"Yvonne, you’re not as smart as he claims you are." Sophia taunted.
I struggled desperately as my phone rang in my pocket—the one I used exclusively to stay in touch with my mother’s caretaker at the hospital.
Realizing that something must have happened to her, I panicked. My eyes darted to the drugged wine about to be forced down my throat. From somewhere deep within, I found the strength to lunge forward, headbutting Sophia and knocking her over.
Before I could react, Elijah surged forward and slapped me across the face.
A sharp, deafening ring echoed in my ears. My mind went blank.
"Yvonne, who gave you the right to lay a hand on her?" he roared.
While I was still reeling, he snatched my phone from my pocket and held it high above his head.
"Give it back! Elijah, I’m begging you—please, just give it back!" I pleaded.
"That call... it’s my mom.. "
I stood on tiptoe, reaching for the phone, but it was no use. Elijah dangled it just out of my grasp, a cruel smirk playing on his lips as he toyed with me.
Lately, my mother’s condition had worsened. Nine times out of ten, she was unconscious when I visited.
Even her stool had turned black with blood. The doctor already warned me about the end-stage symptoms.
She was already beyond saving. I was just using money to buy time.
The ringing stopped.
A few seconds later, Emily’s frantic voice came through, "Bad news! The hospital says your mom’s in critical condition—you need to get there now!"
As soon as I heard that, I turned and bolted for the door. Nothing else mattered.
But just as I reached it, I hesitated. I spun around and looked at Elijah.
"Can you... lend me some more money?"
Laughter erupted around me.
Elijah slowly lowered the phone, his bloodshot eyes brimming with scorn.
His expression said it all. 'See? You always end up begging me.'
My fingers clenched into fists.
I bit down so hard on my lip that I nearly drew blood.
The hatred between Elijah and me had never been one-sided.
He had driven my father to his death. He had tormented my mother to the brink of collapse.
But maybe... he had only done it to avenge his own parents.
Years ago, when my father founded Perez Corporation, the Ross family had held a 30% stake.
But one day, after an argument, my father decided to cut ties and take full control of the company. The Ross' weren’t fools—they refused to let go of such a thriving business.
So my father set them up. He seized their shares through underhanded tactics. And when Elijah’s father fought back, my father had him killed.
His mother spent years trying to seek justice. But when all her efforts failed, she lost her mind and took her own life.
Back then, I was nine years old, celebrating my birthday, while Elijah had been losing his entire family.
Years later, when I was about to graduate from college, my father discovered that my boyfriend was Elijah.
"Break up with him immediately! If you don’t, I’ll send you away!"
"I’m telling you now—you will marry into the Jones family!"
That was the first time I ever fought with my father.
It was also the first time I learned the truth about our families' past.
A huge sense of guilt over whelmed me.
How could I face Elijah, knowing what my father had done?
He had always been so proud, standing tall even in his threadbare shirts.
We had been together for four years. I had witnessed firsthand how hard he fought to carve out a future for himself, how much suffering he had endured.
And yet, the man who had taken everything from him was my father.
The day I decided to end things, I sat in his newly purchased car.
He was excitedly talking about our future—our home, our wedding—until I cut him off with a single sentence.
"We should break up."
The car screeched to a halt.
He yanked the steering wheel too hard, and in an instant, the car tumbled down the mountainside.
A metal shard punctured his chest.
The medical bills were astronomical, and no one was willing to pay.
I begged my father to save him.
He agreed, but only on the condition that I must marry Henry.
And so, I vanished from Elijah’s world.
Fate has a twisted sense of humor. Or maybe it was karma.
The once-mighty Perez family crumbled, while the nameless, penniless Elijah rose to become a tech industry giant.
