Blurb：
After six years with Liam Sherman, Mimi Southwell discovers his shocking betrayal when he proposes to his longtime crush Vivi Johansen on her birthday. Heartbroken but resolute, Mimi turns to her father Adam Southwell and agrees to an arranged marriage with the powerful Chandler family. Watch as Mimi navigates love, loss, and new beginnings in this emotional rollercoaster. Will Liam Sherman regret his choices? Can Vivi Johansen truly replace Mimi? Dive into this tale of betrayal and arranged marriage now!
Content：
My boyfriend of six years, Liam Sherman, proposes to his long-time crush, Vivi Johansen, on my birthday. With that, the passionate love between us is a thing of the past.
I come to my senses and distance myself from him, choosing to put our relationship behind us. As such, I decided to go along with the arranged marriage my family has planned.
Chapter 1
In the sixth year of our relationship, I found a gift box containing an engagement ring in the coat pocket of my boyfriend, Liam Sherman.
On the day of my birthday, I was filled with anticipation, only to see a post of him visiting a high-end restaurant frequented by couples with another woman.
I hurriedly took a taxi to that restaurant and personally witnessed him getting down on one knee to propose to someone else. Everyone around them was teasing them, encouraging them to get together.
Even though I was filled with disappointment, I didn’t kick up a fuss like before. Instead, I quietly made a call to my father, Adam Southwell.
“I agree to the arranged marriage with the Chandler family, Dad. Let’s start preparing for the wedding,” I said.
…
After he heard what I said, Adam was stunned, but it was quickly replaced with elation. “It looks like you’ve finally thought things through, dear Mimi. The most important thing in marriage is to find yourself a good match.
“It’s alright if you want to try dating all those average Joes out there, but you can’t settle for average for the rest of your life!”
I hummed softly in acknowledgement. As I stood alone in the lobby of the high-end restaurant, I watched Liam and that woman kiss as the crowd erupted.
Amidst the cheering, I remained motionless, my limbs as stiff and heavy as stone.
Adam heard the commotion on my end and urged, “When will you be coming home to meet the young heir of the Chandler family, then? They’ve been urging us to proceed with the engagement for quite some time.”
“Three days later, I’d say. I’ll head home immediately after I’ve tied up all my loose ends here,” I replied.
As I hung up, Liam shakily helped the woman put on the ring. He noticed me as he got up, perhaps because I stood out so starkly from the enthusiastic crowd surrounding him.
The two of us gazed at each other through the crowd. Seemingly rather surprised by my presence here, he frowned before leading the woman back to her seat.
Roses, champagne, melodious piano music, and a romantic candlelight dinner… In the six years we’d been together, I’d never had a meal with him in such a place.
I turned to leave. Liam’s good friends were all here. In fact, one of them had been the one to make the post I’d seen before.
Before I left, I even heard them wolf-whistling and clapping.
“You two really are a perfect match! After so many years, you’ve finally gotten together!”
“Come on! Cheers, everyone! Let’s drink to the new couple and wish them a happy marriage!”
Inwardly, I smiled bitterly. During the six years I’d been with Liam, none of his good friends even knew about our relationship. Yet, they were all aware of the relationship between him and that woman.
An unnamed bitterness clawed at my heart. The sweet warmth that I’d felt when I first discovered the ring in his pocket had now turned into a bitter coldness.
After taking a taxi home, I saw that a birthday cake had been delivered to the house. The gift card hanging on the outside of the box had Liam’s handwriting on it.
It read, “Happy birthday to you, babe. May all your wishes come true.”
The deliveryman smiled enviously at me. “Your boyfriend treats you so well, miss. He ordered the most expensive cake in our store and even personally wrote you a message!”
I opened the door and placed the cake on the table without much care. It turned out he still remembered that today was my birthday. Why, then, had he done all that today?
I lay down on the couch as if I’ve lost my skeleton. I subconsciously started tearing up at the sight of the empty room.
The room was filled with signs of the life we shared together, yet Liam had bought an engagement ring to propose to another woman.
When I looked at the birthday cake now, I simply felt sick to the stomach.
After lying on the couch for a long time, to the point where I’d almost lost track of time, the apartment door was suddenly pushed open.
Chapter 2
Liam returned, worn out, while he held a bouquet of fresh flowers in his arms. Then, he walked toward me without any trace of guilt or apology on his face. “I brought you your favorite lisianthuses, Michelle.”
lisianthuses, a symbol of loyalty and love. But they looked like nothing but a joke in Liam’s arms.
As I took the bouquet from him, Liam assumed that I’d stopped being angry and began to explain himself.
He said, “Vivi has bone cancer, and her only wish is to marry me. I grew up with her, so I can’t just not help her attain her wish. I’ll be getting engaged to her in three days. You’ve always been a considerate person, so you surely understand where I’m coming from, right?”
He sounded more like he was informing me of something rather than giving me an explanation.
So, he was going to be engaged to Vivi in three days, was he? It was certainly a coincidence, as I was also preparing to leave in three days.
I nodded silently.
In the past, he hated when I threw tantrums like a spoiled princess. He told me that every time I encountered a trivial problem, I’d try to gain his attention by asking him over and over again whether he loved me. Later, I gradually mended my ways and learned to be tolerant.
Right now, I wasn’t making a fuss or forcing him to tell me whether or not he loved me, and it actually made him glance at me with surprise.
“I’ll be moving out to live with Vivi tomorrow. You might have to put up with living alone for the next few months. Vivi is sick, so she needs me more than you right now,” he said.
I smiled and put the bouquet down. Seeing that I wasn’t raising any objections, Liam moved closer to me and tried to touch my face.
I smoothly evaded his grasp. There were still obvious lipstick smudges on his shirt collar, and a sweet perfume invaded my nose, making me gag.
My rejection angered Liam, and he quickly left the apartment without saying anything else.
I, on the other hand, tossed the flowers and cake into the trash. Then, I started packing my things.
I didn’t want the flowers, and I no longer wanted Liam either. I no longer had any attachments to this home that I’d lived in for six years.
Chapter 3
After I returned to my company the next day, I sat at my station and started to print out my resignation letter.
Liam and I met and fell in love in university. He later started working at a technology company, and I followed him to that same company. I refused my parents’ arrangements for me and started working with him from the bottom of the hierarchy.
After I got together with him, I’d also previously hinted at marriage. However, Liam was busy with work and always insisted that he hadn’t successfully carved out a career for himself yet.
He said that he was afraid my parents wouldn’t be willing to let me, their beloved daughter, marry him. He’d always told me that he wanted to establish a career before starting a family.
In order to avoid burdening him, I had no choice but to tactfully convince my parents not to mention anything about our family background to him. I was afraid that revealing anything about my family origins would put even more pressure on him.
Now, he had become the vice president of the company. The moment I found the ring in his pocket, I’d been expecting him to finally make the decision to propose to me. In the end, it’d all been wishful thinking on my part.
A colleague of mine, Lina Lindsey, walked over and saw the resignation letter on my computer screen.
“Were you not going to be promoted to technical director soon, Michelle? Why are you resigning all of a sudden?” she asked, looking slightly shocked.
I smiled and replied, “I’m going to get married soon. When that time comes, I may switch over to another company.”
Lina smiled in return and congratulated me. “Why have there been so many good things happening around our company recently? I also saw Mr. Sherman’s post about him getting engaged last night!
“I must say, Mr. Sherman and his girlfriend really are a good match. Apparently, they were also childhood friends who grew up together, and they had mutual crushes on each other.”
I suddenly struggled to keep the smile on my face. I used my phone to check and realized that Liam had blocked me on both his main and alt accounts long ago.
Liam’s main account was his personal one, and he’d blocked me on it after leaving the apartment last night.
On the other hand, he used his alt account as a business account. When I looked through our private messages, I saw that the only chat history left consisted of some ordinary messages between a superior and his subordinate.
At that moment, Liam walked into the office with Vivi in tow. The two of them stood closely to each other.
Vivi had a rosy complexion and a bright smile on her face, not at all like a sick person.
Liam then introduced her to everyone. “This is the company’s new technical director, Vivi Johansen. Let’s all get to know each other and work together in harmony from now on.”
Lina was stunned. She looked between me and Vivi, then eventually greeted Vivi with a wave. “Hello, Ms. Johansen!”
I didn’t say anything, my hands clenching tightly around my resignation letter.
Liam looked at me in displeasure. “Everyone else has already greeted the new technical director, Michelle Southwell. What kind of attitude is that?”
Vivi chuckled and extended a hand. “We’ll be working in the same company in the future, so please take good care of me.”
Just as I was about to reach my hand out, Liam pulled Vivi’s hand back. “You’re the technical director. There’s no need to care about the feelings of some low-level employee. Let’s go. I’ll help you familiarize yourself with this new environment.”
The two of them then left, leaving me standing where I was with my hand outstretched, looking like a clown.
Chapter 4
Lina sat me down and started gossiping with me at our workstation. “You saw her, right, Michelle? That woman just now is Mr. Sherman’s fiancée!
“You know the diamond necklace she’s wearing on her neck? Mr. Sherman gave it to her yesterday. It’s apparently worth hundreds of thousands of dollars!
“Still, Mr. Sherman’s being way too obvious with his nepotism! You’ve been with the company for five years, and your work capabilities are obvious to everyone. Despite this, he actually gave the position that should’ve belonged to you to someone else just like that!”
I nodded absentmindedly. I’d been planning to resign anyway, so Vivi’s sudden promotion today simply made me even more aware of just where I stood in Liam’s eyes.
…
I knocked on Liam’s office door with some documents and my resignation letter in hand.
“Enter,” Liam said coldly.
I placed everything down on his desk, including the documents I would need to hand over after my resignation.
As Liam flipped through those documents, his expression grew darker and darker. Eventually, he lifted his head and stared at me with a contemptuous smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
He said, “Yesterday, I thought you’d mended your ways and would no longer throw tantrums willy-nilly, Michelle. But you’re showing your true colors today, aren’t you?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he threw the documents at me, harshly and without warning.
I dodged, then lowered my head and picked up the documents on the floor one by one.
He continued, “She just robbed you of your promotion, that’s all! Vivi majored in the same field as me. I gave her the position of technical director because I believed in her capabilities. What right do you have to lose your temper?”
I neatly stacked up the documents, placed them in front of him, then replied calmly, “I’m not throwing a tantrum. I simply want to resign.”
So, Liam understood Vivi’s capabilities because she’d majored in the same field of study as him. What about me then?
I majored in jewelry design back in university, but chose to double-major in another field for Liam’s sake. For so many years, I worked day and night to catch up to him. Yet, it turned out that my efforts were completely worthless in his eyes.
Liam glared condescendingly at me. “Shouldn’t you be aware of your own capabilities? I’ve already assigned you under Vivi, so you can watch and learn from her in the future.”
I smiled. “My time is incredibly valuable too. I won’t learn about something I won’t enjoy ever again.”
“Fine! Go ahead and leave! Let’s see what company will hire you in the future!” Liam snapped.
As he spoke, he rose from his office chair and glared at me like a vengeful demon. I simply turned and left his office.
I’d considered the six years I’d spent with him as an act of compassion toward a stray I’d picked up off the streets. However, I would never let my world revolve around him again, especially not when he wanted me to let Vivi into that orbit.
Chapter 5
At noon, I returned to my workstation, ready to move everything out.
Liam was the one who’d given me the asteroid ornament on my desk. He’d even sworn sincerely that I was his entire world back then.
I smiled self-deprecatingly as I looked at the ornament. In the end, I still took it with me.
Just as I was about to leave with the box of my belongings in my arms, Vivi suddenly walked into the office, looking anxious.
“I’m sorry, everyone. I seem to have lost the necklace I was wearing today. Could I please ask all of you to cooperate for a routine inspection?” she asked.
Everyone else in the office started whispering to each other.
“I saw Ms. Johansen’s necklace when I arrived today! The diamond on the necklace was huge! It was so bright and shiny too!”
“I think Ms. Johansen actually worded things too nicely. Someone definitely got greedy at the sight of that diamond necklace and stole it!”
“Oh my goodness! There’s actually a thief in our office! I was wondering why the biscuits and snacks on my desk were always going missing!”
Liam was by Vivi’s side. He ordered the security guards to block the door, then started searching everyone one by one.
When it was my turn, I put down the box and cooperated with his inspection.
He evidently noticed the asteroid ornament on top of the other items at a glance. After a moment’s pause, he still asked someone to empty out the contents of my box.
The contents fell to the floor with a ringing clatter. The ornament was completely smashed and became little more than trash, just like our six-year relationship. The moment cracks formed in it, there was no fixing it.
As several security guards rummaged around on the floor, Vivi suddenly exclaimed in shock, “My necklace!”
Everyone in the office was attracted by the sound of her exclamation. Their gazes landed on me, and their accusations rang out unceasingly behind my back.
“Oh my goodness! Michelle actually stole the new director’s necklace! If Mr. Sherman hadn’t instructed people to seal off the office, she’d probably have long gotten away with the necklace!”
“I honestly didn’t think Michelle was that kind of person! You really can’t judge a book by its cover. It’s just because the new director swooped in out of nowhere and stole her promotion, right? She’s so petty!”
“Damn, Michelle’s way too petty. I didn’t expect her to be a thief. It’s fortunate she’s already resigned or I’d be a little afraid of being in the same room as her!”
I turned pale. I definitely hadn’t touched Vivi’s necklace. Someone must have tampered with my belongings when I was handing in my resignation.
Liam looked ashen as he picked up the diamond necklace from among the assorted items on the floor. He held the necklace with an expression that seemed to say he was extremely disappointed toward me. “Michelle Southwell!”
As he shouted my name in rage, I looked down to see that he’d trampled my belongings underfoot. He even stomped forcefully on the broken fragments of the asteroid ornament.
Just as I lifted my head, he slapped me without giving me any chance to explain. “Apologize to Vivi! Why did you have to steal the necklace I gave her?”
At that moment, I completely gave up on him.
He held in hand a necklace he’d given to Vivi, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars; crushed under his feet was a cheap ornament worth less than a fraction of the necklace’s value.
For an instant, I felt tears welling up in my eyes. Being misunderstood by my colleagues hurt less than that slap I’d received from Liam, the person I’d been with for six years. He actually didn’t believe me.
Seeing that I wasn’t saying anything, he dragged me over to Vivi as if he was taking the trash to the incinerator and said harshly, “I told you to apologize! Explain why you stole the necklace.”
A hint of smugness flashed through Vivi’s eyes. Soon, though, she pretended to frown and reach out to help me up from the cold floor.
I waved her away, gathered the last bit of stubbornness I could muster, and got up from the floor.
Although my eyes were blurry with tears, I kept my back straight. “I didn’t take it! There are surveillance cameras in the office! I request to bring up the surveillance footage to prove my innocence!
Then, I stared into Vivi’s eyes and enunciated word by word, “Also, a mere diamond necklace like that isn’t even worth my attention!’
Chapter 6
“Enough! Stop freaking out!” Liam snapped.
He covered my mouth and dragged me out of the office. He had his palm wrapped so tightly around my mouth and nose that it felt as if he was trying to suffocate me.
Then, I heard Vivi magnanimously saying to my colleagues, “Since the necklace has been found, and I didn’t suffer any losses, I won’t pursue this matter any further. We’re all colleagues, after all! I’ll order some afternoon tea for everyone as a show of thanks!”
Liam seemed very afraid that I would publicly reveal my relationship with him. As such, he led me to the office pantry.
“Tell me—what exactly do you want? There’s a limit to how much of a tantrum you can throw.” He massaged his temples as he spoke, looking as if this situation was giving him a terrible headache.
I was panting for breath, and my face was bruised from where he’d grabbed me.
He continued to rant, “When did you become like this? Fortunately for you, Vivi’s a generous person and has forgiven you. You should go and apologize to her immediately!”
“I’m not apologizing! Why should I admit to something I didn’t do?” I asked angrily, glaring coldly at him.
He asked me when I’d become like this, yet I was the one who wanted to ask him when he’d turned into such a stranger.
Vivi entered the pantry and held a paper cup filled with hot water out to me. “Have a drink to calm yourself, Michelle. I know you harbor resentment toward me, but you can’t act so impulsively next time.”
I didn’t take the water from her, but she was scalded by the boiling water and ended up spilling it all over my arm.
“Ow! It’s so hot…” Vivi yelled.
Despite only a few drops of the water landing on Vivi’s fingers, Liam had hurriedly took her to rinse her hand at the sink.
On the other hand, I was only wearing thin clothes, and the water had already soaked through my chiffon blouse. My arm, scalded by the boiling water, felt like it was on fire. There was even steam rising from it.
I went to the bathroom to deal with the burn alone. My left wrist was quickly becoming red and blistered.
As I returned to my workstation to resume packing, enduring the pain all the while, Liam walked out of the pantry and grabbed my hand.
When I hissed in pain, Liam froze and let go of me. Then, he asked a little stiffly, “Are you alright?”
I felt rather amused. He was the one who’d left the handprint on my face, and Vivi was the one who’d deliberately caused the burns on my arm. His current hypocrisy just made me sick.
I shook him off and swept all the items on the floor into a trash can.
He looked as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he turned and left. All he left me was, “You were too impulsive today.”
After cleaning up the mess, I made my way to the company’s control room. There was no way I was going to allow them to slander me without solid evidence today.
However, I ended up in a stalemate with the control room employees.
When I asked to bring up the surveillance footage of the office that morning, the employees stopped me and informed me that only in-house employees were allowed to view the footage.
It was only when I saw my work account being blocked and deleted that I realized this was Liam’s doing. He was the only one who could have arranged for a work account to be deleted so quickly.
He was fully siding with Vivi and had already decided that I was the one who’d stolen the necklace.
It soon occurred to me that this technology company was also one of the businesses under the Chandler family’s name. It made me eager to return home and meet the young heir of the Chandler family, Jayce Chandler.
After returning to the apartment that I’d lived in for six years, I moved all my belongings out in much the same way I was sweeping this relationship out of my life. It was just like taking out the trash.
That night, another deliveryman knocked on my door, this time with a plastic bag containing burn ointment from the pharmacy. I tossed it on the table, not even opening it.
Before I left, I took one last look at this empty house before leaving.
…
The next day, I booked a flight to Northsdale, then I handed over all my remaining work to the person who would take over my position that day.
…
The day after that, I walked into the airport alone, towing my suitcase behind me.
Before I boarded the plane, I sent a breakup message to Liam.
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