Chapter 2

I set my coffee cup down with a crisp clink. "Evan, right?"

I looked up, meeting Evan's gaze head-on. "Let me ask you something.

"Do you think I look like an idiot, or do you think my husband's blind?"

Evan's face went even paler, and his lips moved soundlessly, like he wanted to say something.

I didn't give him a chance. "A grown man gets a little cut while chopping veggies and goes crying to a married guy, acting like it's the end of the world.

"When you get rejected, you act all pitiful at the office, and badmouth your boss.

"And now you're here, putting on a show for me."

I stood up and walked over to Evan, my eyes sweeping over his finger, which was bandaged up tight. "So, are you trying to prove you're fragile, or shameless?"

Evan's eyes instantly turned red, tears welling up and threatening to spill over. "Mrs. Carter, I didn't... I really didn't mean it like that."

He choked up, his body trembling like a puppy caught in a downpour.

The people at the nearby tables were watching the drama unfold, their eyes full of judgment toward me.

To them, I must've looked like some vicious woman abusing her power, picking on an innocent intern.

"Really?" I sneered. "Wasn't it you who sent my husband those suggestive texts and spread lies at the office?"

My voice wasn't loud, but it was clear enough for everyone around to hear. "Just because my husband lets things slide doesn't mean I will.

"Stop with your shady little games.

"Next time, it won't be just words."

With that, I turned my back on Evan and walked back to my seat.

Evan stood there, tears finally falling one after another, hitting the floor.

He gave me a hurt look, then turned and almost ran out of the café.

His back looked as miserable as it got.

The girls at the next table couldn't hold back anymore.

"Isn't that a bit much? Evan already apologized, and she was still being so harsh."

"Yeah, seeing Evan cry like that makes me feel so bad for him."

I stayed unbothered, sipping my coffee at my own pace.

It was not worth wasting breath on fools.

Not long after, Cheney came down.

He walked over, naturally taking my bag and slipping his hand into mine. "Did you wait long?"

"Nope." I smiled. "Just watched a little drama unfold."

Cheney raised an eyebrow. "What drama?"

I filled him in on what went down.

Cheney's expression turned sullen. "Evan came to see you?"

I said, "Yeah, he put on a whole sob story right in front of me."

Cheney squeezed my hand tighter. "Looks like that guy needs to be taught a lesson."

I gave his hand a reassuring pat. "Don't worry. Let him show off. He'll only crash harder when he falls."

I knew Cheney could handle it.

*****

However, Evan was smarter than we'd expected.

The next day, a post appeared on the company intranet. [Anonymous Help: Got Humiliated by My Superior's Wife in Public. Should I Quit?]

In the post, the author poured out his grievances, claiming a minor mistake at work had angered his superior, and then the superior's wife publicly scolded him, calling him "shameless" and telling him to "stop playing shady little games".

Every sentence emphasized his innocence and grievance, along with his fear of the superior's wife.

Even though the post was anonymous, the details were a perfect replay of what went down at the café yesterday.

The comments section exploded right away.

[Damn, which department has a superior whose wife is like this? She's gone too far.]

[Picking on an intern? That's lame.]

[Man, this intern got it rough. Poor guy.]

[Pretty sure I know who it is. I saw them downstairs at the café yesterday. That woman was super fierce.]

[You mean Mrs. Carter? No way. She always seemed so classy.]

[Guess you never really know someone, huh?]

The post shot to the top and quickly became the hottest topic on the company intranet.

I became the infamous woman everyone gossiped about—a petty, jealous shrew who publicly picked on the weak.

Cheney's assistant sent me the link to the post, practically boiling with anger. "Emma, this guy is so sneaky. Should we report it and get it deleted?"

I stared at the screen, taking a deep breath as I scrolled through those awful comments. "Delete the post? Why bother?

"Since Evan is so desperate for attention, why not give him an even bigger spotlight?"

I called Cheney. "Honey, does your company have any team-building events coming up?"

Cheney caught on right away. "Yeah, next weekend. We're heading to Willow Springs Resort in the neighboring city for a two-day retreat."

"Perfect," I said, a cold smile tugging at my lips. "Sign me up."

If Evan wanted to put on a show, I'd give him the stage.