When Julian received the box of condoms, his brows knit tightly in irritation.

It was too quiet. So quiet it didn't feel like Aria at all.

He remembered last year, when he'd taken another girl out to dinner, Aria had driven her Porsche straight through the restaurant's glass doors, then smashed a wine bottle over the girl's head, blood mixing with spilled wine across the floor.

Last month, when she'd caught him at the movies with some rising starlet, Aria had dug up the girl's plastic surgery history, tax issues, and proof of sugar-daddy deals within three days, wiping her clean out of the entertainment world.

Ten days ago, at his birthday party, he'd put his arm around an influencer. Aria had flipped the cake table on the spot, smashed a bottle, and pressed the jagged glass against the girl's throat. "Get close to him one more time," she'd said, "and I'll make sure you never speak again."

Aria was infamous in their circle for being the kind of crazy that didn't care about consequences.

But this time?

She delivered the condoms and vanished, without even a single accusation.

An inexplicable irritation crawled under Julian's skin. He messaged Aria a warning. "Behave yourself. Don't touch Lila. Or you're out of this city, and even then, I won't spare you a glance."

The next day was the Lawson family's New Year banquet.

He even called Aria personally, his tone all command. "Seven tonight. Dress properly. If you don't come, we're done."

Aria didn't want to go. But then she thought of it, only six days left before she was gone. Why stir up trouble now?

She chose the plainest black gown she owned. The moment she stepped into the banquet hall, she saw Lila in a couture dress, clinging to Julian's arm, smiling sweetly as if she belonged there.

Julian was raising a glass with his cousin, his voice pitched just loud enough for her to hear. "Aria? Hah. She's been so obedient lately."

His cousin teased, "She's that quiet? Maybe she's actually heartbroken. Don't you feel even a little bad?"

Julian let out a scornful laugh, his gaze dripping with contempt. "A woman who's already been used up, what's there to feel bad for? Does she really think she's the wife? Ten years, stuck to me like gum on a shoe. She should take a good look in the mirror."

Laughter exploded around them.

"Exactly! Simps always end up with nothing!"

"Julian's already been more than generous. She's an orphan, totally out of her league. If it were me, I'd have dumped her ages ago."

Aria stood at the entrance, her blood freezing in an instant.

For ten years, she'd thought about leaving more than once. But every time, Julian would get drunk at just the right moment, spoke a few truthful words, and make her hesitate long enough to stay.

But this time, she was really leaving.

Aria dug her nails into her palm until it went numb with pain.

Julian spotted her then.

Instead of holding back, he leaned down and kissed Lila right in front of everyone, his hand sliding along her waist in a shameless, intimate caress.

Everyone turned to look at Aria, their eyes full of ridicule.

Julian went off to toast his parents, Richard Lawson and Catherine Lawson. Lila slipped away from the crowd and walked toward Aria, smiling brightly as she delivered the most vicious words. "Aria, Julian said you're an old woman now. He's had his fun with you, and now you bore him. Why don't you take the hint and get lost? At least you can keep what's left of your dignity."

Aria didn't want to deal with her. She spat out coldly, "Get out of my way. Don't push me."

But Lila suddenly shoved her hard. Aria stumbled back and crashed onto the marble floor.

Lila shrieked and dropped to the floor as well, clutching her ankle as she sobbed, "Aria! Why did you push me? What did I ever do to you?"

Julian strode over. He didn't even spare Aria a glance, only helped Lila up as he barked, "Aria! What the hell is wrong with you? Lila's pregnant and you still dared to lay hands on her? Get out! Don't dirty my home!"

"P-Pregnant?" someone gasped.

"Oh my god, was Aria really vicious enough to go after Lila's baby?"

Aria braced herself against the floor and tried to stand. Her knee burned with pain.

But what hurt more was her heart. The time she'd miscarried for him, he hadn't even bothered to visit her at the hospital.

Now another woman was pregnant, and he looked ready to tear someone apart, protective like a wolf guarding its cub.

She suddenly laughed, laughing at how stupid she'd been for ten years.

No one helped her up. She pushed herself to her feet, brushed the dust from her skirt, and walked out of the banquet hall step by step amid the mocking laughter.

Julian froze. Aria had just learned another woman was carrying his child and she didn't even react?

The wind outside cut to the bone. Aria didn't call a car, walking a full ten kilometers home in high heels that had already rubbed her heels raw.

Back at the villa, Aria opened her mobile banking app, ready to transfer the deposit for the Edelmark hospital's advance payment.

The screen lit up. There wasn't a single cent left.

She thought it was a system error and refreshed the page three times. Still zero.

Her hands shaking, she called customer service. The response on the other end was polite and professional. "Ma'am, the two million dollars in your account were transferred in full yesterday. The recipient was Mr. Julian Lawson."

Two million.

Five years ago, during her first internship at his company, she'd been ostracized for being an orphan and had cried as she said she wanted to quit.

Julian had pulled her into his arms and transferred the money into her account, his voice gentle. "Take it. What's mine will be yours from now on."

She never touched that money.

Even after she got sick and only dared go to a community clinic, she gritted her teeth and held on, treating that money as the last proof of whatever "affection" remained between them.

But now, Julian had taken it back.

Aria's head buzzed violently, her vision going dark as nausea churned in her stomach. She had to brace herself against the wall to keep from collapsing.

She had five days left before her flight. Without that money, her visa would be revoked, and her chance at treatment would vanish completely.

She took a taxi to the Lawson Group headquarters.

The receptionist stopped her. Aria gave Julian's name. "I'm Julian's… I—I'm here to see Julian."

The receptionist's expression turned subtle. "Mr. Lawson is in a meeting… but Miss Bennett is inside."

Aria ignored the comment and walked straight toward the top-floor office.

The door wasn't fully closed. She heard intimate laughter drifting from inside.

"Julian… stop it…" Lila panted softly. "It wouldn't look good if someone saw…"

"What are you afraid of?" Julian chuckled quietly. "Who would dare come in without my permission?"

Aria pushed the door open.

In front of the desk, Lila was straddling Julian's lap, her shirt half open, lipstick marks smeared across her skin.

Seeing Aria, Lila shrieked and ducked behind Julian like a startled fawn.

A spasm twisted through Aria's stomach, and she nearly vomited.

But she bit down hard on her tongue and forced herself to speak. "Julian, the two million in my account, did you transfer it?"

Julian adjusted his cufflinks unhurriedly, looking at her the way one looked at a beggar. "What, does it hurt now?"

"That was my money!" Aria's voice trembled. "That was for my treatment!"

"Yours?" Julian scoffed. "Who was it who said, 'As long as you're here, money doesn't matter'? And now you're keeping accounts with me so carefully?"

He stood up, pulling Lila tightly against him, his voice turning icy. "You made Lila cry more than once. That money counts as compensation. And a warning."

The blood drained from Aria's body.

Compensation? A warning?

For a new lover, Julian was actually saying something like this to her.

"If there's a next time," Julian stepped closer, his gaze vicious, "get the hell out of my house. Don't make me throw you out myself."

Aria's lips trembled. She wanted to say something, but no sound came out.

Shame, unease, fear… a mess of emotions swallowed her whole.

She couldn't leave.

She was an orphan, raised in an institution. The apartment Julian had bought for her was her only shelter.

Without that place, she wouldn't even have somewhere to wait for death.

She had always believed that even if he didn't love her, he would at least remember their ten years together.

Reality slapped her hard in the face. In his eyes, her life wasn't worth even a single tear from Lila.

Julian took Lila's hand. As they passed Aria, he dropped a cold remark. "Remember your place. Don't even think about comparing yourself to Lila. As long as you behave, I won't throw you out."

The door closed. The sound of high heels faded away.

Aria stood alone in the empty office, then slowly crouched down.

She wasn't crying. It was her body curling in on itself by instinct, like a hedgehog stripped of its spines, too weak even to protect itself.

Just then, a message popped up on her phone from the company's art director. "Aria, there's a model exhibition in three days. The pay is one million dollars."

Aria shuddered. Over the next three days, she didn't get a single full night's sleep.

From lighting calibration to model walk paths, from the scent system to background music, every detail was soaked in her effort.

The project bonus was one million dollars, just enough to cover the first payment for her treatment in Edelmark.

On the day of the bidding, she walked into the venue in a sharply tailored black suit.

The exhibition director smiled slightly. "Aria, your proposal passed unanimously. We're just waiting for you to sign the contract."

The next second, Aria's smile froze.

Julian walked in with Lila on his arm.

"Mr. Lawson?" The exhibition director looked surprised.

Julian sat down lazily, his gaze sweeping over Aria. "I heard you decided on Aria?"

"Yes. Her proposal is very—"

"I'll add another one million dollars in investment," Julian cut in. "Transfer the position to Lila. She wants to transition into a fashion director."

The room fell silent.

Aria dug her nails into her palm.

One million dollars. Exactly the money she needed for treatment.

And he would rather spend that money to buy empty prestige for a woman who couldn't even understand a proposal?

The exhibition director hesitated. "Mr. Lawson, Miss Bennett does have potential, but Aria's professional expertise—"

"Two million." Julian suddenly smiled, his eyes stabbing straight at Aria. "Another million. To buy her silence."

Aria stood frozen as a roaring hum filled her ears.

She watched the director finally nod, watched Lila lift her chin in triumph, watched four months of her work get priced, sold, and discarded.

She didn't cry.

She only turned away, went into the restroom, and vomited until the world spun, the pain in her stomach nearly knocking her to the floor.

Three days later, at the model exhibition.

Lila took the stage as the director. Under the spotlight, her makeup was flawless, but her nerves showed.

She stumbled on her very first line. "Thank you… thank you all for coming… um, for supporting my… my…"

Whispers rippled through the audience.

Sweat pooled in Lila's palms. She rushed through the rest and fled the stage.

Then the disasters came one after another.

The international supermodel scheduled for the finale was absent due to visa issues. The backup model, never having rehearsed the walk, froze at the center of the runway, looking around in confusion.

The guest singer arrived forty minutes late, leaving the intermission painfully empty.

Most fatal of all, the brand's promotional video meant for the big screen cut straight to black.

The venue erupted. This million-dollar launch became the biggest joke in the fashion world in the past five years.

Social media exploded instantly, trending topics filled with Lila's name.

"Lila Bennett's debut is a total disaster!"

"A pretty face playing fashion director?"

"Has the Lawson Group lost its taste?"

The investor's representative was livid. "Miss Bennett! Do you know how much brand value evaporated today? Thirty million dollars! Thirty million!"

Lila's legs gave out. She lunged at Julian, her voice shaking. "Julian… it wasn't me… it was Aria! She deliberately didn't tell me the international model needed a visa in advance! The schedule was wrong too! She just wanted to humiliate me!"

All eyes turned to Aria in the corner, wearing a badge labeled "Assistant," silent from start to finish.

Julian looked at her, his gaze cold as a blade.

One second. Two.

Then he spoke, his voice carrying clearly across the venue. "It was indeed Aria's mistake. Lila didn't know anything. She was completely kept in the dark."

He paused, then delivered the final blow. "Effective immediately, Aria is relieved of all duties at this company."

Just like that, Aria was thrown into the media spotlight, drowned in a storm of abuse.

Julian stared at Aria, waiting for her to charge over like before, to explode, to wreck the venue, to grab his collar and demand, "Why are you doing this to me?"

But Aria didn't argue.

She simply unclipped her badge and set it down.