Chapter 1 My best friend and I were bound by the same System. Her mission: Seduce the stoic, ascetic heir, Ethan, and break his composure. My mission: Capture the heart of my cold, adopted guardian, Julian. But Ethan spent his days meditating and ignoring worldly desires, treating her like air. And Julian was still hung up on his “one that got away,” treating me like a child for three years, never seeing me as a woman. After being tortured emotionally for too long, I decided to give up. “I’m so tired. I’m quitting. What about you?” I asked her. “If you quit, I quit.” We hit it off instantly. We pulled out our phones, calculated our savings, and prepared to take the money and run. “But… which one of us dies first?” “Whoever dies first goes home first. The survivor has to clean up the mess and handle the funeral.” We looked at each other. Chloe raised her hand first. “I suffered the most. I’ll die first.” “No way. Rock, paper, scissors. I can’t stay in this hellhole a second longer.” “Fine. Rock, paper, scissors.” Chloe threw scissors. I threw paper. She won. I stomped my foot in frustration. “Fine. You die first. I’ll collect your body.” … For the next two days, Chloe didn’t contact me. I was curious about how she planned to end it. That evening, just as I was about to call her, she called me. “Sarah…” Her voice was sluggish, slurred, and mixed with the rushing sound of wind. “Are you drunk?” My heart tightened. “Just a little,” she hiccuped, speaking in fragments. “Liquid courage… I’m going to do something big!” I jumped off the sofa. “I thought we agreed on next Friday?” Chapter 2 The plan was for her to leave in seven days, and I would follow after handling her affairs. “I don’t want to wait,” her voice was scattered by the wind. “Today is perfect. I want to die today.” “Sarah, I wanted to see Ethan one last time… I’ve been with him for three years. I know what position he wants just by a look… I’m so unwilling to let go…” “He’s having dinner with his first love… he won’t answer my calls…” “Three years… even a dog would wag its tail at me by now…” “But he still doesn’t like me…” “Ethan, that bastard, won’t even give me a minute on the phone… Since today is Bella’s birthday, I’ll make it my death day. I’ll make sure he never forgets today as long as he lives.” She rambled, her logic messy, but her intent clear. She wanted to leave tonight. She wanted to hear Ethan’s voice one last time. But he didn’t give her the chance. I couldn’t accept it. I wasn’t ready for her to leave yet. I grabbed my phone and ran out the door, my voice trembling. “Chloe, where are you? Wait for me. Let me be with you, okay?” “Sarah…” She ignored me, speaking to herself. “Jumping off a building is messy. You need to find the best mortician to do my makeup.” “And don’t bury me. I’m scared of the dark. Cremate me and scatter me in the bay. Make sure Ethan never finds me.” Chapter 3 Every word she spoke was a needle in my heart. I felt Chloe’s pain as if it were my own. I had watched her suffer all these years. I was shivering, but I forced myself to sound calm. “I’ll do whatever you want. But you have to tell me where you are. I want to be with you.” “No. I don’t want you to see… it’ll scare you…” The line went silent, leaving only the harsh sound of the wind. I searched the streets like a madwoman, screaming her name. Until my legs gave out and I fell hard onto the pavement. “Sarah, I’ll wait for you at home.” That was the last thing Chloe said. Thud— At the foot of the Jinmao Apartment complex, I watched Chloe fall. Like a broken butterfly, dropping from the eighteenth floor. Blood stained the ground red. Chloe died right before my eyes. I knelt helplessly beside her, touching her face, shaking and sobbing. “You loved being beautiful… how could you choose this way to go…” Even though I knew Chloe wasn’t truly dead—that we would meet again in our original world—seeing this broke me. I had overestimated my endurance and underestimated her weight in my heart. For three years, we relied on each other to survive the lonely nights of rejection. At the crematorium, I personally pushed her body into the furnace. I watched the flames swallow the smile she once wore. When the staff handed me the small urn, my tears broke free again. “Chloe… how did you become so small…” Chapter 4 I followed her wishes and scattered her ashes into the bay. The turbulent water swept everything away instantly. Just like her. Gone without a trace. “Wait for me… I’ll be there soon.” I whispered to the river. In my bag, Chloe’s phone suddenly buzzed. I picked it up. A message from Ethan. [Tonight, 8 PM. Wait for me at the Peninsula Hotel.] I laughed coldly at the screen. He was always like this. Never caring about Chloe’s feelings. He treated her like a tool to be summoned and dismissed at will. When he didn’t need her, he disappeared. When he did, she had to be there. But why? Just because she loved him, did she deserve to be trampled on? I didn’t reply. I turned the phone off. He missed his chance to see her one last time. Let him live with that regret forever. Chapter 5 I sat by the river until dawn before going home. The morning sun hit me, but I felt no warmth. I was exhausted, body and soul. The System required me to maintain the persona of a devoted lover. So in the past, no matter how ugly things got between us the day before, I would wake up at 6 AM to prepare breakfast for Julian. The System always comforted me: suffer now, enjoy later. After the conquest is successful, a man like Julian will spoil you rotten. But for three years, I tasted only bitterness, never sweetness. Now that my best friend’s affairs were settled, it was time for me to go. I picked up the fruit knife on the table and pressed it against my wrist. But I hesitated. I gestured a few times, then put the knife down. Julian hated me so much. If I died in his house, he would probably find it disgusting. He used to say I didn’t deserve the surname Shen. He said his brother shouldn’t have adopted me. That I was an ungrateful animal for falling in love with my own guardian. He said I deserved to be abandoned, deserved to be unwanted trash. But being abandoned wasn’t my fault. If I had a choice, I wouldn’t want to be a Shen either. But no one ever gave me a choice. Even binding with the System was forced upon me. I sighed and collapsed onto the bed. I accidentally fell asleep. In my daze, the System’s cold notification sound rang out. [Sarah Shen, your points are maxed out. The exit channel is open. Please prepare to leave by tomorrow evening.] I nodded in my mind. “Okay. I’m going home.” I woke up with a start. Overnight, I cleared everything related to me out of the villa. Braving the heavy rain, I threw it all into the dumpster outside. The rain washed everything away, including my last lingering attachment to Julian. From now on, this villa would hold no trace of me.

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Chapter 1 The year my boyfriend was dead broke, I started seeing a millionaire. One year later, my ex topped the Forbes list. The first thing he did was video call me on a live variety show. Seeing me splitting a cup of instant noodles into two meals, he smugly pulled a delicate, innocent-looking girl into his arms. “If you had just stuck with me for one more month, you would have been the wife of a billionaire. Regret it?” I grinned. “Wow, that rich? Venmo me $50k to prove it.” He scoffed and ended the call. My phone pinged. $50,000 received. I video called him back immediately. “Damn, you’re legit! Send another $50k!” “Keep dreaming!” Just as he was about to hang up, I tapped the camera lens with my hand—bruised purple and blue from IV needles. “Haha, just kidding. I don’t want your money.” “I’m already dead…” My smile faded. I reached up and pulled off my waist-length hair, revealing a completely bald head. I waved at the camera, smiling again. “By the time you see this recording, I’ll already be in another world. “But this means, Lucas, you made it! “I knew you could do it! Haha~ “Are you confused? I knew the first thing you’d do when you got rich was come back to mock me. Am I right or am I right?” Lucas shot up from his seat. He took a step forward, then stopped, sneering at the host. “How much did she pay you to put on this show?” The host looked stunned. “Mr. Thorne, Ms. Monroe’s will stated that if you ever contacted her, we were to play this recording.” “Will?” Lucas laughed in anger. “A woman who loves money as much as she does? She wouldn’t die before she spent every penny! Is this a pity play to get back with me?” He grabbed the hand of the girl next to him, Emily. “Sorry, she abandoned me at my lowest. Now…” He glanced coldly at the screen. “She doesn’t deserve to stand by my side.” “Lucas, I know you hate me.” In the moment he turned away, my voice continued from the screen. “Since leaving you, I haven’t lived well. So don’t worry. “If you’re still angry, take this recording of my final days as your revenge. Or, you know, just don’t watch it. That’s fine too. “Oh, and… Congratulations!” Lucas turned back. On the screen, the documentation of my days from leaving him to my death began to play. 2 [March 12, 2024 — I’ll Come Back as a Puppy] “Last meal with Mom.” I waved at the GoPro in my hand, whispering. Behind me, in our old house, Mom was dumping dumplings into a pot of boiling water. “Why didn’t Lucas come back with you? You two usually come home together.” I choked up for a second. Then I smiled at the camera. “He’s… a bit busy.” “Oh, you scared me. I thought you two had a fight.” I silently ate Mom’s pork and celery dumplings. I gave her a thumbs-up while suppressing the urge to vomit. When she went to the kitchen, I spat a mouthful of blood mixed with dumpling filling into the trash can. I quickly covered it with tissues. Wiping my mouth, I smiled apologetically at the camera. “Stomach cancer really sucks. Sorry about that.” “Sweetie, your hair…” Mom came back and noticed my wig. I quickly pressed it down. “Mom, I took a role as a cancer patient. I’m method acting! Look, I shaved my head for it.” Mom laughed, shaking her head. I raised the camera to frame both of us. “Quick! Record Bald Daughter! Once this role is over, you won’t see this look again!” The camera captured our smiling faces. My arm holding the camera didn’t come down for a long time. Mom nudged me. “What are you doing? Doesn’t your arm hurt?” I slowly lowered my arm, staring at Mom’s smile on the screen. “Mom, if I really left, what would you do?” Mom froze. I hugged her arm, leaning on her shoulder. “Hey, Mom, I was thinking… if I suddenly turned into a cockroach, would you recognize me?” Mom chuckled. “What kind of nonsense is in that head of yours?” I looked thoughtful. “True, cockroaches are gross. How about a puppy? A Golden Retriever! Smart, and you can hug me in the winter to stay warm. “I promise not to pee on the bed! I’ll be good!” Mom patted my hand. “Even if you turn into a cockroach, Mom will recognize you. “Mom will buy you big cookies and cakes, and you can eat as much as you want.” I laughed out loud. Until tears streamed down my face. When Mom went to wash the dishes, I went into her bedroom. I put a debit card with all my earnings from years of bit-part acting into her copy of The Heart. I wrote the password on it. Then I added a note: [Mom, I’ll come back as a puppy to see you.] Tears hit the floor. I whispered: “I really want to come back as a puppy…” 3 [April 1, 2024 — April Fool’s, No One Pranked Me] “What do you mean Mom is gone?!” In the video, neighbors were holding me back, stopping me from rushing toward the man in the white coat. “Luna, calm down!” Mrs. Miller from next door held me tight. “Your mom didn’t tell you because she didn’t want you to worry! Seeing you like this would break her heart!” I looked at her with red eyes. “You knew?” I looked at all the neighbors. “Did you all know?!” They lowered their heads. “Luna… you and Lucas are struggling in the city. It’s a hard time. If you knew, all your hard work would have gone to medical bills. Your mom thought about that, that’s why she made us hide it…” I shook my head, tears falling. “Lies… you’re all lying to me!” I grabbed Mrs. Miller’s hand. “Today is April First… April Fool’s Day! You’re pranking me, right? Tell me it’s a prank!” Mrs. Miller started crying. “Luna…” I fell to my knees, my tears hitting the concrete. “Mom!!” April 1st. April Fool’s Day. I lost my mother. And the worst part was… No one was pranking me. I stumbled home holding her urn. The house was still tidy, just as Mom kept it. If not for the thin layer of dust on the table, I would have thought she still lived here. Next to The Heart on the bookshelf, another book was pulled out halfway. I opened it. A bankbook fell out. Along with a note in Mom’s handwriting: **[Mom’s savings are all here. My precious daughter and Lucas, don’t suffer in the big city. Mom is going down to set up our new home.]** I don’t know how I made it back to Beijing. For half a month, I was a zombie. Walking back from the hospital with painkillers, I didn’t even feel the rain on my face. Until I bumped into someone. I scrambled to pick up their ID card. “Sorry, sorry…” I froze when I saw the name “Lucas Thorne.” 4 [April 8, 2024 — I Wanted to Come Back Too] “Luna Monroe?” Lucas was wearing a decent suit now. My faded jeans and patched jacket looked pathetic next to him. His smile was one of relief and mockery. “You look rough. Did your rich boyfriend dump you?” I looked up. My red-rimmed eyes met his, and his smile froze. I handed him his ID and turned to leave. “Luna!” He grabbed me. “I… I started making money.” I knew. I smiled anyway. “Really? Congratulations.” He gripped my hand tighter, his eyes reddening. “I mean, if you can’t make it out there, come back!” “I’m fine, I…” I clutched the painkillers in my pocket. “I’m doing great.” “Are you?” He forcibly lifted my hand, revealing the plastic ring on my ring finger. Three years ago, he had five dollars in his pocket. He spent two on a pair of these toy rings, put one on my finger, and swore he’d buy me a two-million-dollar diamond ring one day. “Don’t tell me that rich guy can’t even afford a real ring for you!” He gritted his teeth. I noticed he was wearing the matching plastic ring on his hand. We had laughed and sworn back then that there would be no one else in this life. Our eyes met. A flicker of hope appeared in his. The next second, I ripped the ring off and threw it into the sewer grate. Snap. “Luna!” His voice broke, mixed with anger and the sound of rain. I cried silently and kept walking, never looking back. But my stubbornness didn’t last long. That night, I went back to the same spot in the pouring rain, holding an umbrella. Soda tab? No… Rubber band? No… Where was my ring? I threw the umbrella away and dug into the mud with both hands. Dizzy. Nauseous. But… I couldn’t lose it… A bark caught my attention. I crawled over. Right where the puppy was standing, I dug the piece of plastic out of the sludge. I raised a hand to pet the dog. Thud. I collapsed into the mud. 5 [April 9, 2024 — Puppy Love] “My god! Do you have a death wish?!” My best friend, Jenny, scolded me with dark circles under her eyes. “I flew all the way back from overseas to take care of you, and the first thing I see is you passed out in a flowerbed! “Wake up! You’re sick! It was a storm last night! A huge storm!” I grinned weakly. “But you found me, didn’t you?” “Ta-da!” Jenny held up a Golden Retriever puppy. “Coincidence or what? Last night this puppy ran out, grabbed my pant leg, and dragged me right to you!” I sat up abruptly. This… wasn’t this the puppy that showed me the ring last night? “Mom?” Jenny froze. “Luna, what did you say?” I wiped my tears and smiled. “Nothing. I saw it wrong.” We adopted the puppy. It was nice. Jenny was back. Suddenly, I had two family members again. Jenny became the one holding the camera, recording my days. For some reason, I craved dumplings. Pork and celery. Takeout didn’t taste right. Under Jenny’s supervision, I tried to recreate Mom’s recipe. Clang! The salt shaker fell over. The puppy stood in front of it, tongue out, grinning at me. “Oops! I forgot the salt!” I hugged the puppy and kissed her head. “How did you know?!” That night, I finally tasted the familiar flavor. Actually, I put too much salt. But the puppy and Jenny ate it anyway, whining and complaining the whole time.

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In the fifth year of our marriage, a third person entered the picture between my husband, the diplomat Jerry Lembeck, and me. His new protégé, Rosie. “She took three days on a translation brief that should’ve taken a few hours. She’s hopelessly incompetent!” “I don’t know what the higher-ups were thinking, saddling a diplomat with a college intern!” Jerry, who always prided himself on his unshakable composure, became an irritable, frustrated mentor whenever Rosie was involved. Driven by a sense of duty, Jerry was constantly cleaning up Rosie’s messes, often berating the young woman to the point of tears. I didn’t think much of it, until the day we were at an art exhibition. He pointed at a sculpture of a goofy-looking goose and chuckled. “Hahaha, that’s Rosie to a T. Yesterday, she insisted on eating ice cream even though she was on her period. Such a glutton!” My brow twitched. “How do you know she was on her period?” … 1 The smile on Jerry’s face froze for a second before he nonchalantly explained. “Oh, I was helping her with a spreadsheet yesterday and saw a box of tampons on her desk.” I bit my lip, a sour taste filling my mouth. Jerry was a career man, through and through. When he worked, he was completely focused. The fact that he’d notice a detail like that was unsettling. I said nothing. Jerry, lost in his own world, snapped a picture of the goose and sent it to a group chat. “This is so Rosie. I have to send this to the group and roast her for it.” “She’s a total noob but thinks she’s a pro.” Hearing gaming slang come out of Jerry’s mouth was so jarring I thought I’d misheard him. As the youngest and most ambitious diplomat in his division, Jerry never allowed himself to get sucked into online distractions. “You’ve started playing video games?” I asked, surprised. He shook his head casually. “No, that’s Rosie. She’s the gamer, always talking in that kid slang.” I spoke calmly. “If you know it’s ‘kid slang,’ then you probably shouldn’t be using it, right?” Jerry’s hand, busy texting, paused. He looked up at me, his brow furrowed. “Are you angry?” “Rosie’s my intern, Elara. She’s just a kid. Why are you getting worked up over her?” I almost laughed. “She’s twenty years old.” “And I don’t think it’s normal for my husband to constantly bring up another adult woman.” Jerry just stood there, dumbfounded for a moment, before a patronizing smile spread across his face. He cupped my face in his hands and gave me a kiss. “My darling Elara, you’re so beautiful when you’re jealous.” “Don’t worry. Don’t overthink it. Rosie is just my intern, nothing more. If you don’t like her, I’ll never mention her in front of you again, okay?” For the next two months, the name “Rosie” truly vanished from my world. Jerry reverted to the composed, unreadable diplomat he’d always been, his mind consumed by work. He practically lived at the office. “Elara, I have to work late tonight. Go to bed early.” I looked at the candlelit dinner I had painstakingly prepared, a hollow feeling echoing in my chest. Then I saw the bottle of antacids on the table, and my heart clenched. Jerry had a sensitive stomach. A flare-up during a late night at work would be awful. The early winter night was frigid. I stood outside Jerry’s office door in my thin silk pajamas, shivering, a container of food in one hand and his medication in the other. Inside, Jerry was laughing with a young woman. His hand rested casually on her shoulder, his face relaxed and joyful in a way I hadn’t seen in years. “Rosie, I’m serious, you need to lay off the junk food. It’s terrible for your stomach.” The girl winked playfully and, as Jerry opened his mouth to speak, shoved a piece of her hamburger right into it. “Mentor, it’s really, really good. Just try it~” Her eyes sparkled with bright anticipation. Jerry stared at her for a few seconds, hesitated, and then actually began to chew. I clutched the box of medicine in my hand so tightly I almost crushed it, fighting the urge to storm in. Jerry’s stomach was incredibly fragile; his diet was always meticulously controlled. Yet here he was, risking a painful episode because he couldn’t bring himself to refuse his little intern. He swallowed with some difficulty and gave her a confirming smile. “Delicious.” “Hehe, see? I told you! No one can resist the allure of a burger!” Jerry chuckled, then his expression turned serious. “Don’t get cocky. If I wasn’t here helping you with your files, I’d be home having dinner with my wife right now.” His tone was stern, but laced with an undercurrent of indulgence I couldn’t miss. The girl put her hands together and bowed playfully. “Aww, my mentor is the bestest!” The sight of their chummy “mentor-protégé” dynamic was a physical pain in my eyes. I opened my chat with Jerry and slowly typed out a single line. “Do you remember what today is?” Jerry looked at his phone. The smile vanished from his face, replaced by a slight frown. “Elara, be good. I’ll make up for our fifth-anniversary gift later.” Ha. So he did remember. I dragged my frozen body away, dumping the food and medicine into the nearest trash can. Once I was out of the building, I sent Jerry one last message. “Divorce.” 2 After sending the message, I put my phone on Do Not Disturb, took a sleeping pill, and slept soundly through the night. The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was Jerry, sitting by the bed, his eyes webbed with red veins. “You’re awake?” “Mmm.” I stretched languidly, which only made Jerry’s frown deepen. “You’re going to divorce me just because I worked late and didn’t spend the evening with you?” “Elara, you know how stressful my job is. Can you please stop with these jokes?” I opened my mouth to tell him about Rosie, then decided against it. It was pointless. He’d know I wasn’t joking when the divorce papers arrived at his office. Half an hour later, Jerry was called away. The divorce papers I’d sent caused an uproar at the State Department. Everyone knew Jerry and I had always been the picture of a happy couple. And everyone knew that Jerry and Rosie had recently become inseparable. For a diplomat, marital stability was paramount; it could significantly impact their career. The following month, Ambassador Ford personally removed Jerry from the list of attendees for a major international conference. Rosie clutched at the sleeve of Jerry’s shirt, her face a picture of misery. “Mentor… did your wife misunderstand something about us?” “It’s all my fault. I’m just so stupid, I can’t do anything right. Maybe I should go apologize to her.” Jerry waved a dismissive hand, sighing in frustration. “Don’t worry about it. She’s prone to these little tantrums. She would never actually divorce me.” But as he looked down, his eyes caught the empty medicine box in the trash can. In an instant, everything clicked into place. When Jerry’s mother heard, she called me, her voice filled with sincere apologies, begging me to forgive him for the sake of our eight years together. “Elara, dear, I promise you, this will never happen again.” “Ambassador Ford himself is looking into this. If you divorce Jerry now, his entire future will be ruined!” My own parents were gone, and Jerry’s mother had always treated me like her own daughter. I couldn’t ignore her plea. That evening, right in front of me, Jerry reassigned Rosie to another mentor and deleted all of her contact information. He held up three fingers and swore an oath. “Elara, I’m sorry. I was careless and I hurt you.” “I promise, I will never neglect you for another woman again.” His expression was solemn, as earnest as the day he first confessed his love for me. My eyes stung. I stepped out onto the balcony to take a call. “I’m fine, Uncle Ford. I know how to handle things with Jerry.” The New Year passed peacefully. Perhaps out of guilt, Jerry threw me an incredibly elaborate birthday party. Flowers, candles, stuffed animals, a towering cake… He smiled at me, his eyes filled with love and conviction. “Happy birthday, Elara. Make a wish.” I clasped my hands together and closed my eyes. The romantic atmosphere made me feel, for a moment, as if I had never lost his love. When I opened my eyes, Jerry was just putting his phone down, a worried look briefly crossing his face. “What’s wrong?” He smiled and shook his head. “Nothing, just a little work thing. Today is all about my princess Elara’s birthday. No one is allowed to interrupt.” I smiled back without a word and began to eat my cake. But Jerry glanced at his phone ten times in the next five minutes. Finally, he couldn’t sit still any longer. He stood up, his face a mask of apology and urgency. “I’m so sorry, Elara. There’s an error in a critical document, and they need it fixed right away. I have to go take care of it.” “Be good, Elara. I’ll be back as soon as I’m done.” He left in such a hurry that he forgot his work laptop. I casually opened it. A message from Rosie had just popped up. “Mentor, where are you? sniffle sniffle I’m so scared.” 3 My heart slammed against my ribs as if struck by a sledgehammer. Jerry. He had broken his promise. Once again, he had abandoned me for Rosie. I clicked open the chat window. Five minutes ago, during the half-minute I was making my wish, Rosie had messaged him. “Mentor, what do I do? I was trying to cook at home, and the pan caught on fire!” Jerry had rapidly typed out instructions on how to extinguish a grease fire. But she never replied. How laughable. My birthday had become a prop in a game between my husband and some other girl. I scrolled up through their chat history. I realized they had never broken off contact at all. Even though Rosie had been reassigned, she still went to Jerry with every little thing. At first, Jerry’s replies were curt and dismissive. But slowly, their conversations drifted from work to their personal lives. “Mentor, look. Does the pink dress suit me better, or the yellow one?” “You’d look beautiful in either.” “Hmph! You’re just saying that to be nice. Well, what if it were your wife wearing them? Which would be better?” Jerry was silent for a moment. “Her age isn’t suited for such… vibrant colors.” … There were countless chats just like that. I sat on the edge of the bed and read through them all night. By seven in the morning, Jerry still hadn’t come home. I clutched my empty, aching stomach. Even though I had prepared myself, I couldn’t stop the tears from falling. Because Jerry’s stomach was so sensitive, he knew better than anyone how important regular meals were. So on our wedding day, he had promised me. “Elara, no matter how busy I get with work, I will always be home before seven.” “So that when you wake up, a hot breakfast will be waiting for you.” A promise he had kept, like clockwork, for five years. Today, it was finally broken. I rubbed my throbbing temples and picked up my phone, only to see a new post from Rosie on her social media. It was a picture of a breakfast spread. A heart-shaped fried egg, sandwiches, dumplings, oatmeal with milk… The caption read: “Thanks to my amazing mentor for the lovely breakfast! You’re the best! ♡” Right. Just perfect. My eyes burned. My mind was flooded with the memory of the first time Jerry cooked for me. He was wearing an apron, the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up. The early morning sun caught the sharp angles of his face, making him so handsome it took my breath away. I’d gotten a little jealous then, my voice tinged with poutiness. “You’re so handsome when you cook. You could charm a whole army of girls.” Jerry had laughed and stroked my hair. “Silly girl. For the rest of my life, I’ll only ever cook for one person: you.” I wiped away my tears, got dressed, put on my makeup, and walked out the door. I took the divorce papers and drove to Jerry’s office myself. But the moment I got out of my car, two men cornered me. A sharp, dull pain exploded at the back of my neck, and the world went black. When I woke up, I was tied to a chair in what looked like an abandoned factory. Rosie’s cheerful voice came from above. “Awake, are we?” The young woman walked over, a curious smile on her face. It was the first time I’d seen her up close. The pink dress really did suit her. That was the first thought that popped into my head. Her skin was flawless, plump with collagen, so smooth it looked like you could squeeze water from it. The delicate pink made her look exquisite. Rosie flashed a pair of cute little canine teeth. She looked me up and down, then let out a contemptuous laugh. “I thought the woman Jerry was protecting would be special. Turns out, you’re just some old woman who can’t even have kids.” Can’t have kids? A knot of pain formed in my chest. I couldn’t believe Jerry had told her even that. Rosie pulled down the strap of her dress, revealing a prominent hickey on the smooth, white curve of her breast. “Listen, lady, if I were you, I wouldn’t be shamelessly clinging to the title of Mrs. Lembeck!” “After all, the one who isn’t loved is the real third wheel!” I scoffed. “You think the position of Mrs. Lembeck is built on nothing but my eight-year relationship with…” “Oh, spare me!” Rosie cut me off impatiently. “Don’t give me that eight-year sob story. Love has an expiration date. Otherwise, how about we make a little bet?” 4 I raised an eyebrow. “What do you want to bet?” “Let’s bet on who Jerry loves right now. Me, or you.” … When Jerry arrived, Rosie and I were both tied to chairs. The moment she saw him, she burst into hysterical tears. “Mentor! sob You’re finally here! I was so scared!” Jerry threw a bag of cash toward the men standing over us. “I brought the money! Now let them go!” One of the men checked the bag, then grinned maliciously. “The amount’s right, but you’re five minutes late. So now, this money is only enough to buy one of them back.” “You’d better think carefully. Who’s it gonna be?” Jerry froze, his face flushing with a rare, desperate anger. “No! I’m taking both of them!” The man spat on the ground. “Like hell you are! I said, this only buys you one!” “You waste any more of my time, and you’re leaving with neither!” Jerry’s fists clenched. His gaze darted first to me, then to Rosie. He was hesitating. But I was perfectly calm. It never occurred to me that Jerry would choose Rosie. On my eighteenth birthday, I was kidnapped. It was Jerry who risked his life to save me. The abuse I suffered during that time left me infertile and with deep psychological scars that took a full decade to heal. He knew how terrified I was of situations like this. “I… I choose…” “Mentor!” Jerry was pointing at me, but before he could finish, Rosie screamed. She pushed her hair aside, revealing the other side of her face. It was swollen and purple with a brutal handprint. “Mentor, I’m so scared, it hurts so much! Please, please don’t leave me! sob” Jerry’s face twisted in pain and anger. He roared at the kidnappers. “You hit her!” “She’s just a girl!” Without another moment of hesitation, he pointed at Rosie, his voice firm. “I choose her! Let her go, now!” A roaring sound filled my ears. My heart felt like it had been carved out, leaving a hollow space. I called his name instinctively. “Jerry?” He couldn’t quite meet my eyes, but his voice was as gentle as ever. “Elara, you’ve… you’ve been through this before. You’re mentally prepared. But Rosie hasn’t. It would break her.” “Don’t worry. I’ll go get the rest of the money and come right back for you. Be good.” I didn’t say a word. I just watched as Jerry untied Rosie’s ropes and cradled her head, whispering comforts. It was like watching a ghost of our past. Back then, Jerry had been just as gentle. “Shh, it’s okay. I’m here now.” Like a knight protecting his princess, he had lifted me into his arms and carried me away with steady, determined steps. The knight was the same. But he had a new princess. Rosie, nestled in Jerry’s arms, looked back over his shoulder and mouthed two words at me. “I win.” I watched until Jerry’s figure was a tiny speck in the distance before I turned my head stiffly. “The game is over. Untie me.” The two men exchanged a look. A rough hand slid up my thigh, and they laughed lewdly. “Miss Rosie said the loser has to face a penalty.” “Hey, beautiful. Your husband doesn’t appreciate you, but we sure do.” Alarm bells screamed in my head. “What do you think you’re doing? I’m warning you, don’t try anything stupid. I am…” A rough cloth was stuffed into my mouth, silencing me. “Who are you? Just some housewife living off her husband’s money? You should be grateful we’re even interested!” I tried to struggle, but my strength was draining away. … Jerry drove Rosie home, but a gnawing unease chewed at him the entire way. The image of my despairing eyes was burned into his mind. His heart ached. A sickening feeling began to creep in, the feeling that he had made the wrong choice. He quickly gathered more money and was about to race back to save me when his phone rang. “Sir, you need to see the news! It’s your wife! Something’s happened!” “Breaking news: a woman’s body has been discovered in an abandoned factory, the victim of a rape and murder. The body has sustained eighty-seven separate injuries…”

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A TV accident hospitalized superstar Scarlett Howard, revealing a secret: she wasn’t a biological Howard. I, the girl from a poor town, was the real heiress. The news exploded. The Howards welcomed me back on one condition: Scarlett and I star in a reality show. I expected a fight, but Scarlett was just obsessed with having a sister. I joined her, only to find her blinded by love for her cold fiancé, who doted on others. I went on the offensive. Scarlett was redeemed, gaining loyal fans. My design studio skyrocketed. My sweetheart, Liam, won my family over and started his company. All was well, except for Scarlett’s manipulative ex. Months later, he returned, claiming, “I see you as family, that’s why I wasn’t polite.” I feared she’d soften. Instead, she hit him with her bag. “Get away. Your germs are making my sister sick.” 1. I’d spent over two decades working my fingers to the bone in a dirt-poor small town, and then, overnight, I was transformed into Chloe Howard, the long-lost heiress to one of the wealthiest families in the city of Aurelia. The Howards descended upon my tiny design studio like a whirlwind, their tears flowing as they told me I was their real daughter. They brought me into their world, showering me with money, jewels, and property. But before the official family banquet, they made a hesitant request: they wanted me to appear on a reality show. “The show is a joint investment between our family and the Crawfords,” my new mother explained. “Your sister… Scarlett… she’s a famous actress, but her public image isn’t the best. Now that this secret is out, the online hate has gotten so much worse.” I listened, nodding along. “So, you want me to go on the show and play happy families with her? Put on a display of sisterly bonding to quiet down the media storm?” My mother looked down, shamefaced. I waved a dismissive hand. “What’s the big deal? You’ve given me a fortune in cash, jewelry, and real estate. A little reality TV? I’m definitely coming out on top here.” My mother let out a visible sigh of relief. But then, I leaned in, rubbing my hands together. “Just one question,” I whispered. “Do I get paid for this?” She blinked, and I hurried to explain. “It’s just… I’m a fresh graduate trying to get a startup off the ground. Cash is a little tight, you know?” I wasn’t lying. I was desperate for money. My design studio was brand new, only staying afloat because of the money I’d saved from part-time jobs and scholarships in college. A good chunk of it had come from my boyfriend, Liam. He was a recent graduate too, with dreams of his own. But we were both from humble beginnings, with barely two pennies to rub together. “Chloe,” he had told me, “the design industry is brutal. You’re young, you have to strike while the iron is hot. Let’s get your studio launched first. My dreams can wait.” I was a painter and a designer; my dream was to have my own fashion label. Liam was a computer science prodigy whose dream was to create a one-of-a-kind indie game. But he put his dream on hold for me. He poured every cent we had into my studio, and to give me a safety net, he chained himself to a desk job, becoming a corporate drone. So now, being a Howard… honestly, I wasn’t thinking much about family ties. I was thinking about grabbing every opportunity I could. How often does one get a chance to legally cash in without any moral strings attached? Hearing my question, my mother immediately handed me a credit card. “Chloe, there’s a million dollars on this.” My eyes widened. A million dollars! That was a number Liam and I couldn’t even fathom. “Mom, you’re literally my savior. Don’t you worry, I’ll give an Oscar-worthy performance on that show.” The words were barely out of my mouth when she handed me a second card. “I know you have a boyfriend, and that you’ve been supporting him. This is for him. Have him join you on the show. It’ll be good to have someone you trust by your side, so you won’t feel bullied.” I was so moved I could have dropped to my knees. Now Liam’s game studio could become a reality too. His dream and my dream, coming true together. Giddy with excitement, I clutched the two cards and went to call him. But as I was dialing, I saw her—the famous Scarlett Howard. She was on the phone, her eyes brimming with tears, arguing with someone. “It’s our families’ money backing this show! The Howards are major investors! I will not have you bring Amber on set!” Her voice was sharp, laced with the unshakeable authority of someone who had never been told no. I was just marveling at the sheer force of a true heiress when her tone crumbled in the next second. She was crying now. “Fine, fine, I agree, okay? Just… please, don’t talk about breaking off the engagement.” I pursed my lips. Well, damn. Looks like the princess was hopelessly in love. 2. The Howards knew what they were doing. They hyped the show by teasing the first on-air meeting between me and Scarlett. The “Real and Swapped Heiresses: First Encounter” gimmick sent the show’s popularity soaring before filming even began. As part of the strategy, they made sure Scarlett and I never met beforehand. The first time we laid eyes on each other was the day the cameras started rolling, live. The moment the broadcast went live, the viewer count skyrocketed past a hundred thousand. 【The real and fake heiresses meeting live? This is gonna be good.】 【Spicy! With Scarlett’s temper, she’s probably going to tear the new girl apart on sight.】 【A high-society catfight? I’m here for it.】 【Scarlett is 100% going to bully the real heiress.】 【Now that the real one’s back, that imposter Scarlett can finally get lost, lol.】 【Anyone who hates Scarlett is in for a treat today.】 【The Howards are probably ditching Scarlett to launch the real daughter’s career.】 【Or maybe the real one is ugly, and they’re using her as a prop to make Scarlett look better.】 The internet was a cesspool of speculation. Meanwhile, I was staring at my own reflection, feeling a little dazed. “Do I really have to dress this… cutesy?” My outfit was a full-on dopamine-dressing explosion, complete with pigtails. I wouldn’t have even dressed this young and sweet back in high school. My mother said nothing, simply adding two more adorable clips to my hair. Liam, on the other hand, couldn’t take his eyes off me. “Your mom has great taste. You look so cute,” he texted me, followed by a couple of spicy emojis. Yep. The campus legend and academic god was, in private, a total flirt. I was used to it. I stepped into the camera frame, my stomach churning with nerves. First time on TV, and a live broadcast at that. Liam took my hand and twisted the cap off a bottle of water for me. Having him there instantly calmed me down. I was taking a sip when Scarlett arrived. And she wasn’t alone. With her was her fiancé, Gunther Crawford. The Howards and the Crawfords had an arranged marriage, one of those old-family-pact things. My mother had told me Scarlett had been obsessed with Gunther since they were kids, to the point of sheer foolishness. She’d even broken into acting just to be closer to him. And standing next to Gunther was another woman, one I recognized. Amber, a rising starlet who had been making headlines lately. She was the reason Scarlett and Gunther had been fighting on the phone earlier. The three of them walking in together was like watching a soap opera unfold in real-time. As they approached, I quickly stood up to greet them. The word “Hello” was still on my lips when Amber stepped in front of me, a saccharine smile on her face. “Looks like Mrs. Howard really went all out for your big meeting. She knows how much Scarlett adores cute things, so she dressed you up like a little doll.” It sounded like a compliment, but the subtext was venomous. She was pointing out that my own mother knew Scarlett better, and was manipulating me to win Scarlett’s favor. The online comments immediately lit up, saying the Howards cared more about the fake heiress than their real daughter. Some predicted Scarlett would use this to gloat about how much our parents loved her. Others expected me to blow up and assert my rightful place. They were all wrong. Scarlett completely ignored Amber. She rushed straight toward me and cupped my face in her hands. “You must be my little sister, Chloe! Oh my god, you’re so adorable! And your cheeks are so squishy!” Liam looked pained and started to step forward, but he checked himself, realizing it wasn’t his place. His hands just fluttered uselessly in the air. But I didn’t need his help. I threw my arms around Scarlett. “Big sister, you’re so beautiful! And you smell amazing!” Hah. Sorry to disappoint anyone hoping for a catfight. I’ve always had a soft spot for gorgeous women. And Scarlett was breathtaking, like a goddess straight out of an anime. I was already smitten. 3. From that first moment, Scarlett and I were inseparable. It was Liam who finally broke our sisterly bonding session by clearing his throat and introducing himself. “I’m Liam. Chloe’s boyfriend, and her childhood sweetheart.” He said it with a chest puffed out with pride, his eyes locked on me for that last part. Scarlett’s face lit up like her favorite ship had just set sail. Completely ignoring Gunther and Amber, she grabbed my arm, her eyes sparkling with gossip. “How long have you two been together?” “How did you meet?” “How long have you known each other?” She fired off the questions, and Liam answered each one. “Chloe and I were neighbors. We’ve known each other since we were born. We started dating after high school graduation.” “Twenty-five years,” he added, “and we’ve never been apart.” Scarlett sighed, her eyes filled with envy. “That’s so lovely. Childhood sweethearts, just like us.” At that moment, Gunther finally spoke up. “Hello. I’m Gunther, and this is Amber.” I tilted my head, my expression a mask of pure innocence. “Hi! Are you two a couple, too?” It was a direct hit. Scarlett’s face darkened, but not at me. “My sister asked you a question. Are you a couple?” Amber flushed and fidgeted. Gunther just frowned. “Scarlett, don’t make a scene. You’ll give people the wrong idea.” “Oh! You’re not?” I chimed in. “My bad! You two just seemed so much closer than Liam and I, I just assumed. So sorry.” I wasn’t in the entertainment industry. I was a newcomer, the long-lost daughter who knew nothing. It was perfectly normal for me to be clueless, right? My words hit their mark. Gunther immediately took a step away from Amber, creating a very deliberate distance between them. Scarlett looked pleased, and when she turned back to me, her eyes were practically glowing. “Come on, I brought you presents! Let’s go see.” She had no time for Gunther and Amber now; her world revolved around her newfound little sister. She led me to her room and threw open a suitcase. Inside was a top-of-the-line creative suite—a powerful laptop and a professional-grade drawing tablet. “I heard you’re an artist, and that you do digital work, so I got you the best gear.” My eyes went wide. This was equipment I could only have dreamed of before. “Sister, you are officially the best big sister in the entire world. I love you to death.” My praise made her preen. If she’d had a tail, it would’ve been wagging furiously. “There’s more! These two suitcases are full of clothes, dresses, and shoes I bought for you.” She opened another suitcase, and my jaw dropped. Staring back at me was the one-of-a-kind white dress from my studio’s collection that was auctioned off just a few days ago. “Sis, you were the one who bought this dress.” I was genuinely shocked. Scarlett was even more surprised. “Wait, don’t tell me… you designed this?” I nodded, a new wave of affection washing over me as I looked at her. “Sis, you’re my soulmate.” 【Wait, this has to be scripted, right?】 【This feels so fake. Who are they trying to promote here?】 【This is NOT how this was supposed to go.】 【That dress is gorgeous! Link, please!】 【So the real heiress is a designer, and the fake one bought her design without knowing? OMG, the drama!】 【Totally scripted! 100%!】 “My little cupcake sister, you’re a genius!” Scarlett jumped to her feet and started rummaging through her purse. “Here! Beauty club memberships, gym passes, VIP cards for every top restaurant in the city, and a black card with no spending limit. They’re all yours!” I stared at the thick cardholder she shoved into my arms, my eyes practically glowing with greed. “Sister,” I breathed, “you’re a legend.” 4. For the rest of that first day of filming, my sister was practically my shadow. Even Liam started to get suspicious. “Do you think she’s just putting on a show?” he murmured to me later. “You know, all sweet for the cameras, but then she’ll turn on you when they’re off.” I smirked, gesturing vaguely toward one of the cameras. “Still live, you know.” “I never talk about people behind their backs,” Liam stated, matter-of-fact. It was true. He was brutally honest, never one for scheming or gossip. So I gave his question some serious thought. “Honestly, I think my mom just knows her really, really well.” I propped my chin in my hands, posing like a flower. “After all, who could possibly resist a cute little cupcake like me?” Liam swallowed hard, nodding emphatically. “Right. Your sister clearly has impeccable taste.” “And so does Mrs. Howard, of course.” His gaze was so intense it could have melted steel. It was obvious he was a huge fan of my new sweet-and-sassy look. I wasn’t even trying, and he was completely hooked. “But are you okay with it?” Liam asked, his voice gentle. We were always like this—no hidden feelings, no dancing around issues. We asked things directly, unwilling to let small misunderstandings fester into real problems. His eyes were soft with concern. I shook my head. “Not at all. I mean, sure, she’s my biological mother, but she spent twenty-five years raising my sister. It’s only natural they know each other inside and out. It’s just like us, right?” A faint blush crept up Liam’s neck. Just then, my sister peeked her head around the corner. “You two are so adorable together.” “I ship it so hard.” Seeing her, Liam made an excuse and slipped out. Scarlett immediately sat down in front of me. “It’s obvious he’s crazy about you.” I smiled shyly. She took my hand, her expression turning guilty. “I’m the one who should be sorry, Chloe. Your life should have been… better.” I just laughed it off. “Sis, you really don’t have to apologize. Sure, my life was tough financially, but it was happy. I mean, I met Liam, didn’t I?” He was my soulmate. I couldn’t imagine life without him, and he couldn’t imagine it without me. “I graduated from a top university, started my own studio right after… my youth was full of wonderful memories. Besides being poor, there was nothing bad about it. Being poor is only a tragedy if it makes you bitter. And trust me, I’m not bitter. I got lucky.” Scarlett pulled me into a fierce hug. “Don’t you worry. From now on, your life will be even better. Big sister’s got your back.” I nodded firmly into her shoulder. “And I’ll always have yours, sis.” That night, Scarlett and I shared a room, staying up late talking. As a result, we were both yawning our heads off when we came downstairs the next morning. Liam looked from me to her and back again. “You know, you two actually look a little alike.” “Get out of here,” I scoffed. “If I looked like my sister, I’d be drooling in my sleep every night.” Even without a stitch of makeup, Scarlett was dazzling. I had to hand it to my biological parents; they’d hit the jackpot with her. “Chloe, if you’d grown up with the Howards, with money for all the best treatments, you’d be just as beautiful,” Amber said, descending the stairs in a full face of immaculate makeup. My sister’s head snapped toward her, disgust written all over her face. “You have money for treatments, and I don’t see you turning into a supermodel.” The comeback was so brutal, I had to physically stop myself from grinning. No wonder my sister had such a bad rap in the industry. That mouth was a weapon. “Scarlett, why are you so hostile towards Amber? She was just trying to comfort your sister. Why would you attack her for that?” Gunther stepped in, defending Amber. My eyes shot wide open, and I turned to Liam. He immediately held up his hands as if taking an oath. “Just so you know, I will never defend another woman over you. I’m on your side, unconditionally. Always.”

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Anton Ryder took three bullets for me. Each one should have been fatal. He practically offered his life to my father in exchange for my hand in marriage. Seeing his raw desperation, my father finally relented, offering the Syndicate’s Patriarch’s Seal—the ultimate symbol of power—as my dowry. But the day before our wedding, war broke out on our borders. Anton had to lead the charge. Before he left, he kissed me hard. “Wait for me, my love,” he whispered. “When I come back, I promise you won’t be leaving our bed.” Three years later, he returned. I took our two-year-old son deep into the desert territories to welcome him home. But when his convoy arrived, he stepped out carrying a frail, beautiful woman in a white dress. One of his men asked what was to be done with me. Anton took a long drag from his cigarette, a lazy smile playing on his lips. “Her old man’s dead. Who else does she have to rely on but me? Besides, the Patriarch’s Seal is in my hands now. I can marry whomever I please. And anyway,” he added with a chuckle, “she’s already given me a healthy son. She’ll be begging me for a proper title soon enough.” The men around him erupted in laughter. He seemed to have forgotten one crucial detail. The Seal was merely a symbol. I am the one and only heir to the Vance family. And my son can live without a father. 1. The jeering laughter continued, only to be cut short by the woman’s soft cough. Anton’s voice was instantly laced with concern. “Sera, my love, what is it? Are you feeling unwell again? Don’t worry, I’ll have a doctor see you right away…” Seraphina shook her head. “I’m fine. It’s just… the air here. I’m not used to it yet.” “I’m so sorry, Sera. That’s my fault,” Anton said, his tone apologetic. “The air in your room is too dry, it won’t help your recovery. Don’t worry, Elara’s room is the best in the entire compound, it gets the morning sun. I’ll have her switch with you.” Seraphina demurred softly, “Wouldn’t that upset your wife?” Anton’s voice was laced with a pained tenderness. “I told you, don’t call her that in private. You’ve been my woman for a long time now.” At this, the men in the room broke into another round of lewd, knowing chuckles. Seraphina, blushing, buried her face in Anton’s chest. When Anton had carefully carried her from the vehicle, his story to me had been different. He’d claimed she was a sister he’d adopted on the road. “Elara, her entire family was captured and executed by the enemy,” he’d explained. “If she hadn’t risked her life to bring us intel, you’d be waiting for my corpse right now. She’s been frail since she was a child and suffered with me on the front lines for three years. With her family gone, I took her in as my sworn sister. You don’t mind, do you?” If she were truly just a sister, of course I wouldn’t have minded. But it was clear now. It wasn’t a sister he’d adopted, but a wife he’d already taken. Suddenly, one of the men voiced a concern. “The First Lady has always had a fiery temper, boss. She loves you so much. If she finds out, all hell is going to break loose.” Another chimed in. “Yeah, she waited three years for you. What are you going to do if she demands her title?” Seraphina’s tone was laced with worry. “He’s right, Anton. Please don’t fight with the First Lady over me. I couldn’t live with the guilt.” But Anton just laughed, completely at ease. “Don’t worry, my love. I’ve already thought of everything. She’s used to being the princess. She’ll definitely throw a fit when she finds out, and I don’t want her taking it out on you. So, here’s the plan: I’m marrying you, that’s set in stone. On the day of the wedding, I’ll announce that we’re throwing a big birthday party for our son.” “She’ll never refuse that,” he continued, a smug look on his face. “By the time the party’s over, you and I will be officially married, the papers signed. It’ll be too late for her to do anything. With a two-year-old son, she’ll have no choice but to swallow her pride and stay by my side, without a title, for the rest of her life.” His words were met with murmurs of admiration. “Brilliant, boss! Only you could think of something like that!” “No wonder you had the boss’s daughter wrapped around your finger, willing to give you a son and wait faithfully for three years!” The room exploded with laughter once more. And through it all, Seraphina’s playful voice. “Oh, Anton, you’re terrible! You had me worried for nothing!” Anton stroked her hair. “Then let me make it up to you right now.” With that, he cupped the back of her neck and crushed his lips to hers. I turned away in silence. The old me would have kicked down the door, smashed everything in sight, and put a gun to Seraphina’s head, forcing her to kneel, apologize, and get the hell out. But motherhood had changed me. The sand you can’t hold, you let fall. The people by your side are what matter most. As the Vance heiress, my life has always been shadowed by danger. Anton had saved me countless times, taking bullets to his waist, his chest, even the back of his head. Each time, covered in his own blood, he would hold me tight and soothe me. “Don’t be afraid, Elara. I’m here. Anyone who wants to touch you will have to step over my dead body.” He loved me more than his own life. Or so I believed. But not all truths are meant to last forever. As I turned to leave, the door behind me creaked open. Anton’s voice, sharp with panic. “Elara?” “When did you get here?” 2. I didn’t turn around. My own voice was unnervingly calm. “Just now.” Anton let out a quiet sigh of relief. He stepped forward, pulling me into his arms, his voice a low whisper in my ear. “Elara, I’ll come to you tonight. I’ve thought of you every single night for these past three years.” I didn’t move, didn’t respond. He must have sensed my coldness, because his voice became cautious. “Elara, what’s wrong? Aren’t you happy I’m back?” I was about to push him away when a delicate female voice cut through the air. Seraphina coughed into her hand. “Oh, sister-in-law, you’re here. My health is so poor, that’s the only reason my brother came to check on me. Please, don’t get the wrong idea.” At the sound of her voice, Anton immediately released me. The concern in his eyes was unmistakable. “The wind is strong out here. What are you doing outside?” Seraphina stepped toward us. “I heard your wife’s voice, so I wanted to come and say hello. Please don’t mind him, sister-in-law. He’s always been a worrier. He took care of me personally for the last three years, it’s just instinct now.” She wore a mask of sincerity. I looked at her pale face. “The Vance family can afford to feed another mouth. But we don’t shelter vipers.” Her smile froze. Anton’s brow furrowed, his voice a low growl. “Elara! She’s my sister, which makes her your sister too. Watch your mouth.” I gave him a cool glance. “I’ve always been abrasive, haven’t I?” His jaw worked, but before he could retort, Seraphina leaned weakly against the doorframe, her voice trembling with hurt. “Sister-in-law, I know you hate me, but I never wanted to take anything from you… I’m just… I’m so weak, I need my brother to look after me…” “He’s been by my side day and night. I understand why you’re angry. If you don’t like me here… I’ll just leave.” With that, she turned and staggered away. Anton shot me a furious glare and immediately chased after her. “Sera, don’t run! Your body can’t take the strain! I’m in charge of the Vance family now, you don’t have to listen to a word she says! Sera!” The two of them disappeared around the corner of the courtyard. Just as Seraphina turned the corner, my son, Leo, came toddling out, running right into her legs. Seraphina cried out, her foot slipped, and she crumpled to the ground. Anton knelt and swept her into his arms. “Sera, are you alright?” She lifted the hem of her skirt. A gash on her shin was bleeding freely. Rage contorted Anton’s face. He whirled on Leo. “Who told you to run around like that! Get out of my sight!” Leo burst into tears. “Mama… I want my mama…” I rushed forward, pulling him into my arms and kneeling to soothe him. “It’s okay, Leo, Mommy’s here. Don’t cry, it wasn’t your fault. Don’t be scared, Mommy’s got you.” The nanny who had been chasing him finally caught up, breathless. “First Lady, the young master was crying for you, I couldn’t stop him…” My voice was ice. “It’s fine. It’s not your fault. The staff in this house usually know how to watch where they’re going.” Anton’s voice was a cold accusation. “Is this how you raise our son? No wonder he’s so unruly!” Seraphina leaned against Anton, her voice faint. “Brother, Leo is just a child, don’t scare him… I only fell and bled a little. I’m used to being hurt.” Then she looked up at me, her eyes filled with a tragic sorrow. “Sister-in-law, it was my fault. You were right to scold me. I wasn’t looking where I was going and ran into the young master. I’ll apologize to him.” She struggled to get up from Anton’s arms, crying out in pain at the slightest movement. Anton’s face filled with anguish. He scooped her up. “What are you apologizing for? If anyone’s to blame, it’s me. I’m his father, and I failed to teach him properly.” He looked at me and Leo with cold eyes. “Leo, I wasn’t here to raise you. But Elara, as his mother, you bear the most responsibility! I can’t trust you to raise him alone. You’ll only teach him your bad habits. Now that Sera is here, she can help. She’s well-mannered, gentle, and kind. She can teach Leo to be a good man.” My voice was dangerously low. “What are you saying?” Anton’s expression was grim. “I’m saying Leo will be raised by Sera from now on. You can go back to being the First Lady of the Vance Syndicate.” “In your dreams!” I spat. Anton’s tone was absolute. “I am the head of this family. I have that right. More importantly, Leo is my son. As his father, my right is absolute.” He set Seraphina down and roughly grabbed Leo. “A man takes responsibility for his actions. He must be punished.” “Now, you will kneel and apologize to your Aunt Sera!” He pressed down on Leo’s small shoulders, trying to force him to his knees… 3. Leo screamed, struggling wildly. “No! I want Mommy! I want Mommy!” My fists clenched. I couldn’t hold back any longer. I yelled for the house steward, snatched the pistol from his holster, and pressed the cold barrel against Anton’s forehead. My hand was perfectly steady. “Anton, you lay another finger on my son, and I swear I will kill you.” He sneered. “You’re pointing a gun at me with the skills I taught you?” He grabbed my hand, forcing the muzzle of the gun harder against his own temple. “Right here. Do it. Don’t go soft on me now. My body has room for another bullet for you.” I stared into his blazing eyes, my finger tightening on the trigger. “Fine. Then I’ll grant you your wish…” Before I could finish, Seraphina threw herself between us, shoving me hard. She crumpled to the ground, sobbing. “No! First Lady, please, don’t hurt him! Whatever he’s done wrong, take it out on me!” “My life is worthless,” she cried, “but Anton has to lead the entire Syndicate! His life is more important!” Anton ignored me and Leo completely, rushing to Seraphina’s side. The fall had split her lip, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. He lifted her into his arms and started for the door. “Sera, stop talking. Nothing is more important than your life. If she dares to touch you, I will never forgive her.” As he carried her away, Seraphina looked back over his shoulder, a triumphant smirk twisting her lips. The nanny took Leo from my arms, her teeth clenched in anger. “First Lady, the master has gone too far! If you hadn’t defied your sick father back then, if you hadn’t personally led a relief team to support his flank, he never would have made it out of that ambush alive. You nearly died for him, First Lady! Why won’t you let us tell him the truth? If he knew…” I raised a hand, cutting her off. “It doesn’t matter anymore.” Leo was still terrified, his little arms reaching for me. I took him and held him close. After I got him back to his room and he’d fallen asleep, I summoned the steward. “Take my token. Send a message to the Prince of the West Side. Tell him… I accept his offer.” The steward was one of our oldest retainers. He hesitated. “First Lady, that man’s temperament is… volatile. You must think this through. Everyone knows he was trying to seize Vance territory even when your father was alive. If you agree now, he might…” “I have my own plans,” I interrupted. “Just go.” The steward had no choice but to obey. Late that night, a commotion in the courtyard woke Leo. It was Anton, returning from the hospital with Seraphina. I quickly sat up, pulling Leo into my arms. “Shh, it’s okay. Mommy’s here.” Leo was wide awake now. He burrowed into my chest, his big eyes looking up at me. “Mama, does Daddy not want us anymore?” A pain lanced through my heart. I looked into my son’s eyes and gently kissed his forehead. “You have me. That’s all that matters.” He snuggled closer, his small hands clutching my shirt. My son. Elara Vance’s son. I was all he needed. The next day, Anton came to apologize. “I know you’re still angry,” he began, “but it was just an act. Sera saved my life. She was almost eaten by wolves for me. I have to show her I’m on her side.” “I’ve been thinking,” he continued, “our son’s birthday is coming up. Let’s throw him a huge party. We can announce to everyone that I, Anton Ryder, have a son!” A cold smile touched my lips. So, it begins. 4. The man from the West Side replied quickly. “I return in five days. The bride price is already prepared.” Five days. The same day as Leo’s birthday party. Anton went all out for the party, a grand affair. But I noticed that his closest men looked at me with strange, pitying expressions whenever they saw me. The night before the party, Seraphina burst into the dining room, wearing a wedding gown. “Oh, sister-in-law, I’m so sorry! I got lost. I didn’t mean to come here. I was just trying on my dress, and Anton told me to take a walk to clear my head, and I must have taken a wrong turn.” I gave her a flat look. “If you’re lost, then get out. My aim won’t be off a second time.” Her face went pale. She gathered the massive skirt of her gown to turn, and in doing so, knocked a vase off a display shelf. She screamed. Just then, Anton’s anxious voice came from the doorway. “Sera, what are you doing in here? Come back with me.” He rushed in, shot a quick glance at me and Leo, and grabbed Seraphina’s hand to pull her away. I stared at the shattered porcelain on the floor, a cold rage building inside me. “Stop. Who said you could leave?” The steward immediately stepped forward. “Miss Seraphina, you have just broken an heirloom left by the late Mrs. Vance. It was the First Lady’s most cherished possession.” Seraphina’s face turned ashen. “I… I didn’t mean to… I didn’t know it was some unlucky thing from a dead person…” Anton pulled her behind him. “Elara, what is this? Are you trying to settle scores?” My voice was frigid. “Yes. That’s exactly what I’m doing.” Anton snorted. “Well, I say no. And I’d like to see anyone here try to touch her.” The steward’s hand went to his gun, but Anton was faster. He drew his own pistol and fired, the bullet tearing through the steward’s wrist. As the steward’s gun clattered to the floor, Anton’s was already aimed at me. “Elara,” he said, his voice dangerously low, “want to try me, too?” So this is what it felt like to have a gun pointed at you by the man you loved. The steward knelt on the floor, clutching his wrist, his face white with pain as blood seeped through his fingers. “First Lady…” I said nothing more. Seeing my surrender, Anton turned and left with Seraphina. Five days later, a grand procession from the West Side, bearing wedding gifts, entered the gates of the Vance compound. At the same time, Leo’s birthday party was in full swing. And another set of gifts was being brought in—Anton’s wedding gifts for Seraphina. With all the commotion, no one paid any attention to the men from the West. Holding Leo, I stood at the top of the grand staircase. I walked down the red carpet that had been laid out, and straight into the bridal car waiting to take me to the West Side. Before I left, I gave an order to the still-recovering steward. “Tell our men to move out. They follow me. Now.” At the party, Seraphina, in her wedding dress, toasted with Anton. The hours passed. The party wound down. I never appeared. Anton finally grew restless. He sent a man to my private quarters to find me. The man returned in a panic. “Boss, the First Lady is gone!” Anton didn’t believe it. “How is that possible!”

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My entire prestigious family can hear my thoughts. The day they brought me home, they sent their adopted son a casual thirty-thousand dollars for pocket money. They sent me two hundred. I grumbled to myself, Are you kidding me? Two hundred bucks? I make more than that turning wrenches on the line. Just as their faces curdled with disdain, waiting for me to grovel like a grateful dog, they heard the rest of my thought: So, a New York City powerhouse family gives their son a combined monthly allowance of thirty-thousand, two-hundred dollars. They couldn’t even afford a square meter of thermal shielding with that. What’s the point of fighting over this paltry inheritance? The Program is still behind on its thirty-rocket KPI for the year. Instead of wasting time on this family drama, I should be back building defenses against the alien invasion. 1. The moment my parents and I stepped through the mansion’s grand entrance, a boy threw himself to his knees in front of me. I flinched back, startled. He scrambled forward on his knees, his face streaked with tears. “It’s all my fault! I stole the life that should have been yours, brother! I’m on my knees begging for your forgiveness. If you can’t forgive me… I’ll voluntarily leave the Sterling family and go back to the slums! I’ll do anything, as long as it makes you happy!” In the opulent living room, my biological parents and three older sisters immediately rushed to his side. My mother helped the boy, Miles, to his feet, her tone sharp with disapproval. “Rob, that’s enough. How could you treat your brother like that?” My father’s face was grim, his eyes burning with condemnation. My eldest sister, Chloe, scoffed. “What do you expect from someone raised in the wilds? Besides herding cattle and turning wrenches, all he knows are these pathetic little tricks to get attention.” I was too busy gawking at the mansion’s interior to hear a word they were saying. The Sterlings really are a top-tier player in the advanced materials industry. Even their home is built with the best of the best. The anger in their eyes vanished, replaced by stunned confusion. They exchanged glances, then all stared at me. Good thing I listened to the Director and took leave to come home for this family reunion. With me as the inside man, the Program won’t have to worry about material suppliers anymore. My father’s brow furrowed slightly. Chloe let out a disgusted snort but said nothing. My second sister, Seraphina, shot me a look that was suddenly sharp and wary. My third sister, Ava, glared at me. “I’m warning you,” she said, her voice like ice, “we only have one brother, and that’s Miles. Don’t even think about competing with him for our affection, or for the company.” My father cleared his throat, addressing me in a patronizing tone. “Rob, you’ve been working on the factory floor for a long time. It must be difficult adjusting to the Sterling lifestyle here in the city.” He tapped a few times on his phone. A moment later, the ancient feature phone in my pocket blared a robotic, glitchy voice announcement: “Two hundred dollars received.” “Take this for now,” my father said. “Once you’ve settled in, I’ll send you more.” Then, he turned to a teary-eyed Miles, his voice softening with affection. “Miles, we raised you. You will always be a Sterling. That will never change. As compensation, I’m raising your monthly allowance to thirty thousand, starting now. I’ll send it over.” He immediately pulled out his phone to make the transfer. Miles’s tears vanished, replaced by a triumphant smile. He made a show of refusing, his gaze flickering smugly in my direction. “Oh, no, you can’t. You should give my allowance to my brother instead. He grew up poor in the countryside and worked in a factory. He needs the money more than I do.” The flaunting was obvious, but I just frowned. Are the Sterlings really this poor? Only thirty thousand a month for their son? My father’s thumb froze over his phone’s keypad. 2. Miles stared at him, confused. My eldest sister, Chloe, let out a cold laugh. “Thirty thousand? I bet you’ve never even seen ten thousand in your life. Do you even understand the concept of money?” I was disappointed. Is thirty thousand a lot? It wouldn’t even buy a square meter of thermal shielding. My workshop’s weekly budget is more than that. The smirk on Chloe’s face froze solid. Well, I guess being a little poor is fine. At least their family business is in advanced materials. I’ll ask Dad later if he can pull some strings, get his company to partner with our Program. They are my blood relatives, after all. Their products must be struggling to sell. Poor Sterlings, they need my help. After a long, awkward silence, the entire family—except for a clueless Miles—had strange expressions on their faces. My father finished the transfer to Miles and stalked out of the living room, his face dark. After dinner, my mother led me to a small suite next to the first-floor dining room. “Rob,” she said coolly, “none of the upstairs bedrooms are ready. You’ll have to make do and stay here for now.” Miles stood beside her, feigning concern. “Mom, this is the maid’s quarters. Is it really appropriate for my brother to stay here? Maybe he should just take my room.” Before I could say a word, my mother jumped in. “Absolutely not! This cramped little room is for the help. I can’t let you suffer in a place like this!” I had to laugh. This family is something else. The adopted son is too good for the maid’s room, but the biological son isn’t. A flash of embarrassment crossed my mother’s face. She shot me an angry glare before turning back to Miles. “Rob grew up in the country. He’s used to dirt floors and factory dorms with no plumbing. The maid’s room is a huge step up for him. But you’re different. You’ve been raised in luxury. You could never get used to a place like this.” Tears of pity welled up in her eyes. Miles put on a magnanimous smile. “It’s okay, Mom. My bedroom was always meant to be his anyway. I’ve been the usurper for over twenty years. It’s time I gave it back.” “Miles, don’t say that! No matter what, you’ll always be my precious son…” The two of them went back and forth, ending in a dramatic, tearful embrace. 3. I surveyed the room meant for “the help.” You know, for a maid’s room, it’s not bad. Great soundproofing. Those two are wailing their heads off, and I can barely hear them. Dad must be dead to the world out there. It is a bit small, though. I won’t be able to move my equipment from the facility here. Guess I’ll have to go back to the lab if I want to work overtime. What a pain. My mother’s crying stopped abruptly. Thinking about work made me anxious. I used my annual leave for this family reunion. I’ve got a mountain of work piling up. Starting tomorrow, I’ll have to pull a week of all-nighters. Otherwise, I’ll never hit my KPI for the year. My mother was staring at me, the tears drying on her cheeks. She looked around the small room, a flicker of regret in her eyes. The news that the Sterlings had found their real son spread like wildfire through the city’s elite circles. Everyone was watching me and Miles, hungry for a real-life soap opera. To show that the family treated both sons equally, my father decided to throw a grand party in my honor. The funny thing was, nobody told me about it. That evening, after a long, grueling day at the lab, I came home. I pushed open the door to find the living room filled with the city’s rich and famous, all of whom turned to stare at me with a mixture of shock, pity, and disgust. Miles’s voice boomed across the room. “Brother! Why would you come to a party dressed like that?” I looked at him. He was preened to perfection, every hair in place, wearing a bespoke suit that made him stand out even in this glamorous crowd. He walked over to me, his voice laced with false concern. “Didn’t you like the suit Mom and Dad picked out for you? You can borrow one from my closet if you want.” His words were caring, but his eyes were overflowing with malicious glee. As expected, the guests started whispering. “So that’s the real Sterling heir? He looks so… common.” “They threw this whole party for him, and he shows up dressed like that on purpose? Is he trying to embarrass them?” I glanced around. Ava, my actress sister, was chatting with guests, pretending not to know me. Seraphina stood nearby, watching the drama unfold with a detached amusement. Chloe walked over with my parents, her expression thunderous. “Rob,” my mother hissed, “what is wrong with you? Look at what you’re wearing to an important event like this!” 4. I looked down at myself. A standard-issue work shirt and a pair of durable cargo pants. Comfortable, practical. What was the problem? So tired. So sleepy. I didn’t work my ass off all day just to come home and play-act with these people. The aliens are about to invade, and they’re wasting time with high-society drama. I should have just stayed at the lab. With all the time they’re spending on this charade, I could have run another set of simulations. My father forced a smile for the guests. “This is my son, Rob. We just brought him back from the countryside. He’s still learning the ropes. Please forgive his… naivety.” Miles quickly jumped in to “defend” me. “It’s my brother’s first time at a party like this. He doesn’t have any experience, so please don’t mind him.” The condescension in the guests’ eyes only intensified. “I heard his adoptive parents were shepherds. He grew up with sheep. It certainly… shows.” “Not only that, I heard he’s a menial laborer at some factory. No culture, no education. Compared to him, Miles is much more of a ‘real’ heir.” My parents’ faces grew darker with every whisper. Miles shot me a secret smirk, then turned to our parents. “Today is about introducing my brother. Mom, Dad, you shouldn’t be angry with him.” Then he deliberately changed the subject. “By the way, brother, I heard you work at a big factory. Which one is it?” he asked, his tone deceptively innocent. “A lot of our family friends are here tonight. Maybe your boss is even in the room!” Another wave of snickers went through the crowd. “An electronics assembly plant is a ‘big factory’? Does he not know what a real corporation is?” “He’s from the country. It’s normal he can’t tell the difference.” “My company would never hire someone without even a high school diploma. It would ruin our image.” The mockery was relentless. My whole family was glaring at me, blaming me for their humiliation. Actually, Miles just gave me an idea. The Sterlings may be poor, but they’re well-connected. Satellite communications, remote sensing, new energy… if I could get the titans of these industries to partner with the Program, our production capacity would skyrocket. My KPI for the year would be saved. Our current planetary defense system isn’t robust enough. We need all the private sector support we can get. I looked around the hall, suddenly energized, and was about to introduce everyone to my work. 5. But Chloe rushed over, grabbing my arm. “Rob, stop making a fool of yourself,” she hissed. “Go change out of those disgusting clothes, now!” She practically dragged me toward the maid’s room, terrified I was about to further tarnish the family name. At the door, she let go, her voice a low warning. “You will stay in here and behave yourself. Don’t you dare do anything else to embarrass this family! I’m going into politics, and I cannot afford a single stain on my record. If you do anything to jeopardize my vetting process, I swear, Mom and Dad won’t be the only ones who make you pay!” I stared at her frantic expression. This sister of mine has been trying to get into public service for seven years. A tortoise could’ve made it by now. Are the Sterlings really so broke they can’t even afford to send her to a prep course? Chloe’s face went through several shades of red before she finally exploded. “You’re incorrigible! You know what? Just stay in here and think about what you’ve done. You’re not welcome at the party anymore!” She slammed the door and, to my surprise, locked it from the outside. I couldn’t figure out what had made her so angry, but I wasn’t complaining. It gave me the perfect opportunity to review the day’s test data. But Miles, it seemed, wasn’t done with his games. A few minutes later, I heard the lock click. He stepped inside, a saccharine smile on his face. “Brother, aren’t you changed yet? The guests are all waiting for you.” With no one else around, the cunning in his eyes was on full display. He saw the data sheets on my desk. I instinctively tensed, covering the documents with my hands. This was classified information. Even a small leak could have catastrophic consequences. “What’s all this, brother?” he asked, reaching for the papers. I pressed them firmly to the desk. “You’re being so secretive. Is it something you don’t want people to see?” Miles glanced toward the door, confirming something, and then his entire demeanor shifted. The mask fell away. He lunged across the desk. “Give them to me!” I reacted instantly, slamming my hands down on the stack of papers. He grabbed them, his eyes glinting with a sinister light. The papers crumpled in his grip, and I felt a pang of fury. “Miles, are you insane?!” He was about to rip the documents from my grasp. I didn’t hesitate. I kicked out, aiming for his chest. But then he did something strange. He let go of the papers and allowed my kick to send him flying backward. I didn’t miss the twisted, triumphant smile that flashed across his lips. “Miles!” The moment I heard my mother’s shriek, I knew exactly what his plan had been. Chloe, my parents, and a crowd of guests arrived just in time to see Miles sailing through the air. Chloe screamed, “Rob! What are you doing?!” 6. I looked up. She was yelling at me, but her face held the faintest hint of a victorious smirk. My father’s eyes were filled with profound disappointment. My mother rushed to Miles’s side, cradling him. He leaned against her, tears streaming down his face. “Mom, it’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have tried to look at my brother’s things. Don’t blame him.” The guests who had followed them stared at me with open disgust. “Just as I thought. A savage from the backwoods. He’s barely been back a week and he’s already resorting to violence.” “Growing up in poverty like that, it’s no wonder his personality is so warped.” “He’s probably been jealous of Miles from the start. He wants to drive him out.” Miles, sobbing, added fuel to the fire. “It’s because I stole his life that he’s so unhappy. If he doesn’t want me in this family, I’ll just leave…” My mother looked up at me, her face contorted with hatred, as if I were some monster, not her son. “Rob! You’ve gone too far this time! Apologize to Miles, right now!” I scoffed internally. Chloe locks me in the room, and then Miles shows up with a key to steal my work. This brother-sister act is worthy of an Oscar. If Miles went into acting, our sister Ava might have some serious competition for her Best Actress award. Across the room, Ava choked on a cough. The fury on my mother’s face wavered. She unconsciously loosened her grip on Miles. My father’s gaze shifted to Chloe, who nervously wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead. Miles was oblivious, still deep in his performance. “I was just worried he was going to do something to harm the family! I saw his papers, they had all this stuff about alloys and data I didn’t understand. I just wanted to see what it was, but he reacted so violently. He didn’t even graduate high school, how could he possibly know about this stuff? And our family company develops advanced materials, I was just worried he was…” His words all but spelled out that I was a corporate spy. Under the weight of his accusations, my father’s expression grew grim. He walked toward me, his hand outstretched. “Give me those documents.” I clutched them tighter, wary. His patience snapped. He lunged for them. Thankfully, I was ready and pulled them out of his reach. Like father, like son—a bunch of thieves. You must have a hankering for a prison sentence. Daring to grab a state secret. Is Chloe really sure she still wants to get into politics after this? Chloe’s face went white. She quickly stepped between us. “What is this stuff?” she demanded. “If you don’t give us an explanation, you are not leaving this house ever again!” 7. I was silent for a moment. That’s not going to work. I have to be at the lab early tomorrow to turn some more wrenches. If someone has to go to prison, I’m voting for Miles. I pulled him out of my mother’s arms, held up one of the data sheets, and pointed to a specific line. “Read this.” He was reluctant at first, but with everyone watching, he stumbled through the words.

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The day I came home from the hospital, barely a month after giving birth, a post caught my eye: 【Partied a little too hard during my pregnancy and caught HIV. Now my baby’s been born with it too. How do I pin this on someone else?】 Someone in the comments suggested she just infect her husband, then they’d be bound together for life. But the original poster was clearly against it: 【No way!! I can’t do that to him!!】 A sarcastic user shot back: 【There aren’t many ways to transmit it, especially to a baby that small. You can’t exactly claim she got it from drinking someone else’s breast milk, can you?!】 Seeing the words [Liked by Poster] next to that comment, I felt a corner of my mouth twitch in disbelief. The user was being sarcastic, but she seemed to have taken it as genuine advice. Just then, a notification popped up from my building’s resident group chat: 「@Apt 1503, I heard you just had your baby… Congratulations…」 1 I stared at the profile picture and name on my phone, a little baffled. Apt 1003? She must be the new tenant who moved in a little while ago. But we’ve never even spoken. What was this all about? I thought for a moment and typed back a polite reply: 「Thank you.」 After that, the group chat went silent. Maybe she was just being nice. Still, how did she know I was home already? Before I could dwell on it, my doorbell rang. The security screen showed a woman holding a baby, glancing around nervously as she knocked. 「Apt 1503, it’s me, from 1003… Could you open the door…?」 I frowned at the tense look on her face, but I got up and opened the door anyway. The moment it swung open, the woman’s face split into a brilliant, wide smile. I froze for a second. That wasn’t the expression I’d just seen on the screen. But she was a neighbor, so I pushed down my unease. 「Hi, can I help you?」 「I heard you just had a baby, so I brought you some milk. To help you get your strength back…」 As she spoke, her eyes drifted, not so subtly, down to my chest. A wave of goosebumps broke out across my skin. The forum post I’d just read flashed through my mind. I immediately refused. 「Thank you, but I can’t accept any gifts.」 The words had barely left my mouth when her expression stiffened. Seeing the shift in her face made my own stomach clench. But in the next instant, she was smiling again, a picture of earnest sincerity. 「It’s just a little something. My son is only three months old. I was hoping our kids could be playmates!」 Only then did I look down at the baby in her arms. He was bundled up tightly, his face hidden. All I could see was a tiny sliver of his forehead. So that was it. She was looking for a friend for her kid. That seemed reasonable enough. We’re neighbors, after all. Maybe I was just overthinking things. But the milk… I kept my voice polite. 「They can definitely play together when we run into each other, but please, take the gift back.」 Her reaction was immediate. She seemed to panic. She shoved the carton of milk down by my feet, spun around, and bolted for the stairwell. I instinctively took a couple of steps after her, but then I remembered my daughter was sleeping alone inside and stopped. Whatever. I’ll just have my husband return it when he gets home. But before I could, she was back at my door. 2 After Sarah from 1003 left, I took a nap with my daughter. My alarm hadn’t even gone off when a frantic pounding echoed from the front door. I checked the monitor. It was her again. The second I opened the door, she grabbed my hand. 「Please, I’m desperate, you have to help me!」 Her face was a mess of tears. I instinctively pulled my hand back and took a step away. 「What’s wrong? What do you need help with?」 As soon as I spoke, the baby in her arms started to wail. I watched the crying infant, a prickle of suspicion running down my spine. He was sound asleep just a moment ago. How did he start crying on command? While I was trying to figure it out, her hand shot out and she grabbed my breast through my nursing pajama top. 「Wow, these are really something, aren’t they? You must be eating well.」 「You must have a ton of milk. My supply’s dried up. Could you give us a little?」 She was actually trying to unbutton my pajamas as she spoke. I was stunned for a second by her audacity, then I snapped back to reality and slapped her hand away. 「What? You want my milk?」 「Yes, exactly! Your milk!」 I struggled to keep my composure. 「We don’t even know each other.」 「Oh, is that what you’re worried about? Well, if he drinks a little of your milk, we’ll get to know each other real fast, won’t we?」 「Besides, you had a girl. Girls don’t drink that much. My son can help you with the surplus! Think of it as… milk-sharing!」 「And who knows! Maybe after sharing your milk, our kids will grow up close. They might even get married one day!」 「Don’t worry, we won’t take it for free. We’ll pay you. How does five dollars a session sound? We can pay you weekly!」 「A carton of formula is way more than that, so you’re getting a great deal. You won’t lose out, I promise!」 My jaw was on the floor. I had never, ever heard of “milk-sharing” put like that. After a moment of shock, I found my voice. 「Sorry, no. I barely have enough for my own daughter. There’s nothing extra for anyone else.」 Her face twisted in annoyance. 「How much can one little girl drink? If she’s not full, just give her formula!」 「Look at the size of you! There’s no way you don’t have enough milk! I’ve done my research. A woman with your… assets… you’re prime wet nurse material!」 I almost laughed out of sheer fury. So now she was auditioning me? 「Why don’t you buy your own damn formula instead of coming here to beg?!」 I moved to slam the door in her face. But she wedged her foot in the jamb. 「Fine, fine! If we can’t share, then just pump some for me!」 「Let’s compromise. We’ll go halfsies. Your daughter can have the morning milk, and my son can have the afternoon milk. How about that?」 「But if I have to give him formula for the other half of the day, you’ll have to compensate me for the cost!」 Her demands were getting more and more insane. I kicked her foot out of the doorway. And slammed the door shut with a deafening bang. The rest of the evening passed without another visit from Sarah. I thought that was the end of it. I couldn’t have been more wrong. In the middle of the night, a bloodcurdling wail ripped through the entire apartment complex. 3 I was jolted awake. It was two in the morning. Rubbing my temples, I stumbled onto the balcony. It was the sound of a baby crying, and it seemed to be coming from directly below our floor. A shiver went down my spine. I thought of Sarah and her visit today, and my mind instantly cleared. As I peered over the railing, I saw lights flick on in the building across from us, windows opening as people looked over in our direction. The crying was sharp and piercing, an assault on the dead quiet of the night. I frowned. A baby’s cry is loud, but this was… amplified. Unnaturally loud. Soon enough, a man from the opposite building couldn’t take it anymore and yelled out his window, 「Are you insane? Some of us have to sleep!」 I shook my head. You can’t just tell a baby to stop crying. But to my utter astonishment, after the man shouted, the crying miraculously stopped. Just like that. Gone. My eyes widened in shock. What? How was that even possible? With the noise gone, the lights in the other apartments began to go out, one by one. My mind was buzzing with questions, but the pull of sleep was too strong. I didn’t investigate any further. Soon, I was fast asleep again. But as I drifted in the fog of a deep dream, I heard what sounded like an air-raid siren. I shot upright in bed, heart hammering. When my eyes focused on my familiar bedroom, I let out a breath of relief. It was just a dream. No. Wait. That sound outside… It was the baby’s cry again. But this time it was different. It wasn’t just crying; it was the sound of a child choking on its own sobs, dry-heaving for air. And the volume was even more ear-splitting than before. Lights flashed on across the complex again. We were all awake. This time, the man across the way yelled several times, but the wailing didn’t stop. It just kept echoing through the courtyard. That’s when the group chat exploded. 【ARE YOU KIDDING ME? WHOSE KID IS THIS? IF YOU CAN’T SLEEP, FINE, BUT LET THE REST OF US!】 【Seriously, I have to work tomorrow! This is ridiculous!】 【Comfort your damn kid instead of torturing the entire building!】 【Building management, do something! Figure out which apartment it is!】 Before management could reply, she jumped in herself. 【@Apt 1003, I’m so sorry, everyone. That’s my son. He’s crying because… he’s starving.】 The moment I saw her name, my stomach dropped. A terrible premonition washed over me. 【My milk supply is too low, and he refuses to take a bottle. I’m at my wit’s end. That’s why I went to the owner of 1503 today and begged her to spare a little life-saving milk for him.】 【She’s so… blessed… with so much milk, but she told me she’d rather pour it down the drain than give any to my son. I just… I don’t know what else to do!】 【I even brought her a gift, and she took it, but she still wouldn’t help. I… sigh… I’m so, so sorry to be bothering you all.】 Her tone was sincere. She even posted a picture of a baby with a face flushed red from crying. Immediately, the tide of anger turned. 【@Apt 1503, it’s just a little milk! How can you be so heartless?】 【Yeah, that poor baby sounds miserable. Just let him have some! It’s not like it costs you anything!】 【She took the gift and still refused to help? What kind of person does that?】 【@Apt 1503, say something! Stop playing dead! I can see your lights are on!】 I stared at my phone, my heart sinking with every new message. The forum post swirled in my mind. Why was she so obsessed with MY milk? Because in that post, breast milk was linked to one thing. HIV. I didn’t respond in the group chat. My fingers flew across the screen, frantically searching for the original post I had seen earlier. But as I searched, I found something else. A new post. From a different user. 4 The content of the post was chillingly similar to the one I’d seen before. 【I contracted HIV from a prostitute before my wife and I got married. I thought if I used protection we’d be fine, but our baby was still infected.】 【My wife seems to think it’s her fault, and now she wants to find a scapegoat to pin it on. After all, with the three of us, the medical bills are going to be insane. It would be great if we could find a sucker to cover the costs!】 【We’ve picked a target. A woman in our building who’s always feeding the stray dogs downstairs. And she just had a girl. From the looks of it, the girl won’t be too ugly when she grows up, which could solve my son’s future relationship problems too.】 【But she’s resisting. How can we make her give up her milk?!】 The poster’s profile picture was a blurry photo of a man’s back. I clicked on his profile. Nothing. It was completely empty. But the location tag was the same as mine, and the events he described mirrored my day exactly. My alarm bells were screaming. I was about to close the page when I noticed the faint, semi-transparent background photo behind his profile pic. The view from that window… it was identical to the view from mine. A roar filled my ears. This wasn’t a coincidence. It was a confirmation. The sucker they were talking about was me. A wife who contracted the disease during her pregnancy? A husband who hid his illness before they were married? A baby born with the virus? It was them. The family in 1003. So the husband had it first, and he gave it to his unsuspecting wife. And they had an innocent, sick child. No wonder. I’d been wondering why the husband wasn’t stopping his wife from begging for another woman’s breast milk. It turns out they each had their own twisted agenda. One partied too hard during her pregnancy, the other hid his past before the wedding. A match made in viral hell. And they wanted to infect me, make me pay for their entire family’s medical bills, and support them for the rest of their lives. Breast milk isn’t a guaranteed way to transmit HIV. But if they “accidentally” broke the skin on my nipple while the baby was feeding, contact with blood would make the chances skyrocket. If I got infected, I’d have no way to prove my story. But their plan was even more monstrous than that. They weren’t just targeting me; they had my daughter in their sights as well. If I had given in, if I had shown them a moment of pity, my daughter’s entire life would have been ruined. What a venomous, evil family. A tidal wave of pure terror and rage surged in my chest. I scrolled down. The top comment was even more depraved: 【Just cause a scene. Make so much noise that nobody in the building can get any peace. They’ll pressure her into feeding your son just to shut you up.】 【If that doesn’t work, go kneel at the entrance to your building. Make everyone see how cold and heartless she is.】 【Don’t be afraid of losing face. That one act of begging could secure your family’s future.】 【Worst case, get physical. As long as he drinks her milk, the blame is stuck to her for good.】 【Then you strike first. Accuse her. It won’t matter if she’s actually infected or not. In everyone else’s eyes, she will be.】 My fury shot through the roof. I stood up, ready to storm downstairs and confront them. But before I could even take a step, the building manager called. 「Mia? The family from 1003 is kneeling downstairs. The baby is screaming its lungs out. Please, can you just help them out?」 「You’re a mother too. Surely you can understand how she feels.」 「And if this continues, the whole complex will be up all night. Can’t you just… make a little sacrifice?」 My phone was buzzing nonstop before I even hung up. I glanced at the screen. The group chat was exploding with notifications. I didn’t need to look to know what they were saying. I didn’t say another word. I just ended the call. Then, I pulled out a small address book, flipping through the pages as I dialed one number after another. By the time I hung up the last call, the sounds from downstairs were growing louder, more chaotic. Then I took out a baby bottle and carefully, deliberately, pumped it full of milk. Swirling the bottle gently, I stepped into the elevator and headed down. Once he drinks this milk, I thought, he won’t be wanting mine anymore.

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I sold my shares in the startup I’d built from the ground up, ready to get married. But the two partners who had sworn they’d never marry anyone but me? They didn’t know. They were too busy throwing a celebration for the new assistant. I was the one who landed that deal, drinking with the client until my stomach bled. But while I was passed out, the new assistant, Sophie, left me alone in the hotel room. She took the signed contract back to the office and claimed all the credit. And just like that, my partners believed her. The next day, pictures of me “asleep in bed” circulated through the company group chat. Everyone was whispering that I’d slept my way to the top. Lying in a hospital bed, I called them, desperate to explain. But they cut me off. “Don’t bother coming up with some pathetic lie about stomach issues. You’re the woman who drinks eight cups of coffee a day. Stop playing the victim.” “Sophie’s a hero. We’re celebrating her right now. Don’t ruin the mood.” … The day I returned to the office, I sold my shares to their biggest competitor. Then I made a call home. “I’ll marry him. You can tell the Vance family to start planning the wedding.” 1 Gary and Scott were just walking into my office when they heard me. Their brows shot up. “Wedding? What wedding?” It was only ten days away. There was no point in hiding it. “My wedding. I’ll send you both an invitation.” They didn’t believe me. Just then, my mother sent over a dozen different wedding dress designs, my phone buzzing incessantly. They leaned over my shoulder, their eyes widening as they saw the sketches. Gary’s face soured. “Mina, what’s this? Are you playing dress-up?” Scott interrogated me like I was on trial. “You’re a workaholic. You don’t even have a boyfriend. Who are you marrying?” The irony was crushing. These were the two men who had vowed to spend their lives with me. Now they just looked ridiculous. Sophie, holding a stack of papers for them to sign, overheard our conversation. Her face was a mask of disbelief. “Ms. Thorne, you’re not marrying Mr. Davis, are you? I heard he’s already married. That would be… really inappropriate.” Thanks to her, the entire company now thought I was having an affair with our biggest client. My eyes went cold as I looked at her. “Not knocking before you enter my office is just bad manners. But stealing my credit and spreading vile rumors about me? Is that just ignorance of the law?” My sharp tone made Sophie’s eyes well up with tears. She wrung her hands, apologizing profusely. “Ms. Thorne, I didn’t… I never thought people would misunderstand like that. But you and Mr. Davis, in that hotel room…” She trailed off, blushing as if she couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence. But it was enough. Gary and Scott’s faces darkened. The way they looked at me was dripping with contempt. “That’s enough!” Gary snapped. “If you didn’t want people to know, you shouldn’t have done it. Don’t take out your own humiliation on Sophie.” “She’s just looking out for you,” Scott added. “Mr. Davis is old enough to be your father. Are you really that determined to be a homewrecker?” I laughed, a bitter, angry sound. Without another word, I kicked all three of them out of my office. Years of friendship, five years of building a dream together, and they didn’t trust me. They trusted a girl who’d been at the company for less than two months. I refused to let them get to me. I went back to looking at the dress designs. Not two minutes later, Gary made an announcement in the group chat. I was to switch offices with Sophie. The reason? As his assistant, Sophie’s office needed to be closer to his and Scott’s to “increase efficiency.” In a chat with hundreds of people, half of them immediately started congratulating Sophie, sucking up to the new favorite. But I still had a few loyal people on my side. Someone immediately questioned the decision. Sophie was a fresh graduate, two months into her first job. Giving her the general manager’s office felt… wrong. I was about to privately message them to back off when Sophie sent a voice note to the group, her voice thick with tears. “Gary, it’s all my fault. I was so focused on the contract that night that I didn’t take care of Mina. I don’t deserve her office. I’m too ashamed to even face her. I’m officially resigning!” Her sobbing voice was so fake it made my stomach turn. Scott kicked open my glass door, his eyes blazing. “Look what you’ve done! Pack your things and clear out for Sophie. I don’t want you bullying a young girl who’s just starting her career.” Gary, right behind him, urged me to hurry up, all while typing a comforting message to Sophie in the group chat. Then someone shouted that Sophie had gone up to the roof. The color drained from both of their faces. They sprinted out of my office and towards the emergency stairs. As I watched their frantic figures disappear, I pulled out my phone and contacted the person who had expressed interest in buying my shares. 2 Gary and Scott’s arch-nemesis, Kevin, had somehow heard I was selling. He made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. I checked the email I’d sent to Gary and Scott. It had been exactly thirty days. Their lack of a reply meant they had forfeited their right of first refusal. Kevin had given me three days to consider, but I replied instantly, telling him we could sign the papers now. By the time Gary and Scott had coaxed Sophie back from the ledge, I hadn’t moved a single thing from my desk. They were losing their patience. “It’s an office swap, not a cross-country move. Why is it taking you so long?” Sophie bit her lip, her eyes red and swollen as she looked at me. “Ms. Thorne, I’m sorry, I don’t really need this office…” “It’s fine. If you like it, it’s yours. You can have the general manager title, too.” My words sent fresh tears streaming down Sophie’s face. All traces of the ruthless credit-stealer were gone. “Mina, what is with the sarcasm?” Scott snapped. “It’s just an office. Do you have to be so petty?” I’d already sold my shares. I couldn’t care less about the damn office. The disdain on my face clearly enraged Scott. He strode over and swept my few personal belongings off the desk and onto the floor outside. Gary gave me a cold glance before personally helping Sophie arrange her new space. HR was in and out, bringing potted plants and fresh flowers. You’d think they were decorating a princess’s chamber. Finally, the day ended. Gary tapped on my temporary desk. “Don’t leave when you clock out. We’re having a team dinner to celebrate Sophie’s new office.” I was a little stunned. A new office warranted a celebration? But I didn’t refuse. I figured it would be my last dinner with my old colleagues. At the restaurant, I realized that the few employees who had defended me in the group chat were gone. Gary had fired them all on trumped-up charges. I messaged each of them. They told me Gary and Scott had ordered them not to contact me, threatening to blacklist them from the industry if they did. To appease Sophie, they had no problem sacrificing loyal, veteran employees. After that public execution, no one else dared to cross them for my sake. One of them even tried to kick me while I was down. “Mina, you missed Sophie’s last celebration. You’d better toast her properly tonight. If she hadn’t closed that deal, who knows what else you would have had to… sacrifice.” His insinuation brought back the disgusting things I’d overheard in the restroom earlier that day. “Mina has some serious nerve, showing her face after hiding for so long.” “What does she need a face for? She’s the type who just spreads her legs to close a deal.” … Ignoring the stares, I poured myself a glass of soda and took a small sip. Gary’s face went cold. He snatched the glass and poured it out. Scott seamlessly filled it back up with hard liquor. “You nearly drove Sophie to suicide today. A drink to apologize isn’t too much to ask, is it?” “Besides, you owe her one from the last party you skipped.” Without a second thought, I threw the drink in Scott’s face. “Who the hell is she to deserve a toast from me?” Everyone gasped. Gary, ever the stoic one, just poured another glass and pushed it toward me. “Mina, this is for team unity. You’re drinking it, whether you like it or not.” Sophie put on a show of defending me. “Gary, it’s okay. I know Ms. Thorne looks down on me. If she doesn’t want to drink, let’s just drop it. It’s not worth fighting over.” But Scott, dripping with alcohol, wasn’t having it. 3 Furious, he grabbed me when I wasn’t looking and forced the glass to my lips, pouring the liquor down my throat. “You, who sell your body for contracts, what right do you have to look down on Sophie?” The two men who once feared a single drop of alcohol might harm me were now force-feeding it to me for Sophie’s sake. And their words were just as foul. The fiery liquid burned a path from my throat to my stomach. A cold sweat broke out on my forehead. But neither of them noticed my distress. They were too busy pouring Sophie her favorite juice. Sophie downed her drink in one go, then smiled sweetly at me. “Ms. Thorne, thank you for your sacrifice. I’ll work even harder from now on.” Anyone else would think she was just talking about the office, but I saw something more in her eyes. She was determined to conquer Gary and Scott. “Well then, I wish you a speedy promotion to Mrs. Boss.” I finished, clutching my stomach as I tried to get to the restroom. Gary blocked my path. “You had two sips of alcohol. Is that an excuse to talk nonsense and then fake being sick?” The burning pain in my stomach was nothing compared to the ache in my heart. I looked up at Gary, my eyes stinging. “I just got out of the hospital for a bleeding ulcer, and you force me to drink?” His hand, holding me back, froze. “Can’t you come up with a more believable excuse? You’ve been drinking for years and never had a problem before.” Scott, the one who’d poured the drink down my throat, also accused me of lying. “I barely got a drop in you. You can drink anyone under the table. Don’t be so dramatic.” Of course it wasn’t dramatic. They weren’t the ones in pain. It used to be that when Scott saw me drinking with clients, he’d ask, “Mina, there will always be other clients. Is one deal worth all this?” Back then, he and Gary would look at me, drunk and exhausted, with tears in their eyes. They’d make me hangover soup, take turns staying up all night by my side, just to hand me a glass of warm water when I was thirsty. The next day, they’d go to the office with dark circles under their eyes and work like madmen, terrified of wasting my efforts. We survived the hardest parts of building a company from scratch. The two men who swore they’d marry only me were now using Sophie as a weapon to destroy me. “I just need to use the restroom. Is that so dramatic?” My stomach was cramping so badly I could barely speak, leaning against the wall just to stay upright. A male colleague was the first to notice something was wrong and got up to help me. But Gary pushed him away, refusing to let him touch me. “Mina, is this your trick? You get drunk, play the damsel in distress, and that’s how you land your male clients?” The colleague who tried to help me flushed with embarrassment. “Gary, I think you’re mistaken. Look at her, she really doesn’t look well.” Scott scoffed. “She knows she’s embarrassed herself. She’s just putting on a show.” I couldn’t blame him for not seeing it. For years, no matter how sick I felt after drinking, I’d always powered through it like a soldier. This was the path I chose, and I was determined to see it through. I loved the grind of a startup; I loved the validation that came with success. In their eyes, I was made of steel. Sophie, having enjoyed the drama long enough, now played the part of the concerned friend, pushing a cup of hot water into my hands. “Ms. Thorne, no matter how you landed the deal, you’re a hero to this company. We’re all grateful for your contribution.” Her words were like gasoline on a fire. Gary, who had been supporting me, snatched his hand away as if I were contaminated. “Since you don’t want to be here, you should just go home.” He then marched over to the sink and began scrubbing his hands obsessively. Under the contemptuous gazes of everyone in the room, I clutched my stomach and turned to leave. But Sophie wouldn’t let me go. As she grabbed me, the scalding water from her cup sloshed out, and I instinctively pushed her away. The hot water splashed all over both our hands. Scott rushed over, yelling for a waiter to bring an ice pack for Sophie. He didn’t see that most of the water had landed on my hand. Sophie had a red spot the size of a quarter. My entire hand was crimson. Gary came back from washing his hands, saw Sophie on the verge of tears, and his anger finally boiled over. 4 “Mina, have you no shame? Sophie was trying to help you, and you have to attack her?” In that moment, a wave of grief and betrayal washed over me. I fought back the tears, a bitter smile on my face. Seeing me smile, Gary dragged me in front of Sophie. “I don’t know how you can find the nerve to smile. Apologize to Sophie. Now.” Scott, busy applying ice to Sophie’s hand, chimed in, “She has to apologize! If a girl gets a scar from a burn, it’s a disaster!” My hand was trembling as I held it out, showing them the angry red burn. Scott didn’t even look. He just slapped it away. The impact sent a fresh wave of searing pain through my hand. Gary watched me like a hawk. “What? You won’t apologize? Are you going to hit her again?” I shouldn’t have even tried to show them I was hurt too. A colleague sitting nearby saw my burn and spoke up hesitantly. “Gary, Mina’s hand is burned too…” Gary frowned, and for a second, instinct took over. He grabbed my hand to inspect it. I saw a flicker of concern in his eyes. But then Sophie let out a pained hiss, and he dropped my hand like it was hot coal. “Serves you right! If you hadn’t been causing trouble, you wouldn’t have gotten burned. You’re a menace to yourself and everyone else. Just looking at you is annoying.” “Apologize and get out.” An apology was impossible. But I wouldn’t humiliate myself any further. Seeing my defiance, Sophie pouted, feigning strength. “Gary, I’m fine. You should take Mina to the hospital. Burns really, really hurt… ah!” Her sudden cry of pain sent Gary and Scott into a panic, both scrambling to check her hand again. In the chaos, someone even called 911. I had no interest in watching the rest of their farce. I turned and walked away without a second thought. Sometime during dinner, it had started to rain. As I stood outside, wondering if I should just make a run for it, Scott came out. I thought for a moment that his conscience had kicked in. But he just threw a jacket at me. “Get your things together. Stop leaving stuff everywhere and expecting me and Gary to clean up after you.” I glanced down at my light-colored blazer, now soaked with red wine, and tossed it into the nearest trash can. Scott was furious. “Mina, what is your problem?” He and Gary had given me that custom-made suit together. They used to fight over whose gifts I wore. Eventually, they started splitting the cost of everything so there would be no question of favoritism. “It’s stained. It’s trash.” Just like them. Their hearts were stained, and it was time to throw them away. For a split second, I saw a look of loss on Scott’s face, as if he’d just lost something precious. But his attention was quickly drawn back to Sophie. I ran out into the rain, caught a cab, and went home. I took some medicine for my stomach and held an ice pack on my hand until the throbbing subsided. The next morning, I woke up to a flood of texts from unknown numbers. They were all flirtatious, some explicitly sexual. A stranger sent me a link to a website. My private information, my photo, had been posted on a porn site. The photo… if I remembered correctly, Gary and Scott had taken it for me. I called them to confront them. They denied everything, then turned it back on me. “Mina, can you please be more careful about your private life? This is really bad for the company’s image.” “You should stay away from the office for a while.” I’d already sold my shares. I had no reason to be their workhorse anymore. “Fine.” My easy agreement seemed to stun them. They had expected a fight, not this cheerful, unburdened tone. It was as if a massive weight had been lifted from my shoulders. “Mina, you…” Gary started to say something, but Sophie called his name, and he immediately hung up. They had shown me no loyalty. I would show them no mercy. Spreading revenge porn, leaking my private information… they really thought I was a pushover. I handed everything over to the police and my lawyers, then packed my bags and flew to the capital to get married.

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In my last life, I let some wiry-looking mystic talk me into buying a black-and-white yin-yang koi for a fortune. My in-laws screamed at me, calling me a gold digger, good for nothing but spending money. But then, just before the heatwave apocalypse hit, my koi began to change. It started spitting out an endless stream of gold coins, getting our entire family through the first crisis. When the koi fully transformed, it could not only conjure pure, clean water but also cool the air around it. No matter how scorching it got outside, our home remained a cool oasis. I thought we had survived the worst of it. But I never imagined my husband, Mark, would secretly bind himself to the koi, throw me out of the house, and leave me to bake to death under the searing sun. Reborn into this life, I’ve hidden my lucky koi away. This time, I’m going to watch them all burn. 1 “Young lady, I see a special destiny in you. A path of great wealth and fortune, but alas, shadowed by a great trial. If you survive this calamity, your future will be boundless!” A man who looked like a wandering mystic waved a worn wooden staff at me, trying to sell me the black-and-white koi swimming in a small bag. “I have something that can help you weather this storm. This koi would normally be a thousand dollars, but for you, a special price! Only two hundred!” Hearing those familiar words, I knew. I was back. Reborn just moments before buying the lucky koi. A wave of delirious joy washed over me. I immediately pulled the last $200 from my pocket and bought my ticket to survival. When I got home, just as I expected, I walked right into a storm of abuse from my husband and his parents. My mother-in-law’s eyes were cold slits as she eyed my empty shopping bag. “Where is the expensive collagen supplement I asked for? I was planning on having it in my tea today!” Mark’s brow furrowed, his voice sharp with accusation. “You useless woman, you dare to defy my mother now? Where is the supplement she asked you to buy?” I was smarter this time. I didn’t tell them I’d spent the $200 on a useless ornamental fish. Instead, I pulled a crumpled, cheap-looking box from my other pocket and handed it to her. She wouldn’t know the difference anyway; this cheap powder looked close enough to the real thing. Sure enough, she scowled at the box. “This is it? Are you trying to fool me? It looks like dust.” Her thick, rough hand shot out and twisted my arm, hard. I yelped in pain but kept my face a mask of innocence. “No, that’s the real stuff! The store owner said it was his private stash. I wanted to get you the best, so I begged him to give me a discount!” She eyed me with suspicion but finally let go with a snort. “Fine. You’re good for something, I guess. Now go make dinner.” Free from the old hag, I went to the kitchen. But first, I carefully found a discreet black container and filled it with water for my precious koi. This little fish was my savior. Last time, it was the only reason my heartless husband and his vile parents made it through the heatwave apocalypse. Thinking about my past life made my teeth ache with rage. Back then, after I brought the koi home, they berated me endlessly for wasting money. They even tried to feed it to the neighbor’s cat. I had to fight tooth and nail just to keep it alive. That was the beginning of it all. As the apocalypse drew nearer, animals all over the world began to mutate at an alarming rate. Zoo bears grew sentient and escaped, killing dozens. It was then that my family discovered, to their shock, that my little koi could spit out solid gold coins. When the world was melting, we were the only ones with the air conditioning blasting and cold sodas in our hands, all thanks to that fish. When the apocalypse truly arrived and global temperatures soared to 140°F, the koi in the tank underwent its final transformation. It grew human-like legs and simply walked out of the water. With a single flick of its wrist, it created a bubble of water that cooled our sweltering house in an instant. Not only that, but the water was perfectly pure—a resource rarer than gold in the new world. We were ecstatic. We could survive, even thrive, in this hellscape. But I had underestimated the depths of their depravity. The koi became a symbol of power, a coveted prize. My husband, Mark, became the object of every desperate woman’s desire. They threw themselves at him, trading their bodies for a sip of clean water and a moment of cool air. But the koi would only listen to me, a fact that infuriated them. So they hatched a plan. Behind my back, they performed a ritual, forcibly binding the koi to Mark. Then they threw me out the door and left me to be cooked alive by the unforgiving sun. This time, I’ve hidden the koi. This time, they will be the ones to suffer the slow, agonizing burn. 2 After making dinner, I carefully hid the koi in its container under the kitchen sink cabinet. No one would ever find it there. Ever since I’d married into this family, my mother-in-law hadn’t set foot in the kitchen. Mark and his father? Forget about it. In two days, my koi would start producing gold. The thought made me giddy. Finally, I would get to watch this family get exactly what they deserved. Sure enough, two days later, I found the first small, gleaming gold coins at the bottom of the container. My new life was beginning. Without a moment’s hesitation, I called a real estate agent. I needed a remote property, something out in the country. The more secluded, the better. The agent was baffled by my request and tried to upsell me on luxury suburban homes, but I shut him down. I knew that when the world ended, the real monsters weren’t the mutated beasts; they were the desperate people left behind. Only by isolating myself could I be truly safe. I took the gold to a buyer and converted it into cash—nearly half a million dollars. It was a good start, but it was only enough for the property itself. There was still so much to do. After securing the remote house, I used the subsequent flow of gold to establish two fronts: a stray animal rescue and a private zoo. I knew that when the mutations began, even humans would be no match for the awakened animals. They would be my only true protectors. As the global temperature began its steady, unnerving climb, the koi produced more and more gold. My time was running out. The heatwave was coming. I needed to stockpile everything. I contacted the largest food and general goods suppliers in the region and offered them exorbitant prices for fresh produce, meat, and supplies. Whatever they had, I wanted. The more, the better. Lured by the massive profits, they soon had trucks delivering pallets of goods to a discreet location. I had to buy a separate underground warehouse just to store it all. But a new problem arose. When the apocalypse hit, the power grid would fail. How would I keep all this fresh food from spoiling? The solution came to me quickly. I found a hydraulic engineer and brought him out to my new property. I needed a small-scale hydroelectric power station built on the nearby creek. With the koi’s endless supply of water, I was confident I could keep it running indefinitely. The engineer was skeptical. “Miss, it’s possible, but even the smallest plant takes at least six months to build. You want this done in two?” I promised him a ridiculous sum of money, but he still hesitated. So I dropped the pretense. I opened a briefcase and dumped three hundred thousand dollars in cash on the table between us. His eyes nearly popped out of his head. “You just build it. As fast as possible. It’s for a… business venture I have. I need it done in two months. This is your deposit. If you finish early, I’ll add a twenty percent bonus to your final payment.” Money talks. The engineer had probably never seen a client like me. He snapped out of his daze and started nodding frantically. “Money! You should have just said so! For this kind of cash, we’ll build you a ladder to the moon! I’m calling my partners right now! There’s plenty to go around!” He immediately got on the phone, assembling multiple construction crews. When there’s a client this rich, you don’t just take a slice of the pie; you call everyone you know to the feast. “Don’t you worry, miss,” he assured me, his tone completely changed. “We’ll have three crews working in rotating 24-hour shifts. Two months? We’ll have it done in two weeks!” I nodded, satisfied. Soon, the property was swarming with workers, drilling and building around the clock. As I watched them work, I couldn’t help but smile. I wondered what Mark and his family would think when the world was burning, and they found out I was living a life of luxury with electricity, fresh water, and a mountain of food. 3 The power station was completed ahead of schedule. I filled my new home with industrial-sized freezers, all packed with meat and vegetables. To stave off the inevitable boredom of the apocalypse, I also stocked up on non-essentials: video game consoles, books, and board games. I went to a wholesale liquidator and bought out the entire inventory of a closing department store. You never knew when you’d need new clothes. Then, a pharmacy, where I cleared the shelves of common medications. Finally, I went online and ordered a massive variety of fruit and vegetable seeds. In the new world, fresh produce would be priceless. With my seeds and the koi’s water, I’d have a monopoly on a healthy diet. As the final days approached, I began gathering my protectors. I adopted dozens of stray cats and dogs, ensuring my supplies would never be targeted. The zoo housed younger animals—a Siberian tiger cub and two black bear cubs. It was best to raise them from infancy. I spent time with them every day, feeding them by hand, forging a bond. I was also feeding the strays in my current neighborhood. One day, while coaxing a new tabby cat to eat from a plate of fresh ground beef, I saw my next-door neighbor, Isabel. The pretty widow. She and I had always been at odds. In my past life, she was the one who constantly whispered poison into Mark’s ear, the one who encouraged him to throw me out. Seeing me feed prime meat to a stray was more than she could handle. “Are you insane?” she screeched from her doorway. “You’re feeding that to an animal? People would kill for that meat!” “You’re the one who’s insane,” I shot back. “Oh, talking back now, are we? No wonder your mother-in-law calls you a waste of money. It’s true! No sense at all, feeding good food to a cat!” Without waiting for a reply, she slammed her door. My blood ran cold. She was going to tattle. Before she was a widow, Isabel had been Mark’s first love. His mother had refused to let him marry a divorcée, which is how I ended up in the picture. Sure enough, minutes later, Mark and his parents stormed over, their faces thunderous. Isabel had clearly put on a show, crying about my wastefulness. Mark didn’t hesitate. He kicked the food bowl, sending meat scattering across the pavement. “People in this house barely get to eat this well, and you’re feeding it to a cat? You pathetic, wasteful woman! Do I have to beat some sense into you?” A familiar ache spread through me as his fists rained down on my body. Isabel watched from the side, adding fuel to the fire. “It’s such a shame. If I were your wife, I would never waste such good meat on an animal. I’d save it to honor my husband’s parents!” That line hit my mother-in-law like a love potion. She beamed at Isabel, then glared at me with pure disgust. “Useless baggage! Can’t even produce a child! No gratitude! I should have let my son marry Isabel. What good are you?” I gritted my teeth, pure hatred burning in my eyes. Their time was almost up. I would make them pay. After the beating, I became more discreet about feeding the strays, but I didn’t stop. And slowly, I earned their trust. Meanwhile, the temperature began its relentless climb. It started at a manageable 85°F, but that was already enough to make my family miserable. They refused to leave the air-conditioned house. But after a solid week of oppressive heat that only seemed to intensify each day, everyone started to realize this wasn’t a normal summer. Then, the experts appeared on the news. “After extensive research, we can confirm that the Earth has entered a new thermal apocalyptic era. Scholars have noted that many species are beginning to undergo various degrees of mutation.” “We remain confident that if humanity can survive this period, our civilization will evolve to a higher level.”

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It was 3 a.m. when the class president, Megan, suddenly dropped a message in the group chat: graduation photos, the day after tomorrow, in the morning. A second message followed with a payment link: $50 per person. I replied, telling her I had my thesis defense that day and asked if we could possibly reschedule. Her response was blunt. “Is your time the only time that matters? If you can’t make it, get lost.” Wanting to fit in, just this once, I paid the fee and went through hell to reschedule my defense. But when the day of the photoshoot arrived, a classmate told me: “Oh, the graduation photos? We already took them yesterday.” … I had spent an hour on my makeup, wanting to look my best. But when I arrived at the campus quad, breathless under the brutal sun, there was no one there. I pulled out my phone and checked the notification again. [The day after tomorrow at 10 a.m., meet on the quad for graduation photos.] I scrolled down. There were no other messages about a change in plans. I was in the right place at the right time. So where was everyone? Refusing to believe it, I thought maybe they’d moved to the gym to escape the heat. Not wanting to be late, I hurried over. But the gym was empty except for a few underclassmen playing basketball. The sun was a weight on my shoulders. Sweat trickled down my back, soaking the crisp white shirt I’d picked out specially for the photos. My carefully applied makeup was now a sticky, streaky mess on my face. My patience snapped. I called my roommate, Lily. “Hello, Sarah?” Lily’s voice was hesitant, laced with guilt. “Lily, where are you guys? Did the time for the photos change? Why is the quad empty?” I tried to keep my voice from trembling. Silence on the other end for a few seconds. “Um… Sarah, actually… we took them yesterday.” “Yesterday?” My voice shot up, drawing stares from a few students nearby. “But Megan’s message clearly said today…” “Megan sent another notification in the private chat to change the time. She must have… forgotten to add you to that one.” Lily’s voice grew smaller and smaller. My hand holding the phone began to shake. It was happening again. Ever since my sophomore year, when I’d refused to pay Megan’s unreasonable fee for a class event, I had been the target of her little clique. But this was too much. Graduation photos were a once-in-a-lifetime thing. “What about my fifty dollars?” I asked, biting my lip. “You’ll… you’ll have to ask Megan about that.” Lily quickly muttered something about being busy and hung up. I stood there, frozen, feeling all the blood rush to my head. Fifty dollars wasn’t a small amount for me. It was three days’ pay from my part-time job. But what hurt more was the knowledge that I would never be in our graduation yearbook. The entire class would remember me as Sarah, the weirdo who didn’t even show up for her own graduation photo. Taking a deep breath, I opened my chat with Megan. The last message was still her sharp “If you can’t make it, get lost.” My fingers trembled with rage as I typed. “Megan, why wasn’t I notified that the time for the photos had changed? I paid the fee. Why was I left out?” The “typing…” bubble appeared, then stopped. Appeared, then stopped again. Five full minutes passed before she replied: “Maybe you should check the group chat. It’s not my fault you’re antisocial.” I stared at the message, my eyes burning. I decided to take this to my student advisor. His office door was slightly ajar. As I raised my hand to knock, I heard Megan’s sweet, syrupy voice from inside. “Mr. Davis, over the past four years, I’ve organized more than twenty class activities and even won the Outstanding Student Leader award…” I pushed the door open. Megan was sitting across from my advisor, a pile of documents spread across his desk. They both looked up. The smile on Megan’s face froze. “Sarah?” Mr. Davis looked surprised. “Is something wrong?” I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. “Mr. Davis, I’m here to report an issue of targeted bullying by the class president, Megan.” I struggled to keep my voice steady. “She collected the fee for graduation photos but deliberately failed to inform me of the correct time, resulting in my absence from the class picture.” Megan shot to her feet. “That’s a lie! It was your own fault for not reading the group chat messages!” “Which group chat?” I looked her straight in the eye. “The private one that I’m not a part of?” Megan’s expression faltered. She turned to the advisor. “Mr. Davis, our class has three group chats. Sarah left two of them on her own…” “I never left any group chat,” I cut her off. “You kicked me out. During the sophomore year class dinner, you demanded everyone pay eighty dollars. When I questioned the cost, you kicked me out of the group.” Megan sneered, but her face crumpled into a mask of grievance when she turned back to the advisor. “You see, Mr. Davis? This is what she does. She always finds fault with everything I do for the class.” “That dinner was at a high-end restaurant. Eighty dollars wasn’t even enough. I had to supplement it with class funds…” “You’re lying!” My voice trembled with anger. “The actual cost per person was less than fifty dollars, and you never showed us the bill!” Mr. Davis frowned. “Alright, that’s enough. Graduation is just around the corner. Let’s not argue over such trivial matters.” “You’re both at fault. Megan, you should have made sure every student was notified about the photos…” “I did notify everyone!” Megan suddenly pulled out her phone. “See? I sent a notification in the main year-group chat and tagged everyone. Is it my fault if she muted the chat?” I leaned in to look. She had, in fact, posted a brief, one-line message in the massive year-group chat. But that chat was constantly spammed with ads and irrelevant announcements; I’d muted it ages ago. “And,” Megan added triumphantly, “I even had her roommate go to her dorm room to get her before the photos yesterday. She wasn’t there.” My head snapped toward her. “Who came to get me? I was in my room all day yesterday preparing for my thesis defense!” “Lily said she knocked for ages and no one answered,” Megan shrugged. “Maybe you had your headphones on.” I was shaking with fury. Lily had never come to my door. Megan seized the opportunity. “Mr. Davis, as you know, Sarah never participates in class activities. We always have to chase her down for everything.” “For the graduation photos, she was the only one in the entire class who asked to change the time…” “That’s because I had my defense!” I was so angry my voice was shaking. “And didn’t I reschedule it to accommodate everyone else in the end?” “Alright, alright.” Mr. Davis cut us off, his frown deepening. “The photos have been taken. There’s no use arguing about it now.” He looked at me. “Sarah, you need to learn to be a team player. It’s a shame to go through four years of college without a single graduation photo.” I stared at him in disbelief. “Mr. Davis, this isn’t my fault…” “Megan has been a very responsible class president,” he said, patting her shoulder. “How about this? I’ll have the photographer Photoshop you into the picture. We’ll cover the cost with class funds.” “What about my fifty dollars?” I pressed. Megan immediately cut in. “That’s already been paid to the photographer. It’s non-refundable.” Mr. Davis nodded. “That’s right. The photographer did his job.” I stood there, a chill spreading through my body. This was the university I had spent four years at. These were the teacher and classmates I had known for four years. “Don’t bother with the Photoshop,” I said softly. “I’m not paying for a fake memory.” As I turned to leave, I heard Megan say behind me, “You see, Mr. Davis? That’s her attitude. She just doesn’t want to fit in…” When I got back to my dorm, Lily was sitting on the edge of my bed, holding a beautifully wrapped gift box. “Sarah…” She stood up awkwardly. “I’m so sorry. I was going to come find you, but something came up…” I silently walked around her and started clearing things off my desk. “This is for you,” she said, pushing the box toward me. “Everyone in our dorm got one…” I stopped what I was doing and looked at the box with its pink silk ribbon. “Did you really come to find me yesterday?” I asked quietly. Lily’s fingers twisted together. “I… I did go, but you weren’t there…” “I was in the dorm all day yesterday,” I said, looking directly into her eyes. “From eight in the morning until ten at night. I even ordered in for lunch.” Her face flushed a deep red. “Maybe… maybe I got the time wrong…” “Lily,” I cut her off. “For four years, how many times have I saved you a seat in the library? How many times have I helped you with your homework?” Her head sank lower. “Last semester, when you had that high fever, who took you to the hospital in the middle of the night?” My voice began to tremble. “Who stayed with you in the emergency room until dawn?” A single tear hit the floor. “I’m sorry…” she whispered, starting to sob. “It was Megan… she said not to bother telling you… she said you never fit in anyway…” I took a deep breath and pushed the gift box back toward her. “No, thank you.” Just as I was about to ask her to leave, my phone vibrated. A new notification from Megan in the class group chat: [For those who paid, you can come to the studio this afternoon for individual and group portraits.] The chat exploded with cheers and thank-you emojis. Lily quickly grabbed my hand. “I’ll go with you this afternoon…” I coldly pulled my hand away. “I’ll go by myself.” After all, I had paid my fifty dollars. At three o’clock that afternoon, I went to the campus photo studio alone. From a distance, I could see my classmates gathered in small groups, laughing as they looked through their newly received yearbooks. But the moment I pushed the door open, the noisy room fell silent for a beat. More than twenty pairs of eyes shot toward me, then quickly looked away. A few stifled giggles floated in the air. I had no idea what was going on. I walked straight to Laura, the class treasurer, who was handing out the yearbooks. She was one of Megan’s best friends and had often joined in on the bullying. Today, Laura wore a full face of makeup and her graduation gown, surrounded by a group of admiring girls. Seeing me approach, a flicker of panic crossed her face, quickly replaced by her usual condescending smirk. “Well, well, look who finally decided to show up,” Laura said, her voice loud enough for everyone to hear. “I thought you didn’t want one.” I held out my hand calmly. “My yearbook, please.” Laura let out an exaggerated sigh and handed me a copy from the table. “Here you go. We saved one just for you.” I opened it. The first page was the class photo. My picture had been Photoshopped into the back-row corner—a grainy, pixelated image clearly lifted from my student ID card. It was blown up to the point of distortion, my face a ghostly white that contrasted sharply with everyone else’s natural smiles. To make it worse, they had Photoshopped a pair of ridiculous bunny ears on top of my head. A wave of suppressed laughter rippled through the room. I looked up and saw several classmates covering their mouths, while others were holding up their phones, taking pictures of me. “So, what do you think? Satisfied?” Laura asked, raising an eyebrow in triumph. “I personally asked the photographer to give it some special attention.” My fingers gripped the edge of the yearbook so tightly my knuckles turned white. “This is what my fifty dollars paid for?” I heard my own voice, eerily calm. Laura just shrugged. “You think Photoshop is free? Do you have any idea how much overtime the photographer had to work?” “Give me my money back.” I slammed the yearbook down on the table. “Or I’m going to the Dean’s Office right now to report you and Megan for embezzling class funds.” Laura’s face paled. “What are you talking about? Every cent of the class funds is accounted for!” I didn’t want to argue with her anymore. I went to find Megan. She was chatting animatedly with the photographer. The moment she saw me, she cut me off, her expression instantly hostile. She lifted her chin. “We’re doing individual portraits here. Unauthorized personnel are not welcome.” “I paid,” I said, looking her straight in the eye. “Fifty dollars. Same as everyone else.” Megan let out a snort, crossing her arms. “Sarah, get it through your head. The fifty dollars only covers the group photo. Individual portraits are extra. Got it?” She raised her voice deliberately, drawing the attention of the other students. “We were being generous by Photoshopping you in at all. What more do you want?” I clenched my fists. “Then why does everyone else get an individual portrait?” “Because they paid the extra fee,” Megan said, rolling her eyes. “If you’re broke, don’t come here and embarrass yourself. Now get out.” A few students snickered. I felt the blood rush to my head. Megan continued her taunts, her voice low enough for only me to hear. “Some people are just so antisocial. Four years of college and not a single decent photo to show for it. How pathetic.” “Give me my fifty dollars back!” I forced the words out, my voice trembling with suppressed fury. “Since you already took the group photo and made me look like a joke, just give me a refund!” Megan’s eyes went wide in mock surprise. “Sarah, have you no shame? You’re in the graduation photo, aren’t you? Do you think Photoshop is free? Do you think the photographer works for free?” “That was my student ID picture! And you deliberately made a mockery of it!” I pointed to the ridiculous bunny ears in the yearbook. “What is this supposed to be?” “It was just a joke. Why are you so serious?” Megan pouted. “You’re the only one in the whole class who can’t take a joke.” The snickering around me grew louder. I felt like a circus animal on display. “Refund my money!” I raised my voice. “Or I’m reporting you for embezzling class funds!” “Go ahead, report me!” Megan laughed as if it were the funniest thing she’d ever heard. “Let’s see who’s going to listen to you!” Our argument grew louder, finally attracting the attention of the department head, Mr. Evans, and the Dean, who were in the adjacent studio. Mr. Evans strode over, his brow furrowed. “What’s going on here? I could hear you shouting from down the hall.” Megan’s face changed instantly, her eyes welling up with tears. “Mr. Evans, Sarah is demanding a refund for the graduation photos… but they’ve already been taken, and the money has been paid to the photographer…” She added with a sniffle, “We were nice enough to Photoshop her in, and she’s not even grateful…” Mr. Evans turned to me, his expression disapproving. “Sarah, that’s not right. The graduation photo is a group activity. You can’t ask for a refund for personal reasons.” I took a deep breath. “Mr. Evans, they took my money but didn’t tell me the right time for the photo. The class photo uses my ID picture, and they intentionally made it look ridiculous to humiliate me.” “Furthermore, I know for a fact that the class president and treasurer have been embezzling class funds.”

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