Chapter 1
I Used My Boyfriend's Love to Ruin His Mother
1
To keep his precious junior from getting destroyed over one mistake, the man I loved most handed me over to the one person who hated me more than anyone else in the world.
Inside the dimly lit estate hidden in the hills outside the city, Jasper sat back on the leather sofa and lit a cigarette.
"So you finally came back to me."
But then again...
Who was really holding the knife here?
And who was walking willingly into the trap?
To keep his precious junior from getting destroyed over one mistake, the man I loved most handed me over to the one person who hated me more than anyone else in the world.
"All you have to do is spend one night with Jasper, and Bella's problem disappears."
Everyone in Eldoria knew Jasper Smith hated me.
During the years I lived overseas, he practically turned the entire city upside down looking for me.
And in the end, Sam Hall still shoved me straight toward him.
"Don't tell me your virginity matters more than Bella's future."
Inside the dimly lit estate hidden in the hills outside the city, Jasper sat back on the leather sofa and lit a cigarette. Smoke curled slowly around his sharp features as his eyes settled on me.
"So you finally came back to me."
But then again...
Who was really holding the knife here?
And who was walking willingly into the trap?
Sam and I had known each other since we were kids.
After my mother died, he paid for my education overseas and stayed beside me through the worst years of my life, dragging me out of grief little by little until I could finally stand on my own again.
We built our company together from scratch, spent sleepless nights chasing investors together and dragged ourselves through every impossible stage together.
At some point along the way, he became the center of my world.
So falling in love with him never felt dramatic. It just felt natural.
Even though neither of us ever officially announced our relationship, everyone around us already understood.
Sam once promised me that after the company went public, he'd propose.
He said he wanted the entire world to know I was the woman he loved most.
I still remembered the way he looked at me when he made those promises.
"Ivy, we're the closest people each other has. No matter what happens, we don't walk away from each other."
And somehow, the first person to let go... was him.
Honestly, it was almost funny.
When I heard Bella Thatcher had caused a major disaster at work, I originally came to Sam's office planning to discuss how we could minimize the damage to the company and maybe help her salvage the situation.
Instead, before I even opened the door, I heard Sam comforting her inside in the softest voice I'd heard from him in months.
"This isn't your fault. You just graduated. Ivy never should've dumped that much responsibility on you in the first place. Honestly, this is on her.
"Don't panic. No matter how upset she gets, I'll deal with it."
The words hit me like a punch straight to the chest.
Every ounce of calm I'd been holding onto shattered instantly.
I shoved the office door open.
Bella was curled against Sam's chest while he held her close protectively.
I stared at the two of them, my voice colder than I expected.
"Sam... what exactly are you doing?"