Chapter 2

After we got together, Michael went and bought me a luxury penthouse right in the heart of downtown's most exclusive district.

But this place reeked of Michael, so I couldn't stand being here.

Whenever Michael didn't need me around, I'd go back to the rundown little cottage I used to share with Mildred, spending the time there in silence, all alone.

On the faded wall still hung a framed portrait of Mildred.

It had been so long since I'd last visited that a thin layer of dust had gathered on the photo.

I had just reached up to wipe the dust from the frame when a message popped up on my phone: [Get over here.]

I sighed, whispering to the photo, "Grandma Mildred, I'll come visit you properly next time I get the chance."

*****

When I got back to the room Michael and Kelsey had just been in, he was sitting in a rocking chair, looking completely at ease.

Sunlight filtered in, lighting up his striking face.

But I knew beneath that flawless exterior was the soul of a devil.

And again, hatred surged up in me uncontrollably.

Michael suddenly opened his eyes and caught me staring. "Still mad about earlier?"

I lowered my head, composed myself quickly, and put on the docile smile he liked best. "Without any official status, how could I possibly have the right to be angry?"

Michael smirked, satisfied, and pulled me into his arms. "Make sure your feet don't scar. I won't like it. Be good, and I'll keep you by my side forever. But disobey me, and I'll toss you into the sea to feed the fish."

I gave a deliberately dramatic shiver, playing the part, which made Michael laugh.

"Tonight, we're throwing a welcome-back party for Kelsey on the yacht," he said.

As I stayed quiet, Michael slid his arms around me from behind and murmured into my ear, "Does that bother you?"

After a long pause, one that gave him plenty of time to assume all the wrong things, I slowly shook my head and replied in a soft voice, "As long as I get to stay by your side, I don't mind anything, Michael. You know... I love you. I really can't live without you."

Barely had the words left my mouth when he gently tucked a stray lock of my hair behind my ear.

It all looked so sweet, so intimate, but I knew better. He was just acting.

As long as it kept him entertained, he'd put on the same show for any woman.

"P-Please don't." I sobbed at the right moment.

As if he'd ever care how someone like me actually felt.

I sat through an hour of drinking with Michael. The moment he stepped out onto the balcony for a smoke, I barely made it to the bathroom before I threw up everything I'd forced down.

Michael made me sick to my stomach, and in every other way.

I stared at my pale reflection in the mirror, my hand moving instinctively to my lower belly.

Michael's friends used to joke that I was some kind of temptress. After Kelsey left the country, I actually managed to make him fall head over heels for me.

I stayed by his side for four years, and even got the title of a lover.

No other woman had ever made it that far with him.

But they didn't know the truth. I'd been backed into a corner. That was why I gambled everything, even my life.

Now, did I finally have another card to play?

That night, wearing delicate makeup and holding up the hem of my gown, I stepped onto the opulent yacht.

The whole place was humming. I showed up late on purpose, just to see what kind of mess they'd get themselves into.

At that moment, Michael's crew was already popping champagne bottles.

One of his buddies, clearly tipsy and loose-lipped, blurted out, "Hey Kelsey, while you were gone these past few years, Iris was the one taking care of Michael for you!"

I watched Kelsey force a graceful smile, even as her jaw clenched in frustration. With a voice as smooth as silk, she asked, "Oh really? I'd love to hear how Iris took such good care of him."

The gossip-hungry crowd could hardly wait to spill every humiliating detail about how far I'd gone to keep Michael happy.

"Michael's obsessed with bungee jumping. Even though Iris is terrified of heights, she forced herself to train for three months so she could go with him. She even ended up with heart issues! Michael never took her bungee jumping again after that!" one said, laughing.

Another added, "And on his birthday last year? He didn't like the gift she gave him, so he made her kneel and bark like a dog. Then she had to pick up a bunch of trampled bills with her teeth, right in front of everyone!"

"She did all of it without a peep, just to stay on his good side! No wonder everyone calls her the biggest simp in our circle," said someone else.

Finally, one friend revealed, "And when Michael first took over Stevens Group, a bunch of old-timers tried to block him at every turn. Those old vultures started eyeing Iris, saying they'd finally support Michael if she 'joined' them for dinner."

"Michael didn't even have to say anything. Iris went along with it all on her own! She's got zero self-respect," the friend concluded.

Kelsey's expression turned ice cold.

She knew what it meant when a woman was willing to make such sacrifices for a man.

The guys were getting drunker, louder, and more reckless, especially one of them who couldn't shut up. "Man, Iris really took care of Michael, like, all the way to—mmph! What the hell, why'd you cover my mouth?"

The guy being shushed nearly took a swing at his friend, but before fists flew, the sound of shattering glass cut through the air. Everyone turned to see Kelsey standing there, tears pouring down her face.

"Michael, what exactly is going on between you and that woman?" she demanded.

Michael pulled her into his arms, speaking in the calmest, gentlest tone. "She's just my secretary. Don't overthink it, okay?"