My fiancé, Nathaniel Reed, told me the company was facing financial difficulties and suggested we temporarily cancel our plans for the wedding house. He wanted me, Seraphina Calder, to continue living with him in a rental and for me to use my savings to help the company in an emergency. I agreed, but the next day, I saw his most beloved assistant, Madison Wells, post a photo of a property deed with both her and Nathaniel’s names on it. I paused for two seconds and then gave it a like. Madison, feeling guilty, broke down and cried. To comfort her, Nathaniel did something unprecedented. He called a company-wide meeting and insulted me, calling me petty. He demanded that I publicly apologize and compensate Madison for her emotional distress. The room fell silent. Everyone held their breath and stared at me, waiting for my response. I reluctantly set my chips down, raised my arm, and said, “Why are you just standing there? This joke is too good. Let’s all give a round of applause!” Before anyone could respond, my fiancé, Nathaniel, angrily grabbed the microphone and slammed it into my body. I couldn’t dodge in time and stumbled backward. The room gasped in shock. Madison hung her head, looking sad, but secretly enjoying my misfortune. I looked up at Nathaniel, only to find him frozen for a moment, with a brief flash of guilt in his eyes. But it quickly disappeared, and he returned to his usual self. “Seraphina, can you stop being so unreasonable? “This house is for Madison’s brother, Connor Wells, to use for school. He’ll return it in five years. What are you complaining about? “Why don’t you learn from Madison? She’s kind and strong. But you? All you do is act selfish and petty.” Nathaniel’s voice was cold and filled with disdain. I looked around at the sympathetic or mocking gazes directed at me, and the initial embarrassment was long gone. All that was left was numbness. After all, this kind of absurd situation had happened so many times that I had grown used to it. Madison came from a poor family with a gambling father, a mother who favored boys over girls, and a five-year-old brother. Life was hard for her. In contrast, I came from a middle-class family and had been my parent’s precious daughter since I was little. My ten years with Nathaniel had been smooth sailing, with hardly any major setbacks. Nathaniel always said I hadn’t experienced hardship, that my character was nowhere near Madison’s. So, under the guise of toughening me up, he showered Madison with money and affection, compensating her for everything she lacked, while at the same time, he imposed the same pain Madison had endured onto me. Not long ago, he finally quieted down and, for the first time, even brought up the topic of our wedding. I thought he had finally realized his mistakes. But I didn’t expect him to make things worse. At this point, Madison, covering her face, began crying pitifully. “Seraphina, I really didn’t mean to upset you. “But I had no choice! The school said my brother can only attend if we have a house nearby. “Our family is struggling. I couldn’t finish college, and I don’t want my brother to go through the same thing. I’ll do anything to get him into a good school.” Someone couldn’t help but speak up for me. “If he’s willing to study, he can still get into a good school somewhere else. Why does he have to take someone else’s house to go to this school?” “Exactly, he’s your brother, not Seraphina’s!” A few people agreed, and the room murmured in agreement. It was common sense that even everyone else understood, but Nathaniel seemed oblivious to it. His brow furrowed. He probably didn’t expect anyone to speak up for me. Before he could say anything, Madison, with a pitiful look, turned to me and said, “Seraphina, if you’re worried about losing out, I can let my brother call you sister. He’ll promise to repay you in the future. “If he doesn’t repay you, you can hit him or scold him however you like.” She purposely glanced at Nathaniel. Nathaniel was very fond of Madison’s brother. Every time he went on a business trip, he would bring back gifts for him, and whenever he found something tasty, he’d make sure to bring back a portion for him. If the boy wanted toys, even if Nathaniel was overseas, he’d have someone buy them overnight. These were privileges I had never experienced. When I heard this, Nathaniel’s brow immediately knitted together, and he slammed the table, glaring at me. “Seraphina, is that all you think about? Your own interests? “Children are like flowers. It’s our responsibility to help them grow up healthy and happy. “Is it really shameful to use a little child like this?” After speaking, Nathaniel turned toward Madison. His tone suddenly softened, completely different from the tension he had when facing me. “Madison, don’t worry. I’ve made a decision. From now on, Seraphina will cover the cost of your child’s college tuition. “You don’t need to worry. I’ll transfer her bonus and half of her salary directly to your account.” Madison’s eyes instantly lit up, and she excitedly said, “Thank you, Mr. Reed.” “Don’t mention it. It’s only right,” Nathaniel responded casually. I couldn’t help but laugh in anger. A colleague who had a good relationship with me couldn’t hold back and said, “This is ridiculous. First of all, Seraphina should be able to manage her own salary. And why should anyone else handle Madison’s personal matters? “If we go by the logic that the weaker party is always right, should we be expected to save up and pay it off for those who owe money for some reason?” Everyone chimed in with their opinions. Soon, the room fell into complete silence. Everyone saw Nathaniel’s face grow darker, but he didn’t speak. This was a clear sign he was about to lose his temper. After three seconds of silence, Nathaniel kicked the table in front of him over. I was closest and nearly got hit. But Nathaniel ignored it and stormed angrily. “I never imagined there were so many selfish people in this company, but don’t forget, our company’s core values are harmony and friendship! “I’ve already made my decision. From now on, anyone who makes comments like ‘it’s none of my business’ will be kicked out of the company!” No one dared to say a word. Nathaniel stormed off, and Madison quickly followed him out. My colleagues looked at me with sympathy but didn’t know how to comfort me. In the end, they patted me on the back and offered a few half-hearted words of consolation. Everyone gradually left. Soon after, I heard Madison’s sweet voice from outside the door. “Mr. Reed, I know you’re doing this for me, but please don’t be so harsh on Seraphina. What if she gets so mad she decides to quit?” Nathaniel sneered. “She won’t. The company is doing so well now. She wouldn’t want to leave. And even if she did, you’d still be here, wouldn’t you? You’re way better than her now.” The two of them laughed. Their voices were grating. I had left my parents’ arranged plans to move far away and help Nathaniel start his business, raise investments, and endure the kind of cold stares I’d never seen before in my life. I stayed up late working on projects, my dark circles deepening, and built the company from just the two of us to a hundred people. Not only did Nathaniel never thank me, but he also made an exception and brought Madison, who had no qualifications, into the company. Even though I didn’t understand, I still seriously taught her and helped her fix many major mistakes in her work. Right now, one of them was trying to steal my credit and leech off me. The other just turned a blind eye, only looking for ways to manipulate me. I let out a bitter laugh at myself. At the same time, my phone vibrated. I opened it to find this month’s salary. As mentioned in the meeting earlier, all the bonuses and half of my salary were deducted. I no longer endured in silence like I used to, holding onto the hope that he would eventually wake up and realize his mistakes. This time, I took out my phone and directly dialed the police. Chapter 2 The police arrived quickly, and they were at the company within ten minutes. Nathaniel didn’t expect me to actually call the police. He stood there, stunned, for a long while, trying to process what just happened. When he finally reacted, he glared at me in anger, accusing me of being heartless and unreasonable. “You’re calling the police over a little bit of money? Is this how much you value such a small amount of cash?” I didn’t respond. Seeing my silence, Nathaniel thought I was reflecting, just like I had done in the past. His face softened a little, and he calmly told the police that I had voluntarily given money to Madison’s brother for tuition. The police asked me to confirm. I replied seriously, “I never said that and never agreed to it.” Nathaniel furrowed his brows. “Seraphina, why have you become so selfish now? I warn you, if you keep causing trouble, don’t stay here. Go back home and play the role of the young heiress.” He dared to threaten me, knowing full well that I couldn’t bear to leave him. We had been together for ten years. In the past, I let him be overbearing. He had done worse things than this, but I always thought that men needed to grow and needed care, that eventually, they would mature and take responsibility. But now I understood he and I would never reach the day we’d get married. I shook my head, still insisting that I had never agreed. Nathaniel’s face darkened, and he finally told the police that we were a couple and that my salary was his to control. The police immediately reprimanded him, ordering him to follow the contract and pay the missing salary and bonuses, or face a lawsuit. Knowing he was in the wrong, Nathaniel had no choice but to instruct the finance department to reissue my salary. After the police left, he looked at me helplessly. “Seraphina, how have you become so stingy? “I’m your fiancé, and everything I do is for your own good. When you have money, you buy favors and build connections. Isn’t that the basic principle? “You’re my fiancée, and once we get married, everything I have will be yours. The connections I’ve built will be yours, too, in the future.” I looked at his earnest expression, and perhaps I would have believed him in the past. But last year, during Christmas, one of our long-time partners was short on cash and urgently needed funds. I offered to help, but Nathaniel outright refused. His reason was that the company was facing a financial crunch. But later, I found out that the company actually had plenty of liquid assets at that time. He refused to help simply because Madison had been upset over a project handover, where the other party’s tone had been a little harsh, making Madison unhappy. Nathaniel refused to help just to get back at Madison. I snorted and asked him, “What kind of connections does Madison have, and didn’t you just say yesterday that we’re facing financial difficulties?” Caught off guard, Nathaniel fell silent. He awkwardly cleared his throat. “Madison’s abilities are actually quite impressive…” I didn’t want to listen to his excuses anymore, so I calmly interrupted him. “I don’t think so. In fact, I think she’s useless and want to fire her. “Now, either she leaves the company, or you return the money for our wedding house, every penny, back to my account. The choice is yours.” Nathaniel stared at me in disbelief, perhaps not expecting me to speak to him like this. He was angry. “Why are you so petty? Are you jealous of Madison?” I couldn’t help but laugh in frustration. “Jealous of her? Jealous of her being incompetent? Jealous of her stealing credit?” “You…” Nathaniel’s face turned pale, and he pointed at me. “Seraphina, I think you’re just making trouble for no reason! “Just take a taxi home today. Calm down and think about it on your own.” With that, he turned and walked away. This was always how he started a cold war with me. In the past, I would’ve rushed to apologize, swallowed my pride, and admitted I was wrong. But now, I felt calm inside. I didn’t care at all. What he didn’t know was that I no longer wanted to marry him and didn’t care about anything he did. I drafted a resignation letter, planning to have him sign it, but I still hadn’t seen him by the time work ended. It wasn’t until the evening that Madison posted something on Instagram. [Money and everything else in this world is a false proposition. Only love is the true proposition.] The picture was taken in a bar, showing her and Nathaniel sitting closely together, with the lighting being poor, but it looked like Nathaniel was holding her. Within a minute, Nathaniel liked the post. Then he commented: [A thousand cups are never enough when drinking with a true friend.] He added a facepalm emoji. I knew he was doing this on purpose. Every time, he would use this kind of tactic to make me jealous. When I got angry and rushed over, he would turn it around and accuse me of being petty and overthinking. But the real question was, was I overthinking, or were they not as innocent as they seemed? I didn’t know, and honestly, I didn’t want to know anymore. When I got back to the apartment Nathaniel and I rented, I knew I should leave immediately. But after everything that had happened today, I felt drained. It was getting late, and I didn’t want to look for a hotel. I quickly packed up a few things, and before long, I fell asleep. When I woke up again, Nathaniel had just returned from outside. I checked the time. It was 2 a.m., still early. In the past, he often didn’t return until 3 or 4 a.m. after social events. I would worry and stay up, waiting on the couch for him to contact me so I could go pick him up. “I called you so many times. Why didn’t you pick up?” Nathaniel tugged at his tie in frustration as soon as he saw me and angrily demanded an explanation. I noticed then that there were two missed calls from him on my phone. “I was asleep. I didn’t hear it,” I replied calmly. “You were asleep?” Nathaniel frowned. I nodded. “Yeah.” “Seraphina, you know I can’t drive after drinking, and you still managed to sleep? Don’t you worry that something could happen to me on the road?” He looked at me in disbelief. I remained calm. “If you were worried, you could’ve called a cab. “I’m not your personal driver, and you’re not paying me like one.” I answered him with his own words from the past. Nathaniel’s anger flared. “Seraphina, why are you so obsessed with money? If I’d known you were like this, I wouldn’t have come back tonight.” With that, he grabbed his coat and turned to leave. “Wait.” Nathaniel seemed to have guessed I would stop him, and he looked at me smugly. “What now?” I pulled the resignation letter from the table. “Sign this.” Chapter 3 Nathaniel’s brows furrowed as he looked at me with suspicion. “What’s this?” “You’ll know once you open it.” Nathaniel thought for a moment, then showed a smug smile. “A gift for me? “Seraphina, don’t think that by making me angry and buying me some gifts, you can make me forgive you. “What I want is your attitude toward me and our relationship.” He raised an eyebrow, and his tone returned to its usual condescending manner. It took me a moment to realize what he meant. When we had fought the worst before, I had secretly bought him his favorite car and registered it in his name just to make him happy. So he thought that this time, I was just trying to appease him again. I scoffed inwardly and was about to tell him, but then a knock came from the door, followed by Madison’s gentle voice. “Mr. Reed, are you asleep?” Nathaniel’s eyes lit up. He was anxious and didn’t even look at me, quickly signing my resignation letter. “Don’t think you can just buy me something to win me over. Whether I forgive you or not will depend on how you act later.” He said this in a rush and quickly got up to open the door. Seeing how eager he was, I found it amusing. I tucked the resignation letter away and went back to my room. When I came out again, I saw that it wasn’t just Madison but also her brother, Connor. As usual, Connor ate snacks without manners, leaving a mess of wrappers and juice stains all over the carpet. Madison apologized awkwardly, but Nathaniel generously said it was fine and that it could be cleaned up later. But he never cleaned up himself. Every time, I was the one who silently cleaned the whole room without complaint. When I later complained, he would always tell me I was being petty and then drive off in frustration. Now, I pretended not to notice. “Seraphina, I’m sorry. Connor needs to wake up early tomorrow for an entrance exam. “The house over there isn’t ready yet, but this place is close, and there’s an empty guest room, so I was hoping to have Connor stay here for the night. It shouldn’t be a problem, right?” Madison asked, knowing full well the answer. Her words weren’t a request but more of a notification. But Nathaniel seemed not to notice. He shot me a warning glance as if afraid I’d refuse. I smiled lightly. “It’s fine.” After all, I was only staying here for the night. Perhaps he didn’t expect me to be so agreeable. Nathaniel paused for a moment, then looked at me with a complex expression, unsure whether he was pleased or not. I ignored him and turned to go back to my room to rest. Outside, I could hear laughter and excited shouts from the child. Ten minutes later, Nathaniel knocked on my door. “Seraphina, I know you’re awake. Open the door, let’s talk.” I glanced at the time. “Rest, it’s getting late.” Nathaniel then spoke through the door, “You did well today. You’re being sensible, and I like it. Let’s put today behind us. Once this time passes, we’ll talk about the wedding.” I couldn’t help but laugh. I knew he was trying to make amends. This was usually a sign that our cold war was ending. But this time, it seemed he hadn’t realized that I no longer intended to marry him. The next morning, I was awakened by the lively laughter outside my door. Stepping out, I saw Madison and Nathaniel sitting at the dining table, eating breakfast together like a happy family of three. Madison passed her milk to Nathaniel. “Try this. It’s not sweet at all.” Nathaniel took it and sipped through the straw, and their seamless understanding seemed like it wasn’t the first time. Yet, I remembered at last year’s company party, he accidentally used my fork and grimaced, complaining that he could taste my saliva and found it disgusting. Back then, I was considerate of his germophobia, but now it seemed that only Madison’s saliva wasn’t disgusting in his eyes. At that moment, Madison saw me and smiled, “Seraphina, you’re awake. “Sorry, I didn’t know when you’d be up, so I didn’t get your breakfast.” Nathaniel covered for her. “It’s fine. She’s on a diet. She skips breakfast. “By the way, Seraphina, why are you still here? Shouldn’t you be at work by now?” Nathaniel frowned at me, scrutinizing me. He allowed Madison to go to the company anytime for her brother. But I would lose half a day’s salary if I was even a second late. I ignored him, pulling out my suitcase that was already packed. “What are you doing with a suitcase?” Nathaniel furrowed his brows. “I don’t recall any business trips scheduled for your department.” Just as I was about to speak, Madison intervened with a pretense of hurt, “Is it because we’re staying here that Seraphina is angry and wants to leave?” As usual, without waiting for my explanation, Nathaniel believed Madison’s words. His expression immediately darkened. “Seraphina, I thought you had grown wiser, but you’re still being unreasonable. “I order you to come back to the office immediately, or it’ll count as a severe tardiness! “Three instances of severe tardiness could get you fired.” Madison hypocritically tried to persuade me while her brother clapped his hands rhythmically, chanting, “Fire her! Fire her!” “See? Even the kid knows…” Nathaniel was about to lecture me again, but I said quietly. “Don’t bother. I’ve already resigned. “And Nathaniel, let’s break up as well.” Chapter 4 “What did you say?” Nathaniel’s eyes widened as he stared at me. “You want to break up with me?” We had been together for ten years, and even when he bullied and humiliated me the most, I never once mentioned the word breakup.
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