Chapter 3

I endured the sharp, stabbing pain in my heart, speaking with a detached tone.

"I stole your man. Aren't you upset? Why aren't you upset?"

Serena on the other end didn't hear my hysterical rage; she just yelled in frustration.

I clutched my chest, stating coldly:

"I'm giving Julian to you. But do you dare to make this public, to tell Mom and Dad?"

"Don't provoke me. Julian still loves me right now. Be careful what I might let slip."

"Then you'll get nothing at all."

The voice on the other end paused. Serena then said with a strange inflection:

"Guess why Julian came to me in the first place?"

Then, before I could respond, she abruptly hung up.

Listening to her meaningful words, my mind felt chaotic. What else was I unaware of?

I lay in bed, sleepless the entire night.

At four o'clock, Julian returned from outside, carefully climbing into bed. The gardenia scent on him was even stronger.

In the faint light of dawn, I saw two or three hickeys on his neck, glaringly red!

After breakfast, Julian insisted on dragging me to the office, saying it would cheer me up.

The moment I entered the company, I was met with respectful and envious glances from all the employees.

When we married, Julian had given me half of the company's shares.

All the employees knew how deeply their CEO adored his wife.

Before Julian left for a meeting, he specifically told Ms. Miller, his secretary, to bring a lot of snacks to my office.

Fearing I'd get bored, he even had the young and lively Ms. Green, another secretary, keep me company and chat.

"Mrs. Davies? Could you share your secret? How did you tame a man like the CEO?"

Ms. Green asked, her eyes sparkling.

I couldn't help but recall the first time Julian and I met. He fell in love with me at first sight in college and then pursued me relentlessly.

At that time, I hadn't been recognized by the Davies family yet. The Davies family, of course, didn't want him to fall for a poor college student like me.

They cut off all his financial resources, threatening him to break up with me.

But he would rather endure family punishment and deliver food than give in, determined to be with me.

I was touched by Julian's sincerity and agreed to be his girlfriend, to face everything with him.

Later, when I was found by the Davies family, the biggest obstacle between us—our social standing—disappeared.

I thought, with Julian's love for me, we would grow old together. But I never expected that...

Hearts change in an instant. Julian's love for me lasted only a few years.

At noon, Julian returned from his meeting. He hurried towards me and asked gently:

"Sorry, I didn't expect an impromptu meeting. Were you bored waiting?"

"I've ordered lunch from The Grand Pavilion for you. After we eat, I'll take you shopping."

I nodded slightly.

Soon, a delivery person brought up a large, four-tiered wooden box.

Despite the loose delivery uniform, I immediately recognized her as a woman.

As she placed the wooden box on the table, she didn't set it down steadily, and the box tilted, causing the soup inside to immediately seep out through the cracks.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!"

The girl, wearing a mask, apologized frantically.

I stared at her intently. I would never forget that voice—it was Serena!

Julian also recognized her. His face darkened, and without hesitation, he slapped her:

"What are you doing here?"

"Didn't I tell you never to show your face around Iris again?"

He glared at Serena, his eyes fierce, as if he wanted to kill her.

Serena tumbled to the floor, her loose uniform riding up, revealing her fair, soft waist.

Julian's eyes froze for a moment.