Quick money—that was his only requirement. He felt that he wouldn’t have trouble paying back tens of thousands. Of course, that was because I had my HR team tell him that if he performed well, he'd get a raise the very next day, plus a 30 thousand-year-end bonus. Milton had no idea that he even got his position because of me. This company was just one of my father's many subsidiaries. I could decide whether he stayed or left, and I could also decide whether he lived or died. Milton had no idea he was halfway to hell. Once he got a taste of borrowing money, he couldn't get enough of it. The money flowed in, no effort required, and Milton didn't have to work hard to cater to my mood anymore. He reveled in this so-called happiness. He used the money to buy Lindsay's love and smiles, to buy the dignity he felt he had lost to me. He also bought himself a happy future with Lindsay. He no longer treated me with the same care as before. He'd leave his clothes lying a
Lindsay was crying and hiding, screaming in pain as she was struck while desperately shouting for Milton to save her, but Milton could barely protect himself. The man seemed experienced, his punches landing with force, until finally, Milton was on the ground, apologizing to them. The man humiliated him further, making him grovel and kiss his shoe. I knew this kind of degradation could break a man's spirit. Kay sent me the photos she had taken. I didn't want things to escalate further, so I instructed the staff to step in and separate them before I drove away. That night, Milton told me he was out with friends and wouldn't be home. I reminded him to take care of himself. The next day, I called Milton and asked to meet him at a hotel. He hesitated, but eventually agreed after some time. When he arrived, wearing a cap pulled low over his face and a long-sleeve t-shirt, not daring to look up, I tried my best to suppress a smile. I walked over, pulling him toward a grand hall th
Before anyone could fully process what had just happened, a video began playing on the big screen.It was a montage of photos strung together—Milton and Lindsay kissing, Milton whispering sweet nothings in her ear, Milton and Lindsay entering a fancy hotel together, Milton and Lindsay shopping in high-end luxury stores...With each new image, the gasps from the crowd grew louder.The first to snap out of the shock was Milton's mother. She rushed to the screen, shouting desperately, "Turn it off, turn it off!"But she didn't know how to operate the equipment, so all she could do was scream like a madwoman.Next, Milton came to his senses. His face went pale, even paler than when he had heard that Lawrence Enterprises was fine. His lips trembled as he struggled to form words. "I… w-we…"But before he could finish, things took an even darker turn.The video switched to a shocking clip—Lindsay and Milton, beaten and on the floor, bruised bloodied, and barely clothed.From the bac
After staying up all night to finish a task my boss had assigned, my phone buzzed with a message notification. [Apartment 402, how many times have I told you not to hang your clothes out like that? Your lingerie fell onto my balcony! Ugh, lucky I was home; otherwise, my boyfriend and son would've seen it. That would've been so awkward!] A photo followed right after, showing a black lace panty hanging precariously on the railing of the balcony of the third floor, swaying in the wind. I stared at the picture for a moment, zooming in to inspect the details. After a closer look, I was certain it wasn't mine. I didn't wear lace; besides, the size was clearly too big for me. I replied, [Hi, are you sure this fell from my apartment? Maybe it was blown down from above.]The response came almost immediately in the form of a voice message. "Who else could it be if not you? The tenants from the fifth and sixth floors have moved out. Also, don't you young people know how to be a
It took a while, but eventually, I saw the indication that he was typing. [Babe, don't worry. I'll handle it. We haven't done anything wrong.] He took forever to come up with that flimsy reply, and I couldn't help but laugh. It was such a half-hearted response. I simply typed that I was tired, turned off my phone, and went to bed. That night, I couldn't sleep. Memories rushed in like an uninvited thief, barging into my mind when I wasn't paying attention. I thought back to when I first met Milton. It seemed like no one could escape the pressure of being pushed into marriage, even though I was only 25 at the time. My mom had thrown me straight into the matchmaking scene. After meeting several bizarre candidates, my best friend, Kay Brown, mysteriously told me she knew a man who was smart, kind-hearted, and good-looking. She quickly set up a meeting for us. I met the guy at a café. Just as Kay had described, he was tall, handsome, and well-spoken. We hit it off and
The voices of the two faded into the background. I pulled out my phone.[Honey, are you okay? I just got home. Did she really look for you at your office?]It was a while before Milton finally replied.[Don't worry, babe. I've already told them. I was out drinking with Malcolm and the guys last night. It must've been a thief who came in and left something behind.]I stared at the phone, looking at his weak excuse. He really thought I was a fool, didn't he? We lived on the fourth floor—if someone jumped from there, they'd be dead. A thief wouldn't throw a pair of underwear onto the third floor.I typed coldly, [That's too creepy. Maybe we should call the police.]To my surprise, Milton called me immediately."No, we can't call the police. Thieves these days are vengeful. Don't you remember the cases I told you about? Anyway, nothing was stolen, so I'll change the lock tomorrow. Don't worry!"I was as obedient as could be. "Okay, I'll do whatever you say."I could hear the relie
I stood up and rummaged through the closet for what felt like ages until I finally found an old photo album. It didn't take long to flip through it and find the woman. In one group photo, she stood behind Milton; in another, just her half-face appeared beside him and his friends. There was even a candid shot of Milton alone, but in the background, I could see her hanging out with friends. I had no doubt about it—they had been involved, or at the very least, Milton had been secretly in love with her.It didn't really hurt, though. I'd always had a strong sense of self-preservation, but the feeling was still revolting—like chewing on a piece of gum someone else had spit out. Just as I was about to put the album back, I noticed a crumpled photo of Milton and me, which he'd promised to keep safe. Instead, he had tossed it aside and used it like a mat for the album containing that woman's picture. It was so pathetic it almost made me laugh. Once I had a lead, everything else came e
"Sharon!" he shouted, startling both the police officer and me.In the next second, he immediately shrank back under the officer's gaze."It's really my cousin's, honey. I was just worried you might overthink things. You've always disliked Olivia, right? She'd been struggling to find a job and didn't have a place to stay, so I let her crash for a day. I never thought it would cause this misunderstanding.""She's over 200 pounds, isn't she? And this is a size M." I could feel Milton's anger rising, as though he wanted to strangle me on the spot.His veins were popping, and he was teetering on the edge of losing control. "She's lost some weight lately!"I gave a nonchalant "I see" in response.Seeing that I wasn't pressing the issue anymore, Milton let out a long sigh of relief. "Honey, let's not waste the police's time. Let's go home."He reached out to grab my hand, but I pulled away and shook my head."Officer, I'm still not convinced. Maybe we should have his cousin come d
Before anyone could fully process what had just happened, a video began playing on the big screen.It was a montage of photos strung together—Milton and Lindsay kissing, Milton whispering sweet nothings in her ear, Milton and Lindsay entering a fancy hotel together, Milton and Lindsay shopping in high-end luxury stores...With each new image, the gasps from the crowd grew louder.The first to snap out of the shock was Milton's mother. She rushed to the screen, shouting desperately, "Turn it off, turn it off!"But she didn't know how to operate the equipment, so all she could do was scream like a madwoman.Next, Milton came to his senses. His face went pale, even paler than when he had heard that Lawrence Enterprises was fine. His lips trembled as he struggled to form words. "I… w-we…"But before he could finish, things took an even darker turn.The video switched to a shocking clip—Lindsay and Milton, beaten and on the floor, bruised bloodied, and barely clothed.From the bac
Lindsay was crying and hiding, screaming in pain as she was struck while desperately shouting for Milton to save her, but Milton could barely protect himself. The man seemed experienced, his punches landing with force, until finally, Milton was on the ground, apologizing to them. The man humiliated him further, making him grovel and kiss his shoe. I knew this kind of degradation could break a man's spirit. Kay sent me the photos she had taken. I didn't want things to escalate further, so I instructed the staff to step in and separate them before I drove away. That night, Milton told me he was out with friends and wouldn't be home. I reminded him to take care of himself. The next day, I called Milton and asked to meet him at a hotel. He hesitated, but eventually agreed after some time. When he arrived, wearing a cap pulled low over his face and a long-sleeve t-shirt, not daring to look up, I tried my best to suppress a smile. I walked over, pulling him toward a grand hall th
Quick money—that was his only requirement. He felt that he wouldn’t have trouble paying back tens of thousands. Of course, that was because I had my HR team tell him that if he performed well, he'd get a raise the very next day, plus a 30 thousand-year-end bonus. Milton had no idea that he even got his position because of me. This company was just one of my father's many subsidiaries. I could decide whether he stayed or left, and I could also decide whether he lived or died. Milton had no idea he was halfway to hell. Once he got a taste of borrowing money, he couldn't get enough of it. The money flowed in, no effort required, and Milton didn't have to work hard to cater to my mood anymore. He reveled in this so-called happiness. He used the money to buy Lindsay's love and smiles, to buy the dignity he felt he had lost to me. He also bought himself a happy future with Lindsay. He no longer treated me with the same care as before. He'd leave his clothes lying a
Lately, I'd been ignoring Milton a lot. When he asked me for something, I just pretended I didn't hear him. Whenever he tried talking to me, I didn't bother with a kind response. I always found an excuse to pick a fight.After Milton left, I opened his social media account.[If it weren't for love, who would choose to live in the dark? My rose, please wait for me. I'll get you a piece of fertile land!]I felt a twinge of bitterness. I quickly switched to the chat interface with Lindsay.Lindsay wrote, [Sharon, you were right. Money really does show whether someone loves you or not. He hasn't bought me any gifts lately.] I replied, [If he doesn't buy you stuff, you just have to push. Men have a tipping point. The more you spend his money, the more they'll feel invested, and they'll love you more.]Lindsay eagerly agreed. [Sharon, you're so amazing. This time, I want a car. Let's see if he agrees!]I wrote back, [Go for it!]I told Kay to spread the word that Lawrence Enterpri
I sent Lindsay a friend request on social media using a fake account and sent her a text. [My close friend told me about you. Do you have everything in stock?] Lindsay quickly approved my friend request.[Hi, Ms. Sharon. You came to the right person. My items are guaranteed authentic and much cheaper. I get employee discounts. What are you looking to buy?]I didn't respond to her right away. Instead, I scrolled through her social media. Aside from selling goods, most of her posts were typical influencer-style selfies. They lacked depth or real substance. But what caught my eye was a men's watch beside a cheap handbag—one I had bought for Milton. I thought to myself that she must have hidden that post from her fiancé, yet still wanted to show off. Along with the watch, there were a few luxury bags, clothes, cosmetics, and a bunch of random stuff—probably worth tens of thousands. So, Milton's salary was clearly going toward this. I couldn't help but wonder if he'd sold some of
Uncle Stanley seemed upset. [Who makes jokes like that? Your girlfriend is completely unreliable. How could she joke about something that affects Olivia's reputation?]Aunt Josephine agreed. [That's true. What will people think of Olivia if this gets out?]Milton was panicking, but I was busy reading a message from Kay.[I found her. The woman's name is Lindsay Salazar. She works in sales and was a college classmate of Milton's. Turns out, she has a fiancé.]I froze. Great. Two people got cheated on.Kay had always felt guilty for introducing me to a playboy back in the day, so she fully supported my free-spirited relationship with Milton. But now, with this mess unfolding, Kay was more upset than I was.Kay added, [If you need anything, just let me know. I've been practicing my kicks—one punch, and that disgusting couple won't even have a chance to speak!]I chuckled and sent her a smiling emoji before turning back to the family group chat, just in time to witness a show.It t
"Sharon!" he shouted, startling both the police officer and me.In the next second, he immediately shrank back under the officer's gaze."It's really my cousin's, honey. I was just worried you might overthink things. You've always disliked Olivia, right? She'd been struggling to find a job and didn't have a place to stay, so I let her crash for a day. I never thought it would cause this misunderstanding.""She's over 200 pounds, isn't she? And this is a size M." I could feel Milton's anger rising, as though he wanted to strangle me on the spot.His veins were popping, and he was teetering on the edge of losing control. "She's lost some weight lately!"I gave a nonchalant "I see" in response.Seeing that I wasn't pressing the issue anymore, Milton let out a long sigh of relief. "Honey, let's not waste the police's time. Let's go home."He reached out to grab my hand, but I pulled away and shook my head."Officer, I'm still not convinced. Maybe we should have his cousin come d
I stood up and rummaged through the closet for what felt like ages until I finally found an old photo album. It didn't take long to flip through it and find the woman. In one group photo, she stood behind Milton; in another, just her half-face appeared beside him and his friends. There was even a candid shot of Milton alone, but in the background, I could see her hanging out with friends. I had no doubt about it—they had been involved, or at the very least, Milton had been secretly in love with her.It didn't really hurt, though. I'd always had a strong sense of self-preservation, but the feeling was still revolting—like chewing on a piece of gum someone else had spit out. Just as I was about to put the album back, I noticed a crumpled photo of Milton and me, which he'd promised to keep safe. Instead, he had tossed it aside and used it like a mat for the album containing that woman's picture. It was so pathetic it almost made me laugh. Once I had a lead, everything else came e
The voices of the two faded into the background. I pulled out my phone.[Honey, are you okay? I just got home. Did she really look for you at your office?]It was a while before Milton finally replied.[Don't worry, babe. I've already told them. I was out drinking with Malcolm and the guys last night. It must've been a thief who came in and left something behind.]I stared at the phone, looking at his weak excuse. He really thought I was a fool, didn't he? We lived on the fourth floor—if someone jumped from there, they'd be dead. A thief wouldn't throw a pair of underwear onto the third floor.I typed coldly, [That's too creepy. Maybe we should call the police.]To my surprise, Milton called me immediately."No, we can't call the police. Thieves these days are vengeful. Don't you remember the cases I told you about? Anyway, nothing was stolen, so I'll change the lock tomorrow. Don't worry!"I was as obedient as could be. "Okay, I'll do whatever you say."I could hear the relie