Chapter 1

Once I got home, I made a phone call.

"I didn't expect you to accept my offer. If you come to my company, I'll give you the best benefits and pay in the whole company!"

"I will join your company once I settle everything over here, Mr. Richman."

Just as I ended the call, Serena came home.

"Who were you talking with?"

"The technical team had some issues, so they called me to troubleshoot," I said, making a random excuse.

She put down her bag, and the diamond ring on her finger glinted brightly. That was the ring that Hugo gave her at the press conference.

In the four years I'd been married to Serena, she'd never once worn the wedding ring that I gave her. She told me that she was allergic to metal and that she couldn't wear any accessories.

But now, she was wearing the cheap engagement ring that Hugo gave her.

"Why did you leave the press conference early? A lot of investors asked me a lot of technical questions. Were you trying to embarrass me?"

"I saw you were handling things just fine at the press conference, so I figured you didn't need me there."

When she heard me talk about the press conference, she looked somewhat self-conscious for a second.

"You announced your engagement to Hugo, so what does that leave me as your legal husband?" I coldly asked.

"The company just went public, so we need capital. Lots of it. If we announce an engagement, that's going to attract publicity and investors along with it, who can invest in our project!"

I didn't say anything in rebuttal.

Investors had already been approaching Serena for partnerships a month ago.

Now she was using the project as an excuse, knowing full well it was the result of my hard work and research, and that I wouldn’t say anything.

Serena thought that I was still angry. As she sat down next to me on the sofa, I smelled the distinct scent of cedarwood wafting off her.

That smell was only something I'd only smelled before on Hugo.

I glanced at Serena, catching sight of the faint red marks on her neck.

Feeling guilty under my gaze, she carefully adjusted her half-turtleneck sweater.

"Look, here are all the partnership proposals that investors gave me tonight. Hugo's capable, so I'm planning on letting him be in charge of this project. All you need to do is focus on the technical stuff, alright?"

Serena thought I would be happy about the proposals, but I simply said, "Since Hugo's so capable, why not let him deal with the technical aspects of the project too?"

Serena's expression twisted.

"Elio, you'd better learn to separate your private feelings from your work. There's a line to acting petty! You want Hugo handling the technical side just to make things difficult for him!

"Since when did you become so petty, Elio?"

She thought I was simply jealous because of what happened at the press conference, acting upset with her like I used to.

Then, she glared at me, before ordering me around like she used to in the past.

"Go run my bath and give me a massage later."

Whenever she returned from business dinners in the past, I would always prepare her bath and massage her to help her relax. In her eyes, I was nothing more than a male nanny.

Four years of love still couldn’t compare to an assistant she had hired only three months ago.

"I'm tired. If you want to take a bath, go do it yourself."