Chapter 3

"Mr. Thorne is truly a big spender; he just acquired that prime piece of land downtown without batting an eye."

"That's not all, I heard he even put fifty percent of his company's shares in Scarlett Vance's name. That's true love!"

Listening to the women's envious voices, it was then that I truly woke up.

All those massive debts Marcus spoke of were carefully woven lies.

Scarlett's face was flushed with shyness as she gently wiggled the massive diamond engagement ring on her hand.

"Oh, stop teasing me."

A rich heiress grabbed her hand enviously.

"Scarlett, don't be modest. That island wedding two years ago, costing tens of millions of dollars, still hasn't been surpassed!"

So, they even had a wedding.

Five years ago, I held my ID card, overjoyed at the thought of marrying him.

But Marcus brushed me off with just one sentence: early stages of entrepreneurship required cutting costs.

No wedding, no reception, no ring.

Only a marriage license and a promise.

"When I have money, I'll definitely give you the most magnificent wedding in the world."

I stood amidst the elegantly dressed crowd, like a misplaced ghost.

They were discussing Marcus's financial empire, asking Scarlett for tips on how to keep a man.

Scarlett shared generously.

"Actually, I'm not good with money."

"Marcus set all the passwords for his bank cards to my birthday. He said his money was my money, and I could spend it freely."

There was another gasp of amazement.

"Oh my god, that's so romantic!"

"Whether a man loves you or not depends on if he's willing to spend money on you. Scarlett, you truly married the right man."

Scarlett smiled even sweeter.

"He just loves doing things like this. Last month, he air-shipped hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of my favorite French black roses, and a while ago, he bought me an entire vineyard just to store my favorite red wines."

Yet, just the day before yesterday, Marcus was complaining to me about being broke in a text message.

He said an important client needed to be 'handled,' and he desperately needed a hundred thousand dollars.

He said he was at his wit's end, begging me to find a way.

I believed him, and I was even prepared to go to the black market again today to sell my blood one more time.

Just then, Scarlett's phone rang.

Before answering, she handed me the snow-white cat she was holding.

"Could you please hold Mimi for me?"

The cat wore a valuable collar, its fur perfectly groomed; it was obviously looked after a hundred times better than me.

Scarlett put the call on speakerphone in front of everyone.

Marcus's doting voice came through.

"Sweetheart, is the air conditioning in the ballroom too strong? Go grab a shawl, don't catch a chill."

Scarlett responded playfully.

"I know, you're such a nag."

Marcus chuckled on the other end.

"I'm downstairs with Brenda and Arthur picking out your gift; we'll be right up. You just wait for me."

The call ended, and all the women in the room gasped with envy.

"Oh my god, Mr. Thorne is worth hundreds of millions and still so thoughtful—he's a total wife-pampering maniac!"

"A once-in-a-lifetime good man like that is impossible to find!"

I held the cat and laughed, tears almost streaming down my face.

A month ago, I had a massive hemorrhage after my kidney donation surgery and was in the ICU for two whole days and nights.

Marcus merely had a nurse relay a message to me.

"The company has an urgent meeting, and he can't get away."

At the time, I believed him completely, even feeling guilty for not being able to share his burden.

It turned out he wasn't busy; he was just giving all his thoughtfulness and pampering to another woman.