Emma froze in place, utterly shocked—she’d actually come back to life.

Sitting in that fancy villa, she looked down at her smooth, delicate hands, momentarily dazed.

Even though the Douglas family eventually found their real daughter, they’d still treated Emma, the fake one, pretty well. She never lacked anything growing up.

But those five years of marriage to Daniel Walker... it was hell. She came out of it broken beyond recognition.

That marriage? Pure trash dressed in gold.

Everyone thought it looked perfect, but it was rotten to the core.

Daniel always acted like the perfect husband in public. He’d even stop her from drinking anything cold in summer, claiming he didn’t want her to catch a chill.

Chloe saw through that fake performance and used it as an excuse to pressure Emma into divorcing, clearly wanting Daniel for herself.

Emma never understood Chloe’s obsession.

Seriously, Alexander Hawthorne was way out of Daniel's league.

Wherever Chloe went in business or political circles, people showed her nothing but respect.

She had money, status—everything. Sure, her fiancé was always busy, but what else was she after?

Why was she so set on Daniel of all people?

"Mom, I don’t wanna marry Alexander! I wanna marry Daniel!" Chloe pouted, leaning against Margaret like a spoiled kid, trying to wriggle out of the arranged marriage.

Emma’s head snapped up, eyes locking on Chloe.

Great. So the real daughter had come back from the dead too.

"Stop acting spoiled. What does Alexander lack that Daniel has?" Margaret scolded gently, trying to talk sense into her.

"You know how powerful the Hawthorne family is. Marry into them and you’ll basically own the high society scene in Xiangjiang. You’d be front and center in every photo with the top socialites."

"Back when our family almost went bankrupt, it was Alexander who stepped in and fixed everything with just a word."

"And most importantly, if anything ever happened to me or your dad, having Alexander would mean you’d be safe. The Hawthornes would take care of you."

Turned out, Margaret’s words were all spot-on.

Except for Alexander being constantly swamped with work, Chloe basically hit the life jackpot.

Married into one of the richest families, she lived for shopping sprees and luxury.

She spent her days picking out designer bags and ordering custom high-end outfits.

And when she wasn’t doing that, she was busy trying to charm Alexander.

Then one day, she dropped a bomb on Emma.

She claimed she had fallen for Daniel at first sight.

Emma was so stunned, she nearly choked.

"Come on, I knew Daniel back when he worked for Dad. He’s not the prince you think he is," Emma warned, unwilling to sugarcoat.

But Chloe just rolled her eyes, convinced Emma had no clue about how amazing "Brother Daniel" really was.

In her head, Daniel was the perfect husband—successful, caring, and flawless in every way.

And then came the meltdown.

"Mom, if you don’t let me marry Daniel, I’ll scar my face and become a nun!" Chloe threatened, throwing a tantrum straight out of a soap opera.

Margaret was speechless, clearly at her wit’s end with Chloe’s drama.

Growing up with adoptive parents who let her run wild, Chloe had picked up a whole list of bad habits—smoking, drinking, even picking fights. Nothing shocked anymore.When Emma Douglas first came back to the Douglas family at fifteen, she was a total rebel.

Feeling guilty and unsure how to manage her, Mr. and Mrs. Douglas went easy on her—so easy, in fact, that she became completely spoiled and arrogant.

Now, seeing her daughter blinded by love, Mrs. Douglas didn’t dare scold her. She could only speak softly, trying to reason:

"Just tell me—why are you so set on marrying Daniel Walker? Give me a solid reason so I can discuss it with your father."

Chloe Douglas was clearly annoyed.

"Mom, I had this super vivid nightmare. I dreamed I married Alexander Hawthorne, and he just flat-out refused to sleep with me."

"That guy may come from a powerful family, but he hides all kinds of skeletons—he had a kid out of wedlock, and I didn’t even find out until the kid was grown!"

"Someone like me doesn't mesh with someone like Alexander. Are you actually trying to make me happy, or are you just using me to get a better deal for the Douglas family? Just be real with me."

Mrs. Douglas didn't reply right away.

Truth be told, Chloe’s personality really didn’t match Alexander’s at all.

If she married him while still thinking about Daniel, given what kind of man Alexander was, the consequences for their family could be serious.

Sure, in Mrs. Douglas's heart, it made more sense for their real daughter Chloe to marry Alexander and have their adopted daughter Emma marry Daniel.

But since nothing had been set in stone, it wouldn’t hurt to switch things up a bit.

Once she cleared her thoughts, a gentle smile appeared on her face.

"You’re right. I’ll talk it over with your dad, okay?"

Chloe looked so thrilled she could’ve jumped.

This time around, she was going to marry Daniel no matter what. She’d make sure he was all hers.

She stood up proudly, glanced at Emma with a smug look in her eyes, and said:

"I got two bags yesterday. Don’t really like the green one, come to my room, it’s yours now."

Emma replied in her usual calm voice,

"Great, saves me from buying one."

Chloe rolled her eyes. She absolutely hated how Emma always talked all soft and delicate—it made it impossible to pick a fight with her.

As soon as they were out of Mrs. Douglas’s view, Chloe dropped the fake act and snapped:

"If you dare go after Daniel Walker, I swear you’re dead meat!"

Emma just looked at her like she was an idiot.

"Relax. Daniel doesn’t interest me. You’re the only one who thinks he’s some kind of dreamboat."

In her last life, it had taken her a while to see that Daniel wasn’t anywhere near Alexander’s level.

Sure, Daniel had built his business from scratch—that kind of guy did seem more responsible and ambitious. But she’d failed to see that those same traits often came with cruelty.

Chloe folded her arms and said smugly,

"Don’t talk trash about Daniel in front of me! I know what I’m doing."

"He’s super gentle. Once we’re married, he’s gonna spoil me. He even said he wouldn’t let me drink cold stuff in summer because he’s worried I’ll get chilly hands."

Emma stayed silent, not bothering to argue.

In her eyes, Chloe had been spoiled beyond saving—she had no clue how dark people could really be inside.

She could warn her all she wanted about Daniel being bad news, but this naive girl wouldn’t believe a thing.

Then again, thinking about it, Daniel had been cruel to her... but when it came to that so-called “true love” of his, he was practically groveling.

Just because that woman once complimented her handwriting, Daniel had forced her to copy books every single day.He didn't even care that her hands were raw, her eyes nearly ruined, and she was on the verge of collapse. Always playing Mr. Perfect outside—talking all high and mighty about how she shouldn't drink iced beverages, all under the fake excuse of "protecting her hands." But deep down, it was all just so she could keep copying books for his precious sweetheart.

On their wedding night? He wasn’t even home. Ran off to be with his beloved.

She was nothing but a decoy, a tool to cover up their shady affair. Just like Chloe Douglas, she never even had a real marriage with that man till her dying breath.

Not that she ever cared about that. All she wanted was a quiet life. But even that was too much to ask for.

So really, she couldn’t figure out Chloe.

The Hawthorne family offered such a cushy future, and she just handed it over like it was nothing. All to chase down a road that leads nowhere.

Yesterday during their shopping trip, Chloe didn’t even bother to buy her a bag. Just tossed her a green Hermès from the closet like she was giving charity to some nobody.

“Daniel Walker’s mine now. You better give up. Focus on making Alexander Hawthorne happy instead,” Chloe had said with that smug face. “Everyone knows he’s not exactly working with a full deck in that department. But hey, you’re not even the real daughter of the Douglas family, so who are you to be picky? Worst case, you’re the richest widow out there—not a bad gig, right?”

Emma Douglas just gave a sweet smile, dimples playing at her cheeks.

“Thanks for your generosity, sis. Giving me such a great man—really appreciate it.”

Living off someone else’s handouts was humiliating. She’d thought marrying Daniel would flip her life around. Turns out, she just fell into a deeper hell.

She tried to fight back, but no one would believe her. Daniel’s fake persona had everyone fooled. No one cared enough to pull her out of his grasp. In the end, she was dragged to death.

While he pretended to be caring, talking about finding a cure for her illness, he’d never stopped putting on that "deeply-in-love" act. He was fake to the bone.

Even when she was barely hanging on, the Douglas couple came to visit at the hospital—they saw right through Daniel’s act but didn’t say a word, just watched coldly.

The moment she died, that woman in the shadows could finally step into the light.

But switch Chloe into her place—would she really be okay knowing Daniel’s side chick had been hanging around the whole time? Probably not. That girl wouldn’t be able to swallow her pride like that.

No way the Douglas family would let their own flesh and blood go through what she did. When it was her, the adopted daughter, they could look the other way. But their real daughter? No way they'd take it lying down.

Sure, watching enemies crash and burn felt good—but going after revenge 24/7 wasn’t sustainable.

Emma had a plan now: clean up the mess while living a life that actually felt like living.

Step one—win over Alexander Hawthorne.

This time around, marriage wasn’t some romantic fantasy—it was a job interview. Land it with your own skill.

Alexander was originally set to marry the real Douglas daughter. As an adopted kid, Emma had never dreamed she’d stand a chance. Even when they crossed paths, she only dared sneak a glance from afar.

Besides…

Alexander had those intense, unreadable eyes. Every time their gazes met, it was like he could see right through her—all her secrets laid bare. It freaked her out enough to make her avoid him entirely.

But if the rumors were true and Alexander really was lacking in the bedroom department—well, Emma didn't mind.

As long as she got to live a comfy life with money to burn and a husband who didn’t hover all day, she was golden.