บททั้งหมดของ The Favorite's Game: บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 10

But the more I thought about it, the more I wondered why I should leave.I had gotten into Darniva University at 18 and had built a thriving career in the city over the last ten years. Why should I throw away my connections, my resources, and the reputation I had earned through my own effort just because of one man?After a moment of silence, I said, "First, I'll cut Samuel out of all the projects he's involved in."From that moment on, our worlds would no longer intersect.Strictly speaking, marrying Samuel had been a step down for me.After graduating from high school, I stepped into the business world for the first time by accompanying my father, Joseph Sutherland, to various banquets. At an auction in Vista Harbor, I met Samuel for the first time. He was there with Jenna.His expression remained the same the entire night. He looked cold and indifferent, as if nothing in the world could catch his attention.Samuel had the same unbothered look on his face until Jenna spent 3

News of my divorce from Samuel spread quickly through the elite circle. Many people thought I had lost my mind. Samuel's friends mocked me relentlessly about the "banana-peeling incident".And Whitney, ever the expert at playing the victim while pushing boundaries, kept stirring things up at every social event.Soon, Samuel's friends started approaching me in private."Whitney and Samuel are family. Why take things so far? You're making a joke out of yourself.""All he did was peel a banana for her. If you like bananas so much, we'll have Samuel peel a whole bunch for you.""It's understandable for you to be jealous. But why blow it out of proportion? It's bad for both of you."I didn't bother responding and blocked every one of them.When Neil arrived in Darniva, he immediately began sorting through my shared projects with Samuel to cut my losses as much as possible.The moment Samuel heard about this, he called and tried to arrange a meeting with me.I rejected him outright.

That was why Samuel's friends had covered for him whenever it concerned Whitney. None of them could have ever imagined that the woman Samuel loved had always been Ingrid."Then why were you so good to Whitney?" Jason couldn't help but ask.Samuel let out a long breath and leaned back against the booth, tipping his head back slightly over the edges of the cushion.It was because Whitney had noticed him when no one else saw him. She gave him the candy that Charles never had. Even after he found out later on that he only got the candy because Charles didn't want it, he still treasured it.Because of that, he forgot something very important. He forgot all of Ingrid's efforts and what she had done for him over the past ten years.She had given him candy that wasn't expired. Never once had she forgotten his birthday. The gifts she gave him were specially chosen just for him. And she had even named a skyscraper after him.Bit by bit, she had given him the sweetness that had been missing

I didn't know much about the inner workings of the Ziegler family, but everyone knew how much Jenna adored Charles. Otherwise, why would she have spent 300 million dollars to get Dad's collectible military knife all those years ago?Before I could fully react, Charles cupped my face gently—almost reverently—with both hands. His fingers were cool, and they sent a faint tremor through me. In that moment, the emotions he had kept hidden burst forth in his eyes. All the things I hadn't understood before, everything that had been too hazy and hard to read, suddenly aligned into an unmistakable answer.However…"Hey! What are you doing?"My office door was kicked open violently.Samuel stood in the doorway with bloodshot eyes, radiating ice-cold fury. The documents in his hands became crumpled as he clenched his hands into tight fists. His knuckles turned white, and veins bulged across the back of his hand."When did you return to Darniva?" he asked in a chilling voice that sent shiv

My marriage to Samuel officially ended for good.What I didn't expect was that he would show up at my company that very afternoon. I had just stepped outside when his car screeched to a halt in front of me, forcing me to instinctively step back. He climbed out quickly, looking worn down in a way I had never seen before.Nearly five days had passed since I had last seen him, and in that short time, he had unraveled. He had dark circles under his eyes and some stubble. The shirt he once kept crisp and immaculate were now wrinkled and carelessly thrown on.Jason had come to see me privately, urging me not to take things too far.He had said, "Samuel loves you. He just doesn't know how to handle things. You've put up with him for ten years. Why end everything over something so trivial?"I had only found his words laughable.They were his friends indeed. They cared only about his well-being. When he strayed from our marriage, they covered for him. When he chose Whitney over me again