I looked up at him gently and suddenly my eyes stung.

Seven years ago,he made a point to remember that I was allergic to strawberries.He said even a sip would make me swell up like crazy.Once,I accidentally drank the wrong milk and ended up in the hospital,He was so panicked,he cried in the hallway.

However,now,the man who once cried because of my allergy…couldn’t even remember the one thing I could not have.

I swallowed hard,but I could not take this anymore.“I think we should break…."

Before I could finish,a familiar voice cut me off.

“Boss!”

Hazel came bouncing over in her sugary-sweet voice and snatched the milk from his hand with a sweet smile.“This is the one I recommended to you yesterday,right?You really bought it today?You’re so good to me.”

As she spoke,she naturally hooked her arm around Ken’s.

Clearly,Ken was stumped for a moment and a flicker of awkwardness flashed across his face,but he did not push her away.

Then,as if something had suddenly entered her mind,Hazel tapped her head and gave me a small smile as she said,"Miss White…the boss treats me so well,so when do you think I should meet his family?By the way,do you have a boyfriend?Maybe you could give me some advice?”

My heart hurt so much that I could not get a single word out.

Ken gave me a frantic look.He silently begged me not to make a scene.

At that moment,I felt very tired.I took a deep breath and replied,“I don’t know.”

Ken quickly backed me up."Yeah,General Assistant only knows how to work and doesn't know about this kind of stuff."

Hazel looked disappointed.“Really?I thought you’d been in a relationship for a long time already,General Assistant.”

I looked down with a numb heart.

Even though she showed up to the site visit during working hours,which was totally against company policy,not only did Ken not rebuke her at all,he also let her tag along as they started the inspection process together.

When we passed one of the company’s catering brand stores,Hazel suddenly came up beside me and whispered sweetly,"Miss White,I’m a little nervous.Can we walk together?”

She smiled at me and then,without saying anything,she grabbed my wrist.

Annoyed,I tried to shake her off,but even though I did not use much force,she stumbled backward dramatically and his back slammed into an older man who was drinking soup with his head down.

Splash!

A whole bowl of hot soup spilled all over his pant leg.

The man’s face darkened,he shot to his feet and roared,“What the hell is wrong with you?Why did you push people?My pants are soaked!You better pay for this!”

I was petrified.

Before I could even react,Hazel lowered her head and started apologizing for her fault,"Sorry,I'm so sorry.I did not know why the general assistant suddenly pushed me.I really didn’t mean to disturb your lunch...”

She sounded so weak and pittiful,while I was like shrew that bullied her in public.

Suddenly,Ken yanked my wrist,his face twisted with anger as he snapped,"Emily,what the hell are you doing?Apologize.Now!”

I looked up at him in disappointment and refuted him,“I didn’t push her!”

He disregarded my words and wrinkled his forehead.“Everyone’s watching,don’t ruin the company’s image.”

The older man squinted at us,his gaze shifting back and forth between me and Hazel.In an instant,he figured out who the easier target was.

He suddenly grabbed my arm,his fingers dug painfully into my skin like he was afraid I would flee.He leaned extremely close toward me.His eyes were leering shamelessly at my chest.

“Come on,sweetheart,apologize.You spilled soup all over me and now you wanna act all high and mighty?”

Ken,who was standing on the side,was oblivious to the man's harassment of me because his attention was locked solely on Hazel.

Hazel lowered her head and bit her lips with a sad look on her face."Boss,it was my fault.Please don’t blame Miss White."

Ken immediately felt heartbroken.He patted her shoulder.It's not your fault.This is because the general assistant is so clumsy."

My throat tightened.Just as I opened my mouth to say something,I heard Hazel softly say to the man,“I’m really sorry.I’ll pay for your pants,okay?I should’ve been steadier,so you failed to eat."

Ken’s expression darkened as he turned to me.“See?Look how responsible Hazel is,but you?You don't even have a shred of decency.”

The next second,he picked up the leftover bowl of soup from the table and coldly dumped it right over my head.

The scalding soup with its oily smell immediately drenched me from the top of my head,stuck to my hair,soaked through my collar and trickled down slowly at the back of my neck.

At that moment,I felt completely numb.

Ken slammed the bowl back on the table and coldly said,“Emily,you’re heartless and selfish.You won’t even say sorry.”

The uncle smiled.His face was full of wrinkles.

“No wonder you’re the boss and she’s the boss lady,you two have good manners.You're not like these stubborn workers with no manners!”After he said that,he spat at me.

Ken didn’t even look back.He grabbed Hazel’s hand and walked away.

I was left there,standing alone,as the soup slowly dripped from my forehead,then it hit the floor with a tiny ticking sound.

I went home,changed my clothes and washed myself for three hours,but I still couldn’t wash off that disgusting stench.

I wrote my resignation letter word for word and took it with me to the office the next day.

As the elevator doors opened,the receptionist glanced up at me,her face was full of gossip.

"General Assistant,do you know what?The boss is so handsome while holding the boss lady's hand."

I looked up.She grinned and handed me her phone,showing a photo of Ken and Hazel walking side by side.

In the dim light,he was holding her while my dejected back followed not far behind,covered in soup like an outsider.

“We didn’t even know you were behind them,General Assistant."

She stiffened,suddenly realizing what she had said and quickly tucked her phone away.

“I'm sorry!We just thought they looked like the main couple in a novel or something.We got a little carried away…”

I didn’t say a word.I walked straight to the HR department and handed in my resignation letter.

The HR lady took a look at it and with a little surprise on her face,"Are you resigning?"

I nodded.“Yes.”

She hesitated,then said,“Yesterday,the boss proposed to Hazel and he even announced that the company’s no-dating policy is officially canceled.General Assistant…are you upset?"

My hand trembled and I almost dropped the resignation letter to the floor.

So,the rule that I had been waiting for seven years for,which was"the time isn't right yet",that I had heard over and over again,could be cancelled with just a few words for Hazel.

I said a few perfunctory comments and turned to leave.

Inside the office,someone was talking,"Can you believe the general assistant has been secretly in love with the president for so many years and yet,she never gets any acknowledgement at all.I bet she must be fuming right now."

“Shhh…keep it down.She’s still here.”

I heard every word,crystal clear.

In their eyes,the fact that I loved Ken was so obvious.Meanwhile,as for Ken,no one could ever tell whether he liked me back or not.

I just smiled,then went back to my office to continue organizing the handover documents.Actually,I could just walk out,but I had been working in the company for seven years and I needed a closure.

Just when I was about to save the data,suddenly,the office door swung open nd Hazel barged in without warning.

"Hai,Emily,"she sneered."Are you still organizing the data?

She shut the door behind her and smirked.“Too bad.No matter how hard you work,you’ll never beat someone with the title‘CEO’s fiancée’.”

I paused working on the keyboard,then looked up at her calmly.

Hazel stepped closer.

“I've actually known for a while that you're the girlfriend Ken's been secretly dating for a long time,but it doesn't matter.I was the one Ken proposed,wasn't I?"

“We were high school classmates,you know…and we had a little fling back then.”

"Do you know that when we bumped into each other at a reunion,we were so passionate that he immediately brought me into the company

After she laid out all the facts for a long time,she finally got to the point.

“Emily,if you know better,you should just step aside.”

I stared at her face nonchalantly and answered coldly,“I’m working.Please leave.”

Hazel laughed like I’d told her the funniest joke.“Working?You think you still have a place here?”

Before I could react,she moved like a blur and I was unprepared for what came next.

Smack!

A sharp sound echoed.She did not slap me,but slapped herself.A red handprint bloomed across her cheek and tears welled up instantly.She pretended to look panicked.

"Ah!"

She screamed,then grabbed my coffee and threw it onto her chest.The hot liquid soaked her blouse,dripped down her arms and flowed onto my open laptop.

I jerked to my feet,“You're insane!”

The sound of a short circuit was heard and the computer screen went black instantly.

The handover documents and project backup files I had spent three days and nights on were all gone.

I saw red and my control finally snapped.I could not take it anymore and grabbed her collar as anger exploded within me.

“Hazel!You’ve gone too far!”

She screamed,stumbled back,knocked a chair,then she pushed me away and bolted for the door.

She was crying as she ran and threw herself into Ken's arms,who just happened to pass by.

“Ken!”she sobbed.“I only wanted to apologize…to Miss White,but she was jealous because you poured soup on her.She tried to pour soup on me,too and I did not dodge it.She even hit me…."

She cried so hard,as if she had really suffered greatly.

Ken’s eyes narrowed at me.They were cold and ruthless.

“Emily,how could you be so vicious?”

He marched over.There was no trace of doubt or hesitation in his eyes.

Slap!

A loud slap exploded across my face.

The office went deathly silent in a flash.They directed their eyes at us,filled with shock and disbelief.

I was the backbone of this company.The general manager they depended on daily,the woman who led so many projects for seven years.However,that kind of person was slapped by the boss in public.

My face immediately swelled with so much pain.However,my gaze locked onto his eyes.I wanted to see if there was a hint of hesitation or apology in them.

However,there was none.He pulled Hazel protectively behind him.“Don’t worry,”he said to her.“I'm here and I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

My arms dropped to my sides.

At the HR department,the girl who had been holding my resignation finally stamped the document and approved it.

I walked out of the company without a backward glance.

Ken did not chase after me either.He scoffed."This is too much!She’s just an employee,but dares to throw a tantrum.Watch!She’ll come crawling back.”

I blocked Ken on every platform,called someone to pack my things and had them shipped to my old house.

Before I left the company,I stood at the door for the last time and looked back.

I was the one who built this company.It was the place I spent seven years of my youth.

It was false to say that there is no reluctance to give up,but it is more important to make a decision when the time comes.

Without any hesitation,I took a taxi and went to the airport!