Maverick Lloyd finally agrees to marry me after five years of dating.

We head to the hospital to tell my ill mother the good news. On the way there, Maverick receives a call from his true love. He turns the car around and takes me to a bar instead—his true love is short of people at the bar, so he tells me to help out as a bargirl.

When I'm being harassed and sullied in a private room, he's living it up with his true love next door. The hospital calls to tell me my mother's condition has worsened. I jump out of the third-floor window to get away.

However, when I arrive at the hospital, all I see is my mother's cold body. Meanwhile, Maverick's true love updates her social media.

"He appears before me like a hero whenever I'm in danger." It comes with a photo of her cuddling in Maverick's arms.

My heart dies. I take off my engagement ring and place it with my mother's body to be destroyed during the cremation.

Then, I like Maverick's true love's post. "I hope you two stay together forever. Don't ever harm anyone else."

Less than two minutes after I left the message, Maverick Lloyd called.

"Ophelia, who are you trying to disgust with that nonsense? If you hadn't deliberately jumped off the balcony at the bar and offended Emma's guest, would they have given her a hard time?"

His voice carried an authoritative tone as he ordered, "Hurry up and apologize to Emma!"

Holding my mother's ashes in my hands, I was filled with overwhelming grief. I replied coldly, "I won't apologize."

His voice immediately rose in anger. "Ophelia, if you don't apologize, then forget about our wedding!"

I nodded in agreement. "Then let's call off the wedding."

Silence fell on the other end of the line. He couldn't believe I had actually agreed to call off the wedding.

Then, Emma Clayton's soft, delicate voice came through the phone. "Maverick, Ophelia must be saying that on purpose because she wants you to coax her. I'm fine now. Go find her."

His voice turned cold. "Ophelia, that whole 'playing hard to get' act won't work on me! Don't come crying to me later!"

I had no interest in listening to his nonsense, so I hung up directly.

Days passed, and he never called again. He was waiting for me to cave and apologize. But this time, he was in for disappointment.

I had put up with him for so long because of my mother, Layla Watson. Mom had been terminally ill; before she'd passed, she'd wanted to see me married. She'd wanted to rest assured that I had someone to rely on in the future. Only then could she rest in peace.

But now, she was gone, and I hadn't even gotten to see her one last time.

Thinking about how she'd died with her eyes still open, unable to rest, I felt an unbearable pain weighing on my heart.

Just then, I heard the sound of movements from the entryway.

Maverick pushed the door open and walked in with a small cake in his hands before offering it to me. "This is your favorite—strawberry cake."

I glanced at it. What was once a beautifully decorated cake was now covered in uneven spoon marks.

Just half an hour ago, Emma had posted a picture of her enjoying a perfectly untouched strawberry cake on her social media.

I withdrew my gaze and said coldly, "Get out. You're not welcome here."

His face darkened instantly. "Ophelia, how long are you planning to keep this up? It was my oversight to have you work as a bar girl at Emma's bar, but that doesn't mean you should have jumped off the balcony just to ruin her business.

"Emma's kind. She even defended you afterward and asked me to apologize to you. What more do you want?"

"Apologize?" I sneered. "Maverick, does this look like an apology to you? Who brings leftovers as an apology?"

His voice faltered for a moment before he said, "Haven't you always been frugal?"

I was so enraged by Maverick's entitled tone that I laughed. "No matter how frugal I am, I don't have a habit of picking up other people's leftovers. Just like that cake, you've already been used by Emma. I don't want you anymore."

Maverick's brows furrowed. "Ophelia, weren't you the one who was so desperate to marry me? You were the one who said that if your mom didn't see you get married, she wouldn't be at peace."

The mention of my mother sent a wave of grief surging through me.

If she'd still been alive, I would've endured anything. But she was gone now.

Maverick suddenly grabbed my arm and started dragging me outside. "Fine, let's go tell Layla right now that we're getting married. That should put her at ease, right?"

I struggled, but he forced me into the car and drove toward the hospital.

What kind of expression would he have when he got there and found out my mother had passed away?

Shock? Disbelief? Or would he actually feel sorrow?

He had lost his mother at a young age. His stepmother had never cared for him, and his father treated him like he was invisible.

After we got together, my mother had felt sorry for him for the hardships he had endured as a child. She had treated him like her own son.

She hadn't hesitated before giving him her entire life's savings when he'd started his business and lacked funds. She'd always been worried he'd overwork himself, so she'd often cooked for him and made the soups he loved.

Because of this, he had always respected and cared for my mother. I'd once thought we could live a simple and happy life like that forever.

But everything had changed after Emma returned from abroad.

Even when my mother was seriously ill, the number of times Maverick had visited her in the hospital could be counted on one hand.

Halfway through the drive, the distinct ringtone belonging to Emma rang out once again.

Maverick immediately answered, his voice softening without him realizing it. "Emma, what's wrong?

"What? Stay where you are, I'll be right there!"

He slammed on the brakes so suddenly that I lurched forward, my forehead smacking against the dashboard, sending a searing pain through my head.

Before I could even react, he unbuckled my seatbelt and shoved me out of the passenger seat. "Emma got into a car accident. I need to go to her right now."

I grabbed onto the car door and stared at him. "Maverick, how long has it been since you last visited my mom?"

A flicker of guilt flashed across his face, but he quickly masked it with anger. "Emma just got into an accident, and all you can think about is competing with her? Layla would never be as cold-blooded as you—she would understand!"

I roared, "No, she wouldn't! Because she's alrea—"

Before I could finish, he pried my fingers off the door and sped away, leaving me standing there, stunned.

Not long after, Emma updated her social media. "Injured my hand in a car accident. Luckily, he was the first one to rush to my side."

In the video, there was only a tiny scrape on the back of her hand. It was barely even a scratch, and there wasn't even a single drop of blood.

Meanwhile, Maverick was running around anxiously, registering her at the hospital and arranging for her to see a doctor. The concern in his eyes was practically spilling out of the screen.

A bitter smile crept onto my lips.

For him, my mother and I weren't even worth one of Emma's fingers.

I turned and started walking toward the cemetery. It took me three full hours to reach my mother's grave.

Kneeling before her tombstone, I finally lost control. Tears streamed down my face.

"Mom, I'm sorry. I misjudged him. And because of me, you wasted your kindness on the wrong person… Since he's this ungrateful, I won't let him have it easy."

I picked up my phone and dialed a number.

"I agree to sell my 20% stake for 30 million dollars."

Maverick had been staying out for days again. I could see updates about him and Emma through her social media posts every day.

He cooked for her, cleaned her place, and even washed her underwear by hand just because she'd injured her hand.

"A gentleman stays away from the kitchen."

"Cooking and doing laundry are women's jobs."

"Ophelia, you're a good wife and mother. You don't need me to handle these household chores."

All the excuses and so-called principles he'd once had with me had suddenly disappeared when it came to Emma. At the end of the day, it was simply the difference between love and indifference.

If this had happened before, my heart would have been torn apart. But now, I felt nothing. I knew that their so-called happiness was nothing but an illusion. It would burst like a bubble with just one prick.

Over the past few days, I had someone investigate Emma's life overseas. The results were quite interesting—she had spent money recklessly, worked as an escort, and had even developed a gambling addiction, racking up millions of dollars in debt.

In three days, I would present all this evidence at the shareholders' meeting, right in front of Maverick.

I was eager to see how he would handle the double blow to both his career and his love life.

…

The day before the shareholders' meeting, a call came in from the wedding planning company. They informed me that they had arranged the wedding photoshoot Maverick and I had previously booked.

I immediately said I wanted to cancel, but they told me that I had to come in person to process the cancellation. So, I drove to the wedding company, only to be met with an unexpected sight.

Emma was in the wedding dress that was supposed to be mine as she took wedding photos with Maverick.

The two of them were posing intimately, following the photographer's instructions to kiss and embrace.

It wasn't until an entire set of photos had been taken that Maverick finally noticed me standing at the door. He instinctively pushed Emma away.

With a soft gasp, she fell to the ground, looking pitiful and frail.

He immediately rushed to scoop her up and carried her to the couch, carefully placing an ice pack on her ankle. Only after making sure she was okay did he turn to me, deliberately putting on a stern expression.

"You were the one throwing a tantrum about canceling the wedding photoshoot. I was just worried you'd regret it, so I had Emma step in for you. You two have similar body types—later, we can just use AI to swap your faces."

A mocking smile curled at my lips. "Oh, so it sounds like I should be thanking Emma, then?"

Hearing the sarcasm in my voice, he scolded, "Ophelia, Emma was just trying to help, and now she's sprained her ankle because of it.

"Instead of being grateful, you're acting all bitter and petty. Do you have no manners? How could someone as kind and understanding as Layla have raised a daughter like you?"

I raised my hand and slapped him hard across the face. "You have no right to mention my mother!"

Getting slapped in front of so many people undoubtedly crushed his pride. He glared at me with fury written all over his face.

"Ophelia Sinclair! If you don't kneel and apologize to me today, our wedding is off!"

"Maverick, you can no longer threaten me with the wedding. It stopped being effective a long time ago. Even if you don't call it off, I will. Besides, I'll be giving you and Emma a special wedding gift at the shareholders' meeting tomorrow."

As I turned and walked away, his brows knitted tightly together. He knew how much I'd wanted this wedding for my mother's sake.

Seeing that I didn't care anymore made him panic. He immediately reached for his phone to call his assistant, but before he could dial, a soft, delicate hand touched his cheek.

Emma looked up at him, her eyes filled with concern. "How could she hit you so hard? Maverick, Ophelia is nothing but a shrew. She doesn't deserve you."

My phone buzzed repeatedly. It was a series of intimate photos of Maverick and Emma.

I didn't feel anything as I looked at them. Instead, I took screenshots and saved them calmly.

…

At 9:00 am the next morning, I arrived at the company for the shareholders' meeting, only to see that Emma was also sitting among the shareholders.

She smirked at me, looking smug.

It turned out Maverick had transferred 5% of his 30% stake to her.

I glanced at her indifferently. The higher she climbed, the harder she would fall.

Once everyone had arrived, I took out a stock transfer agreement. "I've sold all my shares to Mr. Stanton. From today onward, he is the company's largest shareholder."

Mitchell Stanton was a well-known, rich heir in this city. Last year, he had shown interest in acquiring our company, but Maverick had rejected his offer. So, he had started buying up scattered shares and then set his sights on me—the second-largest shareholder.

Back then, I had been engaged to Maverick, so of course, I had turned him down.

But now, I couldn't wait to sever all ties with Maverick.

Maverick slammed his hand on the table. "I don't agree to this!"

I smiled faintly. "Your agreement isn't required. They were my shares, and I had the right to do whatever I wanted with them."

Then, I reached into my bag and pulled out a thick stack of documents, tossing them in front of him. "Maverick, this is my gift to you and Emma."

His eyes were filled with confusion as he looked at the folder in front of him. Slowly, he reached out to open it.