1 Only after the System reactivated did I learn that my seemingly simple wife was, in fact, a master of disguise with a hidden empire. The mob boss who had kidnapped me and scarred my face for life? That was her. The wealthiest person in the country, the one who orchestrated my family’s bankruptcy? Also her. And the brilliant surgeon my mother begged for until her dying day, the one who refused to operate? Still her. I was just a pawn in the twisted game she played with the family’s true heir. Before I left this world, I made one final request of the System: “Release all of Amelia Bennett’s secret identities and criminal evidence to the public.” I wanted her to know what it felt like to be played for a fool. I clutched the cold, heavy urn, my heart a numb, hollow space. Soft arms wrapped around my waist from behind. “Nathan,” Amelia whispered, her voice a gentle caress, the perfect imitation of a caring, devoted wife. “If you need to cry, I’m here for you.” How ironic. She was also the one who had promised to perform the life-saving brain surgery on my mother, only to back out the day before, leaving her to die. My mother’s killer. I silently placed the urn on the ground. To my left stood my father’s headstone. After the Chen Corporation’s finances began to crumble, it was Amelia, in her guise as the nation’s richest tycoon, who had delivered the final, fatal blow. My father, overwhelmed by grief and stress, died of a cerebral hemorrhage. “Host,” the System’s voice echoed in my mind, “Amelia’s affection meter is almost full. Are you sure you want to exit this world?” The thought was laughable. When I first entered this world, the System went dormant. I was an adopted son, but I had lived with the Chen family for over twenty years. They were my true parents in every way that mattered. Amelia knew this. She knew how much I loved them, yet she destroyed them without a second thought. How could she possibly love me? “Confirm,” I replied without hesitation. The System sounded regretful. “Exit sequence initiated. T-minus three days.” The sharp sound of clapping cut through the somber air. A man in a garish floral shirt and shorts swaggered over, his hair slicked back. “Good riddance,” he sneered. “A truly wonderful day for a celebration.” Rage ignited within me. “What the hell are you doing, wearing that to my mother’s funeral?” The man, Nicky, let out a derisive snort and ripped the surgical mask from my face. My reflection stared back at him from his sunglasses—a hideous tapestry of crisscrossing scars. “An ugly freak like you shouldn’t be here, shaming her memory. She probably can’t even rest in peace.” The phantom pain of a blade slicing through my flesh returned, a chilling memory. My hands began to tremble. I clenched them into tight fists, refusing to show any weakness. Amelia rose onto her tiptoes and cupped my scarred face in her hands. “Nathan,” she murmured, her eyes soft and full of a gentle light. “In my eyes, you’ll always be the most handsome man in the world.” Her gaze was so tender. A stark contrast to the cold, cruel eyes of the woman who had held the knife to my face. I shoved her away with a guttural roar. “Don’t touch me!” She froze, her hands hovering in the air. Nicky’s face twisted in disgust. “You’re just a thief who stole my place. You have no shame. Getting your face ruined was exactly what you deserved.” I bit down hard on my lip. Nicky’s disappearance as a child had been a tragic accident. My adoptive parents had never stopped looking for him. They had taken me in out of pity, a moment of compassion for an abandoned child. When they finally found him, they had tried to give him everything, to make up for all the lost years. I had moved out of the family home voluntarily, not wanting to make things difficult for them. But Nicky was relentless. The Chen Corporation fell because he had whispered in Amelia’s ear, “Amelia, I hate the Chens. Destroy them for me.” My mother died without her surgery because he had said, “Amelia, that old woman is the reason I suffered for so long. You’re not allowed to save her.” Even Amelia’s kidnapping of me had been at his command. A small, soft hand covered my clenched fist. Amelia’s eyes were gentle. “Nathan, no matter what happens, I will always love you. Let’s go home, okay?” My lips pressed into a thin line. I remembered the System telling me that Nicky had originally wanted to break my arms and legs, to cripple me completely. It was Amelia who had intervened. She had suggested disfiguring my face instead. Was that love? “Amelia, I need to talk to you. Come with me.” With just one sentence from Nicky, she let go of my hand. “Nathan, you go home first. I’ll just be a minute.” 2 Their figures quickly disappeared from view. I let out a self-deprecating laugh and lowered my gaze. “System, make me invisible. I’m following them.” The gates of the estate, wrought from solid gold, were an ostentatious display of wealth that shocked even me, someone who was no stranger to the lavish lifestyles of the rich. “Host,” the System informed me, “this estate was Amelia’s birthday gift to Nicky last year. It’s valued at six hundred million.” I felt a pang of something I couldn’t name. In the high-society circles, everyone knew that the long-lost daughter the Bennetts had found was a beautiful but vapid country girl. If it weren’t for a debt of gratitude my family owed hers, I never would have married her. By a strange twist of fate, she turned out to be my target. On my birthday last year, she had shyly handed me a bouquet of flowers. “Nathan, I bought these with the money I earned from a month of working part-time. I hope you don’t mind.” The flowers, worth maybe three hundred dollars, were nothing compared to the other extravagant gifts I received. But not wanting to hurt her feelings, I, a grown man, held onto that bouquet for the entire party. Now, looking at the exotic plants in this garden, each one worth tens of thousands, that simple bouquet felt like a cruel joke. I walked into the villa, my face a stoic mask. Nicky had Amelia pinned against the sofa, kissing her hungrily. He held the back of her head, his breathing ragged. “Amelia, divorce him. Marry me.” The System clicked its tongue. “Host, do you think she’ll agree?” I smirked. The answer was obvious. They had grown up together in an orphanage. Over the years, Amelia had professed her love for him ninety-nine times. Now that her devotion was finally being returned, how could she possibly refuse? But to my surprise, Amelia hesitated. Her face was still flushed from his kisses. “Nicky, just wait a little longer. Nathan has just lost everything. I’m afraid this would be too much for him.” My heart stopped for a beat. Nicky leaned in, their noses touching. “Amelia, I’m only giving you one chance. If you don’t agree, I’m leaving your company. And I’m marrying Scarlett.” I had almost forgotten. Amelia had started an entire talent agency just for Nicky, paving his way to the top of the entertainment industry. As for Scarlett, she was the CEO of a rival company and one of Nicky’s most ardent admirers. Amelia immediately threw her arms around his neck and kissed him without a second thought. “I won’t let you marry another woman!” He nibbled on her lip. “Then call Nathan right now. Tell him you’re divorcing him tomorrow.” She reluctantly got up and dialed my number. I silently switched my phone to silent mode. Hearing the unanswered ringtone, Amelia frowned. She tapped a few things on her phone, then shot to her feet. “Oh no! Nathan is in this villa!” I frowned. Could she see me? Nicky frowned too. “Amelia, how do you know where he is?” Her expression was grave. “I installed a tracking program on his phone to monitor him.” The System scanned my phone and, sure enough, found a suspicious program. Installation date: our wedding day. “Host, I forgot to mention, Amelia is also a world-class hacker. I’ve already removed the program.” A cold wind seemed to blow through the hollow space in my chest. “What? The signal is gone!” Amelia’s face was a mask of a panic I had never seen before. “Nicky, I have to go home and check on him!” She rushed out, nearly tripping in her high heels. Nicky shouted after her, “Amelia! Don’t forget you promised to divorce him!” I took a deep breath. “System, take me home.” After the Chen family’s bankruptcy, “home” was a tiny apartment, less than five hundred square feet. “Nathan!” Amelia burst through the door, her face frantic. When she saw me sitting quietly on the sofa, she let out a sigh of relief. She turned on the light. 3 “Why are you sitting in the dark? I thought you weren’t here. You didn’t answer your phone. I was so worried.” I managed a faint smile. “We’re bankrupt now. Trying to save on electricity. My phone… I dropped it down a storm drain on the way back from the cemetery. It’s probably broken.” The tension in her body finally dissipated. She sat down next to me, leaning into my arms. “It’s okay. We’ll buy you a new one tomorrow.” I changed the subject. “You called me. Was there something you wanted to talk about?” Her body tensed again. “Nathan… let’s get a divorce tomorrow.” “Okay.” She sat up straight, her eyes wide with disbelief. Her voice was strained. “You’re not going to ask why?” I suddenly wanted to hear what kind of lie she would spin this time. “Why?” I asked, playing along. She hesitated, then stammered, “You know… Mom always felt she owed Nicky… Before she passed, she made me promise to make a home with him.” It was probably the worst acting performance of her life. Her eyes darted around, and a sheen of sweat beaded on her forehead. But I didn’t call her out on it. “I see.” She opened her mouth to say more, but I couldn’t stand the scent of Nicky’s cloying cologne on her any longer. I couldn’t understand what she saw in that greasy, effeminate man. “Is there anything else?” She chewed on her lip for a moment, then lowered her head. “I have to go. I won’t be staying with you tonight.” I wasn’t surprised. Since my family’s downfall, she had been spending every night with him. I was used to the cold, empty nights. The next day, the divorce was finalized quickly. As we walked out of the city hall, Amelia’s eyes were filled with guilt. “Nathan, I’m sorry. If you ever need anything, you can always call me.” I gave a noncommittal nod. “Amelia, let’s go get our license,” Nicky said, draping his arm possessively around her. She instinctively glanced at my face. I smiled. “Don’t forget to take off our wedding rings.” She froze. Nicky smirked, pulled the ring from her finger, and tossed it into a nearby trash can. “You’re right. Garbage should be thrown out as soon as possible.” I ignored his taunt and walked away. On the way home, the System warned me, “Host, Nicky is angry that you ignored him. He’s told Amelia to kidnap and ‘teach you a lesson’ again.” I laughed softly. I had nothing left to lose. A familiar, dull pain exploded at the back of my head. I woke up in the cemetery. My body was weak, probably from being drugged again. Behind me, I felt a familiar, cold presence, like a snake coiling in the dark. “Mr. Chen. We meet again.” She wore a mask and used a voice changer, but I knew. It was Amelia. Who would have thought that the gentle, fragile woman was also the city’s most feared and ruthless mob boss? A cold blade pressed against my neck. This time, my heart didn’t pound with fear. I let out a cold laugh. “Last time it was my face. What is it this time? Are you going to kill me?” My lack of fear seemed to surprise her. After a moment, she chuckled. “Mr. Chen, you’ve angered the wrong person. I brought you here to watch a little show.” She dragged me to my mother’s grave. I watched as she picked up the urn, and my pupils constricted. “What are you doing?” “Nothing much. Just scattering your parents’ ashes.” It was like being struck by lightning. I fought with all my might, but my limbs were useless. I didn’t care about her and Nicky. My heart was already dead to her. But my family… they were the last soft spot in my heart. “Do whatever you want to me!” I screamed, my voice raw. “Just don’t touch their ashes!” She paused, but then she opened the urn.
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