On 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.

I 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.

Without 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."