Chapter 3

Soaking comfortably in the bathtub, the system’s voice chimed again.

[Day two of being single: Reward – one million dollars, Life Points +1.]

[Current Life Points: 7.]

[Current Account Balance: $2,000,000.]

I looked at my pale face in the mirror, a faint smile on my lips.

Before the wedding, I had a sudden acute heart failure. The doctors said I wouldn’t live more than a month.

It was this [Single Survival System] that had suddenly appeared, giving me hope.

As long as I stayed single, I could live, and I could have immense wealth.

Chase after guys? No thanks. I’d rather get rich, extend my life, and thrive all on my own.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

I was puzzled. Who would come looking for me here?

Wrapped in my plush robe, I peeked through the peephole. It was Amber. How in the world did she find me here?

I opened the door. Amber stood there, looking utterly condescending.

She gave me a once-over, her gaze lingering on my robe, eyes brimming with a venomous mix of jealousy and scorn.

"Skylar, you really have some nerve! You broke off your engagement and now you’re living in a place like this? Who’s the old man you’ve hooked up with now?"

I leaned against the doorframe, lazily looking at her. "Something you need?"

My nonchalant attitude infuriated Amber.

"Something I need? Of course I do! Mom and Dad are furious, the company’s on the verge of bankruptcy, and here you are, living it up!"

She started to push her way inside.

I held out a hand to stop her. "This is my home. You’re not welcome."

"Your home?" Amber sounded like she’d just heard the funniest joke. "Skylar, don’t you forget, you have Adams family blood running through your veins! You ruined us; you have to take responsibility!"

"Responsibility? How? By going back and marrying Damian Thorne in your place?" I scoffed. "Amber, you were the one crying and screaming that you wouldn’t marry him. Now you’re blaming me?"

Originally, the marriage contract between the Adams and Thorne families had specified Amber, the eldest daughter.

But she despised Damian because of his disability, throwing such dramatic tantrums and threats that my parents finally set their sights on me, their illegitimate daughter.

They promised me that if I just married him, they’d give my mother a large sum of money to live out her golden years comfortably.

For my mother, I agreed.

But just a week before the wedding, my mother suffered a sudden heart attack and passed away.

And at that very time, I was diagnosed with the same heart condition.

Not a single person from the Adams family came to see me.

They only cared if I would show up on time for the wedding.

From that moment, I completely gave up on the Adams family.

"You… you’re talking nonsense!" Amber’s eyes darted away. "That was… I had someone I loved! Not like you, who’s promiscuous and shameless!"

She grew more agitated, her voice rising several octaves.

"Skylar, I’m warning you, you’d better go apologize to Mr. Thorne and beg him to spare the Adams family! Otherwise, I’ll make sure you can’t stay in this city!"

"Oh? Is that so?" I raised an eyebrow. "I’d like to see you try."

With a loud BANG, I slammed the door shut.

Amber’s frustrated screams echoed from outside, but I ignored them.

Wasting another breath on someone like her was a waste of my precious Life Points.

The next morning, my name was trending online.

#AdamsIllegitimateDaughterPubliclyBreaksEngagementInsultsDisabledMagnate#

#UngratefulSkylarAdams#

#AdamsGroupOnTheBrinkOfBankruptcy#

Clicking on them, it was all hate comments about me.

They called me a gold-digger, saying I dumped Damian Thorne because he was disabled, a complete opportunist.

There were even so-called "insiders" who claimed I had a chaotic private life and had already hooked up with other men.

Attached were several blurry photos of a girl with a similar build to me, intimately close with different men.

I recognized her immediately: it was Amber.

How ruthless could she be? To ruin me, she’d even released her own scandalous secrets and tried to pin them on me.

The comments section was a cesspool of insults.

"Women like her deserve to be canceled!"

"Feel bad for Mr. Thorne, tricked by such a despicable woman."

"The Adams family must have done something truly awful to raise such an ungrateful ingrate."

I looked at the comments, not angry at all, but rather amused.

These netizens were certainly easily swayed.

I ignored the online storm, calmly making myself a lavish breakfast.