My teenage boyfriend, who had vowed to marry me, met another woman in the year I graduated from high school. His new lover was the daughter of the Oldenburg Family from North Germany. She could help Leonardo Howard avoid ten years of detours, so he desperately set aside his relationship with me.

Leonardo shouted at me, “Stephanie Willowbrook, stop stalking me! Don't you look at your own first? Do you think you are worthy of me? You are just a poor girl without a father or a mother. You're doomed in this life. So, stay away from me.”

It was a rainy night when he pushed me down in the gutter. I was like a downtrodden beggar.

***

Ten years later, I donated one hundred million to my alma mater’s centenary celebration. The principal was in tears and went abroad to invite me back to school. In front of the school gate, I again met Leonardo, who was already married. He was the son-in-law of the Oldenburg Family at this time. When he saw me, his face was full of superiority.

“Oh, you have the nerve to come back, Stephanie? How dare you? Are you here to embarrass your almamater? You couldn't match me before and now it's even more unworthy!”

I smiled faintly and looked at him with pity. “Oh? Is that so?”

“Stephanie, I'm really so happy that you agreed to come back for this Centennial School Celebration!”

When the car arrived at the school's entrance, James Reventlow became more and more excited. He was the principal of Xaverius Senior High School. A donation of one hundred million dollars was also the largest donation that the school had ever received and it was history for the school.

I smiled lightly and looked at the familiar alumnus. Some memories deep inside my heart also revived. 

“Mr. James, I'll just get off at the school entrance. I haven't been back for many years, I want to walk around this school alone.”

The youth era was priceless for me. This place also carried my best years. James readily agreed. He also said that the old man of the Oldenburg Family would also come over for this school celebration. It made him feel honoured. When James mentioned the Oldenburg Family's old man, I couldn't help but Leonardo's face appeared in my mind. Back then, I still remember how he heartlessly abandoned me for the Oldenburg Family's daughter, Luciana Oldenburg. He almost pushed my life into the abyss. But nowadays, I have already let go of all this.

I then walked on the school boulevard and listened to the noisy but strong youthful sound of robins, I felt a burst of cosiness. At that moment, a delicate girl carrying a thick book passed by me. By mistake, the book was scattered all over the floor. I leaned down to help her pick it up, looking at the quiet girl as if I were looking at myself back then.

“Let me help you.”

“Thank you!”

The other party smiled sweetly and showed a bright smile. When I was talking and laughing with her on the way to the lecture hall, several luxury cars drove past us. Just as quickly, there came an ear-splitting brake. The limousines then slowly backed up again.

“Hey, isn't Stephanie Willowbrook? Why are you here?”

I instantly recognized that it was Leonardo's lapdog back then, Abelard Wenzel. I was just about to respond when Leonardo walked down from the boss's seat in the back, holding Luciana, who was dressed elegantly and luxuriously. Luciana looked at me with a haughty face. Her eyes were full of mockery.

“Leonardo, she was back then, that green plum of yours, right?”

Leonardo grinned in embarrassment and hurriedly explained, “Luciana, don't get me wrong. She's considered what kind of green plum, but it just so happens that she's close to my house. That's why since childhood, she's stuck to me like a piece of dog skin plaster. But don't think too much, after graduation, I never saw her again.”

Seeing that ten years had passed, Leonardo saw me again and couldn't help but try his best to clear his relationship with me. I couldn't help but laugh. It seemed that over the years, he had become the son-in-law of the Oldenburg Family.

But it was estimated that he also lived a shabby life and had to look at Luciana Oldenburg's face from time to time. In my heart, I just murmured, ‘His life was much more miserable than I thought’.

“I heard that you were admitted to Stanford University that year. Is it true? Why are you here? Are you returning to your alma mater as a teacher?”

I smiled and shook my head. But I didn't expect Luciana to suddenly look at me and laugh.

“So how dare you come to this event? You are not even qualified to be a teacher, Stephanie, or are you just coming back as a handyman? The kind that doesn't even have an establishment.”

As soon as Luciana laughed, everyone else followed and scoffed. Leonardo was even full of contempt for me.

“You are a Stanford student, but you are coming back to your alma mater as a handyman. You're here to disgrace your alma mater, aren't you!”

On the contrary, the female student that I helped, opened her mouth to explain for me. But I stopped her.

“Isn't it good to contribute to your alma mater?”

I dared to reply to his words because I was no longer the person I was ten years ago. Their act of mockery, in my eyes, only felt childish. Moreover, it would be too much of a failure if I still needed to rely on my lips to self-certify in exchange for dignity. After all, when the time comes, there will always be someone to speak for me. After saying that, I turned around and was about to leave with the female student. But once again, I was stopped by Luciana.

“Did I tell you to leave? Since you're a handyman for your alma mater, there just happens to be a bit of work for you to do,” shouted Luciana.

Luciana gave Abelard a sign and now that he had completely become a lapdog, he immediately opened the trunk. Inside the trunk, there were two boxes of high-grade red wine that were worth a lot of money.

“Carry these wines to the lecture hall. Please, be careful, Stephanie. These wines are something that, in your lifetime, you will never be able to afford to taste.”

Looking at the trunk of red wines that were no more than three to five thousand dollars a bottle, I smiled faintly. In my mind, I couldn't help but think of a dinner party last year. The one who asked me to dinner was none other than Luciana's grandfather, Raymond Oldenburg.

Raymond was the elder of the Oldenburg Family. Due to the Oldenburg Family's business shrinking over the past few years, the capital chain suffered a crisis. Mr. Raymond really had no choice but to personally go out and look for investment overseas. After a few turns, he then found me. That day, Mr. Raymond took out the collection of many years of Flying Moutai. He really respectfully stood in front of me and gave me a toast. But I was too lazy to drink a sip.

Later, Mr. Raymond had no choice but to kneel down in front of me in order to get the investment. Only then did I agree to give the Oldenburg Family an injection of one billion dollars. But at the same time, also on that day, I took control of the Oldenburg Family's lifeblood. Once the withdrawal of capital, the Oldenburg Family would be completely never to be recovered. Looking at Luciana, who was still so dejected in front of me today, I revealed a faint smile.

“You are right, Luciana. I really won't touch this wine in my lifetime. It's so precious, you guys might as well move it yourselves.”

Abelard also immediately nodded. “Yes, Ms. Luciana, it's better for me to carry it. With Stephanie's character nowadays, if she accidentally drops the wine, she can't even afford to pay for it even if she sells her body.”

Luciana shrugged. “That's true. Stephanie, you at least graduated from a top school like Stanford University, but now you're mixed up like this. I'm ashamed of you. Let's put it this way. How about this, why don't you kneel down and beg me today? I might be in a good mood and get through to Mr. James later. I will ask him to give you an official establishment. Your monthly salary can also be increased by a thousand dollars.”

Luciana's eyes were full of charity and pity for me. Meanwhile, Leonardo shook his head straight in disappointment.

“I really don't know how you've been doing these past few years, Stephanie! Don't say that the face of your alma mater has been disgraced by you, even the reputation of Stanford has been corrupted by people like you! I'm afraid you've been expelled from Stanford University.”

Luciana was suddenly agitated after hearing that I refused to do what she told me to do. Meanwhile, I just stared intently at Leonardo.

“A few years ago, I think I heard the news about a female student at Stanford University seducing her own tutor. Later on, the matter was exposed and she was expelled from the school on the spot. Stephanie Willowbrook, that person, could it be you?”

Luciana feigned a look of surprise and stared straight into my eyes. “If that's really you in the case, Stephanie, I have a better job that I can arrange for you yet. Our real estate company is short of female sales nowadays. You can sell a house by sleeping with a client. Then you can make a lot of money in a year.

At once, several people laughed again, especially Abelard. In order to please Luciana, he laughed in a pompous manner like a dog. On the other hand, Leonardo only looked at me with contempt nowadays.

Leonardo said, “It's a good thing that your parents died early, Stephanie. Otherwise, I would be ashamed of them!”

Leonardo suddenly mentioned my parents in front of me. My face couldn't help but cloud over. I still remember that ten years ago, he scolded me as a fatherless and motherless child. Ten years later, he used my parents to hurt me again. I just couldn't stand this.

“Leonardo, keep your mouth silent. If you mention my parents again, I'll make you return to poverty overnight!”

However, my warning didn't have a single effect on him. Leonardo smiled indifferently at me. His act was the same as ten years ago.

“Are you sure, Stephanie? Are you worthy?”

Just then, my homeroom teacher back then, Mr. Benjamin Redburga, passed by from the side. He was overjoyed to see me and immediately greeted me excitedly.

Mr. Benjamin said, “Oh, hai, Stephanie, so you're already here! Why are you holding the book? Let me, let me do it for you!”

Mr. Benjamin didn't know what was happening in front of him. He just came up and immediately took the heavy booklet from my hands. Seeing that Mr. Benjamin was so enthusiastic towards me made Leonardo's brows frown even tighter. It made me remember that back when I was studying, he and Mr. Benjamin did not deal with each other.

Back then, he was pulled into the corridor many times by Mr. Benjamin to stand for punishment and was a problematic student in Mr. Benjamin's eyes. For this reason, in front of Mr. Benjamin, Leonardo did not hesitate to flirt.

“Stephanie, I said that when you were studying, you were expelled for seducing your tutor at Stanford. How come now that you've returned to your alma mater? You've hooked up with the class teacher of that year, again? Your flirtatiousness is really useful wherever you go!”

I could see that nowadays Leonardo, backed by the Oldenburg Family, his wings were really strong and powerful. In the face of the class teacher of the year, I actually did not hesitate to say such vulgar words. Mr. Benjamin's face immediately turned iron blue.

“Leonardo, what nonsense are you talking about? Why are you still the same as back then? There is no upbringing!”

Facing Mr. Benjamin's rebuke, Leonardo sneered and mocked, “Mr. Benjamin, do you think I'm still your student? You can scold me if you want and punish me if you want. What's wrong with me saying two sentences about you? Believe it or not, I'll make you lose your job tomorrow!”

Time has changed. Leonardo became successful and famous at this time. That's what made him dare to ignore his class teacher. Mr. Benjamin was so angry. His face turned red, but for a while, he didn't know what to do. After all, Leonardo had such ability. With a word from the Oldenburg Family, firing a school teacher was a matter of minutes. Seeing Mr. Benjamin's stifled face, the smile at the corner of Leonardo's mouth also became more pronounced.

He then looked at me with contempt and said, “Stephanie, you still think it's the time when you were studying? Are you sure Mr. Benjamin can make the decision for you if you make a report about me?”