chapter 1

Everyone around me knew I had a crush on Zachary Shaw, but he only had eyes for his childhood sweetheart Mia Pierce.

Yet on the day he proposed, she abandoned him on the spot and left for abroad.

Heartbroken and despondent, he finally realized how good I was to him.

Over the next ten years, he doted on me and protected me—everyone envied our relationship.

But the day after the company went public, he ran me over with his car without hesitation.

“If it weren't for avenging Mia, how could I have endured the disgust to be with you for ten years?”

Turns out he'd always thought I'd driven his childhood sweetheart away.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back on the day Zachary confessed his feelings to me.

Only this time, his childhood sweetheart—who was supposed to be abroad—had actually come back on her own initiative!

*****

Before I could even utter the words to reject his confession, a cup of scalding hot coffee was thrown at me.

When I heard Zachary call out Mia's name, my mind went numb for a moment.

She was the one who threw the coffee.

But in my past life, wasn't she abroad, busy being some wealthy businessman's mistress at this time?

Seeing me drenched and disheveled, Mia let out a smug laugh.

She sneered, "When you forced me to leave, you never thought I'd come back, did you?"

She said it so naturally that I almost believed it myself.

But the truth was, she had been living comfortably on Zachary's support while looking down on him for being too poor to fulfill her dream of becoming a wealthy socialite.

On the day he proposed, she ran off with a rich man instead.

In the end, she was swindled out of her money and dignity, left without even enough for a plane ticket home.

She died alone from illness in a foreign land, just as Zachary's company was on the verge of going public.

Zachary cried regretfully, "I knew it… I was sorry, Mia. It was my fault for not protecting you back then."

Zachary was clearly overwhelmed with emotion, his eyes red as he pulled Mia tightly into his arms.

He was so lost in the moment that he didn't even notice knocking over a vase on the table.

To anyone watching, his display of devotion might have seemed like a reunion after life and death.

But in reality, Mia had only been gone for two years.

Those two years were the hardest for both Zachary and me.

Heartbroken and unfocused, Zachary struggled both at work and in life. I had to shoulder most of the responsibilities at the company.

What's more, Zachary was just an ordinary guy from a rural background. He had no money, no connections. Making a name for himself in the fiercely competitive capital seemed like an impossible dream.

But I didn't want to see his ambitions crushed.

Behind the scenes, I used my father's connections to quietly pave the way for him, while also attending countless business banquets and social events.

Zachary, proud and principled, despised the idea of currying favor with the wealthy or relying on connections.

He would always say, "I was a top graduate from a prestigious university. How could I possibly stoop to flattering those nouveau riche who knew nothing?"

He insisted that true talent would always shine through.

But he forgot, in a capital city like this, talent was everywhere.

The things he wasn't willing to do, I had to do.

From being publicly mocked for our company being too small to even qualify for collaboration, we finally reached the point where we held a glass of wine while others came seeking us out.

I'd lost count of how many times I'd drunk until I threw up. Eventually, even being hospitalized for alcohol-induced gastritis became routine.

One memory stood out: after successfully securing a million-dollar deal, I rushed to share the news with Zachary.

But he only covered his nose, pushed me away in disgust, and said, "You reeked of alcohol. I couldn't tell if you were here to do business or to be a drinking companion."

As the company grew, our roles reversed. We were no longer the ones seeking favors but the ones being sought after.

Many people were scrambling for the chance to work with the Shaw Corporation.

"See that?" Zachary once said to me with disdain. "This was what real capability looked like."

What he never realized was that without my behind-the-scenes efforts, he wouldn't even have measured up to those he then turned away.

Snapping back to the present, I saw Mia slap a bank card on the table.

She said proudly,

"I have made a fortune abroad, Zachary. Don't worry, no one would ever bully us again.

"There was 50 million dollars in this card. Take it for now, and let me know if you need more."

In that moment, I was sure that Mia had been reborn, just like me.