The day Chase found me, his anger evident, I knew my plan must have worked.

He dragged me to a secluded spot, fiddling with his lighter as he demanded, “What the fuck is wrong with you? Who told you to do that?”

As I watched the flame flicker high, illuminating his handsome face, I felt both guilty and scared, my legs instinctively going weak. “Don’t burn me.”

There are some things you just don’t interfere with, like a wedding.

I felt pretty guilty, but since I had taken the money, I had to get the job done.

Chase laughed in exasperation. “Now you’re scared, huh?”

He continued, “I knew there was something twisted about you – if you can’t have it, you destroy it, right?”

I steeled myself. “It’s already done. What else can I do?”

Chase laughed again. “You think you can just say ‘it’s done’ and walk away?”

I lowered my head. “If it comes to it, I’ll just give myself up to you.”

Chase’s eyes swept over me, lingering on a particular spot before he scoffed, “In your dreams.”

He stared at me with disdain. “From now on, stay the fuck away from me. I don’t want to see you again.”

He started to leave, then suddenly turned back, his deep eyes locking onto mine. I had no idea what was going on.

He asked, “What did you just say?”

I replied, “I said it’s already done. What else can I do?”

“Not that part.”

Tentatively, I said, “I’ll give myself up to you?”

He narrowed his eyes. “Deal.”

I was stunned, unsure of what to say.

Wasn’t he supposed to look down on me? What was he playing at now?

Come on, man, we were supposed to be enemies. Get a grip.

“As you wished. Didn’t you always have a thing for me?” Chase stared at me with a mocking smile.

I was still standing there in a daze, feeling like I was in a dream.

Did I just land myself a boyfriend as easily as that?

That same day, he dragged me to meet his mother, announcing that I was his new girlfriend. His mom stared at me, momentarily speechless.

I could tell she was trying hard to keep it together. Finally, she asked, “Didn’t you just get engaged? How can you already have a new girlfriend?”

Chase, looking like he was just playing around, said, “Yeah, well, your son’s just too irresistible.”

I was pretty sure his mom was looking at me like she wanted to kill me.

She probably thought I was there to solve the problem, but it turned out I was the problem.

I might not have been in a relationship before, but I knew this wasn’t how relationships worked.

I wasn’t dumb enough to believe Chase really saw me as his girlfriend. After that day, when he used me to mess with his mom, we didn’t do anything remotely like what a couple would do.

First of all, he never contacted me on his own. Secondly, we were so distant at work that we might as well have been strangers. Thirdly, we never did anything like go on dates or have any kind of intimate interaction.

There was no way I was going to lose out on that money, so I secretly approached his mom and explained that I was just a tool he was using to piss her off.

She seemed relieved.

Finally, one day, I was at a club negotiating a contract with a client. As I left, I spotted Chase.

He was surrounded by beautiful women, drinking and seeming to have a great time.

Even though I knew what our relationship was, I still felt a bit upset.

I pretended not to see him and was about to walk away when he called out to me.

I walked over slowly, unsure if I was really angry or just pretending to be. “You’ve got a girlfriend; yet you’re still out here messing around? What do you take me for?”

Admittedly, I was being provocative, trying to force a conversation.

But he just smirked and said, “That’s just who I am.”

Was that how all scumbags talked?

I gave him a sideways glance. “What exactly are we? We need to sort this out now.”

Chase gave a cold chuckle. “Sort out what?”

I laughed. “Chase, you’re not trying to get back at me, are you?”

Chase snorted. “You think I’m like you? Treating me like your nemesis every day?”

He stood up, staring straight into my eyes. “Honestly, I never gave it a second thought.”

The words didn’t hurt much, but the inherent insult was sharp.

It turned out I was the only one who saw him as a rival. To him, I was nothing. All those little schemes and tricks I’d tried – they just made me feel like I was using a petty heart to judge a noble soul.

Seeing him with that carefree attitude, I felt a bit humiliated.

The whole “girlfriend” thing was just a joke; he had only said it to provoke his mom.

Hadn’t I thought of this already? I was just clinging to a sliver of hope.

I laughed, surprising myself, and nodded. “Got it.”

Then, with a bow, I said, “Sorry for the trouble. Goodbye.”

Not someone I wanted to mess with, not at all.

It’s true what they say: enemies are bound to cross paths. The company took on a new project, and wouldn’t you know it, Chase and I were assigned to work together.

Since the construction crew was brought in by the partnering company, Chase and I were responsible for supervising on-site.

I knew the drill – corporate slaves should know their place. Despite the dirty and chaotic environment, I worked hard, rain or shine.

Chase and I kept it strictly professional, only speaking when necessary for work. No extra words were exchanged.

The client was pushing hard for progress, so the construction crew worked around the clock to meet deadlines.

We basically lived on the construction site, eating, drinking, and handling all other business there, only leaving to sleep.

One day, there was an issue with the project details, and we were discussing the design plans with the foreman when someone reported that the top executive from the client’s side had arrived.

Just as we were about to greet him, the client’s boss, Mr. Foster, strolled over, surrounded by his entourage.

He tilted his head and asked me about the project’s progress. I answered each of his questions, thankful that my time on-site hadn’t been wasted.

But he wasn’t pleased, complaining that the progress was too slow.

Seeing that Chase wasn’t speaking up, I quickly offered a polite explanation, saying that the construction team had encountered some issues and there were minor deviations that we were fixing, but we were still strictly adhering to the contract, and the project would be delivered on time.

Then Mr. Foster called over the head of the construction crew and gave him a good scolding. The foreman stood there, looking like a kicked dog, and I couldn’t help but say a few words in his defense, which only earned me a place in the doghouse alongside him.

Just then, Chase stepped in, saying, “The project’s support structure is complex. There was a mistake in the layout, which led to a misaligned foundation, but it’s been corrected according to the design plans, so the timeline won’t be affected.”

Before I could marvel at how calm and collected Chase was, a fully loaded cart suddenly lost control and barreled toward us.

We were standing at the bottom of a slope, and the cart was speeding toward us.

Reacting faster than I could think, I shoved Mr. Foster to the side and grabbed the handle of the cart with all my might.

But the momentum pulled me along with it, and as Chase and the foreman rushed to steady the cart, I was flung to the ground, my helmet flying off.

It was a spectacularly embarrassing moment.

I scrambled to my feet and immediately checked if our precious client was okay, not noticing that in my effort, I’d badly scraped my right arm, with my left hand also taking some damage.

Staring at the blood pooling on the ground, I froze as the pain hit me.

Mr. Foster, also taken aback, forgot his anger and ordered someone to take me to the hospital.

Before leaving, I was still trying to reassure him through the pain, “It’s nothing, Mr. Foster, just a scratch. But rest assured, we’ll stick to the schedule.”

I was really putting my all into this client service.

On the way to the hospital, Chase spoke, “Were you out of your mind, trying to stop a speeding cart with your body?”

I was in too much pain to respond.

At the hospital’s outpatient clinic, Chase explained the situation to a doctor, who was pretty woman and seemed to know Chase.

“It’s you?” The doctor’s surprise had a hint of sarcasm, making my wounds feel even worse.

“Would you believe me if I said I must have been kicked in the head by a horse that day?” I lowered my head, swallowing my pride.

Please don’t kick me when I’m down. I begged silently.

Chase and the doctor exchanged a glance but didn’t say anything.

The doctor who treated my wounds turned out to be none other than Nora Morris, Chase’s almost-fiancée, whose engagement I had ruined.

As my wounds was being treated, I felt like I was sitting on pins and needles, every minute dragging on.

After my wounds were bandaged, I stood up and apologized to the doctor sincerely. She just pursed her lips and ignored me.

Judging by her professionalism in treating my injuries, she was undoubtedly a competent doctor. She didn’t mess with my wounds, and throughout the process, she even told me to relax. Her medical ethics were impeccable, making me feel even more guilty.

On the ride back, I sat stiffly, staring at Chase’s sharply defined profile. I asked in a small voice, “Are you two still together? You both must really hate me.”

Chase let out a cold snort. “What do you think? But not everyone is as vindictive as you.”

I wanted to ask more, but Chase changed the subject, looking at my heavily bandaged arm. “It doesn’t seem like you’re that badly hurt if you’ve still got the energy to think about other things.”

I bowed my head and said gratefully, “Thanks for bringing me to the hospital.”

Chase glanced at me and said, “Don’t think I wanted to – I’m just here on behalf of the company.”

He added, “Besides, my dad specifically told me to take you. After all, you got hurt protecting him.”

I was startled. I should have guessed – they both share the same last name, Foster. And there I was, busy admiring his composure.

But I quickly regained my calm and said, “Oh, it’s fine. He’s the client, after all. If I hadn’t done that, there would’ve been an accident.”

Realizing he was just doing his job, I became more relaxed, and my tone less polite.

Chase sighed and said, “Windy, seriously, do you ever do anything that a normal person would?”

He paused, then added, “You ruined my engagement, and I haven’t even held you accountable for that; yet here you are, acting like the victim.”

I said weakly, “I’m really sorry about messing up your engagement, But I was just following orders.”

Chase sneered. “Orders from my mom, I suppose?”

I was shocked. How did he know about the shady deal between me and his mom?

I had no choice but to confess, “60 grand. Forgive me, I’ve never seen that much money before.”

Chase’s face darkened. “So I was right.”

Damn, he tricked me into confessing.

I apologized hurriedly, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I was wrong. I got greedy. I let the money blind me.”

He stared at me for a long time, his expression unreadable, and said nothing.