Chapter 3

It looked like Charles finally realized how much I'd done all these years. A guilty look flashed across his face.

He got up, walked over to me, and bent down to wipe away my tears.

He comforted, "Alright, I know I messed up, but Vivienne asked for it. I couldn't turn her down, could I? Next time there's a chance for a promotion, it's yours. I promise."

I shoved him away in anger and ran out, devastated.

There was no next time.

I was done. I was quitting.

If all my hard work couldn't get me what I deserved, then there was no reason to keep torturing myself.

Back at my desk, I fired off my resignation to Vivienne's email.

My coworkers were all tiptoeing around me. Not a single person dared to bring up promotions anymore.

Once I calmed down, the tears just wouldn't stop.

I'd joined the company when I was twenty-four, and now I was twenty-nine.

I had no idea what I was going to do next.

Within just a few minutes, I quickly received an email from Vivienne.

She'd approved my resignation.

She told me to go to HR and take care of the process myself.

Once that was done, I still had to wrap up my work and hand it over. At least another week before I could actually leave.

I didn't tell Charles about my resignation. It was better to keep things simple.

That afternoon, Charles said he was treating our team to a get-together, but everyone knew it was really just a personal welcome party for Vivienne.

The place he picked was an outdoor BBQ joint perched right at the top of East Ridge Mountain.

Office politics always brought out the suck-ups.

As soon as word got out that Vivienne was the new executive secretary, everyone started cozying up to her.

After a few rounds, my coworkers started running their mouths.

"Someone has been chasing after Mr. Hawthorne for five years, thinking she could snag herself a rich husband and live a high life, but Mr. Hawthorne never cared at all."

"Oof, that's tough. Her dreams of becoming a rich wife just went up in smoke. If I were her, I'd be crying my eyes out in the bathroom."

"A duck is still a duck. Next to a real swan, she just looks pathetic."

As they talked, they kept glancing my way, making sure I knew exactly who they were talking about.

Vivienne was sharp. She instantly realized I was the "duck" in their story.

She gave Charles a mocking look and teased, "Wow, so while I was away, our Ms. Rivers was totally in love with you? She's gorgeous. You mean to tell me you weren't even a little bit tempted?"

Charles quickly raised his hands, protesting, "Hey, that's not fair! Every part of me belongs to you. There's no one else, ever.

"She might have a crush on me, but I've never thought of her that way. I was actually planning to set her up with my brother."

It was common knowledge that Charles's older brother, Edward, was disabled.

Vivienne stifled a laugh behind her hand. "Honestly, Edward and Julia would be a perfect match! I mean, it's all about marrying into a rich family, isn't it? What do you say, Julia?"

I gripped my fork and knife tightly, forcing myself to stay silent.

Vivienne kept pushing, "Julia, you're awfully quiet. Not interested? Or are you still hoping to hang around Charles and catch his attention?"

Charles stepped in to defend me. "Of course not. Julia, I'll give you my brother's number right now. If he's interested, you two can meet up."

Even I had my limits.

Did they really think nobody wanted me?

I slammed my fork and knife down, shot up from my seat, and flashed a smile. "Alright, I'll call him right now."

I locked eyes with Vivienne. "Better remember I'll be your 'sister-in-law' if this goes through."

With Vivienne glaring daggers at me, I pulled out my phone and dialed the number from the business card Charles had given me.

After a moment, a rich, velvety voice came through the line. "Who is this?"

Mustering up my courage, I said, "Hello, Mr. Hawthorne. This is Julia Rivers."

There was half a minute of dead silence on the other end.

Everyone was staring, just waiting for me to embarrass myself.

Suddenly, Edward's voice broke through, shaky and thrilled. "Stella, hurry! Your mom's calling."

Edward's words made everyone gasp.

All those people who'd been waiting to see me crash and burn suddenly looked stunned.

Someone whispered, "Wait, Julia, are you really the mother of Edward's daughter?"

I did have a kid before, but wasn't that Charles's child? Wasn't it your grandpa, Nick Hawthorne, who sent Stella overseas?

Seeing how lost I looked, Charles finally eased up a bit.

He crossed his legs with a smug look, totally confident. "Ever since my brother got injured, his mind's not right anymore. He's always mixing people up or talking nonsense."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "So that's it! I knew it. A duck could never really become a swan."

I didn't bother with their mockery. Instead, suspicion crept into my mind.

Who was the mother of Edward's child?

And where exactly did the Hawthornes send my little girl?