Part 1Hidden Assets

We were right on the cusp of college graduation when my boyfriend, Julian Thorne, suddenly dumped me.

He handed me the keys to a Malibu beach house, a brand-new Bentley, and a cashier's check for three million dollars. He called it a "thank you" for my companionship over the last four years.

I was stunned. I just wanted to know why.

His expression was cold, detached. "Vivian, in a family like mine, love and marriage are two different business transactions. I’m going back to handle a merger—a marriage merger. Do you understand?"

My boyfriend was engaged. And the fiancée wasn't me.

When I rushed to the engagement venue, I saw Julian on the stage.

He was wearing a bespoke tuxedo, onyx cufflinks glinting under the lights, looking every bit the handsome aristocrat.

Standing opposite him was a woman who barely reached his chest. She was heavy-set, and her skin was slick with oil, covered in angry, ready-to-burst acne.

My boyfriend was going to marry her?

I thought back to last night. It felt like a different lifetime.

Yesterday, I came back to the villa from my internship, and Julian had pressed me onto the bed. He leaned down, his voice raspy and desperate. "Babe, forget who we are tonight. Just let me love you."

It was intense. He loved me like it was the end of the world.

But when I woke up, he was gone.

His number was disconnected. His Instagram, his LinkedIn—all deleted. He had vanished from my world without a trace.

Then, his lawyer showed up.

The lawyer arrived exactly at noon. He said Julian had specifically instructed him not to come earlier, so as not to disturb my sleep.

He handed me a file. It was a deed of gift. Julian had voluntarily transferred the house, the car, and the money to me as a parting gift for our four years together.

So, he dumped me out of the blue, treated me like a kept woman, and tried to pay me off?

The irony was, I didn't need his money.

When Julian and I first got together, I told him I was loaded. But he just smiled confidently and said, "No matter how rich you are, you'll never have as much money as I do."

I didn't bother arguing. I loved him.

But why break up? Last night, he was so passionate, whispering that he loved me all night long.

I forced myself to calm down. Using my family’s private channels, I found out everything in ten minutes.

Then, I crashed the engagement party.

I could tell Julian wasn't happy. Was he being forced?

"Kiss her!" someone from the crowd shouted.

I watched the woman lunge for Julian’s hand. He instinctively recoiled, stepping back.

The woman looked displeased. Her thick lips flapped as she spat, "Did you already forget what you promised me?"

Julian’s face went pale, but he forced himself to take a step forward.

He was definitely being threatened.

I pushed through the crowd and screamed, "Julian! If you’re in trouble, tell me! Don't do this to yourself!"

Every eye in the ballroom turned to me.

When Julian saw me, a flash of joy hit his cold eyes, instantly replaced by terrified frost.

"Who is this bitch?" the woman on stage growled.

She glared at me. "You call my fiancé 'Julian' pretty intimately, don't you?"

I was about to reveal my identity when Julian cut me off.

He furrowed his brows, looking disgusted. "She’s just a simp. A gold digger I used to know. Kick her out, don't bother with her."

A simp? A gold digger?

I could feel the contempt in the room shifting toward me.