"You said you liked me, not my money!"

The wealthy heir stood in front of me, tears of frustration welling up in his clear eyes.

I shook my head. "Money makes the world go round, and your true love isn't me. Let's part ways amicably; what I love is these five million dollars."

Without looking back, I walked away, taking the five million dollars his mother gave me and disappeared from his life.

His mother was pleased. To ensure I left her son for good, she financed my move abroad and gave me a monthly allowance.

It was a generous allowance!

This kind-hearted lady went to great lengths for her son.

I would feel guilty if I didn't accept it.

Thus, for the next three years, I fully utilized the resources provided by this benevolent woman to carve out my own small empire.

At twenty-three, I cut off all ties with her. By twenty-five, I returned to Wossen.

Back in my homeland, I was no longer a poor, pitiful orphan. I had transformed into a wealthy orphan!

No one could bully me like before!

Except for one unforeseen event...

Alright, on my first day back, I got hit by a car.

Nothing major, just a face-first fall...

Fate envies the rich!

I couldn't stay unattractive at such a young age, so I spent some money on plastic surgery!

To change my luck, I even changed my name.

And so, at twenty-six, I, Judy Steele, was back!

I decided to settle in Xegow, the city where I was born and raised. My primary occupation was a businesswoman, and my secondary role was a philanthropist.

It sounded prestigious—wealthy and kind-hearted!

But fate had other plans. I never imagined that after donating several buildings to a local medical university, I would find myself in the following situation.

The amiable school leader introduced the attendees at the meeting.

"This is our university's youngest associate professor, Gustave Watson. He's the same age as you, Ms. Steele—both young and promising!"

I smiled and nodded, shaking hands with my ex-boyfriend.

Everything felt so surreal!

Eight years ago, I left Xegow to attend university in the capital, where I experienced my first romance.

His name was Gustave Watson.

A wealthy heir, younger than me by half a year, and far less mature.

He skipped classes, got into fights, avoided campus activities, surrounded himself with a bunch of shady friends, got tattoos, dyed his hair, smoked, and changed girlfriends more frequently than his hair color, believing money could solve everything.

But I liked him!

Gustave seemed to have changed a lot.

We exchanged polite pleasantries, and he didn't speak to me for the rest of the meeting.

I was secretly delighted—it seemed the plastic surgery was quite successful since my ex didn't recognize me!

I tried my best to avoid looking at him, but my secretary kept stealing glances at him, sighing dreamily, which irritated me.

Finally, the meeting ended. I declined the university's invitation for further engagements, eager to leave immediately.

Lesley Surrey, a student I sponsored and now my secretary, wasn't formal around me. Shortly after we left, she clung to my arm.

"He's so handsome! Judy, I'm swooning!"

I sighed. "If I'm guilty, please let—"

"Please let Mr. Watson heal me!" she said, her face flushed with admiration.

I gave her hair a gentle tug to snap her out of it. "Looks don't save lives. Time to get back to work."

But this girl went wild, shaking my arm and pointing ahead.

As luck would have it, it was Gustave again.

We ended up on the same path, walking in the same direction.

He had always been six feet tall, but now he seemed a bit taller, wearing glasses, a suit, and speaking in a refined manner—like a true gentleman.

This was the same boy I once thought of as childish.

"Hello, Mr. Watson!" Lesley greeted him cheerfully.

I stared at him, expecting him to turn away like before.

But to my surprise, he nodded at us and walked over.

Lesley, accustomed to socializing, started chatting and laughing with Gustave while we still had some distance to cover.

I, on the other hand, just nodded and gave polite responses.

Gustave said he was heading to the school cafeteria for lunch.

Lesley immediately got excited, tugging at my sleeve and pouting.

"I think university food has such a nostalgic flavor, Judy. Should we join him for lunch?"

I hesitated.

Gustave smiled and said, "The food here is quite good. Please join me, Ms. Steele. My treat."

"Oh, we couldn't possibly impose," Lesley said, blushing and then turned to me, pouting again.

"Mr. Watson invited us, Judy. It would be rude to decline."

I sighed deeply.

I thought, "Silly girl, haven't I ever treated you to a meal?"

Fine, let's go!

I had to admit that the university was impressive.

My previous school had only five cafeterias, but this one had over a dozen.

Gustave, being the only one familiar with the campus, led us to the second cafeteria.

Lesley never took her eyes off him.

"Mr. Watson, is there anything particularly good here? I like spicy food..."

Coincidentally, Gustave also had a penchant for spicy food.

He immediately recommended a few places and pointed out the directions.

I wasn't sure if Lesley would actually enjoy the food, but it seemed she was happy with Gustave's accompany.

She giggled. "What about you, Mr. Watson? What are you having?"

I wasn't sure if it was my imagination, but Gustave seemed to glance at me before calmly saying, "I'll have a light chicken noodle soup with extra parsley and no onions."

"Mr. Watson, you're so health-conscious! No wonder your skin looks so good!" Lesley's flattery was relentless.

Gustave just smiled and turned to ask me, "What would you like to eat? The chicken noodle soup here is really good."

I casually pointed behind him. "Anything will do."

As long as it wasn't the same as his.

Even though, back in college, my favorite was the light chicken noodle soup with extra parsley and no onions from the second cafeteria...

It suited my taste and was cheap, but I just wouldn't have it now!

The meal itself was unremarkable, except that the March weather felt unexpectedly stuffy.

Near the end of our meal, Gustave's phone rang. He glanced at it and hung up immediately.

I didn't think much of it until it rang again.

Lesley, being observant, said quickly, "Mr. Watson, if you have something to attend to, please take the call. We'll finish our meal on our own."

Gustave put his phone on silent and said, "It's nothing. Just friends wanting to celebrate my birthday, reminding me of the time."

I paused for a moment.

March eighteenth was Gustave's birthday.

How old was he now...

Lesley was overjoyed.

"Mr. Watson, you're turning twenty-eight this year, right? Such an accomplished young man. Birthdays are important, you shouldn't miss it!"

I continued eating.

So, he was twenty-eight already?

From as early as I can remember, I grew up in an orphanage. But I never felt lacking in love; my experiences made me feel I lacked money.

In a desperate attempt, I sought out a fortune teller who told me that my luck would change when I turned nineteen.

And sure enough, that year, Gustave Watson, the wealthy heir, noticed me.

His mother handed me a five million dollars check, asking me to leave her son and promising to finance my studies abroad.

She said, "You both deserve better."

I didn't say a word, my tears falling to the floor.

No need for any further explanation from her, I took the money and left Gustave, leaving behind my shattered pride.

But none of this meant I didn't long for love. Gustave was my beacon of light, my destined benefactor.

However, the fortune teller said his true match would appear when he turned twenty-eight.

The longer you hold on, the harder it is to let go. Knowing it wouldn't end well for me, I chose to end the relationship quickly.

I never expected the cheerful boy to actually turn twenty-eight.

So, when would his true match appear? What kind of person would it be?

Would she resemble one of his previous girlfriends?

April sixth was a not-so-great day.

Lesley called me early in the morning. "Judy, you're not at the office by seven. Are you feeling unwell?"

Yes, it was that time of the month, and the cramps... anyone who's been through it would understand.

Curled up in bed, I replied weakly, "I'm fine, just planning to start work on time today. I'll be in by nine."

"Judy, is it your period?"

Hmm... why did she sound a bit excited?

I had severe cramps, which Lesley knew well, and my cycle had been irregular for the past six months, so I couldn't be sure of the exact date.

After confirming, Lesley said, "I knew it. The only thing that can bring down a strong woman is menstrual cramps."

It sounded like a compliment, but it felt odd.

"Judy, you know it's not normal to have such severe cramps, right?"

I was puzzled. "So?"

"So, I made an appointment for you at the hospital a while ago, and it's today!"

I was at a loss for words.

An hour and a half later, I was staring at the screen in the waiting room, dumbfounded.

Dr. Watson, Room three...

And below it, my name: Judy Steele, Number nineteen...

What was going on?

Wasn't Gustave a university professor?

How could he be at the clinic?

Could it be someone with the same name?

It couldn't be that much of a coincidence, right?

Lesley smiled sweetly and emphasized, "Dr. Watson is a specialist in women's health, and you have to book him a week in advance."

A week in advance?

Oh my goodness, had Lesley predicted I'd have menstrual cramps today?

I sincerely praised her. "You're like an angel sent from heaven, always looking out for me. But I suspect you have ulterior motives!"

She didn't hide her intentions.

Essentially, she admired Gustave, but he was very busy.

She was too shy to ask him out, so she found out from his social media that he held clinic hours every Wednesday morning.