Chapter 2

I had never seen Luca so drunk. As soon as I reached the door of the private room, I heard his slurred voice.

He mocked, "Collin thinks he can act all righteous just because he comes from a wealthy family, trying to cut off my income. I only said I'd marry Lilly to annoy Collin."

"Who knew she'd be as dull as a wooden puppet?"

"Well, if Lola thinks she's boring too, I'll do something fun-let's just run away from the wedding and give you a good laugh, shall we?"

Luca's friends cheered, "Luca is really off the rails; he probably doesn't even know who he's holding!"

"Of course. With someone younger and prettier, who would choose a boring Lilly?"

Mocking laughter echoed around the room.

I felt like a massive stone was lodged in my chest.

I don't like making my embarrassment public; after all, my private life shouldn't be their entertainment.

Yet here was Luca, turning our private matters into gossip for his friends!

My eyes stung, and nausea and dizziness washed over me, making me feel like I might throw up but couldn't.

I took a deep breath and reached for the door to the private room.

Luca probably didn't expect me to arrive so quickly, because when I walked in, he hadn't even pulled his arm away from the woman he was holding.

The face of the woman in his arms looked almost identical to mine when I was younger!

The only difference was her eyes, which sparkled with arrogance and disdain as she looked at me.

Facing everyone's gaze, I walked towards him with difficulty, "Luca, you're drunk. Let's go home and talk."

To my surprise, Luca irritably shoved me away, ignoring the way I stumbled into the edge of a table, muttering curses, "Get lost! You're really annoying, don't you know?"

I bit down hard to suppress the pain, looking down at my wrist, which was already bruised and blackened.

For a moment, I couldn't tell whether my heart ached more or my wrist did.

This wasn't the first time I had been hurt because of Luca.

If it were before, I might have broken down and questioned him about his relationship with her, asking how often they had met.

But now, I couldn't care less. I merely stared at him with a blank expression, even feeling a little amused.

Noticing the awkward atmosphere, Luca's friends grew quieter: "Lilly, don't take it to heart. The project went well today thanks to Lola; Luca was just happy and had a bit too much to drink."

"Lola, let me introduce you. This is Luca's…"

Before his friend could finish, Luca stood up suddenly and sneered, "Secretary!"

"Oh right. Lilly, she's Luca's secretary." His friends quickly changed their tone.

My nails dug into my palm, my heart trembling.

How nice. After ten years of exhausting effort-helping with Luca's team projects and completing the most crucial parts of his papers-all I got was the title of "secretary."

For a moment, I felt deflated.

It was as if the proud posture I had held was easily crushed by Luca's two words, leaving me awkwardly standing between Luca and Lola as a nameless, undefined secretary.

Lola made a dismissive sound, her name suited her well, as she flirted with Luca: "Luca, she looks like a seductress; she's clearly an untrustworthy woman!"

"With a secretary like her around, how could your mother feel at ease? I'll take charge and get her fired!"

"Today's my birthday! Luca, you promised to fulfill my birthday wishes!"

Firing his fiancée? Everyone exchanged glances, this was unheard of!

But Lola's provocation didn't elicit a stern response from Luca. Instead, he chuckled softly, "It's your birthday; you're the boss today, whatever you say goes."

After knowing Luca for ten years, he didn't even remember my birthday.

Yet, Lola giggled at his words, pulling out her phone to tease, "Can I post your ugly picture on my social media?"

I didn't know if Luca could see clearly, but from my angle, I could see their affectionate photos perfectly.

In the picture, Lola nestled in Luca's arms, her hand caressing his chest while he kissed her forehead, their gazes locked in deep affection.

I used to think Luca was cold on the outside but warm on the inside, and his indifference toward me was simply his inability to express himself.

But at that moment, the belief I had once held so firmly crumbled into ruins.

I felt suffocated.