Chapter 1The Billionaire Paid a Fortune for My Cursed Diary

The factory granted us a half-day off, and I was relaxing in the dorms with my coworkers.

Our supervisor took advantage of my distraction to sneak a look at my personal diary. Right then and there, she took her own life.

A newly arrived intern, refusing to believe in any curse, flipped the diary open to take a glance himself. Within seconds, he walked straight to the window and threw himself off the sixteenth floor.

After those two back-to-back deaths, my diary went viral across the internet.

A high-profile billionaire even offered ten percent of his entire net worth just for the chance to look at it.

But I kept it locked securely inside my safe, refusing to show a soul.

Until tonight, at my promotion dinner, when my fiancé waited until my back was turned and flipped open the very first page.

"What are you looking at?!"

I lunged forward, desperately tearing the leather-bound diary out of Charles’s grip.

Charles froze, his hand still holding a half-empty glass of red wine meant to celebrate my promotion. His eyes stared blankly at a hollow point in space, his pupils rapidly dilating.

"Charles?"

A cold shiver ran down my spine. I squeezed the diary tightly against my chest, backing away from him.

The chatter in the private banquet room died instantly. Every coworker in the room turned to stare at the two of us.

"Heh... hehehe..."

A strange, rattling chuckle escaped Charles’s throat.

He snapped his head toward me, his gaze locking onto mine with terrifying intensity.

"So that's what it is... that's how it works..." he whispered to himself.

The next second, he grabbed the silver cake knife from the table.

"Charles, stop!"

I screamed, throwing myself forward to grab his arm, but I was too slow.

He flipped the knife, pointing the sharp tip directly at his own forehead.

"I have to carve it down... can't forget... must not forget..."

The blade sank deep into his flesh.

Blood sprayed across the white frosting of the promotion cake.

Screams erupted in the room as my coworkers scrambled toward the exit. A few of the braver men rushed forward, pinning Charles’s arms and legs to the floor.

Charles thrashed with terrifying, unnatural strength, his eyes bulging out of their sockets.

"You blind fools! You don't know anything!" he shrieked, his voice raw.

A sharp blow stung my face, leaving my ears ringing.

Beatrice, Charles’s mother, glared at me with bloodshot eyes, her fingernails clawing into my skin.

"You witch! What kind of sick curse did you put on my son?"

She cursed, reaching out to rip the diary from my hands.

I gritted my teeth, curling my body around the book, ignoring the sharp pain of her nails tearing into my skin.

"Don't touch it! If you look at it, you'll die!" I warned, my voice cracking.

Beatrice did not care. The rumors of the diary’s value had completely consumed her.

The entire internet knew that Adam Sinclair, the billionaire chairman of Sinclair Enterprises, was offering ten percent of his conglomerate's shares just to lay eyes on this book.

"Stop acting like a saint! You just want that money all to yourself!"

Her face twisted with greed as she kicked my knee, forcing me to slip onto the floor. She yanked my hair backward, her fingers wrapping around the edge of the diary.

"Give me the book! It belongs to our family now! If you're marrying into our house, your very life belongs to us!"

The pain made my vision blur, but I refused to let go. If I let go, everyone in this room would die.

Before she could pry it loose, the double doors of the banquet room were kicked open.

Two lines of men in dark suits filed into the room, immediately taking control of the exits.

The billionaire himself, Adam Sinclair, rolled into the room in his wheelchair. He looked down at me, his eyes gleaming with a cold, predatory light.

"Miss Liu, have you reconsidered my offer?"