Revenge is My Birthday Gift

On my eighteenth birthday, there was no cake, no blessings. Cold hemp ropes bound my wrists, rough cloth muffled my mouth. The scenery outside the car window rushed by like my broken life. The one who kidnapped me was my fiancé, Miguel Raymond. He sat in the passenger seat, his back straight yet radiating a grim fierceness. "If your father doesn't die, then you must." The phone was forcibly shoved into my hand; the screen displayed my father's face. His temples were streaked with gray, his eyes filled with anguish and pain. "Jenny, don't be afraid. I will save you." My father's voice choked with emotion; I shook my head desperately, tears blurring my vision. Miguel Raymond's men held me down, forbidding me to make a sound. "Ten minutes for your father—either he kills himself, or he watches you die." Miguel Raymond's fingertip brushed against my cheek—icy and piercing. I hated him—hated his cruelty, hated his betrayal. A ten-minute countdown; every second felt like torment. The sound of a heavy object hitting the floor came through the phone, followed by a deadly silence. A cold smile curled at Miguel Raymond's lips as he let me go. I slumped onto the car seat; the world shattered in an instant. My father's death became the heaviest gift on my eighteenth birthday. From that day forward, my sole purpose in living was revenge. I began to feign obedience, staying close to Miguel Raymond. He believed I was terrified out of my mind and relaxed his guard around me. Late at night, I slipped into his study. In the deepest corner of the rosewood bookcase lay the Raymond Family Seal. It was the symbol of the Raymond Family's authority and also the key to my revenge. I carefully removed the seal and replaced it with a counterfeit I had long prepared. The moment I grasped the seal, my entire body trembled—not from fear, but from intense exhilaration. I reached out to the Raymond Family's enemy, the Scott Family, using the seal as leverage to weave an inescapable trap. I want Miguel Raymond to endure the most excruciating suffering the world can offer. The Scott Family is incredibly efficient; word came back just three days later. Miguel Raymond was taken captive by them. I stood by the window, gazing at the distant sky. They say the Scott Family's punishments are brutally severe. The searing pain will linger with him for a lifetime. I smiled with satisfaction; this was only the beginning. But I never imagined Miguel Raymond would escape and come back. He had grown even more merciless, his bloodshot eyes filled with malice. He seized my ID card, passport, and every document that could let me leave. "Your father's assets are still in my hands." He gripped my chin with such force, it felt as if he might crush my bones. "If you want to live, if you want to keep your father's legacy intact, stay by my side." I was forced to remain in this cage, facing my enemy day and night; every single moment was pure torment. But I knew I could not give up. The flames of vengeance burned ever fiercer within my heart.