It turned out that while I spent countless nights alone, he had been next door, satisfying himself with another woman.
After putting the box back, I ignored his assistant’s call and threw away those ridiculous raincoats and gloves. I didn’t stay any longer; I packed my things and left the house that had been my home for five years.
Just then, a message popped up from a bar owner I had worked with before. He said there was a masked-themed wine tasting that night, with new bottles to try, and invited me to join.
I slipped into the dress Max always hated, the one that showed my shoulders and collarbones. Letting my hair fall freely, the way he never liked, I stared at my reflection in the mirror and felt a strange lightness in my chest.
When I arrived at the bar, the first thing I saw was Paige arguing with a waiter. “The private room upstairs is empty! Why can’t I have it? I want that one!”
The waiter saw me, quickly bowed, and said helplessly, “Sorry, that room is reserved for Miss Chase; she’s our boss’s partner.”
Paige turned toward me, her eyes full of contempt. “Lila, I thought that fall from the cliff would finally wake you up.”
“Max doesn’t care about you at all. He won’t even touch you. Even if you followed us here, he still wouldn’t look at you.”
I didn’t look at her. Instead, I calmly put on the queen mask and said, “Tonight, the drinks are on me.”
“Go put up a sign at the door: this lady and dogs are not allowed in.”
The waiter understood right away and was about to call security to have them removed.
Just then, Max walked in.
“Max, they’re mistreating customers here. I came first, but they wouldn’t let me have the private room. And this woman, she called me a dog and tried to kick me out!”
Max didn’t even look at me. He asked the waiter coldly, “How much did she invest?”
“Five hundred thousand…”
Ten minutes later, Max’s assistant came in carrying two boxes full of cash.
Max grabbed a handful of stacks and slammed them one by one onto my head. “Here’s one million. Take it and get lost. Is that enough for you?”
The sound of bills hitting the table drew everyone’s attention; all eyes turned toward us. The waiter, unable to stand it any longer, quietly reminded him, “Mr. Kennedy, she’s not just a partner, she’s your wife…”
Max let out a short laugh, his tone cold and mocking. “No wonder she’s so full of herself, an acquaintance of Lila?”
In that moment, dressed like I was, he didn’t even recognize me.
“I’m telling you, if Paige wants something, even if it belonged to Lila’s own mother, she’d still have to move aside!”
I turned to leave, but Max’s lazy voice stopped me.
“Did I say you could go? Is that how you run a business?”
“Isn’t one million enough to make you apologize to Paige Vargas? Kneel and bark twice, and I’ll let you go.”
My hands curled into fists.
The waiter froze, shocked by what he had just seen. He had never witnessed something so humiliating before and tried to help me remove the mask.
“Mr. Kennedy, this isn’t right, she really is your…”
Before he could finish, Paige quickly wrapped her arm around Max’s and gave me a mocking look.
“Forget it, Max. Is she even worth a million? Let’s just go get something to eat.”
“Only a lonely old woman would come here at this hour to drown her misery. That private room is dirty anyway.”
Max’s face finally relaxed a little. “All right, do as you please.”
“Tell your boss to throw this woman out. Kennedy Corporation will pay the penalty. If not, this bar won’t open again.”
Without looking back, he left with Paige.
