AmberlynSonnet

She was once Du Yue, the dazzling jewel of Starlight City society—proud and fiery, loving Chen Ze with a passion that consumed her, until he became the very center of her universe.  
He, on the other hand, was Chen Ze, the unyielding emperor of the business world—cold, calculating, and willing to sacrifice her to safeguard his cherished ideal, Shen Ya, crushing her dignity beneath his heel without remorse.  
“Du Yue, if justice won’t punish you, I will.”  
For two years, she plummeted from the heights of bliss into the depths of despair, her spirit reduced to ash, yearning only for freedom from his suffocating grasp.  
“Wife, where do you think you’re going without me?” He closed in, his voice deceptively soft but edged with cruel intent.  
“To a place far from you…” she answered icily, her resolve unwavering, leaving no room for regret or return. When the truth finally came to light, he realized the magnitude of his mistake, his heart drowning in waves of unbearable regret.  
But she was no longer the woman who had once burned so brightly for him.  
In the meantime, her closest friend embarked on a mission to avenge her mother, allying with a shadowy CEO whose identity remained shrouded in mystery, setting off a tempest within the upper echelons of high society.  
Love and hatred intertwined, debts of vengeance and wounds of betrayal collided, redemption and retribution walked side by side. In this intricate game of power and wealth, who would emerge victorious when the final curtain fell?

Billionaire’s Toxic Affair

Du Yue, can you still feel anger? Can you still hold hatred in your heart? How dare you?

You were meant to grovel in the dirt your whole life, never to rise again! Otherwise, who would account for Shen Ya's suffering?

At this thought, Chen Ze snatched the iron chain from Zhao Xue's hand and crouched down.

Du Yue's face tightened, her scarlet eyes brimming with pain. "Chen Ze… may you rot in hell..."

"Hah." To everyone's surprise, Chen Ze actually laughed, gripping Du Yue's chin tightly with his hand. His dark eyes gleamed with malice. "I'll rot, no doubt. But before that, I'll make sure you're dragged down with me."

He forced the iron chain around Du Yue's neck. As she thrashed violently at first, then finally stilled, Chen Ze suddenly felt a flicker of irritation and tilted her chin up.

"Feel humiliated? Du Yue, I didn't think you had any shame left. But don't blame me for not giving you a way out. If you beg me in front of everyone..." He leaned in close, his voice laced with mockery: "I might let you go home."

Not even Du Yue's eyelashes fluttered, but her chest felt as if carved open by a blade, blood pouring out.

She thrust her hands deep into the snow until they lost all feeling.

Suddenly, she found it laughable—what was the point of her survival? She had lived to clear her father's name, to protect him from disgrace. But now, before she could vindicate him, she was already so consumed by pain that death seemed like the only escape...

Chen Ze waited impatiently for Du Yue's response. In a burst of rage, he shoved her away: "Du Yue, you ungrateful wretch! Freeze to death in this snow!"

He turned to the others, his voice cold with warning: "No one is to help her. I want to see just how far her stubbornness will take her!"

Kneeling or showing weakness was possible, yet she refused to please him?

Chen Ze stormed off in fury. Several servants huddled in the hall, stealing glances outside, trembling with fear.

Though they disliked Du Yue, a death under these circumstances would bring nothing but bad luck. And Chen Ze's ruthlessness made them wonder—if something similar happened to them someday?

"This Du Yue must truly be irredeemable to provoke Master's wrath like this..."

"Yeah...in this freezing weather, wearing only a sweater, she might not survive..."

Bound by the dog chain, unable to move freely, survival would mean crawling into the doghouse, truly becoming nothing more than a dog.

One person peeked outside curiously and remarked in awe: "Du Yue's still lying motionless on the ground, far from the doghouse. Does she really want to die?"

"Disgusting! If she's going to die, she shouldn't do it here. It's cursed! I'd be terrified to work here after that!"

Suddenly, someone spoke in a chilling tone: "If she dies, her ghost will come for you first. If you hadn't forced her to wash clothes in icy water and eat chili peppers in the dead of night yesterday, she wouldn't be in such a state today, provoking Master's anger."

The group was already uneasy, and hearing this, they erupted in protest: "What are you implying, Shen Weiyi? Are you saying we're responsible for her condition? It's her own fault for offending Master. Why would we bully her without reason?"

Shen Weiyi stared outside for a moment, then turned and walked away, her voice icy: "Who knows what you people intended? Maybe you wanted her dead."

After she left, the others were still fuming: "What kind of person is she, putting on such airs? Disgusting. If she has the nerve, why doesn't she plead for Du Yue herself? Instead, she blames us. I've never seen such a despicable woman!"

"That's right! She talks big, but when we were tormenting Du Yue, did she step forward to stop us?"

Chapter 22 If She Dies, You'll All Be Cursed