Chapter 8

I woke up the next morning to find Alexander, uncharacteristically, not at work.

He was setting out breakfast, talking to me.

"Today's a good day. We should go see your parents."

I was drinking my coffee, not looking up as I replied:

"They're not home. They went to Los Angeles."

Alexander paused.

"To Los Angeles?"

"Mm-hmm. I enrolled them in an MBA program. They're taking classes."

"What about the factory business?"

"It's finished."

Alexander looked at me quietly for a moment.

"Was that your idea?"

"Yeah. I just thought it was pointless to keep it going. It would just drain them dry."

I wiped my mouth, went to the door to put on my shoes, and grabbed my bag. As I opened the door, I said:

"I'm meeting a friend. Might be back late. See you."

Alexander was about to say something, but the door was already shut.

I really was going to meet someone – my influencer friend, Brianna, to get some tips.

Brianna was incredibly helpful.

She meticulously explained how to set up an account, how to write a bio, how to boost engagement, and how to define my target audience.

She spoke so fast, I couldn't write quickly enough, and she even complained:

"Your handwriting is like chicken scratch!"

I bared my teeth.

"I'm a slacker, what do you expect?"

Brianna chuckled, about to playfully pinch me, but her gaze suddenly froze.

"Holy crap!"

I followed her line of sight.

Not far away, a handsome man and a beautiful woman were walking side-by-side across the street.

A car sped past, and the handsome man pulled the woman into his arms.

It was Alexander and Serena.

*When did she get back? Why didn't Alexander tell me?*

A flicker of regret crossed my mind, then I shook my head, dismissing it.

*No more being love-struck. No more obsessing over men. Being love-struck leads to a tragic end!*

I refocused on taking notes. Brianna had gone to the same university as us, so she knew about the three of us.

She nudged me with her elbow.

"Hey, isn't that your husband's… 'special friend'? Aren't you worried?"

What was there to worry about? I already knew how it would end.

In three years, Alexander would become a law firm partner and reconcile with Serena.

On the day he proposed to her, fireworks lit up the entire city.

The sky was dazzling, and I was huddled in a dark corner, being yelled at by my boss for accidentally breaking a dish.

"You can't even wash a dish properly, what good are you?"

"Two hundred from your perfect attendance bonus. See if you dare break anything next time."