Chapter 49
I had managed to establish a foothold in the project department with my solid professional skills.
But for me, this was just the first step. I was aiming for a higher position.
I had settled down at the Johnson Group, though I hadn't landed any major projects yet.
That day, after finishing work and preparing to head home, I ran into an unwelcome visitor at the company entrance.
John's showing up was completely unexpected.
After all, he got beaten up pretty badly last time. I thought he would've learned his lesson by now, but clearly he hadn't.
I'd worked so hard to change my colleagues' impression of me. At a time like this, I didn't want people thinking I had anything to do with John.
I deliberately avoided where John was standing, silently praying he hadn't seen me.
Unfortunately, my prayers didn't work at all.
John spotted me right away.
"Nancy!" he called out excitedly, walking toward me with a huge bouquet of roses in his arms.
Hearing his voice, colleagues around us stopped and turned to look.
Not wanting to invite unnecessary trouble, I pretended not to hear and started walking away quickly, giving him no chance.
Unfortunately, I underestimated John's speed. Seeing me trying to escape, he immediately chased after me and grabbed my wrist.
Seeing him like this, I couldn't help but frown, feeling annoyed. "What do you want, John?"
John held out the roses from his arms, his tone deep and tender. "Nancy, I truly love you. Can you give me a chance?"
As he spoke, quite a few people who didn't know the full story started cheering.
"Say yes!"
"Wow, so romantic. Is this a proposal?"
"That's the heir of the Brown family, right? She'd be so lucky to be with him."
The cheering around us made my expression grow darker.
I didn't want to expose my identity at the Johnson Group.
Watching John put on this show, I deliberately lowered my voice and said through gritted teeth, "John, what exactly are you trying to do? We ended a long time ago."
Even though I said this, John acted like he didn't hear me and continued on his own. "Nancy, during my time in the hospital, I really thought things through. I can't live without you. I love you."
With that, he tried to hand me the roses again.
His actions disgusted me. I didn't give him any face and swatted the roses to the ground. "Enough. I don't have time to watch you put on this act."
This was right outside the Johnson Group building. I didn't want to become the subject of gossip.
Seeing me give him no face, John's expression darkened, but he tried hard to control his emotions. "Nancy, didn't you used to love me? What's this supposed to mean now? Playing hard to get?"
Even at this point, John refused to believe I was completely over him.
Sometimes I really admired his inexplicable confidence.
I didn't want to waste time with him, my voice growing colder. "Enough, John. You know perfectly well whether you truly love me or not. Stop fooling yourself."
Seeing my attitude so cold and firm, John launched an even more aggressive offensive.
Completely ignoring the roses I'd thrown on the ground, he got down on one knee and pulled out a jewelry box from his pocket. "Nancy, come back to me. I don't care about what happened between you and Michael. Let's start over."
After saying this, John opened the box, revealing a pink diamond inside.
As soon as he finished speaking, he anxiously grabbed my hand, trying to put the ring on my finger.
Watching this fake display of deep affection made my stomach turn.
Before, I was the one chasing him everywhere. Now he was the one clinging desperately.
But we were long over, and I had no intention of getting back together.
My past life taught me that John was a wolf in sheep's clothing.
In this life, no matter what, I wouldn't repeat the same mistakes.
John carelessly forced the ring onto my knuckle.
Looking at the ill-fitting ring, coldness flashed in my eyes. "We never even started, so you don't need to say these misleading things."
Right in front of John, I removed the ring from my finger and casually threw it on the ground, even stepping on it a few times.
Seeing his heartfelt confession didn't work; John simply stood up and started attacking me with words. "Nancy, don't think I don't know—you've been with Michael all along. Otherwise, how could you give up on me so quickly? Don't be stupid. Do you really think Michael truly loves you?"
Every word he spoke smeared both Michael and me.
According to him, I abandoned him to climb up the social ladder with Michael.
His words had a guiding effect, and the onlookers gradually looked at me with contempt.
But I didn't care about any of this. I just watched coldly.
Seeing my silence, John thought he'd hit a nerve, and smugness flashed across his face. "As long as you're willing to come back to me, I'll let bygones be bygones. Come back, Nancy."
Seeing how shameless John was being, I knew that unless I revealed some key information, he wouldn't give up.
"You keep saying I gave you up because of Michael. Haven't you considered that maybe it's your own problem?" I looked up and met his eyes, questioning him.
Brief guilt flashed in John's eyes, but it quickly disappeared. "What problem could I have? You're the one who's been with Michael all along."
Even at this point, John continued to slander me.
Since he refused to change, I wasn't going to hold back anymore.
I pulled up the audio and video recordings on my phone and questioned him. "John, if you say you love me, then explain this—what does it mean that you've been dating and flirting with different women?"
The audio and video on my phone were crystal clear, and I had completely torn off John's hypocritical mask.
"How did you get these? Delete them right now, or don't blame me for what happens next." John's tone was harsh, every word carrying a threat.
Seeing him drop the act, I mocked him. "And here I thought you loved me so much. Turns out it was all just an act. You're really disgusting."
The passersby who had originally supported John all expressed their contempt after learning his true nature.
Good thing I had paid off Annie to work for me earlier, otherwise I wouldn't have gotten these recordings so smoothly.
The scolding around us rose and fell. John couldn't take it anymore and flew into a rage.
"Nancy, you bitch." With that, John raised his hand toward me.
Seeing his movement, I instinctively stepped back a few paces.
Unfortunately, my high heel got caught in a crack, causing me to twist my ankle and lose my balance.
John closed the distance between us. Just as his fist was about to come down, I instinctively raised my hand and closed my eyes.