Chapter 1

It had been ten years since I failed to save Julian Vance.

It had been five years since he broke our engagement.

We crossed paths again at an international business summit.

During his conversations with others, he zoned out multiple times, his gaze constantly drifting toward me across the hall.

Once the sessions wrapped up, he finally cornered me in an empty corridor.

"Chloe... how have you been all these years?"

That familiar voice.

It instantly brought back the day he dumped me for the bank chairman’s daughter, telling me coldly:

"Chloe, you're great. But she can save me twenty years of grinding. I’m sick of people looking down on me."

Before I could even reply, Julian’s father-in-law hurried over, extending a warm hand toward me.

"Ms. Hayes! What a surprise. Turns out my son-in-law went to the same college as you. Did you two know each other?"

I looked up. Julian’s eyes met mine in the tension-thick air.

Two voices spoke at the exact same second—

"No."

"Yes."

The atmosphere turned dead silent and intensely awkward.

Julian froze, completely blindsided by my denial.

Chairman Miller, an old fox in the corporate world, quickly swept his sharp eyes between Julian and me.

Sensing the chill, he smoothly stepped in to smooth things over with a laugh.

"Hahaha, listen to me asking silly questions!"

"Ms. Hayes is so accomplished now. I’m sure you were a superstar back in your school days. How could you possibly remember everyone? Julian was just a nobody back then—totally normal that you don't recall him."

With that, he gave Julian a patronizing pat on the shoulder.

"Julian, don't take it to heart."

Since an out was handed to me, I took it gracefully.

I offered a polished, polite smile.

"Mr. Miller is too kind. Honestly, my college days are a bit of a blur. I have an important cross-border board meeting coming up shortly. Please excuse me, I really must get going."

"Of course, of course! Go handle your business, Ms. Hayes. Work comes first!"

I gave a slight nod, turned on my heels, and walked away without sparing Julian a single glance.

Watching my figure disappear down the hall, Chairman Miller turned to Julian with some worldly advice.

"Julian, let it go. When someone reaches Ms. Hayes's level, they don't just let anyone ride their coattails."

"Besides, I heard rumors that she got burned pretty badly by someone back in college. Broke her heart completely. That's why she retreated to the Hayes family empire and laid low. She only started stepping into the public eye these last few years once everything was locked down. No wonder she hates bringing up the past."

"Still, the more she resists, the harder you push. That's where the opportunity is!"

Julian frowned, his voice laced with suppressed misery.

"Sir, I really don't want to scheme like this..."

Chairman Miller gave him a cold, disgusted glare.

"Scheme? Business is a battlefield!"

"The only reason I bypassed everyone else to put you on the core executive team is because of Tiffany. I didn't promote you so you could play the saint. There's an investment gala in two days; you'll likely run into her again. Play the alumni card. People would kill for that kind of connection!"

Julian struggled internally for a long time under Miller’s domineering stare.

In the end, he could only bow his head in defeat.

"I understand, sir."

When my assistant passed by and overheard the tail end of that conversation, she came back to my office venting her frustration.

I merely let out a quiet chuckle and flipped to the next page of the financial report.

"Why get upset? Given Miller’s attitude, did you really think being a trophy son-in-law was easy? Horizon Bank’s liquidity crisis is worse than the public thinks. Promoting him to the core team right now... he’s just being set up as the fall guy. Let him pray for mercy."

"Because this time, there won't be another Chloe Hayes to save his skin."