Chapter2
1511 Words
Chapter 2
In her previous life, at this very moment, the original host had fallen into despair over their ruined anniversary, clinging pathetically to Ethan Reed—only to drive him further into disgust. Exhausted, he had fled abroad on a shopping trip.
There had been no call from any assistant, no news of an accident.
Serena Vale, however, stepped into the ward with a radiant, deliberately saccharine smile, her eyes shimmering with feigned tears.
“Darling, I heard you were in a car accident—wu wu wu—I was terrified. How could something like this happen to you?”
The acting was atrocious.
Painfully, skin-crawlingly fake.
“Hus…band?” Lily Rowan pressed a hand to her lips, stunned as her gaze darted between them.
Ethan Reed kept his marital status strictly hidden. Almost no one knew he had a wife.
Serena pretended to notice Lily only now. She flashed a shy smile, every bit the innocent white lotus.
“Oh—sorry, sweetheart! I didn’t see this young lady when I walked in. But since she’s your friend, it’s fine if she knows we’re married.”
She extended her hand with elegant ease.
“Hello. I’m Serena Vale—Ethan’s wife for two years.”
“…I’m Lily Rowan,” the girl murmured, dazed.
Their hands touched. Serena’s fingers—pampered, slender, milk-pale with soft pink nails and perfect half-moons—contrasted sharply with Lily’s rougher skin, shaped by an ordinary upbringing and inevitable chores.
“What are you doing here?” Ethan asked, unable to conceal his disgust.
He had no fondness whatsoever for this arranged bride—calling her a venomous beauty, shamelessly clingy, arrogantly spoiled. But his parents adored her, leaving him no choice but to marry. To him, she was the greatest humiliation of his life.
“Your assistant called me.” Serena waved her phone with open irritation. “Or did you think I came here just to sip tea in this heat?”
His words caught in his throat. He shot her a strange look—this woman had always cowered before him, crying at the slightest scolding.
Now this? Some new ploy?
He sneered. “Enough. I’m fine. You can leave.”
Serena had no intention of staying. After a few obligatory lines of concern, she gracefully extracted Lily’s identity as his “savior,” then smiled and requested her contact information—warmly insisting she wished to thank her with a meal.
Lily, dreaming of entering the entertainment industry but lacking all resources, was overjoyed.
She liked Ethan Reed. Admired him.
Her desire to join showbiz existed because of him.
Now, here was her chance to stay near him—heaven-sent.
Outside, sunlight blazed fiercely, prickling against Serena’s skin.
The system fretted:
{You should have pulled them apart immediately. Why befriend Lily Rowan?}
{Didn’t she claim in the last life that she “never knew Ethan was married,” that “true love is innocent,” and begged the original host to let go?} Serena’s voice chilled.
{This time, I’ll personally peel that mask off. I’ll bring her into high society, pamper her as a best friend… Let’s see what happens when she still ends up with Ethan Reed.}
The system fell silent.
In the previous timeline, Lily soared on Ethan’s resources, while the original host fell into ruin with the slightest retaliation.
Now the clock had rewound.
Debts, naturally, would be repaid.
Sirens were creatures who remembered every grudge.
“Sister-in-law?”
A sleek black car pulled up beside her. The window lowered, revealing a handsome man whose polite smile held the cold indifference of a reptile.
“What are you doing out here alone?”
Serena blinked at him, rummaging through memories for his name.
“…Adrian Reed?”
He inclined his head. “You don’t have a car? Shall I give you a ride?”
Her driver waited in the garage, but Serena’s eyes sparkled suddenly—like a hawk spotting prey. With a syrupy sweetness, she cooed,
“Then I’ll trouble you, Adrian.”
The slightest c***k formed in Adrian’s refined expression. He hadn’t expected her to agree. But the offer was already made.
He gestured toward the seat beside him. “Get in.”
The Reed family was a titan of pharmaceuticals—one of the nation’s wealthiest clans. Their medicines filled hospitals across the country; their profits were astronomical. People might tighten their belts on food and clothing, but never on survival.
Adrian Reed, a prodigy, had developed an anti-cancer drug two years ago. He was destined to be the next family head.
Ethan, meanwhile, belonged to a distant branch—his grandfather and Adrian’s grandfather were merely cousins. Their families barely kept in touch, but the surname “Reed” still earned Ethan superficial respect.
The car was spacious, perfumed faintly with a cool, crisp fragrance—Cuccl—matching Adrian’s ascetic aura.
{I want to sleep with him.}
The system nearly combusted.
{Do you have a death wish?!}
Serena tucked a loose curl behind her ear, her gaze languid as she watched the passing skyline.
{Ethan found himself a little girlfriend. I’ll find someone even more handsome—and make him wear a green hat.}
Sirens had no shame. Sleeping with men was as natural as breathing.
From the corner of his eye, Adrian glimpsed her pale legs—soft and smooth as fresh tofu.
Though the car was cool, he loosened his tie.
“Where should I take you, sister-in-law?”
“To the biggest mall. I want to shop.”
The driver silently changed lanes.
Adrian hummed without interest.
Serena, fascinated by his beauty, lifted her phone and inspected herself through the front camera. Once satisfied, she chirped,
“Adrian, do you think I’m beautiful?”
Adrian: “…”
She narrowed her eyes. “Why aren’t you answering?”
“…Naturally, you are beautiful.”
“More beautiful than actresses?”
He nearly threw her out of the car.
“…Of course.”
“Sigh! I think so too.”
He fell silent—utterly defeated.
Serena happily continued on her own.
“Pity Ethan is blind. Passing on a great beauty like me for a bowl of bland porridge. My married life is practically a widow’s.”
The driver: “…”
He had heard things he definitely shouldn’t have.
Adrian finally snapped, “You can always divorce.”
Serena shook her head.
“Impossible. He may be useless, but he’s nice to look at—a perfectly good vase.”
Adrian lapsed into silence again.
Serena didn’t mind. With Adrian’s status, he wouldn’t gossip. The driver had been with the Reed family over a decade—he knew which secrets were sacred.
The car stopped at the city’s largest mall. Serena blew Adrian a flirtatious kiss.
“Thank you, little brother-in-law. I’ll treat you to a grand dinner next time.”
The driver stiffened, unable to un-hear her earlier “porridge” metaphor. The word dinner would never feel the same.
Adrian’s gaze darkened. The woman indeed had a lovely face, but… he scoffed quietly.
He could have any woman he wanted. Why would he touch Ethan Reed’s leftovers?
“Drive. To the office.”
“Yes, sir.”
Two months had been enough for Serena to master the rules of the human world.
She strode into the mall, wielding Ethan Reed’s supplementary credit card with ruthless efficiency. If she liked something, she bought it.
Meanwhile, Ethan—chatting intimately with Lily Rowan—kept getting bombarded by banking alerts.
8,800.
22,000.
35,000.
…
890,000.
The pink, ambiguous atmosphere shattered instantly.
Flushed with shy longing, Lily reluctantly murmured,
“Brother Reed… it’s getting late. I should go home.”
Ethan didn’t attempt to stop her—his mind was consumed by Serena’s spending.
He handed her a business card. “Here. Call me if you need anything.”
Disappointment flickered across her gaze, though she hid it well.
“Then… I’ll leave.”
He dialed furiously the moment she walked out.
The call rang several times before Serena’s languid voice answered,
“What is it?”
His laugh was icy.
“Where have you been?”
“Shopping.”
She adjusted the bags on her arm.
Her righteous tone made him choke with rage.
“I was in a car accident, and you went shopping?”
“Even if you died, I’d still have time.”
“You—!”
He trembled with fury. After a long moment, he composed himself.
“So the act is over. Didn’t you love me so much you’d ‘marry no one else’? I knew it was fake. For old times’ sake, let’s end it. We’ll divorce tomorrow.”
“In your dreams.”
She hung up instantly and blocked him.
Peace restored.
She wasn’t done playing. Why divorce now?
The next morning, Serena Vale brought Lily Rowan to one glittering banquet after another.
Serena Vale: I married him with my own skill. I’ll do exactly as I please.
- Writer
