"My love is honest and clear, I don't have any hidden motives! There’s nothing up my sleeve! It's your pride, it's your own guilt! Even if you don't love me, you shouldn't trample on my sincere feelings. You are the true coward..."

Darren suddenly stood up, gripping Laura's wrist tightly. His gaze was intense, filled with a mixture of deep love and hatred.

"Laura, if you really had the ability, you wouldn't have stayed until now! On your eighteenth birthday, it was your mother who manipulated you into seducing me, wasn't it? You've been doing a great job of following through all these years!"

She had explained countless times before. She loved him even before that. She wouldn’t debase herself and chase after a man just to get into the Bill Family.

But she was exhausted, so this time, Laura didn’t argue anymore. Instead, she lifted her head to look at him and crystal-clear tears slid down her cheeks.

"Yes, it's a pity that the plan didn’t succeed over the years... Darren, I won’t bother you anymore."

She supported herself against the wall and stood up. Her eyes were filled with numbness and resolve as she continued to walk toward the stairs.

Darren seemed to snap back to his senses in that instant.

He looked down at his hand in disbelief, then let out a bitter laugh. In a slump, he collapsed onto the sofa, feeling as though all his strength had been drained away.

Laura spent the whole night awake, her mind constantly replaying the past, bit by bit.

She remembered that it all started when she was eighteen. Every year, her birthday wish was the same: she hoped that she and Darren would be together forever, growing old together.

Back then, Darren would sit at the table, watching her with eyes that carried emotions she couldn’t understand, remaining silent.

Until one day, Darren finally spoke up. "Laura, do you think I'm that easy to fool?"

Later, he discovered that Laura made the same wish every birthday and his gaze grew more and more disdainful. But he didn’t say another word.

The next evening, Laura looked at the room she had tidied up and suddenly realized how foolish and pitiful she had been.

There were very few things left in the house that belonged to her. Most of it consisted of the gifts Darren had casually given her over the years, or anything related to him. Laura cleaned up once more, letting the memories fade as she put everything away.

Just as she finished tidying up, the door was knocked on.

Quickly wiping away her tears, Laura glanced at the research applications she had gathered on the table and said, "Come in."

She thought it was Brenda, but the person didn't speak for a long time.

Darren hadn't changed his clothes. He looked around the room that was once filled with so many things and for a moment, a sense of unease crept into his heart. After a long silence, Darren finally spoke, his voice carrying a slight tremor that was barely noticeable.

"Why is the room empty?" Darren asked, his voice low.

"I felt those things were a bit old and the broken ones were thrown away. The rest will be sent for maintenance and repair this afternoon," Laura replied, her voice calm.

Darren, who had been tense until that moment, finally let out a sigh of relief. He nodded in agreement, "It's fine. You can get whatever you want, just swipe your card."

Laura instinctively lowered her head to look at the research applications, not acknowledging the card.

Suddenly, a hand reached around and snatched the paper from her. Darren's temple twitched as he frowned, his tone growing impatient. He scolded her, his face twisted with displeasure.

"Laura, do you think this will threaten anyone? Or are you just following the third step your mother taught you—acting distant with men? You’ve only said a few words, yet here you are, putting on this act. Who are you doing this for?" Darren's voice was filled with mockery and frustration.

Laura didn't have a chance to explain.

Before she could react, Darren directly tore the application form to pieces. The shreds of paper scattered down like fallen leaves, as if he had personally torn apart her dreams.

Brenda arrived at the door, breaking the tense silence inside with a timely knock.

"Mr. Bill, Miss Rush is looking for you."

Melanie appeared from behind Brenda dressed in a red dress with her voluminous waves of hair casually draped over her shoulders. She leaned against the doorframe, a charming smile on her lips.

"Alright, Darren, why does the family have to argue like this? It's well known that Laura likes you, how could she bear to leave? She just wants you to pay a little more attention to her."

She walked in with a smile, but when she saw Laura, she paused for a moment. A fleeting understanding flashed in her eyes before she quickly regained her smile.

"Darren, women understand women the most," Melanie said with a smile. "Laura is twenty-four this year, right? Let me have a heart-to-heart with her. It's raining outside, could you find me a change of clothes?"

Darren, who had been looking for an excuse to leave, nodded in agreement and turned to walk out.

The room was left with only Melanie and Laura.

The two of them exchanged a glance.

What had felt unreal in the dimly lit private room now stood before her, in the flesh.

Laura froze for a moment, surprised.

She realized that Melanie seemed to share a resemblance to her, maybe three or four points similar.

"Laura, you and I look a bit alike," Melanie said with a casual smile. "No wonder... Darren is so reluctant to let you go."

She walked slowly to Laura's side, picking up some application papers and chuckled softly.

"Are you using this to catch a man? You think he’ll panic because you’re about to leave? Laura, your mother really was a hostess back then, wasn’t she? Such lowly methods."

Laura didn’t like the way she spoke. She frowned and urged her to leave. "I have nothing to say to you. Please leave."

"Leave?" Melanie's tone was laced with mockery. "Laura, are you embarrassed now? Who doesn’t know that every year, you’ve been saying you want to be Darren’s wife? What a young, shameless girl, thinking about becoming your own uncle’s wife."

She casually tossed the papers aside, then picked up a nearby ornament, a rather ugly chubby doll.

"As expected, a pheasant can never become a phoenix. You rose to your position because of your mother’s body and you’re still keeping such trash!"

"Give it back to me! Melanie, get out! You’re not welcome here!" Laura's voice was sharp and cold.

"It’s pouring rain outside and the one who should leave is you," Melanie said, her voice dripping with disdain. "Go cleanse your filthy mind. You were just a substitute and now the real deal is back. Why haven’t you left yet? Do you really need to be kicked out like a stray dog before you’re willing to go?"

Melanie could clearly see the flicker of concern in Laura's eyes.

She seemed to be afraid that the clay doll would be harmed.

Step by step, Melanie retreated, until half of her body was outside the door. She then raised the doll high in her hand.

"What are you doing? Melanie! Stop it!" Laura shouted, panic rising in her voice.

The chubby doll had been a toy made by her mother before she married into the Bill Family and it had always been her emotional support.

"Sorry, but I’m going to destroy everything you care about," Melanie sneered, her voice cold. "Your man, your dreams..."

Melanie let out a soft laugh and smashed the doll onto the ground without hesitation.

The doll shattered instantly, the yellow clay mixed with broken grass turning into dust and debris.

Laura's hand was still suspended in the air, as if trying to stop it, but she could only watch helplessly as the doll was destroyed.

Her eyes widened in disbelief as she looked up at Melanie. How could she go so far, destroying something so important, just to provoke someone?

"Ugh, things made by a worthless person are just like her. It's destined for an unhappy end." Melanie continued to provoke her, the mocking smile still hanging on her lips.

Laura's gaze was as silent as death. She slowly reached for the vase beside her and hurled it directly at Melanie's head.

Melanie didn't expect her to actually take action. Startled, she dodged, but the vase still grazed her arm, crashing loudly onto the floor.

"You’re crazy! Laura, it's just a broken doll! What... what are you doing?” Melanie was shouting, but suddenly her words faltered. She trembled in fear.

All Melanie could see was Laura, her eyes bloodshot, slowly advancing toward her with a chilling, intense gaze.

Laura seemed to go mad. She threw herself at Melanie, knocking her to the ground.

She punched her on the nose, then pulled her hair and pressed her body.

Laura kept hitting her face, punching and kicking her.

"Why? Why did you take away the last thing I had, Melanie? You shouldn't have touched my things!"

Melanie was now filled with fear. She desperately hugged her head and struggled, shouting, "Help! Darren! Help me! Please help me!"

Upon hearing this, Darren rushed over, only to witness the scene. "Laura! Let go! Are you trying to kill her?”

Darren roared in anger, wanting to separate them but not knowing where to start.

In his moment of desperation, he grabbed Laura's arm and forcibly pulled her away. However, the force was too strong, causing her to fall to the ground, her back crashing onto the broken pieces of the vase.

Laura ignored the pain in her waist as she crawled forward, mixing with the glass shards and desperately clutching the last doll's body.

The glass fragments, mixed with dirt, pierced into her palms.

She didn't feel the pain. Her hands pressed tightly against the doll, holding it to her chest as she wailed uncontrollably.

Darren stood frozen, staring at the doll that had fallen to the ground, a flicker of panic passing through his eyes.

"La... Laura..."

He reached out, just about to touch her, but was stopped when Melanie grabbed his hand.

She threw herself into Darren's arms, crying uncontrollably. Her face streaked with tears as if she could hardly breathe.

"Darren, it hurts so much... She's trying to kill me... She's gone completely crazy, I’m going to sue her!"

Darren's earlier panic and guilt melted away when he saw Melanie in such a pitiful state.

Melanie had a congenital heart condition and psychological issues; she couldn't be under any stress. Moreover, if this really ended up on record, Laura would probably...

His face hardened as he kicked the shards in front of her aside and commanded, "Laura, apologize to Melanie!"

Laura's heart ached beyond words.

She lifted her head, her face drenched in tears, screaming in agony.

"Apologize? Why should I apologize? She is the one who is wrong! Yes, I am going to kill you, Melanie! Why don't you just die!"

"Laura, enough! Apologize to her, or get out of the Bill Family!"

Darren's expression darkened as he stood before her, towering over her with an overwhelming sense of authority.

But Laura was not afraid. She lifted her head and stared directly at him, speaking each word slowly.

"I won't apologize... I did nothing wrong!" Laura's eyes were bloodshot, filled with seething hatred.

The rain outside grew heavier, accompanied by flashes of lightning and thunder. It illuminated the deep coldness in her gaze.