Chapter 1

"Serena, Vivian just got back and has nowhere to stay. She'll take the master bedroom for a few days. You move to the guest room."

Two in the morning. Garrett Ashford pushed through the front door reeking of alcohol and perfume.

Behind him stood Vivian Blake, all doe-eyed innocence.

She tugged at Garrett's sleeve in a show of bashfulness, though her eyes locked onto me with pure challenge. "Garrett, this doesn't feel right. Won't Serena be upset?"

Garrett scoffed, tossing his suit jacket onto the couch without sparing me a glance. "Her? She has no right to be upset. Just a decoration who clawed her way into the Ashford family through an arranged marriage."

Any normal wife would have broken down crying or gone for both their throats.

But I didn't.

I stood there in my silk pajamas, lips curving into a smile so perfect it could have been measured with a protractor.

"Of course, honey."

I stepped forward, took his jacket—stained with alcohol and lipstick—hung it up neatly. Then I went to the kitchen and brought out the hangover soup I'd been keeping warm, setting it on the coffee table.

"The soup is the perfect temperature. I've already prepared the guest room for Ms. Blake with fresh silk bedding and a full set of toiletries. If you need anything else, just let me know."

My voice was gentle, steady, without the faintest ripple.

Garrett's hand froze around the soup bowl. His brow knotted. He stared at my face, searching for any crack in the composure, any trace of pretending.

"Serena, what kind of game are you playing now?" he growled through clenched teeth.

I held that perfect smile. "I'm simply fulfilling my duties as your wife. Goodnight."

I turned and walked to the guest room, closing the door behind me.

Outside, Vivian's triumphant giggle and Garrett's frustrated glass-smashing bled through the door.

"What the hell is her problem!" His snarl cut through the wood.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, in the penthouse suite of the Four Seasons Paris—

The real me, Serena Whitmore, was soaking in a rose-petal bath, swirling a glass of Romanée-Conti.

Ding—

The iPad propped beside the tub lit up.

A daily operations report from [ASHFORD UNIT 001]:

[Tasks completed today: Meals prepared—3. House cleaned—2. Garrett's clothing laundered (including lipstick-stained shirt from Vivian Blake)—1. Hangover soup prepared—1.]

[Emotion module status: Locked in "Graceful Devotion" mode.]

[Garrett Ashford anger index: 85% (and rising).]

I couldn't help but laugh.

Three years ago, my family had forced me into marrying Garrett Ashford, a man whose heart belonged to someone else.

On our wedding night, he'd laid down the rules: "Serena, aside from the Ashford name, I'm giving you nothing. Keep your head down and stay out of my way."

He expected me to wither like a neglected housewife—crying into my pillow every night, or degrading myself fighting for his attention.

What he didn't know was that I was a world-class AI engineer.

Two months after the wedding, using the latest in biomimetic technology and my own genetic data, I built a one-to-one replica of myself—an AI Serena.

She had my exact appearance, voice, even my body temperature.

But she had no pain receptors, no emotions—just the core programming I'd hardcoded into her: Absolute obedience to Garrett Ashford. Be a wife so flawless it's infuriating.

The real me? I took the $5,000,000-a-month "neglect allowance" Garrett transferred into my account and traveled the world—shopping, attending fashion weeks, investing, dating gorgeous men.

As for the man who could only offer silent treatment, infidelity, and rage?

I left him to the AI. Machines don't get tired, and they certainly don't get their hearts broken.