After six years of living with Liam Vance, his "white moonlight"—his first love—returned. That night, Liam smiled and handed me a bank card: "Thank you for taking care of me for six years. The market rate for a live-in housekeeper is about four thousand a month. There's two hundred eighty-eight thousand dollars in here. I'm settling it all at once." My gaze fell heavily on the hand holding the card, tracing every knuckle, staring for a long time. Liam finally spoke, impatient: "You said back then that you'd take care of me for a while, and leave when I got better. Now that I'm out of the gloom, you aren't thinking of going back on your word and clinging to me, are you?" I let out a self-deprecating laugh and reached for the card: "Liam, the money isn't enough." Liam seemed not to expect this, stunned for a moment, staring at me blankly. I spoke again: "Four thousand a month. I took care of you for a total of six years, seven months, and eighteen days. I won't charge you double for weekends or triple for holidays. Just add another thirty-one thousand and four hundred, and we're good." 1 Lately, Liam seemed to be in a good mood, and his appetite had improved significantly. Right after work, I rushed to Whole Foods, buying bags of ingredients, ready to show off my culinary skills. Later, after busywork for over four hours, the moment Liam walked through the door, the last dish was placed on the table. He ate the meal I prepared unhurriedly, chewing slowly. Even after six years together, I could still be mesmerized by his appearance. I watched his Adam's apple bob with every swallow, watched his long, distinct fingers holding the fork. Liam Vance. Even if he did nothing but stand there, he held a fatal temptation for me. "Chloe, this Spicy Chicken is good. How did you make it? Send me the recipe later." The slightly upturned lilt at the end of his sentence pleased me. We had been together for six years. I took care of every aspect of his daily life meticulously. I put so much effort into daily cooking, yet this was the first time he praised my food. Strange to say, Liam, who usually preferred bland flavors, loved this Spicy Chicken. I had to make it every few days. I found countless recipes online, and this was the best one. I quickly found the recipe and forwarded it to Liam: "You don't need to learn it yourself if you like it. Just tell me in advance when you want to eat it, and I'll make it for you." Yes, my love for Liam was this humble. It had always been this humble. Hearing this, the smile on Liam's face widened: "Eliza loves Spicy Chicken the most." Eliza. Hearing this name, my hand holding the fork paused. This was a name Liam would absolutely never mention when he was sober. Only in the deep nights of the first few years, after getting drunk, would Liam murmur hoarsely: "Eliza, what was not good enough about me? Why did you have to choose him?" Every time I heard this, my hand supporting Liam would pause. Even though I had been with him for years, in the deep nights after he got drunk, the name he called was still Eliza. Occasionally, Liam would look at me through hazy eyes, then mutter to himself: "Eliza, even if you don't want me, someone does. Chloe wants me." This Liam always made my heart ache endlessly. So, even though he always hid a 'her' in his heart, I still stayed by Liam's side, loving him devotedly. After two years, Liam gradually stopped mentioning Eliza. He started responding to my love, bringing me snacks, and thoughtfully preparing surprises. He would bring friends to celebrate my birthday, and smile in default when friends teased that President Vance had fallen into Chloe's hands. I thought we had truly become a couple. Until today, when I heard the name Eliza again. I tried to speak: "Why mention Eliza all of a sudden?" 2 "Chloe, Eliza is coming back. When the time comes, I'll personally make her favorite Spicy Chicken for her. Do you think she'll be happy?" I finally understood why Liam, who preferred bland food, liked Spicy Chicken. It turned out it was only because Eliza liked it. It turned out Liam's recent good mood had nothing to do with me; it was only because Eliza was coming back. The first time I received praise from Liam, it was because I made Eliza's favorite dish taste good. The atmosphere at the dining table became weird. I didn't say a word, quietly waiting for Liam's judgment on me. Eliza was coming back soon. Would Liam break up with me? If Liam broke up with me, should I try to keep him? If I wanted to keep him, what should I say to make him change his mind? Countless scenarios swirled in my mind. Until Liam smiled and handed me a bank card: "Thank you for taking care of me for six years. The market rate for a live-in housekeeper is about four thousand a month. There's two hundred eighty-eight thousand dollars in here. I'm settling it all at once." Liam's sentence shattered all my predictions. He didn't break up with me; he just fired me. It turned out that for these six years, the identity and status he gave me was a housekeeper. My stunned gaze fell heavily on the hand holding the bank card, scanning past every knuckle, looking for a good while, trying to digest every word he said. Even my breathing seemed to stall. Liam finally spoke, impatient: "You said back then that you'd take care of me for a while, and leave when I got better. Now that I'm out of the gloom, you aren't thinking of going back on your word and clinging to me, are you?" Liam's tone was teasing, seemingly joking, but his eyes held ample contempt, scrutinizing my overestimation of myself. I finally breathed smoothly, let out a self-deprecating laugh, and reached for the bank card: "Liam, the money isn't enough." Liam seemed not to expect this, stunned for a moment, staring at me blankly. I spoke again: "Four thousand a month. I took care of you for a total of six years, seven months, and eighteen days. I won't charge you double for weekends or triple for holidays. Just add another thirty-one thousand and four hundred, and we're good." Liam fell silent after hearing my words. A moment later, I received his transfer on Venmo. I nodded, stood up to pack my luggage. As I was leaving, Liam called out to me: "Chloe, originally I felt a bit guilty. Seeing you let go so cleanly, I'm relieved. Turns out you didn't like me that much either. Otherwise, why didn't you make a scene?" I took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to curse him out. Liam knew what he did wasn't right, so he started finding reasons in me to exonerate himself. Him being a scumbag to me wasn't his fault; see, I didn't love him either. He was just ending a relationship where we shared a bed but different dreams. Turning back, I looked at Liam's face, and could already see how unpleasant it looked: "Liam, did you forget? I'm not your girlfriend. I'm just a housekeeper who worked in your house for six years with a monthly salary of four thousand. Does a fired housekeeper need to hug the employer's thigh and scream 'I love you'?" Dragging my suitcase into the elevator, I couldn't help but laugh at myself. The deeply loved woman had been gone for six years, hadn't even returned yet, and Liam was already keeping the seat open for her. And I, the unloved woman who was by his side for six years, could only be swept out the door with the title of a housekeeper. The difference between love and non-love was this obvious. It's a pity it took me six years to see it clearly. 3 For the next week, I honestly went to work and got off work, never speaking another word to Liam. I didn't even bring the lunch for Liam that I had consistently brought for six years. People in the company thought we were in a cold war. Yes, I worked at Liam's company. In the company, we had an ambiguous relationship that was neither admitted nor denied. Liam often asked his assistant to buy gifts for me but never personally admitted our relationship. Yes, all these years, he never said I was his girlfriend. And I, sentimentally, assumed the identity of his girlfriend. I accidentally overheard the assistant timidly telling Liam: "Mr. Vance, Chloe didn't bring you lunch." And Liam just said lightly: "Then order takeout. Will I starve to death without Chloe's lunch? Are there no edible things in the restaurants all over the streets?" There was an inexplicable anger in Liam's tone, but I smiled clearly. Yes, without the meals cooked by my own hands, would President Vance starve? How dared I delusionally think I was such an important existence! On the ninth day, after I got to work, Liam's assistant looked at me shiftily, eyes full of teasing. "Chloe, today Mr. Vance asked me to order a bouquet for him, and specifically asked for lilies!" Looking at the smile in the assistant's eyes, my throat suddenly choked. I didn't know how to explain that this bouquet wasn't for me. Because today was the day Eliza returned. In the past few years, every time Liam sent me flowers, there were lilies. I had secretly been overjoyed. Liam had me in his heart; otherwise, how would he know I liked lilies? Today I learned that it was someone else who liked lilies; I just happened to like lilies too. Thinking about it, I still told the assistant: "This bouquet isn't for me." The assistant laughed and said: "Modest, being modest, aren't we?" I was too lazy to explain, taking my laptop to the conference room for a meeting. When I finished and returned to the office, I saw a large bouquet of fresh flowers on my desk. The scent of perfume lilies almost drowned me. I looked at the flowers in front of me hesitantly. Could the flowers Liam ordered really be for me? 4 While I hesitated, Liam walked out of his office, suit crisp, striding fast. He asked the assistant as he walked: "Where are the flowers I asked you to buy? It's been two hours, why aren't they here yet?" The assistant froze for a moment, then pointed in the direction of my desk: "The flowers are already in Chloe's office." Liam stopped immediately, furrowing his brows and looking towards me, dissatisfaction pouring out of his eyes: "Chloe, did I say these flowers were for you?!" Looking at Liam's angry appearance, I suddenly felt very bored. He didn't give clear instructions himself. The assistant sent the flowers to me, yet he thought I snatched the flowers. Seeing the assistant scared witless, I didn't explain. I just held that large bouquet of lilies and handed it to Liam: "Sorry, Mr. Vance. Returning the flowers to you." Liam looked at me with even more unkind eyes, surging anger and disdain flashing in them: "Eliza doesn't like second-hand goods. You want me to give her flowers you've smelled? Who are you trying to disgust?" Saying that, Liam raised his hand, and the lilies scattered all over the floor, just like my pitiful self-esteem. In this moment, I suddenly didn't want to endure anymore. In these six years, even if Liam wasn't that warm to me, he had never humiliated me like this. Eliza hadn't even returned yet, and Liam had already humiliated me severely twice because of her. I looked up directly at Liam, provoking him word by word: "The flowers I smelled are second-hand goods; she dislikes them as disgusting. Then is the person I slept with also second-hand goods? Would your precious Eliza find that disgusting too?" Liam instantly flew into a rage. Then, I actually saw inferiority and regret in his eyes. Inferiority that he wasn't clean? Regret that he didn't keep his chastity for his white moonlight? Truly laughable! "Order a new bouquet. Deliver it directly to the airport." Liam ordered coldly, turned around, and strode away, leaving me alone to bear the gossip from all directions. "Isn't Chloe Mr. Vance's girlfriend? Did they break up or are they having a spat?" "Broke up, right? Didn't you see Mr. Vance sending flowers to another girl?" "Oh my god, was Chloe dumped by Mr. Vance? Normal, Chloe wasn't good enough for Mr. Vance to begin with." "So the new love is Eliza? What a special name!" The assistant looked at me in panic and helplessness: "Chloe, sorry, I thought they were for you." I shook my head wearily, returned to my desk, and continued working. There were still two months until the year-end bonus. Even if I resigned, I had to take the money before leaving. The sixty-something thousand from Liam plus my own savings and this year's bonus should be enough for me to buy a small condo and start a new life, right? Later, I didn't see Liam for half a month. Liam, who always treated work as life, broke precedent and didn't come to work for half a month straight. Colleagues with good sources gossiped privately: "Mr. Vance is accompanying his girlfriend shopping everywhere. Yesterday I ran into Mr. Vance at Bergdorf Goodman!" "A necklace worth over a hundred thousand, bought just like that, without blinking an eye!" "Sigh, so envious. If only I could find a boyfriend like that, handsome and rich." Suddenly someone whispered: "Chloe was with Mr. Vance for several years, right? Probably made quite a bit, since Mr. Vance is so generous." "But she can really endure. Being dumped and still sticking around Mr. Vance's company, not resigning actively. Thick-skinned." "But she must be thinking of winning Mr. Vance back. But looking at Mr. Vance's stance, Chloe probably has no chance. After all, with Chloe's looks, tsk tsk tsk, Mr. Vance can't be blind forever, right?" Hearing this, I walked straight to the colleague openly gossiping about me and slapped her hard. The person who got hit immediately covered her face and screamed: "Chloe, what right do you have to hit me? Do you think you are still Mr. Vance's girlfriend? You got dumped and still act arrogant in the company!" I rubbed my palm, tone cold: "I hit you because you talk about me behind my back without even knowing how to do it properly. What does whose girlfriend I am have to do with it? If you're not convinced, go tell your Mr. Vance and see if he stands up for you." Enduring Liam had already used up all my capacity. I really had no interest in enduring others. The girl cried and whined. The company was much quieter, and I was much more comfortable. Unfortunately, the comfortable days didn't last two days. Liam suddenly appeared in the company with Eliza.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "389445", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel