Chapter 7
Fortunately, Xavier was articulate, and since it wasn’t Christmas yet, he managed to avoid being sent to a mental institution.
However, he faced rejection after rejection in his job search, and life became increasingly difficult.
During the month Xavier spent looking for work, Zoe’s savings had long been depleted, leaving them both desperately poor.
Forget about eating well–they could barely afford basic food.
Finally, after Zoe’s repeated urging, Xavier reluctantly swallowed his pride and took on odd jobs to make ends meet.
They worked from dawn to dusk, desperately earning money just to fill their stomachs.
Yet after several years, they remained utterly destitute.
Zoe had a violent temper and frequently caused trouble, forcing them to pay hefty medical bills to others every year.
They became notorious in the area, making it not only difficult to find work but often forcing them to quit after just a few days.
Left with no choice, their situation became even more desperate.
The former rich kid who once casually wore thousand–dollar
sneakers now haggled with vendors at the market over a few bucks.
Even with their extreme frugality, they remained impoverished.
Worse still, Zoe’s parents acted like vampires, constantly demanding money from her.
In their eyes, Zoe was nothing more than a tool for extracting cash.
Now that Xavier was also earning money for them, they were even more pleased with themselves.
Zoe’s parents lounged around the house all day, never cleaning, and demanded money the moment they saw Xavier.
This led Xavier and Zoe to discuss divorce multiple times.
When I heard these rumors from friends while studying abroad, I was skeptical.
I couldn’t believe Xavier would actually fail, and I couldn’t fathom that the Harris family would heartlessly abandon a child they had raised for over a decade.
It wasn’t until I first saw Xavier that I was shocked into accepting reality–my former fiancé had fallen this far.
Xavier certainly regretted his past choices and had swallowed
his pride to seek out his parents.
But his once–warm home had changed hands, and the people inside were nowhere to be found.
Xavier had completely lost his connections, and despite distributing flyers and placing ads, he couldn’t reconnect with his parents.
It wasn’t until I took over my father’s company that I gradually uncovered the truth behind it all.
It turned out the Harris Group was already on the brink of bankruptcy, and the arranged marriage with my family was their last lifeline.
However, Xavier refused no matter what, even making outrageous statements at the banquet that completely destroyed the reputation they had carefully built over many years.
Our engagement was called off, and no one was willing to help Xavier’s family anymore.
His parents sold off their assets, took the money overseas, had a son through IVF, and settled into a comfortable retirement.
Xavier was undoubtedly abandoned by them.
Unwilling to accept reality, he tried every possible way to find help.
Xavier called high school, middle school, and even elementary school classmates he’d lost touch with long ago, trying every
method to borrow money.
He did every foolish thing imaginable, only to be met with humiliation or complete failure.
Until that day when we saw each other from afar, and hope flickered again in his humiliation.
I don’t know what method he used, but the next morning he appeared punctually at my company’s entrance.
“Vivian, please help me. I still have a chance to turn things around.”
“I can’t stand this life anymore. If this continues, I might really go insane.‘
His eyes filled with tears, his voice trembling, his desperation evident in every word.
