The door was slightly ajar, leaving a narrow gap that gave me a view of what was happening inside—though I couldn't see everything, it was enough.A girl in a pink dress was kneeling on the floor, crying. And in front of her, sitting in the main chair of Conti's study, was none other than my stepbrother—Marco.The sobbing voice was unmistakable; it was Sophia. I could never forget her expression at my wedding.It was a pity I fainted afterward, knowing nothing more than the fact that Angelo got shot.And now she was here, pleading with Marco? What could she offer? What had Marco done to her?Curiosity got the best of me, and I continued listening.Marco looked completely indifferent, showing no sympathy toward the beautiful young woman. "Isn’t this something your Conti family brought on yourselves? You betrayed us first."Sophia’s sobs paused as she collapsed on the floor. "I'll do whatever you ask, as long as you spare them."Marco was silent. Was he hesitating?After a moment, his v
I had no reason to stay here any longer. Everything about this place made me sick.Marco seemed like he wanted to say something, but I didn't want to hear it. These people never put their true feelings on the line. In their world, there was no family, no friends, no lovers—only eternal interests.What difference was there between Marco, Sophia, and Lily?They were all selfish and indifferent at their core."No, Harper, it's not like that."He reached out, trying to grab me, but this was the Conti estate, and not far from us was the church where I was supposed to get married. His outstretched hand felt like that of a devil trying to drag me into an irreversible abyss.I ignored him, kicked the door open, and tears started streaming down my face without me even realizing it. "I’m just a tool to be used and discarded. I’m not really your sister, so you think you can treat me however you want. I never want to see you again! I never want to see any of you again!"His expression turned dark
"What's left to say? You've succeeded. You and your son have joined forces to take down a rival family. How glorious. But now my daughter has to bear the name of a traitor. In everyone's eyes, she wore her wedding gown and helped you kill her husband. Who would dare to marry Harper now?"Solana's voice was cold, and even my father, who was rarely fazed by anything, frowned deeply.I took a breath, adjusting my clothes. "I'll take responsibility for Harper. I'm going to find her now. Please, don't worry."Solana looked at me, while my father put his hand on her shoulder, comforting her softly. "It's all right. Marco will protect Harper, always. I'll talk to her when she's back..."They misunderstood what I meant, but ultimately, what I wanted and what they hoped for were, in a way, the same. The means didn't need to be discussed.Harper's POVAs I walked out of that house, I felt lost. I didn't know where to go, but I knew I couldn't stay.I had some money with me—always kept some emer
The locker door had the word "B.ITCH!" scrawled across it in thick, red paint, along with other offensive slurs and scratches. I glanced around, trying to understand what was going on. People avoided my gaze, but their faces showed a hint of satisfaction.My chest felt tight, as if it was stuffed with cotton, unable to breathe freely. Nobody would give me an explanation, and all I could do was yank the locker door open. Inside, my things were in disarray, some of them ripped apart. And someone had even placed a dead rat in there.I gripped my bag strap tightly, my nails digging into my palm. It didn’t hurt at all. I suddenly felt that I couldn't stand it anymore. But right now, I had to get to class. I hastily cleaned up my locker and left.When I walked into the classroom, the teacher asked everyone to welcome me back, and only a few people clapped.I knew whoever was behind all this had been waiting for my return. But they were wrong if they thought I’d crumble because of this. That
The next time I ran into Joseph was at school, and I learned he was the vice-captain of the baseball team. Oh, and the day after our run-in, we sat on the bleachers and exchanged names.I asked him, "Why did you help me that day?"He laughed sheepishly, looking a little naïve. "I actually recognized you, Harper. I attended the same summer camp as Matthew once. We saw each other as rivals, so when you started dating him, I knew about it."Our meeting felt almost premeditated, and I found it hard to be happy about it."So, you saved me because of Matthew? Was it some kind of competition?"He waved his hands in a panic. "No, no, Harper, it wasn’t like that at all. We weren’t even in the same sport. I just thought you seemed friendly and pretty. I just wanted to help, and I would've stepped in for any other girl too. I swear."He looked even more frustrated as he spoke."But because it was you, I had a bit of a selfish motive. I've heard things about you lately—Sophia's been spreading rum
The next morning, Marco drove me to school. He looked serious, like he was on some kind of important mafia mission.I deliberately wore a ballerina-style dress and put a lot of effort into getting ready. When we got to the school gate, I was surprised to see Joseph waiting for me there.It made me think about Matthew. When we were together, everything seemed fine, but whenever I had issues with someone, he always took their side, telling me not to make a fuss. After we broke up, Angelo sent someone to scare him away, to make sure he stayed away from me. He’d been begging me to get back together just the day before but quickly promised he'd never see me again after that.So now, when it comes to men, actions speak louder than words.Joseph was doing more than I could've expected. I never asked him to wait for me, but there he was, looking like a puppy waiting for his owner, pacing around. My heart felt a little warmer.Just as I was about to get out of the car, Marco grabbed my wrist.
Marco’s POV I was sitting in the back seat of my car, working on some business while waiting for her after school. But instead, I got an unexpected visitor.Joseph, his face bruised, looked a bit dazed. I internally scoffed—what an i.diot. I raised an eyebrow and asked, "What do you want?""I need to talk to you." He still had that dumb look, and the smell of antiseptic was clinging to him."Oh? Changed your mind? Or did you mess up and now you need my family to clean it up?" The more I looked at him, the more annoying he seemed."I'm leaving the country," he stuttered out. "I haven’t told Harper yet, but I wanted to talk to you first. My mom found out I’ve been in fights a lot recently, so she applied for a new school for me. I’m moving to the UK soon. I wanted to ask you, do you even know Harper is getting bullied every day?"The mocking smile on my face froze. "What do you mean?""Today, her ex-boyfriend and her so-called best friend called her a homewrecker. I got into a fight wit
Harper's POV "Mom, I need to talk to you." As soon as I got home, I went straight to my mother. She was the only one who could make me feel warm and safe."I don’t want to go to school anymore. Can you get me a tutor instead? Exams are coming up soon anyway."I looked at the message Joseph had sent me again. Sophia had gone to Joseph’s mom and his mom hates our relationship. He would be leaving to study abroad soon. If all went well, he would get into Oxford."Harper?" My mom’s voice brought me back. She entered the room, holding a glass of milk."Sweetie, do you have something else to say?""Mom, I want to go study in the UK. I just need some time away, and I want to focus on my studies."I buried myself in her arms, letting her warm, scented hands pat my back gently."My darling, I know you’ve had a lot on your mind since the wedding. If you want to go, then go."She pulled my blanket up. "Don’t worry, I won’t tell your father or your brother."I nodded.Time went by quickly. Months
Lydia did not sleep comfortably. In her dream, she felt that she was being watched by eyes all the time.Whether she was walking, eating or bathing, there was a pair of eyes watching her all the time, making her feel a hint of shame. Especially when she was taking a shower, those eyes were like big hands, their gaze caressing her body to the last detail, not sparing a single skin.Lydia couldn't keep her eyes open. In her dreams, she was naked, lying on the bed, feeling the gaze of those eyes. Slowly, a man came to the bed, hugged her from behind, and then caressed her while kissing her.This feeling ......Lydia squirmed restlessly, unable to tell if she was enjoying it or resisting it, as the man's body behind her grew hotter and hotter, and she knew what would happen next ......The clips of her lovemaking with Vince kept flashing into her mind: Vince's hot breath, the p.ennis stained with her bodily fluids, the shameful lovemaking positions, the shivering p.ussy, the ambiguous moa
The smell of alcohol from the hospital, the faint scent of jasmine in the room, mixed with Vince's hot breath and Lydia's scent, everything became misty.Vince's throat twitched, and he licked his lips, which were dry from the heat, and then kissed the lips of Lydia, whom he had been longing for.Lydia squirmed at first out of unease, and slowly, as Vince kissed her deeper and deeper, her breathing became unsteady, even whimpering like a cat.The two of them kissed passionately, and Lydia put both hands on Vince's shoulders, lying softly on the bed, close to him.Vince pushed her away slightly, leaving a palm's length, and quickly stripped her of her clothes.Vince reached out and pressed the curtain button. The curtains blocked out the light, and the room was dark, with only a few small lights emitting a dim, ambiguous glow. The "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door was lit up. No one would break in, and it was their time.Vince came out of the indulgent kiss in a ragged breath, looking
Lydia's eyes moistened as she recalled the events of the past on campus.God still favored her by allowing her to meet Vince again instead of letting her marry those hypocritical and lustful rich men.Although Vince is now a bit changed, tainted with some billionaire habits, such as arrogance and dominance, but his feelings for Lydia have not changed, nor has he become the kind of womanizer who indulges in one-night stands.More importantly, Lydia has always had feelings for him as well.Never mind, as long as they can live happily together, even if their second encounter is somewhat unhappy, so what?Lydia doesn't even care about that right now, she just prays that Vince will wake up.She took Vince's hand and put his hand on her face."Vince, you're a bad man. You said you'd be safe, and you broke your word.""Vince, you need to stop sleeping. I'll forgive you for what you did before if you wake up now.""If you wake up, I promise you. I will be your girlfriend, get married to you,
With Vince's handsome appearance and intelligence, even though he hid his family background, he was a hit on campus and was often courted by girls.He never wanted to fall in love because he thought women were a pain in the ass. And his mother was too strong a person, and he had a long way to go to pass the test to inherit the family fortune. During his college years, Vince was so full of how to become a stronger man that he didn't think about falling in love.Falling in love is a very troublesome thing, like a chewing gum which is being stuck on clothes. You remember what it tastes like, but it becomes a piece of junk that sticks to you.Vince is a cool guy. How can he be trapped by such a ridiculous thing?He didn't think that he would fall for this damn couple's activity. What pisses him off even more is that he was rejected!Vince, the heir of a famous American luxury hotel, a handsome man who was in the top 10 of the nation's golden bachelors at the age of 18, was rejected by a w
Lydia stayed in the room and did nothing but clean Vince's body and speak to him.Lydia wasn't sure if Vince could hear her. She was the only one in the room except Vince, and she either read Vince some interesting news or drew some strange patterns on his face to tease him. After all, Vince is at his best now. She won't have that opportunity when he wakes up."What are we talking about today?" Lydia sat next to Vince and held his hand to reminisce, "Do you remember when we were in college and you always liked to scare me when we were walking at night. You were such a badass sometimes, hiding behind big trees on purpose, waiting until I was so scared and about to cry before you showed up, or waiting for me to scream and jump into your arms."Lydia's voice is soft. The warm spring breeze blows the clean white curtains, and her thoughts are lost in the old days.Lydia and Vince's encounter was quite dramatic. When they first started college, they were at their most rebellious. In order
Lydia boarded a private plane arranged by Cecil in the early hours of the morning and finally arrived at Vince's hospital room just as the sun was rising.At the first sight of Vince, Lydia's heart skipped a beat from worry.Vince was lying in bed. His sleeping face was like an ancient Greek sculpture through time, calm and heavy. He was wearing these light gray pajamas, his lips were white and bloodless, adding a sense of brokenness to his cold face.He had various metal sensors strapped to his hands and arms, connected to different instruments through colorful tubes.In Lydia's memory, only those who were dying in the movie were connected to so many instruments."Why is this happening?" How is Vince doing?" Lydia tried desperately to control her trembling voice and turned to ask Cecil and Ulric.Cecil's attention was still on probing Lydia. He was very curious as to what kind of woman could make Vince go against the grain and turn from a love insulator to an infatuated man.Ulric ga
On the way to the hospital, Vince went about his business as usual, and even had a phone call with Vivian to handle some US work remotely. But when arriving at the hospital, Vince's body started to heat up and his will was a little unclear."How did this happen?" Ulric stood outside the emergency room with a frown and a serious expression.Cecil, meanwhile, paced back and forth in the hallway in a hurry. "If something bad had happened to Vince, I would have killed Derrick myself!"The incident today was indeed a surprise beyond their expectations. They had thought that the worst thing that could happen was a breakdown in negotiations, not realizing that the new mafia leader had abandoned the traditions that the mafia had upheld for years and started going rogue.Early in the morning, Cecil is just out at a cafe drinking coffee and flirting with a French beauty. He is not a shareholder in the business, so he has no intention of getting involved in the affair, nor does he want to expose
A conference room with a baroque style.Thick velvet curtains blocked the light from the windows. A long table made of precious wood is in the middle of the room, and several wide and comfortable black boss chairs are placed on each side of the table.Frescoes, candelabras and other decorations make this room look even less like a modern room and more like the council chambers of aristocrats centuries ago.Soft lighting adds a touch of mystery and obscurity to the room. Two groups of senior bodyguards with sunglasses stood on either side of the room.In the middle of the room, there are some men sitting in the boss's chair with their faces hidden in the shadows of the light, making the atmosphere more elusive."I have always appreciated some of the principles of your mafia, such as keeping your promises and treating your partners well, and that is why I chose to work with you. But I don't know why you, as the new mafia leader, would break these rules. I think we need an explanation."
In the Rolls-Royce car, Lydia leaned back in her seat with her head resting on the window.The car was running smoothly, the shock absorption design made it almost impossible to feel any shaking. The street lights reflected in the car windows, flashing Lydia's face as the car moved.The colorful lights lit up Lydia's face, and then the darkness swallowed her expression again.Vince sat quietly next to her and did not disturb her.Lydia felt more comfortable than ever. Her hand still hurt from hitting Bernice's face so hard.So this is the feeling of fighting back. In the old days, grievance, sadness, and powerlessness wrapped around her like an invisible thick cloth, leaving her with a feeling of suffocation. Her parents didn't care about her, forcing her to be a woman that rich men would like: meek, obedient, and easy to control. No one told Lydia she could say no to injustice, and no one stood behind her to help her fight back against her bullies. Tolerance was her only recourse bef