Julius arrived, his face pale. He apologized for the slap he had given me, then—ridiculously!—he proposed. "Darling, we've been together for seven years. It's time to get married," he said, his voice trembling, not with love, but with panic.

I stared at him coldly. "You're the one who wasted those seven years, Julius," I said, my voice sharp as a knife.

"Who would marry you in your current condition?" he asked, veiled insults in his words.

I smiled cynically. "Oh, what if I decide not to get married? I'm sure your mother loves Veronica, doesn't she? Just marry her."

His face flushed. "No," he said, his voice strained, "I'll ask my mother to apologize and propose to you." Seeing his attitude now, my heart wavered. A glimmer of hope remained.

He left, saying he had to meet producer Andrew—a flimsy excuse to cover his meeting with Veronica or his mother.

Ironically, amidst this storm, my collection of designed clothing won a prestigious award. I was asked to showcase ten of my designs at the biggest fashion show in history, with the freedom to choose models through auditions that I could conduct at my leisure.

News about Julius's mother quickly dropped in ranking, replaced by news about: a mysterious fashion designer seeking ten models for a monumental fashion show. Emails flooded my inbox, famous models begging to be chosen. Even Veronica, with all her arrogance, sent an email pleading and threatening.

My plan began. I sent photos of Julius and Veronica to Julius through a disposable phone.

"Who are you? Why are you sending me these photos?" he asked, panic evident in every word he typed.

"Do you like it? I have many more," I typed, my reply subtle but full of threat.

"What do you want?"

"One million dollars per photo," I replied, without hesitation.

Silence. Then, a message notification appeared: "You're crazy! No way!"

"Then other media outlets will pay more," I threatened. His fear became more apparent as he replied hastily. "Have you shown these photos to anyone else?"

The tension reached its peak. The next chapter had just begun.

I typed again. "No, friend, you're the first."

"Okay, I'll get the money first." Julius replied. A triumphant smile spread across my lips.

"You have 24 hours," I wrote. "I'll contact you if time runs out." I removed the disposable phone's SIM card, leaving it adrift in anxiety.

That night, Julius returned, his face drawn. "Darling, would you move to the Velden family home? My mother asked," he pleaded. I thought he was running out of options.

My eyebrows shot up. "What about this house?" I asked.

"We'll sell it," he replied hesitantly.

"Sell it? This house is mine. I won't sell it, ever," I said firmly.

"Wait, are you struggling?" I asked, feigning concern. He nodded dejectedly. "I'm behind on my work contract," he admitted, his lie unconcealed.

"Then ask your family for help," I replied. "The house deed is at the bank, I don't have the money to redeem it." Feeling he couldn't rely on me, he left in a panic, and I enjoyed his desperation.

An email from Veronica appeared in my inbox. She begged desperately, offering herself as a model. I suspected Julius was struggling to hide the mysterious threat, and they needed money to cover the scandal.

"I can do anything," Veronica wrote, "pick me, and I'm ready to be your servant."

I replied, "Alright, Miss Veronica, it seems you really need this job. But, if I choose you, are you sure there won't be any problems that will cause a scandal?"

"I promise, no scandal. I'm a model who always follows the rules," she replied enthusiastically. Full of confidence.

"Alright, I'll attach the contract." I wrote, without mincing words.

…

24 hours had passed. My heart raced as I contacted Julius again. "Mr. Julius, your time is up. Your decision?" My message was read. I could feel his anxiety.

"I only have $500,000, can that be a down payment?" he replied.

"Sorry, Mr. Julius, our agreement is one million dollars. If not, the photos will be spread." My threat was sharp.

"Okay, shall we meet in person?" This was a trap, I suspected. But I would play his game.

"No face-to-face. Win Hotel, five o'clock. Bring cash, or the photos will be spread." I turned off my phone, removed the SIM card, and threw it away.

At the Win Hotel, Felix and I sat across from Julius, Veronica, and a few of their bodyguards.

"Look at those thugs. You're right, they'll set you up," Felix whispered. My breath hitched.

Veronica seemed agitated. "Calm down, darling. If this plan fails, you'll get your money back soon.”

"Did you get a big contract?" Julius asked, his eyes gleaming, his face beaming.

Veronica tossed her hair, full of confidence. "I'm going to be the model for that famous designer," Veronica replied with a flirtatious wink. A disgusting lie. I held back a laugh. Felix joined in. They looked at us suspiciously, and we pretended to be a happy couple.

Julius's eyes sparkled. "Did you contact him? L2, the mysterious designer?"

Veronica glared, "Since when does Veronica Hoffman contact first. He begged me to be his model." Her lies were getting worse. It made me sick.

"You're amazing, Veronica," Julius praised.

Veronica pouted. "Please, just give me the money. I've signed the contract. If there's a scandal, I'll be fined five times the amount!"

Felix looked at me. "Lady Luck is on your side. The designer appeared and made your plan easier?"

"Quickly, contact them!" Felix urged.

I activated another phone. I contacted Julius. They whispered to each other.

"What did he say?" Veronica pressed. Julius remained silent. Veronica snatched his phone and read the message.

"Because you brought thugs to set me up, the deal has changed. One million dollars here, another million tonight at eight!" My message. Then, I sent them a video of them leaving the hotel room.

Veronica screamed, "How did he know we were going to set him up?”

"Shh! Focus, Veronica, everyone's looking at you," Julius said.

Veronica went hysterical again. "Look at this!" She shoved the phone towards Julius, her eyes wide. "He's serious! How can I be calm, Julius? This could destroy us!"

Felix and I just smirked. Veronica, Julius, and his bodyguards left in a huff, leaving behind a bag containing a million dollars—the price of their crime. Felix immediately signaled his men to take the bag. One million dollars. Ours now.

That night, Julius came home heavily drunk, frustrated, desperate. I stared at him with burning hatred. The victory felt bitter as the lipstick stain on his expensive shirt made the situation worse.

The next day was important for me. The party to choose the ten best models for the fashion show abroad. My designs. My pride.

"You're dressed up too? Where are you going?" Julius blocked my way. "I'm not dressing like this to take you, okay? Don't get the wrong idea," he continued, his tone sarcastic. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Why are you laughing?" he asked, looking at me strangely.

"Where are you going? Are you afraid I'll go with you? Still ashamed that I'm in a wheelchair?" I retorted sharply.

Julius straightened his tie, nervously. "It's not like that, darling, I have a meeting with producer Andrew tonight." His lie sounded very fabricated.

"Just go then, I'll be going with Felix anyway," I replied with an indifferent expression. His face flushed.

"What does Felix have to do besides clinging to you?" his voice rose. I just raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah, whose new car is that? Do we have a new neighbor?" he asked, his eyes fixed on the bright red Ferrari in front of the house—a car I had recently bought, a reward for my success when I could walk again.

"My car," I replied flatly, full of victory.

Julius laughed mockingly. "You? There's no way we could buy a car that expensive. Don't dream, darling." He insulted me.

I swallowed, holding back my anger. His insult to my feelings for him became bland.

Julius left in a hurry. I knew where he was going. Tonight, could I say goodbye to him?

The party at the luxurious hotel was filled with important guests. I arrived accompanied by Felix, his hand pushing my wheelchair.

The guests whispered, curious about the mysterious designer L2.

I sat right behind Julius and Veronica, watching their love drama that felt too excessive. Their shadows hugging each other, the faint whispers of sweet nothings, and the unbearable gaze of love in their eyes—it all felt sickening.

Veronica's hair clip fell, her eyes accidentally met mine. Her pupils widened, trapped in a real shock. I returned it with a thin, sarcastic smile, which felt piercing to her.

Julius left Veronica. He hadn't realized my presence. Veronica turned around, her face full of anger. "Are you crazy? What is a cripple like you doing here?" she shouted. The guests were disturbed, too late for Veronica to fix the situation. Everyone was looking at us.

My lips lifted. "A homewrecker like you can be here, why can't I?" I challenged, my voice full of confidence.

"You—"

"What? You think I'm blind, Veronica?" I whispered, my voice cold, hoping to pierce her heart. My smile widened, sweet and threatening.

Veronica's eyes widened, panic clearly visible. Julius, who had just arrived, was stunned. The guests whispered, they knew who Julius, I, and Veronica were.

"Andrew? Meeting here?" I asked, my voice whispering, full of sarcasm.

Julius stammered, "He... asked me to represent him," his voice trembled. "You? What are you doing here?”

"Oh yeah?" I scoffed, "I've been here for a while, behind you, watching your sweet moments."

Tension choked the room. The guests' stares, sharp and curious, pierced me like daggers. Julius, with a fake face, acted as if he was the victim. "Get her out! She doesn't belong here!" his voice, loud and full of command, but a tremor of fear was evident behind it. Felix and I exchanged glances, his hypocrisy felt like a hard slap.

Veronica, with a manipulative smile, chimed in, "Get her out quickly! Imagine, if the main sponsor sees this!" Her words, seemingly innocent, were full of poison. I could only shake my head, running out of words to face their falseness.

Felix, anger blazing on his face, shouted, "You're sullying this event with your disgusting affair!" However, his voice drowned in the growing roar of jeers.

"Affair!", "They're having an affair!" Those shouts were like a fierce wave ready to crush me.

Felix held my hand, "You're so patient," he whispered, feeling my trembling hand.

Julius, cunningly, turned the situation around, "She's the one having an affair!" He pointed at me and Felix, "Look, they're holding hands! I'm with Veronica because she betrayed me first!" The lie was so real, but some of the guests still believed it.

Veronica, with a mocking triumphant smile, shouted again, "Get her out! She's ruining our moment!"

"Veronica was right! Get her out!", "Cheap woman!", "Even a cripple is cheap, let alone if she's not?", those shouts intensified, the guests, instigated, began to push me, showering me with unbearable insults and abuse.

I remained silent, letting them judge for themselves, while pain and humiliation gnawed at my soul. Veronica, with a face full of satisfaction, watched my suffering.

The event began. We were forced to calm down. The host introduced the L2 collection. Then, the main sponsor, a wealthy tycoon, appeared on stage, the sound of cheers filled the room. "Let's call the designer!"

Silence.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome, designer L2, Lizzy Larson..."

All eyes were on me. Julius and Veronica's faces turned pale, their shock was evident as I stood up, strode confidently towards the podium.

Then, the room erupted in cheers, this time, for me.