When I got caught skipping class to play games at an internet café, my three-year-older brother slapped me across the face and called me uneducated. I immediately picked up a knife, slashed his arm and told him that even though my parents were dead, being "uneducated" was still better than being a bastard like him.

That day, my father tied me up and punished me according to the family rules. He beat me until my body was covered in wounds and then locked me in the basement to "reflect on my behavior."

Once I was on the verge of death, it was Hudson who secretly carried me out. He comforted me, encouraged me and gave me the will to survive.

From that day on, Hudson entered my life and became my only support. My love for him also was not merely romantic affection; it was my sole source of strength.

A long time later, Hudson arrived while supporting Lola.

Facing the police officer's questions, that man looked at me with chilling indifference. "We will not accept mediation. She must be severely punished. She dared to attack people with a knife even when she was a child. If we don't teach her a lesson now, who knows what kind of trouble she'll cause in the future."

Lola also held her head high, her eyes filled with anger.

The police officer looked at me helplessly and called me out. "Miss Herrera, Mr. Lenart is still your fiancé, after all. Just admit your mistake and make amends and this matter will be over."

But when she saw my resolute gaze, she sighed again. "Miss Herrera, if you insist on being stubborn now and they sue you, you could face at least a year in prison. Are you sure you could survive that?"

As I saw the police officer's serious expression, I felt like my heart was being squeezed. Lola Reed, that high-level manipulative woman, was very capable of making that happen.

Expressionless, I followed the officer back into the room with my head down. "I'm sorry, Miss Reed. I acted impulsively. I apologize for what I did. Please forgive me."

Lola looked at me disdainfully and said, "Miss Herrera, it's not that I don't want to forgive you. Someone as narrow-minded and vicious as you, if I don't teach you a lesson, might be able to kill someone in the future."

After a day of torment and stimulation, my stomach began to ache and sweat beads oozed from my face.

Seeing my pained expression, Hudson unexpectedly let me go. "Lola, I'll make her kneel and beg for your forgiveness. Then she'll swear on her mother's soul that if she ever targets you again, she and her mother can rot together in the eighteenth level of hell, burned in oil. Okay?"

He then shouted at me, "Kneel and apologize to Lola until she's satisfied."

The female officer immediately walked up behind me and pushed me hard until I fell to my knees with a thud.

Hudson quickly slammed my head against the floor, once, twice, three times ...

Soon, blood trickled down my forehead into my eyes, blurring my vision.

After countless bows, Lola's disgusted voice cut through the silence. "Enough, Mr. Lenart. I'll let it slide for your sake, but if this happens again, I won't spare her."

Hudson abruptly released me and reached out to support her. "Don't worry, Lola. With me here, I won't let her lay a finger on you again. Let me take you back to the hospital, the doctor said you need more rest. Leave these matters to me."

The two of them finally walked out, while supporting each other.

As they were about to leave, Hudson turned around and said, "Go home and reflect on what you've done. Once you realize your mistake, we'll hold the wedding. I've been working so hard and if you can't help me, at least don't drag me down. Sometimes, you really should learn from Lola's maturity, elegance and wisdom."

I sneered. He'd forgotten that five years ago, I was the one who stood by him through thick and thin, helping Lenart Corporation climb from the bottom to the top.

In those days, I let go of my resentment and begged my father for funding and support, even personally seeking help from my elder brother for an order.

Now, it turns out all of that was just dragging him down.

If I hadn't donated my kidney to him when his was damaged in that car crash, I'd be an amazing businesswoman dominating the corporate world right now.

Later, I walked out of the police station in a daze. As I turned the corner, a sack was suddenly thrown over my head and I was quickly dragged into an alley.

Countless kicks and blows from clubs suddenly rained down on me. The pain was so intense that my body became numb and my consciousness began to fade.

After what felt like an eternity, the beating stopped. Then, someone kicked me hard in the ribs while cursing, "Sickly thing, get the hell out of the Lenart Family while you still can. Next time, you won't get off so easily."

Their footsteps gradually faded into the distance. I lay there for an unknown time until rain began to fall. The cool, refreshing rain finally brought me back to my senses.

I slowly crawled out of the sack. It was already dark and the light from the street lamps cast a cold, dreamy glow through the rain.

I smiled bitterly and slowly stood up, clutching my aching stomach as I went to the hospital.

When the attending doctor saw my bruised and battered state, he couldn't help but scold me, "Why aren't you taking better care of yourself? After the transplant, you've already developed an inflammatory response and your heart is overworked. Why aren't you resting in bed properly?"

The doctor immediately wrote me a list of medical procedures and told me to get checked out.

I was gripping a stack of medical reports as I made my way to the third floor when two familiar figures suddenly came into view.

I found myself automatically following them into the hospital room, watching as Hudson carefully helped her lie down.

"Hudson, back then you deliberately faked a car accident to trap Rebecca into donating her kidney to you, then kept delaying our wedding date. You won't scheme against me like that in the future, will you?"

"Silly girl, how could I ever do that to you? You are the one I've been waiting for in my heart. You'll be my Mrs. Lenart from now on," he replied tenderly. "Back then, I lured her mother to the rooftop and pushed her off, just to break Rebecca's spirit so she'd have no choice but to depend on me."

"However, Daxton Herrera only has her as a daughter. No matter how angry he is, he'll eventually give her the shares. As soon as I get those shares, I'll definitely dump her and marry you."

It felt like a bolt of lightning struck my mind, leaving behind nothing but a deafening ring. My mother hadn't gone up to the rooftop on her own—Hudson had tricked her.

Tears instantly streamed down my face. I slowly leaned against the wall, moving back to my room step by step.

After staring at the ceiling for a long time, I finally made a phone call. "Sam, I agree to marry you abroad. My only condition is the Lenart Corporation must get bankrupt and Hudson must crawl back to the bottom where he belongs."

A deep voice immediately echoed from the other end. "Okay. I'm returning to the country right now. Wait for me."

The next morning, I woke up and opened my phone to find breaking news.

"Lenart Corporation's partners collectively terminate contracts, dropping the group into its greatest crisis since its founding."

"Lenart Corporation has been suppressed by the overseas JMS Group and its products have been rapidly removed from the market, causing concern about its stock price."

Just as I was wondering what was happening, the door suddenly swung open. An elegant but cold-looking man walked in quickly, bringing a blast of cold air with him.