Read Between the Lies

My family's company was on the brink of bankruptcy—its cash flow severed, the entire operation teetering on collapse. My fiancé, Andy Goor, was prepared to lend me money to keep things afloat.

Just as I was about to say yes, a barrage of floating comments swept across my vision.

[Don't agree—no matter what you do!]

[The company's bankruptcy and cash flow crisis are all part of Andy's scheme!]

[He's after your family's assets. If you accept, your whole family will end up sleeping under bridges for the rest of your lives!]

[Your father will die after jumping off a building because he can't afford treatment. Your mother will be beaten to death by debt collectors. And you—you'll be sold into a nightclub. Just thinking about it is tragic!]

A cold smile curved my lips. Without hesitation, I reached out and took the bank card Andy had sent over.

Because in my previous life, I had believed those very comments and refused his help. After that, the company slid into bankruptcy, beyond saving.

My parents were driven to their deaths, both forced to jump from buildings. And I was sold by creditors to an underground clinic, where my heart and kidneys were harvested before my body was dismembered.

Only after I died, my soul drifting aimlessly, did I learn the truth—this had all been orchestrated by my so-called best friend, Chelsea Beatriz.

Every single one of those comments had been fabricated by her.

Disillusioned with me, Andy turned his investment to her company instead. She took my place—effortlessly stepping into my life—and married him.

This time… everything I went through? Someone else gets to carry that weight now.

As I took the bank card from Andy Goor, a flash of venomous resentment flickered through Chelsea Beatriz's eyes.

She quickly pressed down on my hand and leaned in close, her voice a soft murmur against my ear.

"Melissa, maybe you should think this through. If you really take this money, it won't be easy to pay back."

She had said the exact same thing in my previous life. And yet, later on, that very bank card ended up in her hands.

With that money, she expanded her company step by step, growing it larger and stronger.

In the end, she openly undercut McKinnon Group, snatching projects at cutthroat prices. Every time, she seemed to know our bottom line with uncanny precision, then bid just ten percent lower. Piece by piece, she severed my family's company's only remaining lifeline.

[Melissa, how can you be so foolish? How dare you accept that bank card! Don't you know that money is poisoned—you can't use it!]

[Exactly! If the McKinnon family refuses Andy's help, there might still be a sliver of hope. But once they accept it, it's certain death!]

As I moved to put the card away, the comments flooded in again, dense and relentless.

I acted as if I hadn't heard a thing. Casting a brief glance at Chelsea, I spoke calmly, "Whether it's a good idea or not is my business, Chelsea. No need for you to worry. Besides, this is my fiancé's money—why shouldn't I take it?

"You should be more concerned about your own company. This financial crisis isn't just hitting McKinnon Group."

I pulled my hand free from her grip without hesitation.

Then I handed the bank card to the company's finance director, instructing him to use the funds to settle our debts with suppliers first.

Seeing this, Chelsea could only force an awkward smile.

"Melissa, I'm just looking out for you. I know Andy better than you do."

The moment her words fell, the barrage of comments surged again before my eyes.

[Poor Chelsea—she's only thinking of her best friend, yet she's being misunderstood!]

[Exactly. Melissa should treat Chelsea better and give her more projects. If she loses such a good friend, she'll regret it too late!]

[If you ask me, Andy is just too scheming—one face in public, another behind the scenes. That's why Melissa can't see his true nature!]

I glanced at the newly appeared comments, then at Chelsea. Her face was full of grievance, her expression pitiful, as though she'd been wronged.

If I hadn't already lived through the nightmare she orchestrated—my body destroyed, my family annihilated—I might have fallen for her act all over again.

Who would have thought that the childhood friend who grew up beside me like family… would be the mastermind behind my family's destruction?

"Chelsea, you're biased against Andy. He's my fiancé—he would never harm me."

But the moment I finished speaking, the finance director, who had only just left, rushed back in, panic written all over his face.

"Something's wrong, Ms. McKinnon! Our corporate accounts have been frozen. The police just called—they say we're under investigation for suspected money laundering!"