Ficorpio
Chapter 1
Ethan Sterling and I had grown up together, but he was always abandoning me for Sophie Carter.
He claimed he was only taking revenge on that gold-digging bloodsucker, Sophie. Yet at his own wedding, he ran away with her.
After my rebirth, I went from the villainess of the story to a saint determined to save everyone around me.
Ethan, on the other hand, went completely mad, begging me to give him a place in my life—even if all I would offer him was the title of secret lover.
And as if that weren’t absurd enough, Sophie once threw her arms around me, blushing as she asked whether I wanted to try monogamy with her.
Was fate’s wheel blind when it turned, or had it simply decided to kick the chains of my life until they snapped?
It was only after I leaped from the high-rise rooftop that I learned the truth: I was nothing more than the villainess in a novel.
Ethan, Adrian Ashford, and I had been childhood companions. I had loved Ethan with all my heart, while Ethan had fallen for Sophie Carter, Adrian’s fiancée.
Then Adrian vanished after an accident at a cliff. Convinced that Sophie had caused his death, Ethan began taking revenge on her.
Though calling it revenge was generous. It was really a tormented, obsessive romance.
Using money to control Sophie, who was drowning in debt, Ethan turned her into a secret lover who had to come whenever he called.
When I found out, I secretly arranged one disaster after another for Sophie—a car accident, a kidnapping, the destruction of her family, and more.
In the end, Ethan exposed the truth: my family had caused Adrian’s death in an attempt to swallow the Ashford family’s business empire. The Bennetts went bankrupt, and evidence of my own crimes was revealed one piece at a time.
The soothing chime of Buddhist prayer filled my ears.
I slowly opened my eyes and found myself surrounded by the unfamiliar walls of a Buddhist temple.
The heavens had actually given a villainess like me another chance.
My cell phone rang in my pocket. Ethan Sterling’s number appeared on the screen.
I glanced at the time and immediately understood why he was calling.
“Go to the address I sent you and pick up the Designer Handbag I just bought for me,” he said coldly before hanging up.
People who were favored had no fear of consequences.
At this point in my previous life, Ethan had already made Sophie his secret lover. Wanting to torment her, he had deliberately given me the address of her restaurant and sent me there to humiliate her.
Chapter 2
“Child, the person you wronged in your former life must be repaid in this one.”
Thomas Vale’s voice drifted quietly from behind me.
I lowered my gaze to the Buddhist Prayer Beads around my wrist. They glimmered in the sunlight.
Then I nodded firmly.
The moment the staff at Sophie’s Restaurant saw me, they started trembling.
“Ms. Carter and the landlord are upstairs in the private dining room. They’ll be down in a little while.”
“Oh. Thank you.”
My casual thanks made the employee take several hurried steps backward.
Had I really been that intimidating before?
Upstairs, the landlord was pawing at Sophie.
“I can give you two more days,” he leered at the stunning woman in front of him. “Let me touch your ass, and I’ll extend the deadline by one day.”
“No!” Sophie snapped. “I’ve rented this place from you for six years. Have I ever paid late? Do you really have to force me this far?”
“I know your fiancé just died,” he said, pressing closer. “Poor man didn’t have the good fortune to appreciate you. Let me show you some sympathy instead.”
“Who did you say was unfortunate?”
I stood lazily in the doorway, both hands in my pockets.
The landlord turned at the sound of my voice. The moment he saw me, his face split into an ingratiating smile.
“Miss Bennett. What brings you here? I’ve always wanted to visit Mr. Bennett, but I never had the opportunity.”
“How much do you want for this property?” I pulled a cashier’s check from my pocket. After making a rough estimate of its market value, I wrote down a figure. “Name your price.”
“It would be my honor to sell the restaurant storefront to you, Miss Bennett.” His eyes lit up when he saw the number. “That’s even more than market value.”
“Now get out of my property.”
I settled onto the sofa, my gaze drifting over the drool gathering at the corners of his mouth.
“Wait.”
“Is there anything else I can do for you?” He turned around eagerly.
“A moment ago, you said you’d give her one extra day if she let you touch her.”
“I truly didn’t know she was your friend!” The landlord’s fleshy features compressed in terror. “If I had known, I wouldn’t have dared, even with ten lives!”
“Relax. I have no interest in touching your ass.” I calmly rolled up my shirt sleeves. “How much would it cost to slap that disgusting face of yours?”
The landlord’s expression collapsed. “What?”
He turned as if to run.
“What happens today gets settled today,” I said, slowly pouring myself a cup of tea. “If this drags on until tomorrow, I can’t promise you’ll be dealing with me.”
I took a sip.
“How about ten thousand dollars?”
“Fine.” He closed his eyes in despair. “I offended you. I have no complaints.”
I tilted my head toward Sophie, signaling for her to hit him.
Chapter 3
“Are you helping me because you want me to leave Ethan Sterling?” she asked quickly. “Let me make one thing clear. I’m not the one insisting on being with Ethan. He threatened me. I don’t want to compete with you over a man.”
“I’m standing up for Adrian Ashford. This has nothing to do with Ethan.”
I rolled the Buddhist Prayer Beads between my fingers, restraining the urge to roll my eyes.
“You get one chance. If you don’t want to hit him, forget it.”
I had barely finished speaking when Sophie rolled up her sleeves and rose to her feet.
The landlord visibly relaxed when he realized she was the one who would be hitting him.
With those slender arms and delicate frame, she even sounded weak when she spoke. How much strength could she possibly have? A slap from her would be less a punishment than a reward.
Crack!
The sharp sound of the slap echoed through the room.
Two of the landlord’s teeth flew out. Blood spilled from his mouth as he collapsed motionless onto the floor.
“I saved you the cost of one slap,” Sophie said. “You can give me a few extra days on the rent.”
She looked up and met my stunned gaze, a faint blush touching her cheeks.
“I used to fight in underground boxing matches for a few years when I had no money.”
“So you saved me the cost of a slap and added a medical bill.” I smiled sweetly. “It’s the tenth today. Transfer the money to me before the end of the month.”
I had just turned to leave when Sophie suddenly stepped in front of me.
“If you’re willing to give me this property, I can go abroad. I promise I’ll never appear in front of Ethan Sterling again for the rest of my life.”
When she saw that I didn’t believe her, she immediately raised her hand.
“I can put it in writing.”
“Are you out of your mind?” I reminded myself not to swear. “This property cost me fifteen million dollars. Ethan Sterling, that money-losing bastard, isn’t worth that much.”
Ethan Sterling sat beside the swimming pool, phone in hand, when he suddenly sneezed.
“That’s strange. I sent Chloe Bennett to deal with Sophie Carter. By now, Sophie should have called me in tears, begging me to let her off.”
“Bad news, Mr. Sterling!” Derek Vance hurried over. “Sophie Carter was taken away in an ambulance. Miss Bennett went way too far!”
Ethan’s expression shifted slightly.
“I’ve had someone keeping watch at the hospital,” Derek continued. “Apparently, the patient woke up after being slapped hard enough to lose two teeth.”
“Chloe actually beat Sophie that badly?” Ethan let out a long sigh. “She really is vindictive. I should have known better. I knew how insanely she loved me.”
“Don’t blame yourself, Mr. Sterling. The hospital just sent word that Sophie’s awake. Aside from a mild concussion, she’s fine.” Derek watched him carefully. “Do you want to go see her?”