Michael cut me off. "The last time you used this excuse, you caused us to lose half a year's pay, Mrs. Fort. This time, we won't let you in, no matter what. Who knows whether we'll still have jobs if we do?"

One of the bodyguards chimed in. "Yeah. We have families to feed. Please stop making things hard for us."

I was taken aback by their words, unsure how to react. I hadn't been lying the last time, though. At the time, Dad had a cerebral hemorrhage and fell down the staircase. Fortunately, a maid had discovered him soon enough and called an ambulance.

After Dad was taken to the hospital, the doctors told me to be ready to say goodbye. That had scared the living daylights out of me. Still, I'd been worried about Eugene missing out on seeing Dad one last time.

Upon consideration, I'd gone to his company for the first time to look for him. Fortunately, Dad had pulled through and survived the ordeal.

I had no idea Eugene would vent his anger and frustration on Michael and the bodyguards. If they'd told me about the outcome of them letting me into the building, I would've made things up to them.

I was about to refute Michael and the bodyguard when my phone vibrated. "Ms. Castor, your father's situation is looking dire…"

I didn't hear the rest of the doctor's sentence. My knees gave out, and I fell to the ground. I grabbed Michael's sleeve as if it was my last hope. "I don't have to go inside. Can you pass the message to Eugene, please?"

He remained steadfast. "Mrs. Fort, no one will believe you once you've done similar things more than once."

I knew there was no point trying to reason with him. He wouldn't believe me anymore. So, I kneeled before him and begged him. "Please, Mr. Lowry…"

I'd never groveled at someone's feet in my life. A strong wave of humiliation washed over me, stabbing me like knives.

Ultimately, Michael gave in. My panic was slightly alleviated as I watched him enter the building. He soon returned, looking apologetic. "I'm sorry, but Mr. Fort has just left the building. I'm not sure where he was headed."

At that moment, I felt like the air around me had frozen. Something seemed lodged in my throat, and my fingers started trembling. Then, my phone rang again.

It was a call from Dad's attending physician. This time, he didn't sound anxious anymore. Instead, he sounded calmer than he'd ever been since Dad had fallen sick. "Your father has just passed away, Ms. Castor. My condolences."

I felt like I'd been struck by lightning. I trembled uncontrollably, and my brain stopped working.

…

Dad's funeral was a simple affair. Only a few of his close friends attended the service. The next day, the dust settled. Eugene hadn't called me even once throughout the whole thing.

I crouched before Dad's gravestone and placed flowers there. I hoped beyond hope that this was a dream—at least I wouldn't be in so much pain once I woke up.

My heart died along with Dad; my love for Eugene turned to ashes.

Just then, my phone rang with a notification. Ivy had sent me a link and a mocking message. "What an interesting video."

I sat on a step and clicked on the link with a trembling finger. The video loaded and started playing.

The woman in the video was on her knees as she clutched the sleeve of the suited man before her. After a brief conversation, the woman suddenly groveled at the man's feet.

The video seemed to have been zoomed in a lot, so the image was rather blurry. It had probably been taken from a distance. Despite the blurriness, I immediately recognized the woman to be myself.

The video had been uploaded online, and the comments were negative.

"Why am I being shown this video? Do you think I'm a piece of trash who watches everything and anything?"

"What the hell is that woman doing? What's wrong with her?"

"Is this part of a film crew's shooting? Damn, look at that woman go. I could do it, too!"

"Wait, you guys don't know the story? This woman has a crush on that man and chased him all the way to his workplace!"

"What? Isn't that just sexual harassment? Why hasn't anyone called the cops on her? She can't get away with these things just because she's a woman!"

"Don't you guys think she looks familiar? Is her last name Castor or something?"

"You're talking about Jade Castor, right? Isn't she married? Who's the guy in the video?"

"Are you dumb? Doesn't it clearly state in the video that he's a secretary?"

"So, this chick is fooling around with a secretary when she has a CEO for a husband? What is wrong with this world?"

I didn't dare to continue reading. The rest of the comments would only be worse. Chills ran down my spine, and my legs felt like they'd been filled with lead.

The video continued playing, and the sounds made me feel like they were curses from hell. Despair washed over me. I shut my eyes, trying hard to calm myself. However, I only felt worse.

The video cut off when my phone rang. I slowly opened my eyes to see Eugene calling. I'd saved his number as "honey"; it seemed particularly mocking now.

When I answered, he taunted me. "I didn't expect you to be involved with my secretary. You've got some nerve."

I didn't argue or try to refute him. Instead, I quietly waited for him to continue. He didn't say anything for a long while, though.

After a long silence, I looked up at the sky and said softly, "Dad's dead, Eugene."

He snorted. "How many times are you going to lie to me, Jade? Aren't you tired of that yet?"

There was some noise on his end. Then, his tone turned impatient. "I'll let you off the hook for the video for now. I'll give you 30 minutes to come to the hospital. Ivy needs help!"

He hung up without giving me the chance to say anything.

I chuckled bitterly. If Ivy really was fighting for her life on the operating table, how could she have sent me the link to the video?

My phone screen showed the paused video now that the call was over. That was when I saw Eugene's car in a corner of the video. I dragged the playback bar to see Eugene carrying Ivy out from the side gate and hurrying to his car while I'd begged Michael.

She clutched her hand to her chest. She looked like she was heavily injured. I searched for other angles of the video before discovering that she'd only sliced her finger while cutting fruits.

It turned out that to Eugene, I really meant nothing compared to Ivy. I locked my phone, tucked it away, and turned to head somewhere else. However, Michael and a few men stood in my way before I could even leave the cemetery.

He looked a little worse for the wear—there were even bruises on his cheeks. He held out a hand to stop me from leaving. "Mr. Fort sent us to pick you up, Mrs. Fort."

I backed away warily. "What? Are you guys going to force me to go to the hospital if I refuse to head there myself?"

His tone was icy and robotic as he said, "I'm sorry. This is what Mr. Fort wants; I can't do anything about it."

Then, the bodyguards behind him grabbed me and dragged me into the car. They were so strong that I had no chance of breaking free. They only released me when we saw Eugene.