Chapter 2

I was the sole heir to the wealthiest tycoon on the planet, an existence the elite circles of New York could only dream of reaching.

The first time I met Chloe was at a hospital. Her mother had been in a hit-and-run accident and was embroiled in an ugly lawsuit against a reckless trust-fund brat.

As her mother's attending physician at the time, we crossed paths often. Gradually, I was drawn to her fierce resilience. But in the end, we couldn't save her mother. Ever since that tragedy, Chloe harbored a deep-seated hatred for wealthy heirs.

That was why I concealed my real identity when I decided to pursue her. Later, when Chloe said she wanted to start her own business, I resigned from the hospital, rejected my father's summons to inherit our empire, and accompanied her into the startup grind.

For five years, my entire world revolved around Chloe.

I thought five years of dedication would finally earn me the right to hold the hand of the girl I loved in broad daylight. I never imagined that at the finish line, Chloe would discard me like trash.

"Young Master, we have arrived."

Pulled from my thoughts, I stepped out of the car and told Arthur to head back first. I would return to the estate once I tied up all the loose ends here.

Entering the apartment, I flipped on the lights and saw the melted cake sitting on the dining table.

I had ordered it for Chloe.

It was meant to celebrate our relationship going public tonight. Now, it felt like a burning slap across my face.

A wave of fury took over. I smashed the cold food and the melted cake straight onto the floor.

Then, I began packing my bags, determined to leave this tomb of memories behind.

As I opened the closet, my phone chimed. A message popped up on SnapChat from Julian.

It was a photo.

In the picture, Chloe lay completely bare on white sheets, her skin flushed, the dark love bites across her neck painfully sharp.

My grip tightened around the phone until my knuckles turned white. Right after I saved the image and took a screenshot, Julian unsent the picture.

*“Sorry Cole, wrong chat! Please don't misunderstand!”*

Staring at the screen, I scoffed coldly. I knew he did it on purpose.

Ever since he joined the firm, he had been subtly dropping hints—sending photos of him and Chloe looking intimate.

Sometimes it was holding hands; sometimes it was a hug. This time, they went straight to bed.

In the past, seeing something like this would have driven me insane. I would have stormed the hotel and demanded an explanation from Chloe!

And every single time, she would dismiss it as "just platonic friendship."

When a lie is repeated often enough, the listener goes numb.

I didn't reply. I was leaving anyway, and there was no reason to ever cross paths again. I simply blocked and deleted his account.

I booked the earliest flight out for tomorrow afternoon.

Once packed, I hailed a cab and checked into a boutique hotel nearest to the airport.

Right after I settled in, Chloe’s call lit up my screen.

I ignored it. But when she called for the tenth time, out of lingering courtesy for the past five years, I picked up.

"Cole, what kind of tantrum are you throwing now?"

"The equity distribution was my decision. It had nothing to do with Julian! If you had a problem, you could have voiced it on stage. Why are you acting like a petty snake behind our backs?"

I stayed silent, listening to her venomous rant.

"Playing the bigger man in front of the staff—who are you trying to impress?"

"It was just a photo from my speech earlier! Did you really have to blow up over that? I'm warning you, apologize to Julian right now, or don't ever expect me to talk to you again."

Her words made me chuckle bitterly.

Her lewd bedroom photo had somehow been twisted into "a photo of her speech." She really believed every word that came out of Julian's mouth without question.

She didn't even bother asking for proof before coming at me with guns blazing.

"Apologize?" I sneered. "Chloe, you two better apologize to me right now. It might save you from losing everything."

"Cole!" Chloe screamed in fury.

"Keep dreaming! You refuse to apologize? Fine! Let's see if you can keep this tough-guy act up when you show up at the office tomorrow!"

She slammed the phone down.

I couldn't care less.

What Chloe didn't know was that my formal resignation had already been emailed to HR. It would be waiting for her the second she walked into the building tomorrow morning.

And as for her company, I would never set foot in it again.