Chapter 192

By the time Christopher arrived at the Gardner Group building, it was already 4:00 p.m. Employees were gradually leaving for the day.

He had spent a long time at the hospital, selling his house, borrowing money from relatives, and maxing out his credit cards. He even borrowed from college classmates and used various online lending platforms. Finally, he had raised enough money for his mother's surgery, which was scheduled. He'd planned to wait until afterward to confront Skylar.

But unexpectedly, Skylar's lover wasn't Paul, as he'd thought, but Joe—a man he'd never dared consider.

Had Skylar changed? He thought she'd never cared about a boyfriend's background or wealth. Yet, she was now Joe's lover, seemingly his plaything. They had been together for seven years! During that time, she wouldn't let him touch her, but she allowed Joe to. He couldn't accept this; if she'd slept with him, he wouldn't have slept with Maisy.

He glanced at the Gardner Group building, a towering structure many aspired to enter. When Skylar was his girlfriend, she enjoyed museums, antique shops, and reading history books in the library. But her love of books and antiques didn't qualify her for her current job—she got it because of Joe.

For ordinary people, Alexander's team seemed meritocratic. But for the truly affluent, such rules were merely for the masses. Skylar had broken up with him without hesitation for these material benefits!

He waited another half hour before Skylar emerged, looking tired. She hadn't even eaten lunch, focusing entirely on her restoration work. Although she appeared calm and composed, that was a facade. She cared deeply about money. This weekend, she planned to look at properties, wanting to buy a house for her adoptive mother and siblings. Thinking of this, she smiled.

Just as she was heading to the parking lot, someone rushed toward her, grabbed her arm, and pulled her aside. Startled, she didn't initially recognize Christopher; he'd lost considerable weight, hadn't shaved, and looked far more disheveled than before.

"Let go of me!" Skylar yanked her arm free and slapped him twice, hard. She hadn't held back; she'd wanted to hit him for a long time. He deserved it for his past actions.

Christopher, out of shape from neglecting himself, stumbled back. "You've changed, Skylar! You wouldn't have done that before. I know everything. You're Joe's lover, aren't you? He's just using you; he'll never marry you or take responsibility."

Skylar raised an eyebrow.