Desperate for money, I didn’t hesitate to sign the agreement.

In order to take good care of Vincent, I followed the terms of the agreement and taught myself nutrition management and health psychology, all to help him recover from the pain of heartbreak as quickly as possible.

One time, after another drunken episode, he mistook me for Evelyn and lost control in a night of wild passion.

When he sobered up, Vincent looked at the glaring red stain on the bed and held me in his arms, apologizing, "Diana, I will take responsibility for this. When the time is right, we’ll make our relationship public."

From that day on, he clung to me every night, showering me with bags and jewelry, sparing no expense to fill my room with gifts.

Especially in bed, his sweet words never repeated themselves.

I gradually lost myself in this false affection, waiting for five long years. Yet, I never saw the "right time" he spoke of. Instead, I uncovered the truth behind his being with me.

The reason Evelyn initially stormed off abroad was to force my biological parents to abandon their search for me.

Vincent saved me and didn’t reject me because his investigation revealed that I was the true daughter of the Carter Family.

He thought that keeping me under his watch, confining me within the Cross Family’s sphere, would help Evelyn solidify her position as the true heiress.

But he also resented my existence, hated me for driving away the woman he loved.

That night, he didn’t mistake me for someone else. He did it because he found out that Evelyn had gotten a new boyfriend while abroad. So, he vented his anger and frustration on me.

How laughable that I mistook his five years of rage and resentment for love.

I collected my thoughts and calmly rejected him without a trace of emotion, "There’s cold medicine in the first-aid kit. Taking the medicine directly works better."

It was the first time I had ever disobeyed Vincent’s orders and he was already showing signs of anger.

"Diana, don’t forget your place!"

I couldn’t help but laugh. "And what exactly is my place?"

At this point, we no longer had an employer-employee relationship or a romantic relationship. At best, we could only be considered former bed partners.

"Diana! Don’t cross the line!" he snapped.

He probably assumed that his mother would renew the employment contract with me and that I loved him so humbly, like dust, which gave him the arrogance to remind me of my "place."

Evelyn tugged at his sleeve with a pitiful expression, but her eyes were full of provocation as she looked at me. "Vincent, your maid is so fierce. She seems to dislike me so much. You shouldn’t trouble her anymore. It’s my fault for being willful and arguing with Mom and Dad, sneaking out in the middle of the night. If they knew I got caught in the rain, they’d be so heartbroken…"

If I didn’t already know that Evelyn was just a parasitic bird stealing the magpie’s nest, I might not have caught the deeper meaning behind her words.

She kept calling me "maid," over and over, relentlessly reminding me of my status and Vincent didn’t bother to correct her.

I met her gaze with a smile, wondering how she would react if she lost her cherished position as the "true heiress" she thought she had secured.

When I didn’t respond with the anger or inferiority she had expected, Evelyn hugged herself tightly, her body trembling uncontrollably.

"Vincent, I’m so cold," she said.

Without hesitation, Vincent carried her to his master bedroom and ran hot water for her bath. He even went to the kitchen to prepare ginger tea for her, following an online recipe.

Later that night, when I went out to get water because I was thirsty, I heard intimate, breathless sounds coming from Vincent’s room and my heart clenched in pain.

His careful and gentle coaxing of her was so different from the unrestrained way he treated me. With me, he had never shown a shred of tenderness.

But with Evelyn, he treated her as if she were a precious treasure.

Every time I begged him to stop, he would only become more relentless, claiming he was madly in love with me.

Especially when Mrs. Cross wasn’t home, his behavior was completely out of control. Once even landing me in the hospital.

The doctor scolded him, saying that if he truly loved me, he should cherish me instead of indulging in such excess.

Blushing, he apologized to me and when the doctor wasn’t looking, he leaned in to gently whisper in my ear. "Diana, what should I do? I just can’t control myself around you. I’m afraid to even imagine how much I love you..."

At his words of love, I couldn’t bring myself to blame him anymore. After all, if he didn’t love me, how could he be so infatuated with me?

But I had never considered that a man’s desire and love could be completely separate.

One time, his good friend teased him about where he found the energy to be with me so often. He pinched my blushing face and said it was because of love.

But now, I know it was really because of hatred.

That night, I couldn’t sleep, tossing and turning. I woke up early and made breakfast for myself and Mrs. Cross.

Halfway through my meal, Vincent and Evelyn came out of their room.

Seeing that there was no extra breakfast on the table, he immediately asked, "Where’s breakfast for me and Evelyn?"

Noticing the red marks on Evelyn’s neck, Mrs. Cross immediately coldened her expression and said, "Vincent, who gave you permission to bring this woman home?"

Mrs. Cross had never liked Evelyn from the moment Vincent first brought her home. At first, I thought she disliked Evelyn because she was just the adopted daughter of the Carter Family, and perhaps, she found the match inappropriate.

But she would rather have Vincent marry me, someone with nothing to offer, than see her son involved with Evelyn.

Usually, to create opportunities for me and Vincent to be alone, she often went on trips with her friends, leaving us to ourselves.

Behind the scenes, she even came up with strategies for me on how to win over Vincent. Every time this happened, I felt an overwhelming sense of guilt.

I couldn’t tell her that, in fact, less than a month after I moved into the Cross Family, I had already ended up in bed with Vincent. I was afraid that if she knew the truth, she would think of me as a woman with impure motives and would come to despise me.

Mrs. Cross refused to eat breakfast, threw her spoon down and stood up, trying to pull me out of the house.

Vincent immediately grabbed me by the arm. "Mom, I need to talk to Diana."

He suddenly tightened his grip on my hand, causing me to flinch in pain and furrow my brow. Was he afraid that I might tell his mother the truth?

Wanting to see me and Vincent get along, Mrs. Cross decided to wait for me in the car.

Vincent comforted Evelyn for a moment before pulling me aside. "Diana, I won’t hold last night against you, but you should know which things to say and which things to keep to yourself. Evelyn is different from you. She’s been pampered and has never suffered a day in her life. On the other hand, you have endured hardship from a young age, so be more understanding."

Was I supposed to suffer forever because Evelyn took away my parents and my life?

I curled my lips into a faint smile. "Hmm."

Seeing that I was no longer bristling with thorns, Vincent wrapped his arm around my waist, attempting to kiss me, but I dodged him.

"Have some decency! Don’t let your Evelyn misunderstand."

Vincent withdrew his hand as though electrocuted, his gaze dark and unreadable. "Diana, something’s been off with you since yesterday. Didn’t you used to love it when I touched you?"

I stepped back, keeping a calm demeanor. "I find it filthy."

Not only was his heart filthy, but his body was too.

Feeling the sting of my disdain, Vincent flung his sleeves and turned away, heading to the living room where he openly flirted with Evelyn as if no one else existed.

I walked out the door indifferently, ignoring the scorching gaze burning into my back.

Vincent had always forbidden me to defy him and my repeated rejection of his advances seemed to have completely infuriated him.

Yet, I no longer cared.

As I got into the car, Mrs. Cross sighed. “Are you sure you want to leave so soon? Why not wait until your birthday?”

I glanced at the plane ticket scheduled for three days later and politely declined Mrs. Cross’s kind suggestion.

But I never expected that after accompanying her to have afternoon tea with her friends, I would gradually lose consciousness.

In my haze, I heard Mrs. Cross's soft whisper.

“Diana, don’t blame me. I just don’t want Vincent to stay with that woman anymore, so I can only wrong you! Don’t worry, I’ll make sure Vincent takes responsibility for you!”

She made a phone call, locked the door from the outside and left. When I woke up, my body was unbearably hot.

"Are you awake?"

Hearing a somewhat familiar voice, I remembered that it was Julian, the man who had once asked Vincent for me.

"Why are you here?"

Julian studied my face carefully, a casual smile playing on his lips as he said, “Didn't you hear it that day? Are you still expecting Vincent to come and spend a night of passion with you? He said he wouldn't let anyone touch his person, but didn't he let me come in the end?”

Julian’s tone was light, but his words cut deep.

He chuckled as he pulled out his phone and showed me his chat history with Vincent.

[Help me handle something. I’ll give a big reward once it’s done.]

Following that was the address and the room number.

I felt a pang in my chest as I turned on my own phone. Sure enough, there was a message from Vincent waiting for me.

[Diana, are you so eager to climb the social ladder? Don’t think that by winning over my mother, you can make me easily compromise. Playing hard to get won’t work on me!]

I’d always known that Vincent hated me, but I didn’t realize it had reached this extent.

All I did was refuse his advances once and he now treated me like a burden he couldn’t shake off, belittling me like this.

“Aren’t you Vincent’s good friend? What are you trying to gain by deliberately letting me hear the truth?”

The Parker Family was wealthy and powerful and Julian was the heir to the Parker Family. I couldn’t imagine what he could possibly lack.

"What am I doing this for? Didn't you hear it all that day?"

I was stunned.

"If not for you, who would want to be friends with him? There were a bunch of reporters waiting outside, all arranged by Mrs. Cross. She just wants to force you to marry Vincent, especially now that she knows you’re the Carter Family's heiress. Only by marrying Vincent can the Carter Family let go of the fact that their daughter was oppressed by her son for five years..."

As expected of Vincent's mother. Any kindness she showed me always came with an ulterior motive.

Facing my calm and composed expression, Julian continued to coax gently. "Have you thought about being with me?"