I felt a chill in my chest.

The onslaught of comments continued.

"Don't blame your brother, Skylar. He just wants you to be happy!"

"Laura is such a hidden gem. You'll never go wrong choosing her."

"Yeah, hurry up and say yes to her. Once the Moore family starts putting pressure on you, the old codger is gonna tear into you in front of everyone!"

I took a deep breath after reading the comments and turned to Laura. "Are you sure that ring was from me?"

"Skylar, I know you're embarrassed, but my feelings for you are true. The moment I got your ring, I had everything prepared. This is all I own. I'm willing to spend my whole life with you!" she said.

Phil let out a cold laugh. "Are you trying to be a two-timer, Skylar? The Moore family might not be perfect, but we're not about to fight someone like her for you!"

"This engagement—"

"Since you're unwilling, let's just call off the engagement," I cut in evenly. "The Moore and Stone families are evenly matched. A union between us would be a power move for both sides. But as you can see, my dad and brother are dead set on forcing Laura on me. They even stole my work and gave it to her.

"Therefore, I can't go through with the engagement right now. In fact, I need to call the cops and get to the bottom of this."

At that, Phil froze, and Dad's face flushed with rage. "What nonsense are you spouting? Who are you accusing of stealing your stuff? You obviously gave the ring to Laura yourself!"

"That was a piece I wanted to submit for a competition. Why would I ever give it to someone else? And besides, I didn't even know her before this. I'd have to be insane to just hand it over to her!" I retorted.

With that, I pulled out my phone, ready to call the police. However, Brandon barreled over and hurled my phone to the floor.

"Skylar, stop causing a scene! You and Laura have long… I know you're too embarrassed to admit it, so I'll just say it for you. I'll take your place and go through with the marriage with the Moores. That way, you won't have to feel torn anymore."

He ran to Phil. "Mr. Moore, Skylar is just worried that this whole thing will blow up and get out of hand. That's why he's acting like this. Still, the engagement between the Moores and the Stones will go ahead as planned. Don't worry—we won't go back on our word."

Hearing that, Gwen glanced at him, then at me.

I couldn't help but let out a cold laugh. "This marriage alliance was arranged by my mom when she was still alive. Even if I step aside, it still won't be your turn to carry on with the engagement."

I turned to Phil. "Mr. Moore, if you trust me, please help me file a police report. Once everything is cleared up, I'll give your company the Nanvard project as a thank-you."

Lastly, I looked at Laura. "As for you, Laura, you'd better think carefully about how you're going to explain yourself in a bit."

My stance was crystal clear, and Phil hesitated. However, Dad snapped, "You're a disgrace to the family, you ingrate! Just how far are you planning to take this?"

"Am I the one making a scene, or are you two the ones with the hidden agenda?" I shot back. "This engagement was something Mom arranged before she died. You had your eye on it the whole time. You want to steal it for your precious son instead! Ask yourself whether he's worthy of it!"

A shadow flickered in Brandon's eyes, but he quickly grabbed my arm and put on his usual wounded act. "Skylar, how can you think of me like that? I'm doing this for your own good. I know I don't measure up, but I'm also a son of the Stone family, aren't I? And stop denying it—hasn't marrying Laura always been what you wanted?"

Even now, he was still trying to corner me.

Catching the complicated look in Gwen's eyes pushed me over the edge. I finally lost control and punched Brandon squarely in the face. "That's for running your filthy mouth!"

Immediately after, I was also punched. My head snapped to the side from the impact. Dad had done it, and he'd put so much force into it that it knocked me straight to the floor.

Phil looked enraged. "Enough of this nonsense! How you discipline your son is your family's business. We won't force this anymore. Gwen, we're leaving!"

He turned and left with her.

I panicked and moved to go after them, but Laura yanked me back. "Skylar, trust me. I promise I'll treat you well from now on."

The comments immediately flooded my view.

"Skylar, come on! Laura is your destined soulmate! Stop messing around already!"

"Why are you so hung up on Gwen? Didn't you see how cocky her dad was just now? Their family clearly has zero intention of letting their daughter marry you!"

"Don't miss out on Laura, Skylar!"

I actually let out an exasperated laugh upon reading the comments. Then, I yanked my hand out of Laura's grip and snarled, "I'll never marry you. Get that idea out of your heads!"

Dad's face turned blotchy with rage. "This isn't up to you! I'm going to announce your engagement right now. The wedding will be three days from today!"

"No way!" I tried to bolt for the door, but the bodyguards pinned me to the floor.

Brandon walked toward me. "Skylar, stop upsetting Dad, okay?"

I shot him a cold look. "Drop your 'concerned brother' act. I'm my mom's only child. You want me to marry Laura? Over my dead body!"

"It's not your call!" Dad roared. Then, he forced himself to soften his tone. "Skylar, I'm doing this for your own good. Over the years, I've never asked anything of you. Truth is, you have no idea that the company is on the verge of collapse. If we can get the Colson family's help, we can lock down all our downstream factories."

In his eyes, I was nothing more than a bargaining chip on the table.

Too bad Laura was deadweight. In my previous life, she'd taken out all her frustrations on me whenever the slightest thing went wrong, and she never made a single decent move in business. Even if I married her, there was no way I could preserve the Stone family's glory.

But Dad couldn't see that. He just wanted to reserve the best for his favorite son. Brandon was his true pride and joy.

I opened my mouth to argue, but Laura spoke up first, saying, "Don't worry. I'll definitely treat Skylar well."

A chill ran down my spine when I caught the venom in her eyes. Meanwhile, Brandon asked, "How about we have Skylar head over to your place starting today? That way, you two can build your relationship."

I snapped my head toward him. There was pure malice lurking in his gaze. My heart sank.

Dad signaled the bodyguards with a flick of his wrist. They dragged me toward Laura's car and stuffed me inside. I struggled with everything I had, but Dad just stepped forward and punched me in the face twice. My mouth tasted like blood, and my ears started ringing.

In that moment, I finally understood that there was no way to completely escape the nightmare from my previous life.

Laura's eyes darkened sinisterly. She hissed, "I've heard about you being pampered and spoiled, but I've truly gotten a firsthand experience of what you're really like today. Don't worry, though. I'll be very gentle with you."

The look she gave me made me shudder, and a wave of despair flooded my chest. I couldn't go back to living in the hell that was my previous life. I couldn't!

But the driver slammed his foot on the gas, and the scenery outside began to blur and fall away behind us. My heart sank into an abyss.

If going with Laura meant getting beaten to death all over again, I would rather jump out of the car now. Unfortunately, she clamped down on my wrist with a vicious smile. "Save your energy, Skylar. I'm not letting you die that easily."

At her words, I lowered my head and sank my teeth into her wrist. She cried out in pain, and I used that moment to shove the door open, ready to throw myself out.

At the very last second, the car screeched to a halt. Laura recovered and grabbed me by the hair, then slapped me hard across the face. The blow almost knocked me out.

Just then, the driver said shakily, "Ms. Colson, the car in front of us… It's…"

His face had gone pale with fear.

Laura had also seen the owner of that car. She loosened her grip on me in an instant. Meanwhile, I let out a sigh of relief. Finally!