I can hear a cracking sound from somewhere. Was I too cruel? I felt guilty, but he used to say the same hurtful words to me. I don't want to soften up if I don't want to be bullied like I used to. I stopped thinking about whether I was hurting his heart or not because he would never feel anything from my words. Claude never cared about me, so I don't want to care about him either.
I looked out the car window without thinking about the feelings of the man beside me. It would be more useful for me to think about my future than to think about a love that doesn't come. I love singing, and I want to become a singer in the future, but entering the entertainment world is not easy, and my biggest enemy is Lily Liviana, Claude's favorite woman. Lily used to suppress me in the past.
I belong to the same agency as Lily, and I also have the same agent, but Lily is more famous than me even though I'm prettier than her. Lily is afraid that newcomers who are more beautiful than her will be able to match her in terms of popularity. Lily saw me as the biggest enemy in her life. When I was twenty-two years old, Claude hadn't met Lily.
Everything became bad after Claude met Lily, who would become his future girlfriend. Claude already hated me, but after he found out that I committed suicide, our relationship got worse, and Claude thought I attempted suicide only to get his attention. Claude never sensed that I was serious about ending my life because he considered me a mad girl who would never stop until she got him.
He never thought, even once, that I chose to give up on him. He believed that love would never change over time. One thing Claude doesn't know is that love won't last if only one person holds on to it. After the suicide incident, Claude became colder toward me, and he didn't even want to see me at a glance. Claude busied himself at the office and rarely came home because he thought I would come to bother him.
Claude has an entertainment agency under his name, and he is the one who built it alone without his parents' help. Claude has the most popular entertainment agency in Sunny Country, and he named it Jean Entertainment. Claude never told me about his company, and he never asked me to join his company because he knew that if he gave me that privilege, then I would come to request more than this.
Claude hid this from his parents because he wanted to surprise them with the fact that he didn't need their finances to become a successful man in high society. Claude felt that if his parents knew about his entertainment agency, they would force him to take care of me. I am his enemy, so he would never let me become a parasite in his peaceful life.
Everything changed after Claude met Lily Liviana. Without Lily's help, Claude already hated me so much, and after Lily's appearance, Claude hated me even more. Claude gave everything to Lily, and Claude treated Lily more gently than he treated me. Claude gave Lily the things I really longed for but could never get. Claude invited Lily to my favorite restaurants, and it didn't stop there.
Claude would do everything that I wanted to do with him the most, just to show me that he wouldn't do the same with me. I used to get hurt by his little actions, but later I only felt emptiness. Lia was right—Claude is not the right man for me. Lia also told me that a man would never hurt a woman who likes him. A man will treat you gently when he loves you, but a man only treats you harshly when he hates you, so Lia told me that I have no reason to keep loving him.
Never walk into a relationship that is full of thorns because it only tortures you rather than giving you happiness. After I gave up on my feelings for him, I felt relieved, like a big rock had been lifted from my mind. But no one believed me, especially Lia, Claude, and even Lily—who had already become Claude's crush—also didn't believe me.
Lily always said that Claude loved me, but on what basis did she make that kind of fictional claim? It was impossible for an iceberg to change his heart for me. But Lily always had a wild imagination, thinking Claude and I were in a hate-love relationship. Claude loved me, but he used his hate to express his love. What kind of sadistic relationship did I supposedly have with Claude in Lily's imagination? I thought Lily watched too many palace dramas to say something that ridiculous to me.
Claude hated me, so it was impossible that he also loved me. This is reality, not a drama, where the male lead ends up in a hate-love relationship with the female lead—because even if I died, I would never become a female lead. Or maybe I am a hidden female lead? Please wake up, Mio, and remember your place. Who do you think you are? I am a mob character who has no meaning in Claude's life.
Lily is abnormal to think that way. Yeah, I have to believe in myself and never trust other people's opinions. Everyone can deceive you, but you are not so stupid as to be misled by a cheap trick. Don't ever trust others' ideas because it will only break your relationship due to false rumors. That's why I thought Lily was ridiculous and had an astonishing imagination.
I looked out of the car window and felt jealous when I saw a young couple holding hands intimately. I never had a boyfriend even after I gave up on Claude, because, yeah, a boyfriend was not on my list at that time. After all, money was more important than finding a boyfriend. I moved out of the Lockheart family and lived with my impoverished family.
I took a deep sigh and felt a little depressed about my situation now. What should I do in the future? I can only sing, and I don't have any talent other than singing. Should I join the singing showbiz? I never did that before, because I only sent my covers on Webtube. My adoptive parents refused to let me enter the entertainment world because it is a muddy place.
The man who sat beside Mio stole glances at her without Mio knowing. Claude noticed that Mio didn't talk to him at all after he asked her out. Claude also realized that Mio wasn't happy about marrying him. It wasn't the marriage that Claude wanted. Marriage is supposed to be the happiest moment in everyone's life, but Claude felt the opposite. Claude had never heard Mio's happy laughter since before she attempted suicide.
Claude came back earlier than expected, and all of his friends were busy, so he couldn't hang out with them. It was only 5 PM, and everyone was at home. Claude chose to return to his bedroom before anyone noticed his presence. Claude didn't expect that they would speak so loudly that he could hear them from outside. Claude always thought that they would be happy without him in the house, but later, he found out that Mio only acted cheerful in front of his parents.
Mio never felt happy from the bottom of her heart. Claude once read her diary, which she left in her bedroom. Mio forced herself to be cheerful because she didn't want his parents to worry about her. Mio always felt sad and suffocated in the house because of the way he treated her. Claude never knew that Mio had an anxiety disorder, because she never showed it in front of him.
Even after she moved out, Mio never got close to her original family because she always felt that she wasn't their child, and even her siblings hated someone who suddenly came into their lives. Mio is out of breath when she is anxious about anything. Even just thinking about her problems makes her chest feel tight and hard to breathe. Claude also later found out that Mio had deep trauma with falling in love, and that was the reason she was still single even after she moved out.
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Small Theater:
Mio: I'm sure I want to continue my past job—singing. I will choose a better agency to pursue my singing career. Now, which one shall I choose?
Claude: You can come to my agency instead, Mio, and I will give you the best support for your singing career.
Mio: You don't have an agency company. Proudly smiles at Claude because I know Claude would never let me join his company.
Claude: Who said I don't have an agency company? You'll be surprised to know how big it is.
Claude brings Mio to his company and gives her the best support. All of his employees call her "Madam."
Claude: Believe me now?
Mio: "…"
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