He Married My BFF, I Mocked Him Publicly

Chapter 3

Laughter shattered my trance.

Celeste released her hold on Dominic's arm and smirked as she sized me up. "The once-formidable heiress of organized crime is actually doing underground fighting now? Look at you, all beaten and bruised. How pathetic."

I said nothing, merely staring at her.

Seven years was more than enough time to completely change a person. The woman standing before me was no longer the homeless, desperate girl she used to be; she was now Dominic's lawfully wedded wife.

"Celeste, that's enough," Dominic muttered in reprimand.

"I'm just showing some concern for Serena," Celeste said, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness. "After all, we used to be such good friends. It breaks my heart to see her in such a miserable state." She pulled a thick stack of cash from her purse and waved it in my face with a mocking sneer. "If you're really struggling to get by, all you have to do is beg. I can ask Dominic to find you an easy job, like sweeping floors or guarding a door. Anything would be better than getting beat up in a ring."

The bills fluttered right in front of my face, but I didn't reach for them. I simply looked up at her. "Does someone who murdered my sister really count as a friend?"

Celeste's smirk froze.

Dominic's face paled as well. "Serena..."

Once again, memories flooded my mind, completely out of my control.

After our breakup, I hadn't let go so easily. I actively opposed him, trying to sabotage him at every turn. But by then, Dominic had already grown his wings, and his black-market operations spread across the entire city. I stood no chance against him.

Relying on his favor, Celeste grew even more arrogant. She brought thugs to raid my operations, stole my business, and paraded her triumph right in front of me. Because my remaining crew feared Dominic, they didn't dare fight back.

One time, pushed beyond my limits, I grabbed Celeste by the throat and slammed her against the wall.

"Go after my people one more time and see what happens!" I hissed, my eyes bloodshot with rage.

Her face turned purple, but she still managed a smirk. "Is that all you've got, Serena?"

In the next second, Dominic rushed over and slapped me hard across the face. Blood welled at the corner of my mouth. He threw me onto the ground and stood over me, warning me coldly, "If you ever touch her again, I won't hesitate to ruin you."

Sprawled on the cold floor, I watched him walk away with Celeste cradled in his arms, tears finally spilling uncontrollably from my eyes.

I stayed quiet for a while after that. It wasn't because I was afraid; I was simply exhausted. I only wanted to protect the few small operations I had left and live a quiet life with the few loyal brothers who were still willing to follow me.

But I had forgotten that Celeste would never let me be. My parents had passed away when I was young, leaving my younger sister as my only family. She had congenital heart disease and was extremely frail, so I had always shielded her, never letting her get involved in the underworld.

Yet Celeste hired people to kidnap her. By the time I received the call and rushed to the rooftop, my sister was hanging off the edge of the railing, swaying precariously in the wind. Terrified, she had her eyes squeezed shut, her entire body shaking violently.

"Let her go! I'll do whatever you want!" I begged.

Celeste looked at me thoughtfully. "It's simple, really. Just leave Bayhaven and never show your face here again, and I'll let her go."

"Fine," I agreed, nodding eagerly.

Celeste smiled and pressed a button on the remote, causing the rope to slowly pull my sister back up. The moment she was within reach, I rushed forward and held her close. She was freezing and shivering uncontrollably in my arms.

"It's okay now. We're going home," I whispered through my tears, trying to comfort her.

I brought my sister home, gave her her medicine, and stayed by her side until she fell asleep. But in the middle of the night, she suddenly struggled to breathe, her face turning purple. Panicking, I called for an ambulance and rushed her to the hospital.

The doctors fought to save her for two hours, but when the lead physician finally stepped out of the emergency room, he shook his head at me. "The acute stress triggered a fatal relapse of her heart condition. I'm so sorry for your loss..."

Kneeling outside the operating room and staring at my sister's pale, lifeless face, I felt my entire world collapse around me.

Later on, I discovered that Celeste had tampered with my sister's medicine that very day. She never had any intention of letting her go; she wanted to wipe me out completely, roots and all.

I confronted Dominic and threw the evidence right in his face.

But he merely shrugged and said indifferently, "Celeste just made a foolish mistake in the heat of the moment, and she already knows she was wrong. I'll compensate you for your sister's death."

"Compensate for my sister's life with money?" I scoffed, finding it utterly absurd.

"Then what do you want?" Dominic snapped, scowling. "Do you want Celeste's life in exchange? I will never agree to that. Let's just let the past go, alright?"

Staring at his face, the truth finally dawned on me. Some people are simply rotten to the core.