I was with my boyfriend for five years when he cheated on me with my best friend. They orchestrated an "accident" and left me to burn alive. Twenty years later, my boy toy—who is over twenty years younger than me—brought me home to meet his parents. When I saw that trashy couple again, I gasped and covered my mouth in mock shock. "Oh, so Ashton is your son?" My ex-best friend, looking like a worn-out, haggard housewife, stared at me. Her eyes nearly popped out of her skull as she took in my still-flawless, youthful face. "You're not dead? And you seduced my son?!" The fire raged around me. The thick smoke choked my lungs, making it impossible to breathe. "Arthur, save me..." My trembling hand reached out, only to be violently slapped away. A pair of polished leather shoes stepped right in front of me. Arthur was wearing the designer suit I had bought him, looking down at me as if I were already a corpse. "Yvonne, don't blame me. I'm sick and tired of being called your leech. I'm done living under your shadow. It's better if I take everything you own and run the show myself." A pair of red high heels stepped up right next to his black leather shoes. My best friend, Lynda, giggled as she leaned against Arthur, casually admiring her freshly done manicure. Just yesterday, I was the one who paid for those diamond-encrusted nails. Now, she slapped me hard across the face. The diamonds on her nails tore into my cheek, leaving deep, bleeding gashes. "Yvonne, you've lived in paradise for far too long. It's time you let us have a taste of that sweet life." My consciousness began to fade. I pointed a trembling finger at the couple in utter disbelief. "You... you guys..." "Why?" I couldn't accept this! I refused to die like this! Arthur was just a poor, small-town boy who came to the big city with nothing. The night he got scammed out of his last penny and was about to jump off a bridge, I was the one who saved him. After that, I gave him opportunities, funding, and helped him build his own empire. But he turned around and confessed his love to me, claiming he wanted to be the man behind my success—asking for neither fame nor money, only my love. I gave him my love, along with countless opportunities to elevate himself. He refused them then, yet now he claims he hated being my leech and wants to rob me of everything! Lynda used to be severely bullied in high school. For various reasons, she was isolated and targeted. I was the one who stepped in. She grabbed my sleeve, begging me to save her, and I dragged her out of that living hell. Since then, I never hesitated to give her whatever she wanted, all for the sake of our friendship. Now, she had seduced my boyfriend and kicked me right back into the very abyss they had crawled out of. Watching my despair, Lynda smirked, rubbing her stomach triumphantly. "Sorry, babe, but I'm pregnant with Arthur's baby. If I want a bright future for my family, you have to be sacrificed. Besides, you never saw me as a real friend anyway, Yvonne! You were always just handing out charity! We never needed your pity!" Lynda ground her stiletto heel into my hand, twisting it back and forth until my skin tore open and my knuckles were a bloody mess. "Arthur, the fire isn't big enough. Go pour some more fuel." Arthur nodded. He cast a brief, reluctant glance at me before hardening his heart and turning away. "Yvonne, thank you for your love and financial support all these years. But honestly, dying for my sake is a good ending for you. We'll make sure to buy you a nice tombstone." Once Arthur walked away, Lynda knelt down, grabbing my jaw, glaring at me with pure venom. "Do you know how much I envied you? You were born with a silver spoon. But now, I'm carrying your man's child. I'm going to give my baby everything—just like the life you were handed." Lynda was beautiful, but right now, she looked utterly psychotic. She burst into laughter again. "To commemorate your contribution, why don't you name our baby?" "Yvonne, what do you think he should be called?" At the brink of death, a raging tempest of hatred consumed me. Using my very last ounce of strength, I lunged forward, grabbed Lynda's hair, and bit down on her cheek as hard as I could, tearing off a piece of flesh. As Lynda screamed in agony, I laughed like a demon rising from the underworld. "Name him Ashton! The product of your burning betrayal, conceived while I burn to ashes! I curse you! I curse that both of you will die by his hands!"
My final memory was Lynda swinging a heavy pipe at my face, the raging flames engulfing everything, and the front door being kicked open as Arthur suddenly burst into tears. "Quick! Save my girlfriend! Hurry! Yvonne! I can't lose you!" "Ah!" With a sharp gasp, I sat bolt upright in bed. The space beside me was empty, save for the sound of running water coming from the bathroom. I finally managed to calm my racing heart. Calm down, Yvonne. Don't be afraid. That was twenty years ago. Now, they are the ones who should be terrified of you. The phone on the nightstand buzzed. Wearing my young boyfriend's oversized T-shirt, I slid out of bed and picked it up. "Yvonne, your new identity is ready. Go get your revenge. I'll always have your back." Before I could reply, a pair of strong arms wrapped tightly around my waist from behind. My twenty-year-old boy wrapped himself around me, pressing warm kisses against my ear. "Babe, who are you talking to?" I smiled as I looked out at the city skyline through the floor-to-ceiling windows. I turned around and tapped his handsome nose. "Behave, Ashton." We were on the 52nd floor of a luxury hotel. Ashton and I leaned against the glass, admiring the glittering, neon-lit city below. "Babe, come meet my parents with me. I can't wait anymore." His large, warm hand slipped up under the hem of the oversized shirt, instantly melting my bones and making it hard to stand. "Ashton, do you realize I'm twenty years older than you? Not two years, not twelve." I gave him a playful push, but my sultry tone and the red-nailed fingers brushing against his chest only served to tease him further. "Your parents will never approve of us. They'll throw me out and tell me to stay away from you. Honestly, they might even want to kill me for corrupting their precious son." Ashton brought my fingertips to his lips, playfully nibbling them like an obedient puppy. "I don't care, Yvonne. I'll protect you." "If they don't accept you, they don't accept me." "I'll handle them. Trust me." Before I could protest, my words were swallowed by his passionate, almost obsessive kisses. In my eyes, Ashton was like a wolf pup. Young, but possessing immense strength and sharp instincts. He definitely inherited his parents' best genes. Naturally, he inherited their worst traits, too. But that depended entirely on whether he was willing to be my weapon. His warm, wet tongue traced my earlobe and slid down to my collarbone. My forty-year-old body was covered in the marks he had left behind—a constellation of red and purple bruises marking our wild nights. Ashton nipped at my tongue, murmuring against my lips, "Babe, we haven't tried it against the window yet." "Be a good girl and play along. Let's put on a show for the whole city, okay?" "It'll feel amazing." It was incredibly thrilling. I had no reason to refuse. Instead, I bit down on his tongue just hard enough to draw blood. "Let's get one thing straight. In bed, I'll play along. But once we're out of bed, you're the one who has to be my obedient little dog." Ashton chuckled hoarsely, a sound that sent a shiver straight down my spine. He agreed without a second thought. "Fine by me. I'll only ever be your dog." Amidst our heavy breaths, a layer of condensation fogged up the glass window. Before I drifted off to sleep, Ashton held my waist tightly, whispering in my ear as if terrified I'd forget. "Tomorrow, please come meet my parents. I'm begging you, Yvonne." I finally nodded. "Oh, believe me... I can't wait to meet them either."
The next day, I dropped Ashton off at his college campus. The boy was incredibly clingy, wrapping his arms around me at the campus gate and kissing me as if we couldn't bear to part. Finally satisfied after our wild night, he slipped a ring onto my ring finger that matched the one on his own hand. "It's a promise, Yvonne. We're going to my house tonight. I'll come find you right after my afternoon class." I smiled and nodded, finally sending the boy on his way. The moment he walked away, I got back into my car. Within thirty seconds, another man slipped into the passenger seat Ashton had just vacated. "Don't touch the seat adjustment. Ashton will notice, and he won't be happy." The man raised an eyebrow and turned to look at me. "What? Did you actually fall for your little revenge tool? Yvonne, let me remind you, you're twenty years older than him!" Kaden was barking like a jealous dog in my passenger seat. It was incredibly annoying. With a sharp screech of the brakes, I pulled over. Unable to take his whining any longer, I grabbed Kaden by his collar and slammed my lips over his noisy mouth right there on the side of the street. "I don't love him. You're the only one I love, Kaden. Now shut up." The kiss worked instantly. Kaden shut up, a deep blush creeping up his neck all the way to his ears. "Then... why can't I adjust the seat? This is really uncomfortable..." Kaden shifted uncomfortably, his furious glare replaced by a kicked-puppy look. "Ashton is a psychopath. He's incredibly observant. If you adjust the seat, he'll notice immediately, and it'll ruin my plans." Only then did Kaden shut his mouth. He was my uncle's adopted son, only five years younger than me. Twenty years ago, he was the one who braved the roaring flames to drag my half-dead body out of that burning villa. He was also the one who helped me fake my death, accompanied me abroad to rebuild my life, and spent two decades preparing for this sweet revenge. "I just want to remind you that I'm the one who has been by your side this whole time. I gave you everything you have now, and all I've ever wanted is you. No matter what your plan is, you can't abandon me." Kaden whined, looking thoroughly pathetic. I nodded absentmindedly. "I've waited twenty years for this revenge, Kaden. I promise you, once this is over, you'll be the only man by my side." "What are you so worried about?" Kaden snorted. "That's more like it." "Where are we going now?" I restarted the engine and drove toward the nearest shopping mall. "To buy gifts for Ashton's parents." Kaden scoffed in disgust. "Arthur and Lynda? They don't deserve shit." I smiled. "They don't. But you have to give a little to gain a lot, right?" "Is my new identity officially in the system?" Kaden pulled an ID badge from his pocket. "Marketing Director of WTU Global Trading, Andy. That's your new identity." "Arthur's company is practically on life support. Neither he nor Lynda has any business sense. They've spent the last twenty years squandering all the assets you left behind. Now, they've set their eyes on WTU. If they can secure WTU's international trade contract, it'll save Fletcher Enterprises from bankruptcy. So when they meet you, they'll literally beg for your help." Kaden's tone turned wicked. "I wonder if they'll still be able to play their cards when they see your face. Haha, do you think they'll wet themselves in terror?" I rolled my eyes at Kaden, staring at the slightly photoshopped portrait on the ID badge. Slowly, a dark, satisfied smile spread across my face. That afternoon, I went to pick up Ashton. The second Ashton got into the car, his eyes narrowed. "Yvonne, did someone else sit in your car after I left?"
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