Four Men Crave My Love

At 20, I could have led a simple, happy life. But on my birthday, instead of the surprises I expected, I was betrayed and faced death, all because of my boyfriend, Elliott Davis. I hadn't even stepped onto the rooftop before a slap across the face sent me reeling. Before I could see who had struck me, she yanked my hair forcefully, lifting me off my feet. "Are you Jolene Avery?" "Who are you? Why did you hit me?" I panicked, confused, and terrified. Today was my 20th birthday and marked one month since I began dating Elliott. He had texted me to meet him on the rooftop with a surprise. 'But why did I meet a strange girl instead?' She looked my age, dressed in a silk gown with an expensive emerald necklace, her eyes full of disdain and contempt. "You lowly scum, this is punishment for tainting Elliott's life." She pulled my hair forcefully. Grabbing her wrist in pain, I demanded, "Are you one of Elliott's admirers?" 'I know Elliott has many admirers. He's handsome, his father is the chairman of Wenlon's largest entertainment company and a shareholder of Aolumy Academy, and his mother founded a famous cosmetics brand. Many girls dream of his attention, even if it's just for a one-night stand. But he fell for me at first sight, pursued me for six months before I agreed to date him. Yet I'm just an ordinary girl. My father is a mechanic, and my mother is a cleaner. If I hadn't worked hard to get into Aolumy Academy, we'd never have met. I understand that my humble background makes me a target for resentment from other girls.' "If you truly care about him, respect his choice or pursue him yourself, but don't use me as your punching bag!" I angrily tried to pry her fingers from my wrist, but she refused to let go. Suddenly, another girl's voice echoed from behind. "She's Elliott's sister, Sarah! You're the despicable w***e, manipulating an innocent man to worm your way into a wealthy family!" I turned to see another girl holding an iPad, looking at me with contempt. The girl hitting me was indeed Sarah Davis, Elliott's sister! I immediately tried to explain, "You must have misunderstood..." "Shut up!" Sarah snapped, yanking my hair. "A lowly pauper like you will only ruin Elliott's life. You don't belong here!" 'This is so unreasonable!' I pinched Sarah’s wrist, wincing in pain. "So what if I'm poor? I have every right to pursue happiness!" She recoiled as if I were something disgusting, shoving me away with a sneer. "Lisa, show her the price of meddling with Elliott!" I stumbled, crashing against a table, smearing my new dress with crumbs from a nearby macaron cake. "Jolene Avery, may you regret deceiving Elliott for the rest of your life," Lisa said, opening her iPad. "I didn't deceive him! You bunch of twisted idiots!" I stood up angrily, slapping the iPad from her hands. It fell onto the carpet, flickering briefly before a video began playing. My mother was on the screen. In the video, my mother had just finished cleaning and was about to leave when her employer grabbed her hand and shouted, "Hand over what you stole!" "I didn't steal anything!" she cried, terrified. The employer reached into her pocket and pulled out a damaged jewelry necklace. My mother struggled, accidentally knocking over an antique vase at the door, which shattered loudly. "You thief! You broke my vase! Pay up or I'll send you straight to prison!" the employer screamed. 'No! I saw the employer push my mother on purpose to frame her!' "What are you doing?" I demanded and picked up the iPad. "My mother could never steal from her employer!" Lisa smirked and swiped the screen. The footage instantly changed to my father at his repair shop, facing a similar situation. A Maybach suddenly caught fire, and the owner stormed out, kicking my father. "You i***t! You ruined my car!" My father tried to explain, "Sir, I didn't even touch your car." "Liar! If you don't pay for this, I'll take you to court!" The owner spat, glaring at him. While they argued, a car suddenly appeared in the security footage, swerving into my father. "No!" I screamed in horror. Lisa snatched the iPad away before I could see more. Unable to see my father's condition, I frantically pulled out my phone, hoping to call him. Lisa grabbed my phone and threw it downstairs. I rushed to the railing, only to see the phone smashed into pieces. "Why?" Tears filled my eyes as I looked at Sarah and Lisa. "Why would you do this?" Sarah stepped closer, looking down at me with disdain. "You don't deserve Elliott. A scum like you should stay in the filthy slums, marrying your own kind and rotting away in your miserable life." 'Is this really the reason you killed my parents?' Tears welled up as I collapsed, my body trembling uncontrollably. Hatred consumed me. I wanted to rip apart the beautiful yet vicious face before me, but I couldn't. With my parents missing, all I could do was clench my fists, kneel before Sarah, and soberly plead, "I can leave Elliott. Please, save my parents and spare them!" "It's too late." Sarah looked down at me condescendingly. "Your filthy father stole treasures from luxury cars and, caught red-handed, crashed his car to commit suicide. Your thieving mother couldn't repay the necklace and vase, and she drowned with your father's corpse." "You're lying! My parents would never do such things. You set them up!" I lunged at Sarah, desperate to destroy her arrogant facade and shatter her fake mask. Sarah dodged, but my fingers grazed her chin, leaving a trace of contact that made her gaze turn cold and calculating. "Lisa!" she snapped. Lisa kicked me hard in the abdomen, pummeling me with fists and feet. She then grabbed my neck, pushing me to the edge of the rooftop. Half my body dangled over, teetering on the brink. "How dare you hurt Lisa!" They showed no care, no remorse—just cold indifference—as if our lives were worth nothing. "Trash like you only pollute this world. Might as well die with your parents," Sarah sneered, suddenly shoving my shoulder. Lisa released her grip on my neck. 'Just for this... they destroy my kind parents and throw me away like nothing. My parents are innocent! I feel utterly helpless!' The weightlessness made my heart race as Sarah's proud face and Lisa's smug smile faded from my vision. My body hit the ground with a sickening thud, the sound of bones cracking echoing around me. Despair flooded my mind. I opened my mouth to speak, but blood gushed out, choking me and blocking my nose. Time seemed to stand still until I heard the sound of shoes clicking on the floor above. Struggling to look up, I mustered the last of my strength and whispered pleading, "Please... help me..."