Chapter 1 Right before the end of the year, I lost my job. I was scrolling through an online forum looking for work when I stumbled upon a thread: [What's the fastest way for a girl to make money?] There was a highly upvoted comment near the top. [Find a sugar daddy, obviously! Mine gives me ten grand a month. He remembers exactly what I like to eat and knows exactly when my period is. His sex drive is just insanely high, he always begs for it and keeps me up all night... but he's super handsome~] Someone replied: [Where do you even find a sugar daddy like that? Is he single?] She replied: [He has a girlfriend, but he hasn't touched her in a long time. He told me she just lays there like a dead fish in bed, totally boring.] [As for how we met, he accidentally rear-ended my car while he was on a business trip in Miami this year.] My breath caught in my throat. This March, Arthur Sterling had rear-ended a girl's car while on a business trip in Miami. My fingertips went ice cold. I kept scrolling down. [Today I just mentioned I wasn't feeling well, and he ditched his girlfriend to take me purse shopping!] Attached was a photo of two hands with intertwined fingers. On the man’s index finger, there was a fresh, superficial cut. It was in the exact same spot where Arthur had cut his finger while slicing fruit for me this morning. 1 I slammed my phone face-down on my lap, my heart pounding violently against my ribs. I squeezed my eyes shut, telling myself it couldn't be him. Not the Arthur Sterling who would tuck my freezing feet into his shirt on cold winter nights. Not the Arthur Sterling who remembered every single thing I liked, whose eyes practically glowed whenever he talked about me. We had been together for seven years. Our lives had completely melted into one another. Besides, our engagement party was the day after tomorrow. He had personally designed the invitations. It had to be a coincidence. I took a few deep breaths and opened the top comment again. The replies underneath were a chaotic mix of jealousy and vicious insults. But her responses only grew more and more arrogant. [Why are you all so bitter? His girlfriend takes up the space but doesn't know how to serve him. She deserves to be tossed aside. Men want passion, not a wooden statue.] [My sugar daddy even used his connections to get his girlfriend fired, just so he could give me her position at the company.] [His girlfriend is unemployed now, so he only gives her five grand a month, but he gives me ten grand~] Every single word felt like a physical stab to the chest. A week ago, I was fired from my job without cause. HR just gave me some vague excuse about "upper management decisions." I went home and cried in Arthur’s arms, feeling incredibly wronged. He kissed the top of my head and said: "It's just a job, babe. If it's gone, it's gone. From now on, I'll give you five thousand dollars a month." "You can just stay home, arrange flowers, and binge-watch Netflix. If you get bored, go shopping or get afternoon tea." When I told him I didn't want to be a useless pet he kept around, he just laughed and replied: "I love keeping you. I only want to keep you." Only want to keep you. The words were still ringing in my ears, but now they made my entire body shiver with cold. My hands trembled as I clicked on "Miss Peach's" profile. Her latest post. [Day 244 of being spoiled by my man. I casually said this looked pretty, and the next second he was taking it home for me~] The photo showed a man from behind, paying at a luxury checkout counter. When Arthur left the house this morning, he wasn't wearing that suit. But that silhouette... I could trace it perfectly with my eyes closed. My stomach violently churned. I kept scrolling down. [Day 215 of being spoiled by my man. They're getting engaged, but I'M the one who designed the invitations! Because I love honeysuckle flowers~ Ta-da, aren't they gorgeous?] The invitation she posted was completely identical to the one sitting in my desk drawer. When Arthur handed it to me, his eyes were brimming with deep affection. "Honeysuckle. It blooms even through the harshest winter. It symbolizes unwavering loyalty and an unbreakable bond." Loyalty. Unbreakable bond. How incredibly ironic. [Day 198 of being spoiled by my man. Today is his seven-year anniversary with his girlfriend, but he ditched her to come to the movies with me!] I remembered that day. I took the day off work, cooked all his favorite dishes, ordered a custom cake, bought a gift, and lit expensive aromatherapy candles. All I got was an apologetic phone call. "A crisis came up at the company, babe. I have to handle it. I'll be home late." I hadn't suspected a thing. I even told him to make sure he didn't work too hard. My fingertips were freezing. I could barely hold onto the phone. I kept scrolling, all the way down to her very first post. [Met my absolute dream guy today! He accidentally scratched my car, but he was so polite and insisted on taking me to the hospital to get checked out... but I think he has a girlfriend. Whatever! Letting a top-tier man like this slip away would be a crime! Operation: Steal the Boyfriend has commenced!] Edited on March 4th, 2025. The exact day Arthur rear-ended that girl's car. "Urgh—" I sprinted to the bathroom and vomited until the world spun. Tears and snot covered my face. The woman in the mirror had bloodshot eyes. She looked like a complete lunatic. So this was the truth. 244 days. Seven months and twenty-two days. Every single night he was "working late," "entertaining clients," or had "an emergency." Every time my heart ached for how hard he was working... he was in another woman's bed. Even the job I cherished so much—he personally destroyed it, just for her. And he knew exactly how much that job meant to me! After a long time, I pushed myself up from the floor and took screenshots of every single post. When Arthur finally came home. He was still wearing the suit he left in this morning. He didn't smell like anything suspicious. He was carrying takeout from the Sichuan seafood place across town. The exact place I had casually mentioned wanting to eat last night. Seeing my red eyes, he quickly walked over and cupped my face. "What's wrong? Were you watching one of those sad movies again?" Before I could answer, the doorbell rang. He frowned slightly. "Might be the building manager. Let me go check." When he opened the door, a sweet, playful female voice drifted in. "Hi there, delivery delivery!" The voice sounded exactly like Miss Peach from the videos on her profile. Arthur’s body went completely rigid for a split second. He quickly muttered a "thank you," shut the door, and walked over holding two cups of bubble tea. "I saw a huge line at that boba place while I was driving past, and I figured you might want some, so I DoorDashed it. I didn't want the fish to get cold while I waited in line." His explanation was absolutely flawless. I looked up, staring deeply into his eyes. "Arthur, is there something you're hiding from me?" 2 Arthur's hand froze right as he was poking the straw into the cup. Instantly, his expression returned to normal. He smiled, pressing the bubble tea into my hand. He affectionately ruffled my hair. His tone was helpless but full of adoration: "Chloe, have you been watching those 'test your boyfriend' TikToks again? Those are all scripted for views." "Besides, how could I ever hide anything from you..." Before he could finish, his phone buzzed. He glanced at it, immediately pressing the lock button to darken the screen. "You go ahead and eat the fish before it gets cold and gross. I need to take a quick call." He spoke a little faster than usual, turning and walking into the home office. I looked down at the iced matcha green tea latte in my hand. Condensation from the cup slid onto the back of my hand. It was freezing cold. I am deathly allergic to matcha. He had never, ever forgotten that before. It's just that right now, he had much more important things on his mind. A short while later, he walked out of the office, wearing that familiar, apologetic look. It was the exact same look he wore every time he needed to leave for "business." "Chloe—" he started. "Is there an emergency at the company?" I didn't wait for him to weave a lie; I just cut him off. He froze for a second, then quickly nodded: "Yeah, there's an incredibly urgent project that needs my signature right now." I looked him dead in the eye. "Can you just not go?" The expression on his face hardened for a fraction of a second. "Chloe, don't be unreasonable." "You know how hard I work, how much I hustle—it's all for our future." "I have to prove to my mother that I can succeed without the family's help. I can give you the absolute best life possible." Arthur’s mother had never liked me. The reason was simple. My background was far too ordinary, even a little broken. I wasn't "worthy" of the Sterling family's elite status. Arthur was a true trust-fund heir, born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Before he met me, his family had paved every road for him, even picking out his future wife for a strategic corporate merger. But he defied his entire family's arrangements just for me. He insisted on being with me. In a fit of rage, his mother cut off all his trust funds and essentially exiled him. She swore that if he could build a successful business entirely on his own, without a single cent of family money, within five years... She would accept me. She would accept our relationship. So for the past five years, Arthur hadn't rested for a single second. And I had worked just as desperately, constantly trying to improve myself, terrified of slacking off. Terrified of becoming a burden to him. Terrified that his mother's words—"What can she possibly do besides drag you down?"—would become a reality. His mother never stopped trying to make me back off, either. From an initial offer of half a million dollars, up to a million. And then, just a month ago, she slid a seemingly weightless check across the table to me. Ten million dollars. The condition remained exactly the same: Leave my son. I never took the money. Because I loved Arthur Sterling. And I fiercely believed that he loved me. I stubbornly believed that true love could conquer all obstacles, erase prejudice, and bridge the gap between social classes. Until this exact moment. The unwavering faith I had held onto began to crack and shatter, inch by inch. His phone buzzed again. He glanced at it, not even bothering to invent another excuse. "Chloe, I have to go. Make sure you eat." Without waiting for a response, he turned and strode out the door. I grabbed my phone and followed him out. Down in the underground parking garage. I saw them. 3 The girl was hanging off Arthur like a koala. Arthur's large hands securely gripped her thighs, hiking her up a bit so she could hold on tighter. His voice drifted over—it sounded like a reprimand, but it was dripping with absolute indulgence. "Didn't I tell you to wait in the car? Who gave you permission to come upstairs? Do you just not want to get out of bed tomorrow?" The girl wrapped her arms around his neck and whined playfully: "Yeah, I want daddy to love me nice and hard~" "Besides, look how smart I am! I specifically bought two boba teas and brought them up so I could pretend to be a DoorDash driver. Don't worry, daddy, your precious girlfriend won't notice a thing." Arthur let out a low, dark chuckle, pinching her nose: "My baby is so smart. But you can't do that again, understand? I'll give you whatever you want, but you absolutely cannot let her catch you. That is the bottom line." The girl pouted, wiggling her body unhappily: "Daddy, doesn't it exhaust you? Every time you see me, you have to change your clothes, absolutely terrified that she might notice something slightly off." "Do you really love her that much?" Arthur paused for a second: "Yes. I love her. Which is exactly why I can't let her find out. I can't let her be heartbroken." "Then what about me?" "You are my absolute favorite little pet, right after her." "Hmph. Then you have to stay with me tonight. The whole night. You're not allowed to go back." Arthur lowered his head, pressing a quick kiss to her lips. His voice was incredibly tender: "Okay." With that, he carried her to the car and put her inside. A short while later, the heavy SUV began to rock back and forth. I leaned my back against a concrete pillar, slowly sliding down until I was sitting on the cold garage floor. It turns out that when your heart shatters into a million pieces, it doesn't make a sound. There are no tears. I don't know how much time passed. The rocking of the SUV finally stopped. Then, the roar of the engine echoed through the garage, and the car drove away. I opened my recent calls log. I found the unsaved number. And dialed. Arthur’s mother answered the phone. Watching the taillights disappear from view, I spoke with absolute, terrifying calm: "Ten million dollars. I agree to leave your son." In a private, high-end tea room, Mrs. Sterling set down her porcelain teacup. The corners of her lips curled into a faint smile. "Changed your mind?" "I thought you said you would rather die than leave him." I didn't touch the tea in front of me. "He betrayed me." She raised an elegant eyebrow, not looking surprised in the slightest. "Because of that girl?" Her tone was completely flat. "I had heard rumors. I just didn't expect you to be the first one to find out." She seemed to sense that I had zero interest in small talk. "Send me your routing number. The money will be in your account within three days." She looked at me, her gaze as sharp as a scalpel. "I expect you to keep your word. If you ever bother him again, you know exactly what the consequences will be." I stood up and left. My phone buzzed with a text from Arthur. [Chloe, I have to work late at the office tonight. I probably won't make it home. Go to bed early, don't wait up for me.] I attached the photo I had taken of them in the parking garage and hit send. [Are you actually working late? Or are you sleeping with another woman?] 4 The message sank like a stone in the ocean. I sat on the living room sofa for the entire night. Arthur didn't come home until the sun was coming up. When he saw the completely untouched food sitting on the dining table... His face filled with intense worry. "Chloe?" He practically sprinted over, reaching out to feel my forehead. "Why are you so pale? Are you sick? Why didn't you eat anything?" I turned my head sharply, dodging his hand. His hand hovered awkwardly in the air. I looked up at him, my voice dry and cracked. "Did you not see the message I sent you last night?" He frowned, pulling his phone from his pocket, looking genuinely confused: "What message? I was buried in crisis management at the office all night. My phone must have been on silent, I didn't even check it." Just as he was speaking, Miss Peach uploaded a new post. [Day 255 of being spoiled by my man. I got caught hooking up with him! His girlfriend sent him a text, but I secretly deleted it~ I'm such a clever little genius!] Attached was a photo of a man's back, wearing only a hotel towel around his waist. So that was it. My stomach was completely empty. I didn't even have the energy left to feel nauseous. I offered a faint, bitter smile and looked away. I looked at Arthur, who was still pretending to frantically search his phone. "Maybe it didn't go through." He let out a very obvious, heavy sigh of relief. He immediately pulled me tightly into his chest. He rested his chin on the top of my head, his voice so unbelievably soft and tender it could melt ice: "You little scatterbrain. You scared me half to death." His embrace was still incredibly warm. He still smelled exactly the same. But right now, the only thing I felt was a biting, freezing chill sinking deep into my bones. "I've been way too busy lately. I've been leaving you home alone so much, with no one to eat with or sleep next to. It's all my fault." He murmured softly, sounding as if he loved me deeper than the ocean. "But it's all going to be worth it. Tomorrow is our engagement party." "I've already arranged everything. I'm going to let the whole world know that you, Chloe Carter, are the only woman I, Arthur Sterling, will ever choose in this lifetime." I didn't say a word. I just let him hold me. I remembered the year he was thrown out of his family's mansion for me. He had to start from absolute zero. I had just graduated college. He didn't have a single cent to his name. We lived crammed in a damp, moldy basement apartment. We shared a single bowl of instant ramen. He gave me the only piece of hot dog in the bowl. His eyes sparkled with pure, radiant hope as he promised: "Chloe, I know things are rough right now. But I swear to God, I will give you a beautiful life one day." His tears back then had been real. His heartbreak for my suffering had been real. The light in his eyes... maybe that had been real, too. If I hadn't seen that Reddit post. If I hadn't seen the reality of that parking garage. I probably still would have been that naive, stupid girl, trusting him and loving him with everything I had. Right up until my very last breath. The next day. The engagement party. Arthur personally supervised every single detail of the venue. Everywhere you looked, there were wild roses. Because I had once told him that I loved the resilient, romantic life force of wild roses more than anything else. The venue was packed with guests. The only empty seats were the ones reserved for his parents. I wore the gown he had custom-designed for me, standing by his side, accepting the blessings of the crowd. He held my hand in a vice grip, his face radiating absolute bliss. Until the MC on the stage began delivering his emotional, tear-jerking opening speech. Arthur’s cell phone rang. He glanced at the screen and immediately declined the call. But just as the MC was about to announce the exchange of the engagement rings... His phone vibrated again. This time, he didn't immediately hit ignore. He offered me an incredibly apologetic smile and whispered: "It might be a massive crisis at the company. Let me just take this. It'll only be a second." He let go of my hand and stepped behind a nearby floral pillar. I stood rooted to the spot, watching his back as he answered the phone. He wasn't standing very far away. I could clearly see that initially, he looked annoyed and impatient as he listened. Then, his face instantly turned as pale as a sheet of paper. "What?! Which hospital?! I'm on my way! Tell her to wait for me!" He aggressively hung up the phone. He didn't even have the presence of mind to arrange his facial expression before he spun around and sprinted back to me. "Chloe, an absolute catastrophe just happened. I have to go deal with it right now." "I'll be back as soon as it's handled. It'll be fast. You have to wait for me here." He didn't wait for my response. He just turned and sprinted toward the exit like a madman. The entire ballroom plunged into a dead silence, followed immediately by an explosion of frantic whispering. Every single eye in the room turned to stare at me. The MC desperately, awkwardly tried to smooth things over. Right then, my phone vibrated. It was a massive bank deposit notification, followed immediately by a text from his mother. [The funds have cleared. Remember our agreement.] Almost at the exact same second, Miss Peach uploaded a new post. [Day 256 of being spoiled by my man. I purposely walked into traffic and got lightly bumped by a car. My man instantly ditched his girlfriend and ran straight out of his engagement party to come see me! I TOLD you guys I was the one he loved most!] I took a screenshot of the post and dropped it into the PowerPoint presentation I had prepared hours ago. Then, I walked forward and took the microphone from the MC's hand. "Ladies and gentlemen. The engagement is officially canceled. I am incredibly sorry for the inconvenience." "But before you go, I have a parting gift for all of you." I cast the PowerPoint—titled [Arthur Sterling's Infidelity Diary]—onto the massive LED screen behind the stage. The very first slide was Miss Peach's newest post. Ignoring the deafening uproar erupting behind me, I picked up the heavy skirts of my gown, turned on my heel, and walked out the door. The Uber I had ordered was already waiting to take me to the airport. I powered down my phone, popped the SIM card out, and cleanly snapped it in half. Arthur arrived at the hospital to find that Tara's injuries were completely superficial. He felt a flash of deep irritation, but he still comforted her in a soft, gentle voice: "Tara, just focus on resting and recovering. I'll come back and see you tomorrow." The moment the words left his mouth. His executive assistant called him. "Boss... Miss Carter found out about Tara."
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