Another alternative.

I signed a three-year secret relationship agreement with Elliot. On the surface, I was the enviable executive secretary. Behind closed doors, I was merely a substitute for his lover. I was only allowed to travel between the villa and the company, always by his side. I thought he loved me deeply, until I accidentally overheard his conversation with friends at a drinking party. “Parker would be furious if he knew you’ve kept his daughter, whom he’s been searching for most of his life, by your side, playing with her for three whole years.” “So what? As long as Lucia isn’t upset.” “Even though Juliet has a great figure, you must be bored with her by now. Why not let me have her…” “Hmm, I’ll think about it.” From these fragments of conversation, I pieced together the truth. So Elliot had kept me trapped by his side for three years all because of Lucia. To him, I was nothing but a plaything he could share with friends. Tears slid down the corners of my eyes as I stuffed the renewal agreement I had prepared back into my pocket. I would leave him forever. ***** “Juliet, why are you standing at the door?” Just as Elliot finished speaking, the private room door was forcefully pushed open. Elliot looked at me expressionlessly, pushing his gold-rimmed glasses up his nose, his tone ice-cold. “How long have you been here?” As the person was about to answer truthfully, I quickly interrupted, asking naturally, “Elliot, will you be busy for much longer? Should I take a taxi home first?” A flash of displeasure crossed Elliot’s face. “Don’t you dare leave my sight!” With that, he pulled me into the private room. The deafening music pounded in my ears as I looked at the men with varying expressions under the dim lights, feeling a wave of revulsion. Elliot’s hand firmly gripped my waist. He kept his distance from other women, yet clung to me possessively in his arms. He bit my collarbone hard and said, “Don’t go anywhere except by my side, understand? After I finish my work next week, I’ll take you for a vacation, okay?” I pushed him away, enduring the pain. He never acknowledged my status, yet always clung to me, leaving visible marks on my body. I said, “Okay.” I had always obeyed him, but this answer was an exception. He smiled with satisfaction, his hand slipping under my blouse. “You’re so obedient. How should I reward you?” I broke free from his embrace, unwilling to continue this charade of intimacy. When I saw he had no intention of stopping, I calmly reminded him, “So many people are watching. Aren’t you afraid the news will reach Lucia’s ears?” Sure enough, his face immediately turned cold. “You have no right to mention her.” For three years, I had meticulously played the role of an alluring rich girl, just to be more like Lucia. Yet I didn’t even have the right to mention her name. Perhaps to Elliot, I would never be worthy in this lifetime. His eyes darkened, but he left first, pulling me toward the underground parking garage. Just outside the private room, we ran into Lucia. Lucia asked curiously, “Eli, who is this?” Facing Lucia’s curious gaze, Elliot remained composed, smiling with exceptional tenderness. “She’s just an ordinary employee from my company who caused some trouble at the party. I’m taking her back to the office for a reprimand.” He tightened his grip on my wrist, silently warning me. My eyes filled with tears from the pain, and I nodded earnestly. Seeing my sincere expression, Lucia believed Elliot’s words. Elliot smiled with satisfaction. Lucia folded her arms, looking suspiciously between us, but was eventually called away by her friend without saying anything more. Elliot held my hand and pressed me against the back seat of his Bentley.The car had been specially modified with soundproof windows that prevented anyone outside from detecting what happened inside. Ironically, I once thought he was being considerate by driving smoothly on any road. But in reality, two-thirds of our intimate moments took place in this car. He thought it was both convenient and thrilling—just close the windows, and no one would ever know the shameful things happening inside.I had never felt so cheap. He pinned both my wrists with one hand, making my already swollen wrists even more unbearably painful. When I tried to struggle, his expression instantly turned cold. “Rein in your temper,” he said displeased. “Don’t make me irritated.” “You performed very well in front of Lucia earlier. I’ll give you a special reward.” The temperature in the car rose, yet I felt unusually cold. His eyes held only lust, not a trace of love. I was just a pet he could summon at will. I collapsed onto the seat, like a rag doll. Elliot’s face gradually darkened with menace. Just as he was about to speak, his phone rang. Lucia’s coquettish voice came through: “Eli, haven’t you left yet? Could you drive me home?” Her voice seemed to come from just outside the car window.

Everything happened so quickly. Elliot suddenly became flustered, responding with a hoarse voice. After some confusion, Lucia sat in the passenger seat. Her destination was a villa in the suburbs. The journey was quiet, but when the car turned onto a secluded suburban road, she suddenly said, “Eli, you seem quite close to your female assistant.” Elliot slammed on the brakes, fixing me with cold eyes. “Lucia, don’t misunderstand. I’ll make her get out right now.” The darkness outside was like a monster ready to devour me. I suppressed my anxiety and resistance, voluntarily opening the door to leave. Lucia said, “Eli, she’s your employee. It’s dangerous to make her get out here. I’m just a tiny bit uncomfortable, silly. I can handle it.” She pouted and turned away. Elliot quickly pulled her into his arms, but directed his anger at me: “What are you standing there for? Are you begging for death?” I couldn’t disobey any of his demands. That was stipulated in the agreement we signed three years ago. However, that agreement had already expired, and I no longer needed to follow its rules. Recently, there had been frequent murders, with multiple homicides reported nearby. After getting out, I barely dared to breathe loudly, suddenly recalling the night I first met Elliot. My foster father had jumped to his death after accumulating thirty million dollars in debt from a construction project. Worse still, my brother, trying to earn money, took the most dangerous job at a construction site and broke his leg when his safety lock wasn’t secured properly, requiring expensive medical treatment. I had tried everything except selling myself. I worked tirelessly selling drinks at various bars, but the money needed was like a bottomless pit. My appearance was too eye-catching, and I had repeatedly rejected one customer’s advances. Angered, he forced me to strip dance in a private room full of people. It was Elliot who saved me and voluntarily helped pay off all my debts, with the only condition being signing an agreement with him. He was a ray of light in my dark life. I knew he had been hurt before and still loved someone else. I knew he suffered from insomnia and could only sleep soundly when holding me at night. I understood his food preferences and dislikes. He seemed to have a desperate need for physical contact, having sex with me every day. No other women ever appeared in his life. He constantly gave me gifts and spoke words of affection. I naively believed we loved each other. But only now did I understand that he helped me because of my connection to Lucia. Lucia was Parker’s illegitimate daughter. If Parker’s daughter from his first marriage hadn’t been kidnapped as a child, Lucia would never have become the Harris family heir. She was ostracized in their entire social circle. Elliot found me, made me fall in love with him, and kept me under his control. As long as he controlled me, Lucia’s position as heir would remain unchallenged. Whenever Lucia got entangled with other men outside, Elliot would return home and vent his frustration on me.I thought it was love, only to realize it was actually hate. The sky suddenly erupted in a downpour, with icy raindrops pelting down, stinging my skin with their cold. There was no one around in sight and nowhere to take shelter. Having no phone with me, I couldn’t contact anyone, so I had no choice but to trudge along the road, enduring the hardship as I continued forward. Finally, I found a clinic. The moment the doctor opened the door, I collapsed unconscious.When I woke up, my head was throbbing. As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw Elliot. Seeing me awake, he didn’t offer a single word of concern. He merely extinguished the lit cigarette in his hand and coldly urged, “Since you’re awake, let’s head out for the award ceremony.”

My mind went completely blank for a moment, and it took me a while to remember the schedule he was reminding me of. I had represented the company in a prestigious design competition and somehow managed to win the gold award. My face was pale, and for the first time in three years, I contemplated calling in sick. He seemed to read my mind and spoke first, “Who do you think you are? You just got caught in the rain, and now you’re acting all delicate and dramatic?” I pressed my lips together without arguing, silently getting up to dress myself. No matter what, in his eyes, I was worthless. I didn’t need to explain myself to him. A flash of satisfaction crossed his gaze. He even opened the car door for me and personally fastened my seatbelt. I looked out the window, a plan forming in my mind. This award ceremony was hosted by the Harris family. I might have a chance to meet my biological father, perhaps even be recognized by him on stage. Plus, today marked the day I received my first award in life. Thinking about this, a glimmer of anticipation rose within me. Lucia, as a representative of the host, was naturally present at the event. She glanced casually at the list of winners and said, “Juliet, you’re amazing, actually winning this award. I’m so envious I could cry. Unfortunately, I don’t have that talent; I might never win such an award in my lifetime.” I was momentarily speechless. In a fair and just competition, of course only those with ability would win. But I still casually agreed, “I was just lucky, that’s all.” The award ceremony began on time. Although I already knew the results, I was still extremely nervous when the award was announced, my palms sweating. The gold winner’s name scrolled on the big screen, and the host deliberately kept the audience in suspense. He dragged out his words, “The gold award goes to Lucia. Congratulations, Miss Harris!” The scrolling names on the screen finally stopped at “Lucia.” I had already instinctively stood up from my seat, staring blankly at the screen. Lucia, however, appeared composed. Seeing my somewhat awkward situation, she couldn’t help but cover her mouth and laugh softly, “What I want, I never fail to get.” Nearby, my biological father looked at Lucia with admiration as she went on stage to accept the award. The crowd below began to whisper. “Who is that? How embarrassing. Why did she stand up when the gold award was announced?” “I don’t know. But I heard the original gold winner was someone named Juliet. How did it suddenly change to Miss Harris?” “Miss Harris is just exceptional. Look how radiant she is today, making that girl from earlier look like a clumsy clown in comparison.” “Exactly, I think so too.” Hearing these words, my nails nearly dug into the flesh of my palms. Elliot was adjusting his cuffs at this moment and said coldly, “I had the organizers change the winner’s name an hour before the ceremony. Let this award be Lucia’s. “From now on, you’ll continue to create under Lucia’s name. “Awards aren’t important; what matters most is Lucia’s happiness.” I turned to look at Elliot in disbelief. This design had taken me an entire month of sleepless nights to complete, countless times of anxiety due to lack of inspiration. To me, it was as precious as my own child. Yet he so easily made me give up the award to Lucia. Seeing my unhappy expression, he slightly softened his tone, stroking my hand reassuringly, “Don’t be angry. Didn’t you want to go to the amusement park? I’ll take you there.” Once, I truly wanted to go to the amusement park with him.Once, I had truly wanted to go to the amusement park with him. But now, I had given up on that idea entirely. I let out a bitter smile. Elliot loved Lucia and thought constantly about making her happy, while I only received his hollow attention. Mustering my courage, I said to Elliot, “That won’t be necessary. The agreement between us has run its course, and I want to leave.”However, Elliot seemed not to have heard me at all. Lucia excitedly came down from the stage after receiving her award and threw herself straight into his arms. He congratulated Lucia, completely ignoring what I had said. The courage I had mustered instantly vanished. For the past three years, I only knew how to obey him, enduring his unreasonable temper and endless desires. Now, I finally realized clearly that my submission and pleas only encouraged his behavior, never earning me an ounce of compassion. While Elliot and Lucia were immersed in their sweet moment, I quietly slipped away, trying to find an opportunity to approach an assistant close to my biological father. I said, “Hello, I’m Juliet. Actually, I’m Mr. Harris’s biological daughter.” I thought he would be shocked or excited, but he responded expressionlessly, “Do you have any proof?” I panicked inside and stammered, “No, but…” He had clearly lost patience. “Ma’am, you’re the two hundredth person claiming to be Mr. Harris’s daughter. How many more times must this trick be repeated?” With that, he turned to leave, ignoring all my explanations and pleas. Just as I was feeling disappointed, a handsome man approached me and asked sincerely, “Do you need help?” I tried hard to recall, but had no memory of this person. He said, “You don’t remember me? Last night at the bar, didn’t you overhear my conversation with Elliot?” Hearing his words, I finally remembered who he was. I frowned, rolled my eyes, and was about to leave. He was taken aback, quickly stepped forward and grabbed my wrist, explaining, “I said those things intentionally for you to hear. Don’t misunderstand. I can help you.”

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