Jason looked down at me with contempt,
“Hannah, if you had half her decency…
Before he could finish, Lily gently took
Jason’s arm, “Jason, don’t be angry. I believe
one day, Sister will forgive me.”
Jason embraced Lily, his affection palpable.
“Let’s go see a doctor. Don’t want you to
have any lasting injuries!”
Before leaving, he shot me a threatening look,
“Hannah, mind your own business! If you bully
Lily again, I can’t guarantee our engagement
く
will go ahead.”
He swept Lily away.
That evening, the birthday party started, but
Lily and Jason were nowhere to be seen.
They arrived late, just as the party was
winding down, leaving only close friends and
a few business associates.
Lily wore a new dress, her cheeks flushed, her
lips swollen.
Jason was beaming, his open shirt revealing a
hint of red marks.
Everyone understood what had happened,
their knowing glances sweeping over me. Only
my closest friends shook their heads, looking
worried.
In my past life, I would have immediately
slapped Lily.
But now, I simply sipped my tea.
Jason protectively put Lily behind him,
expecting a confrontation.
く
Seeing my indifference, he frowned, annoyed.
Lily pulled Jason close and kissed him,
oblivious to everyone else. Jason didn’t resist,
letting her sit on his lap.
Their blatant display was none of my
business.
But my best friend, Sarah, couldn’t take it
anymore. She pulled them apart, “Lily, Jason.
is practically Hannah’s fiancé! Don’t you have
any shame?!”
Before Lily could respond, Jason exploded.
“Sarah? I remember your family has several
projects with Zhou Corporation’s investment.
What gives you the right to say that?”
“Let me tell you, Hannah hasn’t said anything,
so you don’t get to lecture me!”
“Jason, watch your tongue.”
Sarah was loyal to me, and I wouldn’t allow
him to insult her.
“Mr. Zhou Senior is still alive. How can you be
<
so sure I chose you, and you’ll get that 20%
stake?”
Jason was stunned, then burst into laughter.
“Are you trying to spite me? Everyone knows
you’re obsessed with me, and you’ll only
marry me.”
“And look at the other Zhou heirs. My second
sister is married overseas, my third sister
locks herself in her room, creating art; my
fourth brother is in prison. Are you planning
to join him?”
He continued, “Whatever your reasons,
Hannah, I hope you understand, the past is
the past. No amount of anger will bring your
mother back. Let’s just move on.”
“Lily is innocent.”
Innocent? I scoffed.
When my mother was pregnant, Lily’s mother
and Lily confronted us.
Lily claimed my father had forced her mother
<
and abandoned her, accusing my mother of
being a homewrecker.
During the argument, they pushed my mother
down the stairs, resulting in the death of my mother and unborn sibling.
Later, it was revealed that Lily wasn’t my
father’s daughter.
She was the child of my deceased uncle, a
notorious playboy.
Lily’s mother was a bar hostess.
Innocent? My mother and my unborn sibling
were the truly innocent ones.
Lost in thought, I was silent.
Jason, mistaking my silence for acceptance,
said, “By the way, happy birthday.”
He casually took off his tie and threw it at
- me.
“Here, this is your present.”
Lily said immediately, “Jason, do you think
she’ll like it? She won’t blame me for stealing
<
her gift, will she?”
She loosened her collar, revealing a necklace. Jason reassured her, “Don’t worry. She
doesn’t like anything. She only likes things I’ve
worn.”
“Besides, what do you mean ‘originally hers‘?
Once it’s yours, it’s yours.”
They laughed derisively.
The tie landed on my face, like a slap.
I was utterly bored.
In my past life, I did love collecting things
Jason had worn.
His ring when we first met, his tie at our
wedding, his watch at his inauguration… I
kept them all in beautiful boxes, as tokens of
our relationship.
He laughed at me, saying they were trash he
discarded after wearing once, and only I
would treasure them.
Things become precious because of the
<
emotions attached to them. He didn’t love
me, so he couldn’t understand.
I sighed, picked up the tie, and tossed it into
a nearby trash can.
“Trash belongs in the trash.”
Jason flew into a rage. “Fine, Hannah, just wait until our wedding is postponed!”
That night, Lily and I returned home together, Lily beaming.
“Sister, even if you marry Jason, you’ll only have him, not his heart. Or maybe, he won’t
even want to touch you.”
Without Jason, she finally dropped the
innocent mask.
“I could get your mother killed; I can certainly steal Jason away. Hannah, you just wait,
everything that’s yours will eventually be
mine!”
She thought she’d provoke me, but I merely
glanced at her.
<
“Then I wish you luck in moving out of the
maid’s quarters soon.”
I ignored her and went inside. My grandfather
told me the fifth son was still considering his decision.
Jason probably forgot he even had a younger brother.
Mr. Zhou had a daughter who gave up her inheritance to become a police officer because of her love for a policeman. They died together in action, leaving behind their
son.
This caused great conflict between father and
daughter.
After his daughter’s death, Mr. Zhou felt
immense regret. However, his grandson rarely
visited the family home.
After I reminded him, he also realized how
much he’d failed to support his daughter and
grandson.
L
Even if he didn’t marry me, Mr. Zhou would
leave a portion of his estate to his grandson. Jason was aiming for complete control of
Zhou Corporation, unaware that it was impossible.
I was very much looking forward to seeing how Jason’s life would unfold this time.
