In the month before my 20th birthday, Dad digs out the information on the oldest daughters of the four most prominent families in Jorvale and tells me to select one of them as my partner for our upcoming marriage alliance.

I choose Grace Sutton without hesitation, which shocks everyone else.

After all, everyone in Jorvale knows very well that Connor Foster, the sole heir of the Foster family, has always been crushing on Abigail Chandler since I was a kid.

Only I know that I've gotten to marry Abigail in my previous life.

But on the day after our grand wedding, Abigail told me that Louis Hayes, the low-income student Dad had been sponsoring, was the man she loved.

She announced in public that she was only my wife in name, but she'd always be Louis' wife for real.

But when Abigail tried to pick Louis up the next day, she found out that he had already disappeared after leaving a relationship-severance letter behind.

Abigail was hell-bent on believing that I was the one who forced Louis to leave. Because of that, she treated me like her mortal enemy for the rest of her life.

She went through a lover per week, and she'd always be intimate with them in front of me. All of those lovers resembled Louis one way or another.

Finally, on the day Abigail officially took over Foster Group, I died in a car accident by "coincidence".

Now that I've been reborn, I decide to marry another woman and avoid getting caught up in Abigail's affairs anymore.

But once Abigail hears my decision, she goes absolutely berserk.

"Hey, why is Connor here too? You're impressive, Abigail. Your lapdog even followed you all the way to Lothriel!"

"He's chasing you across half the world. He just won't leave you alone, will he?"

Abigail Chandler's friends' sharp taunts pierced my ears. I turned back with indifference.

Abigail's expression darkened slightly. She frowned at me and asked, "What are you doing here? It was bad enough that you followed me around shamelessly in Jorvale. Now you even chased me to Lothriel."

She put on a stern face and lectured me. "You're the only son of the Foster family. Do you have no sense of dignity at all?"

Her supposedly righteous yet deeply disdainful tone was something I had known for over a decade in my previous life. They felt painfully familiar.

In the past, I had forced myself to stay composed in public, only to drown my feelings in alcohol once I got home. I had constantly questioned what was wrong with me that I could never earn her affection.

But now, I merely dropped a detached remark. "My dad asked me to bid on a piece of jewelry here as a gift for my 20th birthday. What does that have anything to do with you?"

Abigail clearly didn't expect me to react like that and froze for a moment.

Before she could react, the friends around her erupted in chaos.

"Mr. Foster Senior's will stated that when Connor turned 20 years old, he had to choose one of the eldest daughters from the four major families in Jorvale for marriage. That woman would later oversee the finances and internal affairs of both families."

"All four families built their fortunes with the Foster family's backing. This is no different from a marriage decreed by royalty."

Something flickered in Abigail's eyes as she cast a subtle glance at me from the corner of her eye.

Her friend continued, "The Foster family controls a business empire. By taking over both Foster and Chandler Groups at the same time, Abigail could gain complete control of Jorvale!"

"Abigail, once you rise to the top, don't forget about us!"

"Congratulations, Abigail!"

As the group showered Abigail with congratulations, I regarded her with cold detachment. Her expression barely changed, yet with my familiarity with her across two lifetimes, I still caught the fleeting joy in her eyes.

"Alright, let's just follow whatever Mr. Foster Senior decides," Abigail said.

Her expression softened slightly, and she said as if granting me a favor, "Fine, you can stay if you want, but you must keep your distance. I'm here to work."

Suddenly, she leaned in and whispered, "This time, I must bring Louis home on the wedding day. If you dare refuse, I'll call off the marriage, and you'll never have me!"

My heart clenched abruptly. So, she had been reborn as well!

"Abby."

A low, cool, and clear voice cut through my thoughts.

The coldness on Abigail's face instantly melted into tenderness. "You're suffering from jet lag. Why didn't you rest a bit longer?"

"I heard that Connor was here too, so I had to come over and say hello," Louis Hayes said.

He smiled at me, his face pale. "Hi, Connor. Don't misunderstand. I'm here this time as Ms. Chandler's assistant—"

"Why are you explaining anything to him?" Abigail asked.

She drew him behind her and looked at me coldly. "I don't have an official relationship with him yet. Your health matters most. Everything else can wait."

Abigail constantly accused me of lacking propriety, yet when it came to Louis, everything suddenly became negotiable.

…

At the auction, Abigail spent lavishly on three pieces of jewelry, leaving Louis both surprised and delighted. I, however, didn't find anything to my liking even by the end.

Just as I was about to leave, the auctioneer smiled cryptically and revealed an antique cufflink. Anyone familiar with antiques could tell at a glance that it was priceless. For the first time, I sat up straighter.

But before the auctioneer could introduce it, Abigail raised her paddle. "100 million."

He replied, "Ms. Chandler, I'm sorry—"

"In Lothriel dollars," Abigail added.

I looked over. Abigail shot me a cold glance, while Louis looked at her with unmistakable affection.

"I apologize, Ms. Chandler," the auctioneer said.

He then smiled at me. "This belongs to Mr. Foster."

"But we were clearly the first to bid!" Louis protested.

The auctioneer replied, "This was prepared by Mr. Foster Senior and is not for sale. He said that Mr. Foster has discerning taste, so if nothing earlier appealed to him, this should barely suffice."

A staff member respectfully presented the cufflink to me. He bowed and said, "We wish Mr. Foster an early happy birthday."

Louis' complexion turned even paler.

Abigail clasped his slender fingers reassuringly, but her eyes flared with anger. "Connor, if you keep harassing Louis like this, I'll refuse to marry you!"

That threat had carried weight in my previous life, but now it meant absolutely nothing to me.

…

A few days after returning to Jorvale from Lothriel, I was invited to attend a birthday dinner on Dad's behalf for one of his business partners.

After delivering the gift and heading for food, I saw Abigail preparing a cup of herbal medicine for Louis. She was speaking to him, her serious expression softening with a hint of indulgence. He wrapped his arms around her.

When the people nearby noticed me, their faces lit up with excitement, clearly eager for some juicy drama.

Abigail saw me as well, yet she acted as if she hadn't. Seeing Louis grimace after finishing the bitter drink, she bit into a grape and rose onto her toes to lean toward him. Louis hurriedly took it from her lips, his gaze lingering on her tenderly.

Abigail straightened up and cast me a seemingly casual glance. Everyone turned to look at me.

I sneered inwardly. Did she really think that I was still the man who lost his temper at the slightest provocation and feared upsetting her if I felt hurt?

I simply lowered my gaze and ate, paying them no attention at all.

Abigail paused briefly, then narrowed her eyes. "So, you finally understand that I like men who are broad-minded. Not bad."

She pulled a small box from her purse, opened it, and asked Louis, "Does it look nice?"

"Oh, that's the matching ring the Chandler family prepared to give Connor on his birthday!" someone said.

"The diamond is stunning," Louis said.

His eyes brightened, then dimmed as he forced a smile. "Ms. Chandler, you're really good to Connor."

"If you like it, then it's yours," Abigail said.

She ignored the shocked looks around her and slid the ring onto Louis' ring finger.

Louis put on a show of hesitation. "Isn't this a bit inappropriate? After all, it's the Chandler family's gift for Connor—"

"It's just a ring. If he wants it, I'll just buy him another one," Abigail replied.

She shot me a cold glance and summoned a waiter. "Go order a ring on Amazon and have it delivered. Make it fast, or Mr. Foster might be unhappy."

Soft snickers rose from the people around me.

I chewed my food mechanically, my eyes devoid of emotion.

Abigail was someone I had once chased relentlessly, offering my sincere devotion and begging for her love, yet she treated me like something disposable.

Once, when I said I missed her, she gave me an address. But when I rushed there in wild excitement, all I saw was a crowd celebrating their win from a bet.

When I called her, she brushed it off and said, "I was just mentioning a place. I never said that I'd be there."

She had always been like this, trampling on my feelings and self-respect at every turn without mercy. I was truly exhausted.

The waiter looked at me helplessly. I simply waved my hand and said, "It's fine. You can go back to work."

Seeing how calm and unmoved I was, Abigail's brows furrowed. She repeated her old tricks and leaned close to Louis, every movement dripping with intimacy.

Cheers and teasing noises continued to rise from those around them.

After Abigail fed the champagne to Louis from her lips for the third time and shot me a provocative look, she finally saw me push my chair back and walk away.

She shoved Louis aside, caught up to me in a few strides, and grabbed me as she mocked, "Can't you handle it anymore? I would never want such a petty man as my husband."

I shook her off and asked, "Abigail, what gives you the confidence to think that I would definitely choose you?"

Abigail reacted as if she had heard the greatest joke. "Who else could it be? The Waller family just suffered a catastrophic investment failure. The Preston family's daughter is chronically ill. As for the Sutton family—"

Her lips curved into a cruel smile. "Their daughter is just there to fill the numbers. She's not even worth mentioning. Connor Foster, you have no other option but me."

Everything would be clear on my birthday. I had no interest in continuing to be the subject of their gossip.

Just as I was about to get into the car and head home, Louis ran out.

"Connor!" he shouted.

Since Dad and Abigail weren't around, he didn't bother pretending anymore. "Don't think that marrying Abby means you'll have her. The title's not important. The one who sleeps beside her is her real husband."

He spoke crudely, while I merely touched the antique cufflink and smiled faintly. "And yet, isn't that 'unimportant' title exactly what you want the most?"

Louis' smile froze, and he was so furious he nearly lost his footing. He knew exactly what I was saying.

Dad had sponsored him since elementary school and even arranged for him to work at Foster Group after graduation. He thought that he was opening the door to a new life for himself, but it turned out that he had unlocked a box of desire instead.

The reason he disappeared in my previous life had always remained a mystery. This time, I decided to stay out of it and watch how this pair of lovebirds would end up.

…

Dad told me that once the marriage alliance was officially announced, the engagement banquet would be held soon, so I needed to start preparing.

I ran into Louis at the designer's studio. Abigail had been having him dressed head to toe in luxury lately. At first glance, he really did look like the heir of a wealthy family.

He was on a video call with Abigail. When he saw me, he smiled and said to her, "Abby, I just went to see Mr. Foster Senior. He mentioned that Connor went to pick out his engagement outfit, and I happened to run into him right away."

Abigail saw me as well, and her smile faded instantly. "Connor, don't waste your effort. No matter how expensive you dress, you won't compare to a single strand of Louie's hair in my eyes."

Louis pretended to scold her. "Stop it, don't embarrass Connor."

He spread his arms and turned in front of me. "Connor, do you think this outfit looks good? Abby insisted on giving it to me. It's just a bit tight, so she told me to come adjust the size."

I hadn't intended to pay him any attention, but when I took in the blue suit he was wearing, I was shaken to my core. "How do you have this suit?"

I looked at Abigail on the screen. "Did you give it to him?"