Chapter 3
"Beth? Beth, can you hear me? What happened to you? Please, wake up!"
Elizabeth drifted back to consciousness, the voice filtering through fog. She forced her eyes open, blinking until the blurry face above her took shape.
Becky Harris—her distant cousin who had lived in the Habsburg mansion while attending university. Despite his coldness toward Elizabeth, Cornelius had never objected to housing her relatives.
After Becky graduated and found a job elsewhere, they still kept in touch—though only occasionally.
"Becky?" Elizabeth's voice cracked, her throat raw.
"Thank God you're awake!" Relief flooded Becky's face. "I just came back from work and saw you lying on the ground—I'll take you to the hospital right away!"
"No hospital." The refusal came automatically. Even now, her first instinct was to avoid medical attention. "I just need some rest."
Becky hesitated, knowing her temper, offering, "Then come to my place. Mom and I can look after you."
With nowhere else to go, Elizabeth nodded.
Becky's apartment was in an older building—modest but clean.
Her mother, Karena Harris, rushed forward when they arrived, and after learning the situation, she guided Elizabeth to the guest bedroom with theatrical concern.
"Lie down, Mrs. Habsburg—oh, I mean Beth. Don't worry about a thing!"
The hastily corrected "Mrs. Habsburg" sent a fresh wave of pain through Elizabeth's chest.
"Thank you, Aunt Karena," she managed. "Sorry to impose."
"Nonsense!" Karena beamed. "After everything you did for Becky all those years? This is nothing!"
After resting and sipping some water, Elizabeth tried to gather her scattered belongings from her purse.
Karena hurried to help, but her smile vanished when the divorce papers slipped out.
She picked it up and took a quick glance at the contents. Her eyes widened at the crossed-out financial provisions.
"You're walking away with nothing? You just signed this?" Disbelief hardened into judgment. "Do you have any idea how much money the Habsburgs have? What were you thinking?"
Elizabeth watched the woman's transformation—warmth evaporating like morning dew, replaced by naked disappointment.
"My decisions are my own, Aunt Karena."
Karena tossed the papers onto the bed. "Fine! Be noble! But our little place can't accommodate someone of your stature."
Her tone dripped with sarcasm. "Once you're feeling better, you'll need to find somewhere else. We can barely make ends meet—we can't handle charity cases!"
She stormed out, slamming the door.
Elizabeth sat on the edge of the bed, a bitter smile playing on her lips. The full spectrum of human nature had paraded before her today—kindness turning to contempt the moment there was nothing to gain.
Suddenly, her phone buzzed with a new message: [Beth, I got my admission letter!] It was from her younger brother.
Elizabeth felt a flutter of excitement, but her heart sank at the same time.
College meant hefty tuition fees, and she had nothing to her name. Her father lay in the ICU, racking up massive bills each day, and in just three days, another medical payment would be due...
That night, despite her aching body, Elizabeth scrolled through job listings. With her obscure degree and no work experience, the prospects were bleak.
Her phone rang—unknown number.
"Mrs. Habsburg. Blake Thomas, Mr. Habsburg's special assistant."
Elizabeth's heart sank. "Yes?"
"Mr. Habsburg has an unexpected business trip. Tomorrow's divorce proceedings will be postponed until his return."
Blake's voice was perfectly neutral.
Elizabeth's knuckles whitened around her phone. Of course. Cornelius controlled everything—even the timing of their divorce would happen on his schedule.
"Fine," she replied curtly and hung up.
Taking a deep breath, she returned to her search. A message suddenly appeared from a university classmate:
[Beth, how's the job hunt? My friend's company is hiring an administrative assistant. Not high-level, but promising. The owner has connections. Interested?]
A lifeline! Elizabeth immediately replied: [Absolutely! Thanks! Send me the details!]
He soon sent the same and the address.
Relieved, she finally texted her brother back: [Great! Just go to college. I'll handle everything else.]
Elizabeth arrived at the interview location.
The interviewer was a sharp middle-aged woman named Leona Wright, who quickly scanned Elizabeth's resume before asking a few standard questions.
Elizabeth answered adequately, if unremarkably.
"Ms. Whitaker, we've got a good understanding of your situation," Leona set down the resume with a practiced smile. "Congratulations, you've got the job. You can start tomorrow... no, today, to get familiar with our environment."
"What..." Elizabeth's voice cracked with confusion. "Why so quickly?"
Leona's laugh turned cold around the edges. "Because you're beautiful enough and can make us look good in public. As for the rest, you can learn as you go."
Elizabeth froze, then smiled self-mockingly. Of course. But in her current situation, having any job was already good fortune.
Leona grew impatient. "The compensation will be worth your effort. By the way, you do drink, right?"
"I do." Elizabeth nodded quickly. "Thank you for this opportunity."
"Excellent. Then let me introduce you to Mr. Wright."
The CEO's office loomed larger and more intimidating than the outer areas, dripping with luxury and power.
When Leona opened the door, Elizabeth saw that familiar figure behind the desk, she froze.
Aaron Wright looked up, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
"Well, well!" He set down his cigar and gave Elizabeth a deliberate once-over. "If it isn't Mrs. Habsburg herself. What a rare visitor indeed!"
Elizabeth had always been beautiful—five years ago she'd been ethereally elegant, and now she'd gained a certain feminine allure. Even in a simple button-down and black slacks, she possessed a vulnerability that drew the eye.
Aaron couldn't help but stare a few seconds longer than appropriate.
Elizabeth's mind went blank with shock.
Five years ago, at that charity gala, Aaron had leveraged his family's influence to harass her relentlessly, even attempting to drug her drink and force himself on her...
Thankfully, disaster had been averted. Furious Cornelius had used his connections to completely blacklist the Wright family.
She'd heard the Wrights went bankrupt and fled the city shortly after.
So why were they back now? And not just back, but apparently successful enough to launch a new company? The same company she'd just happened to join?
Fate seemed to be playing some cruel joke on her.
