Chapter 2

I sat in the corner and still heard every word.

I heard every rumor about my fiancé and my housemaid.

Everyone else understood exactly what was going on. Charles couldn't possibly be clueless.

He was simply done with me. He got bored.

I looked at the two of them again.

In the dark, Emily slowly leaned against his shoulder. At first, Charles pretended to pull back, but his arm soon settled comfortably around her.

He stared at Emily with that lovesick look on his face, probably thinking she was more entertaining than whatever was playing on the screen.

Emily looked in my direction and whispered something to him.

I couldn't hear what she said, but Charles' expression soured immediately. He shot me a vicious glare.

I completely lost interest in the movie. I stood up and left.

At the door, I ran into the head of HR. I finally took out the transfer request I had been carrying for days and handed it over.

Back home, I burned everything Charles had ever given me.

He had gone on a business trip to Newport City and spent an entire afternoon in line just to grab that scarf, and I still tossed it straight into the fire pit without a second thought.

I was tossing the last corner of it into the fire when Charles burst in, panting, furious. "Grace, what are you doing? You're transferring to another department? Why didn't I hear about this? And you're going to Nathan's team?"

I didn't even look at him. I turned around and shut the door behind me.

Charles used his height to wedge himself in before it closed.

He snapped, "Grace, this is the most important stage of the workshop competition. You're a key technician. How can you walk away now?"

I let out a short, cold laugh. "Didn't you just recruit Emily? She works so hard that she doesn't even need breaks. Sounds like the perfect person to replace me."

He had just claimed the two of them were "discussing new techniques" while I stood off to the side.

Fine. If she was so eager to shine, I could step aside and give her all the spotlight she wanted.

Charles cleared his throat twice, clearly embarrassed. "Emily's very capable, but we still need you."

I didn't answer.

His tone softened immediately. "Grace, you're still upset about me and Emily, aren't you? I swear, once I help her get through her situation, I'll marry you right away."

He really thought he was some priceless treasure everyone fought over.

I was done wasting breath. I opened the door and gestured for him to leave.

He refused to move. He even tried to grab me with the same hand he'd just had around Emily's shoulders.

I told him, very calmly, that if he touched me again, I'd report him for harassment. Only then did he storm out, fuming.

But not without shouting, "Grace, you'll regret this! Do you really think you or your dad would've been honored as top technicians every year without my family's support?"

My father dedicated his entire life to improving textile technology. He wasn't just respected in our factory. He was recognized nationwide.

Every award he won came from his own skill and decades of hard work.

But since he was nearing retirement and his apprentices were fully capable now, he'd stepped back.

That gave Charles the chance to twist things and act like our achievements depended on him.

He also conveniently forgot one thing: if it weren't for him, I wouldn't have stayed in the workshop as a simple textile worker. I was my father's direct apprentice—the one he trusted most.

I was the one who, entirely on my own, turned a rundown workshop that was on the verge of being shut down into a top-performing unit, consistently ranking among the best in numerous technical competitions year after year.

Whether Charles liked it or not, I transferred to Nathan's technical team.

After his initial attempts to stop me, he never showed up again.

The next time I saw him was at the factory's annual technical competition, where I was serving as a judge.

Charles spotted me and immediately came over, pretending we were still close, trying to get buddy-buddy so I'd give his team an advantage. I ignored him and took my seat.

But no sooner had I sat down than Emily wobbled over, swaying with every step.

She leaned close to my ear, pretending it was casual, and whispered, "So what if you're educated and engaged? In the end, it's me—the little country girl you looked down on—who's marrying Charlie."

Then she suddenly dropped to her knees in front of me.

Tears spilled on cue as she grabbed at my leg, crying my name over and over.

Charles, who had been cozying up to the judges, suddenly rushed over. He gently lifted Emily to her feet and, with a mix of concern and tenderness, wiped away her tears.

Emily shrank back behind him, pretending to be terrified. "Charlie, Grace didn't do anything to me. It's not her fault."

She was telling the truth, of course. But Charles never believed the truth when it came to Emily.

He stepped in front of her protectively and glared at me. "Grace, where's your dignity? Picking on a girl like her—if you have something to say, say it to me.

"Someone as selfish as you... thank God we broke off the engagement. Stop trying to get my attention. And stop bothering Emily. If you push this any further, I swear you'll regret it."

I hadn't said a single word, yet he unloaded all this on me in front of everyone.

The two of them were unbelievable. Did they really think I didn't have a temper?

I walked up to Charles and slapped him twice.

I said, "One for settling the score. And the other one, I hope you two have a great life and have a kid soon."

Then I walked away without looking back, leaving him standing there with a face full of fury.