One, two, three...

After fumbling through six kisses, she finally looked up. "Is that enough?"

Dante Williams stared into her glazed eyes, his breath catching. He yanked the back of her head and kissed her hard.

Celine Evans couldn't handle a kiss like that. Just as she was starting to feel dizzy and confused, he shoved her away.

His expression was mocking, icy. "That's a kiss. If you don't even know how to do that, what makes you think you can compete with her?"

Celine knew exactly who "her" was.

Isabella Lopez.

Everyone in the city knew Celine Evans was a gold-digger, who'd been obsessively chasing Dante Williams for a solid decade.

Dante Williams, the golden boy, the city's ultimate playboy.

And Celine Evans? Just some country bumpkin who’d come to the city for school.

They were worlds apart, and Dante had always scoffed at her advances.

That is, until three years ago, when Isabella Lopez, daughter of the Lopez family and Dante’s first love, suddenly jetted off abroad. To spite her, Dante had deliberately married Celine, the girl Isabella despised the most.

Ironically, it fulfilled Celine’s dream of marrying into wealth.

But now, it seemed this marriage was on thin ice.

It could only maintain the most basic pretense of dignity through her endless tolerance and constant self-sacrifice.

Everyone said Celine had thrown all her dignity and self-respect out the window to climb the social ladder.

But she never cared about the taunts.

She didn't even flinch when Dante humiliated her in public, time and time again.

She just stayed there, single-minded and unwavering, good to Dante.

In the end, Dante did go home with her, because the next day they had to visit the family estate together.

Dante's grandfather commanded immense respect; even Dante wouldn't dare act too recklessly in front of him.

Back at Lakeside Villa, Dante saw all her preparations and sneered.

"You really never get tired, do you?"

Celine said nothing, enduring the sharp pain in her stomach as she went to heat up his meal.

But Dante showed zero appreciation. He went to bed without taking a single bite.

The next day, they returned to the family estate.

She was summoned into the study by Dante's grandfather.

"Kneel!"

The old man slammed his cane on the floor, his anger practically radiating.

Celine asked no questions. She obediently knelt. Dante's grandfather then threw several newspapers at her face. The front-page headlines were all about Dante's scandals.

"What is all this? You've been married for three years, and you can't even control your own husband?"

Celine lowered her head, meekly accepting the blame. "I'm sorry, Grandfather. It's my fault. I'm useless."

The old man had always been strict. Three years ago, he hadn't approved of Dante marrying a girl from such a humble background. But later, seeing Celine's gentle and obedient nature, he'd hoped she might rein in his unruly grandson and had tacitly consented.

Who would have thought Dante not only didn't reform but instead got worse.

In the past, whenever the old man was angry, he'd resort to family discipline.

This time was no exception.

Dante's grandfather took the whip hanging on the wall and lashed it fiercely across Celine's back.

Crack, crack, crack...

Five lashes in total.

Celine's back was a bloody mess, but she bit her lip and didn't make a sound.

Only after the old man had vented his fury did he let her leave.

Celine forced herself to bear the pain and walked out of the study. As soon as she opened the door, she saw Dante leaning lazily against the corridor railing, looking at her with a half-smile.

"Got a beating?"

He raised an eyebrow, his tone dripping with schadenfreude.

Celine's lips were bitten pale.

"Get in here, you!"

The old man's roar from inside the study meant Dante had no more time to mock her. He sauntered in lazily.

Celine glanced at his retreating back, then went downstairs by herself, enduring the pain to change her clothes and apply medicine.