Chapter 1The Breakup Contract

I had been keeping a high-minded, poor "puppy dog" boyfriend for three years. One day, he looked at me with red eyes and said:

"I will no longer allow you to trample on my dignity."

I nodded. "Okay, then this ends here."

The next day, I walked into an advertising agency to select models.

Abs, long legs, and suits lined up in a row.

My assistant asked me, "How many do you want?"

I wiped the drool from the corner of my mouth—

"No need for handsome guys to fight. One for the company, and one for me."

As for his dignity?

Sorry, from now on, I only treat one person well.

Love you, myself. See you tomorrow.

* * *

"Serena, I will no longer allow you to trample on my dignity."

He stood in the center of the living room, wearing the white shirt I bought him, sleeves rolled up casually to his elbows, revealing a nice forearm.

Those were the arm lines I fell for at first glance—clean, youthful, with a bit of a boyish leanness.

At this moment, those hands were clenched into fists, veins bulging, trembling violently.

Liam, twenty-three years old, a college senior. A high-minded puppy dog I had kept for three years.

Now, he wanted to talk to me about dignity.

I sat on the sofa, lazily closing my laptop, and looked up at him. "Oh? Say that again."

He took a deep breath, his voice strained. "I said, I will no longer allow you to trample on my dignity."

His eyes were red, his emotions clearly agitated.

But that agitation wasn't about having a fight with me; it was about—mustering up the courage to reason with me.

I hate it when people try to reason with me.

"Fine," I nodded, my tone incredibly flat. "Then let's end this here."

He froze for a moment. "...What?"

I stood up, picking up my briefcase casually. "We're done, Student Liam. You want dignity, I give you freedom. Fair trade."

Liam looked like someone was choking him. "You just... just like that—break up?"

"What, you want a formal procedure?" I smiled. "The agreement period is up. You're graduating soon. I was planning to find a time to tell you anyway. Since you brought it up, perfect. Saves me the trouble."

His face turned pale instantly. "You wanted to dump me a long time ago?"

"Don't make it sound so ugly." I picked up the car keys from the console table. "Contract expired, we go our separate ways. Isn't that nice?"

"But we—it's not just a contract!" He panicked, rushing a few steps to block the door in front of me. "Serena, we've been together for three years! Have you never treated me as a boyfriend?"

"Liam." I looked up at him, my tone very serious. "The first time we met, your mother was critically ill, and you urgently needed money for surgery. You said yourself, 'anything goes,' and asked me to name my conditions."

His face flushed red.

"I paid for your mother's surgery and let you continue school. I bought you a condo, clothes, a computer, gave you living expenses." I listed them one by one. "I didn't check your phone, didn't interfere with your friends, didn't interfere with your classes. You wanted to play ball, wanted to stay up all night gaming, I didn't say a word."

"Did I force you to call me baby?"

"Did I force you to say good morning and good night, to report your whereabouts?"

"Did I force you to admit to your friends that you were kept by me?"

I looked at him slowly, my eyes not gentle at all. "Student Liam, the freedom I gave you is more than your parents ever gave you."

The air sank for a moment.

He was rendered speechless by me, breathing rapidly several times before forcing a rebuttal. "So you can just throw money at me? Treat me as—as a pet, a toy? You have dignity, don't I need it?"

"So you're standing up now." I nodded. "Great. Then stand firm, don't wobble."

I pulled his hand away and opened the door. "I wish you intact dignity and a bright future."

One sentence, crisp and clean.

He stared for two seconds before reacting. "You're just leaving like this? You're not sad at all?"

I laughed. "Sad? You overestimate yourself."

I pulled the door shut from the outside. Snap. Clean and decisive, like tearing up a paper contract completely.

The moment I walked into the elevator, I slowly let out a breath.

Three years.

I've managed many projects. Few lost money, none wasted time.

Liam was probably the first person who made me feel—time was wasted for nothing.

It was strange. I looked seriously at my face reflected in the elevator mirror—no red eyes, no trembling, no distraught look.

I only saw a twenty-eight-year-old woman with exquisite makeup and a relaxed expression.

As the elevator slowly descended, I suddenly wanted to laugh.

Dignity?

Student Liam's dignity was something he threw on the ground himself, yet now he blames me for stepping on it.

Fine. Starting tonight—your dignity belongs to you, my wallet belongs to me. We owe each other nothing.