My Low‑Maintenance Love Turned High‑Risk

Mallory Spencer despises disorder and unnecessary trouble above all else. To eradicate such issues from her life, she sticks to a rigidly predetermined schedule. Gifts are purchased in bulk and sent out on the day of the recipient's birthday. Our date spots are always the same. If I want to pick a new restaurant, I have to submit a written request a month in advance. Even our intimate moments are governed by an alarm. "Living a stress-free life matters more than anything else. Let's not cause any trouble for the other," she says. We've been together for seven years now. All along, I've assumed she maintains the same attitude with everyone else. Then one day, we attend a gathering together. When the waiter serves us a plate of pomegranates, she takes one and carefully extracts the pomegranate seeds into a bowl, separating out the pith. Sitting beside her, I reach out for the bowl. She pauses, glances at me, and proceeds to set the bowl down in front of Hank Coleman, the man who used to be my biggest bully. During our days in high school, he used to tear up my books, pour glue on my chair, and lock me in the restroom after school. Even Mallory had once chewed him out for his behavior, saying he'd pay for it. But now, as she sits beside me, she hands him the bowl of pomegranate seeds she has prepared and says, "Dig in." I pull my hand back, feeling uninclined to stick around any longer. I also lose all desire to hold onto her. Chapter 1 Gideon's POV I took one last look at Mallory Spencer before rising from my seat and walking away. "Gideon's temper is as bad as ever. It's all my fault. I told you I didn't want to come today, and now I've ruined everyone's mood…" Hank Coleman's voice drifted from behind me, sounding as spoiled and entitled as ever, along with a hint of feigned hurt. The Coleman family's bankruptcy didn't seem to have changed his personality at all. Unable to resist, I glanced back. Mallory had turned toward him. She was patting his shoulder as she murmured words of comfort. … At exactly 10:00 pm, Mallory walked through the door. She didn't even bother taking off her designer blazer before launching into a lecture. "You should apologize to Hank tomorrow. From the moment you left the restaurant, he kept blaming himself for it." She looked at me with disappointment in her eyes. "You're a grown man, Gideon. So many of our friends were there today, besides Hank. You shouldn't always put your own feelings first. It's incredibly unbecoming of you." Maybe it was because I hadn't slept well the night before, but my heart was pounding in a way that made me feel unwell. "It was just a bowl of pomegranate seeds. Does he not have hands of his own? If he wants to eat some, why can't he peel the pomegranate himself?" I asked. I was abruptly reminded of something that happened during our first year together. I'd brought over a plate of mangoes and half-jokingly asked Mallory to peel them for me. She'd glanced at the plate and frowned. "I hate doing anything that's a hassle. If eating something takes that much time and effort, I'd rather go without it. And don't even think about asking me to peel it for you." Back then, I'd thought she hated going to the trouble of doing things for anyone. As it turned out, there were exceptions. I just wasn't one of them. "You were all young back then. It's normal for teenage boys to mess around with each other. You shouldn't take those things so seriously. It's time to move on. Stop punishing yourself, and stop holding it against other people," Mallory chided me. "Besides, his family has gone bankrupt. That's punishment enough." It'd been a whole five minutes since she walked through the front door, and every word out of her mouth had been in defense of Hank, even though I hadn't said a single thing. I stared fixedly at her, my eyes stinging as they filled with unshed tears, but I fought to keep my emotions from spilling over. Mallory sighed, looking utterly exhausted. "See? You're doing it again. I'm trying to have a reasonable conversation with you, so why are you giving me that long face? When you act like this, Gideon, you really exhaust me." She draped her blazer over the back of the couch. I took a deep breath, doing my best to relax my clenched jaw. "So you still think this is just about a bowl of pomegranate seeds?" Mallory frowned almost instinctively, a flicker of impatience crossing her eyes. I'd put up with the situation long enough to reach my limit. My ears were ringing, and suddenly, I was back in that summer all over again. "You were born to a penniless loser, Gideon Lyle! Why don't you just drop dead, huh?" I didn't know if everyone's cruelty was always this senseless. This was happening all because, on the first day of school, I'd worn the same brand of sneakers as Hank. I'd saved up for a whole year to buy mine, while he had countless pairs. Our outfits were nowhere near identical. Nevertheless, that was all it took for me to become the target of relentless bullying from Hank, the scion of a wealthy family. Back then, whenever Hank and his friends bullied me, Mallory would always step in front of me. Time and time again, she'd pull me away from them, as if she never tired of doing so. I'd thought she would always be on my side. Mallory walked over and patted me on the back. "Enough about that. We only have 20 minutes left. If you keep throwing a tantrum, we'll run out of time." Chapter 2 Gideon's POV According to Mallory's predetermined schedule, every Wednesday at 10:30 pm was the designated time for intimacy. Once a week, for 30 minutes. She'd even set an alarm for it. She was never late and never went over the allotted time. Once it was over, she'd rather take care of her own needs than continue being with me. After coming out of the shower, Mallory checked the time. "Only five minutes to go. We need to get on with it." When she saw me sitting motionless on the edge of the bed, her expression darkened. "Gideon, what are you throwing a fit about now?" I wasn't throwing a fit. In fact, I wanted to put an end to everything for good. "Mallory, let's break—" Before I could finish speaking, her phone started ringing. She glanced at me before taking the call. After a beat, she lowered her voice and said, "It's okay. Don't be scared. I'm on my way." She hurriedly changed her clothes and rushed out, tossing out a quick explanation as she left. "Some of the creditors are banging on Hank's door. I'm worried about him, so I'm going to check on him. I'll be right back." The sound of the door closing coincided with the alarm going off, making my head ache. … The next day, I almost thought I was dreaming when I saw Hank at the office. Seeing me freeze, a male colleague of mine, Simon Turner, quietly pulled me aside. "He's the new hire. I heard he's Ms. Spencer's first love. They dated for seven years. You should've seen them getting out of the car together this morning. Ms. Spencer actually opened the car door for him herself. "I'm so jealous. I never expected a career woman like her to have such a great relationship with her boyfriend. Turns out all that talk about the seven-year itch is nonsense when it comes to true love." Simon was still talking, but I didn't hear anything else he said. When we'd first graduated, we'd lived in a rented apartment barely over 300 square feet in size. Back then, Mallory would hold my hand as we walked around the supermarket, never letting go even when we ran into people she knew. Whenever someone asked who I was, she'd raise our joined hands and swing them proudly, declaring, "This is my boyfriend. Isn't he handsome?" Then, she became the CEO. On the day I quit my old job and joined her company, she rushed out of a conference room to meet me. But the moment the elevator doors opened, she'd taken one step toward me before stopping. Her assistant and several senior executives were following behind her. Everyone was watching. That night, she hugged me and said, "There are too many eyes and ears at the company. If word gets out about our relationship, people will say you got where you are by sleeping with a woman. It'll hurt your reputation. "Let's keep our distance for now. Once we've both established ourselves, I'll make sure everyone knows you're the most important person in my life." I believed her then. In the break room, a crowd had gathered around Hank. "Isn't that the antique watch that went up for auction recently? I heard it's called Everlasting Eternity, and the starting bid was 700,000 dollars!" Hank straightened his shirt cuff, revealing the watch, before remarking with a nonchalant smile, "Someone gave it to me. I don't really know much about watches." "Was it Ms. Spencer?" He chuckled without confirming or denying it. His gaze swept past the crowd and landed on me. Raising an eyebrow, he flashed me a knowing smirk. Seven years had passed, yet the way Hank looked at me hadn't changed at all—he was constantly proving to me that anything he wanted was always his for the taking. Mallory stood at the back of the crowd. Her eyes held the familiar mix of reassurance, guilt, and a faint plea I'd come to know so well. It was the same look she'd given me over the last seven years, every time she'd pretended not to know me at the office. However, in everyone else's eyes, she'd merely cast a polite but indifferent glance at an ordinary male employee of hers. Without realizing it, I began turning the ring on my finger. It was a handmade ring Mallory had given me when we'd first gotten together. She, who had always hated doing anything troublesome, had spent an entire day making it. She'd worked so hard to perfect the curves that her hands were covered in bleeding blisters. "Just wait a little longer, Gideon. Once I've secured my position, I'll make sure you can stand proudly by my side for everyone to see." In the office, we'd always maintained a strictly professional superior-subordinate relationship. Mallory hated trouble. She hated people gossiping about our relationship. Yet here I was, learning that there was someone for whom she was willing to disregard those rules and preferences of hers. I took the ring off. Right in front of everyone, I tossed it into the trash can beside me. The silver band struck the inside of the bin with a soft clink. Chapter 3 Gideon's POV Mallory's expression faltered for a split second. She took half a step forward, her lips parting as if she wanted to say something. But with so many people around, all she said was, "Come to my office, Mr. Lyle." Once the door closed, she said, "Gideon, I'll only be making things messier if I try to offer some kind of explanation. Can you please stop acting like this?" Her voice was low, and her eyes seemed to be brimming with deep affection. She stepped toward me, reaching for my hand. I pulled away. "I can explain what you just saw. Hank's family ran into trouble, so I helped him out. There's nothing going on between us. It's just a watch. If you want one, I'll get you something even better." Every year, she bought my birthday gift well in advance and had it delivered to me like clockwork on my birthday. One year, she'd given me the same leather belt she'd bought for a client. "I just hate going to any unnecessary trouble. Besides, when it comes to gifts, it's the thought that counts." Yet the watch Mallory gave Hank was said to be from an aristocratic family. It'd been a gift from a nobleman's wife as a token of her love for him. The watch had been named Everlasting Eternity to symbolize an everlasting relationship that would live on for all eternity. It felt as though my heart had been stung by something. The piercing pain was impossible to ignore. I lowered my eyes, suppressing the emotions threatening to surface. "What about last night? Didn't you say you'd be back soon?" Mallory instinctively rubbed her right index finger against her thumb. It was a habitual gesture she made whenever she lied. "Those debt collectors were blocking his door. Someone with his background and upbringing doesn't know how to handle that sort of thing. I was worried about him." I placed my resignation letter on her desk. I'd written it long ago and already signed it. "Mallory." I stared into her eyes. "Approve it." She was just about to lower her head and read it carefully when Hank strode in without knocking. Without even looking at my resignation letter, she signed the acknowledgment form and handed it back to me. "Gideon, there's nothing going on between Mallory and me. You know very well that even back in high school, you're the only one she ever looked out for," Hank remarked. "Honestly, every time this happens, it makes me look like a bully. I was just an immature teenager. You're the bigger man here, so let's just let bygones be bygones. Don't hold a grudge against me." He stepped forward and slapped my shoulder with feigned familiarity. The gleam from the face of the antique watch on his wrist stabbed at my eyes. My expression turned cold as I raised my hand to brush him off. Mallory hurried over and pulled Hank behind her. "Gideon, there really is nothing going on between Hank and me. Don't drag an innocent man into this. Why are you resorting to violence?" The corners of my mouth twitched. I could barely maintain even a mocking smile. Back then, I'd always been the one who needed her protection. Now, she stood on the opposite side, drawing a clear line between us. Mallory quickly turned around. She grabbed a leave form from her desk, signed it, and pushed it toward me. She made a rare show of softening her tone as she instructed me, "Just take a few days off first to clear your head." Chapter 4 Gideon's POV After I got home, I began going through all of my belongings. There were a ton of matching items, like clothes, scarves, tumblers, and toothbrushes. Over the past seven years, Mallory had accompanied me to pick out every single one of them. "That way, you won't ever have to worry about another man stealing me away from you." There was so much stuff that it took me an entire day to sort through everything. By the time I finished, I'd filled a huge box. With an impassive expression, I dumped it all into the trash can outside. I no longer cared if anyone stole her away now. Suddenly, a book slipped out of the pile. It must have gotten mixed in by accident. I shook it, and a slightly yellowed letter fell out. For some reason, my heart clenched tightly. It was a love letter. Mallory's signature was at the bottom. It was a love letter she'd written to Hank, every word filled with her earnest love. "One day, I'll shine so brightly that you can no longer ignore me. I'll make you willingly become my man." She'd never said any of this to me. Mallory had known Hank longer than she'd known me. She'd fallen for him long before she'd ever fallen for me. My head hurt so badly it felt like it was about to explode. Every time Hank and his friends bullied me, Mallory stepped in front of me. At the time, I thought she was protecting me. Now, I knew she'd only wanted an excuse to stare at Hank. When Hank threw my homework into the trash, she'd picked it up and returned it to me. For the longest time, I'd been so touched by that gesture. But now, as I recalled how quickly she'd rushed over then, I wondered if she'd been running toward Hank instead of me. I sat on the couch, clutching the love letter so tightly that my fingers hurt. I realized that I'd merely been a convenient substitute Mallory had settled for during all those years when she couldn't have Hank. But now, their positions had been reversed. He needed her, and she could finally stand openly by his side. As for me, I was the person she wanted nothing more than to keep her distance from, all in the name of avoiding unnecessary gossip and trouble. Suddenly, a new message popped up in the group chat on my phone. A colleague had posted a photo from a gathering. Mallory and Hank were sitting extremely close to each other. "I'm losing my mind over these two. Nothing beats a real couple. From the way Ms. Spencer looks at Hank, I can practically see the sparks flying!" "I heard they went to high school together, too. Not only are they childhood sweethearts, but they're also equally matched in their careers. They're perfect for each other." "Remember a certain someone who saw Hank's watch this morning and threw his own ring away? What a joke. Men really do look pathetic when they're jealous." "Give it a rest. The freeloader's just having a meltdown. Everyone knows Ms. Spencer has been avoiding him ever since he joined the company, but he keeps throwing himself at her anyway. Now that the real deal is here, let's see how much trouble he can keep trying to cause from now on." I stared at the screen, a chill spreading through my entire body. I felt a desire to destroy something. On the table sat a photo Mallory and I had taken when we'd first gotten together. I snapped a picture of it and sent it to the group chat. The lively conversation died out at once, and that made me feel a little better. Suddenly, my phone rang. Simon's panicked voice rang out, "Gideon! What did you do to piss Hank off? He's filed a report against you, accusing you of leaking the bidding proposal."