Chapter 3

While I was packing, I came across a small box. Inside was the key my father had left me for his safety deposit box.

Because I never wanted to relive the grief of my parents' car accident, I had barely touched it in the past year and a half.

But for some reason, I suddenly felt the urge to open it.

The moment I opened it, goosebumps broke out all over me, and a cold shiver shot down my back.

That wasn't the key my father left me.

It looked similar, but I could tell instantly it wasn't the real one.

I dropped everything and rushed straight to the bank where my father had rented the box.

What I heard made me tremble all over.

The bank staff told me a man had already come in with the key and taken the patent my father had stored there.

I knew right away that the man was Alex.

And when I asked further, they said he came to take it just a few days after I told him I was pregnant, and he ordered the ring for me.

So he had stayed silent back then, but still ordered the ring, just to keep me calm. He had been after my father's patent from the very beginning.

I stumbled out of the bank in a daze. Right then, my phone lit up with a news notification: [Breakthrough by rising tech star. The first non-invasive glucose-monitoring wristband is about to launch, offering intelligent emotional and health tracking to lead a new era in wellness.]

The article said Claire, the returning researcher, had made a major breakthrough in non-invasive glucose-monitoring technology after two years. NovaSync Technologies recognized her potential and quickly partnered with her to develop this groundbreaking wristband, which was soon to be released.

That had to be my father's patent.

Alex hadn't just used me to steal it—he'd handed it to Claire and used it to make her shine.

I stared at my phone, drowning in regret.

Why hadn't I faced the truth about my parents' deaths? Why had I avoided looking at the documents my father left for me?

Why had I fallen for Alex's sweet lies and actually convinced myself I had found someone I could trust for life?

No wonder he and I both struggled with fertility—he wanted a child so badly, but still chose me. I had honestly believed that meant he loved me.

I almost fainted. I grabbed onto a utility pole just to keep myself standing.

A few passersby saw me like that and worried. They came over and asked if I needed help.

I couldn't let Alex and Claire get away with this.

I thanked them for their kindness and forced myself to calm down.

An hour later, I marched straight to the front door of NovaSync.

I stood in Alex's office, staring him down coldly.

He rubbed his forehead, looking totally exasperated. "What is it now? You were already yelling at the front desk..."

I sneered, "If it weren't for that news article, I wouldn't have known I'd spent a whole year dating such a calculated piece of trash."

Alex's expression darkened, but he stayed quiet.

I couldn't hold back anymore. I hurled my phone at him. It slammed into the wall, the screen shattering into a spiderweb before going completely black.

Alex actually looked relieved. "You don't have to make it sound so ugly," he said. "Yes, I took the patent, but I did it so your dad's work wouldn't go to waste."

"Then why did you give it to Claire? That was my father's life's work." I fired back.

"Claire just came back to the country. She needed results to secure her position. And your dad's already gone. There's no point in keeping his name on it," Alex said.

"So you got close to me for my father's patent, didn't you? And now that you've got it, I'm useless to you, so you can just kick me to the curb, right?" I spat out.

He paused for a moment, then said, "It's not exactly like that. I did like you when we first got together. As for Claire..."

"Don't start with that 'we're like siblings' crap. That little childhood sweetheart of yours already sent me a video of you two kissing." I shot back.

Alex opened his mouth, a flicker of guilt crossing his eyes. "Sorry, Lana. I only just realized what I feel for Claire isn't just friendship. I messed up, and I'll make it up to you. Think of it as paying you back for using your dad's patent."

"Fine. Then I want half of the profits," I said.

He stared at me like I'd lost my mind. "That's impossible, Lana. Do you have any idea how much the wristband is projected to make? I can give you one million dollars at most."

I let out a sharp laugh. "You know damn well how much you're going to rake in, and you're only offering me one million dollars?"

"We can negotiate the amount, but a profit split is never going to happen," Alex snapped.

"Alex, you bastard!" I grabbed the folder on his desk and hurled it at him.

He didn't dodge fast enough. The folder hit him square on the forehead. Blood started running down immediately.

"Alex!" Claire yelled and rushed in from the doorway. She hurried to his side, pressing on his wound while shooting daggers at me. "Lana, this counts as intentional injury. You could get sued."

I sneered, "You willing to tell the public the truth about that patent?"

She froze. "So what? The patent's mine now anyway. And even if you sell it to someone else, they might not be able to make it work. Your dad was a researcher. He'd want his discovery to be used, not just cashed out."

I looked at her, then at Alex. "You two really are childhood sweethearts. You are both shameless and cheap."

"What did you say?" Claire was shaking with anger, about to lunge at me.

"Enough!" Alex pulled her back.

"Alex!" Claire was furious.

But he just shook his head. "I'm the one who wronged her."

He turned to me. "How about this. I'll add another 600 thousand dollars and an apartment downtown."

I finally calmed down. "Alex, the biggest mistake of my life was ever knowing a low-life like you."

Alex still yanked Claire back, though his face already darkened. "Think it over. If you sell it to someone else, you might not get nearly this price."

I walked out of the office, and their voices drifted out behind me.

Claire asked, "Alex, what if she recorded everything?"

Alex replied, "She won't. She came in furious and even cracked her phone screen. Recording would've been the last thing on her mind."

I hurried toward the elevator. Only after I stepped out of the building and into a cab did I finally loosen my breath.

I reached into my pocket, took out a recorder and my new phone, and couldn't stop smiling.

Alex, I was impulsive. But once the fog in my head cleared, you'd better believe I'd make you pay for it.