I fell asleep in Victoria Sins' office.

When I woke up, I felt something strange on my face.

Several large words were stamped there.

“Pork Quality, Grade One.” Victoria’s secretary, Jason Summer, held a pork stamp and smiled at me with open provocation.

“A pretty boy like you should stay home and stop getting in the way at the company!”

I smashed a cup right there.

Porcelain shards flew toward Jason like shooting stars.

The next second, Victoria rushed in and shielded Jason behind her.

She frowned at me, her voice full of impatience.

“Jason is young. I was just joking with you. Why are you so angry?”

My eyes were fixed on Victoria’s open collar.

On her chest was a faint red mark.

And she hadn’t come home for three days.

Jason peeked out from behind her, stuck out his tongue, and spoke in an innocent tone.

“Victoria was afraid I’d be bored, so she specially had many stamps made for me to kill time.”

“I was just joking, brother. You’re not that petty, right?”

——

I ignored Jason and kept staring at the red mark on Victoria’s chest, a cold feeling spreading through my body.

I opened my mouth, and my throat dried.

“Victoria, what is this?”

She paused, followed my gaze, and looked down. Her face changed at once.

Almost without thinking, she stepped toward me, lips parting as if to explain.

“I did it.” Jason cut in, his voice quick and sharp, with a hint of blame.

His eyes stayed on me, one brow raised, smiling.

“Last time, Victoria’s meeting lasted four hours. I was so bored waiting nearby.”

“So I stamped her too, as punishment.”

For some reason, Victoria laughed, reached out to pat Jason’s head, and said helplessly,

“You still dare say that? In front of the whole board, you embarrassed me completely.”

The office fell silent.

Only a buzzing sound filled my ears.

Even though Victoria always gave in to me, there was one thing she never compromised on.

Her work.

She treated work with near harshness and never let anyone interrupt her.

But now, she has broken her own rules to please another man.

Bitterness rose from my heart to my throat.

Before I could speak, I heard young women whispering outside the door.

“They say CEO Sins’ husband is in her office. I really want to see what he looks like!”

“I heard at CEO Sins’ wedding, flowers stretched for miles, and 520 drones formed her husband’s name in the sky like falling stars.”

“I’m so jealous! CEO Sins has treated him so well for ten years. I need to deliver files anyway. I can sneak a look!”

Several girls reached the door and froze when they saw it open.

Then they lifted their heads and saw my face.

My carefully styled hair, done before leaving home, was probably ruined by those mocking words.

The chatter stopped at once.

Their smiles were still there, but their eyes went stiff.

The whole room turned deathly quiet.

Only Jason let out a soft laugh.

Victoria frowned, as if only now realizing how hurtful those words were.

She stepped in front of Jason without thinking.

“Jason, apologize.”

Jason’s eyes reddened instantly.

His voice rose, shaking with tears.

“Why should I apologize!”

“These stamps—weren’t they specially made for me so I wouldn’t be bored?!”

“You said I could stamp whatever I wanted, just to pass the time! And now you’re making me apologize, humiliating me like this?!”

Victoria grabbed his wrist, her brows tightly knit.

“Jason!”

Jason shook her off hard, his body shaking with sobs.

“Don’t touch me!”

“You’re all ganging up on me! You all look down on me! A joke suddenly becomes my fault!”

His voice was rough, his words broken with anger.

“Fine, it’s my fault. A nobody like me isn’t fit to joke with important people like you! I’ll leave, alright?!”

After saying that, he turned and rushed toward the door.

“Jason!” Victoria’s voice turned cold as she stepped forward and grabbed his arm.

Seeing his red eyes and tangled emotions, she finally sighed, her tone softening.

“Stop making a fuss. It’s nothing. Look at you, crying like this.”

Victoria then turned to me, her brows still drawn together, her voice tired.

“Jason is still a child. He doesn’t understand. I’ll apologize to you for him.”

“Henry, don’t take it so seriously, okay?”

I gave a mocking smile.

The blue ink on my face seemed to sink into my skin, burning my cheeks.

Victoria let go of Jason and walked toward me.

She pulled a few tissues from the table, her voice gentler.

“Alright, don’t be mad. Didn’t you ask me to take care of Jason?”

“He’s just a child. He likes to fool around.”

My nails pressed into my palms. It hurt, but it was nothing compared to my heart.

Yes, I pitied Jason back then.

When he cried and begged me to sponsor his schooling, my heart softened, and I took him out of that remote mountain village.

I not only paid for his studies, but also arranged for him to intern at Victoria’s company.

Back then, Victoria complained to me many times.

She said Jason couldn’t even use a copier properly, spilled coffee while making it, and sent documents to the wrong floor.

Every time she mentioned it, she’d rub her temples with a headache and complain to me.

“Henry, you’ve really caused me so much trouble. I don’t even have time to clean up his mess every day.”

I laughed then, saying she was too impatient and too strict with newcomers.

I always believed helping someone was a good thing.

But I never imagined—

The person I personally pulled out of the mud would one day step on my face to grab things he never deserved.

Victoria sighed, walked up to me, and reached out to wipe the words off my face.

But the blue ink was oily. The more she wiped, the worse it became.

It smeared, spreading from my cheek to my chin, even onto my hair and the corner of my mouth.

I could picture how I looked.

My carefully styled hair was ruined, my face covered in blue-black stains. I must have looked like a clown.

Jason covered her mouth and laughed, her smug look impossible to hide.

“Victoria!”

“I almost forgot. The charity auction starts in twenty minutes.”

“We need to go.”

Victoria’s expression tightened. She glanced at her watch.

Then she looked at me.

“We really don’t have time.”

“Henry, I planned to take you to pick up some new watches, but we’ll have to do it another day.”

“Why don’t you go home first? We’ll talk properly when I get back tonight.”

Victoria walked to the door, then turned back and spoke to me again.

“Henry, be good. Wait for me to come home.”

Jason walked beside her, and the moment she turned her back to me, she glanced at me and flashed a quick, sharp smile.

That smile held no apology, only open provocation and triumph.

The door opened.

Watching Victoria leave without a pause, the last trace of warmth in my heart disappeared.

“Victoria.”

“If this is how you deal with things.”

“I’m not satisfied.”

“I’ll handle this my own way.”

Victoria finally turned back.

Her face was calm, as if she thought I was only throwing a fit.

She even gave a faint, careless smile.

“Alright, Henry.”

“Don’t overthink it. Wait for me to come back.”

After that, she opened the door and left with Jason.

The door wasn’t fully closed, and sounds from the hallway drifted in now and then.

First came Jason’s low voice, mixed with fear and fake worry.

“Victoria.”

“Henry is so arrogant, and his family is so powerful. If he really wants to deal with me, what… what should I do…”

Then came Victoria’s voice, not loud, but clear enough for me to hear.

“Henry is just angry for now. He’ll calm down soon.”

“And besides.”

Her voice carried a cold certainty that made my chest ache.

“With me here, who would dare bully you?”

“You only know how to vent your temper on me. You’re best at bullying your own people. Look how scared he got from just a few words.”

Their footsteps slowly faded away.

Only a few shaken girls were left in the office, looking at me with sympathy.

Tired, I covered my face, hiding the marks, and spoke softly.

“Excuse me, could someone lend me a mask or a hat?”

One girl hesitated, then handed me a new mask.

“This one is clean.”

I looked at her name tag, my voice slightly hoarse.

“Thank you. I remember you.”

Her face reddened, and she quickly stepped aside.

I covered most of my face with the mask and pulled my hat low.

I left the company and got into my car.

I sent a message to the Lawrence family, the hosts of tonight’s auction.

“Tonight, Victoria will attend with a secretary named Jason.”

“Send Jason to me.”

Anyone in New York’s upper circle would beg for a chance to please me.

Jason handed the Lawrence family that chance.

I made another call.

“Find a stamp shop.”

“I need a hundred pork-shaped stamps, with the reddest ink that won’t wash off.”

The car had barely stopped at the villa when Butler Lawrence, the butler, rushed over.

“Miss Sins just came back. She said she’s taking Mr. Summer to tonight’s charity auction and needs a suitable suit.”

“She… she took someone straight into your dressing room.”

My heart sank, but my voice stayed steady.

“Which one did Jason choose?”

Butler took a deep breath, clearly holding back anger.

“It’s the ‘Aurora’ suit.”

My breath stopped for a moment.

Aurora.

That was the suit I wore to my engagement party with Victoria.

It wasn’t bought from a luxury brand.

It was sewn stitch by stitch by a master tailor, based on a sketch Victoria drew herself.

The suit was set with hundreds of natural sapphires of different sizes.

She once said it was like picking stars from the night sky and scattering them over me.