Chapter 2
Every time Claire met the Ford family, she'd get so nervous that she'd rehearse everything she wanted to say, terrified of messing up a word.
When she indirectly got hurt by them, she never told me.
I didn't want her to make a scene to stand up for me.
The night wind stung my face.
Wiping the tears from the corners of my eyes, I said, "I'm not going to marry Eddie.
"Can you help me find a rich, honest guy? Someone who's genuine, kind, and treats me well."
Claire gritted her teeth. "I'm going to find you someone way better than him."
I didn't take it seriously. I just smiled and nodded.
The Ford family was one of the most powerful in Baskiville. No one could be better than Eddie.
Suddenly, someone slipped their arm around my shoulders.
I turned around and found myself staring into Eddie's probing, unreadable eyes.
He pinched my cheek, his expression hard to read.
Eddie said, "Did I hear you talking about marriage?"
Before I could get a word out, Eddie started coaxing me, his tone playful but a little serious.
He said he wasn't in a rush to settle down.
He told me he was worried about my career and our future.
He leaned in for a gentle kiss, but I dodged him.
"I'm almost thirty," I said, looking Eddie straight in the eye.
Work was stressful, and my family back home kept pushing me to get married. Everything felt like it was pressing down on my shoulders.
"I don't care about your age," Eddie said with a sigh. "I don't want to marry you under these circumstances."
Our apartment was less than 300 square feet.
It never got any sunlight the whole year, and the rent was even 2.7 thousand dollars a month.
My clothes were squeezed between the bars of the balcony railing, always damp and gloomy, especially during the rainy season. Eddie always had to dry them for me.
Claire told me Eddie had bought Lexie a manor back then.
He sent her luxury custom items from around the globe to her house every day.
But Lexie didn't care. She headed into the mountains to teach.
She wouldn't accept Eddie unless he could truly understand her past and poverty.
It was tough for Eddie. To chase Lexie, he squeezed into my cramped life, enduring hardship.
Lexie was finally touched and decided to come back.
So Eddie was ready to leave me.
I felt awkward.
I didn't want him to see me crying, so I nodded. "Yeah, we're not getting married. Let's get some sleep. We have work in the morning."
I didn't get any younger.
Our breakup was surprisingly peaceful.
But Eddie acted like he didn't hear me. He slipped his arm around my waist and pulled me back to bed.
He murmured gently, trying to comfort me, "We'll talk about it later."
But for us, 'later' didn't exist.
This time, I got up early and didn't wait for Eddie.
I started packing up my things.
I looked around, but there wasn't much worth taking.
Everything was the matching stuff for a couple. If I was done with Eddie, I was done with all of it, too.
By the time I got to the office to wait for the second-quarter promotion announcement, I'd moved out and handed the keys back to my landlord.
Now that Eddie was out of my life, my finances were looking up.
I was ready to upgrade to a better place.
With the promotion and the raise, I felt like I was getting my life back on track.
Humming to myself, I breezed through my work, feeling lighter than I had in ages.
But by noon, there was still no word from my boss.
I'd worked my ass off for this promotion, closing over a dozen deals in six months.
By the time my stomach started churning and I felt like I might throw up, I couldn't take it anymore.
I went straight to see Gemma Hampton, my boss.
Gemma looked a bit surprised and checked with her superiors.
After hearing their reply, she turned back to me, looking uncomfortable.
She patted my shoulder. "Andie, someone was assigned to the job thanks to connections. No chance this time. Hang in there, okay?"
Seeing how stubborn I looked, I grabbed my evaluation form and was about to march straight to the higher-ups.
That was when Gemma leaned in and whispered the real story.
It turned out that the person was an insider sent over by the Ford Group, Eddie's fiancée.
She specifically asked for my position.
Gemma said, "That girl's resume is blank, but Mr. Ford is spoiling her. He's throwing tens of millions of dollars in deals her way.
"Well, too bad your boyfriend isn't some rich heir.
"Oh, right, you said you were getting married soon. When that happens, I'll give you a big gift and finally meet your boyfriend in person."
I said, "We broke up."
My eyes burned a little, so I turned away and walked out of the office.
I glanced over at the private office next to Gemma's.
Last month, they'd put my name on the door.
I'd been in and out, setting things up and making the space feel like mine.
I scrubbed every hidden corner, and I'd often stand by the floor-to-ceiling windows, admiring the city view and sending photos to Eddie.
He'd congratulated me, too.
He was happy for our future together.
But the door to that office was wide open.
Inside, a girl was ordering the cleaners to throw out all my stuff from the desk, like decorations, files, and everything, into the trash.
My chest tightened, and I rushed in to stop them.
"Wait, I'll take those myself," I said.
The girl looked at me with her big, bright eyes.
"Oh, it's you. I've seen you on Eddie's phone," she said.
So she was Lexie, Eddie's old flame.
I wondered what she saw on his phone.
Was it those racy pictures Eddie took of me, or maybe our chat history?