She Sent Them to Hell

"Melanie, guess what? My brother-the human iceberg-actually has his eye on someone!"

Melanie Gilbert had just secured a billion-dollar deal when she received the call from her best friend Leyla Dawson.

Hearing this, her heart skipped a beat.

Because the woman her best friend was talking about was none other than herself, who had been secretly dating Ethan Dawson for five years.

Ethan had said that once she closed this deal, he would give her a surprise.

At this thought, a smile curved Melanie's lips. "He told you already?"

"He didn't! That girl graduated today, and my brother traveled all the way just to attend her graduation ceremony. My brother, who barely posts on social media, actually shared a photo of them together and sweetly called her 'little princess.' Tsk tsk tsk, so cheesy..."

Melanie felt as if she had been struck by lightning. Her voice trembled. "You... you must have... seen it wrong..."

She checked Ethan's social media feed. There was nothing.

"How is that possible? My brother specially called me over just to take photos of them! Don't believe me? Look!"

The moment Melanie saw the photo, her blood seemed to freeze.

The man who had spent the night wrapped around her just yesterday was now tenderly holding another girl in his arms.

The girl was smiling radiantly. It was her own stepsister-Rosalyn Burgess!

"Melanie, you have no idea how devoted my brother has been these five years. He flew to Pariion to see that girl..." Leyla kept chattering on, but Melanie could no longer hear a single word.

She instinctively denied it.

She refused to believe that five years of relationship had been nothing but a scam of affection!

Melanie ran back to the company like a madwoman. She knew Ethan had already returned.

She needed answers!

But just as she reached the office door, she heard ambiguous voices coming from inside.

"Ethan, if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have pretended to be with my sister all these years either. But back then... my sister's mother's car accident... I really... didn't do it on purpose."

A buzzing sound filled Melanie's head. Her mind went completely blank.

She stood frozen in disbelief. Her mother's death hadn't been an accident?

Ethan's voice continued. "It wasn't your fault. Besides, these past five years, Melanie's life has been smooth sailing. Meanwhile, you suffered so much abroad."

Hearing this, Melanie covered her mouth in disbelief. Tears fell heavily.

When her mother passed away, she had been devastated. It was Ethan who had stayed by her side and handled the funeral for her.

Back then, he had promised he would protect her in her mother's place.

Melanie had believed him.

For so many years, she had never once doubted his sincerity.

But now her entire world was collapsing!

"But Ethan... are you really... going to marry my sister? Have you actually fallen in love with her?"

Melanie's heart lifted nervously.

"Silly girl, I won't fall in love with her. Marrying her is only to protect you. Only by keeping her right under my watch can I make sure she never looks into what happened back then. So she will never hurt you!"

In an instant, Melanie's heart plummeted and shattered.

"It's just that you'll have to suffer a bit, staying with me without any title or status." Ethan gently smoothed Rosalyn's hair with heartache in his voice.

"It's okay. As long as I can be with you, I'm willing to endure anything." With that, Rosalyn's red lips pressed against the man's throat.

Ethan let out a low groan. Desire flashed in his eyes as he pulled her tightly into his arms.

Soon after, his ragged breathing mixed with the woman's broken moans drifted out.

Melanie clenched her fists until the pain of her nails digging into her palms finally brought back a shred of clarity.

She stumbled away. When she reached a place with no one around, she finally collapsed and sobbed uncontrollably.

The love she had always believed in had turned out to be nothing but a cruel deception.

The man she loved deeply was also an accomplice in her mother's death.

Melanie felt as though an invisible hand was crushing her heart, the pain making it hard to breathe.

After an unknown amount of time, she finally calmed down.

She could not let her mother die in vain!

She had to make these two pay!

With trembling hands, Melanie took out her phone and dialed a long-unused number. "I agree to the marriage alliance with the Fuller family!"

The man on the other end sounded surprised. "You've finally come around?"

Melanie knew her father Darin Burgess only saw her as a tool for marriage alliance.

She didn't care. She only needed someone who could help her take revenge! "But I want fifty percent of the Burgess Group shares!"

Darin rejected without hesitation. "Impossible."

Melanie gave a cold laugh. "Fine then. Let your precious illegitimate daughter marry Mr. Fuller instead."

Her father exploded in anger. "Melanie, have you lost your mind? I'm doing this for your own good, and you dare threaten me?"

Melanie sneered coldly. "For my own good? Everyone knows Mr. Fuller is sickly, violent, and all three of his previous wives died under mysterious circumstances! Darin, don't think I don't know the Burgess Group is on the verge of bankruptcy. You desperately need the Fuller family's capital injection. You're rushing me into this marriage just to please the Fullers, aren't you?"

The breathing on the other end hitched. After a long silence, he reluctantly spoke. "Fine. I agree. But you must marry Mr. Fuller within one month!"

Soon after, her father arranged a meeting between them.

The next day, Melanie arrived at the location on time.

As soon as she entered the private room, she met the deep, intense gaze of the man seated at the head of the table.

Melanie secretly marveled. The man she was about to marry actually had an extremely handsome face. No wonder despite his terrible reputation, there were still flocks of girls throwing themselves at him.

Since she had already agreed to the marriage, Melanie didn't want to waste words. She went straight to the point. "When do you plan to get married?"

"What?" The man looked momentarily stunned.

Melanie frowned. His reaction suggested he had no intention of marrying?

The man studied her up and down, then suddenly smiled, his tone teasing. "Melanie Gilbert? Ethan Dawson's chief secretary."

He raised an eyebrow. "You want to marry me? But I heard your relationship with Ethan Dawson is... quite special."

Melanie was a little surprised that he knew about her and Ethan.

She gritted her teeth and finally nodded in admission. "Yes. We did have a secret relationship before. But we've already broken up..."

Melanie simply confessed everything.

After she finished, Mathew Fuller raised an eyebrow. "So you want to marry me just so I can help you get revenge?"

Melanie nodded.

Mathew's fingers tapped idly on the table.

For some reason, a faint smile curved his lips.

Remembering his unpredictable temperament, Melanie suddenly felt a trace of regret for being so straightforward.

Just as she grew nervous and uneasy, the man abruptly stood up and walked toward the door.

Instinctively, Melanie called out to him. "Mr. Fuller, where are you going?"

Mathew turned back, flashing a roguish grin. "Didn't you want to get married? We're going to get the certificate now."

Melanie froze.

Mathew glanced at his watch and kindly reminded her. "The city hall closes in half an hour. If we head for it, we can still make it. Miss Gilbert, are you having second thoughts?"

When Melanie stepped out of the city hall, she held a brand-new marriage certificate in her hand.

She stared at the paper, feeling a wave of unreality, and slowly opened it.

"Mathew Fuller?" A hint of confusion passed through Melanie's eyes.

She remembered the Fuller heir being called Matt Fuller. Why was the name different?

Noticing her doubt, the man in the driver's seat spoke with a light smile. "Matt is just my nickname. Mathew Fuller is my full legal name."

Hearing this, Melanie let the suspicion in her heart fade.

Mathew drove her to the entrance of her residential complex. "The wedding ceremony will be held in one month. Remember to attend on time, Mrs. Fuller. Here is my number. Contact me anytime if you need anything."

He casually picked up Melanie's phone and added his own contact.

Suddenly he leaned over and, without warning, pressed a quick kiss to her cheek.

Melanie's face flushed bright red. She felt irritated by his forwardness.

But the man only gave a wicked grin, leaned closer and said, "You're a married woman now. You'd better keep your distance from other men, got it?"

Before Melanie could respond, he stepped on the accelerator and sped away.

Melanie walked toward her apartment. As soon as she opened the door, she saw a familiar figure.

"Melanie, you're back?" Ethan was wearing an apron, and a whole table of dishes had been prepared.

He stepped forward as usual, wanting to pull her into an embrace.

But when Melanie remembered the scene in the office, nausea surged through her.

She quietly sidestepped his arms.

Ethan noticed something was wrong and looked at her with full concern. "What's the matter, Melanie? Are you feeling unwell?"

He reached out to touch her forehead.

His movement was so gentle that Melanie felt momentarily dazed.

It was almost as if everything she had witnessed yesterday was fake.

At that moment, Ethan mysteriously pulled a velvet box out from behind him.

He slowly opened it to reveal a simple ring. "Melanie, do you remember the surprise I promised you when I returned to the country? Even though our relationship can't be made public, you will be my one and only wife."

Ethan spoke with deep sincerity, his eyes even turning slightly moist. "Melanie, will you marry me?"

Melanie's eyes instantly reddened. Thinking of the conversation she overheard in the office, the last trace of her illusion shattered completely.

She clenched her fists tightly, suppressing the overwhelming hatred inside.

After a long silence with no answer, Ethan assumed she was too moved to speak.

"No..." Melanie had just opened her mouth when the doorbell rang.

Ethan didn't wait for her reply. He hurriedly slid the ring onto her ring finger and rushed to open the door.

"Melanie, long time no see." It was Rosalyn.

She walked in slowly, smiling brightly at Melanie.

Melanie thought of her mother's tragic death and her whole body began to tremble slightly.

"Melanie, Rosalyn just returned to the country. I wasn't comfortable letting her live alone outside, so I asked her to move in." Ethan patiently explained.

"Melanie, you won't mind, right?" Rosalyn asked cautiously.

Melanie bit her lip so hard she tasted blood. She wanted nothing more than to rush forward and tear their disguises apart.

But she couldn't.

She had no evidence yet. She couldn't alert them.

The taste of blood on her tongue brought back a shred of reason.

Through gritted teeth she forced out words. "I don't mind."

With that, she turned straight into her room and began packing.

She had to leave this place. Otherwise she feared she wouldn't be able to control herself.

She threw every gift Ethan had ever given her into the trash, taking only her own belongings and the framed photo of her mother on the bedside table.

Looking at her mother's gentle smile, she felt tears well up in her eyes. "Mom, I'm so sorry. I was too foolish. I let my enemy sleep right beside me."

She gently stroked her mother's face in the photo. "Don't worry. Your daughter will get justice for you. I will make them pay."

She whispered softly, but her gaze was filled with determination.

"Melanie, this necklace is so pretty. Can you give it to me?" At some point Rosalyn had appeared without warning.

She walked toward the necklace box on the table.

Melanie's pupils contracted sharply. "Don't touch it!"

That was the only keepsake her mother had left her!

"Melanie, I just wanted to take a look." Rosalyn said as she reached straight for the emerald necklace.

Melanie rushed over to stop her. "Rosalyn, put it down!"

Rosalyn's lips curved into a provocative smile.

The next second came a sharp "crack!"

The necklace fell to the floor and shattered into pieces!

"No!" Melanie shoved her aside. Looking at the fragments on the ground, she could no longer hold back her anger.

"Slap!" She struck Rosalyn hard across the face.

Rosalyn covered her cheek, eyes wide with shock. "Melanie, why did you hit me?"

At that moment Ethan rushed in. "What happened?"

He pulled Rosalyn protectively into his arms with deep concern.

"Ethan, Melanie doesn't like me. I only wanted to look at her necklace, but she pushed me to the floor and slapped me..."

Rosalyn's eyes filled with tears, her expression full of grievance.

Ethan's brows furrowed with anger. "Melanie, Rosalyn is your sister! How could you treat her like this? Apologize!"

Melanie ignored him completely. She carefully began picking up the pieces from the floor.

Seeing this, Ethan grew even more furious. He yanked her to her feet. "Melanie Gilbert, I said apologize! Did you hear me?"

Melanie burned with rage. "Ethan Dawson, she deliberately smashed the necklace my mother left me! You know this was the only thing my mother left behind for me! Don't you understand how important it is?"

Ethan's face showed not a trace of remorse. "It's just a necklace. Did you have to be so aggressive? Besides, Rosalyn didn't do it on purpose! How could you hit her? Apologize!"

Melanie's heart twisted painfully, yet she still refused to give in.

Ethan suddenly grabbed the framed photo of her mother from the bedside table.

"No! Ethan, what are you doing?! I'll apologize! I'm sorry!" Melanie cried out in panic, but it was already too late.

Ethan smashed the photo frame hard onto the floor.

In an instant, shards of glass flew everywhere, tearing through the picture.

It also shattered the last bit of comfort Melanie had clung to.

"Remember this! This is just a small lesson for you! If you ever dare hurt Rosalyn again, I will make you pay!" With that, Ethan scooped Rosalyn up in his arms and carried her out.

Melanie finally broke down and sobbed uncontrollably.

She cried until her whole body shook as she slowly gathered the scattered fragments.

Even as the sharp pieces cut into her fingers and blood flowed freely, she refused to stop.

"I'm sorry, Mom!" She apologized silently in her heart.

Suddenly she noticed one piece of broken jade looked unusual.

She picked it up slowly and discovered a tiny USB drive hidden inside!

Melanie's eyes widened in shock. She stopped crying and carefully inserted the drive into her computer.

After seeing the contents, she felt her breath grow short and her chest heave.

It turned out her mother's death had involved the entire Burgess family!

Including her own biological father!

Rage boiled through Melanie's veins.

Not a single one of them would be spared!

She slowly calmed herself and began to think about her next plan.

At that moment her phone rang.

It was the sales department manager.

"Melanie, come to the company right now! Do you know that the billion-dollar contract you just won? Rosalyn has been appointed as the project leader!"

"What?!"