I was locked in a dark room, screaming for help until my throat burned. No one came. The only answer was Devon’s laughter through the door. “You’ve stolen my company and murdered my father,” he said.
“You’ve even locked me up. ”
“I was wrong,” I sobbed. “I shouldn’t have married you. I’ve brought this upon myself.
”
“Vivian, just go to hell. ”
Then Stella’s voice joined in. “Devon, since we have her company, let’s get rid of her. ”
They were going to announce that I couldn’t live with my disability and killed myself.
That was how they planned to end me. But as I felt myself fading, I heard another voice, desperate and broken. Colton broke in, pulling me to safety. “If I’d known Devon was such a jerk, I would have done anything to take you away.
”
I remembered then. I had called off my engagement with Colton to marry Devon. I’d nearly given my father a heart attack. And in the end, Devon had drugged me and injected me with a muscle atrophy drug that destroyed my legs.
When I opened my eyes, I wasn’t in that room anymore. I checked the date. 2025. I had been sent back three years.
Back to before I ever married Devon Harrison. That day, my father brought Devon home. Mr. Harrison and my dad went way back.
Since the Harrison family was in trouble, they had nowhere to stay, so they came to live with us. “Devon is a top student. He can tutor you with your coursework. You must learn from him,” my dad said.
I looked at Devon, the man who would one day try to kill me. Back then, I fell for him at first sight. I hid my identity as the George family’s heiress, acted like an ordinary employee, and even made him the general manager of the George Group in secret. This time, I was taking back what was mine.
I started with small rebellions. When Devon tried to punish me at work by making me Stella’s assistant, I refused. “Who gave you the right for that? ” I asked.
“Vivian, are you crazy? Devon is the general manager. How dare you talk to him like that? ”
“That’s right.
You’re just a daughter of his driver. It’s your honor to be Stella’s assistant. ”
“Is that what you told them? ” I asked Devon.
“That I’m your driver’s daughter? ”
I kept pushing. When Devon tried to humiliate me by making me buy coffee for the office, I poured it all over his head instead. “Enjoy your coffee, Mr.
Harrison. ”
He couldn’t fire me. He didn’t have the authority. I was the heiress.
He was just the kept man my father had taken in. When he tried to make me walk home from work, I had my own driver pick me up. When he threatened to call off our wedding, I laughed. “The wedding?
Oh right. In order to marry Devon, I threatened to kill myself. Not anymore. ”
I drove to the airport, where Colton Scott was about to leave the country.
In my past life, I’d ignored this man who actually cared about me. I wasn’t going to make that mistake again. “Colton,” I called out. He turned, his expression cold.
“Our engagement is off. What more do you want? ”
“I like you,” I said. “I’m serious this time.
”
“If you’re doing this for the project your father wants, I can give it to him. You don’t have to lie to me. ”
“Meet me at the Imperial Club at seven tomorrow. I’ll make you believe me.
”
I took his passport so he couldn’t run. The next night, I booked the largest hall at the club. But Devon, thinking the booking was for his birthday, held his party there with all his office sycophants. I walked in with Colton.
The office gossips whispered, confused that I wasn’t groveling at Devon’s feet. When the bill came, it was five million dollars. Devon couldn’t pay it. “You’d better pay the bill,” I said.
“Why should I? I didn’t throw this party. ”
The waitress turned to me. “Boss, someone’s trying to skip out on the bill.
How should we handle this? ”
The entire room went silent. They’d just learned that I owned the Imperial Club. Devon begged me to pay.
I refused. “Use one of your unlimited credit cards,” I told him. “You have plenty. ”
Remember to pay the credit card bill.
I won’t give you a single dime, Devon. You’ll pay the price for your greed. Later that night, I took Colton aside. “Let’s get married.
”
“Don’t toy with me,” he said. “I’ll take it seriously. ”
“I mean it. We can get married tomorrow.
”
He finally smiled, and it was the first time I’d seen genuine warmth from him in this life. I asked him to cancel the Scott Group’s collaboration with Devon. He did, without hesitation. Devon was furious, but there was nothing he could do.
His precious image was crumbling. I kept cutting him off. I clawed back everything he’d stolen in my past life. I cut off his funds, fired his relatives from the George Group, and removed him from his position as general manager.
“You want to marry me? ” I asked him. “Show me some sincerity first. ”
“Vivian, I was wrong.
I love you. I don’t care about my position at all. As long as I can marry you, I’ll do anything. ”
“On our wedding day,” I told him, “I’ll give you a satisfactory answer.
”
He thought he was winning. He thought I still loved him. He didn’t know I was seeing his true face, the one he showed when I wasn’t around. “Once I get your shares, your good days will be over,” he muttered, not knowing I could hear.
He thought he’d drug me at the investment banquet and make me look like a fool in front of everyone. I replaced all the drinks with unopened ones. I used outsourced staff and had my own people supervise. “Devon, just bring it on,” I whispered.
He didn’t get his chance. Stella tried to inject me, but I was ready. I had her taken to a hotel room instead. “I came as soon as I got your message,” Colton said.
“I’m fine,” I told him. “Don’t worry about it. ”
The wedding day arrived. The invitations had my name, but the groom’s name was left blank.
Devon stood at the altar, expecting me to hand him my shares. Instead, I announced to everyone: “Today, I will transfer all my shares of the George Group to my husband unconditionally. From now on, my husband will take over the George Group. ”
Devon grinned, reaching for the agreement.
“All right, just give me the agreement for me to sign. ”
I pulled it back. “Don’t flatter yourself. You’re not the one I’m marrying.
”
“You’re making a mistake,” he warned. “In this city, only I am willing to marry you. ”
“I don’t need your willingness. My husband will be here soon.
”
“Do you think that idiot you’ve been hanging out with will show up? ” Devon sneered. The doors opened. Colton walked in, dressed in a suit that cost more than Devon’s entire wardrobe.
He was carrying a box of top-tier gifts. “That’s right,” I said. “Colton Scott is my fiancé. ”
Devon’s face went white.
“He’s just a kept man. He’s just an actor Vivian hired. ”
“No,” I said. “You’ve been impersonating me for so long.
Now, it’s time to tell them the truth. I am the real heiress of the George Group. You stole my identity and tried to force me into signing the equity transfer agreement just to steal my property. ”
The crowd turned on Devon.
He had nothing. He was nothing. “I finally married you,” Colton said softly, after we said our vows. “You have no idea how happy I am.
”
“Tell me,” I asked. “When did you start liking me? ”
“A long, long time ago. ”
After the wedding, Devon was broke.
He showed up at the George Group like nothing happened. Security stopped him. “Didn’t you see the sign? Devon and dogs aren’t allowed in.
”
“I’m the general manager here! Who gave you the right to stop me? ”
“I did,” I said. “And the board unanimously decided to fire you.
”
“You can’t do this! My father and I need this job. ”
“What’s that got to do with me? ”
Devon lost everything.
Stella, the woman he’d used, ended up crippled and in debt. He took her savings, made her the legal representative of his fraudulent company, and left her to rot. I had him investigated. The Harrison Group was built on falsified capital and loan fraud.
He thought he was going to partner with the Scott Group, but Colton had already turned him away. “Just get out,” Colton told him. “I don’t want to see you again. ”
Devon had nothing left.
His credit was ruined. His accounts were frozen. The loan sharks were after his father. He came to me one last time.
“Vivian, I’m here to beg for your forgiveness. I’ll do anything for you. I’ll be devoted to you. ”
“Do you want me or do you want my money?
”
“Of course I want you. ”
“The George Group was built by my father. My husband and I run it now. It’s none of your business.
”
“It’s you,” Devon snarled. “It’s all your fault. You’ll be done for. ”
He didn’t get the chance.
Police arrested him for murder, for his father’s death. He’d tried to kill me, but in the end, he only destroyed himself. I was in the hospital with Colton after everything, watching him sleep. He’d been hurt, and for a moment, I thought I’d lose him too.
“Colton, please wake up. As long as you wake up, I’ll do anything you say. I won’t be selfish anymore. ”
He opened his eyes.
“I had this horrible dream. It’s a world without you. ”
“It’s all over now,” I said, taking his hand. “From now on, the baby and I will always be with you.
”
“Baby? ” He looked at me, disbelieving. “You’re going to be a father.
”
Colton smiled, and for the first time in three lives, I felt like I finally had everything I’d been missing.
