The "Crown Prince" of New York’s elite circle fell in love with a blind nightclub pianist who "refused to bow to money." He insisted on dumping me, the financial prodigy groomed by his family. In my past life, to preserve his status as heir, I paid for the blind girl’s eye surgery and kept her as his canary. After regaining her sight and learning the truth, the blind girl fell into depression, miscarried, and became permanently infertile. Years later, the Crown Prince took full control of the Sterling Group and spent two hundred million dollars to marry his "true love." And I? I was pushed off a rooftop by his own hands. He said, "Your life for our child's life. We're even." When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the past. The Crown Prince was begging to marry the blind girl at any cost. Of course, this time, I chose to grant his wish. 1 I was the ward of the Sterling family, their designated future daughter-in-law. I was also the financial genius they had poured countless resources into cultivating. Everyone in the Upper East Side knew the rule: Whoever married me would become the heir to the Sterling empire. But fate has a twisted sense of humor. Caleb Sterling didn't understand this principle. He made a high-profile public declaration of love to a blind girl who played piano in a nightclub—selling her art, not her body. He recklessly threw money around just to make her smile. He told everyone he met: "Daisy is surrounded by mud but remains unstained. Her clean smile is enough to wash away all the worldliness from my soul." "Audrey Meng is too smart. Her eyes are always full of calculation. She’s too dirty." So he insisted on dumping me. He didn't hesitate to kneel before his grandfather, Chairman Sterling, begging for permission to marry Daisy Song. He completely humiliated me. 2 When I opened my eyes, I was sitting in a private VIP booth at a high-end club. Beside me were my close friends from our social circle. Directly in front of us, Daisy Song was playing the piano, her teary, unfocused eyes filled with grievance and indignation. "Playing like that, and she has the nerve to call it art? She's far worse than Audrey," one friend whispered. "Caleb must be blind to fall for such a 'little white flower'." "By breaking off the engagement with you, he really doesn't want the identity of the Sterling heir anymore." I listened to my friends' gossip in a daze. Daisy finished her piece. She stood up, bowed to us, then groped for her white cane and walked toward the door, step by careful step. With a click, the booth door was pushed open. Caleb strode in. Startled, Daisy lost her footing and fell off the small performance stage. The fall made her cry out instantly. Tears rolled down her pale cheeks one by one, her lips trembling pitifully. Caleb saw this scene unfold. His handsome brows furrowed deeply. He strode over to Daisy, scooping her up into a protective embrace, his eyes full of distress. Then, he glared at the group of us on the sofa. When his gaze landed on me, it was clearly filled with rage. "Audrey, didn't I warn you not to trouble Daisy?" "What are you doing now? Gang up to bully a blind girl?" I remained silent. A friend beside me defended me: "We just came here to hang out and happened to catch her performance. She fell because she wasn't steady on her feet. How does that count as us bullying her?" Caleb didn't care about facts. He only believed what he wanted to believe. His Daisy was crying, so someone had to pay. Everyone sitting here was heir or heiress to a major fortune. We were all entangled in the web of high-society interests. Only I was different. I was the Sterling family’s ward. A dog by Caleb Sterling’s side. He naturally turned his attack on me: "Audrey, come over here and apologize to Daisy!" In my past life, I apologized. I backed down. I endured. For Caleb and Daisy's sake, I threw away my dignity. And what was the result? I was pushed off a rooftop by Caleb himself, smashed to pieces on the pavement below. I looked at Caleb and smiled gently. "You're right. It was my fault today. I shouldn't have joined the fun to watch Miss Song." Caleb snorted coldly. "At least you're sensible." I continued, "But a verbal apology is so boring. How about I give Miss Song an apology gift?" My friends looked dissatisfied and tried to pull me back. I reassured them, took out my phone, and dialed Chairman Sterling’s number on speaker. In front of Caleb, Daisy, and the entire room of wealthy elites, I spoke clearly, word by word: "Chairman Sterling, I have seriously considered your proposal. Since Caleb is unwilling to marry me, let’s fulfill his wish to be with Miss Song. The heir to the Sterling Group doesn't have to be him. I agree to the marriage arrangement with your youngest son, Roman Sterling. Let Roman be the heir." Roman Sterling. The ascetic "Buddhist Son" of the New York elite. For years he had stayed away from women; countless wealthy families wanted to align with him but were rejected at the door. 3 Silence descended on the room. My friends were dumbfounded, looking like they wanted to give me a standing ovation. Caleb’s face turned visibly pale. His grip on Daisy loosened, causing her to sway and almost fall again. "Audrey, what did you just say? You want to marry Roman? My uncle?" I nodded slightly. "Yes. To let you and Miss Song be together, I am willing to step aside. Do you like this big gift, Young Master Sterling?" He stiffened, stammering, "But... the inheritance..." I smiled. "Young Master Sterling, surely you know? Chairman Sterling publicly announced years ago that whoever is my husband becomes the heir to the Sterling Group. If you don't want to marry me, naturally, the position won't be yours." He gritted his teeth so hard I could hear it. My friends smirked triumphantly. "After all, our Audrey is the top female financial wizard in the country." "The Sterling Group's achievements today are largely thanks to Audrey." "If Audrey didn't intend to repay the Chairman's kindness in raising her, the Sterling Group would have been hers long ago." "Congratulations, Caleb. You finally got the beauty. Don't forget to send us wedding invitations." "I just wonder how much dowry the Sterling family will offer to marry this Miss Song, who comes from a nightclub but remains 'unstained by the mud.'" With that, my friends surrounded me, and we left the booth together. The moment the door closed, we heard the violent sound of wine glasses and bottles being smashed inside, accompanied by a woman’s frightened scream. "Caleb treated you like a dog before. It's a good thing to cut ties with him completely." "He thought we hung out with you because of his status. Today he finally learned who holds the winning cards." "Even Chairman Sterling is respectful to you. Who does Caleb think he is?" "We only gave him the time of day because of you. In the future, we don't need to pretend anymore." "Let him rot." 4 News of me breaking off the engagement with Caleb spread quickly through the circle. Almost everyone recognized that Caleb was no longer the heir apparent. This caused Caleb to lose the conveniences brought by the heir's halo. His black card limit was restricted. The seasonal couture he reserved was no longer released to him first. His VIP elevator access at Sterling headquarters was revoked. In food, clothing, housing, and transportation, he began to feel the gap. "I saw Caleb at 'Le Bernardin' today. He was actually holding a buzzer waiting for a table. Can you believe this is the arrogant Young Master Sterling?" "Caleb was kicked out of the Polo Club group chat because he couldn't pay the annual dues." "Didn't Caleb order a handmade Steinway for that blind girl? It's finished, but he can't pay the remaining million. Hilarious." Friends sent messages and photos in our group chat. I looked at them with a slight arch of my brow, feeling little emotion. I just felt the former me was blind. To have actually had feelings for Caleb. Without the decoration of abundant wealth, Caleb was just an ordinary rich kid. Idle, useless, nothing but a pretty face. However, Caleb’s mother dragged Caleb to find me. They sat in front of me in my office—one sipping tea demurely, the other glaring with cold hostility. I said nothing, waiting for them to speak. Mother Sterling spoke first: "After the Old Man received your call, he refused to see Caleb. I understand you felt wronged, so we came to discuss a compromise." "Daisy is pregnant now. It's not appropriate for her to show her face in public. Could you arrange a house for her and take care of her expenses?" "As the heir, Caleb can only marry you as his wife. Please talk to the Old Man, stop this stalemate with your own future husband." Mother Sterling spoke coolly, her words polite but sickening. Caleb was much more direct. He slapped a document on the table. "This is a prenuptial agreement. We notarize our property separately. If we divorce, you don't get a penny of the Sterling assets. Also, ours will be a marriage in name only. You need to tell Daisy that, make her believe my heart only belongs to her." "After I become the Chairman, you must withdraw from the company immediately and disappear abroad." "After signing, you will find famous doctors to treat Daisy's eyes. When she recovers her sight, I will marry you properly." I looked at the tyrannical contract in my hand and asked, "What benefit do I get from signing this?" Both were stunned. I continued, "What benefit do I get from marrying you, Caleb?" They frowned. I laughed aloud. "Marry you, let you be the heir, give you the money, cars, and houses. I have to take care of Daisy Song, find her doctors, work myself to the bone, and then be kicked abroad by you? It sounds like I'm lower than a servant." Caleb stood up, looking down at me with supreme confidence. "At least you get to see me often!" "Audrey, I know you love me." "Being able to see me often must be a gift to you." My mouth fell open. Suddenly, I understood why, in my past life, despite all my hard work, I never got a word of gratitude. In his heart, allowing me to look at him was a gift. A gift! I gritted my teeth and smiled. After politely sending them away, I posted the surveillance video of their visit, unedited, on my social media. It immediately attracted hundreds of likes. Friends asked if they could share it. I had no reason to stop Caleb from becoming a national joke. I captioned it: Welcome to like, comment, and share! After two days of brewing, major influencers picked it up. The massive traffic pushed the video to the top of the trending list. [Gift? Does he think he is God?] [No, he thinks he is the God of Wealth.] [The money and power were earned by Audrey. He wants her to sacrifice everything just for his face? Thick-skinned!] [Sister, look at me! I'm a college student, young, cheap, obedient, and I speak nicely!] 5 This matter finally alarmed Caleb’s father. Father Sterling came to my office personally, bowing ninety degrees to apologize. He promised to give me an explanation. That same day, I heard Father Sterling beat Caleb so badly he ended up in the ICU. "When the ambulance came, Caleb was covered in blood and unconscious." "But he kept gritting his teeth, refusing to apologize to you, saying you were the one who should apologize." "Father Sterling was furious. He declared he wouldn't care about Caleb anymore." "Now Caleb can't even enter the building. His parents froze all his cards. The circle is waiting to see him crash and burn." Maybe heirs of other groups saw my value and wanted to network with me, so I always received updates on Caleb. Caleb was kicked out of the Sterling estate. He was now living in Daisy’s rental apartment, which cost three thousand a month. Caleb felt sorry for Daisy and wouldn't let her work. But Caleb was arrogant; he refused menial jobs and wasn't qualified for executive roles elsewhere. He was eating through Daisy's savings. Daisy was pregnant and needed prenatal care, plus money for eye doctors. Caleb was tasting hardships he’d never known. Even so, he stayed with Daisy, refusing to compromise with his family. But Daisy didn't have such endurance. She went to Mother Sterling, who helped them privately. But Father Sterling found out and cut off the supply. They plunged back into poverty. Daisy, although born poor, had been spoiled by Caleb for years. She couldn't take the hardship anymore. So, she came to beg me. At the Sterling Group's new product launch conference. Surrounded by media reporters. She knelt on the floor, holding her white cane, crying like a tragic heroine. She mumbled repeatedly, begging for my forgiveness, begging me not to suppress Caleb anymore. Her pitiful face looked so weak under the flashing lights. I sat in the executive chair, looking like the vicious corporate villain. Cameras focused on me, reporters firing questions: "Is it true President Meng ordered a blacklist on Young Master Sterling?" "Is the Sterling Group now run on your whims?" "Are you destroying him because you can't compete with a blind girl?" Facing these prepared questions, I frowned slightly. But in two seconds, I relaxed. I realized that no matter how good Father Sterling looked on the surface, he wouldn't easily give up his biological son. This launch was critical; only insiders knew the time and place. Security was maxed out. Yet Daisy, a blind girl, walked in unhindered to cry. Making me take the blame. It must have been orchestrated. Lucas is too proud. Mother Sterling isn't smart enough. Father Sterling must have been dissatisfied with the Chairman (Grandpa) for a long time. Grandpa preferred me over Caleb. Now that I rejected Caleb, Grandpa gave up on him too. For Grandpa, there was another, more excellent son—Roman. But for Father Sterling, Caleb was his only hope. Using Daisy to create a scandal and push me into the line of fire was likely his first step. But Father Sterling was still too stupid. I smiled at Daisy. "I know no matter how I explain, people will think I caused Caleb's predicament. But I never harmed the company. Since it has come to this, I will resign as CEO of the Sterling Group to give you an explanation." I walked over and helped her up. "By the way, I heard you got your marriage license. This is my second gift to you. I believe Caleb will be able to return to the company soon." She froze, lips pursed. She didn't expect me to compromise so quickly. "T-thank you, President Meng!" I shook my head, smiling faintly. "No thanks needed. I wish you two a lifetime..." locked together in hell.
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