Three years after breaking up with Asher Vance, his socialite mother tracked me down. She claimed he'd become a worthless degenerate and begged me to "save him." I found him at a club, surrounded by sycophants as he flirted with girls. He froze when he saw me—then sneered. "Want me back? Get on your knees first." I slapped him hard. Text suddenly scrolled across my vision: [Is this side character insane? Slapping the male lead!] [Our sweet heroine Claire would never act like this!] [Disobedient women deserve to die!] Asher's face burned red with rage... Then he gritted out, "...Sorry." The club fell silent. They'd forgotten—three years ago, I'd trained this young master to be my most obedient dog. 1 The day Asher’s socialite mother found me, I was finalizing my plans to study abroad. “Vera, please, I’m begging you. Go back to Asher and save him.” We met at the same café as last time. She got straight to the point, squeezing out a few crocodile tears. “Ever since you two broke up three years ago, he’s been spiraling. Now, he’s a completely degenerate heir who does nothing but party and waste his life away. That boy has been spoiled since birth. His father and I can’t get through to him at all. If he keeps going like this, he’ll be completely ruined!” I stirred my coffee, listening to her entire speech before letting a small, amused smile touch my lips. Because it was this same woman, in this same café, who had thrown a check at my face three years ago and demanded I leave Asher. She had arrogantly called me a gold-digging nobody, unworthy of trying to control her son. That men were born to be on top of women. That I should spend less time social climbing and more time educating myself. That my poverty was a sin and he would be better off without me. She conveniently forgot that it was because of me that Asher had managed to rein in his temper, graduate from college, and was preparing to take over the family business. I looked up at Mrs. Vance, my expression no longer holding the fear and uncertainty of three years prior. It was replaced by a cool, mature composure. “Alright,” I said. “I’ll do it.” Before she could even smile, I delivered the second half of my sentence. “But that comes with a different price tag. How long I stay by his side depends on how much you’re willing to pay. The moment the term is up, I’m gone.” Mrs. Vance’s face turned a sickly green. “Vera, how could you become so mercenary? You can’t put a price on matters of the heart! You’ve disappointed me so much!” I didn’t waste another word. I stood up to leave. Her expression shifted instantly. She scrambled to placate me, fawning and promising to wire the money immediately. I chuckled softly. Kindness gets you bullied. I learned that lesson three years ago. That night, with a five-million-dollar deposit in my account, I found the club where Asher was holding court and pushed open the door to his private room. The noise inside died instantly. All eyes turned to me. 2 Someone barked at me immediately. “Who the hell are you? You think you can just walk in here? Get the hell out!” I ignored the lapdog and scanned the room. It was filled with Asher’s usual cronies, each with a girl in a low-cut dress and a micro-skirt draped over them. Expensive liquor and food littered the table. It was a scene of pure, decadent rot. My gaze landed on Asher, slouched in a corner, leg crossed, a cigarette dangling from his lips. He’d dyed his hair a trendy ash gray and was looking down. Sitting next to him was a girl who was a watered-down version of me. I have an edge of ice; she had an air of innocence. Asher’s childhood friend recognized me, his jaw dropping. “Holy shit! Isn’t that the legendary Ve—” He slapped a hand over his mouth, but it was too late. The moment Asher heard my name, his head snapped up. Our eyes met, and he visibly flinched. The colored lights in the room seemed to dim, and I couldn’t quite make out his expression. When the lights flared back up, his face was a mask of disgust and mockery. Asher leaned back, slinging an arm around the girl beside him. Her cheeks flushed, and she snuggled against him like a delicate bird. A pity Asher didn’t notice her shy display. He was too busy trying to humiliate me. “Well now, look who it is. If it isn’t the gold digger who dumped me for money.” Asher’s eyes raked over me, from head to toe. Seeing not a single luxury brand on me, a smug satisfaction flickered across his face. “Still poor as dirt, Vera. What, you want to get back together? Why don’t you get on your knees and beg?” His friends erupted in jeering laughter. Other than his childhood friend, none of them knew who I was. Their insults were sharp and cruel. “Damn, what kind of idiot dumps a guy like Asher for money? If I were a girl, I’d be licking his boots every day. He could hit me, slap me, I wouldn’t care. I’d call him daddy!” “This chick is just trying to cash in, right? Why does she look so much like Claire? Is that a nose job? Jesus, can you stop with the desperate tactics? You’re not even fit to lick Claire’s shoes. She’s the one who deserves to be Asher’s wife!” Claire. That must be the girl’s name. As pure as it sounded. Hearing these words, Claire looked at me from the safety of Asher’s embrace with a sort of pity, hiding a sliver of triumph and disdain. She probably pitied me for going so far as to get plastic surgery to look like her, just to get close to Asher. And yet, I wasn’t even worthy of sitting beside him. Among them all, only Asher’s childhood friend remained silent, his eyes darting nervously between Asher and me. He opened his mouth as if to explain something, but someone else’s loud jeer drowned him out. Just then, the stream of text appeared before my eyes. [The villainess finally makes her entrance. Supposedly she's the male lead's 'one that got away,' but she doesn't look like much. Way worse than our girl Claire.] [Don't worry, she'll be gone in a flash. The male lead has already forgotten her. He won't give her the time of day.] [I always laugh at this part of the story. The side character tries to politely talk the male lead into going back to work, but he won't even look at her. It’s so humiliating, hahaha!] Honestly, I had planned on being civil with Asher. It was our first time seeing each other in three years, after all. But after reading those comments, I changed my mind. Too much time had passed. Someone had clearly forgotten the rules. He needed a reminder. Asher was still preening, turning to praise his lackey for the insults, when a large shadow fell over him. I was standing right in front of him. I raised my hand high. And brought it down, hard, across his face. CRACK! The room went dead silent. 3 For a few seconds, everyone was frozen, as if someone had hit pause. Mouths hung open wide enough to fit an egg. Claire was the first to react. She glared at me, her eyes brimming with tears of indignation. “Miss, how could you hit him? Have you no decency? Even if you have a poor education and no manners, that’s no excuse to come here and harass people! Mr. Vance is not in your league!” What a masterful takedown, all without a single curse word. I found it amusing. Such a righteous little defender. Funny how she seemed to be enjoying it when they were slandering and insulting me just a moment ago. A selective sense of justice, reserved exclusively for men. [Ahhh, this bitch of a villainess is insane! Does she have a death wish, hitting a powerful male lead like that? She scared our precious heroine! Good job scolding her, sweetie! You were too gentle, though. Next time, tear her apart!] [This moron who’s doomed to die in three chapters is supposed to be his great love? More like a bad memory! With the male lead's temper, he’s going to beat her face in!] [See, our girl Claire is gentle and considerate. The perfect little wife, born for him. She never talks back, she’s as obedient as a kitten. It’s obvious who anyone with a brain would choose, right?] [No wonder she’s the evil side character! Women who are greedy and disobedient are the worst. A woman's greatest asset is her willingness to please a man. I hope she dies soon. Can’t wait for the male lead to lose it!] I was astonished. If being a fawning, submissive wife was what it took to be the heroine, then I was perfectly happy being the evil side character. What was a man? A creature born to serve women. They were that eager to see Asher lose his temper with me? I smiled faintly. Then I’m afraid you’re all in for a disappointment. I looked down at Asher from my superior height and said, word by word, “Apologize. To me.” A blond guy next to him spat and stood up, pointing a finger in my face. “Who the hell do you think you’re talking—” “Shut your mouth!” Asher’s roar cut the man off. The red handprint was still stark against his handsome, pale face, his eyes were crimson with fury. He met my gaze, and I saw the glint of tears in the corner of his eyes. But he gritted his teeth and forced out the words. “I’m… sor… ry.” The entire room was in shock. Asher’s friend muttered in terror. “Shit… it’s over… the only demon in the world who can control Asher is really back…” I nodded, satisfied. I was beginning to think they’d all forgotten. This young master of the Vance family had been trained, three years ago, to be my most obedient dog. 4 “All of you, get out!” When Asher gave an order, no one dared to disobey. Everyone except Claire scrambled out of the room, tripping over each other in their haste. The gossip about the young master getting slapped would probably be all over their social circle before long. Seeing that I wasn’t leaving, Claire frowned. “Miss, please leave! Didn’t you hear Mr. Vance? Can’t you show a little basic courtesy, or did you really drop out of high school?” Asher, dizzy with anger, snapped, “I was talking to you. Get out. Now.” Claire froze, her face crumpling as tears streamed down her cheeks. Though they weren't officially together, it was clear she had already cast herself in the role of Asher’s girlfriend. She shot me a resentful glare, the kind you give the other woman, before running out of the room crying, her retreating figure like a fragile white flower. Nice. Very delicate. Too bad Asher was completely immune to such charms. He didn’t even glance her way. [What is the male lead doing?! How could he kick out his future wife? Shouldn’t he have yelled at the side character and comforted her?!] [This has nothing to do with the side character. It’s definitely because our girl said a few extra words to the second male lead yesterday, and our male lead saw and got jealous.] [Our male lead is such a little jealous baby! I hope he figures out his feelings soon and makes it up to Claire!] [But I’m still a little mad that he’s using the side character to make Claire jealous. Ugh, is he really letting this bitch get away with it?] [Don’t worry, our male lead knows what he’s doing. He would never let the side character touch a hair on his head. This is all just an act.] After enjoying their ridiculous mental gymnastics, I sat down across from Asher. “Your taste has changed?” Asher looked at me mournfully, ignoring my question. “Weren’t you going abroad? What are you doing here?” I raised an eyebrow. “How did you know I was going abroad?” Asher was speechless. “I…” “Paying such close attention to me… you’re not still in love with me, are you?” I leaned forward, my gaze invasive. The familiar pressure washed over him. Asher instinctively looked away, the tips of his ears turning red, but his mouth was still stubborn. “Who’s in love with you? That’s hilarious. It’s been 1,186 days. I’ve already forgotten all about you!” A smirk played on my lips as I stood up. “Alright. Well, I forgot to tell you, I moved my things back into the apartment we used to live in. Since you’re not interested, I guess I’ll just have to live there by myself.” Asher shot to his feet, his expression a complex mix of emotions. “You never ended the lease on that place? For three years?” I gave him a meaningful look without saying a word and pushed open the door to leave. He started yelping behind me like a desperate puppy. “Hey, hey! We can talk about this, don’t be in such a rush to leave! I never said I wouldn’t go! Dammit, you abandoned me for three years, can’t you at least pretend to beg me a little? Vera, get back here!” The corners of my mouth lifted. I leaned against the wall outside and lit a cigarette. After my foster mother passed away, I’d picked up the habit of having one occasionally. I watched the smoke curl slowly upwards, listening to Asher’s soft, excited muttering from inside the room. “Thank you, God, Jesus, Mary, and all the saints, she really came back for me…” I lowered my eyes, hiding the look in them. You fool. It wasn’t a god who answered your prayers. It was your mother’s money. 5 Asher and I met in college and were together for five years. During that time, he had countless falling-outs with his family. When a rich kid gets his allowance cut off, he’s just as broke as anyone else. So we rented a tiny one-bedroom apartment and lived there together for three years. After we broke up, I never canceled the lease. I would even come by occasionally to clean. If I had to give a reason, it was probably because after my foster mother died, it was the only place I had left that I could call “home.” I never expected it would come in handy like this. When Asher walked into the apartment and I saw the nostalgic, pained look on his face, I didn’t bother to explain the real reason. After all, I was only here for the money. Why would I say anything that didn’t benefit me? Letting him think I was nostalgic for him wasn’t a bad thing. It had only been a week since my last cleaning, so the place was spotless, preserved exactly as it was when we were in love. Asher did a slow circle of the room before turning to face the wall. As he turned, I caught the glint of red in his eyes. I knew he was already lost in his own world of romantic fantasies. Let him be. I was exhausted from the long day. I dragged my suitcase into the bedroom. Asher tried to follow me, but the door slammed shut with a decisive thud, mercilessly blocking him out. When I opened the door again in my pajamas, he was still standing there, his head hung in disappointment. If he had a tail, it would have been drooping. I tossed a set of clean men’s pajamas onto the sofa. “Change into these.” He looked up, his eyes bright, his imaginary tail wagging like a propeller. I added, “I’m sleeping in the bedroom tonight. You’re on the sofa.” And just like that, the tail drooped again. When Asher came out of the bathroom in his pajamas, I almost whistled. They say your face reflects your soul, and for someone as naive and innocent as Asher, it meant he looked young. Even after all these years since graduation, with his hair combed down, he looked as fresh as a college student. And I suspected he’d left the top buttons of his pajama shirt undone on purpose. It was a convenient way to show off his chiseled eight-pack and the V-line of his abs. Add to that his pale skin and the rivulets of water trailing down his chest, and from a purely aesthetic standpoint, I had to admit it was incredibly sexy and tempting. But I hadn’t forgotten my purpose. A financial relationship was better kept simple. I didn’t want to invite unnecessary complications. I calmly turned around, went back into my room, and got into bed. Crack. I thought I heard the sound of a young man’s heart breaking behind me. That night, for the first time in a long time, I slept well. I usually have trouble sleeping, but strangely, I always slept soundly when I was with Asher. Maybe it was because he was so simple-minded that I couldn't bring myself to put up my guard. I don’t like enclosed spaces, so I left the bedroom door open. When I got up in the middle of the night, I tripped over something almost immediately. I turned on the lamp and froze. Asher was curled up on the cold floor beside my bed, with only his jacket for a mattress. Snapping out of my daze, I crouched down and stared at him, thinking, Is he going to start talking in his sleep now? “Vera… don’t leave me… can we please get back together…” Ha. I knew it. I leaned in close to his ear, my dark hair brushing against his cheek. “Asher, you’re a really bad actor.” Asher’s face turned visibly red. Perhaps he knew that when it came to intelligence, we weren’t in the same league. I had always been able to see right through him. “Then what’s your answer?” Asher threw caution to the wind and opened his eyes. They were as dark and deep as ink. “Let’s get back together. Forget the past and start over.”
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