I was with Ethan Vance for four years, and we were incredibly compatible. So compatible that it gave him a delusion. "Just making do with Sam for the rest of my life actually seems pretty good!" He proposed to me, deciding to settle down and build a life with me. But right at this critical juncture, my sister—who had previously gone abroad to get married—suddenly got divorced and returned to the States. Ethan jumped at the chance to take her out, bringing her to high-society galas and networking events to help her rebuild her connections. Everyone in our circle was waiting to watch me become a laughingstock. I, however, let out a massive sigh of relief. Phew, scared me to death. Who actually wants to marry him? 1 The day Haley returned to the country, Ethan was in my bed. He gripped my waist, pinned my hands, and pressed me into the mattress, clearly aroused. But when that exclusive, custom ringtone chimed from his phone, he stopped immediately. I wrapped my arms around his neck and refused to let go. "Where are you going?" He pushed me away without a second thought. "Stop messing around. Haley wouldn't call me if everything was fine!" He answered the phone in a frantic rush, not even bothering to put on his shoes. I didn't hear what the person on the other end said. But his tightly furrowed brows relaxed. He spoke softly: "Don't do this again next time. Wait right there, I'll be right over!" While Ethan was in the shower, I lay in bed, deep in thought. I didn't care what Haley had actually said to Ethan. I was only thinking about that ringtone. The exclusive ringtone Haley had set on Ethan's phone herself. Three scenes flashed through my mind. Scene One: Ethan indulgently letting Haley mess with his phone. Haley pouting playfully: "You're not allowed to change this ringtone, or else I'll ignore you!" Ethan smiling and nodding: "Whatever you say!" Scene Two: Haley got married and moved to Europe. A blackout-drunk Ethan smashed his phone. He roared at his assistant to buy him a new one, then clumsily tried to set that exclusive ringtone back. But in his state, he couldn't do such a simple thing. He looked at me with pleading eyes: "What do I do? Haley will ignore me!" Scene Three: Just now, that exclusive ringtone chiming again. Ethan's current iPhone was the one I gave him three months ago. It turns out, he doesn't need my help anymore; he can set that ringtone back all by himself! Ethan came out of the bathroom quickly. While hurriedly getting dressed, he told me: "I'm heading out. Don't wait up for me!" I called out to him. "Ethan!" "Yeah?" "We... are done. Let's end this here." 2 My relationship with Ethan had always been a bit muddy. In the beginning, someone asked him: "Are you dating Sam?" He shook his head: "Just friends with benefits!" I didn't express an opinion on that. After all, he wasn't wrong. But two years later, when introducing me to others, he'd say: "This is my girlfriend!" I was genuinely stunned for a moment back then. But I didn't say much. Half a year ago, he proposed to me. His friends were shocked: "Are you serious?" He took a deep drag of his cigarette, his expression unreadable: "Making do with Sam for a lifetime actually seems pretty good." But I felt entirely dazed. I did nod. I said yes. But my heart felt ungrounded. And I grew more panicked day by day. I didn't know what was wrong with me. Until Haley made that phone call. I suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out, I never wanted to marry Ethan at all! 3 "What did you say?" Ethan's usually passive face suddenly turned freezing cold. His gaze was incredibly heavy. But I wasn't his subordinate. I was never afraid of him. So I smiled at him. "I said, we're over. This ends here. Game Over!" I never used to believe that a gaze could kill. But the look Ethan gave me felt like he wanted to swallow me alive. He turned his head and left coldly. "Suit yourself!" 4 I heard about Haley returning to the States from our mutual friends. Along with the news of her divorce! "Apparently that painter cheated on her, slept with his muse, and even hit her. Tsk tsk, artists... we ordinary people just don't understand!" I found the wording hilarious. That phrase originally came from Haley's own mouth. Back when she recklessly followed that painter to Paris, she claimed he was an artist, and we ordinary people wouldn't understand! We didn't understand romance, love, or soulmates! But she was completely blind to the fact that what sustained their "epic romance" was the massive allowance our family wired to her every month. And I was the one earning that money! But none of that mattered. I just suddenly realized that Ethan would definitely not be attending tomorrow night's gala with me! It had been three days since I told Ethan it was over. I sent him a text, asking when he would come pack his things. He didn't reply. I contacted his executive assistant to handle it. The assistant hemmed and hawed, saying he didn't know, and that it wasn't his job. I couldn't be bothered anymore. If it wasn't to accommodate Ethan's commute, I would never have lived in that condo anyway. Now that I had moved back to my own penthouse near the company, I realized how stupid I had been. Isn't sleeping an extra half hour every morning a beautiful thing? Back at the company, I asked my assistant to arrange a plus-one for me for the evening gala. My assistant looked confused: "Aren't you going with Mr. Vance?" "He probably has another date!" My assistant's expression shifted drastically. Her imagination must have run wild because she looked righteously indignant. "Don't worry, Ms. Hayes, I'll arrange the absolute best for you!" I wanted to say that wasn't necessary, anyone would do. But she had already run off. By the afternoon, she mysteriously told me: "Broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs, eight-pack abs, righteous face. The absolute best guy from the premier security firm in the city. Ms. Hayes, you'll definitely be satisfied!" ... That really wasn't necessary! But seeing the actual person, I was still taken aback. How should I put it... this physique and face really could make a person weak in the knees. If only he wasn't so damn talkative! "We are a legitimate security firm, we don't do escort services!" "Of course, we don't completely refuse them, but that's a different price bracket!" "And Ethan Vance is also a premium client of our company. If I go with you, he won't file a complaint against me, will he?" "Our company prides itself on a 99.9% positive rating. If I get a complaint, I have to write an incident report!" "Of course, these things can all be resolved, if you insist, it'll just have to be..." "Shut up!" I couldn't take it anymore, gritting my teeth. He looked innocent, saying calmly: "...an extra charge!" I took a deep breath: "If you keep yapping, I'll report you. Of course, if you perform well, I'll give you a massive five-figure bonus afterward!" He contentedly made an OK gesture. "Don't worry, I'm a professional!" 5 Professional Guy had sharp eyes. As soon as we entered the ballroom, he muttered, "Damn!" My eyebrow twitched. "No swearing!" He pointed not far away. "Your fiancé!" Of course, just my fiancé wouldn't be enough to make him curse. Mainly because there was a woman standing next to my fiancé, holding his arm and smiling sweetly. "You're being cheated on!" "That's my sister." "Wow, double kill!" Great, I could barely maintain my smile anymore. I don't know if it was because of the professional guy—Jax Thorne's—constant banter, or if I had truly reached inner peace. Seeing Ethan and Haley together, I actually didn't feel much. Of course, I had no intention of going up to say hello either. But Haley took the initiative to come over to us. "Sister, I missed you so much! I've been back for so many days and I finally get to see you! Why didn't you answer my calls?" Translation: Sam and Haley have a bad relationship, Sam refuses to answer her sister's calls, how un-sisterly! "Mom and Dad miss you too. When are you coming home for dinner? They'd definitely be very happy!" Translation: Sam has a bad relationship with our parents, doesn't go home to see them, how unfilial! "I even brought you a gift from Paris, please don't be mad at me, okay?" Translation: Sam is petty, Haley is kind and generous. When I was little, I didn't understand the subtext. Clearly, it was Haley's fault, and she'd say she was wrong, but in the end, I was the one who got punished. As I grew older, I realized Haley was a master manipulator. You had to read between the lines! While I was deep in thought, Jax spoke up. "Mad at you? Did you do something to wrong Sam? Then apologize! Do you know how to say 'I'm sorry'? What's the point of bringing gifts, you have to say sorry first! Only after you say sorry can people consider whether to say it's fine. After all, it depends on what you did wrong and if it's worth forgiving. If you committed arson, murder, and robbery, then we'd have no choice but to cut ties for the greater good!" Jax talked so fast and relentlessly that Haley couldn't get a word in edgewise despite trying several times. Until Ethan coldly intervened: "Who are you?" His sharp gaze swept from Jax to me, finally landing on my hand holding Jax's arm. I didn't answer, pulling Jax a step back. "You guys are busy, excuse us!" I had already lifted the hem of my gown, ready to turn gracefully. But Jax grabbed both my arms and lifted me straight up. Yes, that's right. With the posture of moving a potted plant, he physically moved me from the left to the right. My feet left the ground, and I was utterly bewildered. Only when I landed did I realize that Ethan had reached out to grab me, but was interrupted by Jax in the nick of time. For a moment, I had mixed feelings. Am I really that light? Ethan glared fiercely at Jax. "Let her go!" Jax gave a cynical, street-smart smile, full of swagger. "It's a society ruled by law, pal. You can't just harass someone else's date!" "She is my..." "Ethan!" "Ethan!" The moment Ethan was about to blurt it out, Haley and I spoke at the exact same time. My tone was ice cold, while Haley's carried pure panic. She gripped Ethan's sleeve, her face pale! Ethan looked at me. Just one glance, then he withdrew his focus back to Haley. He retracted his aggressive aura, pulled Haley's hand into his, and turned to leave! 6 That night, aside from the conflict with Ethan and Haley, Jax acted very professionally. He said his face was almost stiff from smiling so much. Being able to smile breezily while fending off corporate sharks is really damn hard! He asked me if I was tired. "Drinking, smiling, and making small talk. I feel like my soul has been sucked dry!" Hearing this made me really want to smack him. But I had to admit, it was indeed exhausting. I gave Jax a huge bonus envelope. And told him I would book him again next time. He drove me home with a dark expression. At the same time, he repeatedly emphasized: "I am a decent person! A top-tier bodyguard who navigates the light and the dark!" I nodded perfunctorily. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'll introduce you to more clients next time!" After sending Jax off, I slowly went upstairs to my penthouse. As soon as I got out of the elevator, I saw Ethan. He was leaning against the wall, smoking a cigarette, looking at me quietly. I didn't want to talk to him, and tried to walk past him to my door. But he grabbed my waist and pressed me hard against the wall. I grunted as my back hit the drywall. He pressed toward me recklessly, trying to capture my lips. I turned my head to dodge. "Move!" Ethan acted as if he didn't hear me, continuing to chase me. I was thoroughly enraged. I brought my knee up and kneed him hard in the groin. Ethan let out a muffled groan. He curled up and squatted on the ground, looking at me with bloodshot eyes, as if he had suffered a massive betrayal. But the words that came out of his mouth were incredibly vicious. "Why are you acting like some chaste saint with me? Didn't you climb into my bed yourself back then?" Even though I had already said it was over. Even though I thought I had completely let it go. My heart still contracted violently. It shrank so hard it seemed to stop beating for a few seconds. A metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. I nodded. "Yes, you're right. I climbed into your bed. But so what? You weren't the only one getting off! Besides, did I force you? It was completely consensual. Now I say it's over, which means it's over. If you touch me one more time, it's assault!" 7 Ethan and I could be considered childhood friends. We were born in the same year; he was three months older than me. Our families ran in the same corporate circles, and our parents were friends. We even grew up in the same gated community. Ethan was my first love when I hit puberty. But he didn't like me. He liked the lively, cheerful, sunshine-like Haley. As for Sam? Wooden, boring, old-fashioned. Some people even suspected Haley and I weren't biological sisters. "Even their last names are different. Could Sam be a half-sister from a previous marriage?" (Sam Hayes vs. Haley Davis). "Maybe an illegitimate daughter!" At one point, such rumors were rampant in our social circle. After hearing this, Ethan beat up the guy who spread it the loudest. Not for me. For Haley. He forced Haley to apologize to me. Saying: "Haley was just being willful, don't hold it against her!" Haley stuck her tongue out: "I was just talking nonsense, who knew they'd actually believe it! Sorry, I was wrong!" Ethan always favored and defended Haley. Even if she wasn't perfect. So, when Haley met her "true love" and eloped to Europe, Ethan became a desperate, trapped beast. So desperate that he found a substitute whose eyes and brows resembled Haley's. So I offered myself. "With me as this high-quality replica, do you still need those cheap knockoffs?" Ethan said: "I don't like you!" I said: "I don't need you to like me!" I never needed Ethan to like me. Being with him wasn't a gamble on developing deep feelings over time either. I just weighed the pros and cons and chose the solution that minimized my losses at the time. 8 Haley had been back in the States for half a month. During this half month, Ethan kept her by his side constantly, taking her to various galas and expanding her network for her. And my mom seemed to finally remember my existence. She called me and immediately started scolding. "Haley has been back for so long! Not only did you not help her, you didn't even make a single phone call. Sam, do you still consider yourself a part of the Davis family?" That's hilarious. As if me treating myself as a Davis would make them treat me like family. "Is there something you need?" "What kind of tone is that?" "If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up!" My mom ultimately knew my temper. Despite holding a belly full of fire, she finally got to the point. "Come home for dinner tonight, I have something to tell you. Also, bring back that pink diamond you bought at auction last time, Haley will definitely love it!" I chuckled lightly and hung up the phone. She's got some nerve! A five-million-dollar pink diamond, who wouldn't love it? For a setup like this, logically, I shouldn't attend. But I knew if I didn't go tonight, my mom would make a scene at my corporate office tomorrow. Just like when Haley rebelliously insisted on marrying that broke artist. My mom stormed into the company, slapped me across the face in front of my staff, and demanded to know why I didn't keep Haley in check, letting her meet someone like that. But I wasn't a pushover either. I immediately returned that slap to Haley's face and yelled: "I'm asking you, when did you hook up with such a shady guy?" When I arrived at the estate, they had already started eating. The family of three looked harmonious, and Ethan was there too. Seeing me, he froze, stared at me for a long moment, then expressionlessly looked away. Haley was the first to stand up, pulling me to the table. "Sister, don't be mad at Mom and Dad. You know I have low blood sugar. Seeing you hadn't come back, they were afraid I'd starve, so they didn't wait for you!" My mom had a cold face. "Don't mind her. If she doesn't keep time herself, who can she blame?" I laughed. "Then I'll leave?" "You!" My mom glared at me viciously. She gritted her teeth and pulled me into the kitchen: "Come in here with me!" "Speak, what's the matter!" My mom hesitated for a second, then said: "Haley is going to get engaged to Ethan!" I froze. The next second, she eagerly continued: "Ethan liked Haley in the first place, it was you who shamelessly insisted on fighting Haley for him. Now that Haley is back, shouldn't you give Ethan back to her? Besides, Ethan doesn't even like you, so your thing with him is over! Also, you are not allowed to tell Haley, she still doesn't know about the messy relationship between you and Ethan!" Actually, not just others, even I had suspected countless times that I wasn't their biological child. So when I was little, I secretly took their hair to do a DNA test. The result disappointed me. Sigh, what a pity! My zoning out made her very dissatisfied. She interrogated me: "Did you hear clearly what I said or not?" I opened my mouth, just about to speak, when Haley opened the kitchen door. She looked innocent: "Mom, what are you secretly saying to my sister behind my back? I want to hear too!" My mom's expression did a 180-degree turn. She smiled gently: "Sister said she brought a gift for you!" Saying that, she even gave me a push. Haley looked at me expectantly: "Sister? Really?" "A gift?" I curled the corner of my lips, "Sister's gift to you, do you dare to accept it?" Haley's face stiffened, recalling some not-so-pleasant memories. "You..." My mom wanted to say something more, but I had already strolled out to the dining room. What a lavish spread! This whole table of food was entirely Haley's favorites. Ethan stood up, looking at me scrutinizingly. "What's wrong? Did something happen?" I looked at him. "I'm perfectly fine!" Never better than right now! I gripped the edge of the heavy mahogany dining table and lifted it a bit. It was heavy. So I made a phone call: "Jax? Still downstairs? Come up for a second!" Less than ten seconds after hanging up, Jax barged in. He asked me: "What's up?" I lifted my chin: "Ten thousand dollars, flip this table!" "Sam!" "Don't you dare!" I don't know who it was, probably Ethan and my mom's voices. Couldn't hear clearly. Because the very second after my words fell, Jax grabbed the edge and flipped the entire table! The crisp sound of crashing porcelain and breaking crystal was too pleasant to the ears. Looking at the mess all over the floor, I smiled with satisfaction. I've been wanting to do this for a long time! 9 I met Jax at the security booth of my office building. He was chewing on a cigarette, hands in his pockets, chatting with the security guard. I asked him what he was doing. He said applying for a security guard job. "Aren't you a VIP bodyguard?" He chuckled: "Developing a side hustle!" "Short on cash?" "Yep!" So I let him into my car. I originally wanted to fulfill our verbal agreement and introduce him to a client, but I didn't expect him to come in handy here! My mom tried to rush up and hit me, but Jax blocked her. "Ma'am, I hit women!" My mom's face turned black. "Sam, have you gone crazy?" Haley supported my mom, looking worried: "Sister, quickly apologize to Mom!" I averted my gaze and said to Jax. "Let's go!" With Jax's intimidating presence, no one dared to step forward. But as Jax and I were about to walk out of the front yard, Ethan chased after us. His gaze pierced through Jax, staring dead at me. "Sam, who is he?" "None of your business!" His face looked awful. I turned to leave. He spoke again: "Haley said she wants to be with me!" I paused. "Oh, congratulations. You got your wish!" "Don't you have anything else to say?" I looked at him: "When you guys get married, I'll definitely send a generous check!" Ethan laughed. A laugh uglier than crying. "Good, very good!" Watching Ethan's retreating back, Jax stroked his chin. "Why do I feel like that guy is up to no good?" I was silent for a moment. "Do you really hit women?" Jax stiffened. "I didn't mean it like that. It's not a matter of men or women, I didn't mean I want to hit women... No, I mean I don't just hit any woman... Actually, I mean if necessary, I can hit women... Hey, why does it sound weird no matter how I say it!" Seeing him about to start rambling again, I immediately interrupted him with a headache. "Do you want to be my personal bodyguard?" Jax blinked: "Personal? How personal?" ... I glared at him sideways. He shrank his neck. "Then, then, then... what's the salary?" "How much do you want?" Jax held up one hand. "Five thousand?" "No..." "That works too!" Jax's eyes widened. I looked at him in confusion: "What were you just trying to say?" He straightened his back and saluted me. "From now on, you are my boss! I guarantee 24-hour standby!" 10 Actually, hiring Jax as my bodyguard didn't have any other underlying meaning. I just felt that after this battle, my future days might not be peaceful. I know what kind of characters my parents and sister are. I can generally guess what kind of shady PR moves they'll pull. Plus the unpredictable variable of Ethan. I just hoped they wouldn't get too hot-headed! At 11 PM, I had just finished a video conference with my European partners, poured a glass of red wine, ready to drink it and go to sleep. My friend called. She said: "What's the situation? How come Ethan brought Haley out, and they even kissed in public? Didn't he propose to you?" Making a fuss over nothing. "Hasn't he been keeping her by his side ever since she returned?" "But back then he said he treated Haley as a sister, and told us not to spread rumors!" There's this part too? No wonder this confrontation came so late. But it's understandable. Probably Haley hadn't given him a clear signal, and he didn't want to make things difficult for her. Now that Haley's attitude had softened, he definitely couldn't wait! Thinking it through, everything suddenly made sense. "Is everyone there?" "Yes, are you coming out?" "I'm not going. Put it on speaker, I have something to say!" Not many people knew about Ethan proposing to me. Besides our parents, it was just this specific group of friends. Now it was definitely time to clear things up. Otherwise, it would always seem like I was the one being cheated on. So I said: "Ethan and I are already over. From now on, we are free to marry whomever we choose, and have nothing to do with each other!" After speaking, I directly hung up the phone. I didn't care if Haley heard it or not. If they wanted to hide it from Haley, that was their business. I didn't agree to keep playing the fool! Besides. Did Haley really not know? I don't believe it! Downing the wine in my glass in one gulp, I was preparing to go to my room to sleep, but heard noisy sounds outside in the hallway. In the middle of the night, a noise complaint? I opened my penthouse door, just about to get mad, but saw Jax's beaming face. "Good evening!" ... "What are you doing?" He pointed to the apartment opposite mine: "Moving in!" I rubbed my temples with a headache. "Moving?" He nodded repeatedly: "If I don't live on the same floor, how can it be considered personal protection? What if something happens to you when I'm not around?" I wanted to say: You're overthinking it. But recalling Ethan's crazy behavior a while ago, I hesitated. So I beckoned him over: "How much is the rent? I'll reimburse you!" Jax didn't hesitate at all, directly presenting the lease agreement. I was defeated by his unpretentious sincerity. "Keep it quiet, I need to sleep!" He zipped his lips and gave an OK sign. Nodding heavily, a look of "You can trust me!" I sighed and closed the door. I originally thought I'd hear some noise from the move, but realized it was truly dead silent. So silent that I fell peacefully asleep.
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