Chapter 4

Dad'd been playing hands-off boss for years. If I walked out, the company wouldn't last long.

"What happened between Vanessa and Aaron… I didn't think it through," he said, suddenly backpedaling. "You and Aaron have been together for years. I shouldn't have let you break up so casually. I'll talk to Vanessa."

"Whether you find someone or not," I cut him off, "I'll finish the handover within two days."

Before he could blow up, I turned and left.

A moment later, his angry shout rang out behind me.

But I didn't care.

*****

Two days later, I finished handing over all my work.

Vanessa was the new sales director.

The scale tipped toward favoritism again.

She'd gone on a hunger strike to threaten our parents. They caved in within a day.

Vanessa stood in my office like a victor surveying her spoils, sneering at me. "A beggar is still a beggar. Doesn't matter how hard you try. This office is mine now."

I packed up my things quietly and walked out.

Biting a dog or fighting a dog bite-for-bite was never my style.

Apparently, my indifference annoyed her. She followed me from the office all the way to the company entrance, hurling insults nonstop.

She was trying to push my buttons.

She even had people lying in wait, hoping to get footage of us fighting so she could post it online and stir up drama.

Plenty of companies wanted to recruit me, but if I got tangled up in a scandal now, they'd definitely hesitate.

She was trying to block my escape route.

But I wasn't about to let her have her way.

As I stepped out the door with a box in my arms, I ran into some of my teammates who were just coming back from lunch.

To keep everyone calm, the company hadn't told anyone I was leaving yet.

When they saw me carrying the box, they froze, staring at me in shock.

"Alice, are you... leaving?" one of them blurted out.

I nodded. "You'll get the official notice later. Guess this is goodbye. Maybe we'll cross paths again out there."

They didn't want me to leave, so they all came over to talk to me.

Vanessa snapped, shouting at them, "Am I invisible? I'm the next sales director. You all report to me now. If anyone doesn't like it, submit your resignation. I'll approve it immediately."

Audrey Sinclair, director's assistant, immediately took off her badge and stood up to Vanessa.

"I never followed the company. I followed the director. I followed Alice. If she's leaving, I'm leaving with her," Audrey said.

She was too impulsive. I was afraid she'd regret it, so I stepped in front of her and whispered, "Don't act rashly."

She smiled instead and tried to comfort me. "Alice, don't worry. My family's loaded. Even if I don't work, my parents can support me. Back when you came to my school to recruit, if you hadn't helped me, I wouldn't have joined this company at all.

"Honestly, it's just a small business. It's not even as big as my mom's company."

Then her eyes lit up. "Why don't you come work for my mom? You're so capable. Even if our company isn't in that field, I know you could convince her."

I laughed. "I just quit. I want to take a break."

She pouted. "Fine. Then I'll go home and freeload for a while too. When you find your next job, take me with you. I still want to be your assistant."

The others were clearly tempted. Doubt flickered in their eyes.

The company hadn't signed a single new contract this year. Without me, they didn't feel secure at all.

Vanessa's face twisted with rage as she shot Audrey a venomous glare, but she couldn't do a thing to stop her.

Still, she didn't dare repeat her threat. If the whole department quit, she'd never be able to handle it alone.

She couldn't wait to snatch my position and live the good life, not get stuck with any trouble.

Just then, an unremarkable black car rolled up.

Aaron stepped out and walked straight toward me.

He grabbed my wrist, whining like a wronged child. "You blocked me. I called you from other numbers, you wouldn't answer. What did I do wrong? Tell me. I'll fix it. Please don't misunderstand me."

With the box in my arms, I couldn't shake him off. The warmth of his palm made my skin crawl. I felt sick.

"Let go of me," I said, keeping my voice steady.

I forced myself to stay calm.