Ten Years His Secret, Another Man's Bride

Inside the office building, after the executive meeting ended, I walked toward Nicholas Greene's office, holding a ring I'd prepared in advance.The door was slightly ajar. What I saw froze me in place.The new hire, Tiffany Leary, was blushing as she curled up in his arms. In her hand was a red ring box. Inside it lay a diamond ring, at least ten carats, catching the light and reflecting it brightly."Do you like it?""I love it! But isn't it a bit too big?"Affection filled Nicholas' eyes as he laughed softly. "Only something like this suits your status."A blissful smile spread across Tiffany's face. As she shyly turned her head away, she happened to spot me standing at the door. Her eyes flashed with a flicker of delight before she hurried over and grabbed my hand. "Ariana, you're here. Sorry for lying to you before. I'm not an employee here. I'm Nicholas' fiance."I had personally mentored Tiffany for a month, so we'd grown quite close. The sudden news caught me off guard.

Nicholas pulled me into his arms and fastened the expensive necklace around my neck. "I don't like relationships that go nowhere either."After graduation, I helped him secure several more projects. At my busiest, I drank so much that I ended up with gastric bleeding. I worked myself like a dog, repaying his support, and trying to catch up to him.From the ages of 19 to 29, I devoted myself to protecting our relationship, trying to become someone worthy of him.But the one who remembered that promise was only me. Perhaps he didn't forget and just chose to pretend for the sake of his so-called "greater plans."Nicholas acted as if everything had been perfectly arranged and casually answered a phone call.In the quiet living room, I heard Tiffany's soft, sweet voice. "Nicholas, I miss you."His tone turned gentle. "Wait for me."After hanging up, he turned to look at me. "Ariana, do you remember everything I just said?"My face was expressionless. "I remember."Satisfied, he nod

Nicholas' head snapped to the side from the slap. When he heard me ask for a breakup, anger flashed across his face. "Ariana, do you even know what you're saying?"He curled his lip, speaking each word slowly. "You're serious? Without me, you're nothing.""Is that so?" Chandler suddenly appeared, stepping in front of me. His tone was ice cold. "There are plenty of people who like her. Without you, she's better off."Nicholas lifted his gaze and stared at Chandler. "You're just a cover. What right do you have to interfere?"The frustration in my chest surged. I purposely said, "I'm already with him."Chandler froze for a second, while Nicholas clearly didn't believe it. He let out a mocking laugh. "He's not into women. I'll wait for the day your little act falls apart. Ariana, you're the one who turned down the money. Don't come crying to me later."After that unpleasant encounter, I submitted my resignation and blocked all of Nicholas' contact methods. I wanted a clean break.Wh

Chandler lifted his eyelids. "Only when you stop relying on me do you have the right to ask me to do something."The words made the veins on Nicholas' temples bulge.Chandler smirked lazily. "If I remember correctly, wasn't the deal you closed last week handed to you by me?"Nicholas' face flushed red. He couldn't say a word. The atmosphere at the table turned strange until Mr. Greene Senior arrived and broke the tension.Nicholas quickly composed himself. As he placed food onto Tiffany's plate, he sneered at Chandler. "Chandler, do you think a gay man can really date a woman? Can they even sleep with one?"I frowned. He was clearly trying to provoke him.Before I could speak, Chandler grabbed my chin with one hand and kissed me in front of everyone.Nicholas' eyes widened in disbelief. His face darkened instantly. But Chandler remained calm and said, "I don't know about your question. But when I date someone, this is usually how it is. Actually, we're not just dating. We're alr

"It turns out Ariana went to my school too. I've already reported you to the dean. I hope your degree gets revoked. You're welcome!"I laughed out of exasperation.@ItsAriHere: "With just a few lines of text and some photos, suddenly I'm the mistress? It's far too easy to spread rumors these days. The truth will come out. And to the murderer, don't delete your post. I'll make sure you regret it. @TiffyBaby."My reply pushed two more hashtags onto the trending list.#ArianaThreatensTiffany. #TiffanyTheMurderer.The Internet exploded as people scrambled to keep up with the gossip, overwhelmed by the constant twists of events.While monitoring the trending hashtags, I organized everything—my chat history with Nicholas, his transfer records, my mother's medical report, and my first resignation record.Pride always mattered to me. I didn't want to depend on my boyfriend. So, just two months into our relationship, I had already resigned. During that period, I returned every dollar he