My childhood sweetheart went bankrupt, and I supported him for five long years. He lived off my wealth, yet he had the audacity to fall in love with my father’s illegitimate daughter. To rid himself of me, he used my love as leverage, trying to force me into accepting his mistress into our family home. The next second, I wrapped my arm around my taller, hotter, gorgeously tanned bodyguard and sneered. "Who do you think you are? You're nothing but a paid toy." "Serena, how can you be so cruel? Hailey is your sister! She’s suffered so much out there. How can you refuse to let her be recognized by the family and get her name on the trust fund?" I was reborn. My newly awakened brain slowly processed the memories of my past life. It seemed even God pitied me. Standing before me was Julian Cole, the handsome man I had grown up with and loved since childhood. His family’s status used to be similar to mine—both of us heirs to high society. But then his family went bankrupt. His father committed suicide, his mother followed shortly after, leaving Julian as the sole survivor of a once-happy family. I still remembered him kneeling before me, wrapping his arms around my waist, weeping hysterically. He said, "Serena, I only have you left." Out of love, and out of the pity inherent in my nature, when nobody wanted Julian, I took him in. I not only let him live in my house but also covered all his expenses and college tuition. I still spoiled him like the wealthy heir he used to be. I thought we would end up together anyway, so spending money on him was just an investment in love. There was nothing to keep track of. But I didn't realize that the man I was feeding had somehow hooked up with my father’s secret bastard daughter. In my past life, on my twentieth birthday party, Hailey—dressed like a poor, pitiful white flower—had burst in. She cried and questioned why I was hogging her father, ruining the party and causing a scene in front of all the guests. My father and Julian both took her side. Julian even spat vicious words at me, calling me heartless and unworthy of his love. In the end, for Julian's sake, I compromised. That decision ended up giving my beloved grandfather a heart attack, landing him in the hospital. And that was the exact moment my nightmare began. Hailey conspired with my gold-digging father, Richard, and secretly poisoned my grandfather to death. After seizing my grandfather's shares in the company, they had Julian target me, wanting to swallow my mother’s portion of the inheritance as well. To do this, the man I had loved for half my life did not hesitate to slip slow-acting poison into my daily supplements. He even orchestrated a car accident for me, all so he could live happily ever after with my half-sister. The day I finally learned the truth, I set a massive fire. I dragged Julian into the flames with me. All four of us burned to ashes in that inferno. But God had mercy. He gave me a second chance at the very last second of my death. This time, I would seize the opportunity. I would make those who killed my grandfather and coveted my family’s empire pay a painful price! I was going to play them to death! My mind snapped back to the present. I turned coldly toward Julian, who was shielding Hailey. I raised my hand and swung it down with all my might, slapping him hard across the face. Julian had never been treated this way by me before. That one slap completely dazed him! I merely curled my lips into a disdainful smirk and shook out my hand. "Recognized by the family? Whose family? Whose trust fund?" "I don't know how much she's suffered, but I do know you’ve been living a very comfortable life!" "If I had raised a dog for all these years, it would at least wag its tail at me. What are you, Julian? A loyal pet? No, you're an ungrateful mutt. How dare you stand there and challenge me? Do you really think the Vance family is soft?" After barking at him, I caught sight of my grandfather standing behind the crowd. He was looking at me with a satisfied, relieved expression. Emotion flooded over me. My eyes welled up, and I desperately wanted to run over and give him a tight hug. But right now, the room was crawling with snakes. The guests stood around holding their champagne glasses, waiting to watch me—or any of us—make fools of ourselves. Of course, I had to play this drama out perfectly.
By the time Hailey snapped out of her shock, she threw herself in front of Julian to protect him, glaring at me as if I were some evil stepmother. And after my sudden outburst, even my father, Richard, who had originally wanted to force Hailey into the household, stood frozen, not daring to make a move. Hailey shrieked at me, "How can you hit him!" Before she could finish her sentence, I slapped her too. "What? Jealous? Here, let me share the love." "Serena! You’ve gone too far!" Seeing his sweetheart get slapped was too much for Julian to bear. He lunged forward to confront me. But my personal bodyguard quickly stepped in, catching his arms and pinning him. With a swift kick to the back of Julian's knee, Julian fell hard onto the floor, kneeling right in front of me. As soft snickers broke out from the surrounding crowd, his handsome face flushed a dark, angry red. I looked down at him coldly. The warmth that used to fill my eyes was replaced by absolute disgust. It was the first time I had ever looked at him this way, and it made him freeze in shock. In front of everyone, I stepped forward and pressed the heel of my stilettos hard against his shoulder. —Right over the scar he had gotten from self-harming back when his family went bankrupt. "Julian, you have a really short memory. What, just because you're wearing designer clothes, you actually think you're still the high-and-mighty heir of the Cole family?" "Everyone in this room knows that if it weren't for me, you'd be begging for scraps on the street. No matter how high I’ve built you up over the years, you are still nothing but a dog kept by Serena Vance. How dare you bark at your master?" I smirked, pressing my tongue against the inside of my cheek, and let out a soft laugh. "You must be tired of living." With a flick of my eyes toward my bodyguard, Julian and Hailey were dragged out of the ballroom, kicking and screaming. Then, I turned my gaze onto Richard. "Dad, you seem to be living a very colorful life too. I didn't know you had a secret daughter." Step by step, I approached this man who had climbed into high society solely by marrying my mother. I showed none of the respect a daughter should have. "How long has my mother been dead? And your bastard child suddenly pops up? And she's actually older than me? What’s going on, Dad? Are you planning to pack your bags and leave this family empty-handed?" Under the judging and mocking stares of the high-society guests, Richard pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket. With trembling hands, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and tried to explain weakly. "No, Serena... I didn't mean to ruin your birthday party... It's just that your sister... she insisted on coming, and I couldn't stop her." "Sister?" I repeated the word, emphasizing it with dripping sarcasm. "I don't have a sister." I turned my eyes toward the elderly man being rolled into the hall in a wheelchair. "Grandpa, don't you agree?" The moment Grandpa Arthur made his entrance, the entire room fell dead silent. Over all these years, even those who loved to gossip about my family never dared to show an ounce of disrespect toward my grandfather. As a young man, he had built his business empire from scratch. He expanded his territory until he became the wealthiest man in the country. The only mistake this legendary man had ever made in his life was giving in to his beloved daughter's wishes and letting her marry a gold-digging nobody. Now that my mother was gone, Grandpa had nothing but cold disdain for Richard. If it weren't for the fact that Richard still held some shares of the Vance Group, Grandpa would have kicked this parasite out of the city long ago. The guests bowed their heads respectfully. "Mr. Vance." Richard trembled even more. He was terrified of Grandpa Arthur. Every time he faced the old man, he would shake. But at the same time, he harbored a deep, poisonous hatred for him. He hated that Grandpa always looked down on him and refused to hand over the company. That was why he had resorted to murder in my past life. But this time, I would protect Grandpa. I would protect the only person who genuinely loved and shielded me. Grandpa cast a freezing glare at Richard.
"The Vance family has only one daughter, and only one sole legal heir—Serena." "Richard, if you want to bring your stray dog into this house, then hand back the shares my daughter left you. Take your bastard daughter and get out of my sight with nothing but the clothes on your back. Otherwise, shut up and play your role as the 'house manager' of the Vance family. I don't tolerate trash in my house. Do I make myself clear?" These words were an absolute slap in the face. Even though he was a gold-digger, Richard was still my biological father and held some company equity. Yet, Grandpa had publicly reduced him to a mere "house manager." "I understand, Father. I was wrong." Richard clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white. He shot a stealthy, venomous glare at me, keeping his head low as his body shook. I couldn't tell if it was from fear or pure rage. "If you understand, then get out. Don't ruin Serena's birthday." With that, Richard turned and slunk away like a beaten dog. I smiled and threw one last jab at his back. "Don't forget to send me my birthday gift, Dad!" As the banquet drew to a close, Grandpa officially announced to the public that I would be entering the family business. He was transferring twenty percent of his shares to me. Combined with the twenty percent my mother had left me, I now held a forty percent controlling stake, officially making me the largest shareholder of the Vance Group. "Serena, I'm getting old. Your father is useless—no morals, no brains. I will never hand the company to him. You are the only one I trust. You have a sharp mind for business, and you understand me. I trust you won't let me down, right?" Looking at Grandpa's silver hair, my nose tingled with warmth. I leaned down and hugged him tightly. "Don't worry, Grandpa. I'll learn fast. I will protect our family legacy." After the party ended, I finally remembered Julian and Hailey, who had been dragged away. My bodyguard reported, "We locked them in the basement. Your father went down there earlier to get them out, making a huge scene." I stopped walking and looked at him. "Did you let them go?" "No, boss. We locked your father in there too, so he could cool his head." I was speechless for a second. "Good job." The tall, muscular, gorgeously tanned bodyguard scratched his head, offering a sheepish grin. "Just doing my job, boss. No matter who he is, you're the one paying my salary. As long as you're happy." I arched an eyebrow, looking at this bodyguard of mine with genuine interest for the first time. "You're quite loyal." The next second, my hot bodyguard's cheeks flushed a light pink. But I didn't have time to admire him. I grabbed a bottle of expensive, high-proof alcohol and headed down to the basement. The three of them were tied up. In an effort to help each other, they were currently wriggling on the floor like oversized caterpillars. It was a hilarious sight. When they saw me walk in, Richard and Hailey started screaming hysterically. Julian glared at me with an arrogant look, expecting me to rush over and untie him. Annoyed by his face, I kicked him. Julian let out a sharp yelp, which instantly made me feel better. My hot bodyguard thoughtfully pulled up a chair for me to sit on. I sat down comfortably, enjoying the sound of their mental breakdowns. Richard yelled, "How dare you tie me up! You're fired! All of you! Do you hear me?!" Hailey shrieked, "Serena Vance! You monster! You stole my father for so many years, enjoying all this wealth while I had nothing! You're selfish! You're evil!" Julian groaned, "Ah! My crotch! Call a doctor! Now!" I smiled slowly, gesturing for my bodyguard to uncork the liquor. The bodyguard looked confused, but he did it anyway. "Are you... planning to drink here, boss?" I took the bottle. Instead of drinking, I poured the expensive spirit over my hands, using it like sanitizer. The three of them instantly went quiet. I winked at my bodyguard. "Have you ever heard of sanitizing your hands before giving someone a good slap?" My bodyguard watched as I turned the ring on my finger, twisting the giant, rock-sized diamond so it faced the inside of my palm. He immediately got the idea. Looking at Richard's wide eyes and dropped jaw, I gave him a sweet, gentle smile. "Don't worry, Dad. I won't lay a hand on you." Richard let out a massive sigh of relief, but a second later, he panicked. "Then who are you going to hit?" A sharp, resounding slap across his daughter’s face was his answer.
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