his bed. The man was rich, handsome, and well-built. If he weren’t so much older, I’d want to try my luck. It would be worth it even for free. Moreover, he seemed interested in me. I still remember in the dim, ambiguous light of the bar, the man swirling his wine glass, looking at me with a lazy expression, his burning gaze roaming over my body like a predator waiting to pounce. Too bad I didn’t know he was Natalie’s father at the time. Otherwise… Otherwise… As I thought about it, I changed my plan. What’s the point of just stealing her husband? If I could steal her mother’s husband too, wouldn’t that double the satisfaction? So that night, I went back to the club hoping to try my luck. To my surprise, I actually ran into him. Victor was sitting alone, still holding his wine glass like last time, half of his face hidden in the shadows, lost in thought. In just ten minutes, all the girls who tried to approach him were scared away. I couldn’t help feeling a bit timid. What if I miscalculated and scared him off? Unexpectedly, as if sensing my presence, he looked up at me just as I was about to leave. His expression and gaze were the same as before. I was startled and fumbled, dropping my glass. The man slightly curled his lips, patted his thigh, and beckoned to me. Through the dim lights and dancing figures, I saw his lips form the words: Come here. Victor was even more generous with his money. Just by hanging on his neck and acting coy, he slipped a black card into my pocket. I took out the card, planning what to buy and resell tomorrow. The medication cost was covered, but there was still the surgery fee, and after that, the rehabilitation costs. Victor treated me like a plaything to amuse himself, and I treated him like a wallet to make money from. We each got what we wanted. As for his wife and daughter, after a few probes, I found that he really didn’t care about them. So I completely let loose, investigating Lucas and his ex-girlfriend thoroughly as well. I started to subtly imitate his ex-girlfriend in front of Lucas. For example, when watching movies together, I would act spoiled and nestle into his arms. I’d ask him to feed me when eating or drinking, and make him help me put on my shoes when going out, acting every bit like a pampered princess. Lucas started to stare at me absent-mindedly more often. Finally, one day when we were shopping for home decor, he brought up that topic again. “Aria, marry me.” At that moment, I was holding a vase, asking him if he knew how to arrange flowers. I slowly put the vase back, looking troubled. “Lucas, we…” Lucas immediately pulled me into his arms, gently kissing the top of my head to comfort me. “Don’t be afraid, Aria. This time, I’ll protect you no matter what.” I clutched his clothes tightly, pretending to tremble in fear. Sure enough, a few days later, someone came looking for me. I looked at the address she sent on my phone, my hand shaking as I applied lipstick. I hope you haven’t forgotten me, after all, I’ve been thinking about you all these years – Natalie Cove. When I officially met her at the coffee shop, I couldn’t help but marvel again. A girl raised in wealth really is beautiful, something I could never match up to no matter how hard I tried. Natalie was dressed in plain colors, her long hair falling over her shoulders, every gesture exuding a strong sense of intimacy. It seems her mother had put a lot of effort into her, turning a viper’s daughter into the image of a saint. After I sat down, she stared at me for a while. Tears slowly began to fall from her eyes, but she tried hard not to let her lips quiver. She even added a sugar cube to my coffee. Naturally, I couldn’t let her outdo me. I half-crouched by her legs, crying even more heartbrokenly than her, as if I’d lost the love of my life. Natalie was thrown off balance by my counterattack, but she quickly regained her composure. She begged me not to take Lucas away, saying she would give me any amount of money, just asking me to return her husband to her. The coffee shop wasn’t very crowded, but her crying attracted everyone’s attention, even people from outside came in. I didn’t care about my reputation, what I wanted was to drag her down into the gutter, to become what I once was! “What are you talking about? Lucas has always been yours, no one’s trying to take him away,” I sobbed, barely able to catch my breath, my words stuttering, “Besides, Lucas… he likes you, he’s just… just reluctant to let go…” Actually, this scene should be familiar to Natalie. It was similar to when she and her mother used fake photos to deceive Lucas’s ex-girlfriend. As the victor of that battle, she might have forgotten about it. But Lucas would definitely remember. “What are you doing?!” Just as I was crying so hard I almost fell to my knees, Lucas’s voice rang out from behind me. Soon, I was lifted up and held protectively in his arms. Before coming, I had asked my friends at the club to “tattle” on me to Lucas, saying I was afraid of causing him trouble and had gone alone to meet his wife. I had timed it perfectly, repeating the words of his ex-girlfriend from years ago. As expected, Lucas was furious. “Do I need to remind you how you married into the Graham family? I’m warning you, don’t mess with her. If you know what’s good for you, just sign the agreement quietly. Otherwise, be careful, I might expose all your dirty secrets!” Lucas pointed at Natalie’s nose, looking at her like a mortal enemy. In contrast, Natalie seemed to hear nothing, her eyes fixed on Lucas’s arms tightly wrapped around me, red veins creeping into her eyes. It seems she really does love Lucas. So I snuggled even closer into Lucas’s embrace, turning my head to give Natalie a challenging look. Natalie finally couldn’t hold back. All pretense of grace was gone as she grabbed me and slapped me hard across the face. I forcefully held back the urge to slap her back, stopping Lucas who was about to step forward. I looked up at Lucas one last time, my eyes full of hot tears, then fled in a panic. As I closed the door, I heard the crisp sound of a slap and Natalie’s piercing scream. After walking quite far, I finally stopped. I gently touched the cheek that had been slapped, unable to hold back a curse: “You little bitch, just wait. When I become your stepmother, I’ll beat you black and blue!” “Whose stepmother do you want to be?” I whirled around to find Victor standing behind me, one hand in his pocket. Victor took me back to his private residence. I thought something might happen. Instead, he sat in the courtyard with his laptop, dealing with documents, allowing me to run wild around the house. Perhaps Victor had some kind of magnetic field; I always felt inexplicably uninhibited around him. Like now— After showering, I sprawled carelessly on the sofa, playing with my phone. Beside me was a fruit platter brought by the secretary, along with some ointment. Then I bounced over to the master bedroom. The mirror there was especially large and bright. I lowered my head to unscrew the cap, turning my face to the side to apply the ointment. Suddenly, a hot body pressed against me from behind. Victor wrapped his arm around my waist, his lips brushing my ear. “Who hit you?” I shuddered and melted into his arms, whimpering and pushing him away halfheartedly. He took the ointment from me. The cool ointment spread across my face, slowly easing the burning sensation. I alternated between looking in the mirror and at Victor. The detective sent a message saying that Victor had bought my information at a high price. She had concealed my investigation for me, but left everything else intact for Victor. This included my orphaned childhood, my sister’s chronic illnesses, the bullying I suffered in high school leading to poor performance in the college entrance exam, and my subsequent disillusionment and entry into the nightlife to make money. My 24 years of life were the embodiment of a tragic story, completely overlapping with Victor’s early experiences. That’s right, Victor was also a self-made man who had climbed out of the gutter. Otherwise, why would he marry a divorced single mother at the prime age of 23? I sent the detective $50,000, thanking her for the timely information. A woman’s innate compassion made me feel a bit sorry for Victor. I had struggled for years but still had my sister by my side. He seemed to have had no one by his side since losing his mother as a child. Then I found it funny. He had power and money to keep him company, while my revenge depended on him. What right did I have to pity him? Seeing me lost in thought, Victor buried his head in my neck and bit down hard. “Will you be with me?” His voice was full of seduction and temptation, hiding a barely detectable hint of inquiry. I buried my face in Victor’s chest, my face still covered in ointment. Wasn’t this exactly what I wanted? Almost without effort, Natalie’s husband and father had both fallen into my hands. But I still wasn’t satisfied. Did being pushed into the gutter mean I could only bloom in the mud? Despite this, I heard my own voice, trembling with joy: “Then please don’t ever abandon me.” Satisfied with my answer, Victor grabbed my waist and started kissing me. You might not believe it, but despite my years in the nightlife and countless wealthy patrons, I had never truly given myself to anyone. So when Victor carried me to the bedroom, I wanted to push him away and run several times, but my reason told me I couldn’t. Outside was the bright midday sun, and the room was too bright with nowhere to hide. That’s when I realized that perhaps I was no longer suited to return to the light. Victor gently laid me on the bed. Just when I thought he would press down on me, he turned and drew the curtains. He sat on the other side of the bed with his back to me, letting out an almost inaudible sigh, then pulled me down to lie with him.
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