Three Years as His Puppy, Now I’m Free and Rich

No one knew that my agreement to Mrs. Leigh's request was purely for the hefty sum she offered. For three years, I revolved around Adrian Leigh like a personal assistant. He wouldn't pay attention in class, so I'd stay up late organizing his notes and key points. If he got too close to other girls, I'd even have to cover for him with the teachers. After all that effort to get him into a prestigious university, what I got in return was a breakup. He said with disdain that, compared to the lively Hannah, I was too boring, with nothing but academics on my mind. Everyone around us was waiting to see me heartbroken, ready for a good laugh. But when I saw the fifty million dollars suddenly appear in my bank account, all I felt was relief. I calmly told him, “Congratulations,” and turned my back on the man who had consumed three years of my youth. The money was in my hands; this transaction was finally over. 1. “The star quarterback just dumped her, and she just said 'congratulations'?!” “She hung up in less than a minute, so coldly. She must be losing her mind with sadness, right?” “Doesn't look like it. She's too calm, more like she'd been eagerly waiting to get dumped.” At that, someone cautiously glanced at Adrian. He had his arm around his new girlfriend, but his handsome face was dark and displeased. They quickly changed tack. “Everyone knows how long Genevieve liked Adrian. There’s no way she’s really indifferent; she must be bottling it all up inside!” “I bet she’ll come crawling back in less than three days, begging Adrian not to leave her!” Adrian’s gloomy expression softened slightly. “If she comes back and begs, I might consider forgiving her. Let’s see what she does.” I knew nothing of their discussions, dragging my suitcase towards the train station. If I had heard their taunts, I would have merely offered a cool, faint smile. If my parents hadn't been convinced that studying was useless for a girl, that I should marry young for a dowry. If my university acceptance letter hadn't been torn to shreds, if my drunken father hadn't beaten me senseless, and if Mrs. Leigh hadn’t found me then, offering a deal— That if I could help Adrian get into a top-tier university, she would not only pay for my high school tuition but also give me fifty million dollars. Then I never would have chased after Adrian, the notorious rebel, being his ever-available, thankless sidekick. For three whole years. I used every means possible to transform him, a defiant slacker, into a successful student, getting him into a top-tier university. Now, with the mission accomplished, I finally had the money to leave. I was too happy for anything else. Why would I be sad because he got a new girlfriend? From start to finish, I just wanted to fight my way out of hell and create a vast new world for myself. Love was never part of the equation for me. After the school year began, I didn't report to the university I’d been accepted to. My parents wouldn't let me go, knowing that a student accepted into a prestigious university could fetch a high dowry. If I was going to leave, I had to leave completely. Over the three-month summer break, I passed my IELTS exam and reached B2 proficiency in French. I successfully completed my study abroad application. As I boarded my flight to Paris, Adrian sent a reconciliation text message: "Why have you blocked all my contact info?" "Genevieve, haven't you thrown enough tantrums this summer? Even if I'm with Hannah, we're still friends. Stop being dramatic and unblock me." His message, from start to finish, still carried that condescending tone. As if he were certain that, just like the past three years, no matter how childish he acted, no matter how much he trampled on my feelings, I would eventually come wagging my tail back to him. I directly pulled out my phone's SIM card, snapped it in half, and tossed it into an airport trash can. Along with that card, I discarded all the humility, calculation, and unspeakable past it represented. The plane soared through the sky, erasing all traces of my previous life. Later, my best friend told me Adrian had left comments under all my old social media posts. The content was always something like, "Are you done with your tantrum?" "It's just a relationship, why are you so mad?" "Unblock me already!" She said, "At first, Adrian was convinced you'd come back to him. When you didn't, he got increasingly irritable. Sometimes, just mentioning your name would make him scowl." I listened as if hearing someone else's story, without a single ripple of emotion. With the fifty million from Mrs. Leigh, I started anew in Paris. I chose a top design academy, grappling with language, culture, and a demanding curriculum. Everything was a new challenge, but there was no Adrian to appease, no suffocating family. There were only my paintbrushes, my designs, and infinite aspirations for the future. Years passed in the blink of an eye. Fueled by sweat and talent, my jewelry designs began to appear at major fashion weeks, winning several prestigious international awards. I was even appointed as the new Chief Designer for Lumina Company and sent back home to expand its Asia-Pacific market. My first day back in the country. While having lunch at a restaurant below the branch office, a hesitant voice spoke behind me: "Genevieve? Is that you?" I turned, recognizing a somewhat familiar girl. It was Pamela, who used to sit in front of me in high school. She stared, unashamedly appraising me from head to toe, her eyes wide with astonishment and disbelief. "Oh my god! It really is you! You've changed so much!" Gone was the timidity of high school and the subtle subservience of trying to please. Time and experience had given me a calm, composed demeanor. "Long time no see." "It really is you! What a coincidence!" Pamela seemed very excited. "There's a class reunion tonight, at the Cloudtop restaurant upstairs! Lots of our old classmates are coming, and Adrian will be there too! You have to come! Everyone will definitely not recognize you!" Adrian? That name felt like a distant symbol, one that hadn't crossed my mind in a long time. I initially wanted to decline, but then I thought, there's no need to specifically avoid certain things. "Okay." The entire day was spent on the handover of the new company, so busy I hardly touched the ground. By the time I remembered the reunion, it was already late. Too lazy to go back to the hotel to change, I went straight to the Cloudtop private room upstairs in my casual clothes. Pushing open the heavy door, a cacophony of voices washed over me. The private room was large, with a huge round table packed with people. My gaze instinctively swept across the room, and almost instantly, it settled on the man at the head of the table, surrounded by adoring classmates. Adrian Leigh. He was more mature than in high school, his handsome face more sharply defined. Dressed in an expensive casual suit, he exuded a relaxed, confident air, always the center of attention. Right beside him sat a beautiful young woman, impeccably made-up and dressed in a flashy outfit, but it wasn't Hannah. It seemed his rebellious girlfriend had also been upgraded. After a brief silence, a slightly inebriated guy was the first to recognize me. "Holy crap! Look! Adrian! Your fangirl Genevieve is here!" That shout abruptly ignited the entire private room. Everyone's eyes, filled with surprise and schadenfreude, swiveled to focus on me. Adrian abruptly looked up, and his pupils contracted sharply when he saw me standing in the doorway. The easy nonchalance on his face instantly froze, replaced by shock and an indiscernible complexity. The girl beside him immediately sensed his change, tightening her arm around his, her gaze on me filled with scrutiny and hostility. "Genevieve?" I ignored the whispers and stares. I walked straight to the empty seat beside Pamela and calmly poured myself a glass of water. "Genevieve, long time no see!" Victoria, a classmate dressed ostentatiously, was the first to speak. "I heard you didn't go to college back then? Well, your family couldn't afford the tuition anyway." "Where did you end up working all these years? You didn't, like they said, marry an old man, did you? Your outfit today is pretty casual." She deliberately emphasized "marry an old man," prompting a few girls around her to giggle behind their hands. "I spent a few years abroad, just came back." I replied coolly, not wanting to elaborate. "Oh, abroad!" Mark, another guy, picked up, his tone exaggeratedly sympathetic. "Returning expats aren't doing so hot these days, are they? You can do shady stuff overseas, but that's illegal here. Since we're old classmates, have you found a job yet? Want us to help you find something?" "My uncle's company still needs an office clerk. Requirements aren't high, just basic computer skills! The pay isn't great, but it's a decent job, at least! Better than your old…" He deliberately drew out the last word, implying something. "Yeah, yeah," Victoria immediately echoed, feigning concern. "Foreign men might like Asian women, but it's usually just for fun." "Genevieve, we're old classmates, so speak up if you're in trouble." "Your qualifications… oh, I mean, you didn't go to college, and you don't have many nice clothes, so interviews might be tough. Maybe I can take you shopping for a few decent outfits? I can lend you some money if you're short? After all, you used to be such a smart student, it's a shame to see you like this now." Adrian remained silent, only his fingers, gripping his wine glass, tightened slightly. His eyes were fixed on me, dark and heavy. His new girlfriend, Iris, finally couldn't hold back. She scoffed, leaning forward slightly, her expression a mix of condescending pity and undisguised disdain. "Genevieve, right? I've heard about you." "I heard you used to chase after my Adrian like a total fangirl?" "Helping him with homework, taking notes, even covering for him with teachers?" "You must have worked really hard." She deliberately paused, savoring the eager expressions of the other classmates. "But at least you had some self-awareness, realizing that you and Adrian were worlds apart, with no future. So you ran off, though it sounds like things haven't gone well for you?" "Now, Adrian is the heir to Leigh Enterprises, and I've just taken over my family's fashion brand. I'm busy negotiating collaborations with top international design companies. If you're in a bind, we can help you out." I calmly sipped my water. "No need, thank you." Iris glanced at me disdainfully, her tone shifting to one of obvious bragging. "You probably don't know my capabilities, do you? Heard of Lumina? It's a rising French luxury jewelry brand!" "Their chief designer is a genius who's won international awards in Paris! Very impressive and very mysterious. I pulled a lot of strings and finally got in touch. If she could design a collaborative collection of accessories for my brand, it would definitely shake up the entire fashion world!" "Then, with a snap of my fingers, I could toss you a few scraps to live on." Everyone immediately gasped and flattered her: "I know Lumina! Their designs have amazing taste!" "I heard that designer is incredibly good, with a sharp eye; ordinary people don't even get noticed by her!" "Ms. Stark has such wide connections! To be able to bring in such a high-level designer, that's truly impressive, only someone like her deserves to stand by Adrian!" Iris proudly lifted her chin, basking in their praise. This was exactly the effect she wanted to achieve with her words. "What's the designer's name? She sounds amazing!" someone asked curiously. "Her English name is Eileen Su, but she's Chinese." Iris continued to boast about the designer she spoke of. "I hear she's very young, but incredibly talented, and holds a high position in the French design world." "For a small brand like ours to get her on board is genuinely difficult, but I'm confident!" She leaned intimately towards Adrian. "Adrian, don't you agree?" Adrian absently hummed in agreement. His gaze remained fixed on my face, his eyes seemingly filled with resentment, refusing to say another word. The others continued to relentlessly put me down, using it to elevate Iris. I merely picked up my water glass, took a small sip, my expression unperturbed. Just then, a soft knock came from the private room door. A young woman in a business suit, clutching a thick stack of documents, poked her head in, her face etched with urgency and respect. "Ms. Stark, I apologize for the interruption." "I've brought the urgent documents you requested for the Lumina project, and about the designer…" Iris immediately pressed, "What about them? Did the designer reply? Did they agree to meet and discuss further?" Her voice was full of anticipation. The assistant, holding the documents, nodded: "I met the designer today, but she has an appointment tonight, so she's scheduled our meeting for tomorrow." Hearing the assistant personally confirm that she had met the mysterious designer and arranged a meeting for tomorrow, Iris’s face instantly broke into a radiant, determined smile. "Excellent!" She turned to Adrian, her eyes sparkling with triumph. "Adrian, see? I told you I could do it! I'll seal the deal with her tomorrow!" The surrounding classmates immediately erupted in enthusiastic compliments: "Ms. Stark's approach is truly extraordinary!" "Amazing, amazing! We'll all be relying on Ms. Stark's support from now on!" "Adrian is so lucky to have such a capable partner as Ms. Stark!" Amidst the flattery, Iris's vanity was immensely satisfied. Her gaze casually swept over me, sitting quietly in the corner. "By the way, Jessica, are there any entry-level positions available at the company recently? Like for cleaning staff?" She paused, her eyes meaningfully flicking towards me. "That classmate, Genevieve, helped my boyfriend so much back then." "I hear she doesn't have a proper job now. As classmates, I'd like to find her a stable job, just to help her out." The private room fell silent for a moment, followed by louder laughter and agreement. "Oh, Ms. Stark, you absolutely mustn't! Kindness is good, but people like her, and her family, are truly best avoided!" "Exactly, exactly! You don't know, when she disappeared without a word, her parents caused such a scene at school! They threw tantrums, blocked the principal's office, crying and wailing, insisting the school had abducted their daughter! It even made it into the local news! The scene… ugh, it was awful! So embarrassing!" "Exactly! Her whole family is like that, utterly unreasonable! Ms. Stark, your design company is just starting; it's a critical period. What if her parents show up at your company, causing a scene? What would you do?" Hearing this, Iris showed a look of genuine apprehension. "Is that so? Well, I'm truly sorry, Genevieve. You see, it's not that I don't want to help you, but my design company is just starting and not yet stable. It really can't handle such trouble; I can't afford to get involved with problems like you and your family." After saying that, she deliberately leaned closer to Adrian, as if being near me would bring bad luck. Adrian only looked at me, his lips moving slightly this time, as if he wanted to say something. In the end, he frowned and held it back. Everyone's eyes were fixed on me, a spectacle of superiority and contempt. I didn't understand why she was so keen on finding me a job. Yet I remained calm, repeating the words I had just used to refuse. "No need for trouble, I have a job, thank you." Iris sighed, "That job of yours, maybe you should quit it. Being young and pretty has some advantages, but… it can lead to long-term issues." A burst of mocking laughter erupted. The assistant also laughed, but as she looked at me, the professional expression on her face suddenly froze. The thick stack of urgent documents for the Lumina project she was holding in her arms slipped, scattering across the floor. White papers lay everywhere. The private room instantly fell silent. Iris frowned in displeasure, "What are you doing? Can't you even hold these few documents?" The assistant, however, completely ignored her boss's accusation. She pointed at me, her voice trembling with terror. "Designer Su?! You… you're here?!"