Chapter 2

Noah hesitated on the other end of the line. He paused for several seconds. Julia thought maybe she'd been too forward, so she apologized. "I'm sorry if that was out of line, Mr. Vaughan. If you don't want to, just forget it." After a moment, Noah's rough, deep voice came through. "Ms. Evans, why the sudden change of heart? You turned me down two weeks ago." Julia took a deep breath and glanced up at the bedroom above. "The man I loved turned out to be worse than a dog. I must've been blind not to see it sooner." She heard the flick of a lighter on the other end, followed by the faintest smile in his voice. "Alright. I'll come to get you in a week. As soon as you have those divorce papers, we'll get married." Julia agreed, then added, "I heard you own 50 percent of Miller Corporation. I want those shares." She was about to offer something in return when Noah simply said, "Alright. Not just the 50 percent of Miller Corporation, though. You'll have the right to half of everything I own." Julia never expected Noah to be so generous. Before she could process it, he'd already hung up. ... It was midnight when Oliver finally walked into her bedroom. The strong scent of perfume made Julia feel nauseous. She wrinkled her nose and tried to push him away, but Oliver just tightened his grip, and his voice softened. "Come on, don't be mad. I lost control earlier. That's why that happened. "You know I've loved Emily for years. I almost married her back then. Men always feel something special for the one that got away. Sure, I slept with her, but you're still my wife. "Julia, you love me so much. I know you'll understand, right?" Julia felt her heart freezing over, little by little. Oliver had slept with Emily, and he still expected her to understand him? To accept that he was cheating? She forced down the disgust, pushed him off, and said with a blank face, "I don't care." She didn't love him anymore. No matter what he did, it wouldn't matter to her. He wouldn't hurt her ever again. Oliver was a little surprised by her reaction. He knew how outrageous his words were, so he'd already come up with plenty of excuses to cover it up. But when Julia said she didn't care, he suddenly didn't know what else to say. As Oliver stared into her eyes, he quickly came up with his own explanation. Julia was so hopelessly in love with him that no matter what he did, she'd always forgive him. He breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "I knew you'd be the understanding one. Oh, and tomorrow is Emily's birthday. Make sure you come to the party or people will start gossiping." Julia laughed coldly to herself. She was an orphan. She didn't even know when her birthday was, so her birthday had always been set to the same day as Emily's. But for all these years, she had never once truly celebrated her own birthday. She tried to say no, but Oliver told her it was what Martin wanted as well. ... The next day at the party, the entire house was bright as day, filled with business elites coming and going. Miller Corporation was at the top in Harbour City, and everyone wanted to curry favor with Oliver. Julia, out of habit after three years as his secretary, stood at Oliver's side. A petroleum magnate walked over with a glass of champagne. "Mr. Miller, I hear you're about to marry one of the Evans daughters. They have two daughters. Which one are you marrying?" Julia's heart nearly stopped. In their three-year marriage, Oliver had never once acknowledged her in public. Would he this time? All eyes turned to Oliver. Emily immediately took Oliver's arm and smiled. "Oliver and I grew up together. There's no need to spell it out, right?" Oliver just laughed and replied, "Right. Whatever Emily says." He didn't deny it. People all around them started laughing, some even sneering. "The real daughter and the adopted one are just not the same. Julia worked as his secretary for three years without pay, and she still didn't become his wife." "She's just the adopted one. If the Evans family hadn't taken her in, who knows where she'd have ended up?" Julia heard every mocking word. She felt herself growing colder and colder. Maybe she'd heard it all so many times that she couldn't even feel sad anymore. Everyone at the party gave their gifts to Emily, making her the center of attention. Julia just slipped out to the rooftop to get some air. She told herself to hang on a little longer. Once everything was settled, she'd finally be able to leave. As she stood lost in thought, Emily came over with a gift box. "Julia, you haven't gotten any presents today, have you? Let me give you something special." Before Julia could refuse, Emily had already opened the box. What was inside made Julia's face change instantly. It was the lingerie Emily had worn the night before and a used box of condoms.