Sheila worked at an elite nail salon as a manicurist. She had a regular customer named Vicky, whom she quickly befriended. Whenever Vicky came to the nail salon to do her nails, she would share about her life when married to Martin, one of the most prominent tycoons in Hong Kong, the kind of life which Sheila had longed for.
"I wore a red dress to celebrate our anniversary," Vicky would say. "Martin goes crazy about this colour."
"What else does he like?" Sheila asked.
"Oh, he likes skinny girls so much. He even made me go on a diet to suit his palate," Vicky said. She even showed Sheila a photo of herself and Martin. As Sheila listened in on her friend's description, she started becoming envious about her.
"Look at her. She's not as qualified and yet, she managed to marry well. Well, look at me. I'm more academically qualified, and yet, I'm stuck in this job. How I wish I could become her so that I won't have to work so hard," Sheila thought to herself. A devious plan started forming in her mind.
Sheila started working herself out vigorously at the gym to get into shape. She then quit her job at the nail salon and worked her way into impressing Martin by appearing at his office, captivating him with her looks.
"Who are you, beautiful stranger?" he asked.
"I'm Sheila Kwan Kai-lok, your new secretary," she began. She managed to get Martin onto her hook within a few days, with him promising to divorce Vicky and be with her. He packed Vicky's belongings and kicked her out of the house in the middle of the night. While she was oblivious to what was happening, Martin told her that he was tired of her and had a lover. Sheila then drove up to Martin's house.
"Sheila, what are you doing here?" Vicky asked, surprised.
"Looks like you don't know anything. I'm Martin's mistress, and I'll be living here from now on," Sheila smirked. Instead of feeling upset, Vicky smiled and whispered, "You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into." She then walked away. However, Sheila simply dismissed Vicky's warning as mere jealousy. "Dear, the fittest will survive. Goodbye," she smirked. Little did she realize how wrong she would be.
It all started on Sheila's first anniversary with Martin. She was wearing her favourite blue dress when Martin walked in unexpectedly.
"What are you wearing? This dress isn't red," he demanded.
"Yes, but I liked this outfit," Sheila tried to explain, but Martin wouldn't listen.
"I don't care," he said. "You look cheap in it. Change, or you'll regret it." Martin looked merciless, so Sheila had no choice but to obey him. However, this seemed to embolden Martin, whose behaviour got worse. He would accuse Sheila of having a lover, even when she was just visiting her family. "I don't care, you should only spend time with me," he would say, even though Sheila wanted to spend some time with her family. As Martin became more controlling, she started becoming afraid of him, and so she did whatever he told her to. Still, Martin was not satisfied. He would find ways to nitpick, and since Sheila had been isolated from her friends and family, she could not ask for help. Her life could have ended tragically if not for one meeting.
It happened during an argument, when Martin physically abused Sheila, and she had to receive medical attention. Martin reluctantly let her leave the house for exactly an hour. At the hospital, she unexpectedly bumped into Vicky, who had a visible baby bump, and was glowing with happiness, something which she had not observed when Vicky was a regular customer at the nail salon she used to work at.
"Wow, you've changed so much, and you're happier than before," Sheila exclaimed.
"Yes, and it's thanks to you. I am now happy with my new husband who loves me, and our baby will be due in 3 months' time," Vicky replied. Sheila looked at Vicky with surprise, while the latter looked at the bruise on her face.
"This is nothing," Sheila tried to explain while covering her bruise. "I simply fell."
"I know Martin did it. You don't have to lie to me," Vicky said. "You pretended to be my friend to become his wife. I knew that from the beginning and let you do it." Knowing how right Vicky was about Martin, Sheila cried bitterly. Just then, Vicky's new husband, Duncan, appeared. "Honey, is she the lover of your ex, which you mentioned to me?" he asked. Vicky nodded.
"You're a terrible person, Sheila Kwan Kai-lok," Duncan said angrily. "But you don't deserve to experience what my wife used to experience,. If you want to truly live, you have to report him to the police." Sheila nodded, in tears. The doctor examined her injuries, and after ascertaining that she was a victim of domestic violence, he called the police, and Martin was promptly arrested. Sheila, on the other hand, took a flight out of Hong Kong with Vicky and Duncan's help, and started a new life.
