My Fiance Summer wanted to fire me and hand my Vice President position to Brandon, the male assistant whose corruption I’d exposed to her.
Facing my furious questions, Summer looked utterly annoyed.
You slandered a colleague and still expect a promotion? Get out!
Brandon, of course, piled on.
Are you just retaliating because I’m close to Summer? She reminds me so much of my late sister, I just feel a connection with her! What did I do wrong?!
I walked out of the office, glancing down at a text from my mom.
“After you left, Rosamund didn’t break off the engagement. She’s been waiting for you. Come back.”
I replied with a single word:
“Okay.”
“Julian, what happened?”
My mom paused for a moment in the chat box, then suddenly asked, surprised.
“You always loved that woman, didn’t you? You defied the family for her, even hid your identity why the sudden change of heart?”
Mentioning the past, a sharp pang shot through my heart, and my eyes stung.
Summer had no idea that my family was also one of the most prominent and influential dynasties.
After high school, my family suddenly arranged a marriage for me.
An arranged marriage, I’d always expected it, and I was perfectly fine with the idea.
But no one could have predicted that the woman my father picked for me was the most notorious woman in our circle: Rosamund Hayes, the eldest daughter of the powerful Hayes family.
I was eighteen, she was twenty-eight. To me, she was far too old.
Rumor had it, her previous fianc hadn’t just died in an accidentshe’d murdered him for his fortune!
Hearing that, I was naturally dead set against the marriage.
I fought with my father repeatedly, but it was no use.
So, I left home decisively and ended up on the streets.
I dared not use my credit cards and had no cash.
Used to a life of luxury, I had zero street smarts and was practically starving on the streets.
That’s when Summer appeared, timidly offering me a sandwich.
She rented a place for me, taught me how an ordinary person survives in this world.
We fell in love, inevitably.
During countless intimate nights, her eyes hazy with desire, she’d confess to me.
“Julian, I truly want to marry you right now.”
But ever since Brandon joined the company we founded
Ever since that day in the elevator when he helped her pick up scattered documents and, without thinking, called her “sister.”
Summer changed.
The tender moments we used to share at home, no matter how busy or exhausting work was, simply vanished.
She’d claim heavy workload, needing to work late, often returning home deep in the night.
But what she didn’t know was this.
Many times, I stood beneath the office building.
Peering through the dim, hazy light, watching two figures desperately entwined in her office.
My fists clenched white, my face twisted in a silent snarl.
But every time I confronted her, I was met with increasingly impatient excuses and annoyance.
“He’s just a friend. Julian, I never realized how paranoid you are. Don’t you trust me? Do you really think I’d betray you? He looks so much like my late brother, you know that’s a wound for me, why can’t you understand?”
“But what you’re doing has crossed a boundary!” I yelled, punching the wall.
“Don’t say anymore I feel like Brandon understands me better than you ever will.”
Each time, she’d run out, crying, avoiding the argument. Only to return later, seeking reconciliation.
And I, always soft-hearted, always forgave her.
Not long ago, I discovered Brandon was taking kickbacks from the company’s suppliers, severely hindering our growth.
After much effort, I finally gathered concrete evidence, enough to prove everything he’d done.
But my report only led to me being stripped of my position and publicly torn apart.
Brandon was promoted to Vice President, taking my place!
When my mother learned everything, she simply said one thing.
“Rosamund said she’s coming to pick you up.”
Inside the conference room.
Brandon gripped Summer’s hand tightly, but his eyes kept darting to me.
“Ms. Summer, I’ve only been with the company for six months. How can I possibly be promoted to Vice President?”
“Mr. Crawford’s eyes clearly say I don’t deserve it. I think I should just give him back the position.”
My fiance’s face was expressionless, her voice cold.
“Integrity is more important than ability!”
“Ability can be cultivated, but integrity cannot!”
The surrounding colleagues chimed in with accusations.
“Mr. Crawford really is out of line. Assistant Brandon was wrongly accused, and he proved his innocence. I heard he even used significant influence, contacting the Crawfords of the West Coast to help the company cover its losses. Otherwise, Mr. Crawford would be in jail.”
“Exactly! And he hasn’t even said a word of thanks. So ungrateful.”
The company’s deficit, caused by Brandon, was actually fixed because I contacted my mother for help.
Brandon had merely claimed he knew someone who could “pull strings” with my family, the Crawfords, to resolve the issue.
Summer chose to believe him.
And with that, even the subordinates I’d once managed had turned against me.
My gaze swept over their indignant faces.
I’d always looked out for them, but facing this blatant distortion of truth, not a single person spoke up for me.
It was as if they’d forgotten that many times, when their performance fell short, it was my connections that helped them.
My eyes finally settled on my fiance, and I asked calmly.
“You’re accusing me of taking kickbacks, calling me a criminal, and stripping me of my position.”
“You condemned me without even giving me a chance to explain, deciding I was guilty.”
“But Summer, honestly, for seven years, have I, Julian Crawford, ever been that kind of person?”
“Have I ever done anything remotely similar?!”
Summer stiffened, opening her mouth as if to speak.
“I”
But in the end, no words came out. Her gaze involuntarily flickered away from my sharp stare.
Those subordinates who had just been accusing me now looked down.
I surveyed the room, then suddenly let out a laugh.
Turning, I walked towards the door, my steps steady, without a trace of hesitation.
Summer panicked, quickly standing to follow me.
“Julian”
I turned back to look at her, a glimmer of hope in my eyes.
Seven years of emotions, I couldn’t just let them go.
If she was willing to be open, willing to face the problem, willing to trust me.
We could still fix everything
Just then, Brandon suddenly cried out.
“Don’t let Julian fool you! Over a hundred suppliers personally said Julian took kickbacks, and I even investigated and gathered evidence. Summer, are you are you doubting me?”
Summer stiffened, her face instantly hardening.
When she looked at me again, only icy fury remained.
“Julian, apologize to Brandon properly!”
“Otherwise, don’t bother coming back to the company.”
I let out a disappointed laugh, a wrenching pain twisting inside me, a bitter ache swelling and bursting in my chest.
Seven years of being lovers!
In the end, she didn’t trust me.
These suppliers were all secretly helped by my family, the Crawfords.
Brandon, using my name, took kickbacks and engaged in shady dealings.
They all thought it was my instruction, furious but dared not speak.
And when I left home, I had alienated Rosamund, that “vicious” woman.
I feared that revealing my connection to the Crawford family would invite her retaliation.
So, I’d always kept it a secret.
Even so, I never imagined Summer would one day lose faith in me.
My mind involuntarily flashed back.
To our date at the mall, after we’d become official.
We’d already paid for clothes at a boutique.
But the store owner chased us out, insisting I’d stolen the clothes and demanded ten times the price in compensation.
Summer was furious, indignantly calling for the mall manager.
She made him personally check the surveillance cameras, proving my innocence.
Afterward, she puffed out her chest, playfully and proudly patting it as she swore.
“No matter what, I’ll never let anyone wrongly accuse or hurt you!”
But now, she herself had wrongly accused me.
“Ms. Summer, I quit.”
“From now on, whatever happens to this company, don’t come looking for Julian Crawford!”
Everyone present froze, their faces filled with disbelief.
Summer’s face was utterly pale.
They all knew this company was my life’s work, my greatest priority.
Only because Summer had told me that the day the company went public would be the day we registered our marriage.
Countless days and nights, I worked tirelessly, drinking myself sick for a single deal.
All for that promise.
And now, I was actively choosing to resign.
Summer’s face was dark with anger. She yelled at me, as if trying to hide the fear in her heart.
“Julian, what exactly are you doing?!”
“This is clearly your fault; you almost caused a huge problem for the company.”
“I’m stripping you of your position, making you reflect C am I wrong to do that?”
I pushed away her outstretched hand, determined to leave.
“Ms. Summer, everything you did was perfectly right.”
Her face grew even more anxious.
“Then what do you mean by leaving?”
I stopped, glanced at Summer, then at Brandon, who was secretly smirking to the side.
Brandon immediately stopped smiling, pretending to be utterly terrified.
“Mr. Crawford, is it because of me?”
“If you’re upset, you can just say it. You’re more important to the company, there’s no need to use this to threaten Summer.”
“I won’t make Summer sad. I’ll leave.”
With that, he made a show of walking out, looking incredibly wronged.
Summer immediately pushed me away and rushed to pull Brandon back.
“Brandon, what have you done wrong? You’re not the one who should leave!”
Summer’s face turned completely cold, her teeth clenched as she glared at me.
Even though I was merely walking out, in her eyes, I seemed to have committed an unforgivable sin.
“Is this your objective? Relying on your abilities to cause trouble in the company and force my hand?”
Whenever something like this happened, whenever Brandon acted up.
Summer’s attitude towards me would completely change.
My eyes filled with desolation, and I turned to leave.
Summer shouted after me.
“Julian, if you take one more step out of this conference room, you’re fired!”
I paused, my heart breaking as I looked at her.
Then, I walked out the door.
Summer grabbed something from the table and hurled it, roaring.
“No one stop him! Let him go!”
“Does he really think the company can’t function without him?!”
When I reached my office, witnessing the sight before me, I let out a pathetic laugh.
Everything that had belonged to me in the office had been replaced.
My personal belongings were gone, replaced by Brandon’s items.
I tragically realized that even if I hadn’t been slandered.
Summer had already planned to remove me as VP and promote Brandon.
But when I looked down and saw an item on the floor.
My eyes nearly burst from their sockets, my ears rang, and my blood boiled!
My grandmother’s jade necklace, which she had repeatedly instructed me to safeguard before she passed away!
It was my grandmother’s last relic, and the symbol of my identity as the Young Master of the Crawford family.
Normally, I kept it locked in my office safe, never allowing anyone to touch it!
But now, it lay shattered into a thousand pieces.
Suddenly, Brandon’s voice, filled with feigned terror and a hint of a sob, came from behind me.
“Mr. Crawford I’m so sorry. I broke it by accident.”
“Ms. Summer told me to move into this office yesterday. I thought it looked a bit dirty, so I wanted to clean it up.”
“Who knew that jade necklace was so fragile? I accidentally dropped and broke it. How much does it cost? I’ll pay you, okay?”
Turning around, there was Brandon, a look of pure triumph on his face.
There was no hint of guilt in his expression, only a faint, knowing smile, and an undeniable sneer in his eyes.
My office was cleaned by professional janitors every day; he had no business meddling!
I clenched my fists and demanded.
“My jade necklace was always locked in the safe. Does the safe need to be cleaned too?”
Brandon pretended to be slow on the uptake, speaking with feigned innocence.
“I don’t know, Mr. Crawford. Maybe you just left it out”
I stared at the obvious pry marks on the safe, fury blazing in my heart.
I grabbed him by the collar, dragged him to the safe, and forced him to look closely.
“You didn’t do this?!”
Brandon’s smile clearly indicated he’d done it deliberately.
Yet, his face was contorted into a mask of terror, even begging through fake tears.
“Mr. Crawford, please don’t hit me. I really didn’t mean it.”
“Just tell me how much it costs. I’ll pay you, won’t that be enough?”
But at that very moment, hurried footsteps sounded from behind.
Before I could react, a powerful force shoved me, sending my head crashing against the corner of the desk, the pain excruciating.
“Brandon, Brandon, are you okay?!”
Summer had appeared, her eyes filled with extreme concern for Brandon.
The sound of my head hitting the desk corner had been loud.
I refused to believe she hadn’t heard it.
And I hadn’t even touched Brandon; he was perfectly unharmed.
Yet, Summer’s eyes only saw him.
But once, Summer was the kind of person who’d rush me to the hospital if I just cut my finger while cooking!
Slap!
Summer, seething with anger, turned and, without a word, slapped me!
The stinging pain on my face was nothing compared to the agony in my heart.
“Julian, haven’t you caused enough trouble?”
“Are you still trying to hit people in public?!”
I let out a bitter laugh, my eyes fixed on the shattered jade necklace on the floor.
Summer followed my gaze, her pupils constricting!
I had told her countless times how important this jade necklace was to me, a symbol of our family’s legacy.
I’d even planned to give it to her, my future wife, as a wedding gift.
But now, it lay in pieces.
Summer frowned, speaking again, her tone considerably softer.
“Julian, I know that jade necklace is very important to you!”
“But Brandon didn’t do it on purpose. He’s already apologized to you, what more do you want?”
“Didn’t you say this jade necklace would eventually be mine?”
“So, it’s just my item that broke. I choose to forgive Brandon, you don’t need to be angry anymore. Apologize to him.”
I laughed in exasperation, filled with bitter indignation.
To defend Brandon, Summer would stoop to such shameless words.
I forced myself to stand, meeting Summer’s eyes directly.
“I forgot to tell you, this jade necklace isn’t yours today, and it never will be.”
Summer frowned, clear impatience in her eyes.
“What do you mean, Julian?”
“How much further are you going to take this tantrum?”
I smiled with a sense of liberation.
“Summer, we’re breaking up!”
Summer stiffened, and another slap landed.
“Julian! Just because you’re jealous and petty, you’re breaking up with me?!”
“Do you know how much Brandon has helped this company? What right do you, a criminal, have to be upset?!”
“He helped solve the mess you made and even got the Crawfords to partner with our company!”
“The Crawfords of the West Coast! Julian, that’s the Crawford family, one of the top hundred in the world!”
I stepped back, dodging her, and calmly spoke the truth.
“Summer, Brandon has been lying to you this entire time.”
“I am actually the young master of the Crawford family. All these years, I’ve been the one instructing the Crawfords to secretly support the company.”
“Brandon was merely riding on my family’s coattails, pretending to have influence.”
But my honest words were met with Summer’s deeply disappointed gaze.
Brandon, meanwhile, laughed openly.
“Hahaha, Mr. Crawford, just because your last name is Crawford doesn’t mean you’re part of the Crawford family.”
“By that logic, if my last name is Brandon, can I just find a rich family named Brandon and declare myself their heir?!”
Summer’s face completely hardened.
“I never thought you could be so childish, even coming up with such an obvious lie.”
“Oh, and I forgot to tell you, the Crawfords have just sent someone to inspect the company; they’ll be here any minute!”
“You said you’re one of the Crawfords? Go ahead, prove it to me!”
The very next second after Summer’s furious outburst.
A panicked shout from an employee echoed from outside the door.
“Ms. Summer! The Crawfords are here!”
“The person leading them she specifically asked to see Mr. Crawford.”
Summer frowned deeply, glancing at me, puzzled. “Did she say why?”
The employee stammered in reply.
“She did She said she’s here to pick up her husband and take him home.”
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