One day he’s biting my collarbone, the next it’s my inner thigh. I finally broke down, sobbing into my pillow. “Why do you keep biting me? Do you seriously hate me that much?” I didn’t get an answer until I stumbled across a post on a popular campus confession board by my “ice-cold” roommate. 【My roommate is so cute. I really want to wait until he’s asleep, crawl into his bed, and then…】 01 “Ow, it hurts.” I lay face-down on my bed, muffled sobs escaping as I buried my face in my arms. There was a fresh, damp bite mark right on the sensitive skin of my upper thigh. It stung like crazy. “Why do you keep doing this?” I asked, my voice thick with tears. “What did I even do? Do you just despise me?” The culprit’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he stared down at the mark he’d left. He reached out, his hand surprisingly gentle as he ruffled my hair. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you that much. Let me see the bruise.” He’d apologized a dozen times before, but it never stopped him from doing it again. Every time, his excuses were weirder than the last. The first time was over the summer. The dorm AC was broken, and I was doing laundry in just an oversized t-shirt after my shower. When he walked in and saw me, he pinned me against the bathroom door and bit me. The second time was because I mentioned a girl in our Psych 101 class was pretty. He tackled me onto my bed and bit me again. And today, Lucas’s reason was the strangest of all. It was because I told him I wanted to move out. I couldn’t figure out which part of that sentence offended him, but he’d bitten me harder than ever today. I wanted to scream, but I didn’t dare. According to the other guys in our hall, Lucas Vance was a “Legacy” kid. His family had basically funded the new campus library. He was exactly the kind of person someone like me—a scholarship kid living on a tight budget—should never provoke. I didn’t get it. If he was so rich, why was he slumming it in a dorm with me? Unlike him, I was working two part-time jobs just to survive. I figured if I moved further away, he’d finally run out of chances to treat me like a chew toy. I’d spent months saving up for a deposit on a studio apartment, and today I’d excitedly told him I was finally leaving. Instead of being happy to see me go, he looked furious. But here’s the thing: outside of the biting, he was actually… nice to me. During midterms, he’d take me to a private study room in the library and tutor me in my weakest subjects. When I had nightmares and was too scared to sleep, he’d let me squeeze into his bed so he could comfort me. He was cold and distant to everyone else, but he was always around me. He was the campus heartthrob—perfect hair, perfect GPA, a star athlete. People said just being his friend was enough to make you “socially relevant” for a year. I usually tolerated his weirdness because he was my friend, but today it just hurt too much. Lucas lifted my ankle, inspecting the bite mark on my thigh. He leaned down and blew softly on the skin. “It’ll stop stinging in a minute.” His hand was large, wrapping easily around my ankle. I couldn’t pull away. “Do you bite other people too?” I asked, wiping my eyes. Lucas smirked. “Only you.” “Why?” I sniffled. “Do you just hate me that much? Why only me?” He let out a low, melodic laugh and leaned closer. “You idiot. I definitely don’t hate you.” I didn’t believe him. I figured he was just lying to keep his “toy” around. “Fine,” I grumbled. “I forgive you this time. But don’t do it again.” He wiped a stray tear from my cheek and asked casually, “By the way, that apartment you mentioned… where exactly is it?” 02 That night, I got a text from my prospective landlord. It was a place I’d found through an upperclassman—close to campus, great price, perfect for me. I was supposed to move in next week. 【Hey, sorry, but the unit was just rented out to someone else who offered a much higher price upfront. I’m returning your deposit and adding a $2,000 “inconvenience fee” for the trouble.】 I was stunned. The room was only $800 a month. I’d only paid a small deposit. Now, the guy was just handing me two grand for free? Is there such a thing as a landlord this nice? For a broke student, this was a win. But I’d already told Lucas I was moving. If I stayed now, he’d think I was lying. I pulled up a local Reddit-style campus board to see if there were any other listings. That’s when I saw a trending post. 【I bit my roommate and made him cry. What should I do? The more he cries, the more excited I get. How do I make it up to him?】 The comments were wild. 【Easy. Make him cry in a different way…】 【”Roommate.” Sure, bro. (Laughter.jpg)】 【Stop talking and just kiss him. Shut him up so he can’t cry.】 (Liked by OP) The description of the “roommate” was starting to feel hauntingly familiar. My heart started pounding. I clicked on the user’s profile and saw a post from 5:00 PM today: 【My little roommate isn’t being good lately. He keeps trying to move out. How should I punish him?】 A pinned comment under the post read: 【If he tries to run again, make sure he doesn’t have the breath to run.】 My phone felt like it was burning my hand. I almost dropped it. Just then, Lucas spoke up from across the room. “What’s wrong, Liam? You look pale.” “Nothing… it’s nothing,” I stammered. I told myself to stay calm. I hadn’t proven it was him yet. But the location tag, the biting habit, and the timing of my apartment falling through—everything lined up. What did Lucas want with me? I started spiraling, imagining a thousand horror-movie scenarios. Lucas’s gaze stayed steady and warm. “Tell me if you feel sick, okay?” I nodded quickly. After he left the room, I kept scrolling. Someone had asked: 【What if he actually manages to find a place?】 The OP replied with a simple smiley face: 【I won’t let him.】 It wasn’t a coincidence. Lucas was the one who killed my lease. I couldn’t understand it. If he hated me so much that he wanted to “punish” me, why keep me around? But my gut told me one thing: I had to get away. I couldn’t stay in this room. I just had to be smarter next time. I wouldn’t tell him when I found a new place. I’d wait until winter break, move all my stuff out in secret, and by the time the next semester started, I’d be a ghost. I clenched my fists. It was a foolproof plan. 03 For the next week, I acted like a normal roommate during the day. At night, I checked the board religiously to see if the OP had posted again. I even made a burner account just to follow him. The next Wednesday at 11 PM, a notification popped up. 【Roommate is so cute. The lights are about to go out. I really want to wait until he’s asleep, crawl into his bed, and then…】 I was taking a sip of water when I read it. My hand shook, and the glass slipped. Ice water drenched my entire bed. Crap! I tried to dry it with a towel, but it was useless. The mattress and the sheets were soaked. It was November, and the dorms were getting chilly. I only had one set of bedding. The other guys in the hall came over to check on the noise. “What happened? Anyone got a spare blanket?” Everyone shook their heads. I was close to tears. The dorm doors were locked for the night; I couldn’t even go to a hotel. That’s when Lucas spoke up. “You can just crash in my bed tonight. It’s fine.” I froze. The other guys nodded. “Yeah, Liam, it’s your only option.” How did things end up like this? I tried one last time. I looked at our other roommates, Ryan and Dave. “Can’t I squeeze in with one of you?” Ryan scratched his head. “I would, man, but Dave and I both kick in our sleep. You’d wake up covered in bruises.” Dave laughed awkwardly. “Yeah, and I snore like a chainsaw. Lucas is a quiet sleeper, and his bed is way bigger. Just go with him.” There was no escape. “Is there a problem, Liam?” Lucas asked. His voice was calm, but his eyes were dark. “Are you avoiding me?” “No! No, Lucas, it’s not that,” I lied, my voice shaking. “I just don’t want to be a bother. I know you like your space.” Lucas smiled. “Don’t worry. You’re not a stranger.” I had no choice. When the lights went out, I climbed into Lucas’s bed. I had followed his posts to protect myself, but instead, I’d walked straight into the lion’s den. I lay there, stiff as a board. The bed was bigger than mine, but sharing it with him made the space feel tiny. I could feel the heat radiating off his body. He smelled like fresh soap and cedarwood. It was actually a really nice smell. And, I had to admit, his mattress was way more comfortable than my cheap one. The perks of being rich, I guess. But all I could think about was the post. Crawl into his bed, and then… I turned my back to him, holding my breath. Lucas didn’t move. He was a perfect sleeper, staying on his side of the bed. Slowly, I started to relax. Maybe I was just being paranoid. Lucas wasn’t a bad guy. Eventually, the sounds of Ryan and Dave snoring filled the room. I drifted into a haze, my eyes growing heavy. Then, I felt it. Something bit my ear. A warm mouth closed over my earlobe, and a tongue flicked against the skin. I was wide awake in an instant, a jolt of electricity shooting through my body. 04 I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to keep my breathing steady so he wouldn’t know I was awake. Lucas must have thought I was out cold. He grew bolder. He shifted closer, wrapping an arm around me from behind. He buried his face in the crook of my neck and kissed the skin. “Silly Liam,” he whispered, his voice so low I could barely hear it. “You have no idea. You’re even more vulnerable with your back to me.” I didn’t understand what he meant, but I found out a second later. I shivered, trying to stay still. Why was he doing this? Was he planning to “backstab” me? To leave marks where I couldn’t see them? It didn’t feel like a prank. It felt like… something else. I grew up watching those teen dramas where the rich kid bullies the scholarship kid just because they can. I’d always tried to stay under the radar. But I’d tried to leave, and Lucas had dragged me back. I felt a surge of tears. I was so scared, but I couldn’t make a sound. If I spoke, he’d know I was awake. How would I look him in the eye tomorrow? I didn’t hate him, but I didn’t understand him. Suddenly, Lucas kissed my cheek and whispered, “I like you so much, Liam.” I froze. He isn’t straight? His hand started to wander, and I couldn’t help it—my body jerked. The movement was too obvious. My mind went blank. I was a goner. I’d failed at the one thing I was supposed to do: act asleep. But then, a desperate idea hit me. I’d seen enough horror movies to know how people act during night terrors. I curled into a ball and started mumbling. “No… stop… help me…” I broke into a cold sweat, waiting for his reaction. Then, two warm hands covered my back. Lucas patted me gently, his voice soft and soothing. “It’s okay, Liam. Don’t be scared. I’m right here.” Even though he was the source of my panic, his voice actually made me feel safe. I felt a weird sense of security, like no matter what he did, he’d never actually let me get hurt. My heart rate slowed, and eventually, I actually fell into a deep sleep.

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My husband was out of town. I had just finished indulging in some spicy romance fiction when I scrolled past a post that nearly made my heart stop. 【On a business trip. Bought my wife a “replacement husband” to keep her company. How should I send him to her so she’ll love me a little more?】 Still riding the high from my reading, I typed out a reply without thinking: 【You know the “rugged blue-collar” look? Get him a tight tank top. Tell him to do some push-ups before he knocks so his muscles are pumped. Say he’s there to fix the plumbing.】 I sat back, waiting for the OP to ask for links. Instead, he just replied: 【Thank you.】 A second later, a text from my husband—who had been gone for a week on a business trip—popped up: 【There’s a problem with the bathroom pipes. I called someone to come fix them. Remember to open the door.】 1 I scrolled through the thread right before bed. 【On a business trip. Bought my wife a “replacement husband”…】 I had just finished a particularly steamy romance novel. My face was flushed, my heart was racing, and I was in a state of high-octane excitement. My first thought seeing the post? Is this bait? I clicked in immediately. Of course, the midnight crowd on this forum was full of wild imaginations. The comments were piling up by the hundreds. 【Oh, she’ll love it. Pick someone who looks innocent but wears as little as possible. That’s our type.】 【The best pacifier in the world is a man’s chest. PS: Needs to be the sensitive type. Just a suggestion.】 【Worried your wife’s bed is getting cold? Don’t be. Action tonight! Hot skin contact incoming.】 The OP specifically tagged that last one and replied: 【That sounds perfect.】 I smelled something unusual. I typed: 【Just curious, what exactly did your wife do to make you think she’s “missing” a husband?】 A few seconds later, the OP replied to me: 【She did nothing. I’m the one who failed her.】 I was ready to launch into a rant about toxic relationships, but the OP continued: 【When I was younger, I was in a car accident. My legs can’t support my weight for long, so I’m mostly in a wheelchair. Luckily, everything “works,” but she always has to be the active one. Watching her get exhausted and then having to walk to the shower on shaky legs herself… I hate myself for it.】 【Plus, I’m always busy with work and traveling. She’s home alone. She’s young and has needs. There are too many temptations out there. I decided it was better to find someone I trust to look after her.】 2 The comment section was in shock. 【I’ll believe this “insecure saint” exists when I believe I’m the reincarnation of Elvis.】 【Long live the King!】 【Seriously, I thought I’d read every trope, but this is a new level of “down bad.”】 【Look at that IP address. Is this guy a billionaire CEO or something?】 The OP replied: 【Close enough. I’m here closing a merger and checking on a branch office. Things are going well, we’re in an expansion phase, so I’ll be here a while.】 【I bought her some sapphire necklaces, clothes, shoes, and a few of the latest designer bags. But it doesn’t feel like enough.】 【Money can’t replace companionship. I thought it over and picked the person I’m most satisfied with to send to her.】 The thread was boiling over. Only I was starting to feel a chill. This sounded way too much like me and my husband, Silas. I’m not usually the type to overthink things. I sent a link to the thread to Silas. I sent a testing text: 【Can you bring me back some of the “pastries” they’re talking about in these comments?】 It was morning where he was. Silas replied almost instantly. 【One sec. I don’t have that app downloaded. I can’t see the comments.】 I let out a breath. I felt a mix of relief and a strange, deflating disappointment as I lay back on the bed. Right. Of course. How could Silas be secretly obsessed with me? Let alone love me with that kind of desperate humility? I thought of him in the boardroom—cold, calculating, powerful. I swiped through our chat. It was dry and formal. “Good morning,” “Good night,” “Have you eaten?” Not exactly the talk of newlyweds. While I was being sentimental, the internet had added another hundred layers to the thread. 【If a man doesn’t love me to this level of insanity, I don’t want it!】 【Is this real life? Can I have the money AND the obsessive love?】 【I finally get why insecurity is a man’s best accessory. Where do I find a guy like this?】 【Drop the tutorial, sis. How did you train him?】 The OP replied to that one quite seriously: 【I just searched that term. For the record, she didn’t “train” me. She just likes to rest her head on my lap and kiss the scars on my legs. I told her they were ugly; she told me I was brave.】 3 【…Is it possible your wife actually loves you? Bro, please stop looking for rivals. I’m begging you.】 【I usually hate sharing plots, but I actually want these two to be monogamous.】 【Is this a “Golden Girl” meets “Stern Daddy” dynamic? That’s adorable.】 Wait. That thing about the leg scars? I actually did that. Was it just a coincidence? The OP didn’t reply for a long time. I was getting anxious. I went to get a glass of water, and when I came back, there was an update: 【Everyone, don’t misunderstand. My wife is just too kind. She doesn’t love me; our marriage was something I forced. I don’t deserve her.】 【I’m already selfish enough. I have a broken body, yet I used my influence to bind her to me. I don’t expect to be lucky enough to actually have her love.】 Then, he got back to the point. 【I just got a call. He’s asking when he can see his “sister-in-law.” I realized we got off track. Does anyone have advice on how to introduce him?】 The internet caught the keyword immediately. 【Sister-in-law? I have a feeling the “replacement” isn’t a stranger.】 【A “brother” dynamic? This just got spicy.】 【I bet it’s a cousin. The kind who sees his brother and sister-in-law fighting and sneaks in to “clean up.”】 The OP clarified: 【He’s my cousin. I don’t trust strangers near her.】 【There is no sharing. My wife only has one legal husband—me.】 【We don’t fight. But he really likes that one song.】 4 The thread spiraled into chaos after that. The OP kept asking for advice, but no one was taking him seriously anymore. By this point, my initial shock had turned into amusement. I figured this was just a clever new way for a web novel author to promote their work. The “immersion” was top-tier. As a fan of the genre, I decided to contribute. I used my alt account to tag the OP: 【You know the “rugged blue-collar” look? Get him a cheap, thin tank top—easy to tear, tight enough to show everything. Have him do fifty push-ups to get his muscles pumped, then have him show up saying he’s there to fix the pipes. When he gets inside, have him “accidentally” splash water over his abs.】 The moment I posted, a string of replies came in asking for “sauce.” I smiled, feeling proud of my contribution, until I saw two words from the OP. 【Thank you.】 Thank me for what? Before I could process it, my phone buzzed. I put down my iPad and unlocked my phone. It was Silas. 【There’s a problem with the bathroom pipes. I called someone to come fix them. Remember to open the door.】

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After a brutal track practice where I was forced to run laps, I was hiding under my duvet using a vibrating massage gun on my sore legs. My uncle’s best friend—the man who basically raised me—walked in, his voice cold: “Is it really that good?” I nodded like my life depended on it. A deep-tissue massage is truly heaven. Later, he took off his tie and looped it around my wrists. “That thing is too small,” he whispered. ? “The speed is too slow, too.” ?? “Try me instead.” ??? Uncle Silas, it’s literally just a massage gun! 01 My school is insane. They made us run laps after the final bell. Cursing under my breath, I pulled out the massage gun I’d ordered online and flicked the switch. A wave of numbing vibration surged from my thigh. Pure bliss. I was just about to let out a long, satisfied groan when my door was shoved open. Silas stood there, framed by the light from the hallway, his eyes unreadable. The “Ahhh~” I was about to let out died in my throat. I sat bolt upright, feeling incredibly awkward. “Uncle Silas, you’re back.” Terrified he’d catch me skipping my post-run stretches and give me more laps, I guiltily tried to hide the device under the blanket. But in my panic, my foot kicked the dial to the highest setting. In the sudden silence of the room, there was only a mysterious bulge under the covers between my legs. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. “What are you doing?” His voice was a bit raspy. “I’m just using this…” I reached down to grab the vibrating thing to turn it off, but he suddenly turned his head away. The tips of his ears were turning a deep shade of red. “How can you just show me that? Put it away!” Is he serious? He’s a grown man—is he really that conservative that he can’t handle a medical massager? He spends all day hunched over a desk at work; his back must be killing him! A wave of sympathy washed over me. I decided I needed to show him how good this massager was. I cleared my throat. “You don’t have to be weird about it. You should sit down and try it. This thing feels so amazing!” 02 The vein in his forehead throbbed visibly. “Do you have any idea what you’re saying right now?” Well, I couldn’t blame him for being a little intimidated. The massage head was hammering away like a jackhammer under the blanket. It was a bit intense. I quickly dialed it down to the “Relax” setting. I made a fist and moved my palm up and down against the vibration to demonstrate. “It just mimics a human touch, Silas. It’s just a little more… forceful. It hits all the deep spots and lets the muscles completely relax. It’s actually more effective than a real person!” Silas’s brow furrowed, and his voice dropped an octave. “You’ve tried a ‘real person’ before?!” “Well, no.” Watching him rub his temples in frustration, I felt a pang of guilt. Since he took me in years ago, he’s been working himself to the bone. No wonder he doesn’t have time to keep up with new things. I decided to take charge. I rolled up my sleeves and grabbed his leg. “Don’t be scared, Uncle Silas. Let me help you get used to the feeling first. You’re going to love it.” Wow. These muscles are tight. I took the chance to feel the muscle, leaning my head against his knee. Honestly, this was a win for me. Suddenly, I felt like a male lead from a romance comic had come to life. If I were one of those heroines, I’d totally fall for him! But just as I was about 0.01 millimeters away from his abs, I was suddenly hoisted into the air like a kitten. “Maya!” I shivered. A small note from my best friend, which we’d been passing in class, fell out of my pocket and landed on the floor. Dorm girl talk is NOT for public consumption! “Don’t look!” But it was too late. His long fingers had already smoothed out the paper. Best Friend: 【Why are you daydreaming?】 Me: 【Thinking about getting some action from my husband. Shut up.】 It wasn’t a real husband. Just a celebrity crush. I’m a fan-girl. But if I tried to explain that to an old-fashioned guy like Silas, it would only make things worse. I didn’t expect my silence to make him lose his composure. “You have… a boyfriend?” It was the first time I’d ever heard his voice tremble with that much coldness. “Is that why you bought that… device?” His eyes were as dark as a starless night. The massage gun was actually an official collab with my celebrity crush. So… technically… I nodded awkwardly. His breathing grew heavy. He crumpled the note and threw it on the floor, his hand shaking slightly. “Stay away from him.” He practically ground out the words. “And from now on, I don’t ever want to see that thing in this house again!” Why is he banning my massage gun?! I almost burst into tears. “But… what am I supposed to do when I’m in pain?” He took a deep breath, his tone becoming one of weary resignation. “You really like that feeling that much?” I nodded, biting my lip and giving him my best “pity me” look. “Maybe… you could help me instead?” I figured if Silas got tired of massaging my sore legs by hand, he’d eventually let me go back to using the gun. His eyes deepened until they looked like pools of ink. “Please.” I pouted, reaching under my sleep shirt to rub my aching quads. I’d run five laps before track, and then the coach made me do five more as a penalty for talking. No girl can handle four miles in one day! He gritted his teeth and caught my hand. “Stop moving!” Then he closed his eyes and let out a long, ragged breath. “Go shower. Meet me downstairs.” Yes! 03 A rare opportunity like this had to be maximized. I didn’t just turn the sofa into a bed; I also set up the projector with a marathon of steamy dramas. I was just waiting for Silas to show up! While scrolling through my phone, I saw a hot new local post. 【I’m in love with a girl who has a boyfriend, but she just asked me to spend the night with her. What do I do?】 What a legend. A total player. I clicked in instantly. 【The girl I’ve raised for fifteen years told me today she has a boyfriend, but then she asked me to help her “relax.” What do I do?】 Raised for fifteen years? That sounded weirdly familiar. And a little bit strange. But as a chronic gossip, I didn’t overthink it and replied: 【She definitely has feelings for you. If she didn’t, she would have left ten years ago.】 The guy, whose handle was [Heartbroken_Dog], seemed truly miserable. He replied within seconds: 【But she always avoids me. She acts like she’s afraid of me.】 For some reason, I thought of Silas. He’s always confiscating my novels. He has a 10:00 PM curfew, and if I’m a minute late, he’s at the door. I shivered and typed: 【Maybe it’s because you’re too strict?】 【I’m several years older than her. I tend to manage her life a bit much.】 Case closed! I continued to comfort him: 【She definitely likes you. I bet the boyfriend is a lie just to test you. Try to make a move—she’ll fold instantly!】 I locked my phone, feeling a surge of pride. Helping a lost soul find love! I’m basically Cupid. But for some reason, Silas’s face wouldn’t leave my head. He’s controlling, yeah. It’s annoying. But… I know I can’t live without that “annoyance.” In fact, I kind of like the way he’s so possessive. I covered my face, wondering if I was a freak. I wondered if Silas had a side to him I’d never seen. Would he ever show me? My face felt hot. Then, I heard his footsteps on the stairs. Coming closer. I looked up at him, and my pupils shrank. Because my phone screen was still bright—and it was showing the exact post I had just replied to! Wait. Silas isn’t [Heartbroken_Dog]… is he?! I looked down immediately, my heart racing. I had to find out. 04 “Shy?” His tall figure loomed over me. I felt the sofa sink under his weight, and my tongue felt like a knot. “A little.” Surrounded by his scent—pine and cedar—I frantically grabbed the remote and clicked on a random Hollywood movie. “Silas! Let’s watch a movie first!” “Okay.” He rested his hand casually on the back of the sofa behind me. The scent of his soap drifted into my nose. It was intoxicating. “A movie might help you get into the… mood.” Are successful businessmen always this extra? Since when do you need a “mood” for a massage? Before I could answer, a scene flashed on the screen. The leads were locked in a kiss. The suggestive sounds filled the quiet living room. I turned my head away, only to lock eyes with his burning gaze. “Does he know we’re watching this kind of movie?” What is he talking about?! And who is “he”? The air felt thick and humid. My brain was slowing down. And… The guy in the movie started unbuttoning the girl’s shirt! I swallowed hard. My back felt all tingly. Silas leaned in, brushing a stray hair behind my ear. His voice was like a spell. “Does he know we’re about to start?” As he spoke, his hand moved from my neck to the buttons on my collar. His fingertips brushed against my skin, sending a jolt of electricity through me. My heart was going a thousand miles an hour. I hate him. How can I be this flustered and breathless while he sits there so calmly? He looked like he was in total control. Just as his hand reached my top button, I grabbed his wrist. He froze, staring at me. There was a flicker of expectation in his eyes. “Do you have something to confess?” Confess? No. You should be the one confessing. Tell me if you’re the one who has been by my side for fifteen years, loving me in secret.

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I’ve been in an arranged marriage with my Alpha husband for a year, and he hasn’t touched me once. The night before I planned to serve him divorce papers, I drugged his drink. Suddenly, a series of glowing comments started scrolling across my vision: 【Wait, why aren’t you running?!】 【He isn’t asexual, he’s terrified of hurting you!】 【He spends every rut using high-strength suppressants just to keep from losing control and breaking you!】 【The Male Lead is obsessed and has a literal addiction. He stares at your photo every night until… well, that dose you gave him is going to cause a total meltdown!】 【R.I.P. to that wall. It’s coming down tonight.】 The next second, Caleb Sterling slammed me against the wall. His palms were so hot they made my skin crawl. His breath was scorching, his voice a terrifying rasp: “What… did you give me?” 01 Caleb gripped my wrists, the pressure bordering on painful. His body heat was staggering, his breath fanning against the side of my neck and sending shivers down my spine. I tried to pull away, but he pinned me with one hand. “Caleb, let go!” The moment the words left my mouth, he leaned in, his nose brushing against the scent gland at the nape of my neck. I froze. In that instant, the comments exploded in front of me again: 【Did the MC really drug him?! Does he want to die?】 【He thinks Caleb is cold, but the guy is actually just deeply insecure. He’s too afraid to even speak to him!】 【Caleb is basically a ticking bomb of repressed desire. He’s dying to get close but he’s terrified of being rejected!】 【He has no idea that Caleb sneaks into his room every night after he falls asleep…】 【His self-control was already at 1%, and now it’s gone.】 My pupils contracted. My head was spinning. Drugged? Addiction? Staring at my photo…? Before I could process this data dump, Caleb’s breathing hitched. He snapped his head up, the muscles in his neck taut. His eyes were dark and predatory. “The new SI-3 Induction Serum,” he rasped, his voice vibrating against my ear. “It lasts for six hours.” He was backing me into a corner. The contrast between the cold wall and his burning chest made my spine tingle. Wait. The drug I got from my friend was supposed to be a sedative. How did it turn into an Induction Serum? Before I could think, Caleb’s hand covered the back of my neck. The scent of intense, chilled bourbon—his pheromones—hit me like a tidal wave. I was stunned. My legs turned to jelly, and I collapsed into his chest. Something was wrong. A ridiculous thought entered my mind. As a Beta, I wasn’t supposed to be able to smell an Alpha’s pheromones. So why could I smell him? 02 A strange, embarrassing heat surged from deep within me. My body was screaming to get closer to him. It felt as if I was the one who had been drugged, not him. I tried to fight the instinct, but my breathing was becoming erratic. Caleb’s thumb, slightly calloused, rubbed against the sensitive skin on the back of my neck. “Don’t… don’t touch me…” I whispered, biting my lip. A wave of inexplicable pleasure shot through me. My scalp felt numb, and my fingertips were trembling. He leaned in until his lips were grazing my ear. “I heard that if the pheromone injection is strong enough, even a Beta can be marked. Is that true?” His voice was a low hook, dragging across my heart. My head was swimming. I wanted him to hold me, to kiss me… But for the past year, Caleb had refused to even look at me. He acted as if my very touch was repulsive. Once, I accidentally brushed his hand, and he looked horrified. He’d spent thirty minutes scrubbing himself in the shower afterward. The comments couldn’t be true. I struggled to push him away, trying to escape the suffocation of his scent. But Caleb suddenly lowered his head. He nipped at the gland on my neck, his teeth grazing the skin before he bit down. The scent of heavy liquor flooded my system. The last string of my logic snapped. I reached up, hooked my arms around his neck, and kissed him. 03 When I woke up the next day, I felt like I’d been hit by a semi-truck. My wrists ached. My waist ached. My legs ached. Caleb was a madman. He said six hours, and he meant exactly six hours. A knock came at the door, followed by a low, distant voice. “You awake?” “Breakfast is ready. Come eat.” I rubbed my lower back, too exhausted to be dramatic. I dragged myself to the bathroom, cleaned up, and walked out. There was only one bowl on the table. I looked at Caleb in confusion. He was sitting by the window with his laptop, looking perfectly composed and professional. The morning sun highlighted his sharp jawline. “Aren’t you eating?” I asked, my voice a hoarse wreck. Speaking made the hidden bite mark on my neck sting. He didn’t look up. “I have files to process for the office. You eat.” His tone was cold, a universe away from the man who had lost his mind the night before. Bitterness rose in my throat. Right. Typical. The comments were a lie. In a year of marriage, he had never once sat at the same table with me. He always waited for me to finish before he’d even enter the room. Suddenly, the screen flashed in front of me again: 【Pffft, look at him acting! He’s trying so hard to look cool!】 【I’m dying. His ‘processing files’ is just him refreshing his desktop every three seconds.】 【Honey, he isn’t avoiding breakfast with you. He’s waiting to eat your leftovers because he’s that obsessed!】 I froze, fork halfway to my mouth. I looked away from the chat and checked Caleb’s reflection in the glass of the window. His ears were bright red. His eyes were darting everywhere. And on his screen? He wasn’t working. He was playing Minesweeper with a look of intense, life-or-death concentration. The chat continued: 【Six hours straight! After the MC passed out, Caleb just sat there holding his hand… honestly, the devotion.】 【He acts like a prince, but he’s just an insecure stalker on the inside.】 【He fell for you at first sight years before the wedding.】 【He was so afraid his ‘addiction’ would scare you away that he only dared to sneak into your room at night to smell your clothes.】 04 My heart skipped a beat. I quickly looked away. Caleb shut his laptop and walked over. “Your father called. He wants us over for lunch.” “Oh.” I wasn’t thrilled. I hated going back to that house. He paused, his eyes lingering on the red marks near my collarbone. He frowned slightly. “That… stuff from last night. Where did you get it?” I looked up at him. Before I could answer, he looked away, his voice returning to its flat, robotic tone. “Never mind. Don’t use that kind of thing on me again.” He hesitated for a half-second, his voice dropping an octave. “In the future… I will fulfill my marital obligations.” Without waiting for a response, he turned and went into the bedroom, closing the door behind him. Obligations? I gripped my fork, feeling like a weight was pressing on my chest. Just then, my phone rang. It was my friend from the lab, Theo. As soon as I picked up, he started yelling: “Dude! Do NOT use that stuff I gave you! I grabbed the wrong bottle!” “…” “I checked the lab logs this morning. The labels were only one letter apart! That wasn’t a sedative. It was a concentrated Alpha Induction Serum—basically, high-grade Alpha viagra… and it’s potent as hell.” He lowered his voice, sounding guilty. “You… you didn’t use it yet, right?” I took a slow breath, my jaw tightening. “Theo.” “Yeah?” “Get your eyes checked. Now.” I hung up before I could scream at him. So, Caleb thought I was so desperate for him that I had to drug him?

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When I was one year old, during a family “pick-a-prize” game, I grabbed my brother’s hand. He’s been protecting me ever since. The year I graduated, my brother went bankrupt. He liquidated every asset he had, left the money to me, and then took his own life. Two months later, I was scammed out of every cent. I ended up on the streets and froze to death on a snowy curb. After I died, I realized the truth: my brother and I were the villains in a cheesy YA novel. He was the antagonist trying to steal the heroine from the hero; I was the “mean girl” trying to steal the hero from the heroine. We were destined for a tragic end. But when I opened my eyes again, I was sixteen. My brother was sitting right in front of me, legs crossed, a faint smirk on his lips. My eyes welled up with tears. I was about to throw my arms around him when I heard him drawl: “My sister wants to see your abs.” “Take it off. A thousand dollars per layer.” “Or don’t. It’s your choice. But doesn’t your mother have cancer? You wouldn’t want to watch her die because you couldn’t pay the medical bills, would you?” The hair on my neck stood up. I slowly turned around. Standing there, fists clenched and eyes bloodshot, was the hero of the story—Silas Vance. 01 In an instant, the blood rushed to my head. In my previous life, right before I died, Silas’s voice had been like ice. He stood over me, his designer shoe grinding into my frozen, purple hand. “Jade Sterling, I never loved you. You bullied people for five years because of your brother’s power. Now that he’s dead, welcome to hell.” He had walked away without looking back. Thinking of that, I shivered. I tried to rush toward my brother, but my foot slipped on the plush carpet. THUD. I landed hard on my knees. My brother, Leo, jumped. “Jade? You okay? Is seeing him that exciting for you?” He looked at Silas, his lips thinning. “It’s an honor to be liked by my sister. Get over here. Let her see what she’s paying for.” Silas snapped his head up. His voice sounded like it was being squeezed out of his throat. “You people…” “We what?” Leo stood up, looming over Silas with cold indifference. “You don’t want to save your mom?” I was speechless. My brother looked like a total cinematic villain. If I were Silas, I’d want to punch him too! Silas lowered his head, his chest heaving. Finally, with a look of pure resignation, he began to unbutton his shirt. “No! No, no, no!” I grabbed my brother’s arm, stammering. “Make him… make him put it back on!” “What? Is our little Jade shy now?” Leo teased, his eyes softening as he patted my hand. “Don’t be scared. I’m right here. Don’t you always say Silas is the hottest guy in school?” He smoothed a stray hair behind my ear, his tone incredibly gentle. “Whatever Jade wants, Jade gets.” Maybe he thought Silas was moving too slow, because Leo clicked his tongue and signaled to the two bodyguards. “Help him out. Tear it off.” Leo grabbed my hand, trying to guide it toward Silas’s bare chest! Seeing Silas’s dead, hollow eyes, the memory of my own death started playing on loop in my brain. I shrieked, yanking my hand back. “No! Stop! I don’t like him anymore! I swear!” A small smile played on Leo’s lips. He was about to say something when Silas suddenly stepped forward, pressing his bare chest against my palm with a suicidal intensity. His skin was like warm marble. I could feel his heart thumping erratically against my hand. Realizing what I was touching, the world went gray. “Jade Sterling, stop acting,” Silas hissed, his voice like frost. “Isn’t this what you wanted? Stop the ‘hard to get’ act. I did what you asked. Now, the money for my mother…” He was so busy glaring at me that he didn’t notice Leo’s expression darkening. This was exactly like my first life. In that life, I had touched him eagerly. But that’s not what Leo wanted. He had brought Silas here as a form of “aversion therapy,” hoping Silas’s hatred would make me give up on my crush. When I had touched Silas happily in the first life, Leo got angry. He blamed Silas for “seducing” me. He threw Silas out without the money. Silas’s mother died two weeks later. That was where the blood feud started. I saw Leo about to signal the guards to throw Silas out. I grabbed his hand, my mind racing for an excuse. “Silas!” A clear, feminine voice rang out from the doorway, cutting me off. Leo looked up. My heart skipped a beat. 02 Standing at the door of the VIP lounge was Elena Vance. She was biting her lip, her long dark hair falling over her simple white dress. She looked pure, like a lily in a swamp. Leo’s breath hitched. In my last life, this was the moment. Love at first sight. He became obsessed with her. He showered her with jewelry, cars, and even company shares. But Elena loved Silas. Because I had forced Silas into a “relationship,” she hated me, and by extension, she hated Leo. Leo, being a Sterling, didn’t know how to take ‘no’ for an answer. He found her weakness: her poverty. He threatened her family and Silas’s safety to force her to date him. He didn’t realize that in this world, “forced love” only leads to the villain’s grave. Thinking of my brother’s suicide, my heart ached. “Let him go,” Elena said, stepping into the room. Her body was shaking with fear, but her eyes were defiant. “If you want to bully someone, pick on me!” Leo narrowed his eyes, intrigued. He patted my head. “Jade, go wait in the car.” I shook my head. I looked at Leo, then at Elena. I had to stop the plot. “Leo,” I whispered. “I think I’m in love.” “Wait, already?” Leo sat up straight. To him, my happiness was more important than any girl. “Jade, you’re young. You don’t realize that most guys are trash—” “Who said it’s a guy?” I blinked, pointing directly at Elena. “The moment I saw her, I couldn’t breathe. My heart is pounding. She’s the one, Leo. My soulmate.” “…Her?!” Leo grabbed my shoulders and shook me. His face was a mask of confusion and collapse. “Jade! Do you hear yourself? She’s a girl! You’ve been telling me for a year that Silas is your dream guy!” “Sexuality is a spectrum, Leo,” I said, brushing his hands off. “I thought I was straight until five seconds ago. Love doesn’t follow rules. Sorry, but she’s the one.” Leo looked like he had been struck by lightning. He stammered, unable to form a sentence. My logic was simple: Leo couldn’t compete with me for her. If I claimed her first, he wouldn’t trap her, and he wouldn’t die. I walked up to Elena, pitching my voice into a “cute” register. “Hi! What’s your name?” “Jade Sterling!” Silas roared. He was still held by the guards, shirtless and fuming. “Don’t you dare touch her! Leave her alone!” Elena bit her lip, looking confused, but she answered. “Elena. Elena Vance.” “I’ve never heard a more beautiful name,” I declared. I waved a hand at the guards. “Let Silas go. He’s all yours, Elena! Here’s the hundred grand for his mom’s surgery. Take him and the cash and go have a nice dinner!” 03 On the drive home, Leo was silent. His face was a blank mask. Was he mad that I “stole” his girl? I peeked at him, only to find him staring at me with deep, soul-searching eyes. “Jade,” he sighed, reaching over to pinch my cheek. “Don’t do that again.” My heart jumped. “Do… what?” “Giving that much money to a stranger,” Leo frowned. “What if she’s a scammer? She’s pretty, sure, but you can’t trust people these days.” He ruffled my hair. “You’re too innocent for this world.” “But… you used to drop thousands on your exes,” I mumbled. “That’s different.” When we got home, Leo dragged me to the small library where our parents’ portraits hung. He knelt down, bowed his head, and whispered to the photos, “Mom, Dad… Jade is in love again. With a girl.” I face-palmed. “Leo, stop!” The incense smoke curled in the air. Leo ignored my protests and continued, “I know you’d probably be against it. You’d say it’s not proper. But I just want Jade to be happy. She lost you both so young. While other kids had parents at their soccer games, she just had me, crying and asking when you were coming back.” “If this girl is kind to her, it doesn’t matter if it’s a boy or a girl.” He lowered his head further. “Don’t haunt her dreams for this. She’s sensitive. She can’t handle you being mad at her.” I looked at Leo’s back. I wanted to tell him that I was just making it up to save him. But the words died in my throat. I saw the ghost of the twenty-seven-year-old Leo. The Leo who had lost everything. The Leo who sat in a bare apartment, handing me the last of his food. “Eat up, Jade. I’m not hungry.” The Leo who committed suicide the next day so his debts wouldn’t follow me. The memory blurred. My brother was here. He was young, rich, and full of life. He turned to me and said the same thing he always did when I looked sad. “Don’t cry, Jade.” 04 Walking back into my high school classroom felt surreal. A group of girls—my so-called “friends”—immediately cornered me. “So, Jade? Did you get him? How was the school hottie?” “I bet he was amazing. If you’re bored with him, pass him over…” They didn’t lower their voices. They didn’t care that Silas was sitting right there, staring at his desk, his fists clenched so hard his knuckles were white. I glanced at him and cleared my throat. In my last life, I was too dumb to realize Silas hated me. I thought his silence was just him being a “brooding bad boy.” I looked at the students whispering nearby. “Being hot pays off. He’s basically her pet now.” “Man, Silas Vance is making more money as a ‘companion’ than he ever would with a job.” I couldn’t take it. I slammed my book on the desk of the guy talking the loudest. “Say that again. Who’s a pet?” The guy paled. “I… I was just joking. Everyone says it.” “Who is everyone?” “…” “You love talking about people behind their backs? No wonder no one wants to date you,” I snapped. One of my “friends” tried to put an arm around me. “Whoa, Jade! Defensive much? We know he’s your favorite toy.” I pushed her away. “We’re classmates. That’s it. Don’t let me catch you spreading rumors again.” The girl looked shocked. She leaned in and whispered, “Wait, you don’t like Silas anymore? Then who are you into?” “Can’t I just be into studying?” I said flatly. “We’re in high school! Education is our priority!” “Right,” she said, looking at my desk. “But your book is upside down.” “…” 05 After two hours of AP Calculus, I began to seriously question if I actually needed a diploma. During the break, I saw a girl hunched over her desk. Elena. She looked pale, her hand clutching her stomach. I remembered then—Elena’s health wasn’t great. Her family was struggling, and she often skipped meals to save money for Silas’s mom. I dug through my bag, found some gourmet sandwiches my chef had packed, and dropped them on her desk. She looked up, startled. “Here,” I grunted. “Eat.” Before she could speak, Silas was there, shielding her. He threw the bag back at me. “We don’t need your charity, Jade.” “You don’t like turkey?” I reached into my bag and pulled out granola bars, fruit cups, chips, and even a thermos of hot soup. I piled them on their desk. “Pick something else then.” “…” He looked stunned. I pulled out my cafeteria gold card and slid it over to Elena. I remembered she was proud in the last life, so I lied. “I have too much credit on this card and the school won’t refund it. Help me use it up.” Elena looked at the card, then at me. Her stomach let out a loud growl. “Why are you doing this?” she whispered. “I told you. I like you,” I said, using the same excuse. “But—” “Just eat! You’ll get an ulcer if you skip meals!” I shoved a warm carton of milk into her hand. “I hate milk anyway. And I want you to take a picture of your lunch and send it to me every day to prove you’re eating!” I didn’t wait for her to reply. I bolted back to my seat and pretended to fall asleep. I actually did fall asleep. When I woke up, there was a note on my desk. 【Sorry, I don’t have a phone, so I can’t send a picture. I had a bagel today. It was good. The milk was warm. Thank you.】 There was a tiny smiley face drawn at the bottom. I tucked the note away. Suddenly, someone tapped my shoulder. Silas was standing there, his face slightly flushed. I put my hands up. “I didn’t do anything to her!” “I know,” he said, looking at the floor. He hesitated for a long time. “Do you… still want to touch my abs?” Me: ?

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New York City. 2:00 AM. After getting shredded by my boss for the hundredth time, I sat in the dark and opened my messages with my long-distance boyfriend. “Babe, he hated my proposal again. He called it a pile of hot garbage.” His reply was instant. “Your boss sounds like a miserable prick who wouldn’t know talent if it hit him in the face. Don’t let him get to you, baby.” “Go to sleep. I’ll rewrite the whole thing for you tonight.” The next day, I handed the revised proposal to my boss. The man, usually as cold as a January morning in Manhattan, went dead silent. His hand actually shook as he gripped the iPad. “Did… did you actually write this?” 1. As a fresh-out-of-college corporate drone at a top-tier firm, I had practically vibrated on caffeine for three nights to finish this project. At the morning meeting, my boss tossed the folder across the mahogany table like it was a piece of trash. “Who let this ‘garbage’ into my office? Whose is this?” My boss, Liam, was a billionaire heir who’d returned from London with a chip on his shoulder and a genius-level IQ. He had a face that looked like it was sculpted by an AI—too perfect to be real. My friends told me I was lucky to work for a guy who looked like a movie star. Only I knew what a nightmare he was. I tentatively raised my hand. Liam’s sharp, icy gaze pierced right through me. “How did HR even let you in the door? The incompetence in this building is breathtaking.” The room went silent. My face burned. I wanted the floor to swallow me whole. After the meeting, I was the only one told to stay. Liam stood over me, his brow furrowed as he threw my work at my feet. “Last chance, Olivia. Produce more trash like this, and you can pack your desk by noon.” I bit my lip, gathered the papers without looking at him, and bolted for the exit. 2. I finally found a quiet corner in the breakroom to have a meltdown. I pulled out my phone and messaged my boyfriend. “(Crying emoji) He did it again. He made me feel like nothing.” My life wasn’t easy. My mom got sick right after I graduated, and the medical bills drained our savings. I had to pass on my Master’s degree and start working immediately. To make ends meet, I’d started an anonymous craft vlog. It actually took off. And my online boyfriend? He was my “Number One Fan.” He’d donated thousands to my stream before we even started talking. Unlike my boss, he was the sweetest man alive. He comforted me every time I felt low. “I’m so sorry, baby. Your boss is clearly a jerk.” “I believe in you. You’re the most talented person I know.” The more he comforted me, the more the tears flowed. “But I worked so hard on that proposal. I haven’t slept, and he just threw it away.” He spammed me with heart emojis. “It’s okay to cry, honey. Life is hard when you’re starting out. Leave the proposal to me. Sleep. I’ve got you.” Watching his messages, my heart melted. I wiped my eyes. “What good does crying do?” A cold voice made me jump. Liam was standing there, drying his hands with a paper towel, looking genuinely annoyed. “If you can’t handle the heat, you’re going to end up exactly where your proposal did—in the trash.” He tossed the towel into the bin and stared at my red eyes. “Stop crying and go back to work.” 3. I barely held it together as he walked away. How could someone be so heartless? But I needed this job. I dragged myself back to my desk. My work rival, Sarah, was already smirking. “I wonder how someone like you even got hired,” she whispered loudly. “Must be the face. Too bad looks don’t fix stupid.” I didn’t have the energy to snap back. I decided to try one more draft myself while waiting for my boyfriend’s version. I worked through the night at my apartment and finally sent my latest version to him. He was online instantly. Half an hour later, he replied: “Is this your draft? It’s a bit green, but for a first try, it’s actually impressive.” “Go to bed, babe. I’ll polish the rest.” I felt like crying again. “That was my N-th draft. Am I really that bad?” He stayed silent for a minute, then sent a dozen “hugging” stickers. “You’re not bad. You’re improving. Don’t listen to that boss of yours. He clearly has no taste. He’s just a miserable man taking his stress out on you.” Seeing him trash-talk Liam made me feel a million times better. “Thanks, babe. I’m going to sleep.” It was the best sleep I’d had in months. 4. My boyfriend was a lifesaver. When I woke up, there was a file waiting for me. “Good luck, wifey.” The timestamp was 2:00 AM. I rushed to the office, ignoring Sarah’s snide comments about my “glow” and how I probably “spent the night with some guy instead of working.” I printed the new proposal and walked straight into Liam’s office. 5. Liam looked like he’d pulled an all-nighter himself. Dark circles under his eyes, rubbing his temples. He took the file without a word. But as he read, his expression shifted. He kept looking up at me, then back at the page. He read every single word. “Is this yours?” his voice was husky, almost trembling. I froze, bracing for the scream. “Do you know how to make ceramics?” he asked suddenly. “Give me one more chance, I’ll—” I stopped. “Wait, what?” “The technique mentioned here… the craft… do you do this?” I nodded, confused. He stared at me for a long time before dismissing me. Outside, Sarah was shouting again. “Look at her face! She definitely got fired!” I was about to snap when Jason, Liam’s head of staff, walked up. “Olivia? My assistant is out sick. You’re being promoted to the Boss’s personal assistant for the weekend. Pack your bags; you’re flying to the conference with him.” Sarah’s jaw hit the floor. “No way! She’s incompetent!” I gave her my best “fake it till you make it” smile. “See you Monday, Sarah.” She looked like she wanted to claw my eyes out. “You’re just using your body to get ahead, you little—” I cut her off. “Jealousy is a bad look, Sarah. Maybe focus on your own ‘trash’ work.” Liam was suddenly standing right behind me. “She’s right,” he said coldly, looking at Sarah. “I’m incredibly impressed with her work. As for you? I don’t even remember your name, but you’re fired. Clear your desk.” 6. Before I knew it, Liam had pulled me away from the chaos. Sarah tried to lung at me, but he caught me in his arms. My face hit his chest—hard. He smelled like expensive cologne and sandalwood. Once Sarah was escorted out by security, I pulled away and thanked him. He just stared at me, his jaw tight, before walking back into his office. I immediately messaged my boyfriend. “Babe! I got a promotion! And that mean girl got fired! Haha!” He replied quickly. “That’s my girl. By the way… what do you think of your boss now?” “He’s still a nightmare! He’s making me work over the weekend! He’s a total control freak.” I ranted for ten minutes. My boyfriend didn’t reply for a while. Then: “Maybe he’s just trying to be near you? Maybe he’s not that bad.” “Are you serious? He’s a soulless robot. Why are you defending him?” I heard some coworkers whispering nearby. “Did you see the Boss? He was smiling at his phone! Does he have a secret girlfriend?” I ignored the gossip. Who would ever want to date a monster like that?

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He had millions to spend, and he spent them all to launch his “Gilded Girl.” The tabloids sneered, calling her a cheap copy of me—the “Substitutable Ex.” But Liam Miller silenced the city. He stood before the flashes of a hundred cameras, shielding her, and told the world she was the one he’d always waited for. He said I was the counterfeit. So, when his “Gilded Girl” demanded to film her new reality show in my remote, sleepy hometown, Liam didn’t hesitate. He signed the check with a smile. What none of them knew was that I hadn’t just “retired.” I had gone home to die. Chapter 1 The day Liam and his obsession arrived, I was lying in a lawn chair in my backyard, soaking up the pale afternoon sun. My friend Macy burst in, her eyes glued to her phone. “Olivia, you’re trending again.” I felt a ghost of a headache. In the industry, four months is an eternity. I thought my disappearance had finally been bleached from the public’s memory. Liam had turned Mia’s debut into a national event. The hashtags were everywhere. Even Liam, a man who usually treated the press like a plague, was caught on camera smiling at her. He looked genuinely happy. Not forced. Not staged. But wherever Mia went, my name followed like a shadow. The “Billionaire and his Muse” trope never gets old—especially when one is a fallen star who vanished overnight, and the other is the childhood sweetheart he finally reclaimed. I logged into my long-abandoned Instagram. The comments were a bloodbath. “Why are you hiding, girl? Come back and fight for your man!” “She tried to play hard to get for years, but she was just a seat-warmer for the real Queen. Imagine being the backup for a decade. Pathetic.” “I bet her ‘illness’ is just code for being dumped and losing her sponsors.” I let out a soft, dry laugh. I pulled my cardigan sleeve down, hiding my arms—arms that were currently a roadmap of bruises and needle marks from the IVs. On the screen, Liam was shielding Mia from a swarm of paparazzi at JFK. He draped his designer coat over her shoulders, his hand gripping hers with a fierce, protective intensity. “Mr. Miller, can you comment on your relationship with the lady?” a reporter shouted. “Are you still in touch with Olivia? How do you feel about her sudden retirement due to ‘health issues’?” Liam’s voice came through the speakers, cool and detached. “Mia is my partner, and she always has been. She’s starting her career now, and I expect the industry to give her the respect she deserves.” He said so much, yet not a single word was for me. When my name was mentioned, his jaw tightened in a flicker of pure disgust. “But people are calling Mia ‘Olivia 2.0’!” the reporter pressed. “They say she’s just a placeholder for the aesthetic Olivia built. What’s your take?” Liam stopped. He looked directly into the lens, his eyes like ice. “I’ll say this once. If I hear anyone compare Mia to her again, my legal team will be in touch. Mia has never been a substitute.” “The only substitute in this story was Olivia.” Chapter 2 The internet exploded. Half the world thought Liam was a heartless prick; the other half thought I was a home-wrecker who finally got what she deserved. Macy watched me carefully, looking for a breakdown. I actually snickered. “I’m over it, Mace. Trust me. I’m just annoyed they’re making me a supporting character in their twisted little rom-com. It’s bad for my zen.” Liam was a man of action. He bought Mia every role, every billboard, every cover. He even skipped board meetings to sit through her rehearsals. But instead of a blockbuster, Mia chose a “back-to-basics” reality show. And she demanded it be filmed in my hometown—a tiny, fog-heavy coastal village in Maine. It was a petty, nonsensical request. But Liam agreed instantly. He ordered the production to revolve entirely around Mia’s whims. Fans caught on quickly. “Wait, isn’t that Olivia’s hometown? Mia is savage.” “Probably just a coincidence. Stop reaching.” “Coincidence? In a village with one grocery store and no cell service? Mia’s basically hunting her.” I didn’t care. I was a woman with an expiration date. I had nothing left to fear. Three days later, Mia showed up at my gate. She had a camera crew in tow, lenses practically grazing my skin. I wasn’t used to the glare anymore. I instinctively raised my hand to block the sun. My sleeve slipped. The needle marks were visible for a split second. Mia stood behind the cameras, her eyes scanning me with cold triumph. “Is Olivia’s fan club watching?” she whispered, loud enough for the mics. “Come look at your idol. I almost didn’t recognize her. She looks… haunting.” The live-chat scrolled at light speed: “Holy crap, she’s skin and bones. Is she on something?” “Look at her arms. Those aren’t just ‘health issues’ marks.” “Stop being so gullible. Olivia was always a great actress. This is just her latest play for sympathy.” Chapter 3 I remembered the last time I “played” for sympathy. It was our second year. We’d been caught by the tabloids. To save his image, Liam turned our “arrangement” into a public relationship. When Mia found out, she called him crying from London. He spent hours soothing her, then turned that tenderness into a rage directed at me. My condition had flared up that night. I was terrified. I called him, begging him to come home. When he finally showed up, he looked at me—pale, trembling, and sick—with nothing but loathing. “Olivia,” he had said, “you should just go die in a corner somewhere and stop bothering us.” Well, he got his wish. Mia came back the next day. This time, she brought the King himself. Liam looked at me, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly. “Are you that desperate for money? You look like a ghost.” I smiled. “Starving artist, Liam. Want to donate to the cause? I’ll pay you back in the next life.” He went to snap something back, but Mia interjected, clinging to his arm. “Liam, honey, you promised!” Liam cleared his throat. “The production team likes your house. They want to use it for the show. Name your price, but you have to move out by tonight.” My smile vanished. “No.” Mia scoffed. “It’s a shack, Olivia. We’re doing you a favor by even looking at it.” I ignored her, staring straight at Liam. “You know what this house means to me. It’s all I have left of my parents.” Mia nudged him. Liam’s eyes hardened. “It’s just a house. Don’t be dramatic. Just give me a number.” My heart did a strange, heavy thud, and then… silence. This was Liam Miller. For Mia, he would burn down the world. “Two hundred million,” I said. Chapter 4 Mia hit the roof. “Two hundred million? You’re insane! We could give you twenty grand and that’s being generous!” I didn’t look at her. I waited for Liam. He watched me, his dark eyes unreadable. Suddenly, he stepped forward and grabbed my wrist. Before I could pull away, he shoved my sleeve up. The bruises and the needle tracks were laid bare for the cameras. I pushed him back, my face burning with cold fury. “You’re crossing the line, Liam.” He let out a sharp, mocking laugh. “Same old Olivia. Still a master of the fake-out. The makeup artist did a great job on those ‘needle marks.’ Very convincing.” “The money will be wired to you tonight. Be out by six.” Macy appeared from around the corner after they left, her eyes red. “Liv, why did you agree? They’re going to trash this place.” I showed her the bank notification on my phone. “Money talks, Mace. And I need it for the clinic bills.” Liam stayed in town. He stayed in a cottage not far from Mia’s set. One afternoon, I was at the local doctor’s office—Dr. Evans, Macy’s boyfriend—to get my shots. I ran into Liam and Mia at the entrance. Mia was leaning weakly against Liam, looking pale. She saw me and purposefully lunged forward, “accidentally” slamming her shoulder into my bruised arm. I gasped. The pain was white-hot. She didn’t even apologize. She just muttered, “God, stop being such a drama queen.” Liam’s eyes never left Mia. He was too busy worrying about her “exhaustion.” Later that night, Mia came to see me alone. “I want you gone, Olivia. Go somewhere Liam will never find you.” I looked at her, truly puzzled. “You’re the one who brought him here. You’re the one who chose my backyard. Why are you so insecure?” “You’re his childhood sweetheart, Mia. He told the whole world you’re his only love. So what are you afraid of? That he’ll realize I’m not just a ghost?” Her face contorted. “You have twenty-four hours. Otherwise, I’ll make sure your reputation is buried so deep you’ll never see the sun again.” I waited until she vanished into the night. Then, I pulled out my phone and stopped the recording. Mia was a fool. I had intended to let them have their fun and leave. But if she wanted to play dirty with a woman who had nothing to lose? Fine. Let’s play. Chapter 5 I sent the recording to Liam. His reaction was… complicated. He showed up at my door, looking like he’d been through a war. “How much for the recording?” he asked. “You need money. I’ll double what I paid for the house.” He was still protecting her. Typical. “Olivia, why did you leave without saying goodbye four months ago?” he asked suddenly. “I know the ‘illness’ was just a stunt to get my attention…” “It wasn’t a stunt,” I said quietly. “I’m dying, Liam. For real.” He flinched, then sneered. “You’ve said that lie too many times. It’s lost its impact.” I turned my back on him. “Then we have nothing left to say. Get out.” He grabbed my arm again. I suppressed a scream of pain. “Is this another act? To make me feel guilty?” his voice was a whisper of frost. “You haven’t changed at all. Still a liar. Still bitter.” I started laughing. I laughed until tears streamed down my face. What a life. My parents gone, my body failing, and the only man I ever loved was a monster who thought my death was a PR stunt. I felt the world tilt. My vision blurred. I collapsed into the dark.

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I was the school’s certified walking disaster. After bullying the principal and getting expelled, no public school in the district would touch me. My dad gritted his teeth, scraped together every penny he had, and sent me to a prestigious private high school. Before school started, he warned me a thousand times. “Riley, you have to get along with your classmates. If you offend anyone there, our family is finished.” The first week of school, I kidnapped the wheelchair-bound heir of a business empire to skip class and play bumper cars. The second week, I took the anorexic rich girl over the wall to eat greasy street tacos. The third week, the teacher called my dad in. My dad’s legs went weak as he closed the office door. The teacher looked at him apologetically: “Mr. Vance, I’m so sorry.” “Riley is just too popular. The classmates are fighting over her.” 01 I was picked up by my dad while he was collecting scrap metal. And he raised me on the proceeds of that scrap metal. Like our dog Buster, the stray cat Mittens, and the parrot, I was just another stray he took in. According to his tall tales, back in the early 2000s, he was a carefree rich kid. But he had no ambition and blew his inheritance rescuing stray dogs halfway through business school. It spiraled from there. The year his family went bankrupt, he used his last bit of money to rent a junkyard. Collecting scrap, raising dogs—life was passable. Until one winter day, snow covering everything. Someone dumped a cardboard box at the gate of the junkyard. Like always, he thought it was abandoned puppies. The moment he opened the box, he heard my weak cry. The dogs were saved, and a human was saved too. From that winter on, we had to tighten our belts. My dad was only twenty-two then, but he never complained. He was determined to raise me like a princess. I don’t know where it went wrong. I hugged my dolls while flipping over card tables on the street corner. I wore princess dresses while plastering the neighbor’s windows with mud. Wearing pink hair clips, I beat up the high school bullies who tried to collect protection money. A tiger down on its luck gets bullied by dogs. My dad went from a young master to a junkman, and he faced plenty of ridicule. Whenever that happened, I’d sneak into their yards at midnight and throw snap-pops. Specifically, the ones wrapped in pink paper. I did this for half a month until they begged my dad for forgiveness. Then came high school. The dorms cut power in the summer, and it was scorching hot. Everyone woke up looking like they’d just showered. Someone wrote a complaint to the principal’s suggestion box. The box had a camera facing out and a shredder inside. So, during the Monday flag ceremony, I hoisted the principal’s toupee up the flagpole. By the time he realized, the wig had reached the top. I became a legend, and no public high school would take me. I didn’t care. I put on my work gloves and started sorting the new scrap metal at home. “It’s fine, Dad. I’m not cut out for studying anyway.” “No! You have to go to college!” My dad had an obsession with college. He believed it could change destiny. His old deskmate, a poor kid, started a company after graduating. When my dad was still goofing around, that guy had already acquired my dad’s family business. My dad, eyes red, pulled a certificate out of a drawer and stroked it carefully. “You are the first child in our family to get an award. You have to go to school.” I leaned in, puzzled. On the bright red certificate, in gold letters: “Kindergarten Hygiene Monitor.” Damn. I really don’t have time for this nonsense. 02 My dad ran around town and finally found a private academy willing to take me—for an astronomical fee. He gritted his teeth and sent me there. “I’m really not cut out for this.” “I don’t care. The school will have a way.” Helpless, since the money was paid, I had to listen to him. The day before school started, he gave me a lecture. “Little ancestor, the trouble you caused before is nothing. If you mess with these people, our family is toast.” “Just get along with them, actually…” He shook his head halfway through. “That might be hard for you. Just remember, mind your own business.” It was my first time commuting so far. We underestimated the morning rush hour. The highway was gridlocked. By the time I got to school, I was already half a period late. I sprinted through the campus with my backpack. Next to me, a guy in a wheelchair was also hurrying. His wheelchair was electric, but it was moving slowly. Without thinking, I grabbed the handles and pushed him into a sprint. I can’t help but show off when I do a good deed. Wind rushing in my ears, I shouted, “Hey buddy, which building are you going to?” The guy in the wheelchair gritted his teeth. “I’m going home.” 03 I froze, instinctively swerving left to brake. The wheelchair stopped. The guy flew out. “Ahhhh! Dude, I am so, so sorry!” I scrambled to pull him up from the ground. I accidentally used too much force. Crack. A crisp sound came from his arm. The guy was in so much pain his voice trembled. “Don’t… don’t touch me…” He was already in this state; might as well try to fix it. I hugged him from behind like I did with the dogs at home. Once I was sure his weight was against me, I grabbed his elbow. “What are you doing?!” “Trust me. It’ll hurt, just bear with it.” I lifted his elbow to the highest point. He let out a small cry of pain. The next second, crack, pop. Reset successfully. “Told you to trust me. I do this for the dogs all the time.” That sounded like an insult. The guy looked up and glared at me, his expression dark. “Really sorry, buddy. Let me carry you…” I squatted down, hooked my arms under his knees and back, and princess-carried him. Suddenly suspended in the air, he instinctively wrapped his arms around my neck. A scent of mint and something bitter filled my nose. You know, for a guy with such long legs, he was pretty light. Afraid he was uncomfortable, I bounced him a little to adjust my grip. His breathing quickened, and he started struggling violently in my arms. “You barbarian! Do you have any manners?!” Against my absolute strength, he was like a kitten trying to fight a tiger. The corners of his eyes were red, his beautiful peach-blossom eyes full of rage. Pale skin, high nose, thin lips. Soft black hair falling over broad shoulders. I squinted. My heart fluttered a bit. I mean, I’ve never seen anyone this good-looking before. A mischievous urge scratched at my heart. I put on a fierce face. “Move again and I’ll throw you in the bushes!” He went still instantly, letting me carry him. Only his mouth was still tough. “You better hope I don’t find out who you are, or you’re dead.” I glanced at the ID card on his blazer and grinned. “Well, before I die, I’ll take responsibility for you, Ethan Sterling.” 04 When he fell earlier, Ethan’s palms got scraped up badly. Afraid he was hurt elsewhere, I pushed him to the nurse’s office. The office was busy, students hooked up to IVs everywhere. I pulled the curtain of a partition and waited outside. The nurse came out a moment later with iodine, bandages, and ointment. “Nothing serious, just scratches on the palms.” Thank god. If I had broken him, my dad would have lost his mind. I took the medicine, pulled back the curtain, and ducked in. Ethan sat on the bed, silent, his fists clenched tight. I leaned close to his ear and whispered, “If you don’t cooperate, I might just kiss you.” “There are classmates on both sides. If you make any noise…” Ethan shuddered, his eyes filling with horror, and his hands opened instantly. I smiled until my eyes were slits. “That’s a good boy.” When he fell, his palms must have hit the gravel. The cuts were numerous, some deep, some shallow. He really was a rich kid; his fingers were long and pale, skin smooth and fine. My movements became gentler. After wrapping the gauze, I couldn’t resist patting his hand. “You—” Ethan looked like he wanted to murder me. I acted innocent, like I hadn’t done anything. “I won’t tease you anymore. I’ll take you to the school gate.” His wounds should heal with another application of medicine tomorrow. At the gate, I stopped him. “When school lets out tomorrow afternoon, I’ll come apply the medicine for you again.” Ethan frowned, clearly not wanting to see me ever again. I grabbed both sides of his wheelchair and pulled, bringing his face right up to mine. I looked down at him, tapping the ID badge on his chest. “Senior Year, Honors Class, Ethan Sterling.” 05 Private schools sort classes by grades. Honors Class is the best; General Class is the worst. With my grades, I was obviously in the General Class. My dad had done his research. Those who could get into the Honors Class were the elite of the elite. You needed real brains; money couldn’t buy your way in. He told me to especially avoid the Honors kids. Ethan eventually got into a luxury car I didn’t recognize. The driver skillfully folded the wheelchair and stowed it. Before leaving, he rolled down the window, his gaze dark and unreadable. “What is your name?” “I’ll tell you tomorrow.” Yeah right, that look wasn’t friendly. If I told him who I was, he’d probably dig up my family’s roots. Anyway, once his hands healed tomorrow, we’d have no connection. If he was still angry then, I’d just say some nice words. I’m a genius. Perfect solution. After all that drama, by the time I found the General Class, the first period was over. The homeroom teacher wore glasses and looked like a fresh college grad. Young, female, completely unable to control these rich kids. “Class, quiet down. This is our new transfer student, Riley Vance. Let’s welcome her.” Only the teacher clapped. The students below just stared judgmentally. I couldn’t afford to mess with the teacher, and I didn’t want trouble. The only empty seat was in the back row by the window. I threw my bag down and sat. It was October, the weather turning cool. If there wasn’t a trash can nearby, this would be a prime sleeping spot. This period was English. This elite school taught entirely in English. I tried to piece together the few words I knew. By the time I figured out what the teacher said in the first sentence, I had no idea what question she was on. Forget it, I’ll just sleep. I can tolerate the smell. While I was dozing off, people outside the window were whispering.

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Ethan’s younger brother was going to film a dating reality show at the Sterling family estate. And Ethan and I accidentally became the foil couple in this entertainment circle romance. At first, netizens mocked me, the matriarch, as just a decoration. Husband doesn’t love her, mother-in-law makes things difficult. Later. Netizens tagged the show’s official account en masse: [I love watching the Big Brother and Sister-in-law show off their love. Ten thousand blood signatures asking for more screen time for them!] [Just love scavenging for crumbs of sweetness from the Big Brother and Sister-in-law in the corner of the screen!] [My blood sugar is low; I urgently need the Big Brother and Sister-in-law to sprinkle some sugar to replenish!] 1 Ethan Sterling’s younger brother, Liam, had a whirlwind romance. Trending on social media every other day. His romance was with the famous movie queen of the entertainment circle—Bella Davis. The playboy settled down. He pestered Ethan for a month and finally got him to agree to film a dating reality show at the old family estate. Ethan only told me the news a week before the recording. “Just cooperating to record a few episodes. If you don’t want to be on camera, we can move out for a while.” I lay lazily on the bed, my smooth neck and shoulders looming under the cover of black hair. “Forget it, too lazy to move.” I’ve been married to Ethan for three years. Always lived in the old estate. Used to living here, too lazy to move back and forth. 2 On the day of the recording. I opened my sleepy eyes and slowly went downstairs. Ethan had explained to the program team in advance not to film anything related to me casually. Downstairs was already bustling. Bella was surrounded by a group of people, looking every bit the hostess. Seeing me come downstairs out of the corner of her eye, she enthusiastically instructed Nanny Wang. “Nanny Wang, please prepare a breakfast for Sister-in-law too.” Nanny Wang looked at me hesitantly. I yawned and nodded lightly. Seeing me nod, Nanny Wang then asked the kitchen to serve the food. Liam, eating breakfast, greeted me, “Sister-in-law, good morning.” I responded with sleepy eyes: “Morning.” “Big Brother went to the company?” Liam asked. “Hmm? Probably?” My tone was uncertain. After all, he gets up earlier than the chickens. Even after a fierce battle at night, it doesn’t affect his early rising habit of decades. Moreover, Ethan, this man. As the successor of the Sterling family. The self-discipline and restraint cultivated since childhood would not let him be in an out-of-control state. Even marital life is strictly controlled to once every few days. While waiting for the food to be served. Bella suddenly came over and sat next to me, smilingly wrapped her arm around mine, and greeted the camera. “It’s Sister-in-law’s first time facing the camera, so stage fright is inevitable. I hope my fans will bear with her.” Then she turned her head and looked at me with a smile, “Sister-in-law, you don’t need to be afraid. My fans are very friendly.” So I just appeared on camera with a bare face and a confused expression. Bella focused on the live comments, answering netizens’ questions slowly with a sweet smile on her face. “Everyone thinks Sister-in-law looks familiar? That might be because Sister-in-law has a very common face.” “Asking how old Sister-in-law is? Shh! A woman’s age cannot be told casually~” Bella picked a few questions to answer, then realizing everyone’s attention was still on me. She sat back down, attempting to pull the topic back to herself. At this moment, the live comments were still very lively. [Is she Liam Sterling’s sister-in-law? The wife of the president of Sterling Group?] [Sister-in-law really looks familiar, not the common-face kind of familiar. I should have seen her on TV before!] [Is Sister-in-law preparing to ride on Bella’s coattails to debut?] [Bella is too kind, letting Sister-in-law leech off her screen time for free.] [I came specifically to see Bella. Bella is so beautiful!!!] [Bella is too happy. Her fiancé is so handsome and rich, and spoils her so much!] And me. Always wandering in outer space. Sleepy. Really sleepy. Ethan just came back from a week-long business trip. The rigorous man went crazy last night and made up for all the missed marital life this week. I couldn’t quite handle it. 3 After the meal. Liam went to the study to handle matters. So I was dragged by the enthusiastic Bella to choose a wedding dress for her on the sofa. She and Liam were already engaged and preparing to get married soon. “Sister Sarah, do you think this one looks good?” I glanced at her, then at the exquisite wedding dress catalog in her hand, and responded: “Good looking.” “What about this one?” I glanced again, “Also good looking.” “Sister Sarah, I heard you and Big Brother didn’t have a wedding?” Bella flipped through the catalog and asked seemingly inadvertently. I was gnawing on an apple. Crunch, answering a beat slow: “No.” Bella covered her lips in surprise, “Big Brother didn’t even give you a wedding?” I shook my head and explained, “I didn’t want to have one.” Ethan and I belong to a family alliance marriage. No emotional foundation. Before getting the certificate, he asked me: “When do you want to hold the wedding? Church or beach?” At that time, I didn’t have high expectations for this marriage. After all, before the alliance, the two only heard of each other’s names but never met. No feelings, completely strangers. Thinking of exchanging rings and kissing a stranger in front of the officiant. I said almost without thinking: “Let’s not do it, boring.” Remember he stared at me calmly at that time. After a long silence, he agreed. When someone asked, he only said he didn’t want to do it. Taking all the criticism on himself. Bella didn’t seem to hear, still talking to herself: “Every woman dreams of having a perfect wedding of her own.” “How could Big Brother not hold a wedding?” Her face faintly carried sympathy for me. Seeing this, I didn’t speak anymore, too lazy to explain too much. “Liam said he would give me a wedding of the century. I told him not to spend so much, but he insisted, saying he would never let me regret marrying him.” “But every one of these wedding dresses is so beautiful; I’m having difficulty choosing.” Bella’s tone was娇憨 (spoiled/naive), seemingly angry but actually acting coquettish. The happiness on her face could be felt by fans even outside the screen. [Liam Sterling spoils Bella too much. Bella is so happy.] [I still love watching Bella and Liam getting along, so sweet so sweet.] [No harm without comparison. Look, Sister-in-law’s face is dark.] [Can her face not be dark? She and Liam’s brother are just a wealthy alliance marriage, with no emotional foundation at all, right? I think maybe Ethan Sterling wasn’t willing to hold a wedding.] “Sister Sarah, I’m really dazzled. How about you choose one for me?” Bella moved the catalog over. I flipped through a few pages casually, finally pointing at one of them, “This one is very beautiful.” Bella glanced casually, “This waist design isn’t outstanding.” Then she closed the catalog, “Forget it, I’ll let Liam choose with me next time. His taste is never wrong.” 4 After looking at wedding dresses. She continued to drag me to look at rings. “Sister Sarah, didn’t Big Brother buy you a wedding ring?” Bella’s gaze turned to my hand. Only a plain band was worn on the ring finger. The totem pattern was weird, like goods from a dollar store. “Yes.” I glanced at the ring on my hand. On the day we got the certificate, I found two rings on the bedside table. One was a very large and bright diamond ring. The other was this one on my hand. Ethan asked me which one I wanted to wear. Although I disliked this one for being ugly, the other diamond ring was too big and inconvenient for activities. Without thinking much, I chose this one. “Just this one? Big Brother didn’t buy it at a dollar store, did he? Haha, Sister-in-law, I like to joke usually, don’t mind me.” Bella stuck out her tongue at the camera. Then she extended her slender hand, only to see a huge diamond ring on her middle finger. It was the engagement ring Liam gave her. She waved her hand, “I told Liam not to spend so much. I disliked such a big diamond ring for being heavy and inconvenient for activities, but he insisted on buying it. I couldn’t stop him.” “A few days ago, he insisted that I must choose a style bigger than the engagement ring.” “Sister Sarah, help me choose one.” “Sure.” I happened to have nothing to do, so I flipped through the catalog slowly. Liam just finished his work and came out of the study. He wrapped his arm around Bella’s shoulder, kissed her, and asked her, “Bella, how is the ring selection going?” Bella smiled shyly, “I’m choosing with Sister-in-law.” Then she changed the subject, “Liam, Big Brother is really something, not even buying a decent ring for Sister-in-law.” “Why don’t we buy one for Sister-in-law too? It counts as making up for a regret for Big Brother.” Bella thought she was thoughtful enough, and Liam would definitely nod in agreement. Unexpectedly, Liam’s gaze swept over my hand. He said disapprovingly: “Bella, don’t underestimate the ring Sister-in-law is wearing.” “The ring on Sister-in-law’s hand is an heirloom of the Sterling family, representing the status of the matriarch.” “Only she can wear this ring. Seeing her is like seeing Big Brother. She can walk sideways in the Capital.” Words fell. The smile on Bella’s face disappeared. She was rarely stunned. The look in her eyes at the ring changed. With inquiry, and a trace of desire. Me: ? This ugly ring has this meaning? Why didn’t Ethan tell me. I thought it was just an ordinary ring and kept wearing it because it was light. [Wow, I said this ring looked like a fake at first glance, but looking closely, the totem on the ring is indeed the Sterling family crest!] [Thought Sister-in-law wasn’t valued by Big Brother, didn’t expect Big Brother gave everything he should!] [Bella don’t be sad, you’ll have it too when you marry in.] [Probably not. There is only one matriarch position, unless something happens to Big Brother and Liam inherits the family business.] [Why doesn’t Bella have it! Just because Liam ranks second, she can’t be the matriarch, can’t wear this ring?!] [Didn’t they say Big Brother doesn’t like Sister-in-law? Why give her the ring to wear?] [Sister-in-law is Big Brother’s wife, Big Brother is the Sterling family heir. If not for Sister-in-law, for whom?] The comments argued into a pot of porridge because of this ring. Jealousy rose in Bella’s heart. Her gaze kept circling on the ring I was wearing. Until Liam asked her: “Bella, what’s wrong?” Only then did she move her gaze away with difficulty. Beckoning Liam to run to the other side of the sofa to choose rings.

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My arranged fiancé, the heir to the family empire, kept a trophy girlfriend on the side, spoiling her rotten. Just as I was preparing to break off the engagement, I suddenly saw comments scrolling across my vision: [What did the Crown Prince do wrong? He just wants to get your attention.] [Don’t break off the engagement, baby! If you just shed a few tears, he’ll give you the world immediately.] I turned my head and looked out the window. The trophy girlfriend, wearing expensive jewelry, clung to Ethan Sterling’s arm with a radiant smile. Ethan lowered his eyes lazily, a look of casual indulgence on his face. I smiled and replied to my lawyer’s message: [Continue drafting the annulment agreement.] 01 As soon as I sent the message, the comments exploded: [How can you be so cruel? The poor Crown Prince is probably getting drunk at a bar right now…] [Sigh, the Crown Prince is just a bit proud and stubborn, and now he’s lost his wife.] [It’s fine. The Crown Prince will just bankrupt her family, then she’ll have no choice but to beg him obediently.] [Then she’ll have to fight other women for his attention every day. The Crown Prince will be so happy!] I stared at the comments, laughing coldly in anger. I looked sideways again, locking eyes with Ethan Sterling. He raised an eyebrow slightly, letting the girl continue to cling to him, showing no guilt at being caught. Seeming to notice my ugly expression, the corner of his lips quirked up. The trophy girlfriend Ethan kept was a small-time influencer. Walking together, they looked like a perfect match. Many people stopped to watch and take photos. The glass of the cafe I was in was transparent. I didn’t know if I had been photographed too. I cursed silently in my heart. Picked up my bag and called the driver. Changed the location for him to pick me up. Who knew, as soon as I stepped out, I bumped straight into Ethan. Me: ? “Did you walk this way on purpose?” I asked. “Paying that much attention to me?” Ethan smiled lazily. The girl beside him looked at me vigilantly but didn’t speak due to her status. Thinking of the comments just now, I felt annoyed. I tried to walk around them but was grabbed by the wrist. I turned back. Ethan lowered his voice: “Unhappy?” I glanced down at the girl hugging him. “Not unhappy. I wish you a long and happy life together.” After speaking, he still didn’t let go. The girl rolled her eyes. “Where did you come from? Still disturbing others shopping?” She shook the expensive bracelet on her wrist and looked at Ethan coquettishly. “Are you just jealous no one bought you one?” I said calmly: “Do you know I’m his fiancée?” She froze for a moment, then scoffed: “Family arrangement, what feelings are there? If Ethan really liked her, would he be with me?” Ethan sneered. Then he lowered his eyelids, his dark eyes staring straight at me. My expression didn’t change, and I nodded. Then I glanced at the hand still holding my wrist, with its distinct knuckles: “Let go.” Ethan didn’t move, looking at me: “Find another male partner for the banquet the day after tomorrow.” Hearing this, the girl was stunned for a moment. Then she sized me up, and after a while, giggled: “Oh, so you’re his fiancée. So what? Ethan will accompany me the day after tomorrow.” I calculated. The annulment agreement should be sent to the Sterling family tomorrow. “Okay,” I said. “Can you let go now?” Ethan paused, his face darkening. “Who will you find?” Several young men with good family backgrounds, looks, and figures flashed through my mind. I said sincerely: “Haven’t decided yet, but I can pick one out when I get home.” The silence in the air was palpable. Besides the bustling commercial street, various gazes were cast towards us. The comments popped up again: [Oh my god, the Crown Prince is pissed off.] [Crown Prince: Can’t you just cry and submit? Must you make me angry?] [Baby, act coquettish, cry! Don’t waste your beauty and the Crown Prince’s love for you!] [Seriously, don’t be stubborn, baby. If the Crown Prince goes crazy, who knows what he’ll do… Bankrupting your family and locking you up will make you behave.] “Chloe, well done.” Ethan ground his teeth, his voice dropping to freezing point. He let go of my hand. I stepped forward, looked at the necklace on the girl’s neck, and looked deeply at Ethan: “You said before you would give this necklace to me.” With that, I turned and left. Ethan chased after me, his tone unclear. “You still remember?” “But I don’t need it now.” “She acts coquettish with me, revolves around me every day… and calls me hubby.” Ethan’s voice was deep. So you gave her the necklace you promised me? My throat and stomach churned. The comments boiled over with this sentence: [He’s hinting at you!] [The Crown Prince finally couldn’t hold back, hehe. Baby, call him hubby once, and he’ll give you his life.] [The Crown Prince dreams of being called hubby by baby. He probably has to change the sheets when he wakes up…] I stopped, locked eyes with Ethan, and said word by word: “Right. In the future, I will act coquettish with other men and call other men hubby. Then he will also satisfy my demands.” “Say that again.” There was a coldness in Ethan’s voice I had never heard before. His big hand gripped my shoulder bone, with force as if trying to crush my bones. At this moment, the girl who followed timidly spoke: “Ethan, what’s wrong?” Ethan didn’t spare her a glance, still staring at me dead on. She pouted and glared at me: “Did you make Ethan angry? When Ethan is with me, he’s never unhappy.” I felt more and more disgusted inside. Turned my head away, not wanting to say another word. After a long time, Ethan’s hand dropped. He closed his eyes irritably, shrouded in gloom. “Even she knows not to make me angry, Chloe.” He left this sentence coldly and turned to leave. The girl immediately followed, coaxing him with a sweet voice. Their backs looked like a match made in heaven. Comments surged: [Baby just refuses to submit, pushing away the person who loves her with her own hands.] [Wouldn’t it be fine just to say a few nice words to the Crown Prince? Insisting on giving that white lotus a chance.] [I’m speechless. Look at the trending search! Passersby posted photos and videos online.] 02 After getting into the driver’s car, I opened my phone. By this time, several friends had already messaged me: [Oh my god, how are you on the trending search? That woman beside your fiancé is an influencer, did you know?] [Are you okay, babe? Someone just sent me photos. Why does Ethan Sterling parade his mistress in front of you? Scumbag!] [That influencer next to your fiancé says in her live streams every day that she has a man who loves her very much and buys her everything… turns out it’s Ethan Sterling.] [I’m speechless. Ethan Sterling didn’t even have a female mosquito around him before. We said he kept himself clean; why did he suddenly start keeping a little influencer?] I considered my words, replied one by one, and clicked on the trending search. Clear photos and videos captured the pulling and pushing between Ethan and me perfectly. The comments below were uniformly defending the influencer: [Is this woman just jealous of our Lily? Trying to seduce someone else’s boyfriend.] [Didn’t you see Lily’s boyfriend’s attitude towards her? So fierce. In contrast, he spoils Lily so much.] [This woman still lingered around them. After they left, she kept staring. Pretending to be deeply affectionate?] [Speechless, ahhh, green tea stay away, don’t seduce someone else’s boyfriend.] So my fiancé has already become someone else’s boyfriend. I curled up in the back seat, staring blankly into space. For this trending topic to stay until now, and even intensify, it definitely had Ethan’s authorization. Does he really like me as much as those comments say? If he likes me, would he tolerate people on the internet twisting right and wrong and endlessly abusing me? I closed my eyes in pain. After a long time, I dialed a number, my voice hoarse: “Get someone to remove the trending search, quickly.” The comments became active again: [Heartbroken for baby, can’t take it anymore. If only baby submitted and acted coquettish, it wouldn’t be like this now…] [A bunch of brainless netizens, just following the trend. Lily is the mistress! Pissing me off.] [The Crown Prince is indeed a bit excessive, but baby is too independent. He just wants to see baby rely on him and show she can’t do without him.] [Feels like this trending search is hard to remove. Someone is already shorting baby’s stocks. People from the Chloe Group saw it; it will definitely affect the stock market.] My gaze lingered on the last comment for a long time. Sure enough, not long after, the phone rang. The other end said helplessly: “Someone keeps buying the trending search. We are removing it here, but the effect is minimal.” I didn’t speak. The other end sighed, “Did you provoke someone? This trending search keeps refreshing and won’t go down. This is a big spender. Your fiancé isn’t removing it either? Just watching?” Because the person buying the trending search is my fiancé. But… soon he won’t be. My dad’s call came right after. His voice was full of anger: “Chloe! What’s going on with you? Do I need people to ask me? I didn’t even know!” I was silent for a moment. “Ethan cheated. Is that my fault too?” “Men cheating is common, but how could you let this kind of thing get out! And let that woman be safe and sound in front of you, showing off?!” My dad’s voice suddenly rose. I explained patiently, “Ethan bought this trending search, and he keeps the mistress. Dad, this has nothing to do with me. I’m already asking people to remove the trending search.” My dad sneered, “Not being able to control a man’s heart is your fault.” After saying this, he hung up. The car stopped steadily. The driver turned back to remind me: “Miss Chloe, we’re at the villa.” Like a walking corpse, I pushed open the car door and walked step by step towards the pitch-black villa. My dad’s words were so high-sounding. When he cheated and kept a bunch of people outside, he turned around and blamed my mom for being old and charmless. But he forgot who supported his business with all her dowry and who paid silently behind the scenes. 03 Late at night. I called Ethan. It connected almost instantly. “What?” His tone was lazy. “Stop buying the trending search,” I whispered. He paused on the other end, his tone rising, “Why so listless? Are you sad?” “What exactly do you want?” I couldn’t control it, my voice breaking. He didn’t speak. I said hoarsely: “Watching my identity get exposed, being called a mistress, Chloe Group’s stock price falling, are you happy? Are you satisfied?” When saying this, I couldn’t help trembling all over. How could there be such an unreasonable lunatic? After a while, Ethan spoke slowly: “Don’t cry, baby. Want to see me? I can come to you now.” I opened my mouth. But couldn’t make a sound. I stood on the balcony. The cool night wind blew past, cooling the tears that had just fallen. I was like a complete joke. Finally, only two difficult and dry words remained: “Don’t come.” Ethan repeated with unclear emotion: “Don’t come?” “What do you mean, Chloe?” His voice turned cold. “I don’t want to see you.” Using my last bit of strength, I hung up the phone. I lay back in bed in a daze, unable to sleep for a long time. The trending search still hung high. Relatives in the family WeChat group tagged me one after another, their tones full of blame. Until a cousin sent: [Let me say, cousin, if you can’t keep Brother Ethan, don’t hog the toilet. Don’t you know how much impact this has caused?] Once started, peers in the group chimed in. A younger cousin sent a facepalm emoji: [Too embarrassing, being ridden on the head by a mistress. If I were Cousin Chloe, I wouldn’t have the face to go out.] [Brother Ethan spent money on that influencer. Didn’t he spend any money on you, cousin?] [If not, just change the engagement partner, right? Anyway, Brother Ethan doesn’t like Cousin Chloe.] With the last sentence sent, the chattering group instantly fell silent. I smiled bitterly. I wished I could just change partners. But my dad was still in charge of the Chloe Group, and I was his only daughter. He wouldn’t be willing to let go of this opportunity to curry favor with the Sterling family. I muted the group messages and scrolled through my Moments. The first one was a group photo posted by a rich kid. Standing in the center were… Ethan and Lily. Ethan intimately held Lily’s waist, lazily raising an eyebrow at the camera. The former and a crowd of brothers toasted happily on both sides. What does it look like? Right, like an official announcement photo. I liked it and turned off my phone. Comments surged like a tide at this time: [Baby don’t be sad, the Crown Prince is faking it! We all know the Crown Prince loves you the most.] [Yeah, after his bro posted this, he checks every minute to see if you liked it.] [He really wants to see you. You rejected him tonight; he’s almost dying of sadness.] [Baby call him quickly, tell him you’re jealous, he’ll come to find you immediately hehe!] I closed my eyes numbly. Driving all these comments out of my mind. I didn’t know how long passed. I propped up my cold body, got up, and sent a message to the lawyer: [Give me the annulment agreement first. I’ll find a chance to give it to Ethan later.] I needed a day to transfer assets and couldn’t be disturbed by anyone. After attending the banquet, taking the early morning flight, I would fly to another country. By then, the annulment agreement would be in duplicate, sent to my father and Ethan respectively. Staying in the country, even if I refused to marry Ethan to death, I wouldn’t have a peaceful life; sooner or later, my dad would marry me off to someone else. 04 Everything went smoothly. … I even carefully selected a mermaid dress. Stepping into the banquet hall in high heels, I smiled. My friends came over to ask how I was doing recently. One even poked me with her elbow, “No male partner, right? I’ll lend you my brother.” I thought for a moment, “Forget it, I don’t think being alone is shameful.” “True, having a man around hinders our chatting!” she said smilingly. Suddenly, there was an uproar in the distance. We looked towards the source of the sound— Ethan in a silver-gray suit, looking lazy, with a faint smile on his lips. His arm was held by Lily, who also curved her eyes prettily. Ah… I thought Ethan said he would accompany Lily, meaning shopping or something. Turns out he’s accompanying her to this banquet. My gaze fell on Lily’s dress. Identical to my mermaid dress. When I ordered it, I was told there was only one in the country. The one on Lily… was shipped overnight from abroad? Ethan intended to embarrass me. Sure enough, as soon as Lily saw me, her face changed immediately. She bit her lip and turned to say something to Ethan before Ethan looked over unhurriedly. Lily walked over on her small heels, glaring at me with almond eyes: “Did you send someone to find out what dress Ethan ordered for me? Did you do it on purpose?!” Hearing the commotion, other scattered people at the banquet gradually gathered around. My friend was shocked: “Don’t talk nonsense…” Lily scoffed, “Just jealous that Ethan treats me well! This kind of method is really disgusting, and you don’t even look as good as me in it.” My friend said silently: “Better looking than you.” Lily was anxious, went back to Ethan and shook his arm, “Ethan, look at them!” Ethan’s eyes were pitch black, his gaze lingering on me for a long time. After a while, he hooked his lips and smiled. The comments suddenly became noisy: [Ahhhhh, the Crown Prince smiled! He thinks baby looks better!] [Eyes are the most honest indeed, hehe, Crown Prince and Baby forever! I bet on it.] [But wait a minute… The Crown Prince wants to stimulate baby, make baby go to him obediently and pitifully, wait a minute…] While I was still confused about the meaning of the last comment, the microphone suddenly rang. Everyone looked over. The senior secretary of the Sterling Group held the microphone and a card, saying: “Thank you all for coming to this banquet. There is an important matter I declare here—Mr. Sterling has decided with the board that 2% of the shares of Sterling Group will be gifted to Miss Lily for free.” The whole audience was in an uproar! I looked up sharply, in disbelief. Ethan held important shares, but I didn’t know exactly how much. But another 2%, given to an un-fiancée… even if only 2%, in the huge Sterling Group, the annual net income is a very considerable figure. He gave it to Lily. And had someone announce it at this time. Comments were scrolling crazily: [Here it comes, the crazy Crown Prince’s big move! Poor baby is being laughed at by everyone, can only obediently beg the Crown Prince!] [Yeah, then baby helplessly stays by the Crown Prince’s side, being endlessly demanded… so spicy.] [What is baby insisting on! The Crown Prince loves you so much, slap Lily quickly, then hold the Crown Prince and act cute.] Bearing everyone’s sarcastic and gloating gazes, I walked towards Ethan step by step. His gaze followed me tightly. I walked up to him. He lowered his eyes, a hint of an arc on his lips. I also curved my lips, words rolling out of my throat one by one: “The annulment agreement is already on the way. It won’t be long before it reaches your hands. Whether the cooperation with the Chloe Group continues is up to you to decide. “I’m out.” I locked eyes with Ethan. After saying the last sentence expressionlessly, I turned to leave. Ethan grabbed my wrist violently, his fingertips trembling slightly from too much force, “What do you mean? Chloe, what do you mean?” I didn’t look back: “Annulment. Don’t understand?” “I don’t agree!” He roared low, his voice tight, “Are you blaming me for giving the shares to someone else…” I frowned, “I have nothing to do with you. What does the whereabouts of Sterling shares have to do with me?” “Of course it does—” I turned around impatiently. The bottom of his eyes was a turbulent ink color, “As long as you want, everything is yours. No need for annulment.” Ethan’s gaze locked onto me tightly, his voice hoarse. I didn’t want to say more to him, “Let go.” “I won’t let you go.” He increased his strength, almost stubborn. I grunted in pain. At this moment, my friend blocked him, gnashing her teeth, “Ethan Sterling, you keep a mistress outside yourself, and won’t allow Chloe to annul the engagement? Does that make sense?” Lily screamed: “Who are you calling a mistress? Ethan loves me the most!” My friend sneered, “Then why isn’t he willing to let Chloe go and marry you instead?” Lily froze, looked at Ethan, choking with sobs: “Ethan, what are you doing? You didn’t like her anyway. Isn’t annulment just right?” Ethan didn’t look at anyone else from beginning to end. The corners of his eyes were slightly red, “Chloe, stop messing around. Shares, necklace, they are all yours.” “Why do you think I would care?” I asked back. I shook off his hand fiercely. Entangling with him further would only delay my schedule. I said lightly: “Wish you happiness, a long life together, and a son soon.” Ethan moved his lips. I took a step back, “Don’t stop me. Don’t make me look down on you.” Walking towards the banquet hall gate, the comments in front of me refreshed continuously: [Huh? What is this direction? Is it the grand finale? Isn’t baby going to live happily with the Crown Prince?] [The Crown Prince played too hard… Baby seems to be really jealous.] [Baby just annulled the engagement like this. Who knows what the crazy Crown Prince will do? Maybe kidnap baby tomorrow.] [What? Captivity play? Waiting…] Of course, I was afraid of Ethan going crazy, so now or never. In a few hours, I would cross half the globe to another country.

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