I uncovered Julian’s secret. There was a stunningly beautiful woman locked away in his house. Right now, I was peering through the crack of a door, watching him repeatedly whip her delicate body. The woman whimpered in low, choked sobs, but Julian showed no signs of stopping. In the dim light, the floor was mottled with bloodstains. “Please, just kill me. Let me go,” the woman pleaded, lifting a blood-smeared face, her eyes vacant as she stared at Julian. Julian sneered, grabbing her hair and slamming his fist into her face. 0 I recoiled in horror, stepping back and kicking a bottle. At that exact moment, Julian whipped his head around, his dark eyes fixating on where I was. Luckily, I had already ducked into a closet, so he didn’t see me. Julian pushed the door open and walked out. His profile was chillingly grim. I hid in the closet, barely daring to breathe. Julian slowly turned his head, and I saw his gaze linger on my hiding spot. My heart hammered against my ribs. Thankfully, Julian only looked for a few seconds before moving his eyes and walking back inside. This time, I heard him lock the door. From inside, the woman’s terrified screams erupted. I didn’t dare come out, trembling in my hiding place. Fifteen minutes later, Julian emerged. I watched his every move through the gap in the closet door. Julian coolly lit a cigarette. Then, with a look of pure disgust and indifference, he stripped off his clothes, revealing the toned physique that once made my heart race. He went upstairs. He also locked the basement door. I was trapped in the basement by Julian. Only when the sounds from upstairs completely faded did I crawl out of the closet. Today was our hundred-day anniversary. I had planned to surprise Julian by sneaking into his house early, but I never imagined I’d stumble upon such a horrifying scene. I was utterly terrified. I wanted to go in and check on the woman’s injuries, but the door was securely fastened with a heavy lock. The woman was still alive. I could hear faint moans. Lowering my voice, I whispered through the door, “Don’t worry, I’ll call the police and get you out.” The moans from inside instantly ceased. Clearly, the person inside was shocked by my presence. Then, broken, hesitant words came from within. “No…don’t call the police.” I didn’t understand. Why couldn’t I call the police? Even though I still loved Julian, this was clearly illegal confinement. I knelt down and peered through the door crack. I saw a pair of dark, bloodshot eyes. The woman was also lying on the floor, staring directly at me. “You’re his…girlfriend?” the woman said with effort. I nervously mumbled, “Yeah.” The woman continued with difficulty, “I know where he keeps the keys here. They’re in that red bucket over there, there’s a spare key.” Following the woman’s instructions, I went to a red metal bucket. Sure enough, I found a key. And many burnt photos. I picked up the key and these photos, almost all burned in half. The pictures were gruesome. They showed the horrific states of various women before they died, along with severed limbs. “Your boyfriend is a sick serial killer,” the woman’s voice came from inside the room. 0

I didn’t want to believe Julian was a murderer. He was always so nice, and his smile was incredibly charming. We first met at a coffee shop. Sunlight had spilled onto Julian’s almost translucent face, and on a whim, I walked up and asked for his SnapChat. As a boyfriend, Julian was attentive to my every need. But now, the stark evidence lay before me. The woman’s voice was hoarse and grating, like sandpaper. “He likes to date young girls, play the perfect boyfriend, then trap his prey here and slowly torture them to death.” “I don’t think I’ll last much longer. He’s already getting bored with me. You’re his next victim.” “It’s Sunday night. He has his regular Sunday evening church service. You can use this time to escape.” “Any later…and you won’t get out. Have you ever heard the fairy tale of Bluebeard?” I had heard the story of Bluebeard. Duke Bluebeard married a new bride and told her not to go into the innermost room, handing her the key. But the bride couldn’t suppress her curiosity and entered the room. She saw several hanging corpses – Bluebeard’s previous wives. The bride was terrified, dropping the key into blood, but she could never wash it clean. 0 The woman let out a strange laugh. “He’s marked this door. Once you’ve been here, he’ll know the moment he sees you.” I instinctively looked down at my hand. There was a deep blue mark, strikingly obvious. I tried to wipe it off with my clothes, but it had no effect at all. “You’re probably trying to wipe off that mark, just like I was. It’s useless.” “It’s methylene blue, used for cell staining. There’s no way to get that mark off for at least a week,” the woman said with difficulty. I started to panic. “Why can’t I call the police?” I asked. At the mention of “police,” the woman’s voice suddenly became agitated and fragmented. “No, absolutely not! If you call the police, we’ll both die!” Just then, I heard a sound from upstairs. It sounded like a car pulling into the driveway.

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On our wedding anniversary. I aborted the child of Damian Thorne’s beloved. As revenge, he had me brutally attacked, leaving my left eye permanently damaged and my right hand crippled, shattering every dream I ever had. Tears streamed down my face, but a bitter laugh still bubbled up as I systematically dismantled the business empire he’d painstakingly built for that woman. I thought we’d be entangled in this game of vengeance until death. But then, he threw a divorce agreement at me. “Scarlett Reed’s embryo transplant was successful. I owe her a name, so let’s call a truce.” “Now, you have two paths before you.” “One, burn to death with me here.” “Two, sign the papers and get out of my life.” The expensive carpet was burning, and the thick smoke stung my eyes. Damian Thorne glared at me, his eyes blazing crimson. He never expected that even in such a desperate situation, I could still smile. “What’s wrong with you? Sign the papers, and I’ll let you go!” I was just laughing at how naive he was. “I can go, but you can’t.” I walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at the fire trucks below. With my left eye’s vision damaged, the smoke made my eyes ache. But the more it hurt, the crazier my heart became. The fire sprinklers on the ceiling began to spray a fine mist, precisely extinguishing the flames around us, yet perfectly avoiding the precious documents and servers that were still burning fiercely. The fire was neither too big nor too small—just enough to cause maximum damage without truly spiraling out of control. The ferocity on Damian Thorne’s face froze. He hadn’t expected this, had he? I personally oversaw the design of this building. My intention was always to build him a cage. And today, it served its purpose. I walked toward him, step by step, forcing him back to the charred office desk. “Now, I’m giving you two choices.” My voice was soft, yet it cut like a poisoned blade. “One, you sign this equity transfer agreement and return everything you stole from me.” “Two…” I paused, tilting my head, my smile innocent and cruel. “Before that embryo was implanted, I added a little gift for you both. I think you’ll like it.” I leaned close to his ear, speaking in a voice only we could hear, every word distinct. “I injected that embryo with a little genetic virus. I wonder if the child, when it’s born, will be deformed, or perhaps mentally ill?” “You’re insane!” Damian Thorne’s voice cracked as he roared, his eyes so red they looked like they would bleed. His body swayed as he lunged forward, probably too much blood loss, unable to stand steady. I sidestepped him, watching his weak, impotent rage, and the sweet, intoxicating taste of revenge finally bloomed in my heart. “I’m insane? Damian Thorne, you’re the one who drove me mad.” “You’re the one who threw me into the mud, destroying everything I had.” “Now it’s my turn. I invite you and your Scarlett Reed to take a good tour of my hell.” His cell phone began to ring frantically in his pocket. It was Scarlett calling. Damian Thorne’s hands trembled as he answered, putting it on speaker. As soon as the call connected, Scarlett’s almost inhuman wails filled the speaker. “Damian! Save me! Sera Blackwood is a maniac! She’s trying to harm our baby! She’s not human! She’s a devil!” Mixed with her cries was another sound. Tick-tock… Tick-tock… One beat after another, cold and rhythmic, tapping on the heart. Damian Thorne’s face went white. “Scarlett, what is that?” “It’s… it’s something Sera sent! A metronome! It’s been ticking by my bedside, and I can’t turn it off! I’m going crazy! Damian, please come quickly! Boo-hoo-hoo, please hurry!” I snatched the phone from his hand, and with my crippled right hand, finger by painstaking finger, I typed out a few keys. In Scarlett’s hospital room, the speakers turned on. The sound of a piano, not a melody, but shattered, sharp noise, abruptly filled the entire space. It was the first time I’d touched the piano keys since my hand was crippled. Every note, my blood, my hatred. “Ah!”

Scarlett’s scream escalated to its peak, then abruptly cut off, as if someone had choked her. “What are you doing! What exactly do you want!” Watching the grim expression on his face, his eyes brimming with tears. Besides a surge of pleasure, a pang of sorrow hit me, and tears fell without warning. “What else could it be? You crippled my hand and eye. I’m just giving you an eye for an eye.” “Ah!” “Listen, isn’t it beautiful? Every joint in her fingers must be breaking.” Watching his pupils constrict violently, my smile grew even wider. Damian Thorne’s breathing hitched. His self-proclaimed calm and composure shattered completely at that moment. “Sera! If you dare touch that child or Scarlett, I will kill you!” He lunged at me like a mad beast. But he forgot, the price of crippling my right hand was that I learned to use my left. In my left hand, I held a sharp surgical knife. A cold glint flashed. The hand he reached for me was sliced open, a wound deep enough to expose bone. Blood dripped. I licked my lips, pressing the knife tip against his heart. “Don’t get too excited, Damian.” “Murder is illegal. I wouldn’t want to dirty my hands.” Listening to the woman’s desperate cries from the phone, Damian Thorne’s spine seemed to crumble, but he was restrained, only able to stare, impotently furious, before finally dropping to his knees before me. I curled my lips, cut the call, and casually tossed the phone back to him. “Go on, go be with your precious darling.” “But you’d better hurry. I’m afraid she’ll lose her mind after hearing this ‘music’.” The sirens outside were getting closer. I didn’t look at him again, turning to walk towards the elevator that belonged only to me. “Damian Thorne, do you like this ‘return gift’?” The elevator doors slowly closed. Through the gap, I saw his face, contorted with rage and terror. He thought this fire was the end. No, this was just the beginning. I returned to the old Blackwood estate. This was the last place my parents left for me, and it was my fortress of revenge. After washing up and changing into clean clothes, I sat down at my mother’s old vanity. The woman in the mirror had a face as pale as death, only her eyes shone with a terrifying intensity. I twisted open a lipstick and applied the fiercest shade of red. Damian Thorne, you crippled my hand and eye. From the moment you kept a mistress, trampled our years of affection, and ruined my life, you deserved my hatred. I will carve into everything you hold most dear.

Damian Thorne rushed into the hospital like a madman, only to find chaos. Outside Scarlett Reed’s private room, a swarm of reporters crowded. A horde of reporters, armed with cameras and microphones, were all aimed at the door, their questions more aggressive than the last. “Ms. Reed, what exactly is your relationship with Mr. Thorne? Is the child you’re carrying really his?” “We all know Ms. Blackwood is the legitimate Mrs. Thorne. Are you the other woman, breaking up their marriage?” “Rumors say you faked a car accident and miscarriage to frame Mrs. Thorne, just to marry into wealth. Is that true?” Damian Thorne’s bodyguards struggled to hold them back, but it was no use. He finally squeezed into the room, and Scarlett, as if she’d seen her savior, burst into tears and threw herself into his arms. “Damian, what are they all talking about? I’m so scared…” Her face was ghostly pale, her body trembling uncontrollably. The metronome was still ticking on the bedside table, persistently sounding. Tick-tock, tick-tock. Like a death knell, pounding on both their hearts. Damian Thorne, furious, swept the metronome to the floor, smashing it to pieces. But that damned piano music then blasted from the room’s speakers again. Like a vengeful ghost, it was inescapable, clinging to them. “Sera Blackwood!” Damian Thorne gritted his teeth, looking like he wanted to rip me apart. Only then did he realize that the background music throughout the entire VIP floor had been replaced with my ‘masterpiece’. He tried to turn it off, but found the central control system locked by me. He wanted to transfer Scarlett to another hospital, but the director, with a troubled expression, told him that due to “unexpected” circuit maintenance, all elevators were out of service. And Scarlett, having just undergone embryo transplantation, was too frail to endure such a commotion. They were trapped here. Trapped in the musical hell I had created for them. “Damian, I’m so scared…” Scarlett trembled even more. “Our baby… he’ll be fine, right?” Damian Thorne held her, his voice dry and hoarse. “He’ll be fine, Scarlett, don’t believe that lunatic’s words, she’s just trying to scare us.” He offered comforting words, but the seeds of doubt and fear I’d planted were already taking root in his mind. He immediately called Dr. Miller, who had performed Scarlett’s surgery. Dr. Miller was a student my mother had sponsored during her lifetime, and he was loyal to me. Following my prior instructions, he told Damian Thorne with a troubled expression: “Mr. Thorne, I’m truly sorry, but before the lab results are in, according to regulations, I cannot guarantee you anything.” “What do you mean?” “It means that, medically speaking, there is indeed a possibility of embryo contamination before implantation.” Damian Thorne’s heart sank. He looked at Scarlett’s tear-streaked face, his eyes filled with pain. “Don’t worry, I’ll make her pay for this.” Meanwhile, I was comfortably seated in the living room of the old estate, enjoying the hospital drama unfolding on the tablet Mr. Davies handed me. I raised my wine glass, making a silent toast to Damian Thorne on the screen. “Don’t rush. This is just the beginning.” “The pain you made me suffer, I will return to you a thousandfold.” My phone rang. It was Damian Thorne. His voice was tightly controlled, like a volcano about to erupt. “Sera Blackwood, where are you? Get out here! We need to talk!” I smiled. “Alright.” “Come to the Blackwood estate. I’ll be waiting.” “I’d like to see what right you have to talk to me now.”

Damian Thorne arrived, radiating fury, like a trapped beast. He kicked open the front door, his crimson eyes scanning the living room for my presence. “Sera Blackwood!” I was sitting on the second-floor balcony, leisurely sipping afternoon tea. “Damian Thorne, after so many years away, have you forgotten even basic manners?” He looked up, and the moment he saw me, all his rage transformed into palpable killing intent. “Sera Blackwood! What exactly do you want?” I put down my teacup and slowly walked to the railing, looking down at him. “I don’t want anything. I just want to take back what’s mine.” He let out a scoff, as if he’d heard the biggest joke. “Your things? Sera, everything you have was given to you by me! What do you possess? Without me, you’d be nothing but ash, just like your dead parents!” “How can you do this to me? Aren’t you afraid of karma?” He thought that sentence would pierce me. But he didn’t know that for all these years, hatred was the only thing that kept me alive. I laughed, tears almost streaming down my face. “Given by you? Damian Thorne, you really have the audacity to say that.” “This business empire, your so-called Thorne Group—every single brick bears my mother’s name.” “If karma truly exists, it should be reflected on you, shouldn’t it? Have you forgotten? You’re the one who caused my parents’ death!” Damian Thorne’s expression froze. “You… what nonsense are you talking about?” “Nonsense, you say?” I turned, retrieved a document from the study behind me, and tossed it down. The papers scattered across the floor, landing at his feet. “Open your eyes and truly see!” “The core technology of the Thorne Group, that biological patent that made you a rising star in the business world—whose name is on that patent!” Damian Thorne stiffly bent down and picked up one of the papers. On it, in black and white, the signature of the patent owner was my mother—Evelyn Blackwood. His pupils constricted violently. “Why do you think my parents had that car accident? Why were you so eager to take over the company right after their deaths?” Watching Damian Thorne’s face turn even paler, I curled my lips. I descended the stairs step by step, closing in on him, the hatred in my eyes almost burning him to ashes. “You bribed our driver, faked an accident, and killed my parents. You pretended to comfort me, tricked me into trusting you, and seized control of the company.” “You drained my family’s assets, using my mother’s patent to build your own empire! Damian Thorne, you owe the Blackwood family two lives! It’s a debt of blood you’ll never repay in this lifetime!” “The evidence I have is enough to put you in prison for life.” He was forced to collapse to the ground, trembling uncontrollably, unable to utter a single word. All these secrets he thought were buried deep, I had brutally exposed.

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My sister, Seraphina, and I were married into the Phoenix Clan at the same time, and by a twist of fate, we also conceived at the same time. Seraphina gave birth to a pure-blood, golden-feathered phoenix. The First Prince, Valerius, whom she married, was immediately proclaimed the next ruler of the Phoenix Clan. But I… I birthed a patchy-feathered chick, cursed as an ill omen. My husband, the Second Prince Kaelen, was implicated, tortured, and died. It was only after my death that I learned the truth: that chick was clearly *hers*! It was all a sinister plot orchestrated by her and the First Prince. Their goal? To conceal the First Prince’s true lineage and usurp the Phoenix throne. Then, I opened my eyes again. I was back. Back to the time before I gave birth, with Seraphina arriving, laden with tonics, to ‘visit’ me… “Ever since I got pregnant, I’ve had to sleep in the room by the Sacred Emberwood. Otherwise, I just can’t fall asleep. Sometimes, colorful birds and magpies gather around me, chirping incessantly. It must be this little one in my belly acting up,” Seraphina simpered, feigning annoyance, stroking her belly and droning on about all the “unusual occurrences” around her since she became pregnant. Watching Seraphina, I knew. I had been reborn. A mongrel egg, nested by the Sacred Emberwood? Surrounded by magpies? What a sick joke. But I wasn’t about to expose her lies right then and there. She’d been weaving this web of deceit since the start of her pregnancy; I wouldn’t unravel it with just a few words. I offered a small smile. “All these strange phenomena around you, Seraphina, could it be you’re carrying a tiny phoenix?” At my words, Seraphina’s face lit up with a beaming smile. But all I could feel was the venomous malice festering behind that smile. Seraphina and I were both legitimate daughters of the Azure Avian Kin, yet I was unloved by my father, Lord Alaric, and scorned by my mother, Lorelei. Mother blamed me for not being a son, for her losing Father’s favor, pouring all her affection onto Seraphina instead. Growing up, only Seraphina would occasionally check on me. She was the only one I felt close to. We married into the Phoenix Clan together. She wed Valerius, the gentle and refined First Prince, while I married Kaelen, the brave and formidable Second Prince. And we both became pregnant at the same time. So, when she came to visit me, bearing tonics, and then invited me to Silverwood Manor for a change of scenery, I suspected nothing. But little did I know, it was the beginning of my nightmare. In my past life, only after my own agonizing death did I discover the horrific truth: my husband’s and my tragic end was all Seraphina’s and the First Prince’s doing. Valerius was the result of Queen Regina’s illicit affair, a mongrel born of infidelity. Naturally, the egg Seraphina carried was also a mongrel egg. King Theron was aging, desperate to see a pure-blood Phoenix egg hatch before his death. He decreed that all newly laid eggs be brought to the Royal Palace for incubation. Valerius, terrified his true lineage would be exposed, knew discovery meant certain death. And if Valerius died, Seraphina would not only lose her esteemed status as First Princess but also be banished back to the Azure Avian Kin. No matter what, Seraphina’s offspring *had* to be a pure-blood egg. That’s when Seraphina and Valerius set their sights on me. They conspired with Queen Regina. While I was exhausted from labor, they drugged me, then swapped my pure-blood golden Phoenix egg for theirs. Had I not overheard it myself after my death, I would never have believed my own sister, the one I grew up with, capable of such betrayal! To cover their monstrous secret, after swapping my egg, they slandered me, claiming I’d birthed an ominous commonfowl egg, and threw me into the dungeons. My husband, Kaelen, used his military merits to free me, only to have King Theron question *his* lineage. He was tortured to death. But Seraphina wasn’t done with me. She deliberately sought me out, sneering, “You truly are a jinx, just as Mother always said! At home, you caused Mother to lose favor. Married, you brought about your husband’s torture and death. What good are you alive? You might as well just die!” After her cruel words, she summoned the guards and had me thrown into the Demon Lands, where I was dismembered and brutally murdered. Now, seeing Seraphina’s smug, triumphant smile, I forcefully suppressed the tidal wave of hatred surging within me. This time, I swore, I would protect my child. And they would pay!

We’d just arrived at the manor today, and I wouldn’t go into labor until the third day. There was still time. Without a sound, I crushed the jade pendant Kaelen had given me. It held a wisp of his spiritual essence; crushing it would alert him to my distress. In my previous life, when my labor began, I should have sent for Kaelen. Because as the flames of birth flared around me, I finally knew: I was carrying a golden Phoenix. A golden Phoenix born to an outsider like me required the Phoenix Clan’s divine power for protection, lest the mother’s body be scorched by the egg’s fierce flames. But Seraphina and Queen Regina wouldn’t allow me to send for anyone. They earnestly pleaded, “The Second Prince is at a crucial point, fighting back the Demonkin! We can’t distract him. Just set up a screen, and let the First Prince protect you with his magic.” Kaelen’s mother had been an unremarkable concubine. His current standing was solely built on his hard-won military achievements, earned through countless battles. If my labor forced him to withdraw from the battlefield, it would indeed damage his reputation. So, I foolishly trusted their words and didn’t send for my husband. This meant I was surrounded only by Queen Regina’s maids and midwives. During labor, Queen Regina seized full control, silently swapping out my egg. This life, I wouldn’t let them have their way! With the jade pendant crushed, I ordered my maids to pack our things. I needed to get out of there, back to the Royal Palace, *now*. The palace was my territory. There, I could contact other Phoenix Clan royals who supported Kaelen. Kaelen could arrive by the next day. By then, no matter how Queen Regina tried to interfere, it would be futile. Seraphina saw me packing and instantly panicked. She rushed to block my path. “Little sister, you just arrived! Why the hurry to leave?” I subtly pushed her hand away, smiling. “I just remembered, Kaelen’s mother has a medical consultation today. She hasn’t been well lately, and as her daughter-in-law, it’s my duty to be there for her. It saves Kaelen from worrying about domestic matters while he’s on the battlefield.” Seraphina tried to dissuade me. “Just a day or two won’t hurt! Queen Regina herself is here. Is Kaelen’s mother more important than the Queen?” Queen Regina being here only meant one thing: she was planning to swap my egg! A cold sneer twisted my lips. I signaled my maids to guard me, ignored Seraphina, and headed straight for the carriage. Just then, Queen Regina’s enraged voice bellowed from behind us. “Second Princess, what’s with the sudden rush to leave? Are you perhaps tired of an old mother like me?” I suppressed my rising anxiety, offering a polite smile. “Your Majesty, you’re overthinking things.” Despite her words, I persisted in leaving. Everyone in the Phoenix Clan knew Queen Regina and the Second Prince were at odds. King Theron, due to the Second Prince’s immense military achievements, simply turned a blind eye to it. As my maids helped me, just as I was about to step into the carriage, Valerius rushed up, breathless. He called out loudly, “Sister-in-law, wait! There’s a demon uprising ahead. It’s too dangerous to leave!” My fists clenched. My chest heaved with fury. In my past life, there had been no such “demon uprising.” They actually *instigated* a demon disturbance within the Phoenix Clan’s borders, just to stop me! Despicable! “Ah!” Seraphina shrieked, clamping a hand over her mouth. Her other hand trembled as she pointed at my abdomen. “Blood-fire…” I followed her gaze, and my breath caught in my throat. It was time. I was going into labor! Perhaps my intense emotional upheaval had triggered premature labor. Seeing this, all three of their faces lit up with malicious glee. Queen Regina’s expression instantly softened, becoming sickly sweet. She personally came forward to support me, intending to lead me back to the manor. But I refused. I’d been granted this second chance! How could I possibly let my child fall into their hands again? I *had* to go back. I *had* to wait for Kaelen. “Your Majesty, I cannot give birth in a strange place! I must return to the palace! A mere demon horde is no match for my guards!” I grit my teeth against the pain, gesturing for my maids and guards to protect me. Seraphina and Valerius exchanged a look, then subtly signaled Queen Regina. Queen Regina’s voice turned sharp and menacing. “Don’t listen to the Second Princess! She’s about to give birth. If anything happens on the road, not only will I not spare you, but even King Theron will hold you accountable!”

Caught between a demon uprising ahead, Queen Regina’s threats behind, and my imminent labor, my options were dwindling fast. My maids and guards all hesitated. Queen Regina beckoned her attendants, intending to force me into the Sacred Emberwood Treehouse prepared at the manor. My guards stepped forward to block them. While unsure whether to retreat or advance, these were seasoned veterans from the battlefield, loyal only to Kaelen and me. But then, a fiery aura pulsed violently from my abdomen, growing even larger and more intense. I screamed, wracked with searing pain. My agonizing scream startled my maids and guards. They quickly surrounded me and hurried me into the manor. Behind me, Queen Regina murmured gleefully, “Born amidst fierce flames, it must be a phoenix! And conveniently, the manor has a Sacred Emberwood Treehouse. Take her there to await the birth!” Seraphina’s eyes darted around. She subtly cast a spell to induce her own labor, then shrieked “Ah!” herself, her face contorted in “pain,” claiming she was also going into labor. “What do we do? There’s only one Sacred Emberwood Treehouse in the manor!” Valerius fretted, holding her, feigning distress. Giving birth to a commonfowl egg didn’t require a Sacred Emberwood! They were clearly trying to use this as an excuse to swap my child! Cold sweat plastered my skin as searing pain threatened to overwhelm my sanity. I could only order my maids to surround me entirely with screens, ensuring no contact with Seraphina and preventing Queen Regina from bringing anyone inside. With my guards positioned outside the screens, a flicker of calm returned to me. I desperately poured my magic into the egg, urging my precious hatchling to hold on, to wait until its father arrived before coming into the world! But before I could even catch my breath, Queen Regina’s shrill voice pierced through the screens. “What impropriety is this, allowing guards inside? Get out, all of you! Standing guard outside is perfectly adequate!” My guards stood firm, refusing to yield. Seraphina, however, declared she was afraid of so many people in the room. Soon after, sounds of a struggle erupted from beyond the screens. I bit down hard on my lip, a thin trickle of blood escaping the corner of my mouth. My voice, though strained by pain, was sharp with fury. “What are you doing to my guards?!” Queen Regina swept past the screens, her smile sickeningly sweet. “Your sister is also giving birth in here! How can we have so many crude men around?” Then her tone shifted, becoming deceptively reassuring. “Kaelen isn’t here, and this is an emergency. I’ll just have Valerius perform the protective ritual for both you and your sister.” It happened just like this in my previous life. Queen Regina claimed Valerius would perform the ritual from behind the screen. I was in such agony, practically delirious, that I didn’t think twice. Desperate to protect my child, I agreed. Not long after, they cast a spell on me, and I blacked out. When I woke, all I had was a patchy-feathered commonfowl egg. But during my labor, I’d been engulfed in furious flames—a clear sign of a phoenix’s birth! How could it possibly have been a commonfowl egg? Queen Regina, however, declared I was hallucinating, that I refused to accept my ominous birth, and had gone mad. King Theron, in a rage, had me thrown into the dungeons. Recalling the horrors of my past life, I knew that if Valerius performed that ritual, I’d be utterly at their mercy! “Not even through a screen! I refuse to be touched by any other man! I’ve already alerted my husband; I will wait for *him*!” The room fell silent for a moment, save for my uncontrollable groans of agony. Queen Regina immediately snapped, “Why are you being so unreasonable? At a critical moment like this, you care about such trivialities? If you fail to deliver this child, it will be a grave sin!” Valerius, from behind the screen, said, “Sister-in-law, I won’t be able to see you. Just let me perform the protective ritual for you.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the hem of the First Prince’s robe slip past the screen, about to enter the room. Panic seized me. I reached out, desperate to grab a maid’s hand. But already, furious flames were spreading around me, pushing everyone else back. Queen Regina barked for all “unnecessary personnel” to leave. My maids, by now, had clearly caught on. They stubbornly refused to budge. “Get out, you useless wenches!” Queen Regina shrieked, ordering her guards to drag my maids out and beat them mercilessly. Valerius, along with another person, stepped past the screens and entered. That person held a box. Clearly, Seraphina had already “given birth” to her commonfowl egg, and they were just waiting to swap it for mine! As the two of them drew closer, I felt a chilling despair seep into my bones, even as furious flames scorched my body. My hope was rapidly turning to ash. Was I truly fated to fall into their wicked hands once more, even after being granted a second chance? “Stop!” Just as Valerius and his accomplice closed in, a calm, powerful voice rang out from outside the room. The faces of those in the room froze. Before they could even react, Kaelen burst through the door. My husband had come back for me!

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I’m a good girl. My husband told me not to be so clingy, to go out and ‘explore’ other guys. So, like the good girl I am, I went out and ‘explored’ three. Eventually, all three of them wanted to make things official. So, I, like the good girl I am, went to Julian to ask for a divorce. But Julian said he’d fallen in love with me and refused to divorce, no matter what. He cried while washing my clothes: “You can bring them home! We can all live together, but divorce? Absolutely not!” So, I listened to Julian and didn’t divorce him. And I brought all three of them home. I’m just a good girl. What did I do wrong? Seven years of loving Julian, and I finally married him. Just as I was overjoyed, ready to be the perfect wife, Julian cheated. He and a popular young actress, Vivian, went viral on Ins, caught in a kiss. Looking at the photos, I felt struck by lightning. I cried and went to confront him. But he snapped at me impatiently: “Anya, don’t you have anything better to do? Is it really that interesting to obsess over me all day? Look, why don’t you go find yourself a guy too? Just stop bothering me, okay?” I stared at Julian. What he said was terrifying! How could I just go out and find a random guy? But I’ve always been a good girl. So, I found Julian’s best friend, Caleb.

Caleb, one of the most respected and enigmatic figures in the city’s elite. Rumor had it he was incredibly disciplined, practically ascetic, always wearing a string of dark, polished beads around his wrist, never showing interest in women. My hands trembled as I messaged him, typing and deleting words over and over. Finally, I just sent one line: “Mr. Caleb, are you free to meet? Julian told me… to ‘have some fun’ with someone else.” After sending it, I threw my phone far away, my cheeks burning. Julian’s best friend shouldn’t count as just a ‘random guy,’ right? I just wondered if he’d agree… Unexpectedly, my phone vibrated almost immediately. Just one word: “Okay.” The location was a very secluded, high-end lounge. When I arrived, Caleb was already there. He sat by the window, the afternoon sun streaming through the ornate windowpanes, bathing his handsome, refined face, only adding to his icy, almost ethereal allure. His long fingers held a cup of clear tea, wisps of steam blurring his strikingly perfect features. The air was filled with the calming scent of sandalwood mixed with tea. I was so nervous I almost walked in lockstep, sitting down opposite him, my throat dry. All the words I’d prepared vanished. He looked up at me, his gaze as still as water, calm and unruffled, the beads on his wrist gleaming softly. “He sent you?” Caleb asked, pouring me a cup of tea. His voice was just as captivating, clear and crisp, like fresh spring water. I twisted my fingers, looking down, my nose suddenly stinging. I nodded hard. “M-hm.” Silence stretched, thick with the scent of tea. Just as I was about to bolt, feeling like I couldn’t sit still another second, he gently set down his teacup and looked at me: “This ‘having some fun’ you mentioned… what exactly did you have in mind?”

Caleb, for all his icy, ascetic appearance, absolutely drove me wild, pushing me to my limits. “I really can’t anymore, ugh…” I collapsed, exhausted, onto Caleb, burying my face in his firm, muscular chest, my body trembling. Caleb’s thumb gently wiped away the involuntary tears that welled in my eyes, coaxing me, “Okay, okay, just one more box, then I’ll let you off the hook.” Hearing Caleb’s tender voice, I looked up through tear-filled eyes at the headboard. On the box resting there, it clearly read: “12 Extra Large.” I then looked down at the wastebasket, where five used ones lay. That meant there were still… “W-waah, you jerk!” I cried even harder.

Caleb often left me with aching back and shaky legs. Eventually, I couldn’t take it anymore and secretly went to see Dr. Albright. As Dr. Albright took my pulse, his brow furrowed deeper and deeper, finally sighing, “My dear, you need to slow down on your activities and rest for a while, otherwise, this intense activity is seriously depleting your energy and could lead to long-term health issues.” Me: !!! What?! Too much activity could seriously mess with my health?! I was terrified and didn’t dare go near Caleb again. But if I didn’t go to him, he came to me. He actually came directly to the house Julian and I shared! When the doorbell rang, I was curled up on the sofa watching a reality show, assuming Julian had gone out and forgotten his keys, so I just opened the door. Seeing Caleb standing there, I nearly slammed the door in his face! “Y-you, what are you doing here?” My voice trembled, and I instinctively tried to close the door. Caleb put his hand against the doorframe. The force wasn’t immense, but it kept me from moving it an inch. His gaze fell on my panicked face, and he asked, “Why haven’t you come to ‘play’ with me lately?” Play? You play that hard, who’d dare play with you, ugh! “I… I’ve been a bit busy lately,” I mumbled, my eyes darting away as I scrambled for an excuse. “Busy?” Caleb raised an eyebrow slightly, taking a step closer. The clean scent of sandalwood mixed with a hint of pressure washed over me. “Too busy to even answer your phone?” I retreated under his intense gaze, my heart pounding. Dr. Albright’s warning about “depleting my health” echoed frantically in my mind. “Mr. Caleb, I think… what we’re doing isn’t right,” I bravely tried to reason. “That day, I was impulsive. We really should…” “Should what?” he interrupted, his gaze calm but carrying an undeniable intensity. “Julian told you to ‘play,’ remember?” The mention of Julian instantly deflated me, like a popped balloon. He was right, Julian had told me to do this. How could I disobey him? But… I was really scared of getting sick! Just as I was at a loss, Julian’s confused voice came from behind me: “Caleb? What are you doing here?”

Julian hadn’t gone out?! I was scared out of my wits, almost jumping as I spun around, my cheeks burning with the guilt of being caught red-handed. Caleb, however, remained composed, turning to face Julian who was coming down the stairs, his tone flat: “Just passing by, thought I’d drop in and see you. Anya and I were just chatting by the door.” As Caleb spoke, his gaze lingered on me, subtly. My back instantly stiffened. Julian didn’t seem to notice anything amiss. As he descended, he casually remarked, “What’s there to chat about with her? She just idles around the house all day.” Normally, hearing him say that would upset me for ages. But now, my mind was only filled with panic, terrified Caleb would say something shocking. Caleb didn’t respond, just watched me, a fleeting, almost imperceptible smirk playing on his lips. Julian finished tying his shoes and walked over, naturally putting his arm around my waist. He told Caleb, “My brother’s back from overseas. Since you’re here, why don’t we all have dinner tonight? I’ll call Ryder and the others.” My body stiffened, the spot where Julian touched me suddenly burning. He rarely made affectionate gestures towards me in front of others, but today he… Caleb’s gaze rested on Julian’s hand on my waist for a split second, then moved away. He simply replied, “Sounds good.” The dinner reservation was at an incredibly exclusive, members-only restaurant.

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My Brother’s Bride Wanted Me as a ‘Live-in Sister-Duty’… Until I Turned the Tables My brother, Ryan Collins, found himself a wealthy heiress, Tiffany Sterling. She demanded he “move into their family estate,” and I, his older sister, had to come along as part of the “package deal.” I was expected to live in their house, serving as a free assistant for life, all under the sweet-sounding guise of “sibling solidarity.” My mom, Joyce, clutched my hand, tears spilling from her eyes instantly: “Avery, you love your brother the most. Just help him this one time.” “If you go, you two can look out for each other at the Sterling estate, and I’ll rest easy.” My dad, Robert, chimed in, nodding in agreement: “What’s the good of all that education for a girl? You’ll just end up married anyway. Helping your brother out, that’s your real blessing.” Ryan hid behind them, head bowed, not daring to look at me, murmuring: “Sis, Tiffany… she doesn’t mean any harm.” A bitter laugh escaped me, furious at my shameless family. I anonymously posted online. “Forced into ‘Live-in Sister-Duty’ for My Brother’s Wealthy Fiancée – Help! Urgent!” The post immediately shot to the top, and the comment section exploded. One top-rated comment caught my eye: [Say yes! Why wouldn’t you?] [But go through the most formal process, sign the strictest contract, and be the most professional employee!] [Let them know what a modern-day labor rights warrior looks like!]

Just then, the doorbell rang. Ryan darted to open the door: “It must be Tiffany!” The door swung open, and a girl in a Chanel suit, with perfectly applied makeup, walked in. She affectionately linked her arm through Ryan’s, but her eyes scanned me up and down. She was Tiffany Sterling. “Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Collins.” Her sickly sweet voice sent a shiver down my spine. “And this must be Avery? Ryan told me you agreed to come live with us?” “Agreed?” Tiffany shot a glance at Ryan. Ryan looked to my mom. My mom quickly tried to smooth things over: “Oh, Tiffany, don’t misunderstand. Avery already agreed just now.” “She’s just a little shy, she must have said something wrong when she saw you.” “Shy?” Tiffany eyed my faded T-shirt and jeans, letting out a dismissive scoff. “Looks like poor taste to me!” “Ryan, your sister doesn’t look too bright. Don’t let her embarrass me.” My mom and dad’s faces went through a kaleidoscope of emotions, but they didn’t dare utter a single word. Ryan, flushed red, tugged at my sleeve: “Sis, apologize to Tiffany…” I ignored him, pulling my hand free from Tiffany’s grip, and smiled at her beautiful face: “Ms. Sterling is right.” Everyone froze. I continued: “Precisely because my image is unimpressive and I appear unintelligent, a formal employment contract is even more necessary to clearly define responsibilities and rights.” “This is to avoid unnecessary losses to your esteemed company due to my personal shortcomings.” “It’s also to better serve you and Ryan, ensuring the employer’s interests are protected.” Tiffany’s smile stiffened on her face. “Employment contract?” Her voice rose sharply: “Avery Collins, are you crazy from being poor? We’re offering you a spot, you should be grateful!” “No.” I met her gaze directly: “This is a society governed by law. Professional conduct requires professional procedures to ensure it.” “Since this is a special position, a ‘live-in assistant,’ it’s even more important to specify job duties, working hours, salary, benefits, especially worker’s compensation standards, and personal rights protection clauses.” “After all, this job seems to carry no small amount of risk.” You could have heard a pin drop in the living room. Tiffany scoffed, impatiently dialing a number: “Hello, Mr. Miller from Legal? Draft an employment contract for a ‘private assistant’ for me.” “Yes, make it as harsh as possible. Salary… just the city’s minimum wage.” “Also, add a clause: service term, for life.” She hung up and leaned close to me. “Avery Collins, you wanted to play this game. Now, do you dare to sign?” I met Tiffany’s challenging gaze, a subtle smirk playing on my lips, and gave a slow, deliberate nod. “Sure. When do I sign?”

An hour later, a man delivered the contract. He was dressed in a perfectly tailored, high-end black suit, and his face bore a slight resemblance to Tiffany’s, but a hundred times colder. “Seb, why did you come yourself?” Tiffany’s usual sharp edges softened the moment she saw him, and she clung to him docilely. “Dad wasn’t comfortable.” His gaze swept over my parents, finally settling on me. He was Tiffany’s brother, Sebastian Sterling. The true heir to the Sterling Group. And my brother Ryan’s future boss, the one he’d have to grovel to. “Sign it, or get out.” He tossed a file envelope directly at me. “Take a look. If there’s no problem, sign it.” Service term: For life. Working hours: 8 hours. Salary: City’s minimum wage, $1800. Leaking any information about the Sterling family: $100 million compensation. Someone, probably thinking I was as useless as Ryan, had even added a handwritten, domineering clause at the very bottom: Party B voluntarily waives all labor rights granted by law. This wasn’t a contract; it was a modern-day bond of servitude! My mom peered over my shoulder, then abruptly shoved me. “Avery, sign it quickly! Mr. Sterling personally delivered the contract – that’s a huge deal! Don’t be ungrateful!” My dad was just as anxious: “Once you sign, you’ll be part of the Sterling family, no worries about food or clothes. What a great opportunity!” I looked up at Sebastian. He leaned against the wall, hands in his trouser pockets, his eyes filled with undisguised urgency and impatience. “Seb, look at her, she’s so poor and slow, she’s clearly scared to sign.” “Ms. Sterling,” I interrupted her. “I can sign the contract.” I held up the contract, pointing to the very last clause. “However, there’s a small issue here.” Sebastian’s brow furrowed. “‘Party B voluntarily waives all labor rights granted by law.’” “As a professional, Mr. Miller should know that this clause itself is illegal and therefore invalid.” “I suggest removing it to avoid unnecessary legal disputes in the future, which could bring negative publicity and ridicule to the Sterling family.” Tiffany’s eyes widened, completely blindsided by my move. Sebastian straightened up, finally looking at me properly. “You know the law?” “A little.” I said, feigning humility, “After all, I’m an Oxford graduate. Can’t let my alma mater down.” Sebastian stared at me for a full ten seconds. Suddenly, he pulled a Montblanc pen from his inner jacket pocket and crossed out the supplementary clause. “There. It’s done.” He handed me the pen and the contract. Tiffany’s face was as dark as a thundercloud. I took the pen and decisively signed “Avery Collins.” I handed the contract back to Sebastian. “Mr. Sterling, pleasant working with you.” He took the contract, gave me a deep, scrutinizing look, and turned to leave. Tiffany stamped her foot, then hurried after him. The moment the door closed, my mom threw her arms around me, trembling with excitement. “This is wonderful! Avery! Our good days are coming!”

On my first day of work. I strictly followed the netizens’ advice, portraying myself as a “hyper-compliant but utterly clueless” assistant. Tiffany told me to be up at six to await her instructions, and I reported to her room promptly. “Avery Collins, are you a ghost? It’s so early! Don’t you know I sleep until I wake up naturally?” She roared at me, her hair a messy bun. I innocently held up my phone’s memo app. “Ms. Sterling, these were your instructions from yesterday: six o’clock sharp, not a minute more, not a minute less. I’m just demonstrating my professionalism.” She was speechless, rolling her eyes at me. “Get down and prepare breakfast!” “Certainly. Do you have any specific requirements for breakfast?” “Like calorie count, ingredient origin, cooking method…” “Shut up! Just make whatever!” Alright, whatever it is. I prepared a “whatever” breakfast for her: A bowl of plain congee, a plate of boiled cabbage, and two hard-boiled eggs. Next to it, I thoughtfully placed a handwritten nutritional analysis chart. Tiffany’s face went green staring at the sparse and unappetizing meal. “Avery Collins, are you doing this on purpose? Trying to starve me?” “Ms. Sterling, you said ‘whatever’.” “According to the healthy eating pyramid, this is the most scientifically balanced breakfast combination. I’m only looking out for your health.” I spouted nonsense with a perfectly straight face. In the morning, she asked me to polish what was supposedly an antique vase from the last century. I asked: “Do I need any special cleaning agents?” She waved her hand dismissively: “Use your rough hands! If you talk back again, I’ll make you scrub it with a steel wool pad!” “Understood. Message received.” Ten minutes later, Tiffany’s shriek echoed from the study. She pointed at the vase, now covered in scratches and completely devoid of its former luster, trembling all over. “Avery Collins! What did you do to my vase!” I held up the steel wool pad, smiling. “Ms. Sterling, I merely followed your instructions strictly and ‘scrubbed’ it clean with a steel wool pad.” “See? There’s not a speck of dust now.” In the afternoon, she asked me to iron a custom-made silk gown. I again “humbly” inquired: “Ms. Sterling, what temperature should I set the iron to?” “Max! Max heat! Make it perfectly flat! Not a single wrinkle!” She gritted her teeth. “Certainly, mission accomplished.” The result was predictable. That six-figure gown now bore an eternal triangle branded onto the chest area, thanks to my highest-setting iron. Tiffany lost it. She raised her hand, ready to slap me. I didn’t dodge. Her hand was stopped mid-air. Sebastian, who had appeared at the doorway, caught her wrist. “Seb! Let me go! I’m going to tear her apart!” Tiffany pointed at me, crying with rage. “Look at the mess she made! She’s utterly useless!” Sebastian’s gaze shifted from the scorched gown to my face. “What happened?” Tiffany rushed to cry out: “I told her to iron a dress, and she ruined my gown!” “Seb, she did it on purpose! She’s jealous of me!” I lowered my head, whimpering pitifully: “I’m sorry, Mr. Sterling, I just… strictly followed Ms. Sterling’s instructions to set the iron to maximum heat…” “And you dare talk back!” Sebastian’s face grew darker and darker. He released Tiffany and walked towards me. “You’re fired.”

“Fired?” I looked up, meeting Sebastian’s eyes directly. “Mr. Sterling, I’m afraid you can’t unilaterally terminate my employment.” I pulled the neatly folded contract from my pocket and spread it open. “Firstly, my employer is Ms. Sterling.” “Secondly, according to Article 4, Section 3 of the contract, if the employer wishes to terminate the contract early, written notice must be given thirty days in advance, and Party B, which is me, must be paid twelve months’ salary as economic compensation.” I paused, then added: “Additionally, since the contract’s service term is ‘for life,’ it falls under special clauses.” “According to relevant judicial interpretations, early termination in such a case should be regarded as compensation for the loss of my entire professional career.” “Twelve months might not be enough.” Sebastian’s face visibly darkened. Tiffany, even more eager, interjected: “What? Seb! Listen to her! She’s trying to extort us!” “Extortion?” I waved the contract in my hand. “Ms. Sterling, it’s all in black and white. You signed it yourself.” “How can that be extortion? That’s called ‘contractual integrity’.” Sebastian glared at me furiously. He probably hadn’t been defied like this in his entire life, especially not by someone he considered a “maid.” “Fine. You don’t want to leave, do you?” He walked to the sofa, sat down, crossing his legs, his posture casual yet radiating an intimidating presence. “Then stay.” “Tiffany,” He looked at his sister, “Since Ms. Collins is so professional and so eager to keep her job, why don’t you give her more ‘professional’ tasks?” He deliberately emphasized “professional.” “Let her really experience whether working for the Sterling family is worth that $1800 monthly salary.” Tiffany caught on immediately, a malicious grin spreading across her face. “Understood, Seb! I’ll make sure Ms. Collins gets ‘more than her money’s worth’!” The real game, now began. Tiffany’s first move was to make me clean the entire outdoor swimming pool by hand. It was early winter, and the pool water was bone-chilling. “Avery Collins, I want to see your reflection at the bottom of the pool before dark.” “No tools allowed, no draining the water. Just use your hands, scrub it clean, little by little!” Maria, the housekeeper, couldn’t bear to watch and secretly tried to hand me some tools. I shook my head, refusing. Without another word, I took off my shoes and socks, rolled up my pant legs, and stepped directly into the water. The icy pool water enveloped my body, the cold searing from my feet all the way to the crown of my head. I gritted my teeth, using my hands and a single rag to scrub the tiles on the pool walls. Tiffany sat on the second-floor balcony, sipping hot coffee and watching me. I could feel Sebastian’s gaze, too, projected from his study window. All afternoon, I stayed in the water, not saying a single “no.” By the time the sun set, I had finally completed the task. When I climbed out of the pool, I was drenched. My lips were blue with cold, and my entire body was trembling uncontrollably. I walked under the balcony, looking up at Tiffany. “Ms. Sterling, the pool is clean. Please inspect it.” Tiffany, probably not expecting me to actually endure it, paused before curling her lip in disdain. “Fine. You know what’s good for you.” I turned, dragging my stiff body towards the staff quarters. Passing the living room, Sebastian called out to me. “Stop.” I halted. He walked down from upstairs, a clean towel in his hand, and tossed it onto the floor in front of me. “Clean yourself up. Don’t drip water everywhere.” I looked at the towel on the ground, not moving. “Mr. Sterling, I am your sister’s ‘private assistant.’ I am not required to follow your instructions.” “If you insist, then cleaning the floor now would be considered overtime, and overtime pay would be required.” 6. “Overtime pay?” “Avery Collins, do you think I can’t do anything to you?” “I’m merely stating the terms of the contract.” He advanced towards me, step by step. “Do you really believe I don’t have a hundred ways to make you unable to stay in this house, and without a single penny?” “I believe you.” I nodded, “But those methods probably aren’t entirely legal.” “And I, for one, have few virtues, but I do enjoy being precise, especially when it comes to legal matters.” We faced each other, neither willing to back down. Finally, he conceded, pulling a hundred-dollar bill from his wallet and tossing it onto the floor. “Is that enough?” I bent down, picked up the money, and then, right in front of him, carefully wiped the water from my hands with it. After wiping, I handed the damp, crumpled bill back to him. “Mr. Sterling, please process overtime pay through the company’s finance department. I do not accept cash.” “Additionally, according to labor law, overtime outside of statutory holidays should be paid at no less than one hundred and fifty percent of the normal wage.” “My hourly rate is $1800 divided by 21.75 working days, then divided by 8 hours, which is approximately $10.34 per hour.” “Based on the duration of the floor cleaning, you should pay me…” I pulled out my phone, opening the calculator. “…approximately $4.00. Thank you.” Sebastian stared at me as if I were a monster, then, after a long moment, squeezed two words through gritted teeth. “Get out.” “Certainly, Mr. Sterling.” I turned to leave, naturally not taking the towel from the floor. That night, I inevitably spiked a high fever. I lay in the staff quarters, burning up, every bone aching deep in my bones. Sebastian and Tiffany wanted this exact outcome: for me to give up and leave on my own. But I wouldn’t. I forced myself up, chugging several large cups of hot water. Then, I swallowed two fever reducers and wrapped myself tightly in blankets. The next morning, at six o’clock, I appeared at Tiffany’s bedroom door again, on the dot. My face was pale, my voice hoarse, but my back was ramrod straight. “Good morning, Ms. Sterling. It is precisely six o’clock.” Tiffany looked at me as if she’d seen a ghost. “You… you can still get up?” “Thanks to you, I’m not dead yet.” I managed a weak but standard smile. Over the next few days, Tiffany tortured me even more relentlessly. She made me hand-wash mountains of designer clothes; Scrub the soles of dozens of her shoes with a toothbrush; She even made me get up at three in the morning to buy late-night snacks from that place across town. I did everything, without a single complaint. But I recorded all her instructions on my phone and meticulously logged my working hours. On payday at the end of the month, I sent a detailed overtime summary, along with the audio evidence, to the Sterling Group’s finance and legal departments. The CFO’s face went green when he saw the overtime request totaling a five-figure sum and immediately reported it to Sebastian. That afternoon, Sebastian called me to his study. It was my first time in his study; the walls were lined with books, and a faint, cool cedarwood scent permeated the air. He slammed the overtime application onto his desk in front of me. “Avery Collins, have you had enough fun?” “Mr. Sterling, I’m merely claiming the compensation I’m owed, according to the contract and the law.” “Aren’t you afraid I’ll actually…” “No.” I interrupted him, “Because I know Mr. Sterling is a man of integrity.” “It’s not worth it to cause a labor dispute over such a small amount of money, thereby damaging the Sterling Group’s reputation.” He stared at me with a complex expression for at least three minutes. There was anger, confusion, and something else… something I couldn’t quite read. He still picked up the phone on his desk and dialed an internal extension. “Finance department? Process Avery Collins’s overtime pay, every single cent.” He hung up and leaned back in his chair. “What exactly do you want?” “Mr. Sterling, you’re overthinking it. This corporate drone is just sticking to the contract.” I replied. 7. My refusal to compromise completely wore down Tiffany’s patience. She realized that these petty tricks couldn’t faze me at all. Instead, they only gave me leverage, allowed me to rake in a substantial amount of overtime pay, and seemed to pique Sebastian’s interest in me. She decided to play a more vicious hand, to destroy me. One day, she called me to her room, smiling sweetly. “Avery, you’ve worked so hard these past few weeks.” “I was out of line before, please don’t take it to heart.” She personally poured me a glass of water. I didn’t drink it. “Ms. Sterling, please get to the point.” Her smile froze for a moment, then she continued: “It’s like this, my brother has a very important project he’s working on lately.” “But it seems a rival company has bribed someone inside our organization and has been stealing our confidential business information.” She lowered her voice, speaking conspiratorially: “My brother suspects the mole is someone close to him.” I listened quietly, waiting for her to continue. “Avery, you’re so smart. I was hoping you could help me with something.” She pulled a small USB drive from her drawer. “This is a spare key to my brother’s study.” “I want to ask you to go to his computer tonight, after he falls asleep, and install a program from this USB drive.” “It’s a monitoring program that can help us catch the mole.” She clasped my hand, her eyes “pleading.” “I know this is dangerous, but I really can’t find anyone else I can trust.” “Ryan… you know, he’s too honest, he can’t handle this kind of thing.” “It’s only you, Avery!” “If you succeed, I’ll definitely put in a good word for you with my brother, and he’ll give you a raise and a promotion!” Was my “clueless assistant” act really that convincing? Ms. Sterling was setting such an obvious trap for me. Even with my toes, I could figure out that the moment I plugged that USB drive into Sebastian’s computer, the little program or virus inside would instantly steal core data from the computer and automatically send it to a designated email address. And that email address, nine times out of ten, would belong to the Sterling Group’s competitor. By then, Sebastian would lose the project, and the charge of corporate espionage would fall squarely on me. Stealing trade secrets was enough to make me rot in jail. Tiffany’s move was undeniably vicious. I looked at her, deciding to play along. I just couldn’t guarantee the final outcome. I put on a flustered, overwhelmed expression. “Ms. Sterling, do you really… trust me that much?” “Of course!” She nodded vigorously, “We’re going to be family, after all!” “Alright.” I took the USB drive, clutching it tightly in my hand, “I agree. For you and Ryan, I’m willing to take the risk.” That night, deep in the quiet hours. Following the plan, I took the key and softly opened the door to Sebastian’s study. The study lights were off, only moonlight streamed in through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, casting dappled shadows on the floor. I walked to the desk and opened Sebastian’s laptop. Then, I pulled out the USB drive. I deliberately acted nervous, my hand trembling slightly, missing the USB port a few times. Just as I was about to insert the USB drive. The study lights suddenly flickered on. Sebastian stood in the doorway, his face grim, watching me. Behind him, stood a smug Tiffany Sterling. “Avery Collins, what are you doing?”

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The Intern, My Cheating Husband, and My Billion-Dollar Revenge For three months, this naive intern had been working with us. Now, my husband wanted to make her a new shareholder. His friend tried to talk some sense into him. “Skylar Reed served dangerously adulterated drinks to a client, leading to their hospitalization with severe internal bleeding; she sent a funeral bouquet to a sick client, causing them to suffer a heart attack on the spot; she baselessly accused an international client of corporate espionage, almost getting the company sued… Are you *really* sure you want to make someone like that a new shareholder?” “Plenty of our loyal mid-to-senior level employees don’t even have shares yet. If you do this, they’ll be completely disheartened, won’t they?” “Besides, will your wife even agree? She’s the company’s second-largest shareholder.” My husband, Damian, just puffed on his cigarette and chuckled. “Ellie will definitely agree; she never challenges my decisions. As for those old-timers, if they’re not on board, they can pack their bags.” “Skylar might be young and prone to mistakes, but she has ambition. What’s wrong with bending the rules for a good employee?” “When I look at Skylar, I see the young Ellie, before life got so tough. I couldn’t shield the young Ellie back then, but I can shield the young Skylar. I can’t let her go through the same hardships we did.” I listened in silence, a cold smirk playing on my lips, then turned and walked away. At the shareholder meeting, Damian proposed Skylar Reed become a new shareholder. The company veterans instantly objected, but I raised my hand. “I agree!” After all, this debt-ridden company was just looking for someone to take the fall.

I stopped outside Damian Thorne’s office window. Mr. Harrison’s voice started up again. “Damian, you’re insistent on shoving Skylar Reed onto the board… Is there a personal motive here?” Damian chuckled. “Mr. Harrison, I won’t lie to you. Yes, I’ve developed feelings for Skylar.” “As for Ellie… Hmph, she’s just a corporate socialite now. How do you think those big deals came through? Wasn’t it all thanks to her looks and… her body? Why do those senior executives at the client companies only want to deal with *her*? God knows how many times she’s slept with them behind closed doors. She’s so dirty.” My body froze, as if doused with ice water. I had drunk myself to stomach bleeding for this company, plastered a fake smile on my face until my muscles ached, only for him to call me “so dirty”? Damian’s tone softened slightly. “But I know she did it for the company. I just had to pretend not to notice.” “But she’s tainted, and Skylar can’t be. Skylar is as clean as a blank page. I have to protect her, help her succeed, and keep her from going down Ellie’s dirty path.” Mr. Harrison looked confused. “But… what’s so great about this Skylar Reed? Why should she get all the benefits?” Damian took a drag from his cigarette, seeming to get lost in thought. “Don’t you see it? Her naive, innocent, and kind demeanor… she’s so much like Ellie was in college! And she’s even more delicate than young Ellie, making you want to protect her.” Mr. Harrison hesitated. “Naive? Innocent? Ellie back then… she wasn’t quite like that, was she? I remember her being quite strong-willed and hardworking…” Just then, the office door burst open with a loud *bang*, interrupting Mr. Harrison. “Damian, sweetie!” Skylar Reed burst in, completely ignoring Mr. Harrison, and plopped herself directly onto Damian’s lap. Her arms wrapped around his neck with practiced ease, and she snuggled into his embrace. Damian didn’t seem awkward at all; instead, he lovingly wrapped an arm around her waist. “What’s wrong, my little troublemaker? What kind of mischief have you gotten into now?” Skylar pouted, wiggling her body. “Today, I accidentally sent our purchasing price list to Mr. Jenkins instead of the product brochure. Now he knows how much we’re making and he’s furious! What should I do, Damian? I really didn’t mean to!” Damian laughed heartily, as if this was the funniest thing in the world. “I thought it was something major! What’s so hard about that? Just let Ellie handle it. She’s best at smoothing things over. She can fix any mess.” Skylar’s eyes lit up. “So… if we secure this project in the end, will it count towards my业绩? Will Ms. Vance get mad?” Damian pinched her cheek, his voice indulgent. “Of course it’s yours! Silly girl, the credit, the bonus, it’s all yours! What’s she going to say? I’m here.” Skylar instantly beamed, giving Damian a loud, unashamed kiss on the cheek. Mr. Harrison, beside them, was squirming in his seat, his face deeply uncomfortable. “Uh… Damian, something just came up. I’ll take my leave now.” Damian patted Skylar’s behind. “Skylar, stand up for a moment. I’ll see Mr. Harrison out.” Skylar wiggled playfully, hugging him tighter. “No way, I’m tired. I want Damian to hold me!” Damian gave a helpless yet delighted smile, and just waved goodbye to Mr. Harrison while still holding Skylar. Mr. Harrison shook his head, sighed, and quickly left. Before the door was fully closed, ambiguous kissing sounds and Skylar’s soft gasps could be heard from inside.

I stumbled back a step, then slowly turned and walked away. Ten years. A full decade. Damian and I built this empire from nothing. I thought we were partners fighting side-by-side, a loving couple. And he, he used the memories of our shared hardships as an excuse to coddle another woman’s “innocence” and “ignorance.” Skylar Reed had been with the company for three months, and Damian had already made countless exceptions for her. He’d not only spent millions on her but also alienated many long-standing clients, causing indirect losses of at least a hundred million. I’d warned him, but he just told me not to overthink it. “Young people need a chance to make mistakes. Some clients are indeed too demanding; if they leave, they leave.” Left with no choice, while Skylar made one blunder after another, I was left to clean up her messes. If it weren’t for me, the company would have faced a major crisis long ago. But what did all my hard work get me? I suddenly let out a self-deprecating laugh, realizing how foolish I’d been. I took a deep breath and pressed the intercom button. “Book me and Chloe Vance tickets to Sea City. We’re leaving tonight.” The next morning, as I was getting ready in my hotel room, my phone rang. It was Damian. “Ellie Vance! Where the hell are you? Skylar’s project is a disaster! The client is furious, threatening to cancel the contract and blacklist us in the industry! Get over here and fix it for her, now!” He roared, completely out of his mind. I held the phone slightly away from my ear. “Didn’t you say some clients were too demanding? That if they leave, they leave? Why the change of tune now?” Damian paused, stumped, then immediately started yelling again. “Is this client the same as the others? He’s a long-term partner who brings in twenty million annually! Are you out of your mind? Do I really need to remind you of this?” His words changed faster than the weather. I forced myself to keep my temper in check. “I’m in Sea City right now, pretty swamped.” “Damian, didn’t you always say I was too overbearing, hogging projects and not giving new people a chance to grow? Well, I think now’s the perfect time. Let Skylar handle it herself; she’ll learn faster.” Damian grew even more enraged. “You’re her mentor! It’s your job to guide her! How can you just abandon her? I’m telling you, if this project falls through, you’ll be held responsible!” I chuckled softly. “Oh? Is that so… And if, by some miracle, this project *does* get secured, will the bonus and credit be mine?” Damian clearly hadn’t expected me to state my terms so directly. He paused, then spoke with clear dissatisfaction. “Ellie! Why have you become so petty? Competing for credit with a newbie?” “You’re a long-standing employee and a shareholder; you should have the generosity to support new talent! You can’t hog all the frontline resources forever, can you? You should step back and start thinking about having a family; that’s what truly matters!” He finally said what was on his mind. Everyone in the company respected me. Whenever there was a problem, they mostly came to me for advice, not him. He had long resented me for sidelining him. He was desperate to tie me down with my identity as his wife, force me out of the company, and clear the path for him and Skylar. My eyes turned utterly cold. “Damian, you’re right. Mentoring new talent is crucial. So why don’t you personally guide Skylar Reed? You’re the boss; your direct instruction will surely be more effective than mine.” Damian was completely furious now, his voice suddenly rising. “That client only trusts you! No one else will do any good! I don’t care where you are or who you’re meeting, fix this immediately! Otherwise, don’t blame me for revoking your shareholder status!”

*Click.* He hung up after roaring, not even giving me a chance to retort. “Revoke my shareholder status?” I murmured to myself. “Damian, have you forgotten how this company grew from a small workshop to what it is today? Do you really think your 40% stake gives you the right to do whatever you want, to control everything?” My mind raced. I held 30% of the shares, and the other six senior executives held 30%. Whose slice of the pie was he planning to take to bring Skylar in? No matter whose, he was digging his own grave. I still called Skylar’s client, even paying out of my own pocket to send them a gift. I also promised that starting next quarter, all discounts and promotions would be set at 90%. It took a lot of effort, but I finally appeased the client. Chloe, who had been listening quietly beside me, finally couldn’t hold back. She spoke with indignation. “Auntie! Why are you still cleaning up Skylar Reed’s messes? She’s just a shameless woman who only knows how to seduce men! It was her own stupidity that caused this trouble, and Uncle Damian… he’s just unbelievable!” I raised a hand to stop her. “Chloe, Auntie will teach you another lesson today. In business, you can cross people, but you should never cross money.” “As for Skylar Reed… let her gloat. The higher she jumps now, the harder she’ll fall later. Don’t worry, I have a plan.” I stood up, picked up my purse and jacket. “Get ready. I have a meeting with the trust company tomorrow. That’s the most important thing right now.” After all, securing my rightful assets was what truly mattered. This company, which was about to go bankrupt, Damian and Skylar could have it if they wanted it! Skylar Reed’s project was successfully signed. Damian threw a celebration dinner for her. In the ballroom of a five-star hotel, Skylar raised her glass, her face radiant with triumph. Several empty bottles of Romanée-Conti littered the table. All the project department employees were there, their faces filled with sycophantic smiles. I expressionlessly scrolled through her social media. Below, it was a stream of likes and fawning comments. “Skylar, you’re amazing!” “Please look out for us, CEO Skylar!” Skylar replied below. “Once I become a shareholder, I’ll give everyone a raise!” Below, there were countless likes and flattering remarks. A cold smile played on my lips. Several of the company veterans hadn’t liked or commented. It seemed not all hearts were lost yet. Just then, my phone vibrated violently. It was Damian calling. “Ellie, what are you doing? Have you seen social media? Skylar did something amazing for the company today! As a company shareholder, why aren’t you showing some support? Leave a comment, a like, set an example for the newcomer!” I rolled my eyes and said calmly. “I don’t make a habit of constantly checking other people’s social media. I have a lot of work to do.” Damian clicked his tongue, his tone laced with displeasure and suspicion. “You’ve been in Sea City for a week now, haven’t you? What project is so tricky that Ms. Vance needs to personally tackle it for so long?” His mind was clearly drifting further and further from work. I chuckled, a hint of mockery in my voice. “The ABV company project. A two hundred million dollar budget! Our competitor, Mr. Sterling, has been here for over a month, personally overseeing it. If you think it’s easy, why don’t you try it, Mr. Thorne?” The other end of the phone went silent for a moment. Damian seemed to sober up a bit. He knew very well the importance of the ABV project; it was a huge deal he knew he couldn’t handle. I seized the moment, my voice returning to a calm tone. “Don’t worry, though, things are almost wrapped up here. I’ll be back tomorrow, right on time for the shareholder meeting.”

Damian gave an “Oh,” then tentatively asked. “Uh, you’ve seen the agenda and proposals for the shareholder meeting, right?” My gaze swept over the equity transfer proposal on my computer screen. My voice remained calm. “Yes, I’ve seen it.” He was silent for a second, then asked cautiously. “So… do you have any objections?” I smiled indifferently. “No objections.” From the other end of the phone, I heard his sigh of relief, his voice instantly becoming relaxed and triumphant again. “That’s good! That’s good! Ellie, I knew you were sensible! You’ve worked hard, get some good rest tonight. See you tomorrow!” Before he finished speaking, Skylar Reed’s sweet, simpering voice came through the phone. “Damian, come on! I want to drink a loving cup with you! Mwah!” Damian hastily muffled the receiver. I pretended not to hear and simply hung up. 【Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad.】 It seemed the old saying was absolutely right. I smiled coldly. The night was still long. And the show was about to begin. At the shareholder meeting, Skylar Reed walked in wearing a professional suit. Her gaze swept across the room, finally settling on the chair next to the head of the table. It was my seat. The faces of several veteran shareholders immediately darkened, their gazes turning to me with concern. I smiled faintly, unhurriedly walked to the third seat down the long table, and sat down calmly. Damian seemed quite pleased with my “discretion,” cleared his throat, and announced the start of the meeting. “I propose that Ms. Skylar Reed of the Project Department be exceptionally granted company shareholder status, in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the company recently.” Before he finished speaking, Mr. Henderson, a senior shareholder, slammed his hand on the table. “I object! Skylar Reed has only been with us for three months, and she’s made a pile of major mistakes! What right does she have to become a shareholder? How many diligent, long-serving employees in this company haven’t had this opportunity!” Another executive, Mr. Davies, also sneered in agreement. “Outstanding contributions? I heard the deal she just signed was also secured with Ms. Vance’s remote assistance, wasn’t it? How does the credit for that just fall to her?” Damian’s face instantly turned grim. “Why dwell on past minor mistakes? Skylar is a quick learner and has made rapid progress! The MegaCorp project she just signed was secured by her independently!” “Ellie, tell them, whose credit is the MegaCorp deal, really?” All eyes immediately focused on me. I slowly lifted my head, my voice clear and steady. “The credit, of course, goes to Skylar Reed. She’s young and capable, full of drive. She did indeed… contribute to that project.” Skylar immediately breathed a sigh of relief, her back straightening, an unconcealed look of triumph on her face. Damian also smiled with satisfaction, a hint of “I knew you were sensible” approval in his gaze toward me. Mr. Henderson and the others, however, were wide-eyed, staring at me in disbelief, their eyes filled with disappointment and incomprehension. Damian struck while the iron was hot, his momentum growing. “Excellent! Since her contribution is outstanding, she should be given a commensurate reward! I propose granting Skylar Reed 20% of the company shares!” “Twenty!” Mr. Davies gasped in shock. “That makes her the third-largest shareholder directly! More shares than us?” Damian shook his head, a smile playing on his lips, his gaze falling on me once more. “Not third, but second.” “Ellie Vance, you have 30% of the shares, don’t you? You’ll transfer 20% to Skylar. From now on, keeping 10% will be enough for you. You’ve been tired lately anyway; this is a good chance for you to rest more.” At these words, the entire room fell into a deathly silence. Everyone was stunned by this blatant usurpation. Mr. Henderson shot to his feet, his face ashen, seemingly wanting to curse but too furious to speak. “Ms. Vance! This… this is outrageous! You can’t agree to this!” Under everyone’s tense gaze, I slowly smiled. Sure enough, the only pie he dared to touch was mine. I slowly, firmly, raised my right hand. “I agree.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “299119”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic #重生Reborn #励志Inspiring #玄幻Fantasy

My Ex-Wife’s Obsession Celeste Hayes, the poor, stunning girl I once shamed, finally made me pay. And the price was excruciating. She drove my parents to their deaths, then broke my limbs and threw me into a doghouse to sleep. Everyone said it was her well-deserved revenge. But on the night I jumped into the ocean, a terrified Celeste, who couldn’t even swim, bravely plunged in after me. To save my life, she lost a hand to a shark. Celeste even spent billions, assembling a team of hypnotists, just to make me forget our past and marry her. As she wished, my entire world had shrunk to a single purpose: loving her. But on our tenth anniversary, I saw her slip into my male caregiver Jaxon Miller’s room late at night. His intimate murmurs gradually merged with the voice of the man I remembered Celeste truly loving. Jaxon asked her why she still hadn’t divorced me. Celeste’s reply, laced with a sigh of pained affection: “I did all this just to make Liam Thorne suffer more when he finally comes to his senses. You know, you’re the true light in my life.” I slipped the memory-loss pill I’d been hiding into my mouth. Celeste didn’t know. I’d never forgotten a thing from before. But from this moment on, I would forget everything. Including her.

I waited five hours before Celeste finally returned to our room. The dampness clinging to her, mingled with the scent of Jaxon Miller’s shower gel, felt both clammy and unsettling. When she saw me still awake, she nearly jumped out of her skin. A cold dread spread through me, but I forced a smile onto my face. “Why such a strong reaction? Did you do something to betray me?” Her face flickered through a range of emotions, her eyes darting away, unable to meet mine. “Clients were demanding. Drank too much. Just rinsed off in the lounge.” Her excuse was laughably flimsy. Her moniker as the “Ice Queen” of the corporate world was well-earned; no one in their right mind would dare force her to drink until past midnight. I couldn’t be bothered to expose her lie. Instead, I slowly rolled up the sleeve of my silk pajamas. A vast, hideous burn marked my arm, stark and alarming. “Jaxon Miller did this.” My voice was flat. “Make him leave.” Celeste’s gaze dropped to the wound. Her brow furrowed for a moment, but then quickly relaxed. “It’s just a small cut. I’ll have the doctor bandage it tomorrow.” “He’s just out of college, a bit clumsy. Go easy on him.” She spoke as she unbuttoned her shirt. “I’ll make him apologize to you later, and he’ll cover the medical expenses.” I smiled. Years ago, when her own mother merely called me a bastard, Celeste had immediately sent her back to her rural old house. She hadn’t even allowed her to pack her luggage properly. In all our years of marriage, let alone a burn, if I so much as shed a few more hairs than usual on the floor, she would fire the entire care team. Those were her exact words: “Liam, your world is just me now, and I won’t let anyone or anything hurt you.” But now, this angry, festering wound on my wrist was, in her words, “just a small cut.” I pretended to be understanding, pulling my sleeve back down to cover the ugly mark. “Got it. I won’t pick a fight with the kid.” A “kid” the same age as me. I pressed my temples, letting out a soft sigh. “Headache.” This was the real amnesia medicine at work. I’d faked it for years, but this pain was brutally real. “Still hurting?” Her tone was thick with exhaustion. “It’s been years, it should be fine by now. Liam, stop using that old headache as an excuse; you’re driving everyone crazy. And stop driving *me* crazy too. I have a transatlantic meeting first thing tomorrow, I’m exhausted.” The room fell into a deathly silence. The piercing pain spread from my brain to my heart. I softly mumbled, “Okay.” My fingertip brushed the cold metal of my ring finger. Without even pulling hard, the wedding band, worn for so many years, slipped off. It felt like countless needles were simultaneously piercing my brain, the pain so intense my vision blurred. I bit my lip, forcing back the tears. In my mind, the image of Celeste, eyes red-rimmed, slipping that ring onto my finger, shattered and peeled away, finally becoming indistinguishable. At breakfast, Celeste couldn’t find me. She frantically tore through the villa. She even pulled every string she had, mobilizing a specialized search and rescue team. Finally, they found me in the basement. But beside me, coiled, was a highly venomous snake. Its head suddenly darted forward. “Don’t move!” Celeste, without a second thought, lunged forward, shielding me tightly with her body. The fangs sank into her neck, and her face instantly turned black and blue. She was rushed into the ER. It took a full day and night, and a complete blood transfusion, before she finally crawled back from the brink of death. Dr. Reed’s face was thunderous as he pointed at Celeste’s assistant, scolding him. “Why were you ten minutes late?! She was this close to dying!”

Everyone’s gaze pierced me like knives. Because on the way to the hospital, *I* was the one who insisted on going back for my teddy bear, causing the delay. Celeste’s assistant, who had been with her for ten years, couldn’t hold back. He lashed out at me directly: “A stupid teddy bear? Is that more important than Celeste’s life? Do you have any idea what she’s sacrificed for you all these years? And you? You don’t give a damn if she lives or dies!” Celeste’s face instantly darkened. “You’re fired. Go to payroll to collect your last check.” The hospital room fell silent. Celeste then turned to me, forcing a reassuring smile onto her pale face. “Don’t listen to him. If you like it, Liam, not just a simple teddy bear, but even my life—I wouldn’t hesitate for a second.” I hugged the faded teddy bear in my arms and gave a foolish smile. It was strange. Celeste wasn’t taking amnesia pills, so why was her memory so bad? This wasn’t just any ordinary bear. This was the one Celeste had given me in high school. It cost three thousand dollars. Celeste had to scrub toilets for five months just to scrape together that much. To me, that kind of money wouldn’t even cover the cost of decent wrapping paper for a gift. So, in front of all our classmates, I threw the bear into the trash. Then I pulled out a wad of cash—easily ten thousand dollars—and threw it in her face. “Go get some taste. Don’t ever insult me with this kind of trash again.” Thinking of this, my gaze fell on her remaining hand. These past few years of luxury had left it soft and smooth. Nothing like that year, when it was raw and peeling from harsh detergents, covered in swollen, painful chilblains. Celeste’s hand shouldn’t have been like that. Even the current me felt that way. The hospital room door burst open with a bang. Jaxon Miller practically threw himself onto Celeste’s bed, sobbing hysterically. He bumped into me, sending me sprawling to the floor. The wound he’d inflicted with scalding water just days ago ripped open, blood soaking through my sleeve. Celeste’s eyes were filled with such tender concern, but it was all for Jaxon Miller. It wasn’t until a nurse came in for rounds that she suddenly remembered I was still there. She offered me a somewhat awkward explanation: “Jaxon’s just… very emotional. Don’t read too much into it.” Then Celeste suddenly remembered my headaches. She asked the doctor to take me for a check-up. But from start to finish, she never once looked at me. And she certainly didn’t see the spreading crimson on my sleeve. The doctor went back to get something, leaving me alone in the hallway. Suddenly, a violent shove from behind sent me sprawling. Jaxon Miller grabbed me, pulling me to the floor. He snatched the teddy bear from my arms, shoving it hard against my face, his voice sharp, laced with venom: “You piece of trash! I’ll make you taste Celeste’s pain!” The suffocation made me struggle desperately, and I instinctively called Celeste’s name. The plush fabric smothered my nose and mouth, and panic, swiftly followed by suffocation, overwhelmed me. I struggled with all my might, instinctively crying out Celeste’s name. My fingernails scraped long, bloody trails on the floor. The room was only a few steps away, but no one came to help me. Just as darkness began to consume me, Celeste’s voice, eerily calm, finally drifted into my awareness. I thought I was saved. But she merely watched the scene unfold, then instructed Dr. Reed, who had followed her out: “Dr. Reed, please, do what you always do. Erase this memory for Liam.” Jaxon’s shrill voice detonated in my mind. “If Celeste hadn’t been wiping your memories clean every time, you would’ve learned your lesson years ago!” So, Celeste allowing Jaxon to hurt me wasn’t the first time. A torrent of fragmented images slammed into me, like countless knives piercing my skull, a pain so sharp it felt like my head would explode.

On our very first day of marriage, Jaxon Miller moved directly into our marital home. Time and again, he used the excuse of “getting revenge for Celeste,” splashing scalding coffee on me, pushing me down the stairs. He even, in front of me, pinned Celeste to the sofa. Celeste struggled, pushing him away. Until that late night, when she finally gave in. She held a cigarette, her bloodshot eyes locking with mine, her voice a raw rasp. “Liam, there’s too much baggage between us.” She was right. The humiliation of my youth, the death of my parents, the hand she lost for me. These were burdens of hatred too immense for us to overcome. I was dragged to the treatment chair, my head covered in electrodes. Celeste walked over, her face a mask of complicated emotions. Seeing the fresh tears on my face, she leaned down and kissed me. “Liam, just sleep. Everything will be a fresh start when you wake.” As she reached for the switch, Dr. Reed’s hesitant voice broke the silence. “Ms. Hayes, the memory wipes have been too frequent lately. It will harm Mr. Thorne’s brain.” Celeste paused, then sighed helplessly. “But I can’t let him hate me.” A harsh sizzle. The current savagely pierced my brain, tearing apart every unbearable, agonizing memory until nothing remained but dust. My fingers went limp, and the teddy bear I’d been clutching rolled into the trash can beside the bed. Just like all those years ago. Only this time, no one would pick it up. I slept for a long time. When I opened my eyes, I saw a handsome, slightly unfamiliar face. I frowned, abruptly pulling back the hand she still tightly clasped. “Who are you?” Her body instantly stiffened, immense panic flooding her eyes. “Liam, it’s Celeste, your wife.” She desperately grabbed my hand, her grip so strong it felt like she wanted to crush my bones. “We’ve been married for three years, you love me very much, remember? You said I was your life.” Seeing my blank expression, Celeste kept repeating how much I loved her. I rubbed my throbbing temples. I seemed to remember the things she was saying. But that love, it felt like it had been surgically excised. I habitually spoke to comfort her. “Sorry, my head just hurts so much.” Celeste’s expression froze for a moment, unnaturally rigid. She awkwardly averted her gaze, looking flustered, and her eyes landed on the teddy bear in the trash can. Her brows furrowed, and she immediately called for staff. “What is this trash? Get it out of here now!” I looked at the dried, dark crimson stains on the bear, and instinctively touched the wound on my own lip. Celeste’s body instantly tensed. “Did you have a nightmare?” she blurted out, then frantically added, “Dreams aren’t real, don’t believe anything you see in them!” Her attempts to cover it up were clumsy, almost comical. But I didn’t even have the energy to investigate. I just watched as the bear was taken away, and calmly said, “A rotten bear. It should have been thrown out long ago.” Just like our love. Celeste seemed to sense something. Despite being ordered by the doctors to rest, she clung to my side almost twenty-four hours a day. Oh, no, not at night. In the dead of night, when she got up to find Jaxon Miller, I would always wake up. Sometimes, they even returned to our bedroom. Right beside the bed I was lying in. “Celeste, when are you going to let Liam Thorne get his memory back?” Jaxon Miller’s voice was tearful, cutting through the lust-filled silence with chilling clarity. “You sacrificed ten years of marriage for revenge, and I’ve waited ten years for you. It’s enough, truly, it’s enough.”

Celeste always said “soon.” She was so absorbed in her own world, she didn’t see the poisoned hatred in Jaxon Miller’s eyes when he looked at me. Jaxon began to secretly take my medication. He didn’t know that Celeste, afraid I’d discover their dirty little secret, was adding even more pills to my food every day. Large blanks began to appear in my memory. I would often sit by the window for an entire day, doing nothing. Celeste was quite pleased by this. She just thought I wasn’t clinging to her anymore, and even inexplicably seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. It was laughable. She’d gone to such lengths to turn me into a useless shell whose world revolved only around her, and now she found it tiresome. I said nothing, merely existing, slowly, steadily, falling out of love with her. Until that evening at dinner, the mansion door burst open. Jaxon Miller stumbled in, disheveled and frantic, collapsing to his knees directly in front of me. “My mom has a heart condition! Come for me, but leave my family out of this!” He cried hysterically, as if I had committed some heinous crime. Outside the villa, flashbulbs erupted, reporters had swarmed the mansion, practically blocking out the light. “Ms. Hayes, what’s your comment on your wife publicly exposing your affair with Mr. Miller online?” “Ms. Hayes, was ten years of deep affection just a facade?” For ten years, Celeste’s deep love for me had been a fairy tale, whispered about by everyone in our circle. Now, with the fairy tale shattered and a third party exposed, all fingers naturally pointed at Jaxon Miller. Reporters’ microphones practically poked Jaxon Miller’s face, their questions harsh, their tone accusatory. Celeste’s face instantly darkened. She stared at me, her eyes a maelstrom of barely contained fury. But in the end, she still didn’t touch me. She simply pulled Jaxon Miller aside, saying she would handle it. Turning away, she called her assistant, instructing them to prepare for Jaxon Miller’s entire family to move abroad. Jaxon Miller’s eyes hardened. He tapped his phone a few times. Less than a minute later, Celeste’s phone rang. Jaxon Miller’s parents, reeling from the shock, had been in a car accident and died. Jaxon Miller crawled over, desperately tugging at my pant leg. “I’m sorry, I’m truly sorry…” He sobbed, his words a jumbled mess, yet with chilling clarity, he twisted all the blame onto me. “You warned me in high school not to try and take what was yours… I was expelled then, why didn’t I learn my lesson… Now I’ve caused my parents’ deaths, I’ve ruined our whole family…” Celeste’s eyes flashed crimson. She clamped onto my wrist, her grip so tight I thought my bones would shatter. “Why are you so cruel?!” Jaxon Miller wailed, kowtowing to me: “Please, I beg you, spare my family! I don’t want anything anymore…” Celeste let go of me, reaching to help him up. But Jaxon Miller swayed, then deliberately collapsed, tumbling right into me. A sickening pool of vibrant crimson bloomed beneath him. I looked down, seeing the stark red spread under him. Clutching his stomach, he cried out pitifully: “I told you I wasn’t going to fight you anymore! Why are you still trying to ruin me?! You secretly stopped your meds, faked your amnesia, all just to wait for this moment to get your revenge, didn’t you?!” That last sentence detonated in Celeste’s mind like a thunderclap. Her face was a mask of dark fury as she sharply ordered a servant: “Search his room!” Soon, a servant returned from under my bed with a dusty box. Inside, it was packed full of the unused pills I’d saved over the years. SLAP! Celeste’s hand connected with my face, sending me sprawling to the floor. Every word was squeezed out, venomous and precise. “So all these years, you’ve been lying to me!” “You never loved me!” I was locked away, forced to press my handprint onto divorce papers. Through the servant who brought my meals, I learned that Celeste was going to marry Jaxon Miller. In the public statement, I was portrayed as the homewrecker. Our marriage, merely a form of revenge against her. Now, everything was back on track. I was the one being sent abroad. Even with ten times the normal dose of medication pumping through my veins, Celeste still wasn’t reassured. She believed I would never love her. The excessive medication often left my mind in a haze. I couldn’t even distinguish the passage of time. On the night before my flight, Celeste came to my room. She traced my face. “If only you could have loved me.” I looked at her and smiled, a vacant, foolish grin. As soon as dawn broke, I was escorted onto a private jet. I was bundled up, my face mostly hidden, and no one recognized me. Everyone around was buzzing about Celeste and Jaxon Miller’s wedding of the century. They chattered on, full of excitement. Only I wondered, who was Celeste? But once the plane took off, I cast the question from my mind. Strangers’ affairs weren’t worth the effort.

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My Life, My Rules: No Second Chances for Toxic Exes Seven years after my supposed death, my ex-boyfriend showed up to pay his respects at my grave. He stared at the overgrown plot, his voice thick with a sniffle. “Aria, you’re really holding a grudge, aren’t you?” “It’s been so long since you died, and you still won’t visit me in my dreams.” “I was wrong about what happened back then, Aria. I truly apologize.” “For the sake of everything we once shared… please, just this once, forgive me.” Hidden in the dense bushes behind the grave, I rolled my eyes. Of course, I wouldn’t visit him in his dreams. Because I was never dead to begin with. That accident all those years ago had left me with a limp, but it also led me to the life I truly wanted. Now, I have a wonderful marriage and a happy family. Naturally, I wanted nothing to do with him ever again. The cemetery was desolate, choked with weeds. One look and you knew it hadn’t been cared for in years. Liam, however, seemed oblivious, utterly lost in his own manufactured grief. He placed a spread of offerings before the headstone – a pile of food I never even liked. He murmured, his voice cracking, “Aria, I really didn’t mean for things to turn out that way.” “Dad still feels awful about that slap he gave you.” “And I regret forcing you to donate blood for Chloe.” “You must have hated us so much all these years, that you never even came back to see me once.” He stroked the headstone, tears streaming down his face. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes again, my mind drifting back to the past. There wasn’t really a huge misunderstanding between Liam and me. Just a very clichéd story. The Petersons’ nanny lost their biological daughter, and in a desperate attempt to cover it up, she swapped me in. When their real daughter, Chloe, was finally found, everyone felt an overwhelming sense of guilt towards her, showering her with every luxury imaginable. I knew my position was awkward, so I never argued with her about anything. Chloe wanted my room; I gave it to her. Chloe wanted my shares; I gave them up. When Chloe set her sights on my husband, I gave him up too. But my endless compromises didn’t lead to a happy ending; they only emboldened her. Then she started wanting my organs. My life. Terrified, I fled in my car, only to suffer a terrible accident, plunging off a cliff. My adoptive family searched for me for a long time, eventually concluding I was gone. They say when a person dies, all grudges and past grievances fade away. Everyone suddenly started reminiscing about how good I was, constantly recalling memories of me. I’d often stumbled upon countless online tributes and obituaries dedicated to me. Every word, every line, poured out their deep remorse and aching longing for me. Those words were so touching, they actually made me a little curious. Curious if my biased family truly regretted their actions after my death. Curious if they actually held any genuine affection for me. So, I took advantage of Julian’s business trip to the city and secretly followed him. I never expected to run into Liam on my very first day here. Looking at how abandoned the grave plot was, I understood. Liam hadn’t really cared about me all these years either. He and Chloe quickly tied the knot. He’d occasionally remember me, shed a few tears, and parade his “deep affection.” I couldn’t help but curse under my breath, “Hypocrites.” As I turned to leave, I accidentally stepped on a dry twig. The sharp *snap* echoed clearly in the silent woods. I prayed Liam hadn’t heard. But as I turned my head, my eyes met his, trembling and wide with shock.

My heart dropped. Then I heard Liam’s voice, filled with a mix of disbelief and overwhelming joy. “Aria, is that really you?” “You’re not dead? Am I dreaming?” As he spoke, tears streamed down his face. “Aria, you have no idea how much I’ve missed you all these years.” “I kept everything that ever reminded me of you, just hoping you’d visit me in a dream.” “But how could you be so cruel? You left for years without a single word, didn’t even give us a chance to say goodbye.” I frowned. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to say goodbye back then; it was that they refused to listen to me. They stubbornly insisted I had bullied Chloe, and they were planning to harvest my kidney and then commit me to a mental institution. But so many years had passed, and I didn’t want to waste time arguing about it anymore. My husband gets jealous easily, and if I wasn’t back on time, he’d make a huge fuss. I feigned ignorance, offering a polite but distant smile. “I’m sorry, sir, you’ve mistaken me for someone else. I don’t know you at all.” Liam, however, grabbed my arm, yanking up my sleeve to expose the distinctive red birthmark. His voice was laced with excitement, revealing a hint of possessive pride. “How could I be mistaken?” “We were together for so many years; there’s no way I could mistake you!” “Aria, where have you been all these years? Why didn’t you ever contact me? Do you know how hard I looked for you…?” Liam, true to form, was about to launch into his usual accusations. But his words caught in his throat when he saw my prosthetic limb. His eyes slowly reddened, and he murmured, “Your leg… what happened to your leg?” “Aria, you must have suffered so much out there all these years, didn’t you?” “I’m so sorry, so sorry. It’s all my fault. I failed to protect you…” I brushed the dirt off my clothes, unsure how to explain. In truth, I’d been living wonderfully all these years. That accident, though it cost me a leg, inadvertently led me to find my biological parents. I wasn’t the Petersons’ real daughter, but I was the only daughter of the Sterling family, a top-tier dynasty. My birth mother and father were incredibly wealthy. My husband was the CEO of Newport City’s wealthiest enterprise. All I lost was a leg. What I gained was endless wealth and the complete affection of a loving family. My family provided me with the most elite medical team and the best of everything. This custom-made prosthetic limb alone was worth millions. It was just that the path up the mountain was slick from the rain and difficult to navigate, which made me look so disheveled. Thinking about it, it was Liam’s heartlessness to bury me on this desolate mountain just to save some money. My patience was wearing thin. “Liam, stop putting on an act for me.” “Seven years ago, I divorced you, and my parents said they’d disown me. I have absolutely nothing to do with any of you anymore, and I’m certainly not going back. So why are you still playing this charade?” My adoptive parents were incredibly controlling. From a young age, they forced me to dance and play piano. To control my weight, they starved me for years, and often resorted to corporal punishment. If I didn’t get perfect scores on tests, they’d hit my palms. If I didn’t win dance competitions, I was forced to kneel for hours. That’s why my first reaction to losing my leg wasn’t despair, but a profound, almost shameful, sense of relief. Relief that I finally wouldn’t have to practice dance anymore. When I grew up, they twisted my college application, forcing me to choose schools close to them. Even my marriage had to be arranged according to their wishes. And Liam, the brilliant, dependable man they deemed worthy of my hand? He quickly cheated on me shortly after we married, falling into Chloe’s arms. Back then, isolated and utterly devastated, I was truly heartbroken and lost. But now, I have a family who cherishes me completely. There’s no way I’m going back to endure that kind of humiliation again. Liam, however, thought I was just being stubborn. He grabbed my hand. “Stop being so childish, Aria.” “I promise I’ll treat you well, I’ll make up for all the suffering you’ve endured, and I’ll never let you be wronged again.” Liam’s tone became somewhat smug. “I got a new job at Sterling Enterprises as a manager, with a six-figure salary.” “We even moved into that villa you always liked. I can give you the best life!” Sterling Enterprises? Wasn’t that Julian’s company? Julian had indeed been planning to expand in the city recently, which was why he was recruiting so heavily. It was a cruel twist of fate that Liam had been hired there too. Seeing that I didn’t show any hint of admiration, but instead frowned, Liam grew annoyed. His voice unconsciously turned cold. “Aria, what’s wrong with you? Why are you still throwing tantrums?” “Haven’t you suffered enough out there all these years? Where could a cripple like you possibly go without me?” “Just be obedient and come back with me. I know you and Chloe had some misunderstandings, but that’s all in the past.” “She’s moved on, so why are you still hung up on those petty past grievances?” This was Liam, alright. He talked about guilt, but his heart had always belonged to her. Annoyed, I reiterated my desire to leave. But Liam’s face suddenly darkened. “Aria, don’t you understand? Now, only I can protect you.” “Otherwise, if word gets out about your attempted murder, you’ll be facing serious jail time, maybe worse!”

Attempted murder? When did I murder someone? I didn’t know anything about it. Meeting my bewildered gaze, Liam said grimly, “After Chloe was found, you resented her for taking the spotlight. You bullied her relentlessly, even tried to drown her in the pool.” “You were terrified of being exposed, that’s why you jumped from the car and ran away!” What in the world was he talking about? I listened, completely confused. Just as I was about to demand an explanation, I saw Chloe approaching, leaning on my adoptive parents. Seeing me, Chloe burst into tears instantly. “Sister… Sister, you’re not dead? Oh, that’s wonderful! Please come home, I’ve missed you so much!” “Even though you and Liam are divorced, you’re still Mom and Dad’s daughter.” “We all love you, Aria. If you’re willing to come back, I’ll even step aside and let you reclaim your place as our daughter, and I won’t ever mention the terrible things you did to me…” Chloe’s pitiful act completely shattered Liam’s heart. He quickly pulled her into his embrace, soothing her gently. “It’s not your fault. You’ve sacrificed enough for this family; I won’t let you be wronged again.” My adoptive parents also sighed. “Aria, stop making a scene. We know about all those things you did before.” “We spoiled you rotten back then, so we don’t blame you for those actions.” “You’ve suffered enough out there all these years, so you’ve learned your lesson.” “Since you’re willing to come back, we can still be a family.” The more I listened, the more something felt wrong. In the past, I might have been too lazy to argue with them. But now my identity was special; any small incident could impact Sterling Enterprises’ stock value. I absolutely couldn’t allow them to spread these outrageous lies and slander. I stared at them coldly. “Liam, you need to provide evidence for your accusations.” “When did I commit attempted murder? And when did I ever bully Chloe?” Seeing my defiant attitude, Liam grew annoyed. “Aria, I was trying to be discreet, to spare your reputation, but since you’re so utterly unrepentant, don’t blame me for being ruthless.” With that, he pulled out his phone and played a video. It was surveillance footage, a bit blurry. I could vaguely make out myself dragging Chloe into a swimming pool, holding her head firmly underwater. Chloe struggled painfully, and I ignored her, only letting go when someone passed by. As if afraid I’d deny it, Liam added, “I had the video professionally authenticated; there are no signs of editing, no fakery.” “Only you know the true extent of your depravity!” How could this be? I looked at Chloe in confusion. Just one look, and she shuddered from head to toe. That genuine, deep-seated fear didn’t seem faked. Reluctantly, I zoomed in on the surveillance footage. I repeatedly watched that familiar face, feeling a strange sense of dissociation myself. For a moment, I even wondered if I had forgotten past events after falling off the cliff. Just as I was puzzling over it, Chloe suddenly dropped a bombshell.

Chloe pitifully lifted her head, her eyes brimming with tears. “Liam, please stop. I’m so scared.” “What if Sister gets angry and sends a bunch of thugs to… to hurt me again?” Liam immediately looked at Chloe with a serious expression. “What did you say? Hurt you? What happened? Why didn’t you tell me about something so serious?” Chloe looked at me, then back at Liam. Finally, she stammered, “It’s my fault, Sister. It’s normal for her to send people to beat me up to vent her anger.” “I don’t blame her, I really don’t.” “Liam, let’s go home. I don’t want to recall those terrible things anymore.” The more Chloe said this, the more Liam pressed for details. Finally, Chloe was forced to tell everyone. She claimed that I had constantly bullied her at home, and Liam had been her only salvation. One time, after they’d both had too much to drink, they accidentally slept together. She had consequently become pregnant with Liam’s child. And when I found out, fueled by resentment, I allegedly hired a dozen thugs to assault Chloe. “I lost my baby, and I can’t have children anymore.” “I was afraid you’d despise me, so I kept this secret locked away.” “But I don’t regret it, Liam, I don’t regret it. As long as I can be with you, anything is worth it.” With that, Chloe suddenly knelt and kowtowed to me. “Sister, I know you hate me, but I beg you, please spare me. I really won’t contend with you for anything.” “I just want a home, a place where I can find shelter from the storm.” “Sister, please, please give me a chance to live!” Her tragic appearance broke everyone’s hearts. My adoptive mother hugged Chloe tightly, her eyes full of pity. My adoptive father, however, outright slapped me. “You animal! We raised you, fed you, housed you for so many years.” “And you repay our kindness with hatred, bullying my biological daughter like this!” “Now you still want to come back and live as the rich young lady? In your dreams!” “Liam is now a manager at Sterling Enterprises. We have connections to bring you to justice.” “I’ll send you to the police station right now and make sure you rot in jail!” The clamor around me brought back distant memories, and my lingering doubts vanished. Seven years ago, it was a similar scene. Chloe had stubbornly claimed I put nails in her dance shoes, causing her to lose a competition opportunity. Dad had slapped me, just like today. Mom, tears in her eyes, said she didn’t have a daughter like me. And Liam had stood behind Chloe, unhesitatingly defending his beloved. Now, history was repeating itself. Everything felt exactly as it had seven years ago. All those years after my supposed death, these people spoke of love and regret. But given a second chance, they still unhesitatingly chose Chloe. My pent-up frustration and resentment reached a boiling point. I violently shook off Liam’s hand, trying to call Julian. Liam, thinking I was going to hurt Chloe, kicked me. My prosthetic limb snapped, and my head slammed against a rock on the roadside, bleeding profusely. Liam, as if blind to my condition, dragged me towards the police station. “Aria, I gave you a chance, but you’re just too foolish.” “Today, I will make you pay for everything you’ve done!” If reporters caught sight of me like this, who knew what kind of scandal it would cause? On the verge of breaking down, I couldn’t think of anything else and shouted. “Let go of me! I didn’t do anything!” “I’m Julian Sterling’s wife! If he finds out you’re treating me like this, he won’t let you get away with it!” Liam froze for a moment, then let out a scoffing laugh. “Aria, your lying hasn’t changed a bit.” “You say you didn’t do anything, so what about that video? You claim to be Julian Sterling’s wife, but what proof do you have?” “I don’t believe Chloe would jeopardize her own reputation to frame you.” “And I certainly don’t believe Julian Sterling, the CEO of a major corporation, would ever look twice at a cripple like you!” As his words fell, a light bulb went off in my head. Suddenly, I understood the problem with that video.

Before I could even speak, my daughter, Lily, somehow caught up to us. She spread her arms, shielding me. Her big, round eyes glared furiously. “You bad people, let go of my mommy!” “Lily, be careful!” My heart clenched, terrified they might hurt my child. Seeing Lily, Liam suddenly froze. He stared intently at Lily, unconsciously releasing his grip on me. “Who is she? She just called you Mommy. Does that mean… is that my daughter?!” “Aria, why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant? How could you let my daughter live such a hard life with you?!” I seized the opportunity to break free, pulling Lily into my embrace and watching Liam warily. “Lily is Julian’s and my child. She has absolutely nothing to do with you.” Liam couldn’t have fathered such a beautiful child. Lily inherited her father’s striking features; she looked more mature and refined than children her age. But Liam refused to believe me. He even reached out to Lily, trying to pull her from my arms. Seeing Liam’s dazed expression, Chloe grew anxious. She tugged at Liam’s sleeve, tears instantly welling up. “What a smart, sweet child. Liam, if our baby had lived, they’d be this age now.” “My poor baby, they didn’t even get a chance to open their eyes and see this world.” “It’s all my fault for being a useless mother, I couldn’t even protect our child…” Sure enough, after hearing her words, Liam’s softened expression turned cold again. He looked at me with a grim face. “Aria, don’t think you can use a child to make me soft-hearted.” “My daughter deserves better than a despicable mother like you. Once I’ve put you in prison, I’ll take our daughter back and let her live with Chloe. It’ll be a small compensation for her.” With that, he turned to Lily, spreading his arms with an expectant look. “Come here, Lily, come to Daddy.” “Daddy has money! I can buy you a big house and the most beautiful clothes!” I was speechless. Knowing Julian’s temper, if he ever found out someone tried to make his daughter call another man ‘Daddy,’ all hell would break loose. But right now, I didn’t have time to dwell on that; I just wanted to get Lily and myself out of here quickly. I didn’t continue to argue with Liam about Lily. Pulling out my phone, I opened a social media app I’d used before. “You all said I almost drowned Chloe, right? I have proof.” “When I watched the video, something felt off, and I finally remembered why.” “The date on the video is October 30th, seven years ago. But at that time, Liam and I were on vacation in Bali. How could I have teleported back to the country to attack Chloe?” Liam paused, then hesitantly clicked on my social media. Back then, Liam and I were still in the throes of a passionate relationship, often taking photos together. That trip was a spontaneous decision, and I hadn’t told my adoptive parents, fearing their disapproval. When we returned, my parents were furious I hadn’t kept it a secret. To teach me a ‘lesson,’ they broke a cane over my back. Because of this, the memory was incredibly vivid for me. And only Liam and I knew about it; it was our little secret. It was just a shame he never really paid attention to my affairs, which was why he so easily fell for Chloe’s manipulations. Seeing Liam’s expression falter, Chloe started crying again. She looked at me anxiously. “Sister, don’t keep making excuses.” “You already caused me to lose my baby, and you made me infertile for life. Isn’t that enough?” “Why won’t you just leave me alone? Why do you have to keep slandering me?” “Do you… do you hate me so much that you want me dead?” “Fine, then I’ll die! I’ll give you what you want!” With that, Chloe recklessly lunged towards a rock by the roadside. Seeing this, my adoptive parents panicked and immediately sided with Chloe. “Liam, don’t listen to Aria’s nonsense.” “This girl has been a liar since childhood. Just send her straight to the police station.” “Once she’s in front of the police, I’d like to see what excuses she’ll come up with!” The stark difference between love and indifference was painfully clear. For their favored daughter, even with irrefutable evidence, they chose to ignore it. For me, their daughter who had long lost her usefulness, they wouldn’t even spare a glance. I suddenly regretted coming back, regretted still holding onto a foolish hope for these people. In that fleeting moment of thought, Liam suddenly rushed forward to snatch Lily from me. “Sweet daughter, come to Daddy. Your mommy is a lying cheat, we don’t need her.” Lily was terrified by Liam and burst into loud sobs. “No, she’s not! Mommy is the best mommy in the world!” “You’re the bad guys! Let go of my mommy!” Seeing Lily’s little face flushed with tears, my heart was about to break. I lunged towards them, desperate to get my daughter back. But my prosthetic limb had been discarded somewhere. I stumbled and fell again and again, covered in dirt and scrapes. Tears mixed with blood. Lily’s cries and the harsh accusations gradually pushed me to despair. Just then, a familiar figure blocked my path.

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“Pathetic!” My hand froze on my shoe, and I stiffly looked at Julian, who was sprawled on the couch. He was staring at my wrongly buttoned shirt, his displeasure evident. “I told you ages ago, no matter how you dress up, I’m never going to touch you! If you’re sick, take your meds!” I lowered my gaze. Of course, I knew. Our families forced Julian and me into this strategic marriage, which drove his true love away. On our wedding night, he locked me in the bridal suite, then walked out to find her. “If you can go three years without touching her, I’ll forgive you.” His love, Seraphina, had said, filled with spite. Now, there were only seven days left until the three years were up. Over a thousand days and nights had passed, and Julian had indeed never touched me. But he knew perfectly well that after being tormented all night by an intensely potent aphrodisiac on our wedding night, I had developed a severe condition of heightened senses and physical sensitivity. For three years, I couldn’t leave the Sterling estate; I had to find ways to tempt him. So much so that now, merely having a button on my shirt misaligned, in his eyes, became a deliberate seduction. The door slammed shut with a **bang!** I quietly breathed a sigh of relief. It was a good thing he continued to shun me completely. Otherwise, if he were to unbutton just one button, he would glimpse the marks covering my body—marks left by another man.

Sunlight streamed onto the enormous wedding portrait in the living room, and I offered a bitter smile. To outsiders, Julian and I were the perfect couple, living in harmony for three years. But no one knew that we had secretly filed for divorce the day after our wedding. The family alliance was too intricate; we couldn’t completely separate at the time. Moreover, Julian needed me to stay and prove his loyalty to his love over these three years. It was no wonder the outside world knew nothing. After all, the same Julian who had sneered at me in the morning could take my hand that evening, playing the part of a devoted husband and wife at a banquet. Sometimes, even I would get lost in the illusion. But illusions were just that—illusions. The fragile peace between Julian and me only needed Seraphina to shatter it. The moment I saw Seraphina, I felt the man beside me instantly stiffen. He instinctively flung my hand away. “Seraphina, what are you doing here?” Julian never attended banquets where Seraphina was present because pretending to be in love with me would hurt his Seraphina. Seraphina pointed to a man in the distance and said mockingly, “You’re allowed a dance partner, but I can’t have a male companion?” “Seraphina, you know perfectly well…” Julian’s voice was tinged with urgency. “Know what? Who was it that got a call from his ‘wife’ last night and almost rushed off, only staying reluctantly for one night and then claiming he had to leave first thing in the morning?” “Everyone in the city knows the Sterling heir and his wife’s loving story, don’t they?” I instantly understood her anger. Last night, I had my first flare-up outside the estate. In a haze of delirium, I dialed Julian’s number. But he never came. I had no choice but to call a male escort to help me. “It seems I’m truly superfluous. Three years ago, I said if you just didn’t touch her, I’d forgive you.” Her slightly reddened eyes darted to my neck. “You can’t even hide the hickeys now. What more is there for me to forgive?” I hadn’t realized the marks left by the male escort were visible. I instinctively covered my neck, my eyes meeting Julian’s in confusion. A flicker of doubt crossed his eyes. But Seraphina’s move to turn and leave didn’t give him time to think. He quickly grabbed her wrist. “I have never touched her! I can show you all the security footage from the house for the past three years!” Then, his face darkened as he turned to me. “Have you learned to stage things now? Apologize to Seraphina immediately! Her body is delicate; doctors have warned her against emotional distress.” I froze, my throat tight. I hadn’t done anything. But I eventually lowered my head and said, “I’m sorry. I overstepped.” No one knew that I, too, had once fallen for Julian. That day, when I first saw him, his smile beneath the cherry blossom tree was so bright. A friend’s casual comment, “Isn’t that your fiancé?” made my heart skip a beat. But later, I understood that anyone would look good standing under that cherry blossom tree. The first year, I finally accepted he could never love me. The second year, I thoroughly buried that ridiculous infatuation. The third year, I slowly, painstakingly, disentangled all the financial ties between our two families. Now, only seven days remained until their three-year pact expired. Seven days later, the Sterling family would have a new mistress, and I would forever leave this absurd marriage. “Anya, dear, it’s not your fault,” Seraphina said, her anger subsiding, as she playfully pointed at Julian. “I’m not the type of woman who likes to compete with other girls. If anyone’s to blame, it’s him.” She gently took my hand, as if she wasn’t the one who had just caused a scene. “But Anya, your feelings for Julian must be so deep, doing everything he tells you.”

A trace of undetectable mockery flickered across Seraphina’s face. My heart was calm. Mr. Sterling, the influential businessman, was also attending tonight’s banquet. My family needed his help with some recent business ventures. My easy apology was simply to prevent Julian’s impulsive actions from spoiling things. “Anya, I’d like to toast you.” I instinctively reached out for the glass, but a sudden pull made me stumble back two steps. Crash! The towering pyramid of champagne flutes collapsed, and both Seraphina and I fell hard into the shattered glass. Without hesitation, Julian rushed to Seraphina’s side. Even though she had avoided most of the glass shards. “Julian!” I looked at Mr. Sterling approaching in the distance and whispered a reminder to Julian. Julian paused, then, seeing me covered in blood and Seraphina with only minor scrapes, he quickly moved to help me up. “Anya, why did you push me?” Seraphina cried, her voice trembling. “Don’t worry, I won’t fight you for Julian. Even if our three-year pact is almost over, I’ll still leave.” Julian’s hand froze, and his face instantly turned dark. “First, it was fake hickeys, and now you’re deliberately hurting her?” he snapped at me. “Anya, I told you I wouldn’t touch you, even after three years. Give up your vicious schemes!” Julian didn’t hesitate anymore. In front of the Mayor and all the guests, he carried Seraphina away. “What’s going on? Didn’t Mr. Sterling and his wife have a great relationship? Why is he leaving with another woman?” “If that woman was more seriously injured, then fine, but Miss Hayes is clearly hurt worse!” “I always wanted to say, ‘model couple’? What genuine feelings can there be in a strategic marriage?” Amidst the whispers of the crowd, Seraphina, who was about to leave, subtly flashed me a triumphant smile. But I didn’t care about Julian’s blatant favoritism. After all, in many moments no one saw, he had been just as biased. While I soaked in an ice bath all night to fight the effects of the drug, he was at a bar, begging Seraphina for forgiveness. While I landed in the hospital after drinking myself sick at business dinners for countless contracts, Julian was at the vet with Seraphina’s dog. While I endured agonizing nights due to my sensual fever, Julian chose to prescribe me the most nerve-damaging medication, terrified he might cross the line himself. I didn’t care about any of that. My only concern was the company’s interests. I quickly explained, “It was my fault; I accidentally knocked over the champagne flutes. Miss Seraphina has a bleeding disorder, so even a small injury can’t be ignored. That’s why I asked my husband to take her to the hospital first.” Most people believed me. “Oh, I see. No wonder Mr. Sterling hesitated for a moment.” Of course, there were also sharp-eyed observers. “But that Miss Seraphina, doesn’t she look a lot like Mr. Sterling’s fiancée from before he got married?” I subtly glanced at Mr. Sterling, who had approached. His eyes were filled with disappointment; it seemed he didn’t believe a word I said. Suddenly, the roar of a helicopter echoed from above the ballroom. “We’re here to treat Mrs. Sterling’s injuries.” Julian had actually called a helicopter ambulance for me. My heart immediately eased. At least our image as a loving couple hadn’t completely shattered. Dragging my exhausted body, I was about to head home when four bodyguards suddenly blocked my path. They were unmistakably wearing the Sterling family’s security uniform. My knees hit the cold marble floor of the Sterling mansion with a heavy thud. “Married for three years, and you can’t even keep a man in line!”

Eleanor’s furious voice came from behind me. This scene was exactly like three years ago, when Eleanor found out Julian had gone to Seraphina on our wedding night. She had made me kneel here then too, after a night of soaking in ice water and a fever. Her son made the mistake, yet she blamed me for everything. If my family hadn’t still needed the Sterling family’s backing back then, I would have left long ago. “Call Julian immediately and tell him to get back here!” I called, but it was hung up in a second. 【Don’t bother me tonight. Seraphina’s wound got infected!】 Eleanor sneered, then, just like three years ago, she inflicted her cruel form of ‘discipline’ on me. Whip after whip. No visible marks, but the pain went straight to my bones. The next day, still aching from new and old wounds, I went to an animal rescue center to attend a charity event where the Mayor would also be present. If I could get some insider tips from high-ranking officials about certain shipments, my family’s business would be secure. Anyway, I was almost free, so I didn’t mind using this “loving couple” facade to gain some last benefits. Julian, knowing he had publicly abandoned me yesterday, felt guilty and did show up. I was feeding cat food with the children at the center. The gloom of my unhappy marriage was temporarily dispelled by the children and small animals, and I found myself unconsciously smiling. Sensing approaching footsteps, I looked up, and my eyes met Julian’s. For some reason, he froze in place. “He likes the pretty lady!” a child’s voice chirped. The child’s innocent remark startled Julian, a flicker of panic crossing his face. He quickly retreated a few steps. “Stay away from me. I still need to go take care of Seraphina later. She’s allergic to cat fur.” “Ah!” My wounds were accidentally touched, and I couldn’t help but cry out. Julian frowned, pulling my hand to examine the injury. “This is your own fault, you deserve it. If you hadn’t deliberately hurt Seraphina first, you wouldn’t have been caught by the glass—” His words trailed off. “What are these whip marks?” “Did my mother punish you again? Were you calling me yesterday to ask for help?” I found it a little funny, seeing Julian show a hint of remorse for me. “Yes, but you hung up.” “Then why didn’t you call more times? If you called more, I would have definitely answered.” “You told me not to disturb you, didn’t you?” Julian’s expression was odd. He mumbled, “Whatever I said goes, you…when did you start loving me so much?” “Huh?” “It’s nothing. I’ll take you to the hospital later.” If I had known I’d run into Seraphina at the hospital, I would have rather died of pain than go with Julian. “Julian,” Seraphina said, her eyes slightly red, from the end of the corridor. “Didn’t you say you were in a meeting?” Just as I was about to sigh about what a terrible man Julian was, Seraphina looked at me. “Did you specifically call me to the hospital just to show me this? I already told you, I won’t compete with you, why bother going to such lengths?” I was still at a loss for words, but Julian’s face had already darkened. **Slap!** He hit me hard, and my cheek instantly stung with a fiery pain. “It seems my concern just now was completely wasted. How could a scheming woman like you ever let herself suffer? You’d even exploit a small scratch to the extreme!” I covered my cheek, suppressing the dizzying sensation of seeing stars, and looked at Julian in disbelief.

In the end, I said nothing. After all, Julian was blind and deaf; any further explanation would only add to my list of accusations. My phone vibrated. It was an insider tip about shipments, revealed by the Mayor. The last bit of value from this marriage had been squeezed dry. I wiped away my tears and took one step at a time towards my freedom. “Anya, immediately send a pack of feminine hygiene products to The Nightfall Club. Seraphina started her period, and you’re familiar with those brands.” Julian and I hadn’t seen each other for days. He was busy coaxing Seraphina, and I was busy packing my bags to make room for her. When I received the message, I hesitated, but eventually delivered it to him. After all, I had a divorce settlement agreement for him to sign. “Three years are up. You never touched me once.” Hearing this, Julian froze, flicking cigarette ash onto the floor. “What do you mean?” I smiled faintly. “I mean, you can finally ask for your love’s forgiveness. I wish you both a lifetime of happiness!” Despite my blessings, Julian’s face showed no joy; instead, he said angrily, “What are you blabbering about? Are you deliberately dragging your feet, making Seraphina wait for you?” Unable to refute, I handed him the divorce settlement agreement, urging him to sign it and be done with it. He didn’t even look, scrawling his signature impatiently. “Aren’t you going to deliver the items to Seraphina?” I said nothing more, took the bag, and headed to the restroom. Everything went smoothly, and I left, filled with anticipation. But just then, two bodyguards suddenly blocked the exit and dragged me back inside. The restroom was in chaos. Four shady-looking men were subdued on the floor by Julian’s bodyguards. Seraphina was nestled in Julian’s arms, her face unusually pale, and an unlabeled bottle of liquid lay on the floor. Julian looked up, his eyes so cold they sent shivers down my spine. At his command, a bodyguard mercilessly kicked the back of my knee, and I fell straight to my knees. The sudden pain stole my breath, and I almost couldn’t suppress my rage. “Julian! What the hell is wrong with you?” “What’s wrong with me? If I had been a moment later, Seraphina would have been assaulted!” Julian’s voice was chilling. “You gave Seraphina this dangerous substance and hired four men to assault her! Anya, when did you become so vicious?” “No, I should say, when did you stop even pretending to be gentle?” He ordered Seraphina to be rushed to the hospital, then walked directly towards me, holding the bottle of liquid. I froze, and realizing his intent, I recoiled sharply. “Julian, calm down! There’s security footage here; check it, and you’ll know it wasn’t me!” “Miss Hayes, we don’t want your money anymore, but please, beg Mr. Sterling for mercy! We don’t want to go to jail!” the four men whimpered, their faces drawn. Julian sneered, reaching out to grip my neck, then pinching my jaw, forcing my mouth open. “Julian! No! You know I have that condition! If I take this, I’ll die!” He didn’t stop, pouring the remaining two-thirds of the liquid into my mouth. I couldn’t stop coughing. By the time I regained my senses, he had already led everyone out of the restroom. “Go on, enjoy the torment of craving release but finding none!” Almost instantly, my body began to boil. “Please, let me out…I’ll die…” The only response was the fading sound of footsteps. Before my consciousness completely faded, a familiar figure burst through the door. “Why do I always see you looking so pathetic?”

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My mom loves playing the victim whenever she faces a problem. One weekend, my whole family went on a trip. She thought no one would check the lucky charm souvenirs at the tourist spot. So she just casually snatched one and shoved it into my backpack. That led to an influencer filming me, and the video even went viral. I was fired from a major corporation where I earned a million dollars a year. She put on her innocent act, saying, “Wasn’t I just trying to bring good luck to this family?” Later, during my medical exam for a new job. My mom lost my lab samples. She secretly swapped them with her own. That resulted in me being diagnosed with a rare chronic illness and getting rejected for the job. She played the victim again, saying, “I thought anyone’s sample would be fine! How can you only care about your job? You don’t even care that I’m sick!” I was pushed to severe depression and had to stay home to recuperate. My mom, ever the victim, started crying, “My daughter, you can’t just isolate yourself!” So she forced me onto the street to hug strangers. Eventually, a malicious predator dragged me into a dark alley. When I opened my eyes again. I was back on that weekend family trip.

The first thing I did after realizing I’d been reborn. Was to subtly switch backpacks with my dad, then detour to the souvenir shop behind us. Because I knew. Half an hour ago. My mom had torn a lucky charm off the wishing tree at the top of the hill and stuffed it into *my* bag. That’s exactly what happened in my past life. I’d taken my family on this trip that weekend. In the crowded tourist spot, my mom had eyed the wind chimes hanging from the wishing tree. She just assumed they were free souvenirs you could take. So she casually shoved one into my backpack. When security staff at the exit stopped me during a secondary check. I had no idea why. I argued with them, self-righteously. Until my backpack was ripped open. The lucky wind chime fell to the ground, shattering into pieces. The embarrassing scene of me being exposed in public was filmed entirely by an influencer who happened to be there. The video instantly exploded online, becoming a trending topic. I became the thief condemned by netizens. My million-dollar corporate job vanished. It wasn’t until the security camera footage from the park was found that day. The footage clearly showed my mom. Her movements, as she slipped the wind chime into my bag, were clear and practiced. I angrily confronted her, demanding to know why she did it. My mom covered her face, speechless. She cried, trembling all over. My dad slapped me across the face and said, “Stop going on and on! Who told you to be so careless with your own bag?” Later. I managed to find a comparable job elsewhere, thanks to my impressive resume. But during the entrance medical exam, my mom lost my urine sample. She, again, just assumed. That anyone’s sample would be fine. As a result, my exam showed I had chronic conditions common in the elderly, leading to my job offer being rescinded. I was furious, crying silently in my room. But all the relatives and elders in the family dragged me out to apologize to my mom. “It’s just a job, if it’s gone, find another! You don’t even care that your own mother is sick! You really are a heartless wretch!” Even later. Under their constant pressure, I developed severe depression and refused to leave the house. My mom, once again, assumed I was like this because I lacked social interaction. She hung a “Free Hugs” sign on me. And pushed me out onto the street. Ultimately. I was dragged into an alley by a deranged pervert, abused, and left for dead. Reborn. I had to make everyone understand. Just how desperate it was to deal with someone like my mom.

By the time I returned with the purchased souvenirs. My dad was loudly arguing with the park staff, pointing at the shattered wind chime already in his backpack. My mom stood by, silent the whole time. As if the entire incident had absolutely nothing to do with her. “How many people do you guys extort with this stuff all year round?! I’m telling you again! I didn’t take this thing at all!” The park staff remained polite. Patiently explaining their work procedures to my dad. The onlookers couldn’t stand it anymore and started speaking up. “What kind of manners do people have these days? There’s a limit to lying through your teeth!” “You didn’t take it? Did that charm just grow legs and walk into your bag?” I walked in, feigning complete ignorance. After a quick understanding of the situation. I angrily pulled my dad aside, firmly demanding the park provide security footage from when the wind chime went missing. In my previous life. The moment I saw the wind chime shatter from my bag. The intense shame made me want to resolve the matter as quickly as possible. By the time I wanted to check the footage afterward. The park had already refused to cooperate. Even though the surveillance footage that later circulated online proved I hadn’t stolen anything. My job and life had already been severely impacted. This time. I asked to see the footage immediately. My mom, who hadn’t said a word, suddenly stopped me. She tried to persuade us not to pursue the truth and just apologize to resolve the matter quickly. My dad and I both ignored her. Especially my dad, who wore a self-important, clear-conscienced demeanor. He even pulled out his phone, ready to record irrefutable proof of the park extorting tourists on camera. Who knew that when the footage played. My mom’s movements, as she plucked the wind chime and slipped it into my backpack, were quick and practiced. She had even moved lightly, careful not to let me notice. Later, completely unaware. I had inadvertently swapped identical backpacks with my dad. Now it was clear. While it proved my dad hadn’t stolen anything. The thief was, unfortunately, his lawful wife. My dad, who had been righteously yelling at the park for extortion just moments ago. Could only turn ashen-faced and pay for the item.

On the way back. I sat in the back seat, silent. My dad gripped the steering wheel, his face grim. Only my mom wiped away tears, rambling incessantly. “Who knew that thing couldn’t be taken? Who knew?! It was right there, easy to pick… If you didn’t want people to take it, you should hang it higher!” “The park is also to blame, there were so many hanging on that tree, what’s wrong with me taking just one?” “Wasn’t I just thinking the charm had a good meaning, wanting to bring a little good luck to the family?” “Why is it all my fault? How was I supposed to know they had security scanners at the entrance that could detect it?” In all my memories, growing up. My mom had always been like this. She had her own unique understanding of the world. She’d act according to her own rules, assuming they were universal. Never considering anyone else’s feelings. Even if she ended up hurting others. She would always justify everything she did as being “for your own good.” I always thought. My mom was just ignorant and naive. It wasn’t until my past life, when she caused my death, that I finally understood. My mom actually knew right from wrong. She just chose to elevate her own ignorance above normal rules. Through feigned weakness and kindness, she would emotionally blackmail everyone connected to her. “Chloe! I distinctly remember putting that wind chime in *your* bag! Did you know about it all along?! Is that why you deliberately swapped bags with your dad?! Making him lose face in front of all those people!” In a moment of desperation. My mom threw the blame on me. “Mom, it doesn’t matter whose bag you put it in, if you wanted it, our family could afford to buy it. But since you were the one who put it there, why didn’t you just admit it? Why did you let Dad argue with those people for so long?” “Explain what?! I had good intentions, why should I explain?! I’m not like you! My heart is entirely for this family! For all these years, has anyone ever cared about me? Has anyone ever paid attention to me?” With that, my mom habitually began to sob again. As if the entire world was against her innocent self. My dad slammed on the brakes, stopping the car on the side of the road. He raised his hand and slapped my mom next to him several times. Then he glared at me, seething, and said, “Aren’t you two embarrassing enough?! You two worthless deadweights! I must have had the worst luck to be stuck with you! If you embarrass me again! Get out, both of you!” See? My dad, as always. Didn’t care about right or wrong. Only about his own cheap pride.

After the holiday ended. Sitting at my familiar office desk again. An unreal sense of dizziness washed over me. What happened at the park. My mom had lost that round. It was one of the few times in years my mom had been outmaneuvered by me. I knew. She would definitely find an opportunity to re-establish her authority over me. To completely escape the fate of my past life. And break free from this toxic family I should have left long ago. I decided to run for a senior leadership position at headquarters, aiming for a transfer to an overseas branch. Before participating in the election. I deliberately kept my candidacy a secret. I only told my mom that I was busy with work and would be working overtime. No need to prepare dinner for me at home. However, on the very first day of overtime. I received a complaint from the security department downstairs. They said my mom was sitting at the main entrance, carrying an insulated food container, crying and blocking the security gate, refusing to move. For the sake of my future. I patiently explained to my mom. Company policy disallowed outsiders from entering without important reasons. After much persuasion, I finally coaxed her back home. The next evening. She showed up again with the insulated container, insisting that the security staff’s hands were “dirty.” Crying and making a scene, she demanded to personally deliver the food upstairs to me. She even broke two of the security department’s walkie-talkies. This went on for a whole week, every single day. I was publicly reprimanded by the entire company. Under duress. I became like a trained pet. Forced to bring a huge pile of work home every day. Just to make it home in time for my mom’s dinner. My mom, once again, became everyone’s image of a hardworking, caring parent. On the day of the official election. To prevent my mom from sabotaging my candidacy that day. I specifically transferred her two thousand dollars. Coaxing her and my dad to go out and enjoy themselves. To my surprise. I hadn’t even finished my performance review presentation. When my mom burst into the company’s main conference room with her insulated container. Regardless of the occasion. She opened the container and tried to spoon steaming hot dinner into my mouth. “Honey, why are you hiding your overtime from your mom?” “Good thing Mom found out, I rushed it over to you right away!” “What do you mean outsiders aren’t allowed? If Mom wants to bring you food, she can! I don’t believe any rule can stop someone from eating!” Under the gaze of the senior executives from headquarters. I awkwardly and politely explained my current situation to my mom. Unexpectedly, my mom suddenly slammed her forks down. Pointing at the noses of the senior leaders, she started questioning them. “How can you leaders be like this? Why are you forcing my only daughter to go to such a faraway place!” “My daughter would never volunteer for this! She always listens to me! She would never leave me and her dad!” I don’t remember how I got home from the company. I only remember developing a high fever that night. I slept fitfully under my blanket. Dreaming of all my efforts over the past days turning to dust. Suddenly. A loud banging on the wall jolted me awake. My locked bedroom door was kicked off its hinges from the outside. Before I could even react. My dad and Uncle Robert, two grown men, dragged me from my bed all the way to the living room. And forced me down in front of my mom. The scene eerily overlapped with a desperate memory from my past life. In my previous life, my mom had spilled my urine sample. And secretly swapped it with her own. Causing my new job application to fail. As the two most meddlesome people in the family. Uncle Robert and Aunt Susan also rushed over immediately, pressing me to apologize to my mom. My mom sat on the couch, sobbing and wiping her tears. “It’s just a job, what’s the big deal? I didn’t know it was that important?” “No one ever paid for me to go to so much school since I was little! What do I know?!” “I just didn’t want my child to work too hard! I just wanted my child to have dinner early! If I really ruined my child’s future, I’d rather die!” Saying this. My mom theatrically slapped her own face twice. Uncle Robert shoved me from behind, telling me to kneel and apologize to my mom. He unleashed a torrent of accusations at me. “Hurry up and apologize to your mom! No matter what, your mom did it for your own good! You’ve been cooped up in your room, refusing to come out! Do you know how worried you’ve made your mom?” “Exactly! Why is a girl like you so restless, always wanting to run off to another city? Why not just stay put, find a good partner, and get married? So impulsive! Who would want to marry someone like that?!” Aunt Susan chimed in. “I told your mom back then to have another son, but she wouldn’t listen! If there was a brother here to be the man of the house! Would this girl dare talk back to her like this? She should have been disciplined a long time ago!” Uncle Robert stood by, arms crossed, watching coldly. “If you were my daughter, you’d be lucky to even finish junior high! Your mom even paid for your college, what a waste of money!” As the highest-paid among the younger generation in the entire family. Uncle Robert and Aunt Susan often received gifts from me. Occasionally, they would even praise my mom for raising a daughter so correctly. Now, my success had become proof of a girl who wouldn’t listen to authority. Amidst their incessant lecturing. My mom’s sobs grew even louder. But there wasn’t a single tear in her eyes. During brief pauses. I could even see clear triumph in her gaze as she looked at me. “Mom, I’m sorry, I was wrong.” “I shouldn’t have given you attitude, I shouldn’t have kept my transfer plans from you.” “Mom, please forgive me, from now on, I’ll listen to everything you say.” I don’t know how many apologies and sweet words I uttered. Until my voice was completely hoarse. Only then did Uncle Robert and Aunt Susan seem satisfied, patting my parents on the shoulders and chatting cheerfully. In reality. All of them knew perfectly well. Who was right and who was wrong between my mom and me. They accused me. Simply because they wanted to assert their authority as elders. And to elevate themselves to a moral high ground from which they could criticize anyone. I didn’t blame them for unanimously condemning me that day. I just hoped that when the boomerang hit them back. They wouldn’t cry out in pain. 6. The chance for the boomerang. I didn’t have to wait too long.

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