After I was reborn. I clutched my ID and stormed into the bank. I made sure that savings card, the one ending in 666, was canceled, completely and irrevocably. In my past life, Gareth always claimed he was short on cash for his business, constantly borrowing my card to funnel money through. I was so blinded by love back then; I even set the password to his birthday. It wasn’t until the debt collectors kicked down my door that I saw my name listed as the emergency contact on all the loan agreements. Every deposit in my bank statement flowed straight into Gareth’s gaming accounts and luxury boutiques. I took the transfer records to confront him. He was there, arm around his new girlfriend, trying on a Rolex he’d just bought with *my* card. During our argument, he shoved me. The moment my head hit the sharp edge of the counter, I saw a message pop up on his phone: “Mr. Evans, the online loan applied for using Ms. Reed’s information has been approved.” Then, I opened my eyes again. The calendar on my office desk had just flipped to the day Gareth first asked to borrow my card. His SnapChat was still flashing on my phone: “Baby, can I borrow your card for a quick transfer? I’ll pay you back immediately.” Would I be that stupid this time? Gareth Evans, you just wait. You’re about to reap what you sow!

My fingertip hovered over the ATM screen for three seconds. Finally, I pressed confirm. The moment the machine swallowed that savings card, the one ending in 666, I heard my heart pound like it wanted to burst from my throat. My phone vibrated in my pocket. It was Gareth. My fingertips tingled when his name flashed on the screen. Scenes from my past life suddenly flooded back. He stood with his new girlfriend in front of a luxury counter, the Rolex on his wrist glinting under the lights. It was bought with my card. I rushed over, tugging at his sleeve. The impatience in his eyes when he turned, it was like shards of ice. “Are you done making a scene?” He pushed me hard. I stumbled backward, my head hitting the sharp edge of the counter. Did it hurt? I don’t think so. My vision just suddenly went black. The last thing I saw was his phone screen glowing. The text message was etched into my mind, as clear as day: “Mr. Evans, the online loan applied for using Susan Reed’s information has been approved.” Susan Reed. That’s my name. My phone was still buzzing. The vibration grew more frantic. I took a deep breath and hit ‘decline’. As I turned to walk out, the glass doors of the bank lobby reflected my face. Pale, with dark circles under my eyes. It was the lingering image of being tormented by nightmares from my past life. But my eyes were bright. Bright, like a look forged in fire. Gareth Evans, this time. Everything you owe me, I’ll make you pay back, little by little, tenfold. Just as I stepped out of the bank, my phone rang again. This time, it was a landline. The caller ID showed it was from the city. I stared at the screen for two seconds. Then, I swiped to answer. “May I speak to Ms. Susan Reed?” A robotic female voice came from the other end. “This is Summit Financial. Mr. Gareth Evans has applied for a loan in your name, and we need your confirmation…” I hung up immediately. And blocked the number. My actions were swift, without a trace of hesitation. It was this exact call in my past life. Back then, I foolishly asked, “What loan? I don’t know anything about it.” The voice replied, “Mr. Evans provided your ID photo and bank card information. If you don’t confirm, it will affect your credit score.” I panicked. I called back, desperate to explain. And from that moment on, I fell into a bottomless pit. My phone went silent. The sunlight felt warm on my skin. I looked up at the sky. It was blindingly blue. Today is Friday. Gareth’s first request to borrow my card is still three hours away. The day he tricks me into signing that “guarantee contract” is seven days away. The day my parents are forced to flee overnight by debt collectors is three months away. Everything is still in time. I clutched the bank card cancellation receipt in my pocket. My knuckles were white. Gareth, the game has begun. This time, I set the rules. Chapter 2 Testing the Waters When I returned to the office, the front desk intern gave me a strange look. “Susan, you look terrible.” I forced a smile and said nothing. In the elevator, I ran into my department manager. He patted my shoulder. “Reed, make sure you stay on top of Gareth’s partnership deal this afternoon.” I nodded. But my fingertips were trembling. It was this very deal in my past life. Gareth said the client required a personal account for the transfer and asked to borrow my bank card for a day. “Just a quick transfer, I’ll return it immediately.” He smiled so gently then, his eyes sparkling like stars. I was tricked by those very stars. Tricked into losing everything. In the office, Gareth was already sitting at the cubicle opposite mine. He wore a white shirt today, sleeves rolled up to his forearms. Revealing the watch on his wrist. I bought that. Last year for his birthday, I saved three months’ salary to buy him an Omega. Now, looking at it, I only felt a sharp pang of irony. He looked up, saw me, and smiled. “Susan, you’re here.” His voice was still so pleasant. Like the low notes of a cello. I used to love listening to him talk. Now, it just grated on my ears. “Didn’t sleep well last night?” He raised an eyebrow, his gaze falling on the dark circles under my eyes. “No,” I replied, pulling out my chair and sitting down. I deliberately slowed my movements as I opened my laptop. I was waiting. Waiting for him to ask for the card. Sure enough, he tapped on my desk. “Oh, by the way, the client’s transfer is coming in this afternoon. Could I use your card for it?” Here it comes. My hand tightened around the mouse. A document popped up on the screen, a marketing plan I hadn’t finished revising last night. I stared at the screen, not looking at him. “My card was eaten by the machine yesterday.” My voice was perfectly calm. Gareth froze for a second. “Eaten?” “Yeah, the ATM glitched.” I turned to him, forcing a smile. “I just went to the bank to cancel it.” The smile on his face stiffened for half a second. Then, it quickly returned to normal. “That’s unlucky.” “Tell me about it,” I lowered my gaze, pretending to flip through files. “You’ll have to use someone else’s.” He didn’t speak. I could feel his gaze on me. Full of scrutiny. As if he was trying to figure out if I was lying. After a moment, he spoke again. “Alright, I’ll ask someone else.” His tone was unreadable. But I knew. He was suspicious. Good. It’s better he knows early that I’m not the same fool I used to be. At three in the afternoon. The client’s payment arrived. Gareth used another girl’s card from the same department. I watched him, phone in hand, smiling so tenderly at her. Exactly the way he used to smile at me. It felt like a needle pricked my heart. Not painful. Just a little numb. Her name was Maya Chen. In my past life, she was also scammed by Gareth. He took fifty thousand dollars from her. Later, she came to me in tears, saying Gareth had disappeared. At that time, I was too deep in my own troubles to help, I could only watch her cry. This life. I wouldn’t let her fall into that same trap. As I was leaving work, Maya called out to me. “Susan, Gareth said he’s taking me out to dinner tonight, to thank me for helping him out this afternoon.” My steps faltered. I turned back to her. The young woman’s eyes sparkled, clearly showing her interest in Gareth. “Why is he taking you to dinner?” I asked. “He said… he thinks I’m a really nice person.” Maya lowered her head, a little shy. I took a deep breath. “Maya,” I looked straight into her eyes, speaking each word slowly and deliberately, “Stay away from Gareth.” She was stunned. “Susan, you…” “Just listen to me,” I cut her off. “Don’t ask why.” With that, I turned and walked away. I didn’t look back. I didn’t know if she would listen. But I had said what I needed to say. Walking out of the office building, my phone rang. It was my mom. “Susan, are you coming home for dinner tonight? Your dad bought ribs.” The moment I heard her voice, my nose stung. Tears almost fell. In my past life, the last time my mom spoke to me was at the entrance of the nursing home. Her eyes red, she cursed me: “How could I have raised such an ungrateful monster?” Later, she fell ill. When I went to the hospital to see her, she kept her eyes closed, not even lifting an eyelid. “Mom,” I clutched my phone, my voice a little hoarse, “Yes, I’ll be home.” “Okay, then I’ll wait for you.” After hanging up, I stood by the roadside, watching the busy traffic. The sunlight stretched my shadow long. It felt so good. They were still here. Still calling me home for dinner. Gareth. See? This is what I’m protecting. If you dare to touch it again. I’ll make sure you regret it in the most painful way imaginable. Chapter 3 The Transfer When I pushed open the door, the aroma of ribs wafted towards me. My dad, wearing an apron, poked his head out of the kitchen. “You’re back?” “Yeah.” I changed my shoes and walked over. The gray hairs at his temples were fewer than I remembered. I felt a pang of relief. In my past life, he’d turned completely white overnight from the stress of debt collection calls. “Dad, let me help you.” “No, no, you just sit and rest.” He gently pushed me away. “Your mom’s in the living room prepping veggies.” My mom was on the couch, string beans in hand. She smiled when she saw me. “Tired? Have some water first.” A glass of cool water sat on the coffee table. I picked it up and took a sip. It was sweet. Just like it tasted when I was a child. During dinner, my dad suddenly brought up Gareth. “That young Gareth, he seems quite taken with you.” My hand, holding my fork, paused. “Dad, how do you know?” “Last time I went to your office building, I saw him bringing you a coffee.” My mom chimed in. “He’s a good-looking young man, and so polite.” My heart tightened. So, it started this early. “Mom, he and I are just colleagues.” “Colleagues?” My dad raised an eyebrow. “The way he looks at you, it’s more than just colleagues.” I put down my fork. “Dad, Mom, I need to tell you something.” They both looked at me. “Gareth, you two need to keep your distance from him in the future.” My mom looked puzzled for a moment. “What’s wrong? Did he offend you?” “No,” I shook my head. “I just don’t think he’s a very good person.” I couldn’t tell them that this man would later make it impossible for them to even live in their own home. “You, child,” my dad frowned, “You can’t just talk bad about people.” “I’m not talking bad,” I looked at them. “Just listen to me. Don’t have any dealings with him, especially when money is involved.” My mom thought for a moment, then nodded. “Alright, Mom will listen to you.” My dad didn’t say anything, but he didn’t object either. I felt a little more at ease. At least, they wouldn’t easily trust Gareth now. After dinner, I helped clear the table. My phone rang in the living room. It was Gareth. My mom answered. “Hello? Oh, you’re looking for Susan? She’s doing the dishes… Okay, I’ll tell her to call you back.” She hung up, then looked at me with a slightly suggestive expression. “Young Gareth is looking for you.” I dried my hands, picked up my phone. I walked out onto the balcony before calling him back. “Hello?” “Susan, you’re home?” Gareth’s voice was laced with a smile. “Yeah.” “Maya just told me you told her to stay away from me?” Of course. Maya had told him. I leaned against the railing, watching the streetlights below. “Yes.” “Why?” His voice deepened slightly. “No reason,” my tone was flat. “I just don’t think you’re good for her.” “Then who am I good for?” he suddenly asked. I paused for a second. Then chuckled. “Definitely not me.” Silence hung on the line for a few seconds. “Susan, you’re acting strange today.” “Am I?” I fiddled with the hem of my shirt. “Maybe I’m just tired.” “Tomorrow’s the weekend. Want to catch a movie?” He changed the subject. “No, I have plans tomorrow.” “What plans?” “None of your business.” With that, I hung up directly. And blocked him. The whole sequence of actions was smooth and effortless. In my past life, I was too concerned with his feelings, which made me easy to manipulate. This life, there’s no need for that. Just as I tucked my phone back into my pocket, I received a text message. It was from the bank. Alerting me that my savings card ending in 3791 had a deposit of five thousand dollars. I paused, confused. I’d only opened this card today. No one but the bank knew the number. Who would transfer me money? I tapped to open the transaction details. The sender was an unfamiliar name. But the memo read: “Gareth asked me to transfer this.” My heart lurched. Gareth. What was he up to now? Five thousand dollars. Not too much, not too little. Exactly the amount he first borrowed from me in my past life. Back then, he said his mom was sick and needed money urgently. Without a second thought, I transferred him my freshly paid salary. Only later did I find out he used that money to buy his new girlfriend a bag. I stared at the text message for a long time. My fingertips were icy cold. He was testing me. Testing to see if I was truly guarding myself against him now. If I transferred the money back, he’d know I had indeed changed. If I kept it… He’d think I was still the same fool he could easily control. I took a deep breath. Opened the transfer details. Found the sender’s bank account number. Then, I transferred the five thousand dollars back. The memo had only two words: “No loan.” After doing all that, I set my phone to silent. And returned to the living room. My mom was sitting on the couch, watching TV. She smiled when she saw me. “Who were you talking to for so long?” “Just a colleague.” I walked over and sat beside her. “Mom, how about we go for a picnic next week?” My mom’s eyes lit up. “Oh, that sounds wonderful! Your dad has been wanting to go for ages.” Seeing her smile warmed my heart. Gareth. No matter what tricks you try to pull. I won’t let you ruin my life again. Chapter 4 Evidence I woke up early on Saturday morning. Sunlight streamed through a gap in the curtains, casting a ribbon of light across the floor. I picked up my phone and opened SnapChat. Gareth’s name was still on my block list. A sense of calm settled over me. I got up, washed, and changed. Before I left, my mom handed me a bag of pastries. “Eat these on the way.” “Thanks.” I was going somewhere today. In my past life, Gareth had a secret hideout. An apartment he rented. He kept a lot of things there. Including the loan agreements he’d taken out using my information, and chat logs with other women. I only discovered the place by accident after he died, when I was clearing out his belongings. I remembered the address clearly, even now. It was in an old, rundown apartment complex on the outskirts of the city. It took forty minutes to get there by cab. An old man sat in the security booth by the complex entrance. He squinted at me and asked, “Who are you looking for?” “Gareth Evans,” I gave his name and the apartment number. The old man eyed me up and down, then waved me in without another question. It seemed Gareth brought different women here often. The old man was used to it. As I stepped into the stairwell, a musty smell wafted over me. Paint was peeling off the walls, and the stair railing was rusty. I gripped the railing and walked up. Third floor. Apartment 302. The door was closed. I stood in front of it and took a deep breath. In my past life, I had to pry the lock open. This time, I came prepared. I took a set of keys from my bag. I had them specially made yesterday. In my past life, I’d found Gareth’s spare key for that apartment hidden in the fire hose box by the door. And sure enough, I found it there again. The key slid into the lock, a gentle turn. *Click.* The door opened. A faint scent of perfume mixed with cigarette smoke hit me. Exactly the same as I remembered. The apartment was small, just a living room and one bedroom. The decor was simple. But everywhere, there were women’s things. Lipsticks, earrings, dresses. Clearly, more than one woman had been here. I walked into the living room, my gaze falling on the coffee table. A laptop sat on it. It was Gareth’s. In my past life, it was on this very laptop that I found all the evidence of his crimes. I walked over and opened the laptop. It required a password. I typed in my birthday. Wrong. Then I tried his birthday. Also wrong. I frowned. In my past life, his computer password was my name spelled out. Had he changed it? A flicker of panic. If I couldn’t open the laptop, I wouldn’t find the evidence. I took a deep breath, trying hard to recall. How did I open it in my past life? I think it was… I tried Maya Chen’s name. The screen lit up. The password was correct. My heart gave a sharp lurch. He actually used Maya’s name as his password. Did that mean he was truly serious about Maya? Or was it just a new novelty for him? No time to think about that. I clicked open a folder. Inside, there were indeed many things. A folder named “Contracts.” I opened it. It was full of scanned loan agreements. The “Borrower” field clearly showed my name. Susan Reed. The emergency contact was my parents’ phone number. The date was one month before I was hounded by debt collectors in my past life. There were many other women’s names too. Maya’s was among them. Loan amounts ranged from five thousand to fifty thousand. My hand was trembling. This evidence was more than enough to ruin him. I took out my phone and started taking pictures. One by one, making sure they were perfectly clear. Then, I backed up these photos to the cloud. And sent them to another one of my email accounts. After doing all that, I opened another folder. Inside were screenshots of chat logs. Gareth’s flirtatious conversations with different women. He said pretty much the same things to every woman. “You’re the only one for me.” “Once I’m done with this busy period, I’ll introduce you to my parents.” “Those other women? They’re just casual flings.” My stomach churned as I read them. My past self had truly been blind. To believe such garbage. I kept scrolling down. And found chat logs with an unknown number. The contact was saved as “Mr. King.” “Gareth, that loan for Susan Reed needs to be repaid.” “Mr. King, please give me a few more days, I’ll have the money soon.” “Don’t play games with me. If you don’t pay up, I’ll go to her parents.” “No, no, Mr. King, I’ll definitely pay.” The date was three days before I was first hounded by debt collectors. So, he knew all along that the collectors would come. But he didn’t tell me a single thing. Leaving me completely in the dark. Even watching as I was pushed to the brink by the debt collection company. Tears suddenly fell. Splashing onto the keyboard. Spreading a small wet stain. I quickly wiped my tears away. Can’t cry. This wasn’t the time for tears. I took pictures of these chat logs, too, one by one. My fingertips brushed the keyboard, accidentally knocking a photo frame on the corner of the desk. The glass shattered on the floor. In the photo, Gareth had his arm around a woman, smiling brightly. I knew that woman. She was our company’s director. Lydia Hayes. Thirty-five, divorced, with a lot of connections. In my past life, after I was fired, I found out Gareth had already hooked up with her. Using the money he’d scammed from me. To buy her bags, buy her a car. It was truly ironic. I knelt down, carefully picking up the photo. And slipped it into my bag. This was also evidence. Suddenly, the sound of keys turning came from outside the door. My heart leaped into my throat. Someone was back. Was it Gareth? Or another woman? No time to think. I quickly shut down the laptop, restoring everything to how it was. Then, I hurried into the bedroom. And hid inside the closet. The closet was filled with women’s clothes. The perfume scent was even stronger in here. I covered my mouth and held my breath. The door opened. Footsteps entered the apartment. A man’s voice. He was on the phone. “Got it, Mr. King, I’ll definitely pay that money back next week… Don’t worry, Susan Reed, I’ve got her handled… She’s still head over heels for me…” It was Gareth. My nails dug deeply into my palms. Head over heels? He really had the nerve to say that. “Alright, that’s it for now, someone’s here.” He hung up. Then, a woman’s voice. “Who was that?” It was Lydia. “Nothing, just debt collectors.” Gareth’s voice was impatient. “Debt collectors again?” Lydia’s voice sounded a little worried. “How much do you even owe?” “Not much, I’ll pay it back soon.” Gareth reassured her. “By the way, could you lend me some first?” “Didn’t I just transfer you fifty thousand last time?” “That’s not enough.” “Gareth, what are you doing?” Lydia’s voice rose. “If you keep this up, we’re done.” “No, don’t say that, Lydia.” Gareth’s voice softened. “I’m working on a huge project, you know? Once it’s successful, I’ll pay you back ten times, a hundred times over.” “What project?” “That… I can’t talk about it yet.” “I think you’re just scamming me.” “I’m not…” Next, there was a sound of a struggle. Then, Lydia’s scream. “Let go! Gareth, you’re hurting me!” “Lydia, just help me one more time, just one.” Gareth’s voice was desperate. “I don’t have any more money!” “How can you not have money? Didn’t you just sell your apartment?” “That’s for my son’s tuition!” “Just lend it to me for a bit, I’ll pay you back as soon as I have money.” “You wish!” “Then don’t blame me for being unpleasant.” Gareth’s voice turned harsh. I trembled in the closet. In my past life, how could I have not seen he was this kind of person? Manic, obsessive, ruthless for money. The commotion outside grew louder. The sound of something shattering. And Lydia’s cries. I pulled out my phone, switched it to record. And extended it slightly through the closet gap. Trying to record as clearly as possible. After about ten minutes. The outside grew quiet. Only Lydia’s sobs could be heard. “Gareth, you animal!” “The money, I can give you.” Gareth’s voice was calm. “But you have to do something for me.” “What?” “Help me get Susan Reed transferred to the branch office.” My heart plummeted. He wanted to transfer me? Why? “Why transfer her to the branch office?” Lydia asked, confused. “She’s been a little disobedient lately.” Gareth’s voice grew cold. “Keeping her far from me will make her easier to control.” “What do you want to do to her?” “Don’t ask questions you shouldn’t.” Gareth cut her off. “Just tell me, will you help me or not?” Lydia was silent for a long time. “Okay, I’ll help you.” “That’s more like it, Lydia.” Gareth’s voice turned gentle again. “Once my plan succeeds, I’ll definitely reward you handsomely.” “No need. I’ll transfer the money to you, and from now on, we’re even.” “Lydia…” “Don’t call me.” Footsteps sounded. Lydia left. The door slammed shut with a heavy bang. Only Gareth was left in the apartment. He seemed to be drinking. The clink of bottles. Then, his soliloquy. “Susan Reed… You think canceling your card made a difference?” “You think telling Maya to stay away from me means I have no options?” “So naive.” “Your ID copy, your bank card information, I have all of it here.” “You want to get rid of me?” “Dream on.” “This life, you’ll still be my obedient ATM.” My heart sank, little by little. So that was it. He had already prepared a backup plan. He still had my information. Did that mean everything I did today was for nothing? No. I can’t give up. I still have the evidence. I recorded his conversation with Lydia. I found his loan contracts. These were all proof of his crimes. Gareth. Just you wait. I won’t let you get away with this. After a while longer. Gareth seemed to have left. The apartment was completely silent. I stayed hidden in the closet for a long time. Only daring to come out when I was sure he was really gone. The apartment was a mess. A vase lay shattered on the floor. The table was overturned. There were also bloodstains on the floor. Was it Lydia’s? A chill ran through me. I walked into the living room, grabbed my bag. And hurried out. The moment I closed the door, I heard my own heart pounding. Like a drum. When I reached downstairs. The sunlight was blinding. But I felt utterly cold. My phone vibrated in my pocket. It was a text message. From the company HR. “Susan Reed, the company has decided, after deliberation, to transfer you to the branch office for a new assignment. Please report on Monday.” It came. Gareth’s moves were swift. The branch office was in a neighboring city. Over two hundred miles away. He wanted to move me away from my parents. Then, he could freely use my information to take out loans. Leaving me no one to turn to, nowhere to go. He wished. I looked at the text message. A cold smile played on my lips. Gareth. You want to play games. I’ll play along. Transfer me to the branch office, you say? Fine. I’ll just have to see. What kind of tricks you can pull. Chapter 5 The Transfer Order It was afternoon by the time I got home. My mom saw me and gasped.

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On the eve of our new song’s release, I vanished, taking the lyrics with me. Julian called me 999 times. “We said we’d get married after this song dropped. What is this, then?” “Someone saw the lyrics online. Are you trying to dump me?” He didn’t know. I was in prison, accused of accidentally killing a thug while intervening to help someone. Both my ears had been pierced, leaving me deaf. I couldn’t hear a sound. I signed to a guard, pleading for them to send a message on my behalf. 【I don’t want to be a burden to you anymore. I’m going solo.】 When I saw Julian again, he was the owner of a major record label. After the holidays, the sanctuary was bustling with visitors. Important clients were coming to seek blessings for a new venture, so I quickly pulled on my yellow vest to help. I’d only been out of prison for two months. No one would hire an ex-con like me. Luckily, Father Michael took me in as a volunteer, providing food and lodging, plus a modest stipend of a few hundred dollars a month. I was saving diligently, hoping to afford a better cochlear implant. I looked up and saw Julian. He hadn’t changed. He was still the man I deeply loved in my memories, instantly overlapping with the present. “This place is so stuffy, let’s just donate and go!” The girl beside him looked impatient, fanning her hand in front of her nose. “Didn’t you say you wanted the new album to be a smash hit?” Julian playfully tapped her nose. “I told you about the traditions and superstitions of this industry. Don’t blame fate if things go south!” His voice was patient and gentle. His eyes were practically glued to her. “Fine, I’ll just get my blessings and leave.” “You need three incense sticks… I’m talking to you, are you deaf?” It wasn’t until the girl raised her voice that I noticed the anger in her brows. I hurried to take out the incense, lit it, and handed it over. Julian didn’t even glance my way. Was it my current appearance that kept him from recognizing me, or was he simply unwilling to have anything to do with a betrayer like me? “Ah!” A scream shattered the air, and before I could even react, a slap sent me sprawling to the ground. “Are you trying to burn me alive?” The girl clutched her red hand. I fumbled to pick up my old, broken cochlear implant and put it on, bowing repeatedly in apology. “It hurts so much.” The girl leaned into Julian’s embrace. “I have a photoshoot tomorrow for promotions. What if it leaves a scar?” Julian’s eyes were filled with tenderness as he gently blew on her hand. “It’s okay, baby. When we get home, I’ll apply my special scar-fading cream. If it does scar, we’ll just get a tattoo to cover it. I’ll get one with you.” He rolled up his sleeve and patted his arm. The tattoo of my name, “Cassie,” was gone. Once, I’d cut my arm badly on glass, and the doctors warned it might scar. Julian knew how much I loved wearing sleeveless tops, so he researched old remedies and made a special scar cream. Even with nightly applications, a faint scar remained. He, worried I’d be upset, suggested I get his name, “Julian,” tattooed on my arm, and he’d get “Cassie” on his. Now, my last trace had been erased. His exclusive affection, once mine, now belonged to someone else. I tugged at my burned sleeve, desperate to hide my embarrassment. My cochlear implant seemed to be damaged again. I watched their lips move, but I couldn’t quite hear their voices. I just kept tapping it. “I’m talking to you!” The girl shoved me hard. “Is ‘sorry’ all you’ve got? A volunteer, listening to music with headphones on duty?” Julian glanced at me, his expression distant and cold. Father Michael rushed over to intervene, but I stopped him. “I’m sorry.” I bowed deeply again. “If you want to get even, you can burn me back.” I exposed my un-tattooed arm and straightened my back. “Forget it.” Julian wrapped an arm around the girl’s shoulder. “No need to waste time on insignificant people. It wouldn’t look good if the media caught us.” He leaned in and whispered something to her, and she immediately blushed, her tears turning into a smile. “Okay, I’ll wait for you in the car.” Even her glare at me softened a little. Julian pulled out a check and waved it. “Father Michael knows, Starlight Records donates the most to this sanctuary every year.” “I hope you’ll be more discerning when hiring volunteers. Don’t let people who slack off and mooch off you work here, understand?” Father Michael looked at me with a pained expression, then nodded. It was then I understood the emotion in Julian’s eyes. It wasn’t love, not even hatred. It was a profound disgust that he could never forgive. He was the kind of gentle person who’d just brush himself off and say he was fine, even if he got knocked over… His hatred for me—wasn’t that exactly what I’d hoped for five years ago when I made my decision? Cassie, you’re just a deaf ex-con. What more are you hoping for?

Father Michael, in his kindness, allowed me to stay in the dorm until the new volunteer started. I began to pack my luggage. Two blocks from the dorm was the dark alley where my fate had been rewritten five years ago. It all started with how Julian and I met. We’d met at a bar, kindred spirits. I carried my guitar, accompanying him as we chased our dreams in New York. He played keyboard and composed, I played guitar and wrote lyrics. After countless rejected resumes and failed songwriting competitions, we spent a year painstakingly perfecting a masterpiece. We showed it to a producer we knew, who said it had a high chance of becoming a massive hit. Julian promised me that no matter the song’s reception, he would marry me as soon as it dropped. That night, I was returning to our studio with the final revised lyrics. Passing through the dark alley, I suddenly heard a faint cry for help. I immediately recognized Chloe’s unique way of expressing herself—Julian’s sister, who had autism. I grabbed an iron rod from the alley entrance and charged in. “Let her go! Or I’ll call the police!” Chloe’s clothes were disheveled, and she looked at me with pleading eyes. “Well, isn’t this convenient? One for each of us.” There were two burly men. Outnumbered and outmatched, I could only shield Chloe behind me. As they grinned menacingly and lunged at me, I frantically swung the weapon in my hand. Suddenly, a scream ripped through the air as one of the men slipped. The iron rod pierced his chest, and blood gushed out. Seeing that someone was killed, the surviving assailant fled the scene. Chloe collapsed from exhaustion. Her mother received an automatic alert message from Chloe’s phone and arrived even before the police. She knelt before me. “Cassie, I know you’re a good girl.” “Chloe has autism. Her life is already difficult enough. If her reputation is stained, her life will be ruined forever.” “I’ll take her away. When the police arrive, please don’t mention her presence.” Julian and Chloe had lost their father at a young age and were raised by their mother. Mrs. Davies was right; Chloe was emotionally unstable due to her autism and unsuitable to testify in court. I didn’t think much of it then, believing I was simply intervening to help, and that the man had just accidentally slipped. But I never imagined that the man I’d accidentally killed was Blake, a notorious playboy from a powerful family in the city. On my very first day in prison, a fellow inmate pierced my eardrums, leaving me deaf. When I woke up in the infirmary, a guard handed me a phone. It showed 326 missed calls from Julian. And a stack of messages. One voice message was from Mrs. Davies. “Cassie, I’m so sorry. I can’t let Chloe testify. That family is too powerful for us to cross. I hope you can forgive me.” “As for Julian, I made up a lie to deceive him.” “If Julian knew the truth, with his temper, he’d blow things out of proportion. I hope you can willingly break up with him.” “If you want compensation, I’ll sell everything we own to give it to you… I just want my two children to live safe and happy lives.” I touched my bandaged ears. The doctor said my hearing was severely damaged, with only 5% left. I would have to live with a cochlear implant for the rest of my life. The beautiful sounds of this world would be forever lost to me. How could I, like this, continue to chase musical dreams with Julian? So, I asked a guard to help me send a message. I used the most decisive method to become a betrayer, to vanish completely from Julian’s life. From then on, I served my sentence peacefully until my release. I heard Julian left New York not long after. He returned five years later. He became the owner of a record label, and I was an ex-con scorned by everyone. I just never expected to see him again at a production company after leaving the sanctuary. I’d finally found a company willing to accept my lyrics, so I went to apply with my resume. I waited in the reception room for a long time when the door suddenly opened. A familiar face—it was Marcus, our old bandmate who’d chased dreams with us in New York. “Well, if it isn’t the infamous plagiarist, Cassie! This lyric sheet of yours—you didn’t scam it from some gullible fool, did you?” “Julian, you’re here. Take a look for me, will you?”

“Marcus, who’s here?” A couple, arm-in-arm, walked out of the recording studio. Julian stiffened when he saw me. “Aren’t you that girl from the sanctuary the other day…?” Stella frowned slightly. Marcus smiled at me. “Let me introduce you. This is Stella, Julian’s heavily promoted new singer and his current girlfriend.” “And as for this one…” He looked at me meaningfully. “Julian’s former bandmate, the notorious plagiarist, Cassie.” The word “plagiarist” hit me like a sledgehammer to the chest. I looked up and saw a twisted amusement playing on Julian’s face. “So, it’s you.” Stella sneered. “Julian’s downfall was all because of you… If I’d known, I would have slapped you twice more at the sanctuary!” “The sanctuary?” “Cassie, have you changed your ways?” Marcus scoffed. “Don’t tell me you’re repenting your sins and thinking of becoming a nun?” “No, I was just volunteering there…” Before I could finish, Stella’s palm connected with my face. Julian grabbed her tightly, a flicker of panic in his eyes. “Don’t hold me back! I want to get revenge for you!” She was furious. As I bent down to pick up my cochlear implant, she stomped down. “Still listening to music? Is it the song you stole?” Stella lifted her foot, cruelly crushing my last shred of dignity. My cochlear implant shattered into pieces under her shoe. Julian watched with a twisted amusement, not saying a word to stop her. But then he suddenly bent down and grasped Stella’s foot. “Does it hurt?” He used his hand to brush away the fragments of my cochlear implant, his expression one of utter disgust. “Why get so angry? It’s not worth it to bother with someone like this.” Someone like this? Yes, I was a plagiarist, an ex-con, and deaf. My cochlear implant was destroyed, but even without ears, I could discern the overflowing tenderness in Julian’s voice. After five years of being deaf, I had long since learned to read lips. “It doesn’t hurt… I just feel bad about these shoes. You had them custom-made for me from abroad…” Stella’s face was filled with regret. “It’s okay, I’ll order you another pair.” Julian casually tossed the broken high heel into the trash. He swept Stella into his arms and carried her away, not even sparing a glance for me. I stared intently at the trash can, wondering how many pairs of cochlear implants that one pair of shoes could buy. Marcus threw the lyric sheet at me. “Our small studio can’t afford to be associated with an acclaimed plagiarist like you… Take your stuff and get out. Don’t you dare linger around Julian again…” I bent down to pick up my shattered dignity scattered on the floor. My cochlear implant was utterly destroyed. No matter how I tried to piece it together, it could never be restored, just like my image in Julian’s heart. He hated me so much. I sighed softly, a bitter smile playing on my lips as I entered the elevator. A hand blocked the elevator door. Julian backed me into a corner, his gaze piercing. “Can’t you take it?” I turned my face away. “Aren’t you supposed to be so resilient?” he scoffed. “Running off with our love song to a sugar daddy… Didn’t your sugar daddy keep you well-hidden? Why are you showing your face here?” “That’s right, he got bored and dumped me.” I lifted my head and smiled. “So I’m really broke now. Is that answer satisfactory, Mr. Davies?” Julian’s lips pressed into a tight line, his gaze deepening. “Why don’t you give me some money? Consider it payment for the three years I spent chasing dreams with you… I can give you anything you want, even my body…” I grabbed Julian’s hand and pressed it to my chest, but he flung my hand off. “Shameless!” His breath hitched, and he turned his face away, trembling. “I wouldn’t touch a body as dirty as yours.” “Tomorrow morning at eight, at The Blue Note. We need a guitarist for the new song release… Fifty thousand for one night. Will you come?” “Yes.” At seven-thirty, I arrived at The Blue Note early. The decor was identical to where Julian and I first met. Only the neon sign outside and the banner above the stage were different.

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My father’s illegitimate daughter, Serena, needed a kidney transplant. And out of our entire family, only I was a match for her. Julian Sterling, my fiancé, usually so composed and refined, had a desperate plea etched across his face. “Astrid, the doctors say you’re her only hope. Serena… she’s fading fast. Please, save her. I’m begging you.” I chuckled softly. “Alright, I’m willing to donate a kidney to her. But I have conditions.” “Our engagement is off. You marry her.” A surge of wild ecstasy instantly bloomed across Serena’s pale face. Their eyes locked in a gaze brimming with affection. I watched, cold and detached. Take it. My kidney, my life, take it all. Reborn into this life, I’d like to see if you’ll still thank me for my ‘generosity’ today. … I looked at Julian. A wave of immense relief washed over him. “Astrid, thank you.” My father let out a long breath, walking over to pat my shoulder, his voice filled with feigned comfort. “Astrid, you’re finally understanding things. We are family, after all, and Serena will never forget this. Don’t worry, even if you and Julian break off your engagement, your father won’t treat you poorly.” Family? I scoffed inwardly. Ever since my mother passed away, and he brought that woman and her daughter into our home, I haven’t had a family. From her hospital bed, Serena squeezed out a few timely tears, her voice weak as she spoke. “Sister, it’s all my fault. If it weren’t for me, you and Julian never would have…” “Stop!” I raised a hand to cut off her performance. “Since a decision has been made, let’s skip the pointless theatrics. Julian, our engagement was set by our grandfathers. It needs to be formally dissolved with both families’ elders present.” “Get that done before the surgery.” Julian nodded quickly. “Okay, I’ll contact my grandfather right away.” Watching the three of them, so visibly relieved, even beginning to discuss Julian and Serena’s future as if I were invisible, I turned and walked out of the hospital room, a bitter taste in my mouth. In my previous life, I was trapped in the same moral bind. But I refused. I clung desperately to the engagement, clinging to the title of “Miss [family name, removed to avoid Chinese surname implied]’s daughter,” a status that existed in name only. Mom was gone, the family shattered, so I had to hold onto something, right? Even if it was just a faint hope, a title. How ridiculous. I knew perfectly well that in my father’s eyes, I was nothing compared to his precious daughter by his ‘true love.’ Julian’s love was never mine, Serena was his true north, his distant star. But I was stubbornly unwilling to let go… The result? I lost everything. They bribed the doctors, drugged me, stole my kidney, and the incision was crudely stitched. Julian held my hand, hypocritically promising to compensate me for the rest of my life. Later, I married him as I had wished. After the wedding, my body, ravaged by the surgery, grew worse with each passing day. Meanwhile, Serena, radiant and glowing, stood by Julian’s side. They were a picture of perfect harmony, a true power couple. On my deathbed, Serena stood by my bed, smiling. “Sister, just go peacefully. I’ll make sure to put the family’s assets to good use for you!” Until the moment I closed my eyes, all I could think was, *Why?!* Why do good, kind people meet such an end? And why do the wicked, those who cause so much harm, live so comfortably in the sunlight? Perhaps, there is no justice in this world. If so, this time, I’ll forge my own path. Everything Serena so desperately wants? I’ll give it to her. 2 Within three days, the elders of the Sterling and [Father’s family name, removed] families gathered. Mr. Sterling looked at me, his face etched with guilt. “My dear, our Sterling family has wronged you.” I offered a faint smile, placing the exquisite jade pendant—a family heirloom of emperor green jade, given as our engagement token—on the table. “Mr. Sterling, it’s not your fault. A forced union never truly thrives. I wish Julian and Serena a lifetime of happiness.” My father chimed in with a saccharine smile. “Yes, the children’s choice. As elders, we should simply bless them.” He was practically salivating at the thought of Serena marrying into wealth. From then on, his favorite daughter would live a life of comfort and privilege, and he would gain a powerful ally in his business dealings. The engagement was smoothly dissolved. The next day, I was wheeled into the operating room. Just before the anesthesia took full effect, Serena was rolled in beside me. She looked at me, her eyes gleaming with ill-concealed triumph and provocation. Julian stood beyond the sterile glass, his gaze fixed on Serena, filled with tender concern and adoration. I closed my eyes, allowing myself to drift into the darkness. In the darkness, I saw my mother. She was as gentle as I remembered, swinging me on a swing, laughing. She whispered to me, “My sweet girl, promise me you’ll always be happy.” Mom, I’m sorry. I don’t think… I can do that anymore. When I woke again, the dream shattered. A searing pain from the incision violently yanked me back to reality. A wave of weakness washed over me. From the doorway, I heard my father and Julian talking in hushed tones. “Serena’s surgery was a success, the doctors say she’s recovering well,” Julian’s voice was filled with relief. “That’s wonderful, truly wonderful!” My father entrusted Serena to Julian. “Julian, I’m entrusting Serena to your care from now on!” “Don’t worry, Richard, I will.” Julian’s voice paused, a hint of hesitation. “By the way, Astrid… what about her?” “Her? Just hire a nurse. Here’s my card, take it. The PIN is Serena’s birthday.” “The money in there is my compensation to her.” Footsteps receded, and the hospital room door gently pushed open. It was Julian. He walked to my bedside, silently placing the bank card on my nightstand. I slowly opened my eyes, my blurred vision meeting his complex gaze. “Astrid…” I looked at the card, a weak, broken scoff escaping my lips. “Take it away.” My voice was hoarse. Julian’s brows furrowed. He reached out as if to check my forehead. “Don’t be childish, your health is what matters.” I sharply turned my head, dodging his touch. The movement pulled at my incision, making me gasp in pain, cold sweat instantly beading on my forehead. “Don’t touch me!” I gritted out. “Julian, who is this act for?” He froze, his hand suspended in mid-air. “I’m not…” “What you are, no longer matters.” I closed my eyes, no longer looking at him, and said, exhausted, “Get out.” After a long moment, I heard a faint sigh, then footsteps receding. I picked up my phone and dialed a number I knew by heart. “Uncle Arthur, my surgery is done.” On the other end, a man’s steady, yet furious voice replied, “Send me your address, I’m coming right away. That scumbag, Richard!” My uncle, Arthur, was my mother’s only brother, and one of the most respected and feared legal minds in the entire city. After my mother’s death, he constantly tried to take me in, but I stubbornly stayed with my father’s family, clinging to that ridiculous obsession. In my previous life, I never dared to contact him until I was dying, afraid of being a burden. This time, I wouldn’t be so foolish. 3 Half an hour later, Uncle Arthur, accompanied by his assistant and two bodyguards, burst into my hospital room. Seeing my pale face, his eyes immediately welled up, and his fists clenched, knuckles cracking. “How dare they! How *dare* they do this to you!” I offered a weak smile. “Uncle Arthur, don’t be angry. I volunteered.” “You…” Uncle Arthur was too furious to speak, finally letting out a long sigh. “You foolish child. Never mind. Come home with your uncle. No one will ever dare to bully you again!” I nodded, handing him the bank card from my nightstand. “Uncle Arthur, can you check how much money is on this card for me? Then help me get discharged. I don’t want to stay here for another minute.” “Absolutely!” My uncle’s efficiency was unmatched. The card held exactly five million. My father probably thought my kidney was worth precisely that much. I had Uncle Arthur transfer all the money out, then anonymously donate it to a children’s education fund in a rural area. Astrid, I don’t want his dirty money! While processing my discharge, we ran into my father and Julian in the hallway, who were on their way to visit Serena. Seeing Uncle Arthur, my father’s face immediately fell. “Arthur? What are you doing here?” My uncle snorted, shielding me behind him. “If I didn’t come, would I just watch you wolves devour my niece alive?!” “Richard, my sister must have been blind to marry you! She shouldn’t have ‘lifted’ you from obscurity; trash belongs in the trash!” Yes, Mom, you shouldn’t have. My mother, once a vibrant socialite from a prominent family, lived a life of glittering indulgence, adored by all. Yet she fell for my father, then a poor young man. She painstakingly helped him rise to his current position, while she herself, through endless toil, ruined her health and lost her vivacity, her spark. Her best years were spent on my father. All she got in return was his betrayal; only then did she realize he had never loved her, only wanted to climb the social ladder using her. My mother’s later years were spent in endless disappointment and illness, her life extinguished, like a flickering candle. “You!” My father, hit where it hurt, trembled with rage. Julian frowned, stepping forward, his tone carrying a hint of reproach. “Astrid, how can you be so reckless? The doctors said you need rest. How can you leave the hospital?” I looked up at him, my gaze calm. “Mr. Sterling, we have no connection anymore. My affairs are none of your concern. You should spend more time worrying about your fiancée, who is using *my* kidney.” With that, I turned away from him and said to Uncle Arthur, “Uncle, let’s go.” My uncle helped me, and surrounded by bodyguards, we walked out with our heads held high. Leaving my father and Julian, their faces a mix of green and white. It wasn’t until I arrived at the villa Uncle Arthur had prepared for me that I finally truly relaxed. Every plant and tree here was identical to the old estate where my mother had lived. “Astrid, focus on recovering. I’ll handle the company affairs for you,” Uncle Arthur said gravely, tucking me into bed. “Uncle,” I took his hand, “I also need your help collecting some information.” In my previous life, I only learned a crucial secret just before I died. This time, I intended to strike first. 4 Soon, it was time for Serena and Julian’s engagement ceremony. I walked arm-in-arm with Uncle Arthur, making a grand entrance into the banquet hall.

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The perennial singleton, Serena, was asked on a reality show: “Artists your age are already married with children. Why are you still single?” Serena smiled faintly: “Because the man I love already has a devoted wife.” “Oh my god! Who did he marry?!” Serena glanced at me, also a guest on the show. My social media was instantly flooded: “How does it feel to be a homewrecker?” “Are you happy about ruining someone’s life?” “Are you really not going to let your husband go?” I looked at Liam Miller, the investor sitting in the audience: “Honey, they’re asking if I should let you go.” “Oh my god! Serena, the man you love is… Mr. Miller!” Serena darted a glance at Liam, then quickly lowered her eyes, a hint of reluctance in them. The live comments were going wild: 【OMG, she’s so jealous! My heart aches for her!】 【Jade’s triumphant smirk, flaunting Mr. Miller right in front of Serena – isn’t she just rubbing salt in the wound?】 【Um… but Mr. Miller *is* Jade’s husband, right?】 【The commenter above defending a homewrecker? Must be one herself!】 … I simply glanced at Liam, unfazed. Three years of marriage, and no one had ever questioned our relationship. He insisted on investing in any reality show I joined, just in case I was targeted by the crew. If he couldn’t accompany me, he’d double his investment. But as I really looked at Liam, I found his gaze fixed on Serena. His eyes were complex, holding an emotion I couldn’t decipher. My hand, propped against my chin, subtly dropped away. How could I have forgotten? Serena was the one Liam loved first. Back then, Serena was so fresh and ethereal. At an age when other girls would swoon if Liam merely looked their way, only she would disdainfully toss his gifts in the trash, muttering: “Entitled jerk.” Even when she reluctantly agreed to date him, she broke up with him abruptly on the day of our college entrance exams: “You have a bright future ahead. I won’t be joining you on that path.” Liam completely shut down on the spot. It was me, with a face strikingly similar to Serena’s, who approached him: “If she won’t keep you company, I will. I can play any role you want, just pay me.” I became Serena’s stand-in. I made a killing by the side of the wealthy heir. When the Millers demanded he marry, I packed my bags to leave. But he grabbed my hand. The man who had been withdrawn for years declared firmly: “I want her.” I touched his forehead: “Do you even know who I am?” “Jade.” “Not Serena?” He gritted his teeth: “Jade, it’s always been Jade.” I leaned in closer: “Who is Jade to you?” “My wife.” After helping the scion overcome his withdrawal, the Miller family immediately accepted me as their daughter-in-law. Everyone said I was lucky, that I’d snagged a man even A-list actresses couldn’t win over, and I, an industry nobody, had him wrapped around my finger. But now, looking at Liam’s eyes, I wavered— What if Serena came back? Seeing Serena’s shy expression, a lump formed in my throat. “Do I know this woman?” Liam’s words made Serena’s smile freeze. “What does my marriage have to do with you? Do you think you can slander any woman whose husband you fancy? “No wonder Ms. Serena has been in the industry for years and is still just an influencer, without a single award to her name.” Serena’s smile vanished completely. Liam, however, chuckled: “Sorry, my withdrawal just cleared up recently, so I’m not very good with words. Don’t mind me.” “Uh… of course, haha.” Serena’s laugh was worse than a cry. As soon as the recording ended, I rushed into Liam’s arms. The comments had long since shifted from accusing me of being a homewrecker to “JadeLiam forever!” Serena stood nearby, her gaze meeting Liam’s. Sadness, heartache, spilled over. Liam merely gave her a brief glance, then wrapped an arm around my waist and walked away. Back home, I happily scrolled through comments. Then I saw the top trending topic: 【Serena Invites Mr. Miller to Love Swap – EXPLOSIVE!】 I clicked on it. Serena had retweeted the link to the Love Swap reality show, tagging Liam: 【Coming?】 Liam’s reply was the first comment: 【Yes】

“Honey, since she’s slandering you like this, of course I have to make her give up in person. Only if I participate in the Love Swap show and choose only you as my partner will the whole country know her malicious intentions.” I sipped my yogurt pouch, watching Liam. His attitude was earnest, just as it had always been. “Liam,” I said, biting the corner of the pouch, “if you regret it, we can get a divorce… Mm-!” The yogurt mixed in our mouths. He only let me go after kissing me until I was breathless. “Don’t say things like that again. “Besides, doesn’t your bag design need a promotional opportunity?” “Let’s do it!” I nodded instantly. No reality show was more popular than Love Swap; it was wildly popular, even internationally. After all, a group of married/partnered celebrities swap partners to experience different lives, full of taboo and excitement. Liam could spend a fortune promoting me, but it probably wouldn’t compare to this single appearance. Serena’s social media account exploded, with many fans celebrating the ultimate triumph of first love. But Serena merely smiled shyly at the press conference: “How is this a victory? He’s just doing it to advertise for his wife. “For me, just seeing him from afar would finally bring closure to my youthful regrets.” My best friend, Chloe, was fuming: 【She just found out how hard the entertainment industry is and now she’s regretting it, seeing how Jade has Mr. Miller backing her up!】 【Ugh! That manipulative witch!】 But she was immediately attacked by netizens: 【Get this straight, it’s Jade, the homewrecker, who stole our Serena’s man! You’re defending a homewrecker, probably because you’re used to being one, right?】 【LOL, maybe she’s also got her eye on her best friend’s man. Saying Serena’s a manipulative witch? Maybe she just doesn’t want another competitor!】 I immediately stopped Chloe from arguing, to prevent retaliation. At the same time, I collected the IDs of those making outrageous comments and handed them over to our legal team for defamation. While scrolling through Serena’s response video, I suddenly noticed a pair of hawk-like, sharp eyes behind her. I zoomed in. The cold face of Serena’s fiancé, from her arranged marriage, filled the screen. Serena had indeed been single before. But she recently accepted a commercial marriage arrangement from her family, and then, immediately, she eagerly signed up for Love Swap. I knew this man. The biggest jewelry magnate in Silverwood City, the undisputed heir to that dynasty. Seeing the possessive look in his eyes, I sighed— Serena always had such good luck. In her student days, Liam Miller, the East Coast scion, was crazy about her. Now, after a casual arranged marriage, the Silverwood City heir was utterly obsessed with her. I sipped my yogurt pouch, sighing. Just as I was about to put down my phone, another trending topic exploded: 【Liam Miller: Stop pretending】 I quickly clicked on it. Under Serena’s response video, Liam’s comment had soared to the top: 【Stop pretending】 Serena hastily held a press conference to clarify. I was doubled over with laughter, but then accidentally glimpsed Noah Hayes, the Silverwood City heir, in the corner, staring coldly at the camera. His eyes were filled with fierce protection for his fiancée.

The reality show soon began filming. Before choosing whose partner to team up with, the production team arranged a week-long cohabitation period to help them make their choices later. Liam always stayed by my side. Even during group dinners arranged for all the guests, he maintained a respectful distance from any other female guests sitting next to him. Serena was repeatedly arranged to sit beside Liam, but he would simply get up and leave. The crew tried to persuade him: “This is Love Swap, Mr. Miller, you have to follow the rules.” “I’ll cover any penalties.” Liam dropped those words and walked away. Serena bit her lip, her eyes red-rimmed, watching him walk towards my room. Noah Hayes, standing nearby, cast a glance at his fiancée. His eyes held complex emotions. Serena stopped clinging to Liam. Because after watching a few live broadcasts, public opinion on her took a sharp turn: 【Mr. Miller said no, so why is she still pushing? Is she really like that netizen said, she’s struggled enough in the industry and is now envious of Jade having a powerful husband?】 【LOL, isn’t she already clinging to Noah Hayes?】 【How could Noah, that ice king, compare to the rush of young love that could give her a better marriage?】 As if to reinforce this public sentiment, the production team’s treatment of Serena declined. Her meals were downgraded several times, and her screen time was fleeting. One evening, after dinner, as Liam and I were taking a stroll, she dramatically stumbled out of her room, wrapped in just a thin shirt. She fell right at Liam’s feet. The mid-winter chill had her skin red, her nose red, making the tears in her eyes look genuinely pitiful. “Mr. Miller! Save me! I…” She instinctively grabbed Liam’s hand. Seeing me, her hand stiffened. She quickly let go and stumbled back two steps: “I… I didn’t mean it like that, Ms. Jade, please don’t misunderstand, I won’t dare to again…” She choked up, covered her mouth, and turned to flee. Her bare footprints marked the snow. I was stunned. Her performance was so flawless that by the time I processed it, it looked as if I had ordered someone to bully her. She instinctively sought help from Liam but then saw me, the “culprit”… But, given Noah’s intense gaze for Serena, how could he possibly let her suffer? I smiled, a hint of sarcasm on my lips. I turned to observe Liam’s expression. His face was unreadable. “I heard there’s a public outcry against her online. The production team signed a contract so they can’t kick her out, so they’ve just started collectively ostracizing her.” I looked at Liam. He wrapped an arm around my waist, simply mumbling, “Hmm.” That night, before bed, I deliberately asked him: “Do you believe Serena is being bullied?” He looked out at the snowy night sky, letting me rest my head on his arm. “No.” I smiled. After all, Noah was also an investor in the show. I understood that much, and as a businessman, Liam should understand it even better. The next day, for the partner selection segment, I put on beautiful makeup and appeared hand-in-hand with Liam. Serena’s eyes were red, as if she had been crying for a long time. She had never held hands with Noah on camera. Noah stood behind her, arms crossed, watching. His eyes showed deep displeasure. The director’s camera focused on Liam, and the comments went wild with laughter: 【Is this even a choice? Who doesn’t know Mr. Miller is totally devoted to his wife?】 【To be honest, I didn’t come for Love Swap, I came to watch Mr. Miller and Ms. Jade’s sweet romance.】 “I choose…” Liam’s hand slackened. I instinctively reached to tighten my grip, but he directly pushed my hand away: “Serena.” Serena, her eyes red, suddenly looked up, her face filled with disbelief. The comments were a sea of question marks. I also stared at Liam in shock. But he simply walked to Serena’s side.

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My brother, Liam Thompson, harbored a decade of hatred for me. The last time we argued, I left town alone and unexpectedly found myself caught in an earthquake. Just as a hotel chandelier was about to crash down on me, Liam suddenly appeared, shielding me with his body. “Skye, run! Don’t look back!” The chandelier fell heavily, shattering his spine, yet he looked at me with a relieved smile. “Mom and Dad’s dying wish was for me to take care of you. I did it.” “If there’s a next life, I hope you never appear before our family again.” Someone held me back, forcing me to watch as my brother was completely buried beneath the rubble. That night, having lost my last remaining family member, I didn’t hesitate to leap into the river. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day my birth family found me. I saw Liam waiting outside the police station. I walked past him, heading straight for another boy behind him. “Brother,” I called out. “You don’t remember anything at all?” Officer Davies looked at me, pen in hand, unwilling to miss any detail. “Try to think harder. Like, what’s your last name? Roughly where do you live? Who’s in your family?” “You were seven or eight when you were abducted. You should have some memories, logically.” I lowered my gaze, speaking slowly. “I was always beaten there. Once, I was hit on the head, passed out, and when I woke up, I couldn’t remember much.” Officer Davies’s eyes softened with sympathy. She put down her pen. “It’s okay. If you remember anything later, you can always contact us.” I left the police station, about to head towards the temporary lodging they’d arranged for me. But then, I saw a familiar figure rushing toward me. Liam? My heart lurched. In my past life, Liam had only come to pick me up reluctantly after the police contacted the Thompsons. Why was he here already this time? Liam’s eyes lit up when he saw me, and he quickly closed the distance between us. I was about to speak, but he beat me to it. “I’m warning you, don’t try to claim any relation. Our family already has a daughter.” It hit me like a ton of bricks. Liam had been reborn too, no wonder… He was afraid I’d return to claim my place, just like in my previous life, so he wanted to stop me first. A bitter ache bloomed in my chest, but I looked up, feigning confusion. “Who are you? What do you mean by ‘our family’?” Liam’s expression turned suspicious. “What game are you playing now?” I pointed to my head and said, straightforwardly, “I really don’t know you. I got hurt here before, and I can’t remember a lot of things.” A flicker of guilt crossed Liam’s eyes when he heard about my injury, but it quickly vanished. “I don’t care if you’re really suffering from amnesia or faking it. All you need to know is that the Thompsons’ house isn’t where you belong.” He paused, then continued. “Even though we’re strangers, I can give you some money and help you find an apartment until you’re an adult, just because I feel sorry for you. As long as you don’t go babbling to the police and disturbing my family.” I shook my head. “Thank you, but I don’t need it.” Ignoring his stunned gaze, I got into the waiting car. I remembered Liam’s smiling face just before he died in my previous life, saying he could finally be reunited with Mom, Dad, and Mia. My heart twisted with an unbearable pang of sorrow. He risked his life to save me. But in his heart, he only ever had one sister… Since they were so happy as a family of four without me, Then let them continue to be happy in this life.

At the lodging, I lay in bed, unable to sleep. Staring at the dark night sky outside the window, memories crashed over me like waves. In my past life, it was also this year that the police rescued me from the remote mountains. I cried, giving them Mom and Dad’s names and address, my heart full of the hope that I was finally going home. But when I was sent back, I found a strange girl in the house. Mom and Dad awkwardly explained that after I was abducted, they were in so much pain that they adopted her. Her name was Mia. They looked at me with complicated expressions, like I was a stranger who had suddenly invaded their lives. They were gentle and affectionate with Mia, as if she were their true daughter. But… but they used to love me the most. I broke down, screaming and shouting until my throat was raw. I pointed at Mia, calling her a thief who had stolen the home that was rightfully mine. Mom and Dad scolded me, saying I was thoughtless. I trembled, crying, my voice hoarse. “But I suffered so much! Why does she get to live in luxury?!” Mom and Dad watched me in silence, their eyes showing both heartache and hesitation. Unexpectedly, that night, Mia left a letter and quietly slipped away. She said she was going back to the orphanage, not wanting the family to break apart because of her. My heart was filled with unease. But Mom and Dad didn’t blame me; they just sighed and said they were going to the orphanage to bring her back. Liam wanted to go with them but was stopped. “You stay home with your sister. She’s finally back, you need to take good care of her.” As it turned out, they never came back. Their car was in an accident on the way to pick up Mia. All three of them were gone. From then on, Liam hated me. He hated me for ten whole years. Thinking of this, my throat constricted, and a familiar sting burned behind my eyes. I wiped away the tears. Now that I couldn’t go back to the Thompson family, I had to think about my future. I was not yet sixteen; I needed a guardian. Suddenly, a name surfaced in my mind. Caleb Maxwell. A skinny boy who always shielded me when we were beaten. In my past life, if it hadn’t been for him, I would have been bought to be a child bride for that family’s dim-witted son. When we were shivering, locked in the pigsty, he wrapped his only remaining clothes around me. “From now on, I’m your brother. I’ll protect you.” We endured countless grueling days together. But later, he was sold to another village. When we were rescued, the police said the people in that village had been freed before us. In my past life, I had wanted to find him. But the sudden changes in my birth family prevented me from doing so. In this life, I decided to find him. The next day, at dawn, I went to the police station. “Officers, I remember where my family lives.” After registering the information, I turned to leave the police station. But Liam Thompson, who had rushed over, grabbed my wrist. “You tricked me again! You really were faking it before!” “Why are you so determined to go back to my family? They don’t want you.” His voice trembled, as if suppressing immense anger. “Don’t you understand? I already have a sister. Mom and Dad dote on her endlessly. They don’t need an extra daughter.” I shook off his hand and continued walking out without a word. Liam was so infuriated by my attitude that his eyes turned bloodshot. He suddenly shouted, “Weren’t you abducted? Why didn’t you just stay in those mountains forever?!” His hysterical outburst was identical to his fury in my previous life, after our parents died, when he pointed his finger at me and screamed, “Why didn’t you die instead of them?” I raised my hand and slapped him hard. *Slap!* The sharp sound silenced him for a moment. “Who do you think you’re talking to?” I stared at him, asking each word distinctly. “Do you think someone who was abducted deserves to die out there?” Liam seemed to snap awake from the slap. He staggered back half a step, regret showing in his eyes. “I’m sorry…” Officer Davies, who had finally had enough, frowned and stepped in front of me. “Excuse me, sir, how can you speak like that? This young lady is looking for her family. It’s not your place to dictate.” Liam was silent for a long moment, then, with a cold face, he grabbed my arm. “You want to go home, don’t you? Come on.” But I pulled my arm free from his grasp, and to his surprise, I hid behind Officer Davies. “Yes, I want to go home, but what does that have to do with you?”

“My brother’s name is Caleb Maxwell, and he lives in S-Province.” I spoke each word clearly to Liam Thompson. Liam froze, then looked at me incredulously. “Skye Thompson, you’ve gotten bold, haven’t you?” “Where did you get a brother named Caleb Maxwell?!” Officer Davies immediately pulled me behind her, protectively, and turned to ask me, “Young lady, do you know him?” I shook my head, my voice very soft. “No, I don’t. And… I’m not Skye Thompson. My last name is Maxwell.” Liam’s expression instantly changed to shock, disbelief written all over his face. Suddenly, he seemed to understand something. “You’re back too, aren’t you?” I lowered my head, clutching the hem of my shirt. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “Skye Thompson!” Liam’s eyes blazed with raging hatred. “Do you think playing dumb or pretending to have amnesia will erase the fact that you’re a murderer?” “And you even made up a fake name to trick me,” He scoffed. “What, do you think I’d be worried?” “Let me tell you, keep dreaming.” He took a step closer, his eyes mocking. “Fine. Your brother’s named Caleb Maxwell, right? Then go find him.” He watched me smugly, as if certain I would panic. “You’re insane!” Officer Davies cursed, then pulled me into her patrol car. “Come on, ignore him.” Liam finally panicked, chasing after us and banging on the car window. “Where are you going?!” But he only got a mouthful of exhaust fumes. The car drove for a long time, eventually stopping in front of a garden house. My heart was surprised. I hadn’t expected Caleb’s family to be quite wealthy. This instantly boosted my confidence about relying on him. We walked up and knocked on the door. After a long wait, someone finally opened it. The man standing behind the door was tall and slender, with refined features that held a hint of sickly paleness. His messy hair slightly obscured his eyes, and his shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, revealing thin wrists. Seeing us, he paused. “And you are?” “Brother, I’m your sister!” I rushed straight into his arms. He stiffened, but didn’t immediately push me away. “Skye, are you crazy?!” Liam suddenly rushed up the stairs, pulling me away and angrily pointing at Caleb. “What are you doing! Do you even know who he is? Just throwing yourself into someone’s arms? What if he’s a bad guy?!” Seeing Liam’s dusty, travel-worn appearance, he must have followed us all the way. Just like in my previous life, when he secretly followed me and ultimately risked his life to save me. My gaze lingered on him, unreadable. “He’s my brother. What right do you have to insult my brother?” Liam laughed in exasperation. “He’s your brother? Skye Thompson, do you even have eyes?!” I retorted, word for word, “If he’s not my brother, then are you?” I stared at him, watching as Liam’s mouth opened, the word “yes” almost escaping. But he forcefully stopped himself. He glared at me, then let out a cold laugh. “You almost tricked me there. I told you I’m not your brother. You don’t deserve to be my sister.” A cynical smile tugged at my lips. Officer Davies finally lost her patience, cutting in sharply. “Which one of you is her brother, for goodness sake?!”

The moment I threw myself into Caleb’s arms, He already recognized me. Seeing my pleading eyes, Caleb sighed and turned to Officer Davies. “I’m her brother. Thank you for helping me find my sister.” Liam’s expression turned incredulous. “Fine. Just fine.” He looked at me with a grim face. “This isn’t me forcing you, it’s your own choice. Don’t regret it later.” With that, he turned and left. Watching Liam’s retreating back, a wave of unspeakable bitterness washed over me. Isn’t this exactly what he wanted? For me not to return to his family? Yet why did he look so betrayed? After everyone else had left, I quietly said to Caleb, “I’m sorry, I caused you trouble.” “He’s your biological brother, isn’t he?” Caleb asked. “If you’re having family issues,” Caleb advised, “you should go back once you’ve made up.” I shook my head, memories of my past life flashing through my mind. I couldn’t go back. Just as I was about to speak, my peripheral vision caught sight of an uncollected pill bottle on the table. My stomach dropped when I read the label. Looking at the man whose head was bowed, his expression unreadable, I grabbed Caleb’s hand. “You once told me that if I had no home, you’d be my brother and take care of me for life.” My voice trembled slightly. “Does that promise still stand now?” Caleb was silent for a very long time, so long that I thought time itself had stopped. Finally, he nodded. “It stands.” I happily threw myself into his arms. “Then from today on, you’re my real brother, and I’m your only sister.” I looked up at him. “We’re each other’s family.” “Now… Brother, I’m hungry. I haven’t eaten all day.” Caleb clearly paused. “Okay, I’ll go grocery shopping. What do you want to eat?” “Tomato scrambled eggs, and just buy whatever else you like.” I said casually. Caleb nodded and left the house. I took the opportunity to dump all the pills from the table into a drawer. Pretending I knew nothing. However, soon after, there was a knock at the door. “How are you back so quickly?” I opened the door, only to see Liam Thompson standing there, his face grim. “Why are you here?” Liam grabbed my hand without a word, pulling me toward the door. “Come with me.” I shook off his hand. “Where are you taking me?” “Home! Skye Thompson, there’s a limit to how much you can fake amnesia! Do you really want to stay in a strange man’s house with no proper explanation?” Liam’s voice suddenly carried a hint of fatigue. “Since we’re both back, let’s just forget about what happened in the last life. Come home with me and be sensible. Mom and Dad and I won’t mistreat you. Stop trying to compete with Mia…” I cut Liam off. “What if I said my condition for coming home is for Mia to leave? Would you agree?” The air instantly froze. Liam looked at me incredulously, then his eyes filled with hatred. “I knew it! You truly are evil by nature! Why are you so determined to drive Mia out?” “Let me tell you, don’t even dream about it! Mia has been with Mom and Dad for so many years; in their hearts, she’s already like a real daughter!” “See?” I sneered. “I only proposed the idea, and I haven’t even done anything, yet your reaction is so extreme.” “Between Mia and me, it was never fair from the start!” My voice began to tremble. “Did any of you ever consider my feelings? Was I abducted willingly? Do you know how much I suffered during those years I was kidnapped?” “Why should I be magnanimous enough to accept that the love that was originally mine is now split with someone else?” “It was your own fault for being so reckless and getting abducted in the first place!” Liam blurted out. “Who else is to blame?” I suddenly looked up, my gaze sharp as a knife. “Are you sure it was my fault for being reckless?” I took a step closer to him. “Liam Thompson, you’ve lied to everyone for so long, have you actually started believing your own lies?” His face instantly turned ashen. I knew he remembered. When I was seven, Liam insisted on taking me to play in a secluded cornfield. I didn’t want to go into the cornfield, but he called me a coward, shook off my hand, and rushed in himself.

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My intern, Tyler, used a deposit transfer function on me. No matter how much money I had in my account, the balance would always revert to fifty dollars. In my last life, all I dreamed of was buying my own apartment near the office. Until I finally saved up half a million dollars for a down payment. When I swiped my card, the real estate agent told me I had insufficient funds. I checked my transaction history, confronted the bank, reported it to the police, but everyone dismissed me as crazy. Because my bank statements showed every single transaction clearly. But these were expenses I, who lived frugally, had never made! I told my colleagues about it, and to my surprise, after seeing my bank statements, a few malicious male colleagues actually taunted me: “Liam frequently spends thousands at a certain bar in the middle of the night! That price perfectly matches a full night with a model!” Faced with such misunderstandings, no matter how much I explained, it was useless. I anonymously posted about it online. Netizens all commented that I was making things up to grab attention for selling products; only one comment advised me to observe my surroundings and see if anyone else’s spending matched my statements. Through careful observation, I indeed discovered that Tyler, the new intern in our department, would cause a deduction from my card every time he made a purchase. Even buying a drink would immediately show up. After identifying my target, I confronted Tyler directly, only to be mocked. He said I was reckless with my money, and trying to blame others for my inability to save was delusional. He even ganged up with company colleagues and had me committed to a mental institution. After two years in the hospital, unable to endure the torment, I finally found an opportunity to escape and jumped into a river to commit suicide. Unexpectedly, when I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day before I was going to buy the apartment.

Reborn, the first thing I did was open my banking app to check my balance. Sure enough, only fifty bucks remained. I quickly pieced together the situation. My money, had already been transferred to Tyler’s account through some unknown means he possessed. I wanted nothing more than to drag Tyler down with me, but in my previous life, after my death, seeing my parents’ hair turn white overnight, I regretted it. If I acted impulsively like before, I would only repeat the same mistakes. Just then, Ms. Miller, our department manager, called me over. “Liam, this order might be a bit tricky, but the commission is five thousand dollars! Don’t say I didn’t look out for you, honey!” My throat tightened, and I swallowed hard, almost instinctively. Five thousand dollars. Enough for a month’s rent, with a good chunk left over. But I still refused. “Thanks, Ms. Miller. But for the next month, I don’t want to take any orders.” Ignoring Ms. Miller’s stunned expression, I turned and walked out of the office. Because of the poor soundproofing, the colleagues outside had already heard everything. Immediately, discussions erupted. “Liam’s the company’s sales champion! He used to fight for every order, but he just refused one today?” “Not just today, didn’t you hear him say he wouldn’t take any for the next month?!” Disregarding the gossip around me, I opened my food delivery app, ordered the largest iced americano, and then deducted the last fifty dollars from my card. You should know, in my previous life, I couldn’t even bring myself to buy a dollar coffee from the vending machine. To build a life for myself in this impossibly expensive city, I worked myself to the bone, sacrificing everything. Every day, I’d stay up until two or three in the morning doing client follow-ups, wake up before dawn, and get packed like a sardine on the subway for two grueling hours, just to punch in on time. One late clock-in meant a fifty-dollar deduction. That was nearly a week’s worth of food for me. I dreamed of buying my own apartment near the office, even if it was just a small studio. Every payday, I’d only keep three hundred dollars for living expenses. The rest went straight into my bank account. But I never imagined that the half a million dollars I desperately saved for a down payment would end up in someone else’s pocket! Just then, the office door was flung open. “Guys! Lunch is on me!” Tyler’s boisterous voice instantly filled the room. His face was flushed with excitement, a brand-new Swiss watch glinting on his wrist, looking like a lottery winner who’d just hit big. “Let’s go to The Grand Hotel! Order whatever you want!” The office erupted, and colleagues swarmed around him. “Tyler, did you strike it rich?” “Who’s your sugar daddy?” I didn’t move, just held my coffee, my eyes cold as I watched him. Because I knew, he was spending *my* money. Tyler, surrounded by the crowd, waved his hand, feigning modesty: “Oh, you know, just bought a lottery ticket a couple of days ago, won a small prize.” A nosy colleague immediately pressed him: “How much did you win?”

Tyler glanced at me, a smug smile playing on his lips. “Not much,” he said nonchalantly, “just a few hundred thousand.” A collective gasp echoed through the office. A few hundred thousand was an astronomical sum for us, who barely made five figures a month. But I noticed that from the moment Tyler entered, his gaze kept drifting towards me, purposefully. As if he was observing a lab rat’s reaction. He was watching to see if I had already discovered that my bank card was now useless. I suppressed the hatred churning in my gut, biting back the questions that almost burst from my lips. For now, I couldn’t tip him off. I stood up, forcing a perfectly natural smile, even a hint of envy. “Tyler, congratulations! I’ve got to bask in your good fortune.” Seeing my composed demeanor, a flicker of surprise crossed Tyler’s eyes, then he subtly let out a sigh of relief, clearly feeling guilty. He probably thought I hadn’t noticed the anomaly in my savings yet. As lunchtime approached, Kyle, who sat next to me, suddenly leaned over. “Liam, didn’t you say you’d go house-hunting once you had enough for the down payment? When are you going? I’ll go with you.” At the mention of the apartment, I clenched my fists tightly, my nails almost digging into my flesh. But I quickly relaxed them, maintaining a calm expression. “No rush,” I said. “I lost my ID a couple of days ago, and it takes time to replace it. Besides, house prices are dropping so fast now, I might as well wait and see.” The words were barely out of my mouth when I felt a gaze land on me again. It was Tyler. He was watching me again, his eyes betraying a hint of unconcealed glee. Tyler had only been an intern at the company for two months. He was five foot seven, weighed 180 pounds, had an ordinary face, and ranked last in sales performance. In our sales department, where looks and业绩 mattered, he should have been at the bottom of the food chain. But in my previous life, it was him who used my half a million dollars, first to get full-body liposuction, then plastic surgery. He transformed himself into a charismatic, handsome golden boy that everyone adored. It was also him who used my money to buy loyalty, colluding with a few female colleagues to have me committed to a mental institution, citing my “mental instability.” Recalling the two years of torment in that mental institution, I took another deep breath to calm myself. At noon, Tyler took us to The Grand Hotel for lunch, grandly telling us to order whatever we wanted. I didn’t hold back. I opened the menu and pointed directly to the most expensive pages. “King crab, the biggest one.” “Australian lobster sashimi.” “And this, the French foie gras.” “A bird’s nest soup for everyone, please.” With each dish I ordered, the expressions of my colleagues grew more entertaining. Kyle nudged my arm, whispering, “Liam, isn’t this… a bit too wasteful?” I smiled at him, saying nothing. Spending my own money, how could it be called wasteful? Tyler’s cheek twitched, but in front of everyone, he could only force a smile. “It’s fine, Liam’s our sales champion, he’s worked so hard, he deserves to eat well and recharge.” He grinned brightly. “He still has to eat more and work harder in the future, to create more业绩 for our department!” Before I could speak, a colleague next to me chimed in: “Oh, Tyler, you weren’t here this morning, so you didn’t know. Liam just told Ms. Miller that he’s stopping all his orders for the next month.” The air instantly went quiet. I leisurely wiped the corner of my mouth with a napkin and looked up at Tyler. The smile on his face froze, inch by inch. “What did you say?” He glared at me, his voice sharp as he yelled: “Liam, why are you stopping orders?” “What do you mean by this?”

I met Tyler’s almost furious gaze and slowly curved my lips. “Why are you so agitated that I’m stopping orders?” The colleagues around us also exchanged glances, their eyes burning with gossip. “Yeah, Tyler,” Kyle couldn’t help but speak up, “Liam himself isn’t worried, why are you reacting so strongly?” “Exactly, anyone would think you were the one who stopped orders.” The collective whispers were like cold water, instantly snapping Tyler out of his outburst. The ferocity on his face rapidly faded, replaced by a forced expression of extreme concern. “I… I’m just worried about Liam, that’s all!” He raised his voice, as if to sound more sincere. “Didn’t you say you were only a few orders away from your down payment? The Grandview Towers orders are so hard to get, stopping now means losing out on so much money! I’m just feeling bad for you!” He looked on the verge of tears, acting as if it were real. I smiled. “I’m tired, I want to rest.” I casually picked up a spot prawn, slowly peeling its shell. “Besides,” I paused, looking up at him, my gaze pure and harmless, “didn’t you just win a big lottery prize? Hundreds of thousands, right? What if I really am a bit short on my down payment, you… wouldn’t refuse to lend me some, would you?” The air froze again. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on Tyler. The color drained from his face instantly, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word. I put the peeled shrimp meat into my mouth, slowly adding. “Our generous Tyler, he’d definitely help, right?” He was put on the spot, scorched by everyone’s gaze, and finally, he squeezed out a few words, almost through gritted teeth. “Of… of course I would.” As if afraid I would actually ask, he immediately added, “But, I didn’t win that much, it’s just… just pocket money.” I looked at the new Celine short-sleeved shirt he was wearing, the globally limited Swiss watch on his wrist, and this table full of lavish dishes that could feed an ordinary person for half a year. Indeed. My half a million dollars wouldn’t even last him a few days at this rate. I thoroughly enjoyed that meal. Before leaving, I asked the waiter to pack up all the untouched king crab and lobster. A few colleagues whispered behind my back. “Oh my God, taking leftovers, that’s so tacky, isn’t it?” “Seriously, like he’s never eaten before, so embarrassing.” I heard them but pretended not to, just smiling sweetly at Tyler. “Tyler, look how much you’ve spent. All these good things, it would be such a waste not to take them. I’ll take them home to eat, you don’t mind, do you?” Tyler’s face was a kaleidoscope of emotions. But in front of everyone, he could only grit his teeth and nod. “No… I don’t mind.” Back at the company, I nonchalantly placed the packed containers into the communal fridge, completely ignoring the strange looks from my colleagues. In the afternoon, I knocked on the door of Ms. Davis’s office. “Ms. Davis, I’d like to advance half a month’s salary.” Ms. Davis looked up at me: “By regulation, it requires a manager’s signature, and it’s all processed at the end of the month.” I handed her a pre-prepared application form, already signed. “The manager approved it.” “And, I don’t want a bank transfer.” “Cash only.” If money in my card vanished as if by magic, then cash should be safe, right? An hour later, clutching a hefty stack of bills in an envelope, I returned to my cubicle. This was my base salary for the current month and part of last month’s commission, fifteen thousand dollars. I tucked the envelope into the deepest compartment of my bag, zipping it shut. In my previous life, it was from that half a million that I slowly plunged into the abyss. In this life, I would climb back up from this fifteen thousand. But I hadn’t even settled into my seat, not even five minutes had passed. My right eye began to twitch uncontrollably, a sudden, alarming flutter. *Thump, thump, thump.* Each twitch more violent than the last. A deeply ominous premonition instantly gripped my heart! I quickly unzipped my bag, reaching for that compartment— It was empty! The envelope was still there, but the thick stack of cash inside had vanished! My blood ran cold instantly, every hair on my body standing on end. I hadn’t realized that the deposit transfer method Tyler used on me had no limits whatsoever! Was he trying to cut off all my escape routes? I looked at Tyler not far away, a flicker of glee on his face. I clenched my fists tightly. Good thing I’d already thought of a way to break this cycle! Five minutes later, I had just returned to the office from the restroom when the police arrived. Amidst everyone’s stunned expressions, I stepped forward directly.

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I went home mid-day to grab some meeting documents, not expecting the projector in our living room to flick on automatically, displaying a single line of text. “Today’s mission: Pleasure yourself with my picture in front of your wife for one hour. Don’t forget to send me the video once you’re done, darling.” The next second, the projector shut off just as quickly. I tried to rationalize it, thinking maybe it was just a hallucination from my late-night work sessions. But that night, after my husband, Julian, the man I’d loved for ten years, fed me warm milk, I distinctly heard him growl a strange woman’s name under his breath. My body, however, felt like my limbs were filled with lead, utterly unable to move. Earlier that evening, when Julian fed me the milk, I’d been wary. I only took a symbolic tiny sip, then quietly poured the rest of the liquid into a potted plant as he turned to leave. But even that tiny sip was enough to paralyze me completely. I closed my eyes, but my hearing became unnaturally sharp. I could feel his warm breath ghost across my ear, then his muffled, suppressed moans began. “Scarlett… *Mmm*… *Ah*…” Knowing exactly what was happening, a wave of unspeakable nausea churned in my stomach. I couldn’t reconcile the man before me with the person I remembered, the one who’d walked with me from nothing to where we were today. The boy who used to blush just from a harmless joke in front of his classmates. The broke student who ate instant ramen for a month just to buy me a limited-edition lipstick. The man who, during the early days of his startup, would hug me and say, “Anya, I promise I’ll give you a good life someday.” Now, he was a high-powered CEO, always so suave, so charming to outsiders. But when I wasn’t looking, this was what he truly was. Time stretched, each second an agonizing eternity. Finally, the suffocating sounds stopped. I heard him sigh, a long, drawn-out breath, followed by the sound of water running in the bathroom. After the water stopped, he returned to bed, a faint scent of dampness clinging to him, and gently pulled me into his arms from behind. The familiar scent of his shower gel enveloped me, yet it only sent a cold shiver down my spine. His warm lips pressed against my cheek, as if nothing had happened at all. “I’ll always love you, Anya. Goodnight.” I froze, caught off guard. Did he truly love me? But the darkness was too quiet, and I couldn’t fight off the exhaustion, eventually slipping into a deep sleep. I woke up the next morning, and the spot beside me was already empty. A sticky note, with Julian’s familiar handwriting, was on the bedside table. “My dearest Anya, the project kicks off today, so I headed in early to prepare. Breakfast is on the table, don’t forget to eat! (＾Ｕ＾)ノ~ＹＯ.” Looking at the note, I felt a moment of disorientation. Everything that happened last night seemed like an absurd nightmare. But then I reached for the vase, pulling out the pinhole camera I’d secretly installed last night. I connected it to my phone, and the video playback from last night reminded me: it wasn’t a dream. The humiliation, the disgust – it was all real. My rationality screamed not to act rashly. I forced myself to calm down, fast-forwarding through the surveillance footage. Thankfully, the camera did capture a glimpse of the girl on his phone screen. I paused the video, zoomed in. The girl on the phone looked delicate, young, with a fragile, pitiful kind of beauty. I recognized that face, though. Her name was Scarlett. She was a professional mourner. Three months ago, at Julian’s mother’s funeral, a funeral team was hired, and this girl had cried the hardest. Anyone who didn’t know might have thought it was her own mother who had passed. I was intrigued by her dedication at the time, so I looked her up. Her parents were abusive, and to escape that home, she studied hard, working as a mourner to pay for her tuition and living expenses. After the funeral, it was me who asked Julian to give that girl twenty thousand dollars. Now, it seemed highly likely that’s when they met. I exited the video and called Julian. But several attempts went straight to voicemail.

Just as I put down my phone, an unknown number called. On the other end, it was a young woman’s voice. “Is this Ms. Sterling? I’d like to talk to you about your husband.” I recognized the voice instantly. It was the mourner. She then gave an address and hung up. I looked it up; it was a café in a secluded, remote area. Initially, I didn’t want to go. But the next second, my phone vibrated, and she sent me a photo. In the picture, I was lying on a bed, disheveled, my eyes unfocused, clearly drugged. My fists clenched, and I decided to go to the meeting. The café was indeed isolated, with barely any customers. I spotted her immediately. Scarlett was wearing a white dress, just as she had on the day I first saw her. Seeing me sit down, she smiled at me, then pulled out a stack of photos. The pictures showed me in various poses while I was unconscious, each one extremely explicit. “Ms. Sterling, you’re calmer than I expected. I assume you already know the whole story from the surveillance footage.” “I suggest you be reasonable and agree to a divorce with nothing. Otherwise, these photos will appear at your company and on all major platforms tomorrow.” I picked up the photos, tearing them into tiny pieces without hesitation. “Expose them, then. But making me leave with nothing? Impossible.” She seemed surprised by my reaction and let out a sneer. “Ms. Sterling, why are you making this difficult? Julian loves me. Why don’t you just graciously step aside?” “Why should I step aside?” I retorted, unable to hold back. Her smile widened, carrying a cruel certainty. “Because he can’t live without me.” The next second, she snapped her fingers. From a dimly lit corner of the café, several tall men emerged and surrounded me. Before I could even react, punches and kicks rained down on me. Pain forced me to curl up. After a brutal beating, they shoved a rag into my mouth and pushed me into a dog cage under the table. Scarlett watched my pathetic state for a while, then, right in front of me, called Julian. “Ten minutes. I want to see you here.” She hung up, not giving him a chance to speak. A faint, uncontrollable flicker of hope ignited in a corner of my heart. After all, Julian and I had loved each other for ten years. Surely, he wouldn’t just stand by and watch me being treated like this. But today was the launch day for his company’s biggest annual project. Julian was a complete workaholic. I remembered one time, during another important project, I simply asked him to come home early because I had a fever, and he gave me the silent treatment for three days. Would he abandon everything and rush here just for Scarlett’s vague command? Time ticked by in the silence, second by agonizing second. Every moment felt like a dull knife slowly carving into my heart. I even started counting in my head. Just as I reached 299, the café door burst open. Hurried, yet steady, footsteps grew louder, stopping right by the table. Through the gaps in the iron cage, I saw a pair of familiar, perfectly polished leather shoes. It was Julian. He actually came. He didn’t even take five minutes. “Master.” Julian’s voice was respectful, laced with a breathless urgency, clearly having run all the way here. “Sit in that chair now. You have ten minutes to relieve yourself.” Scarlett’s voice was like she was ordering a well-trained dog. I heard the chair scrape as it was pulled out. I struggled to reach out my hand, letting Julian step right on my fingers. The excruciating pain made my body tense instantly, and a muffled whimper escaped past the rag in my mouth. Julian’s foot froze.

He seemed to sense something was off, and with a hint of surprise, asked Scarlett: “Is there something under the table?” Julian leaned down, his hand just touching the edge of the tablecloth. Scarlett quickly reached out and pressed down on his wrist. “Don’t move. It’s just a crazy person I ‘borrowed’ from the asylum. She’s in the cage to add a little sensory thrill for you. Don’t worry about it.” Julian paused, glanced at her, and seemed to genuinely believe her, not pressing further. He closed his eyes, leaning back in the chair, still looking perfectly prim and proper. But under the tablecloth, I watched his suit pants, so close to me, and his hand resting on his lap. My stomach churned, a sickening wave of nausea making me want to throw up. I bit down hard on the rag in my mouth, my body thrashing violently within the cramped cage. “Clang!” A crisp sound echoed loudly in the silent café, drawing immediate attention. It was the jade pendant Julian had begged for on 999 steps, specifically for me, that had snapped from my neck. It fell to the ground, rolling to Julian’s feet. Julian’s movements abruptly stopped. He opened his eyes, looking down at the pendant. His face instantly changed. The next second, he ripped aside the heavy tablecloth. I instinctively squinted. He looked into the cage, at me. Our eyes met. I saw the tension in his eyes instantly dissipate, replaced by a long, relieved sigh. Scarlett, beside him, giggled, patting his shoulder. “Why so tense, Julian? I told you, it’s just a crazy person I ‘borrowed’ from the asylum. Did she scare you?” I followed his gaze, seeing my reflection in the café’s clean glass wall. My hair was maliciously matted and disheveled, like dry straw. My clothes were torn and wrinkled, stained with unknown grime. My face was smeared with dirt, and a rag was stuffed in my mouth. I truly looked like a lunatic. No wonder he hadn’t recognized me. That promise, “Even if you turn to ash, I’d recognize you instantly,” was just another lie. I looked at him, whimpering, trying to give him one last chance. “Mmm… mmm-hmm…” Seeing my distress, Scarlett raised her foot and kicked the cage twice. “What’s all that noise about? Keep it up and I’ll cut out your tongue.” The iron cage rattled with a “clang,” hitting me painfully. She then turned back to Julian, smiling. “Since you’ve uncovered her, why waste her? Julian, just pretend she’s Anya, and really let loose.” “Afterward, just make sure to finish on her face, okay?” I stared, wide-eyed in disbelief. Julian’s eyes flashed with a hint of excitement, and he actually started to move. My heart chilled, inch by agonizing inch. As his movements grew faster, I simply turned my head away, noticing a clock on the wall. After seeing the time, I breathed a sigh of relief and began to count down. Three. Two. One. “BANG!” The café door was kicked open. “Don’t move! Everyone, hands in the air!” The voice was loud and authoritative. Scarlett’s sweet smile instantly froze. Julian, who was positioned directly over me, also stiffened. Several uniformed police officers rushed in, quickly taking control of the scene. Soon, the iron cage was opened, and the rag was removed from my mouth. A female officer took off her jacket and draped it over me, softly reassuring me. “It’s okay, don’t be scared.” I was helped to my feet, my legs a bit shaky, but I stood firm. I looked up, meeting Julian’s gaze. He was being held by two officers, his hands raised above his head. As the police wiped the dirt from my face, he saw my features clearly, and his pupils constricted sharply. “Anya?” His voice held a tremor, barely perceptible. “What are you doing here?” I said nothing, just stared at him quietly. I don’t like fighting unprepared battles. Before I came here, I’d already called the police, instructing them that if I didn’t cancel the call in half an hour, they should come to this café to rescue me.

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It was the third year I’d been running my flower shop to keep my boyfriend, Leo Donovan, afloat, and he’d just declared bankruptcy. Again. The first time, I’d sold the house my grandma left me for him, paying off $100,000. The second time, I’d dug out the savings account my mom had left for my dowry, and paid off $250,000. This third time, I stared into his lost, vacant eyes, my fingers clutching the number of my billionaire father—the man who, in my mind, had been dead to me for years. I hesitated, wondering if I should dial. But that very night, I accidentally saw a message pop up on a private SnapChat group on his tablet: “Hey Leo, what should we put for the contract amount this time? For the bankruptcy repayment, I mean.” “Put $1.5 million. Otherwise, the little flower girl will just pay it off in one go again. So boring, right?” “Leo always has the best games. I hear the little flower girl keeps the flowers blooming by day and keeps you ‘blooming’ by night. You never get tired of playing with her, huh?” I slowly put down his tablet and dialed my billionaire father. “You just want to force me to take over the family business and marry your protégé, don’t you? Fine. I’ll marry him.” “Send someone to pick me up in three days.” 0

I hung up with Dad. Leo walked back in, a signed IOU clutched in his hand. “Ivy, I’m so sorry. I owe another $1.5 million this time. I’m just useless.” His acting was flawless. That lost look in his eyes, it used to always make me say: “It’s okay, we’ll work through this together. We’ll pay it all back eventually.” But now, I just stared silently at the partial glimpse of a watch peeking from under his cuff. It looked like an ordinary watch, but I’d seen it in a magazine. It was worth $25 million. Leo owned a $25 million watch, yet he couldn’t pay off a $1.5 million debt. I had nothing, but I was ready to take out a predatory loan for him. My genuine feelings for him had become his license to play with me, to manipulate me without a shred of remorse. Seeing my gaze fixed on his wrist, Leo didn’t even flinch. He pulled me into his arms, his expression unchanging. “Just a fake, Ivy. When I’m rich, I’ll buy you anything you want.” He knew I was poor, that I wouldn’t recognize these luxury brands. He didn’t even need to think twice about lying to me. I pulled my gaze away, only to see new messages popping up in the SnapChat group on the tablet, which was still beside me. “Leo, what’s the little girl going to sell to pay off the debt this time? Her flowers, her house, or… herself?” “Women Leo’s ‘played with’ must be quite something. If she’s selling herself, I’ll buy a night first!” The messages that followed were a barrage of vulgar comments and ‘me too’s. Three years with Leo, and I’d bailed him out of bankruptcy twice. The first time, I sold the house my grandma left me. Leo held me close, promising he’d give me a home. But we lived in a dingy basement apartment, paying $400 a month for two years, and then he came back with another IOU for $300,000. I still didn’t blame him. Instead, I pulled out the dowry my mom had saved for me and covered his debts. He knelt before me, swearing that by accepting my dowry, he was my husband, that he’d love and cherish me for life. But his promises? They were all lies, from start to finish. Leo’s attention was drawn by the incessant pinging of his phone. He glanced at me, saw I wasn’t looking, and then confidently opened his phone to scroll through the group messages. Soon, his brow furrowed, and his lips thinned into a hard line. He tapped a few times on the screen, and his message popped up in the group chat: “All of you, back off! Just sit back and enjoy the show!” Leo put his phone down. After a long silence, he pulled me into his arms again, his embrace cloying. “Ivy, I promise this is the last time. Once this debt is paid, I’ll marry you, okay?” I looked at his “sincere” expression and suddenly found it utterly laughable. Who knew I was so invaluable? So much so that a rich playboy would go to such lengths to fool me. Even stooping to talk about marriage. If, at first, I’d wanted to confront him and ask if he found any of this amusing… Now, I didn’t even have the energy to demand answers. I calmly pushed him away. “But Leo, I’m out of money.” Leo froze, probably not expecting that reaction from me. After all, in his mind, I should have been scrambling to find every possible way to pay off his debts. But quickly, his face twisted into an angry scowl. “Ivy, are you like all the others? Do you think I’m a loser? That I’ll never succeed?” “I knew it! I misjudged you!” With that, he stormed out, slamming the door behind him. I watched him go, understanding he was trying to bully me into submission. But I didn’t call after him. Instead, I pulled out my phone and blocked every single one of his contacts. Then I picked up the IOU. No lender’s name, no borrower’s signature. Something so obviously fake, and I’d stupidly fallen for it twice. I let out a self-deprecating laugh and called the agent. “Hi, can you help me find a tenant to take over my flower shop on Central Street?” I’d only opened the flower shop to support Leo. Now that I was done with him, there was no point in keeping it open. Besides, I was leaving anyway. 0

The next morning, I stayed home packing my bags. Looking around the cramped, dimly lit rental, there was surprisingly nothing worth taking with me. Discarded birthday cards from a bakery, pretty stones I’d found on the street, rings crumpled from paper… Leo had given me these as “surprises.” Only, every time I’d “unboxed” one, he’d look just as surprised. Now I realized, those “gifts” were probably just something he had someone casually throw together. He probably didn’t even know what was inside. The only decent gift was a necklace he’d bought for $10 from a street vendor after his first “successful” venture. Back then, I thought he was wasting money and was genuinely angry at him for it. But Leo just looked at me with an amused smirk. He called me silly, saying, “What if I actually get rich someday, and you still can’t bring yourself to spend money?” I thought he was being sweet, worried about me back then. Now I know. He really just thought I was stupid. In our dense SnapChat history, there were exactly 517 messages where Leo called me stupid. I’d run across three streets to get him his favorite late-night snacks, and he’d text, “Ivy is such an idiot.” He had a fever, and I draped my only raincoat over him, carrying him to the emergency room. He later wrote, “She’s laughably clueless.” Even when I was lying in his arms, dreaming about our happy future together, he’d still post in the group chat: “Ivy’s hopelessly stupid. So broke, yet she still dreams of a future with me…” Even from those cold words, I could picture the sneer and mockery on his face as he typed them. But it didn’t matter anymore. From now on, there would be no Leo Donovan in Ivy Sterling’s future. I continued packing, but by the end, my large suitcase was still empty. The trash can, however, was overflowing. I took one last look at the place I’d called home for two years. Peeling paint stained with watermarks, a three-legged chair, a bed cobbled together with bricks and planks… When things were a little better, I’d dreamed of making this place truly a home. But Leo always refused. He’d say, “Once we’re rich, we won’t live here anymore, so there’s no point decorating.” I believed every one of his promises, and stupidly waited in this crumbling home for them to come true. Thinking about all of it, I suddenly felt a profound emptiness. I snapped my suitcase shut. The agent called. “Ms. Sterling, I can’t finalize the transfer of the flower shop on my own. You’ll need to speak with the landlord in person.” 0

At three PM, I arrived at the designated office building to meet the agent. Down the opulent hallway, through a slightly ajar door, I saw Leo. He was dressed in a perfectly tailored suit, head bowed, engrossed in his phone. Beside him, a woman, exquisitely dressed, leaned intimately against his shoulder. I recognized her almost instantly. Two days prior, the flower shop had received an order for nine hundred ninety-nine roses. The customer had specifically requested the thorns *not* be removed, so I’d finished the entire arrangement with my hands covered in bleeding pricks. When I personally delivered them by taxi, the recipient was this woman: Celeste Harding. Tucked into the center of the roses was a small card, as requested by the customer: “To my life’s true love, Celeste. Sincerely, LZC.” Only at this moment did the realization hit me: LZC was Leo Donovan. He knew perfectly well that I, desperate for money, wouldn’t turn down such a huge order. So he deliberately made those specific requests, just to watch me run around in circles for him. Thinking about it, I almost laughed, tears welling in my eyes. That day, when I got home, I’d excitedly told Leo about the big money I’d made. When he “tenderly” bandaged my wounds, was he secretly calling me stupid again? Was I just a joke to him? As I wiped away the tears from my eyes, the agent arrived. He saw me standing by the door and asked, puzzled, “Ms. Sterling, the landlord is right inside. Why aren’t you going in?” Tears still blurring my vision, I stared at the agent in shock. “Who did you say? The landlord? Leo Donovan?” The agent looked confused. “Yes! Didn’t you know? That entire block of Central Street, it all belongs to Young Master Donovan.” 0 I looked at Leo’s figure in the distance, and deeply buried, painful memories surged. After I’d paid off Leo’s second bankruptcy, I struggled financially for a long time, unable to even afford rent.

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The news of the alliance between two top-tier dynasties sent shockwaves through the business world. But on the night of our engagement party, I walked backstage and caught my fiancé, Liam Blackwood, and the “poor student” he’d been sponsoring, in a kiss so passionate it had drawn blood from their lips. “Vicky, it’s not what you think.” Liam fumbled with his shirt buttons, a deep flush creeping up his neck, his ears blazing crimson. I watched, my eyes cold, as the girl beside him frantically tried to cover herself, then let out a scoff. “What excuse are you going to cook up now? Do you think I’m blind? Or just stupid?” I ripped the engagement ring from my finger and flung it at his feet, my voice laced with venom. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Every power player and socialite in the city is watching this engagement party tonight.” “Either you go through with the ceremony as per our agreement, or… the Blackwood family will be facing bankruptcy!” He clenched his jaw, his teeth grinding, before reluctantly bending down to pick up the ring. He squeezed out a single, resentful word: “Fine.” The ceremony began. Liam walked onto the stage in a noticeably wrinkled suit. Under the gaze of thousands, he strode past me, completely ignoring me, and handed the ring directly to the girl behind him, who was feigning innocence and helplessness. “Victoria Sterling, the woman I’ve always loved is Holly.” “Even if you destroy the entire Blackwood family, I will *never* marry a gold-digger who schemes her way to the top!” The moment the words left his mouth, the entire hall erupted. A chorus of mockery and the relentless clicking of camera shutters threatened to rip the roof off. And I, Victoria Sterling, became the biggest joke in the room. Watching him lean down and kiss his one true love, my heart died. Since you betrayed me first, don’t blame me for showing no mercy!

“Ms. Sterling, the company’s stock price has plummeted by 30%.” My assistant, Alex, reported, head bowed, voice trembling. I stared at my phone screen. The top five trending topics on Ins were all dominated by the engagement party fiasco. Under the hashtag #HeirDefiesArrangedMarriageForLove, the comments were a furious deluge. “Oh, so she has a few bucks, big deal? He clearly has true love, but she forced him into marriage. Shameless bitch, she deserved to be dumped!” “Good job, Mr. Blackwood! Let that manipulative bitch know what karma feels like!” “Sterling Corp should just collapse. This trash company doesn’t deserve to exist!” Page after page, every single comment was an accusation against me, calling me a monster. I calmly scrolled through them until Liam Blackwood’s latest statement popped up. [Finally free. From now on, I’ll be running towards a new future with the woman I love most.] The accompanying photo was a close-up of him and Holly Thorne, their fingers intertwined. That engagement ring, which should have been ours, was now gleaming on someone else’s hand. I stared at those words for a long time, then a laugh escaped my lips. “Notify the legal department. Immediately initiate the highest level of clawback clauses. Terminate all collaborations with Blackwood Industries!” Alex’s hand visibly trembled, his voice a slight tremor. “Ms. Sterling, shouldn’t we issue a statement first to explain? The entire internet is crucifying us right now…” “What’s there to explain?” I cut him off, slamming my phone onto the desk. “There’s no need to entangle myself further with a man who breaks his word like this.” I rubbed my throbbing temples, sinking deeper into the plush sofa. Memories flashed before my eyes. Five years ago, the Blackwood family was on the brink of bankruptcy. At an auction, Liam made a desperate bid, hoping to save their last ancestral estate. Everyone in the room was just waiting to watch him fail. Only I saw the unconcealed defiance in his eyes. I stepped in, bought the estate, and gifted it to him, free of charge. He had nothing then. He saw me as his last hope, kneeling at my feet, pledging: “Victoria Sterling, if you help the Blackwood family, I’ll do anything for you.” I chuckled softly, helping him up. “Alright, but you’ll have to marry me.” He gritted his teeth in anger, yet his eyes sparkled with a desperate light. To help Blackwood Industries through its crisis, I pushed myself to the limit at countless business dinners, once even ending up with a stomach hemorrhage. He stayed by my hospital bed, his eyes red-rimmed, telling me, “Victoria Sterling, don’t ever do that again.” Looking at his eyes, so full of me, I felt it was all worth it. I thought we were each other’s destined salvation. I used Sterling Corp’s resources and network to help him rebuild his commercial empire. I taught him how to be a competent businessman. Blackwood Industries transformed from a struggling small company into a top-tier multinational corporation. But our relationship, too, began to sour. He started resisting intimacy, rejecting my plans, even yearning for the “purity” of the past. That so-called poor student, Holly Thorne, appeared at precisely that moment. He projected all his obsession with the past onto this girl. A month before the engagement party, I had warned him directly: “Liam Blackwood, the importance of this alliance doesn’t need explaining. I expect you to maintain appropriate boundaries.” He fiddled with his teacup, dismissing me offhandedly. “Don’t make a big deal out of it. I just treat Holly like a little sister.” “Her family is struggling, what’s wrong with me helping her out?” I lowered my voice, reminding him: “She’s an adult. She can work for herself now.” He suddenly smashed his teacup. “That’s different! When did you become so cold-blooded?” “You’re just a soulless corporate shark now, obsessed with profit! Holly is so much purer than you!” It was then that I realized he was no longer the lost and desperate heir who had once needed me. He was now desperate to break free from my control. I chose to compromise, treating him merely as a strategic partner for the alliance. As long as he cooperated, everything would remain the same. But I forgot how easily hearts change, especially men’s. The office door was suddenly flung open. Liam Blackwood burst in, radiating a dangerous aura, with Holly Thorne trailing carefully behind him. I glanced at him, my voice cold. “Something wrong?” Seeing my demeanor, he pulled a document from his bag and slammed it onto my desk. “Let’s call off the engagement.” He coolly pulled Holly down to sit beside him. “Let’s part ways amicably, with some dignity.” I let out a cold laugh. “Liam Blackwood, do you even have the right to say that?” “Where was your dignity yesterday when you publicly humiliated the Sterling family at the engagement party?” I stood up, my fingertips pressed against the conference table, my eyes glinting with icy contempt. “You didn’t just ruin an engagement party; you destroyed three years of strategic partnership between two families.” “You threw away five years of business development in this city. Are you really so clueless?!”

He sneered, a mocking curl on his lips, leaning back into the sofa with an arrogant posture. “Of course I’m not clueless.” “Your eyes are always on profit! You even calculate and plan our engagement party for gain!” Holly tugged at his sleeve, her voice barely a whisper. “Ms. Sterling, please don’t blame Liam. It’s all my fault.” “I just couldn’t control my feelings…” “Shut up!” I snapped, cutting her off sharply. “You don’t have a say in this room!” Holly’s face turned pale, and she immediately fell silent. This scene completely enraged Liam. He shot up, pointing at me, and spat: “Victoria Sterling, that’s enough!” “Don’t think that just because you helped me, you can control me forever!” “I’m telling you, every single day I spent with you was suffocating! You helped the Blackwood family, you socialized and drank for deals, but it was all just to solidify *your* business empire!” “And I was just your most obedient pawn!” Every word was a knife, twisting in my heart. I took a deep breath, meeting his eyes. “So, in your eyes, from the moment I bought that ancestral estate, I was just using you?” “When I used my private jet to fly in top global specialists for your mother’s medical consultation, that was also an act?” “Liam Blackwood, do you even have a heart?” His eyes flickered, a momentary panic in their depths. I smiled, but my eyes were bloodshot. “Liam Blackwood, I’m asking you one last time.” “Did you—” “Yes, I did!” He interrupted me, his face a mask of angry defiance. “Satisfied?” “Do you really need to hear such an over-the-top answer to stop?” With that, he defiantly took Holly’s hand, his other hand resting on her stomach. “However, things are different now.” “Holly is pregnant with my child. I have to take responsibility for them.” The sudden truth hit me like a sledgehammer. It turned out I was just one more pawn in this pathetic cheating couple’s game. The next day, Liam Blackwood wasted no time in holding a press conference. I sat in my office, watching the news footage expressionlessly. Liam’s eyes were bloodshot, his face pale, looking utterly haggard. Holly sat quietly beside him, looking as if she had suffered the greatest injustice. “First, I want to sincerely apologize to all friends concerned about this matter.” His voice was deliberately choked with emotion. “For five years, I’ve been repaying a past kindness, forced to endure the Sterling family’s whims day in and day out!” “My life was carelessly decided by a single contract.” His voice remained hoarse throughout, his demeanor sorrowful. Only when he spoke of Holly did a faint smile touch his lips. “Only Holly truly cares about what *I* want.” He turned his face away, his Adam’s apple bobbing twice. “I admit, Victoria Sterling is indeed an outstanding businesswoman. Blackwood Industries wouldn’t be where it is today without her help.” But the very next second, his words turned sharp: “However, she questioned every client I met, every restaurant I chose.” “Even the evening gowns I wore to galas, the watches on my wrist, were all pre-arranged by her.” “I felt like a puppet without a mind of my own, my entire life lived in the shadow of one woman.” Holly, sensing her cue, appropriately clutched his arm, sobbing, her face a picture of sorrow, and pleaded to the camera: “Liam just wants to live for himself. I couldn’t bear to see him suffer so much.” “Ms. Sterling… I’m sorry. Please, I beg you, show us mercy and let us go.” The flashbulbs below flared, and reporters frantically pressed their shutters. The live stream’s comments exploded, curses filling the entire screen: [OMG! This wealthy heir had it so bad, he was practically a kept man!] [Victoria Sterling, that control freak, go to hell! This kind of bullying, obsessive psycho woman deserves to rot!] [Support Mr. Blackwood’s rebellion! True love can conquer all!] Finally, Liam Blackwood announced the establishment of a new company, completely severing ties with Sterling Corp. “I will rebuild a company my own way.” “This path will surely be difficult, but with Holly, and… our child.” “I won’t feel the slightest bit of hardship.” The press conference ended, and the entire internet was in an uproar. Everyone loves to kick a person when they’re down, and I became the target of public condemnation. Sterling Corp’s headquarters’ phones were bombarded by media calls, and several long-term partners subtly hinted at terminating contracts. They were all terrified of being associated with a negative enterprise. I stared at Liam Blackwood’s hypocritical face on the screen, feeling nothing but nausea. A chilling hatred churned within me. I raised my hand, wiping away the cold dampness on my face, and pressed the phone button. “Notify the legal department, meeting in five minutes.” Alex hesitated, his voice tinged with uncertainty. “Ms. Sterling… is there really no room for reconciliation?” I snorted, my voice terrifyingly calm. “What’s done is done.” “I’m going to make that pathetic cheating couple’s reputation utterly ruined!” “Ms. Sterling.” Sarah, the Legal Director, entered with her elite team. I slammed the prepared documents onto the conference table. “Within thirty minutes, publicly release these three documents on all media platforms.”

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My brother sent a SnapChat message meant for his mistress to my phone. “Darling, The Platinum Hotel, 12 AM, sultry red negligee ready.” A cold sneer played on my lips. I immediately SnapChatted him back. “$500,000. Hush money.” My brother called me right away. He started screaming, calling me shameless, accusing me of ripping off my own brother. I just smiled, not bothering to reply. I calmly hung up. Five minutes later, I received a transfer of $500,000 from my brother. And a text message. “Please, don’t tell Chelsea. She’s pregnant, it’s not easy for her right now.” I didn’t reply to his SnapChat. I just calmly transferred $300,000 to my sister-in-law, Chelsea. After she confirmed the transfer, I asked her, “The baby’s five months along, right? You’re pregnant, so you probably can’t get a divorce?” Her reply was swift. “That’s why I’ve decided to abort this child. Brandon doesn’t even like the baby anyway. What about you? What are you going to do?” Me? My gaze fell upon the photo of Brandon and me on the living room coffee table. The picture was taken during our college days, a casual shot snapped by a passerby. But in that instant, our eyes, locked on each other, were filled with such deep affection. Now… A bitter smile touched my lips. “I’m planning on aborting my baby too.” She didn’t reply to my SnapChat immediately. It was half an hour later when her response finally came. “Derek just got home.” “Okay, if you’re also planning to abort, I’ll arrange a private clinic now. What time works best for you?” “Seven days from now. In seven days, it will be Derek and your seventh wedding anniversary. And it will also be Brandon and my third wedding anniversary. We both started on that day, so let’s end on that day too.” She sent an “okay” emoji. As soon as I cleared the chat history, My brother’s SnapChat came through again. “Smart move. Glad you didn’t tell Chelsea.” Smart move? Oh, I’m definitely smart. After all, my dear brother, at eighteen, tore up my acceptance letter to an elite university, destroyed my academic records, and forced me to study abroad. All because the girl who had lived in our house, replacing me for ten years, Sierra, didn’t score as well as I did. She cried. And he, in his blind fury, destroyed the future I had fought so hard to secure for myself. And now, in the third year of my marriage to his best friend, Brandon, and three months into my pregnancy. The woman I’d driven away with my desperate, messy antics was back. Just because she said she still couldn’t forget Brandon. My wonderful brother, he actively orchestrated their affair, constantly creating opportunities to lure Brandon into cheating. I never understood why my brother was so cruel. Was it because when I was lost as a child and later found, I accused him of deliberately abandoning me? When Dad whipped him with a belt until his skin bled, Sierra cried and shielded him. And I, his sister, became his enemy. While Sierra became the apple of his eye. To the point where he was malicious enough to ruin my life, ruin my marriage, just to help Sierra.

Just as I was sinking deep into painful memories, the front door opened. Brandon was back. Seeing me curled up on the sofa, he paused, then instinctively said, “Why aren’t you asleep yet?” He quickly kicked off his shoes and walked over, putting his arm around my shoulders. “Is the baby bothering you again?” He reached out and stroked my still-flat belly, gently humming a lullaby. Listening to his soft voice, my hands, clutching the blanket, tightened. Sometimes, I couldn’t help but want to confront Brandon and ask him how he managed it. He still smelled of the woman he’d been with, yet he’d made it home by 10 o’clock, the curfew I’d set for him. Then he’d kiss my cheek. Then he’d sit with me, playing educational music for our baby. Well, it made sense. After all, when I was found and brought back to the Vance family, he managed to subtly approach me, listening to my stories of the five years I was lost and the pain I endured. Yet, in the middle of the night, if Sierra called, he’d take her out for a night ride on his motorcycle. He was always so contradictory, unable to let go of me, yet unable to let go of Sierra. Even when my brother’s actions forced me into孤苦无依 (loneliness and helplessness) abroad for college. When I called Mom and Dad again for living expenses, they were busy traveling with Sierra and Derek, ignoring my calls and me. Crying, I made just one call to Brandon. He only heard two sobs before he was on a plane that very night, flying to me, giving me money, and giving me his loving support. But after he returned home, he showed up at our family’s holiday dinner, embracing Sierra, looking like the perfect couple, in our family photo. I honestly thought I had won. After all, when I returned home, I threw a huge fit and practically blackmailed my parents into sending Sierra abroad. I forced Brandon to ultimately choose me. But only now did I realize I had lost. Completely. The pain was so intense that tears welled up and streamed down my face without my conscious control. Seeing me cry, Brandon panicked instantly. “What’s wrong, Cassie? Don’t cry, tell me what’s wrong.” I looked through my teary eyes at the man before me, his eyes full of concern. For a moment, I truly believed I was his whole world. But as he turned to grab tissues for my tears, I saw the dense, unmistakable hickeys on his neck, and my heart clenched. No wonder Brandon had been sleeping in high-collared shirts these past few days. When I was asleep, he was still working in his study. When I woke up, he was already dressed in his suit and tie. I had always thought Brandon was feeling guilty about his betrayal, but at that moment, it hit me. His pathetic attempts to cover his tracks were simply to hide the evidence of his infidelity. But what did he have to hide? Sierra had already threatened me the day she returned, vowing to take back everything that “belonged to her.” So, these past few days, the drawer where I kept my wedding ring was already filled with intimate photos of Brandon and Sierra. Any day Brandon might notice I wasn’t wearing my wedding ring and, on a whim, decide to put it on me, opening that drawer to find them. Yet, the man who used to complain if I didn’t wear my ring for even a day, accusing me of not valuing our marriage, Hadn’t noticed I’d taken off my wedding ring since Sierra returned. I also noticed Brandon’s wedding ring had changed. It was a ring with a similar general design to mine, but the details were completely different. I even snuck it off his finger while he was asleep and saw that the engraving inside the band had changed from B&C (Brandon & Cassie) to B&S (Brandon & Sierra). My heart ached, a suffocating pain. As Brandon reached out with a tissue to wipe my tears, A wave of nausea suddenly hit me. I instinctively slapped his hand away. Brandon froze, the tissue still in his hand. I quickly blurted out an excuse. “Sorry, I think I’m just having morning sickness. I’m going back to bed.” After that, I didn’t spare a glance at Brandon’s expression, fleeing frantically back to my room. The moment the door closed, I collapsed over the toilet, violently vomiting. For the past three months of my pregnancy, this baby had been incredibly considerate; I hadn’t experienced any morning sickness at all. But now it had begun. So, it wasn’t just me who found his disgusting, two-faced act nauseating. My baby felt it too.

I didn’t sleep a wink all night. After the violent vomiting, my stomach even began to ache with a dull, throbbing pain. In the past, I would have rushed to the hospital in the middle of the night. After all, I was a girl who was unloved by my father, unloved by my mother, unloved by my brother. I truly longed for a child whose eyes held only me. But this time, almost self-destructively, I didn’t move. Just as Chelsea said, his father didn’t love him anyway. Maybe his choosing to leave was the best option. Brandon didn’t return to the bedroom that night. I heard the front door close at midnight, and again at six in the morning. Where did Brandon go? It was obvious. After all, at 2 AM last night, I had received photos from Sierra. She and Brandon were snuggled on the bed in what used to be my childhood room. On the bedside table sat my old teddy bear, Barnaby, whom I used to hug to sleep every night. And in front of Barnaby was a photo of Sierra wearing a princess dress. Because, ever since I was lost for five years and returned home after so much hardship, My room had become Sierra’s. My brother had become Sierra’s. My parents had also become Sierra’s. What hurt me the most was that one night, I woke up crying from a nightmare about that cruel, jailed foster father. I crawled out of bed, searching for Mom and Dad, Only to find them, along with my brother, cradling a crying Sierra, whose stomach ached in the middle of the night, their faces filled with worry. “The guest bedroom is drafty, Sierra must have caught a cold and that’s why her stomach hurts.” No sooner had Mom spoken than my brother chimed in, “If Cassie hadn’t come back, Sierra wouldn’t have been kicked out. You see how difficult she is to get along with now, but you two, for the sake of appearances, still refuse to admit it.” “And you gave Sierra’s room to Cassie! Do you even think she deserves it?” As soon as my brother finished speaking, Dad slapped him on the head. “Shut up, don’t let Cassie hear you, or she’ll throw another tantrum.” Afterward, muffled sounds of them comforting Sierra not to cry echoed from the living room. That night, I returned to my room and developed a high fever. But no one among the three outside knew. It wasn’t until I had been in bed for four days, and my cold had naturally subsided, that I proactively suggested moving out of that room which was once mine, and offered to go live with my grandmother. Only then did they seem to realize they hadn’t seen me leave my room for four days. Thinking of the bitter past, a suffocating pain clenched my heart again. I struggled to get out of bed, brushed my teeth, and stepped out of the room, only to see Brandon, wearing an apron, preparing a meal for pregnant women. The sight stung my eyes, making them red-rimmed. Seeing me, Brandon took off his apron and walked towards me. “I saw you had morning sickness last night, so I was afraid of disturbing your rest and slept in the study.” With that, Brandon guided me to sit at the dining table. “I saw online that pregnant women only avoid morning sickness if they eat well.” He then turned to the kitchen to pour me milk. But looking at the breakfast spread on the table, all made with eggs, my heart clenched again. I am allergic to eggs. My eyes welled up once more. The next moment, my SnapChat notification chimed. It was Sierra. “Enjoy the egg feast I had Brandon prepare for you?” “Consider this your reward for sleeping alone last night.” “I hope you and the bastard in your belly end up in the hospital, dead and unburied.” “Oh, and Brandon will probably tell you about a business trip later, but actually, he promised to accompany me to visit my parents’ graves.” “You know, I just got back from abroad, so of course, I have to go back and see my birth parents.” “By the way, your mom, dad, and brother are coming along too.” My fingers holding the phone tightened their grip. After pouring the milk, Brandon walked back to me. He placed the milk on the table, then kissed my cheek, and said, “Honey, I have to go on a business trip today. Something urgent came up with the project in S City.” With that, he reached out and untied his apron. “You and this little troublemaker stay put at home. I’ll be back in a couple of days.” He didn’t care about my pale face. He didn’t care if I’d eaten a single bite of his carefully prepared egg delicacy. He rushed back to the room, grabbed his pre-packed suitcase, and walked out the door. He didn’t even say goodbye to me. He didn’t even ask why my eyes were so red before slamming the door shut. Listening to the lingering thud of the door echoing in the room, tears streamed down my face. And the fork and knife Brandon had given me, without me realizing, had pierced into the flesh of my palm. Scarlet drops ran down the blade, falling one by one into the milky white glass, swirling into a pink cloud.

I sat at the dining table for two full hours that day before I regained my senses. That same day, I called Chelsea and arranged for us to get our abortions earlier than planned. To my surprise, she was just like me; as soon as I suggested it, she agreed. When we met at the private clinic, her face was as ashen as mine. Before I could even ask her what was wrong, She walked over and hugged me tightly, her scalding tears threatening to burn my neck. “Don’t ask, I don’t want to talk about it.” I stroked her trembling back, a pang of sympathy rising in my heart. She and my brother were college sweethearts; she’d poured her heart and soul into pursuing him. I’ll never forget the joy and happiness radiating from her face when my brother brought her home to meet our parents. But in just seven short years. That once innocent, adorable girl had withered like a neglected rose, all the brightness gone from her eyes. After holding me tightly for several minutes, she finally let go. “I’m glad, in my darkest moment, to have someone by my side.” With that, she walked resolutely into the doctor’s office. Watching her back, I wiped away the tears that had fallen from my eyes without my knowing. Yes, I was glad, in my darkest moment, to at least have someone by my side. Afterward, I mimicked her, Resolutely, without a moment’s hesitation, I walked into another doctor’s office. Three hours later, Chelsea and I lay in the same hospital room. I didn’t speak. She didn’t speak. Only the hollow beeping of the heart monitor echoed in the room. After an unknown amount of time, a choked sob came from behind the white privacy curtain. “Cassie, do you know? I always thought if I aborted the baby, I’d be okay.” “I wouldn’t love your brother anymore, I wouldn’t be in pain anymore. But why, now that the child who was in my belly for five months is gone, do I feel such unbearable grief?” No sooner had she spoken than her heartbroken wailing filled the room. Listening to her sorrowful and despairing cries, I silently shed my own tears. Yes, why did it hurt so much? This was clearly the best choice. His father simply didn’t love him. If I just severed this last tie with that family, I would finally be free from Sierra’s vortex. But why did it hurt so much? My body felt like it was being flayed alive, my heart as if it were being torn into a thousand pieces. Chelsea and I stayed in the hospital for a seven-day post-procedure recovery. During those seven days, the man who constantly declared his love for me down to his very bones, didn’t send me a single SnapChat. He didn’t make a single call. Chelsea’s SnapChat, however, kept pinging. Afraid of her pain, I took her phone. I saw text after text from my brother, Asking her to pick up packages for Sierra. Asking her to go to the jewelry store to pick up the limited-edition bag he’d ordered for Sierra long ago. Tears welled up in my eyes again. Just as my trembling fingers were about to curse him back, Chelsea opened her lifeless eyes. “It’s so pathetic, isn’t it?” “Sometimes I even think I’m pathetic.” “Actually, when I was dating your brother in college, I knew he had a sister he cherished to his very core.” “Every month he’d transfer her money, he’d regularly buy her sanitary pads, and every holiday, he’d leave without a word’s notice.” “Back then, I thought that girl was you, and I was jealous of you for a long time.” “But it wasn’t until I married your brother that I realized that girl wasn’t you. The one he cherished was his sister with no blood relation to him.” “But I was so stupid, so foolishly believing that if I just worked hard enough, if I gave my all, your brother would love me.” “But love isn’t something you can force. Even if I abandoned all my self-respect to please him, to love him, he still wouldn’t love me. He’d rather find countless women who resembled Sierra than love me.” Listening to Chelsea’s choked voice, my heart ached with suffocating pain. I quickly consoled her. “It’s all over now. Once we divorce, we’ll leave this place.” “If you don’t know where to go, you can come with me.” “We don’t need those people who only have Sierra in their hearts, okay?” Chelsea’s voice trembled as she whispered “okay,” then pulled the blanket over her head. Afterward, Chelsea and I stayed in the hospital for another two weeks of post-procedure recovery before being discharged. As soon as we left the hospital, I received a call from Brandon. He told me that my parents wanted to host a family dinner to celebrate Sierra’s birthday. What a ridiculously ironic call. My parents were hosting a family dinner and they notified my husband, not me. And perhaps not only had my parents forgotten, but my husband had also forgotten, that today was my birthday too. My sister-in-law also received a call. She was even worse off than me. My brother, besides informing her to attend the family dinner, Also gave her a series of instructions. To order a cake from the bakery. To prepare a suit and dress shoes for him, and even demanded she pick them up at the airport. They were returning to Mom’s mansion, and he wanted Chelsea to take their luggage home for them first. Seeing my brother’s SnapChat. Chelsea and I exchanged a glance. “Are you ready?” Chelsea nodded. “I’m ready.” So she immediately SnapChatted back to my brother: “I’m busy today. I don’t have time to be your nanny.” The moment her message was sent, my brother’s call came through. His voice filled with reproach and deep impatience.

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