Chapter 2

David was busy clinking glasses and having a good time, but when I reminded him, he shot me an annoyed look. "Mind your own business. This is men's talk."

He definitely noticed Samuel staring at me, but instead of saying anything, he nudged me twice with his elbow. "Why are you just sitting there? Offer Mr. Sterling some food, don't embarrass me."

Thinking about it, Samuel was the one who brought me into the company and helped me out at work, so I guess it made sense to offer him some food.

Mostly, I didn't want to make David look bad in front of everyone, so I just went along with it and gave Samuel a meatball.

"Mr. Sterling, try this. I heard it's one of their signature dishes."

Samuel had a lot of influence at the company these days, and all the managers were always trying to get on his good side.

Even now, the director next to him kept serving him food, but in front of everyone, Samuel only ate the meatball I gave him, which was pretty surprising.

He looked at me with a challenging glint in his eyes. "Thanks, it's delicious."

"You should try this too," he said, and to my surprise, he actually served me some food in return.

With so many people around, him responding to me like that in front of everyone was bound to make people talk.

I glanced over, feeling awkward. David was right there.

But David just pretended not to notice and even signaled for me to wait on Samuel, pouring him another drink.

I was speechless, but I knew exactly what David was thinking.

Last week, Alex, who was at the same level as him, got promoted out of the blue. David was pissed, and he even took it out on me at home. He honestly believed he should've been the one to get the promotion.

And Samuel was the one who made the final call on promotions. He'd always had a thing for me, though he never said it out loud.

I never liked Samuel, even back then.

Whenever I was a few minutes late, he'd dock my perfect attendance bonus. If I messed up even a tiny detail in a project, he'd chew me out. He was always so cold and distant.

Years later, I never thought Samuel would still be trying to hit on me, and David was just letting it happen, all for the sake of his career.

Plus, our sex life had been a mess for years, so I just downed a couple of drinks in frustration.

"Emily, you're looking better than ever these days. After having a baby, your figure's even better."

People kept chatting with Samuel, and he was drinking along with them. As a boss, he was pretty good at handling people.

Someone noticed Samuel's eyes were glued to me, so they started teasing me, making me the center of attention.

Seeing me drinking alone, Samuel suddenly spoke up. "Looks like David's been treating you well these past few years since you left the company."

"Thanks for your concern, Mr. Sterling. David really does treat me well," I replied, pouring him a drink with a hint of annoyance.

Samuel looked at the drink I poured him and gave a vague smile. "Well, that's good to hear."

Only I knew what my marriage was really like, and hearing him say that just made me feel even worse.

David was still off to the side, chatting and laughing with his colleagues, not even glancing my way.

I had a few more drinks that night, and before long, I started feeling a bit off.

It had only been a few months since I gave birth, and my baby couldn't finish all the milk, but David never helped me out.

After being out for so long, my chest started to feel a little uncomfortable. Sensing something was off, I quickly slipped off to the bathroom to fix my clothes.

The dress David picked out for me was beautiful. It wasn't see-through, but the fabric was a bit thin.

Luckily, I brought a jacket with me, just in case I needed to cover up.

Just as I was about to leave the bathroom, a tall figure suddenly appeared and shoved me into one of the stalls.