The car window shattered instantly, and I was thrown hard to the side by inertia.

In my blurry vision, Adrian Grant was holding Rebecca Banks tightly, using his body to shield her from the shattered debris.

He even whispered to her, “Don’t be afraid, I’m here.”

My forehead hit the sharp glass, and blood immediately gushed out, staining half my face red.

As consciousness faded, I suddenly remembered the car accident a year ago.

That was when we had just confirmed our relationship. It was the same intersection, the same sudden oncoming truck.

My seat, facing the direction of the truck’s impact, was mine.

In that critical moment, Adrian swung the steering wheel without hesitation, allowing his side to bear the greatest impact.

The front of the car was severely deformed, and he was trapped in the driver’s seat.

Blood soaked his white shirt, but he managed to maintain consciousness and gently stroked my cheek. “It’s okay, I’m glad you’re safe.”

The firefighters took a long time to free him.

That time, he nearly lost his life to me.

But now, in the same car accident,

the difference was that the person he instinctively wanted to protect was no longer me.

I woke up in the VIP ward of a private hospital. Adrian Grant sat beside me, looking at the bandage on my forehead with a complicated expression.

“Zara, the situation just now was too critical. I must ensure Rebecca Banks doesn’t get hurt. You know, the partnership between the Grant and Banks families is crucial to the future of the entire group. If she’s disfigured, this project will fail.”

“You can be angry, or blame me; I accept it. Just don’t ignore me like this.”

I lay quietly, unresponsive.

All my emotions died the moment I saw Adrian protect Rebecca without hesitation.

My chest felt empty, as if something important had been emptied out, leaving only the howling cold wind.

Adrian continued his explanation, then suddenly, as if a thought occurred to him, a glint of light in his eyes. “By the way, Zara, your birthday is next week. I’ll give you a gift in advance, how about it? Whatever you want, money is not a problem.”

Hearing this, I finally slowly turned my head to look at him. “Then please book me a plane ticket. I’ll fly to Crestfall the day after tomorrow.”

“Crestfall?” He frowned. “You’re going back home?”

I nodded gently without saying anything more.

Adrian didn’t ask any further questions. He immediately took out his phone and booked a flight right in front of me.

After booking, he said,

“The company has had an important project to deal with recently, so I may not be able to accompany you. You should go back and see your family first. I’ll pick you up when I’m done with this.”

“A plane ticket is no big deal for a birthday gift. When you come back, I’ll definitely give you a big surprise.”

“This gift is enough,” I closed my eyes, my voice as soft as a feather. “It’s more precious than anything else.”

The day I left, I woke up earlier than usual. Six hours before my flight, I dragged several large suitcases one after another to the gate and was about to call a taxi when Adrian suddenly appeared.

Seeing the suitcases lined up at the gate, his expression changed instantly, and he took two steps at a time to block my way.

“What do you mean?”

My expression was calm: “Didn’t I tell you I was going back home?”

But this explanation clearly didn’t convince him.

“It’s just a trip home, so why bring so much luggage? Are you planning to move?”

I shrugged: “Girls always need to pack extra clothes when they go out.”

Adrian Grant stared at me intently, his eyes flickering between the suitcases and my face.

“No, take a look. It’s too much luggage. Just buy whatever you want when you get there, and I’ll transfer the money to you.”

Adrian was determined to keep my suitcase, as if doing so would guarantee my return.

Just as we were at a stalemate, his phone rang rapidly. Adrian stepped aside to answer the call, and Rebecca Banks’s sweet voice came through.

His expression grew increasingly serious, and he finally had to leave in a hurry.

Before leaving, he clutched my hand tightly: “Zara, remember, don’t stay out too long. Remember to send me your return ticket, and I’ll pick you up personally.”

I didn’t respond, because there would be no return trip between us.

Four hours before departure, I changed the apartment’s password from my birthday to Rebecca Banks’s.

Then I posted a small note on the door:

[Since a new woman will be living here, the password should naturally be set to her birthday.]

Two hours before departure, I gathered all the photos of Adrian and me in the apartment and burned them all. He held me in his arms as we watched the night view from the Ferris wheel, promising to give me the world.

He put an engagement ring on my finger on the beach, promising to never leave me.

He turned down important business meetings for me.

His phone screensaver was always my photo, and his social media was filled with updates about me…

We were once so in love, we thought we could grow old together.

Now all those beautiful memories have turned to smoke, and our story has ended.

An hour before takeoff, I received a video from Rebecca Banks.

In the video, Adrian and Rebecca were surrounded by a group of people in the center of the box, all cheering.

“Give me a kiss! Give me a kiss!”

“Mr. Grant, why are you so shy when you’re about to get engaged? Do you want Miss Banks to take the initiative?”

Amidst the crowd’s urging, Rebecca shyly closed her eyes and slowly leaned closer to Adrian.

Their faces grew closer, and the cheers grew louder.

Adrian stared at the woman before him, his throat rolling. The next second, he reached out, gripping the back of her head and kissing her hard.

The camera zoomed in so closely that I could clearly see their lips and tongues entwined, and Adrian’s expression was transfixed by the moment.

I rewatched the video several times, until every detail was etched in my mind.

Soon, Rebecca’s message arrived.

[Zara, did you see that? I’m the future Young Mistress, recognized by the Grant family. You’re a poor student, what right do you have to compete with me for a man?]

[Even if Adrian loves you, what good does it do? Isn’t he still completely captivated by me? From holding hands to kissing, the next step is sex, right?]

I didn’t reply. Instead, I printed out all the provocative screenshots she’d sent me recently and placed them neatly on the coffee table.

Half an hour before departure, I scribbled a few words on the last page of the pile of printed paper.

“Adrian, I wish you a happy wedding.”

Then, dragging my suitcase, I walked out of the apartment without looking back, hailing a taxi and heading straight to the airport. From now on, I will return to being the “Red Rose” who made the entire underworld tremble.

When I exited Crestfall airport, a black Rolls-Royce had been waiting outside.

The car door opened, and a man in a black suit immediately stepped forward and respectfully opened it for me.

“Captain, thank you for your hard work.”

As the car drove toward a manor villa on the outskirts of Crestfall, I gazed at the strange yet familiar city through the window.

For three years, I had only heard of every change at Night Rose headquarters through reports, but seeing it again with my own eyes stirred deep emotions.

When the car stopped, I walked straight to the villa’s grand entrance.

Two rows of uniformed members stood neatly along the corridor. As soon as I entered, they greeted me in unison:

“Welcome back, Captain!”

I shook my head helplessly. James Carter, the deputy leader beside me, caught my thoughts and explained with a smile:

“You’ve been gone too long. Everyone has missed you. When word came that you were returning, they prepared this on their own. The core members are waiting in the conference room.”

Pushing open the door, I was met with a room full of familiar faces—the very backbone of Night Rose’s international strength.

I greeted them one by one. Sitting down at the head of the table, I felt warmth rising in my chest.

These people were my true family.

Unlike Adrian Grant, where I had to pretend to be harmless, here I could finally be myself.

I leaned back, an old fatigue washing over me.

From my first mission at fifteen to taking full command at twenty, I had always been the cold-blooded “Red Rose.”

It wasn’t until I met Adrian that I tasted the life of an ordinary woman. In those three years, I believed I had found someone worth giving up everything for, someone with whom I could live a simple, happy life.

In the end, I was nothing more than a disposable toy in his heart.

James Carter noticed my mood and gently reassured me.

“Let the past go. What matters is you’re home. Night Rose will always be your family.”

His words calmed me.

The others quickly began reporting on their work, eager to move forward.

I listened closely.

The growth of Night Rose in just three years had far surpassed my imagination. Not only had it solidified its base, but it had also expanded into new industries.

At the center of the table sat a blood-red ring.

Forged from rare blood diamonds, it bore the symbol of the Red Rose—an emblem of ultimate authority.

Just as I reached to put it on again, James Carter spoke casually:

“By the way, Chief, didn’t you just break up? A partner of mine has a man back from abroad—single, successful. Want me to set up a meeting?”

I froze, then quickly waved my hand. “No.”

But James didn’t give up. He pulled out his phone, showing me a profile.

To my surprise, the man was already in my contacts.

I opened his profile. No notes, only a photo of a lone moon hanging in the night sky. His username was a single word: “Jensen.”

I frowned, racking my brain, but couldn’t recall when I had added him.

Still, I didn’t ask further. I simply closed my phone as if nothing had happened.

When we meet, I think, all questions will answer themselves.