Nadia Young was once the most dazzling person in all of Bayfort. She was unbound and unpredictable like the wind, loving passionately and living wildly with unrestrained exuberance.

Yet, she ended up marrying Clive Gibson, who was the complete opposite of her—strict, disciplined, and meticulous. He was also a wealthy tycoon in the business industry.

Clive was like a very precise machine that left no margin for error. He demanded perfection from both himself and his lifetime partner.

Nadia loved going where the excitement was. She often went clubbing and went out with male escorts. Hence, Clive forced every entertainment hub in the city to blacklist her and prevent her from ever entering their premises.

Nadia loved freedom, travelling to the ends of the earth to enjoy bathing in the sun, watching the aurora borealis in the night, and going racecar driving or cliff diving wherever she wanted. So, Clive took away her passport and restricted her movements.

Nadia loved taking photographs and landscape painting, but Clive regarded them as a waste of time. So, he confiscated her beloved cameras and paintbrushes, sealing them away for good.

Nadia was on the verge of losing it. With no other choice, she was forced to mold herself into his perfect wife, obeying every single rule Clive imposed on her.

Still, no matter how hard she tried, some people would still poke fun at her and call her a wild woman.

Once, at an event, Nadia finally lost her temper and got into a petty catfight with the other women who poked fun at her.

Clive heard of the commotion and appeared at the scene. However, with everyone's eyes on him, whispering and gossiping amongst each other, he never defended Nadia at all. Instead, he apologized to the perpetrators and calmly said, "I apologize for her behavior. It was my fault for not training her properly. Indeed, she doesn't know how to behave in public."

At that moment, Nadia felt as though she'd just been struck by lightning. Her blood froze completely.

She'd sacrificed most of her life only to prove that Clive Gibson didn't love her.

After that, she got into an accident that brought her short yet repressed life to an end.

…

When Nadia opened her eyes again, she realized that she'd been given a second chance at life.

It was now a few more days before her wedding to Clive. Nadia looked at her bright, vibrant, and still hopeful face in the mirror and felt her heart beating wildly in her chest that still longed for freedom.

She took a deep breath.

This time, she didn't want Clive or his so-called suffocating love anymore. She wanted to be herself again. She wanted to be the Nadia who was wild, vibrant, and free once again.

The first thing she did was to rush downstairs and look for her father, Hector Young, who was having his breakfast.

"I want to call off my engagement to Clive Gibson!"

Hector's hand trembled, nearly dropping his spoon. He quickly looked up and flew into a temper. "What nonsense are you talking about again? I've always ignored it when you behaved so wilfully in the past, but don't you know how many people would die for the chance to marry into the Gibson family?

"Don't you know just how brilliant Clive is? He has the power, wealth, status, and looks. Everything about him is extremely hard to come by!"

Nadia looked at Hector, who looked ready to stuff her into a box and hand-deliver her to the Gibson family at once. She scoffed secretly and said, "Since he's all that, why don't you let that dear bastard daughter of yours marry him instead? I'll give up and let her get engaged to him."

Hector froze at once when he heard Nadia's words. Then, his facial expression eventually turned to that of glee. "What… What did you just say? You're really willing to give the chance to your sister?"

"Yeah. You've always liked your bastard daughter and the woman you brought in to wreck our home anyway. You brought Celia up to be so well-mannered and well-behaved, even spending so much money on her to turn her into a classy lady. She'd be perfect to marry into the Gibson family to be Clive's wife."

"You!"

Hector's face turned livid with rage. He chided, "Don't call her my bastard daughter! She is your sister!

"We can't call off the wedding because the engagement between both our families has been set for generations. But since you insist on giving up your place… Then I guess this is the best outcome for now. I'll head over to the Gibsons immediately to discuss the bride swap!"

With that, Hector eagerly got up, grabbed his coat, and walked out of the mansion without even finishing his breakfast.

Nadia found it simply ironic while watching her father pretend to care for her when he was secretly rejoicing as he left.

She didn't say another word and went back upstairs. She grabbed her ID cards and bags, then left the mansion as well.

The first thing she did was to apply for an expedited international visa. Then, she called up her best friend, Kenzie Sanders, and headed straight for the hottest club in the city.

The music was electrifying, the lights were hypnotizing, and the dancing bodies on the floor were mesmerizing. Nadia hadn't felt so free and at home for a very long time.

She pulled Kenzie onto the dance floor and danced to her heart's delight. They also drank as much as they wanted and even got a few top male escorts to accompany them.

Kenzie stared disbelievingly at Nadia, who seemed even more dazzling and unrestrained tonight than she'd ever seen before.

"Naddie, aren't you about to marry into the Gibson family real soon? Clive is known for being very strict and rigid, and his household has hundreds of rules for the family to follow. If he ever finds out that you came out clubbing at a place like this, even getting male escorts and all…

"We can't afford to offend them like this, Naddie! If you're going to get yourself killed, please don't drag me down with you as well!"

Nadia threw her head back and took a large swig of alcohol. The ice-cold liquid burned down her throat and made her feel even more ecstatic than ever.

She grinned and said lazily, "Don't worry. I've already given up my spot to Celia."

"You gave it up?" Kenzie echoed, her eyes widening in shock. "But… But I thought that you'd always liked Clive! Don't you remember how many suitors tried to pursue you in the past, and yet, you turned them all down?

"And then, you said that you fell in love with Clive at first sight after seeing him at the charity event the other night. You even told us that someone as outstanding as him would be worthy of taking your hand in marriage…"

Nadia grinned, but her smile never reached her eyes. Instead, her eyes were frosty as she said, "Liking someone and being suitable for someone are two different matters altogether. Clive and I aren't meant for each other. I won't like him anymore either.

"Love may be precious, but for freedom, I would sacrifice my love. I'm a pretty woman, and I come from a pretty decent family. I believe I can find someone else who is truly meant for me.

"For example…"

Nadia swept her gaze across the male escort next to her and reached out with her finger to lift his chin. Then, she teased, "I mean, these people here look quite delicious to me."

Just as the words were out of her mouth, a cold, deep voice suddenly sounded behind her, obviously very out of place in an environment like this.

"Who did you just say looked delicious to you?"

Chapter 2

Nadia froze and slowly turned her head around, suddenly realizing that Clive was sitting at the table right next to them, and she didn't know how long he'd been there.

He was wearing a black tailored suit, sitting robotically straight and looking untouchable, obviously sticking out like a sore thumb in the noisy, rowdy club.

In fact, he looked as though he had accidentally entered the wrong parallel universe. Everything around him became dull just because of this mighty presence.

Kenzie gasped in shock and immediately sobered up. She cast Nadia a "good luck" look, grabbed her bag, and slinked away at once.

Suddenly, only Nadia and Clive were left staring at each other.

Nadia's finger was still holding the male escort's chin. Clive wouldn't stop glaring at it, his eyes darkening to the point that they looked like infinite black holes.

He took one step forward and grabbed Nadia's wrist. Then, he shot the male escort a threatening glare. "Leave."

The male escort was so terrified by Clive's intimidating presence that he turned pale instantly. He quickly scrambled off, disappearing into the rest of the crowd.

Nadia shook off Clive's hand and nursed her reddened wrist. She glared angrily at Clive. "Clive Gibson! What the hell are you trying to do?"

"I should be the one asking you that question, Nadia Young," Clive responded, his voice as cold as ice. "Why are you at a place like this?"

"I came here because I felt like it," Nadia responded nonchalantly, staring into his eyes as a challenge. "What's that got to do with you?"

Clive's eyes darkened even more when he saw how stubborn and nonchalant Nadia was. A split second later, to Nadia's horror, he bent down, grabbed Nadia by the waist, and slung her over his shoulder, ignoring all of Nadia's screams and protests.

"Clive Gibson! What the hell are you doing! Let me go! Let me go, you bastard!"

Horrified. Nadia kept hitting his back with her fists and wouldn't stop kicking out and struggling in his hands.

However, Clive didn't seem to feel anything at all. He carried her right out of the club, ignoring the rest of the shocked glances cast his way, walking out quickly to his car and stuffing her right into the back of a black Rolls-Royce waiting outside.

"Leave now."

"Yes, Mr. Gibson."

The car began to move. Nadia was so angry that she tugged on the door handle, wanting to jump out of the moving car.

"Nadia!" Clive roared, grabbing her by the wrist again and yanking her back into the seat. "How long are you going to keep making a fuss like this?"

Clive glared at her and spoke in his clear, icy voice. "You are about to marry into the Gibson family. I've given you a volume of all the house rules in the Gibson household. One of the rules stated that you must always be home by 10:00 pm every night. You are also forbidden from patronizing clubs, bars, and other entertainment hubs. Didn't you read them at all?

"You're not allowed to come to places like these anymore. And you will be punished for this. Go home and write a ten-page apology letter to reflect on your behavior tonight!"

A ten-page apology letter? Household rules?

Nadia nearly laughed because of how angry she was. Her chest rose and fell angrily as she wrestled with her anger.

It was precisely those 3,000 stupid household rules that had repressed her all her life in her past life, reducing her to nothing more than a puppet on a string.

She was never going to allow the same thing to happen again this time!

"What apology letter? I'm not going to do it!" Nadia yelled back at him. "And what do your stupid household rules have to do with me? I'm not marrying you anymore!"

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, the entire car descended into silence.

Clive instantly turned around to glare at her, his dark eyes boring holes straight into her head. His face was wrought with disbelief and another conflicted emotion beneath.

After staring at her for a long time, he asked through gritted teeth, "What do you mean by that?"

When Nadia saw him looking at her like that, her urge to spill the beans and confront him suddenly just disappeared. She calmed down instantly.

He hated having her as his fiancee because she was too wild and carefree. But if she let the cat out of the bag too early on in the game and told him that he was marrying someone he would be more delighted with, that would just be letting him off too easily.

She took a deep breath, recalling the repression he'd imposed on her in her past life.

She wanted him to put up with the bitterness and suffering of still thinking that she was going to be his bride, just so that she could torture him a while longer.

At the thought of that, she forced herself to withdraw her emotion and instead looked out of the window. She mumbled, "Nothing. I was just talking nonsense."

Clive observed her for a short while, the darkness in his eyes diminishing by just a little. However, he still spoke to her in a demanding manner. "Sit properly."

Nadia watched Clive still maintaining his robotic posture even at the height of his anger, without losing his composure at all. She also thought about all the suffocating rules in his household and suddenly hated him even more.

She was going to rebel as much as she could this time.

As such, Nadia sat sideways on the seat on purpose, kicked off her high heels, and stomped on the cashmere carpet on the floor with her bare feet. She also rolled down the car windows and let the wind blow her neatly-styled curls into a mess.

She was going to be as wild and rebellious as she could. She didn't give a shit about "proper etiquette", and she definitely wasn't going to care about her image either!

This was the real Nadia after all.

Clive frowned hard as he watched Nadia behaving like she didn't belong in the luxurious car with the heavy atmosphere hanging in the air. Still, he never said a word to her.

The car came to a stop at the Young residence. Nadia pulled on the door handle, getting ready to get out, but Clive's cold voice sounded again behind her.

"Nadia. The ten-page apology letter. Give it to me tomorrow."

Then, Clive told his driver to drive off.

Nadia watched the taillights of the car disappear into the night and kicked angrily at the stones at the side of the road.

Chapter 3

Nadia turned and walked into the mansion. As soon as she walked in, she saw Hector, his mistress, Ruby Lacewin, and her daughter, Celia Young, all seated on the couch in the living room, obviously waiting for her return.

Hector's face immediately turned grim when he saw Nadia reeking of alcohol and looking a disheveled sight. "Where the hell did you go again just now? How dare you come home so late at night? And why are you dressed in these revealing clothes?"

Nadia couldn't be bothered to waste her breath arguing with him. She headed straight for the stairs and said, "I already said that I wasn't going to marry him. And it's my freedom to go wherever I want and wear whatever I want!"

Celia got up just then and walked up to Nadia, her face looking just the slightest bit delighted. "Nadia, Dad told me that… that you've decided to let me get engaged to Clive instead. Is that true?"

Nadia looked at Celia's pretense and felt utterly disgusted. "Yeah, yeah. You can have him. You like picking up other people's trash anyway, don't you?"

"Nadia Young! Stop talking nonsense!" Hector roared. "Don't you know how many people would die to have Clive as their son-in-law? It is our greatest honor that his family even considered having a marriage alliance with us!

"Let me tell you that I have already discussed with the Gibsons about replacing you with Celia, and they are even more satisfied with that! I hope that you won't regret your decision later!"

Nadia chuckled lightly and said in a determined voice, "Don't worry. I'll never regret what I said."

Hearing that, Ruby sighed and said in a sarcastic tone, "Look, Nadia, it's not that I want to criticize you or anything, but you're a little too wild and aggressive for your own good. Once you give up your spot to marry into the Gibson family, I bet nobody else would dare to marry you…"

Nadia's eyes darkened. Her pretty almond eyes turned sharp as she barked, "And who the hell do you think you are? Who makes you think that you even have the right to say anything about me? You're nothing but a homewrecker—no, you're a shameless bitch—so why don't you be more concerned about your dear daughter instead?

"After all, it still depends on your skill whether you can hold on to what you stole from others or not! Who knows, you might even lose out on both sides and end up with nothing!"

Ruby went white with anger. Hector was burning with fury and was on the verge of yelling back at Nadia, but Nadia didn't want to waste her time with them anymore. She just turned and stormed up the stairs and went back to her own room.

The next morning, Nadia hadn't even woken up yet when Clive suddenly came looking for her.

He was still as cold and aloof as ever, without a single hair out of place. As soon as he saw Nadia, he asked, "Where's the apology letter?"

Nadia leaned lazily against the doorframe, her pajamas slipping off her shoulder and exposing her collarbone as she yawned loudly in his face. "I never wrote it, and I'll never write anything like it, ever."

Clive's expression darkened at once. He sounded extremely displeased as he questioned, "When will you finally learn to be obedient, Nadia Young?"

"I was born this way," Nadia said, meeting his gaze, her eyes filled with unrestrainedness. "You want me to be obedient? Never. I hate being told what to do."

"You—"

Just as the atmosphere was getting tense between the two of them, Celia walked up to them and interrupted them.

She was wearing a plain yet elegant dress, looking very classy and presentable. There was also a gentle smile on her face.

"Don't blame Nadia for last night, Clive," Celia said, her voice soft and sweet as he handed him a stack of papers filled with her neat handwriting. "I think Nadia only went clubbing yesterday because she was in a bad mood. This is the apology letter I wrote on her behalf. Would that do for you?"

Clive took the letter from Celia and briefly glanced through it. Then, he looked at Nadia again with even more disappointment in his eyes.

"See what your sister can do? And look at you! I can't believe that you both had the same type of upbringing in the family. Can't you be more understanding and obedient like your sister?

"Fine. I'll forget about last night. But you're not allowed to make the same mistakes again. Now change out of your pajamas and come with me to a business cocktail party later," Clive said.

Nadia rejected it without hesitation. "I'm not going. Bring Celia with you instead. Doesn't she fit your requirements more than me?"

Clive frowned hard. "Nadia Young! You're the fiancee I've chosen for myself!"

The sentence plunged right into Nadia's heart like a knife.

She understood now. He was marrying her not because he liked her and wanted to be with her, but because the engagement was between them both, and he refused to go back on his word.

In other words, it had absolutely nothing to do with whether or not he even liked her as a person.

If Clive had the freedom to choose, he would probably have picked Celia over her a long time ago.

So, this time, Nadia was going to let him have his way.

Celia quickly intervened in her gentle tone, "Clive, I think it's because Nadia still isn't used to events like these. Maybe… Maybe I could accompany her, and we could both go with you. And if Nadia isn't too sure about what to do, I can always remind her discreetly by her side."

Then, she hooked her arm around Nadia's and dragged her up the stairs. "Come, Nadia. I'll pick out a dress for you."

As soon as they were back inside the room, Nadia shook Celia's arm off and glared at her icily. "There's nobody else here now, so you can stop it with all your sisterly act now."

The warmth on Celia's face disappeared. However, she remained calm as she said, "You're mistaken, Nadia. I'm really trying to mend my relationship with you."

"Mend our relationship? Impossible! Unless you're dead! Oh, no, even if you were dead, I'd go over to your grave and throw a massive party to celebrate. It'd be even better if you could bring that homewrecking mother of yours as well!"

Celia's face turned livid with anger. She finally hit back at Nadia and yelled, "Don't cross the line, Nadia Young! Did you really think that I wanted to make amends with you in the first place?

"I'm telling you, when Clive finds out that I'm replacing you as his bride, he'll be even more satisfied and happier than he'd ever be with you! Someone as wild and unruly as you don't even deserve him!"

"Really?" Naida asked, cocking an eyebrow at her. Her tone turned sarcastic as she asked, "If that's the case, then why didn't you just tell him straight in the face that his bride was going to be swapped out, hmm?

"Is it because you don't have the confidence that he wouldn't call off the engagement completely because he didn't want you?"

Chapter 4

"Nonsense!" Celia exclaimed, behaving like Nadia had just stepped on her tail. She screamed at the top of her voice, "Clive will be absolutely delighted after finding out that I'll replace you as his bride!

"I'm only not telling him now because I want it to be a surprise at the wedding! So, you'd better keep your mouth shut about it if you know what's good for you!"

"Don't worry about that. I have absolutely zero interest in the love life between you and your new fiance," Nadia said.

This time, she only wanted to be herself for the rest of her life.

However, Nadia was still dragged along to the cocktail party against her wishes that night.

Champagne glasses twinkled under the multiple dazzling chandeliers hanging off the ceiling, reflecting the glow of a thousand shining stars on the guests' attire.

Nadia had chosen to wear a red bareback dress that contrasted significantly with the pure white gown Celia had chosen for herself.

When it was time to dance, Clive's gaze hovered between Nadia and Celia before he offered his hand to Celia instead.

A murmur immediately rose from the crowd.

"Wait, isn't Ms. Nadia Mr. Gibson's fiancee? Why did he choose to dance with her sister instead?"

"Isn't that obvious? Of course it's because Mr. Gibson favors Ms. Celia more than her!"

"That makes sense. Ms. Celia is very elegant and proper. She's smart and talented too. As for Ms. Nadia… Well, she is very pretty, but she's just too wild and unruly. She certainly doesn't deserve to be the lady of the Gibson household, who's known for their strict household etiquette."

Clive pretended that he never heard a word that the guests were whispering among themselves. He looked at Nadia and explained calmly, "You don't know how to waltz properly anyway. This is the time when you should learn from Celia."

Then, he held Celia's hand and walked toward the center of the dance floor.

Clive and Celia looked good together. Their dance was beautiful and elegant, and they drew everybody's attention as they waltzed across the floor.

Nadia watched them dancing under the dazzling lights and found it frustrating. However, she didn't feel an ounce of jealousy at all.

She couldn't be bothered to watch them anymore. She just headed over to the hors d'oeuvres table and picked a few snacks before heading out to the balcony outside the hall for a breath of fresh air.

The night breeze was cool and soothing, easing some frustration of the night.

However, not too long later, a figure appeared and walked up to her.

It was Celia.

Her face was still slightly red from the blush while dancing earlier, and there was a triumphant look in her eyes.

"What are you doing alone out here in the night breeze, Nadia? Was it because you couldn't bear to continue watching me and Clive dancing anymore? Was that why you wanted to hide?" she asked.

She walked up to Nadia and began to gloat. "I told you. Anybody would always choose me over you, including Clive, because I'm more elegant and presentable than you."

She paused for a moment and continued in a low voice, sounding cold and cruel, "But come to think of it, you're such a pitiful being, aren't you? Your mom lost out to my mom, too. And now, you're also losing out to me. I bet this has to be a generational failure of some sort. Don't you think so?"

If Celia had only simply made fun of her, Nadia would never have batted an eye. However, Celia should never have touched a nerve—and that was humiliating Nadia's mother, who'd passed away a long time ago.

Nadia's originally calm eyes turned sharp immediately. She whipped her head to the side and landed a hard slap on Celia's face at once without warning.

Celia got slapped so hard that her entire face was forced to the side. A glowing red handprint was left on her face.

She nursed her face and stared at Nadia in disbelief. "How… How dare you slap me?"

"So what if I slapped you?" Nadia said, taking heavy steps toward her. She was furious, and the fierce look on her face was both icy and frosty as she glared at Celia. "That's not the only thing I dare to do to you. I even dare to kick you to your death!"

She grabbed Celia by her collar and yanked her over to the edge of the balcony. "Who gave you the courage to try and challenge me when it's only the two of us out here? Did you forget that I took multiple self-defense classes since I was young, Celia, and that a bitch who only knows how to act weak like you will never be my match?"

Celia looked at the ground far beneath her. She was angry and frightened. Her voice shot a whole octave higher as she squealed, "You'd never dare, Nadia!"

"I'll show you now if I dare," Nadia said, raising her high-heeled foot and kicking Celia off the balcony.

Celia's shrill scream shot into the night as she lost her balance. She fell heavily against the decorative balustrade on the balcony that broke at once before landing on the ground.

Chapter 5

There was a huge commotion on the ground floor at once, with people screaming and scrabbling to their feet.

Nadia stood by the balcony, coldly watching the crowd that immediately gathered around Celia, who was lying motionless on the ground. She felt nothing at all.

She tidied up her slightly messed-up hair and dress, grabbed the shawl she'd draped over the balustrade earlier, and turned, getting ready to leave the place.

However, she had only just walked out of the decorative doors when someone yanked her wrists.

When she looked back, she immediately met Clive's eyes, which were filled with anger and disbelief.

It was obvious that he had rushed up to her. He was still panting, yet his eyes were locked on her like a predator on a prey. His voice was colder than ice as he questioned, "Celia fell from the balcony. Was that your doing?"

Nadia shook off his hand and admitted it. "Yeah. What's the matter with that?"

Clive's eyes turned as dark as hell's gates. Fire burned in his eyes as he said, "I told you to learn how to behave properly from your sister, and this is what you do to her? How dare you behave like this? Come back with me and apologize to her now!"

"Apologize?" Nadia sounded as though she'd just heard the best joke of the century. "She deserved it! You want me to apologize to her? Over my dead body!"

"You're beyond salvation, Nadia Young!"

Clive didn't waste any more of his breath on her and ordered the bodyguards behind him, "Since you refuse to apologize, then I'm going to teach you a lesson.

"Throw her into the fountain over there. She isn't allowed to come out until I say so! Not until the end of the event!"

"Clive Gibson! Who do you think you are? How dare you touch me!" Nadia scrambled as she struggled.

Clive grabbed her by the wrist again with so much strength that Nadia doubled over in pain. He then stared intently into her eyes and enunciated every word, "Because I am your fiance! And you nearly killed Celia! If I don't teach you a lesson now, your father will only punish you even more when you get back!

"You must be punished! And you're never to make such a fuss ever again!"

"What do you mean you're my fiance! We are—"

Nadia wanted to scream that she wasn't engaged to him anymore, but Clive's bodyguards had already stepped up, grabbed her, and lifted her over their bodies. Then, they threw her into the fountain without another word, despite her screaming and struggling, letting the icy-cold water seep into her bones.

It was early spring, and the water in the fountain was freezing.

Nadia choked on mouthfuls of water and bobbed back onto the surface, trying to get back on land. However, she had only just grabbed hold of the edge when the bodyguard grabbed her and dunked her head under the water.

She kept trying again and again to get out, and each time, the bodyguard would shove her back into the fountain and hold her head underwater.

"Clive Gibson, you piece of shit! Let me back up!"

Nadia wouldn't stop screaming and thrashing, but she just got dunked and held under the water again and again until she felt like she was going to drown.

Her constant struggling eventually wore out all of her energy. The bone-chilling freezing temperature of the fountain was also seeping into her bones, numbing her completely.

Even worse, she suddenly felt a familiar, excruciating pain stirring in her lower abdomen.

She was just having her period.

Bright, crimson blood seeped out from beneath her, quickly turning the water an alarming red color. The red quickly dispersed across the entire fountain, and soon, half the water had been dyed red.

Nadia's face turned pale and white, not just from the cold, but also from the pain.

She began drifting in and out of consciousness. She thought she heard the bodyguard calling someone, and it sounded like Clive.

"Mr. Gibson, Ms. Nadia… Ms. Nadia seems to be on her period. She's bleeding out. Should we stop?"

There was a short silence on the phone. Then, Clive's cold voice sounded, and Nadia could hear everything clearly over the still water.

"Don't stop. Otherwise, she will never learn her lesson."

Learn her lesson?

To Clive, every protest, every suffering, and every act of stubbornness, no matter what her reasons were, meant absolutely nothing to him.

He only wanted Nadia to be docile, obedient, and behave.

The frigid waters suddenly felt like burning lava on her skin, eating into her chest. A wave of despair that was a thousand times more painful than whatever her body was going through began to drown her, just like the water in the fountain.

Her tears dripped into the water soundlessly.

Finally, Nadia couldn't take it anymore. Her vision went black as she completely lost consciousness of the world, slowly sinking to the bottom of the crimson waters around her.

Chapter 6

When Nadia woke up, the first thing that greeted her was the sting of hospital disinfectant.

She opened her eyes and found herself lying in a hospital bed. Someone was holding her hand. She turned and saw Clive, who was sitting next to her bed.

He was holding one of her hands in his, and his eyes, wrought with dark eye-circles, were closed. However, he seemed to realize that she'd woken up and stirred awake as well, opening his eyes at once.

Their gazes met. Clive immediately let go of her hand, the fatigue and perhaps even an apologetic look in his eyes vanishing into thin air immediately. In an instant, Clive was back to his usual coldness and aloofness.

"I've already spoken to your father and apologized on your behalf," he said, his voice calm and emotionless. "He promised not to make things hard for you. But Nadia, you must also promise me that you will never hurt Celia again. She is your sister, after all."

"Why do I need you to apologize for me?" Nadia asked, her hoarse voice dripping with sarcasm. "Also, she's a bastard child who should never have seen the light of day. Someone like her isn't my sister! If we were in the olden times, a person like her wouldn't even be worthy of licking the dust off my shoes!"

Clive frowned. He looked like he was about to say something. Just then, the door was slightly pushed open, and a nurse poked her head into the ward.

"Mr. Gibson? Ms. Celia Young from next door refuses to calm down and keeps asking for you."

Clive got to his feet. He straightened the cuffs on his sleeves and said to Nadia, "I'm going to check on Celia. She only got hurt because of you. And it is right for me to visit her as your fiance."

Nadia felt the corners of her mouth tugging upward. She turned around, facing the window, and said, "Hurry up and leave. That's your real fiancee over there."

Clive froze. He turned around and frowned. "What did you just say?"

Nadia couldn't be bothered to repeat herself. She just pulled the covers over her head, showing him that she was done talking to him.

Clive massaged his forehead when he saw Nadia refuse to talk to him. In the end, he turned back and followed the nurse out of the ward.

A few days later, Nadia was still resting in her ward. She kept hearing bits and pieces of gossip about Clive and Celia from the nurses who came in to check on her every day.

"Mr. Gibson is really concerned about Ms. Celia. He's with her literally every day."

"Exactly! I heard that Ms. Celia really hated bitter medicine and refused to take it, so Mr. Gibson got someone to bring in some imported honey for her."

"I'd say that Mr. Gibson and Ms. Celia were made for each other. They're the perfect pair after all…"

The nurses seemed to have already accepted that the docile and obedient Celia was Clive's actual fiancee instead of Nadia.

Nadia felt nothing when she heard the gossip. In fact, she felt like laughing out loud instead.

She really wanted the entire world to think of them both that way.

On the day Nadia got discharged from the hospital, Clive finally showed up.

He took the discharge papers from the nurses and spoke to Nadia, who was leaning against the bed and scrolling on her phone. "Pack up. I'm sending you back."

"I'm not going back to the Young residence," Nadia said without looking up.

Clive's expression turned dark. His voice was firm and left no room for discussion. "Don't make a fuss, Nadia Young."

He didn't even give her a chance to reject him. He went up to her, grabbed her by the wrist, not too harshly but still commandingly, and dragged her up from the bed. Then, he half-carried and half-dragged her out of the ward before he finally stuffed her inside his car.

The car went straight back to the Young residence. Nadia shook off Clive's hand and stormed up into her room.

However, when Nadia pushed the door open, she felt her blood run cold immediately.

Celia was sitting in front of her dressing table, holding a dazzling sapphire necklace in her hand as she held it against her neck in the mirror.

That necklace was the only thing that her mother had left her after she passed away.

"Who gave you permission to touch my things?" Nadia said, her voice as cold as ice. "Put that down and get out of my room!"

Celia was shocked by Nadia's sudden appearance. However, a mocking smile quickly appeared on her face. She didn't set the necklace down. Instead, she swung it between her fingers and said, "Oh, is this yours? Let me tell you that everything in this house will eventually belong to me!"

"I see that you haven't learned your lesson after getting kicked off the balcony the last time," Nadia said, inching closer and closer to Celia threateningly.

"I was careless the last time," Celia said, smugly and confidently scoffing in Nadia's face. "Did you think that I'd still be afraid of you now?"

Barely after Celia finished speaking, her eyes turned sharp as she grabbed an antique vase from the dressing table and smashed it onto the ground. Then, she sat on the ground and let out a piercing scream.

The loud commotion immediately attracted Hector and Ruby to the scene of the crime.

"What happened?" Hector exclaimed, rushing in at once. When he saw the mess and Celia on the ground surrounded by the broken vase, his face immediately turned purple with anger.

Celia immediately began tearing up. She pointed at Nadia and sobbed loudly. "Daddy… I just… I just wanted to take a closer look at Nadia's necklace… But I didn't think that… I didn't think that she would shove me to the floor…"

"Nadia Young!" Hector roared in fury. Then, without waiting for Nadia to explain her side of the story, Hector marched up to her and slapped her across the face.

The slap was loud, clear, and crisp.

Nadia's cheek swelled at once, smarting.

Her head was cocked to the side. However, she just licked the corner of her lips that had split and laughed.

Chapter 7

"What the hell are you laughing at?" Hector asked. Nadia's laughter sent chills down his spine and somehow made him even angrier than before.

Nadia looked up at him, her eyes as cold as ice. She shot daggers at Celia, who was still pretending to be frail on the ground.

"Don't you just love acting, Celia Young? Alright, let me give you a proper reason to continue acting, then!"

The next instant, Nadia grabbed a metal pen from the dressing table and immediately stabbed it right into the back of Celia's hand, driving it all the way in.

"Ahh!" Celia screamed even louder than before. The tip of the pen had gone straight through her palm, pinning her to the ground at once. Blood spilled everywhere.

"You! You're out of your mind!" Hector roared as he shuddered hard. "Get out of here! Leave! You're no longer welcome in this house!"

He then got the maids to forcefully drag Nadia out of the house, along with the suitcase she'd brought back with her. She was soon locked out of the gate.

Nadia stumbled for a bit before finally finding her footing.

She stretched out her arm that was hurting because of the forceful dragging without any expression on her face. Then, she crouched over and retrieved the sapphire necklace she'd snatched back earlier from the suitcase and held it tightly in her hand.

She cast one final glance at the grand yet heartless mansion behind her and left without any hesitation.

A short while later, the rain started pouring.

Raindrops the size of saucers kept splashing down on her, immediately soaking Nadia to the bones.

Since it was still early spring, the cold rain seeped into her body and made her shiver. She could only run over to the shops on the other side of the road to seek shelter from the rain.

The rain slid down her wet hair and dripped down onto the floor. Nadia hugged her arms and shivered harder as she stared at the pouring rain, feeling the last of her hopes fizzling out in her heart.

Just then, a familiar black Rolls-Royce slowed to a stop before her.

The window was wound down, and Clive's side profile appeared before Nadia's eyes. He saw that Nadia was drenched and shivering under the shop gutters, looking a disheveled mess, and frowned.

He opened the door and got down, walking up to her. "Get in."

"It's none of your business," Nadia said, turning away.

Clive didn't waste another second and grabbed her by the wrist with such strength that Nadia couldn't shake her off even if she tried. Then, she was forcefully dragged into the front passenger seat.

The car's air-conditioning was turned up to the max, and it quickly warmed up her shivering body.

Clive handed her a clean towel before driving off and bringing her back to his own mansion.

He then brought out his clean shirt and long pants for her to change into. Then, he even got a first-aid kit and applied some ointment to the bruise on her face.

"What happened?" Clive asked, his gaze resting on her swollen cheek and her drenched hair, noting that she looked particularly weak.

Nadia pressed her lips together, refusing to say anything.

Just then, the doorbell suddenly rang.

Clive got up to answer the door. As it turned out, Celia was the one standing outside the door, her hand wrapped up in thick bandages, and she looked as pale as a sheet.

"Clive…"

Celia's eyes reddened as soon as she saw him. "Dad chased Nadia out of the house, and I got really worried about her. I know she nearly killed me last time, and she even used a pen to… stab right through my palm this time, but we're still sisters by blood.

"I felt so worried about her, so I came here to find her and bring her home…"

Nadia nearly threw up listening to Celia in the living room.

She went up to Celia at the door and shot her a cold glare. "Celia, if you dare to act so disgustingly in front of me again, I'm going to tear your mouth off. Wanna bet?"

"Nadia!" Clive exclaimed angrily as his face fell. "When will you stop it with your nonsense? You hit her, shoved her, and even stabbed a pen through her hand! None of these is what a proper lady should do!

"Celia is forgiving and doesn't hold it against you. She's even come here to bring you home! Is this how you should be treating her?"

Celia stepped forward and tugged at Clive's sleeve. She then said in a gentle voice, "It's fine, Clive. It'll be alright as long as she comes home with me."

"Apologize to her," Clive demanded, looking at Nadia.

"No way," Nadia shot back determinedly.

They started arguing at the door. Clive tried to grab Nadia, and Nadia shoved him off with all her might.

During the fight, Clive's elbow accidentally bumped against the cupboard next to the door, and a thermal flask of hot, scalding water suddenly toppled and fell to the ground.

The flask exploded upon impact, and boiling water immediately exploded everywhere.

Within a split second, Clive immediately turned to the side and grabbed Celia, who was the closest to him, and pulled her into his embrace, shielding her from the boiling water that mostly splashed onto his back.

Meanwhile, Nadia, who had been standing on the other side, couldn't react in time. The hot water splashed all over her body, scalding her from her arms to her legs. At once, she could feel her skin burning as if her skin was melting into her flesh.

She was in so much pain that she immediately crouched to the ground, her face as pale as a sheet.

Clive quickly checked on Celia, who was in his arms, and saw that she had only been scalded by a few drops of water on the back of her hand, and it had turned slightly red now.

He immediately released her before noticing Nadia curling up in pain next to him.

Her bare skin had turned painfully red and swollen, and it was quite a dreadful sight.

His pupils narrowed at once as he instinctively went to her.

"Clive!" Celia tugged at his sleeve, choking up as she said, "I'm fine. It just hurts a little. But Nadia… Nadia looks like she's been hurt quite terribly. Do you think you should take a look at her injuries first?"

Clive immediately stopped walking toward Nadia. His gaze flitted between Nadia's face, all scrunched up in pain, and Celia's face, full of kindness and understanding. He was quickly reminded of Nadia's "crimes", and his gaze turned cold at once.

He averted his gaze, crouched over, and scooped Celia up in his arms. Then, he said coldly, "There's no need to care about her. She deserves to suffer a little. Otherwise, she will only continue hurting you in the future."

Then, Clive turned and left without sparing a glance at Nadia.

Chapter 8

Nadia sat on the cold, hard floor, the second-degree burns on her skin eating into her nerves.

However, she felt as if someone had just torn a massive hole in her heart, with nothing but a cold draft wafting through it.

She gritted her teeth and put up with the excruciating pain and urge to black out. She searched her pocket for her phone and called the emergency hotline herself.

…

When Nadia was discharged from the hospital, it happened to be during Celia's birthday banquet.

The Young residence was decked out in colorful streamers and balloons, and it was very lively with guests.

Since Nadia was still the eldest daughter of the household, she was forced to attend the banquet as well.

She stood by herself in an elusive corner and watched as Hector brought Celia around with a prideful look, happily introducing her to the rest of his guests and proclaiming that he would soon be making her the heiress of more than half of his wealth and assets.

The guests were all very courteous and even envious of her.

Meanwhile, Nadia felt empty at that sight. She had never once had a birthday celebration of her own.

Her mother had died when she was still very young, and Hector never cared to celebrate Nadia's birthday with her. As far as she could remember, she had always spent her birthdays alone with a cake she bought herself, making silent wishes that nobody knew of.

The banquet was soon at its peak when the guests began presenting their gifts to Celia.

Hector's gift of half his wealth was already astonishing enough. However, Clive then took out a silk box and retrieved a diamond necklace that looked extremely priceless before personally clasping it around Celia's neck.

Everyone in the hall gasped in surprise.

Celia looked absolutely happy and glowing, and she kept glancing in Nadia's direction from time to time with a smug look in her eyes.

Nadia couldn't be bothered to continue watching anymore. She quietly made her way to the buffet table and grabbed a glass of liquor before downing everything in one shot, trying to numb her emotions and drown her feelings in alcohol.

Yet, more trouble was afoot.

A few of Celia's friends purposely surrounded Nadia and deliberately bumped hard into her.

"Oh? Isn't this the so-called eldest daughter of the Young household, Ms. Nadia Young? Everyone is enjoying themselves at an occasion like this, but why do you look so melancholic? Is it because you know that you can never measure up to her?"

Nadia didn't want to cause a scene, so she set down her glass and turned to leave.

"Hey, you! We're still talking to you! Are you deaf? Can't you hear us?" exclaimed one of Celia's friends, Peggy Dickson. She grabbed Nadia by her arm and refused to let her leave.

Nadia couldn't hold back. She didn't even want to hold it back anymore.

She instantly flung Peggy's hand off her with so much strength that Peggy lost her balance. Then, Nadia grabbed a half-full bottle of wine from the table and glared daggers at the crowd of Celia's friends still challenging her.

"I gave you a chance, but you didn't take it. Take this!" she yelled.

Before Nadia even finished her line, she swung the bottle in the air and hit Peggy's head with it.

There was a loud crash as the bottle broke. Wine and blood immediately streamed down onto the floor, accompanied by a terrified scream.

The scene was a huge mess with people screaming and running away. However, Nadia ignored them all and continued swinging the jagged bottle in the direction of the other people cornering her, injuring them all.

She only stopped when Clive heard of the commotion and grabbed her tightly by the wrist after coming to find her.

"Nadia Young! What the hell are you doing, losing your mind like this?" Clive questioned as he looked at the mess on the floor and the young women bleeding from their heads. His expression darkened at once.

Nadia scoffed and said, "Didn't you witness everything? They humiliated me, so I just gave them the tit-for-tat treatment. That's all!"

"Tit-for-tat?" Clive thundered, his eyes filled with anger and disappointment. "This is intentional battery. You hurt them on purpose for no reason! Also, there had to be a reason if you thought they were humiliating you. You should've listened to them and admitted that you were wrong! You should change your temperament! Apologize to them now!"

"In your dreams!"

Clive lost the last of his patience when he saw how stubborn Nadia was being. He knew that Nadia had claustrophobia and a fear of dark spaces, so he said, "Since you refuse to apologize, then you should be locked up to reflect on your behavior!"

He then turned to his bodyguard and instructed, "Drag her into the cell in the basement and lock her up! And she isn't allowed to step outside without my permission!"

He then looked at Nadia and growled in an icy tone, "It's only when you're scared that you'll truly learn your lesson."

Nadia was forcefully dragged out of the banquet and thrown into the dungeon in the basement, which was dark, cramped, and had no windows.

The moment the door was locked, Nadia felt the darkness closing in on her like icy tidal waves that drowned her at once.

Memories of her getting locked up in the dark, cold cell while she was young quickly surfaced in her mind like ghosts of her past. Nadia huddled up in a corner on the ground, shivering hard as cold sweat dripped down from her back.

Time passed too slowly in the dungeon.

She was cold, hungry, and thirsty. She was incredibly scared of the dark. Everything gnawed at her senses and threatened to snap her sanity in two.

On the third day, just as Nadia was about to go insane, the door to the dungeon was suddenly opened.

A sliver of light shone in through the crack in the door. Celia then appeared there with a smug, gleeful grin on her face.

"I thought Clive would punish you worse than this. As it turned out, he just locked you up. Tsk, that's not even considered punishment at all."

Celia then clapped her hands, and two men in black quickly appeared behind her, looking stone-faced and expressionless.

"What are you trying to do?" Nadia asked, looking at them warily, her voice dry and hoarse.

"Adding on to your punishment so you'll remember this lesson for the rest of your life," Celia said, an evil smile gracing her lips. "Tie her to the electric chair."

Chapter 9

"Celia Young! You wouldn't dare! Aren't you worried that I'll kill you once I'm out of here?" Nadia screamed, thrashing in protest, but the two men in black easily grabbed her.

"Kill me?" Celia echoed, looking like she'd just heard a joke. "But Clive will definitely stop you before you manage to kill me. Haven't you forgotten how he's always taken my side after every time?"

Celia's words cut into Nadia like a sharp knife, stabbing her right where it hurt the most.

Celia was right. Every time, no matter whether Nadia was right or wrong, Clive would always choose to believe and protect Celia instead.

A sense of despair and helplessness washed over Nadia once again.

She was forced onto a cold, metallic chair and strapped in place by her hands and feet. Then, they pressed the metal plates onto her skin.

Celia grinned smugly at Nadia before pressing down on the button of the remote control in her hand.

"Ahh!"

A strong current immediately coursed through Nadia's entire body. The pain and numbness were so excruciating that Nadia screamed at the top of her lungs in agony. She couldn't stop her body from shaking and shuddering either.

Her vision soon turned black, her consciousness rudely stripped away by the pain coursing through her nerves.

A long time later, Nadia finally woke up again and realized that she was now lying on a huge, soft bed. She wasn't locked up in the cold dungeon anymore.

Clive was sitting next to the bed. When he saw how pale and weak Nadia was, he frowned deeply and said, "I only locked you up for three days to reflect on your behavior. What did you do to get yourself into this condition?"

Nadia closed her eyes and turned away, not wanting to even look at him or talk to him anymore.

She stopped placing hope on him that he would ever believe her again.

"Nadia," Clive said, the slightest hint of concern in his voice. "I am your fiance. You're supposed to tell me everything."

Fiance? Nadia couldn't help laughing internally.

She slowly opened her eyes and looked at him. Her voice was frighteningly calm as she said, "Fine, I'll tell you. I turned out like this because your precious darling, Celia Young, barged into the cell with two men on the third day, strapped me to an electric chair, and electrocuted me."

Clive's pupils constricted at once. Shock and disbelief masked his face. "An electric chair? Impossible! Celia… Celia would never…"

"See? You don't believe me anyway," Nadia said with a mocking laugh.

It didn't matter anymore. She would have her own revenge, and she meant every word of it.

That night, Nadia got someone to kidnap Celia, tear off all her clothes, and tie her to the side railing of the balcony on the topmost floor of Gibson Group, hanging her by a rope. Celia had an immense fear of heights, and she was left hanging mid-air in the freezing cold for the entirety of the night.

The next day, Clive stormed up to Nadia with fire in his eyes. "Nadia! You've gone too far this time! How dare you hang Celia up on the balcony for the whole night? Do you know she has acrophia and how hard she struggled until she fell?

"If it weren't for the safety net beneath the balcony, she would've been dead by now!"

Nadia sat by the window and didn't even bother looking up at him. Her face was expressionless the whole time, as if she was listening to something that had absolutely nothing to do with her at all.

Clive saw that none of his yelling got through to Nadia because she still looked like she couldn't care less. He was even more enraged. "If it wasn't for the fact that our wedding would be in a few days, neither I nor the Youngs would have let you off the hook this easily!

"You'd better stay home and behave yourself for the rest of the day. You're not allowed to go anywhere, and you're also not allowed to cause any more trouble for anyone! Do you hear me?"

Nadia remained quiet, as if he were invisible.

Her ignorance only further fuelled Clive's anger. He turned and left in cold fury, slamming the door behind him.

Celia was only brought back home the night before the wedding. Her face was inexplicably pale and ghostly.

Hector began screaming at Nadia as soon as he caught sight of her. He called her an evil witch, and Nadia simply replied, "If I were really an evil witch, your precious daughter would have died a long time ago."

Still, Hector was fuming as he yelled back, "You ingrate! How much longer are you going to cause trouble for us?"

Nadia simply replied, "You brought home a snake and let your bastard daughter take over my throne. Of course, I'll be here to continue causing trouble for you and everyone else. What else do you think I'd be doing? Serve them or something?"

"You… You…"

Hector was so mad that all the blood rushed to his face, and he nearly fainted on the spot. "Fine, you win! But I'm telling you that it's Celia's and Clive's wedding tomorrow, and you're forbidden from showing your face there! Don't embarrass the family anymore!"

Nadia chuckled lightly. "Don't worry. I won't be attending that stuffy, suffocating wedding even if you get down on your knees and beg me."

Chapter 10

With that, Nadia turned around and went back into her room.

Early the next morning, while it was still dawn, Nadia's phone lit up with a text message notification. It was a text that she had been waiting for a very, very long time.

Her visa application had finally been approved.

So, she quickly got up and grabbed her suitcase, which she'd already packed up a while ago, and opened the door without hesitation.

She'd just descended the stairs when she saw Clive, looking dapper and more handsome than ever, walking into the house with his groomsmen right behind him.

As requested by Celia, their wedding would be a traditional one, which meant her veil was completely opaque so that Clive wouldn't be able to see her face before the ceremony.

Celia wore a magnificent wedding gown as she carefully made her way toward Clive with her mother's help.

Clive couldn't see Celia's face through the veil, but he naturally assumed that she was Nadia. He walked up to Celia and held her hand. Then, probably because it was his wedding day today, Clive's usually cold voice sounded a little gentler than usual.

"Behave yourself. And don't worry. I'm here for you," Clive reminded.

Nadia stayed in the shadows on the stairs, watching everything quietly and calmly.

Clive was a very strict and highly disciplined heir, and so, he only deserved to be with a gentle, elegant, and presentable woman.

This time, Nadia thought that Clive would be over the moon once he found out that his bride had been switched to someone he clearly loved more than her.

She considered this her biggest wedding gift to him.

After Clive brought Celia away, Hector and Ruby also followed after them, piling into their cars as they headed toward the wedding venue. All of a sudden, the Young residence was deathly quiet again.

Nadia grabbed her suitcase and slowly made her way down the stairs before leaving the house.

She flagged down a cab by the side of the road.

"Where to, miss?" the driver asked, stopping and flashing a polite smile at her.

Nadia didn't answer him right away. Instead, she retrieved a remote control about the size of her palm and looked at the grand mansion behind her that seemed even more magnificent under the morning sun.

Her mother was the one who designed that house.

However, she had passed away when Nadia was little, and this place had now been completely tarnished by Hector, Ruby, and Celia. It turned into a disgusting cage that Nadia couldn't bear to look at anymore.

Her gaze turned cold. Then, without any further hesitation, she pressed the red button on her remote control.

There was a deafening explosion as the explosives buried around the mansion ground blew up at the same time. At once, a massive fire roared to life and engulfed the building structure as thick, black smoke billowed into the sky.

The flames quickly consumed the mansion that carried all of Nadia's unhappy memories. The heat was so intense that even she and the cab driver could feel the vehicle vibrating a short distance away from it.

The driver was shocked by the sudden explosion. His soul nearly left his body, and he almost lost grip on the steering wheel. His face was white with shock as he stammered, "M-Miss… Isn't that y-your house? Y-You blew it up?"

Nadia calmly looked away and got in, buckling herself into her seat. Then, with all the emotions of a robot talking disinterestedly about the weather, she said, "Yeah. I blew it up.

"My mom designed it, but it's now a den for my dad's mistress and illegitimate daughter. I find it disgusting. So, I blew it up to take care of everything."

She then turned to look at the stupefied driver and said clearly, "Let's go. To the airport."

The driver glanced at Nadia's face in his rearview mirror, noticing that she was frighteningly calm about everything. Then, he looked at the burning pile of rubble behind him and gulped hard, his eyes filled with a sense of awe and disbelief.

"O-Okay!"

He recollected his wits, floored the gas pedal, and flew off in the direction of the airport.

Outside the car window, the scenery of the passing city receded into the distance as the ugly flames illuminating half the horizon gradually disappeared out of sight behind them.