After I humbly sent off the landlord who came to collect the long-overdue rent, my eyes once again landed on the entrance cabinet.
There was a small pink gift box that was delicately wrapped up in there. It was a gift that Mark Hanson had prepared for his childhood sweetheart, Terry Johnson. The gift was so expensive that it was worth two months of rent of our apartment.
Although our money situation was not good for the time being, he still insisted on giving the best present for his so-called "little sister". He did not even care that the money he used to buy it was the payment I had earned from working day and night.
I turned and looked at the young Master Hanson. The man was busy fiddling with his easel in the living room.
At that time, the landlord said before he left, echoed in my mind, "Young girl, I assume you are the same age as my daughter, so forgive me for saying this. You don't have to heed this old man's advice, but I'm concerned about you. I always see you leaving early in the morning and returning home late at night for work every single day, while your boyfriend stays at home all day long. Moreover, he has a temper too. Young girl, let me tell you. You are still young. You should not stay with a man who lives off a woman's hard work. The man is not reliable."
I acted as if I listened to the landlord's advice, after all, I was already in the wrong for not paying our rent on time and Mark had a few quarrels with others.
Unsurprisingly, those ten-minute exchanges left me mentally and physically drained. After all, besides pretending to hang on to the landlord's words, I had to make sure the stubborn and proud Young Master Hanson did not hear this, otherwise, his feelings would be hurt.
Mark had lived as a wealthy young man for more than twenty years and he refused to compromise on anything in life. He insisted on living in an upscale apartment, eating and drinking fine gourmet and all the material that he used for painting had to be top-of-the-line quality.
So, it was unsurprising that all my savings had long been depleted.
It was not like I had not tried to find a stable job but every time I sent a resume, no one gave any response. And after so many attempts, I finally realized it was all the Hanson Family doing. They deliberately were making things difficult for us.
Three months ago, Mark had a big fight with his father, the head of the Hanson Family, at work. He declared he wanted to pursue his pure artistic ideals independently, without using a single cent of his family’s money.
At that time, Mr. Hanson just asked me one thing, "Are you coming with him?"
I just nodded.
Mr. Hanson just smirked. "You're so young. Okay, we'll see. Well. Good luck."
Throughout it all, Mr. Hanson remained calm and collected, as if he were certain Mark’s act of rebellion would amount to nothing.
After I realized the truth, I stopped wasting my time and money to send out those resumes. I started to take various part-time jobs to support us.
I was so busy to the point that I was always in a state of exhaustion.
As I rubbed my throbbing temples, I looked again at the gift box that made me unable to afford the rent.
It seemed it always happened all the time. Young Master Hanson never saw how much I had to suffer to support both of us. All he cared about was treating his childhood sweetheart like she was the most precious thing in the world.
Even now, he spoke to me with a sour expression. “Finally, he’s gone. It’s just four hundred and fifty dollars, does he need to come knocking? It’s not like we won’t pay him! What’s for dinner?”
Without waiting for my response, he continued, “Let’s have sashimi! I’m sick of eating plain porridge and vegetables. We have been eating them lately.”
Chapter 2I pressed my lips together before I managed to speak calmly, "Mark, we are broke. We don't have any money left."
"How much can some sashimi cost," he replied while rubbing off the paint from his fingers. "I know. I'll eat less today."
Huh! Is that really the real issue here? Young Master Hanson, the problem is everything you eat is too expensive!
Before I could say anything, Mark suddenly grabbed my hand. "This is the last time, okay? I’ve been staying up late and working diligently on my paintings. Things have been hard for me."
I looked down at my hand, trapped in his grip and against my better judgment, I relented. "Alright."
After a moment, I added, "However, I need you to be careful with the money from now on. Things aren't like they used to be. We are broke and you should remember that rent money can't be used. It’s unnegotiable."
"Okay … okay. I know. You don't have to nag me about it." After he said that, he turned and walked away.
I talked again, "Mark, my part-time job can't cover our expenses any longer. Maybe we should …."
Mark suddenly turned around and cut out my words, "No! Absolutely not! Don't ever think about it! I'm not going back!"
I was stunned. All I wanted to do was to suggest that he should not be so picky with his painting's buyers and maybe sell some of his paintings at a lower price.
Perhaps realizing that he had been too harsh to me, Mark softened his tone, "I'm asking you to be patient a little bit longer. We can't give up now. When I find the right buyer, things will turn around for us."
"I refuse to believe that I, Mark Hanson, can't make a name without the Hanson Family."
I just murmured my half-hearted agreement, while sighing inwardly.
Young Master Hanson might be out of being out of touch with reality and he might be living off my hard work, but the landlord was wrong about one thing though, Mark was not my boyfriend.
Although I had done so much and through so much struggle in this relationship, I could not give it any title.
I quickly ordered the sashimi to forget those depressing thought.
As I was about to change, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Probably because I had to work nonstop, I looked so exhausted and worn out.
Unable to hold back any longer, I blurted out, "Mark, why did you help me back then?"
We were not related in any way, yet he paid off nearly three hundred thousand in high-interest loans that I owed the loan shark without batting an eye.
At the time, he had casually said, "That amount of money isn’t even enough for me to last for three days. Don’t worry about it."
Mark paused for a moment as if he was trying to remember that incident. Then he answered with a casual tone, "Well, at that time, you looked like a pitiful stray dog."
A pang of sourness gripped my heart. He was so heartless. Even now, he even bothered to comfort me with a flattering lie.
As if I wanted to punish myself, I asked the question that had been lingering in my mind for so long, "So, what does this make us now?
Mark placed his hand on my shoulder and lowered his head slightly, "Listen. You know that I’m not in the right place to be thinking about relationships right now. You’re different from everyone else, but our relationship .... Ugh, can we talk about this later on? The most important thing right now is to hold onto our dreams."
Our dream? No! More like, yours! I grumbled in my heart.
However, at this time, I finally realized.
Young Master Hanson might be clueless about the hardship of life, but when it came to the matter of heart, he was not stupid.
The fact that he could answer me like this meant that he had realized my pathetic feelings.
I shook off Mark's hand, stumbled back to my room and locked the door.
I ignored his question "What are you going to eat?" and stayed inside.
At that moment, I felt truly exhausted.
Chapter 3On the day I paid the rent, I had a high fever.
When I came back home in a daze, the first thing that I heard was Mark's excited voice, "Someone who knows what they’re talking about came by to ask about my paintings today. I think this one might actually sell …. Hold on! Why is your face so red?”
He quickly came over to feel my forehead. “You’ve got a fever! Come on, we’re going to the hospital right now!”
As he spoke, he grabbed my arm and started dragging me out the door.
I could not break free from his grip, so I forced myself to speak through the pain in my throat. “I just paid the rent. We don’t have money for the hospital. It's just a sore throat. I'll be fine.”
Mark stopped walking for a long time and turned around to face me.
For the first time, I saw a fleeting guilt in his eyes. I could not help but find this situation a bit funny.
Mark gently squeezed my wrist with a voice that was softer than I heard before he asked, "Then … do we have any money to buy you some medicine? I'll go and buy fever-reducing medicine for you."
I pulled out the last of my emergency cash from my wallet and handed it to him.
Mark took it without a word and headed out the door. Halfway to the door, he suddenly stopped, turned around and rushed back to hug me tightly. “Just hold on a little longer. We can’t give up now. Things will get better, I promise!”
“Okay.” Maybe it was because I was sick, I became a bit fragile and my eyes started to sting with tears.
Mark had never taken any initiative to take care of anyone before.
During those two days, I was bedridden with a fever, he clumsily made a porridge and fed me some medicine. This act of his made me have an illusion that I meant something to him.
It felt so real that I even had a bit of hope that I should not have.
After I recovered, I dragged my weak body to the kitchen and prepared Mark's favorite foods.
I planned to have a serious conversation with him about our future.
However, before I could say a word, Mark's phone chimed with an incoming message.
He checked it and after a few seconds, he slammed his fork onto the table.
“What’s wrong?” I asked quickly.
He did not answer but kept frowning as he scrolled through his phone.
By the time he finished reading, Mark stood up in a fury and threw his phone onto the table. “What a trashy company!”
The phone slid across the table, but it was close enough that I could see the main character in the article.
The article said that Sandra Lewis, the well-known idol, had returned to the country.
She was also Mark's childhood sweetheart. The girl that he loved but could never have.
The article reported how Sandra had been losing her resources to another rising star in the same field and her agency did nothing to help her.
I said dryly. "The entertainment news isn't always accurate. You shouldn't get too worked up over it."
“How can I not be upset?! Sandra isn’t like you. She’s never faced hardships like this. Why should she be bullied by this kind of person now?” he said sharply.
Hearing his statement, my head buzzed. Suddenly, I felt drained. I knew I was as much of a joke as the meal that I had prepared.
"No. It's not …. I wasn't talking about you. Don't take it personally." Mark reached out his hand across the table and grabbed my hand.
I forced myself to smile and drew back my hand. " Got it. Okay, I'm full. You can keep eating."
I should have known I should not hold on to an impossible dream.
Chapter 4I had thought that was the end of it, but I never expected that the joke was not over yet.
The next morning, I turned off the alarm and did not get up early to make breakfast. By the time I woke from a second round of sleep, it was already ten o'clock.
I was surprised that Mark had not knocked on my door in anger, wanting me to make his breakfast. Then I saw a note on the dining table.
[To Tessa Steward. Tessa, I have to go so I can take care of something. Wait for me to come back.]
Where did he go? What was he dealing with? When would he be back? All these questions entered my mind. Unfortunately, he did not explain all of these in his note.
I picked up my phone and tried to write a message to him. However, after deleting several of the messages I had written, I did not send him anything.
A few hours later, I received a short message from Mr. Hanson.
“Young lady, knowing when to cut your losses is crucial in any investment.”
I had no idea what he meant, but soon, when I saw the flood of news reports, I understood his message.
[Han Corporation's Heir Pays an Astronomical Penalty to Boost New Idol's Career]
[Mark Hanson and Sandra Lewis: Childhood Sweetheart]
[The Crown Prince of the Hanson Family Spends Extravagant Amounts of Money to Protect First Love. A Romance Worth to Celebrate]
Numbly, I read article after article.
Then I put down my phone.
So, Mark had gone back home to play the role of a prince in a shining armor for Sandra and he had paid an astronomical penalty fee so he could sign Sandra to his family’s company.
It turned out, his commitment to his dream was not as unshakeable as I had thought. I suddenly realized that for some people they did not have to endure any hardships and injustices in their lives.
I did not know how long I sat there, but when I felt something cold on my cheeks, I startled and touched my face, then I realized it was wet with my tears.
Why am I crying?
I got up, washed my face, put myself together, went back to bed and slept through the afternoon. After all, I had been so tired lately.
The next day, I messaged the landlord to let him know I was moving out.
I quickly started packing. I threw out what needed to be thrown out and packed up what needed to be filled. After I arranged to stay with a friend for a few days, I called a moving truck.
As I sat in the back of the moving van, I saw a luxury car drive by from the opposite direction. I didn’t catch the license plate, but the model looked like the one Mark used to drive. I turned my gaze away and said to the driver, “I’m ready. Let’s go.”
We hadn’t driven for more than a few minutes when my phone rang.
It was Mark.
Chapter 5Without thinking, I immediately declined the call.
Almost in an instant, a new message popped up on WhatsApp. "Tessa, why is the apartment empty? Where are you? Call me back!"
I paused for a moment, then typed "Goodbye" and hit send before quickly deleting Mark from my contacts list.
Perhaps, because he had achieved the outcome he wanted, Mr. Hanson was no longer interested in making things difficult for someone as insignificant as me. In fact, he even gave me a few decent job opportunities my way, like a small gesture of compensation.
I had no reason to turn them down. After all, the positions were right with my line of expertise and having a recommendation would not hurt.
I met with several HR department managers in a row and their offer was all similar.
Today, I went to my last interview at the Simmons Corporation, where I met Zeke Jeremy.
I did not expect to see him there. However, the HR manager was more surprised than I was when he realized the person who was blocking the door. "President Jeremy, what brings you here?"
Zeke nodded toward me and smiled at the HR manager. "I'm sorry. I'm here to poach a talented individual from under Mr. Simmons's nose."
Just like Mark, Zeke was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. The difference was, he actually had some real ability.
Back then, when Mark and I were still working at the Hanson Corporation, we often competed with Zeke for projects.
So, why would he go out of his way to show up here?
When he saw the confusion on my face, Zeke tilted his head and his dimple appeared as he grinned. "If you are really leaving the Hanson Corporation, why don't you work with me? After all, we are old rivals."
I never expected his offer.
After greeting the HR manager, I walked past Zeke and headed to the door.
He quickly chased after me with his long legs. "Didn't hear my offer?"
"No, thanks."
It was true that the Jeremy Family was a very wealthy family, but Zeke's company was just a startup business. Although it had gained momentum in recent years and could compete with some big players in certain areas, it wasn’t as mature as the industry giants, so the benefits it gave would likely not be as competitive as the other.
My goal was to make money. I did not want to waste my time testing the waters.
"Four hundred and fifty thousand dollars as a basic annual salary. This salary doesn't include bonuses, you will get on projects."
I stopped in my tracks. Money was, after all, my magic word and his offer was very tempting.
I turned to look at him. "Why?"
"You've managed to win a project from me before. That skill is worth it to get that amount of money." When he saw me still hesitating, he smirked and his words had a subtle edge in it. "Or, maybe, you just can't get over that jerk, Mark?"
His obvious irritation made me realize that he had always been at odds with Mark. An, offering me a high salary might be his way of getting back at him.
What a childish business tactic.
However, if that was what he thought, he was going to be disappointed. Mark never cared much about me.
Even the request that he sent me this morning had been phrased rather rudely. "Tessa, haven't you had enough of making a problem? My patience is running thin. Get back here yourself. Don’t expect me to come looking for you."
After a moment of silence, I smiled and extended my hand to Zeke. "Thank you for the offer, President Jeremy. When do we sign the contract?"
He took my hand and smiled, "We can do it right now."
Chapter 6The atmosphere at Zeke's company was completely different than the old-fashioned Hanson Corporation.
There was no distance between colleagues and they were easy to get along with. In fact, their enthusiasm often made me feel a bit overwhelmed.
That was why I was sitting here on the sofa at a karaoke lounge and holding a glass of wine while trying to figure out how I ended up agreeing to join this dinner party. What made me more in a daze was the fact that this was a department's celebration party for a successful proposal that I was not even involved in.
"Tessa, why are you daydreaming here? Cheer up! Come on! Cheers!"
The crisp clinking of glasses and the cheerful laughter around me brought a surge of happiness I hadn’t felt in a long time.
Without thinking, I downed more than half of my drink.
As I put down the glass, the smile on my lips hadn’t even faded when I locked eyes with Zeke, who had just walked in.
He seemed momentarily surprised to see me here, then quickly approached the table with a big smile on his face and lowered his head to say, "Are you having a good time?"
My head was spinning and for some reason, Zeke's smile looked incredibly gentle. I raised my eyebrows at him and when I was about to answer him, one of the colleagues behind me spoke up, “Of course we’re having fun! Boss, why are you coming so late?”
I froze for a moment, then lowered my head. What was I just doing? I almost mistook his warmth and thought it was directed at me.
"Well, I was doing real work, such as having meetings with clients, okay? Not like you guys." Zeke took a glass of wine handed to him by someone and drank it all in one gulp.
"What? How come you don't think we are doing here real work?" someone joked and laughed, then went over to toasted.
Amidst the lively banter, I refilled my glass. I had long forgotten that my tolerance for alcohol was a bit low.
Then, the next time I knew I was lying on the large hotel bed with a female colleague next to me and it was already noon the next day.
I struggled to sit down. Sensing the movement beside her, the female colleague opened her eyes and looked at me. After thinking for a moment, she seemed to recall the event last night. "Ah, we partied late at night and you drank too much. So, the boss got us room here."
She closed her eyes again. "Relax. He gave us a day off. Just go back to sleep."
While rubbing my throbbing temples, I could not shake the feeling that I had done something horrible and this was not a good sign. So, I gently nudged her, "Um, I didn't do something crazy last night, right?"
"No. You were doing fine." She barely finished her sentence before falling back asleep.
However, I still felt something was off. Just as I reached for my phone, a call came in.
When I picked up the phone, it was Zeke. "President Jeremy."
“Have you sobered yet? Does your head hurt?”
“It’s not too bad.”
“I’ll have someone to bring you some hangover medicine. Can you open the door when they arrive?” he asked.
“No need to trouble yourself, I ….”
Before I cut finished my sentence, he cut it, “There is something you need to be done tonight and you can’t be showing up with a headache.”
I could not refute him anymore and agree. "Okay. What kind of work will I do tonight?"
“It’s a dinner party. Get yourself ready and head home to change. Later, I’ll send you the details.”
It would never enter my mind that I would meet Mark there. After all, he always hated this kind of occasion. Even if business demanded his present, he would usually send a manager to accompany me.
His exact words were, “Schmoozing for a bit of money isn’t worth it. I’d rather spend that time to paint.”
However, there he was, dressed nicely in a suit and tie, talking and shaking hands with someone. And, if I’m not mistaken, the person he’s talking to was a big shot in the film industry. It seemed he did it for Sandra. The drama of a prince bowed his head for his love never got old.
I was silently musing when suddenly Mark looked at my way.