“They’ve lost a beloved daughter, what would they spare?”
“Considering that, the Duchess of Craiton seems rather composed.”
At the words of Lady Setil, everyone’s eyes turned to Riviana.
Her face without makeup looked paler than usual, but that was it.
Unlike the distraught Duke Craiton, his wife was still poised.
Had she not worn a black veil, she wouldn’t have looked like a woman attending her daughter’s funeral.
In the end, Lady Setil clucked her tongue while looking at the retreating figure of Riviana, and dared to voice the thought that was on everyone’s mind.
“That woman is quite poisonous. Toxic.”
[This is the time separator]One by one, white chrysanthemums fluttered and fell into the coffin.
I numbly watched the coffin being covered with flowers.
The body wrapped in white cloth looked like a silkworm.
Just looking at that, it was impossible to guess what was inside.
So, I just couldn’t understand.
Was that supposed to be Meriel in there?
Is my daughter’s funeral happening right now?
No, it couldn’t be.
Meriel hadn’t died.
I hadn’t seen the body of the child.
Meriel was just eight years old, and her life was still ahead of her.
There was no way such a child could be confined to that small coffin.
“Once the Duke and Duchess of Craiton offer flowers for the deceased, we will close the coffin and say the final prayers.”
“…..”
At the direction of the undertaker, Bake stepped forward.
Another flower was thrown into the coffin, and everyone’s eyes turned to me.
“Riviana.”
“…..”
“Duchess of Craiton?”
“…..”
Like a broken machine, I nodded jerkily.
I held a single chrysanthemum in my hand.
It was a memorial flower.
For the dead Meriel.
“Ah…..”
I suddenly came to my senses.
I looked at the coffin filled with white chrysanthemums.
And I looked at the people surrounding it.
Everyone was dressed in black. And so was I.
I was startled by the soft touch of the black veil on my hand and I collapsed on the spot.
“Riviana!”
“Ah…… Ah……”
Despite not being able to walk as my legs went limp, I scrambled forward with my arms.
I pushed through the eyes staring at me, pushed away Bake’s hand that was holding me.
Now my ankle was in pain, or maybe it was something else that was hurting.
“Meriel, Meriel……”
“Duchess of Craiton, you mustn’t do this!”
“Riviana, calm down! Look at me!”
“First, let’s move the duchess to a place where she can rest.”
The voices pouring in made my ears burn.
But none of their words reached my ears.
The only thing I could see was one thing.
I clenched my teeth and stood up, gripping the coffin.
With hands so shaky I couldn’t exert any strength, I managed to strip the cloth.
“Ha…..”
Between the torn cloth in my hand, I saw a black object.
Looking at the black charred object that I couldn’t even recognize, I crumbled again.
The soft hair like cotton, the eyes that sparkled more than stars, the chubby cheeks from eating candy, none of it was left.
No matter how much I looked, again and again, there was nothing I could recognize.
But even then, it was my daughter.
“Aaahhh!!”
Only then did the tears come.
“Meriel is dead.
My daughter is dead.
My daughter died because of 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
_____
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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