Chapter 1 - Her Hurting Achievement

One afternoon in the small town of Carltown.

In a crowded little restaurant filled with hungry and impatient patrons.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we have finally reached the climax of tonight's event, an award for someone who, with her deft hands, has successfully advanced our country's economy; someone who has opened new job opportunities for more people; someone who has helped many heads of families to feed their loved ones!"

An emcee's voice rang out passionately from one of the television stations.

It was a replay of the most prestigious award ceremony held the night before.

An annual award given to the most deserving individual in the fields of business and finance in the country of Wealthland.

In order to be nominated for this award, the winner's name must have been one of the top 100 wealthiest individuals in the country in the previous year.

"Let us welcome this year's recipient, the cold-blooded businesswoman, CEO of the world-renowned giant company, Stellar Enterprises, ... "

As the host spoke these words, the camera focused on the audience, whose faces grew more and more enthusiastic.

Most of those present were top entrepreneurs and businessmen, so the name of the company was no stranger to them.

"Miss Catherine Wilson!"

At the same time, everyone in the hall of one of Wealthland's historic palaces stood up to applaud.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

The sound of thunderous applause echoed with the soft and graceful footsteps of a very young-looking girl in her early twenties walking from the front seat to the stage.

As she climbed the steps to the platform, the camera continued to zoom in on her beautiful face, with wavy brown hair cascading down her back.

Dressed in a black evening gown with a slightly low cut in the front, her white skin and well-proportioned figure became even more dazzling.

The girl named Catherine kept a happy and proud expression on her face until she reached the podium.

"Miss Wilson, it is an honor for us to present an award to someone so deserving," said a man of about thirty-one years of age, shaking the girl's hand and presenting her with a plaque.

The man, wearing an expensive-looking dark gray suit, was David Barker, the CEO of Zenith Innovations, another giant company that controlled nearly ten percent of the country's financial turnover.

David was one of the organizers of the event and also one of the ten richest people in the country.

From the way he looked at Catherine, it seemed reasonable to say that the CEO had a certain fondness for the girl.

After all, isn't it natural for a giant to be interested in and fall in love with another giant?

Catherine accepted the plaque and shook David's hand, her smile widening, revealing her neat, white, and clean teeth, making her look even more beautiful.

People continued to applaud, thinking it wouldn't be long before more surprising news came from these two successful entrepreneurs.

While the people at the event seemed very excited, the same couldn't be said for the patrons of the small restaurant.

They only glanced at the television from time to time and didn't pay much attention to what was being broadcast.

For the people of a small town like Carltown, awards like this were not important because they had no connection to their lives, right?

What they wanted right now was for the waiters to bring them the food they had ordered.

However, one waiter was staring at the TV without blinking.

He was a handsome young man, around twenty-one years old, who had been working at the restaurant for the past three months.

From the look on his face and the way he was staring at the TV screen, it seemed that the successful businesswoman was no stranger to him.

"Jack!"

A faint call reached his ears, but he hesitated to look away from the TV.

"Jack!"

Simultaneously with that call, a blow landed on his head.

Slap!

"Oh man, what are you doing?" yelled a tall and fat man in all white clothes and a hat.

"Are you blind? Can't you see these people are waiting for their food? Hurry up and serve them!"

"I'm sorry! I'll deliver it right away!" replied Jack, taking a large tray with various dishes on it from the hands of the chubby man.

"You fool!" the big man cursed as Jack walked away from him.

For some reason, Jack's mind was unusually unfocused.

Normally, he worked diligently and efficiently, making him seem like the "favorite servant" of the chubby man who happened to be the manager of this franchise restaurant.

Without paying attention to the order number on the small piece of paper placed on the side of the tray, Jack placed the food on a table.

"Thank you for waiting! I brought everything you ordered!"

Jack said as politely as he could, forcing a smile on his face, which was especially difficult today, especially after watching the awards ceremony.

Jack didn't notice that the people at the table were staring at him with puzzled expressions.

They looked at each other as if to say, "Is this what we ordered?"

After nearly ten plates had been placed on the table, one of the patrons opened his mouth.

"Please stop! This is not the food we ordered!"

Jack looked at the bald man wearing a white shirt and tie.

His expression seemed displeased.

"Are you kidding, sir?" Jack said with a smile. "The tray I brought is the order for table number six. Meanwhile, the number on your table is..."

Jack didn't finish his words, but pointed with one hand, as politely as possible, to the number on the table, which happened to be number six.

At this point, Jack probably never thought in his life that he had read the order number backwards!

"Yes, this is number six! So what's the problem? Let me tell you, we didn't order this food!" the bald man said.

His tone grew higher and his expression showed signs of anger.

Jack took a deep breath.

"Sir, I don't want to bother you with your meal! However, if you change your mind and don't want these dishes, I can offer you another menu!"

Although Jack felt annoyed, he still tried to keep a friendly face and a forced smile, which actually made his handsome face look a bit strange.

After working hard for the past three years, he had become accustomed to situations like this, where people treated him very badly, even worse than he could imagine.

However, Jack's words provoked the bald-headed man and he could no longer hold back his anger.

"You fool! Are you deaf? I did not order this food! Take it all away from me right now!"

Jack had no choice but to put his tray back on the table and retrieve the plates he had just put down.

Just then, another man in a white shirt touched the bald man's shoulder.

"Boss, look at that!"

He pointed his head at the TV screen, which was still showing a replay of the award ceremony that Catherine Wilson had won.

This time it was a question and answer session between the beautiful girl and the journalists crowding around her.

"Miss Wilson, would you be willing to talk to us about the relationship you once had with the Eldrone family, a guy named Jack?"

A journalist asked, moving the portable microphone in his hand slightly forward.

However, he did not expect that the question would bring tears to the girl's eyes.

Lifting her head for a moment, Catherine said, "I admit that Jack was the most important and loved person in my life!"

Having said that, she looked at David who was standing next to her.

But the billionaire man just nodded his head and patted the girl's shoulder very gently, as if to say, "It's okay, it's okay if you want to relieve the burden you've been carrying for so long by telling the truth about your life!"

"I gave him everything. Love, attention, honesty, money, business assets, everything! Even if you want to mention any name or valuable thing in the world right now in front of me, I will gladly allow it! Because I have literally given my life to him!"

These words sounded sincere, perhaps even more touching than the lines spoken by an actress in the most popular romantic movie, causing people who were enjoying their lunch in the restaurant to look up at the television.

"But his betrayal shattered me!"

As Catherine spoke these words, a clear liquid flowed from the corners of her eyes, giving David, who was standing next to her, the opportunity to hand her a handkerchief.

"I caught him sleeping with many girls! Not just in hotels, but in our house! I didn't even want to believe what I saw with my own eyes when one day he slept with my close friend, and he admitted that it had happened many times before!"

This confession, of course, shocked the entire country.

Until now, Catherine Wilson was known as a resilient woman and a faithful wife who always showed the harmony and ideal relationship of a marriage that made many people envious.

As for her physical appearance, there was not a single part of her body that was not extraordinary.

Her proportional body shape and weight made her look like an international model.

Meanwhile, her face had a beauty that was not inferior to that of actresses who were included in the list of the ten most beautiful women in the world every year.

Certainly, Catherine would easily make it onto that list if she wanted to, but she firmly refused because, as she said, she wanted to devote her time to her beloved husband.

Not only that.

Speaking of her attitude, she never acted rudely or said anything unreasonable to anyone, including her subordinates.

She was also seen many times giving help and charity to those in need.

Therefore, when she talked about what really happened in her household, everyone looked at her with two different feelings.

First, they felt more compassion for her.

Second, they couldn't wait to tear her ex-husband apart for being so foolish as to waste her.

The same thing was happening in that restaurant.

People who had been chewing their food unconsciously slowed down their chewing.

Some even stopped chewing altogether.

"I never expected that such a beautiful and wealthy girl could be betrayed by her own husband!" exclaimed a restaurant patron.

"Yes! Even though she gave all she had! If I were that young man, I would not only pamper her, I would even be willing to spoil her every day and treat her in the gentlest way!"

Another patron joined in the comment.

"I wonder what the face of that arrogant man who used to be her husband looks like!"

Another restaurant patron's statement drew nods of agreement from several others.

"Yes, if he's here, I definitely won't hesitate to punch him in the face!"

As if to answer their curiosity, a television crew approached Catherine.

"Miss, can we show your ex-husband's face so that what happened to you won't happen to other women?"

Catherine didn't answer right away.

Instead, she turned her head toward David, as if to ask his opinion.

And just like before, the man nodded his head again as he gently rubbed the girl's shoulder.

"Yes, I don't mind," Catherine said.

Simultaneously with this statement, the camera displayed a photo of a handsome young man in a luxurious suit in the lower right corner of the television screen.

As everyone fell silent, the bald man who had scolded Jack showed a sly and mocking smile.

"It looks like someone is trying to hide their identity!"

Although Jack knew the remark was directed at him, he pretended not to hear and continued to put the plates back on the tray.

"Hey, are you deaf?" the bald man shouted again. "I'm talking to you!"

"Sorry, sir, you got the wrong person!"

Jack quickly cleared the plates.

After successfully placing everything on the tray, he hurriedly carried it away.

However, Jack's attitude only made the bald man more angry.

Before Jack went too far, the bald man rose from his chair and shouted as loud as he could.

"Gentlemen, if you want to know who the arrogant husband the girl was talking about is, it's him!"

The bald man pointed his finger at Jack's back as he hurried through the crowd of tables filled with people.

"He's the arrogant man who cheated on his wife!"