I am Nicholas Greene's assistant and also his secret girlfriend of ten years.

At the age of 29, I bring up marriage with him.

He responds coldly, "I can give you love, but I can’t give you marriage. If you are desperate to get married, I can introduce you to another man to deal with your parents."

I accept calmly.

A few months later, he stops me at the door.

His eyes are bloodshot as he questions, "Didn’t I tell you to just pretend? How did you end up actually getting a marriage certificate with him?"

Inside the office building, after the executive meeting ended, I walked toward Nicholas Greene's office, holding a ring I'd prepared in advance.

The door was slightly ajar. What I saw froze me in place.

The new hire, Tiffany Leary, was blushing as she curled up in his arms. In her hand was a red ring box. Inside it lay a diamond ring, at least ten carats, catching the light and reflecting it brightly.

"Do you like it?"

"I love it! But isn't it a bit too big?"

Affection filled Nicholas' eyes as he laughed softly. "Only something like this suits your status."

A blissful smile spread across Tiffany's face. As she shyly turned her head away, she happened to spot me standing at the door. Her eyes flashed with a flicker of delight before she hurried over and grabbed my hand. "Ariana, you're here. Sorry for lying to you before. I'm not an employee here. I'm Nicholas' fiance."

I had personally mentored Tiffany for a month, so we'd grown quite close. The sudden news caught me off guard.

I instinctively looked toward Nicholas. Our eyes met, and he frowned ever so slightly. His gaze was cold, laced with warning.

After ten years in a secret relationship with him, I understood almost immediately. He didn't want Tiffany to know about us.

I took a deep breath and forced a smile. "Really? That's sudden."

Tiffany pulled me into the office, excitedly explaining, "Our engagement was arranged back in college. We only recently started preparing for the wedding. But I just missed him so much, so I came here and picked up a random position."

Her gaze fell on the ring box in my hand. She blinked, puzzled. "Ariana, who's that for?"

My grip tightened around the box. I glanced at Nicholas. He was frowning at me too, but quickly looked away.

Sensing the subtle tension between us, Tiffany's expression changed. "Ariana… Why are you looking at Nicholas?"

A chill spread through my body. I opened my mouth, but no words came out. The office fell dead silent.

As her expression darkened further, the door opened again. The ring box in my hand was snatched away by a well-defined hand. I looked up.

It was Nicholas' uncle, Chandler Greene. He slipped the box casually into his pocket with an indifferent expression and said, "Mine." After that, he shot Nicholas a look of disdain and turned to leave.

Only then did Tiffany smile again, though her gaze toward me carried a trace of suspicion. "Nicholas, I suddenly think coming to work at your company was a good idea."

Nicholas finally spoke. "Why?"

Her eyes curved. "I heard rumors before that you and Ariana were having an affair."

My whole body stiffened. My hands at my sides curled slightly.

But the next second, she laughed. "But coming here made me realize that although Ariana may have what it takes to be a homewrecker, her mind is all on her work."

As she said this, she stared straight at me. "Right, Ariana?"

I stayed silent. But Nicholas replied, "What are you thinking? She's just my employee. There's only one person in my heart, and you know who that is."

The office windows were open, yet I felt like I couldn't breathe.

Tiffany shot him a playful glare, then threw herself back into his arms.

It wasn't until 1:00 am that Nicholas finally returned to our apartment. We had lived together for eight years.

He was startled to see me sitting motionless on the couch. "Still not asleep?"

When I didn't answer, he took off his suit jacket, still carrying the scent of Tiffany's perfume, and sat down across from me.

"Are you still mad? What I said this afternoon wasn't sincere."

I looked at Nicholas, numb, and replied flatly, "You're engaged to Tiffany. So, why are you still dating me?"

His expression remained indifferent. "I don't like her. Our marriage is a family arrangement. Love is love. Marriage is marriage. That's how wealthy families work. I thought you knew that."

I suddenly felt like laughing. "I didn't. If I knew, I never would've been with you."

I never would've given my heart to a man like this. I never would've wasted ten of the best years of my life.

Clearly annoyed, Nicholas lit a cigarette. "Ariana Hudson, you've always been a smart woman. Cinderella marrying the prince only happens in fairy tales. We're from different worlds. Dating is fine, but marriage was never possible."

He flicked the cigarette ash, unconcerned. "But that doesn't affect our relationship. My marriage to Tiffany is just for show. I'm still yours."

Looking at the man in front of me, the one treating my feelings like a joke, I felt a sharp pain in my chest. It took me a long time before I spoke. "I don't want this kind of ambiguous relationship. I'm almost 30 years old. My family wants me to have a normal marriage."

Nicholas clicked his tongue impatiently. The smoke couldn't hide the frown on his face. "If your family's rushing you, I can introduce you to someone. You can fake a marriage to deal with them. Privately, you'll still be with me."

He said it so casually. It made me so angry that I couldn't even speak. He watched me in silence.

My silence, to him, was agreement. He smiled. "Ariana, for now, we need to stay apart for a while." He stubbed the cigarette in the ashtray, then continued, "I don't want Tiffany to find out about us. I don't have feelings for her, but it matters how things look on the surface."

His gaze darkened. "I need the Leary family's resources. Ariana, be good. Don't cling to me, and don't cause me trouble. Don't ruin my plans."

I wanted to ask him, "Your plans are so important, but ten years of my life is nothing?"

Ten years. How many decades would I even get in a lifetime? The best years of my life had withered in his hands.

When I first met Nicholas, he was 24 years old, and I was 18.

That day, he had drunk too much and passed out outside a bar. I was working there just to earn two thousand dollars a month for living expenses.

Seeing him completely out of it, I helped him into the lounge and poured him a glass of water. "Drink this. It'll help."

He looked up at me. A flicker of admiration crossed his hazy gaze. "Are you that short on money that you need to work at a bar?"

I nodded. After handing him the glass, I turned to leave.

Just as I reached the door, he called out to me. "I need an assistant. You'd be a good fit."

Later, I found out that he was the son of a real estate tycoon in Astor City. That night, he had been drinking over a business deal.

He offered me a salary of 50 thousand dollars, with no experience required.

50 thousand dollars. That was enough to pay all four years of my college tuition. Enough to fix the leaking roof back home. Enough to keep me from going hungry.

So, I said yes.

I had classes every day, so I wasn't at the office often. Nicholas didn't mind. Sometimes, he'd even ask if I was tired or whether work was affecting my studies. If my classes ran late, he'd drive through heavy rain just to pick me up.

He didn't feel like a boss, more like someone pursuing me.

On my 19th birthday, Nicholas bought me a cake and gave me a necklace. The necklace was expensive, with our names engraved on it.

Even someone as slow as me understood what he meant.

Back then, I told him I was a traditional woman. I didn't like relationships that went nowhere. "Nicholas, I don't have money or a background. Don't take advantage of me."

He pinned me against the floor-to-ceiling window and kissed me. "I won't. I would never do that."

His voice was hoarse as his kisses trailed from my eyes to my neck. "I've liked you from the moment I laid my eyes on you."

Nicholas pulled me into his arms and fastened the expensive necklace around my neck. "I don't like relationships that go nowhere either."

After graduation, I helped him secure several more projects. At my busiest, I drank so much that I ended up with gastric bleeding. I worked myself like a dog, repaying his support, and trying to catch up to him.

From the ages of 19 to 29, I devoted myself to protecting our relationship, trying to become someone worthy of him.

But the one who remembered that promise was only me. Perhaps he didn't forget and just chose to pretend for the sake of his so-called "greater plans."

Nicholas acted as if everything had been perfectly arranged and casually answered a phone call.

In the quiet living room, I heard Tiffany's soft, sweet voice. "Nicholas, I miss you."

His tone turned gentle. "Wait for me."

After hanging up, he turned to look at me. "Ariana, do you remember everything I just said?"

My face was expressionless. "I remember."

Satisfied, he nodded and leaned in to ruffle my hair. The perfume scent on him made me nauseous.

"In a few days, I'll send you Chandler's contact number. He's not into women. You two can cover for each other." After saying that, he left in a hurry.

I learned that when pain reached a limit, I didn't even have tears left to cry. My eyes, dry and bloodshot, burned as I watched him disappear before me.

Yes, I remembered everything he said. But I didn't love him anymore.

Quietly, I moved into a rented apartment. I took everything with me, except that necklace.

Nicholas didn't notice. Pleased with my "obedience," he quickly sent me Chandler's number, saying, "Chandler's good-looking and has a good family background. Your parents should be satisfied. Too bad he's not into women. Otherwise, I might actually feel threatened."

I had no intention of contacting Chandler, nor did I want to deal with Nicholas anymore. After turning off my phone's notifications, I fell into a deep sleep.

Early the next morning, I received a call from Chandler. His voice carried the lazy edge of just waking up, sending a jolt to my heart. "Ariana, why didn't you reply to me? I waited for you until midnight."

I bit my lip, unsure what to say.

Chandler was Nicholas' uncle and the largest shareholder of Greene Group. He was not someone I could afford to offend. I racked my brain, thinking of how to refuse.

"If you don't respond, how am I supposed to return your ring? It's pretty expensive, right? Even secondhand, it'd go for at least 40 thousand dollars."

That was when I remembered that the ring I'd saved up for was still with him. It cost me 70 thousand dollars. My chest tightened at the thought. I dropped my hesitation and replied, "I was really tired last night and fell asleep. I didn't see the message."

Chandler let out a soft chuckle. "Mmm. Well, you can reply now."

For some reason, I suddenly felt like he could see right through me. "Okay."

That was how we ended up texting each other.

He sent me a location and said, "See you tonight."

I replied politely, "Okay."

At 7:00 pm, I arrived on time. Just as I reached the restaurant entrance, my phone rang.

It was Tiffany. She sounded like she was crying on the other end. "Ariana, I hit someone. I don't dare to tell Nicholas. Can you come help me?"

My heart jolted. I immediately replied, "Okay. Don't panic. I'm on my way."

If not for Nicholas, Tiffany and I would've been good friends. I sent Chandler a message and rushed out.

When I arrived at the scene, there was blood everywhere. But Tiffany herself was uninjured.

"Tiffany, what happened?"

She clutched the hem of my clothes tightly. "I'm not used to driving yet. I ran a red light."

I frowned. "Where's the person you hit? Did you call an ambulance?"

As I reached for my phone, she snatched it away and smashed it to the ground. "We can't call them!"

Her breathing was ragged, her gaze fierce. "I'm about to get married. There can't be any scandal."

Looking at my shattered phone, I said coldly, "Tiffany, this is someone's life. You can't do this."

She slowly forced out the words, "But I hit her really badly."