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.

When I handed the proposal to John, the surprise in his eyes was impossible to miss.

But in the end, all it took was one sentence from Claire:

"I don't want Naomi using this as an excuse to cling to you."

And just like that, he abandoned my proposal without hesitation and chose a far more conservative version instead.

The company still won the bid in the end, but the partnership with Sheldon Corporation was plagued with constant friction because the proposal lacked polish.

As for my version, I had thought it would never see the light of day again.

Yet after being reborn, it became the very thing that secured my footing in the marketing department.

The day the smart home project won the bid, the way everyone in the department addressed me completely changed. No more fake smiles and sarcastic 'Ms. West.' From that day on, they called my name sincerely.

Hearing it, I could not help feeling emotional.

Back in my previous life, I spent all my time chasing after John and trying to please him. I never imagined I would one day achieve something on my own.

From then on, I worked like someone possessed.

For a long stretch of time, I was full of energy every single day. I left early, came home late, and whenever I returned to Moonlake Villa, I would shower and go straight to sleep.

Until one day, I finished work earlier than usual and came home to find John sitting at the dining table eating dinner.

I froze for a moment.

"John… don't tell me you've been living here this whole time?"

He lifted his eyes calmly and looked at me as if the answer was obvious.

That only confused me more.

After hesitating for a second, I walked over and asked politely, in the spirit of maintaining a cooperative relationship:

"Did you and Claire have a fight? Do you need me to help smooth things over?"

Not that he should actually say yes. I was just being polite.

John stared at me with a strange look in his eyes, his tone carrying a hint of frustration, like he was disappointed in someone hopeless.

"Naomi, do you really want me and Claire to end up together that badly?"

I was speechless.

What did he mean, I wanted it? Wasn't that already the reality?

I wanted to argue back, but seeing the expression on his face darken, I wisely kept my mouth shut.

The entire dinner was painfully awkward.

The moment it ended, I immediately got up to head upstairs, but John suddenly stopped me.

"There's a charity auction tomorrow. We need to attend together."

I nodded in understanding.

Got it. Time for the political marriage couple act again.

The next day, on the way to the auction, the car once again became a private space occupied by just the two of us.

I was just about to fall asleep when John suddenly handed me a catalog.

"These are tonight's auction items. If there's anything you like, tell me. I'll bid on it for you."

I raised a brow and accepted the catalog, but never opened it.

It was not that I lacked interest in the items.

I simply knew that whether I liked them or not, none of them would ever truly belong to me.

In my previous life, it had been this very same auction where I fell in love with a sapphire necklace.

After several rounds of bidding, John had decisively called for an unlimited bid.

At the time, everyone looked at me with envy. The internet was flooded with articles about how deeply John adored his wife.

When I received the sapphire necklace, I had been overwhelmed with happiness. I genuinely thought I had finally moved his heart.

But by the time our political marriage came to an end, when the West family went bankrupt and creditors chased me to the brink of collapse, I tried to use the necklace to pay off my debts.

That was when I learned the necklace John gave me had only ever been a fake.

The real sapphire necklace was worn around Claire's neck on the day she married him.

Remembering how desperate and broken I had been back then, I could not help letting out a self-mocking laugh.

Seeing that I never opened the catalog, John looked puzzled.

"What? Not interested in this auction?"

My tone remained calm.

"Interested or not, I still have to attend. The two of us showing up together is basically part of the job when it comes to a political marriage.

"Don't worry. I understand the rules. I won't make things difficult for you."

John's grip on the steering wheel tightened for a second before he said through clenched teeth, "You really are dedicated to your job."

Well, obviously.

We arrived at the auction venue soon after.

During the bidding, I was not sure if my changed behavior had somehow created a butterfly effect, but this time John never raised his paddle. In the end, the sapphire necklace was won by a middle-aged man.

Sitting for so long made me restless, so I told John I was stepping out and headed to the restroom.

When I returned to the auction hall, John's assistant came hurrying toward me in a panic.

"Mrs. Dyke, Mr. Dyke isn't feeling well. Please go check on him."

I followed him over and found that John had already been moved into a private lounge.

He was leaning against the chair, face pale, sweat beading at his temples.

After examining him, the doctor's expression turned serious.

"Something was added to Mr. Dyke's champagne. Rather than taking him to the hospital, it would be better if you personally took care of him."

The meaning behind his words was obvious, and I immediately understood what he meant by 'take care of him.'

If this had happened in my previous life, I would have thrown myself at him without hesitation.

But now, all I felt was annoyed.

I pulled out my phone and called Claire, asking her to come over.

This kind of situation was better left to the happy couple.

Claire arrived quickly. After taking over from me, she shot me a smug, provocative look.

"At least you know your place. Calling me was the smart move."

I could not be bothered arguing with her. Just as I was about to leave, a message from Vivian popped up on my phone.

[Naomi, are you at the auction? There are reporters everywhere outside. I think they're targeting John. Be careful!]

I immediately looked out through the floor-to-ceiling windows and, sure enough, spotted several shadowy figures lurking outside with cameras in hand.

My heart sank.

It clicked instantly: someone had deliberately set this up for John. They wanted photos. They wanted a scandal involving the Dyke family.

The cooperation between the Dyke and West families was still underway. If the Dyke family got dragged into controversy, the West family would inevitably suffer too.

Which meant I couldn't leave John alone right now.

Not only that, I had to create the illusion that I had been with him the entire time.

The whole thing irritated me, but after thinking about the business partnership between the two families, I swallowed my frustration.

I booked a room next door to John's.

Before going to sleep, worried I might overhear something I really did not want to hear, I even put in earplugs.

But whether the earplugs actually worked or the hotel's soundproofing was just excellent, I heard absolutely nothing all night.

The next morning, I knocked on John's door.

After quite a while, the door finally opened.

John looked terrible.

He was wearing a bathrobe, his whole body carrying a chill, his hair still dripping wet. Anyone seeing him would think he had just been dragged out of the water.

I glanced around the room but saw no sign of Claire.

Confused, I asked, "Where's Ms. Rogers?"

John suddenly grabbed my wrist and yanked me into the room. The door slammed shut behind me with a loud bang.

Before I could react, he pinned me heavily against the door.

He stared at me intensely, eyes burning with an anger I could not understand.

"Naomi, are you really that eager to push me into someone else's arms?

"Don't forget. You are my wife."