In the fifth year of being exiled to a deserted island in the international waters by Chelsea Herrera, I finally learn how to stay extremely humble.

When Chelsea brings Derrick Carpenter, a university student she keeps, and a Doberman to the island just to pick me up, I get down on my knees as though it's the most natural thing to do in the world. Then, I wipe the sand off Derrick's shoes with my sleeve before bending over to use my back as their stepstool.

"From now on, you're in charge of taking care of Ricky. He and Dobey are your family now."

I nod with a small smile.

After Chelsea has usurped my family's businesses and forced my parents to jump off a building, she chooses to abandon me on a deserted island so that I can learn to obey her commands.

She has succeeded in everything she's done. By the time I finally get to return to the familiar villa, everything there has already changed.

I wake up at 4:00 am every morning in order to prepare a nice breakfast for Dobey the Doberman. After that, I groom it properly.

At 9:00 am, I've prepared the outfit Derrick will be wearing for the day. Then, I'll travel to a boxing gym so that I can serve as his human punching bag.

At night, I prepare some alcohol and snacks while listening to Derrick and his friends laughing at me. They then proceed to discuss how to tame me, the formerly arrogant scion hailing from the ex-richest family in the elite society.

Jacob's POV

Three months after returning home, Derrick Carpenter won the National Boxing Championship.

Chelsea Herrera looked at the photo of Derrick holding up his trophy on her phone during the afterparty celebration, and suddenly noticed me in the corner.

She came up to me, her voice trembling slightly. "Jacob Archer. Why aren't you taking photos with Ricky since he won the championship?"

I didn't even look up when I heard her question and simply responded calmly, "I'm not worthy, Ms. Herrera."

She frowned, her sharp gaze sweeping across my face as she tried to find even the slightest hint of pretense or resentment, but I didn't give her the chance. I just continued vigorously cleaning the floor that was as spotless as a mirror.

Derrick then sauntered in through the door with an undisguised smug look on his face.

"Look at my new watch, Chels! Do you think it suits me?"

Chelsea instinctively glanced at me, but I bowed immediately, my tone carrying just the right amount of flattery.

"Of course, Mr. Carpenter. Your taste is naturally excellent."

Chelsea's brow furrowed even more.

I didn't have time to care about her suspicions. Dobey the Doberman's nourishing meat broth was still simmering in the kitchen, and I had to get it.

I turned and went into the kitchen, carefully carrying out the steaming pot of broth.

Derrick sat on the couch, his right hand seemingly casually reaching into Chelsea's shirt. She was looking affectionately at him, but the moment her eyes turned to me, they were filled with malice and iciness instead.

I carefully poured the meat broth into Dobey's special bowl and gently blew on it to cool it down.

Derrick only just seemed to notice me then, and he spoke in a condescending tone. "Come over and sit down to rest for a while after you're done, Jacob."

Chelsea also unusually agreed to it, placing the plate and fork down in front of me. "Thanks for taking care of Ricky and Dobey these past few days."

I lowered my eyes, a humble smile curving my lips. "It's my honor to serve Mr. Carpenter and Dobey, Ms. Herrera. It's no trouble at all."

Derrick smiled contentedly, raising his hand to rub circles into Chelsea's waist. "Jacob's being a lot more sensible and obedient now, Chels. Maybe you should consider giving him a little more pocket money."

I listened respectfully, recalling the last time Derrick saw her casually tossing an unwanted T-shirt at me some time ago, and then, Dobey suddenly went berserk that very night, biting me so hard that I bled profusely all over the place.

Those wounds were still throbbing as I thought of it.

I knew that this was Derrick's way of "disciplining" me, telling me to know my place.

After dinner, Derrick went for his daily boxing training. He liked using someone as a live punching bag, making sure every punch landed hard every time.

I simply put on my simple protective gear and stood in the boxing ring.

Powerful punches whistled through the air and landed on my cheeks, ribs, and abdomen.

I gritted my teeth, silently enduring the blows. I got up every time I was knocked down and quickly reassumed a defensive stance. Sweat mingled with blood as it streamed down my face, blurring my vision completely.

Chelsea sat in the audience's seat, elegantly sipping on her red wine and occasionally glancing up with a cold gaze.

It wasn't until after I was completely beaten and curled up in a corner, unable to get back on my feet anymore, that Derrick finally stopped. Panting, he looked at Chelsea with a smug expression on his face.

"How was my performance today, Chels?"

This time, however, Chelsea ignored him and walked to the edge of the boxing ring, watching me struggle to my feet.

"Are you an idiot, Jacob Archer? Don't you know how to stop the practice if it hurts?"

My stomach churned, and my throat tasted like blood. Yet, I just swallowed hard and forced a pathetic smile at Chelsea.

"Understood, Ms. Herrera."

Chelsea's eyes widened slightly at that.

She probably still remembered how stubborn and ruthless I used to be. Back when I discovered that she had been secretly transferring my family's company assets under her name, I literally overturned the table in her face, ready to fight her to my death.

However, she moved faster, conspiring with outsiders to frame my parents instead. She saddled them with enormous debt and drove them both to despair, which caused them both to jump to their deaths.

Their funerals had barely been over when Chelsea then stormed into the company with Derrick in tow and forcefully took over everything.

I was outraged and immediately went knocking on their doors, thinking of dragging them down to hell with me. However, I didn't even manage to lay a finger on her before I was subdued by her bodyguards.

She then forged a mental report following a forced mental evaluation before exiling me to a deserted island in international waters, completely isolated from the world.

It was ostensibly for my recuperation, but in reality, it was simply to break my spirit and grind down my temper and all other hard edges in my personality.

Meanwhile, she and Derrick comfortably enjoyed the wealth and status accumulated by generations of the Archer family.

At that moment, a piercing pain shot through my lower abdomen, and I suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. I supported myself up by holding on to the ropes and slowly made my way out of the boxing ring.

Chelsea looked at me, her eyes filled with a complex emotion. In the end, she only said, "Go treat your wounds."

I nodded and walked alone into the broom closet, also my makeshift bedroom, completely unaware of the vicious, malicious look Derrick was giving me from inside the ring.

I closed the door behind me, shutting out the sounds from outside.

Then, I looked at my bruised and swollen face in the mirror, followed by the hundreds of scars, both large and small, littered all over my body.

I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth and carefully disinfected my bloody wounds.

When I fed Dobey again that night, it went berserk. It pounced on me, toppling me over, while Derrick watched viciously from the side. It wasn't until Chelsea appeared that he finally said, "Jacob Archer! What the hell did you do to Dobey? Did you feed him something weird again!"

By the time Chelsea got someone to drag the doberman off my body, my flesh had been mostly ripped apart by its vicious jaws.

Using the last of my strength, I stood up and immediately adopted a contrite posture.

Chelsea then slowly lowered her raised hand that was undoubtedly about to strike me.

I returned to the broom closet. The stinging pain of the alcohol disinfectant felt like shards of glass cutting through my entire body.

Derrick slowly pushed open the door and disdainfully kicked the dog bowl of food toward my feet.

"Dobey's leftovers. They're all Grade-A meat. Finish every scrap and don't you dare waste anything! Might as well let it do something for your body."

I respectfully picked up the leftovers and bowed down to thank him. "Thank you, Mr. Carpenter."

He didn't say anything and just grinned evilly while staring at me.

I immediately knew what he meant and began stuffing all the leftover meat into my mouth, chewing on it while barking like a pathetic dog.

"Woof… Woof…"

He spoke only after he was satisfied with my performance. "Good boy. Come with me in a bit."

I hurriedly cleaned up the mess on my face, not daring to dawdle at all. The wounds on my body tore open again, and the pain made me break out completely in cold sweat.

Chelsea was leaning against the couch in the living room as she sipped on some alcohol. Her hand froze for a moment when she caught sight of my deathly pale face.

"There's no need for you to bark like a dog next time, Jacob," she said in a deep voice. "Nobody will punish you as long as you're obedient."

When we first dated, the first thing she did was to quit drinking to please me. And when I casually mentioned how well-mannered a random young woman was, she spent half a year studying proper etiquette, even enduring blisters on her feet without a single complaint.

"I'm willing to suffer any hardship as long as you love me, Jake!"

These vows from back then still seemed to echo in my ears, but now, everything had completely changed.

The sudden roar of Derrick's luxury sports car at the door snapped me back to reality.

"What the hell are you waiting for, Jacob Archer!"

I jumped in shock and immediately ran out the door, only to hear Chelsea's low, suppressed voice behind me.

"You've changed, Jacob."

Well, Chelsea wasn't wrong.

I had changed. I was no longer the arrogant and extravagant playboy from the most affluent family in the entire city. Instead, I was just Chelsea's and Derrick's plaything now.

I got into the car and quietly went into the backseat.

Scenes of the street rushed past outside the window, and my fingers slowly tightened. Were we on the way to Weston Cemetery?

The car had only just rolled to a stop when I immediately pushed open the door and rushed out.

I was completely stunned by what I saw.

The once neat rows of tombstones had all vanished, and they were now replaced by neatly-arranged rows of punching bags and other training equipment. Several young men in sports gear were sparring in the area.

I stumbled and grabbed a passing staff member.

"Where are the graves? Where are the graves belonging to the Archer family? Mr. and Mrs. Archer?"

The staff member looked at me in surprise. "They've been moved away a long time ago. Ms. Herrera bought this land and converted it into an open-air boxing gym specifically for Mr. Carpenter's training."

Another staff member piped up. "That's right! Ms. Herrera is truly devoted to Mr. Carpenter! She heard that this was prime real estate with the best views, previously treasured by the former city billionaire, and bought it for him immediately!"

A short distance away, Derrick curled his lips into a wicked grin and said, "I was afraid that you wouldn't be able to locate your parents' graves and ashes, Jacob, so I had them all tossed behind the mountain instead."

My mind went blank, and I hurriedly rushed behind the mountain like a madman to find them.

There was a sudden torrential downpour just then, and a landslide suddenly occurred before my eyes, instantly burying me underneath the dirt.

I didn't know how much time had passed, but I pried away the rocks and mud pressing down on me. My fingernails cracked and bled profusely, and my old and new wounds reopened in the heavy rain.

I turned into a bloody, gruesome mess in just a short amount of time.

About an hour later, I finally saw a familiar bluestone slab with the last name "Archer" carved into it. I tensed up at once and instantly began digging with my bloodied fingers, crying my heart out in anguish.

Suddenly, Chelsea's shouts came from afar.

"Jacob Archer! Come here right this instant!"

However, it was Derrick who found me first. He was so enraged that he kicked me to the ground and stomped all over my head repeatedly.

"Fuck you, Jacob Archer! Why won't you just die, you fucking loser! Chelsea would have been all mine if only you'd died on the island!"

I'd completely run out of energy by then and just lay on the ground, letting him do whatever the hell he wanted to me.

As I struggled to breathe, I thought I saw Chelsea's figure coming toward us from afar.

Derrick suddenly whispered in my ear and cackled. "Wanna guess who she's gonna save between the two of us?"

He then grabbed me and threw both of us over the cliff. Just as we fell off, he maneuvered the angles just right so that I would be the one cushioning his fall.

My body struck against a sharp rock that pierced through my shoulders and abdomen. In the last of my consciousness, I saw Chelsea rushing over to us and picking Derrick up in her arms in a fluster.

It reminded me of how she also rushed in to save Derrick from the office fire without hesitation years ago but locked me up with the flames.

I felt the last of my body temperature leaving me. I reached my hand out toward her with much difficulty and mustered every last ounce of my strength to call out to her.

"S-Save me…"

Chelsea turned when she heard my voice. Her pupils were trembling, but Derrick leaned weakly against her just then and said, "I think I sprained my ankle, Chels…"

She tore her eyes away from me and looked at him.

"Stay put and hold on, Jacob. I'll call an ambulance for you after I get Ricky to safety."

Then, she turned and helped Derrick away without looking back.

I watched her resolute figure walking farther and farther away from me. Then, my gaze landed on the urn with my parents' ashes that had been washed out of the mud and sand by the rain not too far away from me.

It seemed as though my parents were standing in the rain and talking to me.

"We believe in you, Jacob! You have to survive!"

Fresh blood trickled out of my mouth as I bit on my tongue, forcing myself to stay conscious.

I couldn't afford to die just yet. I still hadn't made them pay.