Chapter 1

As the only daughter of a business mogul in Elowen, I refused to accept the arranged marriage my family planned for me. So I left.

That's when I met Leonard Olson, a brilliant tech star. We started dating.

He brought me into the tech scene, took care of me, and opened doors for my career. But he never made "us" public.

Then one day, I overheard him talking to his assistant.

He said, his tone casual and dismissive, "There's a purity about her. You don't see in those social media models. She hits the spot physically.

"Plenty of women want a piece of me. Picking her was a favor. Even if she makes it in tech, with her background, she's still not in my league."

He added, "I'm already engaged to the Sterling Corporation heiress. We'll announce it after their IPO."

Every word was cold and calculated. And I wasn't part of any of it. It hit me then. All his affection and kindness were fake. I was just another one of his playthings.

So I called my dad. It was time to make sure everyone, who'd ever hurt me, pay for what they'd done.

*****

I'd been dating Leonard, one of the top names in tech, for three years. Everyone at work loved to gossip about us, saying he'd never gone out of his way for any girl the way he did for me.

Three years ago, I showed up in Harbor City with nothing to my name.

Trying to get a foothold, I joined a startup, but out of nowhere, I got dragged into a tech theft scandal. I faced a massive lawsuit and could've ended up in jail.

But Leonard stepped in just in time and pulled me out of that mess.

He didn't just help me out. He got me private lessons from top programmers, brought me into his projects, and took me to all the major industry events.

I didn't want to let him down, so I gave it everything I had. Before long, I was making a name for myself, becoming a rising star in tech.

Then one day, as I was standing outside Leonard's office, I accidentally overheard him talking with his assistant.

"Olivia's only been in the industry for a few years, but now she's on the core development team for a major international project—all thanks to your recommendation. You've really gone above and beyond for her," the assistant said.

Hearing that, I felt genuinely touched. I was just about to walk in when I heard Leonard's voice, cold as ice.

He said, "I give her opportunities and resources, so she owes me her loyalty. That's the deal.

"There are tons of young people like her in the tech world. She's just a tool to me, nothing more. Feelings? Don't be ridiculous.

"Besides, I'm already engaged to the heiress of Sterling Corporation. I'll announce it as soon as Sterling Corporation launches its new product."

My hand froze in mid-air. It felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over my head.

He always told me that everyone was out for themselves in tech. He said he was the only one who really cared about me.

I loved him with all my heart. The smallest kindness from him made me give my whole heart.

I just stood there, frozen, and for a moment, I wanted to bolt. But when I caught sight of the life-size cutout of my latest tech product in the lobby, I hesitated.

Sure, Leonard had pulled some strings to get me into this top-tier project, but I'd given it everything I had. I fought through round after round of tough competition to earn my spot on the core team.

If I walked away now, it'd be like admitting I was a failure. How could I ever fight back against my family's arranged marriage then?

I was dead set on finishing this project, and only then would I leave, with no regrets.

Leonard was the project lead, so no matter how much I wanted to keep my distance, I had to push down my feelings and keep working with him.

He kept pretending to care about me, just like always. That was Leonard—the tech big shot, cold inside, but always playing the caring supervisor in front of his team.

"You seem distracted today. Now that you're on the core team, you need to give it your all. If you slack off, you'll hold everyone back," he said, his tone serious.

After we wrapped up a phase of work, Leonard walked over, talking to me.

He'd never criticized my work before, but today was different. His fiancée, Charlotte Sterling, was visiting.

Office gossip said that Leonard had never gotten this close to any woman before. Everyone agreed Charlotte must be special to him.

"Sorry, I'll get it together," I said quietly.

Usually, when Leonard pointed out something I did wrong, I'd get a little defensive and talk back. But this time, I just apologized, which seemed to catch him off guard.

He looked like he wanted to say something, even starting to raise his hand toward my shoulder, but then Charlotte and the others started laughing nearby, and he dropped it.

"Just focus and don't disappoint me," he said, his tone clipped.

He cut the conversation short and headed straight for Charlotte.

Leonard introduced her to the team. "Ms. Sterling just got back from studying abroad. She's really interested in tech development, so I invited her to get a taste of the action."

Charlotte flashed a friendly smile at everyone. "I've always admired Mr. Olson's work. Just here to observe and learn. Hope I'm not interrupting anything... achoo!"

Suddenly, she sneezed.

Leonard immediately turned to her, his voice full of concern. "Are you cold? The temperature really dropped today. I told you to dress warmer, but you never listened."

"I'm kind of allergic to artificial fragrances. When Olivia walked by, my nose started feeling weird," Charlotte said, putting on her best helpless face.

She quickly added, "It's not her fault or anything. I'm just really sensitive to certain scents."

Leonard frowned at me. "Now that you're a key member of the team, you should know better. Stop wearing that cheap perfume."

I just stood there, stunned, my heart stuck in my throat.

That perfume was the very first gift Leonard ever gave me. He said he loved its fresh scent. He said it reminded him of me—pure and lovely.

I'd worn it ever since. I never even thought of changing.

But now, because of Charlotte, that fancy perfume suddenly got called cheap—just like that.

The truth was, the perfume wasn't cheap. His feelings for me were.