บททั้งหมดของ A Life Is Worth Less Than Her Smile: บทที่ 1 - บทที่ 10

My heart felt like it was being sliced apart as I listened to Julian's cold words.I looked up at him and stared into his eyes that were like bottomless abysses.His eyes were devoid of any pain or regret.How could I have forgotten?From Julian's perspective, I was a woman who was willing to do anything for the sake of money.Julian and I were a couple when Dad's company became embroiled in its first financial crisis. Everyone accused me of targeting the Luther family's power and status. Now that my family had declared bankruptcy, I was essentially cementing my image of a gold-digger by asking Julian for money.I didn't care about the opinions of outsiders. I was content as long as Julian knew who I really was.However, even Julian didn't believe me. He also had plenty of other reasons to dislike me.I swallowed the lump in my throat and fixed a smile on my face. "That's right. I desperately need money. Why else would I be here? Did you think that I showed up to experience lif

Dad and I moved out of our old home overnight. I also changed my number and found a new job as a waitress in a cafe.One afternoon, I was wiping glasses behind the counter. There weren't many customers in the cafe that day.The windchime on the door suddenly tinkled.Reflexively, I lifted my head and said, "Welcome."The glass slipped from my hands when I got a good look at the newcomers. It fell to the floor and shattered into a million pieces.Julian stood at the entrance of the cafe with Rachel standing right behind him.He was dressed in an expensive tailored suit while I was wearing a cheap uniform with coffee stains.It was as if there was an unsurpassable rift between us.Julian swept his gaze over the name tag that was pinned to my chest. His lips curled up into a mocking smile as he sneered, "I was wondering how capable you were, Cecilia. So, you can only wait tables in this sort of place after leaving me?"Meanwhile, Rachel locked arms with him and shot a sympathetic

I whipped my head up to look at Julian after I hung up. "Dad's stall. You hired someone to wreck it, didn't you, Julian? I know that you still hate me."I looked up and clearly saw the way he averted his gaze.Time seemed to turn back at that moment, bringing me back to another rainy night ten years ago.I didn't have a care in the world at the time. My biggest worry was how to hide the innocent crush that I had on Julian, who was my best friend, Jillian's brother.When Jillian turned 18, she wanted to know what it was like to visit a bar, so she secretly snuck out and went to one.Jillian and I had already made plans to watch a movie. However, she didn't show up, no matter how long I waited. Feeling panicked, I began questioning all of my friends before I finally learned where she had gone.When I made it to the alley behind the bar, I saw a nightmarish scene that would haunt me for the rest of my life.Jillian was surrounded by a group of hooligans. Her clothes were dishevel

Dad was rushed to the hospital. Fortunately, after the doctor treated him, his life was no longer in danger.The doctor explained that he had suddenly fainted due to anxiety and malnutrition and needed lots of rest to regain his strength.I kept vigil by Dad's bedside. Sleep eluded me for the rest of the night as I gazed at his haggard face.When dawn broke on the horizon, Ethan entered the ward, bringing breakfast with him."You should eat something, Ms. Mendez," he said as he placed the food on the bedside cabinet."Thank you," I said.I grabbed the food, but I had no appetite. So instead, I looked at Ethan and asked the question that had been gnawing at me. "We don't know each other, Mr. Grant. Why are you helping me?"Ethan fell silent for a few moments before he slowly replied, "Because I have a score to settle with the Luther family."It turned out that Ethan's father and Frederick used to be business partners. They worked together and built their company from the ground

Ethan and I began to secretly collect evidence regarding Luther Group's illegal activities, including tax evasion, unfair business practices, and bribery. Every piece of evidence that we obtained got us closer to our goal of dealing a fatal blow to Frederick that he could never recover from.The process was no walk in the park.Frederick was like a cunning fox and was able to destroy any and all traces of his illegal dealings.However, no matter how cunning he was, an opening was bound to present itself sooner or later.Ethan intentionally leaked the news that we had obtained a core piece of evidence regarding Luther Group's crimes, and that we were in the midst of handing it over to the authorities.As expected, Frederick began to panic. He used all the connections that he had at his disposal to obtain more information about our "breakthrough" while also transferring his assets in preparation to escape.Only he and Julian knew the password of the secret bank account to which he