Ariadnie Elizabeth was the number one beauty in the capital—bold, dazzling, a red rose in full bloom. She had men falling at her feet, and the line of suitors chasing after her could stretch from Houston all the way to France.

But after she met Rasper Stallone, she settled down.

They had been dating for three years. When she accidentally found out she was pregnant, she couldn’t wait to share the surprise with him.

She had just reached the door of the private room when she heard someone ask, “Bro, Ariadnie’s birthday is next week. Is the big surprise ready?”

“Yep,” Rasper said, his voice low and slightly drunk. “The gift I prepared for her will be something she’ll never forget for the rest of her life.”

A happy smile curved at Ariadnie’s lips as she caressed her belly.

For three years, no matter how many women threw themselves at him like moths to a flame, his eyes had only ever held her.

She believed—he must be planning to propose.

Suddenly, the room erupted in laughter.

“Bro, Ariadnie isn’t just gorgeous. She’s got a killer body, too. You think she’d puke blood if she found out that the one who actually slept with her for the past three years was your twin brother—and that you’ve recorded tons of videos to release on her birthday?”

“That’s nothing. If she found out that the dance competition that drove her sister to a mental breakdown and into a coma was something you personally rigged—just so Reagan could win—she’d lose it even harder, wouldn’t she?”

Ariadnie’s mind went blank. A roaring noise filled her ears.

Every word stabbed into her heart like a sharp blade—swift, precise, brutal.

“Bro, since you’re the one trying to screw her over, you’re the one who asked me to come back and pretend to be you. For three years! My back is about to snap. How are you planning to compensate me?”

“Redmond, don’t act like a martyr. If I didn’t look different from Rasper, you think it’d ever be your turn?”

She staggered back a few steps. Through the window, she saw a man beside Rasper—someone who looked exactly like him, identical except for a tiny tear-shaped mole at the corner of his eye.

Their voices kept repeating in her mind, tearing her apart from the inside.

“Redmond, tell the truth. After sleeping with her for three years, you didn’t fall for her even once?”

“Fall for her?” Redmond let out a cold laugh. “A woman with that kind of reputation? I don’t care how pretty she is; she disgusts me. If it weren’t for Reagan, my brother’s first love, I would’ve never touched her.”

“Dang! You’re the man, bro!”

Laughter broke out again.

Someone couldn’t help but ask, “Rasper, you’ve had a crush on Reagan for years. Why not just confess already?”

Rasper’s expression instantly turned cold. “Reagan is an illegitimate child. She’s been bullied by Ariadnie her entire life. I’m settling this score for her first. Once everything’s done, I’ll confess.”

“Damn. The golden boy of Houston is actually a hopeless romantic. You stared at the eldest Ariadnie’s face for three years and didn’t catch feelings at all?”

Rasper seemed to smile, his tone indifferent. “In my eyes, she’s not even worth a single strand of Reagan’s hair.”

Ariadnie’s fingers trembled. She could barely stay on her feet.

Her heart felt like it was being sliced apart piece by piece; she couldn’t even breathe from the pain.

Reagan… She was the illegitimate daughter her father brought home after Ariadnie’s mother died giving birth.

So even before the marriage, he already had another woman.

From that day on, everything she thought was a happy life collapsed.

Her father and stepmother favored Reagan in every way, suffocating her and Amina, her older sister.

Amina was quiet and gentle, always backing down. Ariadnie fought back instead.

But outside, everyone called her naturally vicious, accusing her of bullying her “younger sister.”

Depression consumed her. She drowned herself in nightlife—drinking, partying, trying to numb herself.

It was Rasper who stepped into her life and pulled her out of the mire.

That year, she was drunk at a bar when someone drugged her. Reagan’s friends surrounded her, tearing her clothes and hair.

“With garbage like you, how dare you compete with Reagan? Just die already!”

Rasper appeared like a hero, covering her with his coat. His voice was sharp and threatening. “Who gave you the guts to humiliate her like this?”

He stomped on the ringleader’s fingers. “Do it again next time, and I won’t let you off.”

He was the first person who had ever treated her that well—the first person she ever loved.

Looking back now… she realized that even that rescue was probably something he planned from the start.

Everything had been a setup.

For Reagan, the man Ariadnie loved pushed her sister into hell—and for Reagan again, he delivered her to another man’s bed.

The conversation inside continued.

“I played with her for three years. Now, I’m finally free…”

“You and Rasper still look a little different if you look closely—especially that mole. She never noticed?”

Redmond snorted. “She obeys everything I say. I always turned the lights down, and sometimes we’d play with blindfolds. She acts like a proper lady in public. But in bed, she’s as tame as a kitten. I even took videos of her on my phone, and she never noticed.”

Ariadnie’s heart clenched. Her nails dug deep into her palm.

“Hey, after you dump her, can you let me have a turn?”

Rasper exhaled smoke and didn’t answer.

“What, you reluctant?”

“Why would I be?” Rasper sneered. “If you can catch her, she’s all yours.”

“And you, Redmond?”

Redmond chuckled. “I’m bored already. If you don’t mind the filth, be my guest.”

The room broke out in laughter again.

Ariadnie grabbed a bottle of strong liquor, shoved her hair tie inside, and lit it. The moment the flame caught, she hurled it into the private room.

Soon, panicked screams erupted from inside.

She didn’t even look back.

Stepping out into the heavy rain, she dialed her stepmother’s number.

Her red lips curled into a mocking smile, her eyes cold and resolute.

“I’ve decided. That useless playboy from the Paytons… I’ll marry him.”

Her stepmother’s voice came through the phone. “You finally came around? That’s great. We’ll hold the wedding next week…”

“Don’t rush,” Ariadnie cut her off, her tone cold. “If I’m marrying in place of your precious daughter, I deserve something in return.”

“I want the five buildings the Elizabeths own in the south of the city. And I’m taking my sister with me to the Paytons,” she enumerated quickly.

Her stepmother exploded. “What did you just say? Those five buildings are worth a billion! I don’t care if you take your sister or not but five buildings? That’s outrageous!”

Ariadnie let out a cold laugh. “If you don’t agree, then let Reagan marry that boy instead.”

Her stepmother had no choice but to grit her teeth. “Fine. I’ll handle it right away.”

The Elizabeths and the Paytons had been mortal enemies for years—one controlling the south side, the other the north, always at each other’s throats.

Now, the Paytons were stronger, and her father needed their help. When the Paytons proposed a marriage alliance, if she didn’t go, the one marrying in would be the daughter they treasured the most—Reagan.

They couldn’t bear to send Reagan in danger, so they set their sights on Ariadnie.

After hanging up, Ariadnie remembered the night she first met Rasper. It had been raining just as heavily as it was tonight.

That night, she’d been drugged, and it was him who saved her—picked her up and carried her away, without ever touching her.

When she woke up after a night on an IV drip, the first thing she saw was his pretty, doe eyes, almost stealing her soul.

“Hey, you’re awake? Why are you blushing? Don’t tell me you like me?”

From that day on, they were together.

In the daytime, he was cold as a glacier, treating her politely but distant. At night, it was like he was addicted—holding her, wanting her again and again…

She always thought it was just his personality. But now, she realized—he wasn’t even the same man.

“Ariadnie, you really are pathetic,” she muttered, a mocking smile tugging at her lips.

She should’ve known—aside from her mother, who died young, and her sister, who lay unconscious, no one in this world ever truly cared about her.

The next second, she lit a slim cigarette. Smoke curled around her, blurring the redness gathering in her eyes.

Then suddenly, her phone rang. It was the hospital.

“Ma’am, please come quickly. Your sister… She's in critical condition!”

She flagged down a cab and rushed over.

When she arrived, the doctor’s face was heavy. “Multiple organ failure… We’ve done everything we can.”

Her sister lay on the bed, pale as paper, her vitals dropping rapidly.

Ariadnie grabbed the doctor’s hand, her voice shaking. “Isn’t there anything—anything at all—that can save her?”

The doctor sighed. “Just yesterday, the hospital received a batch of new medication. It might help the patient, but…

“The hospital is managed by Stallone Corporation. We need Mr. Stallone’s signature before we can use it.”

Ariadnie’s voice cracked. “I’ll call him right now!”

Her hands trembled as she dialed Rasper.

The first call—he declined it.

The second time, he finally picked up, sounding impatient. “What is it?”

Over loud music, she heard Reagan whining beside him, “Rasper, I’m drunk… I feel awful.”

Ariadnie’s heart clenched. She hurried to speak. “My sister’s organs are failing. Please, you need to come sign the approval—”

Before she could finish, he hung up.

The third time, after a long wait, he picked up again.

“Rasper, I’m begging you—come sign for the medication!”

The moment she spoke, she heard soft, breathy moans on the other end, then Reagan’s coquettish voice. “Not so hard…”

Rasper chuckled low. “You’re uncomfortable?”

Ariadnie’s eyes instantly welled up. Hot tears streamed down her face. She screamed, her voice breaking, “Rasper! My sister is dying! Can you just—”

Her knees gave out, and she collapsed to the floor, shaking uncontrollably. “Can you please save her?”

One second. Two seconds. Three.

The machines beside her beeped wildly.

What she got instead was the tone of a call ending.

“The number you dialed is busy…”

Whatever light had been left in her eyes extinguished completely. She couldn’t hold back anymore; she broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.

Her sister was dying… and Rasper was in bed with Reagan.

Drowning in despair, Ariadnie clutched her sister’s ice-cold hand and prayed over and over, “Please live… I can’t lose you…”

Five years ago, her sister had been chosen by the school to enter the national dance competition. She was gifted, a rising star in the making.

But right before the competition, a rumor suddenly spread online—that she had an improper relationship with a teacher.

The teacher’s wife accused her publicly. Classmates mocked her. Even their father cursed her, calling her disgusting and slut.

Her sister cried, fought, but never gave up on the competition.

Every day, she practiced for hours on end.

Until one night, coming back from the practice room, she was dragged into an alley and assaulted by a group of thugs. Photos of the attack spread across the internet.

The school revoked her qualification and replaced her with… Reagan.

On the hospital bed afterward, Amina showed no expression. She didn’t even cry. When no one was looking, she jumped from the rooftop.

Tears blurred Ariadnie’s vision. The pain in her chest felt like it would crush her.

Her sister had been her lifeline—the one who raised her after their mother died, who cared for her, protected her, stood by her every time she needed someone.

She prayed all night until her tears ran dry.

And then—a miracle.

It was as if her sister heard her prayers. Her vitals stabilized.

Ariadnie finally exhaled, but her eyes were dark with hatred.

“Amina, I swear… everyone who hurt us will pay in blood.”

Just then, a message popped onto her screen.

She looked down. It was a message from the Paytons’s playboy—Reid Payton.

[You finally agreed to marry me?]

Everyone thought the Paytons proposed the marriage just to crush the Elizabeths.

No one knew that the Paytons’s ruler—the man everyone feared, the ruthless Reid—was already wrapped around her finger.

Her fingers trembled slightly as she dialed him.

“The wedding has to follow my terms. And the Stallones and Elizabeths will pay.” Her tone was calm, like she was discussing the weather.

“No problem,” Reid replied, his deep voice tinged with pleasure. “Anything you want, I’ll do. I told you long ago—Rasper doesn’t deserve you.”

She paused. “What I’m about to do… the Stallones won’t forgive it. You—”

Reid laughed. “Baby, don’t worry. You have me.”

After hanging up, she opened her notes and wrote down three things to do.

[First: Abort the baby.]

[Second: Delete the video on Redmond’s phone.]

[Third: Make the Stallone brothers and Reagan pay in blood!]

When Ariadnie left the hospital, a message popped up on her phone.

[Ma’am, the painting your late mother created, the one you asked us to keep an eye on, will be auctioned today at 3 p.m. in Ballroom 7A at the Galleria Grand Hotel.]

Her eyes lit up. Ever since her stepmother moved into the family, that painting had been donated to a charity auction. After changing hands many times, it vanished without a trace.

Today, it finally reappeared before her.

It was the last painting her mother ever made.

She remembered her mother painting it—talking gently to her and her sister while humming a tune.

All of that had been recorded on a chip hidden inside the artwork.

For a moment, she could almost see her mother’s warm smile and the little flower tucked behind her ear.

Bringing home this painting might even help her sister recover.

Inside the ballroom, crystal chandeliers lit the hall as bright as daytime, and the room was filled with elegantly dressed socialites and powerful families.

The moment Ariadnie walked in, she spotted Reagan standing in the center of the hall in a white dress, smiling sweetly and looking innocent.

Next to her were the Stallone brothers, their eyes practically glued to Reagan.

“Ariadnie. You’re here, too?” Reagan saw her and immediately hurried over, looping her arm through hers with an overly sweet smile. “Why didn’t you tell me? We could’ve come together.”

Ariadnie pulled her arm free and said coldly, “Stay away from me.”

Rasper and Redmond came over right away. Rasper’s expression darkened.

“Hey, how can you treat Reagan like that?”

“Reagan, since when were you two that close?”

Ariadnie stared directly at him.

Rasper froze for a moment, but before he could say anything, Redmond stepped in to smooth things over.

“Reagan was my classmate in college. I introduced her to my brother when I got back to the country. You’re probably his girlfriend, right? I’m Redmond, his twin brother.”

Countless nights tangled together flashed through Ariadnie’s mind. But she forced down the wave of disgust rising in her chest.

“I can tell. You two look… pretty average.”

Rasper’s face sank even further. He grabbed her arm.

“Hey. What’s with the attitude?”

Ariadnie yanked her arm back, her voice cold.

“Because I feel like it.”

If it weren’t for the video still sitting in Redmond’s phone, she would’ve ripped them apart on the spot.

Finally, the auction started.

Uninterested in dealing with them any longer, Ariadnie sat down. She was here for one reason: her mother’s painting.

Once seated, the first item was brought onto the stage. The starting bid was 500,000.

The painting showed the soft silhouette of a woman, with two small children chasing after her.

Ariadnie’s eyes warmed. Without hesitation, she raised her paddle.

“One million.”

What she didn’t expect was that Reagan also lifted her paddle.

“Two million.”

Ariadnie looked at her, and Reagan only smiled brighter.

“Ariadnie, what a coincidence. I really like this one, too.”

Then she leaned closer, whispering so quietly only Ariadnie could hear.

“I remember Dad doesn’t give you much allowance. You can’t outbid me.”

She continued, “When I buy it, should I cut it up with scissors for fun… or burn it in the fireplace?”

Since she was ten, their father had given Reagan a monthly allowance of one million.

Meanwhile, she and her sister barely scraped by on what their mother left behind.

But now…

Ariadnie raised her paddle again. “Four million.”

Reagan froze for a second, then quickly raised hers. “Five million!”

Ariadnie let out a cold laugh and lifted her paddle again. “Ten million!”

Reagan’s face went ghost-pale. Her fingers twisted into the fabric of her dress.

Lowering her voice, she hissed, “Where’d you get that kind of money? Don’t tell me you’re like that cheap sister of yours—sneaking around and selling yourself.

“I made sure to enjoy those photos before spreading them, you know. Your sister was so stupid she even actually tried to kill herself.

“She turned herself into a comatose patient, and for the last five years, I’ve made sure the caregivers ‘took very good care’ of her.”

Just as the auctioneer was about to bring down the gavel, Ariadnie’s eyes flooded with red. She couldn’t hold back any longer and slapped Reagan across the face.

“You damn wicked witch!”

The moment the words fell, Rasper rushed forward to shield Reagan, and Redmond charged over as well.

“Ariadnie! Apologize!”