I Knew You Were Trouble

[I think I should remind you that we're getting engaged next month. You'd better break things off with Linda in advance.]

Bert stared at the message for a few seconds, then turned off his phone without replying.

He looked toward the sofa where Linda stood with her back to him, bending slightly to retrieve something from her bag. Her form-fitting brown dress accentuated her graceful figure.

Tomorrow was his birthday, and Linda had booked a table at Riverside Restaurant to celebrate in advance.

Bert pressed his fingers against his temple and withdrew his gaze from Linda, shifting it toward the river outside the window. The twinkling fishing lights on both banks flickered, with yachts passing by occasionally.

Linda took out what she needed and sat back at the table, placing a carefully prepared gift in front of him before gently pushing it closer. Bert was still gazing out the window. Her voice was light and cheerful as she picked up her wine glass and clinked it against his. "What are you looking at?" She smiled. "Happy birthday. Love me forever."

Bert turned back, smiling faintly, and took a symbolic sip of wine.

Linda sipped her wine slowly, glancing repeatedly at the gift box on the table.

But Bert neither noticed the new addition to the table nor picked up on her silent hints.

The brown gift box wasn't small. Even in the dim lighting, it stood out against the white tablecloth. Yet he simply didn't notice it.

Linda's eyes flickered before finally meeting Bert's unreadable gaze.

"Linda," Bert took another sip of wine, swallowing with slight effort. "You can name a condition. Anything within my ability, I'll agree to it."

Linda didn't even think before laughing it off. "It's your birthday. Why would I ask for a gift?"

She hadn't yet realized the true meaning behind his words.

Bert set his wine glass down and picked up his phone, typing a message to his secretary.

Since she didn't want a gift, Linda stood up, placing her hands on the table as she leaned in, about to kiss him-

Then he spoke.

"It's not a gift. If you haven't thought of anything yet, I'll transfer the Riverside Community villa to your name. I'll have Assistant Chad handle it. Besides the house, you can ask for one more thing."

Riverside Community was a newly developed villa district in New York City. Each standalone home was prohibitively expensive, owned exclusively by the wealthy elite. Linda had never imagined she could afford a house there in her lifetime.

And now, he was suddenly giving her such a costly property?

A bad feeling rose inside her.

Bert continued typing, deliberately avoiding looking at Linda, unwilling to see the expression on her face at this moment.

After a brief pause, he added, "If you ever run into trouble you can't handle, you can always go to Assistant Chad. He'll take care of it. I won't be available anymore."

Linda froze for a moment. Then, realizing what he meant, she let out a quiet, self-deprecating laugh.

He had made it clear. There was no need for further explanation.

Bert finished instructing his secretary and only then noticed Linda's posture. She had been leaning forward to kiss him. He reached out, trying to hold her shoulder, but she suddenly pulled back and sat down, dodging his touch.

Their eyes met.

Linda's gaze, filled with silent sorrow, scanned his deep-set eyes, the sharp bridge of his nose, and his entire face. She knew him so well, yet at this moment, he seemed like a stranger.

In terms of family background and financial power, he had always been the dominant one. That meant he could break up without warning, without reason, without needing to give her any explanation.

Maybe he had loved her at some point during their relationship, but when it came time to be ruthless, he was truly ruthless. She was in the middle of celebrating his birthday, yet this was the moment he chose to break up with her-without a thought for whether she would be devastated or heartbroken.

If their roles were reversed, if she were Bert, she would at least wait until after the birthday dinner to bring up breaking up. And if she had to offer "compensation," she would do so as gently as possible.

But he was not her.

To him, their relationship had been nothing more than entertainment. She was the one who took it seriously.

Bert braced himself for an outburst, but Linda never questioned him.

"Within five years, ensure that none of my dad's law firm's major clients are lost. Also, when new companies move into the New York City district, introduce their business to my dad first." She didn't pretend to be noble. She stated her terms straightforwardly, ending their two years and four months of being together.

After all, he had pursued her by sending business to her father's law firm.

And now, it was business that ended it.

Bert agreed immediately. "No problem."

She didn't make a scene, didn't beg, didn't cling to him. A rare sense of guilt stirred within him, and he inexplicably wanted to compensate her more. "Is there anything else..."

Before he could finish, his gaze landed on the gift box beside her hand.

The logo on the box was unmistakable-it was the brand of watches he often wore.

Her entire annual salary, if she didn't eat or drink, would barely be enough to afford one.

"For me?" His voice was hoarse.

Linda maintained her carefree expression, smiling. "For someone who deserves it." She grabbed the box and walked toward the sofa.

With her back to Bert, she took a deep breath, trying to steady herself after the unexpected breakup.

She had been telling herself that he wasn't worth her sadness, but it was useless. After two years together, how could she possibly not feel hurt?

Putting the watch away, she rang for a server.

The door opened, and it was the restaurant manager, followed by two waiters.

She wasn't important enough for the manager to personally serve her-only the other person in the room had that kind of status.

The manager stood at the door, smiling as he asked Bert, "Mr. White, shall we start serving the dishes?"

Bert said nothing, merely waved a hand to dismiss them.

Linda spoke up instead. "Manager Harris, please see the guest out. Thank you."

There were only two people in the private room. Since she was the host tonight, the only "guest" could be Bert.

Manager Harris forced an awkward smile. Even if he had the courage, he wouldn't dare ask Bert to leave-unless he no longer wanted to work at this restaurant.

Linda had made a reservation for this river-view private room two weeks in advance. She had spent all afternoon decorating the place and ordering the cake. Now, before even the appetizers had been served, she was kicking the birthday guest out. Manager Harris was baffled. Even if they were arguing, this was too much.

Just as the manager hesitated, Bert stood up, retrieved his jacket from the wardrobe, and put it on slowly. His eyes never left Linda.

She had her back to him, sorting her bag, her expression hidden from view.

Bert ultimately remained silent and strode toward the door.

With a soft 'click,' the door shut.

Linda no longer had to maintain a false expression. She crossed her arms and stood by the floor-to-ceiling window for an unknown amount of time. The manager and servers didn't disturb her until her phone rang on the table.

"Where are you? The dress has arrived. Should I send it over, or will you come pick it up?"

The voice on the other end was cold and emotionless.

It was Helen, her half-sister. Their father had just married Helen's mother this month, ending a ten-year relationship. They planned to hold a small wedding in two months.

Their stepmother had bought a dress for each of them to wear at the reception.

Over the years, Linda and this sister, with whom she shared no blood relation, had maintained a distant but peaceful relationship. They only met two or three times a year-no conflict, but no closeness either.

Linda responded, "Send it to my home or my mom's office. Either is fine."

"I'll send it to your place," Helen said. She was about to hang up when she hesitated and added, "By the way, I heard Bert has a fiancée. You should make sure you weren't the other woman."

"I broke up with him. Just today."

Helen usually didn't meddle in her stepsister's affairs, but perhaps out of boredom, she asked, "Where are you? If it's on my way, I'll drop off the dress."

"Riverside Restaurant. I'm about to enjoy a free meal."

She asked, "Want to join me?"

Helen wasn't naive. The Riverside Restaurant required reservations well in advance-there was no such thing as a free meal. "Feeling generous, are we?"

"Not me. Just lucky to pick up what someone else left behind."

"..."

Helen was just around Riverside Restaurant and arrived by car in ten minutes.

It was Manager Harris who escorted her to the private dining room.

Earlier, Manager Harris had walked Bert all the way to the restaurant's entrance. Before getting into his car, Bert instructed him to ensure Linda was taken care of and safely sent home since she had been drinking and couldn't drive.

Manager Harris was just fulfilling his duty, unaware that they had completely broken up. He assumed it was like the previous times-just a little lovers' quarrel. Linda and Bert were frequent guests at the restaurant. Over the past two years, he had witnessed Bert coaxing Linda more times than he could count on one hand.

The tricky part tonight was that all the ingredients had been meticulously prepared according to Linda's specifications. Now, with an unexpected fallout, they were about to leave without even starting the meal. He was already stressing over what discount to offer Linda when it came time to settle the bill.

As this thought crossed his mind, Manager Harris glanced at Helen. "Your sister is too headstrong. No matter what, today is Mr. White's birthday. She shouldn't be making a fuss. You should talk to her."

Helen was displeased by his words and instinctively stood up for Linda. She retorted, unhurriedly, "Unlike Manager Harris, I don't enjoy meddling in other people's business."

Manager Harris was taken aback-she was clearly calling him out for overstepping.

He had interacted with Helen a few times before, and she always had a stern expression with a sharp tongue. Tonight was no exception.

The elevator reached the 42nd floor, and Helen stepped out with long strides.

Inside the private dining room, Linda sat at the table, idly swirling the wine in her glass while staring at the men's wristwatch on the table.

After Bert left, she had taken the gift box back out of her bag, contemplating what to do with the watch that she never got to give him.

The door pushed open from the outside, and Linda turned her head.

"So fast?" she said, taking a small sip of wine, subconsciously covering up the fact that she had been lost in thought.

Helen entered. "A rare chance for a fancy meal-I had to hurry before I missed out."

Manager Harris, still standing at the door, took the hint and instructed the kitchen to start preparing the food.

Since Linda and Helen barely saw each other and had little in common, an awkward silence settled in the room once the door closed.

"You just broke up, and you still have an appetite?" Helen broke the silence with her straightforwardness.

Linda remained unfazed, her tone leisurely. "With prices like this, it'd be a waste not to eat."

Helen was speechless. She hadn't expected that her half-sister got dumped while celebrating someone else's birthday. She casually placed her bag on the sofa and took off the white shirt she had been wearing over her top.

She glanced at the wardrobe across the room-it was about five or six meters away. Debating whether to hang up her shirt, she ultimately decided against it and draped it over the sofa instead.

Linda noticed that Helen always took the easy way out, even if it meant her clothes would wrinkle just to avoid taking a few extra steps.

It was already a miracle that she had come all this way to deliver a dress.

Linda put down her wine glass and got up. As Helen approached the table, Linda glanced at her shoes-light-colored flats. Helen had always been tall and had a few centimeters on her. But now, she seemed even taller.

"You've grown taller," Linda said, grasping at something to talk about.

Helen responded with a simple "Mm" as she pulled out a chair and sat down. She had, in fact, grown two centimeters. At her recent physical exam, she measured 174.5 cm. Even at twenty-seven, she was surprised she was still growing.

She poured herself a glass of red wine. As Linda had not yet returned to her seat, Helen turned to look for her-only to find her standing by the wardrobe, carefully hanging up her expensive white shirt.

A few years ago, it would have been unimaginable for Helen to personally deliver a dress to Linda, or for Linda to hang up her clothes.

For a moment, Helen couldn't tell who had changed more.

She wasn't one for sentimental words, and thanks were unnecessary. So she simply turned back and took a sip of wine. Her gaze landed on the watch box on the table. It was open, revealing an expensive timepiece inside.

She raised an eyebrow. "You bought that for Bert?"

Linda nodded.

The leather strap was custom-made, adding significantly to the cost. Linda's annual salary wouldn't even cover this watch. Helen clicked her tongue. "Generous."

Then added, "And devoted."

"He's given me far more over the years, not to mention all the business he brought to my dad." Linda didn't elaborate further.

Helen tilted her chin toward the watch. "You've broken up. What are you going to do with it?"

Linda had been pondering this exact question. Keeping such an expensive watch wasn't necessary, nor did she have anyone else to give it to. "When I have time, I'll check with some industry contacts to see how much I can sell it for." Even if it had never been worn, just opening the box would lower its value significantly.

Helen didn't comment. Instead, she messaged a friend-who happened to be the manager of a flagship watch store in New York City and well-versed in the market value of luxury watches.

She briefly explained Linda's situation and asked, "Will she lose a lot on depreciation?"

Her friend quickly responded, "Linda went through a lot to get that watch. She waited over seven months in line and had to purchase additional items to qualify. Now she wants to return it? Did her boyfriend think it was too cheap and refuse to accept it?"

Helen, "They broke up. She never got the chance to give it to him."

The manager sighed, feeling bad not only for the seemingly perfect couple that had split but also for the expensive watch that never found its recipient.

Helen, "Any way to minimize her losses?"

The manager teased, "I thought you didn't care about your stepsister? What's with the sudden concern?"

Helen wouldn't admit that it was because Linda had hung up her shirt.

Instead, she dodged the question, "Will you be at the store tomorrow? I'll drop by after work."

Manager, "I'm here now."

Helen raised an eyebrow, "Aren't you off today?"

Manager, "Last-minute change. A VIP customer is coming in to buy a watch. Apparently, he's in New York City for a conference, and his friend accidentally dropped his watch, cracking the case. He needs a replacement urgently. Not sure who he is, but even our regional director flew in for this. No way I could take the day off."