I fell asleep in my CEO girlfriend"s office.

When I woke up, I found two large words tattooed across my face that read 'Old Bachelor'.

Sophie Spark's assistant, Joshua Payne, was holding a tattoo pen, looking at me with a provocative smile.

"You've been with Sophie for ten years and she still hasn't married you. That makes you a pathetic bachelor, doesn't it?"

I smashed the mirror on the spot.

The shards scattered like rain toward Joshua.

The next second, Sophie rushed in and shielded him behind her.

She frowned at me, her voice full of impatience.

"He's just a young guy joking around. What right does that give you to pick on him?"

I stared at her open collar.

On her chest was a faint red mark.

Looking closer, in the shadow of her cleavage, I could make out the words 'I Love Joshua'.

Joshua peeked out from behind her, acting cute as he spoke.

"Sophie was worried I'd be bored, so she specially bought me a tattoo pen that won't wash off. I was just joking around. You're not that petty, are you?"

I ignored Joshua Payne. My eyes were locked on the red mark on Sophie Spark's chest.

It felt like a hole had been torn open in my chest, cold air rushing in.

My lips parted, my voice hoarse.

"Sophie… What is that?"

She froze for a moment, then followed my gaze downward. Her expression shifted instantly.

Almost instinctively, she stepped toward me, about to explain.

"I did that."

Joshua's voice cut in, laced with a hint of mock complaint.

"The last time Sophie was in a meeting, she was too busy chatting with others and completely ignored me. So, I left a little mark just to teach her a lesson."

Sophie let out a soft laugh, her tone helpless, but her eyes were full of indulgence.

"You still have the nerve to say that? You embarrassed me in front of the entire board."

The office fell into a strange, heavy silence.

It felt like the blood in my body had frozen, thick and unmoving.

Sophie was always gentle with me, always accommodating. However, there was one thing she would never compromise on.

Work.

She was almost ruthless about it. No interruptions allowed.

Back then, when I got into a car accident and was rushed into intensive care, I begged to see her.

She had only said, coldly, "Anthony Miller, I told you I'm busy. Don't bother me if it's nothing serious."

Then, she broke her own rules just to amuse another man.

A bitter ache rose from my chest, climbing up my throat.

Before I could speak, faint whispers drifted in from outside the door.

"They said Ms. Spark's husband is inside. I really want to see what he looks like."

"I heard that for their wedding, she spent nine hundred and ninety-nine million dollars to build him a private estate."

A few young women reached the doorway, surprised to find it slightly open.

They looked up and saw my face.

My once clean, composed features were probably ruined by those humiliating words.

The chatter stopped abruptly. Their eyes froze for a second before they hurried away.

The room became unbearably quiet.

Then, Joshua suddenly let out a laugh.

Sophie instinctively stepped in front of him.

"Joshua. Apologize."

Joshua curled his lips, clearly unwilling, and tossed out a careless line.

"Fine. Sorry."

He rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, "Old men are such a hassle. Can't even take a joke."

Sophie patted him lightly, as if soothing him, before turning back to me.

"He's already apologized. Don't make a big deal out of it. He's only twenty and simple-minded. He just says whatever comes to mind."

Then, she could not help but laugh. "Besides… You are a bit of an old bachelor anyway."

My breathing stalled. My fingers clenched so tightly my knuckles turned white.

The skin where the tattooed words were still stung, but it was nothing compared to the pain tearing through my chest.

Sophie let go of Joshua and walked toward me.

She pulled a few tissues from the table, her tone softening. That was rare for her.

"Alright, don't be upset. Wasn't it you who asked me to take better care of Joshua back then?"

Yes. Back then, I pitied him.

When Joshua had cried and begged me to fund his education, I gave in. I brought him out of that remote mountain village myself.

I sent him to the best schools, hoping he could grow freely, without limits.

However, I never imagined that the person I pulled out of the mud with my own hands would one day step on me to reach things he could never have touched before.

Sophie stopped in front of me, trying to wipe the markings off my face.

However, the ink would not come off. The more she rubbed, the worse it smeared.

My carefully styled appearance fell apart. My face was a mess of dark streaks like a ridiculous clown.

Joshua covered his mouth, already laughing. The smugness in his eyes was not even hidden.

"Sophie, I almost forgot. We've got that business banquet in half an hour. We should go."

At that, Sophie's expression sharpened.

She turned to look at me.

"Right… We're out of time. Anthony, I was going to bring you along, but it looks like we'll have to reschedule.

"Head home. When I get back tonight, we'll talk."

Joshua stood at her side. As he turned away from me, he tilted his head slightly–and flashed me a quick, subtle smile.

There was no apology in it. Only naked provocation. Only victory.

I watched Sophie follow him without a second thought.

The last trace of warmth in my chest quietly vanished.

"Sophie, if you can't handle this, I'll deal with it my own way."

She finally turned back toward me. Her face was blank, even tinged with impatience.

"Enough, Anthony. Stop being unreasonable. We'll talk when I get back."

With that, she left with Joshua.

The door was not fully closed. Voices from the hallway drifted in, broken and faint.

First, Joshua's lowered voice: soft, anxious, almost pitiful.

"Sophie, Anthony is so jealous, and he's always making a fuss. What if he tries to get back at me? What should I do?"

Then, I heard Sophie's voice: calm and certain.

"He wouldn't dare. I know Anthony. He loves me too much. He'd never do anything to hurt me."

Their footsteps faded into the distance.

I got into my car and sent a message to the Kastor family, the hosts of tonight's banquet.

[Send Joshua to me at ten tonight.]

In the city, at the very top of the social circle, everyone was desperate for a chance to curry favor with me.

Joshua had just handed the Kastor family that opportunity.

If there was no retaliation, then I did not deserve to carry the Miller name.

The car had barely stopped at the villa entrance when Jasper Lewis, the housekeeper, hurried over.

"Ms. Spark came back earlier. She said she wanted to take Mr. Payne to tonight's charity auction, but he didn't have a suitable outfit."

He hesitated, then added, "She… She took him straight into your dressing room."

My heart sank, though my voice remained steady.

"What did Joshua choose?"

Jasper took a deep breath, clearly holding back his anger.

"The 'Blazing Flame', the one Ms. Spark specially made for you."

My breath caught.

The 'Blazing Flame' was not some custom piece from a luxury brand.

It was my grandmother's design, something she had poured her heart into before she passed, stitching it together by hand, piece by piece, as a wedding suit.

That outfit's value could no longer be measured in money.

As my girlfriend, Sophie knew exactly how much it meant to me.

I had never doubted that she once loved me.

However, in that moment, I understood that love can change in an instant.

My phone started vibrating like mad.

A dozen messages from an old friend flooded the screen.

[That pretty boy named Joshua… Has he lost his mind?!]

Below was a link of a photo that had clearly gone viral.

It was my face. I was caught mid-expression, shock and anger I had not managed to hide.

Across my face, two bold black words were scrawled.

[Old Bachelor]

It was like a stain that would not wash off.

My hair was a mess. I looked utterly disheveled.

The caption had been posted by Joshua.

Just one sentence, followed by a smirking emoji:

[Teaching this useless rich kid who lives off his family a lesson. What do you all think–did I do the right thing?]

My friend called immediately.

"It's blowing up everywhere. I mean, what he said isn't technically wrong, but…"

I understood what he meant.

My reputation was in ruins.

I opened my mouth, intending to brush it off with a joke.

However, it felt like something was lodged in my throat. No sound came out.

I took a deep breath, forcing my voice to stay calm.

"Don't worry. I'll handle it."

I hung up.

Almost at the same time, footsteps came from outside the villa.

More than a dozen bodyguards in black walked in, dragging a bound Joshua and throwing him onto the floor.

He struggled, shouting hoarsely, "Anthony, all you know how to do is harass people using your family's power. What else can you do?!"

Then, something seemed to occur to him, and a smug grin spread across his face.

"If Sophie finds out what you've done to me, she won't let you off!"

I crouched down, brushing my fingertips lightly across his smooth cheek as I spoke quietly.

"Joshua, my name is Anthony Miller."

He froze, clearly confused by the sudden statement.

I paused, watching the color slowly drain from his face.

"You've probably heard what the name 'Miller' stands for in this city."

He was in shock, fear flooding his expression.

Of course he knew.

In the capital, the Miller family existed in a realm so high it was beyond his reach.

Joshua forced himself upright, though his voice trembled.

"I-I just wore one of your outfits! What's the big deal?!"

As he spoke, he fumbled to unbutton his suit.

However, he tugged too hard, and the buttons snapped off and clattered across the floor.

"That's unnecessary. I don't want anything that's been soiled."

I let go of him and took the disinfectant towel Jasper handed me, carefully wiping my hands.

"People who've been tainted… I don't want those either."

Joshua went rigid, all color draining from his face.

I gave a slight nod to the tattoo artist I had called in.

The artist picked up his machine and began marking Joshua's body without hesitation.

Joshua screamed.

One stroke after another, the ink carved itself into his skin, his arms, his neck, even his face, leaving behind glaring red text.

He cried, begged, then cursed.

By the end, he lay collapsed on the floor, his body covered in grotesque red markings.

I looked down at him, my tone calm and detached.

"Oh, I forgot to mention. This tattoo ink is specially made. It won't fade. It'll stay with you for the rest of your life."

I tilted my head slightly, almost amused.

"I was just joking around with you, Mr. Payne… You're not upset, are you?"