Chapter 1
My ex–fiancé, Zach Mitchell, now claimed the company was struggling and slashed my salary in half. But moments later, I saw his assistant, Hannah Hart, flaunting a post on social media.
[Not only did my boss give me a raise, he even bought me a luxury car because he was worried I’d get tired from commuting. He’s just the sweetest.]
In the photo, she was with Zach, beaming in front of a brand–new Porsche he’d just bought for her–the picture of a happy couple. I stared at the screen for two seconds, then calmly hit “like.”
That night, Zach called an emergency meeting. Citing me for “disrupting company morale,” he docked my entire month’s salary and handed it over to Hannah as “compensation for emotional damages.”
Everyone in the office looked at me with pity, waiting for the inevitable explosion. Instead, I quietly packed my personal items from my [desk and walked over to hand him my resignation letter.
“If bulling a colleague only warrants a pay cut, then I’ll resign.”
“Serena, how can you quit over something so small?” Hannah cut in before anyone else could respond.
“You’ve been with the company for so long, and Zach has always been good to you. If you quit now, what will everyone think of him?” She then turned to him, pleading, “Zach, please reason with her.”
Maybe Zach had intended to persuade me, but once he heard Hannah’s words, his expression hardened.
“Why should I beg her to stay? If she wants to leave, let her. My conscience is clear–I’m not afraid of gossip.”
He snatched the letter, scrawled his signature, and threw it back in my face.
My colleagues all stared, waiting for the drama to unfold. But I didn’t argue. I just picked the paper off the floor and said evenly, “I’ll wrap up my work before I go.”
“No need. If you want to go, get out now,” Zach barked, pointing to the door. Then he added coldly, “And don’t expect any severance
pay since you’re resigning.”
Friends at the company urged me to swallow my pride and apologize. They knew Veridian Dynamics was built with both our hands.
When funding ran dry, I’d drunk myself half to death at investor dinners. When projects lagged, I’d led the team through three sleepless nights to deliver. I had poured everything into this company.
But my mind was made up. I thanked them softly, collected my things and left. As I left, I caught the flicker of something complicated in Zach’s eyes. He probably thought I’d cave like before.
We’d fought over Hannah many times. Once, he’d even cursed me out in front of everyone and gave her my entire annual bonus. I’d threatened to resign, but in the end, I’d stayed, forced a smile, and gone back to work as if nothing had happened.
He thought this time would be no different. He didn’t realize I had finally run out of patience.
The moment I stepped out of the building, my phone buzzed. It was a bank transfer notification from my friend, Diana.
This morning, when Zach said the company was in trouble, my first thought was to ease his burden, so I immediately reached out to
Diana for a loan.
I was about to transfer it to him, until I saw Hannah’s post. Suddenly, it all made sense.
But instead of anger or jealousy, I felt a strange, unsettling calm. Maybe because it wasn’t the first time. Zach had pulled too many stunts for Hannah, to the point I could barely tell who his real girlfriend was.
I returned the money to Diana with my thanks, then headed to the parking garage.
My car was a beat–up old thing I’d driven for a decade, its paint peeling in places. Parked right next to it was the shiny new Porsche Zach had given Hannah that very day.
The garage was half–empty. She’d parked there on purpose, and it was a deliberate provocation. Ten years with Zach, and I meant less
Chapter 1
3.45%
than Hannah did after just ten months.
I let out a bitter laugh, got into my old car, and drove away, leaving behind the company I had helped build from nothing.
But just as I pulling out of the company gates, I was rear–ended. When I stepped out, I saw it was Zach and Hannah stepping out of the
car behind me.
“Serena, why did you stop so suddenly? I couldn’t react in time!” Hannah said, her voice dripping with false sweetness.
She then hurried to examine the dent on her Porsche’s hood. “What a shame… Zach chose this for me himself.”
Zach’s expression darkened. “Serena, I saw you staring at Hannah’s car in the garage. Tell me the truth, did you brake on purpose? Was this your way of getting back at her?”
I nearly laughed. Same old Zach. Always blaming me first.
Hannah sighed dramatically, “Let it go, Zach. Don’t blame Serena. She lost her job because of me, it’s only natural she’s upset.”
She then looked down, feigning remorse. “It’s all my fault, really. I should have been more careful…”
Her act was transparent, but Zach bought it completely. He patted her shoulder comfortingly. “This isn’t your fault. Don’t put everything upon yourself.”
Then he pointed a finger at me.“Why can’t you be more like Hannah? She’s humble. You’ve been here for years, yet you’re still so petty.”
He gave me a slight shove, making me stumble backward. Regaining my balance, I almost laughed out loud. For the past year, Hannah had been stealing credit for my work, shifting blame onto me, and playing manipulative games.
And now suddenly she was the humble one, and I was the childish, petty one? I saw no point in arguing. I turned to leave.
But Zach blocked me again. This time, his voice softened. “Serena, I’m hard on you because I have high expectations of you. Why can’t you understand that?”
For a second, I almost wavered—until I realized what was coming next.
Zach patted my shoulder. “I’ll tear up your resignation. Think it over, and then apologize to Hannah. As for this accident, you’re at fault. Transfer the repair costs to her.”
I glanced at Hannah. She knew exactly what he was going to say. A smug look of triumph flashed across her face before she rolled her eyes at me.
I let out a short, sharp laugh. “I won’t pay a cent. If you want to determine fault, check the traffic report, or call the police.”
Without another word, I turned and walked back to my car.
“Serena!” Zach’s voice rang cold behind me. “I offered you a chance. Don’t you dare regret this!”
Regret? Not a chance in hell. I got bak into my car and texted Diana.[I’m out. I can start tomorrow.]
