1 To pay off my boyfriend’s debts, my mother and I worked ourselves to the bone. But because of it, she developed lung cancer. When I rushed to the hospital with the money for her treatment, I found she had hanged herself, leaving behind only a letter: “Lila, my dear, your mother can’t go on. Take this money to pay off the debts. Julian is a good boy, he loves you, he just lost his way. After the debts are settled, live a good life together.” Clutching my mother’s ashes, I handed the thirty thousand dollars of her hard-earned money to Julian Winthorpe. Returning to the company, I unexpectedly saw him talking with several creditors. “Mr. Winthorpe, Miss July has passed all your tests. What are your next arrangements?” Julian’s childhood friend, Olivia Reed, suddenly spoke up: “Julian, darling, although Miss July can endure hardship with you, we still need to test if she can share prosperity.” Julian pursed his lips: “Next, I need to know if her feelings for me are genuine.” “After she knows my true identity, if she isn’t swayed by vanity, if she doesn’t become greedy for money, I will marry her.” I stared at my mother’s urn, tears streaming down my face. Julian Winthorpe, Mother was wrong about you. And so was I. I don’t want to marry you anymore. Leaving the Winthorpe Corporation, I sat by the roadside, clutching my mother’s urn. My mother had asked me to place her remains in a simple pickling jar. All to save five hundred dollars for Julian’s debts. On the large screen in the town square, Julian’s image appeared. The news anchor reported: “Just now, Mr. Julian Winthorpe, the CEO of Winthorpe Corporation, who mysteriously disappeared for three years, attended a gala with his fiancée, Miss Olivia Reed.” I watched Julian’s proud and confident face on the screen. Tears welled in my eyes. So, all the sweat and toil my mother and I poured into earning money to pay off his debts… was just a lie. I sat there for a long time, until dusk, when Julian called. His voice, as always, was tender: “It’s so late, why aren’t you home yet? Where are you? I’ll pick you up.” I instinctively opened my mouth, but silence was all that came out. In the past, I would have responded with a hint of resentment, complaining that he was disturbing my work again. But now, that intimate tone… I couldn’t bring myself to speak. Julian’s voice held a touch of urgency: “Lila, where are you now?” “Working.” Julian froze, seemingly just remembering that for his debts, I had been diligently working late into the night. He had also promised that once the debts were paid, he would marry me. We would settle down and build a life together, just as my mother had hoped. Tonight, he was supposed to reveal his true identity to me. “I, I have something to tell you. Actually, I’m the heir to the Winthorpe Corporation.” “I’m coming to pick you up right now…” I hung up, hailing a cab and driving away. I had no expectations left for Julian. When I finally collected myself, my tears were reflected in the car window. On my phone, Julian’s messages popped up, one after another. I didn’t look, nor did I want to. Today was supposed to be the day we started our new life. But his deception had turned my mother’s suicide into a bitter joke. Five years of arduous effort, exchanged only for a ludicrous truth. 2 Julian Winthorpe, I don’t want to marry you anymore. That night, I didn't go home. Instead, I checked into a hotel. Julian, too, spent the entire night sending messages and making countless calls. I didn't read them, nor did I answer. The next morning, I arrived at the office early, preparing my resignation letter. The company was a subsidiary of the Winthorpe Corporation, and I was just an ordinary accountant. Five years ago, I first met Julian when he joined the company. After we started dating, I took him to meet my mother. My mother approved of our engagement, and as we prepared for the wedding banquet, Julian told me he had incurred massive debts and had been fired from his job. To help him pay off his debts, I took on many part-time jobs. My mother’s already weathered face grew even older. Yet, I never imagined that this company… was his. I scoffed, a self-deprecating laugh. Just then, Julian walked in. I simply took out the printed resignation agreement. Julian appeared beside me, and under his gaze, I calmly signed the resignation agreement. He looked at me, his voice soft: “Finished?” “Finished.” Julian bit his lip slightly, seemingly unaware of the change in me. He cleared his throat: “Lila July, please come with me for a moment.” The moment Julian called me away, my colleagues immediately started whispering. “Oh my goodness, did you see the news? Julian Winthorpe is the CEO of Winthorpe Corporation!” “Lila is going to be the CEO’s wife, isn’t she? But her expression…” “You don’t understand, this is just a lovers’ quarrel. They’ll make up later, you know…” Everyone assumed I was the soon-to-be CEO’s wife. Little did they know, all I wanted now was to leave forever. In the office, Julian reached out, wanting to take my hand. I instinctively stepped back. “Mr. Winthorpe.” Julian frowned slightly. “Why didn’t you come home last night? Are you still angry with me?” I shook my head. “I went to see my mother.” I didn’t go back home because I didn’t want her to see my mother. If only she had received treatment, my mother would have had hope to live. But she chose to end her life, so as not to burden us. Julian seemed to notice a hint of something different in my demeanor. After a moment of silence, he spoke: “Tonight, let’s go see your aunt together.” He paused, then seemed to remember something, his eyes filled with hesitation. He slowly handed me a card. “There’s a million dollars in here. Buy your aunt some new clothes. Consider it…” I looked at the bank card but didn’t take it. What he owed us wasn’t something money could fix. Seeing my silence, a flicker of panic crossed Julian’s eyes. He was about to speak, when a ringtone interrupted his thoughts. Julian pulled out his phone, glanced at me, and after a moment’s hesitation, walked away. I knew. This was perhaps his so-called test for me. To test my sincerity, to see if I was greedy for money. But I no longer cared. Afterward, I submitted my resignation agreement. The Deputy CEO, Mr. Smith, seemed unsurprised by my sudden request to leave. “Lila, you’re leaving? Is Mr. Winthorpe arranging something else for you?” I bit my lip, finding it all so absurd. Everyone assumed I was about to become Mrs. Winthorpe, rising into the upper echelons of society. They all envied my luck. 3 Little did they know I had lost my mother forever because of him. If I had a choice, I would rather never have met Julian Winthorpe. Leaving the company, I saw Julian with his childhood friend, Olivia Reed. Catching my gaze, Julian instinctively began to explain, “This is Olivia Reed, she’s my…” Before he could finish, Olivia wrapped her arm around his. “Fiancée.” I said nothing. Then, Olivia spoke again: “Excuse me, please move aside.” A flicker of challenge danced in Olivia’s eyes. I silently took a step back, clearing the path. Julian looked at me, hesitation in his eyes, as if wanting to say something, but Olivia pulled him away. That night, I went to the monastery and enshrined my mother’s ashes in the temple. I stayed until the prayers for her passing were completed. Julian did not appear, nor did he ask for me. I didn’t care. Whether he knew of my mother’s death was irrelevant now. I believed that if my mother’s spirit in heaven knew the truth, she wouldn’t want to see him either. Five years of misjudgment ended right then. I returned home at dawn. Julian hadn’t come back, but I didn’t care. As I packed my luggage, the news broadcast on the television was about the CEO of Winthorpe Corporation attending a gala with his fiancée, Olivia Reed. I watched the perfectly matched pair, feeling little emotion. With my bags packed, I was about to leave. The sound of the door opening, and Julian appeared. The moment he saw me, Julian rushed over, seizing my hand. “Where were you last night? Why didn’t you answer my calls?” I froze, then pulled my hand free from Julian’s grasp. “Last night, I was with my mother. I didn’t want to disturb her rest, so I turned off my phone.” When I mentioned my mother, Julian seemed to remember what he had said the day before, and a hint of guilt crossed his face. “I’ll arrange for the best doctors to care for your aunt.” He then pulled out a small box and pressed it into my hand. “This is what I promised to give your aunt.” I instinctively opened it; inside was a bracelet. It was the genuine counterpart to the cherished bracelet my mother had carefully kept. I froze. Julian had once held my mother’s hand, swearing earnestly and solemnly that one day he would give her a priceless original. My mother’s eyes had held a smile then; she didn’t care if the bracelet was real or not. As long as it was from Julian, from the good son-in-law she recognized, she would be happy. But I thought, that was then. I closed the box and handed it back. “If you get a chance, you can give it to her yourself.” Julian frowned slightly. Each time, I made the choice he most expected, yet my politeness now seemed unfamiliar to him. A hint of unease flickered in his heart. He grasped my hand, clenching it slightly. “Your aunt’s health…” Just then, Olivia Reed appeared, wrapping her arm around Julian’s. “Julian, darling, I want to stay in this room!” She pointed to my room. “This room is occupied,” Julian said, then immediately explained to me, “She’s a friend, and she’s staying here temporarily for work.” He then stared at me intently, seemingly expecting me to refuse. But I nodded, agreeing without hesitation: “You can have the room. I’m going to stay with my mother.” Julian paused for a moment, and Olivia, not giving me a chance to change my mind, immediately rushed into the room. 4 Only then did he notice the luggage in my hand. He pursed his lips, clutching my hand tightly, refusing to let go, his eyes deepening with guilt. Finally, urged by Olivia’s impatient calls, he spoke: “Tomorrow, I’ll go see your aunt.” I carried my luggage back to my mother’s place, intending to collect all her belongings. But looking at her room, I couldn’t help but shed more tears. Her room was large, capable of holding many things. Yet, her room was also small, small enough to only contain the tiny fragments of my life with Julian. On the wall, hung our joint photos. On the table, sat the cheap little duck dolls Julian and I had given her. In the corner, the milk I had brought her remained untouched; she hadn’t dared to drink a single bottle, saving it for Julian and me. The bracelet Julian had given her, she had carefully placed in a box, polished to a shine. Other than that, her own possessions were only countless handmade craft components, endless embroidery projects, and a small mountain of leather bags. All of this was to save money to pay off Julian’s debts. And all of it was for my future happiness. I tore the joint photos to shreds, smashing the little duck dolls. But the one photo—the one of Julian and me, holding her hands—I couldn’t bring myself to destroy. I placed it at the bottom of my suitcase. With everything packed, I returned to the company for my final handover. Upon arriving, I saw Olivia Reed sitting at my desk. My colleagues watched us, nobody speaking. Perhaps, in their eyes, this was a showdown between a childhood sweetheart and an unexpected rival, and no one caught in the middle could escape unscathed. Seeing me approach, Olivia crossed her legs and flung a check onto the desk. “Ten million dollars. For this position.” Faced with her provocation, I calmly picked up the check. “Alright, I’ll just pack up my things.” Everyone assumed I was bending for a paltry sum, sighing with pity for me. I didn’t care. I calmly packed my belongings, preparing to leave. Just then, Julian walked over, noticing me with my luggage. His expression suddenly tightened. “Where are you going?” “I…” Olivia cut in, speaking first: “I bought this position.” Julian frowned, glancing at me. I raised the check in my hand. “I’ve accepted the money. Ten million.” Hearing my words, Julian suddenly froze. He turned his head, seeing Olivia’s triumphant, expectant expression. His face suddenly turned grim, and the atmosphere solidified. Julian said nothing, as if in silent agreement. Not until my back disappeared from view, did Julian shrug off Olivia’s clinging arm. In front of everyone, he slapped her across the face, his voice cold: “Don’t you dare humiliate her. Do you understand?” After leaving the company, my phone received a text message from Julian. 【The specialists I hired have arrived. I’m sending them to your aunt’s hospital room now.】 【Tonight, we’ll go see your aunt together.】 【I’m craving your cooking.】 I smiled, a sudden, bitter taste in my mouth. Julian Winthorpe, goodbye. I gathered all my luggage and headed to the airport. Just as I was about to board the plane, Julian’s messages popped up furiously. 【Lila, the specialists went to the hospital, but your aunt isn’t there?】 【Lila, where on earth is your aunt?!】 【Mother, has she really…】
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