The week Julian and I started dating, I moved into his house to work as a maid. Right before his engagement to the heiress of the Montgomery family, he sneaked into the maid's quarters, grabbed my hand, and swore to me: "Listen to me, Chloe. Wait for me for three years. In three years, I promise I will divorce her and marry you." I glanced toward the living room at the back of the woman sitting elegantly on the Montgomery family's sofa. Just three years. Then we could be a family again. So, I nodded obediently. "Okay!" 1 When Julian came downstairs, I was kneeling on the floor, picking up pieces of broken porcelain. He walked over to the dining counter, picked up his coffee, and looked down at me from above. Just as I was about to stand up, a warm palm pressed against the back of my neck. His thumb rubbed the side of my neck, squeezing with just enough pressure to be felt. It was like comfort, but also like carelessly playing with a favorite toy. "Why are you kneeling?" He bent down, his breath tickling my ear, his tone carrying a hint of dissatisfaction directed at me. "Did my aunt punish you again?" I didn't say anything, just looked at him with red-rimmed eyes. Julian sighed. Instead of comforting me, he reached out and adjusted my collar. "Chloe, you know that before I came back to the Montgomery family, I was just like you. What is this little bit of grievance compared to the privilege of entering this house?" He looked at me. Like a strict teacher, yet also like a tender lover. "This is a test. If you can't handle a small thing like this, how will you stand by my side as the young madam of the Montgomery family in the future?" He paused, his thumb gently caressing my cheek, his voice soft and persuasive. "Bear with it." "Chloe, you know what kind of person she is. Right now, in her eyes, you are nothing." "Only when you become the young madam, when you have status and position, will she naturally look up to you. She will accept you, even... love you the way you want her to. Isn't that what you want?" I sniffled, leaned my head against his palm, and nodded obediently. My voice was soft and full of dependence. "Yes, I know, Julian." Satisfied, Julian patted my cheek and walked away with his coffee, looking content. Only after his figure disappeared did I look down at the broken pieces on the floor. If he hadn't appeared at the top of the stairs right at that moment, she definitely would have helped me pick them up. I saw it clearly; she had already bent down and reached out her hand. But upon hearing the door open on the second floor, she retracted her hand as if burned and put on a harsh face. A faint scent of perfume lingered in the air. It smelled so good, so warm. I breathed it in greedily, as if doing so could bring me closer to her. 2 In the Montgomery family's renowned old mansion in Seattle, the food chain was actually quite clear. Old Mr. Montgomery was the absolute authority. And Julian was the "crown prince" who held the power of life and death. As for his aunt, Patricia... Despite putting on airs as the "second madam," she and her son—the burden she brought into the family—entirely depended on Julian's moods to survive. To secure a future for her son, she had to bow and scrape to Julian. Her life wasn't much better than mine as a maid. At least I got paid. To the outside world, I was the college student Julian was charitably sponsoring. Inside the house, I was his secret, underground lover. And in Patricia's eyes... I probably had ulterior motives. But I didn't care. As long as I could stay in this house, as long as I could see her every day. I took a Band-Aid out of my pocket and wrapped it around my bleeding finger. I dusted off my knees and got up to head to the kitchen. When my aunt left earlier, her gaze lingered on my hand for a moment. She must have felt sorry for me. That was enough. 3 When Julian first suggested I come work as a maid to keep him company, I immediately nodded and agreed. It wasn't because I loved him so much that I had lost my self-respect. It was because he "accidentally" showed me a photo of a Montgomery family dinner. In an inconspicuous corner of the photo stood the person I had been looking for for many years. At that time, Julian put away his phone and gently held my hand. He looked at me, his eyes full of loneliness, like a child about to be abandoned. "Chloe, in this cold house, I can't feel a shred of warmth." "If you were there, I'd be so happy." He didn't mention the person in the photo at all. As if showing me the picture was really just to share his life. But I came without hesitation anyway. 4 When Julian walked over, he was holding a canister of fish food. He must have been standing there for a long time. I had just finished talking with his aunt. Oh, wait, I should call her the second madam of the Montgomery family. "I've seen your resume." She stepped closer, a look of frustrated disdain on her face. "A top student in finance from NYU, and pretty too... Why is your head so muddled that you insist on coming here to serve people like a lowly servant?" She looked at my face as if looking at a stranger. Completely unable to recognize how much this face resembled hers when she was young. I lowered my eyes, my voice submissive. "Investment banking is too stressful, and my health isn't good. I just want a stable place, and the Montgomery family pays well." I lied. If I wanted to, getting into a top investment bank and earning a high salary wouldn't be hard. But some opportunities can't be bought with money. She was probably afraid I'd seduce her useless husband and steal her position as the second madam. She lifted her chin, pointing toward Julian, and egged me on: "See him? That's the real golden goose of the Montgomery family." "Julian is young and vigorous, and he's about to be forced into an arranged marriage with that block of wood from the Harrison family. Those rich heiresses are so boring. Men... they all like pure, obedient girls like you." She patted my shoulder, speaking with deep earnestness. "If you can climb into his bed, even without a title, the benefits will be enough to last you a lifetime. We know your background; rather than having him go out and find some dirty woman, it might as well be you." I lowered my head, my nails digging deep into my palms. A wave of absurd bitterness washed over me. I pretended to be overwhelmingly grateful. "Thank you for the advice, Second Madam! I... I will work hard." Patricia smiled in satisfaction. "Be smart about it. Don't say I taught you." She turned and left, her steps even seeming a bit lighter. Julian must have heard everything. He looked up at his uncle's room and let out a soft chuckle. He casually tossed all the fish food from the edge into the pond, watching the koi fight madly over it. "My aunt is right." He stood up, walked over to me, and adjusted the name tag on my chest, his words full of implication: "You see, in her eyes, you are just a plaything to be used, a tool to curry favor with me." "Think about it. When you become my Mrs. Montgomery in three years, how happy will she be? How much will she dote on you?" "So, Chloe, you have to be obedient." 5 During dinner, Leo came back. Leo was the "burden" Patricia brought into the Montgomery family, and her biggest hope in this house. To help him fit in, she had him change his last name, even though Julian's uncle had never once looked the boy in the eye. As soon as he returned, Patricia's whole demeanor brightened. The cheap red silk scarf Leo gave her was treated like a treasure and wrapped around her neck. "Oh, Leo is so thoughtful." I stood waiting in the corner of the dining room, wishing that happiness was because of me. That scarf was a package I had signed for; it cost $9.99 on Amazon. Last week for her birthday, I used the money I had saved for a long time to anonymously gift her a pure cashmere shawl. The next day, I saw it in the trash can. She clapped her hands in disgust and told the cleaning lady: "I don't know who sent this off-brand junk. It scratches my skin just touching it. Throw it far away." I tried my best to control my facial expression, lowering my eyes so I wouldn't look at the mother and son. Julian was sitting at the head of the table, watching me. While elegantly eating his dinner, he observed my reaction with great interest. When Patricia, trying to serve food to her son, accidentally splashed some broth on the table and turned to yell at me, "Are you blind?!" Julian finally spoke up. "Aunt Patricia," his voice was light, but lacked any respect for an elder. "Chloe is a student I'm sponsoring." My heart jumped, thinking he was going to stand up for me. But the next second, he changed his tune, a smile playing on his lips: "But in this house, she is a servant. Since she draws a salary, taking a little scolding is expected." He looked at me, like a patriarch reprimanding an ignorant child: "Chloe, what are you standing there for? Can't you see my aunt is upset? Go pour some wine for her and Leo." I bit my lower lip hard, meeting his eyes that seemed gentle but were actually ice-cold. He knew everything. He knew who that was, and he knew what I wanted! I took a deep breath, stepped forward, and respectfully poured the wine. As I passed by Julian on my way back, he said in a voice only I could hear: "Do you see clearly now? Without my backing, in her eyes, you are nothing but a punching bag." "Chloe, you can only stay here if you listen to me." My hand trembled slightly. Yes, he knew. He knew what I wanted, and he knew how to control me. I lowered my eyes, hiding the coldness within them, and answered softly: "Yes, Young Master." 6 The atmosphere at the dinner table didn't ease up despite my submission. Halfway through the meal, Leo rolled his eyes, put down his knife and fork, and pulled a document out of his bag, slamming it on the table. "Ugh, this is so annoying! My professor abroad is making me translate this paper. It's full of financial jargon, and translation software just spits out gibberish. Mom, I'm not doing it. I want to sleep." Saying that, he glanced at Julian out of the corner of his eye. Patricia panicked and quickly put down her chopsticks to coax him: "How can you say that? You came back specifically to intern at the company. We can't let people look down on your qualifications. The Montgomery family isn't short on people; we'll just find a translator." Leo rolled his eyes and looked at Julian, his face full of flattery: "Julian, you studied abroad and majored in finance. Why don't you help me..." Julian slowly and elegantly wiped his mouth. He refused matter-of-factly: "Company policy states that intern assessments must be completed independently. Leo, cheating is not good." Leo's face froze, and Patricia looked embarrassed. Just as the situation reached a stalemate, Julian's gaze suddenly fell on me. He looked at me with a half-smile, his tone casual: "However... Chloe has good grades at school. This kind of basic modeling should be very simple for her." He turned to look at Patricia, offering a "thoughtful" suggestion: "Aunt Patricia, since Leo doesn't understand it, why not let Chloe try? She's a top student at NYU after all; tutoring Leo shouldn't be a problem." I snapped my head up to look at him. Was he helping me? No, that couldn't be right. How could he be so kind! But this opportunity was too rare; I couldn't bear to let it go. If I could prove to my mom that I could help my brother, that I was excellent... I took a deep breath, took a step forward, and tried to make my voice sound steady: "Second Madam, this report is about financial derivatives, which happens to be my major. If you trust me, I can..." "Slap!" Patricia grabbed the document and smashed it hard against my face. The sharp edge of the paper scraped across my cheek, leaving a burning, bloody scratch. "Who told you to run your mouth?!" Patricia suddenly raised her voice, her eyes fierce: "A lowly servant showing off? Are you trying to act smarter than the young master? Do you think you're worthy of tutoring him?!" Leo gloated from the side: "Exactly, take a look in the mirror..." 7 "SMASH——!!!" A red wine glass shattered on the floor, splashing liquid everywhere. Julian slowly picked up a napkin and elegantly wiped the wine stains from his hand. His movements were refined, as if he hadn't just smashed the glass. "Julian..." Leo was so scared he fell silent. Julian lifted his eyelids, his cold gaze locking onto Patricia: "Aunt Patricia, I recall saying that Chloe is my person." His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a terrifyingly oppressive weight: "You were right about one thing. Do you think you are worthy of lecturing someone from the Montgomery family?" Patricia's face turned deathly pale. "Julian, I didn't mean... it's this girl who doesn't know her place..." "That's my business." Julian cut her off, picking up the document with two fingers. "Since this document is making everyone so unhappy..." Without even a glance, he let go, dropping it straight into the boiling soup pot. "Then let's not keep it." "Since Leo doesn't understand it, I don't think there's any need for him to go to this internship either." "No! Julian! Julian, I'm sorry!" Leo started screaming miserably. Julian turned a deaf ear. He strode over to me, grabbed my wrist tight, and dragged me upstairs. We entered his room, and the door slammed shut heavily, cutting off the wailing outside. Julian pushed me onto the sofa and turned to get the first aid kit. His violent aura instantly vanished, replaced by a drowning tenderness. He dipped a cotton swab in iodine, lifted my chin, and carefully treated the bloody scratch on my cheek. His movements were unbelievably gentle. "Does it hurt?" he asked softly, his thumb gently caressing my cheek. The grievance I felt a moment ago, met with this sudden tenderness, almost made me cry. My eyelashes fluttered as I whispered, "A little." Julian sighed, his eyes full of heartache, but the words he spoke were meant to kill: "You see, trying to curry favor on your own will only earn you a slap." He cupped my face, his forehead resting against mine, his voice enchanting: "That woman is snobbish. She doesn't see your sincerity; she only sees benefits." "As long as I become the true master of the Montgomery family, as long as you become the rightful Mrs. Montgomery..." "When that time comes, you won't need to beg her. To please me, she will kneel before you and hold you in the palm of her hand." "That's what you want, isn't it?" Though cruel, it was the truth. The light in my eyes dimmed bit by bit, only to reignite with a different kind of hope. I knew this was poison wrapped in a sugar coating, but I still couldn't resist swallowing it. That scenario was too tempting. If I just endure it, if I just wait for him to take control of the Montgomery family, Mom will recognize me, acknowledge me... "Yes." I nodded obediently, burying my face in his palm and rubbing against it. Julian smiled in satisfaction and planted a kiss on the top of my head. In a daze, his figure began to overlap with the shadow from that summer many years ago.
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