Sweeter After Leaving You The Heiress's Revenge

At our engagement party, just as the officiant announced the exchange of rings, Zack walked right past me.

Under the watchful eyes of all the guests, he slid the diamond ring that belonged to me onto the ring finger of his first love, Lily.

Looking at my stunned face, Zack actually smiled, completely unapologetic. "Lily has severe depression. She’s never been anyone’s first choice.

I need to make this dream come true for her." While comforting the woman in his arms, he whispered to me: "Be good, Chloe.

Next week, I’ll take you to the courthouse to make it official. Besides, there’s no point in making a scene now." "Look, this ring was custommade to your size.

It doesn't even fit Lily properly." Everyone in the room expected me to throw a massive tantrum.

But I quietly took off the promise bracelet from my wrist and let out a long, genuine sigh of relief.

My childhood friend, who had been waiting for me for ten years, finally didn't need to make excuses to keep his distance anymore.

Zack’s aunt, Clara, ran into me outside the banquet hall and was completely shocked. "Why are you out here alone?

Didn't the ceremony just start?" "The ceremony is canceled." "He’s busy doing charity work." Clara stood frozen, unable to process what I just said.

I didn't bother to explain further, turned around, and walked straight toward the underground parking lot. Just as I reached my car door, a sudden wave of dizziness hit me.

I leaned against the car, gasping for air, and fumbled in my purse for two candies to pop into my mouth. But the sour taste in my stomach just wouldn't go away.

To fit into the waistcinching gown Zack chose for me, I hadn’t eaten a single thing for two whole days.

The dress was actually custommade to Lily's measurements. "The designer studio messed up the sizing and made it to Lily's measurements." "It’s too late to alter it now.

Just starve yourself for two days. You’ll look better if you lose some weight anyway." "Be good, babe.

Tomorrow, you’re going to be the most beautiful bride at our engagement party." The phone in my bag buzzed. It was Zack’s group chat on Snapchat.

Kyle Benson had posted a picture of Lily wearing my custom diamond ring. Kyle captioned it: "She even took off her bracelet.

Who is she trying to fool with this dramatic exit?" "Did she really think drawing a few blueprints back then meant she owned half of this company?" Another guy chimed in. "I bet she’ll be crying and begging to get back together within three days.

Zack, you really need to teach her a lesson this time." Zack’s icon popped up in the chat. "Let her cool down. Don't spoil her." I stared at the screen.

These past five years felt like a joke. The play was finally over, and from now on, nobody would disgust me ever again.

Back at my apartment, I took a shower and changed into my pajamas. At eleven in the evening, Zack walked in, smelling heavily of hospital disinfectant.

Seeing me sitting on the couch, he frowned and tossed a shopping bag onto the coffee table. "Lily kept your ring.

Consider this bag your compensation." "Wear it to work tomorrow, and stop throwing tantrums, okay?" I glanced at the bag. An Hermès Birkin in Barbie Pink.

The exact color Lily had wished for on Instagram yesterday. Zack walked over to me, habitually reaching out to ruffle my hair. "It’s just a ring, Chloe.

You’re the only one I’m going to marry." "Next week, we’ll go to the courthouse." "Be good, and stop picking fights with Lily.

She’s sick and can’t handle any stress." I tilted my head, dodging his hand.

Zack’s hand froze midair. "How long are you going to keep up this attitude?" "I bought you the bag, I gave you a way out.

What more do you want before you behave?" Just as he was about to lose his temper, his phone rang in his pocket. He pulled it out, looked at it, and his face instantly pale.

It was a photo from Lily. The photo showed a wrist with a faint red mark on it. He grabbed his phone, rushed into the master bedroom, and locked the door behind him.

I sat on the couch, listening to Zack’s frantic voice through the bedroom door. "Lily, don't do anything stupid! I’m coming over right now..." His voice was filled with panic.

My phone on the coffee table buzzed. "The private jet route has been approved for Monday morning.

Are you ready to come home?" It was Julian, my childhood friend who had waited for me for ten years and whom I had deliberately pushed away.

Looking at the words on the screen, my eyes grew hot. "Yes. And please help me draft a stock transfer agreement." The next morning, Zack was gone. I went to the office as usual.

This was the company I had helped Zack build from scratch during his early startup days. But the moment I pushed the door open, I froze.

My desk, which used to be piled with draft designs, was gone. It had been replaced by a pink couch.

The architectural layouts on the wall were gone, replaced by several abstract paintings. There was even an aromatherapy diffuser in the corner.

Zack was standing by the window on a phone call.

Seeing me walk in, he hung up quickly. "Why are you here?" I pointed at the empty room. "Where are my blueprints?" Zack walked over. "I had them moved to the storage room." "Lily needs a place to relax.

The doctor said a healing space would be good for her depression." "So you turned my office into her therapy room?" Zack patted my shoulder. "You’re going to be a stayathome wife after we sign the marriage papers next week anyway.

Why do you still need an office?" "Just find an empty desk outside to work." "I’ve always loved how sensible and cooperative you are, Chloe." Back when the company first started, in order to finish the designs for him, I pulled allnighters for three months straight, which left me with severe wrist tendonitis.

Back then, he held me with red eyes, promising he would give me the best office in the future.

Now, to please Lily, he had erased every trace of my hard work. "Today is my followup appointment for my tendonitis." "Can you come with me?" Zack glanced at his watch. "No, Lily gets depressed on cloudy days.

I promised to take her to the beach." "Your wrist isn't a big deal. Can't you just take an Uber to the clinic yourself?" In the afternoon, I sat alone in the clinic waiting area.

My phone buzzed with a notification. Lily had posted a beach photo on Instagram. It showed her hand wearing the custom diamond ring, with Zack’s back in the background.

The caption read: "When you’re truly chosen, even a ring that doesn’t fit perfectly feels like pure devotion.

Perfectly pampered." I gave the post a thumbsup, then opened my contacts and messaged the buyer. "I agree to the transfer. Market price.

The faster, the better." Half an hour later, it was my turn for the wrist injection treatment.

As the needle pierced my joint cavity, the sharp pain made me break out in a cold sweat.

The doctor frowned and warned me. "Don't move, try to hold on." Right then, a chaotic noise came from the clinic hallway. "Doctor!

Get a doctor out here right now!" Zack rushed into the lobby, carrying Lily in his arms, pacing frantically. Lily snuggled in his chest, tears still hanging from her eyes.

Her big toe was slightly red from rubbing against the sand. There wasn't even a drop of blood. Lily looked up and saw me.

She shrank further into Zack’s arms, letting out a dramatic gasp. "Zack, Chloe is here." "I think my anxiety is acting up again. I can’t breathe..." Zack whipped his head toward me.

He looked at the needle in my wrist, his face darkening as he stepped in front of Lily to block my view. "Chloe, go wait in the car. Don't make a scene here."

I didn't go to the car at all. After the doctor pulled out the needle and put a bandaid on my wrist, I called an Uber straight back to the apartment.

I called a moving company to pack up all my personal belongings. The apartment was filled with things I had carefully decorated over the years.

I picked up my Ragdoll cat, who was hiding in the corner. This cat was incredibly expensive. Leaving him behind would be a waste, so I decided to take him with me as a souvenir.

Zack hated his shedding and never wanted to touch him anyway. Just as the movers carried the last large box out of the door, the front door swung open.

Zack walked in, supporting Lily. Lily’s foot was wrapped in a ridiculously thick layer of bandages.

Without even taking off her shoes, she climbed directly onto the master bed, rolling around and leaving sand all over the sheets. "Chloe’s bed is so soft." "Zack, can I sleep here tonight?" Zack agreed instantly. "You can sleep wherever you want." But when he turned around and noticed the living room was mostly empty, his face darkened. "What kind of stunt are you pulling now?

Why is the place such a mess?" I stroked the cat’s fur gently. "They're my things.

I’m just taking them." "Put the cat down." "Lily just said she wanted to play with the cat to ease her depression.

Where do you think you’re taking it?" I let out a cold laugh. "She needs a cat for her depression, so I have to give her mine as a toy?" "Zack, are you her boyfriend or her vet?

How do you buy into these ridiculous excuses?" Zack took two steps closer. "It’s just a cat, Chloe. I can buy you as many as you want." "Lily’s situation is delicate.

Do you really have to pick a fight over this?" Just then, laughter came from the hallway. Kyle Benson walked in with Zack’s other friends, carrying cases of beer.

Seeing my suitcases, Kyle let out a whistle and blocked the doorway. "Oh, look who’s playing the runaway card." "Hotels aren't cheap these days.

Do you even have money in your account?" "Don't come crying to Zack for a place to stay in a couple of days." The others chimed in. "A girl needs to know her limits.

Don't push your luck when you’re being offered a way out." "She really thinks she’s some kind of highsociety princess." Zack sat down on the couch and lit a cigarette.

He stared at me, silent. I held the cat tightly and shoved Kyle out of my way. "Move." Kyle was startled by the coldness in my eyes and unconsciously stepped aside.

I walked straight toward the elevator.

Zack couldn't sit still anymore. "Chloe, if you step through that door today, our courthouse appointment next week is off." "Think carefully." "If you walk out, don't expect me to come begging you to come back." I pressed the elevator button and turned to smile at him. "Sure." "It’s a promise, then.

Let’s just say those five years were wasted on a dog."

Zack didn't contact me at all over the weekend. Instead, he went ahead and canceled the authorized credit card under my name. Monday morning, 7:00 AM.

Zack was still in his apartment picking out a tie when his assistant called him on WhatsApp. "Zack!

We have a major crisis!" "Our competitor just completed the acquisition of Chloe’s core shares!" Zack’s hand shook, pulling his tie out of shape. "What did you just say?" "They are now the majority shareholder and are demanding a board meeting for restructuring." "Zack, they're taking over the company." Zack’s face went completely pale, his teeth clenched. "Just to force me to apologize, she’s risking the very life of this company?" "Does she really think this kind of stunt will make me bow down to her?" Just as he was about to call me, Lily walked out in her pajamas, snatched his phone, and held down the voice message button on Snapchat. "Chloe, Zack said it." "As long as you return the shares, he will still marry you today." "Don't ruin the rest of your life over a petty fight." The message was sent, only to be met with a red exclamation mark.

User has blocked you. Lily froze. Zack grabbed his phone back, staring at the exclamation mark, completely paralyzed.

On the other side of town, on the sunlit airfield, the morning breeze lifted the hem of my trench coat.

Julian Sterling stood quietly by the private jet’s boarding stairs, dressed in a tailored suit, waiting for me.

He was holding a leather folder. "What's that?" I walked over and glanced at the goldembossed letters on the folder. "A billiondollar family trust fund document." Julian handed the folder to me, looking at me with pure devotion. "Just a small welcoming gift.

Once you sign it, this is entirely your personal property." I stared at him for a second, then couldn't help but laugh.

He was always like this, using the most direct and grand gestures to back me up. Honestly, I couldn't even spend this much money in several lifetimes.

But whatever, having money is always better than not.

Julian reached out, gently tucking a stray lock of hair behind my ear. "You’ve suffered enough, my princess." I shook my head gently, took his arm, and we boarded the private jet together.

Meanwhile, Zack rushed frantically to the front steps of City Hall. He fully expected to see me standing there, eagerly waiting for him as I always did.

He had even prepared a lecture to force me to sign over the shares. But the steps of City Hall were completely empty.

Only Kyle and a few of his friends stood there, their faces pale as they stared blankly at their phone screens. "Where is she?" Zack rushed over, grabbing Kyle by his collar. "Where is Chloe?" Kyle swallowed hard, trembling as he held up his phone. "Zack... you need to look at Twitter right now." Zack snatched the phone.

The number one trending topic was screaming on the screen: [Upper East Side Billionaire Julian Sterling Deploys Private Jet to Welcome Back His Heiress Fiancee!]