Everyone in high society knows I’m just a dog kept by the Sterling family. The true heiress of the Sterling family is my twin sister, Mia. She is the apple of everyone’s eye. While I am merely the fake brought out to take the blame whenever she makes a mistake. Only my uncle, Arthur Sterling, would secretly bring me pastries when I was punished to kneel in the ancestral hall. "Chloe, bear with it a little longer. Once Uncle takes control of the Sterling family, I'll take you away." For this, Mia despised me to the core, finding every way to torment me, all of which Arthur quietly deflected. Until Arthur finally defeated my father and became the new head of the Sterling family. I thought my suffering was finally over, but when I pushed open his bedroom door, I saw him and Mia passionately entangled in bed. "If your dear niece knew that you went to such great lengths to ruin the Sterling family just so she’d have no way out and become your dog, would she go crazy?" In an instant, I felt like I had plunged into an abyss. Faced with my devastated questioning, Arthur didn't even bat an eyelid. "Since you know everything, I won't bother pretending anymore." "This is the Sterling family’s underground fighting ring. If you want freedom, win against all the opponents I arrange for you and walk out of there alive." ... My entire body stiffened; I thought I was dreaming. "What, you don't believe it?" He chuckled lightly. "Did you really think I stopped Mia because my heart ached for you?" "I just didn't want my toy to be broken by someone else before I got to play with it." Mia also poked her head out from the room at that moment. "Sister, did you really think Uncle loved you?" She walked up to me. "The only person he has ever loved is me." "As for you, you’re just a replacement who looks like me. Not even a replacement, really, just a dog that needs to be trained." "Looking at your eyes, you want to kill us, don't you? The more you hate, the more excited I get." I stared dead at Arthur, my voice unbelievably hoarse. "Why... you weren't like this before!" "There is no why," Arthur walked to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a glass of wine. "From the day your father picked me up, I was just a tool for him to climb higher. Now, I'm taking back what's mine. Is there a problem?" "And you, Chloe Sterling, are just a part of my spoils of war." "Think it's unfair? There is no fairness in this world." "You've enjoyed the title of the eldest Miss Sterling for twenty years. Now, it's time for you to pay the price." Too lazy to say more, he waved his hand impatiently, and two men in black suits appeared behind me. "Take her to the fighting ring, let her learn the rules." Before I could even react, one of them grabbed my hair and roughly dragged me out. A tearing, agonizing pain radiated from my scalp. As we passed Mia, she leaned close to my ear and whispered: "Sister, guess who the first fighter will be?" "It's that bodyguard whose leg Uncle broke just because he took an extra look at you." "He... must be missing you like crazy right now." Arthur's voice came from behind. "To make it more interesting, all your opponents will be men." "Chloe, don't disappoint me." He added a hint of playfulness, "At least, try to live a bit longer." I was dragged into the elevator; the feeling of weightlessness made my stomach churn. Ding— The elevator doors opened, and the frantic, roaring sound engulfed me instantly. I was roughly pushed out, stumbled a few steps, and bumped into a man's back. The man saw me, froze for a second, and then let out an obscene whistle: "Yo, Mr. Sterling's new toy? So tender, it'd be a pity to beat her to death right away." The people around immediately erupted in laughter. Looking at these crazed faces, I laughed, laughing at myself for ever having illusions about Arthur. I was thrown into a spartan room. A bodyguard threw a set of black lace lingerie at my feet. "Mr. Sterling's orders. Put it on." The fabric was pathetically sparse; it couldn't even cover my body. "What if... I don't?" The bodyguard sneered and lit up his phone screen. On it was a photo of my grandmother in her nursing home. "Mr. Sterling said, if you don't behave, your grandmother might have a sudden heart attack in the nursing home at any time." The last trace of color drained from my face. Without another word of nonsense, I took that ridiculous lingerie and, under the bodyguard's explicit, greedy gaze, took off my clothes piece by piece. I straightened my back, allowing those gazes to flay me. The corridor leading to the fighting ring was lined with people. The moment I appeared, whistles and filthy teasing were incessant. "Is this tonight's appetizer? Mr. Sterling is really getting more and more creative." "Fighting in that? I bet she won't last ten seconds!" "Ten seconds? I bet she pees her pants the moment she gets in the ring!" Step by step, I walked towards the iron cage spotlighted in the center. Arthur was sitting in the VIP seats directly facing the cage door. Mia was wrapped around him, smiling and saying something to him. Seeing me, Mia's smile grew even more triumphant. She raised her glass to me and mouthed silently: "Good luck." The referee stopped me and loudly announced the rules tailor-made for me. "First, for the sake of fairness, Miss Sterling cannot use any weapons." The crowd erupted in a burst of laughter. A woman without the strength to tie a chicken, wearing lingerie, and they were actually saying it was for "fairness" that she couldn't use weapons. "Second, to increase entertainment value, Miss Sterling is not allowed to retreat more than three steps during the match; otherwise, it's an automatic loss." This meant I could only take hits head-on, unable to dodge. "Third, and most importantly," the referee drew out his voice, "after each round, the audience will vote to decide a special program to be completed jointly by Miss Sterling and the victor." What the so-called "special program" was, went without saying. The cheers almost blew the roof off. Arthur's gaze landed on me. He wanted to see me break down, see me kneel and beg for mercy. "What if I win?" The referee froze, seemingly never having considered this question. Arthur, however, twitched the corner of his mouth. "You win? That would be even more interesting." "Win all the matches, and you can walk out of here alive." He paused, "And, you can do whatever you want to your final opponent." "Including killing him." As he said this, his eyes stayed fixed on me, as if hinting at something. Mia giggled in his arms. "Uncle, you think too highly of her. She can barely stand steady." Before she finished speaking, I mimicked the posture of a fighter, striking a clumsy combat stance. My ridiculous lingerie, coupled with this comical movement, instantly ignited roaring laughter from the entire audience. "Hahahaha! What does she think she's doing? Dancing Swan Lake?" "Oh my god, I'm dying of laughter. Where did Mr. Sterling find this clown?" The smile on Arthur's face deepened; it was the pleasure of watching a clown perform. Only a friend beside him frowned and whispered: "Arthur, isn't this a bit too far? She is your niece after all." Arthur's eyes instantly turned cold: "Shut up! I have no niece here, only my plaything." The moment the words fell, memories of his past with me flashed through his mind. He picked up his wine glass, using the alcohol to suppress that fleeting fluctuation. I slowly lowered my hands and, facing Arthur in the VIP box, clearly enunciated two words: "I accept." The opponent for the first round was indeed the bodyguard Mia had mentioned, Carter. He limped onto the stage, the look in his eyes towards me full of sick excitement. "Eldest Miss Sterling, long time no see. Didn't expect to meet in a place like this, did you?" He sneered, rolling his wrists. "Don't worry, I won't let you die too quickly." "I'll break your bones inch by inch, let you taste what I went through back then." At the referee's command, Carter lunged at me fiercely. I instinctively retreated, and the referee's voice rang out, reminding me of that ridiculous "no retreating more than three steps" rule. I forced myself to stop, meeting his massive fist. Bang! A heavy punch landed squarely on my abdomen. The intense pain instantly made my body arc, acid rushing straight up my throat. He didn't give me any chance to breathe, grabbing my hair and smashing my face fiercely against the chain-link fence. "Scream! Why aren't you screaming? Weren't you so high and mighty before!" The rough wire scraped my cheek, leaving streaks of blood. The roars and whistles of the crowd grew even more frenzied. "Useless thing, can't even dodge." Mia's sharp voice drifted over. "Uncle, look at her, she really embarrasses the Sterling family." Arthur didn't speak, just picked up his wine glass and took a sip. The pain made me almost lose consciousness, but Carter's insults, Mia's mockery, and Arthur's coldness—these things kept me awake. The moment Carter grabbed my head to smash it against the wire mesh again, I used all my strength to ruthlessly knee him in the groin! "Aaargh—!" Carter let out a miserable shriek, clutching his crotch and falling to the ground in agony. No one expected that this seemingly weak woman would use such a ruthless move. I took the opportunity to break free, leaning against the wire mesh, panting heavily. Despite the excruciating pain all over my body, a sliver of satisfaction rose in my heart. In the VIP box, Mia opened her mouth wide in surprise: "She... how dare she!?" However, my counterattack did not bring victory. After twitching on the ground for a few seconds, Carter abruptly raised his head, filled with a crazed murderous intent. "Bitch! You're dead!" He leaped up from the ground, his fists raining down on my face like a storm. I was beaten completely defenseless and soon collapsed on the ground. He stepped on the back of my hand, slowly turning his heel, grinding down with force. Crack. The crisp sound of bones breaking echoed throughout the arena. The severe pain made my vision go black, and I almost passed out. "Stop!" The referee's voice rang out. "Carter wins!" Only then did Carter release his foot, his face showing the thrill of revenge: "Eldest Miss Sterling, how is the taste?" I lay on the cold ground, my consciousness blurring. On the large screen, the votes rolled rapidly, finally stopping on two words: "Lick toes." The crowd cheered. Carter smugly extended his foot towards my face. "Come on, lick it clean, like a bitch." At this moment, Arthur was watching this scene with great interest. Not only did he not stop it, he picked up the microphone and said to the entire arena: "It seems our Miss Sterling doesn't quite understand the rules yet. Who will come teach her?" As soon as he spoke, two burly men stepped onto the stage, pressing down hard on the back of my neck, trying to force me to lick his foot. Over the next few matches, I became a joke. Every night, I was dragged back to that small room, and the next day dragged back into the ring, repeating the cycle of defeat and humiliation. "Striptease," "Bark like a dog"... The special programs thought up by the audience became increasingly vulgar, each one trampling my dignity underfoot. But I never begged Arthur for mercy, not even once. My silence clearly angered him more than crying or screaming would have. The opponents he arranged for me grew stronger and stronger, even bringing in ruthless desperadoes. Until a butcher pulled out a dagger. The crowd went into an uproar, and even the referee looked towards Arthur. Arthur just said coolly: "In the fighting ring, life and death are on your own head." The sharp knife slashed across my face, leaving a wound deep enough to show bone. Just when I thought I was going to die here, some dormant instinct within my body was awakened. I dodged a fatal thrust, used my shoulder to viciously ram into his ribs, followed by an extreme burst of energy. I won, in a tragic, desperate manner. I clutched my bleeding arm, looking coldly at the VIP box. The expression on Arthur's face seemed to be one of heartache. But before that emotion could fully form, it was completely strangled by Mia's vicious words. "Uncle, look at the way she's looking at you. It's like she wants to eat you alive." "She's an untamable wolf cub. Your soft-heartedness will only make her hate you more." She leaned close to his ear and said something else. Arthur's body clearly stiffened, and immediately, that trace of heartache in his eyes vanished completely. "You're right, I was being too merciful." He picked up the microphone and announced to the arena: "Tonight's matches are over." "But to reward our brave Miss Sterling, I have prepared a... truly special program for her." As soon as he spoke, several men walked in, surrounding me with malicious intent. Leading them was Carter, the one who broke my hand in the first match. "Arthur! You're crazy!" The friend who had previously advised him stood up again. "You can't do this!" Arthur pushed him away. "What I do is none of your business!" "Chloe, this is your last chance." "Kneel down right now, beg me, say you were wrong, say you're willing to be my dog, and I'll let you go." Mia giggled beside him: "Sister, hurry up and beg for mercy. Look how much Uncle cares about you. All you have to do is kneel and wag your tail, and you can be saved." I looked at those ugly faces and suddenly laughed. "Arthur Sterling, dream on." My answer completely destroyed his last shred of patience. "Let her know what true despair is." I didn't struggle, nor did I cry out. I just opened my eyes wide, staring dead at that blurry figure in the VIP box. I don't know how long it lasted before it was all over. I was just left like that in the center of the ring. "Arthur Sterling, you will regret this!!" I don't know how much time passed before someone dragged me out of the iron cage like a dead dog, throwing me into a corner backstage. Arthur and Mia had also left. In the massive fighting arena, only a few cleaners were left, numbly cleaning up the mess. One of the older cleaners saw me, a flash of pity in his eyes. He quietly walked over and draped a reasonably clean employee jacket over my broken body. "Girl, get out of here." "If you don't leave now, you really won't be able to." I used all my strength to barely prop myself up, but the agonizing pain in my hand bones and my torn body made me fall again. Just then, a pair of expensive leather shoes stopped in front of me. It was the friend who had advised Arthur earlier, Julian. He took off his suit jacket, wrapped it completely around me, and picked me up in his arms. "Don't be afraid, I'm taking you out of here." I leaned against his chest, my consciousness wavering between wakefulness and passing out. I only heard him make a phone call. "Dr. Vance, do me a favor. Prepare the best room and doctor at your private hospital. I'm bringing someone over right now." "Remember, use your name. Don't let anyone trace it, especially not Arthur Sterling." When I woke up again, I was lying in a clean, bright hospital room. My wrists were properly bandaged and immobilized, and the wounds on my body had been treated. Julian was keeping watch by the bed. Seeing me wake up, he breathed a sigh of relief. "You're finally awake. You've been unconscious for two days." I looked at him and rasped out, "Why did you save me?" "Because I still have a conscience." "Arthur... he's gone mad, blinded by hatred. I can't just watch him destroy you, and destroy himself too." I let out a cold laugh, the sound pulling at the wound on my face, a piercing pain. "Destroy himself? He's riding high right now." Julian remained silent for a moment, then handed me a tablet. "This is what I secretly copied. All the illegal records of Arthur consolidating assets, including the cash flow and transaction list of that underground fighting ring." "I don't know what you want to do, but I figured you'd need this." I took the tablet, my fingertips turning white from gripping it so hard. "Why are you betraying him?" "He is my best friend," Julian's eyes dimmed, "But I can't watch him turn into an absolute monster." "And..." he paused, his voice low, "I owe you my life." I was stunned. "Five years ago, your father planned a car accident to get rid of me. You secretly made an anonymous call to warn me, letting me escape." "Although you never admitted it, I know it was you."
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