Ficorpio
Chapter 1
Three years after the Bennett family brought you home, you copied everything Vivian Bennett did, from the way she dressed to the way she studied. Through sheer effort, you took the top spot in your grade—and won your parents’ favoritism along with it.
The bedroom door stood slightly ajar. Vivian’s voice drifted through the gap, every word sharpened with venom.
“You three will take turns seducing her. Once she’s completely hooked, dump her one after another. That will be the cruelest revenge.”
In the previous timeline, you had fallen straight into that gentle-looking trap. Just before the elite college entrance competition, you caught the three of them surrounding Vivian and kissing her. Shock and fury overwhelmed you. You stumbled backward, fell from the building, and died.
When you opened your eyes again, you had returned to the very day you first heard Vivian say those words.
You had never believed in passively taking a beating.
If she wanted to weave a net of romance around you, then you would become the most skilled hunter in the game. If she wanted to destroy your life, you would borrow her script and drag her—and the three men helping her—into a gamble from which none of them would ever escape.
“How much did you hear?”
The moment Vivian saw you standing in the doorway, astonishment flashed across her face.
You didn’t so much as blink. “How much was I supposed to hear?”
The question left her speechless. She hurriedly ended the call, then strode past you and disappeared down the hall.
Two minutes earlier, you had heard every word of the instructions she gave the three men who had been her childhood friends.
Within six months, they were to date you in succession, then take turns breaking up with you.
They would lure you into depravity with traps wrapped in sugar, wait until you had completely lost yourself, and then cut you loose without mercy—stomping you straight into the dirt.
Too bad Vivian didn’t know that you had been born without the ability to feel romantic attachment.
To fit into the Bennett family, you had already maxed out your talent for copying other people.
Your parents liked intelligent children, so you copied Vivian’s study methods and forced your way to the top of the grade.
They thought your clothes looked cheap and provincial, so you used reverse-image searches to track down Vivian’s outfits online and dressed yourself like a movie star.
They said you had to be kind at school, so you learned to accept everyone’s friendliness with the same easy grace Vivian displayed.
But when it came to the subject of love, you had always felt that you hadn’t learned enough.
Until Vivian’s words just now made everything click.
Seduction. Control. Abandonment.
It was a method so clear and logical that even you could understand it at once.
Chapter 2
A smile touched your lips, as if a whole new field of knowledge had just opened before you. Your mood lifted.
You picked up your mobile phone and immediately accepted the birthday invitation Ethan Sterling had sent you.
That weekend, you stood outside the Sterling Private Villa and knocked softly on the door.
You remembered that Vivian Bennett always dressed sweetly and innocently whenever she met Ethan Sterling, so you had deliberately chosen a demure, ankle-length floral dress.
Unfortunately, you seemed to have arrived at a bad time.
Inside, Ethan was pinned to the floor while his older half brother, Julian Sterling, beat him.
The spacious, immaculate living room was splattered with frosting. The birthday cake that should have symbolized celebration had become an instrument of humiliation.
Julian grabbed Ethan by the hair and tried to force him to eat a slice of cake that had fallen onto the dusty floor.
“A bastard born to a mistress belongs on the floor, eating like one!”
The words were vicious, yet they struck an unexpected chord with you.
He had a point.
Even so, you rushed inside.
Before Ethan could lose his temper and fight back like a rabid dog, you drove your fist into Julian’s face.
The blow came out of nowhere. Julian staggered, clutching his cheek as he cursed, “What the fuck? Who the hell are you?”
Your lips curved into an arrogant smile.
“Your father.”
Before he could say another word, you snatched up an intact piece of cake from the floor and shoved it straight into his mouth.
The room erupted into chaos.
Julian’s pack of worthless friends charged at you, shouting as they tried to grab hold of you.
They were no match for you. You had long since mastered every move your taekwondo instructor had demonstrated. Your third-degree black belt wasn’t just for show.
Within minutes, the entire group lay sprawled across the floor.
You planted yourself stubbornly in front of Ethan and said coldly, “You’re not allowed to bully him.”
“Who the hell do you think you are?” Julian roared, lunging at you again.
His friends seized him and held him back.
“Let it go, man. We can’t beat this girl.”
They dragged the still-swearing Julian out of the villa and fled in disgrace.
You turned toward Ethan, who remained on the floor.
His pale golden eyes were fixed on you, the emotions within them tangled into an unreadable knot.
You understood perfectly well that people were drawn to contrasts.
Beauty alone could only hold someone’s attention for so long. A delicate little flower charging into battle for love was far more irresistible.
Chapter 3
You crouched beside him and gently wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the hem of your dress, playing the fragile innocent to perfection.
Ethan stared at you in a daze.
Two seconds later, his thick brows drew together. He slapped your hand away, his voice full of concern.
“Chloe Bennett, do you have any idea how dangerous that was?”
Of course you did.
After all, you were the one who had called Julian and his friends here.
In the previous timeline, Ethan had used the same trick on you. He had paid men to mug you, then appeared at the perfect moment to rescue you and win your affection.
You lowered your eyes and forced out two cheap tears. When you looked up again, your gaze brimmed with hurt, adoration, and heartache. Only the faintest trace of contempt remained hidden beneath it all.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think that far ahead.” Your voice trembled. “When I saw you getting hurt, my heart ached so badly.”
The words disgusted even you.
You had no idea how Ethan had managed to say things like that so shamelessly in the previous timeline.
He held your gaze for several seconds, looking strangely at a loss. Then he hurriedly glanced away.
“Don’t ever do that again.”
You sneered inwardly.
How else was I supposed to make you fall for me?
If this hadn’t been enough, you could always hire someone to beat him up again next time.
By the time Ethan Sterling dropped you off at the gates of the Bennett Estate, one of his eyes was still so swollen he could barely open it.
“Today’s not a good time,” he said quietly. “I’ll invite you over another day.”
You knew he was an illegitimate son. The Sterling family had always concealed his existence, afraid that news of his identity would affect the company’s stock price.
They had given him a sprawling private villa, but they hadn’t hired a single member of staff. After the mess Julian Sterling had left behind, it would take Ethan days to clean the place.
“Okay.” You nodded obediently.
Before leaving, you casually flicked your sleeve as though you hadn’t noticed the smear of frosting left there from the earlier scuffle.
You were betting Ethan would notice.
Sure enough, before you had even made it through the gates, your phone chimed with a transfer notification.
Two hundred thousand dollars. Not a cent less.
You immediately sent him a question mark.
His reply came almost at once.
“Buy yourself something new.”
You declined the transfer.
“That’s far too much.”
He sent it again, his message blunt and forceful.
“Just take it and buy the clothes. No arguments.”
You declined it a second time, then sent him a voice message, letting a faint sob creep into your voice.
“Ethan Sterling, is this because you don’t want to owe me a favor? Are you trying to make sure I never have an excuse to see you again?”
The typing indicator appeared and vanished several times.