I slapped my black card on the counter. “First come, first served. Doesn’t Mr. Alexander understand basic manners?”

Ethan grabbed my wrist with a bruising grip. “Luna, are you really set on opposing me?”

His voice dropped low. “The more you act out, the more pathetic you look. If you want to marry me, just say it. What’s with all these games?”

I yanked my hand back. “You overestimate yourself.”

Then to the clerk: “Please wrap them up. I’ll take them.”

The clerk accepted my card hesitantly, and Ethan’s expression turned stormy.

Vanessa quickly clung to his arm. “Ethan, forget it. I don’t want them…”

“No.” Ethan snatched the shoebox from the clerk. “In Southvale, there’s nothing Ethan can’t get.”

With that, he dragged Vanessa away without a glance back.

---

The next morning, an elegant gift box appeared on my desk.

As soon as I untied the ribbon, a sickening, metallic smell hit me. The red high heels were stained with suspicious marks, a few strands of hair clinging to the soles.

My phone buzzed. A message from Vanessa lit up the screen.

“Ms. Everly, I’ve thought it over. I can’t take what doesn’t belong to me. I’m returning the shoes. Sorry, they got dirty while I was dancing with Ethan last night.”

Stifling my nausea, I dumped the heels straight into the trash.

Just then, a message from my mother popped up.

“Luna, the Foster family’s betrothal gift list is unbelievable!”

I opened the attachment and gasped. The listed value could buy three entire Everly Groups.

Usually discreet and reserved, the Foster family had made an exception for me—showing sincerity beyond imagination. The rare treasures alone proved how serious they were.

---

At the annual Southvale Business Dinner, I mingled with a group of socialites, exchanging light laughter.

Suddenly, the hall doors flung open. Vanessa strutted in wearing a blinding sequined dress and an oversized diamond necklace.

Whispers erupted around us:

“Oh my god, what is she wearing? So flashy...”

“Wasn’t she a maid in the Alexander household? Now she’s Mr. Alexander’s assistant?”

“I’ve seen her type before—always pushing their luck.”

Vanessa remained unfazed, walking directly toward me.

“Ms. Everly,” she called loudly, “why aren’t you wearing those limited-edition heels?”

I took a sip of wine and replied coolly, “Oh, they got touched by something filthy, so I threw them out.”

She stiffened, then sneered. “Miss Everly, just wait. You’ll never beat me.”

Before she could finish, she stumbled backward.

The champagne tower crashed down, glass flying in every direction.

“Ah!” she shrieked, instantly drawing all eyes.

Before I could move, Ethan rushed in and shoved me hard. I staggered back, pressing my hand onto shattered glass. Blood gushed instantly.

“Luna!” he yelled, holding the trembling Vanessa. His eyes were sharp as knives. “What the hell are you doing?”

Vanessa sobbed in his arms. “It’s my fault... I shouldn’t have shown up and upset Miss Everly.”

“She said I’m beneath her...”

“Apologize,” Ethan ordered coldly.

Clutching my bleeding hand, I hissed, “Why?”

Without warning, he reached out and tore the jade pendant from my neck—the only keepsake my grandmother left me.

“No!” I lunged forward to stop him.

Bang! He hurled the pendant to the floor, shattering it into pieces.

“Next time,” he said, lifting Vanessa into his arms and glaring down at me, “you won’t get off so easily.”

I clenched my fists.

For the next week, entertainment headlines were flooded with photos of Ethan shopping with Vanessa.

I pretended not to notice.

Late at night, while working overtime at the office, the door suddenly burst open with a loud kick.

Before I could even look up, a cold hand wrapped around my throat.

Vanessa dropped to her knees, tears in her voice. “Ms. Everly, my parents are just regular workers! Please, have mercy!”

She held up her phone. On the screen, a bloodied middle-aged couple knelt and kowtowed on camera.

“Ms. Everly! Please forgive us! Our daughter would never dare fight you over Young Master Alexander!”

Ethan snatched the phone, eyes blazing with fury.

“Luna! You’ve gone insane! You actually sent people to beat up Vanessa’s parents?!”

“I don’t even know them.” I stared at Vanessa coldly. “That’s quite the performance.”

“Still denying it?” Ethan slammed the phone down. The couple on screen began slapping themselves. “They called your name while begging!”

I took a steady breath. “I didn’t do this.”

Vanessa lunged forward and grabbed my wrist. “Miss Everly, my parents are still in the hospital! They’ve lived honest lives. How could they...”

“Enough!” I flung her hand off. “If you want to frame me, at least make up a believable story.”

“You disgust me, Luna,” Ethan said coldly. “If you really want to be my woman, you shouldn’t pull something so vile.”

“Take her away!”

Four bodyguards surrounded me instantly, wrenching my arms with brutal force.

I was dragged out as Vanessa wept behind me. “Mr. Alexander… my parents…”

They threw me down on the cold tiles of the ancestral hall, bruising my knees.

Ethan tossed an equity transfer form in front of me. “Sign it. Transfer 80% of your shares to Vanessa.”

“Not a chance.” I clenched my jaw. “Over my dead body.”

Vanessa put on a false front. “Mr. Alexander, Miss Everly always looked down on people like me… How about...?”

Ethan slammed me on the floor. “Weren’t you ruthless enough to attack someone’s parents?”

He forced my fingers open and pressed them on the inkpad. “Sign it. Today. Whether you want to or not.”

I was locked inside the ancestral hall. Three days later, the doors finally opened.

I thought I was being released—but Vanessa entered alone.

“Mr. Alexander said you can leave,” she said, her voice echoing in the quiet hall.

I lifted my head weakly, only to meet her bitter glare. She calmly untied the ropes—then suddenly shoved me to the ground.

A harsh, stinging odor filled my nostrils.

“What are you doing?!” I gasped, eyes wide as she flicked a lighter. My voice trembled.

She smirked. “Shouldn’t Miss Everly disappear already? Let me give you a quick death—so you’ll stop clinging to Mr. Alexander.”

The moment the lighter hit the floor, flames burst into life. I let out a gut-wrenching scream—loud enough for Ethan to hear from outside.

“What’s happening?!” He ran in, stunned by the inferno raging before him.

Vanessa turned quickly. “Mr. Alexander! Miss Everly said if she can’t have you, she’ll destroy you! She’s trying to burn down the ancestral hall!”

Ethan’s furious roar echoed through the flames.

“Put out the fire! What are you all standing around for?!”

The fire raged higher, waves of heat warping the air.

Just then, several armored vehicles crashed through the Alexander family gates, engines roaring and shaking the ground.

Through the smoke, a man strode forward—his black coat singed by flames. Behind him, two lines of heavily armed bodyguards quickly seized control of the courtyard.

His voice was ice-cold. “Where’s Luna?”

Ethan’s expression twisted. “Why you?”

The man didn’t spare him a glance, charging straight into the inferno. His team moved with precision, subduing the flames in moments.

He emerged, carrying me in his arms.

Blood smeared his expensive suit, but he held me as if I were made of glass.