“Strip!” The cold, hard voice brooked no refusal, echoing from the dark screen of the video call. Aria Clarke trembled, tears welling in her eyes. Facing the camera, she still did as she was told. “Stop!” As if granted a reprieve, Aria fumbled to flip her phone over, fleeing to the bathroom like her life depended on it. A ragged breath floated from behind her, and her mind went utterly blank. She slid down the shower wall, collapsing into the corner, scrubbing her skin until it was raw and red wherever she had touched herself. Finally, at the chime of her mobile banking app announcing a $100,000 deposit, she curled up, hugging her knees, and sobbed uncontrollably. $100,000. She needed to pay back $200,000 in a month. Aria knew she couldn’t afford it, but she *had* to pay this money back. Suddenly, the living room phone rang. Aria saw the caller ID and tremblingly answered, “Please, just give me a little more time.” A cold, automated female voice replied, “Ms. Clarke, please come to the penthouse of Sterling Tower to discuss the details.” She hurried over, guided by the front desk, and fled towards the elevator. With each floor the elevator ascended, it felt like an invisible chain tightening, relentlessly squeezing her heart. The elevator doors slowly parted, revealing a grand, single-floor office space. In front of the huge, bright floor-to-ceiling windows, a man in a perfectly tailored suit stood with his back to her, gazing out. “Aria Clarke, long time no see.” The man turned. His eyes were dark and stormy, a mocking sneer twisting his lips. Aria felt like she was nailed to the spot, like a wave of ice washing over her, leaving her limbs cold and numb. “Julian Thorne…” Each syllable drained her last bit of strength, and Aria’s head swam. She never imagined that the lover she hadn’t seen in so many years would be the creditor demanding her explicit videos. This reunion felt like a cruel joke that had dragged on for years. Aria took a step back, turned, instinctively wanting to escape. “I never thought Ms. Clarke would have a day when she was short on cash. Didn’t you leave with a rich businessman back then? What? He couldn’t satisfy you?” Aria paused, offering no explanation. “Please, just give me more time. I’ll pay it back as soon as possible.” Her voice was barely a whisper, as pathetic as dirt on the street. A surge of pure fury welled within Julian, his eyes darkening to obsidian. “And what will Ms. Clarke use to pay it back?” Aria’s head snapped up, disbelief etched across her face. “Spend a month with me. Consider it debt repayment.” A wave of humiliation washed over her. Aria’s nails dug into her palms as she took a deep breath, painstakingly walking towards him. She opened her mouth, “Julian Thorne, you know I won’t do that.” After saying this, Aria turned and walked towards the door. A thunderous crash ripped through the silence as the office desk behind her was violently overturned, sending expensive office supplies shattering across the floor. Julian stood amidst the wreckage, his voice chilling. “Ms. Clarke, don’t forget, your delightful video is still in my hands. Do you want me to upload it to a website, or send it to your friends and family?” “You!” Aria trembled with rage, her limbs turning to ice. The Julian who no longer loved her was truly cold-hearted. Her dress was crumpled from where her hands had clenched it, the pain so intense she wanted to double over, her face ghostly pale. But she forced a bitter smile, feigning indifference, and choked out, “Fine.” In front of a downtown villa, Aria stepped out of a taxi in a revealing maid outfit, instantly drawing the heated stares of numerous security guards. The housekeeper leading the way glanced back periodically, looking at Aria with disdain, wishing she could be anywhere but near her. Aria tried desperately to keep her gaze forward, ignoring their stares. She never thought Julian would be so cruel, making her parade around like this. Inside the living room, Julian sat on the central sofa. Seeing her enter, his gaze darkened, and he waved for everyone to leave. The moment Aria stepped in and stopped, the large door behind her quietly closed. “Nice outfit. Looks like that rich old man taught you a lot.” “Who would’ve thought our university’s cool, aloof campus queen would be such a cheap slut in private?” Julian looked at her, rage flaring in his chest. “What, is that how your sugar daddy taught you?” Her hands, hanging by her sides, clenched and unclenched, over and over. Aria tightly closed her eyes. When she reopened them, they held a knowing, alluring smile, tinged with forced subservience. On the sofa, Julian’s jaw clenched, his Adam’s apple bobbing. His eyes darkened to a deep obsidian. He reached out, grabbing her wrist, and fiercely pinned her into the sofa’s cushions, watching her bite her lip in pain, stubbornly refusing to make a sound. Her eyes were rimmed red with pain, shimmering with unshed tears, her delicate brows arched, disappearing into her messy hair. She wanted to break free, but felt as helpless as a caged bird. Seizing the fleeting opportunity, Aria tore free, instinctively springing up, ready to run. Julian’s gaze flickered to Aria’s retreating, panicked form, and a cold sneer escaped his lips. “Ms. Clarke, are you trying to welch on your debt?” The courage Aria had just mustered vanished instantly. She needed money, yes, she couldn’t be without money. “Made up your mind?” Julian circled behind her, gripping her hair, his gaze piercing into her flat, emotionless eyes. Those amber eyes, once alight with love and joy for him, were now utterly blank. Julian’s hand suddenly tightened, pulling Aria roughly against his body. “I’ve thought it over. $200,000 a month, that’s a decent sum. If I do well, Mr. Thorne, can you give me more of a bonus?” “Aria, you’re utterly depraved,” he snarled, his large hand clamping down painfully on her wrist. Julian bit out the words through gritted teeth. “I could buy you designer bags and clothes, so why did you leave me for money? Why? Tell me!” In the years since Aria left, Julian had asked himself countless times: what was so difficult about letting go of a vain, materialistic woman? But he just couldn’t let go. He couldn’t accept that three years of their relationship had been worth less than the temptation of money. Nor could he believe that the woman he loved for three years would abandon him for designer clothes and bags. Aria’s face was ghost-white with pain, yet she twisted her lips into an even more alluring, taunting smile, dodging his question. “What, Mr. Thorne, must you ask such a mood-killing question at a time like this?” Her slender, pale fingers continued to trace downwards. Aria drew out her words slowly, “Or perhaps, Mr. Thorne, you’re just not up to it?” Aria’s hand was violently slapped away. A dark shadow flickered in Julian’s bloodshot eyes, and his right hand squeezed her waist with punishing force. Pain! Julian looked at the woman he once doted on to the bone, now transformed into this. His heart swelled with both hatred and fury. But feeling a thin barrier and seeing a few drops of blood on the sofa made Julian stop, frowning. “You…” Aria smiled. “Looks like my period isn’t quite over yet.” “Mr. Thorne, you don’t really think this is my first time, do you? If so, can I get more money?” Julian exploded in rage. After he finished, he calmly straightened his clothes, then casually threw a hundred-dollar bill onto the floor. “Thank you for the tip, Master.” Aria forced her body up, stumbling off the sofa, desperate to pick up the hundred-dollar bill. A pair of expensive, gleaming leather shoes pinned one corner. Julian’s brows furrowed with suppressed anger. “Aria, are you really so cheap, so obsessed with money?” Before, she left him to climb the social ladder with a rich businessman, and now, for a mere hundred dollars, she would kneel naked before him. “Money’s a good thing, who doesn’t like it?” Aria clung to the corner, refusing to let go, tilting her head up like a pet begging for scraps. Julian’s brows darkened to stormy clouds. He violently kicked the sofa, then turned and left. The thud echoed like a kick to her very soul, making her heart spasm violently. Her mask of a smile slowly dissolved into a bitter, hollow one. Aria carefully tucked away the money, then tilted her head back, forcing the tears welling in her eyes back down! Yes, she loved money. No one loved money more than her now, and no one needed it more. Aria rushed to the hospital, burying her face in her hands, sitting outside the ward but afraid to step inside. Her neck and face were covered in bruises and red marks, impossible to conceal. The attending doctor, finished with rounds, glanced at her with blatant contempt, warning, “If you don’t pay the medical fees soon, we will stop treatment for the patient.” Aria had heard this warning more than once in the past few days, but now she didn’t know what to say. Crying, begging, even kneeling—none would earn her the hospital’s sympathy. Aria numbly rose from the floor, peeking through the half-open door. The tears she hadn’t shed through humiliation or pain now burst forth. The doctor behind her was still ranting on and on. “If you can’t pay, just let the old woman go. She’s almost a hundred; she’s lived long enough. The pain of cancer chemotherapy isn’t something just anyone can endure.” “But Grandma is my only family. If she leaves too, I’ll truly be an orphan, utterly alone.” Aria lowered her head, her voice so small that no one but herself could hear it. Julian arranged for Aria to live in his villa, buying her many designer clothes and bags, then using those things to humiliate her repeatedly. But he kept his word, sending her money intermittently. However, for Grandma Rose’s treatment costs, it was merely a drop in the bucket. *Click-click-click.* No sooner had the phone call ended than another pair of high heels clicked sharply on the tiled floor. “Aria, is that really you?” A soft, uncertain voice. The stranger who had suddenly entered covered her cherry-red lips in surprise. “Scarlett Sterling?” Aria tucked away her phone, equally surprised as she turned around. Scarlett had once been her best friend; they were inseparable. Seeing each other again, they both sighed with regret. Aria had been running herself ragged for money, while Scarlett had become her ex-boyfriend’s current girlfriend. And now, Aria was his secret mistress. Aria’s embrace stiffened. Scarlett’s eyes brimmed with tears, on the verge of crying. “I’m sorry, Aria, I didn’t mean for this to happen. It’s just that your sudden departure really hurt Julian, which is why he fell in love with me.” Aria no longer cared about the truth; she was the one who had pushed Julian into someone else’s arms. Aria smiled and shook her head, stopping Scarlett’s further explanations. “Aria, do you… really need money?” Scarlett asked. It turned out Scarlett had overheard her phone call. Aria nodded in affirmation. Scarlett hesitated. “Aria, I have a way for you to earn money, but it depends on if you’re willing to do it.” Anything to earn money and save Grandma Rose. What wouldn’t Aria do? On a luxury cruise ship out at sea, Aria worked as a hostess. Among a crowd of the rich and powerful, she smiled charmingly, clinging to her employer’s arm. Aria knew coming to such a place was unsafe, but Scarlett had said she could earn $500,000 by entertaining for a day. The party began. All the women on board gathered in the main hall, dressed in seductive gowns. Some male guests rudely began to harass the hostesses beside them, and the atmosphere grew increasingly chaotic. Aria frowned. Her job didn’t include this kind of thing, and she prepared to leave. Suddenly, a hand grabbed her wrist. Aria turned to see a man in a sharp suit, a revealing beauty in his arms, leering at her. “You’re beautiful, but Mr. Davies has already booked you,” the man and the woman in his arms grew even more brazen. “This isn’t my job.” Aria felt a pang of fear and tried to quickly walk away. “My apologies, Ms. Clarke, but you can’t leave.” A man in a black suit blocked the exit with his body. A thin, small old man slowly approached Aria from behind, reaching out a cold, hard hand that traced from her face downwards. “You’re Aria Clarke? Even more beautiful than in the photo.” Aria felt utterly disgusted wherever the old man’s hand touched. She turned her head, biting back a gasp, enduring the revulsion, while desperately trying to figure out how to escape. “Looks like my little darling is shy,” the old man, however, grew excited by Aria’s pure reaction. “Then let’s go to our room.” Aria was very nervous. She knew the rules here; if you took the money and refused a guest on the ship, whether you could even make it back to shore was a question. Aria pretended to comply, following the old man into the room. After the door was locked, the old man eagerly pushed Aria to the floor, the cold, hard tiles bruising her. Aria couldn’t take it anymore. She forcefully pushed the old man away. “This is disgusting. I said I’m only here to be a hostess, not to do this kind of thing.” The old man’s face darkened. “You dare to be disgusted? So what if you’re a hostess? Hostesses also do this work. Heh heh, Miss Scarlett Sterling was right, you truly are a beauty.” Aria’s eyes widened. Scarlett Sterling? She had been too careless after all. Even the best friendships from the past could never compare to love, money, and status. Aria furiously smashed a vase against the old man’s head and rushed for the door. The moment she opened it, she was met by bodyguards waiting outside. “Grab this slut for me!” The old man clutched his bleeding forehead, pulling Aria’s hair. “You slut, you dare to hit me? I’ll throw you into the sea to feed the fish!” The old man roughly dragged Aria into the bathroom, forcing her head into the bathtub. Aria felt her breathing grow more and more difficult. From desperately struggling at first, her strength gradually faded, her long hair fanning out on the water. She had planned for everything, but Aria never imagined she would die at the hands of someone she thought was a good friend. Aria’s vision began to blur. In her last moments before death, she even thought to herself, self-deprecatingly. If she died, Julian would probably hate her even more, wouldn’t he? *Bang!* The room door was violently kicked open. Aria’s gaze grew even more hollow, all strength leaving her. She was curled up in the bathtub, her nostrils submerged in the water. The surrounding water blocked her breath. Aria had no strength left to struggle, her body sinking to the bottom. In that final moment, Aria even thought that if she were to die right then, it wouldn’t be so bad. Upon entering, Julian saw the old man holding Aria’s head, and a vein throbbed on his forehead. “Get out!” Bodyguards surged in from outside, dragging the old man away. The water in the huge bathtub was calm, without a ripple, yet beneath, the woman showed no sign of struggling. Aria, do you want to die so badly? Julian was consumed by an unnamed fury. He clamped down fiercely on Aria’s shoulders, pulling her from the water and throwing her onto the floor. Aria lay with her eyes closed, her breath faint, too weak to move a finger. Julian pressed down on her chest with all his might. After several compressions, Aria arched her back and coughed, expelling the water from her stomach. She lay on her side for a long time before looking up, a faint, pale smile on her lips. “Thank you.” As she struggled halfway up, Julian reached out and brutally shoved her. Julian’s teeth ground in furious anger. “Aria, you’re truly depraved. Didn’t the money I gave you satisfy you?” The shove sent Aria crashing into the corner of a table. Her vision went black, and it took a long time for her to weakly recover from the dizziness. Bracing her hands on the floor, she looked up, her expression cold, her tone nonchalant and carefree. “Of course. In your eyes, I’m nothing without money, am I? How could that paltry sum you gave me ever satisfy me?” He reached out, his fingers digging into Aria’s jaw, finding her calm, unrepentant expression even more infuriating. So infuriating, he wanted to twist her neck right then and there. “Ah!” A delicate shriek. High heels clicked rapidly as Scarlett sped in, immediately crouching down to hug Aria, subtly separating the two. “Aria, what happened to you? Why are you like this? It’s all my fault.” Scarlett’s expression was concerned, her voice filled with anxious worry. Aria looked at her feigning face and felt only disgust. With a push, Aria stood up on her own. A pained cry escaped Scarlett as she dramatically twisted her ankle, falling to the ground, tears welling in her eyes as she clutched her ankle, looking at Aria with a wronged expression. Like a gust of wind, Julian surged past Aria, helping Scarlett up, and roaring, “Aria, what the hell is wrong with you?!” His voice was so loud that Aria’s right ear, directly facing him, began to ring abnormally. “Yes… I am crazy.” Aria reached up, running her fingers through her soft, long hair, gently combing it. Her voice, however, was tinged with mockery. “Julian Thorne, don’t you want to know who introduced me to this… business?” Julian’s brows furrowed deeply. He remained silent, seemingly waiting for her explanation. “Julian, I’m in pain. Please take me to the hospital quickly.” Scarlett’s delicate, soft hand clung to Julian’s arm, tears glistening in her eyes, looking utterly pitiful. This effectively choked Aria’s remaining words in her throat. Julian bent down, picked Scarlett up in his arms, and hurried away. Scarlett, nestled in Julian’s embrace, poked her head out, facing Aria, and mouthed a silent message. “Naïve. Julian loves me now.” Scarlett buried her face in Julian’s chest, her eyes gleaming with venom and triumph. After all this time, you haven’t improved one bit. Aria, I used to deliberately arrange for you to see Julian kissing me. Now I can make Julian hate and despise you. Aria’s body slumped weakly against the wall, sliding down, tears gushing from her eyes. Only Julian’s name, choked and raw, repeatedly escaped her lips. After returning from the cruise, Aria often felt her stomach churn violently, sending her stumbling to the bathroom where she retched until the world spun. For the first few days, she didn’t pay attention, thinking it was just from choking on water during the cruise that had upset her stomach. It wasn’t until she realized she hadn’t had her period in a long time that panic seized her. She quickly hailed a taxi to the hospital. Three months… Aria held the test results, her steps unsteady, as she walked out of the corridor, leaning against the wall, gasping for air. How could she be pregnant? Julian had always used protection. Was it from that first time? Aria stared at the thin piece of paper. She never imagined she would have a child, *her* child with Julian. This was a dream she hadn’t dared to have in years. Should she tell Julian? He always used protection; he’d probably despise her baby. But she couldn’t bear to abort the child. She was afraid to be alone. She had self-deceptively clung to Grandma Rose’s life with money, thinking that would give her the courage to keep living. But now, with a baby, her stagnant heart came back to life. She thought she should fight for it. After all, Julian had once said he only wanted children she bore. If she told him why she left him back then, he probably wouldn’t hate her anymore, would he? Focused on the pregnancy test, Aria didn’t notice the eyes behind her, blazing with a venomous hatred, like a snake. — Back at the villa, Aria prepared a table full of dishes, waiting for Julian. Hearing a car pull up, Aria rushed to the door, only to see Julian approaching slowly, his arm around Scarlett Sterling’s shoulder. Forcing down the bitterness in her heart, Aria spoke, “Julian, I made dinner!” “Aria, you’re still so domestic! I’m hungry too, and with a baby on the way, I can’t go hungry. I was planning to eat out, but Julian said restaurant food isn’t clean and not good for the baby, so I’ll be trying your cooking more often from now on!” Aria watched Scarlett’s lips move, her mind utterly blank. A baby? Scarlett was pregnant too? Scarlett continued to chat happily at the dinner table, her blissful expression especially jarring. Aria looked at Julian, who was gazing at Scarlett’s stomach with a doting expression. Scarlett was pregnant, so what about *her* baby? “Aria, why aren’t you coming to eat? Julian and I discussed it, the room you’re in has great sunlight, perfect for pregnancy, so I’m going to swap with you.” Aria looked at Scarlett’s triumphant face, feeling an even deeper pang of pain. “Julian, I have something to tell you.” A corner of his suit jacket was gently tugged. Julian looked down to see Aria’s eyes, full of desperate pleading, fixed on him. “Just say what you want to say right here.” Aria lowered her head, gently caressing her still-flat abdomen, and spoke hesitantly. “Julian, I…”
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