The slap came out of nowhere. Remi’s head snapped to the side, and for a moment, she could not even process what had just happened.

Across from her, Sydney had rolled up her sleeves, her expression twisted with fury.

“Where did you crawl out from, you shameless woman? How dare you get plastic surgery to look like me? Are you trying to scheme your way into replacing me because James’s been favoring me lately?” She sneered. “Let me tell you something. That will never happen. I will be the only Mrs. Hudson. Today, I’ll show you what happens when you try to seduce James.”

Only then did Remi connect the dots. This must be the substitute James had chosen, and clearly, he had never told Sydney about her existence. That was why Sydney thought she was just another woman trying to steal the position of Mrs. Hudson.

Remi took a deep breath and was just about to explain. However, before she could speak, Sydney suddenly kicked the back of her knee. A sharp pain shot through her leg, and she collapsed to her knees instantly. When she tried to push herself up, Sydney’s friends rushed forward and pinned her down tightly, making it impossible for her to move.

“There I was, wondering why James would head out every night,” Sydney spat. “As it turns out, it’s because of you, you filthy woman! You know he’s crazy about me, don’t you? And that’s why you used a face like mine to get his attention!”

The accusations were so ridiculous that Remi laughed. However, seeing that Sydney was also being deceived, she forced down her anger and said as calmly as she could, “You should leave now. If James comes back and sees this, he won’t let you off.”

What was meant to be a warning made Sydney burst into laughter. “He won’t let me off? That’s hilarious. Who do you think you are to threaten me with James? Do you know how much he loves me? Do you know I’m carrying his child?”

She placed a hand over her belly, her eyes gleaming with arrogance. “Even if I killed you today, he would only dote on me and help clean up the mess. Instead of worrying about me, you should worry about yourself.”

A chill ran down Remi’s spine.

“What are you trying to do?” she asked.

Sydney grabbed her hair and forced her head up, studying her face carefully. Then, she smiled—sweet on the surface but filled with malice.

“You did a pretty good job on this face. For a second, even I could not tell us apart. But soon, it won’t be yours anymore.”

As she spoke, her sharp nails dug viciously into Remi’s cheek.

“Ah!”

Remi felt like her flesh was being torn apart, piece by piece. The agonizing pain was crushing her until she could barely breathe. She struggled desperately, but with several people holding her down, she could only endure as Sydney’s nails dragged across her skin. Blood began to stream down along those crimson lines.

Sydney’s friends swarmed in next, kicking and punching her without restraint. The pain was so intense that her entire body started to go numb. Watching her curl up in agony, Sydney smiled in satisfaction.

Finally, Remi shouted hoarsely, “You’ve got it wrong! I’m not some woman seducing James. I’m his wife, the legally married Mrs. Hudson!”

Her words, however, were met with more laughter. Sydney withdrew her hand and held her stomach as she threw her head back, laughing even harder.

“You’re his wife? Then what am I?”

“Yeah, right!”

“We’ve never heard of Mr. Hudson being married.”

Her friends chimed in mockingly.

Sydney wiped away tears of laughter and looked at her with blatant contempt. “If you wish to climb into James’s bed, just say so. Aren’t you afraid he’ll skin you alive for making up lies like this? You say you’re his wife? Quit dreaming.”

Remi looked at them with a heavy heart. Back when she and James got married, she had insisted on keeping things low-key. Outside of their inner circle, almost no one knew she was his wife. Now, that secrecy had become the very proof people used to deny her identity. On top of that, after their recent fight, James had deliberately taken so many intimate photos with Sydney. To outsiders, it was obvious who he intended to marry in the future.

However, how could Sydney not realize? She came from an ordinary family and was mismatched in status with the Hudson family. Out of countless women, why would James choose her, let alone allow her to bear his child?

Remi’s hands slowly tightened into fists as she struggled to rise.

“I really am his wife. If you don’t believe me, call James right now!”

Before she could stand, Sydney stepped down hard on the back of her hand. The pointed heel of Sydney’s heels ground mercilessly against her fingers.

“Are you still trying to lie to us? It seems the lesson I gave you wasn’t enough. Someone, go to the kitchen and bring me a sharp knife. I’d like to see just how long this woman can keep up her act.”

The knife was brought quickly, and seeing it in Sydney’s hand made Remi shiver.

“What… What are you doing?” Remi tried to scream, but her voice was hoarse and barely audible.

As she tried to pull away, strong hands pinned her shoulders, holding her firmly against the floor. Helpless, she watched as Sydney stepped closer, a cruel smile on her face.

“You want to know what I’m going to do? I’m going to destroy your face, of course. Let’s see whether you’ll have the nerve to look like me again!”

Sydney summoned every ounce of strength, bringing the blade down with all her might across Remi’s face!

“Ah!”

The moment the blade sliced through flesh to the bone, Remi could no longer hold back the scream. Yet the very next moment, Sydney's blade came down upon her again fifty-two times.

Remi's wails of agony rang out, but no one showed a moment's mercy. Remi could distinctly hear the blade slicing through her flesh. She could feel the trail of blood trickling down her cheeks. She could see the hideous, terrifying grins upon their faces… The air thickened with the stench of blood. Her entire face had long since become a bloody, mangled mess, her body convulsing uncontrollably.

Still unsatisfied, Sydney sent her best friend to the kitchen to fill a bucket of ice-cold water, then pressed Remi's blood-soaked, mangled face into it. Remi instantly erupted in a shrill, piercing scream. The sound felt like an invisible hand, clutching at her heart with deadly force. It was excruciatingly painful.

Despite that, Sydney cackled wildly. Her face twisted with madness as she pulled out her phone, snapping photo after photo.

“Hahahaha! Look at you now! You're nothing but disgusting. With your face ruined, I'll be damned if you dare try to seduce James again.”

Remi opened her mouth, yet no words came out. She lay in a pool of blood, barely able to move, her breath faint and dying.

Sydney’s friends hovered nearby, close enough to hear Remi say, “You… You will regret this.”

Everyone felt a chill run down their spines. “Sydney, have we taken this a little too far? Mr. Hudson won't hold it against us, will he?”

Sydney snickered, arms crossed as she took it all in, utterly unconcerned. “Hold it against me? James adores me so much. How could he possibly blame me over such a trifling matter? Besides, I'm carrying his child. That's practically a get-out-of-jail-free card. Have you forgotten how much he used to care about me?”

Her friends nodded in agreement, their worries instantly dispelled.

Sydney kicked Remi, who lay sprawled on the floor like a dead dog. “Mark my words. Not just anyone can capture James’s heart. Give up that delusion of climbing the social ladder. Since you're so desperate for male attention, I'll grant you a few men.”

With that, Sydney summoned several homeless men by phone.

Surveying the ragged figures with yellowed teeth and foul breath, Sydney smiled smugly before pointing at the blood-soaked woman sprawled on the ground.

“She's yours. Though her face is beyond recognition, her figure remains passable. Do as you please, but just don't kill her.”

Having wandered the streets for years without a woman's touch, the homeless men showed no disdain for Remi. Drool dripping, they lunged at her, instantly tearing her skirt to shreds. Gazing upon her smooth body, their eyes glowed like ravenous wolves. Several scrambled to grope her, their tongues licking her skin incessantly.

Remi struggled feebly, lying limp on the ground like a dead fish. Their hands grew bolder, gradually creeping lower. Through the haze, she thought she was back at that summer long ago, when she had scraped her knees raw from climbing a wall to pick flowers. Just a trickle of blood had made the eyes of the one who loved her turn crimson.

The young man had tended to her wounds, blowing gently on them as he worked. “Sweetheart, from now on, don't let yourself get hurt. Your pain hurts me more than it hurts you.”

Tears trickled down her cheeks, mingling with the blood from her gruesome wounds before vanishing into the floorboards.

‘James, is this what you wanted?’ Remi thought.

Her clothes were torn to shreds, every inch of her body kissed by those homeless men. Just as they lowered their trousers to take her… Her lungs spasmed violently, choking off her breath. In utter despair, she bit down on her tongue, ready to end it.

At that very instant, the gate burst open with a violent kick.

“What do you guys think you’re doing?”