I woke up from a nap in Alec Chase’s office to find several large words stamped on my face. “PORK QUALITY, GRADE A.” Alec’s assistant, Ivy Jiang, stood over me holding a meat stamper, a smirk playing on her lips. “Little heiresses like you should just stay home and be pretty. Stop coming to the office and bothering the rest of us while we’re trying to work.” I hurled my teacup at the wall. Shards of porcelain sprayed towards her like shrapnel. In the next instant, Alec practically flew into the room, pulling her into a protective embrace. He shot me a frown, his voice tight with irritation. “Ivy’s young, Seraphina. It was just a joke. Do you really have to get this worked up?” My eyes were fixed on the open collar of his shirt. There, just above his collarbone, was a faint red mark. He’d been working late for three straight nights. Ivy peeked out from behind his shoulder, sticking her tongue out playfully. Her voice was deceptively innocent. “Alec was worried I’d get bored, so he had a bunch of these fun stamps made for me to pass the time.” “I was just messing with you, Sera. You’re not going to be that petty, are you?” 1 My attention remained on the mark on his collarbone. I felt the blood in my veins turn to ice. I opened my mouth, but my throat was dust-dry. “Alec. What is that?” He froze, his gaze following mine. The color drained from his face. He took a half-step towards me, his lips parting as if to speak. “I did that,” Ivy’s voice cut in, sharp and sweet, with a hint of a playful pout. Alec’s advance halted. His eyes, however, stayed locked on mine as Ivy continued, a smug little smile in her voice. “Last time, Alec was in a meeting for four hours, and I was so bored waiting. I figured I’d give him a little stamp of his own. As a punishment, you know?” For some reason, this made Alec laugh. He reached out and ruffled Ivy’s hair, his tone one of fond exasperation. “You’ve got a lot of nerve. You did that in front of the entire board of directors. I’ve never been so embarrassed.” The office fell silent. All I could hear was a low ringing in my ears. Alec had always been devoted to me, yielding on almost everything. But there was one thing he never compromised on: his work. He was meticulous, almost severe about it, and never allowed anyone to disturb him. But now, it seemed he had learned to bend his own rules to keep another girl happy. A bitter, acidic feeling crept up from my chest into my throat. Before I could speak, I heard the hushed whispers of a few young women from the hallway. “They said Mr. Chase’s wife is in his office. I’d love to see what she looks like!” “I heard that when he proposed, there was a sea of flowers, and five hundred drones created a meteor shower that spelled out her name in the sky.” “I’m so jealous. He’s been so good to her for ten years straight. I have to deliver these files to him, maybe I can sneak a peek!” The girls reached the doorway and stopped, surprised to find it ajar. Then they looked up and saw my face. The meticulous makeup I had applied that morning was completely obscured by the humiliating, bold letters. Their chatter died instantly. The smiles froze on their faces, their eyes wide with shock. The silence in the room became heavy, suffocating. Only Ivy let out a soft little laugh. Alec’s brow furrowed, as if only now realizing how insulting the words on my face truly were. He instinctively moved to stand in front of Ivy. “Ivy, apologize.” Ivy’s eyes immediately turned red. Her voice rose, thick with tears. “Why should I have to apologize?” “You’re the one who had these stamps made for me because you were worried I’d be bored!” “You said I could stamp whatever I wanted, that it was just for fun! And now you’re going to let her humiliate me like this? Force me to apologize?” Alec grabbed her wrist, his frown deepening. “Ivy!” She yanked her arm away, her body trembling with sobs. “Don’t touch me!” “You’re both ganging up on me! You just look down on me, don’t you? I make one little joke and suddenly it’s all my fault!” She was crying so hard her words came out in hiccupping gasps. “Fine! It’s my fault! A normal person like me isn't worthy of joking with important people like you! I’ll just leave, okay?” She turned and made a dash for the door. “Ivy!” Alec’s voice was stern now. He caught up to her in two strides, grabbing her arm. He looked at her tear-streaked face, his expression complex, and finally let out a sigh. His tone softened. “Stop making a scene. It’s not a big deal. Look at you.” He turned back to me, his brow still knitted, his voice weary. “Ivy’s just a kid. She doesn’t know any better. I’ll apologize to you on her behalf.” “Seraphina, can you just let it go, please?” 2 A bitter smirk twisted my lips. The blue ink felt like it was seeping into my skin, a hot, chemical burn of shame on my cheeks. Alec let go of Ivy and walked toward me. He pulled a few tissues from the box on his desk, his voice softening a fraction. “Alright, don’t be angry. Weren’t you the one who asked me to take care of Ivy in the first place?” “She’s just immature. She likes to play around.” My nails dug into my palms. The sting was sharp, but it was nothing compared to the ache in my chest. He was right. I was the one who had taken pity on Ivy. When she’d come to me in tears, begging me to sponsor her education, my heart had softened. I brought her out of that small, dead-end town where boys were valued and girls were afterthoughts. I not only paid for her schooling but also arranged for her to intern at Alec’s company. In those early days, Alec complained to me constantly. He said Ivy couldn't figure out the copy machine, spilled coffee every time she made it, and delivered files to the wrong floor. He’d rub his temples and whine playfully. “Seraphina, you’ve really saddled me with a project. I spend half my day cleaning up her messes.” I had laughed at him then, told him he was being impatient and too harsh on a newcomer. I always believed that giving someone a helping hand was a good deed. I just never imagined that the person I had personally pulled out of the mud would one day use my face as a stepping stone to reach for things she could never have grasped on her own. Alec sighed and stepped in front of me, raising a hand to wipe the words from my face. But the blue ink was oil-based; rubbing it only made it worse. It smeared into a massive blue-black smudge, spreading from my cheek to my chin, even getting into my hair and the corner of my mouth. I could only imagine what I looked like. My carefully styled hair was a mess, my face a grotesque swirl of ink and ruined makeup. A clown. Ivy clapped a hand over her mouth, but a snort of laughter escaped. The triumph in her eyes was impossible to hide. “Alec!” she chirped. “I almost forgot, the charity auction starts in twenty minutes. We have to go.” At her words, Alec’s expression sharpened. He glanced at his watch and then turned back to me. “She’s right, we’re out of time.” “Seraphina, I was going to take you to pick out some new jewelry, but we’ll have to reschedule.” “Go home for now, okay? We’ll talk properly when I get back tonight.” He walked to the door, then paused and looked over his shoulder. “Seraphina. Be good. Wait for me at home.” Ivy was right beside him. The moment she turned her back to me, she shot me a look over her shoulder, her lips curling into a swift, sharp smirk. It held not a trace of apology, only pure, unadulterated provocation. He pulled the door open. I watched Alec’s back as he left with her, without a moment’s hesitation. The last bit of warmth in my heart fizzled out. “Alec.” “If this is how you handle things…” “I’m not satisfied.” “And I will handle this in my own way.” He finally turned back. His face was impassive, as if he thought this was just another one of my tantrums. He even managed a small, patronizing smile. “Alright, Seraphina.” “Don’t overthink it. Just wait for me to get back.” He opened the door and left with Ivy. The door didn’t latch properly, and their voices drifted in from the hallway. First was Ivy’s hushed tone, laced with carefully crafted worry. “Alec… Seraphina is so spoiled and arrogant, and her family is so powerful… If she really decides to come after me, what… what am I going to do?” Then came Alec’s voice, quiet but clear enough for me to hear every word. “She’s just angry. She’ll get over it.” “Besides,” his voice held a casual, confident certainty that chilled me to the bone. “As long as I’m here, who could possibly hurt you?” “She saves all her fire for me. It’s all for show. Look how a few words from her scared you.” Their footsteps faded away. The only ones left in the office were the shell-shocked young assistants, their eyes now full of pity. I tiredly covered the words on my face and spoke softly. “Excuse me. Could one of you lend me a mask, or a hat?” One of the girls hesitated for a moment before handing me a new disposable mask. “This one is clean.” I glanced at her name tag, my voice catching in my throat. “Thank you. I’ll remember you.” Her cheeks flushed, and she quickly stepped back. I hid my face behind the mask and pulled a borrowed cap down low. I left the building and got into my car. I sent a text to the Lin family, the hosts of tonight’s auction. Tonight, Alec Chase will be attending with an assistant named Ivy Jiang. Send her to me. In the city’s elite circle, everyone was desperate for a chance to get on my good side. Ivy had just handed the Lins that chance on a silver platter. Then I made another call. “Find a shop that makes custom stamps.” “I need one hundred ‘PORK QUALITY’ stamps. And I want the ink to be the brightest red you can find. The kind that never washes out.” 3 The car had barely pulled up to the villa when Benson, our house manager, rushed out to meet me. “Mr. Chase came by a little while ago. He said he was taking Miss Jiang to the charity auction tonight and she needed a suitable gown.” “He… he took her directly to your dressing room, ma’am.” My stomach dropped, but I kept my voice steady. “Which dress did she take?” Benson took a deep breath, clearly suppressing his own fury. “The ‘Starry Sea’ gown.” My breath caught. Starry Sea. The gown I wore to our engagement party. It wasn’t a designer piece. Alec had sketched the design himself and hired the finest master tailor to sew it by hand, stitch by stitch. The bodice was adorned with hundreds of natural blue sapphires of varying sizes. He had told me it looked like he’d plucked the stars from the night sky and draped them over me. The value of that dress could never be measured in money. It was a promise, a part of the grand, brilliant dream Alec had once woven for me with his own hands. I closed my eyes. I could still see the light in his eyes on our engagement day as he watched me put it on. “All the good luck I’ve ever had in my life,” he’d said, “was just to lead me to you, Seraphina.” I had never doubted the sincerity of Alec’s love for me back then. It was only in this moment that I finally understood how fleeting sincerity could be. I sank onto the sofa, exhausted. A maid immediately appeared with a basin of warm water and a soft towel, carefully beginning to wipe the marks from my face. The water was changed several times, and the rubbing started to chafe my skin. But the blue letters seemed to have stained me permanently, leaving behind a faint, greenish shadow, like a birthmark that would never fade. My phone started vibrating wildly. A dozen messages from my best friend, Chloe. That bitch Ivy! Has she lost her mind? Below the message was a link and a photo that was clearly going viral. In the picture, my face was turned to the side, my expression caught in a moment of shock and fury. The words “PORK QUALITY, GRADE A” were stark and blindingly clear. My hair was a mess, my makeup ruined. I looked utterly defeated. The caption was from Ivy’s account. A single sentence with a laughing emoji. Some people just get so serious when they get older. It was just a little joke! And another comment right below it: Youth is great, you can play around with no consequences~ Chloe’s call came through immediately. “It’s all over our social circles, Sera. I know the words themselves aren’t that bad, but…” She trailed off. I knew what she meant. But my reputation is in tatters. I opened my mouth to tell her I was fine, but my throat felt clogged with waterlogged cotton. No sound came out. I took a sharp breath, trying to keep my voice even. “I’ll handle it.” I hung up. Almost at the same instant, I heard footsteps outside. A dozen men in black suits entered, dragging a bound Ivy with them and throwing her onto the floor. She scrambled to sit up, her head snapping towards me. “Seraphina Ning, is this all you know how to do? Use your family’s power to bully people?” “What are you without your family? Nothing!” I slowly rose from the sofa and looked down at her. I even managed a small laugh. “My full name, Ivy, is Seraphina.” She stared, confused by the non-sequitur. “In our circles,” I explained softly, “a name like that… it means that child was born to be treasured. She doesn’t have to fight and claw her way up like a boy. She doesn’t have to go into business or politics. Her only job in this life is to enjoy it.” I paused, watching the color drain from Ivy’s face. “And I’m sure you’ve heard what the name ‘Ning’ signifies in this city.” Her lips began to tremble. Of course, she knew. In this city, the Ning family represented a world so far above her she couldn’t even glimpse it on her tiptoes. Ivy pushed herself up, her voice shaky. “So… so what if I wore one of your dresses? It’s not a big deal! I’ll give it back!” She fumbled with the zipper on the gown. “Don’t bother.” “I have no use for soiled clothes.” I stood up and walked slowly towards her, looking down from my full height. “And I, Seraphina Ning…” “Have no use for soiled people.” Ivy froze, her hand hovering over the zipper, her face completely ashen. A heavy cardboard box was carried into the room. It was filled to the brim with pork quality stamps. I gave my security a nod. One of them picked up a stamp, dipped it in a pad of crimson ink, and pressed it firmly onto Ivy’s calf. She screamed. One by one, the stamps fell, covering her arms, her neck, and her face in livid red marks. Her screams turned to pleas, then to whimpers, and finally to silence. One hundred stamps. Not one less. When the last one was done, she was a crumpled heap on the floor, her skin a grotesque canvas of red letters. I wiped my hands, my voice light. “I forgot to tell you. The ink is custom-made. It will never wash off. It will be with you for the rest of your life.” “I was just playing a joke on you. You’re not upset, are you, Ms. Jiang?”
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