Jessica Lindholm had spent her entire life as a widow, only to find out that her husband, Stanley Hackett, had faked his death.

When she ran into Stanley, who should have been dead for many years, at the Inner Harbor of Baltimore, he was hugging and kissing Yvonne Lyons, the daughter of her family's butler, passionately at the docks.

Only then did she realize that he already had a beloved, and his so-called death was faked just to stay away from her and live his life with Yvonne.

Later, Stanley died in a sudden car crash—sacrificing himself to save her.

Before he died, he said, "Jessica, I know I shouldn't have lied to you, but if there's another life... don't ever love me again."

Unexpectedly, the heavens really gave her another chance.

"Jessica, which of these two men do you choose as your husband?" her father placed photos of Stanley Hackett and Quintus Fabbri in front of her.

This time, she decided to choose her archenemy, Quintus Fabbri, whom she once would have rather died than married.

***

"Jessica, who among these two do you want to choose as your husband?"

The familiar voice brought her back to her senses.

Her father looked at her lovingly, with photos of the two men placed in front of her.

It was Stanley Hackett and Quintus Fabbri.

"I saw you chasing after Stanley all the time, you must want to marry him, right? Then—"

"No." Before her father could finish his words, she immediately and firmly interrupted him, her voice full of urgency.

He was stunned for a moment and asked, "What's wrong?"

She pursed her lips tightly, and the memories of her previous life flashed before her eyes like a kaleidoscope. Stanley's last words before his death, "Don't fall for me," sounded like a sword piercing her heart, and the pain made her unable to breathe.

"Not him!"

She grabbed Quintus' photo and said, "I want to marry him."

This was her former mortal enemy, someone she would have rather died than married.

"Quintus Fabbri? Don't you have a problem with him?" her father asked in surprise.

Jessica stared at the photo in a daze. She thought of the times when they quarreled whenever they met in their previous life.

Not long after she got married, he left Atlanta to develop his career, and there was no news that he was married until her death.

"Jessica, have you really thought it through?"

She pursed her lips and said with determination, "I did. I choose him."

She and Quintus had always fought whenever they met in her previous life, but now those noisy days seemed warmer than her marriage to Stanley.

She figured that it may just be fate. After being reborn, she decided to take a different path and never repeat the same mistakes.

Her father looked at her determined face and finally nodded, "Okay, since you have chosen Quintus, do get along with him in the future. The wedding date will be set a month from now."

When she left her father's study, her palms were covered in sweat.

She remembered how, in her previous life, she had run to Stanley with the joyful news, only to receive a faint "OK" in return.

As soon as she entered the living room, she saw two familiar figures.

Not far away stood the butler's daughter, Yvonne.

The three of them looked at her as if waiting for her to make a verdict.

Jessica looked at Quintus and Stanley.

Quintus sat lazily and casually on the sofa at the side, looking unruly and casual, without any demeanor of an heir to a noble family.

Stanley was less than one meter away from Yvonne. He had an upright posture, a cold face, and an air of dignity that could not be concealed.

In his previous life, Jessica was deceived by his noble appearance.

She opened her mouth, but before she could finish her words, he spoke first, "Jessica, I already have someone I like. I hope you aren't choosing me."

Jessica shuddered all over.

"It wasn't like this in the previous life!"

Looking at his determined and resolute face, an inexplicable thought came to her mind.

"Was he reborn too?"

"So, he was unwilling to even deal with me for half a year, and would rather offend my father to be with Yvonne?

"Do you know the consequences of offending me?" Jessica said with a trembling voice.

"I am willing to stay away from Atlanta and never set foot here again." Stanley said with a firm face, "I just want to be with the person I love."

She thought it wouldn't hurt anymore, but she underestimated how much she loved Stanley.

She was so heartbroken that she could hardly breathe.

Jessica felt as if her heart was crushed by an excavator, and she almost fainted from the pain.

She wondered if it was really that hard for him to accept being with her. In her previous life, he made her a widow like it was some kind of joke, and in this life, he wasn't even willing to pretend for a moment.

Jessica almost couldn't help but say, "I don't want to marry you!"

She tried her best to hold the words in her throat.

In her previous life, he made her, the daughter of the Lindholm family, a living joke. She couldn't fathom why she should let him live an easy life.

She figured that he would have to live in public humiliation for at least a month.

"The wedding date has been set. We will get married in a month. Then you will know who I will choose."

After saying that, she turned around and prepared to leave without waiting for anyone to speak. However, she had only taken two steps when she bumped into Yvonne, who had appeared behind her at some point.

Yvonne fell to the ground, looking at her with forbearing and aggrieved eyes.

"I'm sorry Ms. Lindholm, I didn't mean to..." The ending tone was drawn out, full of grievance.

Before she could say anything, a figure rushed up, carefully pulled Yvonne up from the ground, and pulled her to the back to shield her.

He looked at her and said angrily, "You knocked her down—why are you making things difficult?"

"I'm making things difficult?" Jessica was speechless. She didn't say anything after all.

Yet he already believed she was being unreasonable and overbearing. It turned out that this was how he saw Jessica.

Stanley didn't care what Jessica said. He pulled Yvonne away and turned to leave. However, he didn't notice that the distance between them was too close, and his movement pushed Jessica to the ground.

He clearly heard the sound of her falling, but he didn't even want to look at her and pulled Yvonne away with him resolutely.

Before she could even feel the pain of hitting the ground, she fainted from the fury building in her chest.

Before she closed her eyes, she saw Quintus, who was sitting on the sofa, suddenly stand up and rush towards her with worry and eagerness in his eyes.

"It must be an illusion, right?"

It was already the next day when Jessica woke up. A small bruise on her arm ached slightly.

"Who notified you yesterday?" She asked reluctantly, suppressing the bitterness in her heart.

The nanny who was serving her oatmeal paused when she heard this and spoke with some difficulty, "It was Mr. Fabbri. He saw you fainted and carried you all the way to find the family doctor."

Every servant in the house knew that Jessica liked Stanley, but many people saw what happened yesterday.

The news had already spread among the servants and was no longer a secret.

"Quintus Fabbri?" Jessica was stunned.

"Yes!" the nanny affirmed.

Jessica recalled the scene she saw before she fell into a coma and asked in confusion, "What was his expression at that time? Did he say anything?"

The nanny thought for a moment and said, "He didn't say anything, but he looked very worried when you fainted. He was afraid you wouldn't wake up. Even the family doctor was frightened by his expression."

She imitated Quintus' behavior and said, "Take care of her immediately. If the young lady loses even a single hair, I will make you get out of Atlanta."

This minor injury actually caused Quintus to make such a fuss, and Jessica felt a strange warmth in her heart.

She was indeed not seriously injured, but during her recovery period, all media outlets in Atlanta were spreading the story of how the overbearing president Stanley Hackett had fallen in love with the butler's daughter.

The city buzzed with excitement, and many netizens sent their blessings.

Yvonne also became a household name in Atlanta as a Cinderella of sorts.

"Ahhh, the real-life version of the Domineering CEO falling in love with me. I don't have to worry about TV dramas being lies anymore."

"Oh my god, Mr. Hackett is so high-profile, so afraid that we don't know that he likes the butler's daughter."

"So sweet, so sweet. Mr. Hackett bought Yvonne Lyons a truckload of luxury goods."

***

News like this appeared in an endless stream on the Internet, and as if for fear that Jessica would not see it, it was on the headlines all the time.

Jessica threw her phone aside with an indifferent smirk on her face.

The friend who came to see her off was so angry that she said, "This is too much. Stanley doesn't take you seriously. Does he know that you are Thaddeus Lindholm's daughter and Yvonne is just your butler's daughter?

"Everyone from rich families in Atlanta knows that he is your fiancé and that you will be getting married in a month. Isn't he doing this out of spite, making such a fuss?"

Jessica looked at the flowers scattered in the wind outside the window, her smirk faint.

"Yes, he knew this, so he did this just to spite me?

"Go and help me take out everything from the safe in the study. The combination is 336655."

After her friend brought it, Jessica looked at the things in front of her. They were all birthday gifts that Stanley had given her, as well as things about him that she had collected without his knowledge.

High school notes, the discarded pen she gave him, etc.

These are all her little representations of love!

"Prepare the car. We're going to No. 3 Courtyard."

When they arrived at No. 3 Courtyard, Stanley was not there.

The butler said that he took Yvonne to Westmore Chapel to pray.

Jessica didn't even get out of the car and asked her friend to hand the box of things about Stanley to the butler.

Just as they were about to drive away, Stanley's car came back.

He and Yvonne got out of the car as if no one was around.

Yvonne said with a worried look on her face, "Mr. Hackett, the news that you are good to me has spread all over the Internet. Ms. Lindholm must be unhappy when she sees it."

Stanley's voice was cold but full of tenderness, "I deliberately leaked these to the media just to make her change her mind and marry Quintus."

Stanley knew very well that if Jessica did not change her mind, he would definitely be marrying her in the future.

Otherwise, the entire Hackett family would be unable to bear the anger.

That was why he resorted to this desperate measure, hoping that Jessica could understand his determination and stop being stubborn. After all, he was not a good match for her.

"But everyone in the city knows that Ms. Lindholm likes you, so how could she easily marry someone else?"

"Even if she still insists on marrying me, I will find a way to get out. Yvonne, ever since I saw you saving Mr. Keller at the Lindholm Group's celebration banquet, I have been fascinated by your kindness and have fallen hard for you. I only want you in this life."

Jessica's face darkened when she heard this.

"Save Mr. Keller?

"I was the one who saved him!"

On the celebration banquet that day, Mr. Keller suddenly suffered from angina pectoris. It happened that the Top-grade Miracle Pill she had customized had arrived, so she reluctantly gave one to Mr. Keller.

It was just that Yvonne was asked to feed the medicine to Mr. Keller at that time. Unexpectedly, Stanley, who came late, thought that it was Yvonne who saved Mr. Keller.

Jessica weakly waved for the driver to leave.

Her bracelet's pendant accidentally tapped against the car window.

"Who's there?"

Stanley was startled, noticing someone was there. He looked up, saw Jessica, and frowned in disdain, "Why are you here?"

He thought he had made it obvious!

But he didn't expect that she would still follow him home. He wondered if she really had to be with him that badly.

The tenderness and affection towards Yvonne just a second ago, immediately turned into an expression of disgust when he saw Jessica.

In his previous life, he gave up everything in Atlanta to pursue Yvonne, but until his death, he never figured out who was the one who really moved him.

She almost blurted out the truth, but she held it back.

They were destined not to be together. He hurt her too deeply in her last life, and she had never thought of being his wife again in this life.

"I'm here to return your things." She gestured toward the butler at the door.

Stanley's eyes gradually turned cold, as if he didn't hear her words. He only glanced at the box at the door and said coldly, "It's still early for the wedding, are you so impatient to get married?"

"I am not!"

"You'd better think twice about whom to marry." He didn't listen to Jessica and said with a frosty look on his face, "The person I like is Yvonne, and I will only love her in this life. Love can't be forced; can't you understand that?"

Jessica was so angry that she wanted to pin him to the ground and beat him up.

There were many sons of wealthy families in Atlanta who wanted to marry her, but he still wouldn't accept her even if she threw herself at him.

She almost blurted out "You are not the one I want to marry", but Yvonne suddenly let out an "ah" in a delicate voice, and looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"Mr. Hackett, I suddenly have a stomachache."

Upon hearing this, Stanley immediately became worried and didn't care about anything else. He picked up Yvonne and took her to the family doctor in No. 3 Courtyard.

He didn't even give Jessica a spare glance.

Jessica looked at the two people leaving. He gave all his tenderness to Yvonne, which was what she wanted but could not get.

"Stanley, you are so blind.

"You even mistake the person who really makes your heart beat.

"In that case, then let you spend your whole life regretting it."

Jessica withdrew her gaze, waved her hand, and asked the driver to drive away.

In the following days, Jessica stayed at home and took care of the wedding preparations. There were so many trivial matters that she had no time to pay attention to Stanley and Yvonne.

It wasn't until this day, that her best friend rushed to her in a hurry and said, "Hey, Mr. Hackett is here."

Jessica heard this, slightly narrowed her eyes, and said calmly, "I'm not seeing him."

As soon as he finished speaking, Stanley rushed into the living room, looked at her angrily, and asked, "Jessica, why did you ask someone to hit Yvonne?"

Jessica was slightly stunned, "What do you mean?"

"Just because I said I liked her, you got someone to run her over?" Stanley pulled Jessica up from the sofa and said without doubt, "Come with me, and apologize to Yvonne!"

Stanley dragged her so hard she lost her balance and shouted, "Let go!"

But Stanley didn't care about her at all. He dragged her into the car outside and drove all the way to No. 3 Courtyard.

He pulled her out of the car again and dragged her to Yvonne's bed.

Yvonne lay on the bed with a pale face, looking broken, as if she were about to die at any moment.

"Mr. Hackett, although Ms. Lyons has no external injuries, she was so frightened that she remained rather shaken. If she can't take good care of herself, her body will be very weak in the future." The family doctor said.

"Jessica, look at what you have done!" Stanley stared at her coldly. "Yvonne usually gets along well with others, but you are the only one who is jealous of me liking her..."

"Stanley, don't you think you're thinking too highly of yourself?" Jessica interrupted.

There was always something to accuse someone of. At this moment, she felt that she had never been more wronged in her life.

"Jessica, I didn't expect you to be such a sinister person. You did this and you're not willing to admit it."

"You're insane!"

Jessica thought Stanley was crazy. "How could I, the daughter of the Lindholm family, use such despicable means?" she thought.

"Cough cough..." During the argument, Yvonne suddenly started coughing violently, and blood spurted out of her mouth, soaking the bedding red.

She began to twitch, and the scene was truly disturbing.

The family doctor took one look and said anxiously, "Hurry, Mr. Hackett, Ms. Lyons must go to the hospital immediately."

Just as the family doctor finished speaking, Stanley immediately picked up Yvonne, looked anxious, and ran out quickly.

As soon as he reached the door, he paused for a second and said to the person beside him, "Take Ms. Lindholm along."

"Stanley, how dare you!" Jessica said, gritting her teeth.

This matter had nothing to do with her, and she didn't want to get involved at all.

But Stanley didn't give her any chance at all. He just looked to his bodyguards, and they immediately took Jessica into the car.

Jessica stared out the window, her heart heavy. This was the person she had loved all her life in her previous life.

Without any reason, he put the blame on her.

"I was so blind!" she thought.

They rushed all the way and soon arrived at the hospital. Jessica was pressed against the door of the ward, watching the doctors coming in and out.

From beginning to end, Stanley never gave her a chance to explain, nor did he even look at her.

At this moment, her heart couldn't be colder.

After an unknown amount of time, the doctor finally came out of the ward and announced that Yvonne was fine.

Stanley breathed a sigh of relief and then turned to look at Jessica, who was being held down by bodyguards.

"Jessica, I'm warning you—this is the last time, I don't want Yvonne to get hurt again!"

The cold voice struck Jessica's heart directly, causing her to feel so painful that she almost couldn't breathe.

"If there is a next time, I will let you know that the Hackett family is not so easy to mess with."

Although the Hackett Group is not as powerful, they were still formidable!

"You threaten me for her?" Jessica laughed angrily.

This was the first time she had been threatened since she was a child.

"Yes!" Stanley said bluntly.

"Okay, I'll wait for you." Jessica chuckled, her face full of contempt, and then she broke free from the person who was suppressing her and left.

When Jessica got home, the news that she was taken away by Stanley today had already reached her father.

Her father was waiting for her on the sofa. When he saw that she had returned unharmed, he asked, "Why did you do this?"

What he meant was why she didn't announce the change of marriage partner in advance, which led to so many misunderstandings.

Jessica smiled and sat next to her father. "Dad, don't worry about it. I have my reasons."

After what she went through in her previous life, she couldn't let Stanley be relieved so quickly.

She just wanted to torture him psychologically bit by bit!

She wanted to make him unhappy too!

Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to swallow that anger.

As events unfolded, she only looked forward to her wedding day even more!

That night, just as Jessica was about to rest after applying her facial mask, Stanley rushed in with an anxious look on his face.

"Jessica!" He gritted his teeth, looking as if he wanted to eat her alive.

"What on earth are you trying to do?" Stanley said angrily. "Yvonne is already in the hospital—why are you still trying to have someone assassinate her?"

"What are you talking about?" Jessica was confused.

"What assassination?"

"You asked someone to poison her medicine. If I hadn't happened to be with Yvonne and noticed that some of the pills weren't prescribed by the doctor, she might have taken them."

He was so scared!

"Do you love her that much?" Jessica laughed angrily.

"Yes!"

Jessica looked at Stanley acting like this and suddenly laughed, "She told you that it was me who did it?"

"Yes!"

Stanley answered straightforwardly.

Her fingertips dug fiercely into her palms, and the pain left her nearly speechless.

After a moment, he said, "So, between her and me, you chose to believe her and not me?"

"... Yes."

Those three consecutive "yes" answers were like sharp knives, piercing her already broken heart.

At this moment, Stanley's driver rushed up with his cell phone, "Mr. Hackett, Miss Yvonne is crying and wants to see you."

"Jessica, this is the last time. Don't go after Yvonne again—or I'll make you pay." After saying this, Stanley left without looking back.

Jessica watched his back as he walked away and whispered, "Stanley... you fool. I'll be waiting for the day you regret this."

During the wedding preparations, Jessica didn't leave the house at all.

She didn't step outside again until the night of the charity performance.

At the banquet, Stanley appeared with Yvonne. They sat side by side, gazing at each other and talking, appearing particularly affectionate.

"Mr. Hackett is clearly in love with the butler's daughter, treating her so well."

"That's right. I heard the butler's daughter was almost hit by a car recently, and Mr. Hackett confronted the other girl..."

When they saw Jessica coming in, everyone stopped talking.

"I wonder if there are any interesting activities in today's charity banquet?" Someone suddenly asked.

"I heard that Mr. Keller specially invited the Jacobson Dance Troupe to perform in order to thank the people who saved him last time. I don't know when they will start to perform."

"Oh? That's quite a show of gratitude indeed!"

"Of course. Mr. Keller said that he would go on stage to express his gratitude after the performance!"

Stanley's face lit up when he heard this. He figured that once Mr. Keller took the stage to thank Yvonne, it would serve as an endorsement of her. From now on, outsiders would not dare to look down on Yvonne easily.

When Yvonne heard this, her face turned pale and her fingertips curled up inadvertently.

Upon hearing this, Jessica glanced at Yvonne's slightly flustered face, with a faint smile on her lips, as if she was waiting to watch a show.

Soon, the dance troupe took the stage, and Yvonne began to tremble. Seeing Stanley was watching with great interest, she bit her lip.

"Stanley, my stomach hurts..."

The slightly trembling eyes and the quivering thin lips instantly made Stanley so distressed that he forgot to think.

"I'll take you to see a doctor right away." Without another word, Stanley scooped Yvonne into his arms and rushed to the venue's infirmary.

Until the dance ended and Mr. Keller went on stage to express his gratitude to Jessica, they did not come back.

After the banquet, Jessica waited alone by the roadside for the driver.

"Ms. Lindholm..."

Yvonne's voice was heard behind her.

Jessica turned around and saw that Yvonne's complexion had returned to normal. She couldn't help but smile. "What, done pretending?"

Yvonne straightened her expression and suddenly asked, "You know something, Ms. Lindholm?"

Jessica pretended to be confused and asked, "What do you mean?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Yvonne knew that she had heard everything that was said that day.

Suddenly, she took Jessica's hand and begged, "Ms. Lindholm, you're a rich girl, and all the sons of wealthy families in Atlanta want to marry you. I am just the daughter of a butler, and my life is far worse than yours. Please, just let Mr. Hackett and me be together!

"Please don't let Mr. Hackett know about what happened that day!

"I only have Mr. Hackett."

"What if I refuse?" Jessica looked at Yvonne with cold eyes.

When Yvonne heard this, her face instantly turned gloomy. She looked at the vehicles on the side of the road and smiled, "Then don't blame me."

After saying this, she pushed Jessica into traffic before she could react.

A speeding car passed by, and Jessica was so scared that she was sweating all over. She quickly turned back to the side of the road and said, "Yvonne, do you know what you are doing?"

After living a new life, Jessica never expected Yvonne to be such a vicious person.

"It's you, it's all you. You were born with everything. I only have Mr. Hackett, and you are not willing to let me have him." Yvonne roared almost crazily.

Jessica had returned to safety. Yvonne hesitated slightly when she saw a car speeding just a short distance away from them.

She used all her strength to push Jessica into the traffic again.

But this time she underestimated Jessica.

Jessica saw right through Yvonne's intentions the moment her expression changed. This woman was too cruel, so she naturally had to be extremely careful.

When she reached out her hand again, Jessica grabbed her hand and used all her strength to turn around.

Yvonne never expected this to happen. By the time she reacted, she had already flown into traffic and collided with the car she had targeted.

"Ah..." A scream was heard.

Yvonne was knocked more than a meter away and fell heavily to the ground.

"Help... me..." Yvonne's weak voice was heard saying.

Jessica steadied herself and watched everything with a cold expression.

Just moments ago, Yvonne had tried to kill her, but only ended up slightly injuring her—hardly worth mentioning.

A figure rushed over from the side. Stanley held Yvonne in his arms, his face full of distress, then glared angrily at Jessica, "Jessica, I didn't expect you to be so vicious. I really misjudged you all these years."

"I'm vicious?" Jessica pointed at herself, her lips slightly raised, "Why don't you ask her what she did?"

"Stanley, it hurts..." Yvonne whimpered.

Stanley didn't care about anything else. He picked up Yvonne and left.

Watching them leave, Jessica let down her guard, only to then realize the excruciating pain in her ankle.

***

She limped into the living room.

Seeing this, her friend immediately called the family doctor and asked worriedly, "Jessica, didn't you go to the charity banquet? How did you get hurt?"

"It's okay. This is nothing." Thinking of Yvonne reaping the fruits of her own actions, Jessica felt extremely vindicated.

She briefly told her friend what happened that night, and her friend was so angry that she almost went to look for Stanley with a knife in her hand.

"Thank goodness that you're okay, otherwise I would have skinned Stanley alive!"

Her friend was filled with anger, "Next time when you go out, take me with you. I will never let that bitch bully you like this."

Jessica nodded repeatedly, knowing that that day's matter would not end there.

"Look at you, what's wrong with Quintus? Why are you so stubborn and want to marry Stanley?" The friend said and rolled her eyes at Jessica.

"If you choose to marry Quintus, there will be no such terrible thing happening. This is awful."

Jessica resisted the urge to tell her friend. The fewer people who knew, the less likely it would be exposed.

It was especially so since everyone thought she was going to marry Stanley, but at the wedding, she would choose Quintus.

Just thinking about this scene, she herself found it very funny.

The smugger Stanley and Yvonne acted now, the more embarrassed they'd be in the end.

She was looking forward to it!

"Don't worry, it won't stay awful for long," Jessica reassured her friend.

The next day, news came back that Yvonne was hospitalized and turned out fine.

Stanley was furious, acting almost like a madman. He wanted to confront Jessica right away and beat her.

It was said that Yvonne tried her best to stop Stanley from doing that.

As for the reason, they both knew it very well.

Half a month later, at Quintus' birthday party.

He liked to make friends to begin with, and almost all the younger generation of the upper-class circles in Atlanta were present.

When Jessica arrived, she happened to see that Stanley's car had also arrived. He carefully reached out his hand and helped Yvonne out of the car.

The hotel's lights shone on them, making the dreamy atmosphere feel even sweeter.

This scene reminded Jessica of their passionate kiss on the docks at the Inner Harbor of Baltimore in their previous life.

Jessica looked away, pretending not to see it, and walked straight in.

"Oh, you're so busy preparing for the wedding. If it weren't for my birthday, you wouldn't even go out, would you?" Quintus teased, looking at Jessica.

Although it was all teasing on the surface, Jessica still caught the unspoken emotion in his eyes.

She confessed, "Yes!"

"Is marriage so important?" Quintus asked.

"It's important. It only happens once in a lifetime, and I want to marry well." This was the second chance she'd been given—to make a new choice.

She wanted to choose a completely different path from her previous life.

Quintus hid the pain in his eyes and said, "Come in quickly, it's windy outside."

As he said this, he led the way and took Jessica into the hotel.

The hotel offered a one-stop service for karaoke, dining, and lodging.

During the meal, Stanley and Yvonne flaunted their affection in such high-profile ways that they nearly overshadowed the birthday boy, Quintus.

Time passed quickly, and they went to the karaoke room upstairs after eating.

The karaoke session started, and everyone except those who were singing, was drinking. Jessica had never been interested in these things since she was a child, so she planned to eat some cake and then go home.

"Ms. Lindholm, you're getting married soon, are you nervous?" Someone suddenly came up to talk.

"I feel fine."

"But..." That person looked at Stanley and Yvonne, who were displaying their affections passionately and hesitated to speak.

Jessica's expression remained normal. She glanced over, but after just one glance, she looked away.

"Mr. Hackett is behaving like this, in the future..." The person was quite familiar with them and wanted to persuade them, but when the words got to the tip of his tongue, he thought of Jessica's love for Stanley and held them back.

"I hope you will be happy in the future!" That person said and joined the drinking party nearby.

Suddenly Quintus pulled Stanley over and sat next to Jessica, saying in a relaxed tone, "It will feel awkward for me if you two don't sit together."

"Quintus, you are the birthday boy tonight, so I will behave for your sake." Stanley said coldly, "You knew that I like Yvonne, but you still pulled me over."

Stanley was full of disgust.

He didn't even bother glancing at her. Jessica thought she wouldn't feel anything—but she was still deeply hurt.

She pursed her lips and said softly, "I'm going to the bathroom."

When Jessica came out of the bathroom, she was stopped by two men.

"Hey, girl, have a drink with me." A drunk man said frivolously.

Jessica frowned. Upset by Stanley's attitude, she had chosen a bathroom farther from the crowd.

She didn't expect to encounter something like this.

"No—"

Before she could finish her refusal, another man grabbed her hand and before she could react, she was pulled into the private room.

Jessica tried to struggle but was pulled tighter instead.

Looking at the strangers around her, a chill rose from the bottom of her heart.

"Do you know who I am?" Jessica pretended to be calm.

"I know!" One person said drunkenly, "Isn't she a princess from the Golden Stallion?"

Jessica was stunned.

She soon realized that today was Quintus' birthday, and to show respect, everyone was dressed up.

The so-called princesses were all dressed in their best attire.

"You've got the wrong person. I'm not one of them." Jessica flatly denied it.

"Stop making excuses and just have a drink with us." The drunk man didn't care what she said and pulled her over to drink.

Jessica was forced to drink, and it went up her nose.

Her eyes were instantly filled with tears, and she shouted, "Let me go, I am Thaddeus Lindholm's daughter..."

Her voice was drowned out by the noise.

Suddenly she felt someone's hand touching her waist, and she trembled with fear.

"Help..." Jessica shouted with all her strength.

This was heard by everyone present, and someone immediately jumped. "Damn it, you know who you are, and you're still pretending to be innocent?"

As he said this, he slapped Jessica in the face.

It hurt!

Everything went dark before her eyes. She had never encountered such an incident before and suffered a huge blow both physically and mentally.

Before she lost consciousness, she thought she saw someone break through the door and walk toward her, silhouetted against the light.

"Hold me tight." Quintus' reassuring voice was in her ears.

A melee broke out at the Golden Club, and that night, the Golden Club threw everyone in the private room out like garbage.

When Jessica opened her eyes, she found herself lying on her bed at home.

"How did I get home?" She sat up suddenly and looked at her clothes. Fortunately, they were the same clothes she wore when she went out.

"Don't worry, it's okay." Seeing her like this, her friend hurriedly said, "Quintus sent you back."

The friend handed over a cup of something for her hangover and said, "I know you don't let anyone get close to you, so I just wiped your hands and feet."

"Speaking of which, Quintus' expression last night was really scary as if he wanted to kill someone." Her friend recalled the scene from last night and described it to Jessica in vivid detail.

"Is he okay?" Jessica asked after a while.

"He's fine. What can happen? He's a grown man after all." The friend said nonchalantly, "Oh, you've been through so much trouble. I've never seen you like this before."

Those words went deeper than they would have otherwise.

Jessica drank water with mixed feelings.

At this time, her friend got up and took out a small piece of cake from the refrigerator and handed it to her, "Here, Quintus' birthday cake."

Jessica was speechless.

"He said that you have to have this when you wake up. After all, this is his last birthday in Atlanta. It might be the last time you ever have a cake from him.

Jessica asked anxiously, "Where is he going?"

"I don't know. He said that after you get married, he would leave Atlanta and try his luck elsewhere."

Fortunately, he wasn't going to leave immediately. Jessica breathed a sigh of relief.

The friend took out a jewelry box from the side and said, "Here, this is a wedding gift that he gave you."

The box contained her favorite jewelry, a complete set of white jade head ornaments, so beautiful that she couldn't take her eyes off.

It seemed that he had given her a box of jewelry in his previous life, but at that time, she only had eyes for Stanley, and she didn't even look at it. She guessed this must be it.

Normally, whenever he went on a long trip, he would bring her some small things, even though he kept saying, "I just buy anything I see on the street. Do you whatever you want with them."

But she likes every one of them!

Jessica clenched her palms. She couldn't believe that she had been so slow to notice it.

Even after she got married in her previous life and Quintus left Atlanta to develop elsewhere, he would still get people to send her things from time to time.

They included her favorite jade ornaments and local specialty pastries.

A servant suddenly came over and said, "Mr. Hackett is here."

"What is he doing here?"

The servant looked embarrassed, "It was the incident last night. Mr. Fabbri investigated and found out that it was Ms. Lyons..."

The Fabbri Group and the Hackett Group are equally matched and are both developing very well now.

When Quintus found out the matter was related to Yvonne, he used all his power to deal with them.

But he was still rational and did not go too far, so Stanley had time to find her.

Jessica went into the cloakroom and changed into comfortable clothes before going out to see him.

"Jessica, tell Quintus to stop immediately. There's no need for both sides to suffer." Stanley made the request as soon as he saw her.

"I was set up and humiliated yesterday, and he stood up for me. I can't even thank him enough, and you still want me to tell him to call it off?" Jessica chuckled.

"Stanley, you never cared about me right from the start. Do you know what I went through last night?" The look in Jessica's eyes darkened, and her face looked threatening.

"Yvonne just cried out in pain just a little, and you got so distressed."

"I was dragged into a private room by them last night, forced to drink, and treated like a prostitute..." She wondered how he could not see such humiliation.

The more she spoke, the more aggrieved Jessica felt. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she smiled, "You never said anything that showed any care for me."

Stanley's face froze, "Yvonne didn't mean it, she was just joking with you..."

"Are you kidding me?" Jessica sneered, "You're telling me the drink I was forced to drink wasn't wine?"

Then she stretched out her hand again, "Isn't the wound on my hand a wound?"

"Jessica, aren't you sober now? I will buy you the best medicine for the wound on your hand, and make sure it heals before the wedding."

"Heh..." Jessica looked at the man in front of her and really didn't know how she had fallen in love with him in her previous life.

"Go away. I'm not getting involved in Quintus' affairs. It's his right to do whatever he wants." Jessica ordered him to leave.

After saying that, she turned around and left without looking back.

"Jessica, if you tell him to stop, I will marry you!" Stanley shouted at Jessica's back, "As long as Quintus doesn't go all crazy, I will marry you."

Jessica stopped walking and looked back, "Do you love her so much?"

He was willing to marry someone he didn't love, for the sake of someone he did!

He actually loved her that much.

"How ridiculous would it be if one day he found out that he got the wrong person the whole time?" she thought.

"I'd only love her in this life!" Stanley said firmly, "She is my only love."

It was because of love that he couldn't bear to see her being threatened in any way.

He knew Quintus' methods too well. If Jessica didn't say anything, he would create trouble for Yvonne without leaving any trace, and it would be extreme.

If he was careless, he might lose Yvonne!

He didn't dare to gamble at all!

"I hope you will never change!" These words sounded like a joke to Jessica.

Returning to the bedroom, she called Quintus.

The other end picked up the phone quickly, with his usual casual voice, "What's wrong? Did you miss me?"

That was the first time she called him since her rebirth.

"About what happened last night, just call it off!" Jessica said after a long silence, "And thank you for last night."

"Are you really protecting him like this?" Quintus spoke after a moment's silence.

Jessica realized it later and hurriedly explained, "I just don't want to cause any more trouble before the wedding."

After all, in this life, she wanted Stanley to watch her marry someone else.

"Okay, as you wish," Quintus replied, gritting his teeth.

After hanging up the phone, the two returned to their previous state.

On the eve of her wedding, Jessica was trying on her wedding dress in front of the mirror when a servant came to announce, "Mr. Fabbri is here."

"I'm not seeing him." Jessica refused without even thinking.

The bride cannot see the groom before the wedding.

"Jessica, I'm giving you a wedding gift, and you can't even come out to see me?" Quintus' voice came from outside the door.

"I'm getting married tomorrow, what are you going to give me now?"

"I can't guarantee I'd show up for the wedding tomorrow." He said from outside the door, sounding helpless, "I'm going to go out and have fun."

Jessica was anxious, "You dare!"

Quintus suddenly said jokingly, "Why? Do you really want me to watch you marry someone else?"

Jessica was stunned for a moment, and just as she was about to speak, Quintus' voice was fading, "As long as you are not afraid of chaos at the wedding tomorrow, I will come."

After saying this, he left quickly.

"This is given to you by Mr. Fabbri." Seeing this, the servant hurriedly placed the gift in front of Jessica.

She couldn't wait to open it, and found cannoli inside!

She had loved cannoli since she was a child, but it was hard to find. She didn't expect that he remembered it!

***

On the wedding day, the castle was decorated luxuriously and all the upper-class people in Atlanta came.

Everyone was talking about it because the invitations didn't include the groom's name.

Although everyone knew that Thaddeus Lindholm's daughter was going to marry Stanley, this was the first time they saw an invitation without the groom's name on it.

Just before the ceremony began, Stanley walked up to Jessica in a tuxedo.

The words spoken from his gentle and elegant face were extremely cold, "I am marrying you in name only. I still love Yvonne. I hope we can just be civil to each other from now on."

Yvonne stared at Jessica with red eyes. Her eyes were full of hatred.

And Quintus...

He leaned lazily at the entrance, with his usual mischievous smile on his face, but there was an unmistakable sadness in his eyes.

The MC came on stage and after his opening remarks, he said passionately, "Now please welcome our bride, Ms. Jessica Lindholm, and her groom, Mr. Quintus Fabbri."

As soon as the words dropped, everyone was shocked.