Chapter 2

Things had been pretty rough between Zane and me. He was buried in work and was hardly ever home. I kept catching whiffs of different perfumes, and I found him grinning at his phone late at night on the couch more than a few times. We had just made plans a week ago to introduce each other to our families. Paul Gibson, my dad, had his secretary rearrange his schedule for us. But after waiting three hours, the only person who showed up was Zane's secretary. "Mr. Holt is busy, unlike you freeloaders who spend all day with your hands out and have nothing better to do." Dad was so mad that he stormed out, throwing both the secretary and the gift out the door. However, after our fifth anniversary, Zane had been acting all sweet and into me again, just like when we were in school. He would cancel his own work to drive me to my job and back. "Happy wife, happy life. I'm lucky to be the one driving you to work." One time, all I did was casually say I felt like having strawberry cake. The next thing I know, he knocked on the bakery door at midnight and paid a crazy amount to have them make one just for me. If I got dragged to a work dinner, he would get jealous and end up throwing hands with some guy sitting next to me who was getting too friendly. "There are plenty of other seats. Why would he have to sit right next to you? He's clearly up to no good." Every news outlet ran the same story about how Zane was completely devoted to me. All the gossip pages dug up everything from our dating past. Suddenly, the "EllieAndZane" power couple was the talk of the town, becoming the headline story on every platform. People online called us a real-life love story about believing in someone before they made it. The saying of choosing a future CEO back when he was still building his company in a garage was suddenly back in the spotlight. The balance of gentleness and authority made Zane every woman's idea of a perfect partner. Joyce was the only one who looked at me with utter disappointment. "No way you fell for that. Did you bother to look into the post? Between you and me, Mr. Vaughn did the same before the divorce." I took a sip of the milk Zane had heated up earlier and chuckled. "Come on. I'm not that naive." I knew exactly what he was up to. After all, each pill he dissolved into my glass was just another vitamin I had switched there instead. I had my own account ready for every single transfer he made. I guessed part of me was still curious. After all we had for five years, could he really be that heartless? On my birthday, he even gifted me a limited-edition sports car and broadcast the entire thing live. Seeing how happy I was, he pulled out a diamond ring and got down on one knee, his expression serious. "The whole reason I started this business was to give you a better life. Now that I've finally made it, I can make you happy. Will you marry me? I love you with all my heart." Tears rolled down my cheeks as I looked at Zane. I had imagined this moment countless times, but for it to happen under these circumstances was truly ironic. Someone remarked, "You're the luckiest woman in the world." Another person chimed in, "You two better stay together forever, or I'll never believe in love again." A viewer commented, "How do I get a man like Mr. Holt? I'll do anything." That livestream chat was going wild, but the post on my phone told a completely different story. Half an hour ago, the poster made the final update. "My plan on my girlfriend's end is already set in motion, and things are looking great. Significant progress has been made toward the new goal. This will be the final update to this thread. Best wishes." Unsurprisingly, the comments were flooded with hate. "You're lower than dirt, you animal." Someone scolded, "You're nothing but trouble. Someone needs to dox him and send him to hell." One user wrote, "I hope the person who posted this will go through a lifetime of poverty." But the burning question for many remained—what kind of person could possibly make a CEO worth tens of millions go to such lengths to get close to? Sitting in the car, I rubbed the diamond ring on my finger as I typed a reply under the post. "It sounds like she's crazy rich."