After relentlessly chasing a poor, brilliant scholarship student, I finally got bored. I threw together a flimsy excuse and dumped him: "My family is loaded, and you're broke. We're from different worlds. It's not going to work." I blocked him immediately after sending the text, booked a flight, and spent three months traveling the world, having the time of my life. When I returned three months later, I discovered my "poor" scholar had miraculously transformed into the golden boy of the ultra-wealthy Sterling family. I was absolutely stunned. The entire socialite circle was dying of laughter, eagerly waiting to watch me crash and burn. —— At a high-society gala, the Sterling heir approached me, a champagne glass in hand and a freezing glare on his face. Terrified and weak in the knees, I backed up against a wall, grabbed his jacket, and screamed: "I'm pregnant! The baby is yours!" "You can't hit me... and you can't yell at me either!" "Waaah, I'm pregnant and you're still giving me the silent treatment! You're the worst!" 1 I yelled it at the top of my lungs. The moment the word "worst" left my mouth, the deafening chatter of the ballroom instantly died. Everyone exchanged bewildered glances. Arthur Sterling was so furious the veins in his forehead were practically throbbing. "We broke up three months ago. The last time we slept together was six months ago. At six months, you'd be showing. What exactly are you pregnant with? A ghost?" The room went from silent to absolutely dead. A muffled cough echoed from the head table. Old Mr. Sterling cleared his throat, took a sip of water, and awkwardly tried to smooth things over: "It's nothing, just kids playing around." "Mia, sweetie, come over to Grandpa." Treating him like a literal lifesaver, I scrambled to my feet, ready to sprint toward the head table. But Arthur grabbed the back of my dress. He said, his voice dripping with menace: "Grandpa, this is between her and me. Stay out of it." "I need to have a word with her. I'm taking her home. Everyone, enjoy the party." With that, he scooped me up into his arms and marched toward the exit. In the ballroom, my dad, my brother, and even my lifelong nemesis—who usually couldn't stand me—all shot me looks of deep pity mixed with intense amusement. 2 Actually, back at the airport, when my brother picked me up, he had given me a highly suggestive look and told me I was "incredibly brave." When we arrived at the gala, my nemesis had practically sprinted over to me, her face glowing with excitement, to break the news. The "poor scholar" I had dumped three months ago because he was broke was actually the notoriously low-profile heir to the Sterling empire. "You are so dead," my nemesis cackled gleefully. "He was just trying to keep a low profile, and you literally dumped him because you thought he was actually poor." "He's supposedly furious. He swore that the next time he saw you, he was going to slaughter you." I shivered violently. My terror reached its absolute peak when Arthur unceremoniously dumped me into his car. I huddled against the car door, watching in horror as he started shrugging off his suit jacket and loosening his tie— "What are you doing?!" I tried to act tough. "It was just a breakup! Adults break up and get back together all the time! Why are you being so dramatic?" "A breakup?" He let out a harsh, bitter laugh. "Is that how you break up with someone?!" "You send a text, block me on everything, and immediately fly out of the country? If your dad and your brother hadn't sworn on their lives you'd come back, I would have thought you skipped town forever." He stopped taking his clothes off. He slid into the car, yanked me across the seat, and locked me in his arms. His voice was dangerously low: "Explain." "Explain what?" "Why did you randomly break up with me?" 3 Why else? Because I didn't like him anymore. From our freshman year of college until graduation, I chased him relentlessly for three years. It wasn't until our senior year that he finally took pity on me and agreed to date me. Dating him turned out to be an absolute nightmare. I'm pretty, my family is loaded, and my parents spoiled me rotten. I've always lived exactly how I wanted. But he insisted on forcing me to live by his rules. Eating snacks in bed? Absolutely not. Skipping breakfast? Not allowed. Staying up all night gaming? Definitely forbidden. His endless, suffocating rules gave me constant headaches. When I got mad and tried to fight with him, he'd just hit me with the silent treatment. I would cry hysterically, and he would just sit there quietly reading his documents. When I finally cried myself hoarse, he would look up and ask: "Are you done throwing your tantrum?" "If you're done, go eat. I have to go to work this afternoon." It felt like punching a brick wall. It was the absolute worst feeling in the world. However much I liked him while I was chasing him, that's exactly how much I despised his condescending, "dad-like" discipline now. I had truly had enough! —— My dad always said that a spoiled, high-maintenance rich girl like me needed to find a soft, submissive man who would coddle me for the rest of my life. I never believed him before. But now, I realized my dad was absolutely right. I was spoiled, high-maintenance, dramatic, and prone to throwing massive temper tantrums. Since Arthur couldn't coddle me, I needed to find a boyfriend who could. —— But I never, in my wildest dreams, could have imagined that Arthur was the mysterious heir to the Sterling empire. 4 If I had known Arthur was the golden boy of the Sterling family, I never would have dumped him. Even though I have no interest in the family business, I know perfectly well that marrying into the Sterling family comes with massive benefits. But he didn't tell me. He lied to me for four years. Thinking about that made me angry all over again. I scrambled off Arthur's lap, frowned at him, and demanded: "Didn't you lie to me for four years? What right do you have to be mad at me for breaking up with you?" He seemed to realize he was in the wrong too. After a moment of silence, he said: "Fine, then we're even. Let's just pretend none of this happened." He reached out to pull me back, his voice softening: "Mia, let's go home. I made your favorite lotus seed soup..." Smack! I swatted his hand away. "Get one thing straight. I'm not throwing a tantrum. I genuinely want to break up with you." "You lying to me was your mistake. Me forgiving you doesn't mean I still want to be with you." I took a deep breath, ignoring his increasingly terrifying expression, and finally blurted it out: "Arthur, I don't like you anymore." "Let's just end this peacefully and walk away with our dignity intact, okay?" 5 The underground parking garage was dimly lit. Arthur stared at me coldly, his brow furrowing in deep annoyance. He warned: "Mia, you're taking this too far." "Apologize to me right now, and I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Otherwise, you aren't getting out of bed tomorrow." I shook my head without a second of hesitation: "I'm serious about breaking up. I'm not being dramatic, and I'm not throwing a fit." "Arthur, I don't like you anymore. I really don't like you. I don't like you at all. I hate looking at you. Do you understand?" I repeated "don't like" several times. Arthur's face grew darker and darker. He suddenly threw his arm around me, hauled me fully against his chest, leaned down, grabbed my jaw, and kissed me forcefully. "Arthur—" "Do you remember what I told you when we first started dating?" His voice was incredibly low. My brain was foggy from the kiss, but I dug through my memories and finally found the quote he was talking about: "My family is historically devoted. When we choose someone, it's forever." "Mia, if you choose to be with me, it's for the rest of your life. Are you absolutely sure about this?" Back then, I had confidently answered, "Of course." ...But weren't those just cheesy, romantic things couples say to each other?! If he wanted to hear them, I could promise him the moon and the stars! But how could anyone apply that to real life?! "I never say things I don't mean." Arthur gently nudged his nose against my cheek: "To me, dating and marriage are the exact same thing. Both mean I have committed to one person." "In my world, divorce does not exist, and breaking up is not an option. The only reason I will ever separate from my partner is death." "Mia, do you really want to test me again?" 6 Tyrant! I glared at him furiously and reached out to pinch his arm. He just let me pinch him, using his other hand to stroke my hair. Suddenly, he said: "Your dad has been trying to secure a partnership with the Sterling Group recently. Did you know that?" I shook my head. He continued: "Your family doesn't have a competitive edge against the other bidders. Getting that project won't be easy." "I can help you, but you have to be good." "You are never allowed to mention breaking up again. If there is a next time, I won't be this forgiving. Understand?" "...You!" I stared at him in disbelief. "You're actually using my family's company to blackmail me?!" "Are you even human, Arthur?! You're a heartless, cold-blooded, psychopathic monster—" "If you don't know how to use big words properly, don't use them. No one is forcing you to pretend you're smart." Arthur pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "Mia, I just want you to be good." "When you aren't good, I can't focus on work." "I said I want to break—" "Alright, if you keep pushing this, I'm genuinely going to get angry." He reached down, took my hand, and gently stroked my fingertips. His voice dropped to a chilling whisper: "Mia, you really don't want to see what happens when I get angry." I snapped my mouth shut instantly. 7 When Arthur got angry, it was terrifying. Literally terrifying. The last time he got angry, I had stayed up all night gaming while running a high fever, which developed into pneumonia. Arthur took care of me in the hospital with a face like thunder. The day I was finally healthy, he dragged me to the track and forced me to run a 5K. He ran the entire thing with me. By the end, I collapsed on the track, sobbing hysterically and screaming that he was a psychopath. He stood over me and asked, "Are you ever going to stay up all night gaming again?" "Who gave you the right to control me?! You're out of your fucking mind! Waaaah, my legs hurt so bad..." "Excellent. You're swearing now." Arthur nodded. "Another 5K. When you finish, you can go home and sleep." Seeing him dust off his track pants and reach down to haul me back up to run, my vision went completely black. I threw my arms around his legs and started wailing. "Hubby, I'm sorry! I won't do it again! No staying up late, no gaming!" "I'm sorry! Waaah, my legs actually hurt so much..." He sighed. He leaned down and patted my sweaty head: "See? If you had just been this good in the first place, we wouldn't have had a problem." That day, he carried me home, bathed me, and carried me to bed. I was as limp as a dead fish the entire time, and I couldn't get out of bed for days. ... Ever since that day, I never dared to stay up late gaming again. Even when we weren't sleeping in the same bed, if I heard a notification sound from my game in the middle of the night, my legs would instinctively start trembling. When my dad and my brother found out, they both thought Arthur was incredible. They invited him over for dinner and actively encouraged him to discipline me and break me of all my bad habits.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "391683", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel