Chapter 4

Alex's POV

On the day of my departure, I woke up long before dawn. The apartment was unusually quiet.

Nicole hadn't come home the night before.

I took only two suitcases with me. Inside were my research files, the photo album my father, Christopher Smith, had left behind, and the admission letter I'd locked away in a cabinet four years ago.

Everything Nicole had given me—the clothes, the expensive watches, and the credit card—was left untouched.

Before leaving, I cleared my fingerprint data from the biometric door lock and placed the access card on the entryway cabinet.

Beside it lay the unsigned prenuptial agreement and the imitation engagement ring.

After four years, all that remained of our life together could fit into a small corner.

On the way to the airport, my phone suddenly started buzzing nonstop.

My name was at the very top of the trending topics.

A secretly recorded video showed me taking off my engagement ring in the banquet's lounge and later signing the withdrawal agreement at the studio.

The gossip account claimed I'd demanded shares in the Hunt family business. When Nicole refused, I'd deliberately broken off the engagement to pressure the Hunts into giving in.

The comment section was flooded with insults.

Some called me a gold digger who was using a woman to climb the social ladder.

Others said Nicole had supported me for four years, yet the moment her old flame returned, I'd seized the chance to demand an outrageous sum.

Some even mocked me, saying that a man from a humble background like mine should consider himself lucky just to marry into the Hunt family. To think I still dared to reach for their assets was utterly shameless.

Judging by the angle of the leaked video, the person who recorded it had to be someone close to Richard.

Felix advised me to release a public statement immediately.

But I called Nicole first. She didn't answer until the fourth ring.

I could hear dishes clinking through the phone. In the background, Richard was asking if she wanted to try the freshly served soup.

"What is it?" Nicole asked impatiently.

"Have you seen the video online?" I asked.

"I have," she replied.

"That's not what happened," I said, tightening my grip on the phone. "Have someone take it down and post a public statement. Make it clear that I never asked for shares in the Hunt family business."

There was a brief silence on the other end.

"Richard just returned to the country. He doesn't understand how the media works. There's no proof he was behind the leak," she said, her voice turning defensive.

"And what if he was?" I shot back.

"Alex, stop targeting him over baseless rumors," Nicole said coldly.

After a brief pause, she continued, "Come home first. Once you've calmed down, we'll talk about our engagement."

Just then, the car pulled up outside the airport departure hall.

Ben unloaded my suitcases from the trunk.

As I stared at the flight status board behind the glass doors, a question slipped out.

"Nicole, what if I'm really leaving for good?"

She let out a soft, dismissive chuckle. "Stop threatening me with leaving. You can't bear to give up your place as the Hunt family's son-in-law, and you can't bear to leave me either."

After a brief pause, she added, "Come back once you're done throwing your tantrum."

I said nothing more.

After hanging up, I sent the secretly recorded video, the attachment to the trust agreement, and the studio exit contract to Felix.

"Proceed as planned," I told him.

Felix replied almost instantly. "Understood. I'll be in touch once you land."

I blocked Nicole, deactivated all my social media accounts, and wheeled my suitcases through security.

Just before boarding, I received a message from Professor Ziegler.

"The team is already waiting for you in Aurelia."

I simply replied, "Okay."

The cabin doors were about to close. A flight attendant reminded all passengers to switch their phones to airplane mode.

I took the SIM card which I'd been using for the past four years out of my phone and snapped it in half.

The plane slowly taxied toward the runway, then took off. As it climbed through the clouds, I took one last look at the city below.

The familiar skyscrapers and city lights grew smaller and smaller, until they vanished under a soft white blanket of clouds.