Chapter 1
「Winter, 1977.」
The train carrying educated youths back to the city roared as it arrived in Valoria.
Cecilia Adler waited at the station exit, nervously gazing at the young man standing not far away.
He stood in the biting wind wearing only a thin layer of clothing, his stern face making him seem aloof and arrogant.
This was her fiancé, Ian Quincy.
Compared to the fresh-faced, vibrant young man in the photograph, the man before her now was mature, poised, and eye-catching.
'I wonder if Stepmother will regret not having my stepsister get engaged to him when she sees him.'
Seeing he was about to leave, she pushed aside her stray thoughts and called out to him in a soft, sweet voice, "Ian? Ian Quincy?"
"Who are you?"
Ian Quincy sized up the girl in front of him.
She looked twenty at most, with fair skin, an oval face, and large eyes.
Her rustic, floral-print padded jacket and cotton pants couldn't hide her delicate beauty.
She spoke so softly it could give a person goosebumps.
Cecilia Adler looked at him and mustered her courage. "I'm your fiancée, Cecilia. Didn't your parents write to you about our engagement?"
Ian Quincy was frigid. "I know now. Since you're my fiancée, you can go home and warm my bed."
Cecilia Adler's face flushed. '...' 'What a scoundrel!'
She wanted to turn and leave, but she was afraid of being unable to face her father. Clenching her fists, she spoke in a voice as quiet as a mosquito's buzz, "Alright. A-are you cold? This is for you."
She had specially prepared a warm cotton coat for him before coming, and now she offered it with both hands.
Ian Quincy froze. For some reason, his frustration seemed to dissipate in the face of her earnest and sincere attitude. He hesitated for a moment before taking the coat and draping it over his shoulders. His tone was a little less icy. "Why didn't my parents come themselves?"
'Cecilia's mind raced. If she told him his sister-in-law was having a baby and the whole family had rushed to the hospital, would he feel neglected? What if he concluded his parents were playing favorites, got hung up on it, and started causing trouble?' She pursed her lips and said shyly, "Why don't you come home with me first? I can tell you all about it… while I'm warming up your bed, perhaps?"
A flash of surprise crossed Ian Quincy's eyes, and his cool expression became a touch unnatural. He changed the subject. "Cecilia, you said? An unusual name. Where does it come from?"
"It's… just my name. Cecilia Adler. I only have a younger half-sister..."
Cecilia Adler led him home. Just as they stepped into the courtyard, they came face-to-face with Vivian Lee.
Vivian Lee wore her hair in the trendy Ke Xiang style. She had on a red, white, and gray plaid woolen coat, a white scarf, coffee-colored corduroy pants, and small black leather shoes. Her makeup was exquisite; she looked utterly fashionable.
Her brow twitched when she saw the two of them.
She had been reborn three months ago.
In her past life, she was the one engaged to Ian Quincy.
At first, she had been thrilled with the engagement.
The Quillan family lived in a courtyard house in Esterly, Valoria's wealthiest district, and his parents had respectable jobs.
He himself had a high school education and was exceptionally handsome.
Everyone around her envied her for landing such a good family to marry into.
The day Ian Quincy returned to the capital, she had dressed up meticulously and waited for him at the station, freezing in the cold wind for three hours.
It was love at first sight.
She thought he would be pleased with her—pretty and fashionable as she was. Who would have thought he'd only ask one question: "Why didn't my parents come?"
She forgot what she said next, but he slapped her so hard her face swelled up.
She returned home alone.
When her parents learned what happened, not only did they not comfort her, but they also blamed her for being reckless and useless.
Later, they got married.
Ian Quincy fully revealed his perverse nature, taking pleasure in tormenting her day after day.
Meanwhile, Cecilia Adler was tricked by Vivian's mother into marrying a hoodlum from near her maternal grandmother's home in exchange for a bride price.
But who knew that hoodlum would turn out to be a diamond in the rough?
After the economic reforms in 1980 allowed for private businesses, he quickly used his natural talent to become the richest man in Valoria.
Cecilia Adler went from rags to riches, living a life of incredible glamour with an entourage whenever she went out. The man was utterly devoted to her; he would do anything she asked. In fact, just because Cecilia once mentioned she disliked Vivian's parents, he used his influence to have Vivian's father stripped of his position and her mother laid off, leaving them to die destitute in the streets.
Reborn, Vivian was determined to live Cecilia's life and avenge her parents.
Convincing her father to betroth Cecilia to Ian Quincy, thus preventing her from ever meeting that hoodlum, was only the first step.