Chapter 4
After spending the whole night opening up to each other, most of my frustration melted away.
The next day, the auction fiasco and my pointed social media post made Sophie the laughingstock of the entire company.
And Edward's deliberate cold shoulder toward her only made things worse, setting the tone for everyone else.
The company was full of snobs who only cared about climbing the ladder and stepping on anyone below them.
Colleagues who had been fawning over her just the day before now thought not kicking her when she was down was the kindest thing they could do.
Someone even covered the company bulletin board with a bunch of photos of Sophie showing up at the auction in a janitor's uniform.
In the pictures, Sophie looked a total mess, her eyes puffy and red.
People would walk right past her, openly pointing and gossiping without a hint of shame.
"That shameless girl, wearing the clothes the CEO's wife threw away," someone sneered.
Sophie's life at the office was turning into pure hell.
The cafeteria ladies kept messing with her meals, and every time she took a bite, she'd instantly look horrified.
Whenever she went to the restroom, someone would lock the door on her, leaving her stuck inside for hours.
The most ridiculous thing was that everyone just pretended nothing was out of the ordinary.
Sophie tried calling Edward for help, but he didn't even bother to listen. He just hung up on her.
I heard all about it from Paul.
"Ms. Monroe, do you want me to step in?" Paul asked.
I shook my head.
I said, "Paul, don't mistake me for being too soft, and don't underestimate how ambitious Sophie is.
"Since she made her choice, she'll have to face the consequences."
After a week, Paul told me that Sophie had been absent for three days straight.
I thought she was finally ready to throw in the towel and quit. But she proved me wrong: I'd really underestimated her.
That day, Edward was about to negotiate a huge international deal: at least 100 million dollars on the table.
Just twenty minutes before the negotiation, his phone started ringing.
It was Sophie calling.
With a blank expression, Edward hit decline. But right after, a text from Sophie popped up.
Sophie texted: [Mr. Grant, I'm sorry to disturb you at the last moment. I wanted to thank you face-to-face, but I guess this is where our story ends.
[Thank you for believing in me and helping me grow. Meeting you has been the luckiest thing in my life. If I can't repay your kindness in this life, maybe I'll do it in the next.]
Edward's face drained of all color in a heartbeat.
He desperately called Sophie back, but she never answered.
Panicking, he told Paul to use the location tracker to find out where Sophie was.
"Postpone today's negotiation," Edward ordered.
With that, he rushed out, not caring about anything else.
When Edward rushed into Sophie's apartment, he found her collapsed and unconscious in the bathtub.
Blood kept seeping from the wound on her left wrist, staining the entire tub a vivid crimson.
Her face was ghostly pale, and her breathing was so faint that it was almost nonexistent.
Edward, frantic, scooped her up and raced to the hospital for emergency treatment.
On the way, Sophie's body grew colder and colder, and it brought back the memory of Yvonne dying in his arms.
Fortunately, Edward got Sophie to the hospital just in time, and the doctors managed to pull her back from the brink.
When Edward learned about everything Sophie had been suffering at the office lately, rage exploded inside him.
But I had no idea any of this was happening. I was at the same hospital, getting checked out for my pregnancy.
The test results showed I was six weeks pregnant.
I couldn't wait to share the good news with Edward.
Just then, I spotted him stepping out of the elevator, and I rushed over, my heart full of joy.
But before I could say a word, Edward struck me across the face without a hint of hesitation.
I lost my balance and collapsed to the floor.
My cheek burned with pain, and I was left utterly dazed, unable to process what just happened.
After all these years of marriage, he had never laid a hand on me before.
"Charlotte, how could you be so vicious?" Edward spat, looming over me.
His eyes were burning with fury and disgust.
He demanded, "I did exactly what you wanted. I kept my distance from Sophie. Are you really only satisfied if you push her over the edge?"
I stared at him, utterly lost, not understanding a word.
Edward pressed, "Sophie is lying in the hospital, and you show up here with a smile on your face? What are you trying to do? Drive her to the brink again?
"How did I end up married to such a venomous woman?"
I clutched the pregnancy test results in my hand, desperate to explain myself.
But he didn't even spare me a glance as he turned and walked away.
Staring at his retreating figure, I struggled to piece together what had happened from what Edward yelled at me.
Sophie had tried to kill herself, and Edward was convinced I was the one who drove her to it.
Just then, I got a call from Paul.
Paul said, "Ms. Monroe, I just wanted to call and say goodbye. Mr. Grant just fired me, saying I abused my position.
"And now Sophie's taking over my job."
"What?" I blurted out, totally floored.
"Not just me: anyone who ever clashed with Sophie got the boot. Almost everyone's been fired," Paul said.
Just when I was filled with hope for our child, Edward showed his true colors in the harshest way possible. He chose Sophie over me, leaving no room for doubt.
After hanging up, I was burning with rage and shredded the pregnancy test results into pieces.
I clenched my fists so hard that my nails dug into my skin, and blood started to bead and drip onto the floor.
I forced myself to calm down.
Since Edward had gone all out and burned every bridge, I was going full savage.
Cross me, and the price he'd pay would be more than he could bear.