As soon as Lumina finished speaking, she was met with a savage barrage of punches and kicks. Her body was already quite frail; before long, she collapsed on the ground and lost consciousness completely.

When she woke up again, she found herself back in the hospital bed, though she didn't know who had moved her there.

Jackson sat beside her, his expression cold. "I told you not to mess with Celia. She's got someone to protect her. Now that her guardian has taught you a lesson, have you finally learned from your mistake?"

Lumina was stunned for a moment, then suddenly started laughing through her tears.

She had nothing but hate.

She hated that she had loved the wrong person, hated that she devoted everything to her first relationship. In the end, she didn't meet someone worthy at all!

Jackson watched Lumina sob quietly. For some reason, he felt a twinge of regret.

But Lumina had nearly destroyed Celia's family in the past years. How could he feel any sympathy for a woman so brutal?

Lumina stared at Jackson. She hesitated for a few seconds, then tried to tell him the truth.

"I never bullied Celia. It was always she who…"

Before she could finish, Jackson's phone rang. It was the leader of the Celia Guards.

"Sir, Miss Price just contacted me and asked me to thank you on her behalf, but… Well, she…"

When it came to Celia, Jackson couldn't care less what Lumina was saying. He rushed out of the room. "What happened to her?"

"Miss Price just broke down crying. She said that Lumina sent her a provocative text this morning, saying that if she'd known, she'd let Miss Price die three years ago. Miss Price is upset and wants us to put ants on Lumina's wounds to teach her a lesson."

Jackson's gaze turned cold. "Lumina really is vicious. Do as she said. Make sure Celia feels better."

"Understood."

An hour later, the Celia Guards barged into the hospital room again. Lumina saw the group of men and understood instantly.

The phone call Jackson had just answered… It was about Celia. There was no way Celia would let her off that easily.

The man in charge took out four ropes and tied Lumina to the bed, her arms and legs spread wide. The others immediately poured syrup onto her burned arms and legs, then released jars full of live ants onto her wounds.

Countless ants crawled up Lumina's limbs, feeding on the syrup from her burns. The combination of pain and itching was unbearable… This cruel torture made her convulse, her limbs twitching as she let out a scream of despair.

Yet, they still didn't let her go.

They recorded everything on their phones, only leaving after Lumina finally passed out from the pain. She didn't know how long she had been out.

When Lumina finally came to, she was slapped awake…hard.

Celia stood by the bed, slowly withdrawing her hand, her face twisted with contempt.

"Oh, how Mr. Hunter spoils me! Whenever I'm upset, he'll protect me no matter what. Oh, and Lumina… I heard from him that you stripped down to your underwear at a bar for some guy! How pathetic can you get? By the way, I sent your striptease video and the footage of you screaming like a banshee just now to the university group chat. Guess what your classmates said? They said you're such a tart! They're wondering just how wild you get under a man, how hard can you cry?"

Celia laughed maniacally and ground her cigarette butt into one of Lumina's burn wounds, leaving a black hole in Lumina's wrist.

"Are you finally getting it, Lumina? If you know what's good for you, keep your mouth shut about me and get out of Arriva City. Never show your face to me again! Word is, Mr. Hunter is going to confess to me on my birthday. Soon, I'll be Mrs. Hunter. We'll always be worlds apart!"

Lumina stared at the hospital ceiling, her eyes dull and lifeless.

She would leave.

She would go to Crown City soon and marry the person she was supposed to marry…

Three days later, Jackson came to take Lumina home from the hospital. She stared out the window, lips pressed tight all the way. Her face was expressionless, like a lifeless doll.

Jackson noticed her mood and deliberately went out of his way to buy her favorite peach strudel. When they got home, Lumina frowned slightly at the three wedding dresses hanging in the living room.

Jackson walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her slim waist. "Lumi, I picked out the wedding dresses myself. We'll get married in three days."

Lumina pushed his hands away, her voice trembling. "Does it have to be in three days?"

Jackson paused, then reached up to ruffle her hair. "Didn't we already agree to it? That's the best day. Besides the wedding, I have an extra surprise for you."

Lumina looked at the man who breathed lies so easily and forced a smile. "What a coincidence. I have a surprise for you that day, too."

"What kind of surprise?" Jackson asked, curious.

Lumina opened his laptop and smiled faintly. "It's a secret…but for now, I'll need to use your computer."

Jackson thought Lumina was still head over heels for him, so he let down his guard and typed in his password.

Jackson went into the living room and messaged his secretary, Ashley.

"She agreed. Decorate the wedding venue in the next two days."

While Jackson was away, Lumina quickly found her nude videos on his computer. With trembling hands, she deleted them and replaced them with evidence she had gathered over the years—proof of Celia's bullying of her and the truth behind the rooftop fall.

Finally, she renamed the new file to match the original nude videos.

Just as she finished, she received a call from a courier. He said her package was at the door.

After Lumina opened the door, someone struck her hard on the shoulder, and she instantly blacked out. In the darkness, two men dragged her away.

An hour later, in an abandoned factory…

When Lumina came to, she found herself hanging five meters above the ground. The floor beneath her was covered in a dense layer of sharp, broken glass. Three thugs stood on the ground below.

Suspended next to her was Celia, who burst into terrified tears when she saw the glass beneath them.

"Who are you people?! Let me down! I don't want to die!"

Lumina gripped the rope tightly, her face pale. She wondered, who would plan to kidnap both her and Celia at the same time?

The ringleader looked up and said coldly, "We're going to play a game. Whose man brings a million dollars to save you first gets to go free. The other one will get her rope cut!"

He paused, then dramatically gestured downward. "Smack! Fall! Ground into mince!"

Celia's face went completely white with fear; she immediately called Jackson, her voice shrill and panicked. "Mr. Hunter! Help me! I've been kidnapped! The thugs say you need to bring a million! You have to get here before Lumina's boyfriend, or they won't let me go!"

On the other end, Jackson's eyes turned cold and sinister. "Wait for me. I'm bringing the money now!"

The thugs looked up at Lumina, who hadn't moved, and barked impatiently, "Aren't you going to make a call?"

Lumina gripped her phone so hard, her knuckles turned white. Jackson had never loved her. He would probably show up as Mr. Hunter to save Celia instead.

Meanwhile, the leader of the Celia Guards was already reporting back to Jackson.

"Sir, we checked… Those three thugs contacted Lumina two days ago!"

Jackson's grip tightened, his expression darkened.

So, Lumina…

She had teamed up with the kidnappers to set Celia up!

No wonder the ransom was a million! It was all just a ploy to make him pay off the loan!

"Lumina, you really are getting more and more malicious!"

Just then, Lumina's call came in. Jackson rejected it, his face stone-cold.

Back in the factory, Lumina stared at her phone in disbelief. Why wouldn't Jackson answer?

Suddenly, Celia's phone rang, and she accidentally put it on speaker. In the quiet, abandoned warehouse, Jackson's angry voice came through, loud and clear.

"Celia, I'll get there before Lumina's boyfriend! Tell the thugs to just cut Lumina's rope! If they're willing to punish her, I'll give each of them an extra hundred thousand!"

All of Lumina's hope shattered in that instant. She forced a smile. Jackson didn't just refuse to save her… He actually wanted her dead.

He hated her to the bone.

No love… He had absolutely no love for her!

Twenty minutes later, Jackson stormed into the warehouse wearing a black mask and sunglasses. He carefully rescued Celia, holding her in his arms, then shot a look of utter disdain at Lumina, who was still hanging in the air.

His icy eyes were filled with loathing. Before leaving, he kicked the box of cash he had brought over and turned to the thugs.

"Like I said—if you mess Lumina up as badly as possible, I'll pay each of you a hundred thousand extra!"

Lumina's gaze followed them as they left, her fingers trembling. The warehouse soon fell silent again. The thugs cut her rope, and Lumina plunged five meters down.

Crash!

She landed on her back. Sharp shards of glass stabbed into her skin, making her scream in agony as tears streamed down her face. She staggered to her feet, blood soaking her white T-shirt as it dripped steadily to the floor.

Drip…

Just as she tried to step off the bed of glass, the thugs blocked her way.

Lumina frowned, her voice cold. "Celia got what she wanted. You have your money. Why won't you let me go?"

Exposed, the thug sneered. "You're smart, but your love life's a total mess! You almost died, but the guy didn't even answer your call. He treats you worse than a stranger! Now, I'm short a million because of you!"

"Finished insulting me?" Lumina kept her expression blank and tried to leave, but was blocked again.

"Who said you could leave? Sure, our deal with Miss Price is done, but we're not going to let Mr. Hunter's money go to waste."

The three thugs exchanged glances. Then, one tied Lumina up while another forced a burning cigarette butt into her mouth.

Lumina was forced to look up as she let out an agonized scream. She trembled from the pain, tears and sweat pouring down her face.

The thugs grew even more excited as they watched her suffer.

"Miss Price told us that three years ago, she fell by accident because she was trying to force you to swallow a cigarette for a photo and you refused. That's why she fell from the rooftop. Now, she wants us to help her get closure after she gets her money. Time for you to relive your experience of getting bullied all over again!"

"Look at you cry! Haha! Swallow it!"

"Hey, we're running out of cigarettes. How about some sand next?"

The two men pried Lumina's mouth open and shoved in burning cigarette butts and cup after cup of fine sand, forcing her to swallow them all with her eyes red.

As the thugs' mocking laughter echoed through the warehouse, Lumina's tears streamed down her face and fell onto the blood-stained glass beneath her.

She didn't know how much time had passed before the three finally let her go.

Lumina got up, her body still shaking. After only a few steps, her vision blurred, and she slowly lost consciousness.

When Lumina opened her eyes again, the familiar smell of disinfectant filled her nose. She had been lying in the hospital for two days, undergoing repeated stomach pumping.

Jackson hadn't come to see her once.

It wasn't until night fell that a shadowy figure approached her bedside. Jackson, dressed in all black, looked at Lumina, his eyes showing a hint of concern.

"How did you get hurt, Lumi?"

Lumina stared at the man before her, her throat dry and her body trembling. Just as she was about to speak, Jackson's phone vibrated. She glanced over. The message was from someone saved as "Captain."

"Sir, are you sure you want to spend one hundred thousand to promote the Lumina video?"

Lumina frowned and instinctively gripped the bed sheet. "Who messaged you?"

Jackson slipped his phone into his pocket and ruffled Lumina's hair with a gentle smile. "Just some spam. We're getting married tomorrow, Lumi. Don't overthink it."

Lumina dug her fingernails into her palm and clenched her teeth, saying nothing more.

Jackson only stayed a short while before leaving in a hurry.

An hour later, Lumina's phone vibrated as it promoted today's trending topic. She looked at it, and she instantly started to shake with rage. It was the video from two days ago in the abandoned warehouse, showing her being forced to swallow cigarettes and sand.

The title read: "So Satisfying! The Bully Gets Bullied Back!"

In just one hour, the video had millions of views and countless comments.

"Heard she's the bully who lured the Agriculture University's most beautiful girl to the roof and pushed her off three years ago!"

"Serves her right! All bullies deserve this!"

"What a shame, her face is blurred out!"

"Does anyone know who she is? Let's dig up her family!"

The comments from the netizens were like knives, carving deep into Lumina's self-esteem.

With shaking hands, she tried to reply and explain that she was the real victim, but every comment she posted was mysteriously deleted.

Suddenly, the hospital room door opened, and Celia's mocking voice rang out.

"Do you like the surprise I prepared? I didn't even want to promote the video, but Mr. Hunter thought it was upsetting that I got kidnapped, so he insisted on spending a hundred thousand to push it out. He also says this is just an appetizer. The real show is tomorrow. I'm really curious what he'll do to you by then!"

Lumina stared coldly at Celia, her fingertips turning white.

The next morning, Jackson arrived at the hospital with a makeup artist and a wedding dress.

Lumina changed into the dress and sat quietly, letting the stylist do her makeup. An hour later, they arrived at the wedding venue.

Jackson's friends were already waiting, watching Lumina with sneering smiles.

"Hey, from the way Lumina looks, she really seems to be looking forward to today's wedding."

"She probably doesn't know the ceremony she's so excited about is actually our boss's confession to Celia!"

"Don't forget, he promised to show something good later."

"Damn, Jackson is so ruthless! I heard he spent several hundred thousand to livestream and promote it just to appease Celia. Lumina's going to get famous thanks to her nude videos!"

Jackson's lips curled into a cold smile.

"It's time to close the trap after spending too much time setting this up. A vicious woman like Lumina deserves everything that's coming to her."

They didn't speak loudly, but Lumina heard every word. She glanced at the time, stood up, and walked over to Jackson. "I need to use the restroom."

Jackson's earlier indifference melted into concern. "You're wearing a wedding dress. I'll come with you."

Lumina shook her head, her gaze frigid. "Jackson, we'll have a whole new relationship in a short while."

Jackson thought she meant they would soon be husband and wife, but his eyes flashed with a trace of disgust. "That's right. Soon, we'll be married."

Catching the look in his eyes, Lumina let out a self-mocking laugh.

Not husband and wife.

Just strangers.

Strangers who would never meet again.

Lumina lifted her skirt and walked to the restroom. She quickly changed out of her wedding dress and into the black clothes she had prepared in advance, then hurried out the door. Half an hour later, she returned home.

She took only her identification documents and the tomato plant she had lovingly cared for these past two years.

Six months ago, she had signed up for the national cultivation competition. If her tomato plant matured as expected in a week, she was almost certain to win the grand prize—one million dollars and instant fame in the world of agronomy.

The irony was, she had originally entered the competition out of love for the field and also to use the prize money to pay off her loan and marry Jackson in style.

Downstairs, the people from Crown City's Morgan family were already lying in wait.

Lumina walked over, a hint of surprise in her eyes. "Who called you here?"

The butler bowed his head and answered solemnly, "The madam asked me to bring you to the ancestral residence. She wants to speak with you in person."

Lumina frowned slightly. Everyone knew that ever since Cadmus lost his voice, he had fallen out of favor with the matriarch Margaret.

However, Lumina had no choice but to get in the car.

As soon as she sat down, her phone notified her that Jackson had started livestreaming the wedding citywide.