Prologue

"I'm not going to work with you, dad!!"

The loud voice of a woman who seems to be in her early twenties reverberates inside a large-looking room that is filled with many rows of shelves, crammed to the brim with numerous books. The white walls of the room radiate the sentiment of wealth and luxury.

"Why did you say that, Yuing?" Asked a man who seems to be in his early fifties.

"Nothing dad, I just want to start afresh without any help from you. I want to build my company myself and be an independent lady without your wealth. Please dad~ just allow me to do this."

The girl begs her dad using her casual puppy face since she knows that whenever she uses this face on him, he would surely agree to whatever she proposed. But to her disappointment, her dad doesn't even look at her just as if he already knew that she would use her charming skill on him.

However, he's not joking right now. He can fulfill all her wishes or give in to anything she asks for but the situation at hand is different from what he could easily agree to.

This is all about his company, the company he had used all his life to build from scratch since when there was nothing and when he lost his wife at the same time. He refused to let it perish, get destroyed, or go bankrupt just for one reason, he was doing all this for his daughter; Bai Xiuying.

Even though the company is in his name, he had let it go this far because of her to live a good life.

He had promised his wife to take care of their one and only daughter and never let her suffer. Bai Guiying had vowed to give his daughter the best in life but she didn't understand him at all. All she wanted was to live a carefree life and be independent.

Truth be told, he also disagreed with her because he felt that she doesn't need all that again since he had made everything easier for her. All she had to do was just take over the company.

Looking at her father's expression, Bai Xiuying can tell that her father would never agree to her request.

"I am sorry, Xiuying, I can't agree to that." Bai Guiying says, letting out a weary sigh while looking at his gloomy daughter from the corner of his eyes.

"But why dad? I don't want to work in your company! I also want to have my freedom and be Independent, I don't want to work under you or your company. I just want to build my company and make it big like yours, have a name, and also have power like you or much more powerful. So, tell me dad, is that bad? Is that too big for you to fulfill for me?"

Bai Xiuying asks him while a trace of tears can be seen rolling down her eyelids. Her expression right now looks as if she could burst into tears at any moment.

Leaking out another sigh, Bai Guiying looks at her and sees that she's on the verge of crying and knows that if he doesn't agree with her now she will burst into tears which he probably wouldn't be able to stand.

'Just why in the hell would she want to work in another company?! Why am I working? It's all because of her!' Bai Guiying thinks inwardly, feeling a little disappointed.

"I have said no and my 'no' will always be no! What did you need all this for? Why do you think I'm doing all this? Who do you think I am building this company for? Do you think I am doing all this for myself? Name, power, fame, or whatever you call it? I will give you all that so– you don't need to work in any other company, you'll work with me and take over the company. That's my final decision." Bai Guiying bursts out, feeling frustrated and furious before storming out of the reading room, leaving Bai Xiuying all alone to think about what he said. He knows he has hurt her but he didn't have any choice but to leave and assert his authority as her father.

Bai Xiuying watches her father as he storms out of the room, leaving her heartbroken with tears that seem to be waiting for this moment to flood out without control.

After wailing for about ten minutes, Bai Xiuying moves upstairs to her room and locks herself inside because she knows that begging her dad is futile. His words are absolute.

She's still thinking about what to do before hearing a knock on her door. At first, she ignores it but when she hears a very familiar voice she gets up from her bed to open the door but stops midway.

"Miss, please open the door for me, it's butler James." James says after noticing that Xiuying isn't willing to open the door.

Hearing his voice, Xiuying squints her eyes because she's in a very bad mood. However, James is like a big brother to her. He had been her butler for ten years and he had always been very nice to her.

She opens the door and lets him in. Right now, he's wearing a black tuxedo suit, standing 1.7 meters tall with a very fit athletic body that would scare off an average man. His looks are average but he has a unique charm because he's an half-cast. Half-Chinese half-European, but he decided to stick to his Chinese citizenship after his supposed dad fled without any trace of him. He's a mature man who seems to be in his early thirties, but he had quite a deceiving facial appearance which made him look younger.

Butler James is the next person Xiuying trusts and sees as a fatherly figure after her dad. She knows that he already knew about the argument that ensued between her and her dad which didn't end up well.

"I know what you are going to say or ask so before you do that let me answer you first. I don't want to work with my dad in his company. I just want to be independent, build my life and future myself without his wealth or fame!!" Xiuying blurts out while grabbing her head in frustration.

James looks at her the way a father would look at his daughter. He understood everything she said and even what she was trying to portray on how to be an independent lady…

He lets out a sigh…

"Miss, I understand you very well but you also have to understand your father. He can't agree to your terms at all, you should also put yourself in his shoes and know the way he's feeling. How can he raise a child to be his successor only for the child to tell him that she didn't want to have anything to do with his wealth, fame, and everything he had built? What's the point of suffering or facing all those hardships or challenges he came over? Miss, you also have to think about his feelings as a father who spent all his life working for his beloved daughter. Do you realize that he didn't remarry just because of you?" James says, dipping his hand into his pocket and bringing out a cigarette before lighting it up.

Hearing James' words, Xiuying becomes guilty and starts feeling bad for not considering her father's feelings.

"I feel bad, James. But that still doesn't change the fact that I want to be independent. I am tired of this boring life." Xiuying mumbles while rocking back and forth on the rocking chair inside her room.

Puffing out a cloud of smoke, James gives Xiuying a wide smile. Xiuying is used to James smoking now and then so she doesn't mind in the slightest.

"That's why your dad came up with another suggestion." James says, his smile growing wider.

"What's that?" Xiuying asks in anticipation.

"I have spoken with your dad and he has agreed to allow you work in another company for a year. But after one year, you have to take over the company. Not only that, but within this one year, you're going to be stripped of all your assets and live as a normal girl." James explains, taking another puff of his cigarette.

Ding! Ding!

A mail enters Xiuying's phone which she hurriedly checks and to her surprise, it's the message that she had been waiting to receive.

"T-This…. My application had been approved, I-I have been employed…" Xiuying mutters in awe while staring at her phone, looking dumbfounded. She had finally gotten her dream job, but her dad's condition of letting her become independent is a bit….

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Hi everyone reading this right now. I am a new author and this is my first novel. There might be some mistakes that I didn't take note of. Please bear with me, I promise to improve over time. Thank you all for reading.