Chapter 1

At the high-end charity auction, I spent tens of millions of dollars on rare jewelry just to see my girlfriend smile.

Brody, her male intern who tagged along, secretly changed the shipping address to his own apartment.

Every single piece of priceless jewelry I won was delivered straight into his hands.

When I angrily confronted him, Brody dropped straight to his knees right in front of me.

"Chase, please, I had no choice! If I don't get this money, my entire family will be thrown out onto the streets!"

My girlfriend, Vivienne, jumped in to defend him without hesitation:

"Chase, it's just a few million dollars! You were going to give it to me anyway. Why does it matter if I gave it to him instead? Where is your basic human empathy?"

"Let me make this clear. Get down on your knees and beg Brody for forgiveness right now, or you can forget about ever marrying me!"

Looking at my furious girlfriend, every last trace of love inside me died.

Fine. Let's see if you can still afford a single penny once I take back everything I ever gave you.

Everyone in the office covered their mouths, their eyes darting toward me with mockery and schadenfreude. They were all waiting to watch me humiliate myself.

A few of Vivienne's loyal lapdogs even chimed in from the sidelines.

"Vivienne is right. Poor Brody is going through so much. Chase is filthy rich—what's the big deal about helping him out?"

Hearing her minions back her up, Vivienne smirked.

The way she looked at me was not how a woman looked at her boyfriend. It was the look you gave your bitterest enemy.

"Look around, Chase. Everyone here has a heart and wants to help Brody. Why are you the only one standing there being so callous?"

"Besides, we built this company together. Just consider those jewels a gift from me to him. What's wrong with that?"

Looking at Vivienne's arrogant face, I didn't beg like I used to. I didn't shout, either. I just watched her in dead silence.

This had happened far too many times.

Ever since Brody joined our company as an intern, Vivienne had been infatuated with him. It was like she had lost her mind. She practically wanted to hand him the entire world on a silver platter.

Brody, still kneeling on the floor, let the corner of his lips curl into a smug smirk. There was no fear in his eyes, only total confidence.

And why wouldn't he be confident? Vivienne had never once chosen me over him.

Brody kept his smirk hidden from the crowd, letting his voice crack with dramatic grief:

"Mr. Vance, I know I messed up. Please forgive me! If you don't, I'll just stay on my knees forever!"

Before I could even reply, he shifted his feet slightly backward, already preparing to stand back up.

Every single time before, whenever he pulled this stunt, Vivienne's heart would bleed for him. She would force me to apologize and order me to help Brody back to his feet.

Not this time.

"Then stay on your knees. As for an apology? Keep dreaming."

Without sparing them another glance, I turned around and walked straight out of the office.

I went downstairs and got into my car. I told the driver to take the rest of the day off, reclined in the back seat, and stared blankly at my phone.

On the screen was an email from the auction house containing pictures of a diamond necklace and a vintage ring. They were the items I had won earlier today.

Vivienne and I had made a pact years ago. The day I bought her these two specific pieces of jewelry, she would agree to marry me.

Back then, I didn't have enough capital and refused to rely on my family's trust fund. I had tracked those pieces for years, waiting for the right moment.

Now, our company had finally gone public. Massive investments poured in, and I had more than enough money to buy them. I honestly believed today would be the day I asked her to be my wife.

I had been ecstatic. I called Vivienne home to surprise her. I had arranged everything at my place: fresh roses, champagne, fairy lights, the entire romantic setup. All that was missing was the ring.

When I called the auction house to check on delivery, they told me it had already arrived. When I asked for the delivery address, I discovered it had been sent straight to Brody's apartment.

That was when I learned Brody had sneaked behind my back during the auction, persuaded Vivienne, and swapped the delivery address to his own. Millions of dollars' worth of jewelry had landed directly in his pockets.

I stared at the sparkling diamond ring on my screen until the sun dipped below the horizon. Finally, I drove myself home.

The moment I unlocked the front door, the scent of dinner drifted out from the kitchen.

Had Vivienne finally realized how wrong she was? Was she cooking dinner to apologize to me?

A faint flicker of hope rose in my chest. I pushed the door open.

Vivienne stood by the kitchen counter in an apron. Brody was standing right behind her, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist.

Hearing the door, Brody turned around. There wasn't an ounce of guilt or panic on his face—only the smug warmth of a host greeting an unwelcome guest.

"Oh, Chase, you're back! Come on in, make yourself at home!"

He acted as if he were the real master of this house.

Vivienne glanced back at me, and her expression instantly froze into cold disgust the second our eyes met.

The two of them stood pressed against each other like an actual couple. I, the official boyfriend, was treated like an intruder.

I didn't take the slippers Brody offered. I didn't step inside. I just stared at Vivienne across the counter.

"Vivienne. We're done. Let's break up."