Chapter 4
People liked to shoot their mouths off before their old acquaintances.
Fortunately, my secretary could read the room. She hurried away as my expression turned stern.
I suppressed the urge to find myself a new secretary and then rang Martin.
Why did George get the news? Clearly, it was Martin's little trick.
"Relax, Pearl. The paparazzi have been silenced. Keep your money. I can solve the problem myself. Can I spend the night at your place tonight? As the reward?" Martin's voice sounded before I opened my mouth.
Smiling, I gave a positive answer.
Then, I took an exquisite gift box out of the drawer. Inside the box was a watch worth one million dollars.
At first sight, I felt that this watch suited Martin very much. Without hesitation, I bought it for him.
As the last gift before our breakup, it was presentable.
On the way home, I gradually calmed down. Then, the memories flooded back.
*****
The first half of my marriage with George was full of struggles, competitions, and fights.
At first, George and I fought side by side. Later, the cracks began to show in our relationship.
When my dad realized that I wouldn't take orders from him, he began to sow discord between George and me via our old acquaintance.
George bought the story. He sent me back to the Smith family and called his bodyguards back.
Before he left me, he said, "You are so mercenary that I can't trust you."
As a result, I fell into the hands of the Smith siblings.
The Smith siblings considered me their enemy. They locked me in the dungeon.
For half a month, I had very little food and water.
I thought that I would die soon.
Then, I made a tough decision. I blacked out after I refused to drink water for three days.
The Smith family was afraid that I would die in their house, so they opened the door to check up on me.
I seized the chance to run away.
However, my plan didn't succeed. I got beaten up. At the last gasp, I saw George.
Back then, I mistook him for the ghost of Alex Gordon. I thought that I was already dead.
When I woke up, I found George shedding tears by my bed.
He said, "I have straightened things out. I was wrong about you. What do you want? I will give you whatever you want."
I stared at his face. I didn't question his promise.
George was supposed to be an artist, a principled one.
He wouldn't have fallen into the dirty business world if any one of his family members had survived that tragedy.
Surprisingly, he was the most gifted businessman in the Gordon family.
I candidly said, "I want what the Smith family owns. I want you to work for me in the coming two years."
The Smith family was already on the verge of collapse.
It took George only one year to make me the new owner of the Smith family's wealth.
In the next year, he did a lot of things for me.
In fact, he should take credit for most of my current wealth.
On the last day of his free service, he said, "Pearl, you could have asked for something else. You know that I am as good as my word. Why? You have never loved me, do you?"
His eyes were red again, and he looked heartbroken.
I looked him in the eyes and said, "We fought shoulder to shoulder. The battle was over, and we won. We are supposed to be family because he is your elder brother."
The culprit who had ruined the Gordon family had been sent to jail and would spend the rest of his life there.
The Smith family, who had sent me to some man as a gift, went broke.
Too much had happened between George and me, so only love couldn't solve the problem.
Besides, his betrayal had happened not long ago.
There was a reason behind it, but I couldn't forgive him yet.
"I do envy Alex." George showed me a bitter smile. His hands ran into his face, and his tears were wiped away.
His elder brother, Alex, had been my lover.
Alex had died together with his family.
"Ms. Smith, here we are," the driver softly reminded me after the car stopped in front of my house.
I snapped back to reality.
With a smiling face, Martin came over and opened the car door for me.
He complained, "Pearl, what a long wait! Add my fingerprints to your security system, so I can wait for you in the house."
He bent down and effortlessly picked me up in his arms.
I rested my head against his chest.
George was right that Martin asked for too much.
At dinner, I gave Martin the watch.
He happily took it over and then casually threw his old one aside.
Soon, his face turned pale from my speech.
"It is over. From today on, stop contacting me," I said.
Instantly, Martin panicked and sprang to his feet. Was he such a good actor?