Chapter 5

Julian narrowed his eyes, gently pinching my chin.

Seeing how easily the situation had turned, Charles’s voice filled with joy over the phone.

"Deal."

He didn't care who Tristan married; he only cared about his own profits.

As expected, Tristan called me shortly after. His voice was hoarse and dripping with pain.

"Sera! I will never marry you! Don't even dream of it!"

"I’m impressed you still have the energy to scream at me."

Tristan had grown up being beaten by his father, only rebelling once he became an adult.

In the past, I used to hate Charles’s harsh parenting. Whenever Tristan was beaten and locked up, I would sneak in to bring him medicine.

"The more you don't want to do something, the more I’ll make you do it," I laughed softly. "I’ll be waiting for you to beg me to marry you."

Because of Tristan’s constant delays, his family’s company began to fracture from within.

I spent my days peacefully in my new apartment, watering flowers and reading books. Meanwhile, Tristan was running around frantically, trying to make up for the financial damage my 5% shares could cause.

Julian stayed by my side, making every day peaceful and sweet.

He personally dried my wet hair, lifting me up to sit on the counter.

"Sera, it’s time for him to come beg."

Under pressure from his father, Tristan finally agreed to marry me.

Charles arranged a private meeting for us.

Tristan glared at me, his eyes filled with a rage that wanted to tear me to pieces.

I took a sip of my tea. "Mr. Charles, Tristan doesn't seem very willing. Let's just forget it. I don't like forcing people."

Charles immediately stood up. "To marry a girl as beautiful and talented as you is his blessing! How could he be unwilling?"

Charles left the room to let us talk privately, giving Tristan a warning look before he closed the door.

"Tell me, what do you actually want?" Tristan smashed his teacup onto the table, his eyes burning with hatred.

"Didn't you say you loved me? Otherwise, I wouldn't have lied to you... and pushed you to this point."

Irritated by my words, Tristan stood up to leave.

"Go ahead. The moment you walk out that door, I’ll dump my shares into the open market."

Tristan slammed his fist on the table in frustration. Before he could throw another tantrum, I spoke quietly, "Call Melanie. Tell her the good news about our wedding."

Tristan’s throat bobbed. He suppressed his rage, looking conflicted and miserable.

"You need to think this through."

When Melanie, who was still in the detention center, heard the news, she screamed and almost passed out.

I took the phone from Tristan's hand, listening to her hysterical cries with a cold smile.

"Melanie, this is how it feels to have what belongs to you stolen. Do you like it?"

On the day we went to try on wedding dresses, Tristan handed me a share transfer agreement. "Sign this now, and we’ll get married."

His tone was incredibly cold, making me burst out laughing.

"You seem to have forgotten, Tristan. I’m the one holding all the cards here."

Tristan frowned. "Then what do you want?"

I looked at the faint, pale ring mark on my finger, tilting my head. "Go find the engagement ring you made me throw off the cliff."

"The moment you bring it back is the moment I sign this contract."

I walked into the dressing room alone. I saw Julian standing inside, his long eyelashes casting a shadow over his dark, silent eyes.

I pulled the curtain shut. Julian stepped forward, wrapping his arms tightly around my waist from behind.

"The wedding dress is beautiful. I wish you’d only wear it for me."

Looking at my reflection in the mirror, the scars on my shoulders were hard to hide.

Julian suddenly leaned down and pressed a deep kiss against my scar.

I gasped, quickly covering my mouth with my hand.

At that moment, the sound of Tristan’s leather shoes echoed outside the dressing room.

"Sera, I’ll go find the ring. You better keep your word."

Seeing my tense expression, Julian smirked. He pressed closer to my lower back, his breath warm against my ear. "Sera, do you like this?"

Overwhelmed by the sensation, I couldn't find the strength to answer Tristan. I bit my lip and glared at Julian.

Hearing no response, Tristan reached out to pull back the curtain.

"Are you in there?"

I couldn't take it anymore. I leaned forward and bit Julian's hand.

"Stop it!"

Julian let out a low chuckle, his handsome face filled with dark amusement.

"I’m changing... Tristan, I want you to personally find that ring and bring it back to me."

I followed Tristan to the highway cliff. I watched him use climbing gear to go down the cliff again and again, searching through the mud and rocks only to return empty-handed.

Eventually, I got bored and left him there.

Later, the hospital contacted me saying Tristan had lost his footing, tumbled down the cliff, and stayed trapped there all night. Fortunately, he was rescued.

I walked into his hospital room at a leisurely pace. He was covered in bruises, his leg wrapped in a thick cast.

"Did you find it?"

Tristan coughed violently. "No. I couldn't find it."

I curled my lips into a sweet, innocent smile. "Of course you couldn't. I had my people retrieve it days ago."

"Sera! You played me!" He tried to sit up in anger, but I pressed him back down by his injured shoulder.

"Tristan, remember this feeling. This is what it feels like to be played. Does it feel good?"

His eyes were filled with a chaotic mix of emotions as he stared at me. He seemed to remember that rainy day on the cliff.

After a long silence, his lips parted. "I’m sorry..."

I had waited so long for this apology. But now, it felt incredibly cheap.

"Throwing something away is so easy, Tristan. But trying to find it again? It's harder than climbing to heaven."

I loosened my grip on the lawsuit, allowing Melanie to be released on bail.

If she stayed locked up, the game wouldn't be fun anymore.

The moment Melanie was released, she threw a massive tantrum. She tried to go to Tristan's house multiple times, but Charles blocked her every single time.

She was furious but had no way to vent. The current situation was too tense, and her family didn't dare let her make a scene that would attract the media.

In desperation, Melanie staged a suicide attempt by pretending to take an overdose.

Of course, it was just a show. Unfortunately for her, it barely made a splash.

When I heard the news, I walked into her hospital room. The moment she saw me, she grabbed a flower vase and threw it straight at my head.

Arthur stood by her side, his face cold and disappointed. Looking at the chaotic state of the family, his patience had worn thin.

"Sera, look at what you’ve done to this family! Do you even respect me as your father?!"

Since he asked, I decided to be completely honest.

"Do you even deserve to be called my father? From the moment you helped Melanie steal everything I worked for, crushing my dreams into the dirt, you should have known our relationship was dead."

I had recently discovered through a private investigator that Melanie was only a year younger than me.

That meant while my mother was dying of cancer in her hospital bed, Arthur was already sleeping with Vivian.

When I was five, they moved into our house, taking over my mother’s room and belongings.

Because Melanie was jealous of my talent in dancing when we were children, she staged a "car accident" that crushed my bones, ensuring I could never dance again. She had spent her entire life trying to eliminate me.

"I only called you 'Dad' out of respect for giving me life. But do you deserve it? This cold, rotten family makes me sick."

Arthur's blood pressure spiked, and he clutched the hospital bed, gasping for air.

"I’ve already sent the legal severance agreement to the house. You better sign it."

I looked at him coldly.

"Otherwise, if any 'accidents' happen to you, I will fight with everything I have to take every single penny of your inheritance and spend it all."

"You better stay alive, because I have a massive gift waiting for you all."