Chapter 1
Chapter 1 In the airport arrival hall, I saw someone holding a sign with my title on it. I walked over to find my ex-boyfriend, Levi Salfolk, whom I had not seen for three years. He, along with Rosalie Limmon and several of his friends, were stretching their heads out and looking on eagerly. “Levi, isn’t this your simp, Selina Jennings?” Levi was also shocked to see me, but he immediately answered with feigned nonchalance, “Well? I said long ago that she would surely come back.” Everyone looked at me gleefully. “Selina vanished without a word, but realizing Levi’s success, she had to be crying in her bed every day, regretting everything!” “But Selina, if you wanted to pretend to run into someone by chance, why come here in casual clothes? Shouldn’t you dress up properly?” “You can’t even afford a decent piece of clothing after losing Levi? You must have hit rock bottom!” Whenever I met up with Levi in the past, I would always put on exquisite makeup, choose the most form-fitting clothes and show him my best side. However, it was no longer necessary. Since I was pregnant, my husband forbade me from wearing makeup and had me dress however I wanted. Still, he had someone tailor-make the casual outfit I was wearing. However, their remarks made me realize that they only knew Mrs. Grey, but did not know that I was the one they were picking up. Seeing that I was silent, someone who was more familiar with me tried to smooth things over. “Selina, it’s good that you’re back. Levi has been looking for you all these years… He asked around about you.” Levi’s smile froze before he pretended to be nonchalant and said, “Rosalie’s child is about to start preschool, and you’re in charge of picking up and dropping off the child from now on.” Levi was as arrogant as ever, but I was no longer the girl who had always tolerated him. When I saw him again, all I felt was annoyance. I refused to waste time with them and was about to reveal my identity to them, but Rosalie spoke first, “Selina, don’t blame Levi. He did it to take care of you. After all, you disappeared for three years. Who knows what you’ve been up to? You’re not exactly doing very well. Even if he wants to give you my job as his secretary, you can’t handle it. Don’t worry. Help me take care of my son. No one will look down on you.” After three years, Rosalie was still as stuck-up as ever. She still managed to make me frown with disgust. Levi mistook it as me being jealous again and a hint of smugness flickered in his eyes. “Alright, why are you acting so fussy when you’ve already hit rock bottom?”
Chapter 2 “Take good care of the child and stop making a fuss. Know your place. Don’t worry. There’s still room for a nanny in my home.” As soon as Levi finished speaking, the people around us immediately burst into malicious laughter. “Selina, look how kind Levi is to you. He’s afraid that you’ll suffer outside and has even arranged food and accommodation for you.” “Isn’t it much better for you to just help Rosalie take care of her son than continue with your current pathetic life? Hurry up and thank Levi.” Rosalie touched her earrings and said in a pretentious manner, “Selina, don’t worry. If my son is naughty and disobedient, I’ll teach him a lesson for you. You won’t be taken advantage of.” Levi snorted and glanced at me. “How would she be? She vanished over a trivial matter and now she has come back because she’s hit rock bottom. It’s only right for her to suffer a bit.” My heart skipped a beat when I heard this. Even now, he still thought that getting married to Rosalie was just a trivial matter. It turned out that the Levi who once loved me was gone. He was no longer the boy who carried the injured me across half the city, even if he was covered in wounds, nor was he the young man who had loudly declared his love for me and promised me everything. He was also not the man who had achieved success and fame but was still willing to cook for me. However, it was all in the past. It was not necessary to bring that up. After all, I was going to have my second child soon. I suppressed my thoughts, refusing to argue with them here as it was pointless. I looked at Levi and said calmly, “Aren’t you here to pick me up? Let’s go.” It was quiet for a moment as they exchanged glances before bursting into laughter. Rosalie scoffed and said coldly, “Waiting for you? Who do you think you are?” She pointed to the sign. “Look carefully. We’re waiting for Mrs. Grey. Do you know who this is?” It was me — of course I knew. “She is the mistress of the Greys. She is Mr. Grey’s legitimate wife.” “Mr. Grey rules the business world with an iron will, but he’s a romantic. It is said that he stayed single just to marry this wife.” “Everyone in the business circle knows that it’s better to please Mrs. Grey than to please Mr. Grey. Mrs. Grey is the apple of Mr. Grey’s eye.” Hearing their chatter, I smiled happily. Three years into the marriage, Axel Grey’s business grew bigger, while his reputation as a loyal and doting husband grew more famous. Rosalie always wanted to outdo me and never missed an opportunity to show off in front of me. “Mr. Grey bid for a 20-million-dollar bracelet called Eternal Sincerity at Christie’s to please Mrs. Grey. Every woman in the world wishes she were Mrs. Grey.” She paused and pointed at my wrist, speaking with a shrill voice, “That’s the one!” Everyone turned silent immediately as everyone looked at my bracelet. Levi suddenly grabbed my hand, sized it up and said sarcastically, “It’s quite an exquisite knockoff! Who bought it for you? He gave you a knockoff as a gift.” “You piece of trash.” I shook off his hand, smiled and rubbed the bracelet carefully. Seeing my happy smile, Levi’s eyes narrowed as he suddenly grabbed my wrist and took the bracelet off with a hard tug. I did not expect it to happen, so he succeeded in one go.
Chapter 3 Rosalie stepped forward to examine the bracelet. She took it from Levi’s hand and played around with it. “It’s indeed more exquisite than the knockoff I bought, but I would never wear it out and give people the chance to laugh at me. The knockoffs abroad are different. It feels good. Or are you the legendary Mrs. Grey?” Once she said that, the people around us burst into laughter. After all, it was too absurd for them. Axel was a globally acclaimed financial prodigy, ruthless and decisive in the business world. Three years ago, I was still hanging out with them and was a loser whom Levi broke off an engagement with. It was impossible, no matter how they thought about it. Rosalie shook the bracelet on her fingers. “Selina, give me this bracelet. I’ll pay double for it.” I was afraid she might drop the bracelet, so I hurriedly said, “Give it back. It’s a gift from Axel…” Before I could finish, Levi slapped me so hard that my head tilted and the corner of my mouth bled. Levi looked at me somewhat angrily and said, “Shut up! Selina, who are you to mention Mr. Grey’s name? And you dare spread rumors about being related to him? Are you trying to kill me?” Levi’s friends were also worked up with righteousness as they glared at me angrily. “Selina, do you know how much effort we put in to come and pick up Mrs. Grey today?” “Levi’s company was acquired by Mr. Grey last year. We’re all relying on Mr. Grey to make a living. Only by pleasing Mrs. Grey can Levi’s position be consolidated.” “Are you spreading rumors here that you’re related to Mr. Grey to destroy Levi?” I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth, slowly turned my head and met Levi’s gaze. Perhaps my gaze was too scary. Levi frowned as a trace of panic glimmered in his eyes. Seeing that something was off with the way Levi looked at me, Rosalie glanced at me with resentment, pointing at my nose and yelling, “Selina, you ingrate. Levi has agreed to take you in. Don’t be ungrateful and push your luck. Even if you have a grudge against Levi, you can’t retaliate against him in such a way.” Her statement seemed to make me recall what it was like three years ago. No matter what I did, Rosalie would misinterpret my meaning as she explained things to Levi. Levi would scold her at first, but later, he started siding with Rosalie and blaming me instead, just like now. Levi cursed in frustration, “Jealous wench.” However, he did not continue to scold me like in the past. After a pause, Levi took out a check for 200 thousand dollars and placed it in front of me. “For the sake of our relationship in the past, I won’t do anything to you. Take the money and buy some decent clothes. If you dislike taking care of children, I’ll help you find a decent job in a few days. Don’t worry. Since Mr. Grey acquired the company, this tiny amount of money is nothing to me.” Levi’s gesture of charity disgusted me. It seemed that he had been doing well recently. As everyone watched in surprise, I pushed away Levi’s hand that was holding the check, took back my bracelet from Rosalie’s hand and replied with a smile, “That’s not necessary, Mr. Salfolk. I don’t accept things from strangers.” Ignoring Levi, who had turned livid, I turned around and left. However, Levi grabbed me and spoke coldly before I could take a few steps.
Chapter 4 “Selina, you don’t want free money? What do you mean by that? I’m a stranger now?” I replied, “Since we’ve already broken up, we shouldn’t interact to avoid being misunderstood.” I thought of my somewhat jealous husband. Levi glanced at Rosalie, looking as if he had it all figured out. “The company is holding a banquet for Mr. Grey in three days. I’m planning to take you there to broaden your horizons, but you need to buy a decent dress to avoid disgracing me later…” Before he could finish speaking, I politely declined. “That’s really not necessary. Thank you.” Levi became a little annoyed at my second refusal. His hand holding the cheque froze in mid-air and his teeth were chattering. “Selina, you’ve really grown bold now. You indeed have a bad temper. Since you don’t want to go, forget it. I’ll take Rosalie!” Hearing that Levi was going to take her to the banquet, Rosalie’s eyes lit up and she hurriedly said, “Levi, I will do my best not to let you down.” I refused to argue with them any longer. I turned around and strode away. Before leaving, I said, “I hope you will still be this confident three days from now.” Leaving the airport arrival hall in a hurry and breathing in the fresh air, the nausea surging in my stomach subsided greatly. Three years ago, my family arranged for me to go abroad for a blind date. Pressured by my parents, I begged my boyfriend Levi, whom I had been dating for seven years, to get married, hoping to make it a done deal. Levi agreed. Unexpectedly, I not only met Levi at the entrance of the clerk’s office, but also his first love, Rosalie. “Rosalie’s child needs to be legitimate, so I have to marry her first. I will marry you once we get a divorce in a month. It’s just for the child. Don’t overthink it.” Watching Levi holding Rosalie’s hand and walking into the clerk’s office, I gave up completely. That night, I took a plane to go abroad for the blind date. A month later, I married Axel. Then, I gave birth to our first child a year later. Lately, I got pregnant with our second child. If I had not accompanied Axel back to pay respects to his ancestors, I would not have returned, not to mention meet Levi. Three days later, I put on light makeup and came to the banquet alone in casual clothes. As soon as he saw me, Levi’s eyes lit up while he smirked slightly. “You said you wouldn’t come, but your actions say otherwise. However, you have to at least please me if you want me to take you back. You must dress appropriately to match my status on an occasion like today.” I ignored his sudden narcissism and tried to walk around him to my seat. I had taken only two steps when the angry Levi grabbed me. “Selina, I’m talking to you. Do you hear me? Our seats are here. Where are you going?” I shook off his hand and said calmly. “This is your seat. My seat is over there.” Levi followed my gaze and turned pale when he saw the main seat. Rosalie glanced maliciously at me, pointed at my bracelet and cursed, “Selina, how did you sneak in? You came here to cause trouble, right? How… How dare you wear this bracelet?!” Her voice was so loud that it attracted everyone’s attention instantly. “Is this woman’s bracelet the Eternal Sincerity that Mr. Grey spent a fortune on to win for his wife? Today is the first time that Mr. Grey will appear with his wife. Is she trying to embarrass Mrs. Grey?”
Chapter 5 “Did she sneak in? Is she trying to embarrass us in front of Mr. Grey?” “Mr. Salfolk, is this your friend?” Seeing that I wasn’t looking him in the eye, Levi tightened his sleeves and answered calmly, “No.” Hearing Levi’s answer, Rosalie’s face lit up as she looked at me haughtily. “Take off the bracelet and get out!” I looked at her playfully and said with a sneer, “Are you sure you want me to go?” Humiliated, Rosalie’s eyes flashed with fury as she yelled, “What’s with the pretense? Take off the bracelet right now!” Then, she came over to grab my bracelet. I slapped her hand away and moved backward to avoid letting her get near me. Caught off guard, I fell on the ground after someone tripped me, leaving me dazed. Rosalie stepped on my hand with one foot and forcibly tore the bracelet off my wrist. “You treat this trashy bracelet like it’s a treasure.” My hand hurt from being stepped on, and my wrist was all bloody and mangled. I just stared blankly at the broken bracelet and the scattered gems on the ground. “Carry her and throw her out!” Rosalie had a haughty look on her face. Immediately, people surrounded me. Seeing someone trying to grab my hands and feet, I immediately struggled and said, “Stop! I’m Axel’s…” Slap! Before I could finish, Rosalie slapped me in the face. “Are you going to spread rumors that you’re Mr. Grey’s lover again? Who do you think you are?” Rosalie slapped me again as she was still not satisfied. I did not want to argue with her during my return this time because there was no need. However, now I would make her pay the price. Levi crouched down in front of me and wanted to touch the wound on my wrist, but I immediately avoided him. He looked at me coldly. “Selina, have you had enough? You came here with the bracelet and dressed like this today. You didn’t want to lose me after I became rich and wanted me to become jealous, right? Just beg me and I’ll say yes.” I sneered and looked at him, saying, “Levi, you’re doomed!” Levi frowned and was about to speak, but found that the place had suddenly quieted down. The guests began to fix their appearances and move toward the entrance. Levi quickly grabbed me and whispered, “Mr. Grey is here. Behave yourself! Don’t worry. Rosalie and I are divorced.” ‘How ridiculous,’ I thought as I rubbed my nearly crushed hand. I only found Levi repulsive. Their divorce was none of my business. With everyone watching, Axel strode in with our son, Reagan Grey, in his arms. In the hall, Reagan wriggled free. The adorable kid instantly captivated everyone as soon as he landed on the ground. The nanny trailed close behind, worried that he would fall. Levi suddenly turned to look at me, saying, “Selina, if you stop your petty jealousy and leave Rosalie alone, I’ll forgive you for disappearing for three years. I’ll give you a chance to bear me a child — our child.” I remained silent, trying to catch Axel’s and Reagan’s attention. Finally, Axel followed Reagan over to me.