Years after I graduated college, a novel I wrote about second chances and a broken romance unexpectedly went viral. The male lead was based on him. At my book’s press conference, he sat in the front row as the primary investor. His girlfriend smiled brightly at the cameras. "We’re getting engaged soon. I hope certain people don't read too much into a fictional story and embarrass themselves." A reporter stubbornly pressed on, "Mr. Thorne, since you clearly dislike the author, why did you buy the rights to her book?" Sebastian Thorne didn't even glance in my direction. He answered coolly, "The plot is clumsy and cheap. I bought it so I'd never have to see it again." 1 "Did you hear? The male and female leads never actually got back together in real life. She dumped him." "Why?" "Because he was broke, obviously." "Then when Sebastian Thorne became a billionaire heir, she crawled back begging for a second chance, and he shut her down." "Wow, and she still had the nerve to write a book about it?" The AC in the press conference hall was blasting, set to a freezing 64 degrees. The murmurs and insults from the readers echoed through the room. I kept my head down, meticulously signing my pen name on the title pages. I wrote this novel the year I graduated. I never expected it to blow up. The harder the readers shipped the fictional couple back then, the more viciously they attacked me now that my history with Sebastian had been dug up. But I couldn't afford to be upset. Even if I had to smile while being cursed at, I had to finish this event. Because this was the investor's demand. Sebastian was currently sitting in the front row. He looked calm and authoritative, watching the girl beside him field questions from the press. "We’re getting engaged soon. I hope certain people don't read too much into a fictional story and embarrass themselves." The girl’s smile was sickeningly sweet. "If someone ruined a man's life and then expected to just waltz back into it... well, that would just be shameless, wouldn't it?" I knew this woman. Valerie Kensington. We were classmates in college. Her family and the Thorne family were old money, deeply connected. Back when I was dating Sebastian, she proactively befriended me, acting like my ultimate best friend. After graduation, she acted like I didn't exist. The microphone was passed to Sebastian. "Mr. Thorne, rumor has it that you and the author share a very intense history. How exactly did you two break up back then?" Sebastian didn't even look at me. "I suggest you ask the author." His freezing tone only fueled the rumors. Confirming the narrative that I was a gold-digger who threw him away. A wave of laughter rippled through the crowd. "Someone mentioned your first choice wasn't business, but becoming a research scientist." "Could you tell us why you ultimately chose to return and inherit the family empire?" Sebastian's gaze finally cut through the crowd, landing squarely on me. He stared at me expressionless for a long moment. Then, he looked away. "I was young. I didn't know what I really wanted." "Facts have proven that people belong in the circles they are familiar with." "As for the rest... I just rolled with the punches." After finishing, he asked flatly, "Miss Sterling, wouldn't you agree?" Facing the cameras, my mind went completely blank. Just as I opened my mouth to say something, Sebastian lowered his eyes and started chatting with the executive next to him, clearly unbothered by whatever my answer might be. The massive screen in the hall cut back to a clip of his earlier interview. "What was your reason for buying the rights to this book?" Sebastian's voice was ice. "The plot is clumsy and cheap. I bought it so I'd never have to see it again." 2 Honestly, I only found out today that Sebastian was my investor. Hardly any of my actual fans showed up to the press conference. Instead, I was hit with an industry blacklist. My book was being pulled from all online platforms, and the physical copies were halting production. "Maya, I'm afraid the movie adaptation is dead in the water." After the event, my editor, Oliver, pulled me aside. I stood by the exit, a little dazed. His eyes landed on my ear, hesitating for a moment. He asked, "Your... ear?" I touched the hearing aid hidden beneath my hair, feeling a flush of embarrassment. "Yeah... The doctor said there's a new surgical implant available. I wanted to try it." Over the last few years, my hearing had steadily deteriorated. If I didn't stare directly at someone's lips, I essentially couldn't understand a word they were saying. The surgery cost $100,000. If I lost my royalties, there was no way I could afford it. Oliver sighed. "I'm so sorry. I can't help you." I knew it was hard for him too. We were just a small publishing house trying to survive. No one expected us to be targeted by apex capital. The manuscript I wrote years ago had been dug up and hyped into a frenzy, pushing me directly into the crosshairs. "It's okay. I'll figure something else out." He patted my shoulder. Before he could finish his sentence, someone violently bumped into me. I stumbled forward, and my hearing aid flew out of my ear and hit the floor. "Oh man, I'm so sorry..." A delivery guy scrambled into the elevator and disappeared. I crouched down and realized the delicate device was cracked in half. The noisy ambient sounds of the venue were instantly muffled, turning into a thick, underwater hum. Until a shadow cast over me, blocking the overhead lights. A pair of polished black dress shoes stopped right in front of me. I looked up. Sebastian, looking impeccable in his tailored suit. Through the cold, metallic frames of his glasses, he looked down at me with absolutely zero warmth. His hand was resting against a towering stack of delivery boxes that had almost tipped over. His brows were furrowed in deep irritation. "Are you deaf?" I read his lips perfectly. I also saw the terrified delivery worker pushing the cart next to him, apologizing profusely. Apparently, I had crouched right in the middle of the hallway, blocking his path, and I hadn't heard his warnings. Sebastian had caught the heavy boxes just before they crushed me. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause trouble." I frantically stuffed the broken pieces of my hearing aid into my purse, stood up, and apologized to the worker. Sebastian pulled his hand back, and the boxes slammed onto the floor right next to my feet. "This is my building. I don't want any accidents happening on the premises. That is all." With that, he turned and walked away without a single backward glance. 3 I was busy all day and hadn't eaten a thing. I got a text from my best friend, so I gave her a quick rundown of the situation. "Valerie and Sebastian are actually together?" She immediately blew up my phone. "Does he even know what kind of monster she is?! If she hadn't abandoned you back then, would you even be in this state?!" I paused, typing back: "Running away from danger is human instinct. I can't... blame anyone else for that." The June weather was incredibly unpredictable. A torrential downpour started without warning. Across the street, a massive LED billboard flashed an advertisement for a luxury real estate project co-funded by the Thorne and Kensington families. Business was booming. I remembered reading a financial analysis online once. Alliances between elite families were impenetrable fortresses. In the years since graduation, I occasionally heard updates about Sebastian from old classmates. Everyone used to think he was just a brilliant kid from a poor family. His grades were flawless, and he had even won first place at the National Physics Olympiad. When we broke up, he was actively negotiating a full-ride fellowship at MIT. But after our split, his grades mysteriously plummeted. He lost his spot. When he finally resurfaced, it was as the newly revealed heir to the Thorne empire, stepping into the media spotlight. He was a completely different person. Ruthless, cutthroat, and terrifyingly efficient. I knew exactly who was responsible for those changes. And because of that, I had absolutely no right to say a word to defend myself or clear the air about our past. Raindrops blew under my umbrella. My face and clothes were soaked. I touched my ear, hailed a cab by the curb, and went to find someone to fix my hearing aid. The muffled thunder sounded like it was wrapped in cotton, vibrating uselessly against my eardrums. 4 Oliver was a genuinely good guy. He refused to let my hard work go down the drain. He spent days calling in favors until he finally connected with a small, independent film studio. They were willing to risk offending Sebastian to produce my script. Oliver set up a dinner meeting. If we sealed the deal, I'd get my advance next week. Unfortunately, luck wasn't on my side. The night of the dinner, Oliver got stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic. Leaving me alone at a table full of strangers. And to make matters exponentially worse, Valerie was there. My hearing aid hadn't been fixed yet. So for the entire night, I had to hyper-focus on everyone's lips just to decipher what they were saying. Valerie crossed her legs, swirling her wine. "Gentlemen, no need to be polite with Miss Sterling. For the right price, she'll do absolutely anything." One of the sleazy producers immediately chimed in, "Life is so stressful. Doesn't Miss Sterling want to make things a little easier for herself?" The table erupted in predatory laughter. I kept my head down, gripped my wine glass, took a small sip, and remained completely silent. Oliver had begged for this meeting. His wife just had a baby, and he was under a mountain of pressure. I couldn't let his efforts go to waste. I just had to wait for him to arrive. But I underestimated how far they were willing to go. The comments grew increasingly vulgar. "If you come back to my hotel tonight, I'll—" A tall figure suddenly stepped between me and the producer, completely blocking my view. "You want her to do what at your hotel?" I looked up and saw Sebastian glaring down at the man, spitting out the words like shards of ice. Under the harsh overhead lights, his sharp features looked terrifyingly lethal. Why was he here? Valerie's smug smile vanished. She bolted upright. "Sebastian, what are you doing here?" The sleazy producer instantly turned pale, losing his voice entirely. "Mr... Mr. Thorne..." Sebastian grabbed my wrist and dragged me away. Before I could even process what was happening, I was being pulled out of the restaurant. Valerie panicked, screaming, "Sebastian... don't be reckless!" Her voice was quickly left behind. He didn't stop until he practically threw me into the passenger seat of his Maybach. "How much?" The freezing words slammed into my ears. Sebastian gripped the steering wheel, the veins on the back of his hand bulging, radiating pure fury. I stared at him blankly. "What?" He let out a dark, furious laugh, reached into his jacket, pulled out a black Amex card, and threw it into my lap. "Tens of thousands? Hundreds of thousands? Millions? Swipe whatever you want. There's no need for you to go wagging your tail and begging for scraps from those disgusting old men." It felt like a needle had been driven into my heart. I wanted to explain. But how could I? I was desperate for money. The brutal reality of the last few years had ground my pride into dust. There is nothing more terrifying in this world than poverty. "Didn't you want money?" Sebastian ground his teeth. "Or do you think my money is too dirty for you?" I picked up the card, clutching it tightly, and offered a weak, pathetic response: "Let me borrow $100,000. I'll pay you back." I knew the limit on this card was infinitely higher than $100,000. It probably had no limit at all. Sebastian's face hardened. "Really? Remember you said that." "Every single month from now on, I better see a deposit in my account. If I don't, you'll be hearing from my lawyers." "So, you better not try disappearing on me again." I clenched my jaw. "I'm not that kind of person." "You aren't?" Sebastian leaned in close, trapping me. "Maya Sterling, when it comes to me, you have a documented criminal record." I choked on my words. I tried to open the car door, but Sebastian blocked me. He braced his hand against the window, his other hand gripping my jaw, forcing my head up. Forcing me to look him in the eye. "Now, let's talk about the price." I froze. "What price?" "Did you think I was just going to let you use me out of the goodness of my heart?" His freezing fingertips traced my cheekbone like a merciless blade. "Maya, you made your bed. Don't expect any mercy from me now." "So, strictly business—" The end of his sentence blurred into a fuzzy hum in my ears. "Sign the marriage contract, and I'll give it to you." 5 The car glided silently through the city streets. Sebastian didn't let me out. Because ten minutes ago, I had blurted out a desperate lie: "I'm getting married." Sebastian's expression turned apocalyptic. He stared out the window at the gloomy sky, refusing to say a word. After a long, suffocating silence, he asked: "To who?" I didn't catch it clearly. I looked at his lips. "Hmm? What?" Sebastian raised his eyes. "I asked you, who are you marrying?" I opened my mouth, but for a long time, I couldn't produce a single name. Having navigated the cutthroat corporate world, Sebastian's intuition was lethal. He asked calmly, "Time, location, do your college friends know?" I couldn't answer a single one of those questions. Sebastian's eyelids twitched. "Maya, to avoid me, you don't even bother drafting a believable lie anymore?" "It's none of your business." "Sign this." He suddenly tossed a document into my lap. The bold letters on the A4 paper read: Pre-Nuptial Agreement. My heart seized as I read the clauses. Did he... not care at all? Almost every single clause was overwhelmingly in my favor. "I'm sorry. I can't agree to this." "Give me a reason." I pushed the contract back toward him. "You and Valerie—" Before I finished my sentence, I saw a profound, searching look cross Sebastian's face. "You actually care?" "After disappearing without a trace for years, never sending a single text, never asking about me once... you care?" "So why should it matter to you who I get engaged to, or what I think?" Honestly, I wanted to scream that I did ask about him... But explaining it now would just be useless noise. Sebastian said, "Marrying Valerie was a corporate alliance arranged by the family. I have absolutely no personal relationship with her." "Maya, think this through." His gaze was piercing. "Marry me, and you'll get everything you want." "Fame, the movie adaptation, and—" "Money." In that moment, I finally understood why Sebastian had blacklisted me in the first place. Desperation makes a person easier to control. He had always been a master hunter. He just wanted to force me out of hiding. "But what do you get out of this?" "You." Sebastian's tone was completely detached. "Don't imagine our future is going to be some fairy tale." "All the agonizing pain I've endured, I'm going to return it to you, piece by piece." Actually, I had no reason to refuse. I desperately needed the money. I was willing to do it. 6 Sebastian and I got our marriage license. The very day we signed the papers, he went straight back to the office. Before he left, he handed me an address. "I expect to see you at home tonight." His voice was ice-cold. Devoid of any emotion. I thought about it and decided to make an appointment with the hearing aid clinic. At the very least, I needed to be able to understand him clearly when we spoke. "Miss Sterling, I'm so sorry, but your old unit is beyond repair. I highly suggest purchasing our newest model." Hearing aids are obscenely expensive. It wasn't something I could just casually buy. Over the years, paying for my mom's medical bills had completely drained my accounts. I stared at the price sheet, letting out a deep sigh in my heart. I pulled out Sebastian's black card. The sales rep's eyes lit up. "Ma'am, you could absolutely upgrade to our premium—" "No need. Just this one is fine." I cut her off, watching her swipe the card through the machine and hand it back to me with a beaming smile. I felt sick to my stomach. Sebastian would get the transaction alert, right? Dropping a massive amount of money on the very first day of our marriage... I didn't even want to know what he thought of me. The truth was, he didn't say a single word to me for the rest of the day. The new hearing aid would take a while to arrive. I went back to my tiny apartment, packed my basic toiletries, and took an Uber to the address he gave me. It was a sprawling mansion in an ultra-wealthy neighborhood. There wasn't a soul in sight. There was a small golden retriever playing in the yard. When it saw me, it happily wagged its tail. I crouched down and patted its head. "Hi there, are you Casper?" He barked happily twice and offered me his paw. Yep, definitely Casper. Sebastian hadn't changed at all. Still terrible at naming things. The mansion was spotless, but entirely devoid of warmth or life. I hugged Casper, sitting rigidly on the edge of the massive sofa. I pulled out my phone and mindlessly clicked onto Valerie's Instagram page. She had blocked me ages ago, but for some inexplicable reason, her profile was public today. She had posted a story just minutes ago. It was a photo of a corporate boardroom. In her frame, Sebastian sat at the head of the table, wearing his glasses, looking deadly serious as he listened to a presentation. In front of every executive at the table was a standard bottle of sparkling water. But right next to Sebastian's seat—where she was sitting—was a cup of hot milk tea, looking completely out of place in the sterile corporate environment. The caption read: "Today's special privilege. ✨" I locked my phone in dead silence. I tied my hair up and dragged my suitcase into the guest bedroom. I stayed busy until evening. I thought about sending Sebastian a text to ask if he was coming home for dinner. I typed half the message, then deleted it. I wanted to take a shower, only to find that the water was completely shut off in all the guest bathrooms. I waited like that until midnight. I lay on the sofa, exhausted to the bone. Casper, who was sleeping on my stomach, suddenly perked up. I realized someone had come home. I sat up groggily, locking eyes with Sebastian as he pushed the front door open. The moment he saw me, his eyes darkened. There was a suffocatingly awkward pause. Only Casper happily trotted over, rubbing against Sebastian's legs. I opened my mouth, my voice raspy. "You're back?" Sebastian subtly took in my messy hair, loosened his tie, and gave a faint "Mhm." Then he crouched down to pet the dog. I tightened my grip on my ring finger, feeling the cold metal of my wedding band. It felt so absurd. Years ago, I used to dream endlessly about what our married life would be like. Years later, we were finally living together, but in the most bizarre, twisted way imaginable. I licked my dry lips. "Then I'll... go to sleep." "Hold on." Sebastian's voice stopped me in my tracks. "You're sleeping in the guest room?" I understood his implication. "No, I'll move my things to the master bedroom right now." 7 As Sebastian walked past me, I caught the faint scent of expensive liquor. And on the collar of his crisp white shirt, there was a bright crimson lipstick stain. But I didn't have the right to ask about it. The sound of running water echoed from the master bathroom. Apparently, the shower in his room worked perfectly fine. I hesitated for a long time. When the water finally stopped, I grabbed my towel and walked over. The door opened. Sebastian emerged from the steam. He only had a towel wrapped low around his waist. Water droplets trailed down his sculpted abs and disappeared into the plush white terrycloth. He held the door open. "Do you need something?" I said, "The water isn't working anywhere else in the house." "Yeah, I know." His blunt reply choked me. Sebastian continued, "The pipes are broken. The plumbers can't come until Monday." We stood there in a silent standoff. He was waiting for me to yield. I nodded. "Then... can I borrow—" "Do whatever you want." Sebastian dropped the icy words, brushed past my shoulder, and walked straight into his study. Leaving behind the lingering, cool scent of mint body wash. My best friend texted me: "Did you buy the hearing aid?" "Yeah, I used Sebastian's money." Even though I planned to pay him back, his money had undeniably saved my life. After my shower, I thought about it, sliced up a plate of fruit, and brought it to his study to thank him. Sebastian was on a business call. When he saw me, he merely threw a fleeting, dismissive glance my way. It completely wiped the carefully rehearsed speech from my brain. "Speak. What is it?" He ended his call quickly, raising his eyes to stare at my damp, flushed face. "I was worried you might be thirsty, so I brought you some fruit." Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "Don't you think a glass of water would be more efficient?" I stammered, "I'll go get you some—" A sudden, forceful yank threw me completely off balance. I tumbled backward, landing squarely on his lap. The scent of mint engulfed me. "What exactly is your goal here? Do you really need to try this hard to please me?" His eyes were impossibly dark. "You hid from me for years. You took the money, and that's still not enough? Now you're trying to seduce me?" I suddenly realized that because of the humidity from the shower, my silk nightgown had become somewhat translucent. The atmosphere shifted entirely into something dangerous... "I wasn't—" I tried to explain. Sebastian stood up, lifting me effortlessly, and set me down on the edge of his mahogany desk, trapping me in his arms. "You weren't?" I was speechless. My hands balled into tight fists. Just as my eyes started to dart away in panic, Sebastian crashed his lips down onto mine. An aggressively dominant, punishing kiss immediately scrambled all my senses. My body went weak. I desperately gripped his collar, gasping for air. Maybe muscle memory was just too powerful. For a brief second, I actually kissed him back. Stacks of documents cascaded off the desk. A glass paperweight shattered on the floor. He pulled back slightly, panting heavily. He yanked open a drawer and pulled something out. "Sebastian... wait." He paused. He looked at me with those devastatingly intense eyes, a flicker of his old, indulgent patience breaking through the coldness. "What is it?" "I have something to say." "Say it." "Today, I spent a lot of money." "And? It was five grand. You really want to split hairs with me right now?" I swallowed hard. "I just wanted to come in here... to say thank you." Sebastian stared at me silently for a few seconds. The fleeting warmth in his eyes vanished, replaced by his usual, detached cynicism. "So, to thank me, you decided to sleep with me?" "No." "Then why?" Sebastian's gaze was piercing, refusing to let me escape. "Maya, tell me. Look at the state of you right now. Hooking up with me like this... what exactly is your endgame?" I didn't say a word. If I said "because I love you," the financial transaction hanging over our heads would make it sound incredibly cheap and fake. Sebastian didn't give me a chance to answer anyway. He picked me up and carried me all the way from the study to the bedroom. Even when I cried, he didn't stop. Finally, Sebastian whispered into the dark: "It doesn't matter, Maya. I don't mind living like this..." The next morning, Sebastian left on a business trip. He didn't leave a single message behind.
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