Chapter 1

I picked up a man and brought him home at his lowest, dirtiest, nearly dead on the street.

I gave him an identity, status, and more money than he could ever spend.

I had only one demand: obedience.

Three years later, his true love, Claire Summers, came back.

He begged me to save that woman with my own life.

*****

Adam Reed clung tightly to the hem of my pants, his voice hoarse and laced with a faint, unnoticeable tremor.

He begged, "Victoria, please. Claire is dying. Only you can save her."

I swirled the red wine in my glass.

"Why should I save her?" I asked, my tone flat, giving away no emotion.

"She saved my life. If it weren't for her, I'd be dead by now," Adam said, lifting his head, his handsome face twisted with pain.

"So?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

He pleaded, "So, please, let the Summers family have the Southgate District land.

"If the Summers family can pull through this crisis, Claire can focus on her treatment in peace."

I laughed, a sharp, bitter sound that echoed through the empty living room.

"Adam, have you forgotten who dragged you out of the gutter three years ago?" I demanded.

His body stiffened, color draining from his face.

I continued, "Who treated your wounds, gave you a name, and turned you from a street rat everyone spat on into the wealthy Mr. Reed you are today?"

I stood up, gliding over to him, and lifted his chin with the tip of my high heel. "It was me, Victoria Shaw. I gave you your life. And now, you're begging me like this for another woman?"

Adam's eyes turned teary-eyed. "Victoria, it's different. I'm grateful to you; I owe you everything. But the only woman I've ever loved is Claire. It always has been, and it always will be."

He said it with such calm certainty, as if my three years of devotion were nothing but a joke.

I pulled my foot back and sank into the sofa.

"That Southgate District land is worth a billion. Why should I sacrifice a billion just for your love?" I said.

Adam's face turned ashen.

He knew me well—Victoria Shaw never made a bad deal.

"Victoria, I'll do anything if you save Claire. I'll give you my life, whatever you want," he insisted, desperation seeping into his voice.

I stared at him, once seeing perfection in his features, now only cold unfamiliarity.

"Your life? Is your life even worth anything, Adam?" I raised my glass and drained the remaining wine in one gulp.

I added, "It wasn't worth anything three years ago. And it still isn't."

Because his life belonged to me. I could take it back anytime I wanted.

He seemed to catch my meaning, his body trembling harder. "Victoria..."

"Get out," I snapped, unable to stand the sight of him.

The scent on his clothes made me sick.

It was Claire's perfume, clinging to him like a mark.

Adam remained motionless, utterly defeated, like a statue carved from hopelessness.

"You won't leave until you get the land, will you?" I asked.

Then, I picked up my phone and dialed my assistant, Mia Lewis.

"Notify the team. Launch the Southgate District project immediately. I want the first phase of the development to open in three months," I ordered, my voice crisp.

Mia replied crisply, "Yes, Ms. Shaw."

I hung up and turned back to Adam, whose face had lost all trace of color.

"Victoria, do you really have to be this heartless?" Adam's voice was trembling.

"Heartless?" I stood up, my high heels clicking sharply against the floor as I approached him.

"I'll give you two choices, Adam. First, get out of my house. We'll cut all ties, and I'll take back everything I gave you."

I paused, leaning down to whisper in his ear, my breath cold against his skin. "Second... bring Claire here. Make her beg me, just like you're doing now. Maybe, if I'm in a good mood, I'll think about it."

Adam jerked his head up, eyes filled with shock and disbelief. "H-How could you do this to Claire?

"She's so fragile... How could she possibly handle something like that?"

"That's your problem." I straightened up, looking down at him with disdain. "My patience is running out. Choose."

The silence was suffocating, like all the air had been sucked out of the room.

Only his heavy, ragged breathing could be heard.

After a long, tense moment, he stood up.

"Victoria, you have no heart at all," he said, his voice hollow.

With that, he turned and walked out, never looking back.

I watched his resolute figure, my expression unchanged as I dialed another number.

"Hello, Ms. Maxwell? Get me a divorce agreement and a property division contract. I want Adam to leave with nothing," I said.

Never pick up men off the street, especially useless ones.

The moment they lose their value, they should be tossed aside like trash.