Chapter 4

Justin visited me nearly every day while I was hospitalized.

I noticed that the faint scent of alcohol always clung to him. He also looked exhausted.

Thus, when the doctor suggested that I switch to a better ointment, I rejected him.

Justin frowned and asked why I rejected the doctor's suggestion.

I fixed a pained look on my face as I cradled his face and said, "I don't want you to tire yourself out."

In the following days, the dark circles under Justin's eyes became even more severe.

My plan had worked.

As expected, although the Lowen family had fallen to ruin, they still had their resources and connections.

Justin achieved a great deal within the short span of a month. Slowly, he began to give me mid-range jewelry as presents. Although he couldn't splurge on me as he did in the past, I could tell that he had put a lot of thought into selecting each present for me.

Every gift was tailored to my preferences.

We didn't make our relationship official, but I could see the increasing admiration and adoration glimmering in his eyes with every day that passed.

I was in high spirits. I put on the jewelry and snapped several selfies of myself from different angles. After meticulously selecting the photos that looked the best, I posted them on my social media account.

Justin commented on the post. "I'm glad that you like them."

Meanwhile, Winona's temper exploded when she saw the post.

Hunter came from new money. As a result, he was miserly and had bad taste.

Winona only chose him to be her new boyfriend because Justin's family went bankrupt. It was only natural that she would feel annoyed that I was living lavishly. She even secretly met Justin in private, asking him to get back together with her.

As expected, Justin shot her down.

I didn't care about Winona's schemes and focused on posting more and more photos of the jewelry that Justin gave me.

…

One day, I was stopped by a stranger on the street.

"Would you be interested in working together with me, Ms. Dorne?" the man asked.

My heart hammered against my chest as sweat beaded across my palms.

I had come up with two plans from the very beginning.

The first plan involved getting Justin to fall in love with me. I would be able to enjoy a comfortable and luxurious life once he successfully clawed his way back to success. The only downside to this plan was that it would take a long time, and there were many uncertain factors.

The second plan was to accept the best deal that was offered to me.

The Lowen family had many enemies. It was only natural that there would be people who didn't want Justin to achieve success again.

All I had to do was present myself as someone close to Justin whom he trusted. I had no doubt that someone would come knocking on my door soon to bribe me. Although I wouldn't earn as much money with this plan, it was less risky than the first plan.

It was the reason why I kept showing off the jewelry that Justin gave me on my social media account.

"Let's have a chat at that cafe."

I wasn't sure why, but I ended up following the man to the cafe.

He made an offer that I couldn't refuse. The amount of money involved would be enough for me to live a life of luxury and comfort for the rest of my days.

Instead of depending on something as fickle as love, I thought that it was better for me to control my own wealth with my own hands.

I swallowed and made my decision. "Okay."

…

I came up with all sorts of excuses to stick close to Justin in the following days.

My goal was to locate the document that could crush the remaining authority that Lowen Group wielded.

Justin didn't question my intentions at all. He smiled as he introduced the current operations of the company to me.

I started snooping around. In the end, I managed to get my hands on that document that was worth a fortune when Justin was out buying lunch for us.

…

The next day, I waited in the cafe as per my agreement with the man.

However, Justin and Winona approached my table just as I was pulling the folder out of my bag.

My heart plummeted into my gut as an icy sensation spread through my body. I was just about to stuff the folder back into my bag when Winona suddenly rushed forward.

Winona grabbed my hand as a smug smile stretched across her lips. She turned to look at Justin and exclaimed, "See? I told you that she would fall for it!"

I looked up, feeling all the blood rush to the top of my head. My fingertips felt incredibly cold, and my hands were shaking violently.

My mind had gone blank except for a single thought—I was done for. They had discovered what I was up to.

Justin's expression was stormy. He stared at me for a long time. His eyes were gleaming with disappointment.

"You disgust me, Robin," he spat.