“Liam? You really are Liam Adiprana, my poor ex-boyfriend?” A woman’s slightly shrill, overly high-pitched voice shattered the silence of the basement parking area at Rumah Sakit Medika Nusantara.
Liam, who had just been about to open the seat of his scooter, suddenly froze.
His hand stopped above the handlebar. His chest began pounding. He recognized that voice.
Slowly, Liam turned around. Under the dim glow of the basement’s fluorescent lights stood a beautiful woman in a tight red dress hugging her figure. A designer bag hung luxuriously from the crook of her arm. Her high heels clicked with every step she took toward him.
Vanessa Aurelia.
The woman who had dumped him two years ago in front of a humble food stall. The woman who had cruelly told Liam he had no future because he was just an ordinary employee from a family that barely got by. Now, she was standing right in front of him.
Her gaze traveled from the top of Liam’s head to the tips of his shoes, as if making sure the man before her really was her former boyfriend.
“Vanessa?” Liam whispered. His voice was hoarse, colored by disbelief. “What are you doing here?”
Vanessa curved her lips into a faint smile. Her eyes briefly flicked toward Liam’s dingy scooter before returning to his tired yet resolute face.
“I just visited a friend upstairs,” she replied. “Then I happened to see you walking into the basement. So it really is you.” Vanessa stepped closer.
The sharp scent of her perfume immediately filled the air between them. Liam instinctively took half a step back. “I heard some news from our alumni friends, Li.”
Vanessa’s tone changed. Softer. More coquettish. It even sounded slightly pleading.
“They said you suddenly managed to pay off hundreds of millions of rupiah in family debt. And now your father’s being treated in the most expensive VIP room in this hospital.” Vanessa tilted her head.
“Where did you get that much money, Li?” Her eyes narrowed with curiosity.
“Who are you working with now?” Liam clenched his fists at his sides.
His instincts immediately went on alert. Vanessa hadn’t changed at all. That woman always had an extraordinary nose for money and luxury.
“That’s none of your business, Sa.” Liam’s voice was cold. His gaze bored straight into his former girlfriend’s eyes.
“Wherever the money came from, it’s my family’s private business. We haven’t had anything to do with each other for two years.”
Vanessa furrowed her brows.
“Li, why are you talking to me so coldly?” She stepped closer again.
Her expression shifted into one of deep regret. Her hand slowly rose and touched Liam’s jacket sleeve.
But Liam gently brushed it away. “I know I was wrong back then, Li,” Vanessa said. “I was immature. I panicked because neither of us knew what kind of work we’d find.” She drew a long breath.
“But honestly, in these past two years, I haven’t met a single man who understands me as sincerely as you do.”
Liam almost let out a bitter laugh. The lie slipped from Vanessa’s lips so effortlessly.
But he remembered everything with perfect clarity. When his father was first hospitalized after a heart attack, Vanessa had chosen to end their relationship through a text message. Her reason was simple.
She wanted to leave with a wealthy young businessman who could take her traveling to different countries.
“Don’t make up stories, Vanessa.” Liam’s voice was firm.
“You left me because I was poor. You were the one who said I’d only become a burden on your future.”
Liam stared at her without the slightest trace of pity. “Now, after hearing rumors that I have money, you suddenly show up and tell me you miss me?”
Vanessa shrugged. Her eyes began to glisten. The tears looked perfect. Too perfect.
Liam knew very well that this was just part of Vanessa’s game whenever she wanted something from a man.
“I lost my way, Li.” Vanessa’s voice trembled.
“I truly regret it. I swear to God, I think about you every night.” She dabbed at the corner of her eye.
“I’ve only just realized that money can be earned. But a man as honest and hardworking as you is impossible to find.”
Vanessa gazed at Liam hopefully. “Please give me a second chance, Li.” She smiled sweetly. “Let’s start over.”
Liam only stared at her impassively. There wasn’t the slightest warmth in his eyes. Vanessa then moved even closer, narrowing the distance between them behind an isolated concrete pillar in the basement. Her gaze no longer showed mere regret.
There was ambition hidden behind it. Vanessa had heard rumors from high society. Apparently, an ordinary man had just entered the circle of the Wijaya conglomerate family. A man who had suddenly gained access to extraordinary wealth.
And after seeing Liam at this hospital, Vanessa began piecing everything together in her mind. She was certain.
The man being showered with mysterious wealth was her former boyfriend.
“It won’t work, Sa.” Liam finally spoke.
His voice was firm, though restrained anger caught in his throat.
“It’s too late.” He looked at Vanessa one last time. “My life is different now.”
“Why not?!”
Vanessa half-shouted. Her eyes bored even deeper into Liam. “You’re not with anyone, are you?” She smiled with absolute confidence.
“You’re still single, Li. We can still fix everything.”