After a massive fight with my billionaire parents, they cut off my allowance. Out of spite, I hooked up with the CEO of my dad's biggest rival company. He was famously known as Manhattan's untouchable golden boy. He spoiled me and was incredibly generous, but the one thing he refused to give me was a real title. When his friends asked, he casually shook his head— "Marriage requires equal social standing. "Harper comes from nothing; I’d never marry her. "But as a canary to keep in a gilded cage, she does nicely." I sneered coldly in my heart. My dad had already lost his patience with my stubborn streak. Not only had he caved and decided to hand the family empire over to me, but he was also preparing to set me up with a billionaire heir of his own choosing. 1 By our third year together, I had actually started to fall for Carter Vance. On our anniversary, I specifically took the day off from my university classes. Using my scholarship money, I bought him a limited-edition watch as a gift and secretly sneaked into the VIP lounge of his favorite club, wanting to give him a huge surprise. But the moment my hand touched the door handle... I heard the sound of him and his friends laughing inside. Someone brought me up. "Carter. "You haven't actually caught feelings for that broke college student, have you? "You even rented out a downtown gallery space for her. That real estate is not cheap!" ... My heart slowly leaped into my throat. The gallery? For an art student without financial backing or industry connections, even with a strong portfolio, hosting a solo exhibition was practically impossible. I had mentioned it to him in passing once... I didn't expect him to actually remember. I gripped the gift bag tightly in my hand. Just as I was about to burst into the room and give him a massive hug— The next second. I heard Carter's icy, cynical voice. "Oh, please. Feelings? "It's just a few hundred grand. Just a way to amuse a naive girl who's never seen the real world." The room erupted into laughter. One of his friends even started clapping. "...Throwing money around is definitely the easiest way to handle these pretty, powerless girls. "And here I thought you were actually planning to marry her." I heard the clink of Carter picking up his whiskey glass. His tone grew completely indifferent. "Marry her? "Marriage requires equal social standing. "Harper's background is trash. But as a canary to keep in a gilded cage, I don't mind funding her lifestyle." 2 I looked down at the gift box in my hands. The watch was around five thousand dollars. It was nothing compared to the priceless timepieces in Carter's collection. But it was bought with every cent of the academic scholarship I had earned. Now, it just felt laughable. The gentleness and pampering I thought were real... Were nothing but a disguise hiding his deep prejudice and arrogance. The truth was, from the very beginning, he had always looked down on me because of my "status." The warmth that had just blossomed in my heart slowly turned to ice, frozen over by disappointment and anger. I smiled bitterly and placed the watch inside a storage locker in the hallway outside the lounge. Carter. Consider your wish granted— We are done. After leaving the club, I caught a cab back to my dorm. I usually spent most of my time living at Carter's penthouse. Now, it was time to pack up and move my things back to campus. Just as I reached the entrance of my dorm building. My phone rang. It was an unknown number. When I answered— It was my dad. "Sweetheart. "It's been two years. Are you still mad at your old man? "If you want to study art, then study art! Dad will buy you a gallery, I'll hire world-class masters to tutor you... "You're a pampered heiress, you've never had to lift a finger. You must be suffering so much out there on your own." Hearing my father's voice so suddenly, the tears instantly fell. The regret peaked in my chest. Why was I so stubborn back then? Just because I wanted to major in Fine Arts instead of Business, I had a catastrophic fight with my parents. Out of spite, I ran away from home and blocked all their numbers. My parents probably assumed my spoiled temper wouldn't last long in the real world. They figured I'd come crawling back eventually. But neither of us expected it to take this long for them to track me down again. I wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes and steadied my breathing. I gave a soft, small hum. "I was too rebellious. "Dad, I'm done throwing tantrums. "Can you guys come pick me up and take me home?" 3 The drive from their estate to my university wasn't short. But my dad hung up the phone and practically flew here. It only took him thirty minutes. My mom and our head housekeeper, Martha, came along too. When my roommates saw the gleaming Rolls-Royce parked outside the dorm, followed by my parents dripping in quiet luxury, their jaws hit the floor. "Harper, your family is this rich...? Were you just slumming it for the life experience?!" My mom took one look at my cramped, shabby dorm room. Her reaction wasn't far off from my roommate's. "Harper, what kind of life have you been living?! "Why do you barely have any skincare products... could you not even afford the basics?" The truth was, the vast majority of my things were still at Carter's penthouse. I opened my mouth. But I decided to swallow the truth. Carter's father and my dad used to be bitter rivals. They actually grew up together as best friends, but a brutal battle over a massive corporate merger years ago caused a permanent rift between them. I'll admit it. The first time I met Carter, aside from the fact that I was genuinely struggling financially... I also approached him out of spite against my parents. I played the role of an innocent, naive little flower. I lured him into letting me stay by his side. But I foolishly thought that after two years... We had actually developed real feelings. I had even planned to confess my true identity to him tonight. Instead, he hit me with a brutal reality check. His actions proved that my fantasies about him... Were nothing but a pathetic illusion. 4 While I was lost in thought, my dad was busy stuffing my meager belongings into the trunk of the car. He turned around and awkwardly patted my head. He looked like he wanted to say something, but was hesitating. "Harper, you really want to pursue art, right? We won't interfere anymore..." "It's fine." I looked up. I cut my father off: "I'll join the company." Honestly, the moment I picked up his phone call, I had already made up my mind. My parents only had one child. The Sterling Empire needed a successor. Our business spanned the entire globe; we were apex predators in the industry. Could they really hand an empire like that over to an outsider? My father had only forced me to study business because he had to consider the legacy. I was just too immature back then. I thought my hobbies and dreams were more important than anything. Thinking about it now... I love painting. But I can easily pursue it in my free time. It doesn't conflict with taking over the family business. I smiled and hugged my dad's arm. "Dad, I fully realize how naive my old mindset was. "But I know absolutely nothing about the corporate world right now... "I'll probably have to start from the very bottom." I might not know business, but I wasn't stupid. If I truly wanted to take the reins of a global enterprise, I needed a massive amount of theoretical and practical experience. Having a seasoned mentor was an absolute necessity. My dad glanced at me, stunned for a second. Then, a huge smile broke across his face. "I'm too swamped with the new quarter to mentor you personally. "But don't worry. "I'll find you a tutor to teach you the ropes." He paused, as if a brilliant idea just struck him. He added confidently, "Don't worry, you two will definitely hit it off."
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