Grave of the Mafia’s Love Chapter 01
Helen Cartwright, a retired teacher, once appeared on a popular daytime talk show called Smooth Talk.
She taught for forty years. Her students became either CEOs of Fortune 500 companies or leading scientists at MIT.
When asked which student made the deepest impression on her, she pursed her lips and let out a wry smile.
“She was the girl with the least promising future.”
“She was at the top of her class, but she was dating a troublemaker at school. To save her future, I read her love letter to him aloud at the Parent Weekend, pretending it was a hurtful rejection letter. That’s how I broke them up.”
“Surprisingly, she didn’t get into any college, while that ‘troublemaker’ got into Yale and went on to become a Wall Street tycoon. Life sure is ironic!”
The host sighed dramatically and asked her if she had anything to say to that student.
Helen sighed, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
“You can’t tell her. She’ll never hear it.”
“She died of leukemia three years ago. She couldn’t afford the treatment.”
This video was uploaded separately and quickly went viral within a few hours.
Julian Vance, the protagonist of the story, was completely unaware of this.
He was a busy man. These days, he was not only a Wall Street tycoon but also ran the Vance Family’s money-laundering empire single-handedly. There was hardly a soul in North America who didn’t know his name.
Right after wrapping up a black-market deal, he rushed out to buy a pink diamond necklace for his fiancée, Mia Thornton. This young lady from the Thornton Family was a great asset to him in cleaning up his business.
Mia’s beaming smile appeared on his car’s screen during the video call.
“Julian, don’t be late. If you miss dinner, I swear I’ll be really upset.”
Julian’s weariness vanished, replaced by a familiar look of affection.
“I’ll take good care of the necklace. I’ll be home before sunset. Don’t worry.”
“I had the chef make your favorite lobster pasta. You haven’t been eating much lately, and you need to keep your strength up.”
Mia smiled and raised her fork, “My goodness, I really should thank your ex-girlfriend for raising you so well.”
Julian’s face instantly turned cold.
“How many times do I have to tell you? I’ve always been single. I’ve never had a girlfriend.”
I sat quietly in the back seat, watching the subtle changes in Julian’s expression.
The moment he heard the words “ex-girlfriend,” a look of undisguised disgust flashed across his face.
Julian Vance hated me to the bones.
This hatred drove him to gain admission to Yale University, build a vast offshore financial network, and become engaged to Mia Thornton, an heiress to a long-established fortune.
He had always denied my existence. Yeah, who would want to remember someone who humiliated them in a love letter? After hearing Helen read her essay at the Parent Weekend, his father fainted and became a vegetable.
Julian wanted to kill me.
His assistant checked the route. “Don, we’ll be passing by Channel 5 News. Ms. Cartwright is there filming her show. Would you like to stop by?”
“It’s excellent publicity for Vance Capital. She is a highly respected figure in the education sector.”
Julian nodded. He was indeed grateful to Helen.
If she hadn’t exposed my “malice” sooner, he might still be going around in circles, being fooled by me.
Helen stepped out from under the studio lights; though she was getting on in years, her eyes were still sharp.
When she saw Julian holding a bouquet of white roses, she smiled warmly.
“Julian! What a surprise!”
Julian hugged her and gave her a polite kiss on the cheek.
“Ms. Cartwright, my bad. Work keeps me busy. To make up for it, let me treat you to a meal.”
Helen patted him gently on the shoulder. “How about tonight? Your classmates are having a reunion. You should come.”
Julian froze.
“Oh, Julian, I’m so sorry,” Helen said softly, “but you really should let her go. She’s not coming back.”
After watching her walk away, Julian turned to his assistant and asked, “What did she mean?”
“I guess the person you hate won’t be coming?” the assistant shrugged.
The class reunion was in full swing; some people had too much whiskey and raised their glasses.
“The last time we made such a fuss was when Julian and Sylvia’s relationship came to light. It feels like it was seven years ago.”
The room suddenly turned freezing cold.
Everyone couldn’t help but glance at Julian.
He just smiled slightly and took a slow sip of his drink.
“Who is Sylvia?”
