After I sat back down at my desk, I immediately saved that email address.

Just then, someone knocked on my desk. I looked up and saw Zane. Instinctively, I snapped my laptop shut.

Taken aback, he frowned. "Why are you so jumpy? Is there something I'm not supposed to see?"

I shook my head, my tone distant. "You just startled me, Mr. Bender. What can I do for you?"

My cold attitude clearly irritated him. But with other coworkers around, he held his anger back and said in a noticeably colder tone. "I wanted to ask you if you have the files ready."

"I'm still working on them. I'll send everything to your email before I leave later."

"Alright. Try to be quick. I'm having dinner with Lily tonight. I can't be late."

With that, Zane said nothing more and headed back to his office.

The moment the door closed, Kayla let out a long breath. "That scared the crap out of me. Mr. Bender looked terrifying just now. I'd never seen him act that way before."

I gave a light chuckle. "What way?"

"That authoritative attitude!" she whispered. "It's one thing when he treats us like that, but he's always been gentle with you, no? And I've never even seen him assign you work before. Weren't your tasks always—"

"Always done by us instead?" another coworker suddenly cut her off, staring at me with open mockery. "In the past, we ended up taking on most of your work because Mr. Bender liked you.

"Now that he has a new favorite, you've become just another corporate slave, huh? Do you still remember how to use office software after not working for so long, Cassidy? If you don't, you can always beg me for help."

"Why you—" Kayla glared at him angrily, but I stopped her.

I gave the group of people trying to provoke me a piercing look and slowly said, "If you're unhappy with the work assignments, you can take it up with Mr. Bender. But if you're too scared to do so, I can pass the message along for you."

At that, they exchanged looks and finally shut up. I knew they didn't dare gamble on whether Zane was truly indifferent to me.

After all, if I really told Zane about this, they might even lose their jobs, given how he had spoiled me before.

Once, an ex-coworker had deliberately spilled scalding hot coffee on me because she was jealous of my promotion. Zane had fired her on the spot and even blacklisted her from working in the entire industry.

But now…

Picking up the USB drive, I felt my confidence leave me. I took a deep breath and began organizing the meeting materials.

In less than an hour, I sent the files to Zane's email.

Seemingly surprised by my efficiency, he messaged me. "That was quick. Did you get someone to help you?"

In that instant, all the pent-up bitterness in my chest overflowed.

Even if everyone else thought I'd gotten in through connections, Zane knew better than anyone that I'd earned my place with my own ability.

I stormed toward his office, ready to confront him face-to-face, but stopped short when I heard him talking to Lily.

"Mr. Bender, I can see why Ms. Hartman is a director. These materials are really well done."

Zane snorted. "Director? If it weren't for me, she wouldn't even be qualified to enter Cosmo Group, let alone reach that position. Cosmo Group has never been short of talent. It's only short of talent I care for. She probably got someone to help her come up with these materials."

At that moment, it felt like lightning had hit me, and I almost lost my balance. So from the very beginning, I never truly belonged here.

I remembered how, after being mocked by my coworkers and feeling discouraged, Zane had comforted me. He'd said I would prove myself through my own abilities someday.

Because of those words, even when I had no assignments, I kept pushing myself to improve in secret.

And it wasn't just for my reputation, but also so I wouldn't disappoint the "faith" he had in me. I never imagined it was nothing but a lie.

I smoked on the balcony for a long time. When I finally stubbed the cigarette out and went back to the office, I saw Zane and Lily coming out of his office together.

Right in front of everyone, he draped his coat over her shoulders. My coworkers all lifted their heads to watch them before shooting me snide looks.

I wanted to pretend I couldn't care less, but I couldn't move. My legs felt like they had turned into lead, and I couldn't even lift my head.

Lily, however, had no intention of letting me be. She suddenly walked up to me with a faint smile. "Cassidy, the materials you put together were pretty decent. I'll have to learn more from you in the future."

I couldn't be bothered to respond. Zane frowned at my silence. "Ms. Hartman, didn't you hear Ms. Hubbard speaking to you?"

At that, Kayla looked at me in shock, clearly not expecting him to talk to me like that.

Suppressing the bitterness in my chest, I looked at Lily. "Thank you for the compliment."

Lily nodded, then warmly took my hand, her smile growing even more exaggerated. "Then can I leave all my future work to you? After all…"

She turned to Zane, her voice soft. "I've been feeling pretty weak lately. I really can't handle work."

Every word she said felt like it was a slap to my face, fueling the raging fire in my chest.

Just as I was about to refuse, Zane's firm voice rang out. "Of course. Looking out for members of staff is expected of anyone managing a team."

In that moment, I lost all desire to argue. I simply felt utterly ridiculous.

After they left, I ignored the snickers around me, shoved my laptop into my bag, and hurried out of the office.

The moment I stepped outside, the tight knot in my chest finally loosened a little. I kept telling myself that it was fine, that all I lost was a man, and that it was no big deal.

Just as I was finally calming down, I caught sight of a familiar car not far away. Inside, a man and a woman were kissing.

With his eyes closed, Zane cupped Lily's face, looking both tender and lost in the moment.

I was rooted to the spot, unable to move. In the three years I'd been with Zane, he'd kissed every part of me except my lips.

Even when I stood on my toes and tried to kiss him, he'd deliberately turn his head away, saying he didn't like kissing.

So it wasn't that he didn't like kissing. He just didn't like kissing me.

Suddenly, I felt disoriented. Was I less than a lover to him, or was Lily more than that to him? Either answer was unbearable.

Rain suddenly started pouring from the sky again, and Zane finally pulled back from the kiss. He slowly lifted his head.

Just before our eyes could meet, I stumbled backward and ran into the rain.

On the way home, I bought myself a birthday cake and held it tightly against my chest.

As soon as I got through my front door, I didn't even have the strength to open the box before collapsing to the floor with a thud.

The delicate cake was smashed on impact, and with my body burning up and my head dizzy, I couldn't even crawl to my bed.

That was when I suddenly recalled how, months ago, Zane had promised to give me an unforgettable 25th birthday.

He might have already forgotten all about my birthday, but there was no doubt in my mind that this birthday would be an unforgettable one. A bitter smile tugged at my lips.

Time passed unnoticed as I lay on the floor until a sudden notification appeared on my phone. It was an email from Vertex Group. "Congratulations on passing the preliminary review, Ms. Cassidy Hartman. Your interview is scheduled for three days from now."

When I read the message, I felt a little better. In any case, at least there was one piece of good news.

I forced a faint smile as I lay on the cold floor. Soon, I drifted into a deep sleep.

When I woke up the next morning, I was lying in bed. Zane, who had been gone the entire night last night, was sitting at the edge of the bed, gently wiping the sweat from my forehead.

"Why didn't you call me when you got your fever?"

Zane picked up a cup of warm water and handed it to me as he spoke with a tone of resignation. "Stop being upset. Take the medicine first."

I turned my head away, not wanting to look at him.

Zane frowned at my distant attitude. "Cassidy, have you forgotten what I told you?"

I knew exactly what he was referring to. If I refused to behave, I'd be discarded by both him and Cosmo Group.

Even as his expression darkened, I stuck to my stance, refusing to look at him. A scoff sounded by my ear. "Well, well. The kitten that has been cared for so long is starting to scratch people."

He set the cup down on the table with a loud thud. "You refuse to reply to my messages, you ignore me, and now you won't even take your medicine. You hate me that much? Fine. If you don't take it, I won't leave."

After saying that, he took off his coat and leaned back in the chair, looking prepared to wait me out.

I couldn't understand him. If he didn't love me and if I was nothing but a plaything to him, why go through all this trouble?

In the end, I turned to look at him. "Does it matter if I take my medicine when I'm just your bedwarmer?"

"Of course it does," Zane answered without hesitation, his gaze settling on me. "If you're sick and we get intimate, I might get infected."

Before, his lingering gaze would make my heart race, but now, it only made me feel sick to the stomach.

I pulled the blanket over my head, refusing to talk to him anymore. As for him, he didn't say anything else and just sat quietly beside me.

In the meantime, he answered several work calls, and every reply was the same. "I have something more important to handle today. Postpone all meetings."

He deliberately spoke in a louder voice, as if afraid I wouldn't hear him. After who knew how long, just as I was getting annoyed and ready to give in and take the medicine, Lily called.

One sentence was all it took for Zane to immediately stand up, throw on his coat, and hurry out. It was as if his earlier threat of not leaving until I took my medicine had never been spoken.

At the door, he glanced back at me. "Oh, right. I was so busy with my date yesterday that I forgot to give you your present. Don't throw it away in a fit of anger. If you ever decide to leave me, you could probably sell it for some cash.

"The money you can get from that necklace alone should be enough for you to live on for the rest of your life."

There was nothing but disdain in his flippant tone, and hearing him say that made my heart sink.

This whole time, Zane had never believed I would actually walk away. That made sense. After all, I was just an ordinary person who joined Cosmo Group through his "connections" and lived in a luxury apartment he bought.

In his eyes, I would lose everything if I were to leave him.

I would have to work at a small company doing a low-level job, rent a shared apartment with strangers, and use crowded public transport. That was why he was so confident that I wouldn't leave him and so reckless in hurting me.

But he was wrong. I didn't want a life where someone else decided my fate. Even if I obediently complied now, I'd still end up with nothing the moment he got completely tired of me.

At that thought, I sighed and reached for the water on my nightstand. However, it had gone cold.

As I didn't have the strength to hold the cup steady, it hit the floor and shattered into pieces.

Just then, my phone buzzed nonstop with messages from the work group chat. "Quick, check social media. Did Mr. Bender just announce he's dating Ms. Hubbard?"

The word "dating" hit me like a knife to the heart.

With trembling hands, I clicked into Lily's profile. She'd posted a photo of a gemstone necklace with the caption, "First month with my boyfriend and I'm already getting such an expensive present! I'm so happy!"

I froze at the sight of the necklace. It was almost identical to the one Zane had given me, except the gemstones on her necklace sparkled more brilliantly.

So my birthday gift was just something he bought along with Lily's? Even though I had already accepted reality, my chest still ached.

But the cruelest part wasn't even the gift. It was Zane's reply beneath the post. "As long as you like it, I'll give you even more."

He didn't correct her wording, which meant that they really were together.

My phone slipped from my hand, falling to the floor. I stood there for a long time before finally taking the necklace from its box and listing it on a secondhand site.

It was a limited edition, so it sold quickly. When the transfer notification for three million dollars came through, I forced a smile and wiped the tears from my eyes.

"What are you crying for, Cassidy?" I muttered. "If three years were worth three million dollars, I'd already come out ahead, hadn't I?"

Just when my mood had sunk to its lowest, Zane called. His tone was flat as he asked, "Did you take your medicine? Lily said she was in a bad mood just now, so I—"

"I took it," I cut him off.

There was a brief pause on the other end. Then, his contented voice came through. "Oh, good. See? You should've just behaved from the start. Don't act up next time, Cassidy. I don't like comforting people."

"I got it."

Zane hung up, clearly pleased.

What he didn't know was that once the call ended, I collapsed onto the floor, tears streaming down my face, my eyes hollow and my heart utterly empty.

I no longer expected anything from him. And there would never be a next time.

There were still two days left before my interview at Vertex Group. I pushed all thoughts of Zane aside and concentrated on getting ready for the interview.

After all, the interview would be conducted personally by Desmond Archer, the CEO of Vertex Group.

I'd asked Kayla about him and found out that he was notoriously strict. Apparently, quite a few people had even come out of their interviews in tears.

Nevertheless, I didn't have much time to prepare since Lily had dumped all her work on me.

To avoid unnecessary conflict, I simply gritted my teeth and put up with it. I only needed to do it for two more days anyway.

I quickly put together the slides she needed and sent them over, then barely paid attention during the meeting itself. Cosmo Group's affairs had long stopped being my concern.

That was, until Lily started her presentation, and everyone in the room abruptly gasped. "What… That's ridiculous! How could someone show this in a serious meeting?"

"Oh my gosh! I've really seen it all now!"

Only then did I lift my head to look at the big screen. My eyes went wide in shock.

What was supposed to be a dozen pages of slides had turned into a collection of Lily's private photos, all of them highly inappropriate.

Panicking, Lily tried to close it, but nervous fumbling made it impossible.

Unable to take it any longer, Zane slammed the table. "If anyone so much as breathes a word about this, don't bother coming to Cosmo Group again!"

Everyone immediately stopped smirking and lowered their heads, not daring to look anymore.

Lily gave me a pointed look, and Zane's gaze followed hers straight to me. His eyes were full of disappointment and anger. Sure enough, he thought it was my doing.

After the meeting, Zane stopped me from leaving.

Lily sat nearby, covering her face and sobbing. "What do I do, Zane? Everyone saw everything. How can I stay at the company after this? Something this humiliating… Maybe I should just quit!"

She tried to get up, but Zane pulled her into his arms. "Relax. With me around, no one will say a word."

That stopped her crying. She pointed an accusatory finger at me and yelled, "Ms. Hartman, if you didn't want to help me, just say so! Why sabotage me like this? This is what you wanted, right? Are you happy now?"

Zane patted her back soothingly, then coldly turned to me. "Cassidy, I never thought you could do something this vicious, using your position to settle a personal grudge out of jealousy!"

Hearing him accuse me blindly, I felt incredibly wronged, but I forced myself to stay rational. "Mr. Bender, the editing process is traceable in the software, and chat records show I sent the slides properly. I guarantee my version had no issues. As for how this happened, you should ask Ms. Hubbard."

Lily panicked upon hearing my words. She turned to Zane with a pitiful look. "Mr. Bender, I didn't do it! She sent the file right before the meeting was about to start. I didn't even have time to open it! How could I have altered it? Besides, who would show their own private photos…"

Between Lily and me, Zane would always choose to believe her without hesitation.

He stared at me coldly. "Don't try to argue, Cassidy. No woman would make her private photos public, especially someone as pure as Lily. There's just no way she would do this.

"Since you have no regard for what we once had, I see no reason to show leniency. I'll announce disciplinary action, strip you of your director position, and cut your salary by half. If you have a problem with it, there's the door."

I looked him straight in the eye and asked slowly, "Mr. Bender, if you think I'm wrong, then what do you call employees who keep dumping their work on others?"

My icy tone thoroughly enraged him. He scoffed in anger. "Cassidy, have you forgotten? You used to do the same thing."

Then he headed out of the meeting room with Lily in his arms. As he walked past me, he coldly added, "From today onward, you're responsible for all of Lily's work. Refuse, and you're fired."

As the door shut, I didn't cry, nor did my eyes turn red. I merely felt incredibly exhausted.

Zane was right. I had enjoyed his special treatment before, but unlike Lily, I'd never pushed my work onto others, nor played dirty tricks like this.

I stayed in the meeting room for a long time, until the disciplinary notice that was sent to everyone in the company popped up in the work group chat.

When I walked out, my coworkers looked at me mockingly.

"Tsk-tsk, looks like someone's fallen out of favor. From now on, you're just like the rest of us. Ms. Hartman, I'm curious. Do you think you can stomach instant coffee when you're already used to hand-brewed coffee?

"Oh, wait. I don't have to call you Ms. Hartman anymore. Maybe I should call you Cassidy now."

"Cassidy, can you also help with my work? According to Ms. Hubbard, you're the office workhorse, and anyone who's tired can just use you."

Soon, stacks of files piled up on my desk.

I expressionlessly pushed them aside, trying to focus on preparing for the interview. But when I opened my laptop, I found myself unable to concentrate at all.

I remained in that daze until noon, when Kayla dragged me to the cafeteria.

Across the room, Zane and Lily were sitting together. Lily daintily fed Zane cake, looking just like a couple in love.

Setting down my fork and knife, I said with my head down, "I'm full. I'm leaving first."

As I walked past their table, Zane picked up a spoon and fed Lily a bite, almost as if he was deliberately provoking me.

I kept my eyes down, put on my earphones, and quickly walked out of the cafeteria.

Back at my desk, I began clearing up my workspace, mostly old work files and little gifts from Zane.

I had already sold all the valuable jewelry he had given me and gotten a fair amount of money in exchange.

Most of what remained were handmade keepsakes, such as the ceramic mug we'd made together, a scrapbook we put together, and a few small, unremarkable trinkets. I couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion upon seeing them.

I could still remember the day we made the ceramic mugs. Zane took off his multi-million-dollar watch to touch the wet clay with me.

He obviously had never done anything like that before because he had frowned as soon as he touched it, but he stuck it out.

I had to admit, he had talent. His mug turned out better than mine, even though it was his first time making one.

As I recalled how I had smeared clay on his nose and he had dodged in mock annoyance but ended up laughing, my eyes grew red again.

We had been so in love…

Exhaling deeply, I looked up and blinked back the tears. In the end, I placed the mug into a cardboard box and sealed it with tape, thinking, "Zane, this is my resignation gift to you."

Not long after, my coworkers started coming back.

Lily tapped on my desk as she passed, acting like she was already Zane's wife. "Get that file done and sent over as soon as possible. Try not to make a fool of yourself this time."

Her voice dripped with provocation, but I didn't react. I merely gave a faint hum in reply.

Not wanting her to cause more trouble, I hastily dealt with the file she had sent before sending it straight to Zane's email.

As I got ready to leave for the day, one of my coworkers swaggered over and tossed me 200 dollars. "Ms. Hubbard wants you to buy her a coffee and bring it to her desk before you leave."

Staring at the money, I finally snapped. I stormed into Zane's office.

The moment I entered, I saw Lily straddling Zane, their lips locked in a passionate kiss.

Upon noticing me, Lily jumped up like a startled rabbit, clutching her blouse where a few buttons were undone.

Zane looked at me impatiently. "Don't you know how to knock before entering?"

Clenching my fists at his words, I tried to keep my voice calm as I said, "Mr. Bender, I can tolerate work matters, but please handle your personal matters yourselves."

Then I turned to Lily, my tone icy. "Ms. Hubbard, last I checked, you have legs. Get your coffee yourself."

Lily froze, clearly not expecting me to call her out in front of Zane.

Biting her lip, she looked at me with an aggrieved expression. "I'm sorry, Ms. Hartman… I just wasn't feeling well, so I asked for your help. I didn't expect you to mind this much… It's fine. I'll just go myself."

She started walking toward me stiffly with her hand on her waist, but before she could take two steps, Zane pulled her into his arms. "If it hurts, just stay put."

He fondly ruffled her hair, then turned to me, his eyes cold. "Cassidy, it's just a cup of coffee. Do you have to humiliate Lily over it? Or is it that you only dare to bully her?"

Zane sneered. "To be fair, I was probably too rough last night and hurt her. So? Do you dare speak to me that way?"

I thought I had already grown numb, but his words cut me painfully nonetheless.

I let out a slow breath, looking at him calmly. "I've said what I needed to. Ms. Hubbard, I hope you stick to your word."

Then I turned and walked toward the door.

"Stop."

Zane's cold voice came from behind me. "She might have said she would go, but I didn't. If I don't see that coffee in 30 minutes, you can forget coming to Cosmo Group tomorrow."

I paused briefly, then kept walking. "Do whatever you want."

When I got back to my desk, Kayla looked at me in disbelief. "I heard everything. You actually dared talk back to Mr. Bender? Aren't you afraid he'll really fire you?

"Cassidy, I know you're prepping for the Vertex Group interview, but Mr. Archer is a tough nut to crack. What if you fail and lose your job here too?"

"Then I'll go find work elsewhere," I said calmly. "This is just a job. No need to ruin my life over it."

Bowing my head, I continued to prepare for my interview, paying no mind to Zane's threat. I never thought that this had thoroughly pissed him off.

An hour later, I received a text from him. "If I don't see the coffee in another 30 minutes, I will also fire Kayla."