Chapter 3

Now that he'd brought it up himself, it saved me the trouble of asking.

Elliana threw herself into Eden's arms, beaming.

"I'm so happy, Eden! Now I'll be able to see you all the time, even at the office."

Ignoring their display, I took a call from my mother.

Behind me, I thought I heard Eden call my name, but I didn't look back as I pushed the door open and left.

My mother said it was for the best that we hadn't gotten the marriage license.

"Someone younger is just unreliable," she said.

After venting about Eden over the phone, she insisted on setting me up on a blind date.

Just as my head was starting to spin, I heard that Elliana had gone running to Eden in tears.

She claimed people were saying she'd slept her way to the top, that she had no skills, no competence, and that no one took her seriously.

"Who said that?"

I pushed the door open just in time to hear Elliana's reply.

"It was Alexandra... Ms. Williams' assistant."

Eden looked up as I entered, his eyes meeting mine.

Elliana was clinging to him, her face the picture of grievance.

I would've turned to leave, but Eden's next words stopped me in my tracks.

He was going to fire Alexandra.

"I won't tolerate employees who gossip behind others' backs," he said coldly, his hand still resting on Elliana's waist. "Did you put her up to this, Katherine?"

First of all, I had no idea what had happened.

But second... I was starting to connect the dots.

"Gossip?" I glanced at Elliana, who ducked her head guiltily, looking even more fragile. "Are we sure it wasn't just Ms. Torres being overly sensitive and misinterpreting things?"

Before Elliana could respond, Eden spoke for her.

"Elliana isn't like that."

I let out a cold laugh. "Then what are you implying? That I am?"

"Then what are you implying? That I am?"

His expression hardened instantly. "Must you always be so sarcastic, Katherine?

"Why would Alexandra say those things about Elliana unless you'd been talking about her behind her back?"

In his eyes, I was really that kind of person, petty, calculating, spiteful.

He didn't even need to hear my side. His verdict was already in.

I tossed the files in my hand onto a nearby table and shrugged. "If that's what you want to believe, there's nothing I can say."

Eden's gaze was like ice.

Then, glancing at the trembling Elliana beside him, he delivered the final blow.

"I know Alexandra has been with you for years. But since she's targeting Elliana now... she's fired. Compensation will be handled."

He said it so casually. For the first time, I understood what it meant to be extremely angry.

No questions, no investigation, just one word from Elliana, and a loyal, hard-working employee was being tossed aside.

"Alexandra is the lead on the current acquisition project," I said. "We're in the final stages. If she leaves now, who's going to take over her responsibilities?"

I turned to Eden. "You?"

Eden's face tightened.

I turned to Elliana. "Or perhaps you can do it?"

Elliana only bit her lip, her eyes welling up again.

Eden, his pride wounded, slammed his hand on the desk. "Katherine, is that any way to speak to a superior?"

"How would you prefer I speak?" I countered. "Did you consider the impact on the company or the rest of the team when you made this decision?"

I tapped my finger sharply on the project proposal, emphasizing the gravity of the situation.

Just as the tension reached its peak, Elliana began to cry again.

"Eden, let it go," she sniffled, her voice soft and tearful. "It's only natural that Ms. Williams looks down on me. My promotion did happen so quickly..."

The moment she said it, Eden's eyes turned to ice.

He picked up the phone and instructed HR, "Prepare Alexandra's severance package with compensation."

Without consulting me, he added, "And assign Elliana to take her place in the final phase of the project."

I fell silent.

Faced with Eden's relentless decisions, words failed me.

Our team had spent nearly a year on this project, researching, analyzing, and negotiating.

I had been turned away and dismissed countless times while presenting that acquisition proposal.

We had fought hard to secure this opportunity.

This deal would determine whether our branch survived or collapsed.

If it failed, everyone would lose their jobs.

But one look at Eden's stubborn, reckless expression told me it was pointless.

The warnings on the tip of my tongue faded unspoken.

Fine.

Let him have his way.