The Gem in His Gilded Cage

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I was Charles Andersons trophy mistress, a vixen in bed, bewitching him.

Away from the bedroom, I acted like the lady of the house, regularly clashing with his unrequited first love.

In others eyes, I was a stand-in, madly in love with Charles, destined to be discarded.

In reality, I didnt love him at all; I only loved his money.

Using his name, my business flourished. I was on the verge of joining the ranks of the new business elite.

I decided to dump him first, feigning a dramatic breakup: Charles, Ive spent five years and still cant make you love me Im tired. Lets break up.

Charless sweat dripped onto me, and he looked at me with a half-smile. Indeed, women change when they get rich. How about this, Ill bankrupt you, and help you find your original self.

Charles rose from beside me, dressing as he spoke. "She's coming back to the country today. Prepare a welcome dinner at the Starlight Estate."

"She" was Clara Sterling, Charles's unrequited first love.

Like a boneless cat, I wrapped my arms around Charles's waist from behind, my perfectly manicured fingers tracing his abs.

His body visibly tensed.

"Who else will be there?"

"Just friends from our circle."

My eyes rolled playfully. "A party needs decent jewelry. I've got my eye on a high-grade jade bangle, but it's a bit pricey... eight hundred thousand."

"Buy it."

I happily kissed his cheek. "Charles, I love you."

Charles was unmoved by my declaration. He grabbed my wrist, saying indifferently, "With nails that long, my back is covered in your scratches."

I gave a guilty smile:

"They're pretty, though... Should I cut them?"

"Keep them. They really are pretty."

Charles's eyes darkened. He pulled me onto his lap and gave me a long, passionate kiss.

When I greeted guests at the Starlight Estate, I wore my new jade bangle.

I abandoned my usual bedroom vixen persona, smiling gracefully and generously, exuding the air of a virtuous wife.

Clara's sisterhood loudly gossiped about me:

"Clara, that's her, Mr. Anderson's trophy mistress."

"Her eyes and brows are so similar to Clara's. Everyone in the circle knows she's just a stand-in for Clara!"

"I heard she used to be a small-time actress, only got where she is today by riding on Clara's coattails."

"Clara, don't be sad. Mr. Anderson loves you."

My gaze met Clara's.

She was very beautiful, clearly the product of a privileged upbringing, like a delicate hothouse flower.

Rumor had it, Clara had "rescued" a penniless Charles during high school.

Clara, however, loved Julian, the golden boy of the city's elite.

She had married Julian early, and they had both immigrated to the States.

Charles was with me, using me as a stand-in for Clara.

Now, Clara was divorced and back in the country.

Many people were waiting to see me, the stand-in, discarded by Charles.

I raised my glass, giving Clara a friendly nod and smile.

She was surprised by my reaction, freezing for a moment.

She was Charles's darling, and I wasn't foolish enough to provoke her. Avoiding her was enough.

But Clara's sisterhood wouldn't let me off the hook.

Suddenly, I was harshly shoved, knocking over a champagne tower.

I lost my footing, about to fall into a heap of broken glass.

I protected my precious bangle, resignedly closing my eyes.

The expected pain didn't come.

Someone grabbed my arm and pulled me up.

Then, I crashed into a firm chest, inhaling a familiar masculine scent.

Clara and her friends really irritated me.

No matter, I would go wild.

I casually wrapped my arms around the man's neck, looking at the disposable crony who pushed me, saying, with feigned fragility, "Charles darling~~~ I'm pregnant. Our baby she almost killed it."

Everyone seemed to hit a pause button, wide-eyed with shock.

Charles frowned at me, his eyes showing shock, surprise, and even emotion, his gaze reddening.

He always used protection; how could he possibly believe my lie?!

He wouldn't think I secretly tampered with it, would he?

"You're lying... I didn't push you!"

I pointed to the security camera above her head:

"Should I call for the surveillance footage?"

The crony looked at Clara, hoping she would speak up for her.

Clara avoided her gaze, distancing herself from the situation.

The crony panicked: "You're fine, aren't you? I... I was just joking!"

Charles's anger turned to a cold smile. "Joking? Then I'll be 'joking' with you often in the future. I hope you'll be laughing then."

Charles was a fearsome figure in the city's elite circles, decisive and vengeful in his actions.

For him to say that meant the crony would certainly suffer.

The crony collapsed to the ground, disheveled, and was escorted out by a servant.

My original plan was to first stand on the moral high ground, then go wild and press the crony's face into the broken glass to scare her.

I hadn't expected the big boss to believe my lie and stand up for me.

I was just about to confess to Charles.

Clara said, "Charles, I want to talk to you."

"Let's talk in the tea room."

Charles and Clara left together, he didn't spare me another glance.

Was I sad?

Of course not.

Over these five years, aside from the gifts Charles gave me, the stocks and funds I invested in through him, and the projects I joined through him, had all made me a fortune.

Looking at the eight-figure sum in my bank account, I was the happiest, sunniest girl in the world.

With Charles gone, I felt like a mouse in a rice bin.

Charles's circle of friends were all wealthy and influential; how could I waste such valuable networking opportunities?

I had started my own company, and this welcome dinner was my sales event, with all the guests being my potential clients.

I was smooth-tongued, and in the space of one meal, I achieved three million in sales.

Charles's good friend, Ethan, said, "Charles is alone with his first love in a room. Aren't you jealous?"

"I'll be jealous later. I want to invest five million in your new project."

"What if you lose money?"

"If I lose, I'll go cry to Charles and make him pay me back."

Ethan laughed, "Alright, Charles has really fallen for you."

I had researched Ethan's project; it wouldn't lose money.

If it weren't for Charles, Ethan wouldn't have let me invest.

My abacus beads clicked loudly; making money was the happiest thing in the world.

However, in front of my patron, I still had to pretend to love him more than money.

I peeked around the tea room door, ready to act jealous.

Charles saw me and waved me in.

"From now on, Clara will be staying at the Starlight Estate. Arrange a room for her.

"She's my honored guest. Pay close attention to her food, clothing, and expenses."

The Starlight Estate was a sprawling traditional mansion.

Old money families often had ancestral homes, family compounds.

The Starlight Estate was Charles, the self-made tycoon's, family home, where he spent most of his time.

A sudden pang of bitterness twisted in my heart.

Indeed, his first love. She appeared and immediately gained access to his home.

Ugh, I'll just use Charles's card to buy a designer bag to cheer myself up later.

I smiled, appearing gracious and composed:

"Of course, Charles."

Charles took a sip of tea, his expression detached. "Go."

I led Clara to her room.

She initiated conversation with me: "It's been over ten years, and Charles is truly a big shot now.

"You never met eighteen-year-old Charles. He was the only poor student at our elite high school, so rough and shabby, and very gloomy. Julian and a group of rich kids bullied him, even hitting him until he went deaf. If I hadn't paid to treat his ear, how could a deaf man have risen to become the Mr. Anderson he is today?"

So she was using his past debt of gratitude, freeloading here.

When he was poor, Clara looked down on him. Now that he's successful, she's clinging to him, trying to take him back?

We walked across a bridge.

Suddenly, Clara pushed me into the lake.

"Help! Someone's fallen into the water!"

Clara cried out, then jumped in herself.

She grabbed my hair, her eyes venomous. "Tell me, could such icy water cause you to miscarry?"

She forced my head underwater.

Terrifying memories flooded back

In winter, my father held my head in a frozen water barrel: "I've worked hard all day, and you haven't even made a hot meal! What's the point of girls going to school? You're eighteen now, we've settled the bride price with the Miller family, you're getting married!"

Clara kept pressing down, preventing me from breathing.

I held my breath to my limit, then choked on a mouthful of water.

Rage consumed me. I struggled, lifted my head, and punched Clara in the face.

Almost out of strength, I dog-paddled to shore.

Just then, Charles and the others arrived.

I shivered, freezing, and looked at Charles.

Charles took off his coat, crouching down to tightly wrap it around me.

I huddled in his arms, contemplating how to get revenge on Clara.

In our first encounter, I had to make her understand what I was capable of.

"Charles save me!"

Clara thrashed in the water, calling for help.

Charles told his subordinates, "Get her out."

After Clara was pulled ashore, she cried pitifully, "She accidentally fell in, and I kindly tried to save her. When she reached the bank, she punched me in the face, causing me to lose strength and almost drown"

The bruise on Clara's face was glaring evidence.

Her sisterhood seized the opportunity: "Theresa! You're so vicious!"

"Our kind Clara risked her life to save you, and you tried to harm her!"

I clutched my stomach, wailing to the sky, "Charles, our baby it's gone!"

The guests gasped.

Moments ago, they had been looking at me with disgust and contempt, as if I were the villainess.

Now, they looked at me with full sympathy, turning to scold Clara and her friends.

"Shut up! She just lost a baby, don't provoke her further."

"She must have been terrified, that's why she accidentally hit Clara."

"You just got punched; she lost a child."

"If you're so kind, then stop harassing her."

Charles scooped me up and hurried towards the bedroom.

I wrapped my arms around Charles's neck, triumphantly looking at Clara.

Clara stood frozen, her face filled with resentment and jealousy.

In the bathroom, Charles pinned me against the tiles.

Charles had seen through my lie the moment I confronted the crony.

"Let me go!"

"Charles you didn't use protection!"

"Don't you want a child? I'll give you one now!"

I turned my head to look in the mirror. Charles was kissing my neck, desperately and fiercely, my expression a mix of dark pleasure and triumph.

Five years. Whether he ever fell for me, I didn't know.

But he definitely had a physical attraction to me.

I picked up his cigarette pack and lit a cigarette.

He looked up at me. "Focus."

I laughed, blowing smoke in his face. "It's too intense. I need a cigarette to calm down."

Then, he became even more intense.

...

"Today, you made many mistakes.

"Reflect on them yourself, and list all your errors."

Charles carried me to the bedroom.

I struggled to think.

"I shouldn't have lied about being pregnant."

"Continue."

"I shouldn't have hit your first love."

Charles gripped the back of my neck. "You have no idea what you did wrong. It's alright we have plenty of time."

I buried my face in the pillow.

He'd been working out like crazy lately; his stamina was even better.

I wanted to escape.

Charles grabbed my ankle, pulling me back to continue.

He kissed my swollen lips, wiping away my tears:

"Crying so pitifully, do you know what you did wrong now?"

Unable to control myself, a thought suddenly struck me: "I shouldn't have protected my bangle first when I fell."

"Mm."

I smiled. "I knew Charles cared about me."

Charles stroked my back, asking, "I'm letting her stay. Will you be jealous?"

"Of course. I love you so much, I'm green with envy."

He sat up, lit a cigarette, his tone and expression detached:

"Heh, you don't love me; you only love my money."

I retorted, unashamed, "How could I be so shallow? I also crave your body."

I took the cigarette from his hand and finished the remaining half.

Just then, the butler came in to say that his first love had a fever.

"You sleep. I'll go check on her."

Men turn cold as soon as they get out of bed.

Actually, I was a little sad, just a tiny bit.

I burrowed under the covers and slept soundly.

Waking up early the next morning, I saw Charles standing on the balcony, smoking.

I wondered when he had returned.

There was a deep sense of loneliness about Charles.

After five years together, he remained a mystery; I couldn't quite see through him.

He was rich, handsome, fit, and excellent in bed.

He was generous with me, provided me with resources to start a business, and personally taught me many things.

He truly was a very charming man.

Seeing I was awake, he slid open the door and came in.

He walked over and hugged me.

He was cold, carrying the chill of the night.

The atmosphere was so intimate, I couldn't help but ask the question that bothered me most: "Am I Clara Sterling's stand-in?"

"Guess."

"I don't think so."

I flattered him: "Finding a stand-in is the behavior of a low-down jerk. Charles, you're a man of integrity, you wouldn't stoop to that."

Charles was amused, kissing my forehead:

"Mm, you're not a stand-in.

"Then who are you to me?"

I proudly puffed out my chest: "I'm Charles darling's favorite trophy mistress!"

I was playful; he didn't smile.

He frowned, asking, "About the falling in the water incident, don't you have anything to tell me?"

I knew the destructive power of the "first love" trope.

So, without evidence, making an unfounded accusation against her would not only make him disbelieve me but also dislike me.

"Not for now."

The warmth in Charles's eyes vanished completely, his expression as if he wanted to strangle me.

Sure enough, harming his darling made him unhappy.

I decided to stabilize him first, brushing my hair aside, looking seductively alluring: "Charles darling, I'll give you an explanation later. Please calm down."

Heh heh heh.

Clara messing with me was like hitting a brick wall.

If I didn't drive her out of the Starlight Estate, I'd eat my shoe!

"Whatever."

Charles stalked off, his robes swirling.

My stomach hurt. Grimacing, I pressed my hand to my stomach, already planning how to deal with Clara.

Charles returned, bringing stomach medicine and a bowl of millet porridge.

My stomach problem was an old ailment from being hungry as a child.

In these five years, pampered by Charles, I rarely had stomach pains anymore.

I had been enduring the pain, how did he know my stomach was acting up?

"Take your medicine, then drink the porridge."

"Oh."

I sniffled, touched, and tugged on his belt. "Charles, I don't care about your past with her. My bottom line is, you can only sleep with me. If I find you're not a proper gentleman, I'm done with you."

As a trophy mistress, one shouldn't always fawn over the patron. Showing a strong side at the right time is more appealing.

He looked at me for a long time, his eyes bright:

"Okay."

He was hooked.