The next day, I looked in the mirror, satisfied that the cold compress had finally reduced the bags under my eyes, and I left the house feeling refreshed.

Today was going to be a good day.

At the office, I could feel the curious stares from my coworkers. As the Vice President of the company, everyone knew about my wedding, so they were all aware of what had happened.

“Ms. Murray, are you okay?” my assistant asked, handing me some documents while carefully gauging my mood.

“I’m fine. It’s just a trivial matter,” I replied without even looking up, knowing exactly what she was referring to.

It was time to find a new business partner.

How did I meet Chad?

Two years ago, he was a low-level employee from a small company, sent to negotiate a contract with me.

Normally, I wouldn’t bother with such small firms – they were always demanding and had too many conditions.

But Chad had been persistent, following up with me for a month straight. I was intrigued by his tenacity and agreed to give him a chance.

His business skills weren’t bad either, and eventually, we started dating.

Money wasn’t a big deal to me; what mattered was his ambition.

Over the past two years, his career had taken off, and my parents had finally approved of him.

I thought we were solid – until he brought me to a party, and I found out he still had feelings for his first love.

At the time, I didn’t think much of it. It’s normal to have an ex, right?

But everything changed when Fiona returned from abroad six months ago.

“Ms. Murray?” My assistant’s voice brought me back to the present.

“When is our new partner arriving?” I asked, handing her the signed documents.

“He’s already here.”

…

In the meeting room, I sat across from our potential new partner, both of us staring at each other in silence.

The atmosphere was tense.

“Liam the Rascal, you’ve done well for yourself over the years, climbing your way to the top,” I said, breaking the ice.

“And you, little Tessa, you’ve come a long way too. From that scrappy girl to a Vice President,” he replied.

We both burst into laughter, much to the confusion of our assistants who had been waiting outside.

About half an hour later, I shook Liam’s hand, sealing our partnership. “Looking forward to work with you.”

His hands were as attractive as ever, and he mirrored my words: “Looking forward to work with you, too.”

“How about grabbing some lunch?” he asked, glancing at his watch. It was already lunchtime.

“Sure, my treat,” I agreed readily, gesturing for him to lead the way.

Liam walked ahead of me, and I couldn’t help but notice how his six-foot-one frame reminded me of the goofy high school classmate he used to be – except back then, he wasn’t quite as tall.

I never expected that after six years, we’d meet again like this.

“What are you standing there for? Still daydreaming like you did in high school? Just like that scrappy girl I used to know,” Liam teased as he turned back to grab my hand and pull me along.

I looked down at our joined hands. In high school, he used to do this too, but back then it was to drag me out of class. Later, he had to leave for college abroad due to his parents.

Wait a minute, who are you calling a scrappy girl?

I decided to let it slide, given that he was both my old classmate and now my business partner.

But just as we were getting comfortable at the restaurant, Chad and Fiona walked in.

Fiona clung to Chad’s arm, looking as delicate as ever – just seeing them was enough to ruin my appetite.

“Chad, isn’t that Tessa over there?” Fiona’s feigned innocence made me want to gag.

Could she not pretend she didn’t see me?

Wasn’t she supposed to be dealing with depression? What was she doing out in public?

“Tessa, is this why you canceled our wedding?” Chad finally noticed me and started walking over.

I finished chewing my steak calmly, wiped my mouth, and then looked up at him.

How dare he try to turn the tables on me?

Before I could say anything, Liam spoke up. “Little Tessa, it seems your taste in men has worsened over the years. How did you end up with this country bumpkin?” he said with a look of disdain aimed at Chad.

“Who the hell are you? And who are you calling a country bumpkin?” Chad snapped, clearly offended.

“Whoever gets mad is who I’m talking about,” Liam replied nonchalantly, popping a piece of steak into his mouth.

I glanced at Chad. I was embarrassed for him.

He was like a male version of a shrew.

Liam handled the situation with the grace of a gentleman, whereas Chad acted like a common brawler.

No wonder – Liam and I both grew up in affluent families and attended a prestigious high school.

His demeanor made sense.

Chad stormed out, dragging Fiona behind him, clearly flustered.

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Go ahead and laugh; don’t hold it in,” Liam said with a slight hint of affection in his tone.

Or was I just imagining it?

Two days later, Chad showed up at my office.

The whole company had heard about our falling out, so they stopped him from coming straight to my office as he used to.

“Tessa, what’s the meaning of this? You can’t just cut off our company’s contract over personal issues,” Chad barked at me as soon as I stepped out of the office building, ready to head home.

“Your company’s funds dried up weeks ago. I gave you time to sort it out, but I’m not going to keep throwing good money after bad,” I replied coldly. “Besides, do you really think you’re important enough to have a ‘personal issue’ with me anymore?”

Chad grabbed my arm as I tried to walk past him.

“What do you think you’re doing?” I shook him off, feeling a wave of disgust wash over me.

All I could think about was that nauseating scene of him with Fiona on the rooftop.

“Tessa, you know there’s a penalty for terminating a contract abruptly. Don’t you care that I’ll be out of a job?” His tone softened, playing the sympathy card.

“Penalty? Your company’s CEO still owes me for the funds I covered. Tell him he has one week to pay me back, or I’ll take legal action.”

It was laughable – people talk about women being doormats for their brothers or partners, but here I was, unknowingly being one for a jerk.

“And why should I care if you lose your job?” I added, my voice laced with disdain. We were done the moment he left me at that wedding.

“Do you really have to be so ruthless? I know what I did was wrong, and I’m sorry.” Chad tried to apologize, but his expression didn’t match his words.

Did he really think I would forgive him just because he was being slightly contrite?

“If you’re going to apologize, at least look like you mean it, Mr. Miller,” I heard a familiar voice say.

Turning around, I saw Liam approaching, a smirk on his face that made my heart skip a beat.

God, when did he become so good at this?

“What are you doing here?” I asked, genuinely curious.

“Your mom asked me to pick you up for dinner. Who would’ve thought I’d arrive just in time to hear a mad dog barking at you? Be careful, you wouldn’t want to get bitten,” Liam quipped.

Seriously, how can you say things like that with such a straight face?

But, I had to admit, it felt really satisfying.

“Tessa, I didn’t expect you to be so superficial, ditching me as soon as you found a rich guy,” Chad said, his embarrassment turning into anger, leading him to spout nonsense.

I was rendered speechless.

“Chad, see that building behind me? That’s my family’s.” I pointed to the tall skyscraper behind us, signaling Chad to look.

That building was my family’s company, where I serve as vice president. And the CEO? That would be my dad.

“Do you really think you have the right to say that?” With that, I took Liam’s hand and walked away, not caring about the way Chad’s face turned bright red.

Sitting in the car, I tilted my head to look at Liam, who was driving.

“What did you say earlier? That my mom asked you to pick me up for dinner? When did you even meet my mom?”

“Half an hour from now,” Liam replied, turning the steering wheel smoothly for a left turn, heading in the direction of my house.

I was puzzled.

So you were just making things up earlier?

As for how he knew where I lived, that goes back to our senior year of high school.

Back in senior year, Liam and I were neck and neck in terms of grades.

But as the final exams approached, my grades suddenly started to slip.

The homeroom teacher suspected that Liam and I were dating and that I was distracted by it, causing my academic decline. So, she called our parents in for a meeting.

My mom rushed to the school in her slippers, their sound echoing through the school hallway, creating an odd atmosphere in the office.

“Are you Tessa’s parent?” The homeroom teacher adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses and gave my mom a once-over.

She clearly doubted that someone like my mom could afford to send me to such an elite school.

My mom gave a perfunctory nod to the teacher, then turned to give Liam a thorough look-over.

Satisfied, she asked him, “Are you 18 yet?”

Liam nodded, confirming that he was.

My mom’s expression grew even more satisfied.

“Teacher, you see, these two are already adults, so it’s not really ‘dating’ in the way you’re worried about. Tessa’s father had surgery recently, and she’s been worried, which is why her grades slipped.”

My mom paused before continuing, “You know Tessa’s abilities as well as anyone, and I can assure you her grades will be back up by the next exam.”

With that, my mom took one of my hands and one of Liam’s, saying to the teacher, “It’s after school now, so I’ll take these two home. Goodbye.”

She nodded politely at the teacher, who was left bewildered.

Mom, do you realize you just guilt-tripped the teacher?

Also, since when did Dad have surgery?

My mom was willing to say anything to avoid me being labeled as having an early romance.

But the truth was, Liam and I weren’t dating at all. I was just in a bad mood from the heat and some personal stuff, so I slacked off, which was why my grades slipped.

Of course, I had some feelings for Liam back then.

I even asked him secretly what kind of girl he liked.

He said he liked quiet and well-behaved ones.

And I was the complete opposite.

That was just how I was; I couldn’t change.

I figured, if someone really likes you, they’ll like you no matter what.

So, I tucked those feelings away.

That night, my mom invited Liam over for dinner.

Over time, Liam started coming over more often, always under the excuse of enjoying my dad’s cooking.

Now, my mom was enthusiastically welcoming Liam.

I’m her actual daughter, but she was acting like Liam was her long-lost son who just returned from abroad.

“Liam, it’s been six years! You’ve gotten taller and more handsome,” my mom said approvingly.

“Thank you, Mrs. Murray. You’re just as young and beautiful as you were back then,” Liam replied, laying on the charm.

I rolled my eyes at them.

Could they be any more fake?

“Such a sweet talker. Do you have a girlfriend?” My mom’s true intentions finally came out.

“No, not yet. Are you planning to set me up?” Liam said, sneaking a glance in my direction.

Why was he looking at me?

It’s not like I’m going to stop my mom from finding him someone.

My mom, catching on instantly, clapped her hands and pulled me up.

“How about my Tessa? You wouldn’t believe it, but Tessa had the misfortune of dating a jerk…” she said, pretending to wipe away tears.

A drama queen, through and through.

“I think she’s great,” Liam said with a smile, looking genuinely pleased.

Does he even realize what he just said? Didn’t he say he didn’t like girls like me?

Seeing that there was potential, my mom immediately took my hand and placed it in Liam’s large palm.

His hand was warm, and although it wasn’t hot, it felt like holding a hot potato.

I quickly pulled my hand back, feeling a flush rise to my ears.

“Mom, I’m still here, you know? Stop being so ridiculous,” I scolded, giving her a playful glare.

“How am I being ridiculous? I’ve seen more of the world than you have. You’re not good at picking people; leave that to me,” my mom shot back with a look of disdain.

She sure knows how to bring up sore points.