Chapter 1

"Mrs. Arden Senior, I've made up my mind. I want to break off my engagement with Serena. I'll be leaving Beltoni after celebrating your birthday." When Chase Hutchinson finished speaking these words, Gloria Covington let out a long sigh. "I know Sisi has been too willful lately, and you've suffered a lot. I've seen all your efforts over these years. "I do think that Sisi does have feelings for you, but she's just confused right now. Maybe she'll come around if you wait a little longer. "Do you really want to break off the engagement? My birthday is still ten days away. Why don't you think about it further?" Chase shook his head as he said firmly, "The five-year agreement you made with me is about to expire." His mother, Kendall Adams, married into the wealthy Knight family when he was seven, and he was treated like a burden. When the Knight family members bullied him, Kendall only told him to be understanding and considerate of her situation. On Chase's seventh birthday, they forced him to eat a lot of seafood, causing a severe allergic reaction. If Gloria hadn't rushed him to the hospital, he might have died. Later, it was also her public intervention that made his days with the Knights more bearable. Chase had always felt grateful to her for this. So when Gloria proposed that he become engaged to her granddaughter, Serena, to protect and care for her as her fiance and pull her out of the depths of despair, he immediately agreed. Besides, this proposal was exactly what he dreamed of, as Chase was in love with Serena. Unfortunately, he had only just realized that matters of the heart couldn't be forced. He was too exhausted, and he wanted to give up. During Serena's sophomore year, her boyfriend, Lucian Cole, suddenly vanished without a trace. He even seemed to have assumed a new identity. Serena couldn't accept this and used every means and ounce of strength to search for him, but Lucian had simply disappeared into thin air. Serena's breakdown gradually led to mental health problems. The Arden family certainly couldn't stand by and watch their only daughter become insane, so Gloria approached Chase with a proposal. "Can you help me with something, Chase? Please save Sisi. Get engaged to her and pull her out of this abyss. "I won't ask you to sacrifice your entire life, just five years. After five years, regardless of Sisi's condition, I'll support you unconditionally, even if you want to break off the engagement. "Just consider it as repayment for all the care I've given you over the years. Will you do this for me?" Chase agreed without hesitation because he was deeply in love with Serena, the precious daughter of the Arden family. When he first arrived at the Knight family, Harrison Knight forced him to kneel and fight with dogs for food. It was Serena who ran out to stop them and spoke up in his defense. When people at school mocked Chase as a bastard, Serena stood up to scold them and told everyone he was under her protection. Even when his own mother forgot his birthday, she remembered and prepared a birthday cake and gifts for him. Falling in love with Serena was as natural as breathing for him. From the moment she rescued him from the doghouse, she became his beacon in the darkness. After their engagement, he treated her like a precious treasure, caring for her devotedly and staying by her side every day. He was so careful with her, as if she might melt or shatter in his hands. Whatever Serena wanted to do, Chase always supported her unconditionally. Although he was most skilled at coding, he forced himself to learn business management and handle company affairs to provide her with the best life possible. Even when everyone saw Chase as nothing more than a burden—a scheming, opportunistic guy who married into the Arden family—he didn't care at all. In the second year of their engagement, Serena's condition improved under his companionship. She met a young internet celebrity, Myles Storey, who bore a striking resemblance to Lucian. She began dating him and showered him with kindness. When she asked her father to spend money promoting Myles' career and was refused, she came directly to Chase. Even then, he did as she asked. At that time, the entire city mocked Chase as a cuckold, but none of this mattered to him. He believed that someday Serena would see his sincere heart and be moved by it. Serena eventually broke up with Myles. She promised him that she had finally seen her own heart clearly and would cherish the person right in front of her from now on. Chase was overjoyed, believing that his devotion had finally paid off, and he felt like the happiest man in the world. That was until Lucian suddenly returned. From that day on, Serena became a completely different person. She spent her days wandering Beltoni's streets with Lucian from sunrise to sunset. She would disappear on trips with him without so much as telling Chase where she was going. If Chase didn't call her, she wouldn't think to send him a single message for weeks at a time. And when he did call, all he received in response was her impatience and scolding. Chase slowly came to a painful realization that all his years of devotion meant nothing. No matter how faithfully he stood by her, he could never compete with the power Lucian still held over her. Since that was the case, he chose to step aside and grant them their wish.