"Watch out!" I screamed in alarm.

Summoning a burst of energy from my schooling days' fitness assessments, I dashed forward and threw myself in front of Justin.

The sharp blade plunged into my shoulder, breaking skin and causing fresh blood to flow profusely from the wound.

I couldn't help myself and frowned at the pain, but I pretended to be calm as I shielded Justin behind me.

"I've already called the police!" I shouted.

Hunter hadn't expected to actually injure someone. He was so shocked that he soiled himself.

The crowd dispersed in an instant.

I breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if I had just completed my final task. I swayed from side to side and nearly lost my balance when Justin caught me. I shot a comforting smile at him when I noticed the shock glimmering in his eyes.

"I'm glad that you're not hurt," I murmured.

There was a complicated look on his face, along with gratitude.

My lips had turned deathly pale. My hands trembled violently when I lifted the bag and said, "I sent your suit jacket to the dry cleaners. I wanted to give it back to you."

…

My vision was filled with white when I opened my eyes again.

Justin was sitting by my bedside, peeling an apple for me. It seemed that he didn't leave this time. His expression turned serious when he noticed that I was awake. He no longer looked as carefree as he did when we first met.

"You didn't have to do such a thing, Robin."

I lowered my gaze and chuckled. I didn't continue the conversation. Instead, I changed the topic.

"Five years ago, when I first enrolled in university as a freshman, I was so poor that I couldn't afford to eat. I was on the brink of passing out from hunger when you appeared and took me to have the most delicious meal of my life.

"From that day on, I swore that I would become an amazing person like you. I wanted to chase after you even if you didn't notice me."

Truth be told, Justin had simply made a bet with his friends. They wondered if he was capable of getting my number by treating me to a meal.

It was also then that I made a secret vow to myself. I swore that I would become a despicable person who was swimming in money in the future.

However, my vow didn't stop me from making up that story.

I took a deep breath. Tears pricked at my eyes. I pretended to be nonchalant as I said, "That's why you don't have to feel guilty. I simply did what I wanted to do."

I spotted a hint of remorse in Justin's eyes at that moment.

Empathy was often the starting point for someone to fall in love.

"I'm sorry, Robin," Justin said, subconsciously clenching his fists by his sides. "Thank you."

I smiled gently at him and said, "I should be the one apologizing to you. Truth be told, I shamelessly felt rather happy when I heard that your family declared bankruptcy. I thought that the distance between us had finally lessened.

"However, I finally understood that it's an awful feeling today," I said seriously as I looked up at Justin. "That's why you can't give up, no matter what happens. In the end, I still prefer the version of you who's generous with his money."

While my earlier words aimed to lower Justin's guard, my current ones were designed to pierce his heart.

Justin pulled me into a hug in the next second. His heart was hammering against his ribcage.

I didn't need to continue the rest of my speech.

"You have to work hard, Mr. Lowen," I thought to myself. "You need to retaliate as soon as possible. I'm eagerly awaiting the day when I can live a comfortable life."

Justin visited me nearly every day while I was hospitalized.

I noticed that the faint scent of alcohol always clung to him. He also looked exhausted.

Thus, when the doctor suggested that I switch to a better ointment, I rejected him.

Justin frowned and asked why I rejected the doctor's suggestion.

I fixed a pained look on my face as I cradled his face and said, "I don't want you to tire yourself out."

In the following days, the dark circles under Justin's eyes became even more severe.

My plan had worked.

As expected, although the Lowen family had fallen to ruin, they still had their resources and connections.

Justin achieved a great deal within the short span of a month. Slowly, he began to give me mid-range jewelry as presents. Although he couldn't splurge on me as he did in the past, I could tell that he had put a lot of thought into selecting each present for me.

Every gift was tailored to my preferences.

We didn't make our relationship official, but I could see the increasing admiration and adoration glimmering in his eyes with every day that passed.

I was in high spirits. I put on the jewelry and snapped several selfies of myself from different angles. After meticulously selecting the photos that looked the best, I posted them on my social media account.

Justin commented on the post. "I'm glad that you like them."

Meanwhile, Winona's temper exploded when she saw the post.

Hunter came from new money. As a result, he was miserly and had bad taste.

Winona only chose him to be her new boyfriend because Justin's family went bankrupt. It was only natural that she would feel annoyed that I was living lavishly. She even secretly met Justin in private, asking him to get back together with her.

As expected, Justin shot her down.

I didn't care about Winona's schemes and focused on posting more and more photos of the jewelry that Justin gave me.

…

One day, I was stopped by a stranger on the street.

"Would you be interested in working together with me, Ms. Dorne?" the man asked.

My heart hammered against my chest as sweat beaded across my palms.

I had come up with two plans from the very beginning.

The first plan involved getting Justin to fall in love with me. I would be able to enjoy a comfortable and luxurious life once he successfully clawed his way back to success. The only downside to this plan was that it would take a long time, and there were many uncertain factors.

The second plan was to accept the best deal that was offered to me.

The Lowen family had many enemies. It was only natural that there would be people who didn't want Justin to achieve success again.

All I had to do was present myself as someone close to Justin whom he trusted. I had no doubt that someone would come knocking on my door soon to bribe me. Although I wouldn't earn as much money with this plan, it was less risky than the first plan.

It was the reason why I kept showing off the jewelry that Justin gave me on my social media account.

"Let's have a chat at that cafe."

I wasn't sure why, but I ended up following the man to the cafe.

He made an offer that I couldn't refuse. The amount of money involved would be enough for me to live a life of luxury and comfort for the rest of my days.

Instead of depending on something as fickle as love, I thought that it was better for me to control my own wealth with my own hands.

I swallowed and made my decision. "Okay."

…

I came up with all sorts of excuses to stick close to Justin in the following days.

My goal was to locate the document that could crush the remaining authority that Lowen Group wielded.

Justin didn't question my intentions at all. He smiled as he introduced the current operations of the company to me.

I started snooping around. In the end, I managed to get my hands on that document that was worth a fortune when Justin was out buying lunch for us.

…

The next day, I waited in the cafe as per my agreement with the man.

However, Justin and Winona approached my table just as I was pulling the folder out of my bag.

My heart plummeted into my gut as an icy sensation spread through my body. I was just about to stuff the folder back into my bag when Winona suddenly rushed forward.

Winona grabbed my hand as a smug smile stretched across her lips. She turned to look at Justin and exclaimed, "See? I told you that she would fall for it!"

I looked up, feeling all the blood rush to the top of my head. My fingertips felt incredibly cold, and my hands were shaking violently.

My mind had gone blank except for a single thought—I was done for. They had discovered what I was up to.

Justin's expression was stormy. He stared at me for a long time. His eyes were gleaming with disappointment.

"You disgust me, Robin," he spat.