My Dear Enemy, My New Beginning

Ethan Blake's father was my family's bodyguard. He was brutally stabbed to death while rescuing me from kidnappers.

My father, consumed by guilt, took Ethan into our home and raised him as part of our family. He planned for Ethan to marry me when we grew up, as a way in honor of this debt of gratitude.

I also felt indebted and tried everything to win Ethan's affection, almost to the point of fawning over him.

However, Ethan always treated me with cold indifference, barely acknowledging my existence.

One evening, I was working on my personal statements for university applications, he suddenly came to see me and asked about my preparations for the Science Innovation Award.

I thought he had finally warmed up to me and excitedly shared all the details of my project with him.

One week later, I discovered that Ethan's childhood sweetheart, Olivia, had stolen my idea and submitted it as her own for the competition.

She ended up winning first place in the Science Innovation Award and received an early admission to Stanford University.

Heartbroken, I confronted Ethan about why he had extracted my ideas to help Olivia.

He replied with utter indifference, "Aren't you supposed to be capable? Even without the early admission opportunity, you should be able to get in on your own merit."

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1

Ethan's words pierced my heart like shards of ice, making me tremble with rage.

He stood with his hands shoved in his jeans pockets, his face etched with contempt.

"Princess, you've already got it all. Why can't you let a few crumbs fall through your fingers for us poor kids?"

His words dripped with venom, insinuating that I had every advantage and shouldn't be competing with them for this early admission spot.

I attended Westfield Academy—one of the most expensive private high schools in America—and returned each day to a mansion where renowned scholars tutored me.

My project idea for this science innovation award even received technical support from an MIT professor.

Ethan continued, "You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, with resources beyond the reach of ordinary people. Don't think Olivia can't measure up to you. If she had been born into a family like yours, she'd be a hundred times better than you."

My throat tightened, and my voice came out hoarse, "You know I had specifically consulted Professor Hawkins from MIT for this project. Since the work has been stolen, I'll contact the professor to clear things up and reclaim the honor that's rightfully mine!"

Ethan's expression crumbled in an instant. He grabbed my wrist tightly, preventing me from leaving.

His grip was shockingly strong, causing me to cry out in pain, "What are you doing? Let go of me!"

Ethan's voice trembled, nearly begging, "Don't do this. You'll ruin Olivia."

Only when it came to matters involving Olivia did Ethan show such panic, because he owed far too much to the Martinez.

Ethan's parents divorced when he was very young, and his father, struggling to make ends meet, worked as a bodyguard for my family, rarely seeing his son.

Olivia's mother often invited Ethan over for dinner and helped him with his homework afterward.

During those years lacking a father's love, Ethan came to view Olivia and her mother as his own family.

"Sometimes us poor folks just need one chance. Please, can you give this chance to Olivia? For the sake of my late father, if nothing else."

Tears streamed down my cheeks. Whenever he brought up his deceased father, I found myself utterly defenseless.

Seeing that I was no longer insisting on exposing Olivia, Ethan let out a long sigh of relief.

Once again, he had leveraged my guilt to claim victory.