Ryan Carter, the famous playboy heir in Harbor City, openly declared that he only dated women on short-term arrangements. However, there were still lots of women eager to be his temporary girlfriend. Because if he was in a good mood, he'd reward them with a villa. If he wasn't, they'd still walk away with a million-dollar breakup fee. People in Harbor City all laughed at me, saying I was the most miserable wealthy wife in history. They all thought I'd endure it for the rest of my life. I was going to, until Ryan brought a college student named Kelly Smith home. The girl looked ordinary, yet she was the first woman he kept longer than a month. Ryan gave me two choices. Accept an open marriage and let Kelly stand on equal footing with me. Or just divorce him, split half the assets, and go our separate ways for good. His friends were there, watching the show. They were certain that I'd keep being a pushover, enduring everything, for the sake of money. But I chose the latter without hesitation. In my previous life, I chose to endure, and what I got in return was Kelly pushing her luck further and further. She forbade Ryan from touching me, forbade him from giving me any assets. In my later years, I couldn't be more envious of Kelly, who got everything, money and kids. Even after Ryan died, his will didn't grant me anything. All his inheritance was left under Kelly's control. I had been his lawful wife, but ended up with nothing at last. Reborn into this life, I finally figured everything out. This time I just wanted to take the money and leave. I picked up the divorce agreement, read it carefully from beginning to end, and was about to sign my name. Ryan finally spoke, his tone carrying a trace of tension even he hadn't noticed. "Anna Taylor, think this through. Once you sign, there's no turning back." I didn't stop. I quickly wrote my name down. "I'll pack my things and leave right now." Why the hell would I turn back? In my previous life, I thought bringing Kelly home was just another one of his tricks to mess with me. Naively, I believed that after all these years of marriage, he must have had at least a little affection for me. I was a fool. He and Kelly had kids one after another and grew old together in love. And I, in that house, was like an awkward outsider, mocked by others for my whole life. Not until my later years did I hear him talking with Kelly in a hospital room. He said that back then, the dramatic scene of catching a guy in my bed, had been arranged by him personally. "I was just tired of her and didn't want things to get too ugly, so I staged the whole thing." There wasn't a shred of guilt in his clouded eyes, "That way, anything I did afterward seemed completely justified." So that was it. No wonder every time I desperately tried to explain, all I got was his cold disbelief. Because from beginning to end, he knew the truth. He didn't love me, yet he used a fabricated crime to trap me for fifty years. He could have ended it cleanly with one stroke, but instead chose to slowly torture me to death. Looking at the young yet still cold face before me, I felt nothing but hatred. He stared blankly at the signed agreement, his eyes filled with shock. Outside the door, the faint sounds of whispering abruptly stopped. The next second, my distinguished parents-in-law rushed in cheerfully. My mother-in-law grabbed Kelly's hand, looking her up and down, clicking her tongue in praise. "Oh my, look at her! So young and so energetic!" My father-in-law, who had always treated me with hostility, was smiling kindly at this moment. He shot me a pointed glance and then said, "Finally, we can send away that useless one. It's been so many years, but there's no kid at all!" Kelly lowered her head shyly, pretending to be modest. "Sir, Madam, please don't say that. I'm not that much younger than Madam Anna..." She paused, her face flushing, "Actually, I'm already one month pregnant. It's just still early, so I planned to tell you about it later." I looked at her and frowned. As expected, still the same familiar sarcasm, the same nauseating tone. Only this time, I didn't care anymore. All these years, in order to be a useful wife, I worked myself to the bone at Carter Group during the day. At night, I still had to serve these two picky bastards. Just past thirty, yet plenty of white hair had already crept into my temples. I did look kinda old. I turned back to my room and began packing my pitiful little bit of luggage. And I was already planning where I should go first to properly relax after getting the money. Didn't notice Ryan following me in. "It's so late. There's no need to move out immediately. Leave tomorrow." "Isn't the villa in the west of the city still empty? You can stay there for now. I'll visit you when I'm free." "Anna, I know you still love me. Don't be mad anymore, okay?" He seemed to recall something and smiled. "But I really can't let you be my legal wife anymore. I can't let my child grow up being labeled as illegitimate." I didn't respond. I just picked up my suitcase, walked past him, and headed straight for the door. "There's nothing left to say between us. I'm very happy we're divorced." "If you really still have a conscience, hurry up and pay me what you owe." The night wind carried fine snow as it rushed toward me, biting cold, yet unable to extinguish the fire burning in my heart.
Ryan's efficiency was, as always, impressive. When I woke up, three billion was already in my bank account. With the money, the first thing I did was book Harbor City's most luxurious private club. Haircut, full-body spa, and everything. The haggard woman with graying temples in the mirror was gone. In her place stood a sharp-eyed beauty with flamboyant red hair. Just as I finished changing, my best friend Iris Allen called. She immediately burst into a fit of shouting. "Anna Taylor! What's going on between you and Ryan? Have you lost your minds? What the hell happened?" I held the phone a little farther away and asked lazily, "What's wrong?" "And you still ask what's wrong? Haven't you seen the news yourself?" Iris's voice was full of disbelief, "The headlines are all photos of Ryan attending a banquet with that mistress!" "He said in front of all the reporters that that bitch is his only wife! He even said they're holding a wedding soon!" "Your snobbish parents-in-law were right there too, saying that bitch deserves it!" Her voice dropped, filled with cautious concern. "Well, are you okay?" I never got such public acknowledgment, such recognition. Ryan had now given it to her. "I'm fine." Admiring my brand-new look, I spoke calmly. "We're already divorced." "What? Divorced?" Iris didn't believe it. She'd watched me love Ryan for more than ten years. She watched me bend over backward for this marriage, give up myself, wagging my tail like a dog, begging for scraps of affection. I didn't explain further. I just laughed and said, "Are you free tonight? Let's go get a drink. My treat." In Harbor City's most extravagant bar, the booths were piled high with the priciest wine. Several young, handsome male models surrounded me, attentively pouring drinks for me. Iris stared at me and said, "Holy shit, I believe it now. You really have let go. You were never like this before." Back then, to prove to Ryan that I wasn't after money, I calculated cost-performance for everything. I had been afraid he'd think I was wasteful or didn't care about the family. Now, sitting in this luxurious private room, I looked at the woman reflected in the mirrored glass. The flamboyant red hair, the perfectly tailored haute couture dress, was strange, yet familiar. Iris raised her glass and clinked it hard against mine. "You look a bit like that once-in-a-century genius beauty from the finance department at Ace University." She downed a huge gulp of wine and then complained, "Back then, so many venture capital firms were fighting to invest in you. If you'd started your own group, you'd have crushed Carter Group long ago!" "Spending over a decade being a servant for his family, and after the divorce you only got this much money." "Girl, I really think you deserve better." I had been a servant for them for more than a decade. In my previous life, Carter Group, under my control, once dominated the national rankings as the strongest enterprise. Yet in my old age, I couldn't even afford a box of painkillers. In the end, I was thrown out by Kelly's children and died of illness beside a trash heap on a winter night. The business empire I built with my entire life went to Kelly and her children. Thinking of this, I drained the wine in my glass in one go. The spicy liquid burned down my throat, yet ignited the fire deep in my heart. I swore I would get back at them. Without me, could they really live so well? The very next day, news of my group registration spread like wildfire, stirring the entire circle. Some people sensed opportunity and rushed overnight with proposals, hoping to invest. But more people mocked and waited on the sidelines, waiting for the Carter family's reaction. Someone clearly gave instructions to the media, so paparazzi articles were all belittling me for overestimating myself. I looked at the push notifications on my phone and swiped them away expressionlessly. I just didn't expect to receive a call from Ryan. "Anna, just stop it." "Starting a company isn't child's play. That little bit of money of yours won't last many days. I haven't removed your position at the group. Come back." I refused coldly, "None of your business." There was a few seconds of silence on the other end. He seemed displeased, but still spoke patiently, "Anna, can't you be a bit more understanding? I've just found true love." "Besides, instead of starting some small broken group, wouldn't it be better to stay at Carter Group?" "That southern district merger you were handling before..." I hung up the phone directly. As expected. He had just remembered that I was still useful. That southern district project was a tough nut I'd been working on for over half a year. I drank until my stomach perforated for it. Without me, Carter Group wouldn't even know where to start. At Carter Group, although I was the president, my monthly salary was only three thousand. All because my distinguished father-in-law said we were family and shouldn't be so calculative. I once naively believed that was his test for me. Now it seemed I was nothing more than an exceptionally capable yet ridiculously cheap laborer they had recruited. The more I thought about it, the angrier I became. I made up my mind at that time. I would take over all those projects I brought to Carter Group in my previous life. Even if my new group couldn't deal with them, I would personally hand them over to Carter Group's deadliest rivals. After the call was cut off, Ryan slammed his phone to the ground in fury. All these years, he had grown used to my obedience, expecting me to show up on command and disappear at his whim. Now that I'd hung up on him so decisively, he felt really mad. At that moment, his special assistant awkwardly came in holding a stack of documents he couldn't even understand, asking him to sign them. Days of exhaustion, plus years of unfamiliarity with group affairs, had left him truly overwhelmed lately. Kelly followed the assistant in, took Ryan's hand, and said with eyes full of concern, "Ryan, don't work yourself too hard. I'm your wife now. Let me help share your burden." He hesitated, somewhat uneasy. "You're still young and unfamiliar with group operations. Go rotate through the departments first." Kelly's eyes immediately reddened with grievance as she questioned him, "Anna Taylor could be the president. Why can't I?" Ryan subconsciously wanted to say that at least Anna was a top graduate from Ace University's finance department. But the moment he met Kelly's eyes, all his rationality was thrown away. His heart softened, and he just nodded. Kelly broke into a smile through her tears, hugged him, and said affectionately, "I'm just worried about you. Look at you, you've lost so much weight lately."
Less than half a month after my group started up, everything was already running smoothly. During this time, Kelly sent people over more than once to cause trouble. Just some petty tricks, all of which I brushed aside with ease. After all these years in Harbor City, the connections I'd built were far beyond what a little girl like her could compare to. Those senior employees at Carter Group whom I personally trained had long wanted to leave after hearing I'd gone solo. Especially since after Kelly started working there, she kept suppressing them, making their days suffocating. I didn't rush to bring them over. I had them stir up a little chaos before they left, a small token of allegiance to me. Kelly thought losing a few people was no big deal, even secretly rejoicing that she'd cleared out some remnants of me. But she didn't understand, some of them were critical for the group. Projects fell through one after another, and Carter Group's stock price plunged again and again. Meanwhile, on my side, with capable team members, we unleashed astonishing power, consecutively landing several deals worth tens of millions. Standing by the floor-to-ceiling window in the conference room, looking at the jubilant team below, I announced loudly, "Tonight at OTK Club. It's all on me. No one leaves sober!" "Awesome!" Amid the thunderous cheers, I led everyone out of the group building in a grand procession. At the entrance, a familiar black Rolls-Royce was parked quietly by the roadside. The car door opened, and Ryan stepped out with an arrogant look, waving at me. I didn't even glance his way, leading my people straight ahead. His special assistant stopped me. Ryan followed, his face openly showing displeasure and restrained anger, "Anna Taylor, what do you mean? Didn't you see me? You've really grown bold now." A little impatient, I looked at him coldly and said, "Mr. Ryan, do you need something?" He seemed slightly taken aback by my attitude, but still got straight to the point, issuing an order, "Shut down your group and come back to Carter Group." I was so angered by his self-righteousness that I laughed. He took my laughter as hesitation, and his tone softened a little. "Anna, I've really been exhausted lately. Don't keep fighting with me, alright?" He paused, as if making a huge concession. "If you really mind Kelly, I can have her move somewhere else for now." Looking at this pompous man before me, I couldn't help but question my own judgment back then. "I'm not throwing a tantrum." I cut him off coldly. "Mr. Ryan, we're already divorced. Please don't interfere with my life anymore." His patience ran out, his voice suddenly rising. "I've already compromised!" "What more do you want?" "The group needs you right now, and you choose this moment to put on airs?" I suddenly felt there was no reasoning with him at all. In his world, everyone was supposed to revolve around him. "If you've got any issues, Mr. Ryan, why don't you go bother your precious wife, Kelly Smith?" "I'm just an outsider. I have no obligation to clean up your mess." He seemed to have realized something and said, "You care about the status?" "Anna, once Kelly gives birth, I'll think about it." "But you have to promise me, no going public. I don't want Kelly to be hurt." I stared at him, enunciating every word: "I'll say it one last time. Get lost! Don't let me see you again!" "I'm never getting back together with you. Ever." Ryan's face darkened with rage. "Anna Taylor, don't push your luck!" "Don't forget this is Harbor City. If I want to crush a low-tier little group like yours, it's easy as pie!" Just then, a clear, slightly lazy male voice cut in. "Oh? Mr. Ryan sure has a bad temper." "Not only openly harassing my fiancée, but also threatening to destroy her group?" Ryan turned his head and was totally stunned. It was Alex White, another rich young man in Harbor City, and Ryan's nemesis. Alex strolled over lazily and naturally wrapped an arm around my waist. Leaning his head intimately against my shoulder, he whined, "Darling, I've been waiting in the parking lot forever. Turns out you were here stopped by a bastard." Ryan trembled with fury, pointing at me. "Anna Taylor! Give me an explanation! Why did you betray me?" Then, as if he suddenly figured something out, he put on a smug, all-knowing expression. "I get it now! You're acting, aren't you! You deliberately found Alex to piss me off!" Alex rolled his eyes dramatically and dragged me away. "Let's just not waste time with him." "Stop right there!" Ryan tried to chase after us. But he was too agitated, and with his recent chaotic schedule, his abdomen suddenly seized with sharp pain. "Damn... " He doubled over in pain, clutching his stomach, cold sweat beading on his forehead. "Anna. My stomach hurts..." I didn't slow down, in fact I walked even faster, not turning my head even once. Behind me were his suppressed groans of pain, and his assistant's panicked screams. *** Alex didn't give me any chance to look back. He directly shoved me into the passenger seat of his flashy red Ferrari. The sports car roared out of the parking lot. Only then did he take off his sunglasses and smile at me sideways. "Well? Not bad acting, right?" I didn't speak, just watched the cityscape speeding past outside the window. "Hey, Anna, don't be so indifferent." He nudged me lightly with his elbow. "I helped you out, you know. Not even a thank you?" "Thank you." I kept it brief. He pouted, clearly dissatisfied with my coldness. But he didn't say more, only turned up the volume of the car music. That very night, the headlines of Harbor City's financial and entertainment sections were all dominated by Ryan Carter. #Carter Group President Chasing Former Love, Suffers Stomach Spasms and Is Hospitalized# The accompanying photos showed him being taken into an ambulance by his assistant and bodyguards. The comment section exploded. Some mocked Ryan for bringing it on himself, saying he should've expected this day back when he flaunted his mistress. Others claimed Kelly Smith was inferior to me, which was why Ryan turned back, and that the two of us would soon remarry.
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