Chapter 4

"His resignation was rejected. He's fired, and his year-end bonus is revoked—transfer it to Gerald."

My eyes widened in disbelief. Anger coiled through me like a web, tightening around my heart.

"Lindsey! This is mine! How can you do this?"

According to company rules, bonuses were determined by the projects each employee handled. Every negotiation, every draft, and every client discussion was all my work. I had even stayed up until dawn chasing a single extra point.

This bonus wasn't just money. It was the payoff I had been counting on to clear my mortgage.

When I was a child, my parents divorced, and no one wanted me. I was tossed around like a ball. I ended up at my uncle, Raymond Stark's house. My aunt, Isabella Sterling, hated me and often threatened to throw me out if I didn't behave. That fear of having nowhere to go stayed with me as I grew up.

After being with Lindsey, I clung to her desperately, terrified she might kick me out. I needed to know her every move. Even the strongest love could fade, so I placed my hopes in money and started saving to buy my own home. If Lindsey ever left, at least I would have a place to go.

I threw myself into work like a madman and finally managed to scrape together the down payment. Over the years, I had pinched every bit I could, paying off the mortgage under enormous pressure.

I worked around the clock, and my hair began to fall out and turn gray far too early.

Lindsey had seen everything I had gone through. She knew how much this bonus meant to me, and yet, she mocked me, saying, "This company is mine, and since you bullied Gerald, you owe him compensation."

Every word I wanted to say got stuck in my throat. My stomach churned violently, and a wave of nausea burned up my esophagus.

My year-end bonus, worth over 300 thousand dollars, was casually handed to an intern who had done nothing.

I gritted my teeth and fought the dizziness as the security guards Lindsey had summoned dragged me out of the building.

As soon as I stepped outside, Lindsey sent a message.

"Today's mess is entirely your fault."

Since I didn't reply, she fired off another.

"Alright, maybe I went too far, but only because you showed Gerald no mercy. He's my junior, and I couldn't just stand by while you treated him like that. I'm leaving for a business trip to Francia tomorrow. That new product you wanted is launching there, so I'll get it for you as a way to make up for it."

What Lindsey didn't realize was that Gerald had just posted about it on social media.

He wrote, "I wanted to see the Seylle Tower, and someone made a business trip the perfect excuse to bring me along. It's wonderful being treated like a treasure!"

I instantly blacklisted both of them.

…

A week later, Lindsey returned from her trip, clutching the new cufflinks and feeling uneasy. She had only planned to be away for three days, but Gerald had dragged her from one store and landmark to another, and she had completely forgotten to send me a message.

Today, she had come back hoping to surprise me.

The thought of me waiting at home made her heart lift, and she hurried inside.

She called my name twice as she stepped through the door, but there was no answer.

The suitcases I had packed were gone. Everything that had belonged to me in the house had vanished without a trace.

Lindsey's breath caught, and her face turned pale.

An impossible thought crept into her mind, and panic surged through her like a tidal wave.

"No, this can't be…"

She knew how deeply I cared for her. Over the years, I had proposed marriage more than once, and she had believed that such a promise was a lifelong commitment.

Lindsey had always taken me for granted and never once feared I would leave.