At that moment, Liam, who was sitting behind them, darkened his gaze.

"How is that possible?" Clara didn't believe her. "You haven't dated anyone in the seven years since you broke up. Tell me the truth—do you still love him?"

Elena gripped her spoon tightly, her tone flat: "Don't you know how busy I’ve been these past few years? Where would I find time to date?"

"You two were so good together back then. I really thought you’d get married..."

Clara sighed softly. "Hey, why did you and Liam break up back then anyway?"

Chapter 5: Did You Ever Take My Seriousness Seriously?

When two people in love part ways, what could the reason be?

Elena was stunned for a long moment. She lowered her eyes, watching the ripples in her coffee cup, and said softly: "Because we weren't a good fit."

Before Clara could respond, Liam’s cold voice suddenly rang out from behind them.

"Seven years, and you’re still using that same excuse."

Elena’s movements stiffened, and she looked up at Liam.

Meeting his gaze, which could barely mask his anger, she instinctively clenched her hands.

"...It’s not an excuse," she replied coldly.

Not waiting for him to speak, she intentionally retorted: "It’s been seven years. You’re still obsessing over this—could it be that you can’t let me go?"

Liam’s expression faltered for a second.

He then scoffed: "Don’t be so self-important. Do you think you still matter that much to me?"

The rising bitterness seized Elena’s heart.

Yes, they were merely exes. How could she dare to hope that she still held a place in his heart?

As their eyes met, Elena was the first to look away.

Seven years—they were long past who they used to be.

Liam was targeting her only because he couldn't put down his own pride.

Elena offered a bitter smile: "True. I once overestimated this relationship myself."

Liam’s expression shifted, and just as he was about to speak, the bell at the door rang.

Vivian pushed the door open and walked in: "Liam, why are you still here?"

Her eyes swept over Elena, and her heart sank, but she still wore a pampered smile on her face.

Walking up to Liam, Vivian reached out to hold his hand, but he dodged it almost imperceptibly.

Having no choice, she held his arm instead, her smile unchanging.

She spoke intimately: "Mom has been waiting for us for so long. We agreed to go look at wedding rings together."

Hearing the word "wedding rings," Elena’s world turned upside down, but she had to pretend that nothing was wrong.

Liam suppressed his emotions, gave a faint acknowledgment, and turned to leave the cafe with Vivian.

Watching them go, Clara was rendered speechless: "How is it that Vivian is still as arrogant as ever!"

After a pause, she asked: "She was the one who pretended to be Liam’s fiancée in school and cyberbullied you on the forum for being a 'homewrecker,' right?"

Elena lowered her eyes and nodded slightly.

She wasn't silent because she didn't want to speak; she was silent because she didn't dare to—she feared her voice would tremble the moment she opened her mouth.

Clara frowned, gritting her teeth in anger: "I can’t believe Liam is actually with a woman like that!"

Elena remained silent for a long time before finally curling her lips, a trace of sorrow flashing through her eyes.

"It’s normal. After all, they are from the same world."

Both born with silver spoons in their mouths—people completely different from her.

After the brief gathering with Clara, Elena rushed back to the company to work overtime.

After two days of working until she was dizzy, she finally submitted the revised budget report to Liam on Monday.

Liam barely glanced at it before tossing it casually onto his desk.

"I’m not satisfied. Redo it."

Elena suppressed the fire in her heart and asked helplessly: "Can you not be so childish?"

Liam looked up at the sound, staring straight at her with no expression on his face.

"Is this what you call childish? Then, have you ever taken my seriousness seriously?"

Elena gasped. She knitted her delicate brows, unable to contain her repressed emotions any longer: "Liam, this is business!"

"Can you please separate personal feelings from work and stop being so unreasonable?"

Having said that, she didn't bother looking at his expression, snatched the budget report from the desk, and turned to leave.

But before she had taken two steps, a force grabbed her arm from behind.

In an instant, the world spun, and Elena was pinned directly onto the desk! The man’s predatory scent enveloped her.

Chapter 6: The Pathetic Price of Money

Elena was dazed for a moment. Before she could react, Liam’s kiss descended upon her.

Her heartbeat seemed to stop in that very instant.

It was like seven years ago... no, even more turbulent than seven years ago, carrying a hint of punishment as it fiercely robbed her of her breath.

Once she came to her senses, she struggled to push him away, but all she met was his tight, unwavering confinement.

A sudden, overwhelming sense of desolation surged into her heart.

After a long silence, Liam suddenly stopped and let her go.

He looked at her with complex eyes, his voice sinking in a way that made one’s heart flutter with panic: "I’m the one being unreasonable now."

As he spoke, he raised his hand to wipe the corner of Elena’s eye.

Only then did Elena realize she was crying.

She scrambled to her feet and fled the office as if escaping a nightmare, leaving the budget report lying forgotten on the floor.

Liam watched Elena’s retreating figure, his eyes rippling with emotion.

Just then, his phone on the desk gave a low buzz.

He picked it up to see wedding photos sent by Vivian, with a message attached:

"Liam, which one do you think looks best?"

Liam expressionlessly swiped away Vivian's message and, as if he hadn't seen it, tapped into a chat interface with someone else.

He sent a message: "Is everything ready?"

As soon as the message was sent, the reply came back quickly: "OK. Are you sure you want to do this? Your mother is going to be furious."

Liam replied with three words, his face devoid of emotion:

"It doesn't matter."

Back in her office, Elena had no heart left for work.

She didn't know what Liam was planning. He was getting married, for heaven's sake!

Not long after, she left the company early to pick up her mother from Jingnan University.

When she reached the cafeteria, it was peak lunch hour, so she stood aside, watching her mother smile warmly as she served meals to the students.

Just then, a janitor named Auntie Xu walked over with a smile: "Isn't this Elena? Here to pick up your mom after her shift again?"

Elena nodded and offered a polite, perfunctory smile.

The janitor looked at Elena’s mother, then back at Elena.

"I never would have guessed that a daughter raised by a cafeteria worker would turn out so successful. Your father, Mr. Teacher, truly earned good karma for his kindness..."

Elena’s brow furrowed, but she didn't respond.

By seven o'clock, seeing her mother limp out, Elena felt a mix of sorrow and heartache.

She stepped forward to support her mother and urged: "Mom, your leg isn't doing well. Why don't you just quit this job?"

Her mother shook her head immediately, patting the back of Elena’s hand.

"How can I do that? This job was given to us by the school out of pity after your father passed away. One must never forget their roots..."

Her mother continued to ramble, but Elena stayed silent, a stifling feeling of suffocation building in her chest.

When she drove to their apartment complex, she saw another Maserati parked to the side.

Through the car window, she caught sight of Vivian, dressed in luxury brands.

After dropping her mother off at the elevator, Elena walked back out, looking at Vivian with a cold gaze: "Do you need something?"

Vivian removed her sunglasses, scrutinized Elena, and curled her lips into a polite, brilliant smile: "So you’ve finally moved out of that dilapidated little shed. Congratulations, truly."

Elena’s heart tightened, but she looked at Vivian expressionlessly: "If you have something to say, just say it."

Vivian responded with utter disdain: "You’re not young anymore. It’s shameless to try and hold onto Liam with old memories just because you can't get married."

As she spoke, she pulled a check out of her bag and held it out to Elena: "One million. I want you out of Liam’s company by tomorrow."

Her attitude was one of entitlement; the curve of her lips remained unchanged, and her condescending manner was as if she were shooing away a beggar.

Money was indeed a great thing, capable of buying ninety-nine percent of what this world had to offer.

Elena felt an inappropriate urge to laugh, but felt only a deeper sense of sadness.