In my darkest year, the company’s new CEO launched a full-scale, aggressive pursuit of me. He promoted me, took me to dinner, and declared, “Cole Young stole my business, so I’m going to steal his girl. It’s only fair.” I chewed on my steak, thinking. I didn't have the heart to tell him that Cole already had a cherished love, a girl he’d been hung up on for years. He showered me with money and affection. I let it happen, half-heartedly playing along, coasting through six months of a numb, loveless arrangement. Then, at a gala, she returned. His long-lost love was back in the country. Urged on by the crowd, she blushed and linked her arm through Cole’s. My stomach dropped. I met the CEO’s confused gaze. The next second, Cole spoke. He toyed with the pink scrunchie on his wrist, his eyes landing coolly on me. “I have a girlfriend.” And just like that, I was even more lost than before. Because we had broken up two years ago. 1 It was the sixth month of Liam Hayes’s relentless pursuit. Our “relationship” had finally taken a small step forward: I had agreed to see a movie with him. He looked moved enough to cry. He turned away, muttering under his breath, “She’s so hard to get. No wonder Cole Young is so obsessed with her.” He handed me a hot milk tea to warm my hands, then placed a soft cushion on my seat. “Your period is in a couple of days, right?” he said, his voice full of concern. “Is work too stressful? I’ll have them turn down the AC in the office. Is there anything you can’t eat right now?” I waved a hand dismissively, my eyes fixed on the screen. “Don’t go to the trouble.” A shadow passed over his eyes. He’d misunderstood. “Is it because Cole did it better? Did he know you better?” I paused, swirling the warm tea in my hands. The sweetness, the flavor—it was exactly how I liked it. I could tell he’d done his research. “No,” I said. “You’re great.” A ripple of memory disturbed the calm surface of my mind. The truth was, Cole had never cared about those kinds of details. He was always busy, always exhausted. And he had a girl tucked away in his heart, a girl he thought about every single day. The first time he ever bought me a milk tea was to thank me. The day before, he’d cancelled a meeting at the last minute and hopped on a flight to see Clara Lane. When his mother found out and was about to explode, I’d covered for him. He’d shoved the drink into my hand. “Thanks,” he’d said flatly. “Let’s get dinner tonight. I don’t like owing people.” I’d caught a cold from running around for him that day. He hadn’t noticed the drink was iced. That night, my cough was so bad I had to cancel. “Aria, did you just compliment me?” Liam’s eyes lit up. He pressed his advantage. “Is the movie good? I spent a long time picking it out.” “It’s fine. I don’t really watch movies.” He froze. For a second, I thought he was about to figure something out. But then he just pulled out his phone and started typing in his notes app. Watching a romance movie with a girl increases intimacy. Can’t believe Cole Young is so clueless. This is my chance to get ahead! I smiled but said nothing. It wasn't that Cole was clueless. He just didn't want to watch movies with me. We didn’t speak for the rest of the film. 2 “You know, that male lead is the worst! I have zero sympathy for him.” “If you have a problem, just say it! It’s not that hard!” I fumed. Liam quietly cut my steak, sometimes looking down at the plate, sometimes up at me, a gentle smile on his face. A few frustrated tears welled in my eyes. “What do you think? You have to be on my side!” “Of course!” Liam blinked. “It’s just… I’ve never seen you this emotional before. It makes me happy.” He said it like a profound discovery. “My research says that people only show their true emotions to those they feel safest with!” I was taken aback. I realized that over the past six months, I had grown comfortable with him. Our conversations had become easy, relaxed. We were around the same age, with the same strange tastes. Liam was in his early twenties, a pampered rich kid who’d been dropped into our company as the new CEO. When he first arrived, he was full of ambition, ready to conquer the business world. He’d immediately run headfirst into the calm, experienced wall that was Cole Young. He lost every time. Then, one day, he’d gotten a tip from somewhere. He’d found me, the girl who made coffee and ran errands, and declared through gritted teeth, “You’re his girl, aren’t you? I’m going to win you over!” For the past six months, he’d stopped pulling all-nighters on projects and instead dedicated his energy to studying me. “If I can win over the woman he loves,” he’d reasoned, “then taking his projects will be a piece of cake.” Thinking about it now, it was almost funny. Cole had grown up with nothing. He was quiet, reserved, and had always fought to be number one. He’d nearly worked himself into the ground building his company from scratch. It would be strange if he lost to a sheltered rich boy like Liam. As he paid the bill, I put down my fork and tested the waters. “So, what made you think I was the one he… loved?” After all, in the three years Cole and I had been together, he had been, at best, lukewarm. We were never officially public. Liam suddenly went quiet, turning his face away. “Because… because I saw him once, carving a jade bracelet.” I blinked. “He’d go to this jade shop every day after work, sit under the warm light, and just carve for hours. And then… I saw you wearing it once.” The memory was hazy. A bracelet? I couldn’t quite recall. Cole had given me many things, but each gift was transactional, a way of keeping the score even. If I ordered him a cake, he’d give me earrings. If I picked him up in a storm when he was drunk, he’d give me a necklace. They were all bought by his assistant, placed silently on my nightstand. They weren’t cheap, but they weren't special, either. The only time he put any thought into a gift was right before he flew to London to see Clara. Only then would he pick up his phone and choose something himself. Seeing my silence, Liam’s jealousy flared. “He’s just good at pretending. I treat you way better than he does. He barely even comes to see you anymore!” “Hmm,” I said noncommittally. As we were walking, he spotted a claw machine. “Aria, which one do you want?” he asked, his eyes wide with excitement. I wanted to tell him the truth. He was too good for this charade; I didn’t want to deceive him. But watching him concentrate so fiercely on winning a stuffed animal for me, a strange feeling stirred in my chest. “You’d better not regret this,” I mumbled. He didn’t hear me. He pulled a fluffy bunny from the machine and tucked it into my arms. “Don’t worry. Your boss is a pro. A few tokens are nothing to regret.” 3 A month later, I went to Norway for a business trip and landed a small project. It was an opportunity I only had because Liam had promoted me. The day I returned, it was snowing in the city. He was waiting for me downstairs, rubbing his hands together to stay warm. I gave him a scarf I had knitted myself. He was overjoyed. “There’s a gala tonight,” he said. “I need a date.” “Okay.” I didn’t think much of it. At the event, I followed quietly behind him. I found a delicious dessert and casually offered him a bite. “Do you want to try…” Before I could finish, Cole Young walked in. Our eyes met. Neither of us expected him to be there. Liam froze for a second, then took my hand, a possessive, deliberate gesture. “Thanks, Aria.” I looked down, letting him hold my hand. Cole probably wouldn’t care anyway. But he stood there for a long time, his gaze burning into me. Someone asked, confused, “Mr. Young, there are seats inside. Why are you standing by the door?” Liam stepped in front of me, a smug smile on his face. “Aria, let me give you your coat. Wouldn't want you to be bothered by any creeps…” He was just about to provoke Cole when a bright, feminine voice called out from the doorway. “Cole! Wait for me!” A beautiful, stylish woman in stilettos hurried over. “What’s wrong? Did my talking about marriage make you shy?” The room buzzed with excitement. “Wow, you two are moving fast! No wonder Mr. Young has been working so hard these past few years.” “Of course! She’s his long-lost love, the one he’s been hung up on for years. Think of all the plane tickets he’s bought back and forth.” Cole’s expression remained unreadable. Clara Lane blushed and naturally linked her arm through his. She was back. It was all so sudden. I had been bored, just observing the drama. Now, Liam looked from me to her, a flicker of confusion in his eyes. “And this is?” Someone explained, “That’s Mr. Young’s true love. He’s been secretly in love with her for years. She just got back, so it’s normal that you wouldn’t know…” “Excuse me, I have a girlfriend.” No one expected Cole to speak. He said it calmly, as if discussing the weather. The entire room fell silent. All eyes went to his wrist. Where a cute, pink scrunchie was wrapped around it. I stared at it, completely baffled. I remembered begging him to wear it once, and he’d just rubbed his temples and said, “Are you a child?” Besides, we had broken up a long time ago. Clara’s smile froze. She awkwardly removed her hand. She had never met me, but she knew he’d had a girlfriend at some point. “Sorry,” she said, forcing a laugh. “You never told me about her. I thought you two had broken up.” In the silence, Cole walked past me as if I wasn't there. He stared directly at Liam and suddenly smiled. But his words were for the room. “Since this is a dinner party, let’s all take a seat.”
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