All Chapters of The Past Is Only a Prelude: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

Alicia Davids furrowed her brow, and the question slipped out before she could stop it, drawing everyone's eyes straight to me.As if realizing her misstep, Alicia shifted her tone, softening her words."Benjamin, what a surprise to see you here. Weren't you supposed to be away on a business trip?"Under the watchful gaze of her entire family, I froze for two seconds, then forced a bitter smile, trying to play along with her performance.A sharp sting pierced my chest. So this was it—I wasn't allowed to be seen.I had a thousand things I wanted to say, countless questions I longed for Alicia to answer. But now, all my strength had drained away. Suddenly, everything felt meaningless."I just got back and haven't had a chance to inform you yet, Ms. Davids," I replied, keeping my voice measured.Recognizing my subtle courtesy, Alicia's expression returned to its usual calm.At the dining table, everyone laughed and chatted as if part of a perfectly staged scene. I and Alicia's boy

Chapter 2

The limited-edition bag I had given her—my gift—was shredded and tossed into the trash after Chuck sneered, "Fake," with a single glance.So this was what love and indifference looked like.Ridiculous. I had refused to believe it until now.Just as she had said earlier, in a fit of anger, the first reaction was always the truest thought.She thought I wasn't good enough for her.It was true. Back in college, I had met Alicia by chance. Because of her, after graduation, I didn't return to my hometown—I went straight to work at her company.She was the CEO of Starry Group. To everyone else, I was just a freeloader, living off her connections. I was a source of shame. Chuck, on the other hand, was the perfect boyfriend: well-matched, respectable, and someone who made her shine.Even after three years of being attentive to her every need, of bending to her every whim, I could never compete with Chuck.Perhaps it was time to end these absurd three years.I grabbed a spare blanket f

Chapter 3

Seeing that I took it all in stride, Alicia looked a little surprised, lingering by my desk longer than expected. Her shadow fell across my workspace, blocking the light.I looked up at her, puzzled."Is there something else, Ms. Davids?"She fixed me with a cold, appraising gaze, her eyes scanning me from above."Benjamin, don't you have anything to explain?"I blinked, confused, thinking for a moment."I was late. That's a fact. You were following company regulations, which is fair. I don't think I owe any further explanation. I don't have excuses or reasons to give."Seeing my honesty, Alicia fell silent, scowled, and walked away.Not long after, I settled into my work. Time flew by unnoticed. When I finally finished, I took off my headphones and looked up—realizing that I was the only one left in the entire office.Glancing at the clock, it was already 11:30 PM. I cursed under my breath at my coworkers, who didn't even say goodbye before leaving.Then the sharp click of h

Chapter 4

"I'm not being passive-aggressive! I'm telling the truth, really. Can you stop being so sensitive?"Alicia's face darkened. She slammed my laptop shut and glared at me."All because I asked Chuck to act as my boyfriend for a day, you've been sulking at me since yesterday! Do you think this is funny, Benjamin? You didn't even thank Chuck! And you left passive-aggressive comments on his social feed."Don't think I'll coddle you just because you're younger. If you want to throw a tantrum like a child, go home and do it with your parents. Don't expect me to indulge you! Know your place!"Keep this up, and we're done!"Her words were thick with threat and anger.In the past, I would have cowered, begging her for forgiveness. But now… I was tired of it.All I wanted was to finish testing these programs before the code had to be rewritten.I nodded and muttered, "Okay… got it. You just keep driving."I had no idea which word had set her off again. She yelled at me once more, "Get out

Chapter 5

I ignored Alicia and hailed a taxi home.Once inside, I pulled out my suitcase and began packing.It didn't take long—everything fit neatly into a single suitcase. The bulkiest items were actually my PC tower and the two monitors, 32 and 24 inches.After carefully packing everything and shipping it off, I bought a late-night flight to Ricott City. I left the keys on the shoe rack, and the next second, my phone rang."My clothes are dirty. Bring me a fresh set," Alicia said before hanging up. Almost immediately, a location pinged my phone.I grabbed the gift bag from the dealership and, twenty minutes later, arrived at the private room's door.The door was ajar. Just as I reached to push it open, I heard my name."Alicia, weren't you just toying with Benjamin back then? How come you still haven't kicked him to the curb? It's been three years… you're not really starting to like him, are you? Chuck even came back just for you!" someone said.Alicia's words dripped with mockery and

Chapter 6

"Benjamin! You bastard!"Alicia's face burned red as she grabbed the bag and flung it at me.It was just a small bag, unsealed, and the contents—sexy lingerie and bell-adorned nipple covers—spilled across the coffee table.Immediately, everyone in the room froze, expressions flickering with unease, eyes darting away.Alicia stormed forward, raising her hand as if to strike my face. I casually caught her wrist."What's this? Ms. Davids, is your first instinct to hit someone just because you're embarrassed? Am I not stating the truth?"I let go of her wrist. She stumbled back a few steps before regaining her balance, her lips trembling, eyes blazing with fury."Benjamin… do you think you've been fair to me?"Sometimes, people laugh at the absurdity of life."Whether I've been fair to you… you know that already. But you, Alicia… have you been fair to me? When you and Chuck… were doing those things in my car, did you ever think of me, even for a second?"I nearly shouted the word

Chapter 7

After a long pause, Sarah said, "Are you sure?"I didn't hesitate. "Yes."My sister didn't press further. She let out a long breath and said, "I'll give you a week to rest. After that, it's back to the office."I nodded in acknowledgment.I spent that week catching up with childhood friends, enjoying some long-overdue fun.On the third day, Alicia called. I didn't answer. Instead, I added her number to my blacklist.After all, at my previous company, the HR had processed my resignation the very afternoon I submitted it, telling me I didn't need to come in the next day. My departure was entirely legitimate.I had handed over all responsibilities and completed all tasks. If Alicia, my former company's CEO, wanted to call me, I had every right to ignore it.After blocking several calls, my world finally felt peaceful.Later, I received a message from my roommate: his cousin, Alicia, was getting engaged to Chuck, but for some reason, she didn't seem happy about it. After that, the

Chapter 8

After graduation, I stayed in Bolin City because of Alicia instead of moving back to Ricott City. So it was no surprise that nobody here recognized me.I wasn't planning to cause a scene, but my sister couldn't help herself.She scoffed, her eyes sweeping over Alicia with a mix of curiosity and disdain before she finally spoke."Who is that assistant with the big mouth? Oh, that's right—Ms. Davids's assistant, from Starry Group! I wonder what brings Ms. Davids all the way out here."Alicia's expression soured at Sarah's sarcasm, but the people around instinctively looked back and forth between them, reading the room, already plotting.Chuck was caught off guard. He hadn't expected Sarah to lay into them like that. He flashed an awkward smile and explained, "Benjamin and I used to work together. There were some misunderstandings, some tension. We just happened to run into each other today, and I wanted to clear things up, hoping he'd forgive me."In just a few words, Chuck painted

Chapter 9

I simply recounted everything in a matter-of-fact tone. But Alicia didn't see it that way."So, you're punishing me, aren't you? This proves you still love me!"I was speechless. What did that have to do with anything?Seeing my silence, she broke into a triumphant smile. I didn't understand and didn't care to argue. I turned to leave.But once again, she blocked my path.Looking at her expression, I felt a pang of dread, sensing some outrageous demand was coming.Sure enough, the next words that left her lips were absurd."Benjamin, let's get back together, okay? These past six months since you left, I've been miserable. I didn't stay with Chuck. I even refused to get engaged to him! Believe me!"Outrageous. Preposterous. And utterly irrelevant to me.I said nothing. Her eyes filled with tears.Despite being ten years older than me, she had taken good care of herself—her face showed no signs of age, glowing as if she were still in her early twenties.I shook my head and sta

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