Chapter 1

Victoria was once the most ruthless queen of New York's venture capital scene. I spent ten years building her empire from scratch, surviving the cutthroat corporate wars just to watch her ring the NASDAQ bell.

I thought that was our happily ever after.

But at our engagement press conference, she abandoned me under the flashing lights of the paparazzi, all because of a text from another boy.

"He's afraid of the dark. I have to go to him."

Ten years of loyalty couldn't match a single tear from her toxic obsession.

Later, I handed over the darkest secrets of her empire to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and vanished without a trace.

She went mad searching the world for me, eventually kneeling before my new bride, begging me to come back.

I just handed her a tissue. "Victoria, don't ruin my wife's red carpet."

Victoria was famous in New York for being an iron-fisted CEO. She was ruthless, cold, and never left any room for mercy.

Tonight was the IPO gala for her core tech company, and it was also the night we were supposed to announce our wedding to the world.

The spotlights beamed down on us. I stood there in a custom haute couture suit she had personally designed for me, holding a pink diamond ring worth millions.

Just as the host smiled and invited Victoria to give her speech, her phone on the podium vibrated.

The screen lit up. There was no contact name, just a short message:

"It's thundering. I'm so scared."

I watched Victoria's usually calm, expressionless face instantly flash with panic.

Without even grabbing the microphone or looking at me, she lifted her heavy gown, stepped down from the stage in her high heels, and ran out.

The entire hall went into chaos.

Countless cameras from the paparazzi instantly turned to me, standing all alone on the stage.

I froze, listening to the whispers from the crowd. They felt like sharp needles piercing my ears.

"Why did Victoria leave?"

"Leaving Logan all by himself... is the wedding off?"

I forced a smile, grabbed the mic, and used every ounce of my strength to cover for her. "Victoria had a sudden medical emergency. Please, everyone, enjoy the dinner."

The moment I stepped off the stage, my back was drenched in cold sweat.

Back in the dressing room, I took off my suit jacket. But then, inside the purse Victoria had left behind, I found a burner phone I had never seen before.

The password was the date we first met. I unlocked it easily.

There was only one contact in the chat history, and the avatar was a cute Samoyed dog.

I didn't try to lie to myself. My hand trembled as I scrolled through the messages.

There were no explicit photos or dirty texts.

But it was filled with the details of their daily lives.

"Victoria, the medicine today is so bitter."

"Victoria, the clouds today look just like you."

"Victoria, I'm scared to sleep alone."

And Victoria, who was known for being a ruthless monster in the business world, replied with infinite patience and warmth:

"Sweetheart, I'm on my way."

"Eat a piece of candy, and it won't be bitter anymore."

"Don't be scared. I'm here."

Looking at those messages, my stomach churned, and a wave of nausea hit my throat.

At 3 AM, Victoria finally returned to our penthouse.

She smelled faintly of hospital disinfectant. Seeing me sitting on the sofa in the dark, she froze for a second.

I threw the burner phone onto the coffee table with a heavy thud.

"Explain this," I said, my voice hoarse.

Victoria didn't panic like an ordinary woman would. She just frowned and looked down at me.

"Logan, did you go through my things?"

"I asked you who he is!" I stood up abruptly, my eyes bloodshot.

Victoria was silent for a long time. She walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and lit a cigarette.

Through the smoke, her voice was freezing cold. "That's Julian. Years ago, his older brother died in a car crash to save me. Before he died, he asked me to take care of Julian. Julian has severe depression and claustrophobia."

"And?" I stared at her. "So you humiliate me at our engagement gala, turning me into the biggest joke in New York, just because he's scared of a little thunder?"

Victoria turned around, her frown deepening. "Logan, be reasonable. You're an adult. You can handle a crowd like that. But Julian can't. He self-harms when he has an attack. I only see him as a younger brother. I owe his family."

Ten years.

From the days we stayed up all night in a damp basement coding on takeout and cheap coffee, to now, where she was worth billions.

I had blocked beer bottles for her, taken the blame for her mistakes, and even had a third of my stomach removed due to stress ulcers.

And yet, she expected me to swallow this humiliation just because she "owed" his family. I couldn't do it.

"Victoria, tomorrow is our wedding," I said, taking a deep breath and pointing at the door. "If you abandon me for him again tomorrow, we are done forever."

Victoria put out her cigarette, walked over, and hugged me. Her tone softened a bit.

"Stop overreacting, Logan. The wedding will go on as planned tomorrow. I promise you, I'll keep my distance from him in the future."

I closed my eyes and didn't hug her back.

Because beneath the smell of disinfectant, I could smell the faint scent of another man's citrus cologne on her coat.