Chapter 1
The grand hall sparkled beneath golden lights while soft music echoed through the room. Wealthy guests filled the banquet, chatting and laughing as servers walked around carrying glasses of champagne.
Everything looked elegant.
Perfect.
A thin mist rose across the stage as the announcer stepped forward with excitement.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the CEO of Nexus Group of Companies!”
Applause thundered across the hall.
Ella looked toward the entrance.
Then she froze.
A man in a black suit walked calmly into the room.
Jared.
Her breathing almost stopped.
Five years ago, Jared was just a simple man working on their small farm in the countryside.
Now, the entire room fell silent the moment he appeared.
No smile.
No unnecessary expression.
Just cold eyes and a calm face that made people instinctively move out of his way.
Even the wealthy businessmen greeting him looked nervous.
Ella’s fingers tightened around her glass.
Beside her, her boyfriend suddenly straightened his posture.
“You know him?” he asked quietly.
Ella could not answer immediately.
Because Jared had already seen them.
Their eyes met briefly.
And in that single moment, Ella felt something crawl down her spine.
Jared showed no anger.
No sadness.
Nothing.
That terrified her more.
Then he calmly looked away and continued walking as if they were insignificant.
Ella felt her chest tighten.
For some reason...
That felt worse than hatred.
5 Years Earlier
It was a peaceful autumn night. The sky shimmered with countless stars, and the cold air drifted through the small town where they had grown up together.
He held Ella’s hands tightly, silently hoping she would change her mind. But deep down, he knew keeping her there would only be selfish.
“I’ll be back,” Ella said softly, breaking the silence.
He said nothing at first.
Her beautiful eyes looked at him gently, waiting for a response. After a long pause, he finally spoke.
“Take care of yourself. Send me postcards from your travels.”
“I love you,” she whispered before leaning in to kiss him.
Ella had finally achieved her dream of becoming a flight attendant.
When he woke up the next morning, she was gone.
His wife.
They had a beautiful daughter who had just turned five. He continued working on the farm for a living, trying to stay content with the quiet life he had always known while taking care of their daughter.
At first, Ella kept sending letters and postcards from different places around the world. But after a year, the letters suddenly stopped.
He didn’t understand why.
He tried calling her countless times and continued writing letters, but she never responded.
Curiosity slowly turned into worry.
One night, he decided to check her social media account.
What he found made his blood run cold.
He froze.
