Chapter 1 Chapter 1

"Ms. Stone, think of something! Mr. Byrd is about to faint!" I could hear Maria, the housekeeper, pacing up and down anxiously. I broke out into a cold sweat almost at once. The pain I felt after having been knocked by the car still hadn't dissipated, and I was slumped on the ground. I could not get rid of the image of my children's bloodied faces after they were run over. The sudden sound of Maria's voice had made me feel as if ages had passed. In my previous life, Maria had been dismissed after I got married. I hadn't seen her again after that. "Mr. Byrd had quite a lot to drink at the banquet today. Will you go in and take a look at him?" I stepped backward. Had I come back to life? "Maria, tell the driver to go and pick Jane Yates up. Ashton was drugged." I suppressed my emotions with difficulty and looked at Maria, who was beside me. Maria paused and looked rather confused. "Maria, hurry!" I retreated far away from Ashton's bedroom door. "If we delay any longer, he'll be injured." When I saw Maria hurry to call Jane, I breathed a sigh of relief. In my last life, I had gone in to check on Ashton's condition. He had yanked me violently onto the bed. Maria thought it was consensual, so she turned and left. After that, I was discovered to be pregnant, and our marriage was planned. I thought that we were in love, but it turned out to be the beginning of hell. He hated me, and he hated the fact that I had married him because of what had happened and caused him to separate from the person he truly liked. He treated me coldly and violently, and he mocked me and said that the children might not even be his. He did not even allow them to be within his sight. In the fifth year of our marriage, he got drunk and killed our two children and me by running us over with his car. When the car sped toward us, the children hugged my thighs tightly. Right after that, their adorable little faces had become covered in blood. I suppressed my hatred, slowly walked toward one of the other bedrooms, and unbuttoned my clothes as I did so. I remembered that Ashton's father, Craig Byrd, had also been drugged. It was rumored that Craig was impotent, which was why he had only had one son. That was why Ashton was set to become the successor of the Byrd family. What if Craig had a few more children after this? I pushed the door open. There was the sound of running water in the bathroom, and there was a look of intense desire in Craig's eyes. His black shirt clung tightly to the muscles on his abdomen. Our eyes met, and his Adam's apple bobbed suddenly as he pulled me forcefully into his arms.

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

At noon the next day, I walked out of the room, wrapped in my torn clothes. I just happened to catch sight of Jane, who was walking into Ashton's room with a bowl of soup. There was a bright red mark on her neck. She looked at me, her eyes roving up and down. She smiled meaningfully. "What are you in such a hurry for, Ms. Stone?" She asked, standing in front of me as she lifted her chin slightly. "Have you done something that you can't tell anyone about? I guess that it would be kind of ridiculous if rumors spread about you seducing a man just for his money, especially when he's old enough to be your father." I looked up at her. "Are you talking about yourself?" Jane huffed. "Don't try to be witty with me, Ms. Stone. Someone like you could never compare with me. I'm going to marry Ashton. You're just a tool to satisfy the desire with." I pulled my clothes around myself. A tool to satisfy the desire with? In my past life, it was true that Craig had spent money to look for someone. When he was done, he had given her a sum of money to settle the matter. Things would be different in this life. I was going to strike the jackpot on my first try. If I had been able to get pregnant with Ashton's children in my past life, then I was sure that I could get pregnant with Craig's this time. My gaze swept over the bowl that Jane was carrying. "You'd better go in and serve Mr. Byrd, Ms. Yates." I was about to leave, but then I saw Ashton walking over to us out of the corner of my eye. He put an arm around Jane and leaned over to nuzzle up to her. "Jane, last night was so tiring. Why don't you sleep for a while more with me?" Jane pouted, her lips glistening. "I've got to go to my part-time job. I can't keep staying here with you." She looked at me as she spoke. "Ms. Stone seems to have a lot of time on her hands. I envy her." Ashton said disdainfully, "She doesn't matter at all. Babe, stop going to that part-time job. You're mine now." He turned to look at me with a cold look in his eyes. "Did you tell the driver to bring Jane here last night? You're pretty smart. However, you'd better remember your place. Don't even try to think about what isn't yours!" His ice-cold words seemed to stab me in the heart. They made me seem like a clown. I supposed that it wasn't possible to hide it when you liked someone. In my last life, Ashton had saved me when I was getting bullied. I fell for him and kept running to wherever he was. After graduating, I had come to be an interim steward with the Byrds, all so that I could be closer to the person I liked. I had asked him if he sincerely wanted to marry me. He had clearly nodded and had even comforted me. "Of course, I'm willing to. Just focus on having a smooth pregnancy." However, once he had taken full control of the Byrds, he had lost patience with me. Ashton was a thorough hypocrite! I nodded casually. "I know." In this life, since Jane had gone in to save him, I wondered if they would be able to grow old together. I was about to leave, but Ashton suddenly stood in front of me and blocked my path completely. His gaze was fixed on my arm, which still had red marks from being restrained. "Who did this?" He reached out and grabbed my arm roughly. "Are you that desperate for men? Can't you even endure it for a moment?" He was gripping my arm tightly, and my torn clothes slipped. I reached out with my other hand to pull my clothes around me once more. I suppressed the pain from my arms and looked at Ashton with revulsion. "Please let go, Mr. Byrd!" He was slightly flushed, and his grip on me tightened. "Was it with the security guard here? Are you really that desperate?" There was a vicious look in his eyes as if he wanted nothing more than to toss me out right then and there. I was about to tell him to get lost, but Jane's voice suddenly drifted over. "It burns!" Ashton flung me aside at once and ran over to Jane. She was crouching down, and the bowl of soup had spilled everywhere. She sobbed as she clutched her arm. "It burned me, and it hurts so much…" Ashton immediately helped her up and pulled her into his arms. Jane put her chin on his shoulder while she placed her other hand on him. There was a look of triumph in her eyes as she looked at me. In my past life, Jane had been flirting with several men while also seducing Ashton. Some of the men were much older than her, because her goal was to marry into a rich family. When Ashton had married me, she had immediately attached herself to an older man and had even gone abroad to have the man's child. She had ended up getting beaten every day. Unable to escape, she killed the man before killing herself. Ashton firmly believed that Jane had killed herself because of him. I looked at myself in the mirror, and there was a strange feeling in my abdomen. I was probably about to become a mother. Ashton would no longer be the only successor of the Byrds. I laughed softly, but there was no mirth in my eyes at all.

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

After it was over, Craig got up and packed his things to head to his subsidiary company office. Before he left, he leaned down and said softly in my ear, "Wait for me. I'll come back and take responsibility for this." I did not ask him how he would do that. When he found out that I was pregnant with his child, he would be sure to marry me. It had only been a couple of days, but I found it surprisingly hard to pass the time. Many of the housekeepers had heard what I'd said to Jane that day. They thought I had seduced Ashton. However, Ashton had held a meeting with them and told them that Jane was the only one who could be his future wife. He told them that they had to treat Jane as if she were him. "Hey, do you know what's going on with Ms. Stone?""Didn't they say that she's with that security guard? How could she do that sort of thing during work hours instead of behaving herself, especially when she's a steward?""Exactly! And yet she's a so-called top student! I think she's even worse than the animals back home." None of them had seen me going into Craig's room. Whenever they had time, they would congregate and gossip. Ashton listened to all of it, looking grim. After that, he turned and left. The housekeepers wanted to leave a good impression on their future mistress, so they began to disobey my instructions. My food was sprinkled with mud and pebbles. It wasn't just hard to swallow. It was completely inedible. Even my blankets were often splashed with water. They were wet and could not be used at all. "Ms. Stone, is your blanket wet again?" Jane stood next to me with her arms crossed, smiling as she looked at me. "How terrible for them to make life so difficult for you." I turned aside so that I wouldn't have to look at her fake smile. I continued to hang my blanket on a drying rack. The speculation grew worse and worse. Some of them even started saying it right to my face. They said that I'd only gotten into university by sleeping with someone and that I had started working with the Byrds just to seduce them. They even came knocking at night to see if I was sleeping on my own. "She wasn't in last night. Do you think she snuck into that security guard's room?""I'm guessing that it's Sean Hatton. He was alone in his room last night!" My gaze swept over them, but I did not want to get into a direct conflict for now. They had all listened to Jane and wanted me to be pushed over the edge so that I would leave. When I was about to return to my room, I suddenly ran into Ashton, who had just come home. He pushed me against the wall with one hand while clamping his other hand around my neck. "Are you really that desperate? Can't you stay away from men for one single moment?" He looked expressionless, but there was a look of contempt in his eyes. I was filled with fear and tried to break out of his grip, but I had no strength. "Do you believe that kind of thing? Doesn't that just show what kind of person you are?" I looked into his eyes and enunciated each word clearly. There was a hint of anger in his eyes. "Shameless! Is there anything that someone like you wouldn't do?" He was still looking at my face, and our eyes met. Perhaps he was annoyed by my struggling, and he said again, "Blair, I will allow you to be my woman, but Jane is the only one who can be Mrs. Byrd." My vision went black. The only thought I had was that I must have been blind to have ever had feelings for him. "No way!" He suddenly reached out and pinched my face. "What's the matter? Do you still want to sleep with other men? Don't go too far, Blair! I'm the only one you can be with! Otherwise…" He had an iron grip on my chin, and my cheeks were hurting. He stared at me for a while before suddenly letting go and cupping my cheek with his hand. There was an ambiguous look on his face. "All you have to do is behave and obey. I can't marry you, but you can name any other condition you want." I frowned. "Ashton! I don't agree." He suddenly lost his temper and smashed my head violently against the wall. "Did you come here just to fool around with other people? If so, then get out right now! We don't need a steward who's as disgusting as you are!" I grabbed the chance to turn and leave. Leaving the Byrd residence would be a good thing. I needed to take care of my baby during the pregnancy. I had just turned the corner when I saw Jane blocking my path. "Why did you seduce my man, Blair?" I was rendered speechless, but I decided to ignore her and leave. "Ms. Stone! Don't be like this!" Jane suddenly shouted. I turned and saw her open a window. She fell from the second floor of the villa.

Chapter 4 Chapter 4

I was rooted to the spot, unsure of what Jane was trying to do. The housekeepers downstairs suddenly rushed out, and so did Ashton. "Jane!" Ashton carried her into the house and called for the family doctor. Jane was nestled in his arms. "I was just careless, Ashton. It wasn't Ms. Stone who pushed me. I just don't want you to be taken away from me!""Blair!" Ashton looked over at me. "You've gone too far! Bring her over here!" A few security guards dragged me over and threw me down in front of Ashton. My head banged hard against the steps. "How dare you touch Jane?" Ashton's eyes were fixed on me. "It wasn't me! There are surveillance cameras on every staircase here." Jane tugged at Ashton's sleeve. "Forget it, Ashton. Ms. Stone couldn't have done it on purpose.""Jane, how can you try to make excuses for her?" Ashton hugged her. "I'll get revenge for your sake!" I smirked. He never listened when I tried to explain. "Scratch her face, then!" I shook my head. If my face was injured, I would be discriminated against when looking for jobs. "No!" I looked at the two of them. "It wasn't me! You can't do this!" Ashton huffed coldly. "It's too late! Go and get a knife!" Jane's lips curled up imperceptibly. I was furious. I hadn't done anything, but I had been dragged into it anyway. Ashton picked up his knife and sliced my face open. Blood slid down my cheeks, and I trembled with the pain. There was soon a small puddle of blood in front of me. "This is the consequence of making a mistake!" He lowered his head. "Don't make me angry, or I won't hesitate to kill you again!" I had turned as cold as ice. Ashton was like me! When I thought of everything that had happened in my past life, I was full of rage. He brandished the knife again. "Do you admit that you were wrong? If you admit to your mistakes, I'll stop.""I didn't do anything wrong!" I glared at him. "Ashton, why haven't you died yet?" His temper flared once more, and he raised his knife. Suddenly, there was the sound of footsteps. "What are you doing?"