Gideon stepped forward, his voice as cold as ice. "I’ll ask you one last time. Who was the one who died back then?"

"The Ugly Duckling died. What's wrong?"

"Are you sure?" His tone was flat, yet it made one's spine tingle with an inexplicable chill.

Serena stood up and bit her lip. "Gideon, did Luna say something to you again? You know she’ll do or say anything to get what she wants. Don't believe—"

Gideon suddenly let out a cold laugh. "Do you know why I’ve kept you around until now?"

"W-what do you mean?"

"The only reason you're still alive is because you still have utility value. Serena, is it you who is stupid, or is it me?"

"Gideon, let me explain! Everything was Luna's doing. She and Luke are framing me. I’m truly innocent!"

Chapter 52: A Gentleman Named Cook

Serena's expression turned frantic as she reached out to grab him, but he coldly brushed her off. "The girl who died at the orphanage back then was another girl. The one who survived was the Ugly Duckling—the current Luna. Correct?"

He should have realized it sooner. From the moment he learned why his grandfather gave her the shares, he should have known!

And yet, because of those baseless accusations, he had hated her for three years.

After she jumped, the truth had already begun to surface.

The reason he refused to hear her explanation was only because she tried to seek death the moment she woke up, and because she completely ignored him the second she saw Luke.

Perhaps Luke was right; he didn't dare face his own heart.

"No... that's not right..." Serena trembled all over, shaking her head violently. "The one who died was the Ugly Duckling. Luna pushed her. Luna wanted to kill me, too. Gideon, please believe me."

"Believe you? Why wouldn't I?" Gideon sneered, his voice sounding like a demon's. "Serena, you used to live to atone for your sins. But now, if anything happens to Luna, you can go and be buried with her."

"No! No! I did nothing wrong! You can't do this to me!"

Bang—

The door slammed shut with a thunderous sound, leaving her kneeling on the floor with a vacant expression.

The one who died was the Ugly Duckling, the one who pushed was Luna...

She wasn't wrong. She was the most innocent one!

No, that's wrong.

She was the Ugly Duckling. Everyone was out to get her; they all wanted her dead!

Serena huddled in the corner and began to claw at her right cheek. She was the Ugly Duckling, she had an ugly scar on her face, and she was the one Gideon loved...

The night grew deeper.

Luna woke up in a noisy environment. Her hands and feet were tied. Several men around her were smoking and playing cards. They weren't surprised to see her awake and mocked her: "Yo, the little lady is awake."

"Isn't she? Look at that fair face and soft body. It’ll definitely be comfortable to sleep with her."

The foul language reached her ears clearly. Luna instinctively recoiled, her brow furrowed. "Who are you? Did Serena send you?"

"We don't know anyone named Serena. A gentleman named Cook commissioned us. Tsk, tsk. I've been in this business for years, but this is the first time I've been asked to record a video of this. It's quite thrilling."

As he spoke, the man waved his hand, and two subordinates immediately pinned her arms down.

Luna was still reeling from the phrase "gentleman named Cook" when she was given an injection.

Gideon?

Impossible. No matter how much he hated her, he wouldn't use such low-life tactics.

But other than him, who else named Cook did she know?

Luna suddenly laughed. Perhaps this was just her fate.

She slowly closed her eyes as her consciousness became increasingly muddled.

The men in front of her didn't know why she was laughing, but they were just doing a job for money. Besides, she was good-looking, so why not enjoy it?

Just as the man took off Luna's jacket and prepared to pull down her trousers, the main door was kicked open with a bang.

The biting wind rushed in, stinging their faces.

That night, a sudden torrential rain broke out.

It drowned out all the noise and clamor.

When Luna woke up, Luke's cast-covered leg was resting on her bed while he casually munched on an apple. "I have to say, you're quite something. Instead of being the Mrs. Cook, you ran off to flirt with those thugs."

Chapter 53: Fulfilling Their Wishes

"..." Screw you.

Luna rolled her eyes and threw back the covers to get out of bed. "How long have I been asleep?"

"Just a day. Not much. You can go back to sleep if you want."

Luna couldn't be bothered to argue. she looked around, massaged her temples, and said, "I'm leaving."

Luke tossed the apple core accurately into the trash can and spoke with exasperation, "Leave? Where the hell are you going? Wasn't this lesson enough? You—"

"Serena is pregnant."

"What?" Luke dug at his ear in disbelief. "Are you sleep-deprived? Why on earth would she be pregnant? Did she eat a magic fruit?"

Luna crossly grabbed a pillow and hurled it at him. "Eat, eat, eat! All you know is eating. I hope you choke on it!"

"..." What did he do wrong?

Luna let out a silent sigh and said, "That call I made to you... I actually almost died in a car accident then."

"An accident, right? Didn't the same thing happen to me?"

"It wasn't an accident," Luna said with certainty, gritting her teeth before uttering two words. "Serena."

Luke frowned. "She wouldn't have the guts, would she? Attacking you now would only make her more suspicious."

"No, you don't know her. Serena definitely wouldn't do it herself. Before the plan was even implemented, she had already cleared herself of all suspicion. And as she said, I'm 'vicious and scheming' and have offended many people. It’s easy for her to find a couple of people to 'seek revenge' on me."

"Holy crap. Are you a mind-reader?"

Luna shook her head, feeling exhausted.

"And Gideon knows about it too, but he said nothing. It's equivalent to condoning her actions. When I went to buy lunch for you that day, I ran into her. She told me she was pregnant. I thought there was no point in clinging on anymore, so I might as well fulfill their wishes."

Perhaps she was wrong after all. The Gideon in these two worlds was fundamentally different; she shouldn't have held onto any expectations.

Luke glanced at her. "So, do you blame him?"

"No. I just feel that his hatred is so deep that no matter what I do—even if I put the truth right in front of him—he won't believe it. Since he chooses to believe Serena, then let him. There's no point in struggling. Everyone makes different choices and holds different beliefs."

"You're wrong." Luke sighed almost imperceptibly. "Do you know why I had such a huge prejudice against you when we first met? It wasn't because of what others said. It was because I saw Gideon lying lifeless in the ICU while you were safely transferred to a general ward. At that moment, I felt cold all over. I thought, since it was you who wanted to die, why wasn't it you lying in there instead of him?"

Luna paused, not quite understanding what he meant.

Sensing her surprised gaze, Luke smiled. "Strange, right? Actually, none of you truly understand Gideon. He’s someone who is extremely bad with words and only expresses himself through action. Regarding your leap from the building... after he woke up, he gave a gag order, so no one dared mention it, and no one would tell you that after you jumped, he jumped after you."

Even six months later, Luke felt terrified just thinking about that day.

Chapter 54: Loved to the Bone

For a long time, he couldn't understand it. Gideon clearly didn't seem to care at all about this woman's life or death, yet the moment she chose to jump, he held her tightly in his arms.

A fall from over thirty floors—even with a safety cushion, the chance of survival was microscopic.

Though miracles happen, that miracle didn't favor Gideon.

After reaching the hospital, the doctors issued critical condition notices twice. Even the usually jovial Luke felt his legs go weak, leaning against the wall, unable to accept it.

He had known Gideon for many years, but he had never seen him so resolute and selfless.

If he didn't love her, how could he go to such lengths?

At that time, he realized for the first time that he didn't know this childhood friend at all.

Fortunately, Gideon’s constitution and will were extraordinary. Just as the doctors were about to give up, he pulled through, though he lay in the ICU for a full week before opening his eyes.