Chapter 5

The flight was moved up. I had to head to the airport immediately.

But before leaving for good, I had one last thing to do.

I needed to get back the cufflinks I gave Alessio. I spent three months designing and polishing that high-end jewelry myself, and he no longer deserved them.

I walked into the lobby of Alessio's corporate headquarters.

"Miss, please show your appointment record," the receptionist stopped me.

"I'm looking for Alessio Stone. I'm his girlfriend, Stella."

The receptionist rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Are you joking? Everyone in the company knows the Don's girlfriend is Miss Maya. If you want to climb the social ladder, do your research first."

I froze.

After three years of dating Alessio, his own people only recognized his ex.

What an absolute joke.

Just then, the main doors pushed open.

Maya strutted in, wearing a flashy red dress.

At the same time, the VIP elevator chimed open.

Alessio, who was usually so aloof and untouchable, actually came downstairs personally to receive her.

He strode straight to Maya, his eyes soft.

The receptionist immediately plastered on a flattering smile. "Don, Miss Maya. There's an ignorant woman here pretending to be your girlfriend..."

Alessio turned and saw me.

His handsome brows instantly knitted together. "Stella? What are you doing here?"

"Alessio, I..."

"Oh my, Stella must be here to see me!" Maya suddenly raised her voice, linking arms with Alessio and cutting me off. "I just posted online that I was coming to see you, Stella must have seen it."

Alessio looked at me, hesitated, and ultimately didn't clarify my identity to anyone.

"Let's talk upstairs," he dropped coldly, turning to lead Maya to the elevator.

I followed, feeling like an extra piece of luggage.

In the top-floor executive office.

I stared at his back and said calmly, "Alessio, give me back the cufflinks I gave you."

He stopped, turned around, eyes full of impatience.

"What kind of tantrum is this now? Because the receptionist didn't recognize you?" He tugged at his tie, his tone harsh like he was scolding a subordinate. "That's just because you never come here. Unlike Maya, who always checks on me. You should look at your own actions."

He seemed to have forgotten that he was the one who told me not to bother him at work.

But I didn't want to argue anymore.

"I'm not throwing a tantrum. I just want the cufflinks."

Maya patted Alessio affectionately and teased, "Look, you made Stella mad. Aren't you going to coax her?"

Alessio sneered.

"I don't have time for these childish games. They're in the bottom drawer of my desk. Find them yourself."

With that, he wrapped an arm around Maya's shoulders. "Let's go. Didn't you want to see the view from the roof? I'll take you."

"Sure," Maya smiled at me and walked away.

The office door clicked shut.

I was alone in the room.

I walked to the desk and opened the bottom drawer.

Instantly, my heart felt like it had been stabbed.

The sapphire cufflinks I had poured countless days and nights into were casually tossed in the deepest corner.

Covered in dust.

But right in the most prominent spot of the drawer sat an exquisite velvet box.

Inside was a cheap metal lighter.

A trinket Maya had bought from a street vendor five years ago.

Yet Alessio treated it like a priceless treasure, carefully preserving it.

How ironic.

I took a deep breath, took out my cufflinks, wiped off the dust, and safely tucked them into my pocket.

I would never force myself into a place I didn't belong again.

I turned toward the door.

Before leaving, I stopped.

I pulled out the black keycard from my bag, the symbol of the lady of the estate.

Alessio gave it to me during our first year.

I thought it was a promise; now I saw it was just a dead card meant to trap me.

I let go.

The card dropped perfectly into the trash can beside the desk.

I walked out of the building without looking back.

Two hours later, I was at the airport.

Boarding announcements were blaring.

I was walking toward the gate when my phone buzzed.

Alessio's name popped up.

Three messages came in succession.

"Stella, why aren't you at the estate?"

"Why did you throw away the keycard? Where are you?"

I stopped, tapped the screen with one hand, and typed calmly:

"Alessio, let's break up."

Send.

Without waiting for his reply, I switched my phone to airplane mode, walked down the jet bridge, and boarded my flight to Milan.

Sitting by the window, I fastened my seatbelt.

The roar of the engines filled my ears.

The G-force intensified as the plane began to climb.