I had been blinded by his handsome face and honeyed lies, foolishly believing that if I endured enough, my parents would pity me and finally agree to let me marry him.

But now, I knew better. No one was coming to save me. If I wanted to survive, I had to save myself.

I couldn’t keep this up. If I did, I’d be beaten to death before long.

Swallowing my pride, I forced a pitiful expression and looked up at Elion. "Elion, I was wrong. I’ll listen to you. Please, let me go."

His arrogance flared as he removed his foot, convinced of his control over me. He turned to his friends, gesturing smugly at my disheveled state. "See? I’ve got plenty of ways to make her obey."

He smirked, his tone dripping with misplaced pride. "A woman just needs coaxing at first. And if she doesn’t listen, you teach her a lesson. Trust me, she’ll submit."

Their laughter rang out, mocking me, and I forced myself to chuckle along, my stomach churning with rage.

Keep laughing, Elion. Your regret will come soon enough.

Feigning cheerfulness, I pointed toward the wine rack. "Do you guys want a drink? My dad brought these wines back from abroad. They’re worth tens of thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands per bottle!"

As their eyes lit up with greed, my mind sharpened with purpose. The moment they got drunk would be my chance for revenge.

Elion’s friends exchanged glances before rushing toward the wine rack like ravenous wolves, only after Elion waved his hand lazily as though granting an audience.

They treated him like the undisputed master of the villa, their behavior as shameless as it was pathetic.

Watching their greedy scurry, Elion scoffed, his voice dripping with contempt. "A pack of fools who've never seen the world!"

He turned back to me, smugness radiating from every inch of his being. "By the way, I swapped out all your family’s wine ages ago and sold the real stuff. What’s left are just cheap fakes. Ha!"

Rage boiled in my chest, but I forced my expression to remain calm.

I had handed him tens of thousands every month, yet he had the audacity to sell off my family’s wine like a petty thief. What an ungrateful, greedy wolf in disguise!

Forcing a smile, I said, "It’s fine. As long as no one drops dead, I’ll grab some snacks to go with their drinks."

I turned toward the door, but Elion seized my arm, yanking me back with that same entitled smirk. "Forget it. Your job is to serve me, not them. I’m not hungry, so you’re not buying anything."

A surge of rage shot through me, and I had to swallow the urge to smash something over his arrogant head. But I wasn’t foolish. Against ten grown men, I knew I stood no chance.

Elion pulled me into his arms, the mockery in his gentleness as suffocating as his grip. "Vernia, you’ve been stirring up trouble for weeks, and your parents still haven’t agreed to let us get married."

His lips curled into a sinister smile. "It’s your birthday today. Let’s make it memorable; let’s die together. Once you’re gone, your parents will regret everything and spend the rest of their lives drowning in guilt."

My fists clenched tightly at his words, the veins on my hands bulging as I fought to stay composed.

Yes, my parents would suffer, would drown in sorrow, but Elion? He’d waltz away unscathed, basking in the pain he caused, free to live as if nothing had happened.

I broke free from his suffocating grip and painted on a foolish smile, mimicking the naive girl I once had been. "You’re absolutely right! Why don’t I call my parents first and give them something to panic about? That way, when they see my body later, it’ll hurt even more!"

Elion threw his head back in laughter, his arrogance on full display. "Vernia, you’re still the smartest of them all!"

Feigning hesitation, I asked, "Can I borrow your phone? Mine took a swim in the pool, thanks to your kick."

Elion, ever the fool, tossed his phone to me as if granting me some grand favor.

With the phone in hand, I began walking toward the door, pretending to dial my dad’s number. I could feel his presence like a shadow trailing behind me.

He was cautious, more than I had given him credit for.

I turned slightly and asked, as if genuinely curious, "Where do you think we should go to die together?"

Without missing a beat, Elion blurted, "Holden Tower, of course. It’s your family’s building. This way, your parents will have to pass by the spot you died every single day on their way to work. It’ll break them."

Holden Tower. The very place where my life had ended once before.

Elion’s laughter erupted again, his whole body shaking as though he could already see the aftermath of my death, my parents drowning in guilt and regret.

The moment my dad picked up, his voice erupted like thunder through the receiver. "Elion, you shameless dog! How dare you call me again? Ten billion dollars? Keep dreaming! You’ll never see a single cent from me!"

No wonder my parents had always disapproved of Elion. The audacity of him to secretly demand a billion from my dad, it was beyond shameless!

"My daughter is just confused right now; she’ll come to her senses soon enough!" my dad’s voice rang with conviction.

Tears blurred my vision as I stammered, "Dad, I… I’m going to jump off Holden Tower with Elion. He’s forcing me. I’m at Grand Regent Villa now."

Panic overtook my dad’s tone. "Sweetheart, don’t do it! Stall him, no matter what. I’m on my way!"

Before I could respond, Elion snatched the phone from my trembling hands, ending the call with a vicious glare. His slap came swift and brutal, stinging my cheek like fire.

"You conniving bitch! So you were tipping him off all along, huh?" he hissed.

Grabbing my arm, he dragged me toward the door. "Let’s go! We’re jumping now. Your dad can have a front-row seat to your corpse when he arrives!"

I clung to the garden sculpture with all my might, refusing to let go. "I’m not going! If you want to die, then go do it yourself!"

Elion gripped my chin with brutal force, a twisted smile spreading across his face. "I’m not dying. Tomorrow, I’m marrying a wealthier heiress. I’ll live my fairy tale, and your parents will learn the price of rejecting me."

He called out to his friends, "Stop drinking, you idiots! Help me drag her to the rooftop of Holden Tower. We're about to watch a rich heiress take her last breath, ha!"

They tied me up in ropes and gagged me, smuggling me through the back door of Holden Tower like a prisoner. I was carried up to the rooftop.

The wind bit at my face as I stood at the edge, looking down at the dizzying drop, my stomach churning from the height.

"Elion, this is murder! If I die, you won’t escape either!"

Elion’s eyes gleamed with cold indifference. "Murder-suicide, get it? You’re the one who wanted to jump. It’s your choice, not mine."

He even dug up our old chat messages.

From just half a month ago, I had written to him. [If I can’t be with you while I’m alive, then I’ll die to be with you. I want the world to know our love is as steadfast as heaven and earth, as eternal as the sun and moon.]

If I could have, I would have slapped my past self awake. Was it worth it? Hurting my parents over and over again, all for a man who was nothing but cruel and unworthy?

But there was no time to dwell on the past now.

I feigned submission, my voice trembling but steady. "I have money. Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you."

Elion wasn’t fooled. "You think you can stall me at death's door? Don’t kid yourself; you don’t even have ten thousand to your name."

Suddenly, the truth dawned on me: Elion was desperate to push me into jumping, not only out of spite for my parents but also because I had no money left.

"I have money," I said, my voice steady despite the chaos. "My dad opened a Swiss bank account for me. There’s one billion in dowry funds."

Elion’s grip loosened instantly, his face lighting up like a child’s on Christmas morning. "Why didn’t you say so earlier?"

"Then hurry up and transfer the money to me. Once you do, I’ll marry you."

I glanced past him, and my gaze locked onto a stunning woman approaching. My tone turned icy. "Say it louder. If I transfer a billion to you, you'll marry me, right?"

Elion, his excitement barely contained, shouted back, "Vernia, I’m willing to marry you!"

A furious voice rang out from behind him. "Elion, say that again. Who are you planning to marry?"

Elion’s face drained of color, his excitement turning to panic.

He froze, his face contorting with rage. "Was that your dad you just called? How is she here? How do you even know her?"

Panic gripped him as he ran his hands frantically through his hair. "What am I supposed to do now? My dream of marrying into wealth is shattered!"

Elion's eyes darkened as he turned toward me, his gaze sharp and filled with malice. Leaning in close, he whispered through clenched teeth, "I won’t let you ruin me."