Just because she said she liked it, I spent countless hours and energy tracking it down, eventually purchasing it from a foreign collector.
Before all this, Lindsay had often expressed dissatisfaction with the company’s stagnation. She’d said that without a successful career, starting a family wasn’t an option. She had always been hesitant to make our marriage public.
Now, with the new product launch, the company’s stock price had soared, and our combined net worth had skyrocketed.
I had planned to take out the ring in front of the cameras, using the moment to publicly declare our years of love. But now, all of that felt like an illusion, a bubble ready to burst.
“Stop!”
As soon as I reached the underground garage, Lindsay caught up to me.
When she faced me, her expression was a mix of irritation and exhaustion. “Why are you so upset again? At the product launch, you—being the director of the R&D department—weren’t even there to oversee the whole situation. Where are you going now, alone?”
Her eyebrows furrowed deeply. “Is it about Nigel? You know I don’t want to make our relationship public right now. It’s personal, and I don’t want to use it for attention. Didn’t you agree with that before?”
I kept my expression cold and said nothing. Lindsay, sensing the tension, softened her tone, speaking more carefully:
“Nigel can’t handle it alone. You should step in and help him.”
This time, I couldn’t hold back a laugh—sharp and humorless.
After everything, it still came back to Nigel.
Raising an eyebrow, I looked at her. “Didn’t you just say I don’t know anything? If that’s the case, let Nigel—your newly promoted star—handle it. I’m irrelevant, aren’t I?”
My words made her face darken, and she raised her voice in frustration.
“I only said that to protect you! You don’t like appearing in the spotlight, so I had no choice but to push Nigel forward. He’s talented, a top-tier returnee from overseas. If I hadn’t been worried about your jealousy, I would have promoted him long ago!”
I raised a hand, brushing her aside. “Is it really that I don’t want to be in the public eye, or is it you who doesn’t want me there?”
Her face flushed with embarrassment, her confidence wavering for a moment.
I could tell she remembered.
When the company was in its infancy, I was the one driving its growth. I was the one pulling strings, closing deals, and building relationships to keep it afloat.
There was a time when people whispered that Lindsay was nothing more than a decorative vase, someone who looked good in meetings but contributed little of substance.
Lindsay always felt I overshadowed her, insisting I step back and become the man behind her success. She said she wanted to be an inspiring, self-made woman others could admire.
To support her dream, I agreed. I willingly handed over all the credit and accolades, thinking she was the woman I’d spend my life with. Back then, I never questioned it.
But now, she’s twisted my sacrifices into something entirely untrue.
While Lindsay struggled to find a response, Nigel appeared out of nowhere.
He was wearing a beige suit—the very same one I had noticed in the back of our closet just weeks ago. It was from an exclusive custom-made collection, Only Love Original Heart, with a starting price of 520,000.
At the time, I thought it was a surprise from Lindsay, as it was just three days before our wedding anniversary. Yet, when the day came and went, there wasn’t even a simple gift, let alone the suit.
And now, here it was—on Nigel.
A bitter laugh rose in my chest. Lindsay claimed she feared making me jealous, but she had no qualms about gifting him such an extravagant suit behind my back. Did she really take me for a fool?
Nigel stopped in front of her, turning to me with a self-satisfied smirk. “Brad, no offense, but while the company’s success owes something to you, it also heavily depends on Lindsay. Yet you act like all the credit belongs to you. Don’t you think that’s a bit... thick-skinned?”
Lindsay’s eyes flickered with something—approval, perhaps?—before she chimed in, her voice sharp and cutting.
“You’re so arrogant and paranoid. You always think I’m nothing without you. Who do you think you are? The company started from scratch, and you act like I didn’t contribute at all!”
