Chapter 1

Yvonne Warren, the only daughter of the world's richest man, fell for Nathan Finn, a penniless guy whose company was bankrupt and drowning in hundreds of millions of debt.

In the third year of hiding her identity by his side, he finally paid off every penny, founded a new company, and rang the opening bell at Nasdaq.

Watching his triumphant figure on stage, Yvonne decided it was time to tell him who she really was.

But as she reached the private room Nathan and his friends had booked for the celebration, she overheard the raucous voices inside.

"Nathan, Yvonne has stood by you through thick and thin for three years. She even lived in a basement with you. Now that you've cleared your debts and the company's gone public, isn't it time you proposed?"

"Right. When we were starting out and had no money to hire staff, Yvonne worked triple duty, sleeping only four hours a day. In every impossible deal, she took the initiative to handle.

"Where else would you find a woman like that? You'd better marry her quick, buddy."

Yvonne's hand froze on the door handle, her heart tightening with nervous anticipation.

She'd hinted at marriage before, but every time Nathan had brushed it aside, claiming he couldn't give her the life she deserved yet.

Now that the company was listed, would he finally put a ring on it?

"I remember everything Yvonne has done for me these three years, and I thought she was the one for the rest of my life, but..." Nathan leaned back on the sofa, the glowing scarlet tip of a cigarette between his fingertips.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on him.

Standing outside the door, Yvonne held her breath.

"Sophia's back." Nathan's deep voice sliced through the quiet in the private room.

"Sophia Summers?" One of his buddies blurted out, sounding exasperated. "The moment your family went bankrupt three years ago, she dumped you and took off abroad. You were out there begging her in the rain to stay, and she didn't even glance back.

"She's nothing but a money-grubber. Are you seriously telling me you still can't move on from her?"

Nathan exhaled a slow ring of smoke, his expression hidden in the haze, making it impossible to read what he was thinking.

After a long pause, he finally spoke in a low voice, "Yeah."

That single word was like a poisoned blade, stabbing deep into Yvonne's heart. It was so sharp that she could barely breathe from the pain.

She never imagined that after three years of standing by Nathan, never leaving his side, helping him climb out of rock bottom and rebuild his life, he'd still be hung up on the woman who walked away from him.

Three years ago, the Finn family went bankrupt overnight, drowning in debt.

Sophia, Nathan's girlfriend at the time, didn't hesitate. She broke up with him and left the country.

Hit with both heartbreak and financial ruin, Nathan didn't crumble. Instead, he stepped up, promising everyone that as long as he was around, the Finn family would never fall for good. He'd bring them back from the ashes.

Yvonne happened to catch that interview on TV. Just one look at Nathan Finn, standing tall and determined, and she was hooked by his sheer charisma.

To make sure Nathan wouldn't think she had some hidden agenda, Yvonne kept her true identity as the world's richest heiress a secret.

She reinvented herself as an orphan who had once been helped by the Finn family, staying by his side under the guise of repaying a debt of gratitude.

She accompanied him from night to dawn handling business matters, helped him defuse the deliberate provocations at those drinking dinners, and soothed him when the pressure peaked after days of non-stop work.

For three years, more than a thousand days and nights, Yvonne remained right beside Nathan.

She stood witness as he fought his way from the hardest times, step by step, to reclaim his place at the top.

Everyone said one found out who was real when times were tough, and after Nathan's company went public, the first thing he'd do would be to marry Yvonne.

Deep down, Yvonne was also quietly looking forward to that day.

What Yvonne never expected was that, even after the company went public and made it big, Nathan admitted he still couldn't let go of Sophia, the woman who abandoned him when he was at his lowest.

Yvonne stood in the doorway, tears streaming down her face like beads from a broken string.

The conversation inside the room kept going.

"So what about Yvonne? She's been with you for three years. Doesn't that count for more than Sophia? If she finds out you don't really care about her, she's going to leave you."

"She won't," Nathan replied firmly. "Yvonne's an orphan. To her, I'm the closest thing to family she's got. She wouldn't be able to walk away from me.

"But honestly, she's helped me so much these past three years. Even if I can't give her the marriage she wants, I'll make sure she's taken care of for life. She'll never have to worry about money or anything else."

Nathan's words hit Yvonne like a sledgehammer, pounding her until her vision blurred and darkness threatened to swallow her whole.

Unable to listen to another word, Yvonne turned and staggered off.

Once she was finally alone, she let go of all her strength, sliding down the wall as her tears poured out uncontrollably.

It finally hit her that to Nathan, those three years of companionship were nothing more than a transaction to be settled with money, something that could be bought off and forgotten.

But little did Nathan know that Yvonne was no orphan to be pitied, but the sole daughter of the world's richest man.

She would never cling to a man whose heart belonged to another, nor did she need the comfortable life he spoke of.