Chapter 3

Alex's POV

Only 48 hours remained before my flight.

I arranged to meet Nicole at the jewelry studio we'd founded together four years ago. She'd provided the funding while I handled the designs and day-to-day operations.

We'd built the brand from nothing into one of the industry's rising names. Yet, Nicole had always been the only registered owner and the one in control.

I hadn't thought it mattered. After all, we were going to get married sooner or later.

Now I realized that the future had only ever existed in my mind.

"I want to take Evergrove with me," I said, placing the design sketches on the table. "I want all the copyrights and future royalties transferred back into my name."

Nicole leaned back in her chair, as if I'd made some childish request.

"Once we're married, what's mine is yours. What's the difference?" she asked.

"There is a difference," I replied. "The studio belongs to the Hunt family, not me."

Nicole's expression grew colder.

"Just because the agreement doesn't give you any shares, you're bringing up every little thing from the past four years?"

I was about to respond when a commotion erupted outside the studio.

Richard stumbled into the room, holding the empty cuff of his shirt. His eyes were already brimming with tears.

"Nic, the cufflinks my grandfather left me have gone missing," he choked out.

An employee behind him spoke up in a low voice. "According to the security footage, Alex was the only person who had entered the VIP lounge alone.

Everyone immediately turned to look at me.

I pulled out my phone.

"Get the full security footage," I said firmly.

The store manager looked uncomfortable, unsure how to respond.

Richard quickly grabbed Nicole's arm.

"Forget it. Maybe I just misplaced them. Don't make things difficult for Alex because of me."

The more gracious Richard seemed, the more suspicious everyone became of me. It was as if I hadn't just stolen something, but was now forcing the victim to forgive me in public.

Nicole was silent for a few seconds before pulling me aside.

"Today is Richard's first brand event since returning to the country. If this gets out of hand, it'll ruin his reputation," she warned.

I almost laughed out loud in disbelief.

"He lost something, and I'm being accused of stealing it. So why are you worrying about his reputation?" I snapped.

"I never said you took them," Nicole whispered. "Just apologize for now and smooth things over. I'll buy you an even more expensive pair of cufflinks later."

It was always about money.

I was being accused of something I hadn't done in front of everyone. Yet, all Nicole could think about was how to pay me off instead of finding out the truth.

I looked at the woman I'd loved for four years. Suddenly, I couldn't even bring myself to feel disappointed anymore.

"What if I refuse to apologize?" I asked.

"Alex, don't make this hard for me," she warned, her gaze instantly hardening.

Apparently, my innocence meant nothing compared to Richard's brand event.

I simply nodded. "Understood."

I refused to bow to Richard. Instead, I took out the withdrawal agreement I'd prepared and signed my name in front of Nicole.

I gave up everything—my management rights in the studio, my share of the brand's profits, and the perks the Hunt family had promised as part of our engagement.

But I'd made one thing very clear in the attached agreement. The Evergrove collection would be permanently discontinued after my departure, and I'd be taking the original design sketches with me.

Nicole barely glanced through the agreement. Thinking I'd finally given in, she casually signed it.

Half an hour later, an employee found the missing cufflinks in a hidden compartment of Richard's briefcase.

Richard's face flushed as he tried to explain.

"I'm sorry. My assistant must have put them in the wrong place."

Nicole merely replied, "Well, at least it's been found."

Not a single person apologized for accusing me.

Apparently, when an ordinary man was publicly branded a thief, everyone could simply pretend it never happened as long as the missing item eventually turned up,

I put the agreement away and turned to leave.

Just then, an airline notification popped up on my phone.

"Check-in successful. Your flight is scheduled to depart tomorrow at 3:40 pm."