Chapter 1 Seven Years of Waiting

When Louisa Graham finished her resignation letter, she looked out the window at a massive digital billboard. The announcement of Thaddeus Cromwell and Danica Watson's wedding had been on a loop for seven days straight. Everyone said that Danica was the love of Thaddeus' life, yet no one knew that Louisa had been the one who stayed by his side for a full seven years. She had given him her best years—from the age of 18 all the way to 25. But now, he was about to marry someone else, and Louisa decided it was finally time for her to walk away. She planned to disappear from Thaddeus' world on the very day he got married. Louisa took her gaze off the billboard, folded her resignation letter neatly, and slipped it into a white envelope. Just then, the door to her office was pushed open from the outside. Thaddeus walked in dressed in a black shirt with the collar slightly open, paired with matching trousers that accentuated his long legs. His stride carried an air of urgency, and his imposing, aristocratic presence filled the room. Louisa remembered the first time she saw him. He had also been wearing a black shirt, sitting alone in the corner of a bar with a drink in hand. He had looked utterly defeated back then. At the time, his family had gone bankrupt, and he even had to pawn his watch to pay for his drinks. Louisa had redeemed that watch and took him along with it. However, a capable person like Thaddeus, though reduced to a desolate state for a time, eventually rose to the top once more. Eventually, he rebuilt everything from scratch and became the influential figure in Galaton that he was today. "Why haven't you replied to my messages?" Thaddeus asked, his cool gaze falling on the envelope in Louisa's hand. Louisa gestured toward the window with the envelope. "I was watching your and Ms. Watson's wedding announcement video." Thaddeus' gaze darkened slightly. "Weren't you the one who finalized the final draft of that video? What's so interesting about it to you?" Yes, she had been the one who finalized the video. Every photo of him and Danica, every sweet moment of theirs, and even every romantic vow in that video had been personally selected and written by her. Back when he assigned her the task, his exact words had been, "Louisa, I need you to handle this personally. Danica doesn't trust anyone else with it." He and Danica had reconnected three months ago, but their history went all the way back to their school days. Unfortunately, seven years ago, Danica had gone abroad, and the Cromwell family had gone bankrupt, separating the young couple. Three months ago, Danica and her entire family returned from overseas. That was when Thaddeus got his chance to rekindle their old romance. He had even made a grand, highly publicized proposal to her. Everyone around Thaddeus had been certain he would marry Louisa, the woman who had stood by him for seven years. Even Louisa herself had thought so. In fact, just three months ago, he had taken her to choose a ring she liked and bought one in her size. But on that night, when fireworks lit up the entire city, he had said to her, "Louisa, give me the ring." Then, he took the ring she had so carefully chosen, turned around, got down on one knee, and slipped it onto Danica's finger. Amid the dazzling fireworks, Louisa heard him say to Danica, "I've waited for you for seven years, over 2,500 days and nights. There was not a single moment I wasn't thinking of you." In that split second, Louisa felt her heart shattering like the fireworks above, splintering into countless pieces that could never be put back together. He claimed that Danica had been the one he loved all along. Yet Louisa had been the one working beside him day in and day out. She had been the one he called whenever he got drunk, and the one he held in his arms when he slept. What did all of that amount to? But that was a question Louisa had never dared to ask aloud. Because Thaddeus and Danica's wedding was the answer. So what if she had been by his side for seven years? It still could not compare to the heart-stopping first love he shared with Danica in their youth. Besides, he had never promised her anything during those seven years. From beginning to end, it had all been her own wishful thinking. She could not blame him now that things did not turn out the way she hoped. Louisa pushed the tangled thoughts from her mind and calmly looked at the man she had loved for seven years. "Is there anything I can help you with, Mr. Cromwell?" "I need you to come with me to the Watson residence tonight. I'm sure you know what gifts to prepare," he instructed stiffly. "Of course," Louisa replied. As his assistant, she had always fulfilled his every request without exception. Thaddeus' gaze swept over her face, and he couldn't help but feel that something was off. "Louisa, you—" He halted midsentence, unable to put into words what exactly felt off. In the end, all he could manage was a weak, "You haven't been smiling much lately." It was surprising that he, so wholly devoted to Danica lately, had even noticed something like that. Louisa immediately put on a professional smile. "I'll be more mindful of that in the future, Mr. Cromwell." "Louisa, your position as my personal assistant will never change, no matter what happens. I promise I'll promote you to vice president next year." From secretary to the president's personal assistant, and soon to vice president, these were the titles Thaddeus had bestowed upon her over seven years. But he never knew that what she truly wanted had never been authority or titles. All she had wanted was to be his wife. However, it seemed that that could only remain a fleeting, illusory dream now. "Alright," Louisa said with a smile, accepting his promise. For seven years, she had accepted everything he gave and never once begged for what he did not offer. The inexplicable discomfort in Thaddeus' chest grew heavier. His gaze turned colder as he looked at her. "That is, provided nothing goes wrong, especially with the wedding." "Don't worry, Mr. Cromwell. I will give my best to ensure you and Ms. Watson have a perfect wedding ceremony," Louisa assured. Thaddeus stared at her intently for a few seconds before turning to leave. As his eyes swept past the envelope in her hand, he abruptly stopped. "What are you holding?"