Chapter 1

When I didn’t take the check, Yvonne Foster urged, “Hurry up and take it.”

I pulled my hand back. “I thought about it. Taking someone else’s money for no reason doesn’t feel right.”

The expression on Yvonne’s face stiffened for a second before she forced out another smile. “Is it not enough? I’ll give you another two hundred thousand. Leave right now.”

I stood up and opened the door. “You’re not welcome in my home. Please leave.”

The next second, I heard Yvonne’s furious inner thoughts through gritted teeth.

[What the hell is wrong with this bitch? Don’t tell me she thinks four hundred thousand still isn’t enough? Poor girls really are greedy!]

[Whatever. Sooner or later, she’ll spit every cent back out.]

She looked at me with disdain. “Name your price. How much do you want?”

I rejected her coldly. “No matter how much you offer, I won’t take it.”

Yvonne’s face flushed red with anger. “Don’t be so ungrateful. Once the Carters come looking for you, you’ll be dead. I’m doing this for your own good!”

For my own good? More like she wanted me dead so she could take my place and marry Joshua.

I had just opened my mouth to speak when hurried footsteps echoed from the staircase.

A moment later, dozens of bodyguards appeared before me in perfect formation.

Good lord. I’d only ever seen scenes like this in dramas.

The middle-aged man leading them looked at me and said, “Miss Shaw, Mr. Carter would like to see you. Please come with us.”

Before I could answer, Yvonne leaned close to my ear and whispered, “Don’t go. If you do, you’ll never come back.”

The memory of my miserable death in my previous life sent a chill through my body. There was no way I’d be stupid enough to trust her again.

I turned to the man and said, “I’ll go with you.”

Yvonne lunged at me like she’d gone mad, trying to grab my arm, but I dodged her immediately. “I don’t know you. Please stop interfering in my business.”

Then I left with them.

Yvonne stamped her feet in jealousy behind me.

I was brought to a luxurious mansion. My family had always been poor, and I’d never seen much of the world growing up. Even after stepping into the grand, extravagant living room, my mind was still spinning.

Joshua Carter sat on the sofa in a dark suit, his neatly styled short hair immaculate. The pressure he gave off was overwhelming.

He lifted his eyes to look at me, his expression indifferent.

“The person who entered my room last night… was that you?”

I nodded hard. “It was me.”

In my previous life, I took Yvonne’s check and lied to Joshua, denying everything.

Yvonne stepped forward and claimed she was the one who entered his room. Joshua believed her completely, and not long after, the two of them got married.

Meanwhile, I died consumed by bitterness and regret.

Joshua looked at me and said, “What happened last night was an accident, but I’ll take responsibility for it. We’ll hold the wedding in a month.”

Yvonne had just walked in when she heard those words, and she nearly exploded with rage.

But I had no time to care about her. My mind was filled with one thought only.

Joshua really was going to marry me.

The thoughts I heard were real.

In my previous life, I was killed by Yvonne before I even had the chance to learn the truth.

This time, I was going to marry Joshua and become the wife of one of Kingsford’s wealthiest men.

Yvonne desperately shot me warning looks, trying to get me to refuse Joshua.