That night, I had nowhere to sleep, so I took a taxi back to Emilia's to stay.But before I could even get out of the car, I received a phone call.The number wasn't saved in my contacts, but it was one I knew all too well.Upon answering, I was met with the coarse voice of Henry Caine, bellowing at me:"Samantha, have some shame! It's bad enough that you slept with someone before marriage, but you're a part of the Long family now. What's this I hear about you flirting with other men?" This has always been his anthem, so I wasn't moved by his words but just kept a straight face waiting for him to get done. "How dare you, Samantha? You now stay with your lover; you are a slut just like your mother!"His harsh words still bit hard without fear. I clenched my phone tighter, forcing myself to keep my emotions in check. I retorted coldly:"Dad, don't talk about my mom like that; she had nothing to do with this.""Bastard! Do you dare talk back at me? If your useless mother hadn't died, a
This time, Ben capriciously slept with Emilia in such a wanton and ruthless manner. It felt like he was just preying on her. Being a fickle, rich, second-generation guy, there was always a gaggle of girls surrounding him each time I met him.It was apparent that he was only toying with her and could never truly love Emilia.Although she did not say anything, I knew this incident would undoubtedly be a tremendous blow to her. But I have no idea how to tell her. Emilia let out a helpless sigh. “Sam, it's been five years since I met that bastard. I have been faithful to him even while he was flirting with his workers. But I'm tired, Sam. I can't keep making excuses for him. Let's just consider this a one-night stand; it's not a big deal.”The more Emilia said this, the sadder I felt. I turned and held her tightly in my arms, feeling the sting of tears starting to fall.Given the fact that she had already suffered so much on my behalf, how could I embarrass her again by re-exposing her
Mrs. Flint is hardly compassionate. She'd rather not offend Mrs. Long. Also, her fear of me usurping power and securing the position of the next Madame of the Long family has led her to tread on eggshells around me.She has masterfully planned her scheme, I have always known her to be quite the crafty one.I scornfully retorted, “So Mrs. Flint, am I supposed to be grateful for your considerations?"Seeing that I wouldn't give in and was causing her embarrassment, her expression instantly darkened."Sam, I know you're determined to sever ties with the Long family. But as your former boss, I simply advise you not to offend that family.”“Don't underestimate the Long family's low profile; they are the genuinely famous and influential family in the city, and crushing you like an ant would be effortless.”“As for your rumored ex-boyfriend Kent, don't count on him,”“The recent stock market crash has greatly affected Jewel Group. I heard the company is considering firing Kent Millers becau
"Mrs. Flint said so," I responded. This guy is about to be fired, but he is still in high spirits."What can I say about you?" Kent chuckled again, speaking helplessly:"With Mrs. Flint's third-rate Event management company, do you think she has any channels to hear about the high-level decision-making of our Jewel Group?"His smile was truly bright. He reached out to pinch my face, strong and unforgiving that I hustled to release his grip, but he wouldn't let go, giving me a serious warning:"In the future, if you want to know about my decisions, just ask me directly. Don't just believe in rumors, okay?"At that moment, I genuinely overlooked the implication of his phrase "Just ask me directly if you want to know about my decisions". Instead, I focused on another point in his talk and hastily asked:"So, have you been fired? You...?"Kent seemed exasperated, patronizingly flicking my forehead, smiling brilliantly:"Do you even know the surname of the biggest shareholder behind Jewe
These thoughts echoed in my mind, carrying along, a mix of curiosity and speculation.Although the sight just now was beautiful, it felt somewhat odd - after losing my job, I was surprised to see him, still so engrossed in nourishing the flowers and plants. Quite eccentric indeed.Kent glanced back at the blossoming garden, chuckling lightly."Plants have lives too. If I take care of them, they'll reciprocate. Just breathe in, isn't the aroma refreshing? Enough to keep one in high spirits for the day."As he uttered these words, his eyes squinted slightly, carefully inspecting the results of his efforts. Noticing a bit of cobweb on a flower pot beneath him, he immediately took to wiping it clean.Once he finished attending to the garden, we headed downstairs for breakfast.During the meal, he suddenly proposed:"By the way, since you've lost your job, how about accompanying me to the office and working as my secretary after the meal?"I was taken aback needing a moment before respo
"Who else could it be? That bastard with the surname Hale, that son of a bitch." Emilia tossed her phone on the table and said to me in a drunken slur:"Let me tell you, Sammy, all men are beasts who think with their lower half. Bastards, not one of them has a heart. That's true for you, Jared, and it's true for Mickey and Ben."I snorted and echoed:"How can the three of them be the same? Ben slept with you the first time he met you, while Jared, I chased him for over Seven years, married him for three, and he doesn't even dare to touch my finger."Emilia laughed heartily: "Hahaha, they are the same, just different methods but with the same result. Jared is a rich psycho; he thinks you're dirty and, hence, won't touch you. Put, it's because he doesn't love you.If he did truly love you, he would overcome whatever was going on in that crazy head of his."She's making sense. Isn't Jared just not in love with me? I know!"What about Mickey?" I asked her. "That snake, he is the worst o
In the end, she was a spoiled girl from a rich family. She would only show off her toughness and fierceness when dealing with others. But once someone stood up against her, she would indeed back down immediately.When I furiously punched the wall close to her, and she felt the impact, she was truly frightened by me and obediently confessed everything."Samantha, I didn't hire anyone to rape you. Instead, after I knocked you out, I had you auctioned off in the underground black market."Auction? Black market?When these two words appeared, they directly shattered all the defenses in my heart... I always thought she was behind the act of violating me but didn't expect an even more unexpectedly bitter truth hidden behind all this.And this truth was far more malicious than anyone could imagine.I took a deep breath, trying hard to suppress the urge to kill her right there, and continued to ask:"Who did you sell me to?""I don't know. In any case, after I knocked you out, my brother too
Kent grabbed my hand while seizing my chin, forcing me to look him in the eyes. His complexion was very stern, but his eyes were serious."Do you think I'm a fucking beast driven solely by my lower half? Let me tell you, I'm not.I'm not a brute who would jump any woman he sees. When I made a move on you in the club, it was because I felt an inexplicable familiarity when I first saw you.I can't explain why, but I just strangely want to treat you well. If you say it's because I like you, then fine. Are you satisfied now?"The seriousness in his eyes was nearly intimidating as hell, and even though I was so drunk, and was about to lose consciousness, his tone still managed to startle me.I had experienced too much this evening, and my mental state barely held up until now. When he claimed that he liked me, the suppressed rebellious instincts in my heart broke free like a demon bursting through a door, stripping away my sanity.Staring at him dumbfounded, after who knows how long, I s
I'm recalling the words Jared said to me that day, repeating them verbatim:"I remember he said this: 'Before, Amelia was not obedient at all; not only did she kick me, but she also jumped into the sea playing suicide. Later, I tied her up, and she became obedient.'If I'm not mistaken, his sentence means that Amelia disabled him by kicking him before she jumped into the sea.But if she did jump into the sea and die, then how did Jared manage to tie her up?While I packed my stuff to move out after the charade of a divorce, I remember seeing a photo in his apartment. It was a picture of Amelia tied to a chair. I guess she was confined by Jared and even suffered such abuse.Although the face in the photo was torn off, I think it shouldn't be wrong."After I finished speaking, Kent didn't say a word. He was dead silent, looking out at the sea; his silence was killing me, but I was too scared to say a word. The air outside was chilly it made him cough violently.After coughing for a wh
At this moment, what can I possibly say?When I realized that he had risked his life to save me from the vast, perilous sea, any little grievance I held against him shattered completely.All I could do was hold him tightly by the neck, crying as I confessed:"I'm sorry. I didn't know. I was being overly dramatic. I was wrong, Kent, I was wrong..."He didn't dodge. He looked significantly better than moments ago. His low brows kissed away the tears at the corner of my eyes. He sighed sadly, holding me tightly in his arms; the grip was intense:"All right, stop crying. Damn it, I can't stand to see you cry."You tend not to remember things; I don't blame you. Kieran was there all along, yet he didn't mention a single word to you! Damn it, that bastard even planned to run away with you!Damn, what a piece of shit friend! I want to cut ties with him!"With a particularly aggressive tone, he sternly warned me:"Sam, listen carefully. Regardless of any misunderstandings we might have in th
Kieran was talking but suddenly stopped. I couldn't help but ask:"What did I say?""You were confusing me with him. You were tearing my clothes, yet all the while crying and shouting at him, spilling everything that should and shouldn't have been said." I was short for words, I was so embarrassed, I asked the ground to open up, to swallow me whole. But it didn't listen. He paused a moment, furrowing his brows as he looked at me:"Sam, you confessed your feelings for him,"With that, I felt my vision darken, my voice constricted, and the words that had been bottled up inside me finally came streaming out:"Did I also tell you he told me he got tired of our relationship, that he stopped thinking about me since I left?""Yes. That's the exact reason why we started fighting."He gestured to his face. It was only then that I took a good look at his face and saw the injuries equal to the ones Kent had.Now that I knew who he was—the older neighbor boy from my youth—my heart ached for him
"My stomach is growling with hunger, but when a spoonful of food was extended in front of me, I dared not eat it."Doctor, we... don't know each other well."I just didn't have the strength to beat around the bush, so I went ahead and told him.The doctor laughed at my comment. His smile appeared very warm, but his reply wasn't quite as inviting:"Sam, how heartless of you. Kent and I ended up in a fight over you. And now you tell me that we don't know each other well?""Huh?"Oh, right. When I awoke, those two were fighting. Moreover, both of their faces were showing signs of that fight.But why?I remember that he and Kent were good buddies. When Jared's uncle was annoying, Kent voiced his expectation of introducing us to each other with a sense of anticipation.They were such chummy pals; why would they fight over me? It's baffling.I waited for his explanation.Instead, he lifted the spoon once again:"Do you want to know what happened? Finish your food first, and then I will tel
When I woke up next, I had no idea how much time had passed.The faint, salty smell of the sea still lingered in the air, but this room was no longer the one on the yacht.Without any interest in studying the room's furnishings, I just wanted to figure out where I was as quickly as possible. Therefore, I looked around.Then, I noticed two men standing in a standoff at the door. Their hands crossed in combat stances, each staring at the other without yielding."Kent?"I called out once I recognized one of them, I mumbled his name. I thought I was still dreaming. But when my hoarse voice made it out, he let go of the other person and dashed over."Sam, you're awake? Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"While he spoke, he reached out and grasped my hand.I felt a bit dazed and stared at him, lost. He seemed to have lost much weight and appeared quite haggard.His typically handsome face was now sporting a stubbly beard. His clothes were even more of a mess, missing several buttons.What
When I heard Kent's voice on the phone, my mind froze for a moment.I didn't seem to understand the meaning of his words; my entire person was stunned there.He said again:"Speaking of which, her taste is indeed good, but after playing with it, it's no longer fresh. Now, since you've taken her away, I don't think about it anymore.Jared, I hope you two can smoothly reach Berlin. Goodbye."After Kent finished these words, he hung up without any hesitation.And I, I had no thoughts at all. The tears that had just fallen out of fear had miraculously stopped at this moment.What was spinning in my mind was the sentence he had just said:He said, You play with your wife. What does it have to do with me?He said, after playing, it's no longer fresh.So in his heart, I am just Jared's wife.So to me, he was just been playing me the whole time.Oh yes, thinking back, Kent was just nice to me, but he never said he liked me.How did I start to fantasize about him, thinking that he would be anx
"Jared, you...you..."Staring at the toolbox laid out in front of me, I was panic-stricken and couldn't form coherent sentences.With this box of contraptions displayed before my very eyes, he combined that with this absurd posture, he tied me in. It doesn't take much to guess his intentions now.But my trepidation was intertwined with an overwhelming sense of shock and disbelief.Back when I used to chase after him, he had always been the cool, distant, celibate male god. After our marriage, he became even more aloof, acting as if I was beneath his notice.But now, why did he suddenly...?Just how twisted is Jared's mind to have conceived such fetishes?Even though my mind feels muddled, I have this glaring realization that his current disposition is far from that of a normal person."Don't look so surprised; you wrecked my wedding, I will have to take you instead. Besides, we are already married," he said, smiling cynically. He must be pissed, I heard that Jade's family called off
Why, of course, I had no idea. This question has been puzzling Kent and me for quite some time, and yet we could not find an answer.Thus, I casually asked:"Why?"His expression was subtle, his emotions unreadable: I was disgusted by him but I held my thoughts in. "Ever heard of being driven to the wall to fight for survival?""What do you mean?" I was startled, sensing something ominous was on the verge of happening.Sure enough, Jared's next words nearly choked the breath out of me:"Because, the Long family business was barely an empty shell— not even that, given my father's poor management and my uncle's repeated sabotage. It held no significant value.So, when Kent wanted it, I simply handed it over. Little did he know, that I would use the money from selling the company to acquire his company Jewel Group in Berlin. Now, it's just a matter of time before I completely own Jewel Group Berlin. Sam, do you find my counter-acquisition plan fascinating?"Fascinating indeed!If he su
Seeing Kent's gloomy expression as he was looking out of the window, my heart sank. Subconsciously, I wondered if there had been any issues in the full-scale attack on the Long corporation.I locked the door before approaching him."What's wrong? Did something slip through the cracks?" I asked."No. Everything is going smoothly.""If everything is smooth, then why are you unhappy?""It's precisely because everything is too smooth that I am unhappy."Kent let out a sigh, looking more dejected, leaning back with a deep gaze at me."Jared, that self-centered scumbag, always puts his interests first. If the Long Corporation goes bankrupt, he can't hold his ground in New York City. How could he willingly allow me to take over his corporation?Yet, when I've been pressuring the Long Corporation in this period, there's been hardly any struggle or retaliation from them. It feels as if they've easily handed it over to me.This is highly unusual.No matter how incompetent Jared might be, he cou