Chapter 1

“Damn it! I’m late! Being late on my first day of work… This is definitely going to result in getting fired!”

As the warm winter sun began to rise over the rooftop, Evan Thorn’s screams shattered the tranquility of the neighborhood. The yellow tabby cat dozing on the balcony simply rolled over lazily, its tail brushing against its paws. Clearly, it was well accustomed to its master’s sudden outbursts of noise.

The girl with messy hair was wearing a pink pajama with Hello Kitty printed on it. She jumped out of bed quickly, not even bothering to put on slippers. Barefoot, she rushed into the bathroom. Brushing her teeth, washing her face, changing her clothes, tying her hair into a ponytail—all these actions were done in record time. Five minutes later, she grabbed the bread from the table, slammed the door behind her, and Rowley Reeves disappeared from the hallway in an instant.

No one could have imagined that behind this ordinary girl with a high ponytail, carrying a canvas bag, and wearing canvas shoes, lay a story that was utterly absurdly tragic.

Evan Thorne was born in the late 1980s, during the strictest period of family planning policies in China. His parents both worked for the government. The family already had a daughter. But in the patriarchal culture of southern China, where boys were preferred over girls, Evan’s grandparents longed for a grandson desperately. Guo’s mother risked losing her job by hiding her pregnancy. She took leave to go back to her hometown in the mountains to give birth. After suffering pain for a whole day and night, she finally gave birth on her birthday.

Grandma laughed, her face full of wrinkles, outside the delivery room. “Crying so loudly—surely it’s a chubby little boy!” But what the midwife brought out was a wrinkled baby girl. Everyone in the room scattered in disarray, muttering, “Another girl.” Grandma sighed, took the baby in her arms, and looking into her bright eyes, named her “Xiaofu”. Later, Grandpa and Grandma thought “Xiaofu” was too plain, so they changed it to the more poetic name “Ewen”. However, due to the large family, they had Xiaofu raised by Grandma.

Two years later, Auntie Guo finally gave birth to her brother. Everyone thought the family would be reunited, but fate dealt her a devastating blow: Uncle Guo ran away with his best friend. Auntie Guo traveled thousands of miles to find her husband. Eventually, when Evan Thorn was seven years old, the divorce was finalized. After that, his older sister was placed with his grandparents, while Evan Thorn stayed with his grandmother. Auntie Guo remarried and brought her brother along. It wasn’t until Evan Thorn was ten that he was reunited with his new family.

Growing up with many challenges, Evan Thorn had an average appearance, average grades, and an average educational background. After graduation, she found a mediocre job and led a mundane life, going back and forth between work and home. That was until she accidentally submitted her resume to NK Company.

Who doesn’t know NK Company? Since its establishment, the company has achieved remarkable success in various fields: real estate, entertainment, education, and trade. It dominates half of the market in City Y. There were so many applicants that the line of candidates stretched from one end of the Great Wall to the other. Evan Thorn initially clicked on the application out of sheer curiosity, with no real expectations. But the next day, she got a call for an interview. Even more surprisingly, she passed the interview!

Glancing at his watch, he realized there were still 20 minutes until work started. Taking the bus would be too late, and taking a taxi would be too costly—once he did, he’d have to eat instant noodles for the rest of the week. After hesitating for three seconds, Evan Thorn gritted his teeth. Eating instant noodles was still better than making a bad impression on his boss on the first day!

She stopped an empty taxi and asked, “Sir, how much does it cost to get to No. XX, Taiwan Road from here? No need to use a meter.”

“200.” The driver didn’t even look up.

“150! Are you coming or not?” Evan Thorn made up his mind.

“Let’s go! Get in!” The driver tapped the steering wheel. “Girl, you’re in a hurry, right? Sit down properly. I guarantee we’ll be there in 18 minutes!”

Evan Thorn hadn’t even had time to react when the taxi shot forward like an arrow released from a bow. It darted left and right through the crowded traffic, weaving through alleys and taking shortcuts. She clung tightly to the handrail, too scared to breathe. Finally, with a screeching brake, the car came to a stop in front of NK Company. The driver turned around triumphantly. “Exactly 18 minutes,” he said.

Evan Thorn’s legs went weak. After paying, he stumbled toward the hallway, his eyes fixed on the elevator doors. All the elevators were closed, except for one in the far corner, whose doors were slowly closing.

“Wait! Don’t close it! There’s someone else in there!” Evan Thorne rushed forward, but her feet slipped and she couldn’t stop in time. With her eyes closed, she thought, “Oh no, crashing into an elevator on my first day here. What terrible luck!”

The expected collision didn’t happen. At the last moment, the elevator doors stopped and slowly opened. Evan Thorn couldn’t avoid it in time. With a thud, he crashed right into a solid chest.

She covered her throbbing head, ready to apologize, when a cold, strong hand suddenly shoved her away. Evan Thorn lost his balance and fell to the ground with a thud. The intense pain in his buttocks, combined with his anger at being treated rudely, made him furious.

She suddenly raised her head, adopting a fierce posture. But when her eyes met those cold, sinister ones, she froze instantly. The man was dressed in a custom-made black suit. He had a tall, upright posture, with features so handsome they could almost be described as sharp. His gaze was as cold as ice, sending chills down Evan Thorne’s spine. This man was definitely not someone to mess with!

In just a second, Evan Thorn completely changed his expression. He got up in a rather awkward manner, brushed off the dust from his clothes, and forced a smile. “I’m so sorry! My shoes are too slippery. I lost my balance and bumped into you. I’m truly apologetic!”

As she spoke, she reached out to help the man smooth his clothes. But before her hand even touched the hem of his shirt, a bodyguard in a black suit blocked her motion with a swift motion of his hand. Evan Thorn rubbed his nose awkwardly and retreated to the corner of the elevator. In his heart, however, he cursed that man thoroughly, from head to toe, including all his ancestors.

Sela Vosh stared coldly at the woman cowering in the corner, her gaze cutting like a knife. The collision had caused pain in his waist and abdomen. If it weren’t for the fact that today was his first time attending a regular meeting since taking over NK and he needed to maintain his image, he would have thrown that stupid woman out already.

In the morning, he was woken up by the old man in his family playing the erhu. Already annoyed from having to get up, he was then bumped into by that woman. His hand holding the phone clenched tightly; he wished he could crush the phone against that woman’s neck.

The atmosphere in the elevator was so eerie that it seemed like water could drip from the air. Finally, the elevator reached the 28th floor with a “ding”. Evan Thorn instinctively stepped back, waiting for those difficult-to-deal-with people to exit first. But after a few seconds, they just stood there, motionless like statues.

“Oh, you’re not going out?” Evan Thorn muttered softly. “Then move aside, I’ve arrived.”

As she spoke, she stepped back. Unexpectedly, the cold-looking man took a big step forward, walking right past her. His bodyguards and assistants followed closely behind. Evan Thorn was momentarily stunned, then realized—was he actually a colleague? They saw each other every day. How was he supposed to get along with him from now on?

She stepped out of the elevator, leaned against the wall, and took out a pair of ten-centimeter-high heels from her bag to put on. It’s comfortable to wear canvas shoes when taking the bus, but at the office, it’s important to pay attention to one’s appearance. Wearing her high heels, she walked toward the HR department, swaying slightly as she went.

As Sela Wash approached the entrance to the administrative department, she suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned around. She saw that stupid woman, wearing high heels, staggering down the hallway. A cold look appeared in her eyes for a moment.

Good. How dare she use her heel to hit him just now? He’ll remember this.

The bodyguard beside him followed his gaze and silently mourned for Evan Thorn in his heart. Why did she have to pick on this unpredictable and ruthless NK Crown Prince? It seemed like this girl was doomed.

Evan Thorne asked around until, at 8:59:50, she finally found the HR department’s office. She peeked inside and saw that the small office contained eight computers. There were eight people sitting there, each with a different expression: some were gorgeous, some serious, some simple-looking, and a few who simply seemed strange.

She chose the girl wearing glasses who seemed the most normal and flashed her standard eight-tooth smile. “Hello, is this NK’s Human Resources department? I’m Evan Thorne, the person who had an interview for the English translation position last week.”

The girl raised her head and smiled gently. “Hello, you must be the intern from the translation department, right? Please fill out this form, and then give me copies of your ID card, household registration book, and educational certificates.”

As soon as she finished speaking, her expression became tense, and her tone became frighteningly serious: “Also, don’t call me ‘miss’. I’m not a courtesan. Don’t call me ‘sister’. I’m not the legitimate wife. And don’t call me ‘sister-in-law’. I refuse to be a concubine!”

Evan Thorn was completely confused by this sudden change in situation, like a Peking Opera mask-changing trick. Before he could react, the girl narrowed her eyes and smiled gently. “Hi, my name is Justin Bloom. You can just call me Justin Bloom. Now, close your mouth. The onboarding process will be quick.”