I strode out, and behind me came hurried footsteps—
followed by Ryan Scott’s repeated cries of pain.
Sophia Bennett was forced to stop and check his injuries.
By the time she looked up, I was already inside the elevator.
“Adrian Scott, just try leaving tonight!”
“Don’t forget—everything you have today was given to you by me! Without me, you’re nothing!”
“Even if you kneel and beg me later, I won’t give you a second glance!”
The elevator doors slowly closed, shutting out the last of her shrill screaming.
I felt a wave of disorientation, unable to understand how something once so beautiful had turned into this.
I had thought the end of a first love would be marriage—our world of two becoming a warm family of three.
Never had I imagined that love would end in venomous words and bitter enmity.
It wasn’t until I was lying on the large hotel bed that the memories came flooding back like a tide.
When I first met Sophia, she was lively, beautiful, and gentle—
the only ray of light in my otherwise gray world.
From the misery of being forced into endless business courses, just one glimpse of her would sweep away all my exhaustion.
Because of my father’s orders, I wasn’t allowed to make friends casually at school.
I became the most solitary figure in the class.
But Sophia broke through the boundaries I had set for myself again and again, barging into my life.
She would smile as she brought me milk tea, teasing:
“It’s my birthday today, so I bought milk tea for the whole class. You get one too!”
Later I learned from classmates that she had bought it for everyone only so she could give one to me.
They were jealous of me, yet envious that I had caught the attention of the campus belle.
When my father found out, he cut off all my living expenses.
He told me that if I couldn’t become the kind of heir the Scott family needed, then I didn’t deserve to enjoy its benefits.
From that day on, I attended classes in the daytime and worked multiple part-time jobs at night.
When payday came, my boss told me I’d done well and tripled my salary.
When I pressed him for the reason, he admitted that Sophia had bought the shop.
I won’t deny it—my heart skipped a beat in that moment.
I didn’t dare get closer to her innocence and warmth, so I pretended I didn’t know and went on with my life.
But Sophia once again broke through my boundaries.
No matter where I worked, she would somehow become my coworker.
If I was handing out flyers, she would wear a mascot costume to draw in a crowd.
If I was washing dishes, she would be in the kitchen carrying plates.
Watching a pampered heiress bend down to work alongside me—it would be a lie to say I wasn’t moved.
Even though I refused her with words, the wild pounding of my heart betrayed me.
By the tenth time she had followed me to one of my workplaces, I couldn’t take it anymore and pulled her aside.
“You don’t have to do this. This isn’t the life you should be living.”
She blinked playfully, her face full of innocent mischief.
“I’ll decide what kind of life I should live.”
“Besides… seeing you makes me happy. That’s worth it. But if I’m bothering you, I’m sorry…”
That thin paper window between us was finally pierced, and I could no longer lie to myself.
From that night on, my life had an angel in it.
I thought that by keeping our relationship a secret, I could protect her.
But on graduation day, when my father attended as a shareholder to present awards, he discovered the truth.
“Either inherit the Scott family, or get out. You choose.”
“Adrian Scott, I told you—you can’t afford weaknesses as an heir.”
I chose Sophia, and I never regretted it.
Leaving the Scott family, I used her connections to enter her family’s company.
I thought that as long as the Bennett family accepted me, I could endure any hardship.
