Chapter 1

On the day I proposed to my girlfriend, her first love returned to the country.

Without hesitation, she left me behind as she went to pick up her first love and bring him home.

They enjoyed the romantic dinner that I had prepared for the proposal and chatted intimately about the past.

My expression turned stony, but she still appeared unconcerned.

"Sean is my first love. You know I've secretly harbored feelings for him for so many years. Now that he's back and even got in touch with me first to ask me to treat him to a meal, how could I possibly ignore him?

"And so my heart fluttered a little… I think that's completely normal too. You can understand, right?"

My girlfriend's expression was calm, convinced that I would give in to her once again.

However, this time, she was wrong.

…

Harvey Hagden was in a house situated in the heart of the city.

He was wearing a formal black suit and was down on one knee. He held his girlfriend of three years' hand in his, his eyes filled with anticipation and tenderness.

"Cryssie, will you marry me?"

This was his tenth proposal.

The room was filled with fresh flowers and balloons, and everything was decorated very romantically.

The table was set with the dinner Harvey had meticulously prepared, and the floor was decorated with candles arranged in the shape of a heart. Everything screamed romance.

Faced with Harvey's eager gaze, Crystal Landell found herself feeling torn and hesitant.

Suddenly, a special ringtone sounded.

Crystal's expression abruptly changed, and she jerked her hand back from Harvey's. She didn't even give an explanation before rushing to answer the phone.

"You landed earlier? Alright, I'll go pick you up."

In an instant, Harvey's stomach plummeted.

The room was very quiet, so Harvey had been able to hear that the person on the other end of the call was a man. On top of that, it was a voice he recognized.

It was an upperclassman of Crystal's from college, and the man she'd had a crush on for so many years—Sean Zabinski.

Rumor had it that the two of them had nearly ended up together all those years ago. However, the Zabinski family's businesses had run into some problems, so Sean had been left with no choice but to go overseas to handle them, thus putting his love aside.

Not many days later, Crystal had agreed to be Harvey's girlfriend.

There had been plenty of people pursuing Crystal then. As for why she had chosen him… Even though he was reluctant to think too much about it, he knew it deep down.

It was because he somewhat resembled Sean.

At that moment, Harvey felt rather despondent as he watched her end the call. Still, he clung to the hope that some miracle would happen.

"I need to go to the airport to pick someone up. It's very urgent!"

Crystal was clearly losing patience, and her pretty eyebrows were furrowed slightly.

"You go ahead and eat first, and tidy up the place while you're at it. Don't forget to blow out the candles too," she instructed hurriedly.

Then, she turned around and left without even a hint of hesitation.

It was only after the front door closed with a bang that Harvey slowly got up from the floor. He numbly lifted his foot and, using the sole of his shoe, put out the candles one by one. It was as though his heart was numb now.

Crystal had been his upperclassman at college too.

Harvey had fallen head over heels for her the very first time they had met. He had been a devoted admirer of hers for three years and finally won her over when he graduated from college.

The two of them had been dating for three years, and Harvey had showered her with all his tenderness and affection.

He would cross half the city in the middle of the night just to get the midnight snack she was craving, and he would also stay up several nights just to help her with her work.

When Crystal had to attend social events for work, Harvey would drink the toasts in her stead so she wouldn't overindulge in alcohol. When they got home, he would even make some light but nourishing snacks for her.

Because of her, Harvey had become a great cook.

Even though he himself held dual degrees, he had given up a bright future just because of a word from Crystal. In order to spend more time with her, he often turned away the projects that came to him too.

Yesterday, he had seen some messages on Crystal's phone and found out that Sean was returning today.

The two had sounded quite affectionate during their conversation—so affectionate, in fact, that it bordered on being intimate and flirty.

Right away, Harvey had known there was no hope for his proposal. But since everything had already been prepared, he couldn't help but think there might be a chance.

However, Crystal's reaction today was enough to finally make Harvey lose all hope.

He silently cleaned everything up and got things in order. Then, he called his father. His family had been constantly pestering him to go on blind dates. After all, he was 28 years old—the age to be married.

When the call was answered, Harvey got straight to the point.

"Dad, I've decided to go back and go on a blind date. You can go ahead and arrange the time."

Anthony Hagden's voice was filled with both surprise and delight. "You're sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I won't change my mind," answered Harvey calmly.

His initial plan had been to bring Crystal home—granted that she agreed to the proposal first. To make time for this, he had even finished handing over the projects he was working on.

Though, it seemed like he hadn't wasted his time going through all that trouble either. At least now it made it easier for him to go back home and go on some blind dates.

"But I need about half a month to take care of some things here first. I'll go back in 15 days or so," Harvey added.

Chapter 2

He should be able to sell the house he had bought in the city center within half a month. If not, he could just sell it below market value.

After he hung up the call, Harvey immediately bought flight tickets and then shared screenshots of them with Anthony to reassure him.

For the past three years, Crystal's reason for rejecting his proposal had always been the same—she claimed he didn't have a strong financial foundation. After all, she was the heiress to Landell Group.

In order to meet her requirements, Harvey not only had to take care of her in her daily life, but he had also needed to prove his capabilities for the past three years.

Harvey had joined Landell Group and saved up enough for a house and a car. He had also established a firm foothold for himself in the industry.

Even though he hadn't taken on many projects, the ones he had were the major ones that others couldn't handle.

He thought that if he fulfilled Crystal's demands, she would finally give him her approval.

But as it turned out, that was all but a dream.

He was in the middle of cleaning up the rose petals on the floor when the front door opened.

From the other side of the door came sounds of chatter and laughter. It was Crystal and Sean.

During their three years of dating, Harvey had never seen Crystal grin so happily before. He had assumed that she was just naturally aloof, but clearly, she was only aloof toward him.

"This is Sean Zabinski. You know him too," introduced Crystal, her eyes sparkling with joy.

"Harvey Hagden, right? Cryssie talked about you on the way here. She said that you were always very considerate and took great care of her."

Sean appeared polite on the surface, but his tone was filled with obvious condescension. It was as if Harvey was taking care of Crystal on his behalf, and he was pleased with how Harvey was doing.

Harvey only nodded in response. Sean's expression stiffened for a second, but he quickly regained his composure.

He sniffed the air, then said, "Something smells nice. Did you cook dinner, Harvey?"

Crysta pushed Harvey out of the way and led Sean to the table. The two sat down together.

"Yes, he cooked steak and lobster, both your favorites. You haven't had dinner yet, right? Let's eat together."

The two behaved so intimately that Harvey couldn't bear to watch it.

He would never have guessed that the things Crystal loved eating all this while were actually Sean's favorites.

"This doesn't taste bad." Sean picked up a lobster. He gave Harvey a glance before turning to Crystal. "But I've eaten plenty of food like this overseas, and they're all more or less the same. Do you know what I've missed the most all these years?"

Crystal's eyes shone as she guessed excitedly, "The hotdogs behind our campus?"

"Haha! Good memory! We often went there to buy them, didn't we? Once, I was craving them, and you went out to buy some in the middle of the night. You then got locked out by the security, and I had to find someone to let you back in."

Sean laughed as he patted Crystal on the head, his expression filled with affection.

Harvey listened on quietly. He could feel his heart aching in pain.

He had received a call from Crystal that day—he had been the one who had run to the gates to let her in.

Sean had only placed a call. The security hadn't even reached in time. Yet, Crystal had still given all the credit to Sean.

Sean furtively swept a glance over Harvey, then purposely lowered his voice.

"The thing I've missed most is your spicy noodle soup. I could never find that overseas. I tried making it a few times too, but it never tasted like yours…"

"I sent you the recipe plenty of times. You still never got the hang of it?"

Crystal's cheeks were tinged pink as she lightly scolded him. "I'll go make some now."

With that, she stood up and headed straight for the kitchen.

Harvey's eyes darkened. During their time together, Crystal had never once mentioned that she knew how to cook. He had always been the one cooking in the past three years. In fact, he had even learned how to make dishes from various cuisines for her.

Right then, Sean stood up and walked to the water dispenser. Acting like the owner of the place, he turned to Harvey.

"Would you like some water? I can get you a glass."

"It's alright. I can get it myself."

When he saw Sean reaching for the couple's mug, he moved to grab it first.

However, Sean had already pressed down on the button for the hot water. Boiling hot water hit the wall of the mug and splashed onto both their hands.

"Ah!" Sean let out an exaggerated scream. Red splotches appeared on the back of his hand where the water splashed him.

"What's wrong?"

Crystal rushed out from the kitchen and stood before the two of them.

"We got scalded when we were getting hot water. Both Harvey and I…"

Sean hadn't even finished speaking before Crystal anxiously ran to get the first-aid kit.

"Quick! Go run your hand under cold water. I'll get you some ointment!"

Watching this, Harvey felt like his heart was in so much pain that he had already become numb at this point. He couldn't even feel the large patch of redness on his hand.

Sean had purposely mentioned "we" earlier, but Crystal didn't care at all. She didn't even spare Harvey a glance.

Harvey raised his eyes and coincidentally met Sean's provoking gaze. The smugness in his eyes was undeniable.

Even though Harvey was the one who had been her boyfriend for three years, in her heart, the other man was still more important. And it seemed like Sean was very confident about that.

Sean sat down on the couch and watched as Crystal applied the ointment on his hand.

He said softly, "I got scalded once in college too. It was in the cafeteria, right? You were so alarmed that you burst out in tears, then, just like earlier, you ran off to find ointment for me too. You didn't even finish your food…"

Crystal chuckled. "I may have also run off to get you ointment just now, but at least I don't cry in a panic anymore. Or do you want to see me cry because of you?"

"I couldn't bear to," said Sean in a low voice, as if he were whispering sweet nothings.

His gaze flicked to Harvey, only to find the latter already walking upstairs.

Chapter 3

Upstairs, Harvey placed a call to his acquaintance who worked in real estate.

"Mr. Waldorf, if I remember correctly, you know a lot of clients who are looking to buy, right? I have a house here at Bridgebay. Can you help me sell it? The faster, the better."

"You want to sell your house there? That'll be easy to sell!"

Jim Waldorf had known Harvey for quite a while, so he wanted to ask a few more questions.

"But when you first bought the place, didn't you say that it was going to be where you were going to live after you got married? Are you not getting married anymore? You even spent 600 or 700 thousand dollars on renovation. You're going to lose a lot if you rush to sell it now."

"That's fine," answered Harvey nonchalantly.

"You're sure? Is this Ms. Landell's decision? Does she agree to you selling the place too?" Jim continued.

"Yes, she has agreed." Harvey smiled. "Don't worry. There won't be any issues with the sale contract."

"I wasn't doubting that. Alright, I'll start asking around now."

As Harvey ended the call, the fake smile plastered on his face disappeared too.

Crystal had brought Sean right to his doorstep and flirted with the man in front of him. The house he had bought for them to live in together was now nothing but a joke. They might as well go their separate ways.

After he took a shower, Harvey planned the handovers and other things that would come up in the following days.

Just as he was preparing to go to bed, the door to the bedroom opened, and Crystal walked in.

"Sean left after dinner, saying he was going to stay at a hotel. I'd actually wanted to ask if he wanted to stay here."

Traces of happiness still lingered on her face, and even her smile seemed particularly sensual. However, at that moment, Harvey only found the mesmerizing smile painful to look at.

Crystal soon noticed Harvey's aloof behavior and asked, "Are you angry with me?"

Harvey glanced at her, then walked over to the other side of the large bed.

"I know. You're angry because I didn't say yes to you earlier, right?"

Crystal sighed, then—as she had done many times before—used a placating tone with him, as if he were a kid.

"Sean is my first love. You know I've secretly harbored feelings for him for so many years. Now that he's back and even got in touch with me first to ask me to treat him to a meal, how could I possibly ignore him?

"And so my heart fluttered a little… I think that's completely normal too. You can understand, right?"

Harvey scoffed.

Normal? Understand?

No, he couldn't understand Crystal's excuses for blatantly cheating on him!

"Give me a little more time to calm myself down, alright?" she asked.

"And after you've calmed down? What then?" Harvey asked flatly without turning around.

Crystal's lips twitched, but she didn't say anything.

Harvey had long expected this. There was no way Crystal could forget about Sean and marry him instead. No way at all!

"I see."

Faced with Crystal's silence, Harvey's lips curled up into a sneer.

"Harvey, I know you're still mad."

Crystal sighed, then walked up to him wordlessly. She leaned in and wrapped her smooth hands around his shoulders, then sat astride him.

Her soft body rubbed against his, and her red lips leaned in right by his ear as she whispered, "Don't be mad anymore, okay?"

It was all very seductive. However, her behavior only made Harvey's heart sink. He even found it laughable.

He knew that she was doing all this just so he would leave Sean alone.

Right then, Crystal's phone rang. It was the same special ringtone again.

No one from work would dare bother her at this hour, which meant there was only that one person who could be calling.

As expected, Crystal immediately leaped up to answer the phone, her movements the fastest they had ever been.

Harvey eyed her coldly. Sure enough, the person on the line was Sean.

"I didn't notice it was raining… Sure, I'll give you a ride. Don't fret."

When she hung up the call, she looked at Harvey with a hint of apology in her eyes. "It's pouring outside, and it's not easy to get a cab here. I think I—"

"Alright." Harvey didn't even wait for her to finish before interrupting her.

Crystal was taken aback for a second, but she quickly ignored the feeling as she turned around and left.

By the time she returned, it was already past midnight.

Even though Harvey hadn't fallen asleep yet, he still had the lights off. He closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep.

Truth be told, at first he had assumed that Crystal wouldn't return that night.

The bedroom door was carefully opened, followed by Crystal's soft voice. "Harvey?"

Despite being awake, Harvey purposely made his breathing heavier and didn't respond.

Crystal raised her voice to call out again. Harvey had always been a light sleeper. If it had been any other time, he would have woken up, but this time, he didn't react at all.

…

Harvey woke up very early the next morning.

His mother, Helena Dempsey, had sent him messages regarding his blind date. He didn't read them properly; instead, he called Helena.

"We've found a match for you! I've sent you photos and other details of the young lady. The two of you were actually betrothed to each other when you were still babies. Have you seen what I sent? Are you happy with what you saw?"

Harvey answered placatingly, "She's fine."

"That's good enough!"

Helena sounded rather pleased. "No one's perfect when it comes to marriage after all. You'll get used to each other once you spend more time together.

"Or how about you two register your marriage and have the wedding ceremony first? Then, you two can slowly get to know each other. There'll be plenty of time then!"

The corners of Harvey's lips curled up into a small smile. At other times, he would usually tease Helena a little, but he was in a terrible mood today, so he just hummed noncommittally in answer.

"So, when are you planning to come back home?" Helena continued to ask. "You'll need to plan your wedding and decide on the details yourself after all."

"Aren't the wedding ceremony and the groom just for show?" joked Harvey. "You decide with the bride. Let her choose what she wants."

After all, their marriage was more of a business arrangement between their families, with no real feelings involved. T Thus, if the bride's side found the wedding important, then it would be best if she made the decisions.

"You…" Helena sighed. "Alright. I'll let you know in the group chat."

"Okay. Let me know once you've set a date for the wedding. I'll head back before then," promised Harvey.

The moment the words left his mouth, the bedroom door was pushed open.

It was Crystal. Her brows were furrowed, and there was an edge to her voice. "What wedding?"

Chapter 4

Harvey hadn't expected Crystal to show up.

After a few seconds, he answered flatly, "A friend is getting married, and he's invited me to his wedding."

"Oh, okay." Crystal visibly relaxed.

Seeing her reaction, Harvey tightened the grip on his phone, feeling another jolt of pain shoot through his heart.

But Crystal didn't notice it. Instead, she smiled gently at him.

"There's breakfast in the kitchen. Go have some." She then turned and walked out.

It wasn't time to go to work yet. Since she had left, she clearly had something else to get to right then.

Harvey forced himself not to think about it too much and instead focused on the breakfast she mentioned.

He was surprised when he heard it. He suddenly recalled the good times he and Crystal had spent together, and a wave of bitterness coursed through him.

He got out of bed, went downstairs, and then headed into the kitchen.

The kitchen counter was a mess, and there were bits of flour everywhere. It looked like there had been an explosion.

Yet, the dining table was practically empty. On it was a lone sealed takeout bag from a nearby eatery.

Harvey took a look at the receipt stuck on the bag. It showed the food was the eatery's classic combo—the one that appeared first on the delivery app.

Crystal hadn't even bothered to check the options properly because the combo included peanut butter toast, and Harvey was allergic to peanuts.

He frowned slightly, then turned his head back to the kitchen counter.

A used pan was still sitting on the stove, and there was leftover batter to the side.

He recalled Crystal carrying something earlier. Suddenly, he connected all the dots.

She had likely made pancakes, packed them up, and taken them for Sean. She must have been worried Harvey would be displeased if he found out, so she had ordered him takeout.

The tiny bit of hope that had just sparked within Harvey was put out again, and his heart fell into the abyss in absolute despair.

A bitter laugh escaped from his lips. He was such an idiot to think that Crystal would actually make breakfast for him.

She was focused on Sean and Sean alone. How could she possibly spare any thoughts for Harvey?

Harvey left the house without even touching the breakfast.

He had posted the sale of the house on three different apps, and soon enough, many real estate agents started getting in touch with him.

Since the house was located in a nice area and he wasn't concerned with how much it sold for either, it would likely be sold quickly.

Then, once he was done handing over his work and resigned, he would be able to leave.

When he arrived at work, he went to his office first.

Before he could turn on his computer to compile the paperwork for his resignation, the deputy manager of the project management department, Patrick Cherning, walked over.

"Mr. Hagden, I need to inform you of something."

Patrick had a serious expression on his face.

As he came up to Harvey, he sighed before he continued, "Ms. Landell has ordered that the project management department's manager's position will now be taken over by Sean Zabinski.

"You'll be moved to the role of deputy manager. It's a lateral move, so there'll be no changes to your salary or benefits. You'll need to work alongside him from now on."

"What?" Harvey couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Even though it was supposed to be a lateral move and there would be no change in rank, a deputy manager was still required to obey a manager's orders. How could such an unfair decree come from Crystal herself?

"I'm also not sure what's going through Ms. Landell's mind… Maybe this Sean Zabinski has some exceptional qualities that allowed him to be suddenly fast-tracked to such a crucial department in the company."

Patrick cleared his throat. There was a knowing look in his eyes. Clearly, many thoughts were running through his head, but he didn't say them out loud.

"Mr. Hagden, I know you've worked hard to move up the ranks from the very bottom, and your promotions generally came slower than others too."

Patrick sighed again. "But there really is no other way here. Don't worry. I'll do my best to speak up for you in management-level meetings. Ms. Landell is always fair—"

"Fair?" Harvey snickered.

She had indeed been fair, but now, she was crossing all sorts of lines for Sean.

Previously, in order to keep their relationship a secret, Crystal not only had Harvey start at an entry-level position, but she had also never given him any sort of privileges at work either.

In all the years they had been dating, no one in the company had known about Harvey's true identity. But he had understood where Crystal was coming from.

So now, the slap to the face was sudden and hard.

As it turned out, when it came to someone she truly liked, there was no such thing as boundaries.

Patrick opened his mouth, but in the end he didn't say anything. Truthfully, he also thought that Crystal was being unfair in this matter. He patted Harvey's shoulder.

"This office will be his from now on too. You can liaise with him."

With that, he turned around and left.

Harvey sat back down in his office chair.

This was probably a good thing. He had been concerned about the amount of time needed to hand over the important projects.

But Sean was here now, and he would surely want to seize complete control as quickly as he could.

It would be much easier for Harvey to leave now. He might not even need to do any handovers. He might just get kicked out instead.

As these thoughts ran through his mind, someone gave the open office door a few knocks.

The person who walked in was none other than a smug-looking Sean. His chin was raised, and there was a faint smile of superiority on his face.

"Surprised?" He studied Harvey, wanting to find signs of defeat on his face.

"I didn't expect this, either. I originally wanted Cryssie to just give me some random position, but who knew she would be so generous?"

"It is surprising," said Harvey as he stood up.

"It looks like you really couldn't make it overseas. Here you are, so happy with a small managerial position—one that had to be handed to you, no less."

Chapter 5

Sean's expression immediately hardened.

Through clenched teeth, he ordered, "Get your things and go. I like things to be clean, so make sure to wipe the desk twice with a disinfecting wipe."

"My job description doesn't include wiping tables," retorted Harvey nonchalantly. "If it's included in your job description as the new manager, then do go ahead."

Sean didn't expect Harvey to be so rude to him.

"Looks like my future deputy manager has quite the temper." He cocked his eyebrow jeeringly, and there was a hint of malice in his smile. "It seems like you still don't know your place, Harvey."

Harvey looked at him calmly. "What are you going on about?"

"Crystal, of course. How has she been treating you all these years you've been with her? She clearly doesn't care about you. But look at me. The moment I came back, she handed the manager's position to me on a silver platter."

He then continued with a chuckle, "Heck, if I wanted to sleep with her, I would only have to say it, and she'd very willingly book a hotel room for us—"

A loud thud interrupted the rest of Sean's words.

Harvey's fist crashed into his face. Immediately, two streams of blood started flowing from Sean's nose.

"Does she know you think this?"

At that moment, Harvey's presence was terrifying. Never would he have expected Sean to say such vile things. Why on earth did Crystal even fancy a piece of trash like him?

"Ah!" screamed Sean. He never thought that Harvey would actually become violent.

Harvey had a tight grasp on Sean's collar, nearly cutting off his air supply.

Sean desperately dug at Harvey's arms, but he wasn't as tall as him, nor did he have much muscle, so he had no hope in fighting back at all.

"You dare say all of that in front of her?"

Harvey was still enraged. He raised his fist to land another strike when an angry woman's voice came from the office doorway.

"Harvey! What are you doing? Let go of him right now! Have you lost your mind?"

Crystal walked in just as Harvey was about to land a punch on Sean. She immediately raised her voice to stop them and hurried over to pull the two apart.

When she saw the blood on Sean's face, her expression immediately hardened.

"Quick, get some tissues! Are you okay? Do you feel dizzy? Should we go to the hospital?"

"I'm okay." Sean took a few steps back and wiped his face with some tissues.

There were several drops of blood on his white shirt, making him look sad and pitiful. Even the corner of his lips was cut, so every time he spoke, he hissed in pain.

However, he still insisted, saying, "It's nothing serious. As long as Mr. Hagden feels better about the news now."

Harvey took a deep breath, trying to push his anger down.

It was obvious that Sean had purposely mentioned "the news" so Crystal would misunderstand the reason behind their fight.

He was trying to make her think that Harvey had punched him out of anger over how Sean had taken over as the manager.

Crystal started to berate Harvey loudly without even waiting to hear from him.

"Harvey Hagden! This personnel transfer was the company's decision. And you're fighting because of this? Go home and calm yourself down. You don't need to work today. Come back only after you've thought things through."

She didn't even ask a single question before listening to Sean's version of events and making a snap judgment.

Harvey stared at her in disbelief. So this was who she truly was—an unreasonable woman with no boundaries who blindly sided with Sean!

Harvey didn't wish to say anything more. He just lowered his eyes and calmly said, "Okay."

If he repeated what Sean had said, the latter could easily claim that it was a misunderstanding or that he was being slandered.

No matter what Harvey said, Crystal wouldn't believe him. So, Harvey wordlessly grabbed his bag and strode out of the office.

The moment he stepped out of the office building, his phone rang.

"Is this Mr. Hagden? I'm from the real estate agency. You have a house for sale, right? Will it be convenient if we go to take a look at the place today?"

The agent who called was very earnest. He said that the buyers had unexpectedly gotten pregnant and were now in a rush to buy a house and get married. If they were happy with the house, then they would sign the paperwork that very day.

Harvey was quite surprised to hear this.

He hadn't expected anyone to come view the place in such short amount of time. However, he didn't assume that the sale would go through right away either; just having the agent come over to take some pictures would be good too.

When he arrived home, the agent was already standing outside with a young couple in tow.

After exchanging simple greetings, Harvey led them in while introducing the place to them.

"The front yard has a vintage design, whereas the interior is modern and minimalistic. The overall color scheme is white paired with wood, so it's very eye-catching and easy to maintain as well."

Harvey had personally designed every detail with the dream of creating an even better life for himself and Crystal.

He recalled how he had referenced many architects' plans and continuously made small adjustments until he had finally landed on the perfect design for Crystal.

He had spent all those nights burning the midnight oil just so she could lead a more comfortable life.

When they had moved in, her one compliment had been his greatest reward.

Unfortunately, that one compliment had also been the only one he had ever gotten. It was as if Crystal believed that she deserved everything she got—like it was a given—and thus didn't show any gratitude.