Chapter 1

On a glorious summer afternoon, I was in a pastry shop. A cup of black coffee on the table. The steam coming out of it slowly faded over time. Again, I looked out the window. At lunchtime, my boyfriend texted me to talk about something.

I looked at the wall clock. Ten minutes had passed. I didn't wanna be anxious or suspicious. So, I ordered two tiramisus. When Xavier comes, I'll let him eat these.

A few minutes later, the waiter arrived. The two tiramisus on the table coincided with a limousine pulled up opposite the shop, near the office.

I stared intently at the vehicle. The person I knew driving the white limousine was Gracella. She's a rich girl from the Lawrence family, who own casinos in Las Vegas.

One month ago she suddenly showed up at the company and introduced herself as an investor. There's nothing wrong with being an investor in a food company. However, the look she gave to Xavier gave me pause. Even though I thought she was a rich girl and must've been matched with someone of her level, I was still wary.

No one came out of the limousine. I was about to look away, but then Xavier appeared. The charming man came out of the office carrying his briefcase. I put on a smile and stood up.

He entered the shop. When I saw his tired face, I resisted the urge to greet him. He sat down and I sat down. We were silent for some time.

Xavier sighed. "You waited a long time, sorry," he regretted.

"No problem. I just arrived. Would you like an Americano? I'll order it."

"No need."

"Plain water?"

Xavier shook his head.

At that moment, I immediately shrank. However, I couldn't demand him to be so considerate of me. There's a project this month and Xavier was involved in it. That project must be draining his energy and mind.

I pushed the plate at him. "You've worked hard. Try this."

Xavier took a long look at the cake. His eyelids lowered slightly. He didn't seem interested. Then, he said, "Avery, thank you for your concern."

I nodded with a smile. My heart swelled every time I heard his praise. We were praising each other after working hard, we were also falling in love and now was two months of our dating. I never knew falling in love could be this sweet.

"From now on you don't have to worry about me."

I looked up. In confusion, I looked at his calm face. A glimpse of those eyes scrolled to the left, peering outside the store. However, that's not what's important now.

"Why?"

Pausing for a moment, Xavier told, "Let's end this relationship."

"What do you mean?" I asked and began to fidget. "Did I do something wrong? What did I do that displeased you?"

"No, there's nothing wrong," Xavier replied. He shook his head in resignation. 

"So, what's your excuse?"

"I'm getting married."

"To whom?" I asked quickly. My eyes moved restlessly waiting for a response. Suddenly, someone came to mind. "Grace?"

Xavier nodded.

I wanna speak firmly. But my voice was choked. My throat hurt. "Aren't you guys... since when?"

"Recently."

There was no trace of regret in the voice. I took a breath. I held back the water in my eyes. My vision blurred, but I couldn't cry. Not if this was the end of our relationship.

"Why did you choose her?" I asked again.

"I don't need to tell."

"You do! You need to tell me everything, from the beginning until now." I raised my voice in place of tears. 

Xavier's expression turned annoyed. He ruffled his hair. He clucked, "This is why I hate girls like you."

"What?"

"An ordinary girl like you, what can you give me but love?" Xavier spoke in annoyance. This was the first time he used that tone. I was silent for an instant. He spoke again, "You wanna know why I chose her?"

My mouth snapped shut. I couldn't see his expression because of the tears.

"Grace has the world in her hands. Grace gives me everything I want. You're just an ordinary girl. Do you see the difference?"

I bit my lip. My face looked up to force the tears in. Afterward, I looked him right in the eyes. "I found it. I also found the trait that you were hiding."

Xavier picked up his bag and stood up. As he walked past me, I whispered, "You must be great entertainment for her."

I looked straight ahead. The shop bell rang when Xavier opened the door. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that he went across the street to get into the limousine. Looks like they have a date this afternoon.

My back leaned against the seat. The tears I'd been holding back with all my might finally fell. I covered my face. Damn, I can't cry for that trash. Even though I believed that many times, the tears kept flowing. Double damn!

The glorious summer afternoon turned into a stormy summer. This was the most miserable summer in my 24 years of life.

The ringtone of a phone caught my attention. Between my fingers, I peeked at the person in front of me. His broad back was wrapped in a navy suit. He ruffled his hair for a moment, then picked up the phone.

"You have a boyfriend? Just now? What a coincidence."