He Secretly Used Our Down Payment to Buy Her a Luxury Bag Chapter 02

He Secretly Used Our Down Payment to Buy Her a Luxury Bag Chapter 02

The next morning, I came out of the home office to find Elliot had already made breakfast: bacon-and-cheddar breakfast turnovers, something I had mentioned craving a few days earlier.

The uneven crimping along the edges told me he’d gotten up early to make them from scratch.

We sat across from each other in silence until Elliot finally spoke.

“If you really love the bag, keep it. We can start saving for the house again. I’ll pick up DoorDash shifts after work starting tonight. Just… Stella, don’t ever say we’re not getting married again. I can’t take it.”

My hand froze.

I truly could not understand him.

He was heir to a nine-figure family fortune, with a sugar baby on the side, yet he had spent three years pretending to be poor beside me, living in a cramped rental and buying marked-down groceries.

What could he possibly want from this charade?

I had no idea.

Still, I did not confront him. I hated conflict and arguments.

To put it bluntly, I was like a hard, unpleasant stone. If someone kicked me, I would simply roll away and settle into another hollow.

Relationships were no different.

Elliot had lied to me and betrayed me. I did not want to know why. I only wanted to get away from him.

After breakfast, I went to work as usual.

During our team meeting, my manager announced an opening for a long-term overseas assignment. The pay was triple my current salary, but I might not be able to return home at all during the three-to-five-year assignment.

Everyone who had looked interested immediately backed off.

They all had family and loved ones here. Who could handle being away for three to five years?

I looked around the room, then quietly raised my hand. “I’d like to apply.”

The moment the meeting ended, my manager called me into his office.

He frowned at me. “Stella, are you in some kind of trouble? If you need money, just tell me. I’ll help however I can, but don’t throw away a promising career because of it.”

I shook my head. “Nothing’s wrong. I genuinely want to go.”

His frown deepened. “Give me a reason.”

“The market there is still wide open,” I said. “There’s enormous room for growth and opportunity.”

He studied me, and I met his gaze without flinching.

After a long silence, he sighed. “Have you really thought this through? With your talent and track record, if you stay another two years, this job will be yours when I retire. You’ll have a bright future here. But once you leave, even if you come back someday, there won’t be a place for you at the company anymore.”

I smiled. “Thank you for everything you’ve taught me, but I’ve made up my mind.”

He shook his head helplessly and handed me an application form.

I took it and left his office.