Chapter 4

Damien owned three companies.

The largest, "YiZhi Designs," was the high-end jewelry company he and I built together.

Though he provided most of the capital, the company's design team was my brainchild, nurtured with my own efforts.

Some were my old classmates, others were up-and-coming designer influencers.

Back then, they came to YiZhi, which had nothing, out of loyalty to me, willing to start from scratch. Gradually, we made a name for ourselves in the industry and attracted investors.

At the annual International Jewelry Design Competition, my team's designs went viral, officially ushering in the era of YiZhi Designs, practically monopolizing the domestic jewelry design business.

Damien's success today owed much to me and my team.

But now he was not only favoring new hires with connections but also letting Chloe abuse her power.

If I hadn't been there, those long-time employees would have left ages ago.

I planned to take them with me to start our own jewelry design company.

With that thought, I began recruiting.

The process was surprisingly smooth, with many shareholders even willing to follow me.

My mood improved slightly, but Chloe had to ruin it again.

*Anya, honestly, in terms of looks and ability, I'm not better than you. But do you know why Damien likes me more and more, and hates you more and more?*

I'd grown accustomed to Chloe's malice, feeling nothing inside.

Ever since Damien started openly flaunting their affection in front of me, she’d tried every trick in the book to make my life miserable.

Anything I liked, she'd find a way to coax Damien into giving it to her.

On my birthday, she took Damien to the vet for her pet dog.

Every time they were intimate, she'd immediately send me pictures from their bed.

I initially wanted to ignore her, but then she sent a pregnancy test result.

*Because you can't give Damien children, but I can.*

*Damien isn't someone who just seeks pleasure. He keeps looking for one woman after another because all he really wants is a child of his own. You live off him, but you can't even fulfill this tiny request, so of course he'd grow to resent you.*

*A woman who can't even have children is so pathetic. If you have any self-respect, you should hurry up and leave him so I can take your place. We'll be the happiest family of three.*

Even though I had already decided to leave, Chloe’s words still stung.

I stared intently at that pregnancy test result, my breathing starting to falter.