“Ella! We've fed and raised you all these years—without us, you'd be dead in a ditch by now! And now you won’t even agree to marry Mr. Hart in Lila’s place? Unbelievable!”

Inside the Blake family villa, Mr. Blake slammed his teacup hard on the table, tea spilling everywhere. His face was twisted with anger.

“Ella,” Ethan Blake frowned, looking down at her as always, “we’ve supported you for eighteen years, and we’re only asking this one thing. Can’t you at least show a little gratitude? Don’t make us push you.”

“Dad, Ethan, why waste time talking? She’s just an ungrateful brat,” Logan Blake sneered, his tone sharp and mocking. “Seriously, if we hadn’t picked her up back then, her bones would be ashes now. And now she’s refusing to marry into the Hart family? She should’ve rotted outside!”

Ella stayed quiet, eyes sweeping over their faces—each one a masterclass in hypocrisy.

Exactly like last time.

Just like in her past life, they were using the excuse of “raising her” to pressure her into marrying Nathaniel Hart in place of Lila.

She was the adopted daughter, taken in by Mr. Blake at age five. Back then, she had been so grateful. She thought she owed them everything—even enough to marry the infamous Mr. Hart, rumored to be cruel, ugly, disabled, and on the brink of death.

And after the wedding, they forced her into stealing from the Hart family, which eventually led to their downfall. Nathaniel, who had loved her genuinely, died because of her.

She had done every dirty thing they asked, and still, when she died, her eyes were opened: it was the Blake family who’d torn her from her real parents in the first place.

Lila Blake was born frail and rare-blooded, almost died at five. At that very moment, Ella had been hospitalized too—with a high fever. The Blakes found out she shared the same rare blood type... and stole her away.

The more she remembered, the more it made her blood boil.

The Blakes had separated her from her real family, yet all those years, she’d thanked them. She’d done everything they asked. And in the end, they held her down, drained every drop of her blood to keep Lila alive. She barely made it through that suffocating hell, and only then did she see the truth.

“Ella,” Mrs. Blake came down the stairs with Lila clinging to her arm, forcing a smile that could barely pass for motherly. “We raised you for eighteen years as if you were our own. Why would we hurt you? Marrying into the Hart family—it’s the best chance you’ll ever get!”

“Oh really? Then why don’t you let Lila go instead?” Ella’s lips curled into a cold smirk.

“How could you compare yourself to Lila?!” Mrs. Blake snapped before she could think, her expression turning ugly.

Lila was her biological daughter, doted on since day one. How did a stray like Ella even dare to compare? Lila played piano, painted, aced all her classes—she was already guaranteed a spot at Capital University. Even Mr. Hart’s little brother liked Lila. There was no way she’d let her baby marry someone as ferocious and cruel as Nathaniel Hart.

“Ella, how can you talk to Mom like that?” Lila, with perfect makeup and carefully hidden smugness, frowned at Ella, sounding hurt. “If the Blakes hadn’t taken you in, you’d be long gone. Haven’t they treated you well all these years?”

Well?

Their so-called kindness was years of tying her to a hospital bed, draining her blood over and over again until she nearly died from shock. They called that love?

Looking at their fake faces made her feel sick.She couldn't be bothered to waste another word on them. Her voice went cold. "Cut the pretense. I’ll marry Nathaniel Hart."

Mr. and Mrs. Blake finally looked relieved at her words.

"But I’ve got one condition."

Their expressions instantly collapsed again.

After raising Ella for eighteen years, she still dared to make demands?

"What condition?" Mr. Blake asked through clenched teeth. He thought she’d ask for something outrageous, but the next second—

“I’ll take Lila’s place and marry into the Hart family. That’s me repaying you for the past eighteen years. After today, we’re done. I’m cutting all ties with the Blakes!” Her voice rang sharp in their ears.

"You want to cut ties with us?" Both Mr. and Mrs. Blake froze, visibly stunned at her demand.

They exchanged a quick look.

Truth be told, Ella was never really part of the family. They only kept her around because Lila was sickly as a child and needed someone constantly available for blood transfusions. Now that Lila had grown up and was in good health, Ella had no more value.

She had no real parents, no background. Even if she married into the Harts, there was no way she’d bring anything back to the Blake family. And with Nathaniel Hart’s vicious reputation, she probably wouldn’t even make it through the wedding night alive.

How many women had gone into the Guiyuan estate and never come out again? That place was a death sentence.

So in a way, cutting ties with Ella was exactly what they wanted.

Mr. Blake immediately agreed.

"Words mean nothing. I want it in writing," Ella said coldly.

Without delay, Mr. Blake got someone to draft a written statement severing their parental relationship—two copies. Ella took her copy.

It clearly stated that from that moment on, she had no ties to the Blakes.

She folded the paper, twice, then slipped it into her pocket.

Her gaze—ice cold.

Ella walked out.

Outside, the wedding procession had arrived.

The Harts didn’t hold back—dozens of luxury cars, a showy display worthy of a royal event.

Lila had originally come to gloat, but now her eyes were red with envy. She bit her lip, huffed in disbelief, and mocked, "Ella, I’ve heard Mr. Hart’s been paralyzed for years. A twisted creep who thrives on tormenting women. Every girl sent to him ends up crippled or dead. You better take care of yourself after marrying him—ah!"

Lila screamed, clutching her cheek. "You bitch! You dared hit me?"

"Nathaniel Hart is my husband now. No one—no one gets to talk smack about him. Say one more thing, I dare you—I’ll hit you again."

"You—"

Lila was stunned by the fire in Ella’s eyes. And with the Hart family people watching, she didn’t dare say another word.

Behind them, the butler had seen it all, and the respect in his eyes deepened instantly.

For the first time, someone wasn’t afraid of the rumors. Someone stood up for their Master Nathaniel.

"Madam, your car is ready!"

He opened the car door with a new air of deference. Head lowered, his attitude completely changed.

...

Guiyuan Estate.

Second floor study.

Ella’s defense of Nathaniel had already made its way to his ears.

"Boss, our new madam seems decent. She actually stood up for you,” said Oliver, starting to warm up to her even though they hadn’t met yet.

Lucas, always with arms crossed and a stoic face, even he looked a little less stiff.

This new wife… wasn’t bad.

Nathaniel said nothing. His cold eyes scanned the file in his hands.

Ella Blake, aged eighteen, adopted by the Blakes and still in high school.

Was she really that bold, or just scheming deep?

With his broken body, he couldn’t believe any woman would willingly marry him without some hidden agenda.

He looked out the window at the caravan of wedding cars now rolling into Guiyuan, then closed the file, lips curling into a cold, dangerous smile.

"Let’s go meet this Miss Blake."