Chapter 3

The humiliation didn't stop. It only kept getting worse.

Johnny's indulgence gave Samantha and the rest of the crowd all the permission they needed to keep going.

The nickname "old hag" soon became a running joke.

Whenever the two new interns saw me, they'd give me these weird smiles.

I could hear their murmurs.

"Move fast. The old hag is coming. Watch out, or she'll target you," one intern said.

"I heard there's a whole group chat about this. Are you in it?" the other asked.

"Not yet. Invite me already," the first intern replied.

Almost every single day, scenes like this played out.

It finally exploded during a project presentation.

My last presentation left the big boss seriously disappointed.

This time, I was determined not to screw up.

But just ten minutes before the meeting started, Johnny walked in with Samantha.

"Samantha's been working on this project for ages. She'll do the presentation, and you can add something if you have to," he said.

I tried to protest, "Mr. Patterson, I've been running this project from day one. Nobody knows it like I do."

Johnny scoffed, tossing me a sideways glance. "You know it, huh? Then, who disappointed the boss at the presentation last time?"

Then he looked at Samantha, his face all encouragement. "Samantha, go ahead and start."

Samantha quickly stepped up and slid her USB drive into the computer with ease.

During Samantha's presentation, Johnny kept nodding, a proud smile tugging at his lips.

I watched coolly and kept my mouth shut the whole time.

Then, as she tried to switch windows, she accidentally clicked near the bottom right of the screen.

In an instant, her personal WhatsApp chat popped up, projected for the whole conference room to see.

Pinned right at the top was a glaring group chat called Old Hag Observation.

Inside were all sorts of sneaky snaps of me, each one followed by a snarky remark.

[Check out the old hag, strutting around in yoga pants with her fancy coffee. She must be living it up.]

[Please, she's only got that lifestyle because Mr. Patterson keeps her around. It's been a whole eight years. If it were me, I would've kicked her to the curb years ago.]

Even through the screen, I could taste Samantha's trademark fake sweetness. [Oh, come on. Don't talk like that.]

Johnny also left a comment. [Samantha, keep your distance from the old hag so she doesn't drag you into her mess again.]

I shot a look at Johnny. He acted like it was all business as usual, even with a faint smirk on his face.

I felt hollowed out by their mock. My eight years of dedication and sacrifices turned out to be one big joke.

Before the meeting was even over, I went straight to HR and submitted my resignation.

Hugging all my stuff, I ran into Johnny and Samantha, who were chatting pleasantly in the hall.

Johnny's gaze lingered on me the whole time, but he kept silent.

I said farewell to Johnny in my mind, determined not to see him again.

The door shut slowly, cutting Johnny and his conflicted expression out of my life.

The weightlessness in the elevator mirrored the way my heart had been sinking for the past three months.

But this time, I'd finally hit rock bottom. I didn't look back.

As soon as I stepped out of the revolving doors, my phone started buzzing.

Stone-faced, I swiped away the call and dragged his name straight into my blocklist.

I left behind eight years of my youth and all that burning love, tossing it out like the contents of a cardboard box.

I deleted all my social apps, holed up at home, and just slept the days away.

*****

A week later, I sat by the window of my new apartment, having breakfast.

My phone rang. It was an unfamiliar local landline number.

I hesitated for a second, but then I picked up.

"Hello, is this Ms. Stella Hughes?" A slightly anxious middle-aged man's voice came through.

"Yes, that's me. Who's this?" I asked.

"Ms. Hughes, sorry to interrupt, this is Alex Shaw from Mr. Byron Patterson's office," he blurted out with urgency. "Mr. Patterson needs you to come in. There's something really critical, and only you can help."

I replied coldly, "Alex, I've already left Patterson Group. Whatever's happening there isn't my concern anymore."

His voice rose sharply as I was about to hang up. "Ms. Hughes, please, just hear me out.

"The merger deal that Mr. Johnny Patterson is running has hit a major disaster. Right now, you're the only person who can turn things around."

A faint, wry smile crossed my lips, but I kept my tone cool. "Sorry, I have no plans to deal with Patterson Group ever again. Whatever mess you've got, handle it yourselves."

"Ms. Hughes, please don't hang up. Mr. Byron Patterson said you can ask for anything you want if you come back," Alex practically begged me.

"Please thank Mr. Byron Patterson for me, but I'm not here to clean up the Patterson family's mess whenever they need me," I replied coldly.

Then I hung up the phone and gazed down at the city traffic.

The merger project Johnny managed was a big collaboration with Summit Capital, one of the country's heavy hitters.

I'd poured three years of my life into making that deal happen, burning through every contact I had.

But with Samantha around, it only took a moment for everything I'd built to go up in smoke.

Honestly, the whole thing collapsed even faster than I ever saw coming.

A faint smile curled on my lips.