Chapter 1

My better half, Bianca White's, disgruntled voice came through the line. "Jesse's a scion. I'm swallowing my pride and sucking up to him for the sake of our company, our family, and you. It's bad enough that you don't understand me, but you're also holding me back!

"Enough already; your surgery is just a minor procedure! Have the doctor delay it for a bit. As soon as I'm done coaxing him, I'll come over to accompany you, alright?" With that, she hung up on me.

I didn't call her back. Instead, I dialed a number I hadn't contacted in ages. "I admit defeat, Kate. I'm willing to leave her and follow all of your arrangements."

My older sister, Kate Wright, let out a soft sigh. "You were ready to die for her back then. Are you sure you can let her go?"

A bitter smile tugged at my lips. "There's nothing I can't let go of."

Years ago, my parents had disapproved of my relationship with Bianca and tried to force me into an arranged marriage. To be with her, I had willingly given up my identity as the scion of a wealthy family and cut ties with my parents in the name of what I believed was love.

Before I left, Kate had told me, "There's no future for you two. If you ever regret your choice, call me." No matter what happened, she would help me on the condition that I give up on Bianca.

Refusing to admit defeat, I firmly believed that our love could conquer all. So, for the past five years, no matter how hard life became or how much we struggled, I never compromised with my family.

That was until Jesse Collin entered the picture.

Initially, Bianca didn't treat him any differently. Yet, the moment Jesse dropped the bomb that he was a scion and brought a million-dollar deal to the company as a newcomer, Bianca began to get close to him; she'd have dinner with him, go shopping with him, and play video games with him.

The two of them were joined at the hip. Because our colleagues didn't know we were married, they would gush about how they looked like the "it couple" right to my face.

Furious, I confronted Bianca about it. But she calmly fed me the same excuse she used earlier—claiming it was all for the company and for our future, lecturing me about grand visions and ambitions. I fell for her bullshit, and even though I was incredibly upset, I sucked it up and accepted it.

However, after that, Jesse didn't close a single deal for six consecutive months.

Anyone else would've questioned whether his identity was even real, but not Bianca; she still blindly believed Jesse was the ticket to the company's big break. Not only did she side with him at every turn, but to keep him safe from being fired, she actually persuaded me to transfer my accounts to him.

Jesse didn't feel a shred of shame for being the worst performer in the company either. If anything, he was cockier than ever. "My old man isn't handing me deals because he's testing me. Once he sees my progress, he'll drop a hundred-million-dollar deal right in our laps.

"When that happens, the crumbs from my commission alone will be more than enough to feed you for life. If Bia hadn't practically begged me, I wouldn't even bother giving you a free ride. So, you should know your place!"

Self-made billionaires weren't fools. No one would hand out money for free.

I knew better than to believe in too-good-to-be-true promises. Bianca, on the other hand, bit the bait hook, line, and sinker. Using all kinds of threats and promises she could think of, she forced me to hand over my accounts.

In the end, exactly as I had expected, Jesse couldn't handle them, and all the profits that had been within our reach slipped away. Meanwhile, the massive deal he promised never materialized, causing the company to suffer massive losses.

Even after things spiraled to this point, Bianca still refused to change her ways; she continued groveling to him. Now, to cater to him, she had abandoned me, who was about to undergo surgery, and had the nerve to claim it was "for my own good." But I would never buy her lies again.