Chapter 1

On my fifth birthday after getting together with Kimberly Rivers, I sit at a table filled with dishes that have gone cold, just like I have for the past few years.

Much like she did last year, Kimberly promises to celebrate my birthday with me this year, but then she goes back on her word.

This year, her excuse is that her childhood friend, Gregory Morales, has invited her and several of her best friends to appear in his glamor shoot. Hence, she stands me up once again and runs off to him without any hesitation.

At 11:00 pm that night, Gregory uploads a photo onto his Instagram and sets it so that only I can see it.

In the photo, four women in skimpy bikinis are partially kneeling around a man who stood with the unshakable confidence of truth itself.

The attached caption read, "I want more than just your heart—I want your body too."

I take a screenshot of the photo, then send it to the boyfriends of Kimberly's three best friends.

Since they look down on me so much, they'd better hope that they won't need to come begging me on their knees in the future.

Chapter 1

I stared calmly at the uploaded Instagram photo that only I could see, feeling something in my chest shatter.

In the photo, warm yellow lighting spilled across four women, all clad in skimpy bikinis that hardly covered anything. Coupled with the bunny-ear headbands they wore, they looked just like the lead dancers in a nightclub.

They half-kneeled around a man, their eyes filled with subservient loyalty, much like the kind one would have when gazing upon a god.

The focus of the photo was clearly the man, for he stood in the spotlight, appearing like a god who had come out of a myth. The only article of clothing he wore, a pair of tight black shorts, clung to his figure, accentuating his slim waist and muscular build. His sharp, chiseled features carried an untamed, rebellious edge.

The caption attached to the photo was practically dripping with challenge. "I not only want your heart but also your body."

I glanced at the tableful of dishes that had gone cold, then at the photo, where my fiancee, Kimberly Rivers, and her three best friends were acting like lowly slaves who had been tamed.

Suddenly, I wasn't angry anymore. Since I knew that she wasn't worth it, what reason was there to be angry?

I liked the photo Kimberly's childhood friend, Gregory Morales, had uploaded before commenting below, "Four women around one guy? You must be packing."

Once I did that, I took a screenshot of the photo and sent it to the boyfriends of Kimberly's three best friends.

I had barely finished doing so when the photo miraculously vanished from Gregory's account.

Roughly ten minutes later, my phone buzzed incessantly as I received a large number of incoming messages. Checking my phone, I saw that the messages were from Kimberly's three friends.

Janice Grant had sent me, "Zachary Jensen, what the hell is wrong with you? What does me helping Gregory with a glamour shoot have got to do with you? How could you tell my boyfriend about it? Why did you have to be such an asshole? Are you happy now that he's pissed at me?"

Bailey White's and Liliana Lipton's messages were of a similar vein.

"Zachary Jensen, you bastard! Did I offend you somehow? Why did you send that photo to my boyfriend? Instead of doing crazy shit, just go die if you're so free!"

"You shithead! Why the fuck did you stick your nose into our business? Did I kill your family in our past life or something? I hope your entire family dies in a car crash!"

I read through their furious messages and was just about to reply when Kimberly called me.

The instant I picked up, Kimberly's enraged voice blared over the speakers, "Zachary Jensen, what sort of crazy nonsense are you up to in the middle of the night? Because of your tattling, Janice and the others' boyfriends are furious and demanding that they explain themselves!

"Do you have any idea just how big of a mess you've created? Is there something wrong with your head that you just can't bear to see others happy?"

Chapter 2

Kimberly continued ranting, "Besides that, Gregory is now feeling incredibly guilty and blaming himself for everything. This is all your fault! I don't care what you're doing right now! Get the hell over here right this instant, clear things up, and then apologize to Gregory!

"Otherwise, you can forget about me ever letting you have your way again!"

"Gregory is blaming himself?"

"What a stupid question! Of course, he is! If it weren't for you tattling to their boyfriends, would I be so mad at you right now? I must have indulged you so much that you've become spoiled. You're becoming more and more unreasonable as time goes on!"

"Was he still all oiled up while he was blaming himself? Were you four still wearing those scraps of cloth that could hardly be called a bikini while you comforted him?"

Kimberly's voice took on a distinctly uncomfortable note. "Zachary, stop being ridiculous. I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Is that so?" I sent her the screenshot of the photo. "Kimberly, with four scantily clad women prancing around him, did Gregory, that quick-shot, get a reaction?"

Kimberly responded by hanging up on me. She probably hadn't expected that Gregory would secretly send me that photo to piss me off. Gregory likely hadn't expected me to take a screenshot of it and send it to the other boyfriends either.

Since she had ended the call, I sent her a message. "Why did you hang up on me? Why didn't you continue screaming at me?"

The chat window showed that she was typing, but I didn't receive a reply from her even after some time had passed.

Left without a choice, I could only upload the screenshots of Gregory's photo and the harsh messages Janice and the rest had sent me to my Instagram with the caption, "Even without anyone to keep me company, I can have a happy birthday."

By then, it was already midnight, so my birthday was technically over. Still, due to my upload, my Instagram was buzzing with activity.

Many of my friends had liked the post and commented on it.

"Damn! Kimberly went to be with another man on your birthday? Zach, you got yourself a player there!"

"Don't be mad, man. If she won't celebrate your birthday with you, we will."

"Kimberly always seems so proper, though. Just how adventurous is she? That's practically an orgy right there!"

"Shit! They sure are daring with the outfit, huh? Even practically naked, they still dared upload that photo. Are they trying to attract clients?"

Ten minutes after my post, Janice's boyfriend joined in the fray.

He also uploaded that screenshot before declaring that he was breaking up with Janice.

"If Janice was willing to dress like a slut today to be a model for his photoshoot, then she's entirely capable of stripping naked and sleeping with him tomorrow. A rotten woman like her deserves to be with a filthy bastard like him."

The originally lively atmosphere became even more so after his post. In less than five minutes, he had already received over 100 likes.

Even so, Kimberly continued to ghost me.

Nonetheless, I wasn't some novel protagonist who would suffer silently at what had been done to me, and I wasted no time sending that screenshot of Gregory's photo to Kimberly's parents.

At last, that got a reaction out of Kimberly.

Early the next morning, I received a call from Kimberly's mother, Rachel Ziegler.

"Zach, Dave and I have already seen that photo. I'm sure there's some sort of misunderstanding here, so how about you come over for a bit? We can clear things up face to face. After all, you two have been together for so many years and will be marrying soon! Just what is the issue here that you had to cause such a fuss?"

Chapter 3

"Mrs. Rivers, you've seen the photo, so I don't think there's any misunderstanding here.

"I'm sure that you're aware of just how well I've treated Kimberly all these years. I love her, and I believe that I've never done anything to let her down. However, that doesn't mean that she can take advantage of my feelings for her to brazenly hurt me."

Still, Rachel was my elder, so I had to show her at least a little respect. "Give me some time to clean up, and then I'll head over."

After hanging up, I quickly went through my morning routine before heading out in my car.

When I arrived at the Riverses' residence, Kimberly's parents, Rachel and Dave Rivers, were already waiting for me at the gates. Behind them stood Kimberly, looking like a wilted flower with her head bowed.

Getting out of the car, I had barely shut the door when a black sports car suddenly roared out of a nearby alleyway and sped straight toward me.

"Watch out, Zach!"

Seeing that the sports car was gunning straight for me, Kimberly abruptly dashed over and shoved me out of the way.

With a loud thud, Kimberly was sent flying by the hit while I crashed to the ground.

As the sports car fled the scene, Kimberly was brought to the emergency room at the hospital. She had managed to push me away at the last minute but was unable to avoid the car herself, resulting in it ramming into her legs. Though both her legs were broken, she was not in any life-threatening danger.

My face was blank as I stared at her, lying there on a hospital bed with both her legs in a cast.

If this had happened before the events of yesterday, I would've likely been overcome with regret and self-blame for her being so hurt, especially since it had only been because of me. I would've probably been so heartbroken at the sight and desperately wishing that I could take her place.

Now, however, I was thankful that she had pushed me out of the way, leaving me with only minor scrapes.

Since Kimberly had just undergone an operation, she was still feeling incredibly weak, and her complexion was sallow.

A tiny glimmer of light entered her eyes when she spotted me. "Zach, I'm glad that you're fine."

Instead of continuing that topic, I asked her, "Kimberly, do you know what day it was yesterday?"

She answered somewhat impatiently, "Zachary Jensen, I'm already this badly injured, and it's all because of you. Do you not see this? If it weren't for me, the person in bed right now would be you!

"How could you be so cold-hearted as to be hung up on your lousy birthday at a time like this? Don't you think you're being too selfish?"

Nearby, Rachel also shot me a playfully reproachful look. "That's right, Zach. Kimmy only got hurt because of you. Not only did she save your life, but she's also your fiancee. How could you speak to her like that?"

"Oh, so you do remember that I'm your future son-in-law? And here I thought that you had already turned your attention to someone else." Turning to look at Kimberly, I added, "Answer my question. What day was yesterday?"

Kimberly seemed to deflate like a balloon. "It was your birthday. Happy now? Zachary, all I did was not spend your birthday with you. Is it really necessary to dig your heels in and refuse to let go of this matter? I promise to celebrate your birthday with you next year. Is that enough for you?"

A laugh threatened to leave my lips at her words. "Then, let me ask you this. What were you doing on my birthdays for the past three years?"

"I…"

When she appeared lost for words, I helpfully decided to jog her memory for her. "Last year, Gregory wanted someone to watch the sunset with him, so you put on a tight yoga outfit and spent the entire day climbing a mountain with him. Meanwhile, I was left all alone at a romantic restaurant till they closed down for the night.

"The year before that, you promised to celebrate my birthday with me, so I even had the yacht decorated nicely. Yet, you ran off at the last minute to help Gregory move house. You even drove my car away, leaving me stranded at the dock."

Chapter 4

Pausing to take a breath, I went on, "And the year before that, Gregory returned to the country. You four booked out the five-star hotel under my name and celebrated for an entire week.

"Not only did you completely forget all about my birthday, but you still haven't paid the bill for it even now. I had to pay that one-million-dollar bill out of my own pocket.

"As for this year… I won't comment on the others, but you were dressed like a slut as you joined in on his photoshoot. Even a prostitute wears clothing that covers more of their body than what you had on you. What would you feel if I were to take those kinds of photos with another woman?"

Rage instantly blazed to life in Kimberly's eyes. "Zachary Jensen, do you have to be so nasty? Gregory did that photoshoot to capture the most beautiful moments in life. It's a form of artistic expression, an exploration of masculine beauty.

"He only dressed that way to gain a deeper understanding of his own body and to break free of traditional notions. If you don't understand art, don't go around making such ignorant comments."

Rolling her eyes in disdain at me, she continued, "I sacrificed myself for the sake of art, yet you think it's indecent. That shows that not only do you not have a single artistic cell in your body, but your mind is also filthy. That's why you can't accept someone else's excellence."

"Yes, you're so very right. My fiancee stood me up on my birthday to go be with another man, but I should still be the bigger person and forgive her for it. Not just that, but I should also support her pursuit of art without a single complaint. Is that what you're saying?"

"Exactly so! One missed birthday is nothing since you'll get another one next year, but what Gregory's losing out on is his youth, and that's something that one can't regain. He just wants to keep a record of the time when he was at his best. As his friend, I only want to help him achieve that dream. Is that so wrong?"

I nodded in agreement. "Yes, you're absolutely right. Since you love art so much, I won't hold you back any longer. Let's break up."

Kimberly finally began to panic when I suggested breaking up. "Break up? You want to break up with me over such an insignificant matter? Zachary, are you nuts? Gregory is all alone, so how is it wrong of me to help him as a friend?

"Could you not be so ridiculous and unreasonable? Look at the state I'm in now! Just how long do you plan on throwing this tantrum?"

"I'm not throwing a tantrum. You say that Gregory is all alone, but my family isn't here by my side either! Before leaving the country, they made me promise to treat you well. What was it that you told them then? Are you sure that you're actually keeping your word now?"

In a fit of petulant anger, Kimberly turned away, refusing to look at me. "I don't care! You're in the wrong in this matter, and that's that!"

"Fine. Since you insist that I'm in the wrong, there's nothing more I can say. Just focus on your recovery. I'll pay for your medical bills."

With that, I got up to leave.

Dave, who had been silent all this while, finally couldn't take it anymore. He jumped to his feet and landed a harsh smack across Kimberly's face.

Kimberly stared at Dave in shock. "Dad, why did you hit me?"

Rachel hastily shoved Dave away before standing over Kimberly protectively. "What the hell is wrong with you? Why did you suddenly slap Kimmy?"

"What's wrong with me hitting her? She's about to be married soon, yet she still got into an ambiguous relationship with another man! Does she not deserve that slap? If she hadn't run off to be with that bastard, would she have ended up getting hit by that car? She's simply reaping the consequences of her actions! She deserved all this!"

Then, Dave turned to shoot me an apologetic look. "Zach, don't be mad. I'll definitely teach this damn daughter of mine a good lesson on your behalf. I promise that something like this won't happen a second time!"

"You can forgo the lesson." I lifted a hand to stop him from saying more. "I'm willing to forgive her, but under one condition."

Chapter 5

Kimberly's eyes lit up. "What condition? Tell me! I'll definitely fulfill it!"

"Call the police." Staring straight into her eyes, I clarified, "Call the police and have them look into who hit you with that car, then push for them to be charged with intent to murder."

"No way!" If it weren't for her broken legs, she probably would've leaped out of bed upon hearing that. "Janice didn't mean to hit me! It was just an accident, as I wasn't her actual target. She's one of my best friends. If I take her to court over this, we won't even get to be friends anymore in the future! No! I absolutely can't do that!"

"Up to you."

Unwilling to waste anymore time and energy on her, I spun on my heel and headed for the door.

However, right before I stepped out, I stopped to say, "Kimberly Rivers, from today on, those best friends of yours can forget about benefiting from Jensen Corporation. Also, since you feel that the best friend who attempted to murder your fiance is more important to you, I'll handle this matter myself."

I had only just left the hospital's front doors when I spotted Gregory hurrying over.

The moment he noticed me, a condescending look crossed his eyes. "I heard that Kimmy was injured and came to visit her. You don't mind, do you?"

"I don't. I've already broken up with her. Forget about visiting her. I wouldn't mind even if you slept with her."

Having said that, I stepped around him to continue on my way, only for him to hold an arm out to block me.

"Zachary, don't think that you're so great just because you have money. So what if you're rich? I'm the one Kimmy keeps following around like a lovesick puppy, completely unable to bear the thought of me leaving.

"Don't tell me that you actually think that she loves you? She's just reached the age where she thinks it's about time to settle down. She only got together with you for her family's company's sake. To her, you're nothing more than a 'dildo to alleviate the loneliness,' and I'm just quoting what she said to me.

"Do you really think she's happy being with you? She never, ever brings you up when she's with me, you know. No matter if she's drunk or dreaming, the name she calls out is mine."

Pure malice shone in his eyes as he went on, "And it's not just Kimmy either. Janice and the others are the same. With just a crook of my finger, they'll practically fall over themselves to rush to my side. I can order them around as much as I want, and they'll heed my every order."

I acutely detected the underlying meaning behind his words. "So, you were the one who instructed Janice to hit me with the car?"

"Hmph! I never said anything like that." An arrogant sneer curved his lips. "You spoiled rich kids are so dense and have zero idea about what a woman truly wants. That's why you all failed to capture the hearts of your women.

"As for me, I just can't stand the snobbish behavior of you silver-spooned jerks, and that's exactly why I want to steal your women away. It makes me feel so damn good to see you all suffering."

I nodded, then shifted my gaze to the people behind him. "Hear that, boys?"

Gregory turned to look over his shoulder, only to find three men standing behind him with vicious snarls twisting their faces. Leading the group was none other than Janice's ex-boyfriend, William Denver.

"Are you that fucking asshole, Gregory Morales? You sure are cocky, aren't you? Did playing around with a shared girlfriend get you all worked up?"

Gregory whipped his head around to shoot me a disbelieving look. "Did you call them here?"

I chuckled evilly. "I was waiting for them. Who were you waiting for?"