Chapter 17

Chapter 17


Cheng caught Lian’s wrist gently as he passed. “Are you okay?”

Lian nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine.”

But his eyes were glassy. His breathing shallow.

Cheng leaned in close, voice low. “Did he touch you?”

“No.” Lian swallowed. “He just… offered me a check.”

Cheng’s face turned to stone.

“I said no,” Lian added quickly. “I told him he could go to hell.”

Cheng exhaled like he hadn’t realized he was holding his breath. His hand tightened just slightly around Lian’s.

“Good girl,” he said, quietly but fiercely.



THE WILSON VILLA

"Finally back to this deadass house," Mei muttered, tossing her bag onto the couch like she owned the place.

Footsteps pounded from the stairs. Mrs. Wilson appeared, her face pale with shock. "What the actual fuck, Mei? What are you doing in Spain? You’re supposed to be in Portugal!"

Mei rolled her eyes. "Damn, Ma. I show up and that’s the welcome I get? You ain't even gonna ask if I’m doing good?"

Mrs. Wilson rushed over and shut the curtains. "Don’t play games with me, girl. Do you even know what kind of fire you're walking into? If anyone finds out you’re here, we're finished. Done."

Mei flopped into the armchair like she hadn’t just faked her own death. "Relax. Nobody saw me. I came back with a fake identity.

The Wilson's sold their old villa, had new employees who don't knows about what had happened.

Mrs. Wilson folded her arms. "You said you were gone for good. You left everything. You made your brother take your place. You know what that boy’s been through?"

Mei looked away. Her voice lowered, but her tone stayed sharp. "I didn’t ask him to be a damn saint. He chose it. And now I want my life back."

Mrs. Wilson stared at her. "You changed your mind just like that? Why now?"

Mei leaned forward, her eyes glinting. "Because I was wrong. I thought Cheng was gonna be some cold-hearted psycho. But I’ve been watching he’s not what they said. Not perfect, but he ain’t a monster either. He protected Lian. He even gave him a villa in his name, for God’s sake."

Mrs. Wilson squinted. "You spying on them now?"

"Duh," Mei said with a sly grin. "I’ve had people keeping tabs since the day I disappeared. Cheng isn’t like his father. He’s loyal. He’s smart. And he’s got power. I was supposed to be his fiancée, Mom. That was my future. And I’m not letting my twin steal my happily ever after."

Mrs. Wilson sat down slowly. "You really wanna go back into that fire?"

Mei shrugged. "Not like I’m going back stupid. I’ve got a plan."

Mei dropped onto the couch, kicked her heels off, and grabbed the remote like she owned the damn place. Her long nails clicked against the plastic buttons.

Mrs. Wilson paced near the window, curtains half-drawn. “Mei, you don’t get it. If someone spots you—”

“They won’t,” Mei cut in, not even looking up. “Nobody knows I’m back. Except you. Chill, Mom.”

“Don’t ‘chill’ me, girl,” her mother snapped. “You faked your death. FAKED. This ain’t some prank—this is mafia-level shit. Cheng’s family ain’t regular rich people. They’re dangerous.”

Mei smirked. “Dangerous is sexy. I saw the way he looked at Lian which is indirectly me, Mom. That man eats power for breakfast and still licks the plate.”

Mrs. Wilson nearly choked. “Mei, for God’s sake—”

“Nah, listen.” Mei sat up now, eyes gleaming. “I made a mistake. I thought Cheng was gonna be some cold-blooded, controlling prick. That’s why I bailed, remember? Sent Lian in like a damn sacrificial lamb. But guess what? Now I’ve been watching. Reading. Listening. That man? He’s loyal. Ruthless, yeah. But he's not the beast they painted him to be.”

Mrs. Wilson folded her arms. “So what? You just pop up like a phoenix from the ashes and take back your throne?”

“Damn right I do.”

“You’re insane.”

“I’m brilliant.” Mei leaned in, lowering her voice. “Lian’s been doing great pretending to be me. I give him that. But he’s soft. He doesn’t know how to play dirty. I do.”

Mrs. Wilson stared at her daughter. “So what’s your genius plan, huh? You walk up to Cheng and say, ‘Hey baby, I’m not dead and also I ghosted you for no reason, marry me instead of my twin brother?’”

Mei’s smile was wolfish. “Nope. I’m gonna make him want me back, here is how the plan goes.“



LI'S VILLA — VIVIAN’S BEDROOM

Vivian stormed into her room like a hurricane, heels clicking like gunshots on the marble floor.

She slammed the door shut, grabbed the wedding invitation from the dresser, and crushed it in her feet.

“Bitch,” she spat. “You really went through with it.”

Wine in one hand, phone in the other, her perfectly manicured nails tapped furiously against the screen. Her breathing was heavy—borderline manic. Her mascara was still flawless, but her eyes… her eyes were murder.

She’d just seen the official announcement. The wedding of Cheng Fu and Mei Wilson.

Vivian stared at the invitation on the floor like it personally slapped her.

“Fuck no.”

She threw the wine glass at the wall. Crash. Red streaked across the ivory paint like blood.

“I don’t give a damn who you are, ‘Mei.’ I’ll kill you if I have to.”

Her voice cracked with venom, but it only made her angrier. She turned to the mirror, chest heaving.

“Cheng is mine,” she hissed, eyes wild. “He always was. You think a new dress and a new attitude makes you untouchable? You don’t even know him. Not like I do.”

She picked up her phone again, fingers trembling now—but not with fear. With rage.

Beep. Beep. Click.

“Hello?”

“Mr. Fu?” she said, voice switching from furious to sweet and icy-smooth in two seconds flat. “Hi. It’s Vivian. Listen… we need to talk.”

A pause.

“About your future daughter-in-law.”

Her lips curled into a smile. One that didn’t reach her eyes.

“Oh, you’re gonna want to hear this.”