Chapter 1

It was said that every man carried his first love hidden deep in his heart. Mila Wright had always believed Matteo Hall was the exception. After all, they had been deeply in love since their youth. Sadly, everyone seemed to put their unattainable past love on a pedestal, and it seemed that Matteo was no exception after all. Mila had been with Matteo since she was 18. They had been together for seven whole years now. That was over 2000 days and nights of companionship, sharing countless moments of intimacy, yet none of it ever measured up to the fleeting glimpse of another young woman from his youth. It was almost laughable that she still hadn't been able to properly know him after seven years together. Just how deep did his love run that he could keep someone hidden in his heart for so many years? Mila's distraction displeased Matteo, who was giving his all to her in bed, and he warned her not to lose focus. Matteo had always been intense in bed. In the heat of the moment, he accidentally knocked over a black velvet box on the bedside table. He quickly caught it before it could fall onto Mila. As he had never seen it before, curiosity got the better of him. "What's this?" Without much emotion, Mila took the box from his hand and tossed it aside. Looping her arms around his neck, she pressed her lips to his throat. "You're getting distracted at a time like this? Are you tired of me already?" Unable to resist her seduction, Matteo instantly forgot about the box. As he lost himself in her, Mila turned her head toward the discarded black box, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "You'll never know what's inside that box, Matteo," she thought. … Royal Investment Banking successfully went public a month ago, and Matteo's group of friends had hosted a small celebration in his honor. Mila dressed up for the occasion, planning to propose to Matteo at the party. It should have been the man's role to propose, but Mila loved Matteo too deeply. She was willing to set aside her pride and reserve to be the one who proposed. No one knew she had waited seven full years for this day. Matteo was career-driven, so Mila had changed her preferred major for him, opting for finance, a field she never liked. After graduation, she turned down offers from prestigious foreign universities and joined Royal Investment to work alongside him. Starting as a low-level employee, she had climbed her way up to become his chief secretary. The hardships she'd endured along the way were known only to her. During the most passionate moments of their relationship, Mila had often wanted to ask Matteo, "Will you marry me?" But she always held back in the end. Mila's mother, Emma Wright, had always told her that one should never have to ask for gifts or love. If one party truly loved the other, he would willingly give without being asked. Whatever was given after being asked for was merely charity. Besides, Matteo wasn't the type to wear his heart on his sleeve. And all these years, there had never been another woman by his side. It seemed only natural that things would fall into place between them. For that expected outcome, Mila had fought tirelessly for Royal Investment all these years, regardless of hardship. She had lost count of how many drinks she had forced down and how many times she had ended up in the hospital. Once, after alcohol poisoning and a miscarriage, she almost died on the operating table. Her best friend, Ginny Clarke, had asked her, "Having walked through death's door, do you regret it? Was it worth ruining yourself like this for a man?" Mila nodded without hesitation. "It was worth it." And so, Ginny bestowed a title upon her. She called Mila a "Warrior of Love". "I hope your gamble pays off." Back then, Mila had replied with certainty, "Matteo won't let me down." That belief had sustained her all the way until Royal Investment went public. No one knew that on the day Matteo rang the bell at Harborton, she locked herself in her room and cried her heart out. After drying her tears, she began preparing a surprise proposal for Matteo. There was no helping it, because Matteo was just too busy. With Royal Investment's successful listing, he had numerous projects to push forward and endless congratulations to receive from friends and business partners. Mila was sure he had no time to think about their relationship. So, she chose to take the initiative to shoulder the burden with him. Despite mentally preparing herself earlier on, Mila was still unbearably nervous when the moment finally arrived. She stood outside the door, adjusting her breathing and rubbing her trembling hands over and over again. She was afraid she might choke up before she could even say the proposal she had memorized by heart. Inside, the party was in full swing, and someone was speaking loudly. "Matt, are you still in touch with Penelope Lewis?" "Penelope? Isn't that Matt's first love? Why are you bringing her up all of a sudden?" "I heard she's returning." "Won't that mean that Matt will be able to rekindle things with his first love?" Mila's hands, still trembling with excitement moments ago, suddenly stilled. "Honestly, Penelope's father has been rising steadily these past few years. If Matt married her, it would be a huge help to him and Royal Investment. They'd be a perfect match in every way. And on top of that, she's his first love. He'd be winning in both love and career!" The one speaking was Trent Striver, Matteo's childhood friend. He often claimed he and Matteo were as close as blood brothers, so his words carried unquestioned weight. Matteo… had a first love? Mila felt a sudden pain in her heart. "Then what about Mila?" someone asked curiously. "She's been with Matt for so many years. You can't just disregard all the hard work she's put in, can you?" Trent dismissed it casually. "Just pay her off. If he really likes her that much, he can keep her around after marriage." After all, that was how the people around him handled things. They kept their wives at home while having fun with countless lovers outside. Outside the door, Mila clenched her fingers so tightly they went numb. She desperately wanted to hear Matteo's answer. She hoped he would refute them immediately, to tell everyone that the woman he loved and the one he intended to marry was Mila. But after waiting anxiously, all she heard was his offhanded remark. "Since when did you all get so nosy?" There was no denial—no rebuttal. It sounded more like a silent agreement. "Alright, alright, let's talk about something exciting on a day like this," Trent said, sitting up from the couch to liven the mood. "I'm about to drink myself to sleep here." He was a player who was notorious for going through women faster than he went through his clothes. Always up for thrills, he rallied everyone into a confession game. "Everyone, share the most thrilling thing you've ever done." Someone dropped a bombshell. "We did it in a car." Trent scoffed. "And how's that considered thrilling?" The man added, "In a moving car." The whole room erupted in cheers and gasps. "Damn, you've got some guts!" Trent turned excitedly to Matteo, who seemed bored beside him. "Matt, what about you? What's the most thrilling thing you've done?" Matteo seemed to think for a few seconds before answering, "Being the third party for someone I love." The entire room was shocked the moment the words left his lips. He was Matteo Hall! Heir to one of Jesterville's top families and born with a silver spoon, he could have any woman he wanted. If it wasn't true love, he would never have gone that far! Trent reacted the most intensely, his voice so loud it vibrated against the door and rang in Mila's ears. "It was for Penelope, wasn't it? I knew you still loved Penelope! Back then, you liked Penelope, but Penelope liked Logan Keller, so you willingly became the third party! Matt, you truly are a hopeless romantic!" The laughter and jeers sounded like buckets of icy water, drenching Mila from head to toe. A bone-deep chill seeped into her body. Her stomach churned uncontrollably, and she slowly crouched down. Trent was still talking. He asked Matteo, "Matt, come clean! Did you meet Penelope on October 10th?" Matteo replied, "How did you know?" "She posted on social media that day, saying something about reunions being the most romantic thing in the world. I guessed it had to be you! Did anything happen that night? Were old flames reignited? Did you rekindle things with a bang?"