1 The day the Sterling family went bankrupt, everyone expected me to call off the engagement. Instead, in the pouring rain, I tossed my umbrella aside and helped a completely soaked and defeated Liam Sterling into my car. "I'll give you a hundred million dollars. If you succeed, you come back and marry me. If you fail, I'll marry you." Five years later, Liam made a triumphant return, bringing three publicly traded companies with him. In front of all the media, he announced: "Chloe and I broke off our engagement five years ago." — For those five years, another woman had been by his side. When he was tired, she offered her shoulder. When he was sad, she comforted him. When he succeeded, she applauded him. They supported each other through thick and thin; they shared the bitter and the sweet; they fell in love. The woman who had casually tossed a hundred million dollars to help him rebuild his empire had now become a complete joke. "Here is three hundred million. Consider my debt of gratitude repaid in full." The successful Liam Sterling had shed the impulsiveness of his youth, becoming mature, steady, and incredibly sharp. Back then, I was mesmerized by his looks, begging my father like my life depended on it to give him one last chance. Just looking at him now, a possessive urge flared up within me. How pathetic of me. I picked up the card and handed it to my secretary standing behind me. I looked across the table expressionlessly, my tone freezing cold: "Go check the balance. If it's short by even a single cent, it's unacceptable." Hearing this, I watched Liam let out a long breath, looking as if a massive weight had been lifted off his shoulders. I admired my freshly manicured nails, asking casually: "Do you really think this makes us even?" At that, Liam straightened his back, his expression solemn: "If Ms. Vance ever needs anything in the future, just ask. I, Liam Sterling, will answer every request." Then he immediately added: "Except marriage." He said it with absolute sincerity, looking exactly like a man who deeply valued loyalty and honor. But I, it seemed, wasn't feeling particularly appreciative. "Those emerald earrings you bought at the auction yesterday—I like them. Make sure they're delivered to me tomorrow morning." Liam had spent a fortune on those emerald earrings, supposedly as a gift for his fiancée, Mia. I wondered how certain people would react if they saw those earrings on me. Seeing him hesitate, I stood up and headed upstairs, saying without looking back: "If Mr. Sterling doesn't keep his word, just consider what I said a joke." The next day, my secretary placed the earrings on my vanity. I held them up to the light for a while. Icy green and crystal clear—truly beautiful. For tonight's gala, I was wearing a classic, vintage-style evening gown. These earrings would be the perfect match. Liam attended with his fiancée, while I arrived alone. The whispers around me grew louder, entirely focused on why the gift Liam bought for his fiancée was dangling from my ears. Liam's fiancée, Mia, was currently walking toward me with a bright, sweet smile. "Ms. Vance, Liam already explained everything to me. He used these earrings to repay you for your past kindness." I took a sip from my champagne glass, turned my back, and had no intention of engaging with her. An ignorant, foolish woman wasn't worth my energy. She wasn't giving up. Her tone turned frivolous as she continued to provoke me: "Besides having money, Ms. Vance probably has no idea how to love someone, right? Otherwise, Liam wouldn't have chosen me." I looked at the half-empty glass in my hand, feeling it wasn't satisfying enough. So, I picked up a piece of cake from the table and smashed it violently right into her smug face. "Ah~!" Her shriek drew the eyes of everyone in the room. Liam rushed over immediately, pulling a handkerchief from his breast pocket to wipe the frosting off Mia's face. While doing so, he aggressively interrogated me: "Why is Ms. Vance giving my fiancée such a hard time?" I dropped the cake plate, clapped my hands in disgust, and said indifferently: "She ruined my appetite." Mia hid in Liam's arms, tears streaming down her face, pressing tightly against his chest like a fragile, delicate little flower. "I just came over to tell Ms. Vance that I didn't mind her taking my earrings. As long as it helps her vent her anger, I'm willing to do anything." The moment she said that, my longtime rival, Sarah, crossed her arms and stepped in to play the hero: "Chloe is bullying people again. Using her family's money to just steal other people's things everywhere she goes." Others quickly swarmed in, all condemning me for being an arrogant, domineering, and entitled rich brat. I kept the slight smirk on my lips, maintaining a perfectly polite smile, staring dead into Liam's dark, unreadable eyes. After a long time. "Let's go." Liam carefully supported Mia as they left. Watching their retreating backs, I found it incredibly irritating. We were engaged at eighteen. Back then, Liam was outwardly flamboyant but actually quite reserved. His pale face would flush a youthful pink just from a teasing joke of mine. I loved teasing him—the kind of teasing a woman does to a man she likes. The day his family went bankrupt, it was as if he grew up overnight. His gaze became resolute, his entire being radiating an unyielding, stubborn resilience. I knew he would definitely succeed. I just forgot that once he succeeded, he might not remember our engagement. Do I regret it? I never do things I regret. I can help him rise, and I can also push him right back into the mud. From then on, wherever Liam appeared, I was there. If he tried to buy a plot of land, I would bid double his price and take it. If he bid on a project, I would undercut his price by half and win it. If he wanted to play the money game, Liam Sterling still had a long way to go. When I, Chloe Vance, was dominating this city, he was just struggling to survive in a small town with a mere hundred million dollars. Finally, Liam couldn't take it anymore and came to my door alone to apologize. He stood in front of me, neither submissive nor arrogant: "Ms. Vance, doing this doesn't benefit you either. No matter how rich the Vance family is, it can't withstand this kind of reckless spending." I heard it loud and clear: he was trying to tell me how to do things. I glanced behind him, calmly retracted my gaze, and asked: "Where is your fiancée? Isn't she going to come apologize to me?" His lips pressed into a thin line, his body leaning forward slightly, his attitude sincere: "I apologize to you on her behalf for what happened that day. However, Ms. Vance was the one who threw the first punch. No matter what, both sides share the blame." Then this apology was worthless. A smile played on my lips. I rested my forehead on my hand and sighed in mock regret: "I admit, I went a little too easy on her. You'd better tell her to stay far away from me. The next time I strike, it won't be just a piece of cake." Seeing that I was impervious to reason, Liam stopped compromising. His face darkened as he said: "Since Ms. Vance still refuses to let my fiancée go, then we have nothing left to discuss. We'll see each other in the boardroom." I leaned back on the sofa, crossed my legs, and looked down at him: "Great. I'll be waiting." After leaving my place, Liam started contacting heavyweights in various industries, trying to negotiate partnerships. But in this city, with just one word from me, no one dared to work with him. Plus, when the Sterling family went bankrupt, a lot of people were implicated. I wasn't the only one who didn't want to see him rise again. I didn't expect Mia to be a social media influencer with ten million followers. She posted a video online, tearfully accusing me of industry monopolization and deliberately targeting Liam. She cried while detailing how incredibly difficult their entrepreneurial journey had been, drawing massive sympathy from netizens. When my secretary showed me the video, I laughed dismissively. I immediately pulled out my phone and called Liam: "Delete the video your fiancée posted within two minutes." Liam said over the phone: "Everything she said is the truth." "The truth?" My tone was absolute ice. "Are you sure you want to throw away your last shred of dignity?" Liam was silent for a moment: "I'll have her delete it." Only a few people in our inner circle knew that I had given him a hundred million dollars. If that got out on the internet, he would be the one humiliated. He was a businessman. After weighing the pros and cons, a fiancée was nothing. Noah grew up with me. The night Liam and I got engaged, he hugged the stone lion outside my front door and cried all night. The day the Sterling family went bankrupt, he spent tens of millions on fireworks, lighting up the sky all night long. He said: "I'm not doing this for you. I just genuinely despise that guy Liam." So we colluded together, even though we also constantly bickered. That night, he asked me out to a club to relax and considerately ordered eight male models for me—all of them built like brick houses. After a few drinks, I completely let loose. With an older guy on my left arm and a younger guy on my right, I was having the time of my life. The waiter opened the door to the private room, and through my drunken haze, I thought I saw Liam's annoying face. Yep, it was him. "Who called him here to ruin the mood?" I asked, annoyed. Noah considerately pulled down the hem of my dress, which had ridden up to my thighs, and bragged smugly: "I did. We needed someone to pour the drinks." I looked at Noah, acting like a loyal lapdog, not understanding what he was playing at. Noah couldn't wait to yell at Liam, who was standing by the door like a bouncer: "Are you blind? Hurry up and pour the drinks." Then he whispered smugly in my ear: "He needs a huge favor from my dad right now. He doesn't dare disobey me." So Noah wanted to humiliate Liam. Was he doing it to vent my anger for me? I grudgingly accepted that explanation. While I was spacing out, Liam had already picked up a bottle, half-knelt in front of me, and filled my glass. Adaptable and resilient. That was the phrase that came to mind. The colorful, shifting club lights hit his sharp, handsome face. His eyes were unreadable, looking as if he had no desires whatsoever. Even in this situation, he still acted so high and mighty. I deliberately knocked the glass over. The liquor spilled directly onto his pristine, bright white shirt. His slightly furrowed brow betrayed his displeasure in that moment. "My bad. Pour another one." The veins on the hand gripping the bottle bulged, his clenched jaw trembling slightly. Every subtle change screamed of his extreme restraint. I picked up the refilled glass, took a sip of the strong liquor—it burned a bit. I grabbed his white collar, yanking him forward, completely erasing the distance between us. So close, I could feel his warm breath hitting my face. I suddenly lunged my face forward. He instinctively turned his head to dodge. That move pissed me off. Unable to hold back, I spat a mouthful of liquor squarely into his face. The droplets slid down his chiseled face, disappearing into his collar, incredibly seductive. I grabbed a tissue from the table, calmly wiped my mouth, and tossed it at his face. "Sorry, couldn't hold it in." Liam suddenly stood up. The bottle in his hand was smashed furiously onto the floor, the flying glass shards cutting my exposed calf. "I already paid you the money back. Humiliating me like this is going a bit too far." "Too far?" I looked at Noah. Noah immediately shook his head: "How is it too far? If you hadn't helped him back then, who knows what bridge he'd be begging under right now." I shifted my gaze back to Liam: "Did you hear that? The debt you owe me isn't just money; it's a massive favor!" I lifted my injured leg. The blood had already formed a distinct line. "Lick it clean, or I'm having you carried out of here horizontally." Noah let out an "Ew," looking completely disgusted: "Aren't you grossed out?" I rolled my eyes at him: "What do you know? Saliva is antibacterial." While we were going back and forth, Liam had already turned around, ready to leave. Noah's bodyguards blocked the door, clearly unwilling to let him go so easily. A commotion erupted outside the door, and Mia burst in. Talk about perfect timing. She stood in front of Liam, posturing like a mother hen protecting her chick. "If you dare touch a single hair on Liam's head, I swear I won't let you get away with it." 2 Looking at this woman, with her inflated sense of self-importance and absolutely zero fear, I laughed even louder. I took two steps forward and stood right in front of her. I reached out and patted her face lightly twice. Just as I was about to do it a third time, Liam grabbed my wrist. "Chloe, don't push it." Liam's warning was blatant, his eyes shooting pure murder. I looked at Noah and asked innocently: "Am I pushing it?" Noah shook his head: "Not at all. Who told her to steal your man?" So I was the real victim here. One was the fiancé I hadn't even officially broken up with yet, and the other was the woman my fiancé called his fiancée. This relationship was as convoluted as it gets. "Liam, don't forget, our engagement was never officially canceled. Don't you think it's a bit much that you're running around calling this woman your fiancée?" The light in Liam's eyes dimmed, his voice raspy: "Our engagement became null and void five years ago." He looked up, meeting my eyes directly: "You probably don't know this yet, but when the Sterling family went bankrupt, your father was involved." I didn't believe it: "Then why did my father help you?" He looked down and gave a short laugh: "He was just playing a game of cat and mouse. Everyone in the Vance family is the same. Weren't you also trying to figure out how to drag my father into the mud?" This guy... was he the worm in my stomach? How did he know what I was thinking? In the end, they still ended up fighting. I sat on the sofa, watching coldly. I watched Liam get beaten to the ground by the bodyguards. I watched him bleed from the corner of his mouth. I watched him get a gash on his forehead. Mia was protected underneath him; all she knew how to do was cry and beg for mercy. I hated weak, pathetic women the most, and I hated women who just cried and whined even more. Liam was carried out horizontally. Noah, in a rare display of kindness, had someone take him to the hospital. As he was leaving, he looked over at me. Our eyes met, and my heart skipped a beat. The broken look in his eyes, the messy hair, the bloody, wicked smirk on his lips—it was incredibly captivating. It reminded me of our senior year of high school, when we went to beat up the school bully together. I stood on the sidelines cheering him on, and encouraged by me, he hit harder and harder. I thought to myself back then, This guy is so feral. He's exactly my type. All these years later, his wildness was deliberately hidden, replaced mostly by endurance and restraint. I wanted to find that man who had once made my heart race. I didn't believe he had truly vanished. That teenage crush was always mixed with a heavy dose of sheer stubbornness and unwillingness to let go. But a few days later, that unwillingness transformed into absolute, burning rage. In an interview, Liam stated: "The engagement between Ms. Vance and me was canceled five years ago." Reporters staked out my house, demanding to hear my side of the story. My side of the story was: "Liam Sterling took a hundred million dollars from me to rebuild his empire, and then—he abandoned me!" Half an hour later, headlines screaming "Liam Sterling is a Cheater" and "Mia is a Homewrecker" dominated the news. Mia posted the video of Liam's injuries online, claiming I had violent tendencies, that I was emotionally unstable, and even that I was a psychopath. Later, she somehow acquired a medical document proving I had actually seen a psychiatrist. The war between Liam and me had only just begun. I changed into a sharp, professional suit and attended my company's new product launch with a perfect smile. When reporters bombarded me with questions about the drama, I refused to answer or even mention it. "Please focus your attention on our company's new products." "Mr. Liam Sterling? I'm not very familiar with him." "Ms. Mia? Never heard of her." The gossip-hungry faces turned into masks of pure confusion. They probably really thought I had schizophrenia. We were just tearing each other apart, and now I'm "not familiar" with him? The more I acted like this, the higher the media attention spiked. For new products, controversy always drives sales. It worked out perfectly. Not only did I save a fortune on endorsement fees, but I successfully turned myself into a brand. In a VVVVIP suite at a private hospital, Liam lay in bed with his head wrapped in bandages, scrolling through the news on his phone. I sat next to him, quietly peeling a small apple. I peeled the entire skin off in one continuous strip without breaking it. It was actually quite satisfying. I shoved the apple in Liam's face. "Eat it." Liam affectionately patted my head, his eyes soft: "You eat it." "Suit yourself." I pulled my hand back and took a massive bite. Crisp, sweet, and actually pretty delicious. Just then, Mia's loud complaining echoed from outside the door. "Let me in! I want to see how Liam is doing!" The bodyguard's deep voice replied: "Mr. Sterling ordered that absolutely no one is allowed in." Mia was unhappy: "Am I just 'anyone'? I'm his fiancée!" The apple in my hand suddenly lost all its appeal. I tossed it straight into the trash can. I looked toward the door, my usual cold demeanor returning: "The actress you hired is getting a little too into character." Liam put his phone down, his expression completely flat: "I'll handle it." Publicly, the more fiercely Liam and I fought, the more those people would believe he was truly isolated and helpless in this city. The collapse of the Sterling family involved a massive web of people, including members of the Vance family. By walking alone into the lion's den, Liam was essentially putting everything on the line. To uncover the people who framed his family back then, he had to place himself right in the trap the hunters had set, waiting for them to show their hands and reveal themselves. I was a Vance, I was his fiancée, and I was the one who funded his comeback. Acting as his mortal enemy was the greatest protection I could offer him. The day Liam was discharged from the hospital, reporters completely mobbed the entrance. "Mr. Sterling, were your injuries caused by Ms. Vance?" Mia, standing next to him, looked righteously indignant: "She hired people to do it! That woman is pure evil!" Liam just smiled and didn't say a word, silently confirming Mia's accusation. I was sitting in a black Porsche Cayenne parked a distance away, watching the entire scene unfold. My phone suddenly rang. I looked down—it was the main estate. My father wanted me to attend an internal meeting of the major families. The time was set for tonight. Normally, I never got the chance to attend these kinds of gatherings. The only reason he was letting me go today was because the feud between Liam and me had blown up to such a massive scale. Tonight's main agenda was discussing how to deal with Liam and force him out of the city. The key figures from the Vance, Hayes, and Miller families were all present. Noah and I were the only ones from the younger generation. It seemed the Sterling family's downfall was indeed highly complex. I kept my head down the entire time, not speaking a single word. When it was over, my father suddenly asked me: "Chloe, what are your thoughts?" Earlier, my father had said he wanted me to use the engagement to pressure Liam, preferably to marry him and tie our interests together. He never trusted the sincerity of the Hayes and Miller families' cooperation, nor did he believe Liam would spare the Vance family out of nostalgia. He only believed in the immediate, tangible profits right in front of him. I didn't have the power to defy his orders yet, so I could only obediently agree for now. I immediately texted Liam, telling him that if he had absolutely no other choice, he could agree to it temporarily. My father invited Liam to the Vance estate to "catch up." Even if it was a deadly trap, he had to come. You have to enter the tiger's den to catch the tiger cub. I sat to the side, listening to my father threaten Liam into marrying me. As one of the parties involved, I had no right to speak. Liam was resolute: "I will never marry Chloe Vance." Even though I knew it was all an act, hearing those words still sent a dull ache through my chest. It felt like he was speaking from the absolute bottom of his heart. The man in front of me was aloof, dignified, and possessed an unbreakable spine. Even standing before my father, he was completely unyielding. If... I mean, if... maybe we really wouldn't ever get married. With a single look from my father, eight bodyguards surrounded Liam from behind. All of them were highly trained professionals. It seemed he was tired of playing nice and was ready to use force. I couldn't help but tense up, my hands secretly curling into tight fists. Two fists are no match for four hands. After a few exchanges, Liam was pinned to the floor. My father glared down at him coldly, radiating an oppressive, unquestionable authority. "Lock him up for now. Come tell me when he changes his mind." Following the order, the bodyguards hauled Liam up to the secret room on the second floor. Watching them drag him upstairs, the heavy iron door slamming shut with a BANG sent my memories crashing back to my childhood. My mother was beaten to death in that exact room. I was once locked in there for three days and three nights. My mother's crime was speaking a few extra words to the family driver. My crime was tutoring a male classmate and missing curfew. My father's need for control was unimaginably extreme. I had been desperately trying to find a way to escape him for years. Just as Liam said, my father giving me a hundred million dollars back then wasn't because my begging worked. It was to satisfy his twisted, sadistic amusement. He loved playing with people, watching them struggle and drown in the mud. The harder they fought, the happier he was.
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