Chapter 30: The Aloof Heiress

Three years later.

In the chairman’s office of Luo Group.

“Chairman Luo, you have a welcome banquet at Berman Hotel tonight at eight. It’s an invitation from R Country’s H·L Group.”

The woman who had been signing documents paused, lifting her head. Her features were cold and detached, her gaze on the person before her faint and devoid of excess emotion, as if she had been born without it.

Narrowing her eyes slightly, Luo Yihuan asked, “The one that arrived last week?”

Wen Li nodded without hesitation. “Yes. The branch president they’ve sent this time is H·L Group’s third miss, Li Zhu.”

“This woman was taken back by H·L Group a year ago as an illegitimate daughter. She’s got some real savvy—snagged several major projects from them in under a year. But since arriving in Shore Lake last week, she’s gone completely quiet. No moves at all.”

A newcomer with clear strength, yet choosing to lie low.

Luo Yihuan’s fingertips twitched faintly. She nodded at Wen Li. “Got it. Go handle your tasks.”

Wen Li received the order but didn’t leave. She stood there, her expression hesitant, as if there were more words she hadn’t yet spoken.

“Out with it.”

The icy gaze fell upon her, making Wen Li’s heart quiver in fear. Biting her lower lip, she stared into those eyes—colder now than three years ago—and mustered all her courage to broach the taboo.

“Chairman Luo, regarding the Shore Lake Orphanage case…” In an instant, she felt that gaze sharpen like knives scraping over her skin. Wen Li’s lips trembled, but she pressed on. “Do we still need to keep Doctor Jiang’s name on it?”

Doctor Jiang…

A storm surged in the depths of those abyss-like eyes. Luo Yihuan’s pitch-black gaze swept coldly over Wen Li, who was trembling and too afraid to meet her eyes. Her lips pressed into a tight line, and a chill laugh escaped her throat.

Three years had passed, and that name had become Luo Yihuan’s ultimate taboo.

No one in Luo Group dared mention Jiang Li anymore.

All because of that day.

Near the end of the workday, Luo Yihuan had arrived at the company bearing clear signs of the night before. The moment she stepped through the doors, sharp-eyed employees spotted the marks on her neck—the bruises from choking, the dense red patches.

Within a minute, the entire company knew Chairman Luo had spent a passionate night—and skipped work for it.

-Holy crap, Chairman Luo’s partner plays rough! What a wild one!

-I can’t even imagine how she dragged herself out of bed to come to work today. Sincerely from a poor worker who saw the bite marks on her wrist with her own eyes.

-Am I the only one wondering who this powerhouse is that melted the ice queen?

-That’s no ice queen to you and me. Take another look at those marks peeking out on her!

-Anyone wanna bet it’s that Doctor Jiang who visited the company last time? I’ll put down a hundred.

-Up top wins. Your beloved Secretary Zhou thought the same—she went to test it and lost her head.

…

That test got Secretary Zhou shipped from scenic Shore Lake to some godforsaken spot in Africa. Five years, double pay, but no transfer until she tops regional sales.

She had been Luo Group’s most approachable secretary. And just like that, Luo Yihuan banished her to Africa.

According to insiders close to Zhou, even if I rot in this shithole for ten years, I’d still say my bet was spot on!

The second I mentioned Doctor Jiang, Chairman Luo’s deadpan face lit up. She looked at me like she wanted to kill me!

Must’ve been wrecked last night—her reaction today had her itching to punch me on instinct.

Later, after several secretaries sacrificed themselves for the cause, the full story emerged—

Chairman Luo reunited with Doctor Jiang after years apart. Luo poured her heart out in one passionate night, but Jiang had no interest in tangling further. She left Shore Lake overnight, vanishing without a trace. Luo searched fruitlessly.

Short version: Chairman Luo got dumped. Twice.

With those precedents, everyone in Luo Group tacitly banned Jiang Li’s name, never daring to utter it in front of Luo Yihuan.

That’s why Wen Li had hesitated all day before risking the question today.

Their contract with Jiang Li had expired, but since she was the chairman’s ex, they had to check her opinion.

Silence filled the office. Luo Yihuan said nothing, and Wen Li wished she could shrink out of sight, escaping that frigid stare.

She feared the next second would see her bundled off to Africa like those others.

The original, quickest casualty—Secretary Zhou—still hadn’t returned. Rumor had it she’d gone full slacker there, even starting a romance with a local beauty.

“Keep it.”

The curt words dropped like stones. Luo Yihuan lowered her eyes and returned to her work.

She didn’t even know what she felt now about the woman who’d gotten on top of her and then heartlessly vanished. It was complicated—too much so. Luo Yihuan just clung to her current resolve:

Keep Jiang Li’s name there, listed alongside her own.

Wen Li grasped her intent, bowed, and hurried out—faster than usual.

Afraid a trigger might prompt Luo Yihuan to berate her or get HR to ship her to Africa.

Now alone in the office, Luo Yihuan stared at the blank document before her, not a word written. Her gaze was distant—this was her reaction every time she heard that name.

Pathetic.

She’d left without a shred of mercy, yet here you were, pining like a wretched mutt.

Suppressing her emotions, Luo Yihuan slowly closed her eyes and exhaled a stifled breath. The anger and frustration didn’t fade; they only intensified.

Jiang. Li.

That name—Luo Yihuan knew she’d never let go of it. Just hearing it drilled pain straight into her heart, crumbling her defenses.

She’d never forget waking that day to an empty house, touching the cold sheets, clutching that still-damp rope. The feeling in her chest…

Rage like a tidal wave. The room smashed to pieces. Amid the wreckage, the only intact items were that black rope crushed in her fist and the little toy Jiang Li had bought, tucked in the closet.

Curtains drawn tight, blocking every ray of sunlight. In the pitch-black home sat a wretched figure.

Curled in the bed’s corner, her slender frame shook—not with fear, but fury. Bottomless wrath.

Luo Yihuan’s lips trembled as she muttered the name over and over, like a warning. But in her state, it only sounded pitiful.

You’d better never let me find you.

Jiang Li.

Clothes disheveled, clutching the rope, slumped miserably on the floor. Luo Yihuan’s stare at the ground was terrifying, manic. Her eyes bloodshot, whites veined red, lips curved in a wide, unhinged grin as she giggled.

In the empty house, one person laughed—pitiful, deranged.

No trace of life, no warmth. In that moment, the one left behind had become a demon.

After a while, she rose calmly, methodically bagging the rope and stashing it securely in a cabinet.

Li Li, hide it well.

Hide it.

Her pale hand braced against the cabinet, wrist covered in dense red marks. Now, fueled by her inner turmoil, veins bulged like sinister vines, binding that arm marked by her.

The gaze on the cabinet wasn’t for an object—it was for a beloved lover, brimming with watery tenderness.

But the mutterings from her lips were pure obsession, clashing with her face.

-Lock it up. Lock it in a room just for us.

-Break your legs? No, snap your arms… That way, Li Li would need me even to eat…

-Li Li likes rope play. We can try them one by one…

Don’t think about her. You’re just a discarded dog.

You’ve been thrown away.

Luo Yihuan told herself this, her face impassive. But her hand gripped the pen so hard it threatened to snap.

Just like her old fantasies about Jiang Li—

Clip her wings for good. Make her dependent on me forever.

But that chance was gone now.

Since arriving in Shore Lake City, this was H·L Group’s first banquet here—grandly extravagant.

Once announced, Shore Lake’s elite buzzed with anticipation, hoping for an invite.

Some rejoiced, some despaired, others shrugged it off.

The day arrived swiftly.

Luo Yihuan usually arrived fashionably late to such events, but today she came early, inexplicably.

The hall was still some time from official start, yet already bustling.

Lights blazed, crystal chandeliers gleaming overhead, bathing everything in dazzling radiance.

A long banquet table stretched centrally, adorned with exquisite pastries in varied shapes. Champagne glasses formed elegant pyramids, sparkling wine swirling temptingly.

Guests mingled—Shore Lake’s high society—each wearing perfectly measured smiles. Amid clinking glasses, they swapped deals worth fortunes.

When Luo Yihuan entered, the chatter hushed. Eyes turned as one.

Luo Group’s head, iron-fisted, had propelled the rising company to untouchable heights in mere years.

Matching that power: a face cold as snow, beauty like the moon. An air of aloof restraint clung to her.

Her seemingly soulful eyes met yours across the room—then plunged you into a frozen world, rimed with frost.

She glided from the entrance, elegance incarnate. An emerald cheongsam in simple elegance hugged her curves perfectly.

With each sway, long, pale legs teased into view. The hall’s opulent lights seemed mere backdrop, escorting her to the center.

Once there, those with Luo Group ties approached, smiles warm, probing discreetly.

A single glass of wine in, Luo Yihuan feigned tipsiness to brush off advances. They yielded, swallowing resentment, watching her vanish up the first-floor stairs.

The venue was two stories.

Luo Yihuan now lounged on a second-floor sofa, smile gone, coldly smoothing her cheongsam’s wrinkled hem. Her back rigid.

Boring affair.

Eyes closed, she savored the quiet nook, mind adrift.

Noise from below continued.

Some time later, fresh buzz erupted downstairs—louder than when she’d arrived.

“Look, that’s H·L Group’s third miss.”

“What presence for a young one. Wonder how she stacks up against the one upstairs.”

“Showdown incoming. Hey, that woman beside the third miss—her girlfriend?”

“If she’s at her side in a place like this, close enough. They look good together.”

The murmurs drifted up. Hearing her quarry had arrived, Luo Yihuan slowly opened her eyes, rising to lean against the solid wooden railing.

The woman approaching below shattered her composure in an instant.

Lazily tousled long waves draped her shoulders; lights gilded her flawless skin in a gorgeous glow. Today, she wore a red deep-V gown, her shoulders and neck perfectly proportioned, like measured by ruler.

Her charm outshone three years prior. Red lips curved just so in nods and smiles—vivacious, alluring.

Arm looped through her companion’s, silver diamond stilettos clicking as she entered slowly. Intimate with her partner, whispering now and then.

The picture of sweet lovers.

Fresh manicure cracked sharply against marble floor. Fingers gripping the rail trembled, shards precarious.

Jiang. Li.

Good. Very good.

In the three years since you left me, you’ve found a new flame without remorse. Tossed aside my smiles, my hatred—everything of mine.

Eyes darkened to abyss. Fury blazing in her chest ignited fully the instant she saw Jiang Li on another’s arm, scorching her veins. Her usual cool mask twisted with jealousy.

Fingers clenched the rail inch by inch. Her gaze froze to glacial ice; her aura outchilled any freezer.

Head low, Luo Yihuan scrutinized the Jiang Li she hadn’t seen in years. Was it more rage at the heartless abandonment, or more jealousy at the new lover?

Her heart answered in the next breath.

The third miss leaned to whisper something. Jiang Li laughed, head on her shoulder—smile radiant, knife-stabbing Luo Yihuan’s heart.

Steal her back.

Snatch her! Kiss her, claim her, hide her!

Mine!

Luo Yihuan’s last shred of calm burned away in the jealousy flooding her. Madness swirled in her eyes, tides surging, undercurrents raging.

Envy, anger, humiliation—all fueling her possessive blaze. Staring at Jiang Li, her gaze burned with chilling obsession. Morning’s resolves resurfaced.

Yes, she’d be Jiang Li’s dog forever.

A biting mad dog? A clinging cur post-abandonment? Didn’t matter. She wanted Jiang Li.

She wanted Jiang Li’s eyes forever on her—even chained, locked, drugged—as long as she loved her back.

Don’t love me? Li Li? No matter. We’ve circled thousands of times. You’ll fall for me eventually—for wretched me.

Perhaps her stare was too raw, too scorching. Jiang Li, arm-in-arm with her companion, paused and looked up.

Her eyes locked straight onto the thick, unveiled obsession and possession in Luo Yihuan’s.

Long time no see, Master.

Meeting her gaze, Luo Yihuan shed all pretense of sanity. Like a crashing wave, it poured over Jiang Li, burying her.

Lips parted slightly, eyes narrowed, she silently greeted.

Unspoken: How unfortunate—you lost hide-and-seek.

Your mad dog is here to drag you home.

From on high, Luo Yihuan gazed down, eyes shadowed with madness wilder, fiercer, thicker than three years ago. Her stare licked over Jiang Li entirely.

Jiang Li looked at her; she beamed back, radiant as ever.

Done for. She’s really lost it, Jiang Li thought.