Hidden Truths

1

In the fourth year of me being imprisoned by Xavier Quinn, he had a fiancée.

It was said that the Santana Group's heiress, Wendy Santana, was gentle and intelligent, a perfect match for Xavier Quinn.

They had been in contact for over half a year, and marriage discussions were in progress.

In these years, the women around Xavier came and went, most of them passing through without him showing much interest.

A friend called me and said, "It seems he's serious this time, the other woman is not only beautiful but also beneficial to his career."

I had heard something about it, but I didn't expect to meet Wendy Santana for the first time at Xavier's company.

That morning, I went to the hospital for a follow-up appointment, and my attending doctor was my senior from school.

He told me that my condition was deteriorating rapidly, and I might forget everything in just three months. "Are you really not going to tell Xavier Quinn? If you tell him now, he might still turn back."

I thought about it and decided against it.

Why expose my scars to someone who had turned his back on me?

But I still had to find him and ask him to sign an agreement.

This illness couldn't kill me; there was a specialized sanatorium abroad for my condition, but it was expensive.

My parents had passed away, and I had no other relatives, so I had to entrust my affairs to him.

I didn't make an appointment with Xavier's secretary and only realized that Wendy was also there when I arrived at the company.

She and I sat at opposite ends of the reception room, surrounded by several employees, all addressing her as "Madam," making her smile happily.

"Who is that?" she asked.

The other colleagues sneered and said, "Mia Frank."

Everyone around Xavier knew who I was.

Wendy's inquisitive gaze swept over me, and she naturally greeted me, "Are you Mia Frank?"

I looked at her without saying a word, which was taken as confirmation. "You are very different from what I imagined."

Her voice was soft, and her tone was gentle.

"They all say that Xavier has someone he adored by his side, but seeing you, I can tell his taste wasn't that good when he was young."

Some colleagues chuckled discreetly and took the opportunity to flatter her.

"How could she compare to Miss Santana?"

"You have no idea; Mia Frank's position in the company is so low that even a stray dog could kick her."

I remained completely calm inside; after all, they were speaking the truth.

I had no reason to be angry.

No one could have imagined that I, the woman rumored to be the love of Xavier Quinn's life, had a lower status than a random stray dog on the street.

Seeing me not responding, Wendy felt a sense of frustration.

She looked at me and continued, raising her voice, "I heard you left when Xavier was in trouble. Why are you back now?

"Playing hard to get is indeed a good way to control men, but Xavier is not an ordinary man.

"If you want money, I can help you, but with your conditions, you won't get much."

She tucked her hair behind her ear, revealing a mole on her forehead.

I suddenly noticed the resemblance between her and me, except that I had removed my mole six years ago.

Seeing that I still didn't speak, she couldn't hold back and questioned the colleague who came in to add water, "How did you become the receptionist? Can you let anyone in?"

The female colleague who was summoned gave me a silent glance, feeling embarrassed, and explained, "But Mr. Quinn instructed..."

"I don't care. You either escort her out now, or you leave."

In the entire company, only the receptionist had shown me kindness.

I didn't want to make her uncomfortable, so I said, "I'll leave as soon as I see Xavier.

There's no need for you to chase me away."

2

"When I was fifteen years old, I already knew Xavier. I've spent much more time by his side than you have, and my qualifications are far higher.

"And also... you're just known as his fiancée by the outside world. He has never publicly acknowledged you."

My words hit a nerve with Wendy, and she dropped her pretentious high posture, shouting uncontrollably, "He will marry me sooner or later, whereas you're just an old woman he got tired of playing with. He keeps you around out of pity. I advise you not to push your luck.

"Who knows what you went through during your two-year disappearance; maybe you've been with men all that time, and now you still want to compete with me..."

As she spoke, her eyes glanced toward the door, and the next moment, she picked up the water from the table and poured it on her own face.

"So cold."

The delicate features of her face were stained with water, and her hair and foundation mixed together, giving her an indescribable vulnerability.

Xavier, through the meeting room window, happened to see her distressed state.

Under everyone's gaze, he kicked open the meeting room door and rushed in, grabbing her hand.

"Who did this?"

He looked anxious, and he threw the documents in his hand onto my face, causing a small cut on my cheek as the folder grazed it.

No blood flowed, but it stung.

The receptionist girl was too scared to speak.

I glanced at him and explained, "She did it herself."

Wendy looked at me with red eyes.

"Yes, I did it. It's all my fault. Can we drop it now?

"You mocked Xavier as a blind man, and I couldn't help but cover your mouth. Then you splashed water on me. It's all my fault."

Her tone was accusatory, yet she seemed vulnerable and pitiful.

The period when he couldn't see had always been a thorn in Xavier's heart.

He detested anyone mentioning it, especially me.

Xavier's gaze remained firmly on Wendy as he wiped away the dried tears at the corner of her eye. "I'm here; don't cry."

That statement sounded familiar.

When my parents tragically passed away, our house was taken over by relatives, and he used to say the same thing while sleeping in the corridor with me.

As long as he was there, I was willing to endure any hardship.

Unfortunately, many years had passed, and the same words were spoken, only the object of the promise had changed.

It appeared he was indeed different with her.

I remained composed, with no emotional ripples inside.

"I came to find you to ask for your help in signing an agreement."

"An agreement?"

3

He looked at me, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.

"What kind of agreement?

"Is it money or property? You've been pretending to be all high and mighty for so long, couldn't hold back any longer and had to ask for money?"

I was accustomed to his sarcastic remarks, and besides, he wasn't entirely wrong; the essence of the agreement was indeed about money.

"No problem, I can agree to what you want. The condition is that you apologize to Wendy."

Xavier had resented me for leaving him in the past, and he rarely had an opportunity to humiliate me. He wouldn't miss this chance.

I tightened my fists at my sides. "Do you really think I'm bullying her?"

"Whether you are or not doesn't matter. I want you to apologize right now. Will you apologize or not?"

He just wanted to humiliate me, all to please another woman.

My eyes felt a bit dry, and suddenly, an image from high school flashed in my mind.

He used to stand up for me and scold those who bullied me.

He wasn't the current CEO back then; he was just a teenager who got beaten up by a group of peers.

Yet, he bravely shielded me. "Apologize to Mia Frank."

Different versions of Xavier merged and separated in my mind.

I came back to reality, giving a cold smile, and approached Wendy.

"I'm sorry, Miss Santana. I shouldn't have splashed water on you while Mr. Quinn wasn't here."

Seeing this, Wendy, putting on an affected air, flicked her hair back.

"Verbal apologies lack sincerity."

"So, Wendy, what kind of apology would be sincere in your opinion? How about this..."

Xavier put his arm around her shoulder and handed her a glass of water.

"An eye for an eye."

His meaning was clear.

Wendy took the glass and, with a smile on her lips, splashed it onto my face.

The water had gone cold, and as it hit my face, despite the indoor heating, I still felt an icy chill to my bones.

I kept a poker face, appearing calm and composed, without showing any distress.

Wendy couldn't help herself.

"Why does it seem like she's enjoying this?"

"Is that so?"

Xavier's gaze remained fixed on my face as he spoke to her, "If you're not satisfied, you can splash a few more glasses."

In these past years, tormenting me had become part of their play between him and his female companions.

Buying condoms for them, cleaning up after they were done, accompanying the women to the gynecologist – there wasn't anything I hadn't done.

Being splashed with water was nothing; I accepted it.

Perhaps Wendy didn't expect me to be so meek and easily bullied.

She lost interest in tormenting me for the moment and snuggled into Xavier's arms, lowering her voice, "Let's not pay her any more attention. I just bought some new lingerie; want to see it in the office?"

Xavier smiled and nodded, planting a light kiss between her brows before turning to me.

"Leave the agreement you want to sign, and you can go."

I nodded and picked up the documents before turning to leave.

A wave of pain shot through my head.

It was one of the symptoms of my illness, and it would only get worse in the later stages.

Xavier, I don't need you to sign the agreement for me anymore.

I'm just a bit curious: If one day you find out that I've forgotten you completely, will you have even the slightest bit of regret?