Lahat ng Kabanata ng Giving Him Up: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 9

I gently placed the microphone back into its stand, and it let out a dull, heavy click.The entire banquet hall fell into a deathly silence.Hundreds of eyes fixed on me all at once. They were filled with shock, disbelief, and even a trace of gleeful anticipation, as if they were waiting to watch a spectacle unfold.My father’s face instantly flushed a deep, livid red as he rushed onto the stage. Then, lowering his voice, he forced each word out through clenched teeth.“Nicole, have you lost your mind?!”Leo Smith’s mother, my future mother-in-law, and also the same woman who had found fault with me in every possible way in my previous life, now held a deathly grim expression on her face.Her well-maintained features were filled with anger as she glared at me viciously, as though she wanted to slice me apart with her gaze alone.Meanwhile, I calmly took in everything below the stage.These faces, some familiar and some not, had in my previous life looked at me the same way coun

I checked into a hotel in the city center.Not long after I finished showering, the room phone rang.I picked it up, and on the other end came Mrs. Smith’s sharp, cutting voice.“Nicole, you’ve really grown bold, haven’t you? How dare you embarrass my son at the engagement banquet! What do you think you are? You’re nothing but an illegitimate daughter who can’t even be brought into the light. If it weren’t for our Leo, you wouldn’t even be worthy of carrying shoes for the Smiths!“Let me tell you this. If you don’t come over and kneel to apologize by tomorrow morning, then the Morgans can just wait to disappear from Sunnyvale!”I listened quietly as she finished venting, and then I let out a soft, indifferent “Oh”.“Mrs. Smith, are you done?“If you’re done, I’m hanging up. I still need to put on a face mask.”After saying that, I hung up without waiting for her response.Listening to the busy tone on the line, I could easily imagine Mrs. Smith’s furious expression.In my pre

I didn’t go back home. Instead, I went straight to another property.It was a small apartment I had bought with my own money, so neither Leo nor the Morgans knew about it.I needed an absolutely quiet environment to plan my next steps.The next day, I received a call from my father. His voice sounded both exhausted and furious.“Nicole, what exactly did you do to Leo? Several of our ongoing partnerships fell through overnight! Every single one of them said Mr. Smith had intervened!“Go beg him right now! Otherwise, our whole family will be left with nothing!”I listened to his shouting on the other end, yet my heart remained completely unmoved.Leo had used this trick in my previous life as well.Every time I was “disobedient”, he would use my father’s company to pressure me.And my father would always, without fail, shift all that pressure onto me.“That’s your company, not mine,” I replied coldly. “Figure it out yourself.”“You!” My father was so angry that he couldn’t spe

I talked with Travis for a long time.He was an interesting man—witty, humorous, and intelligent.He didn’t press me any further about my past with Leo. Instead, he talked with me about future business strategies, artificial intelligence, and even about the vast possibilities ahead.As we spoke, I realized that talking to him was something easy and genuinely pleasant.It wasn’t like being with Leo, where I was chasing ‌his pace. I was always trying to read his thoughts, constantly afraid that I might say the wrong thing or show the wrong expression.Before we parted, Travis extended an invitation.“Ms. Morgan, would you be interested in joining the Rothschild Group? As for the position and salary, just name your terms.”I smiled and shook my head.“Thank you for the offer, Mr. Rothschild, but for now, I don’t want to work for anyone.”This time, I wanted to live for myself.Travis looked a little regretful, but he still respected my decision.“Alright then. But the doors of

One year later.My company had expanded into a small but well-known private equity firm.Travis had become a regular visitor, showing up at my office every few days under the pretense of “business discussions”, though each time he brought a different cafe’s afternoon tea.The employees joked that Mr. Rothschild had more than just business on his mind.I wasn’t oblivious to his intentions, of course, but someone who had died once doesn’t easily open their heart again.That day, I had just finished a video conference when Travis walked in carrying a cake box.“Freshly baked strawberry shortcake. I remember you liked it,” he said, smiling brightly.I gave him a helpless look. “Mr. Rothschild, if you keep this up, I’m going to start charging you rent for occupying my space.”“Go ahead,” he said without a care, setting the cake on my desk. “Might as well charge me, too.”I laughed at him, about to say something else, when a knock came at the office door.My assistant poked her hea