Chapter 1

In June in City A, the sun was scorching hot. The asphalt roads seemed to be melting under the heat. Every corner of the city was filled with the energy and excitement of graduation season. But inside the one-bedroom, two-room apartment rented by Selena Thorp and Adrian Thorp, the atmosphere was icy cold.

Adrianne Thorp huddled in the corner of the sofa, her fingers clenched so tightly they turned white. Her eyes were vacant and panicked, and her ears were perked up—even the chirping of cicadas outside made her shiver. She had just been fired from her job. This was the thirtieth job she’d lost in the year since graduating. Thinking of her older sister, Selina Thorp’s temper, she wished she could just hide somewhere.

“Click”—the sound of a key turning in the lock came through. Adrian Thorpe, like a frightened little rabbit, sprang up from the sofa in panic and rushed toward his room. But his movements were still half a step too slow.

The door swung open. Selina Thorpe wore a white coat, her long hair neatly tied into a ponytail. Her face carried the usual sternness and exhaustion characteristic of an obstetrician. Upon seeing her sister standing helplessly in the middle of the living room, her brows immediately furrowed in concern.

“How come you’re at home?” Selina Thorpe’s voice was calm, yet carried an unmistakable authority. “At this time of day, shouldn’t you be at work?”

She already had her suspicions, but still held onto a glimmer of hope—that this time, Adrian Thorpe would do his best, even if it meant working one more month.

Adrian Thorpe kept his head bowed even lower, his voice barely audible, his body trembling like a leaf in the autumn wind. “I… I…” He couldn’t form a complete sentence, too afraid to look Serena Thorpe in the eyes.

“Got fired again, didn’t you?” Selena Thorp clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white. The anger in her voice could no longer be suppressed. “Adrian Thorp, tell me, how many jobs have you had so far? Since graduating last year, this is the longest you’ve stayed at any job—less than three months! What on earth do you even want to do?”

Adrian Thorpe shuddered in fear and quickly nodded, shrinking even further into the sofa. She feared Selina Thorpe, not just because of her sister’s authority, but also because of her long-winded speeches that were outdated and hard to follow. They were even more annoying than the teacher’s lectures back at school.

Selena Thorp is twenty-eight years old this year. She works as an obstetrician-gynecologist at Youai Hospital in City A. She’s very meticulous and precise in her work, and has a somewhat “old-fashioned” demeanor—that’s how her older sister describes her. At twenty-eight, she’s never been in a relationship. Every day, she deals with pregnant women awaiting delivery or girls who come for abortions. Over time, she’ve become serious and rigid in her approach to things.

But only Selena Thorne knew that she had seen too many girls who were manipulated by the rich and ended up having abortions out of desperation. She simply didn’t want her sister to follow the same path.

“What’s the reason this time?” Selina Thorpe crossed her arms and stared intently at Adrian Thorpe. Her meticulous demeanor made it hard for Adrian to breathe.

“Second sister, please stop asking, okay?” Adrian Thorpe’s voice sounded tearful and subdued, coming from the sofa, with a hint of resistance in it.

“Don’t ask?” Selena Thorpe’s voice suddenly rose in pitch, her roar echoing through the small apartment. “You’ve changed thirty jobs. How dare you tell me not to ask? Tell me! Why the hell were you fired?”

Adrian Thorpe covered his ears in terror, tears welling in his eyes. Eventually, he managed to speak, his voice so soft it was barely audible: “Um… our manager is extremely handsome, and he’s also very rich…”

“Why does it matter if your boss is handsome and rich when you’re unemployed?” Selina Thorpe was puzzled at first. But then, she suddenly understood most of it. Given her sister’s personality, it was likely yet another attempt at turning herself into someone better.

Sure enough, Adrian Thorpe nodded, her face red with embarrassment, too ashamed to say anything else. She had indeed been blinded by the manager’s good looks and wealth. She neglected her duties and spent all her time thinking about how to get close to him. When the manager’s girlfriend found out, she went to the company and made a scene. As a result, Adrian was fired.

“Are you crazy?” Selena Thorpe was exasperated. Her tone turned serious instantly. “How many times have I told you? Our family is just an ordinary family. Stop daydreaming like those characters in TV dramas! Do you know how many girls come to the hospital for abortions every day? Most of them are abandoned by wealthy men after being used. Do you really want to end up like that?”

“I don’t want to see the day when you come to me crying, asking to have an abortion!”

Adrian Thorpe, who had been obediently listening up until then, instantly flipped out when he heard the words “abortion”. He jumped up from the sofa, pointing at Selina Thorpe with a voice filled with resentment and anger. “Second sister, you’re going too far! I’m doing all this so that our family can live a better life. If only I could marry a wealthy man, would we still have to live in this crappy apartment? Who wouldn’t want to be with a rich man? It’s you who can’t keep up with the times, and yet you blame me!”

She glanced disdainfully at the somewhat shabby apartment before her, her eyes filled with longing. “You get that meager salary every day. You’ll never be able to afford a villa or designer clothes in your lifetime. How dare you judge me?”

“I’m doing this for your own good!” Selina Thorpe trembled with anger, her chest heaving violently.

“A woman like you, who’s almost thirty and still single, how dare you say you’re trying to do what’s best for me?” Adrian Thorpe spoke without any restraint. His words pierced Selina Thorpe’s heart like knives.

Selena Thorne was stunned. Looking at her sister, whose face seemed somewhat grotesque, she suddenly felt utterly estranged from her. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but all that came out was a helpless sigh, her eyes filled with exhaustion and disappointment.

She knew that Adrian Thorpe’s thoughts had already gone astray. No amount of reprimanding would likely be of any use. But as an older sister, she couldn’t just stand by and watch her younger sister throw herself into trouble.

The air seemed to freeze in an instant. The two sisters stood face to face: one with anger written all over her face, the other filled with disappointment. The scorching sun outside continued to shine brightly, but its warmth couldn’t penetrate the icy atmosphere inside the apartment. No one could have imagined that this argument would become the beginning of all the complications that would follow. The step Selina Thorne took in an attempt to hold back her sister would, unexpectedly, lead to a fate that no one had anticipated.