Oscar Miller was Shirley Bishop's personal bodyguard, but when she got attacked on her birthday, he shielded her foster sister, Myra Bishop, with his own body.

Shirley got cut three times—once across her face, once on her arm, and a third that stabbed her lower abdomen, leaving her unable to have children ever again.

But even after all that, she still wanted to marry him.

Later, Oscar did marry her—but he never touched her, not even once, all the way until his death.

At his funeral, the insurance company showed up.

"Mr. Miller purchased a large insurance policy before his death. The beneficiary is Ms. Myra Bishop."

That was when Shirley realized that after all these years, Oscar had never gotten over Myra.

Now, she had been reborn to when her father asked her to choose from four men she had grown up with to be her husband. This time, she decided to fulfill his wish and picked someone else.

Oscar Miller was Shirley Bishop's personal bodyguard, but when she got attacked on her birthday, he shielded her foster sister, Myra Bishop, with his own body.

Shirley got cut three times—once across her face, once on her arm, and a third that stabbed her lower abdomen, leaving her unable to have children ever again.

But even after all that, she still wanted to marry him.

Later, Oscar did marry her—but he never touched her, not even once, all the way until his death.

At his funeral, the insurance company showed up.

"Mr. Miller purchased a large insurance policy before his death. The beneficiary is Ms. Myra Bishop."

Shirley's eyes went red with shock. "What?"

The agent explained, "When Mr. Miller bought the policy, he said that Ms. Myra had no one in the world to care for her. He wanted to make sure she'd be taken care of if something happened to him."

That was when Shirley realized that after all these years, Oscar had never gotten over Myra.

Shirley couldn't remember much from that funeral. But when she got home, she opened the door to Oscar's secret study and found the walls plastered with Myra's photos.

In the corners, dolls made in her image were lined up, each more lifelike than the last.

So, these were what he had used to relieve himself when he abstained from sleeping with her.

And buried in a corner, Shirley found his bank statements. Every single transfer over the years was to Myra.

Then there were the letters—piles of love letters he had written her over time, stacked so high that they were shocking.

Looking at it all, Shirley remembered the words he whispered before dying.

"If there's another life, don't choose me. The person I've always wanted to marry is Ms. Myra."

-

"Shirley, have you decided who you want?"

Daniel Bishop's familiar voice sounded from above. Shirley lifted her head in surprise.

"The four boys you grew up with are now capable young men, and it's time for you to get married. Tell me who you choose."

Looking at her father's still-young face and her own reflection in the mirror, Shirley realized she had been reborn. She was back on the day she had to announce which one would become her future husband.

The Bishops were the most powerful family in Anteford, but they had only one daughter, Shirley. To make sure she would have a suitable husband in the future, Daniel had chosen the boys from four other powerful families—the Tuckers, Fosters, Millers, and Watsons—to grow up alongside her.

These four boys had grown up with her as her personal bodyguards. They weren't just strong—they were smart and handsome, too.

Oscar was her top choice. He was calm and stunningly good-looking; he was always straight-backed when he walked and steady when speaking, and he rarely looked her in the eyes.

His physique alone made him stand out, with his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and a presence that drew attention.

On her 18th birthday, he wore a white suit and played the piano for her. She'd fallen for him right then. From that day on, she always requested that he protect her wherever she went.

But today, when Daniel asked if she had chosen her future husband, she stayed silent.

"What's wrong? You've always preferred Oscar. Why are you taking so long today?" Daniel gently stroked her hair. "Just pick him. The Millers aren't the best among the four families, but as long as he agrees that your first child takes our last name, I'll approve the marriage."

Child?

Shirley bitterly smiled. In her last life, Oscar hadn't even touched her—not a single time. He had only ever loved Myra.

"No, I'm chosing someone else."

Daniel's shock was clear. "Someone else? You don't have feelings for Oscar?"

"No, not anymore. And frankly, never again."

The boys' parents had already gathered in the hall, waiting. When Shirley entered, Oscar immediately pulled her aside.

"I know you've chosen me today," he said, "but my heart already belongs to someone else. I hope you'll reconsider."

Shirley had heard this before in her previous life. Back then, she had been too confident, believing she could win his heart, so she had gone ahead anyway.

This time, she wouldn't.

"It's not your place to interfere with who I choose. If you really don't want to marry me, take your parents and leave now. Never show your face here again."

Hearing how firm her tone was, Oscar froze.

She had never spoken to him like this before. Usually, she'd brush against him or tease him with words. But today, it was different.

"If you have nothing to say, I'll head inside. I hope you'll be happy with my choice this time."

Seeing him stay silent, Shirley walked into the living room without looking back.

This was the last time Shirley would talk about her marriage in front of the heads of the four major families.

Everyone held their breath, watching her.

Across from her, Oscar sat with a dark expression. "Ms. Shirley, please think about what I just told you. Make sure you're sure before you decide."

Shirley's chest tightened when she looked at his anxious face, and a sharp pain hit her heart.

It seemed that he really didn't want to marry her. He'd rather let his family lose the Bishops as their big support.

George Tucker, seeing Oscar like that, got flustered. "Oscar, you already knew Shirley was gonna choose you. What did you tell her in private?"

Meanwhile, Theo Foster yawned. "Exactly. We never had a chance anyway. Right, Jamie?"

Shirley glanced at Jamie Watson. Out of the four, he was the only one she never considered as a match.

He had been the first to bully her as a kid—tearing her books, even putting a snake in her backpack. Shirley had always hated him and secretly wished Daniel would remove him from the selection.

But whenever something happened to her, he was the first one there.

Even though he was sharp-tongued and cunning, he was the most capable of the four. In her last life, he became the richest man in the world in less than ten years.

Since she had been given a second chance at life, she was going to pick the best.

"I choose—"

Her words were cut off by a sharp scream from the yard.

"What have you done? Can't you watch where you're going? Do you know how expensive this dress is?"

Through the glass windows, everyone saw Myra shrinking back, apologizing to Rachel Dunn.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to run into you. I didn't see you just now."

"You didn't see me? Are you blind? Who do you think you are, wearing that shabby outfit and showing up at Ms. Bishop's birthday party? You're just asking for trouble!"

Rachel raised her hand to slap Myra, but Oscar shot out from the couch faster than anyone could blink.

George and Theo didn't see themselves as real contenders anyway, so they grabbed Jamie and went outside to watch the commotion.

Before leaving, Jamie glanced at Shirley. There was something unreadable in his mischievous eyes, a feeling that made her heart skip a beat.

The slap never landed. When Rachel saw Oscar and the others, her face flushed bright red.

"H-hi, Mr. Miller," Rachel stammered.

"How dare you try to hit her! Do you know who she is? She's also Ms. Bishop—she's the Bishops' daughter and Shirley's sister. Are you blind?"

Too scared to speak, Rachel quickly apologized and ran away.

Oscar held Myra protectively in his arms while she looked back at Shirley, who was still inside.

"I'm sorry. Did I disturb you? I didn't mean to. It was too dark, and I didn't see her…"

Oscar gently squeezed her hand. "It's okay. It's not your fault. Remember, you're a Ms. Bishop, too. Next time someone tries to bully you, you should stand up for yourself."

Shirley let out a cold laugh.

Ms. Bishop? Shirley was the Bishops' only daughter. Daniel simply adopted Myra when Shirley was little so she wouldn't be lonely.

Shirley had given Myra everything that she could. And now, Shirley had decided to let Myra have Oscar, too.

Outside, the lights dimmed and flickered. Shirley pulled her gaze back, her chest tightening.

Daniel scanned the faces around him and cleared his throat softly. "Ahem. Shirley, make your choice."

"Okay. I choose Jamie."

The room froze. The parents from all four families were stunned.

Oscar's parents looked grim, while Jamie's parents were ecstatic.

Daniel frowned. "Jamie? Haven't you always disliked him? You said he used to bully you."

"I'm not worried. Mr. and Mrs. Watson, he won't bully me again, right?"

"We promise, he won't!" They nodded eagerly. "We'll make sure he treats you like a princess."

"Good." Shirley lowered her head. "I don't want to talk about what happened today. Please don't tell the guys for now. The wedding's next month. Just make sure the groom shows up on time."

Everyone nodded. No one dared to argue with Shirley.

"Understood."

After the details were settled, everyone left.

Shirley had just stepped into the yard when Myra shrank back, hiding behind Oscar.

"I'm sorry, Shirley. I shouldn't have made such a scene. I should've stayed in my room. It's just… I heard you all talking and got curious…"

Before Myra could finish, tears started streaming down her face.

Anyone watching might have thought Shirley had bullied her.

"Ms. Shirley, Myra didn't mean it. Don't take it out on her," Oscar said sharply, shielding her. "I know our engagement is set. As long as you promise to treat Myra better, I'll marry you."

Myra's face went pale as she trembled in Oscar's arms.

Shirley couldn't help but sneer. She wasn't even sure what she had done to make Oscar think she had hurt Myra.

Seeing the tattered dress Myra was wearing, she asked, "What are you wearing? Didn't Mom and Dad give you money for clothes? If you run around like that, people might think we're mistreating you."

"N-no, I just didn't want to spend the money. It's nobody's fault."

Before Shirley could respond, a man came charging straight at her.

"Go to hell, Shirley! I'm gonna make your family pay!"

Shirley immediately recognized him—Dominic Douglas, the CEO of Douglas Enterprise, the Bishops' longtime rival.

After the Bishops crushed Douglas Enterprise, Dominic went bankrupt and never fully recovered mentally.

In her past life, he had been the one to attack Shirley and cause her infertility.

As he rushed forward, Shirley's first instinct was to look at Oscar.

But like in her past life, he held Myra tightly against his chest.

"Get down! Myra, I got you!"

Those simple words stabbed straight into Shirley's heart.

The next second, a sharp blade cut into her arm.

Bright red blood splashed across her face, and pain shot through her like fire.

Shirley was about to call out to Oscar, but Myra had already wriggled free from his arms.

"Oscar, you're Shirley's bodyguard! Why are you protecting me? Ah, Shirley, you're hurt!"

"Die! I'll kill every one of you Bishops!" Dominic roared, swinging his knife at Myra.

But before Dominic could reach Myra, Oscar threw himself in front of her.

"Myra, watch out!"

The knife sliced into his back, blood soaking his white suit instantly.

The scene erupted into chaos. Someone shouted, "Protect Ms. Bishop!"

As Shirley panicked, Dominic's eyes locked on her again.

He raised his knife, ready to strike. Shirley shut her eyes and yelled, "Oscar, have you forgotten? You're my bodyguard!"

The blood-stained blade almost reached Shirley when a man yanked her into his arms just in time.

Shirley looked up and saw his cold, sharp jaw.

"Are you crazy? Don't you know how to dodge?"

The next second, he let her go and spun to fight Dominic.

Shirley finally realized—it was Jamie.

He had always said he hated her and wished she would die so he could be free.

But when danger came, he was always the first to jump in and protect her.

His fighting skills rivaled Oscar's. In a few moves, he had Dominic pinned.

Dominic had a knife, so Jamie got hurt in the process.

Seeing the blood on his arm, Shirley moved forward, but he stood with a smirk and said, "I'm fine. I'm just glad you're not dead."

Then he walked away without looking back.

Shirley started warming up to him.

"Are you okay, Shirley? Please don't blame Oscar. He protected me first because I was closer to him." Myra's sobs sounded in her ear.

Shirley looked up to see Oscar walking over, holding Myra safely.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Shirley… I—"

Oscar tried to explain, but Shirley cut him off coldly, "No need to explain yourself. I got hurt, and according to the rules, you have to be punished."

Oscar's expression barely changed when he heard that. His face stayed calm, distant, and cool as ever.

"Sure, I'll take the punishment."