Chapter 1
Everyone said I wouldn't last long after leaving Richard Stanton.
But not only am I still here, I'm actually his boss now.
His mistress, totally clueless, came to my door, picking a fight, and smashed my camera right in front of me.
She said: "You think you can expose some scandal about me, a supermodel, to get Richard's attention and make him choose you over me?" she said, rolling her eyes.
"How pathetic. While you were drifting overseas after he kicked you out, we were already raising a kid together."
She waved her hand, called her bodyguards over, and ordered me to kneel and kiss her feet, all so I could wish her the best in her career.
She even demanded I hand over 30,000 dollars as a gift, to wish their happy little family a lifetime of bliss.
Shooting a cold look at the bodyguards who wouldn't dare move, I kept my cool and slapped her right across the face.
"One word from me, and you'll go from supermodel to nobody. Richard? He's not even worth mentioning," I said, my voice icy.
Three years ago, on my birthday, Richard left the private room under the excuse of checking on our order, only to hook up with Emily Carter, a waitress at the restaurant.
I went crazy trying to expose them, but Richard confined me.
He told everyone I was seriously ill, and said to me with a cold tone, "Sophie White, you shouldn't meddle in my business."
"Everything you have now is thanks to me. Know your place, and you'll stay Mrs. Stanton."
But back then, I was engaged to someone else.
I never wanted to marry him in the first place.
Richard shipped my fiancé off to Voridia to work in the mines, leaving me no choice but to become Mrs. Stanton.
Now, Emily actually had the nerve to get bold right in front of me.
She must be tired of living.
Emily held her face, shocked and furious, glaring at the bodyguards behind her. "She hit me. Why aren't you doing anything about it?"
"Ms. Carter, Mr. Stanton gave orders this morning. Miss White is to be respected above all."
I let out a cold laugh. Richard had done this before.
Back then, he took my hand and told all the bodyguards that I was the lady of the house.
Every single one of them had to do whatever I said.
But later, because Emily accused me of trying to ruin her reputation and sabotage her future, Richard didn't bother to ask for the reason or find out the truth. He simply threw me to the bodyguards.
"If you mess up, you get punished. Since you did that to Em, I'll make sure you pay for it," he said.
No matter how I tried to explain, he always saw me as the wicked one and Emily as pure and innocent.
The bodyguards wouldn't dare go against Richard's orders. They roughly tore my clothes off, one by one.
At that moment, I stared up at the ceiling in utter despair.
All I could see were flashes of Richard courting me back then.
He was so passionate in those days.
When he found out I was engaged, he used underhanded methods to leave my fiancé with no way out.
He stood outside my office with hundreds of roses, promising he'd love me forever and that I was the one meant for him.
But now, for another woman, he's willing to let me suffer this kind of humiliation and shame.
Just as one of the bodyguards was about to overpower me...
Richard suddenly regretted it. "That's enough. Get out," he snapped.
He walked over and crouched down in front of me.
With everything I had left, I slapped him hard across the face.
Richard didn't get angry. Instead, without a word, he pulled me into his arms, holding me tight.
He said, "I know this is hard on you, but you need to be taught a lesson this time. Emily's had it tough, and I can't let her suffer.
"Don't worry, you'll always have a place in my heart. You'll always be Mrs. Stanton."
I buried my face in his arms, laughing through my tears, bitter and helpless.
He did care about me.
But his heart belonged more to Emily.
Shaking off those memories, I fixed my gaze on the woman right in front of me.
"Emily, you broke a camera that's one of only 200 made worldwide. It worths 1 million dollars. So, tell me, how are you going to pay for it?" I said, my voice cold.