A Pawn in Your Game

The day the Labarres declared bankruptcy, everyone assumed I would break off my engagement to Zach Labarre.

In the middle of a torrential downpour, I abandoned my umbrella and helped the disheveled Zach into the car.

"I'll give you ten million dollars. If you succeed, come back and marry me. If you fail, I'll marry you instead."

Five years later, Zach returned, leading three publicly listed companies.

In front of all the media, he announced, "Leah Chandler and I ended our engagement five years ago."

-

For the past five years, there had been another woman by his side.

She offered him her shoulder when he was tired, comforted him when he was down, and celebrated his successes.

They supported each other through thick and thin, sharing their triumphs and sorrows. Their relationship was harmonious, a bond formed in adversity and strengthened by mutual affection.

And me? The woman who had invested ten million to help him rebuild his life? I had become a joke.

"This is 30 million," Zach said, handing me a card. "It's my way of repaying the favor from back then."

The once impulsive and brash Zach had transformed into a mature, composed man exuding confidence and sharpness.

Back then, I had been utterly bewitched by that face. I had begged my father—pleaded, really—to help him one last time.

And even now, with just one glance at him, a flicker of possessiveness stirred within me.

How pathetic.

I picked up the card and handed it to my secretary without a hint of emotion.

Looking directly at Zach, I ordered coldly, "Check this thoroughly. Not a cent less."

As the secretary took the card, Zach let out a long sigh of relief, as though a massive weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

I admired my freshly manicured nails, my tone indifferent. "Do you think this clears your debt to me?"

Zach straightened his back, his expression solemn. "Ms. Chandler, if you ever need anything in the future, don't hesitate to come to me. I will do whatever it takes to help."

Then, after a brief pause, he added, "Except marry you."

He said it with such earnestness, as though trying to present himself as a man of integrity.

But too bad, I wasn't impressed.

"Those diamond earrings you bought at the auction yesterday—I like them. Have them delivered to me by tomorrow morning."

The earrings, which Zach had splurged a fortune on, were reportedly meant as a gift for his fiancée, Wynona Fletcher.

I wondered how certain people might react if they saw them dangling from my ears.

Zach hesitated.

I rose from my seat, heading upstairs without looking back. "Mr. Labarre, if you're not a man of your word, consider my words just now a joke."

The next morning, the earrings were placed on my vanity by my secretary.

I held them up, studying their brilliance. Stunning, just as I'd thought.

That evening, I attended a banquet in a vintage gown, perfectly complemented by the earrings.

Zach arrived with Wynona by his side, while I had no one accompanying me.

The murmurs around me grew louder. Everyone was speculating why the earrings Zach had intended for his fiancée were now adorning my ears.

Wynona approached me, her smile polite but tinged with condescension.

"Ms. Chandler," she said, her voice sweet, "Zach explained everything to me. These earrings are his way of repaying your kindness."

I sipped my wine, deliberately turning away without acknowledging her.

Women who lacked sense weren't worth my time or energy.

But she wasn't done. With a mocking lilt in her tone, she continued, "Ms. Chandler, I guess you don't know much aside from how to amass wealth—for example, how to love someone. If you did, Zach wouldn't have chosen me."

I glanced at the half-full glass in my hand, finding the wine insufficient to quench my frustration.

So, I picked up a cake from the table and smashed it into her smug face.

"Ah!"

Her sharp cry instantly drew everyone's attention.

Zach rushed over immediately, pulling out a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe the cream off Wynona's face.

His tone was cold and accusatory as he addressed me. "Ms. Chandler, why would you embarrass my fiancée like this?"

I tossed the cake tray aside and dusted my hands off disdainfully. "She ruined my appetite."

Wynona clung to Zach's chest as tears welled up in her eyes, her delicate demeanor resembling that of a frail flower.

"I just came over to tell Ms. Chandler that I don't mind her taking the earrings. If it helps her vent her frustrations, I'm willing to do whatever it takes."