Not to cry

When she finally graduated from college, Nadia became a full-time employee at the company. However, she never expected to be fired by the new female boss.

And it wasn't just any firing—it was a completely unexplainable one.

The new boss, who had never shown her face, issued a decree: "Fire all the interns!"

Nadia felt like she was hit by a stray bullet while lying down—completely unjust.

As she packed her things and prepared to leave, her team leader, Tyree, kindly came over to see her off.

"Nadia, I heard that our new boss's name is Elise! Do you think this Elise could be your old friend?" Tyree whispered conspiratorially in her ear.

Nadia paused for a moment and then smiled calmly. "Whether she is or not, it doesn't matter to me anymore."

"Well, take care of yourself! Don't get discouraged!" Tyree grinned, making a fist and giving Nadia an encouraging gesture.

Nadia nodded and gave a faint smile. This was probably the most embarrassing moment of her life.

She had finally landed a paid internship, only for it to end so abruptly.

As she looked back at the interior design company, she felt a sudden pang of reluctance.

This was the place where she had taken her first steps into the professional world, her first taste of striving for something in life.

Meanwhile, deep in a remote forest, Geraldo was camping and engaging in a cat-and-mouse game with his enemies, despite his injuries.

"The Young Madam only likes high-end things, such as luxury cosmetics, jewelry, designer clothes, branded handbags, and high-heeled shoes!" — Butler Lee.

After reading the message from Butler Lee, Geraldo couldn't help but let out a cold chuckle.

After that night, Geraldo had thought Elise might be different, but in the end, she was just another worldly woman.

Ah, whatever. Worldly or not, she was the woman he had chosen, the woman he had willingly fallen in love with. Who could he blame?

At worst, once he retired, he would be responsible for making money and supporting the family, while Elise would just need to stay beautiful.

"First Young Master, what do you think Bald Eagle's next smuggling move will be?" Gregory's question pulled Geraldo back to reality.

Geraldo put away his phone and pointed decisively at a river on the map with a single finger. "Bald Eagle will definitely choose this river for water transport. But he'll also use this dry route as a cover."

His judgments had never been wrong, except when it came to judging a woman.

Geraldo had planned to buy Elise a special gift she would like after this mission was over, so he had asked Butler Lee about her preferences.

Since Elise liked nothing but the most common luxury items, Geraldo figured it would be easier to just give her an unlimited credit card.

And indeed, when Butler Lee handed Elise the credit card following Geraldo's instructions, she was overjoyed, screaming with excitement several times.

She was so thrilled that she hugged and kissed Butler Lee, completely forgetting her usual dignified demeanor.

Feeling extremely awkward, Butler Lee couldn't help but sneer and inexplicably developed a dislike for Elise.

"That gold-digger doesn't deserve to be with the Young Master of his family!"

With her new found wealth, Elise quickly made a name for herself in Seaside City's elite circles, mingling with socialites and noble heirs. Her expanding network allowed her to spend lavishly and get whatever she wanted with ease.

However, Nadia was a thorn in Elise's side, one she was determined to remove by any means necessary. Yes, Nadia couldn't stay in Seaside City. She was an obstacle, and Elise needed to crush this obstacle to pave a smooth path for herself.

Elise's eyes gleamed with malice as her red lips curled into a sinister smile.

Seaside City wasn't an easy place to thrive, especially for someone like Nadia, a college student with only an associate degree. Finding a job was already an extremely difficult task.

What puzzled Nadia was why, recently every company she applied to would reject her outright upon hearing her name, without even glancing at her resume. It felt like someone was working behind the scenes to blacklist her.

Nadia thought she was being paranoid. She wasn't a celebrity, nor had she offended anyone. So how could she be blacklisted?

Standing by a shop window, Nadia looked at her reflection and suddenly felt pathetic. Were there others like her, struggling to make a name for themselves in the big city, only to be crushed by harsh reality?

In the following days, Nadia faced rejection everywhere. Not only could she not find a job, but even her landlord was pressuring her with a rent increment when she returned to her tiny apartment.

Since she was fired from her job last time, Nadia had been job hunting for a month with no success. Her bank account was nearly empty, leaving her with no extra money to cover her rent.

With no other options, Nadia decided to move out of her rented apartment and find a place near her boyfriend Shepard's university, while continuing her job search.

Seaside City had both a downtown area and suburban districts. Shepard's university was in one of the suburban districts.

From downtown, Nadia had to take three different buses, a journey that took two and a half hours.

By the time Nadia dragged her suitcase off the bus and stood at the gate of "Seaside University," it was already dark.

The boys' dormitory closed at ten o'clock, and Nadia hadn't called Shepard in advance. She decided to go straight to his dorm.

Nadia knew where Shepard's dorm was. She used to come every weekend to help him with his laundry, so much so that even the dormitory supervisor knew her.

Shepard's three roommates also knew Nadia and treated her very kindly, like a little sister.

When Nadia arrived at Shepard's dorm room with her suitcase, the three boys inside immediately stopped their game and rushed over to help. They carried her suitcase, brought her a chair, and poured her a glass of water, warmly welcoming her.

In fact, every time she visited, she not only did Shepard's laundry but also washed his three roommates' clothes at his request, and cleaned their dorm room until it was spotless.

At that moment, Hudson, who had a buzz cut and slightly tanned skin, walked over and picked up Nadia's suitcase.

Hudson greeted warmly, "Hey, Nadia! It's not the weekend. What brings you here with such a big suitcase?"

Tevin brought over a chair for Nadia Clark to sit and rest.

Jeffrey, wearing his black-rimmed glasses and looking quite scholarly, poured a glass of cold water for Nadia. "Here, Nadia, have some water."

"Thanks!" Nadia took the water with a smile and sat down, her eyes scanning the room.

"Where's Shepard?"

At the mention of Shepard, the three exchanged glances. After a brief pause, Hudson grinned and said, "He's studying!"

"Y-yeah!" Tevin stammered in agreement.

Jeffrey, however, frowned and remained silent.

Nadia felt like they were hiding something from her. She reached into her handbag to get her phone and call Shepard, but Jeffrey suddenly walked over and snatched her phone away.

"No need to call. I'll take you to Shepard myself," Jeffrey said coldly.

Hudson and Tevin immediately exchanged worried glances, signaling Jeffrey not to make a fuss.

Ignoring their warnings, Jeffrey handed the phone back to Nadia and continued, "Nadia, follow me." With that, he walked out of the dorm room alone.

Nadia quickly asked Hudson and Tevin to keep an eye on her suitcase. Grabbing her handbag, she hurried after Jeffrey.

Hudson and Tevin were left staring at each other in bewilderment.

Nadia Clark quickened her pace to keep up with Jeffrey. Noticing his troubled expression, she couldn't help but bite her lips before asking with concern, "Jeffrey, what's wrong?"

"When we see Shepard later, promise me you won't cry," Jeffrey said deeply as he continued walking forward.

In truth, this was a matter between Shepard and Nadia, so why should he interfere?

But... Jeffrey furrowed his brows at the thought.

Nadia, thinking something terrible had happened to Shepard, felt her voice grow hoarse with worry. "Did something happen to Shepard? Is he okay?"

"He's fine, and he's living well," Jeffrey replied coldly.

For the rest of the walk, no matter how much Nadia pressed for answers, Jeffrey would only avert, "You'll find out when we get there." Nadia had no choice but to fall silent.

They arrived at the back gate of the school, which led to a wide road. Across the street stood several five to six story residential buildings and a bustling street lined with food stalls.

Jeffrey led Nadia into an alley, and after turning a corner and walking less than thirty feet, they reached a stainless steel gate.

Couples, young men and women, were constantly coming and going through this gate.

Nadia had a vague inkling of what was happening, but she still couldn't bring herself to believe the thought forming in her mind.

Jeffrey opened the stainless steel gate and walked in, with Nadia following silently, her head slightly bowed.

They climbed to the third floor and stopped in front of a dark green security door. Jeffrey pulled a key from his pocket, unlocked the door, and walked in.

Nadia followed him inside and was immediately struck by the size of the place.

It had four bedrooms, a living room, a balcony, a dining room, and a kitchen—three times the size of the tiny apartment she shared with Elise.

Jeffrey headed straight to the door on the far left and knocked gently.

A voice came from inside the room. "Who is it?"

"It's me!" Jeffrey replied

.

Shepard's voice questioned again, "Didn't you say you were staying at the dorm tonight? Why are you back?"

"Come out. I need to talk to you," Jeffrey continued.

"Hold on, let me put on some clothes," Shepard responded.

Then, a woman's voice was heard from inside the room. "Jeffrey, seriously, you have the worst timing."

"Sweetheart, don't worry. Let me see what he wants, and I'll be right back," Shepard reassured her gently.

The voices weren't loud enough to make out every word, but it was clear that besides Shepard, there was a woman in the room.

Standing next to Jeffrey, Nadia heard everything perfectly.

Why did Shepard need to put on clothes if it wasn't even bedtime yet?

Nadia's nose tingled, and tears welled up in her eyes, ready to spill over.

When Shepard opened the door and saw Nadia standing next to Jeffrey, he was momentarily stunned.

"Shepard, why are you just standing there?" The voice of a woman broke the silence.

The next second, the owner of the voice appeared in front of Nadia.

The woman had long hair cascading over her shoulders, bright red lips, and white teeth. She wore light makeup and was dressed in Shepard's white shirt, revealing her long, pale legs.

"Well, Jeffrey, you bookworm, you finally got yourself a girlfriend!" The woman sneered, her red lips curling as she sized up Nadia.

Jeffrey shot Tessa a sideways glance, indifferent. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, Shepard interrupted him.

"She's my cousin from the countryside!" Shepard said with a smile.

At that moment, Nadia felt a pain so deep that she couldn't even cry. Her lips trembled slightly.

"Yeah, your cousin suddenly came to find you. So, I brought her here!" Jeffrey coldly echoed.

Shepard gently turned to his girlfriend, Tessa, and said, "Tessa, I'll take my cousin out for dinner and get her settled. She must be hungry after the long bus ride from the countryside."

"Okay, I didn't feel like going out anyway. I won't join you and your cousin," Tessa said playfully. She paused, then turned to Nadia with a slight smile. "Nice to meet you, little cousin! I'm your cousin's girlfriend, Tessa."

"How long… have you been together?" Nadia's voice was choked with emotion.

Tessa smiled shyly and then affectionately linked her arm with Shepard's. "Almost a year now, right, Shepard?"

"Let's not talk about that now. I'm taking my cousin to dinner," Shepard quickly changed the subject. Tessa nodded slightly and released Shepard's hand.

Shepard stepped out of the room, closing the door behind him. His expression shifted abruptly, and he shot a furious glare at Jeffrey.

Nadia didn't say another word. Instead, she turned and walked away, her mind racing so fast that she broke into a run.

Shepard quickly chased after her.