My mother kicked me out of the house to toughen me up, forcing me to find a job on my own.

To my surprise, my boyfriend, Calvin, cheated on me because he thought I was poor.

He said the daughter of the company's HR manager was his true love.

I laughed.

Not just because he was stupid, but because he was blind—he didn't realize that the company's president was my mother.

*****

My boyfriend, Calvin Smith forgot to log out of his Twitter on my computer.

As I lounged in front of the screen watching a show, a notification popped up in the lower right corner.

[Mr. Smith, the Bulgari necklace you ordered has been delivered. We hope you enjoy your purchase.]

Curious, I clicked on the message. It was from a girl who specialized in luxury goods procurement.

Calvin had her purchase a Bulgari necklace worth 150,000 dollars.

This necklace was one I had admired for a long time, but considering my current persona as a lowly employee, I hadn't bought it.

I didn't expect Calvin to be so thoughtful, secretly ordering it.

Tomorrow is our five-year anniversary, and I thought he had forgotten.

It turned out he was planning a surprise for me.

Although this necklace had been criticized for being overpriced by many buyers, its design was indeed unique—and most importantly, I loved it.

It seemed Calvin put a lot of thought into our anniversary.

I glanced at Calvin, who was drying his hair after a shower, and quietly marked the message as unread.

Since he wanted to surprise me, I would play along.

Besides, I had an even bigger surprise in store for him.

In fact, the company where Calvin and I were currently working belonged to my family.

My mom cut off my credit card and made me apply for a job at the company to toughen me up.

She said that only by starting from the bottom can I see the company for what it really is.

She also specifically warned me not to reveal our relationship to anyone.

Fortunately, I did well and passed the interview.

But Calvin didn't make the cut.

To work at the same company as Calvin, I begged my mom, and the company reconsidered and offered him a position.

However, I didn't tell Calvin about this.

Because I wanted to surprise him when the time was right.

Calvin was also thrilled to be working at the same company.

But just before we were about to start, he suddenly suggested.

"Cindy, let's keep our relationship a secret at the company for now, okay?"

I was puzzled,

"Why?"

Calvin patted my head, looking sincere.

"Big companies usually frown upon office romances. I don't want you to get hurt by any rumors."

I thought about it and agreed. Calvin was being considerate.

We could keep it a secret for now, and when my training period ends, we could get engaged.

That night, I dreamed of Calvin proposing to me with a ring.

But the next day, as the workday came to a close, I still hadn't received any surprise from Calvin.

And I hadn't even seen the box for that Bulgari necklace.

Just as I was feeling confused, I saw my colleague Divina Grown showing off her new necklace to her coworkers.

It was the same brand, the same clover design, also adorned with diamonds.

Several female coworkers surrounded Divina, and their faces full of envy.

"Divina, your necklace is gorgeous! I remember it's listed at 160,000 dollars on the Bulgari website. Did you buy it yourself, or was it a gift?"

Divina's face lit up with pride.

"Isn't it stunning? My boyfriend gave it to me as a confession gift. He ordered it directly from the store, and it arrived yesterday."

I froze. It was in the same delivery time, same brand and same style.

If this was just a coincidence, it was too much of one.

Could Calvin be seeing someone else?

The moment Divina mentioned her necklace was a confession gift from her boyfriend, the female colleagues around her grew even more envious.

"Your boyfriend must really love you! So generous and romantic, not like mine who's stingy as hell."

"Exactly! But Divina, you're a beauty and come from a wealthy family. It's only natural you'd find such a boyfriend. But you have to let him treat us to dinner!"

When Divina noticed me nearby, she raised her voice deliberately.

"Of course! My boyfriend is very generous."

Back at my desk, I felt lost.

Two voices battled within me—one insisting it was all a coincidence, and the other screaming that Calvin had cheated on me.

Calvin and I had started dating in college, and we'd always gotten along well.

Before I went to college, my mom had warned me to hide my wealth from my boyfriend.

I didn't understand why, but I followed her advice.

Calvin would stand in line in the mornings to buy my favorite shrimp dumplings, even though a single serving cost him his entire day's meal budget.

He worked during the holidays to save up for a limited-edition teddy bear for my birthday.

He treated me so well. How could he cheat on me?

But as the evening approached, he didn't mention the necklace or our five-year anniversary.

Instead, he left me at home, saying he had to work late at the company.

I sat alone in front of the computer, scrolling through photos from our university days.

By 3 a.m., Calvin still hadn't come home, and his phone was off.

Worried something had happened, I managed to get the number for the company's security desk.

But the guard told me no one was working late at the office.

On my way to work the next morning, I saw a post on Divina's Moments.

[A little puppy sure has a lot of energy. I'm exhausted, but he's still raring to go.]

The picture showed Divina resting her head on a man's chest.

Only the man's neck and below were visible, but I recognized the familiar scar on his collarbone.

When I first got together with Calvin, we went out to work part-time together. I was harassed by a gangster, and he just started fighting with that guy.

That scar was left at that time.

That scar was a badge of his love for me, and now, it was nestled against another woman.

And so, on the day of our five-year anniversary, I was cheated on by Calvin and forced to break up with him.

As I parked the car, I saw Calvin.

He was leaning casually against a tree nearby, seemingly waiting for me.

I got out of the car, and a breeze carrying a faint unfamiliar perfume wafted into my nostrils.

I paused, clinging to the last shred of hope that Calvin would offer an explanation.

But he remained silent for a long time, finally uttering only one sentence.

"Since you already know, there's nothing more to say."

My breath caught in my throat as I reassessed the face I had loved for five years.

Calvin was very handsome—sharp brows, piercing eyes, broad shoulders, and a lean waist. He had the tall, sturdy frame typical of a Northern man.

Therefore, during our school years, many girls confessed their feelings to him.

But he remained indifferent to them all.

I believed he was different from other guys, which was why I insisted on being with him despite my mother's objections.

But now, looking at him, I found his appearance strangely unfamiliar.

Having not slept well the previous night, I felt dazed.

Seeing Calvin now, my body began to tremble uncontrollably.

With a choked voice, I asked him.

"Why? What did I do wrong?"

I thought Calvin would say he was tired of me or that he had found true love, but he simply sighed.

"Cindy, you're great. It's me... I don't want to stay in the trenches any longer."

I was too stunned to speak.

"What do you mean?"

Calvin stared at me steadily. In his once-clear eyes, I saw emotions I could no longer understand.

"Cindy, youthful love is precious, but we're adults now."

"I like you a lot, and you like me, but what does it matter? In this society, sincerity is worthless. It can't buy us a house or a car."

I was taken aback.

"Then why is Divina?"

Calvin smiled.

"Because her father is the HR manager at our company."

"Cindy, with my abilities, no matter how hard I try, I can only be a low-level employee at this company. But if I'm with Divina, I can use her father's connections to climb the corporate ladder."

"Cindy, I hope you understand my dilemma."

As I listened to Calvin eagerly describe his future, I suddenly found it amusing.

I had planned to announce our relationship on this anniversary. My mother's trial period for Calvin had ended.

My mother had said that even if Calvin lacked ability, as long as he truly loved me, she wouldn't mind giving him a high-paying, easy job at one of our companies.

After all, the company would eventually be mine.

And now, Calvin was breaking up with me to be with the daughter of an HR manager.

It was absurdly laughable.

Moreover, what made Calvin think that a mere HR manager's daughter would give him free rein in the company?

It seemed my mother was right—only by staying at the grassroots level could you discover the root causes of problems within the company.

Relying on connections for promotions—this was too outrageous. Did he think the company was his playground?

Seeing my silence, Calvin started to PUA me again.

"Cindy, I don't want to be a nobody anymore. With the paltry salary I earn now, I'll never live the life I want."

"I know what I'm doing is scummy and I'm sorry for hurting you, but I have no choice. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for not having a father in a high position at the company."

As Calvin continued to justify himself, I no longer felt the initial sadness.

I thought, "I may not have a father in a high position at the company, but the company belongs to my family."

And it was just one of many companies we own.