Chapter 1

As Julia handed over the divorce agreement, Simon was busy coaxing his 52nd mistress over the phone.

“Simon, let’s get a divorce.”

“Sign here, wait for a month, once the cooling-off period is over, we’ll go our separate ways with no more ties.”

Upon hearing this, he gave a casual "Mhm" and took the document, flipping straight to the last page without even looking at it. Without a second thought, he signed his name.

After signing, he picked up his jacket and continued softly coaxing the young woman on the other end of the line.

“Alright, alright, I’ll come to be with you now, okay?”

Once the call ended, Simon had already reached the door. Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and turned back to Julia. “By the way, Julia, what was it you asked me to sign just now?”

He signed without even thinking, and only now he asked?

Julia tugged at the corner of her lips, a bitter, sarcastic smile pulling at her face.

“Divor…”

Before she could finish her sentence, Simon waved his hand nonchalantly. “In the future, if you want to buy a house, just go ahead and buy it.

You don’t have to bring me a separate agreement to sign. I’m busy coaxing someone right now. I’ve already spent a few days at home with you, but the young lady’s throwing a tantrum.”

At that moment, Julia realized that he hadn’t heard a word of what she had said and thought it was just another property purchase contract he had signed.

It made sense. In the past, during their most heated arguments, the one thing she loved to do was use Simon’s money to buy entire villas, whole blocks of them.

Real estate had long since become a sunset industry. She would pour billions into it, doing so to exact revenge and vent the pain and anger inside her.

Back then, she still had hope for him. The last shred of love she had for him made it impossible for her to accept that he had fallen out of love, causing her to break down in despair.

Yes, how had he fallen out of love?

She still remembered the first time they met. It was at a bar.

She had gone to pick up a friend and happened to run into a drunken Simon, who was about to fall. She had kindly helped him up.

He only looked up at her once, and from that moment, he was smitten.

Simon, the name that carried weight in the circle, the heir to a prestigious family in B city’s northern district, with a handsome, rebellious face.

His girlfriends changed almost every three days, and he had broken the hearts of half the city’s girls.

Julia didn’t want to be one of them, nor did she want to get involved with such a playboy, so she directly rejected him.

But to her surprise, he didn’t give up. Instead, he threw himself at her, relentlessly pursuing her, his eyes no longer looking at anyone else.

The sea of romantic flowers that filled the square on Valentine’s Day, the fireworks that lit up the beach all night just to make her smile, the constant presence beside her whenever she felt lonely…

Her heart, which had never once fluttered, gradually fell victim to his overwhelming pursuit.

After confirming their relationship, he no longer indulged in fleeting affairs. Instead, he focused entirely on her, updating her on his whereabouts no matter where he went.

Everyone said that Simon had turned over a new leaf for her, that the playboy had reformed.

Julia believed that too.

So when he knelt down in front of her, eyes red, proposing marriage, she joyfully accepted.

But less than a year into their marriage, Simon started entangling himself with other women again.

They fought countless times, and on so many occasions, she found herself screaming in a shattered living room, unraveling like a madwoman, while he wearily rubbed his temples.

Finally, he came up with the idea: “Let’s each do our own thing, and when we’ve had our fill, we’ll come back to the family.”

“Julia, I love you, but being with one person for life... it’s bound to get boring.”

“We’ll each do our own thing, but we’re not allowed to fall for anyone else. When we’re done, we’ll return to the family and live our life, okay?”

Julia refused to agree, but he didn’t care and continued with his ways.

Slowly, she too broke down. She found solace in the arms of another young man, Charlie.

At first, she just wanted to spite Simon.

But Charlie would call her “sister” in a gentle voice, comforting her, always showing up whenever she was in need, and staying by her side during a near-fatal car accident, red-eyed, keeping her company through check-ups.

The young man was pure and untainted, and over time, Julia’s heart, battered and bruised, slowly began to heal under his care.

She thought of giving him a house or writing him a check, but he refused it all. He only wanted one thing—a name.

“Sister, divorce him, and try me.”

The young man’s eyes were full of love, his gaze so pure, so bright, reflecting the complete image of her.

It was the version of her that had been torn apart in this marriage.

But in his eyes, she seemed to be glowing.

At that moment, something shifted in her. When life is good, one should enjoy it.

Even children know that when a toy breaks, it’s time to get a new one. But in all these years of desperately fighting with Simon, what had she been doing?

So, she agreed.

She agreed to be with Charlie.

And she decided to completely end this chaotic marriage.

Chapter 2

It wasn’t long after Simon left that Julia received a video call from Charlie.

He was wearing a white shirt and cooking in the kitchen. His tousled hair gently fell over his forehead, his eyelashes slightly curled, giving him a delicate and soft look.

“Sister, is the divorce done?”

Although she was several years older and had been through a lot, every time Julia saw the face of this young man, she couldn’t help but blush and feel her heart race.

With a face like that, no wonder the girls at his school were constantly chasing after him.

She cleared her throat. “The divorce agreement has been signed. In another month, I’ll have nothing to do with him.”

Upon hearing this, Charlie’s handsome lips curled up slightly, and he said softly, “Since it’s over between you two, then during this time, sister, you’re not allowed to let him touch you. I’ll need to check on that later.”

Julia didn’t expect him to say something like that, and her face turned a little red. She quickly put on a stern expression. “What are you saying, child?”

Charlie looked at her, his eyes filled with unmistakable possessiveness, though it was fleeting. He then said, feigning a little grievance, “Sister, I may be younger, but in other areas... I’m not small.”

Fearing the conversation would soon turn inappropriate, Julia quickly stopped him and said a few comforting words, eventually convincing Charlie to end the call obediently.

The boy was perfect in every way—except for one thing...

He was too clingy.

After the call, Julia went out for a moment and bought a calendar.

For the whole month, she counted down the days.

Every day, she tore off one page.

From October 1st to 10th, Simon hadn’t come back even once.

But Julia knew where he had been and who he had been with.

His new lover, Leah, who was also an intern at his company, posted on instagram every day, subtly flaunting their whereabouts.

They were either at a restaurant having afternoon tea, at a golf course, or at a mountain villa watching the city lights. Sometimes they were enjoying a bath together at a hot spring.

It was strange. Simon, with his playboy nature, would never waste so much time on a single woman. In the past, those fleeting lovers would last only a month at most before he got bored.

Yet this Leah—whatever it was about her—had managed to last three months without him growing tired of her.

Perhaps the long-lasting “shelf life” had given her confidence. Unlike other women, she wasn’t shy about it. She had actively triggered Julia on instagram, subtly provoking her this way.

Julia didn’t pay much attention to these petty tricks.

She was getting a divorce, so why would she care about such things?

In the past few days, when she had time, she cleaned up everything in the house.

The carefully selected razor, the neatly pressed suits, the limited-edition Patek Philippe watch she had fought to get...

Regardless of how expensive or valuable the items were, anything she had given him—she packed it all and threw it out.

Along with them, she discarded all the grievances she had endured during the marriage and the sincere love she once gave to Simon.

She had made up her mind to leave the past behind and start a new life.

Another two days passed, and Simon finally returned.

He looked around the now somewhat emptier villa, furrowing his brows.

“Julia, did you throw away my things?”

Julia, flipping through a magazine, hummed nonchalantly. “I threw them away.”

“I bought them, so I threw them out. Is there a problem? Besides, you haven’t been home anyway, so you wouldn’t need them.”

Simon thought she was still angry over what had happened last time, so he purposely said these things to provoke her.

He walked over, sat down beside her, and casually said, “Didn’t we agree that we’d do our own things outside? We wouldn’t fall in love with anyone else. Why are you suddenly getting upset again?”

Here it was again—the same tired excuse of “just playing around.”

No matter what he did, he always found some reason or excuse to justify himself.

And she, as his wife, was forced to passively accept all the pain he caused, without being allowed to voice even one complaint.

But now, she was no longer interested in arguing over these trivial matters.

She snapped the magazine shut with a loud clap, stood up, and began walking upstairs with an icy tone.

“You’re overthinking. I don’t care at all.”

Simon immediately thought she was pretending to be nonchalant. He stood up and grabbed her hand.

Then, in the face of her impatient gaze, he pulled a card out of his pocket and placed it in her palm.

“Don’t be upset. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the auction. You can bid on whatever you like. Let’s go have some fun, alright?”

Julia instinctively wanted to refuse.

But when her eyes caught the Sotheby’s logo on the invitation, she hesitated. She then changed her mind and agreed.

After all, she was getting a divorce. It wouldn’t hurt to use his money for something that might make her happy.

Chapter 3

At 5:00 PM, Simon’s car arrived promptly at the villa’s entrance.

Julia grabbed her bag and headed downstairs. Just as she was about to open the car door, she saw a familiar face.

It was Leah.

She was sitting in the front passenger seat, holding a large bag of snacks and drinks, and greeted her with an innocent smile.

“Madam, I get car sick. Would you mind sitting in the backseat today?”

Seeing the smug look that flashed in her eyes, Julia lowered her gaze, and her peripheral vision caught a small ornament on the dashboard.

It was a custom Hello Kitty item, with a butterfly on top and a line of text.

"Princess Leah’s exclusive front passenger seat!"

When Julia didn’t say anything or move, Simon knew she was upset again. He spoke softly, trying to appease her, “Leah has never been to an auction before.

I’m bringing her along so she can experience the world. She’s a bit delicate, Julia. Please let her have the seat.”

Let her have it?

Of course. It didn’t matter anymore. She no longer needed him. It was just one seat. She could let her have it.

Julia let out a soft laugh and turned around to sit in the backseat.

On the way, Leah ate various cakes and snacks.

Then, using the spoon she had already used, she fed some to Simon, showing off their affection for each other as though no one was around.

The two chatted away, with Simon’s smile never fading, charmed by her amusing remarks and frequent flirtations.

Throughout the whole journey, Julia didn’t even spare them a glance, instead opening the car window to admire the autumn scenery outside.

When they arrived at the venue, they had barely taken a few steps when Leah began to complain that her high heels were hurting her feet.

Simon chuckled, calling her delicate, but without saying a word, he led her to the nearest mall and personally picked out a pair of flat shoes for her, helping her try on several pairs.

Watching him kneel on the ground, inspecting the softness of the shoes with such a considerate demeanor, Julia couldn’t help but remember half a month ago, when she had a high fever and was on the verge of burning up.

She had asked him to bring her a glass of water, and he had refused, acting all proud and distant.

Clearly, she was no longer the little princess he pampered.

Once, she had been that person too—the one he cherished and doted on.

Back then, she had been reluctant to accept his pursuit, purposely making things difficult for him. She told him if he could buy the red bean cakes from the South City, she would consider giving him a chance.

South City was on the other side of town, and it was snowing that day. Anyone could see she was deliberately making things hard for him.

But he had driven for five hours without hesitation, holding the still-warm mung bean cakes in his arms and bringing them to her.

Later, Julia often wondered: Why, if his love had never been fake back then, could he change so quickly?

Now, she realized it wasn’t that he had changed.

She had simply never seen him for what he truly was. She hadn’t recognized his nature—his playboy side, his real self.

No one could make a playboy settle down.

Julia let out a self-deprecating smile as she walked into the auction hall with the invitation in hand.

The first auction item was already on display when Simon finally walked in with Leah.

This auction was held simultaneously with a banquet, and there were various exquisite snacks and seasonal, plump crabs on the tables.

As soon as they sat down, Leah’s eyes locked onto the crabs, and she immediately pestered Simon, saying she wanted to eat them right away.

Simon helplessly chuckled, adjusting her skirt before politely declining the waiter’s help. He then gracefully took the crab picking tools and patiently peeled the crab meat and roe, serving it to her at the table.

Watching him act so gentlemanly, Leah gazed at him with adoring eyes, full of admiration.

Meanwhile, Julia silently watched them, her gaze drifting. After they finished eating the crabs, Leah casually pointed to a set of emerald green jewelry on display. Simon immediately raised his paddle.

“Lot 17, the seller bids thirty million!”

The price caused an uproar in the room. No one dared to make a bid, and the entire venue was filled with the sound of people gasping.

Soon, the auction entered a break period.

Many guests walked over to Table 17, seemingly trying to make connections with Simon.

As they observed his pampering behavior toward Leah, they couldn’t help but flatter her, calling her "Madam" and "Lady" repeatedly.

Simon looked up and casually reminded them.

“You’ve got the wrong person. She’s my wife.”

In an instant, the guests who had made the mistake showed embarrassed expressions and quickly corrected themselves.

Julia remained silent, not acknowledging their confused and pitying glances.

They hadn’t actually made a mistake.

Soon, she wouldn’t be Mrs. Clerk anymore.

And with the way Simon doted on Leah, it was possible that once the divorce was finalized, he would marry her right away.

After the brief break, the second half of the auction began, featuring antiques.

Julia wasn’t interested in these, so she casually bid on a few of the most expensive items before leaving early.

She had just reached the elevator when she heard Leah’s sweet, sickly voice behind her.

“Madam, would you mind having a chat?”

Julia stopped in her tracks. “I don’t have anything to—”

Before she could finish, she saw Leah’s hand swing up.

Slap!

The next second, a hard slap landed across her face.