For ten years, I was Cassandra’s secret partner, her hidden companion through thick and thin. From the time she had nothing to commanding a multi-billion dollar empire. In the end, she died in my arms, a victim of late-stage stomach cancer. At the funeral, everyone praised me as a loyal and honorable man, silently by her side even after her rise to fame. But only I knew that, in her final moments, gripping my hand, her lips whispered the name of Liam, the true love of her life. She left me with just one sentence: “Dean, in your next life, please don’t find me again. I could never give you the name you deserved.” “If there’s an afterlife, I truly wish… I could marry Liam.” I mourned for a full week, my heart turned to ash, and consumed by sorrow, I wasted away. When I opened my eyes again, I was back ten years ago, at our university graduation party. She stood there, publicly confessing her unrequited love to Liam, the campus golden boy, only to be rejected. Then, with tear-rimmed eyes, she approached me in the corner, asking, “Dean, didn’t you say you liked me? Let’s be together.” I looked at the fresh tear stains beneath her eyes and smiled. Then, right in front of her, I deleted all her contacts. “Cassandra, I don’t like you anymore.” Liam’s discards? Not interested, not anymore.
The air seemed to freeze. Cassandra stared, her face twisting in shock and humiliation. She had never imagined that I, Dean, who had always been at her beck and call, would ever refuse her. “What did you say?” Her voice was hoarse, as if she couldn’t believe her own ears. The murmuring of our classmates died down. All eyes were on us, filled with a thirst for drama. After all, my affection for Cassandra was an open secret across the entire campus. For four long years, I had loved her like a fool, a walking punchline. Meeting her gaze, I repeated my words, slowly and clearly: “I said, I don’t like you anymore.” Then I held up my phone. On the screen, her deleted SnapChat contact screamed at her, a brutal slap to the face. The red exclamation mark was particularly glaring. “Did you get it, Cassandra?” The blood vessels in her eyes instantly burst, and she snatched my wrist, her grip alarmingly strong, her nails almost digging into my skin. “Dean, have you played enough of your little game of playing hard to get?!” “Don’t think I’ll even glance at you if you use such pathetic tricks!” A sharp pain shot through my wrist, strikingly similar to the way she had clutched me in her dying moments in my past life. Then, she had used her last ounce of strength to beg for my forgiveness for her inability to love. Now, she was using all her strength to accuse me of not loving her. The irony was crushing. I didn’t struggle. A sarcastic smirk curved my lips. “Cassandra, have you forgotten? Just a minute ago, you were begging Liam to be with you.” “And now, you’re coming to me, your backup plan?” “What makes you think I, Dean, should wait around for you?” “Wait for you to be rejected by someone else, just so I can pick up your unwanted leftovers?” Cassandra’s face instantly paled, and the strength in her grip loosened. I seized the opportunity to pull my hand free, rubbing my reddened wrist. Without another look at her, I turned and walked away. Behind me, her low roar, thick with suppressed fury, followed. “Dean, you’ll regret this! You’ll come back begging for me!” My steps didn’t falter. Regret? In my past life, I sacrificed ten years of my youth for her, accompanying her from nothing to a multi-billion dollar fortune, only to receive, in the end, a wish to marry Liam. I had already tasted all the regret this life and the next could offer. This time, the one who should regret, Cassandra, is you. Walking out of the noisy auditorium, the evening breeze brushed my face, carrying a hint of coolness. I took a deep breath. The crushing weight that had pressed on my chest for a decade finally seemed to crack. My eyes inexplicably stung, and a single tear silently traced a path down my cheek. Not for her, but for my pathetic, foolish past self. Back in the dorm, it was a complete mess. After the graduation frenzy, all that remained was the hollow quiet of empty rooms. Silently, I began to pack my things, unearthing one by one the objects connected to Cassandra. The inexpensive cufflinks she had carelessly given me, which I had cherished for ten years. The first draft of her business plan, which I had burned the midnight oil for three nights, helping her refine and perfect. And the first, and only, gift she ever gave me: a copy of *One Hundred Years of Solitude*. On the flyleaf, she had written: “For a soul as solitary as yours.” I thought it was a romantic gesture, a sign we were kindred spirits. Later, I learned she had given Liam a copy of *Love in the Time of Cholera*. That was the true love of her life. I was just a convenient distraction for her loneliness.
I found a cardboard box and carefully placed all these items, remnants of my decade of quiet, self-sacrificing devotion, inside. Finally, I struck a match and dropped it in. The flames instantly leaped up, engulfing the yellowed papers and faded objects. The firelight danced on my face as I watched, impassively, as ten years of our tangled history burned to ash. My phone rang abruptly. It was an unknown number. I casually answered. A commanding yet familiar voice came from the other end. “Dean, you’ve graduated. It’s time to come home.” It was my mother. In my past life, to protect Cassandra’s pride, I had lied, telling her I was from a regular, middle-class family, just like her, needing to work hard to make my own way. I rejected everything my mother had arranged, choosing instead to squeeze into a tiny, cramped apartment with Cassandra, eating the cheapest ramen, dreaming of our future. But after she achieved success, she found me wasn’t sophisticated enough to match her new world, unable to further her burgeoning empire like someone from a wealthy background like Liam. I clenched my phone, my throat thick with emotion. “Mom, I’m sorry.” Silence stretched for a moment on the other end, followed by a sigh. “Silly boy, what do you have to apologize for to family? Pack your bags. I’ll send the driver to pick you up.” After hanging up, I looked out the window. Dawn was breaking. Meanwhile, Cassandra, in a corner of the graduation party, was deeply intoxicated. The alcohol numbed her senses, yet my resolute face became clearer and clearer in her mind. She couldn’t believe it. She couldn’t believe that Dean, who loved her to the bone, would truly leave. He must be throwing a tantrum, waiting for her to coax him back. She fumbled for her phone, her blurry, alcohol-hazed eyes finding my familiar profile picture. She typed a message: “Dean, I was wrong. Let’s talk.” The next second, the red exclamation mark screamed at her, a brutal slap to the face. Cassandra instantly sobered, a wave of unprecedented panic surging through her chest. He… he really didn’t want her anymore? A week later, I stood beneath the towering skyscraper of Victoria Corp., taking a deep breath. This was a top-tier investment firm, a place I wouldn’t have dared to dream of in my past life. Because Cassandra had said she didn’t like driven, career-focused men; she preferred gentle, home-loving men. So, I had given up the chance to enter a top investment firm and instead took an admin assistant job at a small company, just to have more time to cater to her every need. Looking back now, it was utterly ridiculous. The interview went smoothly. My professional capabilities and excellent academic record from university impressed the interviewers, who nodded frequently. The final round was with the CEO herself. As I pushed open the office door, I paused slightly at the sight of the woman seated behind the desk. She wore a perfectly tailored black suit, exuding an air of cool sophistication and noble grace. With piercing, deep-set eyes and striking red lips, she was captivating. She was looking down at my resume, her long, elegant fingers tapping lightly on the desk. It was her, Victoria. In my past life, I had met her once. At Cassandra’s company IPO celebration, she had attended as the most important investor. At that time, as Cassandra’s assistant, I could only stand in the most inconspicuous corner. When Victoria came over to toast, Cassandra hadn’t even bothered to introduce me. It was Victoria who had subtly raised her glass to me, saying in a calm voice, “Mr. Dean, you’ve worked hard.” Just one sentence, but it was the only respect I received in that entire extravagant feast, which belonged solely to Cassandra. I never thought that in this life, we would meet again in such a way. Victoria lifted her eyes, her calm gaze resting on me, as if she didn’t recognize me at all.
“Dean?” Victoria spoke, her voice clear and pleasant. “Why Victoria Corp.?” I steadied myself and answered her questions with composure. The interview concluded. She closed my resume and said indifferently, “Come in tomorrow to complete your onboarding.” A wave of joy swelled in my heart. Just as I was about to thank her, the office door was roughly shoved open from the outside. “Dean!” Cassandra stormed in, looking much more haggard, her eyes bloodshot. She grabbed me, her eyes red, and demanded, “Why are you avoiding me? Not answering calls, not replying to messages, what exactly do you want?” She had found me here. I frowned, trying to shake off her hand. “Cassandra, we have nothing to do with each other anymore. Please let go.” “Nothing to do with each other?” She laughed, a self-deprecating sound, as if she’d heard the biggest joke. “Dean, you were with me for four years. Now you’re saying we have nothing to do with each other?” “Did you find someone else? Is that why you were so eager to dump me?” Her words grew increasingly nasty, and my face hardened. Just then, a cool voice came from beside us. “Miss, please release my employee.” Victoria had risen at some point. She walked to my side, her gaze calmly fixed on Cassandra. Her tone was level, but carried an undeniable authority. Cassandra froze, subconsciously releasing her grip. Victoria naturally shielded me protectively behind her. “If I recall correctly, at the graduation party, you were the one who was rejected.” “And now you’re back, relentlessly harassing him? This persistent harassment isn’t exactly classy, is it?” Victoria’s words were like a bucket of cold water, dousing Cassandra’s raging anger. She stood there, looking utterly disheveled, watching Victoria shield me, a flicker of jealousy and resentment in her eyes. “Just you wait!” She threw out that empty threat, then turned and fled in a panic. Silence returned to the office. I looked at Victoria, feeling a bit awkward, wondering how she knew about the graduation party incident. But I still bowed respectfully and apologized. “Victoria, I’m sorry. I caused you trouble.” “It’s nothing.” She returned to her desk, her gaze falling on my wrist, which Cassandra had gripped red. Her brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. “After you start, I don’t want to see similar incidents happen again.” “Understood.” I nodded. She was warning me to keep my personal life separate from my professional responsibilities. That was fine. In this life, I only wanted to focus on my career. I wanted nothing more to do with emotions. After joining the company, I immersed myself fully in my work. Leveraging my experience from my past life and a sharp business acumen far beyond my peers, I quickly rose to prominence within the department. And Cassandra, just like in my past life, embarked on her entrepreneurial journey. She believed that if she succeeded again, I would return to her side, just as I had before. Occasionally, she would send messages from new numbers, mostly empty promises like, “Dean, once I succeed, I’ll marry you in style.” I never replied. She seemed to be holding her breath, not coming to find me again. Until a month later, when I received an unknown call. It was Cassandra’s business partner. He anxiously asked, “Dean, you need to come and see! Cassandra drank so much to secure an investment, she’s in the hospital with a bleeding ulcer!”
A bleeding ulcer? I froze. In my past life, she had done the same, gambling with her health for her career. In the end, she won a multi-billion dollar fortune but lost her life. My heart still felt an undeniable pang of pain. But it was only for a moment. I calmly told the person on the other end, “I’m not your Dean. You have the wrong number.” Then I hung up. I thought that would be the end of it. But the next day, Cassandra directly blocked my path downstairs from the company building. Her face was pale, her lips bloodless. She clearly looked very ill. She grabbed me, her voice tinged with a plea and a hint of accusation. “Dean, I was hospitalized. Why didn’t you come to see me?” “I called you so many times. Why didn’t you answer?” Listening to her words, I suddenly felt a profound sense of weariness. “Cassandra, we have nothing to do with each other anymore. Besides, your health is your own responsibility. It has nothing to do with me.” Cassandra seemed enraged by my coldness and abruptly pinned me against the wall. “Dean, how can you be so heartless? I risked everything for you, and you say it has nothing to do with you?” “Are you just waiting for me to die?” Trapped in her embrace, I caught the faint scent of antiseptic on her, exactly the same as the smell from her in my past life when she died in my arms. A familiar suffocating sensation seized my chest. Just as I was about to gasp for air, a black Bentley glided silently to a stop in front of us. The car window lowered, revealing Victoria’s elegant, impassive face. Her gaze swept over me, finally landing on Cassandra. “Let him go.” Cassandra met her gaze, refusing to back down. Victoria, however, suddenly smiled—a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, laced with a hint of disdain. “Miss Cassandra, don’t you think the process of securing funding for your first project was a little *too* smooth?” Cassandra froze. Victoria slowly uttered her next words. “It was Dean. He gave up a full scholarship to Stanford University to secure that opportunity for you.” “He laid out the path for you, and here you are, questioning why he wouldn’t walk it with you?” “Cassandra, you don’t even deserve him.” Cassandra was thunderstruck, her entire body stiffening. She looked at me, utterly disbelieving. “Stanford… a full scholarship?” I had never told her about that.
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