The entire room was in an uproar.Brad walked right up to me!"What's this about?"The way I looked must have shocked him.I'd spent ages in the bathroom, working hard to make myself look like I'd just been assaulted.With teary eyes, I whispered, "It's Halloween. I wanted to try something dramatic!"Brad couldn't help but chuckle.As everyone watched in horror, Brad took my hand and slipped the bracelet onto my wrist.They were horrified, and so was I.What about his true love, Linda Clark?Just as Brad was about to fasten the clasp, Anne rushed over like a madwoman and grabbed his arm.Oh no!"Back off, bitch!"This wasn't just any bracelet; this was a million-dollar bracelet!"Darling! You can't give it to her!""Do you know what she's been doing behind your back?!"Brad's gentle gaze instantly turned icy cold.Seeing this, Anne pressed on, "Look at her! She's just been..."Right on cue, I let a couple of tears fall.The crowd, hearing Anne's words and seeing my s
If I'd known Anne was planning to set me up like this, I wouldn't have let her get away with it.Anne's schemes were full of holes, showing she didn't have much between her ears.I didn't believe she could have come up with this on her own. Someone must have been pulling the strings.A quick background check on Anne's connections led me straight to my target: her sister.I spent ages figuring out how to deal with these sisters.In the end, I decided to give them a taste of their own medicine.Anne's sister had cooked up this vicious plan to take me down, so I'd let her reap what she sowed.Anne wanted to be the only woman by Brad's side, so I'd make sure she'd never have a chance to stand with him again.A golden boy like Brad would never tolerate any woman embarrassing him in public.Especially not with such a ridiculous stunt.I'd given Anne a chance, but she insisted on showing that video.Well, she had it coming.Anne's face turned ashen. Suddenly, she glared at me veno
"Got it?" I snapped at Linda, while secretly watching Brad's reaction.He didn't let go of my hand. Instead, he looked quite pleased.As expected, Brad's acting was better than mine. No wonder he's destined for greatness.Feeling more confident, I continued my act, "Brad's loaded, gorgeous, successful, and treats his girlfriend like a queen. If you couldn't appreciate a catch like that, then we've got nothing to discuss.""Our values are worlds apart.""It's too late to come crawling back now!"I unleashed my verbal assault.When I paused, I saw tears welling up in Linda's eyes. "Brad? Is she telling the truth?""Is it... really over?"She looked so pitiful.Crap, I might have gone overboard.My heart skipped a beat.I prayed Brad wouldn't cave.Thankfully, he stood his ground. After being ghosted by his girlfriend, he needed to play hard to get.Otherwise, where would his authority in the relationship be?Brad said in a deep voice, "Yes."Then, holding my hand, he stro
"Ma'am, can I help you with something?"The hunky guy I was ogling discreetly covered his goods.Not wanting to creep anyone out, I smiled politely. "Oh, nothing. Just enjoying the view. I'm not actually going in."Realizing I shouldn't push my luck, I reluctantly went into the gym.Thirty minutes later, I stumbled out of the gym, wheezing and grumbling as I headed home."What a ripoff! Pay a fortune and they won't even let you touch!"The more I stewed, the angrier I got. I even considered marching back to complain, but as I turned around, that creepy feeling of being watched returned.Suddenly, pain exploded in my head. I saw stars, then everything went dark.I came to with the sound of a woman sobbing.As I slowly regained consciousness, my wrists screamed in pain. My feet were dangling in thin air.With a jolt, I realized I was suspended from somewhere high up.Below me, angry waves smashed against sharp rocks.The woman bawling her eyes out next to me? None other than
"Four.""Three."Brad's gaze flickered between Linda and me. Finally, he spoke painfully, "Let... Linda go."I calmly closed my eyes.Suddenly, Anne's frenzied scream pierced the air, "You think I'd actually let you choose? If you won't pick me, you won't get to pick at all!"With that, I felt a sudden, sickening drop."No—""Aah—"Brad's despairing shout and Linda's terrified scream rang out simultaneously.The next second, I plunged into the churning sea.—I carefully cut the ropes with my small knife.The seawater stung my eyes, but I had no time to worry about that.I dove deep, grabbing Linda as she thrashed wildly in the water, and struggled to swim upwards.We burst to the surface, gasping for air.The sea was rough. I tried to conserve energy, just keeping Linda and myself barely afloat.After about five minutes, the waves had carried us far from the cliff.In the distance, a small boat was heading our way."Hurry— gulp Hurry up!"The person on the boat pulle
Linda: "To be honest, I accidentally video-chatted with this guy from Estaland on social media. He was incredibly hot, and he had a castle!""It took a lot of soul-searching before I decided to chase love across the ocean!"I listened, my face full of longing."So why did you come back?""Who knew? The guy looked like a total mess in person," Linda said, heartbroken.I commented, "But having a castle isn't bad, right?"Linda hesitated, then said shamefacedly, "He was just a janitor at the castle!"I couldn't hold back and burst into laughter.Everyone in the club stared at me.Linda snapped, annoyed, "Stop laughing!"Seeing her getting angry, I quickly revisited all my sad memories to stop myself from laughing.I consoled her, "It's okay, at least Brad's still waiting for you!"Linda stared at me, her face a mix of emotions. "Lindsey, are you really this clueless or are you pretending?"?"Brad's been in love with you for ages!""No... that can't be right? I'm just your
Brad pulled me into his car.Inside, I racked my brains for small talk, but he remained silent.The atmosphere was thick enough to cut with a knife.He wouldn't even glance my way.I gave up and just stared at him over the headrest. He covered my eyes with his hand to stop me.Back at the mansion, he went straight for a shower without a word.I stood awkwardly in the middle of the living room.The butler couldn't bear to watch."Miss Harper, where on earth did you go? Mr. Halter has been searching high and low for you. He hasn't slept a wink in days."When you fell into the ocean, he dove right in after you."If the security team hadn't realized something was off and fished Mr. Halter out, God knows how this would have ended."You got sick after your fall and went for treatment, right? You didn't tell him because you didn't want him to worry?"How sweet of him.I thought about my trip to Japan.Sincerely, I replied, "Yes.""Just explain it to Mr. Halter properly. He ador
Staring at the message on my phone, identical to the one from my previous life, I realized I had been reborn. Back to the second year of my relationship with Brad Halter.Gone were the days of being penniless and Brad's obsessive pursuit. I was once again his darling, the number one stand-in who could count money until my hands cramped, all thanks to my pretty face.Stand-in for whom? Of course, for Linda Clark, the country’s top socialite who flew to Estaland years ago, choosing her dreams over love.My phone buzzed with another message:"Are you free now? How about we meet right away?"Tsk. Just as impatient as in my previous life.The girl on the other end was Anne Larson, Brad's second stand-in kept on the side.At first, I didn't believe Anne's story, until she produced intimate photos of Brad and Linda, along with a limited edition black card...I had one too. But with one small difference - mine was labeled "1," hers "2."I'd call it Brad's exclusive lover's card set. I