Chapter 2

The name "Ryan" had been etched in my heart for three years. When I first saw him, standing uprightly and refined in the gentle summer breeze, I was smitten.

Later, I learned that he came from a poor family and was orphaned. My feelings grew stronger. I wanted to rescue him from his hardships and spend my life with him.

I worked late into the night just to wait for him to come out of the library and walk me back to the dormitory. All my earnings were spent on him.

For four years, until he graduated and became a so-called "financial elite”, people around me said my investment in him had paid off.

We followed the expected path, but he refused to give me a commitment.

"I'm in the prime of my career now. Getting married would affect my relationships. We've been together for so many years. Does it really matter if we have a marriage certificate?"

I loved him, so naturally, I agreed.

But slowly, he changed.

"I have a social event today, and they said to bring a female companion. You know I don't have any other girls around. Could you come with me?"

"Mr. Gibson said he'd sign the contract if you had a drink with him. Baby, can you help me out?"

He gradually realized I was his shortcut to success. It turned out that between him and his achievements stood only me.

The reason he was furious this time was probably because things didn't go as he planned.

He drugged me and sent me to seduce James, the president of Brown Group, hoping to catch us in the act and use the scandal to secure their cooperation.

But he didn't get what he wanted. Instead, his character was questioned, and he lost this opportunity completely.

This time, he must have been enraged out of humiliation.

I returned home and looked at the table full of delicacies with no appetite. As I dumped them into the trash, I felt no emotional fluctuation.

Standing in the bathroom, I struggled to make out my reflection in the steam-covered mirror. I wiped it clean bit by bit, feeling the cold seep into my heart through my fingertips.

To him, I had long been nothing but a tool. He kept me around only because I still had some use.

Seven years of youth wasted on a jerk.

Suddenly, I didn't want to live like this anymore.

I packed all my belongings, realizing that everything I owned couldn't even fill a 24-inch suitcase.

In the pouring rain, I rang the doorbell.

When the door opened, a face both exquisite and filled with aggression appeared.

"Coming over at this hour... Don't you know that I never refuse women who come to me?"