Chapter 3

I stared at the screen until it went dark again.

My hands and feet grew ice-cold. I forced the rising bile back down and remained silent.

The next morning, after Harris left, I forced my aching body out of bed, got dressed, and put on some makeup.

Today was an incredibly important, closed-door VC pitch event.

To secure a face-to-face interview with the managing partners of a top venture capital firm, I had worked sleeplessly for three months.

In this city, which was completely controlled by Harris, this was my only chance to break free.

When I arrived at the venue, I found an empty seat in the back row and waited for the presentation to start.

The stage lights went up, and the host introduced the guest speaker.

"Next, let’s welcome the relationship influencer with millions of followers, Sophie, to share her journey of spiritual rebuilding."

My hands clenched the fabric of my skirt. On stage, Sophie was wearing a simple, elegant dress, speaking into the microphone.

As she talked about how her "soulmate" had dragged her out of the abyss of depression, my grip on my portfolio tightened.

Then, Harris, a man who had always despised public events, actually walked onto the stage as a surprise guest.

Under the gaze of the entire audience, he sat down next to Sophie. They didn't even need any polite introduction.

With just a single glance from Harris, Sophie seamlessly picked up the deep psychological discussion. Their chemistry was flawless.

The industry big shots in the audience nodded in approval.

Sitting in the corner, I stared at my fiancé—the man who claimed he only wanted absolute purity with me.

On that stage, he freely poured his warmth onto another woman. This kind of spiritual betrayal was far more agonizing than physical cheating.

As soon as the networking session began, I forced myself to look away from the stage. I stood up to find the investors and present my business proposal.

The lead investor showed great interest and spoke with me. I responded politely and professionally.

Suddenly, I felt a burning gaze on my back.

I turned around. Harris had stopped talking on stage and was staring dead at me.

During the mid-session break, the moment I walked into the backstage corridor, someone grabbed my arm and dragged me into a utility closet.

Harris pinned me against the wall, locked the door, and pinched my chin, his voice dangerously low.

"I told you yesterday to stay home and rest. Did my words go in one ear and out the other?"

"And you dare to smile so flirtatiously at another man right in front of my face?"

"Chloe, have you completely forgotten my rules?"

A wave of humiliation rushed over me. I slapped his hand away.

"I was doing my job! He is the lead investor!"

"Job?" Harris sneered. "Do you even need a job?"

"My credit card has no limit. Do you really need to go and sell smiles to those disgusting men?"

I trembled with rage, pointing at the door and yelling, "I'm not allowed to smile at investors, but what about you?"

"What you and Sophie did on stage—that 'soul connection'—what is that? Spiritual cheating?"

His face went completely cold, his eyes filled with disapproval.

"Chloe, that is spiritual salvation."

"Sophie needs my validation to recover."

"To twist our relationship with your low-class jealousy only makes you look completely unreasonable."

With that, he flung the door open and left. I leaned against the wall, gasping for air.

A few minutes later, I walked back toward the main hall. Just as I reached the entrance, I heard him speaking to the lead investor.

"Mr. Vance, there is a serious issue with Chloe’s proposal."

"She is my fiancée, and her health has been very poor. Her mental state is unstable, and I don't want her to overwork herself. She is pulling out of this project."

Mr. Vance looked disappointed. "But Chloe's proposal is brilliant. A sudden replacement..."

"There's no need to worry," Harris’s tone left no room for argument.

"I highly recommend Sophie to take over as the chief consultant for this project."

"Her insight into human nature is a hundred times more profound than Chloe’s."

"If you agree, Harris Group is willing to inject an additional twenty million dollars into this funding round."

Standing outside the door, I felt my chest tighten. Three months of my blood, sweat, and tears—gone. Just for his so-called purity, he had personally crushed my last piece of career hope.

Inside, Mr. Vance gave a compromising laugh. "Well, since you put it that way, Mr. Harris, we will go with your recommendation, Sophie."

"As for Chloe, I’ll have my assistant send her the rejection letter."

I turned around and walked out of the building with heavy steps.