Serena Whitfield wore a red fishtail dress that hugged her figure perfectly. Her long black hair spilled over her shoulders like seaweed, loose and soft. The midsummer breeze brushed past her, lifting the hem of her skirt as she walked, making even the air around her feel a little lighter.

Even with oversized sunglasses covering most of her face, her full cherry lips looked like ripe peaches, glossy and striking, and she instantly became one of the most eye-catching sights in the airport.

"Mommy, is this the city where you used to live?"

Beside her was a little boy, only five or six years old, his small hand tucked in hers. His amber eyes shimmered with curiosity, bright and clear. Even at that age, you could already tell he would be ridiculously handsome when he grew up.

"Yeah."

A chill flashed through Serena Whitfield’s eyes, sharp as ice that never melted, cold enough to make anyone’s heart tighten.

Six years ago, the Whitfield family had been one of the top names in A City. Back then, no one could have guessed that the two people she trusted most would stab her in the back.

Her best friend Chloe Barton and her boyfriend Brandon Stirling had joined hands to destroy her whole life. They framed the Whitfields for massive tax evasion, tore her family apart, and even caused her parents’ deaths. On top of that, they spread news that she had died, forcing her into the shadows without even a legal identity.

Back then, she had run everywhere to avoid Brandon Stirling, but in the end, she still nearly fell into his hands. Just when his men were about to catch her, she ran into a man who had been drugged. One messed-up night later, she ended up pregnant.

That man was Adrian Blackwell.

What she never expected was that Adrian Blackwell would come looking for her himself. Later, the two of them made a deal. She would give birth to the children, and with his protection, she could stay out of Brandon Stirling and Chloe Barton’s reach.

After ten long months, she gave birth to triplets. In the end, Serena Whitfield just couldn’t let go. She secretly took the eldest with her, the boy now by her side, David Whitfield. As for the other boy and girl, she left them with Adrian Blackwell.

After going abroad, she got lucky and met a real master, someone who taught her everything. Her makeup skills had long reached the point where changing a face was basically next-level.

One of her identities was Jade Sinclair, a designer with her own studio who rarely showed up in public. The other was Scarlett Everly, a star in the entertainment industry, the face she usually used out in the open, famous enough that basically everyone knew her.

"Mommy, look—"

David Whitfield’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Not far away, a group of people was walking out through the exclusive VIP exit, and her pupils shrank hard.

The bodyguards in black at the front were tall and imposing, but the man in the center was the one who made people stop and stare. He wore a dark suit without a single wrinkle. His face was expressionless, and those amber eyes of his caught the light now and then, like stars flickering in the middle of a dark night.

His features were cold and sharp, as if carved by heaven itself. He looked like some nobleman who had stepped straight out of the Middle Ages, every bit of him giving off the vibe that he was anything but ordinary.

"Isn’t that Dad—"

Before David Whitfield could finish, Serena Whitfield grabbed his hand at once and hurried off in the opposite direction.

Adrian Blackwell seemed to sense something. He turned his head and glanced to the side, but all he caught was a streak of red slipping away. It was like a rose in full bloom, gorgeous and sharp. For some reason, that back figure felt weirdly familiar, like he’d seen it somewhere before.

David Whitfield looked confused and tugged at Serena Whitfield’s hand. "Mommy, why won’t you let me meet Daddy?"

Serena let out a quiet sigh, her eyes dimming for a second. "Not yet."

If Adrian found out she had secretly taken one of the children away, things would get seriously messy fast. Right now, she only had one goal: revenge. Everything else could wait.

This time, she had come back for one reason only.

Brandon Stirling and Chloe Barton had to pay.

Every single thing they owed her, she would collect a hundredfold, a thousandfold. She would make that trashy man and that fake, vicious woman suffer the punishment they deserved.

Serena’s gaze dropped to the news alert pushed onto her phone screen.

"Chloe Barton’s Genius Designer Exchange Event to Be Held Today—"

...

At the exchange event, camera flashes kept firing at Chloe Barton onstage.

She was dressed in a white evening gown, looking pure and polished on the surface. Her makeup was flawless, and the heart-shaped necklace around her neck sparkled under the crystal lights, dazzling enough to catch everyone’s eye.

"Miss Barton, may I ask, is the necklace you’re wearing the very first piece you created after entering the industry?"

Chloe put on a soft, sugary smile and nodded. "Yes. I honestly can’t believe how fast time has gone by. I still remember exactly how I felt when I designed this piece—"

Before she could finish, a cool female voice cut across the room like a blade.

"Then what exactly inspired you to create it in the first place?"

Everyone immediately turned toward the voice.

A strange woman stood there in a mask, her face mostly hidden. Only her delicate jawline and full cherry-red lips were visible. She looked mysterious, almost dangerously so, the kind of woman that made people itch to see what was underneath the mask.

That question was clearly not something Chloe had prepared for. Her brows drew together, and just as she was about to answer, the masked woman pressed on without giving her room to breathe.

"Do you even know why it was designed in the shape of a heart?"

One question after another hit Chloe so fast she was visibly thrown off. Her fingers moved stiffly to the necklace at her throat, and her expression turned awkward.

"Who are you?"

Serena curled her lips into a smile, dark and cold, almost devilish.

"Who I am doesn’t matter," she said, her voice calm but overpowering. "What matters is this—are you really the designer of that necklace?"

The second those words landed, the whole room exploded.

Chloe’s face changed, and panic flashed through her eyes. "If I’m not, then are you?"

Serena gave a light laugh, full of mockery. "Miss Barton, judging from that reaction alone, it’s kind of hard for anyone here to believe you. Why not show everyone on the spot?"

Chloe Barton’s face had gone paper-white, and the whole room instantly broke into whispers.

The second she realized things were slipping completely out of her hands, panic and anger hit her at the same time. She shot Brandon Stirling a look without thinking, but Brandon only flicked his eyes toward the stage, making his meaning crystal clear.

Get up there and design.

Otherwise, there was no way today’s mess was going to be cleaned up.

Chloe could only force herself to pick up the pen. But the moment it touched her fingers, her mind went totally blank, like someone had yanked the plug on her brain. Not one usable idea came.

All around her, the muttering kept pouring into her ears from every direction, one wave after another. It was driving her crazier by the second. The more she listened, the more flustered she got, and by the end, the design she drew was so bad it was honestly painful to look at.

Chloe knew that thing would never convince anyone.

She swallowed hard and said, "Sorry, I’m not feeling very well."

After dropping that line, she turned and hurried off as if the floor were on fire, leaving behind a crowd so stunned they could barely process what had just happened.

Serena Whitfield watched Chloe’s fleeing, miserable figure, and the chill in her eyes only deepened. She looked like a rose sculpted from snow and ice—gorgeous, sharp, blooming at full force, yet cold enough to freeze someone to the bone.

And this?

This was only the beginning.

From the second floor, Adrian Blackwell had taken in every single scene unfolding in the hall. The place was in complete chaos. A perfectly decent networking event had somehow been turned into something louder and messier than a street market.

And the one who had stirred it all up was that masked woman.

A faint ripple moved through his light-colored eyes.

His brows slowly drew together. The more he looked, the more she reminded him of that woman from six years ago.

"Go find out who she is."