Semua Bab True Love Be Damned: Bab 1 - Bab 10

He furrowed his brows tightly, clearly not believing a word I said. "Ruth, do you even believe yourself? All these years, you've clung to me like a dog, shamelessly trying to get in bed with me. Now that my family's on the verge of bankruptcy, your snobbish parents are trying to force me into marriage with a business deal. Do you really expect me to believe you'd actually give up this child?" His words dripped with contempt and disgust, wrapping around me like a choking fog. I blinked hard, forcing back the tears in my eyes. All I felt was regret. Regret for the ten years I wasted on someone like Richard. He never deserved my kindness. Noticing my silence, Richard assumed he had hit the mark. His expression turned colder still. "Your family is nothing but a bunch of greedy scum. You make me sick!" I knew why Richard didn't believe me. In my past life, I had indeed degraded myself to the point of disgrace. I had even knelt before him, begging him to marry me, threatening t

The sound of sobbing grew clearer by the second. I slowly opened my eyes, just to see my parents standing beside the bed, alive and well. A wave of overwhelming regret surged through my chest. I yanked out the IV and threw myself into my mother's arms, breaking down in tears. "Mom, Dad… I'm not marrying Richard!" My parents, who already knew the whole story, didn't hesitate to echo what I said. "You're not marrying him!" But nearby, Richard's mother, Clara Wakefield, chimed in, trying to smooth things over. "Ruth, don't be impulsive. Richard's just… a little immature right now. Once you're married, he'll settle down." I shot her a cold glance. Because of my engagement to Richard, my father had already poured a lot of resources into the Reynold family, which was teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. Clara, who had once sold all her jewelry to cover their debts, was now lavishly adorned with luxurious jewelry again. It was all thanks to our money. The bag on her arm

Later, word spread that Richard maxed out his credit cards just to buy his little Ellie a diamond ring. But the one he bought was only 1/20 the carat weight of the pink diamond I had custom-made. The store manager told me Elise's face at the time was absolutely awful. However, she did forced a smile for the sake of Richard's pride. Then, the very next day, fully covering her face, she came back to the store wearing that same ring. She said she wanted to return it, but not back to Richard's account. She wanted the refund sent directly to her. The manager, following my instructions, naturally refused her request. Elise was furious but didn't dare cause a scene. Still, she was shameless enough to keep pestering. After much wheedling and pressure, the manager, worried she'd affect other customers, discreetly contacted me for help. At the time, I had already been discharged from the hospital and was enjoying a spa day with Suzie Blanche, one of the top socialites. When I h

Richard's chauvinistic mindset kicked in. His face darkened as he stepped forward to shield Elise behind him. "Don't make things hard for a young woman," he said coldly. The investor chuckled and immediately changed his target. "Fine. Then you drink it." Richard froze, not even having time to respond before the girl he had spent his life protecting spoke up sweetly behind him. "Richie, help me tank this bottle, okay? You know how much I've always dreamed of becoming an actress…" Her voice trembled by the end, as if she were about to cry. That delicate, pitiful look could melt hearts. I nearly laughed out loud. Where had I heard this before? Ah, yes, seven years ago. That was when Elise had just moved into their villa. She had said the exact same thing to Richard. Back then, her "dream" was to become a cellist. Richard had believed her. So much so that he endured being punished by his father to be on his knees for three days and nights just to have her move into thei

Half a year later, the film I invested in premiered. And just as I had expected, it was a huge success. At the awards ceremony, just before walking the red carpet, I unexpectedly spotted Elise among a crowd of actresses. But this time, she had tagged along with the crew of a recently popular web series. Gone was the pure, innocent look of the past. Her entire face had clearly been cosmetically altered, and even her chest bore signs of surgical enhancements. She tried to approach me to make connections, but my assistant stopped her cold. The red carpet began, and everything proceeded in perfect order. Elise, standing under the flashbulbs, looked completely enraptured, unable to hide her delight. Thanks to that web drama, she had gained nearly a hundred thousand new followers. That meant she was one step closer to her dream of becoming a star. That night, the film I backed won Best Picture, just like I'd hoped. As I unlocked my phone to interact with my colleagues onlin