Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 1 - Chapitre 9

Chapter 1 The Price of Dignity

Caspian Lund hadn't even had the chance to speak when his secretary already jumped in. "Ms. Leclair, I know you're older and can't handle alcohol, so I specially prepared this drink for you."I shot her a sharp glare and snapped, "Shut up. This isn't your place to speak."Instantly, Susie Winters shrank timidly behind Caspian. "Cas, why is Ms. Leclair so harsh? I didn't mean anything by it…"At that, Caspian reached out to shield her behind him, his face dark with displeasure. "Giselle, don't be unreasonable. Susie went out of her way to have this milk brought here for you. Even if you don't drink it, you shouldn't humiliate her like this."I let out a cold laugh, my eyes sweeping over the room. Every face carried the same expression—waiting to see a show.Caspian mistook my silence for surrender and put on a magnanimous air. "Alright, that's enough. The party's supposed to be fun. If you keep up this attitude, how's anyone supposed to enjoy themselves? Just drink the milk, apolog

Chapter 2 Finally, Yours

'Thanks to my dear boss for broadening my horizons. He worried I wouldn't be used to the business dinner, so he ordered kid-friendly dishes just for me. Love him!'The post came with a photo: a banquet table full of fine dishes, but in the center sat a plate of French fries and cinnamon rolls. Beside her, a man in a tailored suit was carefully placing food on her plate. And the Rolex glinting on his wrist was the very engagement gift I had given Caspian.So, it seemed he was ready to give up being my kept man.Later that night, when I had just finished work and was about to rest, my phone lit up with a string of messages from him. 'Giselle, what happened yesterday was my fault. I'll come find you right away. I promise I'll handle this properly.'I chuckled to myself, curious to see what game he was trying to play. 'Alright.'What I never expected was for him to show up bold enough to bring Susie along to pick me up from work.I opened the passenger door and locked eyes with her.

Chapter 3 The Last Straw

"Who I marry and when I marry them is none of your business."Caspian's voice snapped back, furious and incredulous. "Over? When did we break up?"I sneered in response. "The minute you let Susie provoke me again and again, we were over.""Giselle Leclair, have you no shame?" His temper flared even higher. "Susie and I are innocent—how dare you spread lies about us? You're full of shit…"Before he finished, Jace tried to get a word in, but I clapped a hand over the phone and cut him off. "Don't speak. You're my ace in the hole—keep quiet; you'll come in handy."…At 9:00 AM the next morning, I arrived at the office for the investment meeting on the dot.This was a high-stakes meeting that would decide the company's next moves. Midway through, the projector behind me made a curious noise, and the room's puzzled looks turned sour. I turned to see what was playing. An AI-generated clip flashed across the screen—me in a private room, greedily feeding from a baby bottle.Before I ha

Chapter 4 Toy Money

No sooner had the words left my mouth than Caspian's assistant came stumbling in, eyes wide and voice shaking. "Cas, w-we've got a problem! The court and the regulators are here. The shareholders have all pulled out. We're bankrupt!"Caspian roared in disbelief. "What?! Where did you get that rumor? How could the company possibly go bankrupt?!"The assistant looked like he was about to cry. "I wouldn't dare lie to you. It's real—they've already sent people to wind things down."Caspian finally snapped back to his senses. He lifted his head and stared at me in shock, his voice shaking. "You did this?"I gave a careless nod, not the least bit guilty. "Yeah. It was me."Watching the panic wash over his face, I couldn't help laughing. "What, you can cheat, but I can't pull my investment? Let me tell you, Caspian—the Leclair family's money didn't grow on trees. There's no reason I should waste it on an idiot like you." With that, I smirked and turned to leave.Embarrassed in front of

Chapter 5 Tax Evasion and Embezzlement

I could tell from Caspian's expression that he had already convinced himself of one thing: I loved him so much that I would do anything for him. What he had forgotten was that all of that was a lie he himself had spun. In time, he had actually managed to fool himself."I'm not stupid, and I'm not broke—why would I give you money? These toy bills are just for humiliating you, got it?"That was all it took to set Caspian off like a bomb. He threw the wallet and lunged for me as if he meant to grab me, but the elevator doors opened at that moment. Officials from the court and the regulator stepped out, carrying the company's financial reports in their hands."Hello, Mr. Lund. Your company is suspected of tax evasion. We are opening an investigation—please cooperate with our work."One crisis rolled into another. Caspian stood there trembling, asking in disbelief, "Tax evasion? That's impossible! Giselle bribed you to trick me, didn't she?!"The court official gave Caspian a flat look

Chapter 6 The Masks Torn Off

"Call the cops! I'll sue her for slander and defamation!"Caspian looked completely unhinged, and I wasn't about to indulge him. I stepped forward, grabbed his hair, and slapped him hard. "If you're going to make accusations, you'd better have proof. I should be the one suing you for defamation. Don't you dare pin your own filthy mistakes—brought on by your lack of self-control—on me!"My slap stunned Caspian; his cheek swelled high and red. He stared at me in shock. "If it wasn't you, then who else? You expect me to believe that Susie really embezzled company funds?! I don't buy it—this has to be you. You can't stand Susie, so you're making this up to smear her!"I almost laughed at the absurdity and crossed my arms, sizing him up. "Wouldn't it be easier for you to get her out here and ask if she did it? Stop making a circus of this—do you think everyone's free and willing to stay and watch your show?"Caspian was left speechless and just stood there like an idiot.Someone sudden

Chapter 7 The Truth Comes Out

After all their shouting, everyone finally understood what Caspian and Susie really meant. One was after money, the other after sex. Now that things had blown up in their faces, they had turned on each other, throwing blame back and forth.I looked at the two of them wrestling in front of me and suddenly cut in. "So, this is why you've been holding back wages and cutting year-end bonuses?"That instantly snapped the employees out of their daze, and all their attention swung to Caspian."No wonder this month's salary was delayed—I thought it was just being bundled with the bonus.""The truth is that you two spent it on your little affair?! That's disgusting!"With one voice raised, the rest quickly followed, no longer holding back."Pay us! Give us our money!""I've got a mortgage and car loan to pay—I don't have time for your games!""Hand it over, Caspian! The Lund family is supposed to be rich—bring the money out now!"The crowd's voices overlapped, forcing Caspian into a co

Chapter 8 Rumors and Reckoning

By now, plenty of people were looking at him with strange eyes; their words were nothing but gossip."Ms. Leclair is Mr. Guillard's wife? Does that make Mr. Guillard the homewrecker?""What are you talking about? Ms. Leclair had already split with Cas—they broke up, and only after that did she marry someone else!""But the timing's crazy—break up one day, marry the next?""You don't get it. Marriage is an impulse. If your boyfriend cheated on you, wouldn't you want revenge?""You have a point. I'd beat him senseless, actually."Voices overlapped, and I felt my face flush—not from embarrassment about myself, but because I felt guilty toward Jace. He had done nothing wrong, and yet he was taking the heat for me.Maybe he sensed my mood, because Jace reached out and laced his fingers through mine. I looked up, stunned, and fell, unprepared, into the depths of his eyes."You're okay. I won't let anyone hurt you."At that, he turned his gaze to Caspian and unloaded. "I've been want

Chapter 9 Your Loss, My Life

"We've already given up on you. From now on, you are no longer a member of this family. The severance agreement has been sent over—sign it quickly and don't even think about fighting your brother for the inheritance."Caspian froze in disbelief, the phone trembling in his hand. "What brother?! You had another child behind my back?!" But the line had already gone dead; no one on the other end could hear his desperate cries.Out of options, he dialed my number. "Giselle, I was wrong. I shouldn't have cheated, shouldn't have betrayed you. But I've already paid the price. I've really changed—please, lend me some money so I can pay my debts, okay?"Hearing the pitiful plea in his voice, I almost laughed. Without a shred of hesitation, I shot back, "What happened to your dignity, Lund? Weren't you so smug, claiming you could run your company without me? And now you crawl to me like this? Let me make it clear—even if you got down on your knees, I wouldn't give you a single penny. Men like

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