The night before our wedding, my father and my fiancée's mother were found dead in our bridal bed, completely naked. After that, we went from being the golden couple of our elite social circle... To bitter enemies who wanted nothing more than to destroy each other. She screamed that my father was a bastard, a rapist. She brought people to smash up his funeral. I cursed her mother, calling her a shameless whore. I scattered her ashes in public. To please her new boy toy, she ran me over with her car, shattering my leg and leaving me bedridden for a month. In return, I stabbed her in the stomach three times, putting her in the hospital for half a year. Everyone thought we would torture each other until one of us was dead. Until her little boy toy showed up at my door, waving her ultrasound results in my face. "Elena is pregnant with my kid. If you know what's good for you, back the hell off and never show your face in front of her again!" "The Sterling empire and Elena both belong to me now!" I looked at the ultrasound and smiled. Twirling a hunting knife in my hand, I dialed Elena's number. "Elena Sterling, you have thirty minutes to make a choice." "Your little boy toy's life, or the baby in your stomach. Which one do you want to keep?" 1 On the other end of the line, Elena's breathing was erratic and heavy. But she didn't explode in a fit of rage like I expected. Instead, she lowered her voice. "Let him go, and I'll give you whatever you want." I let out a soft laugh, dragging out the silence intentionally. "What was that? I didn't quite catch that." Elena took a deep breath. When she spoke again, her voice was alarmingly soft. It almost sounded like she was begging. "Julian... let Liam go. Whatever you want, it's yours." "Money, real estate, my shares in Sterling Corp..." "Just... please don't hurt him." My grip on the knife tightened, freezing mid-twirl. This was the woman who threw red paint all over my father's casket. The woman who ran me over with her car. The woman who feared absolutely nothing and no one. And now, she was groveling to me for the sake of her lover and her unborn child? A dark, twisted rage surged from the bottom of my chest. It burned so hot my temples throbbed. Staring at the ultrasound photo, I sneered, "What makes you think I want your garbage?" I gave my security detail a hand signal. They understood immediately and started beating Liam into the ground. His screams were so loud they practically shook the ceiling. I watched him writhe in agony on the floor with zero expression on my face. "Julian! Don't you dare touch him!" Elena's frantic roar blasted through the phone speaker. I remained completely unmoved. "Since you refuse to make a choice, I'll make it for you." I hung up. I gave the guards another look. They hit him harder. Through his screams, Liam still found the breath to act tough. "Julian, you psycho! Don't get too cocky, Elena is going to kill you for this!" It didn't take long for Elena to arrive. I glanced at my watch. She got here even faster than I calculated. When she burst through the doors, she was missing a shoe. Her bare foot was bleeding, leaving a trail of red smeared across the carpet. She didn't even notice. Her eyes were entirely focused on the man bleeding on the floor. Elena dropped to her knees and shielded Liam with her body. But instead of flying into a rage, she just looked up at me with exhausted eyes. "Julian, I'm tired. I don't want to play this psycho game with you anymore." "I'm pregnant now. I just want to live quietly and be a mother to my child." "Let's just stop torturing each other. Please?" Seeing her act so submissive and meek, a blinding irritation flared in my chest. "Ha! You say stop, and we just stop? You think things between us can end that easily?" "Let me make this clear. This man's life ends today!" I raised my hand, signaling the guards to finish the job. "Stop!" Elena screamed, throwing her entire body over Liam. She glared at me, her lips trembling. "What exactly do I have to do for you to let him go?" Seeing her protect him so fiercely only poured gasoline on the fire in my heart. I casually tossed the hunting knife so it landed right by her feet. I smiled. "Carve up your own face, and I'll let him walk." Elena didn't hesitate for a single second. She picked up the knife and slashed it hard across her own cheek. Blood instantly welled up, spilling down her skin. She looked up at me, her voice terrifyingly calm. "Is that enough? If it's not..." She flipped the blade, pressing the edge against her own fingers. My chest suddenly felt tight. My breath caught in my throat. Liam clung to Elena's arm, shaking his head frantically, screaming at me, "If you want to hurt someone, hurt me! Don't do this to her!" Elena stared at me coldly, gritting her teeth. "Don't beg him. He's a psychopath." "He's an animal, just like his father." Hearing that familiar insult... For some reason, my heart gave a sharp, agonizing twist. "Boss," my assistant whispered from behind me. "If someone dies here tonight, the PR fallout will be catastrophic for the company." "You fought so hard to bring Vance Enterprises back from the brink. You can't let all your blood and sweat go to waste over this." I took a deep breath, forcing down the violent urge to kill, and spoke coldly. "Elena Sterling, you can take him." "But you better keep his mouth shut." "Otherwise, I will not hesitate to put him in the ground." Elena dropped the bloody knife at my feet. She gave me one last, long look. Her eyes were filled with absolute, unfiltered hatred. Then, she helped Liam up, and they limped out the door together. Watching them lean on each other as they walked away, my hands curled into tight fists. 2 My assistant sighed. "Boss, you gave Ms. Sterling your whole heart, but she acts like she's possessed, fighting you at every single turn." "There were so many suspicious details about what happened that night..." I acted like I didn't hear him. I bent down and picked up the bloody knife. My thumb brushed over the tiny initials engraved on the handle. E.S. This knife was her gift to me when we first got together. I remember her smiling at me back then. "Julian, this is for you. If anyone ever tries to bully you, you take this and stab them right back." Neither of us could have ever imagined we would end up tearing each other apart. I let out a bitter scoff and tossed the knife into the trash can. That evening, a subordinate came into my office. "Boss, we finally got a lead on what actually happened between your father and Mrs. Sterling." I nodded. "Keep digging. Find the truth as fast as you can." The subordinate hesitated, glancing nervously at my face. He stammered, "There's... there's something else." "Liam took your mother's heirloom and put it up for auction..." My head snapped up. "What did you just say?" My mother gave me a jade bangle before she died. It was the Vance family heirloom. It belonged to the woman who would become the matriarch of the Vance family. When Elena gave me the knife, I gave her the bangle. She knew exactly what it meant to me. And she turned around and gave it to Liam! I crushed my cigarette into the ashtray in my palm. I laughed, a cold, dark sound. "Since he loves playing with dead people's things so much, I'll make sure he gets his fill." At 2:00 AM, Liam was dragged into a private cemetery, tied up and gagged. "Julian! Let me go!" "If you touch me, Elena will literally kill you!" I acted like I didn't hear him. I casually rolled the jade bangle—which I had just intercepted from the auction house—around my knuckles. I watched with a deadpan expression as my men threw Liam into an empty pine coffin. They nailed the lid shut, and started shoveling dirt into the grave, one spade at a time. Inside the cramped, pitch-black box, Liam began frantically beating on the wood. "Help! Oh my god, help! Elena, save me!" His terrified, muffled screams echoed through the empty cemetery. I just stood there and watched. Until a sudden, blinding pain exploded against the back of my head. It felt like something heavy had crushed my skull. Blood immediately poured down my face, blinding my vision. I stumbled, turning around to see Elena standing behind me, her hand gripping a bloody brick. Her eyes were bloodshot. "Julian, you are a psychotic monster!" Seeing me bleeding, my guards immediately lunged at her security detail. The cemetery erupted into total chaos. I wiped the blood from my eyes and laughed coldly. "Elena, if you don't kill me tonight, I am going to bury Liam alive." "I am a psycho. And I keep my promises." Elena looked at the dead, chilling emptiness in my eyes and froze for a second. Then, she screamed hysterically. "Julian Vance! I never should have saved you when we were kids!" "A parasite like you deserved to be beaten to death by those bullies!" The hatred in her eyes was too sharp. It felt like she took a knife and twisted it directly into my chest, shredding my organs to pieces. In my blurred vision, I suddenly saw her as she was all those years ago. Except back then, there was no hate in her eyes. Only an overflowing, fierce tenderness. She had fought off the bullies, put me on her back, and carried me step-by-step toward the hospital. I lay on her back, bleeding all over her shirt. Panting, she had turned her head and said, "Don't let go, Julian. I'm right here. I'll never leave you behind." She was the one who said she'd never leave me behind. And now, she was using those exact same hands that once carried me... To smash my skull open with a brick. 3 I collapsed. Before the darkness swallowed me entirely, I saw Elena dragging a dirt-covered Liam away from the grave. When I finally woke up, I was lying in a VIP hospital bed. I grabbed the rail and pushed myself up, struggling to get out of bed. My assistant rushed over, trying to stop me. "Boss, you can't! The doctor said your body is completely failing." "The wound on your head is deep. You have to stay on bed rest." I shoved his hand away impatiently. "I don't have time to rest." After my father died, Vance Enterprises plummeted. The business partners who used to beg for our time turned their backs on us instantly. They pulled funding, broke contracts, and vanished. Even the older generation of the Vance family was just sitting back, waiting to watch me fail. For years, I had to grit my teeth, bleed, and ruthlessly manipulate everyone just to keep the company from going bankrupt. Tonight, there was a massive corporate gala that would determine the entire future of the company. I had to be there. My assistant knew he couldn't stop me. He arranged for my immediate discharge. That evening, the moment I walked into the ballroom, I saw Liam. He was dressed in a pristine designer tuxedo. He was standing in the center of the room, surrounded by a group of trust-fund kids. "Liam, you are incredible! Not just anyone can get an invite to this gala. We're only here because of you." "Damn straight! Do you guys know who Liam is now? Ms. Sterling is carrying his kid! The entire Sterling empire is basically going to be his." "We're all going to be relying on you from now on, Liam!" Liam tried to hide his smirk, playing humble. "Oh, stop. It's just because Elena loves me." Just as he finished speaking, someone spotted me. The guy immediately raised his voice, mocking me loudly. "Well, well, if it isn't Julian Vance. Why do you look so pale?" "Don't you guys know? He's pale because his genes are weak. After all, his dad had a heart attack while screwing around in bed..." Before he could finish the sentence, I kicked him squarely in the chest. I grabbed him by the collar, my face dark and murderous. "Say one more word. I dare you." The guy turned white with terror. The surrounding crowd went completely silent. Everyone knew I was completely unhinged. No one wanted to risk getting their hands dirty with a madman. Liam frowned. He swirled his champagne glass and slowly walked over to me. "Julian... did you know that you and Elena actually had a child?" My hand froze. Seeing my stiff reaction, the cruel smile on Liam's face widened. "You had no idea, did you? When you stabbed Elena three times, she was already pregnant with your baby." He stared at me, thoroughly enjoying the sight of the color draining from my face. "Elena hates your family. She hated that baby, too. She just wanted to use your own hands to murder your own flesh and blood." "Tell me, Julian. You personally murdered your own unborn child... How does it feel?" "You're a dead man!" The last thread of my sanity snapped. I crushed Liam's champagne glass with my bare hand. I grabbed a jagged shard of glass and drove it directly into his eye. "AGGGHHHH!" A horrifying, blood-curdling scream echoed through the ballroom. Liam clutched his bleeding eye, dropping to the floor, rolling around in agony. I stepped forward with absolute, cold-blooded precision. Like an absolute maniac, I started raining punches down on his bloodied face. The crowd screamed in terror, scrambling backward, terrified by my suicidal rage. Liam's trust-fund friends were so scared their legs gave out. One of them shakingly pulled out his phone, trying to call Elena. My bodyguard reacted instantly, kicking the guy to the floor. My men pinned his friends to the ground and started brutally beating them as well. The ballroom descended into pure chaos. Screams and begging mixed together in a horrifying symphony. A few minutes later, the ballroom doors were thrown open. Elena rushed in with an army of bodyguards. Seeing Liam's face beaten to a bloody pulp on the floor... Her pupils contracted violently. "Julian! Stop it right now!" 4 I acted like I didn't even hear her. I was a rabid animal, still smashing my fists into Liam's unrecognizable face. Furious, Elena lunged forward and tried to slap me. I caught her wrist in mid-air. I stared at her, my eyes completely bloodshot. "Were you pregnant with my child?!" "Did you let me stab you on purpose?!" Elena froze for two seconds. Then she sneered, violently yanking her hand away. "So what if I was? Let me tell you something, Julian. I did it on purpose." "I wanted you to personally slaughter the Vance family's bastard child!" My ears rang. A high-pitched, deafening whine filled my head. Her words were like rusty nails, driven straight through my heart. I couldn't breathe. On the floor, Liam clutched his ruined eye, groaning miserably. "Elena... it hurts so much..." "You have to make him pay..." "Julian is a fucking psycho!" Elena was trembling with rage. She pointed at me, her voice shaking. "Julian, you are completely out of your mind." "This is public attempted murder! You are a menace to society, and you deserve to rot in prison!" With the backing of the Sterling family, Liam's friends suddenly found their courage and started screaming at me too. "She's right! This guy is a rabid dog!" "Throw him in prison so he learns what it means to be scared!" Liam scrambled up from the floor, hiding behind Elena. He gave me a bloody, victorious smirk. He silently mouthed the words: [You can't beat me!] A wave of pure, blinding heat rushed to my brain. Without thinking, I lunged forward. But the next second, Elena shoved me hard in the chest. She glared at me, her guard up. "Julian, what do you think you're doing?!" I stumbled backward. My phone slipped out of my pocket and hit the floor. The screen lit up, displaying a new text message. My eyes instantly went ice cold. In that fraction of a second, a million thoughts raced through my head. Until only one blazing, unquenchable fire remained. My eyes burned completely red. I shoved Elena aside and charged straight for Liam. "Liam! I am going to kill you!" Liam saw the terrifying, murderous intent in my eyes and stumbled backward in panic. "Elena... save me!" Just as my hand closed around Liam's collar, ready to throw the killing punch... A sharp, agonizing pain exploded in my lower back. A knife was driven deep into my flesh. My body jerked to a halt. I slowly, stiffly turned my head. I looked directly into Elena's tear-filled eyes. A flash of conflict crossed her face, but she gritted her teeth and stabbed the knife into my stomach twice more. "Julian! This is for my mother, and for Liam!" The three deep wounds caused blood to erupt from my body. But I didn't feel the pain. Instead, I threw my head back and started laughing hysterically. Elena grabbed my hair, frowning furiously. "Julian, what the hell are you laughing at?!" "You're about to die, and you're still acting arrogant?!" I pushed Liam away, grabbed Elena's hand, pulled her close, and whispered directly into her ear, word by word: "Elena, you are incredibly stupid." "Did you know the man you've been protecting this whole time... is the one who murdered your mother?" The cold, ruthless anger in Elena's eyes froze completely. "What did you just say?"