Chapter 1: The Last Remnants of Her Trampled Pride

“When are you going to marry me?”

The woman's voice rang out clearly, loudly, and disgustingly. In the dimly lit living room, her body was pressed affectionately against Herry's. Her slender fingers were wrapped tightly around his neck, while her lips continuously kissed the skin that Hellena had never once been allowed to touch during the past three years.

“Just a little longer,” Herry replied in a low, husky voice. “I’ll be ending my relationship with Hellena soon. That elephant-bodied woman... she’s so boring and stiff. I feel sick every time I even imagine touching her. Ahhh...”

The woman in his arms let out a flirtatious giggle before greedily kissing him again.

Behind the slightly open door, a pair of eyes froze.

Hellena Crawley stood there in silence. Her hand gripping the strap of her bag had gone numb. Her chest felt so tight that it was as if all the oxygen around her had vanished. Every word that left Herry’s mouth was like a dagger being driven slowly into her heart, then twisted without mercy.

Elephant-bodied woman.

Boring. Stiff. Disgusting.

Hellena swallowed hard. The taste was bitter and suffocating. For a moment, she lowered her gaze to the faint reflection of her plus-size figure in the glass cabinet along the hallway. Her appearance had always been the weakest point of her self-confidence. And tonight, the man she trusted most was using that very insecurity to strip away her dignity piece by piece.

What hurt even more was that the woman wrapped in her boyfriend’s embrace was not a stranger.

She was her own best friend—the very person who had always pretended to comfort Hellena whenever she felt insecure about her weight.

Hellena’s world seemed to collapse in a single breath.

She had come to this house carrying the last remnants of hope and courage she had gathered along the way. She had intended to ask Herry for help—to borrow money from him to pay off her father’s debt.

Back then, Hellena had accepted Herry’s confession because he had come to her with sweet words, acting as though he did not care about her size. At the time, starved for affection, Hellena had felt incredibly fortunate. She had never realized that Herry was merely using her. As a personal secretary at a major conglomerate, Hellena possessed valuable connections, a good reputation, and a stable salary—things Herry had slowly drained over the past three years to support his struggling business.

Now that his business had finally begun to stabilize after exhausting Hellena’s savings, Herry was casting her aside for a woman he considered his “equal.”

To make matters worse, Hellena’s father had lost another gambling bet.

The amount was astronomical.

Every penny Hellena had earned through years of hard work had been drained away by her father without a shred of guilt. Now, she truly had nothing left. Meanwhile, the loan sharks had given her only twenty-four hours.

If the money was not paid, Hellena’s curvy body would become collateral to satisfy them.

Herry laughed again inside the room, his deep voice sounding unbearably pleasant.

“Don’t worry, Darling. Once I’m free of that fat secretary, we can finally be together. She’s far too naïve. Luckily, I never touched her during those three years.”

Hellena squeezed her eyes shut.

The tears she had been holding back finally spilled down her cheeks.

Hadn’t she preserved those boundaries out of respect for their future marriage?

Yet in Herry’s eyes, her innocence was nothing more than a disgusting form of stupidity.

Without making a sound, Hellena took a step back.

The last remnants of her dignity refused to crawl before that bastard.

She turned around and walked away into the darkness of the night, leaving behind every illusion of love that had deceived her for three years.

The taxi carried her through the quiet streets.

In the back seat, Hellena lowered her head and clasped her trembling hands tightly in her lap. Images of Herry and her best friend kept replaying endlessly in her mind.

“Stupid...” she whispered hoarsely, her voice cracking. “How stupid I was to think there was a man who could truly love me without caring about my appearance...”

Emptiness suddenly surrounded her from every direction.

Her boyfriend had used and betrayed her.

Her best friend had stabbed her in the back.

And her own father had dragged her to the edge of ruin.

Bzzzt... Bzzzt...

The phone in her hand vibrated.

An unfamiliar number appeared on the screen.

Hellena roughly wiped away her tears before hesitating for a moment and answering the call.

“Hello?”

“You only have twenty-two hours left,” a rough male voice barked from the other end. “Don’t even think about running, Hellena. If the money isn’t ready by tomorrow, that curvy body of yours will belong to us. Hahaha!”

Click.

The call was abruptly disconnected.

Hellena froze.

Her breathing immediately became ragged.

The threat struck her awareness like a crushing blow, sending a wave of panic through her body. Cold sweat began to form along her temples.

Who else could she possibly ask for help?

She had no other family.

Her friends?

They had all distanced themselves after learning about her father’s terrible habits.

Her savings were completely gone.

In the midst of a despair that was nearly suffocating her, a name suddenly crossed her mind.

Kael Willian.

The CEO of the company where she worked—and her direct superior.

The man was known for being cold, demanding, and ruthless.

Kael was the type of person who never judged employees based on appearance—one of the main reasons Hellena had managed to remain his personal secretary for the past five years despite the constant ridicule she received from other departments.

Kael cared only about efficiency.

Could a man as cold as him really be willing to lend such a large amount of money for a personal matter involving one of his employees?

Hellena covered her face with both hands.

It felt impossible.

Throughout all the years she had worked for him, they had rarely spoken about anything beyond work.

Kael always looked at her with a sharp, intimidating gaze.

But what choice did she have now?

Being rejected and humiliated by her boss was far better than surrendering herself to those vile debt collectors.

“Hellena, you have to stay strong,” she whispered to herself, trying to encourage her increasingly fragile heart. “There’s no harm in trying.”

When the taxi finally stopped in front of her apartment building, Hellena handed over the last of the money in her wallet.

She stepped out with sluggish movements, feeling the night wind cut through her bones more sharply than ever before.

Inside the silent room, Hellena sat motionless on the edge of her bed.

She stared blankly at her phone screen.

Kael Willian’s contact information was displayed there—the number she used only for company emergencies.

Her thumb hovered uncertainly above the screen.

What if Kael became furious?

What if she was fired first thing tomorrow morning for such audacity?

But the image of the debt collectors’ threats flashed through her mind again, sweeping away all hesitation.

With trembling hands, she began typing.

[Sorry for disturbing you so late at night, Mr. Kael. I would like to discuss something very important and urgent. May I meet with you in your office tomorrow morning before working hours begin?]

Hellena reread the message several times, making sure it did not sound disrespectful before finally pressing send.

One minute...

Two minutes...

Time seemed to slow down, torturing her anxious heart.

Then suddenly, her phone screen lit up again.

A reply had arrived.

Short.

Concise.

And powerful enough to make her heart skip a beat.

[There’s no need to wait until tomorrow. Come see me at my apartment tonight.]

Hellena stared at the message.

Tears slipped down her cheeks once more.

But this time, a small glimmer of hope accompanied them.

“I hope Mr. Kael is willing to help me,” Hellena murmured hopefully.

Yet at the same time, an uneasy feeling stirred in her chest as she thought about her unpredictable boss.

But... why would Mr. Kael ask me to come to his private apartment in the middle of the night?