I was known as the feared living devil in Velmont, fighting my way up from nothing. My crippled leg was my weakness; no one dared to mention it. Everyone avoided me, except Talia Norwood.
The first time I met her, she was digging through the garbage, eating old rice like she hadn’t eaten in days.
I said to her, “Come with me and be my legs. I’ll make sure you always have food.”
I taught her how to defend herself, sent her abroad to study and guided her through the worlds of law and business.
In eight years, she went from a prostitute’s child to President Norwood of the Hollis Group, the person I trusted most.
At one drinking party, the eldest son of the Bradford Family joined a dare. He raised his glass, smiled at me and said, “I gave Talia that chastity belt.”
The whole room of powerful men laughed. I was the only one who stayed silent.
He went on, “She was my junior when we studied in America. She told me she wouldn’t take it off until I officially took over the family business.”
I looked at Talia. She held her wine glass, her face calm
After we got engaged, she never let me touch it. She said she’d keep it until our wedding day, but it turned out she hadn’t been waiting for me.
I took a sip of wine and smiled. “Okay. Then let her wear it forever.”
——
“Let me tell you something you don’t know! I gave your President Norwood that chastity bra!”
The whole room burst into laughter.
I froze and turned to look at Talia beside me. She, however, stayed calm, as if she wasn’t the one being publicly mocked.
My face turned dark. Someone at the table quickly tried to smooth things over, “That's enough, Bennett Bradford, you just love to joke around!"
He saw my angry face and waved his hand. “Oh, my bad mouth! Enough, enough! I’ll drink to apologize to Mr. Hollis!”
“Everyone, come to my new ski resort this winter, it’s free!”
He suddenly hit his head and gave me a mean smile.
“Oh, I almost forgot, Mr. Hollis, your legs aren’t good for skiing, are they?!”
I tightened my fists and was about to stand, but Talia held me and whispered, “Nolan, don’t act rashly! He’s drunk. Our company and the Bradford Family have an important deal now and a fight won’t help.”
I looked at her, as if I saw her for the first time. I was the one who picked her up from the trash, taught her self-defense and sent her to study in Canada. It was just that she and Bennett happened to attend the same school.
At that time, she even called me and said, “Nolan, I have a chance to get close to him and earn his trust... I’ll help you get revenge in the future.”
After she came back to the U.S., I made her general manager without hesitation, giving her all my trust.
But she became closer to Bennett, always using “cooperation” and “business” as excuses.
She put super glue in my water, making me need an emergency stomach wash. I called her ninety-nine times from the hospital, only to see her Instagram Story showing her having afternoon coffee with Bennett.
The night before an important meeting, she burned my computer and tricked me into falling down the stairs, almost causing worse injuries.
We agreed to get our marriage certificate, but she kept missing the date. The last time, she came late without a single word of explanation.
She never gave me a proper wedding, always saying she didn’t want it to be too showy. Each time, she said it was to earn Bennett’s full trust for my revenge plan.
I never knew she and Bennett were already trapped in secret and forbidden feelings.
