Reforging My Broken Heart

When I was working as a salesperson at a shoe store, I ran into my ex-fiancé. He was there with his current fiancée to pick out shoes. His fiancée deliberately made things difficult for me. She even used the excuse of "accidentally" stepping on my finger, hard. In excruciating pain, I pushed her down. But she turned around and accused me of intentional retaliation and threatened to file a complaint against me. For the sake of my job, I gritted my teeth and apologized to her. Yet, I saw my ex-fiancé looking at me with a mocking expression. "If you hadn't broken off our engagement because you thought I was poor, you would be the one sitting here being served!" Later, I left the city and started a new life. After he learned the truth, he went crazy looking for me... ***** "Bring me those, those, and those pairs of shoes... this entire row of shoes, all of them!" The young woman dressed in designer clothes commanded me arrogantly. "Okay, Miss Brown!" I gave her a proper smile and bowed, then turned to go to the stockroom to get the shoes. "Vivian, who is she? She's got quite the presence!" A new salesperson followed behind me, whispering. As I grabbed the shoes, I told her, "Her name is Emma. She's the youngest daughter of the Brown family, the richest family in New York. She's also a VIP customer of our brand. You'd better be careful when we go out there and don't offend her!" The newbie stuck her tongue out and nervously followed behind me with the shoes. Emma frowned as she looked at the pile of shoeboxes in front of her. Just then, the door to the store was pushed open, and a deep, steady male voice came through. "Emma, have you made your pick?" Emma's eyes lit up when she saw the man. She went up to him and affectionately linked her arm with his. "William, you're here just in time. Help me out, I don't know which pair to choose." I froze for a moment when I heard his voice. I composed myself and acted as if nothing had happened as I set down the last pair of shoes that Emma wanted to try on and stepped aside. The newbie excitedly nudged me with her elbow. "Vivian, I know this guy! He's William, the new tycoon in New York! He's the most sought-after bachelor right now!" I smiled faintly but didn't say anything. My heart, however, was in turmoil. After all these years, he was finally back, and had become a big shot in the city! William looked at Emma with a gentle smile. "Emma, you're so beautiful. Any shoes would look good on you." Emma gave him a playful punch and began to try on the shoes. I didn't want to run into William face-to-face, so I gestured for the newbie to go help Emma. However, the buckle design of one of the shoes was quite complicated. No matter how hard the newbie tried, she couldn't fasten it. Seeing that Emma was getting impatient, the newbie panicked and could only turn to me for help. "Vivian..." I felt William's gaze on me, but at this point, I had no choice but to face the music. With my nimble hands, I gently fastened the buckle for Emma. She stood up, satisfied, and took a few steps. She turned to William and asked, "How does this pair look?" William nodded. "Not bad. Why don't you go pick out a dress to match?" Emma happily walked towards the brand's clothing section, but William walked straight towards me. My back stiffened. I was about to pretend I didn't know him and take the other shoeboxes back. "Vivian, why don't you say hello when you see an old friend?" His voice rang out softly behind me. I took a deep breath and turned to look at him, only to see him looking at me with a hint of mockery in his smile. "Hello, Mr. Morris. If there's nothing else, I'll get back to work." He crossed his arms. "Weren't you going to marry into the Reed family and live a good life? What happened? Did the Reed family go bankrupt? Why do you have to come out here and sell shoes? Oh, that's right." He pretended to speak seriously, but a cruel smile played on his lips. "I forgot, the Reed Group was acquired by the Brown family five years ago. The Reed family no longer exists in New York." I glanced at him and didn't say anything. I picked up the shoeboxes on the floor and headed for the stockroom. But William grabbed my arm and whispered in my ear, "You probably didn't expect that ten years after you dumped me because I was poor, you'd be serving my fiancée today, did you? You'd better be careful. She comes from a prestigious family and is notoriously picky!" He was so close to me. I wanted to break free, but he held on tight. All I could do was glare at him, signaling him to let go. William suddenly looked behind me and smiled. "Let go? Don't regret it!" With that, he abruptly released his grip. I stumbled backward due to the momentum and saw that pair of intricately designed shoes behind me. Looking up, I saw Emma standing behind me with a hostile expression. She glared at the hand William had grabbed, her eyes seeming to spit fire. William gave me a scornful smile and stepped forward to embrace Emma. "This lady, I already have a fiancée. Please be respectful!" Emma's expression turned steely as she looked at me. "What kind of crappy shoes were you showing me just now? They're not comfortable at all! Bring me all the new arrivals in your store. I want to pick again!" Customers were always right. Even though I knew she was deliberately making things difficult for me, I could only force a smile. Out of breath, I carried a large pile of shoes from the stockroom and let Emma choose one by one. She nitpicked everything. Either the design of this pair wasn't good-looking, or the color of that pair was too dull. After trying on a whole bunch, Emma pointed back at the shoes she had initially liked. "None of these shoes satisfy me. Forget it, give me that pair to try again!" William sat to the side, watching with amusement as Emma tormented me, a hint of a smile always playing on his lips. I gritted my teeth. I was having a stroke of bad luck today, running into these two. I just had to endure it and get through the day. I squatted down next to Emma with the shoes in hand, ready to fasten the buckle for her once she put them on. But the moment my hand got close to her shoes, she hissed in my ear, "Who do you think you are, daring to set your sights on my fiancé!" With that, she stomped hard on my finger.