I lit a cigarette and took a long drag.
Meanwhile, Luis was wiping down the tables. When he glanced up at me, his brows knit together with concern.
“Boss, your coughing’s getting worse,” he said. “You should smoke less.”
My voice came out hoarse. “I can’t quit.”
He let out a quiet sigh and turned back to his work, waving the feather duster around the shop.
After a moment, he spoke again.
“With the New Year coming up, I’m heading back home in a couple of days. Figured I’d clean the place up properly first.”
As he slid the duster under the bed, it struck something solid.
He paused, bent down, and pulled out a small, dust-covered box.
When he opened it, a ring lay inside. Even buried under layers of grime, it still caught the light.
“Boss… this looks expensive,” Luis said carefully as he held it up. “You should keep it safe.”
He handed the box to me. The instant my fingertips brushed the edge, I jerked my hand back, as if I had been burned.
Eight years ago, I had placed that ring on Celeste’s finger myself.
The memories surged forward like a tidal wave.
Back then, she was just a little girl climbing out of the rubble after an earthquake. My father and I were inspecting the site in that village when we found her among the broken walls and ruins.
She had no one.
That was when I began sponsoring her education.
Every month, she wrote me letters.
Year by year, the emotions hidden between the lines grew more unmistakable.
Later, I bought her a phone. She confessed her feelings to me during one of those calls, and I turned her down. She didn’t argue or cling. Instead, she immersed herself even further in her studies and gained admission to a prestigious university overseas.
When she returned, she was immediately parachuted into the company as its youngest department manager ever.
Standing in front of me again, she asked calmly, “Nathan, am I worthy of you now?”
This time, I nodded.
When I told my family I planned to marry her, my father broke his favorite whiskey glass, and my mother cried all night. I knelt in the ancestral hall for three days straight. In the end, though, I didn’t back down.
On our wedding day, I announced her name to everyone. Her wedding dress was custom-made by a designer I hired just for her. I slipped the ring onto her finger with my own hands.
After we married, I gradually let her take control of the company's affairs, transferring the shares in my name to hers little by little.
But somewhere along the way, tensions started to grow between her and my adopted brother, Philip. They had fierce disagreements over projects, arguing repeatedly.
Once, Celeste splashed a cup of coffee straight into Philip’s face. That was when the animosity truly took root.
I urged Philip to be more accommodating. He only looked at me with a cold smile.
“Your taste in women,” he said, “is truly terrible.”
I thought the two of them would stay at odds forever until one day I saw Philip wearing the same brand of clothes I liked, the ones I always wore.
Celeste didn’t even blink.
“The store had a buy-one-get-one-free deal,” she explained. “I picked one up for him, too.”
When their relationship seemed to ease, I felt relieved, even happy.
Then, Celeste was kidnapped by a rival company.
The first person to rush in and save her wasn’t me.
It was Philip.
By the time I arrived, he was holding her tightly in his arms, her face streaked with tears.
My chest tightened, but I said nothing.
Later, Celeste explained quietly, “I was terrified. Whoever got there first, I would have reacted the same way.”
The day after our wedding, I flew overseas for an urgent project. When I returned, I didn’t tell her because I wanted to surprise her.
I went quietly to the glass conservatory I had given her as a gift.
And there, I saw a scene I would never forget for the rest of my life.
My adopted brother, Philip, had my new wife pressed against the glass. Their bodies were closely intertwined, with spring sunlight shining through the conservatory.
The gift box slipped from my hand and hit the ground with a sharp crack.
I lunged forward and slammed my fist into Philip.
Celeste hurriedly pulled on her clothes and grabbed my arm. “Nathan, listen to me. Let me explain!”
“Explain?” I yanked my arm free. “Explain how the two of you ended up together? Do you think I’m blind?”
