Chapter 2 Humiliation

But I had once "ruined" him and Linda so badly; how could a woman pass up this opportunity to show off? Yet, in her myriad calculations, she overlooked one crucial fact: he no longer held a place in my heart. They arrived hand in hand, wearing matching rings on their ring fingers. "Lisa, speaking of which, you could be considered the matchmaker between Linda and me. You must come to our engagement party next month," Kevin emphasized the word "engagement" deliberately. He wanted to see me embarrassed, to see me go crazy over him. Then, standing on the moral high ground, he would condemn me as a fool who dared to meddle in someone else's relationship. But I didn't. I remained calm throughout, as if listening to an insignificant piece of news. "Okay." Kevin's expression soured instantly, and he snatched the invitation back from my hand. "Forget it, you shouldn't come. It's my big day, and I don't want you to jinx it." After saying this, Kevin paused for a few seconds, as if expecting me to refute him. But I didn't. I was actually relieved that I wouldn't have to see their two hypocritical faces. Before leaving, Kevin deliberately sent Linda away and asked me a nonsensical question out of the blue. "Lisa, you've become smarter… Knowing that persisting won't work on me, you've resorted to retreating to advance, trying to catch my attention. Let me tell you, don't waste your efforts. There's no future for us." I slowly looked up and glanced at him. "Good." Obviously, Kevin was greatly annoyed by my indifferent attitude, threatening to humiliate me if I showed up on that day. He already called me smart, so why would I have the audacity to show up and ask for trouble? Recently, my family has been discussing my marriage, and we've set a meeting for the day of Linda and Kevin's engagement party. Ironically, the man in question is my junior from university. Although we didn't exchange many words, we hit it off quite well. As I was leaving, he suddenly grabbed my arm and said something incoherent. "Senior, I'm quite surprised that you didn't go to Kevin's engagement party." I responded with a relieved smile. "Life is long, and there will inevitably be times when we make poor judgments. But it's okay; all we need to do is to keep our eyes open." Some things are unspoken but mutually understood. Logan's gaze immediately shifted from its previous dullness to curiosity when he looked at me. Suddenly, I felt that maybe I should really spend some time dating. Both Logan and I are prominent aristocrats in A City, and the photos of our meeting were quickly dug up by paparazzi and posted online. Remarkably, just the photos of our meeting gained more attention than those of Kevin and Linda in their wedding attire. Netizens had all sorts of reactions. I've never been interested in such gossip, but this time, the trouble involved two persistent pests. Sure enough, within half a day, Kevin called me. "Lisa, I never knew you were this despicable before. Knowing that being upfront won't work, you resort to underhand tactics. You love stealing the spotlight, don't you? Well, I'll just show everyone how glorious the former Miss Lisa once was." I had a bad feeling when Kevin hung up. Within half a second, a hashtag named "#Desperate Lapdog#" shot to the top of the trending list. I remembered Kevin's eighteenth birthday when he declared in front of everyone that I was a clinging leech and conspired with his friends to get rid of me. To stay by his side, I begged desperately. Eventually, Kevin reluctantly relented, but only if I cleaned up the alcohol he spilled on the ground like a dog. Even though I knew it was just an excuse for Kevin to humiliate me, I did it anyway. My pride was trampled underfoot repeatedly by him, but I didn't care. Because all I wanted at that time was for Kevin to be happy. So, even knowing that the video, once circulated, would be a devastating blow to me, I allowed him to keep it. My long-numb heart began to ache again. Actually, I've always known that Kevin is extremely cruel to people he doesn't like. But I wouldn't believe it, wouldn't accept fate, and gambled everything, only to end up with bruises all over. Our conversation was in the middle of the night because Kevin said he didn't want Linda to find out and get sad. "Speak up… What are your conditions?" I used to be so irrational towards Kevin that I couldn't bring myself to say a harsh word to him. But now, all that remains between us are emotionless negotiations. "It's simple. I want you to issue a statement acknowledging that you're jealous of Linda and that those photos were staged by you. And I want you to beg Linda like you begged me that day. Only if she forgives you will I delete the video." I remember someone telling me a long time ago that I was like a pet dog that Kevin kept. The woman could beat me, scold me, and humiliate me, and all I would do is wag my tail obediently. At that time, I thought they were just jealous of me, but now I understand. The reason for such a feeling, besides being my own doing, is that Kevin never saw me as a human being. To him, I was just a pet that he could vent his frustrations on and torture at will. "Sorry, I can't do it." The images of my once humble and pleading self flashed quickly through my mind. If I could see my past self, I would slap her without hesitation. "Then prepare to be ruined." At 3 a.m., I couldn't sleep, so I stood by the window for some cold air and became wide awake. Since we've already torn each other's masks off, let's go all the way. The next day, a news story that could ruin a man was trending. The headline "#Heartless Ungrateful Son Condones Fiancée in Driving Father to Death#" was instantly pushed to the top by netizens. This period happened to be crucial for the White family's IPO. As soon as the news broke, those business partners who were friendly with Kevin's father started canceling their contracts one after another. What's even more interesting is that the once thriving White family was suddenly declared bankrupt, and Linda walked away with all the assets and shares to start a new company. Kevin was completely booted out. Overnight, the once haughty aristocratic young master became a penniless pauper buried in debt. And my little scandal had already been forgotten in the sea of gossip. Kevin knew I was behind it all, so he came to confront me the day after his company went bankrupt. "Lisa, who gave you the nerve to scheme against me… It's all because of you, you scum, that I lost Linda and everything I had. I'm going to kill you." This replay of the past was truly revolting. "I don't think you'll ever get the chance to kill me, but you do have time to repent in jail." I pointed behind him at the police who had just arrived at the scene. Kevin was right about one thing: I'm not as cunning as Linda. Fearful that Kevin would relentlessly fight her for the assets, Linda struck first. She actively reported Kevin's crimes to the police, lacing his father's heart medication with sleeping pills, causing him to never wake up again. When I learned of this news, I felt a chill down my spine. I had heard about Linda's deeds before and thought she was evil through and through. But I forgot that only people with similar interests would get together. So what good is Kevin, a man who killed his own father with his own hands, deserving of hell? Considering Kevin's father's health condition, Kevin was only sentenced to three years in prison. During this time, I quietly transferred Kevin's mother to a specialist hospital, and she can now recognize people. But whenever she mentions Kevin, her teeth grit in hatred. "That monster actually ganged up with an outsider to kill his father with anger. If I see him again, I'll kill him." Kevin's mother looked at me with a face full of grievances and suddenly her expression turned terrified. It was Kevin; he had been released from prison early, and with him was the man who had put him in jail. Yet, the two were inseparable, looking deeply in love. "Mom, if you really kill me, who do you expect to support you, her?" Kevin was strong, and he almost crushed my scapula. "Since you're here, I'll be leaving now." After his stint in jail, Kevin's face had changed, now etched with bitterness and meanness. I instinctively tried to avoid him, but the man persistently grabbed my arm. "Lisa, we're not done settling our scores yet. Where do you think you're going?" Kevin, somehow having picked up smoking, blew a cloud of revolting smoke in my face, making me gag with disgust. "Kevin, you need leverage to threaten someone. Do you really think you stand a chance against me now?" In just two years, I'd swiftly taken over the family business and, single-handedly, propelled the Corporation to the pinnacle of the upper echelons of commerce. I doubted Kevin's casual remark could shake that. But suddenly, a triumphant gleam entered the man's eyes, and he looked at me with a sinister smile. "Lisa, if I can't touch you directly, I can always go after those close to you. Or do you think you're that good at hiding your precious Logan?" Lisa held up her phone and played a video in front of me. It contained the painful moans of a man. In that instant, my blood boiled. My right fist clenched so tightly it felt ready to punch his face the next second. But I refrained from doing so, not out of softness but because it wouldn't benefit Logan in the slightest. It might even provoke Kevin further. He's a madman, capable of anything when he loses his mind. "Don't worry, I don't want anything else. Just one of your kidneys, for Linda. And once that's done, I'll naturally let go of your beloved Logan."