The discovery was shocking because she had not planned on it. Naturally, she intended on telling her boyfriend so that he could take responsibility, and they could get married. However, before she could say anything, he informed her that the family company was experiencing legal and financial trouble due to tax problems.

He asked her to leave Mountain Ridge with him. The problem with the company was not that serious, but the back taxes along with the penalties and fines meant that the business could no longer proceed as usual.

Her boyfriend was not a core member of the company, so he was not affected a lot. However, the business was acquired, and he had been informed that he could not keep working there. Also, without his family backing him, he would not have large allowances anymore.

She thought about his suggestion to leave and considered it with care. The relationship began as one of exploitation, but she eventually fell in love with him.

The two of them met in a club in downtown Mountain Ridge. The place was a bit crazy that night, so she thought that the man was a careless second-generation who slept around.

However, after spending more time with him, he turned out to be quite a good guy. He was intelligent and caring, in addition to being handsome. If it had not been for his older brother, he would probably have been at the core of the company with his father.

She fell in love with him truly and did not want to part with him.

After much deliberation, she decided to leave with him. With their brains, they could build a good life together. Furthermore, they were going to have a baby.

Once again, things did not go exactly as she pictured. With the decision made, she was ready to share the good news with her boyfriend so that they could move forward.

But on the same day, she received a notification that she had gotten a job at Yama Electronics Corporation. She had applied for the position sometime before, so she did not expect to get the call of approval.

The opportunity confused her once again, and she went back to the drawing board.

Even though she loved her boyfriend, she was not willing to give up on the life she wanted. Mountain Ridge had proved to be the perfect place for her. It was quiet and clean, and everything was high-end.

She did not want to go back to Tokyo or live in other cities where she had to deal with countless people, congested buildings and pedestrian things.

After some thought, she decided to check out the situation at Yama Electronics Corporation. She did not go directly to the company because she did not want to draw attention to herself in case she joined.

Instead, she went to a coffee shop near Yama Plaza. It was a slightly above-average place, so it was a great hangout spot for employees.

She did not learn much about the company operations, and she was not interested in that. She wanted to know the situation with the Yamazaki family members.

Luckily, she saw Kazuo in the shop with some regular employees. As usual, he was quite a snob, and he liked to reward people who flattered him.

She saw him buying coffee for people in his department before leaving. She could recognise him because she had done some research on the top bachelors in Mountain Ridge.

After he left, the employees did not wait for long before starting to berate him. Their primary complaint was one. Kazuo was a man who lacked ability, but they had to flatter him as a manager because of his family background.

In their words, he could not do anything, and his assistant had to do his work. The only good thing about him was that he was not stingy. They all sighed in unison.

Their words were harsh, but their attitude did not show extreme dislike. It seemed more like frustration at his incompetence.

Chiharu's mind churned at the new information. She already knew that Kazuo was not an only child, but his brother did not live in Mountain Ridge. Furthermore, he seemed like an easy target who relied on his parents.

If she could grasp him, the Yamazaki family would be in her control. When that happened, she would not only be able to choose an island for a vacation, she could even buy one.

With these thoughts, she told her boyfriend that she had found a stable job and could not leave Mountain Ridge with him. She added a lot of words about their fate ending, and if God allowed it, they would meet again.

It was a well-crafted break-up speech.

She also cried real tears of heartbreak, but she also blamed her boyfriend in her heart for being incapable. If he was accomplished enough, she could have both wealth and love. They could raise their baby together in a good home.

Her boyfriend did not say much. He told her that he understood that she must think about the future for her security. He admitted it was his fault for being unable to give her the stability she craved.

The following morning, he left Mountain Ridge.

As for Chiharu, she smoothly joined the Yamazaki company.

And with a few well-crafted accidental meetings, she was able to draw Kazuo into her web. He was not a deep thinker, so he did not find anything unusual about their interactions.

He took things at face value, so he thought that Chiharu was a good-natured, hardworking and mature girl from a normal family. He admired her calmness and sensible personality.

Chiharu knew that this was the kind of girl that a man like Kazuo would like. It was not only because this was his mother's personality. She had also realised that Kazuo seemed to look down on people from average and poor backgrounds, but he had a lot of admiration for them.

This admiration is the reason common employees did not hate him.

In the beginning, she wanted to seal the deal quickly with Kazuo because she was pregnant. With a discrepancy of a month or so, it would not be a problem. Even though she broke up with her boyfriend, she did not want to get rid of their love child.

But who knew that Kazuo would be a difficult man?

When it came to sex, he was pedantic. He would not sleep with her, despite all her efforts. He respected her and wanted a long-term relationship with her.

After four months, she discovered that she could not hide it anymore, even with her beautiful body type. And she was not willing to break up with Kazuo and become a single mother.

She decided to handle the problem discreetly. Unfortunately, she could not go to a good hospital for two reasons. She had waited for too long, and she knew the Yamazaki family would investigate her at some point.

She always tried not to remember that experience in that dingy place. It was the worst thing that happened to her physically and emotionally.

"Dear, are you feeling better? You have been sleeping for a while now. I didn't want to wake you." Kazuo spoke softly.

Chiharu opened her eyes and tried to smile. "I might be a little tired after yesterday."

"Oh, don't push yourself. You can sleep a little more. I just wanted to let you know that Aunt Makiko came to visit."