Chapter 1
The richest man in the capital, Victor Lane, had been chasing me for five years, but I never even glanced at him. Because to him, I was just one of many “blind box” wives he planned to collect. As long as you were chosen on the eve of his wedding, you’d become the richest man’s wife. And I knew without a doubt, I was bound to be picked. I had already died once. In my previous life, I was the chosen bride, the one everyone envied. On our wedding day, he got drunk and missed a call from his adopted sister, the only woman he truly loved and mourned when she died suddenly, Julia Watson. That night, she died of a heart attack. The next morning, he dragged me to the morgue, grabbed my hair and forced me to kneel down a thousand times before her body. “Why did you tamper with the lottery? You knew I loved Julia! If I had drawn the empty lot, I could have married her! She died crying, clutching your wedding dress, her dress! She should have been the one I married!” “You were just a tool to make Julia jealous. Do you think you’re worthy to stand beside me?” Victor’s voice was cold and sharp as he glared at me. He poured all his grief and anger onto me, blaming me for everything. He had my fingers crushed because I wore the ring meant for Julia. He stripped me and threw me into the river because I wore her wedding dress. In the end, he nailed me into a coffin, his coffin and buried me alive. When I opened my eyes again, my body was whole, but it ached for five long years. This time, I vowed to change everything. I switched the blind boxes’ order so he would inevitably draw the empty lot. From then on, they could hate or love each other as much as they wanted, but it wouldn’t concern me anymore. —— “Victor’s number is… the empty lot!” Gasps rippled through the crowd of ninety-nine women. Everyone knew what this meant: Julia Watson was the one. The rest? They lost their chance to become the richest man’s wife. “What the hell?!” someone cried, tearing up her slip. “It’s rigged! This blind box thing is just a sham!” “Are you crazy?” another hissed, covering her mouth. “Don’t you get it? We’re just here for the show. Everyone knows how Victor looks at Julia. If we don’t get the empty lot and they pick us, we’re doomed!” A woman gritted her teeth. “But Julia is his sister…” “So what? They’re not blood-related; marriage could happen. The rest of us are just fillers. Honestly, the only one with a real chance of surviving this is Jacqueline Smith, number one.” Calmly, I tore the slip with “number one” written on it from my hand. My fingers trembled involuntarily, the pain from the past still etched deep inside. Across the room, Victor’s pupils flickered with excitement as he stood and rushed to embrace Jacqueline Smith. “Jacqueline, this time I picked you. You’re not allowed to run anymore.” Jacqueline blushed and tried to push him away, but he held her tighter. “But… I’ve always thought of you as a brother.” “That’s fine. You’ll get used to it. It’s our fate.” He cupped her face with both hands, but his cold and sharp eyes flew to me. A chill ran down my spine. I instinctively straightened. Could it be, Victor Lane had been reborn too? But even if he had… I owed him nothing. This time, I gave him what he wanted. I was finally free. At the head table, Mrs. Lane cleared her throat lightly, a flicker of panic in her eyes. “Victor, Auntie never imagined that out of ninety-nine boxes, you’d actually draw the empty lot. Seems fate truly ties you and Jacqueline Smith.” “But this result is unexpected. I’ll need to speak with your father.” Victor’s lips curled in satisfaction. “Of course,” he said, shooting me a challenging glance. “As for the rest of these women, let them stay at the Lane estate until after our wedding as compensation.” He thought I would fall apart, that I would cry. But I didn’t. I smiled. I applauded, along with everyone else.