She was styling her hair, applying foundation, drawing eyebrow lines...

On the way to the Morgan Family's old house, my mother kept talking and laughing with Lucia.

After receiving a call from John, Lucia's smile quickly disappeared. She suggested that we take a taxi ourselves, but I refused. Only my car had AED emergency equipment and I couldn’t take this risk.

My mother saw Lucia's anxiety and eagerness and winked at me. I had always been filial, so I didn't dare to go against my mother's wishes and finally got out of the car.

But I never expected that within a minute of getting off the car, my mother would suffer from heat stroke and cardiac arrest...

The more I thought about it, the colder my heart became and the more it hurt.

I wanted to slap myself in the face.

If I had been more resolute at that time, perhaps my mother would not have died.

Seeing that I had not spoken, Lucia lost her patience.

"Gerald, I am so disappointed in you. Well, since you like to get stuck in a dead end, I will let your mom judge and see who is right and who is wrong in this matter."

Just as she picked up the phone, the ringtone suddenly rang.

A very special exclusive ringtone from her phone. It was exactly the same as the one I heard in the car on the Luminaria Festival.

Lucia's expression changed slightly and she walked quickly to the balcony before answering the phone.

Some voices came faintly.

"Who are you? What? John is drunk and passed out on the roadside?"

"... OK, thank you, I'll be there soon!"

Lucia left in a hurry. She didn't even bother to explain to me.

Just as resolute and decisive as when she left me and my mother on the Luminaria Festival.

Bitterness appeared on my face. No matter what time, John was irreplaceable in her mind. In this case, it was time for me to leave.

In addition to seeing me get married and have children, my mother's most cherished wish before her death was to travel to Luxembourg. That was where she and my father first met and there were too many beautiful memories.

In order to take care of Lucia over the years, this wish has not been realized.

I decided to take my mother's precious thing and take a trip around the world.

The last stop was in Luxembourg.

While I was looking up information and searching for guides, John's social media was updated again. I didn't want to see it, but my fingers still clicked it.

In the first photo, Lucia, who had never been in the kitchen, was cooking noodles without touching the water. In the second photo, Lucia was feeding John noodles, her face was full of concern and heartache and tenderness that I had never seen before. In the third photo, Lucia was carefully cleaning the stains on the carpet and sofa.

My heart was once again filled with sorrow and bitterness.

Last Bloomhaven Festival, for an important project of Morgan Group, I drank three bottles of red wine with my clients and vomited all over the place.

Lucia looked at me drunk on the sofa and was at a loss and finally called my mother to help. While my mother was busy, she covered her nose and stood far away, disliking that my vomit was too smelly and too pungent.

But in front of John, she didn't dislike it at all and was more considerate than a real wife.

Lucia didn't come back overnight and didn't show up in the next few days.

I didn't care about these and was busy preparing for my global trip.

On the thirteenth day of the first lunar month, Lucia's secretary called and informed me that a new product launch conference would be held tomorrow.

I didn't want to attend, but I agreed when I thought that this was the result of my hard work for many years.

After confirming my relationship with Lucia five years ago, I declined the high-paying position of the world's top 500 companies and joined the Morgan Group.

After my unremitting efforts, the Morgan Group had grown from a second-rate company to the top high-tech enterprise in Manchester.

It was precisely because of this that the Morgan Family, who looked down on me at the beginning, took the initiative to invite my mother and me to the Morgan Mansion to celebrate the New Year and discuss the marriage.

The press conference was very grand and lively. Just as I was about to go on stage to give a speech, Lucia suddenly appeared. She was dressed in a gorgeous dress and was so beautiful that it was intoxicating. But her expression was very intriguing.

She did not explain the reason for not returning for a few days, but stopped me, "Gerald, wait a minute. The company has arranged another person for this speech."

I was stunned. I had always been the general manager of the new product project.

In the entire company, only I was qualified to give a speech. Because no one was more familiar with new products than me. From design to R&D, I took care of everything and put in countless efforts and energy. You could say it was like my child.

At this moment, John's voice sounded on the stage.

"Happy New Year, distinguished guests. On behalf of Morgan Group, I welcome all of you here. Let me introduce to you the features of the new products released this time..."

Seeing him in high spirits and successful, I understood everything.

Looking at Lucia coldly, "Since it has been arranged, why do you still need to notify me to attend the press conference?"

Lucia explained, "As the general manager of the new product project, you naturally have to be there."

She continued, "Gerald, the choice of speaker this time is the company's decision and it is also my idea. After all, you are already a giant in the industry and don't need these flashy reputations. But John is different. As a newcomer, he needs more qualifications than you..."

I quietly watched her talk endlessly. The more I looked at her, the more unfamiliar she felt.

Lucia used to love me deeply and only had eyes for me. But since John came back from abroad and joined Morgan Group as the president's assistant, she changed. She often went on business trips for no reason and stayed out all night.

John spent much more time with her than I did. I was busy with the project at the time and didn't think much about it.

But my knowledgeable mother saw it and she reminded me, "Gerald, Lucia is your girlfriend, but now she is going out with other men every day, isn't it not good?"

I didn't wake up, but explained for the two of them, "Mom, you think too much, John is Lucia's assistant, it's normal to work together every day."

"Lucia told me that John and her grew up together and always regarded her as a sister. The three of us are college classmates. If they were interested in each other, they would have been together a long time ago. What can I do?"

Now looking back at it, I was really a pure fool.

Seeing that I had been silent, Lucia thought I had figured it out and smiled, "Gerald, tomorrow is our engagement day, are you ready?"

I nodded woodenly.

"Your mom must be very happy and looking forward to it, right?" Lucia frowned slightly, "But it's strange, I called her these few days and her phone has been turned off. Is there something wrong with her phone?"

Suddenly, there was warm applause from the audience.

It turned out that the speech was over. John not only introduced the features of the new product, but also brought in his own goods, allowing himself to completely replace my role as a developer.

I sneered in my heart and did not expose it in public. But many old employees in the company showed indignation.

John saluted everyone and then walked to our side.

"Mr. Burkett, thank you for giving me this opportunity to give a speech."

Before I opened my mouth, Lucia smiled and said, "John, when there are no outsiders, you don't have to call him so formally."

While she was talking, she helped John to straighten his slightly crooked collar. The movements were skillful and natural, just like a couple who have been married for many years.

John looked at me with a smile. There was no respect or gratitude in his eyes, but rather disdain and the pride of a winner.

I was not irritated and smiled indifferently.

The speech was very successful and the new product topped the hot search list as soon as it was released.

At the following cocktail party, Lucia and John became the focus of the whole audience. They were as close as a couple, drinking and talking with many big guys, chatting and laughing.

And I stood alone in a remote corner, lonely like a spectator. No one knew I was here and I didn't want anyone to know.

After drinking a glass of wine in silence, I left.

When I returned to the company and was packing my personal belongings, I received several photos on my phone.

They were sent by John. In each photo, he and Lucia were lingering in the hotel. Ambiguous and explicit.

If it were the old me, I would explode and be furious. But now, I couldn’t stir up any waves in my heart. I was too lazy to verify the authenticity of the photos.

Ten minutes later, I posted an update on social media, announcing that I would withdraw from the Morgan Group forever.

A stone stirs up a thousand waves and this post quickly fermented and the heat even exceeded the new product launch conference.

Everyone in the industry knew that I was the developer and person in charge of the new product. John was just a spokesperson and he was a straw bag no matter how glorious he was. If there was no technical support from me, you could imagine how bleak the sales of the new product would be.

The stock of Morgan Group, which had been soaring all the way, directly hit the limit. The Morgan Family panicked and Lucia panicked too.

She hurriedly left the party and found me.

When she saw the empty desk in the office, she was stunned for a moment, then ignored me and asked me directly, "Gerald, why did you post that tweet? Do you know how much loss the company suffered because of your momentary willfulness?"

I replied calmly, "John has made it clear enough at the press conference that he is the developer and person in charge of the new product. With him here, it's enough."

Lucia was so angry that her eyebrows were raised. Just as she was about to speak, a female employee suddenly ran in in a panic.

"It's bad, Miss Morgan, John is going to jump off the building to commit suicide! He said he was sorry to Miss Morgan and the company. He is even more sorry to Mr. Burkett!"

Lucia was pale and rushed out immediately.

I ignored her, packed up all the remaining things and left the office. I came to the corridor and saw John sitting on the windowsill.

Lucia was crying and begged him not to do anything stupid and there was a large group of employees around him.

Seeing John's hand tightly holding the window frame, I seemed to understand something.