Chapter 1

At the Quantum Technology Summit, my ex-boyfriend, the youngest physicist there, radiated confidence as all eyes were on him.

Arm in arm with his female assistant, he announced their engagement.

The assistant rose on her tiptoes and affectionately kissed his cheek:

"Meeting an exceptional man like Alec is the greatest fortune of my life!"

Alec took the microphone, his gaze sweeping scornfully to the corner:

"I hear the former Special Forces female soldier has been reduced to a mere bodyguard now? Well, I suppose that's all a defective product with a useless right hand can do!"

All the attending reporters' cameras instantly focused on me, the only female bodyguard.

I looked down at my right hand, the once nimble fingers still completely numb.

Four years ago, in that lab accident, my right hand's nerves were permanently destroyed while I saved him.

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Leaning in the corner of the venue, I felt a throbbing pain in my right hand.

The whispers around me cut like countless sharp knives.

"How dare she show up? I heard she broke up with Professor Frost while he was still in the ICU. So cold-blooded!"

"Yeah, she hasn't been seen in years. Word is she's working as a hired hatchet guy for some corporation?" "Surely She's coming back to get a piece of the pie, now that Professor Frost is about to announce a major breakthrough!"

I clenched my jaw tightly, struggling to maintain a professional expression.

Only when the lights in the auditorium dimmed did I slightly relax my tense nerves, waiting for the person about to take the stage.

The spotlights on the stage lit up, and Alec strode confidently towards the podium in his sharp suit.

Beside him was a slender woman, his research assistant.

"Oh my God! Looks like Professor Frost is finally going public with his relationship!"

"I heard that girl is his assistant, smart and beautiful. They're a perfect match, ideally suited."

"Someone's bound to be regretting her choices now. Letting go of a man with such a bright future, serves her right!"

The prying looks around me made me clench my fingertips, the wound on my right hand burning with pain.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm Alec. This is my fiancée, Jade."

Jade?

That name reminded me of four years ago, of her figure always lingering outside the lab.

Back then, I had even teased Alec about having a fangirl.

Now she was openly holding his arm, accepting congratulations from the whole world.

While I hid in the shadows, like a ghost that shouldn't be there. As I was about to quietly slip away, a reporter suddenly noticed my presence.

"We heard that today's head of security is Professor Frost's ex-girlfriend, Dashiell. What are your thoughts on this?"

The room instantly fell silent.

Jade smiled gracefully, clinging tighter to Alec's arm.

"I want to thank certain people for leaving without a word, giving me the chance to stand by Alec's side."

Alec glanced at me coldly, his tone mocking.

"A cripple who can't even hold a gun steady? She's not fit to be mentioned as my ex-girlfriend."

Immediately after, Jade took out a ring, and Alec publicly placed it on her finger, eliciting thunderous applause from the crowd.

My heart contracted violently as I turned to flee.

But reporters had already swarmed around me, their camera flashes blinding.

"Director Grey, why did you come to this summit?"

"It's said that you broke up with Professor Frost years ago because you thought he was just a poor scholar. How do you respond to that?"

"You've been working as a private bodyguard all these years. Is it because you have a wealthy patron?"

I raised my hand to shield my eyes from the glaring lights, trying to break through the crowd.

Through the layers of people surrounding me, I caught sight of Alec's haughty gaze. He looked down at me from his elevated position, his eyes filled with contempt.

"Director Grey, would you care to address the truth behind your right hand injury?"

I had nowhere to retreat, trapped within a wall of people.

I raised my right hand, my stiff fingers trembling, unable to even make a simple gesture.

Four years ago, in that accident, my right hand's nerves were permanently damaged while saving Alec.

After the summit, photos of me being cornered in the shadows went viral.

The glaring headlines were excruciating: "Retired female special forces soldier reduced to personal bodyguard, speechless when confronted face-to-face."

Then, my history with Alec was dug up by netizens.

Someone unearthed a report about how I once stayed in the lab for seven consecutive days without sleep to accompany him during an experiment, calling me a hypocrite.

An insider revealed that I had cut off all contact with him after the accident, ending our relationship with a cold, impersonal text message.

The flood of words and photos all pointed to my alleged crimes:

[Special Forces Major turned personal bodyguard, value plummets and cruelly abandoned!]

[Dashiell exposed as a gold digger, betraying genius physicist!]

[Digging into the benefactors who provide protection money for Dashiell!]

...

Slanders came pouring in, overwhelming me.That evening, the social media updates from Jade and Alec pushed the drama to its peak.

Jade posted a photo of them together at an upscale restaurant.

In the picture, the custom diamond ring on her finger sparkled brilliantly.