Chapter 1

I was Julian Sterling’s personal assistant.

He chased me for a year, and we dated in secret for ten.

At twenty-nine, with my family constantly badgering me to settle down, I finally proposed.

But he just looked at me coldly and said, "I can give you love, Chloe, but I can't give you a marriage."

"If you're that desperate to get married, I can introduce you to some guy just to get your parents off your back."

I accepted his words in silence.

A few months later, he cornered me outside my door.

His eyes were bloodshot, and he growled at me, his voice trembling:

"I told you to just find someone to fake it with! Why the hell did you actually marry my uncle?"

Inside the corporate headquarters.

As the executive board meeting wrapped up, I clutched the velvet ring box I’d prepared and walked toward Julian’s office.

The door was slightly ajar. What I saw inside made me freeze in my tracks.

Serena Cross, the newly hired intern, was blushing, snuggled tightly in his lap.

She was holding a red jewelry box. Inside sat a diamond ring—at least ten carats—reflecting a blinding, piercing light.

"Do you like it?" Julian murmured.

"I love it! But... isn't it a bit too big?"

Julian’s eyes were filled with pure indulgence. He let out a low chuckle. "Only something like this is worthy of your status."

A blissful smile spread across Serena’s face. As she shyly turned her head, her eyes locked onto me standing frozen at the door.

A flash of delight crossed her eyes. She quickly ran over and grabbed my hands.

"Chloe, you're here!"

"I'm so sorry for lying to you before. I'm not actually an intern here. I'm Julian's fiancée."

Serena was the newcomer I had been mentoring for the past month, so we had become quite close.

The sudden wave of information hit me like a physical blow. I instinctively looked over at Julian.

When our eyes met, Julian’s brows furrowed imperceptibly.

His gaze was icy, carrying a sharp warning.

Having been his secret lover for ten years, I understood his look instantly.

He didn't want Serena to find out about us.

I took a deep breath, forcing a tight smile. "Oh, really? That's quite a surprise."

Serena pulled me into the office, excitedly explaining, "Julian and I have been promised to each other since college. We only started officially planning the wedding recently."

"But I missed him too much, so I just took a random position at the company to be near him."

Then, her eyes fell on the ring box in my hand, and she blinked in confusion.

"Chloe, who is that for?"

My grip on the small box tightened. I glanced at Julian.

Julian was frowning at me too, but he quickly averted his gaze.

Serena, highly sensitive, caught the tense atmosphere between us. Her smile faltered.

"Chloe... why do you keep looking at Julian?"

My body went cold. I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.

The office was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Just as Serena’s face was beginning to darken, the door opened again.

The ring box was suddenly snatched from my fingers by a pair of pale, elegant hands.

I looked up. It was Christian Sterling—Julian’s uncle.

He slipped the box into his coat pocket naturally, his expression completely indifferent.

"It's mine," Christian said smoothly.

Then, he cast a look of utter contempt at Julian, turned on his heel, and walked out.

The tension melted off Serena’s face, and she smiled again, though her eyes still held a hint of suspicion.

"Julian, I'm starting to think working at your company was a great idea."

Julian finally spoke. "Why is that?"

Serena curved her eyes. "Well, I heard rumors before that you and Chloe were sleeping together."

My entire body went rigid. My hands curled into tight fists at my sides.

But in the next second, she burst into laughter.

"But now that I'm here, I see it's not true. Chloe might have the looks to tempt anyone, but she’s purely professional. Her mind is only on her work."

Serena stared at me unblinkingly as she spoke.

"Am I right, Chloe?"

I remained silent, but Julian spoke up for me. "What are you talking about? She's just my assistant."

"You know exactly who has my heart, don't you?"

Even though the office windows were open, I felt like I was suffocating.

Serena giggled, playfully swatted his chest, and threw herself back into his arms.