Chapter 1
For seven years, she had been secretly in love with her best friend’s older brother, but now, rumors were flying he was getting engaged.
And the bride.. wasn’t her.
When Olivia Brown rushed to the private suite where for Evans was, she was just about to push the door open when the heard a voice from inside.
“Joe, you finally got what you wanted. Your first love came back, and your family even arranged a marriage for you. This must be the happiest day of your life.”
His friend’s voice carried a teasing edge.
“That stand in girlfriend of yours should be discarded now, right? You’re heartless, man just to fill the void, you even went after your sister’s best friend.”
Her entire body stiffened.
It was like a bucket of ice water had been poured over her from head to toe.
She couldn’t see his expression through the door, but she could hear the casual indifference in his voice.
“Giye it some time. The girl loves me too much–if I tell her the truth outright, she’d probably cry herself to death. I’ll break it to her gently.”
Seven years.
They had been secretly together for seven years.
He had spoiled her, indulged her, given her everything except a public acknowledgment.
At first, he laughed and said, ‘Olivia, just wait a little longer. If Jennifer Evans finds out I stole her best friend, she’ll kill me.”
Later, when she graduated and became his secretary, he said, ‘Olivia, let’s keep waiting. Office relationships are complicated–I don’t want you to deal with all the gossip.”
She believed every word.
She had waited for him in silence, hidden in the shadows, playing the role of his secret lover.
But now, she had heard the truth with her own ears.
His refusal to go public had nothing to do with Jennifer.
Nothing to do with office rumors.
It was simply because….
2-10 16.01mh I Doctenced His Empire
40.0%
Chapter 1
He had never loved her.
She was just a stand–in.
As the door handle turned and the people inside prepared to step out, Olivia stumbled back in a daze and ran.
She ran all the way home, straight into Joe’s forbidden room–the one he had never let her enter, no matter how much she begged or acted cute.
Tonight, she pushed the door open without hesitation.
Inside, dozens of photo albums were neatly arranged on the desk.
She picked one up, flipped through it, and felt her fingers tremble.
Every single picture inside was of a woman.
A woman who looked almost like her–seven or eight points similar.
But it wasn’t her.
So this was his first love.
The one he was about to marry–the daughter of the Harris Corporation.
In the drawer, thick stacks of plane tickets lay neatly arranged–hundreds, maybe even thousands of them.
When she checked the dates, she realized–over the past seven years, while they were supposedly together, Joe had been flying abroad almost every week.
To see her.
He never let her enter this room because it was filled with his love for another woman.
Olivia’s eyes burned with unshed tears.
A long time passed before she finally let out a bitter laugh.
She laughed at how foolish she had been.
How stupid.
How ridiculous.
Seven years of love… and it had all been a lie.
Just then, her phone rang.
It was her father.
“Olivia, have you thought about the engagement?” His voice was warm, yet tinged with concern. “You’ve been staying over there ever since university. I know you have a boyfriend, but in all these years, has he ever once come home to see me? The
Ho Stole My Womb I Destroved His Empire
40.3%
Chapter 1
young man I picked for you is outstanding-”
He rambled on as he always did, but this time, she interrupted, her voice choked with emotion.
“Dad, I’m sorry. I’m willing to get engaged.”
There was silence on the other end. Then, her father spoke again, his voice filled with disbelief.
“You… you mean it?”
“Yes.”
“This time, I’ll come back to London and never leave again.”
Her father was overjoyed, repeating “good, good” several times before finally hanging up.
Olivia carefully put everything back in place and quietly walked out of the room.
Just as she stepped into the living room, the front door swung open.
The man she had loved for seven years stood there.
Joe took one look at her red–rimmed eyes and immediately reached into his pocket, pulling out a delicate jewelry box. His voice was soft, coaxing.
“I knew you’d cry. You must’ve seen the engagement news, huh?”
“It’s fake,” he reassured her. “Just for business. The families need us to put on a show for a while, but I won’t marry Sophia
Harris.”
She looked into his warm, gentle eyes.
But she heard nothing.
Because she already knew the truth.
She casually placed the jewelry box on the table and nodded with a calmness that sent a chill through him.
“I see.”
She didn’t care if his engagement was fake or real.
Because her engagement was real.
Joe had prepared himself to coax and comfort her for hours, but her uncharacteristic calmness made his heart tighten with
unease.
♡ (0)
(0)
