Only you in my love

The crystal lights above Valerie's head illuminated the room. Although it was already late in the evening, it was as bright as daylight inside. The cold, harsh brightness made her feel as if she was in an interrogation room.

She squinted and tried to turn her head away from the light.

She was like a prisoner, and her fate was at the mercy of her captor.

She didn't want to imagine what Leon would do to her.

Just earlier, he even tried choking her. Who knew what else he was capable of doing?

Subconsciously, Valerie leaned closer and closer towards Bryant, trying to seek protection.

Looking at her, Bryant knew what she was trying to do. But unfortunately, there was nothing he could do for her. She brought this upon herself.

Last time, Leon was furious because of Nina. This time around, it was because of Michelle. Those two women will always have a special place in his heart, and it was only natural for him to react that way.

Bryant had a bad feeling about what was going to happen.

"You're the reason why Michelle and I had to be apart for three years. I'll make sure that you know how long that feels like," Leon said to Valerie. A subtle smiled appeared on his face. It looked gentle, but what he just said was very sinister indeed. Anyone who heard it would tremble in fear.

Stunned, Bryant just stood there with his mouth open.

Just as he feared, Leon would lock his cousin up in a dark, lonely place. It was a place where the only thing one could hear was their own breathing.

With time, anyone locked up there would eventually lose their mind.

In the past, this was how Leon punished those who troubled Nina. He had told Valerie about this, so she surely knew what he meant.

When Bryant turned his head to look at Valerie, he saw her face riddled with fear. Her eyes looked like there was still some fight left in her. But at the same time, she also looked worn out and about to give up.

But Valerie knew that she couldn't beat Leon. If she argued any further, it would only make matters worse for her. She had the sense to give up when she knew the battle was lost.

She had to accept her defeat. There was nothing else she could do in the face of superior power.

Leon was, after all, a prince.

What pained her the most was how heartless Leon treated her. For the past years, she had always tried her best to be sweet and caring to him.

'Men are so fickle.

How could he just ignore all my efforts just like that? How could he turn his back on me so easily?' she thought.

Seeing Bryant's pleading eyes, Leon told Valerie, "Baker can keep you company in the following three years after you get engaged. Do you think he is willing to give up what he has?"

"Of course he will. I'm sure of it!" Valerie yelled defiantly.

Even though Leon didn't love her, there were still some who did care for her.

She glared at him and added, "He loves me very much. I'm sure that he'd be willing to go through that with me. Leon, you are a bastard. He is not like you. He has loved me with all his heart from the start."

"A bastard? Please," Leon scoffed. It was the second time he heard someone call him that.

Some time back, Debra was the first person to call him a bastard. She had done so because she thought that he was dating Valerie and Michelle at the same time. Leon understood because Debra was only trying to protect her friend.

If anything, it only encouraged him to treat Michelle even better from that point onward.

But he believed that Valerie was in no position to call him names.

"Well, you left me in the first place!" Now that they weighed in on their past, Leon explained his side logically. "Who do you think you are? You were the one who dumped me back then. And even after doing that to me, you wanted me to stick around just in case you didn't find a better man. You just wanted me around as a backup!

How dare you! You really are a shameless woman, Valerie."

Every word he said resonated in her mind.

Full of humiliation, Valerie lowered her head and dug her nails in her thighs.

She gnashed her teeth together and kept silent.

Taking one last glance at her, Leon left without saying anything more.

After he left, Bryant walked to his cousin and helped her up.

"Now that it has come to this, you have no other option but to accept the situation. Besides, you won't notice three years pass by with Baker by your side," he said calmly.

Valerie took his arm and stood up on her feet. She then looked at her with a hint of resentment and asked, "Bryant, why didn't you help me just now? Why didn't you defend me even after all that Leon said?" "Valerie, you..." Bryant felt helpless.

"What?" Valerie snapped. "You just didn't want to be on my side. That's what it is! You said you'd defend me. You're all liars, all of you!"

Tears welled in her eyes again. She then quickly ran upstairs to her room, leaving him behind.

Bryant didn't attempt to catch up to her or to explain his side. He was also tired of it all. Feeling helpless, he let out a sigh.

He realized that there was really nothing he could do for her.

Once inside her room, Valerie locked the door shut. In her rage, she grabbed everything she could get her hands on and smashed them on the floor.

After her outburst, her room was a total mess.

One corner of her phone was broken. The cracked glass formed a web on the screen.

Gasping for breath after she had spent her rage, she looked around the room with teary eyes. Her hands trembled, and she slumped to the floor.

A phone call broke the short silence in her room.

It was from Baker.

In the second year of her return to Lexingport City, Valerie got back in touch with Baker. However, it was just very casual, and she only replied to him occasionally.

She never answered his calls, but she thoroughly enjoyed all the care and attention that he was showering her.

After some time, Baker realized that she was keeping her distance on purpose. He then gradually distanced himself from her as well.

Yesterday, Valerie called him to say that she wanted to get back with him. She also told him that she wanted to get engaged right away. However, he didn't give her any immediate response.

It didn't worry her, though. She was so convinced that Baker would always be under her spell.

She believed that even though he had a secretary who looked like her, it was because he missed her too much.

She never took her competition seriously.

In her mind, a lowly secretary was nothing to be worried about.

Now that Baker called, she thought that he must have already decided when to come and discuss the details of their engagement.

Looking at his name on the screen, she started feeling a little bit better.

'See? Of course, there will always be a man who'd get on his knees for me,' she thought, quite pleased with the timing.

After answering his call, she sniffled a bit and made it obvious that she was in distress. As expected, Baker was immediately worried.

"Valerie, are you crying? What's going on?"

"No, I'm alright." She was satisfied to hear the concern in his voice. "When will you come to Lexingport City?"

However, Baker sounded a bit hesitant. "Well, I'm not sure yet. Valerie, listen, I have something to tell you."

His tone turned serious.

"Not sure about what? Are you worried about your company?" Valerie asked, frowning. "Moving your company to Lexingport City shouldn't be a problem. And with Feng Group's backing, you can make it grow even more." "That's not what I'm worried about," he replied in a serious tone.

"What is it then?"

Once more, he hesitated as if making a major decision.

After a while, he finally said, "I'm sorry, Valerie."

"What do you mean? What's going on?" The expression on Valerie's face became more and more serious.

"I can't get engaged to you. I'm sorry. I'm in love with someone else."

And just like that, all hope that remained inside Valerie was snuffed out. 'Have I been abandoned again?' she wondered.

Baker's words just echoed in her head. She couldn't wrap her head around what was happening.

"To be honest with you, I was very happy when you called me yesterday. I was glad because you were finally willing to get in touch with me. Of course, I told my secretary. She said that she'd support whatever would make me happy. However, she said that she wouldn't come to my engagement party."

After a pause, Baker went on, "I felt terrible. That was when I realized that I wouldn't want to lose her. I want her by my side, even if that means not getting engaged to you. I've realized just how important she is to me."

"But what about me? You said before that you liked me!"

Abandoned, Valerie flew into a rage once again. She kicked and smashed everything within her reach.

'Why do they all end up abandoning me after saying they like me?

Why?'

In another bout of anger, Valerie smashed her phone in one swift motion. The phone crashed her on the floor, and the screen went black.

With her phone destroyed, the phone call was disconnected. Alone in her room, all she could hear was the sound of her heavy breathing.