Chapter 1

For seven years, I lived a life of disguise, elevating my girlfriend to the pinnacle of the design world.

On the night of the prestigious design awards, I planned to reveal my true identity and propose.

Instead, I witnessed her walking onto the stage, hand-in-hand with her business partner.

“Scarlett Johansson’s success today is all thanks to me,” Liam Walker declared with an arrogant smile.

She simply nodded, her face lit up, “I wouldn’t be where I am today without him.”

The audience erupted in applause, the flashes of cameras blinding.

I stood hidden in a dark corner, my heart sinking to an all-time low.

Leaving the venue, I made a call. “Cut off all resources supporting Scarlett.”

“And that patent infringement issue? Don’t help her get out of it. Let her face the legal consequences.”

“Are you sure about this, Mr. Harrison?” the assistant asked, her voice full of concern from the other end of the line.

“Scarlett just signed a high-stakes contract with Starlight Media! Pulling out the money now will destroy her studio. If that patent lawsuit isn’t settled, she could go to prison.”

I stared out at the city lights, feeling strangely numb.

Seven years together, and she’d never acknowledged me publicly.

“Once I’m successful, I’ll tell the world you’re my man.”

How many times had she repeated that line?

For the sake of that promise, I had poured my family’s resources into transforming an unknown, small-time designer into an international sensation.

Now, all I got in return was this betrayal.

“Just do it. Don’t hesitate,” I said.

Hanging up, I heard the hurried click of heels approaching from behind.

“Where did you run off to?” Scarlett huffed, stopping me. “Where’s my acceptance speech? What’s wrong with you tonight?”

“I didn’t prepare the official announcement with Liam,” I replied coldly.

Her expression shifted, then she gave a scornful laugh. “Are you jealous? It’s just a marketing strategy! Don’t you understand anything?”

“Besides, Liam is the reason the studio is as successful as it is.

Clients, resources, tech support– he found them all for me.”

Ironic. To maintain secrecy, I had Chad Miller come forward to help Scarlett through Liam.

Now, all the credit was going to that guy.

“I’m going home,” I said, not wanting to waste another breath.

When I got back, my phone buzzed. It was a video from Liam showing him at the Johansson family home, having dinner with her parents.

“Liam, I can’t wait for you to officially become my son-in-law!” Scarlett’s mom said, warmly placing her daughter’s hand in his.

Seven years, and Scarlett had never let me step foot inside her house.

I remember once when her mother bumped into us, she introduced me as a “company subordinate.”

We had a huge fight about it, and in the end, I apologized, like I had countless times before.

A dull ache started to form in my chest, and I switched off my phone, closing my eyes.

Late that night, I was jolted awake by someone tugging at the covers. Scarlett was standing there, rudely yanking the blankets off me.

“Get up and go sleep in the living room. Liam’s sleeping in this room tonight.”

Her tone was like she was speaking to a servant, and there wasn’t a trace of warmth in her eyes.

But honestly, for seven years, she has always seen me as just a tech consultant, a design assistant, someone who’d come whenever she called. Never a real partner.

“Doesn’t Liam have a place to stay?”

I asked, trying to control my anger.

“The paparazzi are all camped outside his apartment building after the awards ceremony. He can’t go back.”

How incredibly thoughtful.

I remember last year when I was protecting her design plans and got beat up by some corporate spies. Scarlett didn’t even bother to call.

I was lying in a hospital bed with twenty-three stitches.

Meanwhile, she was at a design convention, and she didn’t send a single text message to see how I was doing.

“Right, you guys did just announce your relationship.”

Scarlett’s expression tightened, and her tone turned nasty.

“Didn’t I explain it to you? It’s just a marketing strategy! Don’t be ungrateful.”

I was sick of hearing that excuse.

Every time she and Liam were caught being intimate, she always said the same thing.

“Bringing him home is marketing, too? When did your parents become reporters? I saw the video. Your mom even called him her son-in-law.”

She visibly grew more agitated, tapping her fingers impatiently on the bedside table.

“Stop being so sarcastic. My parents have been pressuring me to get married lately, so since we’ve already started the dating rumors, I just had Liam help me deal with it. What’s the big deal? Do you have to make things so difficult for me?”

I scoffed and got out of bed, grabbing a pillow.

“He needs to step in? Why don’t I just go see your parents? It’s been seven years, and you still won’t even tell them I exist.”

That was the last straw.

She suddenly grabbed my arm, her nails digging into my skin.

“You want me to acknowledge you publicly? Who do you think you are?”

She launched into a tirade, making excuses and attacking me with her barbed accusations.

Her voice grew louder, until she was nearly screaming.

“Do you even realize that it’s because you have no ambition, just lounging around all day! What else are you besides someone who writes a few lines of code or draws a few pictures? What can you even do?”

“How could I possibly admit to the world that I have a boyfriend who can only mooch off women? It’s so humiliating! What would my colleagues, clients, and investors think?”

“If you had half the skill and promise Liam has, we’d already be married! He can at least bring me connections and opportunities, instead of just taking from me like you do!”

As soon as the words left her lips, she seemed to realize she had gone too far, and she froze.

We stared at each other, her eyes flickering, her lips trembling slightly.

The room went silent, even the sound of our breathing was almost deafening.

The occasional sound of traffic passing by outside only emphasized how oppressive the silence was.

My chest felt like it was being ripped open. So, that’s how worthless she thought I was.

Seven years of devotion, and it meant absolutely nothing to her.

“I bought you an Apple computer. It’s in the study.”

“Don’t take those words to heart. I’m just tired.”

After a long silence, she finally spoke, her tone softening, before she quickly left, her heels clicking against the floor as she walked away.

How could I not take it to heart? The things people say in anger are often the truest reflection of what they really think.

Her usual kindness was only there because she needed me.

The next day, I went to see the computer Scarlett had bought for me.

It was the model I had always wanted– perfect for handling design drafts.

Not because I actually wanted it, but because I was curious how genuine her “kindness” really was.

After all, over the past seven years, she had almost completely ignored the desires I have shared with her.

When I turned on the computer, there was a video file sitting on the desktop.

The file’s creation time was three o’clock last night– soon after she and Liam had returned.

When I clicked on it, Liam’s face appeared on the screen, and the background was the study.

He was wearing a bathrobe, his hair damp, like he had just showered.

“Hey Harrison, Scarlett actually gave me this computer for my birthday last year. I was planning on throwing it away because the system is too old and the configurations are outdated.”

“But since she wants to give it to you, then take it. It’s not like you need a good configuration, right?”

So, that was it, her “sincerity”– a used, old computer, and she didn’t even bother to reinstall the system.

The video continued, and Liam’s tone became even more contemptuous.

“It’s fine to be mooching off Scarlett, but you had to force her to announce your identity? You should take a good hard look at yourself and see if you’re worth anything, because you definitely don’t deserve her.”

“Do you know how much one of Scarlett’s design plans is worth? All you do is eat and spend her money. What else do you do?”

“How can you be so shameless? If I were you, I would have left on my own a long time ago.”

I was used to seeing this sort of face.

Whenever we met at the studio, he would look at me like that– like he was looking at a pathetic parasite.

Switching off the video, I randomly clicked open a folder to see what else was on the computer.

A hidden folder called “Private” caught my eye.

When I opened it, my heart instantly dropped into an icy abyss.

There were private photos and videos of Scarlett and Liam, a shocking number of them, spanning three years.

Dim hotel rooms, messy beds, the two of them being intimate.

In the photos, she looked at the camera with a flirtatious expression I had never seen before, her eyes full of a love I had never gotten.

What shattered me even more was the date on one of the videos– during my business trip last year, when I was running around everywhere for her new project, contacting suppliers.

Scarlett’s voice came through the speakers: “Only you can make me this happy… I love you. I only truly love you.”

She had never said those words to me.

I closed the computer. Everything was clear.

Seven years together, and it meant so little to her.

And me? I was just a stepping stone on the path of her career, one she could throw away at any moment.

I walked toward Scarlett’s office with my resignation letter in hand. My seven-year career as a technical consultant was finally coming to an end.

When I pushed the door open, Scarlett and Liam were deep in discussion as they scoured over some documents.

“How can we even fight this lawsuit? We can’t afford it,” Liam said anxiously.

When Scarlett saw me, her eyes immediately turned sharp.

“Good, Harrison Baker. You stole our designs and you still dare to come to work?”

So, it was the patent infringement case.

I had heard that the studio had recently gotten tangled up in a lawsuit, but I never thought I would be blamed.

“I haven’t taken any designs.”

“Who’s on the security footage?” Scarlett slid the tablet in front of me. “Isn’t that you?”

The video only showed the back of someone’s head, and they were wearing a shirt similar to one I owned.

“That’s not me,” I said, looking at Liam. “Someone’s trying to set me up.”

Liam immediately blew up. “What are you trying to say? Are you suspecting me?”

“Scarlett, don’t you know how loyal I am to the studio?”

Scarlett scoffed. “Harrison Baker, you’ve disappointed me too much.”

“All these years, you’ve been using my equipment and getting paid with my money. I never treated you badly.”

“Now that we’re tangled up in a lawsuit, you can’t even help, and you’re blaming good people?”

I tried to explain, but she had already pressed the intercom button.

“Security, come here.”

Two large men pushed the door open and entered.

“Hold him down.”

Before I could react, they were pinning me to the ground.

Scarlett walked up to me and slapped me across the face.

“Hand over the designs, or I’ll make you regret this.”

“I didn’t take any designs,” I said through gritted teeth.

A punch was my reply. My vision went black, and my mouth filled with the taste of blood.

“You think I wouldn’t do anything to you?” she asked, looking down at me.

Blows kept falling, and I curled up on the floor, my consciousness fading.

“Scarlett, stop it,” Liam said, pretending to stop her. “He’s definitely already sold the designs.”

“I’ll call Chad Miller and see if he can help us with this.”

Scarlett nodded. “Look how much Liam is thinking about the studio. You’re not even human!”

Liam dialed a number. “Chad, we’re in a bit of trouble…”

“Not interested,” the voice on the other end said coldly. “Our boss has already decided to pull all investments.”

“What? Why?” Liam panicked. “We can change whatever the problem is!”

“You want to know the reason? Just ask our boss.”

A string of numbers came through the phone, and Liam shakily dialed them.

A ringtone started coming from my pocket.

I struggled to pull out my phone and press the answer button.

“What’s up?”

Looking at their stunned faces, a bloody smile tugged at the corner of my lips.