After leaving Sean's house, Alex opened his phone and dialed a number. After a moment, a soothing, female voice answered on the other end:
"What do you need, Mr. Sean?"
"I want us to meet tonight at one o'clock."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Sean, but I'm busy and don't have time for that."
Alex replied coldly, "I'm not asking for your opinion, Miss Han. I'll send you the address. Don't be late."
Before Han Shui could respond, Alex abruptly hung up and headed towards his villa.
---
On the other side, Han Shui sat in her office, her mind racing with thoughts of Alex's request. She had no desire to meet him, but his tone and the way he spoke made it clear that the matter was serious.
"Alright, I'll see what he wants."
She glanced at her watch and saw it was nine o'clock. She began to focus on her work, trying to immerse herself in the task at hand.
---
Upon arriving at his villa, Alex walked calmly through the spacious entrance and made his way to his office. The office was elegantly furnished, and the lighting was soft. He opened a drawer and retrieved two books: one was his diary and the other was the engagement book with Han Shui. He opened the engagement book and found a white, circular ring inside. After seeing the ring, Alex smiled a bitter smile and said, "Han Shui, it seems that it's not destined for us to be together. At least I loved you and kept my promise to love you always and forever, until my death."
At that moment, he heard a soft knock on the door.
"Young Master, Miss Sean's secretary, Zoe, has arrived."
Alex snapped back to reality, quickly placing the book and ring back in the drawer. He said, "Show her to the guest room. I'll come down now."
He then burned the diary and went downstairs, muttering, "No more sadness from today."
---
When Alex reached the reception area, he greeted Zoe, Miss Sean's secretary, with a formal nod. Zoe, dressed in a professional outfit, exuded confidence.
"Hello, Mr. Alex. I'm Miss Sean's secretary, Zoe."
Alex nodded and took the contract, reading it thoroughly. The text was clearly printed, and the terms and conditions were laid out. After confirming there were no errors, he signed the contract.
Zoe smiled and said, "Good cooperation, Mr. Alex. Your funds will be transferred by 3 PM."
"Alright, Donald, show the lady out."
"Right this way, please."
After Donald and Zoe left, Alex sat down at his computer and muttered, "It's time to test my hacking skills."
He started hacking into various sites, entering commands and exploiting vulnerabilities with precision. His fingers danced over the keyboard as he monitored the progress on the screen. After successfully creating a new identity, he closed the computer and said, "Damn, hacking skills are truly amazing."
"Alright, just a little more to get rid of this wretched life…"
---
Minutes later, Alex went to the back garden of his villa, where he was surrounded by all kinds of flowers, from red to white and others. These flowers were planted by Alex himself, as they were loved by his mother and Han Shui. He had tended to them carefully and sent weekly bouquets. He took a deep breath, picked up the watering hose, and began watering the garden. After finishing, he sat in his favorite chair facing the garden, smiled, and drifted into a world of dreams.
---
On the other side, in Sean Zoe's office:
"Is everything done?"
"Yes, Miss, he has signed the contract."
"You may leave."
Shawn Zoe wondered, "What is Alex thinking? Does he really want to leave the company? Why do I feel so empty? No, no, just a little longer…" She then opened her phone, went to her photo gallery, and smiled a wicked smile as she said, "You're mine, Alex. No one can take you from me."
---
Alex woke up sweating from a terrifying nightmare. He cursed, "Damn these annoying nightmares." He got up and went to his room. After a shower, he changed into casual clothes: a white shirt, black pants, and white shoes. He tied his hair into a ponytail, took the engagement book and ring, and went down to the garage.
He chose one of his motorcycles and was approached by Donald.
"Young Master, should we hire any staff?"
"No, Donald, not at the moment."
"As you say, Young Master."
Alex put on his helmet and mounted his motorcycle. He rode towards his meeting place with Han Shui, unaware that someone was watching him from behind.
"He has left the house."
"Alright, follow him and don't let him notice you."
••• •••
••• •••
••• •••
Alex arrived at the meeting place with Han Shui. After parking his motorcycle, he dismounted. As he did, the crowd turned towards the sound of the bike. One person remarked, "Damn, isn't that a KTM RC 390?"
"I heard there aren't many of those, and they cost more than a million won."
"Wow, the damned rich second-generation."
Alex removed his helmet and hung it on his bike, then walked through the astonished crowd. He was accustomed to such scrutiny. One girl said, "Damn, who is this handsome guy?"
Another added, "Rich, handsome, tall—just looking at him makes me fall in love."
Someone else exclaimed, "Isn't that Alex Sean, the CEO of Sean Corporation?"
"Yes, it's him."
"Who is Alex Sean?" asked a passerby.
"Where have you been living? Alex Sean is the CEO of a company worth 200 billion. In two years, he doubled the value of his company. He's known as the Business Emperor and has made the Sean family one of the top ten wealthiest families in Shanghai. Over time, he might even compete with the four major families."
"Damn, he's terrifying. I thought the second-generation rich just ate, drank, and waited for death."
As they talked, Alex reached the restaurant's entrance and opened the door. The waiter greeted him, "Mr. Alex, Miss Han is waiting for you. Please follow me."
Alex nodded and followed. Upon arriving at the table, he noticed a young woman, about 22 years old, with long black hair, hazel eyes, and milk-white skin. She wore a professional white suit, black stockings, and high heels. This woman was none other than Han Shui. Seeing her, Alex was struck and muttered to himself, "She deserves to be the leading lady who even makes the hero of the story bow to her."
Alex sat down and said, "Hello, Miss Han."
Han Shui was shocked to see Alex in casual clothes, as he was always seen in formal attire, and also because he addressed her by her full name, whereas he usually called her "Shui." Looking into his eyes, she saw none of the affectionate gaze she was used to. Instead, she saw sadness, pain, and regret. Han Shui couldn't understand why he was looking at her that way. It felt like a knife was piercing her heart. Alex spoke directly, "Miss Han, do you want me to get straight to the point?"
Han Shui snapped out of her daze and replied, "Yes, please, I have some work to finish."
Alex took a book from his hand and handed it to Han Shui. When she opened it, she was upset, thinking he was trying to force her into marriage. Their engagement had been arranged by their families, something she never wanted. She aimed to achieve her dream of becoming a successful businesswoman and wasn't thinking about her love life. Alex had been a constant nuisance, coming every week with a bouquet of flowers to confess his feelings, despite her repeated rejections. He never gave up, which had become irritating, and she started to feel disgusted by him. Han Shui said coldly, "Mr. Sean, what does this mean? Are you trying to force me into marriage with the engagement contract set by our families? I'm sorry, Mr. Sean, but I hope you won't do that because I don't want to marry you."
Alex replied calmly, "I'm not trying to force you into marriage. I came to annul the engagement."
Han Shui was stunned. "You want to cancel the engagement? Is this one of your jokes to impress me?"
Alex was surprised by her line of thinking. "No, I don't need this anymore. I'm tired of pursuing you, so let's end this engagement and go our separate ways."
Han Shui couldn't tell if he was joking or being serious, but she said, "Okay, then you should come to our house and tell my father yourself."
Alex stood up, smiled at Han Shui, and said, "Alright, I'll visit your parents tonight at 8 PM." When Han Shui saw his smile, she was charmed by it, which improved her impression of Alex. She responded, "Alright, I'll be waiting for you."
Alex and Han Shui left the restaurant. As they were exiting, Han Shui stumbled, and just as she thought she was about to fall, Alex caught her by the waist and said, "Watch out." Han Shui looked up and met Alex's dark eyes, feeling an emptiness in them. She couldn't understand what had happened to him to make him look like that. She said, "Thank you." Alex nodded and let her go. Han Shui watched him leave and felt uneasy. She placed her hand on her heart and thought, "What is this feeling? Why do I feel like I've lost something important?"