Chapter 3

Now that she'd made up her mind to divorce Edward, it just didn't feel right to keep working at the research institute anymore.

Jane stayed up late that night to finish her resignation letter, then headed to the office first thing in the morning.

When Jane arrived, the lobby was buzzing—small groups everywhere, gossiping about how Vivian had snagged the award from her yesterday.

"Come on, it's a scientific award. How did Vivian end up getting it? She probably wouldn't know a test tube if she saw one."

"Shh, word is Mr. Sterling made it happen for her. I heard those two were partying together last night."

"So what about Jane? Is she just supposed to suck it up?"

"What can she do? Who's crazy enough to go head-to-head with the boss's wife? It's obvious Mr. Sterling is into Vivian."

Jane's face gave nothing away; she just walked faster, heading straight for the elevator.

The moment her presence was noticed, everyone clammed up, awkwardly breaking up and pretending to mind their own business.

It was a rare sight to see Edward at the institute today. He looked a bit rough around the edges, clearly still nursing a hangover as he sat there, massaging his temples with his head bowed.

If this were before, Jane would've rushed over with a hangover cure and softly reminded him to take it easy.

But now, she simply walked up to him, poised and calm, and handed him her resignation letter.

Edward shot the letter a quick glance and then lifted his eyes to meet hers.

"Why?" he asked.

"No reason. I just want to move on," Jane answered.

Edward set the resignation letter aside without much thought, assuming she was just upset about losing the award.

He said, "Stop it. You've been working on that semiconductor project for half a year, and I just landed us a big government contract.

"If we can deliver results in one month, we'll sign it. Everyone's bonus will be doubled, and this would look great on your resume."

Edward placed a thick stack of documents in front of Jane, his voice serious as he fixed his gaze on her.

"You're the only one I trust with this," he added.

Jane thought that since she got to stick around for another month anyway, she might as well use the time to fight for her team's bonuses.

After a brief pause, Jane nodded and agreed.

Edward let out a sigh of relief. "Perfect. Vivian's interested in this project, too. I want you to take her under your wing."

Jane's expression turned icy. "And why exactly should I?"

"Because she's my sister-in-law. It's only right for us to help her out," Edward replied, his gaze dropping. "Jane, since when did you get so hung up about these things?"

Jane snorted. "Help her out? Is sneaking around, cuddling, and kissing her at night part of the job description?"

Edward's eyes hardened, his voice tight with barely contained anger. "Have you been spying on me?"

Just as Jane was about to speak, the door flew open and Vivian barged in, her cheeks flushed, all but throwing herself into Edward's arms like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Vivian gripped her throat, struggling for breath. "Eddie, I feel awful. I think I'm having an allergic reaction to rose pollen."

"Help me, I can't breathe..." she gasped.

"Nonsense, you're going to be fine!" Edward's expression changed instantly. Forgetting all about his argument with Jane, he swept Vivian into his arms and hurried out the door.

As he reached the doorway, he shot Jane a cold look and barked out a sharp command.

"Rip up every single rose outside the institute and have them all burned. I don't want to see even one anywhere near Vivian," Edward snapped.

Jane looked up in shock, and just like that, whatever feelings she still had left for Edward finally disappeared.

Back when he proposed, Edward had personally planted those roses—one after another—for two whole months.

He'd once told her those flowers were the proof of their love.

Even if he never made their relationship official, he insisted that Jane see how much he cared, every single day.

But now, he wanted those roses to be wiped out overnight—just like their so-called love, snuffed out in barely two years.

The next morning, when Jane showed up, the institute's rose garden had been leveled to nothing but bare dirt.

Jane couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

Love did make people blind. Edward actually fell for that ridiculous "rose pollen allergy" excuse.

"Jane, wait up," someone called after her in a rush, trying to catch up.

It was Vivian.

She was dressed head-to-toe in a luxury brand suit, all flustered on the surface, but Jane could see the smugness flicker in her eyes.

"Eddie said I should learn from you. Take me to the lab, will you?" Vivian said.

Jane felt that she was a born performer.

After all, when it was just the two of them, Vivian didn't even bother to drop the act—she could be downright rude.

Not in the mood for games, Jane didn't break stride and headed straight into the elevator.

But Vivian wasn't about to give up. She darted in at the very last second, putting on her saddest puppy eyes.

"Jane, why didn't you wait for me? Are you mad at Eddie for giving me the award?" she whined.

Jane gave her a mocking smirk. "Seriously? It's just us now, you can quit pretending."

Vivian's expression shifted, eyes dark as she leaned in, venom lacing her words. "You know it, don't you, Jane? Eddie has never gotten over me.

"Let's be real—if I call, he'd drop everything and come straight to me."

Suddenly, the elevator jerked and dropped, pitching them into pitch-black darkness.

There was a hard slam, and the whole thing got stuck halfway down, dangling dangerously in the air.

"Ah!" Vivian's scream pierced through the darkness.

"Shut up! Get in the corner and hands on the wall," Jane snapped, pressing the emergency button with steady hands.

Rush hour meant security would notice something was off in no time. Jane calculated they'd catch the elevator glitch within ten minutes.

As expected, twenty minutes later, Jane could hear Edward's frantic voice echoing from outside.

"Vivian, Jane, you two in there? Anyone hurt?" Edward's tone was sharp with worry.

Vivian immediately piped up, almost tripping over her words to be first. "Eddie, help! I think I twisted my ankle. It hurts so much. I'm dying over here."

The maintenance team cracked the elevator doors halfway open. Edward shot a look at Jane—she was pale, but steady—then, without hesitation, he reached for Vivian and carried her out first.

"Didn't you say this thing gets checked every year? If anything had happened to Vivian, I'd hold you personally responsible!" Edward snapped, his voice sharp with fury.

He gently wiped the tears from Vivian's face, his eyes full of concern, then turned and unleashed his anger on the maintenance supervisor.