DEFYING FATE - Chapter 21: Troublesome Speech

“Look at you, you were this teeny-weeny when you were little.”Using both hands, Shao Zifeng gestures how small his pet beast used to be. He then raises his head and looks at the gigantic being in front of him.“Just how did you grow into this ferocious form?”

Five years ago, Qiao Nian was schemed against by her sister, Qiao Xin. After spending a night with a stranger, Qiao Nian got pregnant. She did not know who the father of the child was, and eventually gave birth to a stillborn. Under the machinations of her mother and sister, Qiao Nian was stripped off of her shares in Qiao Group and sent to a mental hospital.Five years later, her younger sister, Qiao Xin, was going to be married off to the Second Young Master of the Gu family. He was rumored to be extremely ugly. On the day he was born, the doctor predicted that he would not live past twenty years old. Her mother could not bear to see Qiao Xin marry such a person and thought of Qiao Nian, who was still locked in the mental hospital. Overnight, Qiao Nian was taken out of the hospital to replace Qiao Xin in her marriage into the Gu family.Her mother said, “It's a good thing that Qiao Nian, this good-for-nothing, can replace Xin'er to be a living widow in the Gu family. If Xin'er were to marry into that family, I would be heartbroken.”Qiao Xin said, “Mom, don't say that about Sister. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't know what to do. I'm just worried that Sister wouldn't agree.”Her father said, “Xin'er, you're too kind. Have you forgotten how Qiao Nian slandered you five years ago? She has no self-restraint. She got pregnant before marriage and even gave birth to a stillborn child. We're treating her well enough by letting her marry someone from the prestigious Gu family! What right does she have to be picky?”Qiao Nian sneered. Back then, the scheme against her had only succeeded due to a freak combination of factors, causing her to suffer. She was going to get back at all of them! Everyone thought that her actions were borne from a combination of a loser's mentality and mental illness, but little did they know that this marriage would be a strong union as impactful as Mars crashing into Earth! Taking advantage of her brilliant skills in medicine, Qian Nian made various trashy people and scumbags eat their words. In the blink of an eye, her multiple identities shocked the world as each of them got exposed. It turned out that she was rich enough to rival a country!Later on, Second Young Master Gu placed a pair of Qiao Nian's miniature clones in front of her. Faced with these two children who resembled her and Gu Zhou, Qiao Nian blinked in shock. “When did I give birth to your children?”

Trapped in a hospital bed his entire life, Li Mingzhe's only escape was through the novels he read. But fate had other plans when a mysterious book appeared on his bedside table. Before he could even read its title, the book dragged him into its pages—straight into the body of Ambrose Rothschild, the sole heir to the illustrious Rothschild family.At first glance, his new life seems perfect: loving parents, devoted servants, and no siblings fighting for inheritance. But is this truly the peaceful second chance he yearned for? Far from it! Not only is Ambrose's body plagued with the same weakness that haunted Li Mingzhe's original life, but he's also flying blind—having never read the book he's trapped in, he lacks the story knowledge other transmigrators typically rely on!His only ray of hope? A mysterious system that promises to enhance his abilities. But what cruel twist of fate is this? The system declares his frail body can only handle improvements to his intelligence stat! And as if that weren't enough, Ambrose has been enrolled in Crono, the most prestigious magic academy where heroes and prodigies gather like moths to a flame.Now, surrounded by talented peers and trapped in the web of noble politics, can Li Mingzhe leverage his one advantage—his brilliant mind—to survive? With countless eyes watching his every move as the Rothschild heir, will he crumble under the crushing weight of expectations? Or will he prove that in a world of overwhelming magical might, intelligence can be the most formidable weapon of all?

I let out a bitter laugh. “It’s ironic, isn’t it? You spent years making my life a living hell, and now you look at me like I’m the very air you breathe.”Lennox’s face fell. “Olivia, it wasn’t supposed to be like this—”I cut him off, my eyes blazing with anger. “Oh, but it was. You wanted me broken. You wanted me to suffer. And I did.” I paused, my voice trembling. “But not anymore.”Louis, who had been silent, spoke softly. “Olivia, we—”I shook my head and took a step back, putting distance between us. “No. Whatever you think you feel, it doesn’t matter. It’s too late. You had a choice. And every single time, you chose her. Over and over again, you chose Anita.”Levi shook his head. “We were wrong.”I met their gazes. “Yes, you were. And now, you’ll have to live with it.”With that, I turned away, refusing to let them see the tears burning in my eyes.••••••••Olivia Parker was once the cherished daughter of a respected Gamma—until betrayal shattered her world. Branded the daughter of a traitor, she was stripped of her title, her dignity, and the life she had known, forced to serve as an Omega among those who once respected her.But fate wasn’t done with her yet.On the night of the mating ceremony, Olivia discovered the cruelest twist of all—she wasn’t fated to just one mate, but three. And not just any three. Alpha Lennox, Alpha Louis, and Alpha Levi—the ruthless triplet Alphas who had spent years tormenting her.Bound to a marriage they never wanted, the triplets made her life a waking nightmare. They paraded their lover, Anita, before her, ensuring she never forgot her place, never forgot that they would never want her.But fate has a way of playing its own game. As secrets unravel and buried truths come to light, the triplets begin to see Olivia for who she truly is—not just a Luna in title, but the woman they never realized they needed.Only now, she’s done waiting.