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The Untouchable Golden Canary
NovelShort
Completed
On Valentine’s Day, Michael didn’t have time to accompany me. Instead, he spent lavishly to propose to someone else under a grand fireworks display that the whole city knew about. We had been together for three years and I had done everything a wife would for him. Yet he never once agreed to make our relationship public. I once jokingly asked him if he was being so cautious because he was afraid of breaking another woman’s heart. It wasn’t until the enormous diamond ring slipped onto her finger and others congratulated him on his seven-year long-distance relationship finally reaching its happy ending, that I realized I was the “other woman” all along. For three years, I had been with the Crown Prince of Altheris’s elite circle, hiding my identity as the Princess of Zeroth City, indulging him in a whirlwind of role-playing games in our so-called passionate love. Yet, he never once agreed to make our relationship public. One night, when he didn’t come home again, my best friend joked, asking if he had another woman outside. He didn’t answer and I refused to believe it. It wasn’t until, under the grandest fireworks display in the city, he knelt on one knee to propose to someone else. Only then did I realize—I was the other woman.
Chapters (6)
第1章
On Valentine’s Day, Michael didn’t have time to accompany me.
Instead, he spent lavishly to propose to someone else under a grand fireworks display that the whole city knew about.
We had been together for three years and I had done everything a wife would for him.
Yet he never once agreed to make our relationship public.
I once jokingly asked him if he was being so cautious because he was afraid of breaking another woman’s heart.
It wasn’t until the enormous diamond ring slipped onto her finger and others congratulated him on his seven-year long-distance relationship finally reaching its happy ending, that I realized I was the “other woman” all along.
For three years, I had been with the Crown Prince of Altheris’s elite circle, hiding my identity as the Princess of Zeroth City, indulging him in a whirlwind of role-playing games in our so-called passionate love.
Yet, he never once agreed to make our relationship public.
One night, when he didn’t come home again, my best friend joked, asking if he had another woman outside.
He didn’t answer and I refused to believe it.
It wasn’t until, under the grandest fireworks display in the city, he knelt on one knee to propose to someone else.
Only then did I realize—I was the other woman.
——
The year I ran away from home and was bullied in the workplace, I was drenched in alcohol when Michael, the Crown Prince of Altheris’s elite circle, saved me. He took me back to his villa and kept me hidden like a treasured canary for three years.
He gave me endless money, boundless indulgence and a life of enviable luxury.
Night after night, he would collapse from exhaustion on our shared bed, calling me “honey” as he drifted off to sleep.
Yet in public, Michael always pretended not to know me.
Even when we brushed past each other, he avoided meeting my eyes as if even the slightest acknowledgment was taboo.
But under the same table, he would shamelessly hook my long legs as if no one else existed.
One night, when he didn’t come home again, my best friend teased, asking if he had another woman outside.
Michael smiled faintly, his slender fingers casually twirling a strand of my hair by my ear.
“My kidneys aren’t strong enough to handle two women.”
“Whether there’s another woman or not, she’ll find out tonight.”
I blushed furiously and amidst our playful banter, the topic was brushed aside.
Until this Valentine’s Day, when he canceled on me due to work obligations. Feeling disappointed, I went to the seaside with my best friend to watch the fireworks.
But on a luxurious yacht, I saw Michael holding a girl in a flowing white dress. He knelt on one knee and flamboyantly pressed a button on the device in his hand.
The sudden burst of dazzling fireworks lit up the sky, forming a giant heart and the words “Love You” above us—a deliberate and grand gesture of affection from Michael to that girl.
It wasn’t until that girl, her eyes brimming with tears, threw herself into Michael’s arms and the onlookers screamed their congratulations for the Crown Prince’s seven-year relationship finally reaching its happy ending, that I realized—I was the other woman all along.
Tears fell into the smoke filled with love and I stood there like a poisoned fool, incapable of doing anything but cry.
“You’re moved too, aren’t you? Seven years of perseverance, four years of long-distance love and over three hundred flights spanning twenty-one hours roundtrip—how difficult it must have been for them.”
The young girl looked at the golden couple on the yacht with admiration and kindly shoved a glow stick into my hand.
“The Crown Prince is generous, spending 4 million dollars to set up this proposal. If you wave this glow stick with me for two hours, you’ll earn 70 dollars. My friend couldn’t make it, so the chance to make money is yours.”
My best friend couldn’t stand it and quickly grabbed my hand, stopping me from accepting the glow stick.
“My friend has a jinx and I’m afraid they won’t end up together. Let’s forget about it.”
Pulling me to the side of the road, she scolded me. “It’s just a man, what’s so great about him? If you don’t have him, there are thousands more. I’ll get you some options right now.”
She dragged me to the biggest nightclub in the city. Surrounded by male models pouring drink after drink into me, I ended up vomiting uncontrollably.
第2章
I stepped out to catch my breath, only to unexpectedly run into Michael. It turned out this bar’s VIP room had been regularly reserved by Michael.
To celebrate his girlfriend accepting his proposal, he brought along his friends to party all night.
From behind the door of the VIP room, I could hear Michael’s friends teasing him.
“Michael’s getting married, does that mean he’s going to settle down?”
“What about that little girl you’ve been seeing on the side?”
"If not. Let us have her instead; she's just a plaything anyway."
"To be honest, it's rare to find such a pure canary. Name your price—one million? four million dollars? Or seven million dollars?"
"No!" Michael firmly refused.
The faces of the others froze and my heart leaped into my throat.
But in the next moment, he took a casual sip of his drink, narrowed his eyes slightly and said with a faint smile. "Someone this easy to fool is worth at least a hundred million dollars."
He regarded me as a canary with a clear price tag.
It felt like a needle piercing my heart.
Unable to hold back any longer, I turned around, fled into an empty private room and broke down into uncontrollable tears.
Then, an unfamiliar number lit up my phone screen.
"Hello, is this Ms. Taylor Ashley?"
I composed my voice and replied. "Yes. May I ask who this is?"
The person on the other end let out a sigh of relief and replied with a soft chuckle. "I'm Michael's fiancée. You left something in his car. May I send you a picture so you can check."
Driven by curiosity, I couldn't wait to see what kind of woman had earned a place so close to Michael's heart.
"Sure," I agreed without hesitation.
A minute later, she sent me a picture of a black lace maid outfit.
It was one of Michael's favorite "desserts" in bed who was always chasing excitement and new thrills.
In these role-playing games, he cast me as the maid. While it was all just pretend for him, I was the only one who truly immersed myself in the role.
In front of Michael's fiancée, I, the mistress, felt as if I had been stripped bare and thrown onto the street, exposed and shamed to my core.
"Ms. Ashley, you have a great figure, much fuller than other girls. But Michael's taste has changed quite a bit. He used to prefer pure and innocent styles. It doesn't matter. They’re all just playthings to vent his needs, props to spice things up—there's no difference. If he offers too little money, make him pay more. After all, a girl's youth is incredibly valuable."
Every word she said felt like a silent slap across my face, hitting me hard. My dignity and self-respect were shattered, leaving me barely able to hold my phone steady.
I wasn’t a mistress, but no one believed me. In their seven years together, I had spent three years living in a villa on the outskirts of Altheris. Even though we did everything a married couple would, how many people besides Michael’s group of friends even knew I existed?
The one kept in the dark, hidden from the world, had always been me.
My silent trembling seemed to be noticed by her and she asked, "Will you come to pick it up, or should I mail it to you?"
I forced myself to stay calm and replied, "Trash like that? Just throw it away. I don’t need it."
I meant not just the outfit, but Michael as well.
She remained calm and composed, refusing to send another word my way.
Like a desperate voyeur in the dark, I couldn’t resist opening her social media feed, searching for traces of their love story.
But her feed was spotless—just pictures of travels around the world and a single photo of her pulling a suitcase with one hand.
That hand had roamed over me countless times.
It had held mine, time and again, as we watched the stars and talked about the moon.
第3章
He had even slipped a ring onto my finger, a symbol of loyalty and honesty.
Three years together, how could I not know it was Michael?
The caption beneath the photo was simple. [With one sentence, I'm back, no matter how late it is, someone will pick me up.]
Like an obsessed fool, I couldn’t stop staring at her post, even checking the time she shared it.
Three weeks ago, at 2 a.m.?
That day, I was wearing the black stockings personally chosen by Michael. After one glass of wine after another, I was pushed onto the floor covered in candles by him.
He kept teasing me, igniting thunder and lightning that made me go crazy.
But just as he was about to tear off the black stockings, his phone rang. He instinctively tried to turn it off, but upon seeing the message, he quickly pulled away from me.
The desire in his dark eyes instantly disappeared. He didn’t even throw me something to cover myself with and after grabbing his coat, he rushed out.
“I have an urgent matter. I’ll deal with you tomorrow.”
The door slammed shut and my desires were crushed in the gap of the door, while he didn’t return for an entire week.
Every day, a report message showed his hectic schedule, as if he was so busy that he couldn't even find time to rest.
One after another, his good buddies would cover for him. But it turned out, his so-called business was actually spending time with his official girlfriend.
Three years of memories, all too vivid. The pain turned into hatred, hatred for my own foolishness in believing that was love.
Utterly disappointed, I called my brother with tears in my eyes: "I want to come home."
"Had enough of wandering? I told you long ago, why give up being a young rich lady to become a small clerk in Altheris? Now you see how harsh society can be, huh? So, when are you coming back?"
"Tomorrow night’s flight!"
"That soon?"
"Yes, very soon."
After hanging up, a message from Michael popped up on WhatsApp. It was a picture of fireworks blooming, with a giant heart shape filled with thousands of tiny hearts, taken from the angle of a yacht. It was a photo taken by Michael himself.
[Do you like it? I knew you would, I took it just for you.]
He gave the grand wedding ceremony to someone else but kept the pictures for me. Michael was not only frugal but also very cunning. Tears fell onto my screen as I enlarged Michael's insincere words.
"Like my heart, it’s full of you. Romantic, isn't it?"
If I hadn't been there to witness him passionately kissing that woman until they were almost out of breath, I might have believed it.
Wiping away my tears, I replied with two words: "So romantic."
Your love spans mountains and oceans, a cross-border romance.
Back in the private room, I pulled my best friend along. She was confused, so I asked her, "Didn't you say you wanted to get rich? I'm here to help you with that."
We quickly contacted a second-hand luxury goods company. I sold all my luxury bags, jewelry and the clothes and shoes filling my wardrobe at a heavily discounted price. Even the sofa, bed and kitchenware I had personally chosen were moved to my friend's place by a moving company.
"It's all yours. Use what you can and throw away what you can't. I won't leave a single thing I earned over three years for anyone else."
Before dawn, half of the villa was emptied. I received a check for four million, which was the price I paid for being in a gilded cage for three years. It was the exact same amount Michael spent proposing to his beloved, how cheap.
My best friend looked at the drastically changed villa in disbelief. "What's the difference from a bare shell?"
What a good idea.
第4章
I quickly hired five makeshift construction teams and tirelessly turned the luxurious villa into a bare shell. Looking at my sleepless night's work, I felt no joy, only a sense of disgrace and worthlessness.
"Anne, I'm exhausted. Can I sleep at your place?"
"Of course, besides me, what else in my house isn't given by you? Welcome home, sis."
I smiled, took off the big diamond ring from my ring finger and placed it on the lock button by the entrance door. From then on, everything about Michael was left in that yard, shattered to pieces.
Following Anne back to her place, I was utterly exhausted and couldn't hold back anymore. I collapsed on her bed and slept soundly for an entire day.
When I woke up in the evening, there was a message from Michael on my phone: [Come home tonight, I have a surprise for you. And prepare my favorite snacks. I want to devour both the snacks and you.]
Sure enough, he treated me like a plaything. He thought he was being affectionate, sending dozens of heart emoji stickers, yet he had no idea that just a minute earlier, his fiancée had updated her social media: [Who else is as generous as me, letting you go to your flings at the drinking table?]
Michael replied, [Honey, you're the most generous.]
Then, Sarah Walker, that woman, messaged me: [I went to your place. I chose the most expensive bag for you, no need to thank me. By the way, Michael sprained his waist last night, so take it easy during your little games.]
I hated her nonchalant display of blatant bragging and sarcasm beneath her calm demeanor.
I also hated being unknowingly dragged into their games. Somehow, I found the courage to reply provocatively, [Don't worry, I'm on top."]
The typing on the other end stopped. I finally felt a bit of satisfaction.
Michael messaged again: [What do you want to eat tonight? I'll bring it home for you. How about some chicken soup?]
He still didn't know that the house was gone and so was I. With a sarcastic smile, I replied, [Make sure to eat well, there's a surprise waiting for you at home.]
Getting up to take a shower, I left without looking back, with Anne in tears. I boarded the flight back to the coastal city.
I discarded my phone card, severing all ties with Altheris from then on.
Michael, carrying the limited-edition designer bag, excitedly pushed open the villa's door and was stunned. He even thought he had walked into the wrong place. After rubbing his eyes and repeatedly checking the villa's address, he confirmed it was indeed his home.
But overnight, it had turned into a wasteland-like garbage dump. He reflexively called out for my name, but in the empty villa, there was nothing but cold, shattered concrete.
He began to panic. Taking out his phone, he dialed my number. The repeated shutdown notifications made him realize that he was trembling. He then called several of his close friends one by one:
"Hey, did any of you tell Taylor about Sarah coming back?"
"No!"
"Did you block Taylor from seeing your social media posts?"
"Every time we have a gathering, we block her."
"So, has she tried to contact me?"
"Yes, often in the past, but not these past few days."
Michael's frown deepened. Just as he was about to curse, he spotted the diamond ring on the door frame.
It was the ring I refused to take off, even during our play. The one I said made me his wife. The ring he thought I would wear forever.
第5章
The ring was just taken off like that. His pupils dilated and for a moment, it felt like his heart was being squeezed, causing him immense pain.
But just as he rushed out the door, Sarah stood behind him, smiling. "Why did you demolish the house? Are you planning to renovate it for our new home?"
The panic in Michael's eyes quickly faded. He took Sarah's hand and smiled, "What kind of decoration do you like?"
"Hmm, something simple."
"Alright, whatever you say."
With their fingers tightly intertwined, the two of them walked out the door side by side.
As Michael had just held the diamond ring in his hand, he threw it to the ground the moment Sarah appeared. Before leaving, Sarah glanced back with a cold smile and kicked it into the sewer, murmuring, "I don't want it and you don't deserve to pick it up!"
Michael didn’t look back. He thought to himself that he had probably spoiled me too much, indulging me every whim, letting me throw little tantrums at him.
The villa's multimillion-dollar renovation was destroyed overnight, becoming a joke in their circle.
He cursed under his breath, “What is there to make a fuss about with her background? Even if there are other women outside, so what? She probably doesn't know how many girls are lining up to throw themselves at me with just a wave of my hand. I spend a lot of money, give her plenty of love and affection and even during the years Sarah is away, I never sleep with another woman.”
He believed that he had already been attentive enough to me. If I continued to act out, he regarded it as my immaturity and without him, I wouldn't have lasted three months before facing hardship. A woman he had pampered wouldn't be able to handle the grind of a nine-to-five job, bowing and scraping.
He determined that once I was done throwing tantrums and wanted to come back, he'd lay down the rules properly.
What he didn't know was that while he might have been the prince of Altheris, I was the quintessential young lady of Zeroth. We both played our roles in this game for three years. While he performed convincingly, I was just as committed.
Three months later, a grand banquet was held at the Thompson Family's mansion in Zeroth City.
I was forcibly ordered by my brother to attend as a representative of the Taylor Family. By the time I dragged my feet to the venue, more than half the guests had already arrived.
To my surprise, I ran into some familiar faces beside the Thompson Family patriarch.
Michael, with his arm around Sarah's slender waist, stood beside the old man, holding a wine glass. As half of Zeroth City's elite and wealthy business people took turns greeting the patriarch, the two of them naturally blended in, gaining recognition in the process.
Michael, claiming the title of Walker Family's son-in-law, never left Sarah's side for a moment.
The moment he saw me, the smile on his face froze.
Instinctively, he loosened his grip around Sarah's slender waist.
As for Sarah, when her gaze followed Michael's and landed on me, her expression changed slightly but only for a moment. She then calmly leaned close to Michael's ear and said something.
Without waiting for me to greet Mr. Thompson, Michael walked straight toward me. Ignoring the startled gasps from others, he grabbed my wrist and dragged me to a corner by the staircase.
Lowering his voice, Michael asked me, "Why are you here? Where have you been these past three months? Why did you block all my contact information? Am I really that unworthy of your affection? If that's the case, then why did you show up here? Do you even realize how important tonight's banquet is to me? Whether the Harris family can gain a foothold in Zeroth City depends entirely on tonight."
He signed. "Three months of drama is enough. This is not the place for you to be causing trouble. Go back to the hotel and wait for me."
Without caring about my protests, he reached into my handbag, trying to find my phone to leave his number in it.
第6章
I turned to the side and brushed his hand away.
"Why can you come, but I can't? We're both guests once we enter, does that mean you're more distinguished than me? It's all in the past, Mr. Harris, you should let it go."
He furrowed his brow, a gesture he always made when he was about to lose his temper.
"Taylor, I'll say this one last time—don't make a scene."
Seeing Sarah walking over with her back straight and high heels clicking confidently, Michael grew anxious.
"We’re just a casual friendship, remember? The rest, we’ll talk about it later."
"Are you done chatting with your friend?" Sarah nodded at me, then naturally linked her arm with Michael’s, striking the pose of a capable leading lady.
"Mr. Thompson and my grandfather are old friends and with that connection, we should be able to discuss a 10% share of the Harris Family’s market. I've done what I can, but if you're busy, then we can let it go this time..."
"No, I’m not busy!" Michael averted his gaze. "Greetings are done, now we need to focus on the important matters."
He shot me a warning glance and pulled Sarah to walk away.
But Sarah didn’t move. Instead, she provocatively lifted her chin towards me, her beautiful red lips parting and closing like a snake flicking its tongue. "Miss, haven't we met somewhere before?"
Michael immediately furrowed his brow, watching me warily, waiting for my response.
"I feel like I've seen you before," I replied.
Sarah probably thought I would be intimidated by her because of her high status.
But why should I?
I was the one who’d been mistreated, the one who’d been played.
I casually opened my phone, scrolled through the constant messages Sarah had been sending me over the past three months, flaunting her love. Without hesitation, I threw it right in her face.
"WhatsApp! You've been sending me all these 'show-off love' messages every day. My profile picture is my own photo, how come you don't even recognize me now?"
I scrolled up the screen and continued, "Isn’t this the picture of the new house you sent me? I was so busy that I forgot to reply. I’ve long since had enough of that crappy house, so I gave it to you. Don’t get too happy."
Sarah's fake smile froze on her face and she gritted her teeth, warning me, "Don't go too far!"
I raised an eyebrow. "Is this too far?"
I went on, "When you sent those pictures of you two in bed in the dead of night, that wasn’t too much? When you flaunted the marks all over Michael's neck to show off, that wasn’t too much? When you accidentally exposed your sexy dress, that wasn’t too much?"
With every word I spoke, Sarah’s face paled more.
She anxiously glanced at Michael, but I blocked her view. "Are you so afraid of me? Am I such a big threat to you?"
"You said it yourself, something you pay for is no different from a drink, right? So is it that I'm just too charming, or is my drink too strong?"
She was left speechless by my words, unable to defend herself.
I crossed my arms, clicking my tongue and shaking my head. "They say you're the most elegant woman in the capital, but why do I sense you're acting pure and innocent while actually being manipulative?"
"Michael." Sarah’s face instantly turned ugly and she looked at Michael with pleading eyes, hoping for help.
I thought that Michael probably understood.
But he roughly yanked me away from Sarah, standing in front of her protectively and coldly scolded me, "Taylor! I warn you, don’t speak out of turn. Sarah has a good temper, but I’m not as easy to deal with."
But I wasn’t one to be easily threatened. "What’s wrong? She’s your woman, aren’t you going to introduce her? Your little snack, was it me who taught your fiancée how to make it for you?"
Michael's expression stiffened and there was a surge of angry flames in his eyes. He gritted his teeth and coldly said to me.
"Apologize to Sarah now and I can pretend nothing happened."
I couldn't be bothered to listen to him. I turned to leave, but my wrist was grabbed and I was yanked back off balance. "Did I give you permission to leave?"
The next moment, a strong hand gripped Michael's wrist tightly. "My fiancée doesn't need your permission."