I Got Back What Belonged to me after Released from Jail

I married Marc Wheeler to save the Wheeler Corporation from a crisis and used all my family's fortune to fill in the financing gap. Besides, I even took the fall for him and was imprisoned for five years.

Everyone thought I would serve a lengthy sentence.

But I fought all out for a reduced sentence and was released early. But I only witnessed the grand wedding of Marc and Leanna Marsh, my stepsister.

My younger brother, Ian Marsh, was autistic. He clung only to Leanna and saw her as his sister. He was coerced by her into stealing the last of my shares.

I refused to accept the fact. At their wedding, I confronted Marc with an asset transfer agreement he had signed and forced him to give me an explanation.

He promised to return all the assets under Leanna's name to me and to kick her out of the Wheeler family. But he hated me to the core due to that.

He hated me for humiliating his beloved and for destroying what he saw as my brother's "salvation."

Even my psychiatrist said I was beyond help and that I had returned only to ruin everyone's happiness.

I was in despair as everyone betrayed me and was driven to madness.

During another confrontation with Marc, Leanna pushed me from a high building.

As I fell, Marc broke through the railing in a frenzy and held me tightly in midair.

The moment the steel pierced his body, he used his last ounce of strength to push me away. "Valerie, you bought the Wheeler Corporation with all your money back then. Now I've repaid you with my life. If we could go back, I would beg you not to appear again, so Leanna and I can live as an ordinary couple."

My heart ached, and I was left sobbing uncontrollably.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back on the day of my release from jail.

I pushed open the gate of the Wheeler family's villa.

The deafening music and the chatter of the crowd hit me like a wall.

I was in my faded clothes, which I had gotten from jail. I stood at the entrance and didn't fit in at the opulent banquet.

The air was filled with the scent of perfume and food, while I still carried the musty smell of jail.

The butler, Jack Norris, opened the door and dropped his tray with a crash. The champagne and desserts shattered on the floor.

His face turned ashen instantly, and his lips trembled. "M-Miss Marsh Valerie?"

I ignored him.

My gaze fixed beyond the guests in their glamorous attire, who were staring at me in shock, to the couple in the center of the hall.

My ex-husband, Marc, and my stepsister, Leanna.

Marc was gently putting a dazzling diamond necklace around Leanna's neck.

She raised her face and smiled sweetly and shyly. Then she tiptoed to kiss his cheek. "Marc, you're such a great guy."

The guests erupted in laughter and blessings.

What a ridiculous scene!

Five years ago, when Marc put a simple wedding ring around my finger, he was just as tender.

He had whispered in my ear, "Valerie, you're my only wife. I'll protect you forever."

For what he said, I used all my mother's inheritance to save his company from bankruptcy.

For what he said, I stepped forward and took all the blame when he was taken to court.

I took one last look at him in the courtroom.

He mouthed to me, "Wait for me."

I had believed his words.

I spent exactly one thousand eight hundred and twenty-five days in jail.

I fought for a reduced sentence and got out early. But what awaited me was his extravagant wedding with Leanna.

The couple's rings around their fingers glistened under the chandelier.

I had designed those rings myself, so they were unique in the world.

I had planned to surprise him with them on our fifth anniversary.

Now, one of them adorned Leanna's finger. It was a profound insult to me.

I saw Ian, my beloved younger brother, standing quietly beside Leanna, like a loyal knight. He looked at her dependently.

In my previous life, Leanna abetted Ian in asking me to transfer all the shares of the company I founded to Leanna.

When I argued with them, I was ostracized by everyone.

Even my psychiatrist said that I was crazy and that I came back to destroy everyone's happiness.

Finally, Leanna pushed me off a high building during a confrontation with Marc.

As I fell, Marc ran to catch me in a frenzy.

The moment the steel pierced his body, he used his last strength to push me away. "Valerie, you bought the Wheeler Corporation with all your money back then. Now I've repaid you with my life. If we could go back, I would beg you not to appear again, so Leanna and I can live as an ordinary couple."

I was heartbroken and tearfully agreed with him.

Then I opened my eyes and returned to the present.

I took a deep breath and suppressed all the emotions surging in my chest.

A cold voice echoed within me. "I will reclaim my rightful belongings and cut ties with these ungrateful people completely."

The music in the hall had stopped for no reason.

Everyone had noticed me, the uninvited guest, and whispers spread like wildfire.

Marc finally sensed something amiss and looked up at me.

The moment he recognized me, the color drained from his handsome face, and his pupils contracted sharply. "Valerie?"

His first reaction wasn't joy or relief.

Instead, he instinctively shielded Leanna behind him.

He looked at me with vigilance and wariness, as if I were the demon who would harm his beloved.

My heart had already broken when I had been sentenced to jail five years ago.

But at that moment, my heart seemed to be crushed into dust by Marc.

Marc didn't ask how I had fared over the past five years, why I was released from jail early, or why I looked so disheveled.

He just asked me sternly and coldly, "What are you planning to do to Leanna now that you're out early?"

He had already assumed that I was there for revenge.

Leanna appeared with a pitiful expression behind him. She trembled slightly and perfectly showed her fear. "Marc, I'm scared. Her eyes are terrifying."

What an act!

The guests around us began to point and whisper about me.

"Is she Valerie? I heard she went to prison for corporate fraud. What a disgrace to the Wheeler family."

"Look at her. She was like getting out of hell. How unlucky we are to see her here!"

Before I could speak, a figure rushed out and stood in front of Marc and Leanna.

It was Ian.

He spread his arms wide and protected Leanna as if she were a precious jewel. He looked at me with a mix of anger and disgust.

"You're not allowed to hurt my sister," he said to me.

Then he turned back and said to Leanna with a tone full of dependence, "Don't be afraid, Leanna. I'll protect you."

So he saw Leanna as his sister.

My heart felt as though it had been pierced, and the pain was so intense that I could hardly breathe.

Moreover, I saw him taking out a small, worn music box from his pocket. He grabbed it tightly.

Before I went to jail, I had scrimped and saved for half a month and searched the entire city to find that music box for him.

He said that he liked it and that only its music helped him sleep peacefully.

At that moment, he used the cherished music box to protect my enemy.

It was the cruel irony.

I remembered when he was a little boy, I held him and promised him over and over in his ear. "Ian, don't be afraid. I will always protect you."

Those words echoed in my ears, but he had changed.

Faced with the siege of that "happy family" and the crowd's accusations, I didn't lose control like in my previous life.

My voice was not loud but clear enough to reach every corner of the hall. I said, "Marc Wheeler. I'm here to demand an emergency shareholders' meeting to settle my assets when we were in our marriage."

Silence fell over the hall.

Everyone looked at me as if I were mad.

Marc was stunned, and disbelief was written all over his face.

"Nonsense!" A commanding female voice rang out. It was Marc's mother, Emily Wheeler.

She walked over quickly and glared at me with disgust and contempt. "Valerie, do you know what you're talking about? Do you even know what day it is? You've brought nothing but disgrace to the Wheeler family."

She stepped out hurriedly and tried to use the Wheeler family's reputation and the past connection to press me and control the situation. "You've been in jail for five years. Marc has been heartbroken for you all this time. Now that you're finally out, stop throwing tantrums."

Was I throwing tantrums?

I laughed until tears almost came.

I remembered how they had dismissed my struggles as mere tantrums in my past life, when I was driven to the edge.

At that moment, I became even firmer.

I looked at Marc and declared publicly, word by word, "I am here today to talk about only money, not about love."

The banquet ended in disappointment.

I was forcibly kept at the Wheeler family's residence by Emily under the guise of "talking about Ian" that night.

I was arranged in a guest room on the third floor, where everything was exactly the same as it had been before my imprisonment. They hoped to soften me with nostalgia.

But I knew it was all an illusion.

At dinner, the long dining table seated only four people: me, Marc, Emily, and Leanna.

The servant, Mary Nash, who once adored me, now diligently served Leanna, picking out fish bones for her, completely ignoring my presence.

There was no place for me in that house anymore.

Emily was the first to speak, and her tone was a mix of feigned concern and condescending scrutiny. "Valerie, you've been in jail for five years and must have suffered quite a bit. You must be mentally unstable. We all understand it."

Her words were like a dagger, stabbing into my heart. She intended to brand me as mentally unstable.

Leanna immediately chimed in, and her voice was sickeningly sweet. "That's right, Valerie. Marc and Emily have always been worried about you. Don't overthink it. We just want you to be well."

I looked at Marc. He finally showed his attitude in a chillingly cold voice. He was like issuing a decree. "How much money will let you leave?"

Emily quickly pushed a black bank card towards me, and her tone dripped with charity. "Here's ten million. Consider it compensation. Take the money, and start anew abroad. Don't come back to embarrass us."

Ten million.

They tried to use ten million to buy off my five years of imprisonment, the billions my mother left me, my reputation, and my future.

How broad-minded they were!

Leanna pretended to be gracious and asserted her position as the hostess of the house. "Valerie, Marc really cares about you. If you go abroad, I can persuade him to give you a monthly allowance."

I laughed in anger. "Do you think you can arrange my belongings?"

Emily's face darkened. She slammed her cutlery down and created a sharp noise. "Valerie, don't be ungrateful. You have been to prison. Your reputation is already ruined. We are kind enough to give you ten million dollars."

My smile grew colder. "Is that so? Then shouldn't you thank the woman who's been to prison? The Wheeler Corporation is valued in billions of dollars now."

Marc's expression turned completely dark. He threw some documents onto the table. "Valerie, don't talk to me about the past. Look at these. They're Ian's medical bills from last month. It is one hundred and twenty thousand dollars. The month before that, it was one hundred and fifty thousand."

He was cold, and each of his words seemed to be slicing me. "Without the Wheeler family, he wouldn't survive a month. Are you really willing to give up his only hope for your pitiful pride?"

He was threatening me with Ian.

Leanna's eyes welled up again. "Valerie, how can you say that about Marc? He's worked so hard these past years. He's exhausted himself over Ian's illness."

She used Ian as a shield once more.

I had completely lost my appetite.

I stood up and said, "It seems we have nothing left to discuss."

"Stop right there," Emily yelled sternly. "Ian spends millions of dollars for his treatment every month. If you leave, who will take care of him?"

I paused, but I didn't turn back. My voice was still calm. "Whoever made him like that should take responsibility."

With that, I headed straight for the door.

Behind me, Emily's furious curses echoed, along with Marc's voice, suppressed with anger yet brimming with confidence. "Let her go. I want to see how long she lasts without the Wheeler family. She has not a dime now."