I was known as the feared living devil in Velmont, fighting my way up from nothing. My crippled leg was my weakness; no one dared to mention it. Everyone avoided me, except Talia Norwood.

The first time I met her, she was digging through the garbage, eating old rice like she hadn’t eaten in days.

I said to her, “Come with me and be my legs. I’ll make sure you always have food.”

I taught her how to defend herself, sent her abroad to study and guided her through the worlds of law and business.

In eight years, she went from a prostitute’s child to President Norwood of the Hollis Group, the person I trusted most.

At one drinking party, the eldest son of the Bradford Family joined a dare. He raised his glass, smiled at me and said, “I gave Talia that chastity belt.”

The whole room of powerful men laughed. I was the only one who stayed silent.

He went on, “She was my junior when we studied in America. She told me she wouldn’t take it off until I officially took over the family business.”

I looked at Talia. She held her wine glass, her face calm

After we got engaged, she never let me touch it. She said she’d keep it until our wedding day, but it turned out she hadn’t been waiting for me.

I took a sip of wine and smiled. “Okay. Then let her wear it forever.”

——

“Let me tell you something you don’t know! I gave your President Norwood that chastity bra!”

The whole room burst into laughter.

I froze and turned to look at Talia beside me. She, however, stayed calm, as if she wasn’t the one being publicly mocked.

My face turned dark. Someone at the table quickly tried to smooth things over, “That's enough, Bennett Bradford, you just love to joke around!"

He saw my angry face and waved his hand. “Oh, my bad mouth! Enough, enough! I’ll drink to apologize to Mr. Hollis!”

“Everyone, come to my new ski resort this winter, it’s free!”

He suddenly hit his head and gave me a mean smile.

“Oh, I almost forgot, Mr. Hollis, your legs aren’t good for skiing, are they?!”

I tightened my fists and was about to stand, but Talia held me and whispered, “Nolan, don’t act rashly! He’s drunk. Our company and the Bradford Family have an important deal now and a fight won’t help.”

I looked at her, as if I saw her for the first time. I was the one who picked her up from the trash, taught her self-defense and sent her to study in Canada. It was just that she and Bennett happened to attend the same school.

At that time, she even called me and said, “Nolan, I have a chance to get close to him and earn his trust... I’ll help you get revenge in the future.”

After she came back to the U.S., I made her general manager without hesitation, giving her all my trust.

But she became closer to Bennett, always using “cooperation” and “business” as excuses.

She put super glue in my water, making me need an emergency stomach wash. I called her ninety-nine times from the hospital, only to see her Instagram Story showing her having afternoon coffee with Bennett.

The night before an important meeting, she burned my computer and tricked me into falling down the stairs, almost causing worse injuries.

We agreed to get our marriage certificate, but she kept missing the date. The last time, she came late without a single word of explanation.

She never gave me a proper wedding, always saying she didn’t want it to be too showy. Each time, she said it was to earn Bennett’s full trust for my revenge plan.

I never knew she and Bennett were already trapped in secret and forbidden feelings.

After marriage, she never let me get close. I thought she wore those chastity pants because she felt insecure from her childhood trauma, a kind of self-protection that made me feel sorry for her.

Yet, it turned out the girl who once promised to be strong and stay with me forever had already become a stranger.

She knew better than anyone that my legs were broken by someone sent by Bennett’s father.

Only after I fought hard to stand again, step by step and became strong enough to challenge the Bradford Family, did they start to fear me.

My heart slowly became cold as I lifted my head and looked around the banquet. All the sons from big families and the skilled people I had trained myself were laughing happily, as if my disability was a funny joke.

Just then, Bennett shouted with a playful smile, "Nolan, it's your turn! Truth or dare?"

I looked at him calmly and slowly stood up. "Of course, I'll choose neither."

Before I finished speaking, I raised my hand and slapped Bennett hard!

Everyone was shocked. Bennett covered his face and looked at me in disbelief.

"Nolan! You’re fucking crazy! Our cooperation ends here!"

Talia was also shocked by what I did. She frowned and looked at me, her voice full of worry and anger.

"Nolan, you were too rash! Apologize to Mr. Bradford... We can’t let this cooperation stop halfway..."

My heart felt like it was stabbed, tightening with pain.

There was a time when she also hated the Bradford Family deeply. Her mother had worked herself to death because of the Bradford Family’s wealth. She blamed them for both her mother’s death and my broken leg and she had sworn never to forgive.

But a moment ago, when she looked at Bennett, I clearly saw sadness. She actually felt pain for the man who once ruined me.

I suddenly grabbed the porcelain bowl and smashed it on the floor, with its pieces scattered everywhere, like the broken pieces of my heart.

Bennett went mad, pointing at me and shouting, “Nolan! Who do you think you are? My father had someone break your injured leg. If he hadn’t stopped me, I would have broken your other leg a long time ago!”

“I’m telling you, you’ll be nothing but a dog to our Bradford Family for the rest of your life!”

“What woman would ever be happy with a weak, useless man like you?”

As I tried to walk away, a group of bodyguards stepped forward and blocked me.

“Stop!” Bennett’s voice was cold. “You slapped me and think you can leave? Kneel and bow three times, then I’ll let you go.”

Talia looked at me, hesitated for a moment, then softly said, “Nolan… why don’t you just do it.”

I smirked and a sharp light flashed in my hand. A knife stabbed straight into Bennett’s chest, quick and strong.

The party room burst into shouting and panic. Talia screamed and ran to help Bennett, who was pale and shocked.

Many guards ran at me, but with one hand, I hit them down one after another.

I looked at Bennett, lying on the floor in pain and said coldly, “Bennett, my legs may be hurt, but my strength is still the same.”

Without looking back, I walked away. At the door, I stopped and said each word clearly.

“Talia, let’s get a divorce.”

“Since you like wearing that so much, then wear it forever and never take it off.”

When I got home, a servant looked shocked to see me. “Where’s Madam?”

I fixed my messy collar. “Serve me the food. I’m hungry.”

The servant’s voice rose in protest. “How can that be? She hasn’t returned yet. How can you start eating?”

My tone turned cold. “Am I still the one who makes the rules in this house or not?”

“From today on, Talia is no longer my wife!”

The servant lowered his head, too afraid to speak again.

It was late at night when Talia came home. She smelled of alcohol and could barely walk straight.

I was about to speak when she suddenly threw herself into my arms, holding me tightly and crying, “Nolan, I’m sorry…”

I was completely surprised. She rarely showed such weakness.

The last time she looked like this was when I found her fainted from hunger by the roadside and brought her home. It softened my heart for a moment.

“Nolan, Bennett was drunk and talking nonsense. Don’t take it to heart.”

“I just took him to the hospital and finally calmed him down… Now’s not the time to provoke him.”

She cupped my face and pressed her cold lips against mine. My breathing grew heavy and my body grew warm.

Just as I was about to lose control, she suddenly pushed me away.

Her phone rang. She answered it and her face changed at once."Okay, I'll be right there!"

She turned to me, speaking quickly. “Bennett is awake and acting unstable. I’m afraid he might cause trouble.”

Without waiting for me to reply, she grabbed her coat and ran out the door.

It felt like the tenderness from moments ago had only been a dream.

By the next day, Talia still hadn’t returned, even by noon. I called my lawyer and started the divorce process.

Then I called my housekeeper and said firmly, “Replace all the servants in the house.”

When I got to the company, I immediately called for an emergency board meeting. During the meeting, I used my veto power to remove Talia and the other guests from the banquet list, replacing them with others.

Right after the meeting ended, a message from Talia came in. [Nolan, I finally calmed Bennett down and his family agreed not to make things worse. Some important clients are coming for a project, so I might be busy until late.]

[I’ve got a surprise for you. Please don’t be mad at me anymore, okay?]

Just then, the doorbell rang.

When I opened the door, there was a large bouquet of flowers. I frowned as I looked at the lilies.

She had completely forgotten that I’m seriously allergic to lily pollen.

I quickly told the servants to throw the flowers out, then sat alone on the sofa, feeling low.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed with an anonymous message.

It was a video.

In the background stood Velmont’s tallest Ferris wheel.

Bennett was holding Talia tightly in his arms and under the bright fireworks, they were kissing passionately.

As they kissed, Bennett’s hand slowly slid under Talia’s clothes.

Her cheeks turned red, her eyes unfocused and she gently pushed him away. “Not… not here…”

I quickly turned off the video, my stomach tightening.

So, the reason she kept rejecting me was that she had already been with Bennett.

My chest ached like it had been stabbed.

That evening, at a business dinner, I saw Bennett again, his body wrapped in bandages, with Talia leaning close to him.