After He Betrayed Me, I Built A New Empire

Chapter 4

After breaking up with Dustin Hayes, I stayed in a hotel for a few days before renting a one-bedroom apartment as a temporary home.

I also rented a house with a plot of land in the countryside, planning to renovate it once I had some free time.

During this time, former colleagues from the company would occasionally send me messages, mostly photos of Dustin and Kally Miller together everywhere.

They warned me that Kally was up to no good and probably wanted to take over the company.

I replied to each of them, "Thanks, but Dustin and I have already broken up. You don't need to send me any more news about them."

My old friends were sorry to hear about our breakup, and I was trying to heal from the pain and slowly move on.

To say I wasn't hurt would be a lie. With four years of mutual affection and eight years of obsession, Dustin had left a deep imprint on my life, one that couldn't be erased overnight.

But the final straw that would strip away my last bit of lingering affection arrived soon enough.

That day, after returning from out of town, I met up with an old friend at a restaurant. Halfway through our meal, he was called away by an urgent matter.

Looking at the table full of delicious food, I waved over a waiter to pack up the leftovers.

A familiar figure walked over. "No need to pack it up. This meal is on me."

Kally looked smug. "Thank you for giving Dustin back to me. Actually, I've always felt the two of you weren't a match. I had no idea why Dustin agreed to be with you in the first place. Later, he told me that you had a game in your hands back then, and he saw its potential."

I spared her a cold glance and pointed at the receipt on the table. "Then I'll trouble you to settle the bill."

Clearly not expecting me to actually take her up on it, Kally's expression froze for a moment. But under my amused gaze, she eventually paid the bill.

"Makes sense," she said. "Without Dustin, this kind of lifestyle might be a little too luxurious for you now."

I ignored her and calmly took a sip of my lemon water.

"Are you trying to remind me that he only chose me because of my code?" I interrupted her. "I don't think so."

Meeting Kally's disdainful gaze, I said, "At least our feelings were genuine before you came back, and I was the one who went through the company's toughest startup days with him."

I smiled nonchalantly. "I don't know what role you played between us over the past year, but it certainly wasn't a noble one. Now that you've got what you wanted, you should keep your head down. I don't understand why you feel the need to gloat in front of me."

I swept my eyes over her. "Is it because you lack confidence? Or is it because Dustin hasn't even mentioned marriage to you?"

Kally's face twisted. She probably hadn't expected someone who looked as harmless as me to drive every single word straight into her sore spot.

She gritted her teeth. "Do you think I came over just to treat you to a meal? You're wrong. The man sitting across from you earlier was Mr. Ellis, the VP of Loyal Tech. I only paid the bill out of respect for him."

I shrugged. It didn't matter to me; the bill was paid anyway.

I still had the waiter pack up the remaining food. But just as I carried the bags to the parking lot, Dustin chased after me.

Without even letting me speak, he barked, "Scarlett, we've already broken up. Who I'm with now has nothing to do with you, and you have no right to interfere."

I was speechless. "I've never even thought about interfering in your life. I have no idea what Kally told you."

"My breakup with you has nothing to do with her," Dustin said coldly. "It's simply because we are not the same kind of people."

"Understood," I said. "You could've been more direct. You just think I'm not good enough for you anymore, right?"

This time, Dustin finally admitted it. He raised his chin and said, "Scarlett, no one is obligated to wait around for you. Life is like that—you either move forward, or you fall behind."

He glanced at the bags of leftovers in my hand. "Go find someone who's willing to eat scraps with you. Good luck."

At that exact moment, the very last trace of nostalgia I held for him completely vanished.

"We probably won't cross paths again," Dustin said. "We'll soon finalize our partnership with Loyal Tech. When that happens, the company will reach a whole new level."

He added warningly, "I heard you just had dinner with Mr. Ellis. I don't know how you managed to get a meeting with him, but I'm telling you now, don't try any cheap tricks. You won't be able to stop me."

I smiled nonchalantly, carrying my food, and walked away.

When I got home that day, I did something unusual and started a livestream. Followers quickly flooded into the stream.

They kept sending messages filled with concern.

The comments were scrolling by too fast, so I picked a few to answer. "Yes, I haven't streamed lately because I've been busy traveling and working."

A: [So you actually have a day job?]

"Yes. From now on, food blogging will just be a side gig. But once I finish sorting out my current work, I'll still come back to spend time with you guys."

After chatting with my followers for an hour, I ended the livestream.

While scrolling through the video app, the algorithm recommended Kally's latest post to me.

She had posted a series of photos that served as a subtle, soft-launch of their relationship.

None of them showed the man's face—only his back or his shadow—but it was instantly recognizable as Dustin.

I blocked her account, completely erasing the two of them from my world.

But I didn't expect our reunion to happen so soon.

A week later, while setting up a catering table outside a conference room at Loyal Tech, I ran into them.

Dustin's gaze lingered on me for a mere two seconds before turning away. Kally escorted him into the room, then came out to grab some coffee.

"Doing catering deliveries now?" Kally said with a smirk. "Money must be tight."

I had no interest in making small talk with her, so I just gave a brief nod. "It's fine."

Kally picked up two cups of coffee. "We're here for Loyal Tech's partner selection conference. Even though there are ten tech companies competing, I'm confident Kally Tech will win."

I couldn't help but give her another look.

Only then did I remember that after my complete falling out with Dustin, the company's name had been changed as well.

The company was now called Kally Tech, and it no longer had anything to do with me.

"Well, good luck then," I said half-heartedly, turning to walk away.

Half an hour later, in the conference room of Loyal Tech, the Vice President, Robert Ellis, finished his opening remarks and made a solemn announcement.

"Now, I would like to introduce the CEO and Chief Technology Officer of Loyal Tech, who will announce the company we have chosen to partner with."

He gestured in my direction. "Please welcome our CEO, Ms. Scarlett Brooks!"