My dad's company has gone bankrupt. Because of that, the debt collectors keep turning up on our doorstep for money. They claim that they will break one of Dad's legs if he doesn't cough up the payment in three days.

I sink down to my knees and beg my ultra-rich boyfriend, Julian Luther, to lend me 500 thousand dollars for the time being just to resolve Dad's crisis.

This is my first time asking for money from Julian.

Julian's brows are drawn together in a frown, but in the end, he still agrees to my request. He tells me that the finance department will transfer me the money in the afternoon.

My attention is glued to my phone the whole day. I keep refreshing my bank account's balance on my banking app. Just like that, I wait from morning till nightfall.

But that's when Julian suddenly goes out of contact. He doesn't pick up any of my calls nor respond to any of my text messages.

Anxiety floods my senses the whole time. I keep telling myself that maybe Julian has something urgent to deal with.

But my need to save Dad's leg triumphs over everything else. Left without a choice, I can only take the jewelry my deceased mom has left for me to the auction house to get them auctioned away.

Unexpectedly, I bump into Julian and his childhood friend, Rachel Bailey, at the auction house.

Julian is quick to dump a huge sum of money just to bid for a painting Rachel wants. Ironically, the final bidding price of that painting is 500 thousand dollars.

It turns out that he has never forgotten about my plight. It's just that my plight is nothing compared to his crush's love for a painting.

"Congratulations, Mr. Luther, for winning the bid for Zack Snow's 'Faraway Mountains' for 500,000 dollars!" the auctioneer called out.

The entire hall erupted in thunderous applause as a spotlight shone on the refined man sitting in the front row.

Julian Luther rose to his feet and personally offered the painting to Rachel Bailey, who was seated next to him.

Rachel's eyes crinkled into crescents as she said, "Thank you, Julian. I didn't expect you to actually bid on the painting just because I casually mentioned that I liked it."

Julian ruffled her hair. "As long as you like it," he said adoringly.

Julian was handsome, and Rachel was beautiful. They were a match made in heaven.

The people around them began to whisper among themselves as they shot envious glances at them.

No one noticed me in the corner, wearing a pair of jeans that had faded from too many washes.

When I couldn't get in touch with Julian, I comforted myself by telling myself that he was simply too busy to pick up my calls. I convinced myself that he was so swamped with work that he had forgotten about me—forgotten how Dad's leg was on the line.

An icy chill settled in my bones as I took in the gentleness glimmering in Julian's eyes.

He wasn't busy, and he hadn't forgotten. He just thought that Dad's leg was far less important than fulfilling the casual wishes of the woman he loved.

My heart hammered in my chest. The pain made it nearly impossible for me to breathe.

Tears welled up in my eyes, but I stubbornly refused to allow them to fall.

Just then, the auctioneer's voice echoed around the hall again.

"Our next item is 'Dawn Light', a pearl necklace that was crafted by the famous jewelry designer, Ms. Wanda Tillson, before her death. The starting bid is 300,000 dollars."

"Dawn Light" was the last thing that Mom left for me before she passed away. She told me that it represented hope and served as a reminder that the sun would always rise, no matter how dark the night was.

I would never put it up for auction unless I was forced to. Unfortunately, at that moment, I had no other choice.

I looked past the crowd and made eye contact with Julian.

It was obvious that he had recognized the pearl necklace. The gentle expression on his face stiffened and was replaced by shock.

Following his line of sight, Rachel also looked in my direction. She fixed an expression of faux surprise on her face when she saw me, covering her mouth with her hand.

"What are you doing here, Cece? Didn't Mrs. Mendez leave that necklace for you after she passed away? Why are you auctioning it off?"

Everyone directed their attention to me.

An icy expression appeared on Julian's face. He strode toward me until he was standing right before me.

I was completely enveloped by his tall and broad figure.

His voice was colored with disappointment when he asked, "Do you need money that badly, Cecilia Mendez?"

My heart felt like it was being sliced apart as I listened to Julian's cold words.

I looked up at him and stared into his eyes that were like bottomless abysses.

His eyes were devoid of any pain or regret.

How could I have forgotten?

From Julian's perspective, I was a woman who was willing to do anything for the sake of money.

Julian and I were a couple when Dad's company became embroiled in its first financial crisis. Everyone accused me of targeting the Luther family's power and status. Now that my family had declared bankruptcy, I was essentially cementing my image of a gold-digger by asking Julian for money.

I didn't care about the opinions of outsiders. I was content as long as Julian knew who I really was.

However, even Julian didn't believe me. He also had plenty of other reasons to dislike me.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and fixed a smile on my face. "That's right. I desperately need money. Why else would I be here? Did you think that I showed up to experience life, Mr. Luther?

"Or perhaps you've become forgetful, Mr. Luther. After all, you forgot that I begged you for money to transfer to the company."

My words were like blades that stabbed into Julian's heart.

He frowned deeply as the corners of his lips curled up in a mocking smile.

"Did you think that I would believe you, Cecilia? Why would your father's company suddenly go bankrupt when it was doing just fine? Drop the pitiful act and stop humiliating yourself in front of so many people!"

His words cut me deeper than any blade possibly could.

I scoffed and said, "I'm selling the last thing that Mom left for me to save Dad's life. Is that really so humiliating? Or perhaps I should behave like you? Should I spend 500,000 dollars just to make another woman happy? Would that paint me as an impressive person?"

A steely expression appeared on Julian's face.

Rachel hastily approached us and grabbed his arm. Attempting to play mediator, she said, "Calm down, Julian. Cece's probably just pulling your leg."

She then turned to me and said, "But Cece, even if you're truly tight on cash, you shouldn't joke about Mr. Mendez's company like that. Julian will actually believe you. You should just tell him directly what you want. The two of you are a couple, after all."

I couldn't help but feel a sense of mocking course through me as I looked into Rachel's seemingly innocent eyes.

Although she knew that I was Julian's girlfriend, she continued to cling to him without any care for boundaries.

As for Julian, he seemed to be oblivious to her intentions and never pushed her away.

I shot a cold glare at Rachel and snapped, "I already told Mr. Luther what I want, but he seems to be deaf to my words."

The color drained from Rachel's face. She bit her lip with a troubled expression as her eyes began to rapidly redden.

Julian immediately shielded her behind him and shot an icy glare at me. "I never would have guessed that you would turn into such a mean and bitter person, Cecilia. You're being completely unreasonable! Rachel is just worried about you. Why did you feel the need to speak to her so harshly?"

"Mean and bitter?"

Despair and fury raged within me, threatening to burst from my chest.

"I've been forced into a dead end. I had to sell the last thing that Mom left for me while my own boyfriend flirts with another woman! Do I not have the right to question you?

"From your perspective, Rachel is a pure and elegant fairy while I'm just a crazy bitch who only knows how to cause trouble for you, am I right?"

"You're being irrational!" Julian exclaimed indignantly.

Just then, the auctioneer began to call out prices for "Dawn Light" on the stage.

"300,000 dollars going once… 300,000 dollars going twice… Are any of our esteemed guests interested in bidding for this necklace? If there's no one—"

"350,000 dollars!" a voice suddenly called out.

I looked in the direction of the voice and saw Kevin Porter. He hailed from Westview and was notorious for being a greasy man who had made a fortune in recent years.

At that moment, Kevin was blatantly checking me out.

Julian looked even more upset than before.

I knew that Kevin wasn't interested in the necklace. He was interested in me. If I accepted his money, it would also mean that I was accepting him.

However, the last dregs of hesitation within me disappeared when I saw Julian and Kevin exchange glances.

I immediately understood what was going on.

This was Julian's way of humiliating me. He wanted to see me in a pathetic state. He wanted to see me in pain.

"350,000 dollars!" the auctioneer shouted ecstatically. "Mr. Porter has bid on the necklace for 350,000 dollars! Is there anyone here who would like to challenge him and raise the price?"

I straightened my back before hollering at the auctioneer, "It's a deal!"

I then turned to Julian and hissed, "From this moment on, we're over, Julian."

I turned around and left without giving him a chance to respond.

"You wouldn't dare, Cecilia Mendez!" Julian roared furiously from behind me.

Of course, I had every intention of defying Julian's orders.

After all, there was nothing left in the world for a person to fear when they were backed into a corner.

I grabbed the 350,000-dollar check that was still warm from Kevin's body heat and rushed as quickly as I could to the appointed location.

Several fierce-looking thugs surrounded Dad as they cursed him out.

Dad was curled up in a corner. Gone was the spirited and charming man from before. His hair had turned white, and he looked absolutely haggard.

His hazy eyes lit up when he spotted me. "What are you doing here, Cece? You have to leave right now! It's too dangerous here!"

"I came here to pay them, Dad."

I offered the check to the leader of the thugs, a man with a scarred face. My voice was trembling slightly from fear when I said, "Here's 350,000 dollars. Please give me a few more days to collect the remaining 150,000 dollars."

Scarface took the check from me and spat on it. He then shot a look of disdain at me and sneered, "A few more days? What do you take us for? A charity? You promised to deliver the money in three days. Your father will have to leave his leg with us if there's even a single penny missing."

He then pulled out a gleaming steel pipe from behind him.

The color drained from Dad's face as he frantically protected his leg.

I dashed toward Dad and spread my arms, shielding him behind me. My legs were shaking violently, but I stood my ground.

"I'll definitely pay you! But I won't forgive you if you lay a hand on Dad!"

"You won't forgive us?" Scarface repeated, letting out an amused snort and moving closer to me. "You're quite the looker, pretty lady. I can offer you a compromise. You don't have to pay the remaining 150,000 dollars if you spend a few days with us. What do you say?"

My gut churned uncomfortably as I trembled violently.

Just as Scarface was about to tear my clothes apart, a few black cars roared onto the scene with one of them screeching to a stop right in front of us.

A group of black-clad bodyguards stormed out of the car when the door swung open. Within seconds, they had the thugs immobilized on the ground.

I watched everything unfold before me in shock.

A familiar figure exited the car when the back door swung open.

It was Julian.

He approached me. His tall and broad silhouette cast a shadow that completely enveloped my pathetic state.

"Were you going to sell yourself to these men just for money, Cecilia? Are you that fond of getting involved with trash like them?"

I whipped my head up and stared into Julian's indifferent eyes. I could see my anguished expression reflected in his gaze.

"How dare you criticize me, Julian?" I roared furiously. "I got on my knees and begged you to lend me 500,000 dollars to save Dad's life. Like a fool, I waited for an entire day for you, only to find out that you were spending a small fortune on another woman at an auction!

"Why didn't you pick up any of my calls, even though I called you so many times? Do you even know that if I had been a minute too late, Dad might have lost his leg?

"You're the one who forced me into a dead end, and yet you're turning the tables on me and criticizing me? What gives you the right to do such a thing?" I screamed hysterically.

Julian's face twisted as a glint of remorse flickered in his eyes. He recalled how I had begged him—how he had promised to help me.

Just then, Rachel got out of the car. She placed a gentle hand on his arm and shot a troubled look at me, saying, "Don't blame Julian, Cece. I'm the one who distracted him by asking him to buy the painting for me. I just liked it too much. He only forgot his promise because of me…"

She paused for a moment as she swept her gaze over the thugs on the ground.

"But, Cece," she continued. "Even if Julian was busy bidding on the painting for me, you shouldn't degrade yourself to such a level just for the sake of money! Have you forgotten about what happened to Jillian—"

"Shut up!"

Julian interrupted her before she could finish her sentence, but the rage that he had been suppressing reached a boiling point once more. His eyes burned with hatred as he glared at me.

"You're just as despicable as ever, Cecilia Mendez," he gritted out. "You sent someone to their death ten years ago because of the same circumstances. Who are you trying to kill this time?"

An icy sensation gripped my heart as tears spilled down my cheeks. I opened my mouth, wanting to explain myself. I wanted to tell him that the circumstances were different ten years ago.

However, my words turned into a silent, bitter laugh when they left my lips.

From Julian's perspective, I was already a criminal.

"Julian Luther," I said calmly. "You've never believed me."

I pulled Dad, who was still in a state of shock, to his feet. We then staggered away from that place that suffocated me.