A Decade’s Betrayal Chapter 01

A Decade’s Betrayal Chapter 01

Mom’s cancer had relapsed, and she needed $200,000 to survive.

I had to gather all my courage before asking my boyfriend of ten years for money. He was a man worth hundreds of millions.

He tapped arrogantly on his office desk.

“What, you think my money grows on trees? That you can just snap your fingers and I’ll hand over two hundred grand?”

“That’s enough. Get out. I have a meeting.”

Then he had his secretary politely escort me out of the office.

I stared at the man in his luxurious office, a bitter smile twisting my lips.

Then, with a resigned sigh, I called the man who had always been willing to give me the money.

“That offer you made… the one about the wedding gift if I married you. Does twenty thousand still stand?”

—

His voice was deep, calm, and commanding. “Jessica, forget about $200,000. I’d give you my life. I’ve waited for you ten years.”

“Fine,” I said. “Seven days from now, once my mom is out of the ICU, I’ll marry you.”

After hanging up, I walked over to Lucian Vance’s secretary, Victoria Lane’s, desk. On a sticky note, I wrote just few words.

[Lucian, we’re done.]

Then I dropped the pen and walked out of the office.

Victoria was Lucian’s secretary.

During the ten years Lucian and I had been together, she had been a constant presence in our relationship.

When I texted Lucian in a playful tone, it was Victoria who replied.

“I’m sorry, Miss Miller, but Mr. Vance is currently in a meeting. I’ll make sure he gets your message.”

Even the details of our daily life were handled almost entirely by Victoria.

She took care of buying contraception, groceries, and clothes, and she managed his wardrobe as well.

I had hated it and argued with Lucian countless times.

But he always looked at me calmly and said, “Jessica, be realistic. You have no eye for style or quality.”

“Having someone competent handle it is for your own good. What’s there to throw a fit about?”

Back then, his words would shut me up. But now, I had accepted it.

After all, how could a graduate from a no-name university compare to Victoria, a graduate from a prestigious university?

She had the experience, the skills to negotiate with clients, and the ability to manage Lucian’s life flawlessly.

Meanwhile, I had worked at Lucian’s company for ten years and was still just an unremarkable employee in the operations department.

If Lucian admired Victoria so much, then fine—he could have her.

After all, even when I asked him, a billionaire, for a mere $200,000 to save my mother, he made me go through the official channels and file a formal request.

All because Victoria suggested it.