Love Money, Not Men

On the day my husband, Martin Clark, took wedding photos with his secretary, I didn't cause a massive scene like I used to. Instead, I personally went to help them pick out the best shots. I even had the photos framed and hung them right in the living room for every visiting guest to see. Rumors spread like wildfire among the families of Sicilana that I was the most powerless donna, allowing any mistress or side-chick to climb over my head. I simply smiled and said nothing. Half a month later, Martin explained to me, "The photos were just a birthday wish of hers." I nodded obediently. "Okay." In my past life, the moment I saw those photos, I rushed right in front of Martin and threw a huge fit, even posting all of his explicit cheating photos onto social media. To punish me, Martin deliberately sabotaged my father’s shipping lines, causing our family to suffer devastating losses. Using the excuse that I was mentally ill, he sent me to a psychiatric hospital, where I was controlled with drugs and died within a few years. Now that I have a second chance, I won't harbor a single shred of love for Martin. I only want money! Every single time he has an affair, I will divert another one of the Clark family's shipping lines away. Right now, there are only three lines left. One more mistress, and the Clark family will be turned into an empty shell. Chapter 1 "Don't you worry. I'll be good and stay at home," I said, looking at Martin Clark while pretending to be completely obedient. Even after hearing this, Martin still looked skeptical. He examined my face closely, trying to find a flaw. Once he saw my eyes held nothing but fixation for him, he let out a sigh of relief. He wrapped his arms around me. "Anna, you have to believe me. The person I love most in this world is you. Julia is just my secretary, and I only agreed to her birthday wish to keep her loyal to me." I nodded obediently. "It's fine, I believe you." However, I couldn't help but sneer coldly in my heart. He had already gone through so many women, making up the same kind of excuse every single time. Wasn't Martin tired of it? In the past, it was precisely because I found Martin's excuses too absurd that I used to pick massive fights with him. Feeling humiliated, he began targeting my father’s shipping lines and canceled several of my father's business deals, causing our family to suffer devastating losses. Furthermore, using the excuse that I was mentally ill, he sent me to a psychiatric hospital where I was drugged and beaten. Julia would visit me under Martin's name, but every time she came, she merely watched other people beat me before tossing me some leftovers like charity. As a result, my body grew weak, and I died within a few years. Realizing that I had been reborn, I swore to myself that I would never walk down that old path again. I wanted money and the power of the Clark family. I began secretly planning to take over the Clark Group's shipping docks, divert their trade routes for my own use, and transfer all the assets under Martin's name. Martin, of course, knew nothing about this and became more and more satisfied with my obedience. "Your birthday is in a few days. I’ve already cleared my schedule for that day so I can spend it with you." I hugged him, acting sweet. "Thank you." Martin's mood instantly soared from my coaxing. Since that day, I'd often overhear him giving instructions to his subordinates regarding my birthday surprise. "The fireworks for that day must be the most expensive and the best. "Also, go bid on that Ocean's Tear necklace she likes. I'll give it to her on that day." Listening to his words, I lost myself for a brief moment. It almost seemed as if Martin loved me deeply. However, as quickly as the ‌thought appeared, I snapped myself out of it. Looking up and catching sight of the wedding photo of Martin and Julia, I let out a cold laugh. I opened a page on my phone, which was continuously popping up with successful transfer notifications. Every single one of these was an asset originally under Martin's name. Looking at the nine-figure number on the screen, I curled my lips in pure satisfaction. The wind blowing against my face carried a hint of coldness, yet I felt incredibly refreshed. Chapter 2 That night, Martin threw a birthday party for me. It was clear that a great deal of thought had gone into all the decorations, with my favorite flowers and colors being featured. Martin held my hand and led me to the center of the stage, but before he even had a chance to speak, his phone rang. He hung up time after time, yet it kept ringing. I glimpsed the name on the screen—Julia. Martin looked uncomfortably at me, but after hesitating for a moment, he answered it anyway. "Martin, my stomach hurts so badly. Can you come over and stay with me for a bit?" Hearing this, Martin shot a look at me. I didn't say a word and simply pulled my hand out of his grip. Martin thought it over and finally spoke up, "Anna, be good. I have an urgent matter to handle right now and need to leave. I promise to make it up to you next time." "Okay, go ahead." Hearing me say this, Martin looked a bit surprised. He stood there for a moment, then hugged me and promised, "Anna, I will make it up to you. "I've got a surprise I prepared for you tonight, and it's full of things you love. The butler will keep you company. Happy birthday, sweetheart." With that, Martin turned around and left. I looked down and adjusted the hem of my dress, which Martin had wrinkled. As I turned to watch Martin's departing back, a wave of disgust washed over me. However, I didn't leave. Instead, I waited all the way until midnight to watch the fireworks Martin had prepared for me. The fireworks Martin arranged lasted for a full nine minutes, and at the very last moment, the fireworks formed words in the sky. [Julia, I love you the most.] Standing to the side, the butler carefully examined my reaction, terrified that I would throw a massive tantrum upon seeing this or faint on the spot from rage. Yet, I showed no reaction and simply remained on the balcony, watching the display fade into nothing. Previously, I would've definitely thrown a scene. But now, the person I cared about was no longer Martin. To me, Martin was just like those fading fireworks right now. Though there was a fleeting moment of brilliance in the past, darkness mostly followed it. When Martin first pursued me, he had been just as attentive as he was with today's surprise. He had gone scuba diving personally to harvest pearls just to make a necklace for me, never giving up, even when his hands became completely swollen from the water. Recalling the past, I let out a helpless smile. I thought that by remembering the good things he used to do for me, I would still have lingering fragments of emotion. As it turned out, through the long passage of time, those feelings had completely vanished. Compared to those emotions, I was actually much happier that I could start all over again and was given a second chance to choose. Right then, Martin’s phone call came through. "Anna, listen to me. Julia was in a terrible mood today, and I only changed the words at the last minute to make her feel a bit better. "Julia didn't ask me to do it. It was entirely my idea. Don't make things difficult for her." I gave a simple, brief "Mm" in response and hung up the phone. Then, I pulled out my phone, opened the asset transfer page, and casually curled my lips as I watched the transfer notifications rolling through. "Congratulations, Don Clark. In order to make Julia happy, you have paid a price of tens of millions. "This was your second chance." Chapter 3 Over the past month, Martin rarely returned home. Every single time he came back, he went straight to the study. On the rare occasions I actually managed to see him, I behaved obediently. Not only did I prepare his favorite fruits, but I also personally ironed his clothes. No matter what I talked to him about, I never mentioned a single word about Julia. Meanwhile, I received messages from Julia every single day, filled with details about the things Martin did with her. There were photos of them watching movies, walking dogs together, kissing, and even bedroom photos. I replied to every single message, and I even offered her my blessings. Such replies probably gave Julia confidence, so she posted a joint photo of herself and Martin directly onto social media. The people in our social circle were completely stunned when they saw this picture. They never expected that I would endure things to such an extent. In fact, several people even specifically approached Martin to ask how they could get their own wives to act the same way. Yet, hearing these people's words, Martin did not feel a single bit of happiness. I was just too obedient, so obedient that I looked like a completely different person from the Anna in his memory. He even suspected for a moment whether the current me was a different person altogether. However, every time he saw the way I looked at him, the doubts in his heart dissolved. Perhaps it was simply because I loved him so much that I was willing to believe absolutely anything he said. Thinking this way, Martin once again dismissed his suspicions. The next day, Martin suddenly came back to pick me up. "Anna, come with me. Julia has something she wants your help with." Though I felt a bit surprised, I didn't say anything and followed Martin into the car. To my surprise, he actually brought me to a bridal shop. When we got married, this was exactly where I tried on my wedding dress. Except now, the wedding dress was being worn by Julia. Hilariously, not only was the bridal shop the same for her and me, but even the wedding dress was identical. From my memories, I recalled that Martin had this wedding dress custom-made for me back then, and he had called it a special gift for me. I never expected that this gift would one day be given to someone else as well. The moment Julia saw me, she reached out to link her arm with mine. "Anna, Martin said you'd so kindly allow me to fulfill this tiny little birthday wish of mine." Saying that, she looked toward Martin as if seeking help. Then, she lowered her head, pretending to be pathetic. "Don't worry, I'm aware and won't have thoughts I shouldn't have." Hearing this, Martin glared at me. It was as if I were the one who had committed a heinous crime. Yet, I had clearly done absolutely nothing. Julia lifted the hem of her gown. "I know this is your wedding dress, so I wanted to ask for your opinion. Can you give this wedding dress to me?" Hearing this, I only found it ridiculous. I looked straight into Julia's eyes, and she did not flinch. I knew exactly what she meant by those words. She didn't just want this wedding dress Martin had custom-made for me, but rather, my position as donna. Martin did not give me a chance to speak. He reached out directly and pulled Julia over. "Of course you can. Anna only wore this wedding dress once for our wedding. It'll be a waste to leave it sitting there. "Besides, Anna is very kind and will definitely fulfill your wish. Right, Anna?" Martin spoke with absolute certainty, leaving me zero opportunity to back out. I smiled faintly, reached out, and helped Julia adjust her bridal veil. Lowering my head, I saw that the hem of the dress was clearly a bit too long for Julia. "Martin is right. "I heard your wedding is set for the first of next month. I will be there. I will even prepare a surprise for you both." Julia still wanted to provoke me. "But if you come, what will people say?" I smiled, completely unbothered. "That's their opinion. I trust Martin and you completely. "Besides, attending Martin's wedding as a guest is a first-time experience for me. I don't want to miss it." Julia was left speechless. I lowered my head to continue adjusting the veil for Julia when I suddenly noticed my English initials on the veil. A. Hardening my heart, I pulled the veil straight off. Julia was caught completely off guard. She let out a cry of pain and immediately retreated to Martin's side, looking at me with a pitiful expression. "Anna, what are you doing? This wedding dress and veil are already out of print. By taking away the veil, you've ruined the entire look of this wedding dress." Seeing that I hadn't reacted, she continued to act aggrieved. "If you didn't want to give this wedding dress to me, you could have just said so. Why did you have to humiliate me like this?" Hearing this, Martin's face darkened completely as well. He protected Julia in his arms as if she were a precious treasure, accusing me, "Anna, what are you doing? This is just a birthday wish of Julia's, and you can't even tolerate it? "We, the Clark family, do not need a petty and vicious donna like you!" Seeing that I remained silent, he let out another sigh, speaking as if he were granting a grand favor. "Forget it. Seeing that this is your first time, I will temporarily let you keep your position as donna. "However, a major punishment is still necessary. The weapons deal your family was purchasing from us is hereby canceled. "You are also on house arrest. Stay home and reflect." After he finished speaking, his subordinates stepped forward to drag me away. While on the road, my ringtone for notifications suddenly beeped. Opening it, a notification explicitly showed that a progress bar had reached one hundred percent. Looking at the veil in my hand, I opened the window directly and threw it out. Martin thought I was far too naive. However, I couldn't care about his threat at all. Don Clark's final three chances had already been completely used up. In the current Clark family, he was no longer the one who called the shots. As for me, I would make Martin pay the price for his repeated betrayals. Just like this upcoming wedding. I would absolutely prepare a massive surprise for Martin and Julia. A surprise that would leave every single person present utterly speechless.