I looked up at him, my lips curling into a wry smile. "But aren't you the one who’s about to marry someone else?"

Ethan furrowed his brow. "Stop joking around, you know this is all for the company."

After a pause, his tone softened, attempting to coax me. "Alright, baby, you’ve always been the understanding one, right? After the banquet ends, go pack your things and I’ll take you to the new apartment. After all, Catherine is officially engaged to me. It wouldn't be appropriate for you to stay at the house anymore."

Because I was understanding, I obediently maintained a secret relationship with Ethan for eight years, one that no one knew about. Now, was he planning to treat me as a mistress who would never see the light of day?

Just as I was about to reply that it wasn’t necessary, the sound of Catherine's crying suddenly came from the banquet hall and Ethan immediately let go of me and rushed over.

"What's wrong, Catherine?"

Catherine extended her left hand, pointing to her empty ring finger, crying uncontrollably.

"Ethan, the engagement ring you gave me is missing. It's the one that can only be custom-made once in a lifetime! I swear it was still there before I went to the bathroom."

Catherine saw me and immediately came over, crying as she grabbed my arm. "Miss Johnson, I was the only one in the bathroom with you earlier... I know you've been Ethan's secretary for many years and it's natural to have possessiveness over your boss, but that ring is really important to me. If you took it, please, I'm begging you, give it back!"

Catherine’s actions immediately made everyone believe I was the culprit who had stolen the ring.

"I knew all those female secretaries were no good! She deliberately tries to make herself look like Miss Wen, but no matter what she does, she'll always be beneath her. Does she really think she can use underhanded tactics to take her place?"

"Exactly! And she even had the nerve to steal the engagement ring! A lowly woman like her should be forever banished from our circle!"

Various harsh and mocking words were thrown at me.

I instinctively looked at Ethan, but all I saw was his face darkening as he shouted at me, "Take it out!"

Even though I knew he didn’t love me, I couldn’t believe that in his heart, he truly thought I was capable of doing something like this.

"I’ve never even seen the ring! How could I have taken it?" I gritted my teeth, desperately holding back the tears.

I couldn’t cry here. If I cried, it would mean I had truly lost.

Ethan shook his head, his eyes filled with disappointment. "You're still lying? If you're not going to return it, I'll have to search you myself."

With that, he called over a few housekeepers and ordered them to search me on the spot.

Sophia rushed over. "Don't treat Kate like this! I've known her for so many years, she could never be the kind of person to do something like this!"

Her mother also anxiously tried to intervene, "Yes, Ethan, I don't think Miss Johnson looks like someone who would do such a thing. Could there have been some misunderstanding?"

Ethan sneered, "There’s no misunderstanding! Catherine has always been kind-hearted. She’s not the type to falsely accuse someone. If it wasn't her, why would Catherine suddenly suspect her without reason?"

My heart felt like it had turned to ash.

Even his mother, who had just met me for the first time, was willing to believe in my character and speak up for me.

But Ethan had known me for ten years and we had been in a relationship for a full eight years. Yet, with just one baseless accusation from Catherine, he completely disregarded the years we had spent together and instantly condemned me to the shame of being a person with a tarnished reputation.

The difference between being loved and not loved truly was the hardest chasm to cross in this world.

I was held by several servants and could only close my eyes in despair and let them grope me roughly.

In the tense atmosphere, after being thoroughly searched and feeling utterly hopeless, I was on the verge of breaking down.

Only when they had finished searching did Catherine speak up again, her voice filled with a false sense of surprise.

She reached into her handbag and pulled out the engagement ring. "Oh, my, I was so careless. I must have forgotten to put it in my bag before I washed my hands," she said with a dramatic sigh.

Then, turning to me, she added with a forced smile, "Miss Johnson, I'm so sorry... It seems I misunderstood you. Please accept my apologies."

Catherine said her apology, but the next second, she covered her face and ran out, crying.

Ethan only glanced at me, said nothing and immediately followed Catherine, rushing out to comfort her.

I was completely drained, both physically and mentally. I refused the apologies offered by his parents on Ethan’s behalf, left their house and took a taxi straight to the airport.

I sat in the airport, waiting for my rebooked flight. During the wait, Ethan sent me a message:

[You shouldn’t have let Catherine lose face like that in front of everyone. She’s your superior now, so remember to apologize to her later.]

The announcement over the airport speakers signaled that it was time to board the flight.

No one knew about our secret relationship, so there was nothing to even call a breakup.

I replied with a simple "Okay," as a final goodbye to Ethan.

Then I exited the chat and blocked all his contact information. Without looking back, I boarded the flight to Brightvale.

***

A few days later, Ethan arrived on the day of his wedding with Catherine.

Yet, in the wedding hall, he smoked one cigarette after another.

When a friend asked, he frowned slightly, a look of pain in his eyes. "My little girl hasn’t made a sound these past few days. With such a grand wedding today, I’m sure she’s somewhere crying."

One of his friends, startled by his words, pulled out his phone and handed it to Ethan.

"You don’t know yet? This morning, the richest family in Brightvale, the Mitchel Family, announced their son's marriage. The groom is none other than your secretary."