C4 I Don't Want Mrs. Edwards's Position Anymore!

Cassius pinched the bridge of his nose, "Diantha, I'm not a pervert. Like I said before, Anthea sees me as nothing more than a big brother."

Diantha's hand shook as she reached for the water glass. "Oh? So, it's me who's the pervert? My thoughts are dirty, and I'm overthinking things?"

Cassius frowned, "You..." His phone interrupted with a ring. He pulled it out and saw Anthea's number, answered with a few brief words, and hung up. He glanced at Diantha, still avoiding eye contact, and said with a detached tone, "I've got to go; something's come up. Get some rest. And when you get back, you owe Anthea an apology."

The glass shattered on the floor with a sharp snap.

"Apologize? For what?" Diantha's voice was steady as she picked up a shard of glass the length of her index finger, turning it over in her hand. "For interrupting her little game of seducing my man?"

This was the first time Diantha had let her emotions show so openly, so relentlessly.

Cassius, who had been about to leave, paused at her words. "I thought you'd had time to reflect, to come to an understanding."

"Yeah, I've had an epiphany. You two are well-suited for each other. It was me who forced this marriage."

"Diantha, stop this nonsense. I'm running out of patience."

"Heh, you've got all the time and patience in the world for her whining and complaints, but I'm just being unreasonable, right? Suddenly your patience is wearing thin," Diantha said, her body tensing as a bitter smile tugged at her lips. Memories of her past life flashed before her eyes. She gripped the glass shard, laughing softly for the first time since Cassius had entered the room, and finally looked up at him. Her eyes were brimming with irrepressible hatred. "How ironic, my patience has run out too."

In an instant, she lunged at Cassius with the shard.

He was momentarily stunned, seeing such intense hatred in Diantha's eyes for the first time, and she had never looked at him this way before. In his memories, her eyes were always filled with love, pure and focused.

Caught off guard, he barely had time to react as the shard came at him.

Cassius stepped back, swiftly grabbing Diantha's wrist, but she twisted, driving the glass deep into his wrist. He grunted and released her. Diantha pulled away, spun around, and lunged for his throat with both hands.

Cassius dodged, then caught Diantha's hands in one swift move, pinning her against the wall and towering over her. "Have you lost your mind?"

Instead of anger, a smile played on Diantha's lips. "You tell me, what madness is this?"

"I know the rumors have been hard on you, but you've handled it so well. Don't let the outside chatter get to you. The title of Mrs. Edwards is, and always will be, yours. That hasn't changed."

Handled it well? By staying silent and not setting the record straight? By not making a scene?

She fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Since you're aware of the rumors, why not clear the air? Aren't I your wife? Just one word from you, and all those rumors would vanish."

She had anticipated his response, yet a part of her clung to a thread of hope for a different answer.

"Anthea's young, just starting out. Too much scandal would be bad for her career."

"So, you let the rumors spiral, painting me as the villain, the jealous wife. One, to garner sympathy for Anthea, and two, to confirm that she's under your protection, deterring others from crossing her. You've plotted for your precious Anthea, but where does that leave me?"

Cassius's impatience showed in his frown, "Diantha."

She dropped her shoulders, "Let go."

He didn't budge.

Her eyes reddened as she raised her voice, "Let go!"

Cassius met her gaze and slowly released her.

Diantha pulled back her hand, rubbing her reddened wrist, took a deep breath, and faced Cassius with a cold expression, "Cassius, it was wrong of me to force something that wasn't meant to be. I've suffered enough this past year. I no longer want the title of Mrs. Edwards."

Cassius chuckled, "Diantha, don't play the same game twice."

Diantha remembered the time when Anthea had first moved into the Edwards home, and she had suggested divorce to Cassius in a fit of pique. She hadn't expected him to agree so readily. In her anger, she had called Old Master Edwards, who had traveled from the family estate in X City to give Cassius a stern talking-to right in his own home.

So now, whether she talks about divorce or separation, it seems Cassius wouldn't believe a word of it.

Reflecting on her past actions, Diantha found herself at a loss for words, silently massaging her wrist.

Her hands were pale and delicate, seemingly slender yet unexpectedly plump to the touch, the red marks standing out starkly against her soft skin, conspicuous but not incongruous.

Cassius fiddled with the silver ring on his thumb, a sure sign of his growing impatience.

"Focus on getting better. Stop worrying about everything else. Once you're discharged, I'll have Heyden come pick you up," he said, and without further ado, he left.

Diantha stared at the shattered glass on the floor and let out a self-deprecating chuckle.

Who would have thought that upon seeing Cassius again, the emotions from her past life would erupt so violently?

She had been given a second chance at life, yet the farce of her previous existence still haunted her. What was she still hoping for?

Hadn't she already come to terms with the truth? That which isn't meant to be hers shouldn't be pursued. The saying 'a dog that licks too much ends up with nothing' fit her former self all too well.

On another note, that recent phone call must have been from Anthea. Diantha remembered the incident from her last life: Anthea had her eye on a script for a youth idol film with dual male leads, starring the heartthrobs Hollis and Sabino. Hollis was Anthea's idol, and when she expressed her desire to join the film to Cassius, he didn't hesitate to have her invest in the project and oust the original leading lady, Zhuo Tong. Zhuo Tong was a rising star with a fan base larger than Anthea's, and when the scandal broke, the internet erupted in vitriol. Anthea gained a slew of detractors overnight, and it was only Cassius's intervention that quelled the uproar.

It was unclear whether this was before or after Anthea had joined the cast.

Diantha checked her phone, and the online world seemed peaceful, suggesting Anthea hadn't yet joined the cast.

Three days later, Nancy, the cheerful nurse, came to change Diantha's dressings and administer her IV. "Mrs. Edwards, you're right about Anthea. She's nothing but a pretentious white lotus."

Over the past few days, Nancy had grown more comfortable around Diantha, shedding her initial restraint and revealing her penchant for chatter and gossip.

Before Diantha could respond, Nancy continued, "Anthea set her sights on our dear Hollis and barged into the production, replacing the chosen actress without a second thought. Now she's being dragged through the mud online."

"And to top it off, after the backlash, she played the victim, claiming it was all a misunderstanding, that she didn't realize the female lead had already been cast. But come on, the official photos of the leads were released weeks ago. How could she not know?"

Diantha browsed the trending topics on her phone, liking every comment that bashed Anthea, unconcerned about stirring up more online drama. When she came across Anthea's latest post about stepping down from the film and returning the role to Zhuo Tong, she arched an eyebrow. "She's quitting the film?"

Nancy's eyes lit up. "You saw that too? Isn't she just the epitome of a white lotus? Claiming she doesn't want to take what's not hers at a time like this? She's not going to act? That's a laugh. She brought in the funding; there's no way she can just back out now. And did she even consider Zhuo Tong's feelings when she made that statement?"

Diantha scrolled through the comments, noting the film's title, 'Your Young and Young.'

She recalled that in her previous life, despite the initial backlash for replacing the lead actress, Anthea's career took off after the film's release thanks to a solid script, Hollis's popularity, and her own decent acting skills. She even snagged a nomination for Best Female Lead.

After some thought, Diantha opened her contacts and sent a message to someone named [White + Black], listed under [Cassius's Friends], "Interested in the lead role for 'The Merchant'?"

'The Merchant' was a new film by the internationally acclaimed director Eugene, a reimagined tale of King Di Xin and the Nine-Tailed Fox, Dakki. The news was still a well-kept secret in the industry, and for anyone involved, a role in Eugene's film was as good as a ticket to the awards. Even without a win, it was a golden opportunity for any actor's career.

Sure enough, White + Black responded promptly, "Diantha?"