Chapter 1

"Ms. Scully, Mr. Quinlan has approved your resignation, but he didn't notice that you were the one who was resigning. Should I remind him?" Jasmine Scully lowered her gaze slowly when she heard the voice over the phone. "It's okay. Let it be." "But you've been working as his assistant for four years. He likes you the most, and he wouldn't be able to go on without you. Are you sure you don't want to give it a second thought?" The human resource staff's words were heartfelt and earnest, but Jasmine merely chuckled. "He can move on just fine. My parents are ill, and I have to get back to my hometown, so I can go on blind dates and get married. Since Mr. Quinlan approved my resignation, I'll follow the procedure and do a proper handover. I'll leave after a month. Thanks." Jasmine ended the call and continued packing her personal belongings. She had stayed in this villa for three years, and a lot of her stuff was there. She dumped everything in the garbage bag except the essential things. Her room got emptier as she threw more stuff away. Seeing the sight made her zone out for a second, and her memories flashed in her mind. Eight years ago, Jasmine got into Harrington College. She came from an ordinary family, yet she became good friends with Nora Quinlan, the heiress of a wealthy family in New Jarlsburg. Despite their drastically different family background, they found a kindred spirit in each other and spent every single day together, be it in classes, during meals, or going shopping. Gradually, Jasmine was led into Nora's life. She knew her family and fell in love with Martin Quinlan, her brother. However, she buried her feelings deep and told no one about it. When they graduated, Nora studied abroad. Jasmine stayed behind in New Jarlsburg and sent in her resumé. She became Martin's assistant just so she could see him every day. Somewhere down the line, an accident happened, and he got drugged. Jasmine was about to call an ambulance, but he could no longer control himself and pinned her to the wall, kissing her relentlessly. After a night of sensual passion, she woke up to the sight of him sitting by the window. His sharp features were blurred by the swirling smoke, looking composed with a touch of solitude. When Martin heard the noise, he turned and asked bluntly, "Do you love me?" Jasmine instinctively wanted to deny it, but he went on nonchalantly, "You blushed every time you saw me. You remembered everything I liked and disliked. The moment you graduated, you worked as my assistant. Are you going to tell me it's all a coincidence?" Every word he uttered made her cheeks turn completely red—whether it was embarrassment or guilt, she wasn't sure. Amid the awkward silence, Martin suddenly handed her a bank card. "What happened last night was an accident. My heart belonged to someone else. I won't reciprocate your feelings or take responsibility for you. "Nora told me that you came from an ordinary family. There is enough money in this card for you to have a comfortable life. Whatever happened, just let it sink into your memory and stay buried." Jasmine was surprised. She finally recalled that Martin had been calling out the same name over and over last night—Alessa Shaughnessy. To him, Alessa would always remain a first love that was etched deep into his mind. His love for her was so great that it never fizzled out, even if she broke up with him and went overseas. Despite the never-ending scandals with her boyfriends, he insisted on waiting for her to return. Jasmine recalled what Nora said when the latter grumbled to her. "Everyone in the Quinlan family is cold and aloof. I have no idea who my hopeless romantic brother takes after. For years, he had been waiting for Alessa, and he even said that getting together with someone else would just be settling. Apparently, that wasn't what he wanted." Jasmine resonated deeply with the last part of Nora's words. With this exchange flashing in her mind, she suddenly mustered up her courage and called out to Martin, who was on his way out. "I don't want money. All I want is for you to give me a chance. Mr. Quinlan, please be with me and see where our relationship goes. If she doesn't come back, or…" Jasmine trailed off before she went on, "If she comes back, and you still haven't moved on from her, I'll leave willingly." Martin saw the love flashing in Jasmine's eyes, and he was stunned for a few seconds. Then, he walked away, saying, "Suit yourself." From that day on, Jasmine worked as Martian's assistant during the day, and his personal mistress at night. They had indulged in intimacy countless times in his office, his Maybach, even up against the floor-to-ceiling window. Four years, and still no one knew about their relationship, but that didn't stop her from falling hopelessly in love. However, all that changed one day. A few days ago, Jasmine prepared a lot of surprises for Martin's birthday, intending to throw a celebration for him. However, she waited until after midnight and still didn't see him. Instead, she saw something else in her Instagram feed. "The best birthday present is getting back what was once lost." Martin had never posted anything on Instagram, but he had just done that. Above the caption was a picture of him and Alessa kissing under a sky of dazzling fireworks. All the color drained from Jasmine's face, and her heart clenched when she saw the picture. Holding onto the last sliver of hope, she gave Martin a call. Alessa was the one who answered it. She said "Hello?" a couple of times and still didn't get an answer. She turned to him and asked, "Martin, who's Jasmine? She called you but just kept quiet." A brief moment later, his deep, nonchalant voice drifted into the phone. "She's a nobody. Ignore her. Come on, get back to sleep." At that moment, Jasmine knew that it was her cue to back out of her relationship with Martin. She wanted to leave once she was done packing her personal belongings, but she ran into him at the door. Before this, they would be intimate almost every day. To make things easier, she had been sleeping in his villa, but it all ended today. She couldn't stay there anymore. Martin's gaze froze for a second when he saw Jasmine with her stuff, but he didn't ask her to stay at all. "Found a place?" "Yeah. It's the rented place I used to stay in. I've talked it over with the landlord, and he agreed to rent it to me for a month." Martin frowned slightly. "A month? Why?" Jasmine was about to explain, but he didn't seem interested in finding out. His voice was deep as he went on. "I'll give you a ride." She wanted to reject him, but he stood his ground. "The snow is heavy, and it's late at night. Nora is going to be upset if something happens to you." Flat out of options, Jasmine got into his car. They used to indulge in their intimacy countless times in here, but she could barely recognize it now. Adorable plushies were everywhere in the car, the seat cover was swapped for Hey Cat ones, and the snacks were stuffed in every nook and cranny. It was hard for Jasmine to accept that someone as vigorous, resolute, cold, and unapproachable as Martin would decorate his car this way. Noticing the look in her eyes, he said, "Alessa loves it this way." Jasmine caught the hint in his words and fell silent. After a long time, she responded softly, "The years of waiting paid off. She's finally back in your arms. Mr. Quinlan, I'm very happy for you." Martin didn't expect her to say something like that. His gaze darkened a little, and he stopped speaking altogether. They were halfway to her place when Alessa gave him a call, saying that she wanted to make a snowman with him. He pulled over by the side of the road, fully intending to rush to her side immediately, but he hesitated when he looked at Jasmine. Jasmine knew what bothered Martin, and she opened the car door. "Mr. Quinlan, I'll just call a cab." He hummed in response, got out of the car, and helped her move her stuff out. Her hands slipped, and the suitcase fell, hitting the ground with a heavy thud. Martin bent down to help pick them up. Through the glow of the streetlight, he saw the scattered stuff lying on the ground, and his body immediately stiffened. There were unsent love letters with his name on them and some pictures that were secretly taken. There were even some things that he casually threw away, but were retrieved and kept as if they were treasures. Jasmine's heart raced as she frantically picked everything up. "I'm sorry." Martin didn't say another word. He got into his car and drove away. Jasmine waited for a long time in the snow, but no cabs passed her by. She decided she would just carry her suitcase and walk back to her place. However, an electric car crashed into her, leaving a ten-inch gash across her calf. A big patch of the road was stained with her blood. As the driver drove away in panic, she gasped through the pain and sprawled in the snow, unable to get up for a long time. Once the pain subsided, she took out her phone, only to find that Martin had texted her after he left. "Do not stupidly get devoted to a man like this ever again. There are a lot more choices out there. Don't waste your time on me." Jasmine stared at his text, reading it over and over. When the sun came up, she lit a match and set everything in the suitcase to flames outside her place. Her love for Martin had been unyielding for the past eight years, but that too was fed to the flames and turned to ashes. Jasmine swore she would give Martin exactly what he asked for.