Luna smiled. "How much are you planning to pay?"

Serena was visibly stunned. she hadn't expected Luna to say that.

"What? You want me to leave him, but you don't want to spend a dime?"

In her previous life, Luna always knew Gideon had a woman outside. What baffled her was that the woman never appeared before her—at most, they’d had that one fleeting encounter in the office.

As Luna saw it, Serena relied on the fact that Gideon loved her enough to remain indifferent to Luna, knowing that Luna’s role as his wife was merely a facade.

But in this life... why was she so frantic?

Seeing Luna’s aggressive stance, Serena didn't hide anything anymore. She laid her cards on the table, her voice tinged with irony and contempt: "Gideon doesn't love you. Even if you threaten him into marrying you, his heart will never move for you."

Chapter 8: Only Disgust and Hatred

Luna spoke with a flat expression: "I’m more aware of that than you are. But I think there’s one thing you don't know yet—I’ve already returned everything that was supposed to go to Gideon, down to the last penny. I’ve also called off the engagement. There is no longer the slightest connection between him and me. So, please don't bother me again in the future. Thank you."

Having said her piece, she didn't bother to linger and stood up to leave.

She left behind a stunned Serena.

Called off the engagement? Why hadn't Gideon... told her?

On her way back, Luna thought about it carefully and felt that Serena wasn't really in the wrong. In the beginning, it was Luna who used the shares to marry Gideon, preventing Serena from standing by his side as the rightful Mrs. Gideon.

She was the "evil female lead," the stick that broke the lovebirds apart.

Since leaving the café, Serena’s brow had been furrowed. After hesitating repeatedly, she headed to the Gideon Group headquarters.

At that moment, Gideon was about to head into a meeting. Seeing her enter, he asked indifferently, "What is it?"

Serena bit her lip. "Gideon, I heard... you and Luna called off the engagement?"

He frowned. "Who told you that?"

"If I hadn't found out, were you planning to keep me in the dark forever?" Serena looked at him with tearful eyes, accusingly saying, "Gideon, why are you doing this? Have you fallen for Luna? Have you forgotten that she..."

"Enough." Gideon interrupted her impatiently. "Who told you I love her?"

In this life, he could fall for anyone, but for her, there was only disgust and hatred.

Hearing this, Serena finally felt relieved. But just as he was about to leave, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. "Then, Gideon, I’ve waited for you for so many years. Can you love me? The Ugly Duckling has been dead for so many years. Can't you just... forget her?"

...

One week later.

Luna arrived at the cemetery with a bouquet of flowers. On the tombstone, the old man’s smile remained kind and gentle.

"Grandpa Arthur, I’ve come to see you." She set the flowers down and sat on the ground in front of the tombstone. She pulled two bottles of beer from her pocket and opened them, placing one on the ground and drinking the other herself.

Luna’s expression was tinged with sorrow. "Grandpa Arthur, I always thought death was a terrifying thing. But after truly dying once, I realized that dying is actually quite easy. Maybe God played a joke on me and let me be reborn, but..."

She sniffled before continuing. "I didn't fulfill your request this time. I’m truly scared. I’m scared of waking up every morning and night in a cold, empty house; I’m scared of the way Gideon looked at me with disgust every single day for three years; I’m scared that even if I give my everything, in his eyes, it’s all just for some hidden agenda."

No matter how much she loved Gideon, her passion would eventually be worn down until it vanished.

In those countless days and nights in the past, her only companions were loneliness and despair.

Her love and her willingness had all been ruthlessly trampled underfoot. In three years of marriage, the total number of words he spoke to her didn't even exceed ten sentences.

Divorce?

No, she couldn't divorce him.

Once they divorced, all her previous efforts would go to waste. The shares that had finally stabilized in his hands would inevitably cause another uproar.

But she really couldn't stand that life where she could only talk to the air every day. Before she jumped from the building, she had developed depression.

Luna let out a self-deprecating laugh and swallowed the bitter beer. "Grandpa Arthur, I’m sorry. I don't want to marry him this time. I’ve already signed the share transfer agreement. Gideon is a very capable person. I believe that even without the cover of this marriage, he can handle things perfectly well."

Chapter 9: Remember This Feeling

Not long before he passed away, Grandpa Arthur found her. He said the situation in the family was unstable, and many people were eyeing the position of heir. If he gave his shares directly to Gideon, it would cause a lot of dissatisfaction, bringing unnecessary trouble and danger.

The only way to make it legitimate so those people couldn't find an excuse to move against Gideon was to find someone for him to marry. Once the shares became community property, Gideon could manage them directly.

At the time, Grandpa Arthur asked her if she was willing to be that person.

She hadn't hesitated for a second and agreed. She had liked him since she was a child; how could she not be willing?

Because of that love, she had repeatedly lowered her pride, humbling herself to the dust.

But little did she know, she had personally sent herself into a cold, irredeemable abyss.

Everyone was puzzled as to why Grandpa Arthur would transfer his shares to a woman of unknown origin like her. There were even rumors that she had drugged Grandpa Arthur and made him sign the agreement while he was incoherent.

She didn't care about others' opinions. She simply brought the agreement cautiously to Gideon and requested to marry him.

At that time, the way he looked at her was already filled with nothing but revulsion.

After an unknown amount of time, a pile of empty bottles had gathered beside her. Luna saw that the sun was about to set. She rubbed her head and was about to stand up and leave when the light in front of her suddenly dimmed.

A mocking male voice came from above: "My grandfather never drank. If you're going to act, you should at least do your homework."

"That’s because you didn't know him well." Luna rolled her eyes irritably. Because of the alcohol, her tongue was a bit numb, and her words were slurred.

She propped one hand on the ground and stood up shakily. Then she looked at the expressionless man, her brow suddenly furrowing as if she were asking him or talking to herself: "How can someone with a temper as good as Grandpa Arthur have such an annoying grandson like you? Did you have a genetic mutation?"

Gideon’s gaze was cold, and he remained silent.

Luna didn't expect him to answer. She let out a couple of "he-he's," gathered the bottles, and patted his shoulder. "When you get married, please invite me. It’ll be a good way to mourn..." She let out a drunken hiccup and continued, "Mourn my dead love."

"How much longer are you going to keep pretending?" He grabbed her wrist, his tone displeased.

Luna gave a silly smile and hooked her finger at him. "Lower your head a bit, and I’ll tell you."

Gideon didn't budge.

Luna didn't stand on ceremony either. She grabbed the collar of his shirt, stood on her tiptoes, and kissed him on the lips, even using her alcohol-numbed tongue to give them a lick.

Gideon’s dark eyes narrowed instantly. He violently shoved her away, his eyes filled with disgust, his brow furrowed deeply.

She wasn't angry. She only laughed foolishly for a few moments before slowly wiping the traces of him from her lips with the back of her hand. "Very disgusting, right? To me, every word you say is just as disgusting as this kiss. I hope that next time you speak to me, you remember this feeling."

After saying that, she picked up her bag of bottles and swayed away.

Mmm, at this moment, Gideon probably wants to kill her.

How satisfying!

As Luna walked, she actually started humming a song.

She was incredibly cheerful.

Behind her, the man’s face had darkened to the extreme, as if he were about to explode at any second.

Chapter 10: I Didn't Sign It

The phone in Gideon’s pocket rang. He answered impatiently, "Speak."

On the other end of the line, Xavier flinched at his tone but kept his voice steady. "Sir, somehow the other shareholders found out that Miss Luna signed the share transfer agreement. Now they’re at the company causing a scene, saying that since these were Grandpa Arthur’s shares, they shouldn't be inherited by you alone. They say they should be... divided among everyone."