The Hidden Ring Chapter 1

I dated Arthur Sterling in secret for two years. He always refused to make our relationship public.

That is, until I saw a photo hidden in his study.

I realized then that he had a "first love" permanently residing in his heart.

But infuriatingly, he was completely transparent about her. He told me about every single time they hung out alone.

As time went on, I finally got tired of waiting.

"Let's break up."

He glanced at me and sighed.

"You just want to go public, right? Stop playing these games. You know perfectly well I don't fall for that."

I didn't answer. I just handed in my resignation.

Later, after I moved back to a neighboring city, I heard a rumor.

Mr. Sterling, who had aggressively maintained his "single" persona for years, was suddenly wearing a wedding ring.

He claimed he had lost the girl he loved.

* * *

On my birthday, Arthur, who was famously punctual, was late for the very first time.

I looked at the cold food on the table and sighed internally.

It's fine. He's busy with work. I need to be understanding.

Just as I was debating whether to clear the table, I heard the lock turn.

Arthur walked in, bringing a rush of cold air with him.

I went to hug him, but he stopped me.

"I'm cold. Let me change my clothes first."

While he was changing, I heated up the food.

Once he sat down, the first thing he said was an apology.

"I'm sorry I'm late today."

"Chloe had to fly back to North City today, so I drove her to the airport."

Hearing that familiar name, my hand holding the chopsticks paused.

Arthur noticed. He leaned forward, looking tired but lazy, his tone teasing.

"What? Are you jealous?"

"It's not like you don't know her. I've told you about her."

"We grew up together. If something was going to happen between us, it would have happened a long time ago."

Suppressing a bizarre, uncomfortable feeling in my chest, I shook my head and lied to him for the first time.

"I'm not jealous."

Then, I quietly finished my meal.

When I started to clear the table, Arthur grabbed my hand.

"The cleaner will take care of it tomorrow."

He pulled me over to the sofa and pulled me onto his lap.

"Still trying to say you aren't upset? What do I have to do to make you happy?"

I froze for a moment. Then, taking advantage of the opening, I asked the question for the third time.

"When can we go public?"

Arthur smiled indulgently.

Then, with a helpless sigh, he stroked my hair.

"Going public wouldn't be good for you."

This was the second time I had heard him say that.

The first time was right after we started dating.

He had said, "Let's not go public. It wouldn't be good for you."

Because he was the most famous, eligible billionaire bachelor in Kun City.

And I was just a nameless, low-level employee at his company.

Even the way we met was incredibly humiliating for me.

My manager was furious because the client had rejected my proposal multiple times.

In a fit of rage, he threw the file folder directly at me.

Papers scattered all over the floor, and I didn't dare make a sound.

Just then, Arthur happened to walk by. He looked relaxed, almost bored. He just cast a fleeting, weightless glance our way, and my manager instantly panicked.

"Mr. Sterling."

Arthur's voice was completely flat.

"Sometimes, you shouldn't just blindly blame the employees."

"It's not unheard of for a proposal to be rejected multiple times, only for the client to ultimately choose the very first draft."

"You are absolutely right, sir."

My manager agreed sycophantically, shooting me a pointed look.

I crouched down, gathered the scattered papers, and walked out with my head bowed.

That evening, just as I walked out of the office building, his car pulled up right in front of me.

The window rolled down, and he invited me.

"Won't you treat me to dinner?"

I didn't decline. After all, thanks to his intervention today, my manager had stopped harassing me.

I mentally calculated the balance in my bank account and gave him a rare, honest answer.

"I'm afraid I can't afford to treat Mr. Sterling."

"It's fine. I'm very easy to feed."

That night, he and I went to a casual Sichuan restaurant and had a very simple meal.

I thought that would be our first and only interaction.

But right before we parted ways, he stared at me for a long time, then smiled.

"I really enjoyed spending time with you. Thank you for dinner."

"See you next time."

I gave him a stiff wave goodbye.

I thought to myself:

Arthur's eyes really do make everyone feel like he's deeply in love with them.

My thoughts snapped back to the present. Those same "deeply in love" eyes were studying my face intently.

His tone was coaxing.

"At Sterling Corp, you can do whatever you want."

"By my side, you can buy whatever you want."

"The only thing I can't give you is going public."

I pretended to be angry, turning my head away and ignoring him.

He gently turned my face back. "Stop being mad, okay?"

"We're together. That's a fact, isn't it?"

Thinking about it, the manager who had made my life hell when we first started dating had been demoted.

I had gone from an errand girl everyone ordered around to someone who could quietly do her own work without interference—all thanks to him.

I quickly convinced myself it was fine, then leaned in and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you, Arthur."