Chapter 3

"If I didn't have a very important meeting now that I just can't leave, I would have come along with Fred and gotten even with them on your behalf!" Dexter said, his voice tight with anger.

I quickly calmed him down. "Dexter, you can tell Fred to go back first. You need to have someone by your side. Just leave a few bodyguards with me and I'll be fine.

Then I added, "Also, Dexter, I don't want to marry Liam anymore. I like his uncle instead."

Dexter was shocked at first. However, he soon chuckled and said, "It's good that you came to this conclusion yourself. I knew as soon as I saw that brat that he couldn't be trusted.

"Since you don't like him anymore, I'll withdraw all of the resources our family has provided to them and teach him that this is the consequence of bullying my little sister!"

We ended the call after the discussion was over.

Liam had let me down twice, both in this life and in my previous one. He only had eyes for his childhood friend, Candace, and couldn't care less about the time that we had both spent together as a couple. In fact, he even humiliated me on purpose.

Since I had been reborn, I wasn't going to let him get away with it this time!

To my surprise, Liam came looking for me before I had the chance to confront him.

He was angry, and his face was twisted in an ugly sneer. He raised his hand and slapped me hard across the face.

"Are you out of your mind, Denise Ashford? You've already stolen 20 years of Candy's life, and that wasn't enough for you? How could you hire thugs to bully her?

"Just wait until Mr. Ashford learns about this! He'll never forgive you! You can go ahead and jump into the fire if you want to, but don't you dare drag me into your mess!"

The slap stung so badly that I tasted blood. So, I slapped him back equally as hard with a disdainful smile on my lips.

"You believed her just because she said that she was the true heiress of the Ashford family? You both literally grew up together. Do you even think she looks remotely similar to Dexter?"

Liam frowned, his tone impatient. "Stop trying to defend yourself. Candy has already done the DNA test."

After a brief pause, he then said with an air of pretense, "I know it's hard for you to step away from the life of luxury that you've been used to. How about this?

"If you return Candace's true identity to her, I'll still keep you around even if I can't marry you anymore. Still, I promise that your life won't be any worse off than when you were living with the Ashfords."

Had Candace really done a DNA test with Dexter? But how did she even manage to get hold of his DNA sample?

I still had plenty of questions. Just as I was about to press further, I suddenly heard Candace's voice behind Liam.

"Denise Ashford!"

Liam shook his head and looked at me with a pitiful expression. "You've offended Candy, so it's normal for her to want revenge. From how I see it, you'd better get down on your knees and beg for her forgiveness. I'll put in a good word for you since we've been together for a while."

I looked at Candace in shock. However, I got an even bigger shock when I saw the bodyguard behind her.

"Who told you to release her?" I asked instinctively.

To my surprise, the bodyguard came up to me and kicked me in the calf, making me fall to my knees. Then, he kept slapping me in the face relentlessly.

"You impostor! How dare you try to act like you're the real thing? Do you want me to kill you?"

I was slapped so hard that I couldn't think straight. The bodyguard, Wayne Perry, was looking at me with such hatred and disgust that it was as if he believed I was the actual impostor.

I opened my mouth with difficulty and said, "Didn't Fred tell you earlier? Candace is lying!"

Wayne just chortled and replied, "Ms. Candace is the real heiress of the Ashford family. You're nothing but an impostor. But I see that you've already gotten too deep in your act!"

At Candace's signal, Wayne immediately got up and stood to the side. She then looked at the injuries on my face with a stone-like expression and turned to Liam.

"Liam, your girlfriend didn't just steal 20 years of my life from me, but she even hired two gangsters to beat me up. Luckily, my bodyguard arrived in time to save me."