Chapter 1

My boyfriend insisted on bringing me along when his company organized an employee trip.

By the time we arrived at the airport, most of the employees had already gathered.

The women were dressed to the nines, while the men wore suits and ties.

Just after passing through security, I overheard someone commenting loudly.

"What bad luck. This is supposed to be a high-end gathering, how did a bumpkin like that get mixed in?"

My boyfriend, hearing someone insult me, not only failed to defend me but deliberately kept his distance.

Just as I was about to confront him, my boyfriend turned away from me and embraced another woman right in front of my eyes.

"At least with Miss Stratton, I won't have to sit in economy class. What about you?"

I was stunned for a few seconds, then let out a knowing smile.

"I can make the plane turn around."

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1

If it weren't for my boyfriend forcibly dragging me along, I wouldn't have had time to go on vacation at all.

To appease him, I reluctantly submitted a report to my superior.

But I never imagined that as soon as we arrived at the airport, my boyfriend would want to break up with me.

The reason, shockingly, was that I couldn't afford business class tickets.

What chilled me to the bone was that I had already told him my identity was sensitive and I couldn't draw too much attention.

I guess he still doesn't know how many eyes would be watching me on a trip like this.

"Melody, I never thought you'd learn how to bluff like this."

"I used to think that apart from being a bit poor, you were actually quite honest."

"I didn't expect you'd resort to telling such tall tales just to keep me."

"I advise you to refund your ticket before boarding. At least you can save a little money that way."

As I was about to retort, the woman behind my boyfriend smirked contemptuously.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm your boyfriend's company's boss. My name is Scarlett, but everyone calls me Miss Stratton."

"Since your boyfriend has already said everything that needs to be said, I'll cut to the chase."

"I've taken a liking to your boyfriend. Name your price."

Looking at the two people in front of me, playing off each other so seamlessly, I let out a cold laugh.

"Looking at your stance, I guess I have no choice but to agree today, right?"

When I was at the base, my boyfriend called repeatedly, urging me to go on a trip with him no matter what.

At the time, I even thought he couldn't bear to be apart from me.

Now it seems he must have planned this with Miss Stratton here all along.

As soon as I finished speaking, Alec's face changed immediately.

"Don't talk nonsense here. Miss Stratton and I have always kept things strictly professional."

"If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for not being ambitious enough. Who can live off that measly salary you make each month?"

Hearing my boyfriend's words, I was completely stunned.

I'm not ambitious? My monthly salary is just that little?

I did a quick mental calculation. Not counting the year-end bonus, I easily make several hundred thousand a month.

He thinks I'm poor, largely because I don't usually care much about dressing up.

But I signed a five-year confidentiality agreement and can't tell him.

The clothes and pants I usually wear are all issued uniformly by the company, and there's always a special car to escort me whenever I go out.

This is the only time I begged my superiors for a long while before they agreed to give me a bit of personal space. I had known Alec broke up with me because he thought I was poor, but to humiliate me in front of so many people was too much.

This bitterness in my chest, I just couldn't swallow it.

"Alec, we haven't even broken up yet, and you're already hooking up with someone else."

"You know this counts as cheating, right?"

I stared straight at him, but Alec couldn't even meet my eyes, obviously feeling guilty.

Scarlett, standing nearby, immediately got upset after hearing what I said.

She threw herself into my boyfriend's arms, her attitude extremely arrogant.

"What cheating? He's already broken up with you. Stop hanging around here like a desperate loser."

As she spoke, she pulled out $20,000 from her designer purse and tossed it at my feet.

"Take the money and get out of my sight."

I stood there like a clown, looking at this clueless rich girl in front of me.

"Miss Stratton, right? Want to bet that with one word from me, you two won't be going anywhere today?"

As soon as I finished speaking, Alec immediately stepped forward.

"Melody, stop trying to scare people. Who do you think you are to talk so big?"

"I've been with you for so long, and you don't even have a car. At least Scarlett chartered a private jet just for me."

"All you do is talk big. What’ve you got on her?"

I can’t afford a car? How dare he say that?

I’ve been always chauffeured around—what do I need a car for?

If not for my special identity, I’d slap that smirk off his face right now.

His words instantly sparked uproarious laughter from the crowd.

"You all heard it. A woman who can't dress up can't even keep her own man."

"Especially someone like her - no family background, no money, just a poor loser."

"Exactly! Look at how she's dressed. I bet her whole outfit isn't even worth a hundred bucks."

The employees around kept sucking up to the boss, not a single one stepping up to defend me.

In their eyes, I was nothing but a circus clown for their amusement.

A company like this probably isn't far from going bankrupt.