Connor appeared at the cafe's entrance wearing a sharp suit. His distinguished air and tall stature were eye-catching, and many people in the cafe sneaked a look at him, unable to hide their admiration.

A handsome man in his early 30s stood beside Connor, his presence equally captivating.

Phoebe recognized him as Harry Dupont, a professor in Alden College's computer science faculty. When browsing the tech forum, she had learned that he was researching the stability of AI data-driven systems.

Behind Connor and Harry stood Lance Stone, Connor's assistant. He had a stack of documents in his arms.

Russell Group was a leading company in Seavale's tech industry, so Phoebe figured that Connor was probably meeting Harry for business purposes.

Phoebe didn't want to have anything to do with Connor, but getting up and leaving then would only catch his attention. She could only pray that he wouldn't notice her.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as she hoped. Connor's gaze landed on her a second later. Their eyes met, but he acted as though he'd merely seen a stranger. His eyes were devoid of emotion as he looked away.

He didn't care that she was there.

Lance followed Connor's line of sight and also saw Phoebe. Just as Connor had done, he ignored Phoebe and turned to the other two men, saying, "Professor Dupont, Mr. Russell, the private room is this way. After you."

Phoebe was relieved. Then, she saw them stop where they were as Harry suddenly asked, "Mr. Russell, do you know the woman seated by the window? Forgive me if I'm being rude, but I happened to notice you and Mr. Stone glancing at her."

Connor had considered the possibility of Phoebe showing up at his company, but he hadn't expected her to follow him to the cafe. He wasn't too surprised by this, but that didn't mean he wanted to see her.

He said dismissively, "She's just my maid."

Harry was taken aback. He had asked that question not because Connor had noticed someone, but because he remembered seeing Phoebe in the lab at Alden College.

But Alden College was one of the most prestigious institutions in Dalea. Even its least successful graduates wouldn't end up having to work as a maid. So he quickly concluded that he must’ve gotten it wrong.

For some reason, Harry was reminded of another student who had studied at Alden College as well. That student was a genius among geniuses. His research was currently facing a technical bottleneck, and if someone of that student's caliber joined his lab, it could turn the situation around in the shortest time possible.

But for some reason, the student had vanished without a trace a few years back. He had deliberately checked the profiles of all the graduates, but none of them had stood out enough to match the profile of this genius student.

Harry had assessed that student's potential. He sensed that with her talent, she could shake the entire industry just by publishing a few academic papers. Becoming the youngest professor in Alden College's history wouldn't be a problem for her. She might even earn a spot in the computer science faculty's hall of fame.

Her future was limitless.

Harry felt a little regretful that he'd missed out on recruiting that student. Still, since he had mistaken Phoebe for someone else, there was no need for him to pay any more attention to her. So he said, "Let's go, Mr. Russell."

Connor strode into the private room without giving Phoebe a second glance.

Phoebe's nails scraped against her coffee cup, producing a harsh, grating noise.

Evan had once visited her and Connor's home and was so impressed by her cooking that he'd vowed to marry a woman with culinary skills as exceptional as hers.

At the time, Connor had merely said coolly, "All you need to do is marry a female chef."

Perhaps being in love with someone would really turn one into a fool. At the time, Phoebe hadn't thought much of Connor's comment. But now, she realized how outrageous it had been.

She'd devoted herself to him for three years, yet all she'd gotten in return was the label of a chef and maid. She didn't know what that was supposed to mean.

A sudden wave of pain hit Phoebe. It was the kind that came from belated realization. It felt like countless tiny needles piercing her heart—relentless and unending.

Once Connor had disappeared into the private room, Lance approached Phoebe and rapped his knuckles on her table. She snapped to her senses and looked up at him.

He looked displeased as he growled, "What are you doing here? Didn't Mr. Russell already warn you not to keep tabs on his whereabouts anymore?"

When Philip had previously fallen ill, Phoebe had failed to reach Connor. She'd had no choice but to reach out to his secretary before finally finding him at a bar.

He had been dead drunk. When she went over to help him up, he suddenly pinned her to the couch before kissing her passionately.

She had been surprised and overjoyed. After all, Connor had always been cold toward her, yet he'd initiated a kiss for the first time… But a second later, she heard him mumble Vanessa's name.

Phoebe's blood ran cold in that instant, and she struggled with all her might to break free of his hold. When Connor sobered up later, he unleashed his biggest outburst since they'd gotten married.

After that, he didn't return home for a month, and he warned her that if something like that happened again, he would divorce her without hesitation, even if Philip intervened.

That had frightened Phoebe, and she never dared cross him again. No matter what happened, she would never try to find out where he was anymore.

As Connor's assistant, Lance knew very well how Phoebe felt about Connor. After questioning her, he figured that she wouldn't have had the guts to do anything. She wouldn't want to risk further ruining her standing with Connor, after all. He thought that she might have only shown up at the cafe after being provoked by something.

Lance quickly pieced it together. "If you made this mistake only because of Ms. Somner's return to Dalea, you'll need to think hard about how much she means to Mr. Russell. Now, do you realize how pointless your actions are?"

Vanessa had returned to Dalea with a PhD, passing an interview to earn a spot in Harry's lab. Harry was a titan in the industry, and all his researchers were top talents who worked on cutting-edge AI applications. Phoebe couldn't even come close to Vanessa's league.

If Lance had been in Phoebe's place, he would've had the self-awareness to know his limits. Otherwise, meeting Vanessa face-to-face and seeing the gulf between them would only make him look pathetic, adding to his humiliation. But Phoebe clearly lacked that awareness.

Lance and Phoebe had never had a good relationship. The reason was simple—he was Connor's assistant, so he emulated Connor's behavior. Phoebe had endured many cold jabs and insults from him.

In the past, Phoebe's world had revolved around Connor, so she'd always been polite to Lance, brushing off his sharp remarks and cold demeanor like they were nothing.

Now, however, she no longer needed to put up with such behavior. She asked in return, "What's considered meaningful to you, then? By your logic, I could just cling to him from morning to night, secretly trailing him everywhere he goes. Wouldn't that be more direct and more like the jealous, obsessive stalker you're making me out to be?"

Lance looked at her in surprise. Phoebe had always been meek and submissive with him. So, why was she suddenly being so aggressive?

Then, the realization dawned on him. Phoebe had just had a miscarriage the day before, but Connor had been by Vanessa's side the entire time. Even the weakest of women would change for their children—that was why Phoebe was acting this way.

Still, Lance believed that this boldness wouldn't last for long.

Lance looked at Phoebe indifferently. "I don't want to argue with you. Mr. Russell doesn't want to see you, so leave."

If Phoebe wanted to be stubborn, she could stay and insist on being an eyesore. However, that wouldn't benefit her in any way, and she saw no point in being so childish.

She said, "Connor and I are divorced now, so whatever I do from now on is none of your business. Stop meddling in my affairs."

With that, she turned and walked away.

Lance watched her, almost wanting to laugh in exasperation. He thought that Phoebe was ridiculous. Connor had brought up divorce countless times—when had she ever gone through with it?

He didn't see the point of her throwing a tantrum at him. He also thought that if she was going to make bold claims, she should at least have made them convincing. She still had her wedding band on, yet there she was, lying through her teeth.

Didn't she realize that it just made her all the more ridiculous?

…

Phoebe contacted Alexandra after leaving the cafe. "Let's meet somewhere else."

She had planned on going to a jewelry store after meeting Alexandra, but she couldn't wait any longer.

At the jewelry store, a store clerk used pliers to cut the wedding ring off Phoebe's finger.

Because she hadn't been able to conceive over the years, her mother-in-law had forced her to take various tonics, which made her gain some weight. Without even realizing it, it had become impossible for her to remove her wedding ring.

A broken ring was no more than scrap metal, so it was recycled at the market price for platinum.

Phoebe didn't like flashy things, so her wedding ring only had tiny diamonds studded on it. They weren't worth anything, so the recycling price of the ring was less than two thousand dollars.

Alexandra was dumbfounded by the price and burst out laughing. "Man, you're even selling your ring now. You're putting on quite the convincing act this time, aren't you?"

With how Phoebe had acted over the past three years, Alexandra didn't believe for a second that Phoebe would actually make up her mind to divorce Connor.

Phoebe didn't refute Alexandra's words. All she did was look at the lingering mark on her ring finger and say, "This mark is so ugly. I should've taken the ring off earlier."

When Alexandra heard that, she realized that Phoebe was serious this time. She couldn't be sure that the latter would ultimately go through with this, but at least her attitude was better than it had ever been. Although she didn't need to be sarcastic anymore, she couldn't help herself.

She said, "Your love story isn't worth more than a good meal."

Phoebe didn't explain anything. She simply said, "Let's go, then. I'll treat you to one."

However, Alexandra didn't budge. She arched a brow and looked at Phoebe. "My time is precious. Tell me what you're really here for, and I'll decide whether you're worth me spending time on this meal."

Phoebe was silent for a few seconds. Then, she said, "I'm going to resume writing the paper I put on hold before, and I need to use your lab to run the data."

The tech industry changed too quickly, so she needed to make many amendments to her paper. She hadn't dared mention it over the phone to Alexandra because she'd felt guilty.

Phoebe knew what Alexandra was like. The latter would berate her for not doing this earlier. After all, if Phoebe hadn't gotten married, the paper would've been published while she'd still been in college.

As expected, Alexandra looked at Phoebe incredulously. "Are you just doing this on a whim?"

Phoebe said, "I'm being serious."

Alexandra scrutinized her. Being in the industry, she knew that Harry's research had recently attracted intense attention from major tech companies.

Close to zero people were aware that three years ago, Phoebe had already solved the technical bottleneck that his team currently faced. And the output from that, Lugi-X, currently belonged to Alexandra's company.

As the sole developer of the Lugi-X large language model, Phoebe had tackled numerous challenges, any one of which could have stalled an entire lab. To Alexandra, Phoebe was undeniably a top-tier genius.

Unfortunately, this genius had a romantic streak. It was bad enough that she'd run off to marry someone. To make matters worse, she'd sunk low enough to work as someone's secretary and run errands for them.

Alexandra couldn't wrap her head around how Phoebe had abandoned her craft and squandered her talent. She said, "You've put it on hold for three years. Are you sure it's still worth anything?"

Phoebe said, "I'll make adjustments to it. Once Professor Ormond is free, I'll check with her to see if I'm on the right path. I'll only continue once she gives me the green light."

Naturally, that was only if Jessie was willing to see her.

Alexandra said, "You're in for a long wait, then. Professor Ormond is busy serving the country with her research, so she won't be available anytime soon."

"I'm patient enough." Now that Phoebe was no longer obsessed with making Connor fall for her, time was the one thing she had in abundance.

Alexandra wanted to say something else, but she knew full well that even if Phoebe had been away from the industry for a few years, her research was at a level where Alexandra's technical expertise would be of no help.

Alexandra thought that the world of a genius was truly absurd.

Thus, she dropped the subject and said, "I can have this meal with you."

Despite her sharp tongue, she had a soft heart. Although she acted like she was reluctant, it was just that—an act. She wouldn't have accompanied Phoebe to the jewelry store otherwise.

Phoebe chuckled. "Thanks for gracing me with your presence, Ms. Cooper."

…

Evan was out shopping with an influencer whom he had officially started dating an hour ago. He didn't expect to see a familiar face. He was about to go after Phoebe, but she was already gone.

He headed to the jewelry store she'd come out of and told his girlfriend to pick whatever she liked. Meanwhile, he asked the store clerk for more information.

As he listened to her tell him about what had happened, he grew excited.

Connor had lied to him! Phoebe wouldn't have sold her wedding ring if she'd obediently gone home that morning to continue being Connor's bootlicker, would she?

An idea came to him, and he quickly invited his friends out for drinks.

That night, everyone was enjoying themselves when Connor finally arrived. The moment Evan saw him, he said loudly, "Hey, guys. I saw Phoebe selling her wedding ring today. What do you think she's up to this time?"

They would all make fun of Phoebe each time they got together. Initially, they'd been worried that Connor would be bothered by it. If he so much as frowned, they would've immediately stopped.

To their surprise, they were wrong. Connor couldn't care less about what they said about Phoebe, even if they did it to his face.

However, that night, before anyone else could say anything, Connor said coolly, "She's putting on an act for me."

Lance had told him everything Phoebe had said at the cafe earlier. Connor would be lying if he said that he wasn't surprised, but he came to the same conclusion that Lance had—she was only being like this because she'd been provoked. He reckoned that selling the wedding ring was just part of her scheme.

"An act? That does seem like something she'd do."

"That's not going to work on Connor, though. Everyone knows that he hasn't ever worn his wedding ring since getting married."

Evan said, "He has—for special occasions. For instance, he wouldn't dare go without it when Mr. Russell Senior was around…"

Connor shot him a displeased look. He immediately cleared his throat and changed his stance. "Uh, I mean, he's never worn it! Not once!"

Connor looked slightly appeased by that.

Evan's lips twitched. Then, he said, "I saw Phoebe head to another jewelry store after that. I bet she wanted to buy a new pair of matching rings for you and her. Will you wear it?"

Connor pretended as though he didn't hear a single thing. He looked down at his phone, and his gaze softened slightly. He was known for being cold and aloof, so it was rare to see such gentleness in his eyes.

Evan leaned in to see what he was doing and discovered that he was chatting with Vanessa.

The screen instantly went dark. Connor shot him a displeased look, clearly annoyed at being disturbed. "Did you call me here over something so dumb?"

Evan had figured it out. Connor wouldn't care about Phoebe, even if she went missing for a month. No matter what she did, it would be pointless as long as Connor didn't pay her any attention. That meant that Evan wouldn't get to see Connor make a fool of himself.

Evan tutted, sounding disappointed. "I may not have won, but you lost first. Remember to buy me a meal."

He was talking about their bet on Phoebe's return.

Connor went along with it. "You set the date."

Evan said, "It's almost Vanessa's birthday, so let's do it on that day. We can all join in the fun."

Connor said, "I would've invited you guys to join us for the party, even if you hadn't said anything."

"Oh, so you've already made plans. How thoughtful!"

It sure made a difference whether a person cared about something. Evan remembered that Phoebe's birthday had been last month. On that day, Connor had met up with them to have drinks. Phoebe had called him halfway through, but he hadn't answered because he was drunk. Evan was the one who had ultimately picked up the call.

The moment the call connected, she asked, "Are you still busy? My birthday's over."

It had been 1:00 am then.

Evan said, "It's me. Sorry, but Connor's drunk. And, uh, happy birthday."

Phoebe was silent for a few seconds, seemingly using that moment to accept the fact that her husband had forgotten about her birthday. Then, she asked Evan to take care of Connor without a single complaint.

Evan remembered thinking that she was practically a saint when it came to matters of the heart.

…

It was the wee hours of the morning when the gathering ended and Connor arrived home. As he passed through the living room, he remembered something and glanced at the couch. He didn't see anyone there.

When he headed upstairs, he found that the guest room at the end of the hallway was dark. That was Phoebe's room—the furthest one on the second floor from the master bedroom.

A whole day had passed, yet she still hadn't returned.

Connor couldn't care less. He made his way to the master bedroom.

The following day was Monday, which meant that he needed to go to work. After freshening up, he headed downstairs to see that Laura had prepared a lavish breakfast spread.

Connor glanced at it. He didn't have much of an appetite, but he still sat at the dining table.

Laura sighed in relief. Even though it had only been two days, she found that life had been hard during Phoebe's absence.

Connor was well-mannered enough not to throw tantrums at the hired help, but his presence was so commanding that it was enough to overwhelm a small fry like her when she stood beside him. So, wanting to leave, she said, "Enjoy your meal, Mr. Russell."

The food wasn't disgusting, but it seemed to be missing something, compared to Phoebe's cooking. It had only been two days, but Connor was already missing her breakfast spreads. He asked, "Did she call you?"

Laura was about to leave, and his question startled her. "W-What?"

Connor frowned.

Laura snapped to her senses and hastily said, "No, she didn't!"

Connor's frown deepened. "Not even once?"

Laura stammered, "Y-Yes. Mrs. Russell hasn't called me, and I haven't been able to reach her. S-She might've blocked my number."

Connor slammed his cutlery on the table and walked away, his expression frosty.

Laura watched him leave, unsure of how to react. She was wrong about one thing—Connor would throw a tantrum at anyone once Phoebe upset him.

She had originally hoped that Phoebe would leave Connor hanging for a few days, but she no longer thought so. Even an outsider like her could tell that Connor responded better to softness than defiance, so Phoebe, of all people, should have known that.

Laura believed Phoebe shouldn't have played hard to get from the start. Her little stunt was making life difficult for everyone, and Laura found it incredibly frustrating.

…

Connor arrived at the office and attended a routine meeting. Shortly after that, his secretary knocked on the door and entered with a gift bag.

He opened it to see that it was a plain ring.

Evan had previously mentioned that Phoebe had gone to another jewelry store after selling her wedding ring. So, it seemed that her two-day disappearance was leading up to this.

He was certain that she would show up at the company later with a lunchbox.

Connor frowned and shut the ring box. Then, he set it aside and threw himself into his work. A moment later, he called Lance and said icily, "Don't let Phoebe into the building today!"

He didn't like her playing these games with him. After hanging up, he threw the ring box into the trash can.

…

Monday was a workday.

Phoebe sat at her desk right on time. When she first got married, she didn't have a job. But during a family dinner that Philip hadn't attended, Connor's mother, Amelia Vaughn, had berated her in front of everyone.

She had called Phoebe a waste of space and a freeloader who couldn't have children or take care of Connor properly. She had also said that she felt utterly embarrassed when mentioning Phoebe to her friends.

Connor had been around, but he hadn't defended her. He had allowed Amelia to attack Phoebe with her sharp and harsh words.

That same night, Phoebe sent out her résumé—not to Russell Group, but to Spectrum Group. Spectrum Group was a tech company that had only been established five years ago, but it already had a market value exceeding a trillion dollars.

As a top-tier firm, even a secretarial position would only accept candidates who were graduates from the best institutions in the country.

Phoebe was an Alden College graduate with a degree in the highly sought-after field of computer science, which qualified her for a position in the R&D department.

However, technical positions usually meant long hours. If she were assigned to a major project, it would typically demand around-the-clock work. Then, she wouldn't have time to care for Connor.

And so, Phoebe had opted for a relatively relaxed administrative role—a secretary in the CEO's office's secretariat.

Philip had asked her to work at Russell Group upon hearing about this. After all, working at the family's company would mean flexible hours, less strain, and overall more freedom.

But Phoebe knew how much Amelia despised her. If she worked at Russell Group, she knew Amelia would only pick on her more and accuse her of chasing the Russell family fortune. She wouldn't have to face those issues if she worked at Spectrum Group.

Because of her pregnancy, Phoebe had written a resignation letter the previous week. Now, however, she decided not to submit it.

Since she wanted to rewrite her paper, she would need to know more about the industry. Spectrum Group was at the forefront of technology, offering her numerous opportunities and resources that she could leverage. At the same time, her leisurely secretarial job would give her plenty of time to focus on her research.

"Phoebe, why haven't you brought a lunchbox today?" a colleague at the next desk asked curiously.

Phoebe occasionally brought an elaborate lunchbox to work, but she would leave the company with it at noon. No one knew who she delivered the food to.

The lunchbox had been for Connor.

When he drank at social events, she usually woke up early the next day to prepare a meal that would be gentle on his stomach. Taking the lunchbox to the office with him would have been the easiest option, but he refused to do it, finding it a bother, even though it didn't require any extra effort on his part.

And so, Phoebe had no choice but to take his portion to the office and take a cab to his company during her lunch break to deliver it. Fortunately, it wasn't too far away, so she always had enough time for that.

Phoebe simply said, "I didn't feel like making one."

And she no longer needed to.

Just then, Natalie Moore, the head of the secretariat, hurried in to make an important announcement. "The company's CEO will be back in Dalea next Monday. We need to compile and organize all departmental documents to ensure they have complete and accurate files to review."

She rapped her knuckles on a table. "Get moving, everyone!"

Spectrum Group's growth over the years was nothing short of a miracle, but the most enigmatic thing about it was its founder. He had been abroad expanding the company's market share all these years, while the deputy CEO, Ian Faulker, managed domestic operations.

Phoebe had never seen the group's true decision-maker.

After the initial excitement, everyone dove into a busy day.

…

A woman abruptly showed up in Connor's office at Russell Group.

If anyone wanted to see Connor, they had to schedule an appointment in advance. However, the woman hadn't been on the list. But what was more surprising was that Lance had gone downstairs in person to bring her up so she could see Connor. He'd even shut the door to Connor's office when he left it.

The special treatment piqued the curiosity of all the employees in the secretariat.

"Who is she? She's so pretty and gracious. She looks like she could be a celebrity!"

"Mr. Russell hates unscheduled interruptions, but he made an exception for her. That's so unlike him."

"Mr. Russell always keeps his distance from other women. In all my years here, I've never seen him alone with a woman in his office."

A theory began to form among them. "Do you think she's his wife-to-be?"

Connor had kept his marriage to Phoebe a secret, so only his close friends were aware of it. As a man with a spotless reputation and no hint of scandal, his rare preferential treatment of a woman only made it more plausible to guess that she was his future wife.

Inside the office, Connor set his work aside when he saw Vanessa.

She walked toward him and stopped before his desk, placing her hands on it as she leaned forward. Then, she looked down at his bare fingers and asked, "Didn't you get the ring?"

He faltered. "That was from you?"

He was surprised to learn that the ring hadn't been from Phoebe.

"I promised to have dinner with you last night, but I had to stand you up because something came up with Professor Dupont. I got you the ring to make up for it." She showed him the one she wore on her ring finger.

Vanessa continued, "This brand doesn't have many rings for men, and the only one I liked was the one that matched mine as a set. I just wear this one for fun, so I picked a nice style for you, too. You don't mind, do you?"

Despite her question, she knew that he wouldn't.

Connor returned to his senses and remembered that he'd thrown the ring away. He bent down to retrieve it from his trash can. As he inspected it, the earlier disgust in his eyes was nowhere to be seen.

Vanessa stiffened and asked, "You threw it away?"

He glanced at her, noticing her minute change. He opened the box and slipped the ring onto his left ring finger. His gaze was tender as he said, "I didn't know it was from you."

Vanessa relaxed at his words. Evan had mentioned that Connor never wore his wedding ring unless it was absolutely necessary. It wasn't hard for her to guess why.

Connor asked, "Are you upset?"

She shook her head and said, "No. After all, it wasn't the ring that you disliked."

It was the person he thought had given it to him.

She asked, "Do you like it?"

"It's nice." He nodded. Then, he asked, "What were you busy with last night?"

"Professor Dupont's project hit a snag. I spent all night reviewing materials, but I didn't make much progress. Fortunately, a classmate's company is working on a project related to this technology. I'm planning to reach out to her soon."

The owner of said company was named Alexandra Cooper. Coincidentally, they were both alumni of Alden College. Alexandra was Vanessa's junior by a few years.

As fellow top-tier graduates, Vanessa believed that it would be easy enough to connect with her.