Chapter 2

Julian and I met seven years ago.

I’d failed a mission and was being hunted by enemies. Julian saved me.

I still remember the surprise in his eyes when he rescued me.

He'd said something about a woman daring to take on a suicidal line of work like being a mercenary!

Because I feared leaking information, he was the one who nursed me back to health for over two weeks.

Once, when I ran a high fever, Julian pulled an all-nighter watching over me.

Later, he chuckled, saying he’d never cared for anyone so diligently in his entire life.

He then said he wanted to hire me, as a way to “get back at me” for all the trouble.

At the time, I thought it would be some incredibly difficult task.

Only after I agreed did I realize they were two extremely simple missions.

They weren't torture at all; strictly speaking, it was just him handing me money.

Later, as I grew closer to Julian, I became his dedicated mercenary.

For seven years, I knew he secretly admired Seraphina.

There was even one time when he chased after Seraphina overseas and ran into an ambush.

It was I who fought desperately to get him back home safely, taking two bullets for him.

That day, on the plane back home,

Julian’s eyes were red from crying. He gripped my hand tightly and said,

“Maya, you’re my mercenary. You can’t die without my permission!”

“As long as you live, I’ll marry you!”

The moment I heard those words, my heart actually fluttered with shyness.

I never thought he knew about my feelings for him.

It was because of that promise that my raw survival instinct dragged me through that crisis.

When I woke up in the hospital, my first question was to ask Julian if he was serious.

He nodded very earnestly then.

“Of course, it’s true! I said I’d marry you, and I will!”

But now, he’d chosen someone else.

Looking at Seraphina, who was admiring the necklace before me, I could no longer control my emotions.

I lowered my head and turned to leave when the birthday gift box in my arms slipped out.

I bent down in a hurry, but a sharp pain from my abdominal wound made me flinch.

Seraphina picked up the gift box.

She opened it to reveal a rather inexpensive bracelet.

It even had "JB," Julian Blackwood’s initials, that I had carefully woven into it.

“Maya, this is for Julian, isn’t it? With his initials and everything, you really put a lot of thought into it.”

Then, her tone shifted, laced with disdain.

“But this doesn’t look very valuable, does it? Julian wouldn’t wear such a cheap bracelet. There’s no brand logo; did you make it yourself?”

I bit my lower lip so hard I tasted blood.

“It’s his birthday present!”

The words had barely left my mouth when a chorus of laughter erupted.

Julian, tears in his eyes from laughing, seemed amused. He casually took the bracelet, glanced at it, then indifferently tossed it onto a nearby table already stained with cream and red wine.

Finally, he spoke, utterly nonchalant.

“Alright, I get it.”

In that moment, I almost wished he’d mock me hysterically, or scoff at my foolish infatuation.

But that detached, indifferent expression was like a sword piercing my heart, an unbearable pain.

I looked up, asking Julian, word for word,

“Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

He frowned, then slowly patted his head, pretending to just remember.

“Oh, right. You worked hard on this mission too. I’ll have Mr. Davies transfer the remaining payment to you later.”

I forced a laugh.

It was a brittle, ugly sound.

The strong taste of blood filled my mouth, and the wound in my abdomen ripped open again.

But no physical pain could compare to the ache in my heart.