Chapter 1

Cyrus Johnson gasped for air, his head pounding as he opened his eyes. To his surprise, a beautiful woman lay nestled in his arms. Her lush, cascading curls framed her face, and he caught a whiff of a captivating fragrance in the air. The woman breathed evenly, a subtle blush on her cheeks. As she was in his arms, Cyrus could feel her exquisite and voluptuous figure. Surveying the unfamiliar room cluttered with odds and ends, in stark contrast to the scattered designer clothes around the woman, Cyrus couldn't help but be confused about where he was and who the woman in his arms might be. "Mira, don't go in there! He's not home. Come, we need to hurry to school." "Mom, I miss Dad. Why doesn't he like me? Is it because I'm always sick and use too much of Dad's money?" Mira asked, forlorn. "Oh, Mira. You didn't cost him anything. Mom loves you. Is Mom's love not enough?" Damn, why was there suddenly a wife and child? Amid his confusion, two different memories rapidly merged in Cyrus's mind. He seemed to have been reborn into the body of a prodigal son. Originally wealthy, this other Cyrus had inherited his family's medicinal herb business worth billions. He had even married Zoey Clarke, the number one beauty in Jorsproburgh. However, he not only squandered all the family assets and accumulated a mountain of debt but also physically abused his wife. Their marriage existed merely on paper, and even after more than three years, this prodigal Cyrus hadn't experienced any physical intimacy with his wife, Zoey. Zoey had guarded her virginity vehemently, swearing not to give in to him. His child, Mira Johnson, was a byproduct of one of his premarital affairs. Now, this Cyrus had fallen from grace. He rented and lived in a small shop in Herbal City, barely making ends meet by selling low quality medicinal herbs. Not to mention that he had brought the woman in his arms back here with the intent to provoke his wife, he had stupidly taken aphrodisiacs while drunk and died just like that. Cyrus sighed while staring at the crumbling ceiling. "To think that I, the heir to the divine medicine lineage, the young lord of the Hippocrates Sect, once world renown for my skills in the art of medicine, was reborn as one of society's trash. It seems like my good reputation is in jeopardy," he mused. This was just the beginning of his new life and things were already looking hard. In front of his wife and child, he was found fooling around with another woman—hardly behavior befitting a man. With that thought, he kicked the sleeping woman out of his arms. The woman fell heavily to the ground, letting out a miserable scream. She angrily exclaimed, "What the hell was that for?" The woman before him could be considered alluring, but her excessive seductiveness was nothing more than a superficial allure in his eyes. Moreover, his mind was in chaos, and he desperately needed some time to calmly assess the situation. He plainly replied, "Rachel, the child is up. Hurry up and get dressed." But hearing that, Rachel instead smiled seductively, showing no sign of shame. She wrapped her arms around him like a beautiful python. "You know, you drank too much last night and slept like a log, Cyrus. Because of that we didn't even get to the juicy part. I'll give you another chance right now. How about it?" Cyrus was speechless. This woman's audacity was truly beyond his expectations. With another swift kick, he sent her even farther away. "Damn! Are you crazy?" Rachel rubbed her sore butt, expressing anger and a hint of confusion. Previously, she had always seen Cyrus as just one of the many admirers she had twisted around her little finger. Why did he suddenly change? The night before, Cyrus had mentioned wanting to humiliate Zoey. The only reason Rachel had finally allowed him a rare taste of gratification was because she had a personal grudge to settle with Zoey herself. Her quarrel with Zoey dated back to three years ago when Zoey, the mistress of Jorsproburgh at that time, publicly criticized her for engaging in unscrupulous activities at a business conference. After getting dressed, Rachel snapped, "If it wasn't for wanting payback against your wife, a worthless asshole like you wouldn't even be on my radar." "Sorry, let's meet again next time," Cyrus said. "Cut the crap. You won't get another chance in this lifetime. Do you think you're still the heir to a prestigious family? You're just a pathetic loser." When Zoey returned from the kindergarten, she coincidentally ran into Rachel, who was about to leave. Without much expression, Zoey started arranging the order forms behind the counter. Leaning against the counter, Rachel lit a cigarette and remarked, "Well, well, the esteemed Ms. Clarke. Why not ditch this deadbeat of a man? That sickly child isn't even your own." Zoey retorted, "I have morals, something you seem to lack." "Acting all high and mighty when you've already fallen so low. A fallen phoenix is worse off than a chicken. Even if you go back to your family, you'll just be a servant for your stepmother, won't you?" Looking up, Zoey replied calmly, "It's none of your business. Please don't disturb my work." Rachel blew a smoke ring at her and said, "If life gets too overwhelming, you're welcome to drop by my clinic. I heard from a little bird that some big shots have been eyeing you for a while now. I can make an introduction for you. The price is negotiable." "Get lost!" Rachel continued, saying, "Do you know why I slept with a loser like Cyrus? He agreed to use you as a bargaining chip, playing games with those big shots. Care to guess your price tag?" "Over my dead body," Zoey retorted. Rachel had achieved her goal of humiliating Zoey and left, feeling satisfied. The more Zoey dwelled on it, the more unfair she felt her situation was, and tears welled up uncontrollably. Despite bringing up divorce multiple times, Cyrus stubbornly refused her. And Zoey couldn't just up and leave Cyrus because of Mira, who was obedient and intelligent and treated Zoey like her real mother. Mira had been diagnosed with leukemia when she was a year old. Her biological mother had abandoned her, and left her in the care of the Johnson family. Cyrus, her biological father, remained utterly indifferent to his daughter's life and death. It was Zoey who had personally taken care of Mira all this time, and the two had developed a deep bond. She couldn't bear to see the poor child perish from illness. Without Zoey's meticulous care, the child wouldn't have survived past the age of three. Peeking through the doorway, Cyrus couldn't help but be drawn to Zoey's ethereal beauty and grace. Her eyes bright with tears and her delicate hands wiping away tears from her cheeks, it was a beautiful but tragic sight, indeed. Among the patients at the Hippocrates Sect were heiresses from prestigious families, the hottest female celebrities, and world-famous models. Yet none of them could compare to Zoey's pure and ethereal beauty. "So, she's my wife from now on? She's naturally beautiful and gentle as jade. Even if that trash didn't cherish her, how could he bear to resort to violence against someone like that?" Cyrus sighed. As an ordinary man, he didn't even know how to face Zoey, knowing how the other Cyrus had treated her. At that moment, a Mercedes pulled up in front of the shop and a leggy woman stepped out. Cyrus recognized her as Zoey's half-sister, Phoebe Clarke. Phoebe forcefully placed the car keys on the counter and asked sternly, "Are you borrowing money from my dad again?" "Isn't he my dad as well?" Zoey replied, hurriedly wiping away her tears. "What right do you have to ask for money? You married such a useless piece of shit. You're an embarrassment to our Clarke family. My mom insists you repay every cent you owe." "I refuse." "Do you think I won't slap you?" Phoebe raised her hand, ready to strike. From a young age, Phoebe had consistently bullied Zoey. Taking advantage of her mother's favoritism, she didn't see a need to respect Zoey as her older sister. "Stop!" Cyrus roared.