"Did you have fun?"

I froze for a second, then quickly nodded.

"Yeah, I did. Though my kind of fun is just strength in numbers. It can't compare to having your beloved Ms. Rogers by your side."

Something in my answer must have displeased John, because the coldness around him deepened instantly.

In the past, the moment I saw that expression, I would have rushed over to comfort him, carefully trying to cheer him up.

However, now, I only looked at him in confusion.

So he came all the way here just to ask whether I was having fun?

Puzzled, I reached out and casually squeezed a man's abs again.

John suddenly moved, taking a few steps toward me before saying coldly, "There are reporters outside the club. We need to cooperate for appearances."

Realization hit me immediately.

No wonder he had stopped accompanying Claire. So it was because the media were outside.

Of course. To avoid the paparazzi catching anything inappropriate and causing public backlash that might affect the cooperation between the Dyke and West families, he had no choice but to come find me.

Since it involved business, I did not argue. I got up cleanly and flashed those handsome men a regretful smile.

"Sorry, everyone. I have something to deal with. Next time we can–"

Before I could finish the word 'meet,' John grabbed my wrist and dragged me straight out of the private room.

Faced with his complete lack of gentleness toward women, all I could do was purse my lips in silent irritation.

Once outside the club, I looked around.

Forget reporters. There was not even another person in sight.

I raised a brow. "Where are the reporters?"

John ignored the question. After the valet brought the car over, he opened the passenger door for me like a perfect gentleman and guided me inside.

His movements were smooth and natural, as though we were truly a loving couple.

But I knew better.

He was only acting.

Since he kept refusing to say where the media were hiding, I stopped asking. He would not be so bored as to lie to me about something like this. The reporters were probably lurking in some corner nearby.

After John got into the car, it suddenly hit me.

This was the first time since our arranged marriage half a year ago that we had ever been alone together.

If this had been my previous life, I would have treasured an opportunity like this. I would have gone out of my way to show my best side, hoping to move his heart.

But now, I could not even be bothered.

As soon as the car started moving, the alcohol hit me properly. Without saying another word, I leaned back against the seat and fell asleep.

By the time I woke up again, we had already arrived at Moonlake Villa.

Moonlake Villa was our marital home, though I had always been the only one living there.

John stayed in a luxury apartment near Dyke Group headquarters instead, conveniently next door to Claire.

Not expecting him to keep up the gentleman act and open the door for me, I pushed it open myself and lightly hopped out of the car.

After taking only a couple of steps, though, I realized John had gotten out as well.

I could not help staring at him in surprise.

"John, you're not staying at the apartment tonight?"

He glanced at me indifferently without answering and continued walking toward the villa.

Since the house was technically shared marital property, there was not much I could say. I simply followed behind him.

The moment we entered, I was about to call for the housekeeper, Mrs. Morgan, to make me some soup to combat the hangover when John interrupted me.

"It's late. Don't wake anyone up. I'll make it for you."

He rolled up his sleeves and walked into the kitchen.

Watching his back as he busied himself there, my chest tightened slightly.

John was always like this.

He clearly did not love me, yet in private he would always do these strangely gentle things.

Like making me soup tonight.

Like holding my hand during our wedding ceremony and telling me not to be nervous.

And because of moments like these, the me from my previous life had mistakenly believed we could become a normal married couple someday.

His inappropriately tender gestures caused me, even though we had agreed before the arranged marriage to not interfere in each other's private lives, to repeatedly act like Mrs. Dyke and make trouble for Claire, finally managing to ruin myself.

The moment I remembered how it all ended–my family ruined, everyone dead–a heavy feeling settled in my chest. Even my expression toward John turned cold.

After he finished making the hangover soup and brought it to me, I drank it silently without even saying thank you, then headed upstairs to sleep.

John followed behind me.

Just before I closed the bedroom door, I noticed him stop right outside, looking almost as if he intended to sleep in the same room.

I let out a self-mocking laugh.

As if that were possible.

John was absurdly disciplined when it came to relationships. Other than Claire, there had never been another woman by his side. There was no way he would want to share a room with me.

At most, he was only escorting his drunk wife back to her room out of basic courtesy and good upbringing.

I did not want to misunderstand things again, so I said flatly, "You can stop here."

Then I shut the door directly in his face.

Before the door closed, I caught the look of surprise in his eyes.

But I was too tired to think about why he looked surprised. I climbed into bed and immediately fell asleep.

By the time I woke up again, the sun was already high in the sky.

My phone was flooded with messages from Vivian, and only then did I suddenly remember.

I had arranged to meet her at the club yesterday, but before she even arrived, John had already dragged me away.

I quickly apologized to her and explained what had happened.

Vivian replied almost instantly:

[So John dragged you away? Don't tell me he got jealous seeing you surrounded by other men?]

I stared at the message speechlessly.

Seriously. Broad daylight, and she was already dreaming.

After chatting with Vivian for a bit, I headed downstairs for breakfast.

To my surprise, John was still home, dressed in casual loungewear and sitting on the sofa reading financial reports.

I froze for a second.

This had never happened before.

John was a complete workaholic. Back then, he had even interrupted our wedding vows just to answer a business call.

Seeing him not go to work was practically unheard of.

A little worried, I asked, "John… the Dyke Group hasn't gone bankrupt, has it?"

Forgive me for immediately thinking of bankruptcy. The collapse of the West family in my previous life had left too deep a scar.

John lowered the documents and looked up at me, something unreadable flickering in his eyes.

"No. I just wanted to give myself a day off."

"Oh."

I let out a relieved breath. "That's good then. If there's anything you want to eat today, just tell Mrs. Morgan to make it."

After saying that, I hurriedly finished my milk and prepared to leave.

John visibly paused.

"You… you're not staying home today?"

I was busy changing my shoes and did not even look up at him.

"Yeah, I've got something to do."

Then I walked straight out the door, completely missing the strange look on his face behind me.

I drove all the way to my parents' villa.

The moment I entered, I saw my mother watering flowers in the garden while my father sat nearby in the pavilion, leisurely drinking tea.

Looking at them beneath the warm sunlight, my nose suddenly stung.

In my previous life, when the car accident happened, my parents had ignored their own injuries and thrown themselves over me, trying to shield me with their bodies, desperately hoping to give me even the slightest chance to survive.

But in the end, I failed them.

Not long after watching them die right in front of me, I followed them into death myself.

"Naomi, why are you crying?"

My mother noticed me standing there and quickly put down the watering can before walking over to wipe my tears away.

I shook my head and hugged her tightly.

"Mom, I'm fine. I just missed you guys."

My mother finally relaxed and affectionately tapped the tip of my nose.

Now that I was home, both my parents were overjoyed. Even though it was still early, long before lunchtime, they had already started bustling around the kitchen preparing food.

At the dining table, I looked at the spread of dishes, every single one my favorite, and warmth flooded my chest. But almost immediately, my vision blurred with tears again.

I reached out and held my parents' hands, speaking with complete seriousness.

"Mom, Dad, don't pour all of West Corporation's capital into the partnership with the Dyke family. Keep some funds aside and invest in energy projects instead. That industry is going to explode in the future."

My parents exchanged worried looks.

"Naomi, what's wrong? Did John bully you?"

I could not blame them for thinking that way.

Every time I came home before this, all I ever talked about was how wonderful John was. I kept pushing for deeper cooperation between the Wen and Fu families so our engagement would become even more tightly bound together.

I ignored every risk assessment my parents gave me and stubbornly pressured them into investing more and more money into the joint projects.

In the end, I even demanded that they pour all of West Corporation's liquid capital into the partnership.

That was why, in my previous life, once the collaboration collapsed, West Corporation spiraled into bankruptcy almost overnight, and the three of us were dragged toward ruin along with it.

This was the first time I had ever told them to reduce investment instead.

I looked at them earnestly.

"Mom, Dad, I was immature before. I treated West Corporation like a bargaining chip for my own relationship games. I won't do that anymore."

To my surprise, tears welled in my parents' eyes instead.

"This is wonderful. Our Naomi has finally grown up."

I gently wiped away their tears and added, "There's one more thing. I want to come work at West Corporation. I'll start in the marketing department and help share the burden."

In my previous life, my parents had suggested countless times that I return to the company, but back then my entire world revolved around John. I never cared about our own business.

But now, armed with memories of the future and knowing where the market was headed, there was no way I would sit back and watch my family company walk toward disaster again.

My parents were shocked, but they had always supported every decision I made. Without hesitation, they agreed.

The three of us shared a warm, peaceful meal together.

Since I was supposed to report to West Corporation the next day, I decided to stay at home for the night.

Late that evening, while lying in bed, I unexpectedly received a message from John.

"It's already this late. Aren't you coming back?"

I stared at the screen for a moment, stunned.

Ever since our engagement arrangement began, this was the first time John had ever taken the initiative to message me.

Before this, I had been the only one desperately performing a one-woman show.

More importantly, was he still at the Moonlake Villa? Why?

The more I thought about it, the stranger his behavior seemed.

Had he fought with Claire? Was he trying to use me to make her jealous?

Yes. That had to be it.

I curled my lips in annoyance.

What a scheming man.

There was no way I was stupid enough to throw myself between the two of them again and suffer for it.

Having lived through everything once already, I was very clear about my role this time around.

I was nothing more than the tool connecting the Dyke and West families' business partnership. As for the engagement itself, I might as well just let it rot.

I ignored John's message, turned off my phone, and went to sleep.

The next morning, I officially reported to West Corporation.

Things in the marketing department did not go smoothly at first. Everyone assumed I was just another rich girl parachuted in for fun, and nobody allowed me to get involved in any real projects.

That only changed after I used memories from my previous life to produce a proposal for Sheldon Corporation's smart home project.

Only then did the entire marketing department finally start taking me seriously.

Honestly, it was almost funny.

Originally, I knew absolutely nothing about smart home systems.

But in my previous life, I had watched John struggle endlessly over this project. Wanting to help him, I forced myself to learn everything I could about the field and eventually created a proposal impressive enough to stun everyone.