Bankrupt and Betrayed: The Wallflower Who Bought My Life Chapter 1

Eight years after my family went bankrupt, the poorest, most invisible boy in my high school class suddenly became my VIP client.

Later, when my career and life faced setback after setback, he was the one who stayed by my side, walking me through it step by step.

At my most helpless moment, he finally confessed the deep, insecure love he had hidden for so long.

Yet, in the very last second, just as my heart was truly moved, I overheard a conversation between him and the CEO of the company I was interviewing for.

He sat on the sofa, dressed in a sharp custom suit, exuding a cold, careless aura. Beneath that immaculate exterior was the ruthless, sinister stranger he truly was.

"Don't hire her, and this contract is still yours."

* * *

The first time we locked eyes after eight years, my VIP client smiled and called out my name. I didn't even recognize him at first.

He didn't mind my poor memory. Instead, he patiently guided me through the past.

It wasn't until he mentioned our high school and homeroom that it finally clicked. "I remember now! You're Rowan Sterling!"

The corners of his lips curled up. His handsome, mature face, which normally carried an intimidating authority, was softened by that smile, giving off a deceptive illusion of approachability.

I couldn't be blamed for not recognizing him. His transformation was staggering; he was a completely different person.

"It's me."

I truly never expected this.

The most invisible, destitute boy in our class had become our firm’s most valued client.

Rowan Sterling was my high school classmate back when my family was still ridiculously wealthy, before our bankruptcy and my sudden transfer.

I still had some memories of him, though distant and blurry. I remembered he always wore a pair of sneakers that were peeling and coming apart at the soles, yet meticulously clean.

His family had been struggling. His mother died when he was born, and by middle school, his father was bedridden with a severe illness. They survived on meager government welfare checks.

When the delinquent boys in class bullied him, he never fought back, always trying to avoid causing any trouble.

I witnessed it by chance once. Back then, I was young, arrogant, and spoiled rotten by my wealthy parents. Fearless and reckless, I walked right up and splashed scalding hot coffee directly onto the bully's face, burning him so badly he couldn't even scream.

Rowan just stared at me.

The malnourished teenager was incredibly frail, his oversized school uniform hanging off his bony frame like a ghost.

Meeting his gaze, I grinned, patted his shoulder, and told him, "Next time they mess with you, just grab one of them and beat the hell out of him."

My words were naive and irresponsible. I never stopped to think about how he would afford the medical bills if he actually hurt someone.

Aside from that, we had zero interaction.

That is, until my senior year, when my family's empire collapsed. To dodge the debt collectors, my parents pulled me out of school and we moved away in the dead of night, cutting ties with all my former friends and classmates, vanishing without a trace.