A huge shadowless surgery light hung above my head in the operating room. The white light made my eyes ache.

“Ms. Watson, the embryo stem cell extraction will begin in ten minutes. We will administer anesthesia now,” the nurse said in a cold voice, like an emotionless machine.

“No…” I cried out softly.

A twisting pain came from my lower belly, as if someone was scraping inside me with a cold, dull knife.

My baby…

My arms were strapped down and I could only struggle weakly. Soon, I felt something warm and sticky spreading beneath me.

“Doctor, please save my child,” I begged in panic. The doctor frowned at me, then turned to the nurse.

“Stop the procedure. The patient shows signs of miscarriage.”

I grabbed his sleeve desperately. “Please, save my baby. I can’t lose this child too.”

The doctor looked at me coldly and pushed my hand away. “Some people aren’t meant to have children. Sometimes, the fetus chooses to leave on its own.”

Those words pushed me straight into despair.

Did I really not deserve a child?

My heart collapsed in an instant. I clutched my hair, crying and laughing at the same time. The doctor sighed and exchanged a look with the nurse.

The next moment, darkness swallowed me.

When I woke up, it was already late at night. I immediately reached for my belly. It was still flat, but the warmth I once felt was gone.

My eyes fell on the hospital wristband.

[Faye Watson.

10 weeks pregnant.

Miscarriage.]

My child was gone.

Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, I cried in silence. Then my phone began to vibrate again and again, breaking the heavy stillness.

In the company group chat, Dustin kept tagging me.

[From now on, all business matters will be handled by Giselle.]

[Giselle is appointed Vice President of the company. She does not need to report to Faye and has the same authority as me.]

I closed the group chat, only to see his private message.

[Faye, the doctor said the stem cell extraction was a minor procedure. After you’re discharged tomorrow, come to the office and help Giselle.]

[Come now. Giselle needs you urgently.]

I took a deep breath.

Perhaps, the one who did not deserve children was him. Not me.

***

When I stepped into Arnell Group, this building where I had spent countless days and sleepless nights, I felt strangely detached.

Perhaps because soon, I would personally destroy everything here.

The receptionist froze when she saw me.

“Ms. Watson… why are you here?”

I said nothing. She quickly gestured to others, then raised her voice on purpose.

“Mr. Arnell is not in the office right now. Would you like to wait until he returns to schedule a meeting?”

I walked straight toward my office. But everything inside was gone.

I pushed the door open.

The business plan I had stayed up eight nights to finish was being used to support a table leg. The simple white walls were now covered with Giselle’s personal photos.

The small ceramic figure Noah had made with his own hands lay broken in the trash can.

In the quiet room, I heard sobbing sounds. I rushed to my lounge room and saw Giselle playing a video on the computer. It was a video of me crying when I missed Noah.

“Giselle, how dare you secretly record me?” I shouted angrily and pointed at her.

She calmly tucked her hair behind her ear.

“I wouldn’t dare. These videos were given to me by Dustin to cheer me up. Didn’t you record them yourself?”

She casually turned the screen toward me. Only then did I realize… Every clip was something I had once sent to Dustin in my weakest moments.

He had turned my most painful and weakest moments into entertainment.

“Oh, right. This isn’t your office anymore. You already know that, don’t you?”

She walked over in her high heels and waved her red-painted fingers. “The storage room next to the restroom. That’s where you belong now.”

Then she called in two tall men dressed in black.

“Dustin arranged them to protect me. They’ll escort you to your new workspace. Everything here belongs to me now, especially the business partnerships you secured.”

I looked at her proud face and said nothing.

Because I knew…

Very soon, she would learn where she truly belonged.

After I was thrown into the storage room, the leader of the men in black looked at me with a hint of pity.

“You’re too kind. It would be best for you to stay away from Ms. Norris and her people.”

I looked up at him and gently shook my head.

I still had a debt of blood to collect for my child. I would not leave like this.

***

After finishing my packing, I walked into the lobby and ran straight into Dustin. His eyes lit up when he saw me.

“Faye, I knew you wouldn’t forget. Tonight, we’re signing the tens-million deal with the Spencer Group. Giselle’s allergic rhinitis is acting up, so she can’t drink. We’ll need you.”

Before I could respond, he pushed me toward the car.

“Faye, I know the Spencer Family is difficult, but Giselle has also put in a lot for this project. After the signing, I hope you’ll step back and let her take the lead.”

Before getting out of the car, he grabbed my arm and said each word clearly.

I let out a cold laugh.

“Oh? What exactly has she contributed? Did she stay up all night revising the proposal? Or follow the project on-site?”

He clearly didn’t expect me to push back. He stared at me for a few seconds.

“Faye, being this stingy isn’t suitable for a mother.”

I smiled faintly.

Right. I just won’t treat you like my child anymore.

“Dustin, you’re finally here. I’ve been waiting for you for so long.”

Giselle’s voice came over. She was wearing a custom Dior gown and a full set of Bulgari jewelry. She looked flawless like a doll locked inside a glass display.

My gaze paused briefly on her ears, stretched downward by heavy ten-carat gemstone earrings and curled my lips into a cold smile. So, this was her “sacrifice” for the project.

As we entered the banquet hall, the head of the Spencer family approached us with a glass of wine.

“Ms. Watson, Mr. Arnell. Long time no see.”

I smiled and raised my glass. “Sorry I haven’t visited lately, Mr. Spencer. I hope you won’t mind.”

“Mr. Arnell, Ms. Watson hasn’t been in a good mood lately. Please allow me to apologize on her behalf,” Giselle cut in gently as she lifted her own glass.

The head of the Spencer Family looked at her with interest but said nothing. Giselle looked to Dustin for help.

He sighed, took the glass from her hand and passed it to me.

“Faye, it would be more sincere if you apologized personally.”

My heart sank. The glass was nearly full of straight whiskey.

Half a month ago, I had drunk myself into a stomach perforation for work. He had held me that night and promised I would never have to touch alcohol again.

Now, the same man was forcing a full glass into my hand.

The man before me seemed to sense the tension and smiled.

“I was just joking with Ms. Watson. No need to be so serious. I’ve already signed the contract. From now on, I’ll be relying on Ms. Watson.”

Giselle stared at him in disbelief. The man who was said to be the hardest to deal with had signed so easily with me.

A sharp light flashed through her eyes.

“Faye, you’re amazing. Dustin and I have already prepared a celebration dinner for you,” she said warmly as she linked arms with me and almost dragged me into another private room.

As soon as I entered, I saw many business competitors who had lost bids to me before.

“Faye, everyone here wants to learn from you. You won’t be stingy with your experience, right?” she said, locking the private room door behind her.

“Move,” I shouted sharply.

But she calmly sat on the sofa and raised her eyebrows. Soon, four unfamiliar men pushed me down onto the sofa.

“I’ve heard Ms. Watson can drink endlessly without getting drunk. I wonder if we’ll get to see that tonight.”

Someone I had reported three years ago for cutting corners placed an entire box of XO on the table.

I looked around at the cruel smiling faces in despair. Then, the door opened. It was Dustin.

Giselle immediately leaned into him, pressing her chest against his arm.

“Dustin, didn’t you say Faye is incredible at drinking? Can she teach me? Then I can help you more in the future.”

I shook my head at him desperately. “I can’t drink.”

After seeing the hesitation in his eyes, Giselle clutched her chest and said pitifully, “You still don’t believe I can be as capable as Faye. That hurts.”

Dustin looked at me and gritted his teeth.

“Faye, drink.”

After taking so many glasses, the sky outside began to brighten. And my mind was completely numb.

The last thing I remembered was Giselle’s beautiful, snake-like smile.

“Faye, enjoy what comes next.”

She tapped something on her phone. And then, I lost consciousness completely.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself lying on a huge bed, surrounded by more than ten naked men.

Five buttons of my shirt had already been torn off. My body lay stiff and straight, my arms and legs restrained. I was so weak that even blinking felt difficult.

“Do we need to give her another shot of sedative?” a strange man’s voice reached my ears.

Then I felt someone touch my thigh. I wanted to kick him away, but my body would not move.

“No need. The dose we gave her will last until tomorrow. Our job is simple. Just follow Mr. Arnell orders and take photos that prove she cheated on him willingly.”

Mr. Arnell? Was this arranged by Dustin himself?

“If you ask me, women should not be too capable. Look at this one. She did everything for her husband and now he is afraid of her. He needs to hold some dirt on her to feel safe.”

“Think about it. Once these photos are leaked, which woman could survive it? Dustin Arnell is ruthless. He’s even willing to destroy his own wife.”

As I listened to their talk, tears slowly slid from the corners of my eyes. I never thought that everything I had done for Dustin would make him fear me so much that he would hire people to destroy my name and my dignity.

What terrified me most was that I could not fight back at all.

“But after we finish taking the photos, we can enjoy her a bit. Ms. Norris said it’s fine as long as she doesn’t die.”

Several men came closer and moved my body carelessly, forcing me into humiliating positions.

I shut my eyes tightly.

I did not want them to know I was awake. I did not want to face what was happening to me.

When they finished taking photos, the door suddenly opened.

Dustin and Giselle rushed in, followed by several people I once called business partners.

Giselle covered her mouth, pretending to be shocked.

“Oh my God, Faye! How could you do this? Is this how you relax and reward yourself every time after signing contracts?”

I forced my eyes open and looked at the people standing at the door against the light. The cruel look in Giselle’s eyes was still very clear. I opened my mouth, wanting to say something, but I still had no strength to speak.

“Faye, you’ve really disappointed me. If Noah were still alive, how would you face him? Do you even look like a mother anymore?” Dustin pointed at me, his face full of pain and anger.

I looked at the two of them acting together and only felt deep irony in my heart. I hated myself for not seeing their true faces earlier. I hated myself for being easily fooled by them and letting my Noah be harmed.

But I also knew, this was the end.

I struggled to crawl off the bed and slowly stood up, stepping back one inch at a time while looking straight at Dustin.

“Dustin, if we ever meet again, let us speak only of hatred and never of love.”

After saying this, Then I turned and jumped. From the thirty-eighth floor.

The fresh air in the high sky made me feel an indescribable sense of freedom.

In the distance, Dustin and what used to be my home were burning fiercely in flames. In front of me were Dustin’s eyes, widened in shock.

I closed my eyes and slowly fell. Eight seconds later, a deep voice sounded inside a private jet.

“Faye, I caught you. This time, you’re not allowed to run.”

I opened my eyes and looked at him, giving a faint smile.

“The sins Dustin and Giselle created… it is time for them to start paying.”