I’m an antique restorer. I had just finished repairing the Quinn family’s thousand-year-old jade bracelet in Northford, valued at two hundred million dollars.

Emily Davenport, a needy student sponsored by her fiancé, snatched it from my hands.

“Vivian Mercer, can I try it on?”

Before I could answer, she slipped it onto her wrist.

“I love it! Why don’t you just give it to me?”

“You’re planning to forge a copy for a client. They won’t be able to tell. Please, don’t do this.”

I patiently explained that it was illegal.

In the next instant, the jade bracelet fell to the floor, shattering beyond repair. She stuck out her tongue in frustration.

“Oh, I was so careless. What an idiot.”

“But it’s fine. You’re skilled enough to fix it, right?”

She walked away gracefully, leaving me to take the blame—and lose everything. My fiancé snapped at me instead:

“You didn’t keep it safe, so why blame Emily? You can make more money—don’t upset her.”

Emily smiled and gave a “V” sign:

“Of course not! If you’re unhappy, just eat hot pot! If one doesn’t work, try two!”

I was so furious I felt my heart nearly stop—until I realized my medicine had been replaced with effervescent tablets.

As I was being loaded into the ambulance, I saw Emily pouting in Nathaniel Pierce’s arms.

“Sister always looks so gloomy. I just wanted to give her some Vitamin C for whitening.”

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day the jade bracelet had been repaired.

——

Emily was greedily playing with it.

“Vivian, why don’t you just give it to me? You can make a fake for the client…”

Before she could finish, I snatched it and locked it securely in the safe.

“No!”

She tilted her head, confused.

“If it’s not okay, then why not?”

I didn’t waste time answering and pointed toward the door.

“Emily, grab your bag and leave.”

She blinked.

“Huh? I don’t understand.”

I took a deep breath and motioned to my assistant to keep an eye on the bracelet. Then, frowning, I pushed Emily out the door.

“You’re fired!”

She froze for a moment, then recovered and clung to the doorframe.

“Nathaniel sent me here to intern and learn! You’re kicking me out after just half an hour. How am I supposed to learn?”

“Slap!”

I struck the back of her hand.

“You want me to give you a client’s antique and make a fake? You’re breaking the law. You’re morally corrupt. Why should someone like you be an antique restorer in my studio?”

She covered her face, pouting.

“I was just joking. I didn’t really want it. What did I do wrong?”

I pursed my lips and dragged her toward the door.

“I’m too small to hold a giant like you!”

“Security! Emily, escort her out immediately! She is banned from ever entering this company again!”

Watching Emily being taken away by security, I finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Nathaniel had sponsored Emily for four years, and right after graduation, he asked her to intern with me. Though a bit clueless, her history degree was suitable for the work, so I agreed.

Who could have imagined? In just half a day, she bankrupted me and even swapped my medicine, nearly killing me.

Thinking about how I had suffocated in the ambulance in my previous life, my chest ached. I quickly dug out a spare pill from the drawer and swallowed it.

Thankfully, the jade bracelet was securely stored, and Emily had been expelled. As long as I waited until the afternoon to deliver it to the client, everything would be safe.

Just as I was about to settle back into my chair for a nap, my assistant burst in.

“Mr. Mercer! The thousand-year-old jade bracelet is broken!”

I woke up instantly. “What!?”

“What happened?”

The assistant stammered.

“It was Mr. Pierce. He brought Emily back and opened the safe himself.”

My ears buzzed.

Besides me, only Nathaniel knew the safe combination.

No matter how many precautions I took, I still couldn’t protect anyone around me.

I flung open the door to the restoration room, and the scene before me chilled my heart.

Emily was using super glue to piece together the shattered jade bracelet, mumbling nonstop.

“I just wanted to wear it and feel the warmth of history from this thousand-year-old artifact. How did it suddenly slip off?”

“Nathaniel, am I really so useless that I can’t do anything right?”

Nathaniel stroked her hair, his voice gentle.

“Emily, no one will blame you. The bracelet is just too slippery.”

“Be good, don’t cry.”

Emily, however, was sobbing and hiccuping.

“Vivian must be even angrier. I just wanted to touch it, and now she’s about to fire me.”

“I have to fix it before she gets here. Come on, Emily.”

Nathaniel fondly scratched her nose.

“It’s no big deal. Nathaniel will teach her a lesson!”

I grabbed the water glass on the table and splashed it directly in Nathaniel’s face.

“It’s no big deal?!”

“She smashed a thousand-year-old antique to pieces, and you’re going to teach me a lesson on her behalf?”

Nathaniel wiped the water off his face, expressing grim.

“Vivian, stop talking nonsense!”

“It’s just a broken bracelet. Isn’t Emily repairing it?”

“Besides, Emily’s crying. What else do you want?”

She cried?

So her tears are worth 200 million? Can they save my life?

I smiled bitterly and picked up my phone.

“Fine. Then call the police. Emily trespassed and damaged the antique. Let the law decide the punishment.”

Nathaniel slammed my phone down.

“I won’t allow it! Do you want her to have a criminal record and ruin her life?”

“Vivian, be more generous! If everyone were as calculating as you, the world would have ended long ago!”

Unable to contain my anger, I raised my hand to slap him, but he grabbed my wrist.

“You’re saying all this just to get money? I’ll pay for Emily, okay?”

I gritted my teeth and stared at him.

He thinks paying money will solve this? How can a mere employee like him cover it?

In my previous life, I borrowed from friends and family, emptied my savings, and sold my studio to raise 200 million dollars, but I only transferred 500.

He had said,

“Baby, I’m saving money to support our family. I won’t let you suffer in the future.”

Will I not suffer?

But he gives Emily $2,000 a month for living expenses. Our five years of love are worth only 500?

When I had a heart attack and was loaded into the ambulance, he hugged Emily and whispered comforting words without even glancing at me.

Now he’s even more desperate for her, isn’t he?

Fine, I’ll grant his wish.

“Let’s break up. I won’t be your co-debtor.”

Nathaniel’s pupils shrank sharply.

“Break up? Just because of this little compensation?”

“This little bit?”

I almost laughed in anger, about telling him the amount.

Emily suddenly rushed over, holding the jade bracelet, completely stained with glue.

“Vivian, look! I fixed it!”

“Actually, restoring antiques isn’t difficult at all. It only took a few minutes.”

She winked at Nathaniel triumphantly.

“Nathaniel, am I super talented?”

Nathaniel chuckled.

“Yeah, our Emily is the best.”

Emily’s confidence soared after hearing his compliment. She pulled out her phone and started a live stream.

She held the glue-soaked jade bracelet directly in front of the camera.

“Trust me, everyone! Antique restoration sounds high-end and mysterious, but with a bottle of super glue, you can conquer the world!”

“Look at this warm, thousand-year-old jade bracelet I just repaired! I learned it all myself, and it worked the first time.”

The comment section exploded.

[Open! It’s really open this time!]

[Help, quickly find Tingge Jianbao and see!]

The number of viewers surged to tens of thousands within minutes, and her popularity skyrocketed.

Nathaniel glanced at me coldly, then picked up his phone and scrolled through ten notifications.

“Emily, Nathaniel will always support you.”

The assistant’s face went pale as he stared at the livestream.

“Mr. Mercer, something’s wrong. Emily’s livestream has gone viral. Will someone see it?”

“Should we ask her to turn it off now?”

I shook my head.

“It’s too late.”

The jade bracelet is a family heirloom of the Quinn family of Northford, considered the family’s lifeblood. The Quinn family’s businesses span the globe, making them top players in the world of antiques. I was doing the Quinn family a favor for free, helping expand their business.

In my previous life, after Emily smashed the jade bracelet, I knelt before the Quinn family and confessed my guilt, even having a gun held to my head. It was precisely because of this favor that Alexander Quinn agreed to settle the matter with 200 million in compensation.

Calling the police was already showing mercy. Offending the Quinn family is far more serious than just paying a fine.

As I was thinking this, my phone rang. I looked at the number and respectfully pressed the answer.

“Vivian, I saw my bracelet online. Some genius beauty restorer doing a livestream with a thousand-year-old jade bracelet? What’s going on?”

Cold sweat broke out in my palms.

“Alexander, I—”

Before I could finish, Emily snatched the phone away.

“Hello, Alexander! I’m Emily, and I’m the genius restorer you’re talking about!”

“Emily fixed your bracelet for you. Vivian didn’t help at all.”

Alexander’s voice was unmistakable.

“Oh? You call that repair?”

Emily nodded excitedly.

“Yes, yes, how can it not be considered a repair? Little Davenport worked incredibly hard to help Alexander glue the jade bracelet back together.”

There was a long silence on the other end of the line.

“Little Mercer, I want to see the bracelet intact by 2:00 PM. Otherwise… you know the consequences.”

I was about to reply when Emily quickly interrupted.

“Don’t worry, Alexander! Little Davenport will take care of it!”

The phone hung up.

Emily happily spun Nathaniel around, still boasting.

“See, Vivian loves to make a fuss! Alexander is so kind, there’s no need for compensation.”

I was completely speechless and turned to instruct the assistant.

“Notify everyone that we’re leaving early today. Emily will personally deliver the jade bracelet to the Quinn family.”

The assistant clutched her chest and breathed a sigh of relief, clearly grateful. I packed my things and was about to drive home when Nathaniel pulled Emily into the backseat.

“Take us to the Quinn residence.”

He spoke in an imperative tone.

I laughed in anger.

“Why?”

Nathaniel squinted at me.

“Alexander specifically asked you to return the bracelet. How could you not be there?”

He paused.

“Also, what exactly are the consequences Alexander mentioned? Will Emily be in danger?”

I’d occasionally mentioned the Quinn family to him, and it seemed he was somewhat concerned. My tone was playful.