"You should stop letting work consume you. You're a young lady, There’s no need to push yourself so hard."My mom knew how seriously I took my job and didn't doubt my excuse, simply looking at me concernedly."I know, Mom. I'll take care of myself, don’t worry." I offered my mother a faint smile, feeling slightly guilty inside.The surgery was scheduled for the afternoon, so I spent the morning chatting with my dad. Seeing his graying hair made my heart ache.After I had talked with my dad for a while, my mom pulled me aside and questioned, "Rina, what really happened between you and Liam? Why was the wedding suddenly called off?"I had merely told them the wedding was called off without diving into any specifics. I didn't want to upset them."It's nothing. We just realized we weren't a good match and decided to cancel the wedding."Liam's name made my heart quiver, and I avoided looking at my mom. I had ended things with him, and I didn't want my parents to fret over that unwor

"I don't want anything. I just wanted you to know that Liam is now mine. He's in love with me!" Julia declared with a triumphant smirk.Her words were meant to salt my wounds. Once upon a time, such words would’ve stung, but now, they barely registered."Whether he loves you or not doesn’t concern me. Though, I do have to thank you. It's because of you that I’ve seen Liam’s true colors. If it weren't for you, I would’ve unknowingly walked into a disaster, so thanks for saving me in the nick of time," I said to Julia, my voice dripping with false gratitude.Yeah, Julia caused me pain by seducing Liam, but from another perspective, she helped me see him for what he truly is—a despicable man unworthy of my lifetime commitment. Despite the emotional toll, I stood firm, knowing my decision was right.Julia became even more livid. Liam, too, frowned slightly, looking at me disappointedly as if I had betrayed him. I shot him a mocking, sarcastic smile. Despite his cheating and having a ch

Jethro’s masterful kiss blew me away, and I uncontrollably responded to his advances. The car's interior was quiet but charged with an unmistakable air of lust.It took what felt like forever for him to release me. When I opened my eyes, I was lost in his vortex-like gaze. Up close, he radiated an impeccable charm that seemed to eclipse everything else. I had once placed Liam on a pedestal, but encountering Jethro made me see the true disparity between them.But no matter how outstanding Jethro was, he had little to do with me. Our relationship was nothing more than a secret fling, and there was no possibility of us officially getting together. Considering his elite background, I would never dream of entering his world."I can wait if you aren’t done staring." Jethro's deep, seductive voice reached my ears as his lips curled into a teasing smirk.Jolted back to reality, I became aware of my distraction. This was the second time today he had caught me staring at him."If there's no

“Really? Serena looks so diligent and innocent though. How could she do such a thing?""People these days will do anything to succeed. From the moment Serena got here, I sensed she wasn't genuine. She puts on this hardworking facade, but behind the scenes, she seduces an old man like Mr. Ricardo. She’ll stoop to any means, no matter how low.""Exactly. Mr. Ricardo is over forty and is so ugly. Serena must be really desperate."Their gossiping reached my ears. When have I ever seduced Ricardo? There was not one part of their story that was true. It was astonishing how people could concoct entire narratives from mere glimpses. It was Ricardo who tried to force himself on me, but they had painted me as the seductress in their twisted tale.I felt a strong urge to confront them right then to set the record straight, but I knew even if I explained things, they wouldn't believe me. Instead, they'd disdain me even more.Their hurtful words, though I tried to ignore them, brought me to te

I gave Liam a smirk, deliberately using these words to provoke him. Liam had always been a proud person who thought highly of himself. Hearing my comparison of him to Jethro visibly irritated him, and his expression instantly soured.Men were creatures with strong pride, especially when measured against one another. Liam simply couldn’t compare to Jethro in appearance or wealth. After all, he was just a mid-level manager in one of Jethro’s vast arrays of companies. He was not even worthy of being compared to Jethro."Rina, I realize you're saying this out of anger. Fine, but do you even understand who Jethro is? Are you aware of how many women are around him? Do you think someone of his caliber would settle for someone like you? Don’t be naive," Liam said as if he was concerned about me.His facade was laughable. With an icy smile, I snapped back, "No matter what Jethro is like, he's better than you. He may have countless women around him, but I know he’d never go after my best frie