Chapter 5
"Sir, we've had a complaint from the owner. You need to leave now, or we'll have to call the cops," the security guard said.
Things quieted down outside.
Todd and Daisy exchanged a few heated words with the security guard, but eventually, they walked away.
Peace returned.
I checked the recording on my phone.
That was one more piece of evidence.
I grabbed a quick bite and headed out.
I went to the neighborhood where my old apartment from before the wedding was.
I didn't go upstairs.
Instead, I went to the property management office.
I told the manager that no one but me was allowed to enter apartment 701. If anyone tried to enter without permission, they should call the police immediately.
I gave the manager photos of Todd and Daisy.
After taking care of all that, I drove to work.
Today was the deadline for Todd to move out.
But my trip to the company had nothing to do with the apartment.
I was there because of the Southside development project.
I walked into the office.
All eyes were on me.
Some looked at me with sympathy, some with curiosity, and a few with barely concealed glee.
I kept my eyes straight ahead and walked to my desk.
Todd's desk was right across from mine.
When he saw me, he froze for a second, then a smug grin spread across his face.
He thought I was backing down.
He thought I was here to make peace.
He stood up, walked over to me, and lowered his voice.
"Couldn't stay away, huh? I thought you had more spine than that," Todd said.
I ignored him and booted up my computer.
"I'm just here to wrap up the work handover," I replied.
"Handover? What exactly are you handing over?" Todd asked.
"The Southside development project. I'm taking an extended leave, so I won't be working on it anymore," I said.
Todd's face darkened.
"Ashlyn, are you messing with me? You handed me the proposal, and now you're bailing?" Todd snapped.
"The core of the proposal is done. The rest is your job as the project lead," I replied.
Everyone in the office was hanging on every word.
Todd's face alternated between pale and red.
He wanted to blow up, but held back, probably worried about making a scene.
He leaned in closer. His words were squeezed through clenched teeth.
"Don't forget, you're the one who made the proposal. If anything goes wrong, you'll be the first one they come after," Todd said.
"Of course," I said, locking eyes with him. "So you'd better double-check every word and every number in that proposal. Don't even think about pinning the blame on me if anything goes wrong."
My gaze was calm and steady.
But Todd picked up on something in my eyes.
His face grew even darker.
He stared at me like he wanted to eat me alive.
Just then, Daisy walked over, carrying a cup of coffee.
She placed it on Todd's desk, her voice overly sweet.
"Todd, don't be upset. Ashlyn didn't do it on purpose. She's just having a rough day. Ashlyn, don't make things difficult for Todd. The project comes first," Daisy said.
She was back to her little drama routine.
I looked at her and honestly found it hilarious.
"Daisy, this is a workplace. Todd and I are talking business. Who do you think you are, just an intern, to interrupt?" I said.
Daisy's face froze.
There were a few muffled snickers from around the office.
Her eyes started to well up with tears.
"Ashlyn, I-I just care about you—" Daisy mumbled.
"Drop the drama," I cut her off. "If you've got so much spare time, maybe you should actually learn the ropes instead of just running errands and serving coffee all day."
My voice wasn't loud.
But everyone in the office heard every word.
Daisy's face turned an ugly shade of red.
She stomped her foot in frustration and burst into tears as she ran out.
Todd's rage finally erupted.
He slammed his hand on the desk.
"Ashlyn! That's enough," Todd shouted.
I stood up, locking eyes with him.
"Todd, I've said my piece. The rest is up to you," I said.
With that, I grabbed my bag and walked out of the office, everyone's eyes following me as I left.
I didn't go home.
I went to Veridion Group, the client for the Southside development project.
I waited for Vernon Ward, the project director from Veridion Group, at the café downstairs.
We had crossed paths a few times before.
Vernon looked genuinely surprised when he spotted me.
"Hey. What brings you here?" he asked.
I slid a folder across the table to him.
It was the genuine, fully finalized bid proposal straight from my computer.
I told Vernon, "Mr. Ward, this is our company's final proposal. But I'd appreciate it if you could wait a bit before reviewing it."