Chapter 3

The blinding flashes from the press conference were still seared into my retinas.

That very night, Jasper Rainer became the star of the biggest sex scandal to ever hit the business circle.

When Jasper burst through the front door, soaked from the freezing rain, I had just finished packing my bags and was sitting at the dining table, eating dinner.

I hadn't seen him look this utterly devastated in years.

The last time was three years ago, the day he was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer.

His eyes had been hollow as he sat in front of me, repeating the same words over and over.

"Tess, I haven't lived enough. I want to take over the Rainer empire. I want to carve my name into this city's history. But now I don't have the chance..."

He wanted so many things, but he didn't mention wanting me.

But I loved him back then.

So I held him, cried with him, and lulled him to sleep.

That same night, I secretly went to the hospital to get tested as a donor.

Maybe fate wanted me to quickly repay his kindness for funding my education back when I was just a girl from a remote rural small town.

It was a perfect match.

I still remember the doctor trying to stop me.

"Miss, your body is already fragile. If we proceed with this complex split-liver transplant surgery, you'll be on medication for the rest of your life. Can you handle the chronic pain?"

I didn't hesitate for a single second.

Back then, Jasper's life was more important to me than my own.

What was a little pain?

"Tess! You've gone too goddamn far!"

Jasper charged into the dining room and flipped the table with one violent shove.

The pot of boiling simmered bone-broth stew crashed down, splashing scalding liquid all over my thighs.

My skin blistered instantly.

Jagged ceramic shards sliced into my bare feet.

Blood pooled on the floor, mixing with the greasy broth.

Jasper didn't even blink at the sight of my blood. He slammed his fist against the wall next to me.

"Tess, are you not going to stop until you completely ruin me?!"

I grabbed a steak knife off the floor and plunged it right into the palm of his hand.

I gave him his life.

Ruining his hand meant absolutely nothing.

Blood splattered, mingling with the tears in my eyes.

"That's right!" I screamed back. "I'm going to ruin you, and I'm going to ruin every single bitch you slept with! If my life is a living hell, nobody else gets to be happy!"

Jasper stared at me with bloodshot eyes, ignoring the blade in his hand.

"Tess, what the hell did you do now?!"

Right on cue, his executive assistant rushed into the room.

Seeing the bloody mess, he froze in his tracks.

Jasper spun around, roaring like a madman.

"What happened? Spit it out!"

"Mr. Rainer..." The assistant panted. "The media and the public put the pieces together from the hotel logs and audio clips Tess leaked. They’ve identified the women. Their names, their family backgrounds... it's blasted all over the news."

One hundred and forty-three women. It didn't take long for the public to connect the dots.

A professor's daughter, a subordinate's wife, and even the hidden mistresses of some of the billionaires in our circle.

He certainly had a colorful appetite.

Jasper lunged at me.

Using his bleeding hand, he grabbed me by the throat, pinning me back.

"Tess, how the fuck do you expect me to fix this?! Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?!"

He didn't even have the time to kill me.

While his fingers dug into my neck, his phone started ringing off the hook.

He let go, cursing and pacing like a lunatic.

He threw three million dollars at the best PR crisis team in the city.

But it was useless.

I had said it before: taking what belongs to the Rainers is like taking candy from a baby.

Just like how destroying Jasper was as easy as crushing an ant under my heel.

Sure enough, half an hour later, the raving madman dropped to his knees in front of me.

"Tess... please. Let me off the hook. Just tell me what you want me to do, and I'll do it."

I stared down at his face.

"Nothing. I've had my fun. Tomorrow goes on as planned. Get married."

Jasper froze in shock.

Before he could process it, I was already walking out to the driveway and starting my car.

From inside the house, I could hear his sobbing voice.

"Thank you, Tess! I love you!"

Here we go again.

God, it made me sick.

I spat onto the garden of roses he had planted for me years ago, slammed my foot on the gas pedal, and sped out of the gates.

Let him off the hook? In his dreams.

If I'm going to ruin him, I'm going to burn his life to the ground.

I'm going to destroy him completely!