From Freezer to Fortune

In my last life, to please his first love, my scumbag CEO husband locked me in a freezer at twenty below zero and let me freeze to death.

When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day he forced me to donate a kidney to his first love.

I was about to slap that blind bastard across the face when a "Destiny Script" suddenly popped up in front of me: [Say yes to him! In two years he'll die in a plane crash. As his only legal wife, you'll inherit his hundred-billion-dollar empire!]

I looked at the fifty-million-dollar check in front of me and forced my raised hand into a smile instead.

So what if I have to "donate a kidney"? For a hundred billion dollars, I'll play along!

"Sign the papers, and the fifty million is yours."

A cold, condescending voice rang out in the VIP hospital room.

I snapped my eyes open, gasping for air, my lungs still aching with the bone-deep cold of that freezer at twenty below zero.

Cold.

So cold.

In my last life, Liam Hayes's first love, Lily Sinclair, had taken a little fall on the stairs and scraped her skin. Liam had flown into a rage, convinced I'd pushed her.

To get revenge for Lily, he'd had someone throw me into an abandoned freezer warehouse on the outskirts of the city.

"Let her sit in there and think it over for the night. Let her feel what Lily felt."

That one sentence of his had ended my life.

I'd pounded on that steel door in the dark and the freezing cold until my fingers bled, until my mind finally went blank.

And now, somehow, I'd been reborn.

Reborn six months earlier, on the day Lily was diagnosed with kidney failure the day Liam forced me to give her my kidney.

I looked up and stared hard at the man standing at the foot of my hospital bed.

Liam.

Dressed in a tailored designer suit, his features cold and severe, looking down at me like I was some disposable part waiting to be removed.

"Vera Pierce, my patience has a limit." Seeing I hadn't said anything, his brow furrowed with impatience as he tossed a surgical consent form and a check onto my face.

"Lily's condition can't wait any longer. Your blood type's a perfect match for her. Consider it an honor."

"It's just one kidney. You won't die. Fifty million is more than enough for a woman like you to live off for the rest of your life."

An honor?

I looked at the papers scattered across the blanket, and hatred bloomed in my chest like poison ivy.

I'd loved this man for three years. I'd been his secret mistress for three years, on call whenever he wanted, groveling in the dirt for him.

And in return, he wanted to carve out my kidney for another woman.

I let out a cold laugh and reached out to grab the check, ready to tear it up and throw it in his arrogant face.

Then, hovering in midair, a line of golden text appeared.

[Destiny Script loading...]

[Host, pay attention! Whatever you do, don't refuse! Sign the consent form and use it to force him into marrying you!]

[Script hint: In two years, Liam will die when his private plane crashes into the sea, his body never recovered! Become his legal wife now, and in two years, the Hayes Group's hundred-billion-dollar fortune the mansions, the yachts, everything will be yours!]

[Lily will have spent her whole life scheming, only to watch you walk away with the entire inheritance and a string of boy toys. Sign it, quick!]

My outstretched hand froze in midair.

A hundred billion dollars?

Dead in a plane crash?

I stared at those glowing golden words and felt my heart rate spike.

Of course I wanted revenge for what happened to me last life. But if I could get revenge AND walk away with a hundred billion dollars, wasn't that so much better?

Just turning around and storming off would let these two trash people off way too easy.

I wanted the money. I wanted them dead. And I wanted them to wish they'd never been born!

I took a deep breath, swallowed the murderous look in my eyes, and turned my wrist, pinching the fifty-million-dollar check between my fingers.

"Fine. I'll sign." I looked up and put on my most pitiful expression. "But Liam, I have one condition."

A flicker of contempt crossed Liam's eyes, like he was laughing at how greedy I turned out to be.

"Name it. As long as it doesn't involve hurting Lily, I'll give you whatever you want."

I looked him dead in the eye and said, word by word: "I want you to marry me."

The air in the hospital room froze solid.

Liam looked at me like he'd just heard the world's biggest joke, and then his expression turned venomous.

"Vera, are you trying to threaten me?"

He leaned in fast, grabbing my chin so hard I thought my bones would crack.

"Who do you think you are? You think you deserve to be Mrs. Hayes?"

I bit back the pain and let my eyes fill with tears, letting them hover right on the edge of falling, playing "devoted and pathetic" for all it was worth.

"Liam, I know I don't deserve it. But... if I lose a kidney, my body's never going to be the same. I have nothing left. I just want a title. Even if it's just on paper."

"If you marry me, I'll go into surgery right now. Otherwise..."

I closed my eyes and let the tears fall. "You can kill me, and I still won't sign that consent form."

It was a gamble.

A bet on exactly how much weight Lily carried in his heart.

Sure enough, murderous intent churned in Liam's eyes as he stared me down for a full minute.

Finally, he yanked his hand back from my face and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe it off in disgust.

"Fine. I'll agree to it."

His voice was cold as ice. "Tomorrow morning, the marriage registry office. Vera, you'd better pray Lily's surgery goes well. Otherwise, I'll show you what it means to wish you were dead."

With that, he turned and strode out of the room.

The moment the door shut, the tears on my face vanished instantly.

I grabbed a tissue off the table and scrubbed hard at the spot on my chin where he'd touched me.

Disgusting.

I picked up the surgical consent form, a cold smirk tugging at my lips.

Donate a kidney?

Keep dreaming.

You think my kidney is something trash like you two deserve?

That night, I slipped past the bodyguards outside, snuck out of my room, and knocked on the office door of the attending physician, Dr. Ian.

Ian was one of the country's top kidney specialists, and the surgeon set to perform tomorrow's operation.

He looked startled when I walked in.

"Vera, you're having surgery tomorrow. What are you doing out of bed?"

I walked over, locked the door behind me, and slapped a bank card down on his desk.

"Ian, there's twenty million in here."

Ian jumped, leaping to his feet. "Vera, what is this supposed to mean?"

"It's simple." I pulled out a chair and sat down, fixing him with a sharp stare. "Tomorrow's surgery goes ahead as planned. But my kidney stays exactly where it is, in perfect condition."

Ian's face went pale. "Are you out of your mind? This is medical fraud! If Mr. Hayes finds out, he'll kill me!"

"If he doesn't kill you, I'll ruin your reputation myself."

I pulled out my phone and played a recording.

It was Ian flirting with some woman, and him discussing a massive kickback from a pharmaceutical rep.

Ian broke out in a cold sweat instantly, collapsing back into his chair.

"How... how do you have this?"

"If you don't want people to know, don't do it in the first place." I put the phone away and looked at him coldly. "Ian, you're a smart man. Liam won't be standing in the operating room watching you cut. All you have to do is make a small incision on my side, just for show. As for Lily, find some pig kidney on the black market or whatever low-grade kidney you can get your hands on, just enough to fool the early rejection tests."

"Twenty million, plus your career. A fake surgery in exchange for all that. Do we have a deal?"

Ian was shaking all over, sweat soaking through his white coat.

A full five minutes passed before he gritted his teeth and picked up the bank card with trembling hands.

"Fine... I'll do it."

The next morning, I got my hands on that marriage certificate.

Liam stayed stone-faced the entire time, not even glancing at me once he finished signing, before shoving me straight into the car headed to the hospital.

That afternoon, the red light above the operating room came on.

I went under anesthesia and slept right through it.

When I woke up, I was already back in the VIP room.

A sharp pain throbbed in my side Ian had cut a long incision, just to make it look convincing.

I weakly opened my eyes. Liam was standing by the window, on the phone.

He turned at the sound of movement, his eyes still cold as ever.

"You're awake?"

I let out a faint "mm-hm," putting on a pained expression and clutching my side.

"Liam... is Lily okay?"

"The surgery was a success." Liam walked over to the bed, looking down at me, his tone carrying not a trace of gratitude only warning.

"Vera, now that you're Mrs. Hayes, behave yourself. I've transferred this downtown condo to your name. You'll live here from now on. You're not to show your face around Lily without my permission."

He dropped a set of keys and walked out without looking back.

I watched him go and let out a cold laugh.

Not show my face?

Don't worry. I'll have both of you begging to see me before this is over.

Over the next two weeks, I used "post-surgery recovery" as an excuse to comfortably settle into the condo, running up charges on Liam's supplementary credit card without any shame.

Herms bags I bought ten at a time, rotating through the colors.

Designer gowns I had the sales reps come straight to my apartment for fittings.

Jewelry anything with diamonds, I swiped the card without blinking.

My phone buzzed constantly with bank notification texts.

Liam saw it all, of course, but he didn't say a word.

In his eyes, this was just a vain, greedy woman cashing in her "payment" for the kidney. The more he looked down on me, the less he'd see me coming.

But the gaudy bags and watches weren't the point at all.

I resold every piece of luxury I bought, converting it all to cash. Add that to the remaining thirty million from the original fifty-million-dollar check, and I had a serious amount of liquid capital building up fast.

I was going to use that money to plant a time bomb right at the heart of Liam's business empire.

Two weeks later, my "wound" had "healed."

And Lily had "recovered" and been discharged.

To celebrate Lily's new lease on life, Liam rented out the most luxurious yacht in the city and threw a massive charity gala.

As Liam's secret wife the one he kept hidden in the shadows I wasn't supposed to show up.

But I was going to show up anyway.

The yacht deck shimmered with silk and champagne, the air thick with chatter and clinking glasses.

Lily, dressed head to toe in a pristine white designer gown, looked like a delicate little flower nestled against Liam's side, soaking up everyone's well wishes.

"Lily really is blessed. After such a serious illness, and look at her, glowing already."

"Right? It's all thanks to Mr. Hayes. He searched the entire country to find a matching donor."

I walked into the ballroom in a low-cut red gown that turned every head, champagne glass in hand, ten-inch heels clicking against the deck with every confident step.

The moment I appeared, every pair of eyes in the room locked onto me.

Liam's face darkened instantly. He stormed over and hissed under his breath, "Vera! Who let you in here? Get out!"

I blinked innocently, pitching my voice just loud enough for the people nearby to hear.

"Liam, we're legally married, aren't we? You're throwing Lily a recovery party how could your own wife possibly miss it?"

The room erupted into murmurs.

Everyone stared at us, stunned. Liam was married? And not to Lily?

Lily's face went rigid for a split second before she composed herself, her eyes welling up as she walked over, the picture of fragile grace.

"Vera... no, Mrs. Hayes. I know you must resent me for taking Liam from you, but today is supposed to be my happy day. Please, don't make a scene. Okay?"

[High alert! The bitch is about to pull a move!]

[She's going to fake-fall into the pool and frame you for it! Host, get ready!]

The golden text floated into view again.

I looked at Lily's pitiful, innocent face and let a knowing smirk tug at the corner of my mouth.

Fake-falling into the water?

So predictable.

Just as Lily moved closer, getting ready for her "accidental" stumble, I gasped loudly and grabbed her wrist first.

"Watch out, Lily!"

I gripped her wrist with all my strength and let my own foot catch on something at the same time.

A loud thud.

It wasn't Lily who went into the pool it was the two of us, crashing hard onto the deck together!

And I was the one underneath, taking the full impact!

My side slammed directly into a raised edge on the deck.

"Ahh!" I let out a piercing scream, clutching my side, my face going white as a sheet, cold sweat breaking out across my forehead.

The whole room went dead silent.

Liam's eyes blazed with rage. He shoved Lily aside and scooped me up into his arms.

"Vera! Are you okay?!"

I trembled as if I were in agony, pointing at Lily, tears streaming down like rain.

"Liam... it hurts so much... my stitches must have torn open... it was her... she pushed me..."

Lily stared at me, dazed, sitting on the floor in disbelief.

"I didn't! Liam, I never pushed her! She tripped on her own!"

"Enough!" Liam roared, and for the first time, the look he gave Lily was sharp and cold. "Lily, Vera just donated a kidney to save your life. And you push her, now, of all times? I am so disappointed in you."

Lily had no defense, bursting into hysterical tears.

I rested against Liam's chest, eyes closed, looking utterly weak but at an angle no one else could see, my lips curled into a wild, triumphant grin.

You want to play the innocent flower with me?

Sweetheart, I wrote that playbook.