Chapter 1

In the third year of Michelle Lowe’s relationship with Sigmund Lloyd, the man she had been financially supporting, her family went bankrupt.

To save the company, her father tried to force her into an arranged marriage.

That very night, she packed up everything she owned, ready to elope with Sigmund.

However, when she arrived at the exclusive club where he worked, she saw him elegantly socializing with powerful guests.

His refined manners and quiet confidence made him look nothing like the poor young man she’d been supporting for the past three years.

“Sigmund, I heard the Lowes are going under. Mr. Lowe is trying to sell his daughter off to save the company. You’re not going to help your girlfriend?”

“Girlfriend? She’s just something to keep Sigmund entertained. His real girlfriend’s coming back soon. Once she’s home, he’ll ditch that fool Michelle and move on without missing a beat.”

“Well, she’s pretty and has a great body. You get her for free, and she even pays you. You’ve made a fortune, Sigmund.

“Still, for the golden boy of Northbridge’s elite to play the part of a sugar baby for three years, you’ve got patience.”

“It has been three years and Michelle still hasn’t realized Sigmund isn’t an employee here but the actual owner. How can someone be that blind?”

The room erupted in laughter as smoke swirled through the air.

Amid the noise, Sigmund calmly typed a reply to Michelle’s message.

She had sent it half an hour ago: “Sigmund, let’s run away together.”

Her phone buzzed softly.

Michelle looked down and saw a single, mocking word on the screen: “Sure.”

“Run away? Where could she even go? She’s her father’s cash cow now. The moment she leaves, he’ll drag her back to sell her off again.”

Sigmund stubbed out his cigarette, then casually pulled a cheap necklace off the hostess beside him.

“Another gift for Michelle? Last time it was that ten-dollar silver ring, and before that, a plastic bouquet.

“She’s supposed to be a rich girl. How can her taste be that bad? And she never complains?”

“She loves everything I give her. That silver ring? She won’t even take it off.”

Michelle froze where she stood, her fingers brushing the ring on her hand, a sharp ache spreading through her chest.

When he gave it to her, she was genuinely happy, thinking he was hinting at a proposal.

But now she realized that it was just a cheap gift he picked without a thought.

Sigmund had been lying to her from the start.

He spent three whole years pretending to be poor.

But she truly loved him.

She bought him designer clothes, luxury watches, cars, and even a villa.

Whenever others mocked him for being a sugar baby, she would blush and defend him without hesitation.

Back then, how ridiculous must she have looked in his eyes?

Michelle couldn’t remember how she made it home.

She only remembered the heavy rain pouring down the entire way, and when she finally got home, a fever struck.

In her restless dreams, she kept reliving the memories of their three years together.

Three years ago, heartbroken and drunk, Michelle met Sigmund at a bar.

Drawn to his good looks, she acted on impulse.

She didn’t know where her courage came from.

She cornered him in the men’s restroom and offered him money to spend the night with her.

After that night, Michelle couldn’t get him out of her mind. She thought he was just a bartender working at the bar.

When they met again, she took the initiative to offer him financial support.

From that day on, they quickly got into a relationship.

She gave him money.

He gave her the comfort of a boyfriend. They went for walks, shopped, watched movies, and did all the things a normal couple would do.

For three years, Michelle was always the one in control.

She thought she would never fall in love, but when her father forced her into an arranged marriage, her defenses crumbled completely.

That night, after a fierce argument with her father, Michelle’s eyes were red as she looked at Sigmund and asked, “If I lose all my money, will you still love me?”

Sigmund kissed her gently and replied, “Of course.”

“Sigmund, even if I lose everything, I’ll never let you live a hard life. You have to believe me.”

After that, she started selling all her valuables to prepare for their escape, imagining a new beginning with Sigmund in another city.

Until tonight, she thought she was about to embrace a brand-new life, only to realize she had walked straight into a cruel lie.

Sigmund had been deceiving her all along.

By the next morning, her fever subsided, and Sigmund came home.

He wrapped his arms around her from behind, but the scent on him wasn’t the cologne she liked.

“I worked all night,” he said lazily. “I’m exhausted. I bought you a gift with my paycheck.”

He pulled out a cheap secondhand necklace and clasped it around her neck himself. “It suits you. Do you like it?”

She answered softly, “I do.”

Sigmund noticed something was off.

In the past, no matter what he gave her, she would light up like a child, insisting that he didn’t need to buy her anything and having him by her side was the best gift she could ask for.

“It doesn’t seem like you like it that much.”

Michelle forced a faint smile. “I might not have much money soon, so try not to spend on unnecessary things”

So that was it.

She was worried about her family’s bankruptcy.

Sigmund kissed her forehead gently.

“Don’t worry. I’ve saved every bit of the allowance you gave me. Plus, I earn my own money at the club. If things get tough, I’ll take care of you instead.”

Michelle smiled faintly and said nothing, gently pushing him toward the shower.

When the sound of running water came from the bathroom, Sigmund’s phone buzzed on the table.

A message appeared on the screen.

It was playful and unmistakably intimate.

“Sigmund, thank you for staying with me all night. I can’t believe after three years, you still remember the cologne I like.”

In that instant, Michelle’s smile vanished.

So that was why he suddenly changed his cologne.

It was the scent another woman liked.

While she was burning with fever, he was in someone else’s arms.

She felt exhausted.

Her heart completely hollowed.

If three years hadn’t been enough to warm his heart, then she no longer wanted it.

Michelle walked out onto the balcony and called her father. “Dad, I agree to the marriage. Do it as soon as possible, before I change my mind.”

Michelle vowed quietly, “Sigmund, since I was the one who started this, I’ll be the one to end it.”