I Was A Cold‑Blooded Gold Digger, But I Pretended To Bow Out Gracefully Chapter 10

I Was A Cold‑Blooded Gold Digger, But I Pretended To Bow Out Gracefully Chapter 10

After winter arrived, heavy snow fell over New York, and the maple trees outside the window stood bare.

My phone rang. It was a message from a friend I used to know in the city.

Her name was Tessa. She used to be with some rich man, then saved up enough to open a small gallery, one

of the few people in our circle who got out cleanly.

“Sienna, have you seen the news?”

Attached was a screenshot, the headline of a financial report.

Sterling Group’s stock fell 14 percent in a single day. Vantage Group moved in with capital, and Felix was forced to give up control of two core projects.

Below it was a line of analysis: industry insiders said Felix’s recent personal decisions had shaken investors‘

confidence.

Tessa sent another message.

“Daisy fell too. Vantage used her up and tossed her out with a little money. No one in the circle dares hire her now. I heard she went back to her hometown, completely deflated.”

I stared at those two lines. I felt nothing, only mild surprise.

So Felix could fall too.

I used to think he was made of iron. His company, his connections, his skill, all as steady as a mountain.

Women came and went around him, but he always stood there, high above everyone, moving a finger and someone else cleaned up the mess.

I thought he would never fall.

I never expected him to.

Tessa sent another message saying the circle was talking about how bad Felix’s condition had been.

He had canceled several business meetings, kept no assistant around, and flown off alone somewhere.

When he came back, he had lost weight, and his mind wandered during meetings.

When a subordinate reported the stock had dropped five points, he lit a cigarette, said “I see,” and didn’t even

frown.

I finished reading Tessa’s messages and didn’t reply.

In Felix’s penthouse, I used to constantly think to myself.

Was I not good enough, not obedient enough, not sensible enough, not worthy of being treated well?

That was why I had to learn every skill, to become the most useful person by Felix’s side.

But later I realized that no matter how much I changed, his attitude toward me never changed.

When he was happy, he gave me a little tenderness. When he wasn’t, he pushed me out to take the blow.

What was I? Just a convenient thing to use.

Now I had thrown all those thoughts away.

Dumplings bubbled in the pot.

When they floated up, I scooped them into a bowl, poured sauce over them, carried them to the coffee table, and opened a comedy Maya had recommended.

The actors on screen laughed carelessly, and I laughed along with them a few times.

Outside, the snow had stopped. The streetlights turned the snow bright and white, lying quietly across the

street.

My phone screen dimmed. Tessa’s message sank to the bottom of the chat history, unread. I hadn’t replied. When I was with Felix, I answered everyone’s messages immediately.

I didn’t dare be slow. I couldn’t afford mistakes.

But now I could choose not to reply. I could leave it until tomorrow, or forever.

No one would kick me out over it. No one would give me a cold look for my carelessness.

I took the dishes into the kitchen and scrubbed them at the sink.

The smile was still on my lips when I caught my reflection in the window.

Fine lines at the corners of my eyes. A slightly rounder chin.

Hair in a loose low ponytail, a grey hoodie bought on sale, a few spots of soup on the cuff.

I didn’t look much like Sienna anymore.

And yet, maybe this was the real Sienna.