Chapter 3
“What else can I do? Hit him back?”
I gave a bitter smile.
“Maybe I should ask him for compensation–five years of relationship and a ruined face. At least a million, right?”
Ryan wasn’t a stingy person..
He’d promised to compensate me.
But now, he was busy preparing for his engagement with his ‘white moonlight,‘ probably long forgetting about me.
Why should I humiliate myself further?
I stayed with Mary for a while as my wound healed.
Just as I was considering leaving Riverland, my family had an emergency.
My father had been running a food stall business with my younger brother outside the city.
I heard that last night, during a dispute over territory, my brother had severely injured someone.
The person insisted on a 500,000 compensation or they would take the matter to court.
500,000…
For a man who had been selling street food for half his life, that was an astronomical amount.
I’d only been working for a year and had no savings.
My father was desperate.
He pulled my hands, crying in agony.
“North, I didn’t approve of you being with that Ryan Lewis before because I thought wealthy ment were unreliable. But now I see… without money, one can’t survive in this world. Please, go ask your boyfriend for help. Please, help your brother…”
A Love Left Behind Embracing a Better Future
1 felt humiliated, yet I had no other choice.
For my brother, I gathered every ounce of courage and went to Ryan’s villa again.
The first person I met was Green.
She was dressed in a sexy black silk nightgown, her fair neck covered with hickeys. From a distance, it was both eye–catching and painful to see.
Her eyes looked at me, full of disdain.
“Ryan likes to take a bath after everything, Miss Price. Are you looking for him for something?”
Nistened carefully and could indeed hear the sound of water flowing from upstairs.
I straightened my back, trying not to lose in the battle of composure.
“I’m here to ask Ryan for compensation. The so–called ‘breakup fee.”
She froze for a moment before raising an eyebrow and sneering. “You? A ruined ex–girlfriend?”
“Yes, I’m the one whose face you ruined.”
I said coldly, “500,000. Surely Miss Murray won’t be so petty as to deny him that amount?”
Green laughed dismissively.
“I’m the daughter of the Murray family. 500,000 isn’t even enough for me to have a decent breakfast, but I will still have him pay…”
She took a step toward me, the mocking smile deepening in her eyes.
“Because… I’m his fiancée now.”
“You want money?”
Suddenly, she turned, grabbed her bag from the sofa, and pulled out five hundred–dollar bills, tossing them in my face.
“With your face right now, Miss Price, it’s worth no more than 500 bucks.”
The bills were few, but they struck my freshly healing wound, sending a wave of pain to my heart.
ooked at her.
A Love Left Behind Embracing a Better Future
She had beauty, status, and could control Ryan with ease.
Over the years, every fight Ryan and I had was because of her.
Every lime Ryan discarded me, I promised myself I would leave him.
Leach time. Ryan would patiently coax me back, swearing he would never do it again.
What he meant by never again was that he thought Green would never come back to him.
In the silence, the sound of water upstairs stopped.
Ryan’s gentle voice echoed down. “Baby, want to join me in the bath?”
“I’m coming!”
Green responded sweetly, then smiled at me.
“Sorry, Miss Price, I need to go up and join my fiancé in the bath.”
She took a few steps toward the stairs, then turned back to glare at me.
“Miss Price, be smart about this. Otherwise, next time, it won’t just be 500,000.”
When I left Ryan’s villa, my tears finally broke free.
I never imagined I would be humiliated with 500 bucks.
I knew I was insignificant, powerless to compete with this privileged, haughty woman.
She could ruin my face and destroy my father’s food stall.
One day, she would take my life as well.
I had to find a way to stop her.
And the only person who could stop her was the head of the Murray family.
The first time I went to the Murray estate, the security guards kicked me out because they didn’t
know Green.
The second time, I went to the Murray building, but I was chased away because Green’s matters were outside of Mr. Murray’s jurisdiction.
A Love Left Behind Embracing a Better Future
apte
I was feeling hopeless when I arrived at the food stall to comfort my father.
Just then, my brother came back.
And with him was a tall, handsome young man.
The man had a strong build, chiseled features, and an aura of authority.
When he bent to get out of the Rolls–Royce, it was as if an elegant piece of art had come to life.
He stood beside the car, looking at me, his gaze so intense that I couldn’t look him in the eye.
“Miss Price, I heard you’ve been looking for me?”
I didn’t understand.
