Forsaking the Years of Longing
Forsaking Billionaire 123

Chapter 4 I burned all the portraits I'd painted of Jason in the studio, along with our matching pajamas and the memory albums from the past five years. After finishing, I stood there exchanging glances with the movers. Mover: "If you'd told us earlier you were here to burn stuff and throw things out, we wouldn't have brought two trucks..."

I stared at the last two suitcases. After the shock of leaving, I realized I didn't have much of my own here. Once everything was loaded up, I called Jasmine.

She took a while to pick up, and I got straight to the point: "Come pick me up at the Moon Villa."

I hung up, sitting down weakly on the steps, watching the last flicker of flames die out in the fire pit, my voice turning hoarse.

When Jasmine learned I was breaking up with Jason, she drove over without a word, bringing along two unfamiliar young men.

She's such a gem, truly.

I remember leaving home for Jason, against my father's cold warnings echoing in my ears. I never imagined I'd prove him right so quickly. I actually missed him. I hadn't returned home once in five years.

Since I can remember, it's always just been my dad and me; he raised me in the lap of luxury. My father was so worried I wouldn't accept another woman in the family that he never remarried. And yet, here I was, this foolish love-struck girl, abandoning him for a jerk. He must've been heartbroken, maybe even hated me for it.

Ding!

My phone notification startled me, and a faint, ridiculous hope flared up-until I saw the anonymous email.

Attached was an audio file, and I pressed play. A familiar voice came through.

Emily: I"Do whatever it takes to get that Caroline out of the company. She's definitely the one chasing after Jason. That shameless homewrecker! I won't allow it! Jason is mine!"]

Then came the voice of a man, rough and uneasy: ["But if we're found out for leaking the project and Jason calls the cops, I don't want to end up in that hellhole!"]

Emily: ["Why do you care so much? I'll handle it all. Just name your price."

The recording ended abruptly. Everything was clear now -Emily had framed me to kick me out of the company and away from Jason. Maybe my relationship with Jason had been discovered long ago, and he was just clueless.

าวเ

But this "gift" arrived suspiciously quickly, and wondered who had sent it. Was this another trap or someone genuinely trying to help me? My thoughts were interrupted by a blinding light, followed by the honking of a car horn.

Jasmine had arrived. I got into the car and played the recording for her.

"Did you set this up?" I asked.

Jasmine shrugged. "Do I look that clever? Come on, girl, let's hit the bar and celebrate! Lucky for you, I hadn't started drinking yet when you called. Tonight we're not going home until we're plastered!" Ignoring Jasmine's suggestion, I kept pondering. I'd already asked Nico, but he swore it wasn't his doing. So, who was this anonymous helper?

"Enough thinking!" Jasmine

snapped, interrupting me. She

continued, suddenly fired up, "I saw

that scumbag Jason just as I was leaving And there was some girl with him, looked like the Wood

family heiress! Let's go knock some

sense into those two!"

I raised an eyebrow. Why not? This would save me the trouble of breaking up with Jason later. Might as well settle it all at once. When we reached the bar, Jasmine quickly introduced me to the two models she'd arranged earlier, pushing them toward me. "Well? Aren't they handsome? I know just your type! Now get one on each arm and go flaunt them in front of Jason!" I held my forehead in exasperation, about to refuse when I heard Emily's sharp, mocking voice from behind. Jason and Emily had spotted us first. Eager to rub salt in the wound, Emily dragged the grim-faced Jason over to us.