Interest Compounds on Revenge (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 1
“I, Lea Hamilton, love Allen. No matter how much the world points fingers at us, we’ll get married proudly and live happily ever after.”
The Hamilton Trading Company of the Galdensia Empire was a merchant family that had been passed down for generations.
Starting as a humble wool trader in the countryside, it had grown into a colossal trading house now dealing with every imaginable good across distant continents.
And today was the wedding day of Lea Hamilton, the sole heir of the Hamilton Trading Company.
“Miss, shall I apply a bit more makeup?”
Sarah hurriedly brought over cosmetics.
“No, this much makeup and this dress are perfect as they are.”
Lea decided to finish her preparations. Then, she stood before a full-length mirror for one final check of her appearance.
“I want to be a bride worthy of Allen’s dignity—elegant yet graceful. This should be just right.”
She had no desire to be dragged into scandal simply by marrying a nobleman.
Rumors like “a wealthy merchant girl marrying into nobility” or “dripping in money from head to toe”…
In truth, how much gossip had already swirled around her marriage to Allen?
Every newspaper in the capital had branded Allen a materialist, claiming he’d chosen money over noble pride.
“Miss Lea, it’s time to head to the ceremony.”
Only then did Lea truly feel the reality of marrying Allen—so much so that the bouquet in her hands trembled.
Just then, the door opened and a man appeared.
“Allen!”
“Lea.”
Golden hair shimmered, blue eyes sparkled, and his chiseled features paired with a tall, stately frame.
Dressed in magnificent wedding attire, an aura of nobility radiated from him.
Truly, he was the scion of an ancient noble house.
Not a trace of hardship from a poor lineage could be seen in him.
“My princess, I’ve come to escort you.”
“I’m honored, Your Highness.”
Trying to ease her nerves with an exaggerated jest, Lea laughed lightly at the thought that their wedding was about to begin.
“But seriously, is it even allowed to be this beautiful?”
“Huh? You’re something else too, Allen.”
Looking into Allen’s deep, affectionate gaze, Lea felt her heart might burst from joy.
Could there possibly be another woman in the world as happy as she was?
Finally, Allen extended his hand to Lea.
“Shall we go, my goddess?”
“Please refrain from saying things like that. People will laugh.”
“So what if they laugh? What can’t I say to the woman I love?”
[This is the timeline separator]It had been a perfect wedding.
Grand and splendid, with most of the guests being among the most prominent nobles of the Galdensia Empire.
Until the Police Chief’s heavy boots ruthlessly trampled the wedding aisle.
They instantly turned Lea’s wedding into hell.
“A large quantity of dried poppy flowers was discovered aboard the Hamilton Trading Company’s cargo ship that docked yesterday. We’ve secured all evidence—the contraband, the involved parties, and the documents. You must accompany us to the police headquarters.”
Chaos erupted among the guests at the Police Chief’s announcement.
Smuggling—especially dried poppy flowers, which could be used to produce narcotics—was a grave offense. Even a major trading house like Hamilton’s wouldn’t be spared.
In the Galdensia Empire, this was the gravest crime, punishable by hanging in the worst case.
“Let’s go, Mr. Richard Hamilton.”
As officers moved to restrain Richard, Allen quietly guided Lea toward the back exit of the hall.
“Allen! My father…!”
“Lea, we must flee first.”
“But—!”
“The fact that the Police Chief himself appeared means Her Majesty has issued an imperial decree. Don’t you realize refusing would brand you a traitor?”
Allen hurriedly led Lea out of the wedding venue.
When Lea, pulled along by Allen, reached a secluded alley beyond the church garden, a deafening explosion rang out.
Bang! Bang!
Gunshots and screams from inside the hall, along with the frantic commotion of guests trying to escape, halted Lea in her tracks.
“I can’t! I have to go back to my father…!”
“Look at me straight, Lea Hamilton!”
Allen grabbed Lea firmly by both shoulders and shouted. After catching his breath, he spoke calmly.
“Mr. Richard Hamilton asked me—if anything unfortunate were to happen, I must get you to safety at all costs.”
“What did you say?”
Just then, as if prearranged, a carriage pulled up before them.
“Go to the countryside first. The coachman will take you to the manor.”
“And what about you, Allen?”
“I have to save your father. Once everything here is settled, I’ll come for you without fail.”
Only then did Lea burst into tears, overwhelmed by a wave of dark fear.
A chilling terror ran down her spine, making her whole body tremble.
Allen pulled her into a tight embrace, kissed her quickly, then helped her into the carriage.
“Wait for me. I’ll definitely come to get you.”
“Allen…!”
Lea called out to him, her face pressed against the carriage window as he grew smaller in the distance.
[This is the timeline separator]The carriage was still racing through the darkness.
Where in the countryside could they possibly be heading, driving without pause like this?
Lea wiped her tears with the back of her hand and opened the carriage window. Instantly, a blast of cold night air rushed in.
But she couldn’t recognize this place at all.
It was strange that the carriage kept taking rough, unlit roads.
Perhaps they were avoiding main routes to evade possible checkpoints by the Police Chief’s soldiers.
Just then—thud!—a loud impact jolted the carriage violently.
It felt as though the horses had detached from the carriage.
Lea quickly stuck her head out the window.
“Good heavens!”
She gasped in horror at the sight.
The horses and coachman had vanished without a trace, leaving only the carriage hurtling down a steep slope.
No—racing straight toward the edge of a cliff.
“No!”
Lea screamed and pushed at the door handle to escape.
With a clatter, the door flew open, and the rear wheel broke off.
At this rate, the carriage was surely about to plunge over the cliff into a bottomless abyss.
She briefly considered jumping out, but the carriage’s speed was too great—she couldn’t even bring herself to try.
‘I have to jump anyway.’
If she stayed, she’d be trapped inside and fall to her death.
Lea took a deep breath and prepared to leap from the carriage.
Riiip! Her voluminous dress tore and snagged on the door, pinning her in place.
Now utterly helpless, she faced the brink of the cliff—death’s shadow loomed before her eyes.
“Aaah!”
Crash! The carriage raced to the cliff’s edge and tumbled into the pitch-black abyss below.
Lea’s desperate scream tore through the night air.
The carriage smashed against the steep cliffside, tumbled, and shattered into pieces.
[This is the timeline separator]Barking dogs and unfamiliar human presence—specifically, men’s voices—reached Lea’s ears. She struggled to open her eyes.
‘People…’
She tried to shift her gaze sideways, but felt no sensation below her neck.
‘One dog, two dogs, three dogs, four dogs. No—just one man.’
Three hunting hounds and a man standing against the moonlight.
Following the fine hunting boots upward, she saw a long rifle held in the man’s large hand.
His black hunting attire bore a lavish golden eagle emblem.
Just then, a gust of wind blew, making his cloak flutter like wings.
Curious about the man’s face, Lea tried to open her eyes wider—but even that proved difficult.
He seemed to have jet-black hair and sharp, intense eyes.
As Lea’s consciousness began fading once more, the man’s voice reached her.
“It’s a blessing to die gracefully. May you find peace in the next world.”
His words of pity marked the end of her awareness.
Lea felt as if she’d surfaced from underwater, finally breathing fresh air.
She breathed slowly, calmly.
Her soul felt like smoke—dissolving, then gently re-forming.
Lea had endured a terrible nightmare.
Yet even pain has its end, and gradually her body grew as light as a feather, floating through the air.
‘So I’m dead.’
Only death could grant such freedom from agony.
Lea drifted like a dandelion seed on the wind.
‘Have I become the wind after death?’
The world transformed into vivid colors, and the wind carried her to an unfamiliar place.
She eventually landed, limp and powerless, in front of a grand castle.
On a night of torrential rain, a man and woman stood arguing in the downpour.
“Terren, why do you keep postponing our wedding? If you’re going to do this, why did you get engaged to Grace in the first place?”
“Grace, stop throwing tantrums.”
Lea was bewildered.
‘What am I seeing? Is this a dream?’
Why was she forced to witness a lovers’ quarrel between complete strangers?
Then, the man’s sharp gaze flickered toward her.
‘It’s the man from the cliff.’
Instinctively, Lea tried to flee.
But like being sucked into a massive whirlpool, her spirit was violently drawn into the woman named Grace.
No matter how hard she struggled, it felt like sinking into a swirling swamp.
Only when her entire being had been fully absorbed did her consciousness vanish.
‘Death wasn’t the beginning of fear—it was peace.’
Lea finally felt calm.
Though she occasionally suffered headaches and severe coughing fits, someone would always come to place a cool cloth on her forehead.
Moreover, bitter medicine would regularly be spooned into her mouth.
After enduring repeated bouts of high fever and pain, cold sweat drenched her body, and the fever finally broke.
“Ugh…!”
As Lea groaned and fluttered her eyelids, hurried footsteps approached.
“Miss, are you coming to your senses?”
Through blurry vision, she saw a woman with neatly pinned black hair and freckles dotting her nose.
‘That’s not Sarah. Then who is she?’
Before Lea could ponder further, the unfamiliar woman launched into a stream of scolding.
“You know the Duke’s temperament! Why did you insist on demanding marriage in the rain like that?”
‘What’s she talking about? It wasn’t raining on my wedding day. And Allen isn’t a duke.’
“I’ve told you countless times—men lose interest the more aggressively a woman pursues them!”
“Who… are you?”
Lea managed to croak out the words with parched, cracked lips.
She looked like a maid, but Lea desperately wanted to know her name.
“Goodness! After recovering, you’ve forgotten even my name? It’s me—Pauline!”
“Oh! Paul… ine, I want to get up.”
Pauline helped Lea sit up and propped several pillows behind her back.
Lea surveyed her surroundings. The room felt unfamiliar yet oddly not entirely strange.
Her own room had been far more opulent—furniture, lighting, curtains, even sculptures, all top-tier. Moreover, this place carried a scent she’d never encountered before.
‘A scent of loneliness and longing.’
Just then, the door opened, letting in a cool breeze.
Familiar military boots thudded steadily, and a man with an overwhelming presence filled the space before her.
‘Who is this man?’
Lea recognized him clearly.
He’d appeared before her repeatedly—both in her final fading moments and while she drifted as a seed through the world.
Jet-black hair contrasted against pale skin; sharp yet pensive eyes gleamed with deep black luster.
His stubbornly proud nose and tightly closed lips completed a flawlessly drawn visage.
Undeniably handsome, yet what truly dominated was his intense aura.
“I’m glad you’re awake, Grace.”
‘Grace… me?’
When male lead is the homewrecker
“I know she doesn’t love him.”
I’ve read the novel below twice already. Girls, I’m highly recommending it to you!
The female lead? Not a good person.
The second male lead? Not a good person.
The male lead? Willingly plays the third party, breaking up the female and second male lead’s relationship despite all the warnings from his friends—so yeah, he’s definitely not a good person either.
Basically, nobody in this novel is simple-minded or without scheming.
The female lead starts off as the male lead’s secretary, but don’t worry—later on, she takes over the company while the male lead steps back to support her. He won’t steal her spotlight, overshadow her, or dull her shine.
I love novels where men are out here snatching wigs, tearing each other down, and going to war just to win the female lead’s affection. And this is exactly that kind of novel. Most of Hai Dai Ran’s works have this dynamic. You’ll see the male characters’ emotions being pushed to the absolute extreme.
There’s even a scene where the second male lead exposes the male lead online for being a homewrecker. The brotherhood immediately gangs up on him, dragging him through the mud. I find it compelling —it completely flips reality on its head, where usually, women are the ones fighting over a man and getting torn apart by the sisterhood.
For me, female leads in the novels I read should only struggle in their careers, not in love. But if the brainless romantics in the story are all men? I have zero complaints.
I’ve pretty much read all of Hai Dai Ran’s novels and even translated all of them—her works are just my thing. I’ll slowly upload everything here. One day, when my website is official, I hope I can invite her to join as one of the star authors.
Here’s the story synopsis:
One-line summary: She is his lifelong obsession, to the point where he was willing to be a third wheel, scorned by society, just to wedge his way into her relationship with her fiancé.
Cold-hearted and indifferent female lead + Scheming and subservient CEO male lead
Intro 1:
“I know she doesn’t love him.”
With blood trickling from his clenched fist, Rong Xiu gazed at the woman before him, his eyes clouded with anguish. Hidden in the wardrobe, he had witnessed Fan Xia – the woman he desperately loved – in an intimate embrace with her fiancé. Yet his heart still yearned for her, defying all reason.
Fan Xia, the elegant and composed assistant, carried something mysterious in her eyes whenever she looked at her fiancé, Wen Lan Sheng. Strange occurrences began to surface – secret meetings with the young Gu Jin Yi, an unexplained withdrawal of 5,000 yuan… Then suddenly, her fiancé’s sister, Wen Jing, violently attacked her.
In this matriarchal society, Rong Xiu had risen to become the chairman of a powerful healthcare conglomerate, breaking through gender prejudices. But for the first time, he willingly stepped into the shadows as the other man, disregarding his friends’ warnings to become her secret lover.
Because he had discovered the truth – Fan Xia wasn’t the pure angel everyone believed her to be. And perhaps, he was the only one capable of helping her execute her mysterious plan…
Intro 2:
Rong Xiu’s biggest regret in life was missing out on Fan Xia.
He secretly loved Fan Xia for 7 years.
Watched her go public with her boyfriend.
Watched her kiss her boyfriend at their wedding.
Until that man blissfully nestled in Fan Xia’s arms, obtaining everything he could only dream of.
The crazy jealousy stripped away his hidden secret love, layer by layer, burning like wildfire.
Fan Xia, how can I have you!
【Reading and Trigger Warning Guide】
1. Female dominant, male submissive, male pregnancy
2. Male lead schemes his way to the top, male competition
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Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
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I don’t understand, if she is trying to save the twins, why is she putting a gun to her head? She needs to be alive for the twins to survive.
This is sounding less like a punishment and more like a privilege.
Sometimes this novel’s inability to reflect anything close to realism frustrates me. Let’s reward arson and attempted murder! (Can’t help but point out the lack of creativity with Mr. Baker’s name.)