ria froze, seemingly shocked that I had agreed so readily.
Ross, on the other hand, let out a whoop of joy, peppering her with kisses before finally turning to me, his face alight with triumph. “Fred, I told you! I told you Aria would choose me!”
I gave him a noncommittal nod and turned to leave.
As I stepped down from the stage, I stumbled. A pair of delicate, fair hands steadied me.
“Mr. Green,” a soft voice said, “perhaps you should start noticing the other people in the room.”
I looked at the woman who had caught me-Vera Vance. A small smile touched my lips. I recognized her
face from countless financial news segments in my past life. I just never expected she would be at my eng-
agement party.
“Noticing who?” I asked.
Vera’s smile deepened, her pupils reflecting only my image. She pressed a small slip of paper into my palm. ”
My number. Call me when you have a moment.”
I glanced at her before heading to the changing room.
My parents and Aria’s parents followed me in, their faces grim.
Aria’s parents forced apologetic smiles. “Fred, our daughter has been foolish. Now that things are like this,
we can only do our best to compensate you. Whatever you need, just ask. We’ll do anything to make it right.”
My mother scoffed. “As if we need your…”
I quickly grabbed my mother’s hand, cutting her off. Then, I turned to Aria’s parents with a bright smile. “In
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16:54
that case, Auntie, how about you transfer the Northgate property to me?”
The Northgate plot was currently worthless, but I knew that in a few years, its value would skyrocket. It was that very piece of land that had saved Aria’s family business from bankruptcy in our past life.
They drafted the contract on the spot. I couldn’t stop smiling.
After they left, my mother slapped my arm. “A grown man, publicly humiliated like that, and you’re grinning
from ear to ear!”
I held up the contract. “Shouldn’t I be happy about this?”
And I truly was.
In my previous life, a series of disastrous decisions by Aria’s family had dragged my own family’s company
Green Enterprises, into ruin. Their company was only saved by the Northgate plot. To salvage my own busin
ess, I had poured every waking moment into work.
Aria had thrown countless tantrums, complaining that our life was dull and tedious. She’d ask why I couldn’
just drop everything to travel the world with her.
That’s when Ross had reappeared. He had become a famous travel influencer, his location tag hopping from
one exotic country to the next. Aria would watch his videos, mesmerized. She started using “business trips’
as an excuse, flying to Africa to watch the wildebeest migration with him.
One was a free spirit; the other yearned for that same freedom. It was inevitable that they would be drawn tc
each other.
Her “business trips” became more frequent. Sensing something was wrong, I booked a ticket for the same
flight and discovered her betrayal. When I confronted them, the cold, dead look in her eyes stopped me ir
my tracks. She said that being with me was like being trapped in stagnant water, utterly devoid of life. Only
with Ross did she feel truly alive.
Eventually, she gave up all pretense. “Let’s get a divorce. You can have three-quarters of the assets. You car have the kids. All I want is my freedom.”
‘A person like you,” she’d sneered, “all you care about is money and profit. You’ll never understand the joy of
a life without constraints.”
She said it with the same arrogant confidence she’d had at eighteen.
All I could do was laugh. A life of passion and freedom sounded wonderful, but without a material foundati on to support it, it was just a fleeting high, followed by an empty void. Once she had her fill of adventure, she
would realize she had nothing to show for her life.
For a long time after, I heard nothing from her. I’d only catch glimpses of her when Ross’s videos popped up
on my feed. It seemed she was truly living the life she wanted.
It didn’t bother me. I had my own life, and a partner who truly understood me.
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3
I walked into the lobby of Veridian Global, holding a proposal for the Northgate project, ready to discuss a partnership.
The elevator doors slid open, and I came face-to-face with Aria.
“Fred?”
Ross, standing behind her, looked up. They were both decked out in high-end ski gear-the kind manufactur- ed by Veridian. I knew one of Veridian’s subsidiaries was looking for influencers for a new campaign; I just hadn’t realized it was them.
I gave a curt nod in greeting and moved to step into the elevator.
Aria blocked my path. “How did you know I was here?”
“Fred, I just got back to the country, and you’re already chasing me. Can you be any more pathetic?”
Ross wrapped an arm around Aria, his eyes full of smug satisfaction. “Fred, you acted so tough when you walked away. Why are you stalking her now? Aria and I are doing great. We’re happy. I hear things aren’t going so well for you, though?”
‘I heard Green Enterprises took a nosedive?” He looked me up and down, his eyes dripping with contempt for a failure. “You’re so pitiful, Fred. Your business is gone, you’re getting old, you’ve never even seen the world, and now Aria doesn’t want you. Tell you what, why don’t you be our assistant? We could even pay you
a little extra.”
I looked at them like they were a pair of idiots. Did all that traveling leave their brains on a baggage carousel
somewhere?
Green Enterprises had been restructured and renamed years ago. The old “Green” was just a small subsidiary ‘d left for my younger brother to practice with.
‘No, thank you,” I said flatly. “I’m doing just fine.”
tried to move past them to the elevator panel, but Ross was relentless. He waved at the front desk. “Can ust anyone walk into Veridian? Are you people at the front desk doing your job? Does this man even have an
appointment?”
The receptionist hurried over. “Mr. Green does have an appointment…”
Before she could finish, Ross cut her off. “So what if he has an appointment? I was personally invited here by
Ms. Vance herself. If you offend me, I’ll have her fire you!”
Aria chimed in with a smirk. “Exactly. And besides, this ‘Mr. Green’ isn’t really here to see Ms. Vance. He’s just
trying to find a way to harass me. I’ll handle him for her.”
She even pulled out an old photo of us from her phone and showed it to the receptionist, as if offering proof.
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“Fred, you really are desperate, aren’t you? Making an appointment with the CEO just to get to me. It’s pathet-
ic.”
“Take this outside. Don’t embarrass yourself at Veridian Global.”
The receptionist looked at me, her previously firm expression now wavering. “Mr. Green, perhaps it would be best if you left.”
I felt a knot of frustration tighten in my chest. How could these two be so self-absorbed, so convinced of
their own distorted reality?
I turned to the receptionist. “Please call the CEO’s executive assistant and have them buzz the private eleva
tor.”
She looked at me, her expression turning to one of pity. “Sir, you only have an appointment with Ms. Vance Why would you need the CEO’s private elevator?”
“And besides,” she added, “if you’re really just here to see Ms. Lin, you don’t need to bother the CEO at all.”
Ross rolled his eyes and snorted. “Give it up, Fred. Your family is practically broke. You dare to ask for the CEO’s private elevator?”
The commotion had attracted the attention of other clients waiting in the lobby. Their whispers were loud
enough to hear.
“Who does that guy think he is? Asking for the CEO’s private elevator?”
“Probably another social climber. I heard the CEO is engaged, but that doesn’t stop these guys from trying.”
The audience seemed to fuel Ross and Aria’s performance. Their voices grew louder.
“Fred, I know we had a past,” Aria said, her voice dripping with false sympathy. “But can you please not make
a scene here? Even if we have some connection with Ms. Vance, I can’t just stand by and watch you cause
trouble.”
“There’s a coffee shop outside. We can talk there.”
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Charter Z
Chapter 2
