In her past life, when faced with Nathan’s bias, Isabella had once bitterly confronted him about it. “I’m your wife! I also love this *Heart Lock*, but without hesitation, you gave it to my sister instead. Husband, do you even love me?”And what was his response? He simply didn’t understand her pain. He lightly said, “If your sister wants it, let her have it. If you like jewelry, I’ll buy you something else.” The next day, he bought her a cheap *Heart Lock* worth only a few thousand.Isabella shut her eyes. The memories of her past life still felt like a blade cutting through her heart. The pain of being looked down upon by the one she loved—she could never get used to it. If it were something else, Isabella could have let it go. But this *Heart Lock* was the only clue to her daughter’s existence. She would do whatever it took to get it.She raised her paddle. “I bid 50.01 million.”Her resolve to compete with Nathan was clear in her every action.The crowd watching was in sh
Theo’s playful disregard successfully stirred Nathan’s blood, and he charged forward, undeterred. “Why not continue? A mere 100 million—I, Nathan, can afford it.” Nathan bid, “100 million and 1.” Theo flashed a knowing smile and addressed the host, “I’ll bid 500 million.” Nathan was left speechless. “I give up.” He slumped down, defeated. Isabella was surprised. In her past life, Nathan had been lured into a bidding war by Theo’s provocations, pushing the price all the way to 1 billion, only for Theo to suddenly pull out. Although Nathan had won *City of Cycles* in the end, his cash reserves had been almost entirely drained in the process. Later, when Theo went after his projects, Nathan was unable to come up with enough liquidity, and he became an easy target for Theo. Nathan’s empire crumbled like a house of cards, his brilliance a fleeting illusion. But why had the outcome reversed in this life? This time, Theo’s sudden bid for 500 million was met with Nathan’s
Isabella stood expressionless, watching the two of them. While Nathan comforted Victoria, no one seemed to notice her own heartache. Sometime later, Theo appeared in front of her, standing still and tall. Despite his youth, his imposing presence made it hard for Isabella to ignore him. Finally, she forced a pale smile. “Mr. Sanchez, congratulations on getting what you wanted.” Theo raised *City of Cycles* and said meaningfully, “You’re talking about this? It’s not really what I wanted. It’s my sister’s wish. She likes it, so I bought it for her.” At this point, Guillermo, following behind him, sneered. “When did you get a sister, Theo?” Theo looked at Isabella with a smile, and it suddenly dawned on her—he hadn’t bought *City of Cycles* for himself, but for his sister. She was stunned, her eyes widening in disbelief. He spent so much money for someone else? But she couldn’t take the gift without offering something in return. “Mr. Sanchez, this necklace means a lot to me
Theo was resolute in his intent. "Mr. Hill, can't you see? Miss Isabella is determined to have *City of Cycles*. No matter what conditions I offer, she’ll accept them willingly." He paused, his enchanting eyes gleaming with a hint of calculation. "She may not have the money, but once the deal is made, her debt will naturally be transferred to you. After all, you are legally married to her." Nathan’s face drained of color as anger surged through him. He glared at Theo, but upon seeing the devilish smile on his face, he realized he couldn’t stop him. He redirected his frustration at Isabella, knowing that controlling her would be much easier. With an intimidating voice, he ordered, "I won’t allow you to make any deals with him." Isabella shot him a cold look. "I’ll get this *City of Cycles* at any cost. I’m determined." Nathan’s eyes widened with panic. "You’re crazy! What can you offer him in return? You have no money, no business... All you have is a face that’s barely passab
After some pleasantries, Theo handed her the *City of Cycles* that he had prepared. "Bella, why are you so determined to have this lock?" He was genuinely curious because from what he knew about Isabella, she didn’t seem the type to care about wealth or status. Isabella took the lock in her hands, trembling with excitement. "Theo, I have a secret I can’t share with you. Don’t ask, but one day, when the time is right, you’ll know." Theo, perceptive as ever, changed the subject. "Since you like it so much, Bella, I’ll give it to you." Isabella’s eyes widened in shock as she quickly shook her head. "Theo, this is too precious. I can’t accept such an expensive gift." Theo forcibly placed it into her hands. "Bella, don’t worry. I’m not making a bad deal here. I’ll make sure Nathan pays me back the 500 million, principal and interest." Isabella’s expression faltered. "How could he spend money on me?" Theo’s smile was mysterious. "Bella, if he refuses to pay, then there’s only
After Isabella left, Theo ordered, "Make me a cup of green tea." The servant stood frozen. "Green tea?" The distinguished Sir had never been one to drink such cheap tea. The servant thought he must have misheard. Theo’s eyes twinkled with amusement. "Today, I want to taste green tea." "Ah, yes, of course." The servant scratched his head, confused, and left. A short while later, the servant returned with a steaming cup of green tea. Theo sipped it, his expression one of enjoyment. "This tastes pretty good." He looked genuinely immersed in the flavor. The servant stared, incredulous. Was he supposed to tell You that green tea was often a metaphor for... something else? But before he could say anything, Theo took out his phone and, for the first time, posted on his social media. He captioned it with a particularly cheeky note: "Women’s money is easy to earn." The most bizarre part came next—he made the post visible only to Nathan. The servant’s expression twisted i
What embarrassed him was that he was now financially strapped and couldn’t possibly come up with ten billion. What enraged him was how thoroughly Theo had manipulated Isabella. "Idiot," Nathan muttered through gritted teeth. Isabella remained unfazed. "Nathan, if you’re afraid of being dragged down by me, then just divorce me." "Isabella, between us, there’s only widowing, no divorce." Once in her bedroom, Isabella took out the precious *City of Cycles*, watching the light shimmer and shift across its surface. But as she gazed at it, a deep sadness began to fill her eyes. "Mom, I know I don’t have much time left. I overheard your conversation with the doctor." Tears welled in her eyes as she choked on her words. "Mom, I know you’re heartbroken, you can’t bear to let me go. But I’ll have to leave you soon." She clutched the lock, her tears falling freely. "I’ve always worn this lock, and now I want to give it to you. Let it stay with you, to keep you company." Her sobs
"Isabella, look at yourself. Where is the dignity and grace of a Mrs. Hill?" "You have neither the refined appearance to uphold my image nor the intelligence to manage my business. Every day, you just stir up trouble... I must have been cursed for eight generations to end up marrying you." Nathan’s eyes were bloodshot as he yelled, like a trapped beast. Isabella gradually regained her composure. She slowly stood up from the cold floor, her face pale. But beneath her calm exterior, turmoil churned inside her. She had once thought that Nathan’s indifference was just because he didn’t love her. But now, she realized—it wasn’t just that he didn’t love her. He despised her. "Nathan, so you’ve finally shown your true, hypocritical face. All that talk about repaying me, about being responsible for me for life— it was all a lie. You just wanted to build an image of being loyal and righteous in front of others." Isabella suddenly let out a weak laugh. "Heh, I really was a fool
Thea suddenly touched her face and said, "Your mother was young and still had her charm. If she had married a middle-aged man who was a good match for her, they could have built a marriage together. Maybe they could have lived a comfortable and peaceful life. But your mother insisted on flattering William and indulging in unrealistic dreams. In the end, she lost both her dignity and her wealth.""Ingrid, remember my words well: Be down-to-earth and work hard in life. Don't try to take shortcuts, as those who seek to gain without effort will not have a good outcome.""By the way, also tell Eric these words."Thea finished speaking and left gracefully.Little did she know, Eric, hiding in the stairwell, understood her words perfectly. He was now caught in a dilemma: a grounded life?Can he still reach the height of his past life?After Hana was discharged from the hospital, faced with a large amount of compensation money, she had no choice but
Hana was so angry that she trembled all over, "I never expected you rich people to be so unreasonable and heartless."Olivia laughed in anger, "I never expected you poor people to stoop so low in your desperate attempts to climb the social ladder. Even resorting to using your own uterus. Oh, not all poor people are as spineless as you, my sister Thea has a lot of pride."Hana took a desperate measure, treating the dead horse as if it were alive, and said, "If William is not willing to take responsibility, then I will accuse him of negligence.""Oh, so you finally reveal your true colors, huh? If you have the guts, go ahead and sue. Do you have any evidence? If you do, bring it out immediately, and we will register this child's household registration right away. If you don't have any evidence, it's not you suing him, but us suing you for damaging William's reputation."Hana couldn't argue with Olivia and left in a huff.Olivia continued to playfully
Hana panicked, "William, I was just momentarily anxious and spoke without thinking. Please don't be angry, I won't say these nonsense words again in the future."William was exhausted and said, "Let it go."The other side.Hana heard the busy tone coming from her phone, and her face froze. She looked helplessly at the pair of children next to her and said with great disappointment, "He wants me to hit this child? Just because I said bad things about her daughter being selfish and self-centered?"Eric frowned, deeply experiencing the despair of having a teammate who was a liability. He weakly retorted, "How many times have I told you that William is obsessed with spoiling girls? If you're with her, the stepmother will have to treat you better than your own mother. But you foolishly want to compete for favor with Jade."Hana held her son's hand, tears welling up in her eyes. "Son, can you help me? How can I change his mind? I don't want to terminate
"The brutal murder of the rental house sisters, why such haste in mutual destruction?" The headline quickly appeared on the trending topiclist. There is evidence with the pictures.When Thea saw this article, she was actually drawn to the characters in the pictures in the article.The little boy stood with his hands in his pockets, gazing at the little girl in front of him. The sunlight bathed him, making him look so divine.Like a savior.Thea, however, felt a chill running through her body.Eric and Emma finally met."What's wrong?" Thorne walked over, placing a gentle hand on Thea's shoulder. His gaze skimmed over the article on the phone screen, and Thorne sighed."Don't worry, it was me who arranged their meeting. I thought that once Eric and Emma met, he would forget about bothering us. After all, Emma's situation is enough to keep him occupied."Thea stared at Thorne and said, "I wasn't afraid of Eric and Emma meet
Eric crazily picked up the stick, intending to smash it down on the man's head again. However, for some reason, a trace of fear suddenly overflowed from his pupils, and the stick weakly slipped from his palm.Emma stood at the door and saw this scene, confusion welled up in her eyes.The man turned his head and saw that it was just a child. His previously panicked face instantly twisted into a grimace. He pushed Eric away and said, "Get lost, you little brat. How dare you ruin my good thing."Eric sat down on the ground, kicking weakly with heavy breaths.The man lost interest, he pulled up his pants, dropped a 100note, and walked away grumbling.The paralyzed woman, with a lifeless face, still managed to pull the blanket over herself.Emma looked at the woman with a puzzled expression and asked, "Don't you feel humiliated living like this?"A tear welled up in the woman's eyes, and her body visibly trembled. "Yes, I also wanted
Ingrid returned home, looking disheveled with messy hair and clothes in complete disarray, with bruises all over her body.Her mother, Hana, saw her daughter's appearance and panic filled her eyes, “Ingrid, what is going on with you?"Ingrid gritted her teeth and angrily said, "It's all because of Samuel. My classmates don't believe me anymore. Mom, where is my little brother?"Hana walked towards the bedroom and raised her voice, shouting, "Eric."The bedroom door slowly slid open, and a gloomy-faced little boy stood at the entrance. He stared coldly at Ingrid and said, "Samuel?"Ingrid nodded, "He seemed to know your secret."Eric glanced at the wounds on Ingrid's body and couldn't help but feel frustrated, “It's no surprise that he knows my secret. Didn't I tell you before? The Brown family and the Fletcher family are both mysterious families. Be careful."Ingrid said, "He asked me to pass on a message to you, telling y
Ingrid was furious, “You are young, yet your thoughts are so malicious. Aren't you afraid that your grandfather will blame you for giving away the Fletcher family's assets to outsiders?"Samuel was speechless. "Where do you get the audacity to think that your position in my grandfather's heart would surpass mine?"Ingrid had a determined look on her face.Samuel laughed again, "Besides, my grandfather's assets, he can give them to whoever he wants, I have no objections at all. If I want money, I will earn it myself."The words embarrassed those who had the idea of getting something for nothing, turning their faces red with shame.Ingrid's tears flowed incessantly as she became furious, "You have so much integrity, just don't cry later."Samuel was speechless, "At least now it's not me who's crying."Although he was young, he was a head taller than Ingrid, and when he had a stern expression, a chilling aura surrounded his feature
Samuel picked up a cup of tea and respectfully handed it to Kassidy. He even flattered her by saying, "Please have some tea."Kassidy took the tea and drank it all in one gulp, tilting her head back. The furrowed brow had a touch of youthful innocence, as if she didn't know the taste of worry, but was trying to force a new sorrow upon herself.Samuel leaned in and had a mature look on his face, saying, "Don't be sad. Whatever knot in your heart that can't be untied, just tell me and I'll help you solve it, little brother."Kassidy wrapped one hand around Samuel and couldn't help but sigh, "Your brother is still the best. Those men outside, they all seem good-looking and knowledgeable, but why is it that none of them truly love and care for me? What is it that I am lacking?"Kassidy's eyes turned red as she continued speaking, "I was already very serious about managing my emotions. In order to find someone to spend the rest of my life with, I ended up with
Kassidy said, "Let's break up."The boy showed an incredulous expression and said, "Just because of this, you want to break up with me?"Kassidy's eyes showed a momentary sadness. But she was well aware that if her boyfriend could allow others to humiliate her, it meant that he didn't truly love her.She used to be blind in one eye.But Kassidy was a person who was too lazy to explain. She was very arrogant, saying, "Just for this."The boyfriend immediately got angry, "You are always so domineering and forceful. Any decision you make, I have to obey unconditionally. But why? I am also a person, I also have my own emotions. Since you have decided to break up, fine, I will grant your wish. Don't regret it."Kassidy glanced at the infuriated man and then walked outside.But Ingrid stopped her, “Kassidy, don't be angry, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have given him so much alcohol. He was just drunk, and when he wakes up, he will d