Phoebe didn't refute Alexandra's words. All she did was look at the lingering mark on her ring finger and say, "This mark is so ugly. I should've taken the ring off earlier."

When Alexandra heard that, she realized that Phoebe was serious this time. She couldn't be sure that the latter would ultimately go through with this, but at least her attitude was better than it had ever been. Although she didn't need to be sarcastic anymore, she couldn't help herself.

She said, "Your love story isn't worth more than a good meal."

Phoebe didn't explain anything. She simply said, "Let's go, then. I'll treat you to one."

However, Alexandra didn't budge. She arched a brow and looked at Phoebe. "My time is precious. Tell me what you're really here for, and I'll decide whether you're worth me spending time on this meal."

Phoebe was silent for a few seconds. Then, she said, "I'm going to resume writing the paper I put on hold before, and I need to use your lab to run the data."

The tech industry changed too quickly, so she needed to make many amendments to her paper. She hadn't dared mention it over the phone to Alexandra because she'd felt guilty.

Phoebe knew what Alexandra was like. The latter would berate her for not doing this earlier. After all, if Phoebe hadn't gotten married, the paper would've been published while she'd still been in college.

As expected, Alexandra looked at Phoebe incredulously. "Are you just doing this on a whim?"

Phoebe said, "I'm being serious."

Alexandra scrutinized her. Being in the industry, she knew that Harry's research had recently attracted intense attention from major tech companies.

Close to zero people were aware that three years ago, Phoebe had already solved the technical bottleneck that his team currently faced. And the output from that, Lugi-X, currently belonged to Alexandra's company.

As the sole developer of the Lugi-X large language model, Phoebe had tackled numerous challenges, any one of which could have stalled an entire lab. To Alexandra, Phoebe was undeniably a top-tier genius.

Unfortunately, this genius had a romantic streak. It was bad enough that she'd run off to marry someone. To make matters worse, she'd sunk low enough to work as someone's secretary and run errands for them.

Alexandra couldn't wrap her head around how Phoebe had abandoned her craft and squandered her talent. She said, "You've put it on hold for three years. Are you sure it's still worth anything?"

Phoebe said, "I'll make adjustments to it. Once Professor Ormond is free, I'll check with her to see if I'm on the right path. I'll only continue once she gives me the green light."

Naturally, that was only if Jessie was willing to see her.

Alexandra said, "You're in for a long wait, then. Professor Ormond is busy serving the country with her research, so she won't be available anytime soon."

"I'm patient enough." Now that Phoebe was no longer obsessed with making Connor fall for her, time was the one thing she had in abundance.

Alexandra wanted to say something else, but she knew full well that even if Phoebe had been away from the industry for a few years, her research was at a level where Alexandra's technical expertise would be of no help.

Alexandra thought that the world of a genius was truly absurd.

Thus, she dropped the subject and said, "I can have this meal with you."

Despite her sharp tongue, she had a soft heart. Although she acted like she was reluctant, it was just that—an act. She wouldn't have accompanied Phoebe to the jewelry store otherwise.

Phoebe chuckled. "Thanks for gracing me with your presence, Ms. Cooper."

…

Evan was out shopping with an influencer whom he had officially started dating an hour ago. He didn't expect to see a familiar face. He was about to go after Phoebe, but she was already gone.

He headed to the jewelry store she'd come out of and told his girlfriend to pick whatever she liked. Meanwhile, he asked the store clerk for more information.

As he listened to her tell him about what had happened, he grew excited.

Connor had lied to him! Phoebe wouldn't have sold her wedding ring if she'd obediently gone home that morning to continue being Connor's bootlicker, would she?

An idea came to him, and he quickly invited his friends out for drinks.

That night, everyone was enjoying themselves when Connor finally arrived. The moment Evan saw him, he said loudly, "Hey, guys. I saw Phoebe selling her wedding ring today. What do you think she's up to this time?"

They would all make fun of Phoebe each time they got together. Initially, they'd been worried that Connor would be bothered by it. If he so much as frowned, they would've immediately stopped.

To their surprise, they were wrong. Connor couldn't care less about what they said about Phoebe, even if they did it to his face.

However, that night, before anyone else could say anything, Connor said coolly, "She's putting on an act for me."

Lance had told him everything Phoebe had said at the cafe earlier. Connor would be lying if he said that he wasn't surprised, but he came to the same conclusion that Lance had—she was only being like this because she'd been provoked. He reckoned that selling the wedding ring was just part of her scheme.

"An act? That does seem like something she'd do."

"That's not going to work on Connor, though. Everyone knows that he hasn't ever worn his wedding ring since getting married."

Evan said, "He has—for special occasions. For instance, he wouldn't dare go without it when Mr. Russell Senior was around…"

Connor shot him a displeased look. He immediately cleared his throat and changed his stance. "Uh, I mean, he's never worn it! Not once!"

Connor looked slightly appeased by that.

Evan's lips twitched. Then, he said, "I saw Phoebe head to another jewelry store after that. I bet she wanted to buy a new pair of matching rings for you and her. Will you wear it?"

Connor pretended as though he didn't hear a single thing. He looked down at his phone, and his gaze softened slightly. He was known for being cold and aloof, so it was rare to see such gentleness in his eyes.

Evan leaned in to see what he was doing and discovered that he was chatting with Vanessa.

The screen instantly went dark. Connor shot him a displeased look, clearly annoyed at being disturbed. "Did you call me here over something so dumb?"

Evan had figured it out. Connor wouldn't care about Phoebe, even if she went missing for a month. No matter what she did, it would be pointless as long as Connor didn't pay her any attention. That meant that Evan wouldn't get to see Connor make a fool of himself.

Evan tutted, sounding disappointed. "I may not have won, but you lost first. Remember to buy me a meal."

He was talking about their bet on Phoebe's return.

Connor went along with it. "You set the date."

Evan said, "It's almost Vanessa's birthday, so let's do it on that day. We can all join in the fun."

Connor said, "I would've invited you guys to join us for the party, even if you hadn't said anything."

"Oh, so you've already made plans. How thoughtful!"

It sure made a difference whether a person cared about something. Evan remembered that Phoebe's birthday had been last month. On that day, Connor had met up with them to have drinks. Phoebe had called him halfway through, but he hadn't answered because he was drunk. Evan was the one who had ultimately picked up the call.

The moment the call connected, she asked, "Are you still busy? My birthday's over."

It had been 1:00 am then.

Evan said, "It's me. Sorry, but Connor's drunk. And, uh, happy birthday."

Phoebe was silent for a few seconds, seemingly using that moment to accept the fact that her husband had forgotten about her birthday. Then, she asked Evan to take care of Connor without a single complaint.

Evan remembered thinking that she was practically a saint when it came to matters of the heart.

…

It was the wee hours of the morning when the gathering ended and Connor arrived home. As he passed through the living room, he remembered something and glanced at the couch. He didn't see anyone there.

When he headed upstairs, he found that the guest room at the end of the hallway was dark. That was Phoebe's room—the furthest one on the second floor from the master bedroom.

A whole day had passed, yet she still hadn't returned.

Connor couldn't care less. He made his way to the master bedroom.

The following day was Monday, which meant that he needed to go to work. After freshening up, he headed downstairs to see that Laura had prepared a lavish breakfast spread.

Connor glanced at it. He didn't have much of an appetite, but he still sat at the dining table.

Laura sighed in relief. Even though it had only been two days, she found that life had been hard during Phoebe's absence.

Connor was well-mannered enough not to throw tantrums at the hired help, but his presence was so commanding that it was enough to overwhelm a small fry like her when she stood beside him. So, wanting to leave, she said, "Enjoy your meal, Mr. Russell."

The food wasn't disgusting, but it seemed to be missing something, compared to Phoebe's cooking. It had only been two days, but Connor was already missing her breakfast spreads. He asked, "Did she call you?"

Laura was about to leave, and his question startled her. "W-What?"

Connor frowned.

Laura snapped to her senses and hastily said, "No, she didn't!"

Connor's frown deepened. "Not even once?"

Laura stammered, "Y-Yes. Mrs. Russell hasn't called me, and I haven't been able to reach her. S-She might've blocked my number."

Connor slammed his cutlery on the table and walked away, his expression frosty.

Laura watched him leave, unsure of how to react. She was wrong about one thing—Connor would throw a tantrum at anyone once Phoebe upset him.

She had originally hoped that Phoebe would leave Connor hanging for a few days, but she no longer thought so. Even an outsider like her could tell that Connor responded better to softness than defiance, so Phoebe, of all people, should have known that.

Laura believed Phoebe shouldn't have played hard to get from the start. Her little stunt was making life difficult for everyone, and Laura found it incredibly frustrating.

…

Connor arrived at the office and attended a routine meeting. Shortly after that, his secretary knocked on the door and entered with a gift bag.

He opened it to see that it was a plain ring.

Evan had previously mentioned that Phoebe had gone to another jewelry store after selling her wedding ring. So, it seemed that her two-day disappearance was leading up to this.

He was certain that she would show up at the company later with a lunchbox.

Connor frowned and shut the ring box. Then, he set it aside and threw himself into his work. A moment later, he called Lance and said icily, "Don't let Phoebe into the building today!"

He didn't like her playing these games with him. After hanging up, he threw the ring box into the trash can.

…

Monday was a workday.

Phoebe sat at her desk right on time. When she first got married, she didn't have a job. But during a family dinner that Philip hadn't attended, Connor's mother, Amelia Vaughn, had berated her in front of everyone.

She had called Phoebe a waste of space and a freeloader who couldn't have children or take care of Connor properly. She had also said that she felt utterly embarrassed when mentioning Phoebe to her friends.

Connor had been around, but he hadn't defended her. He had allowed Amelia to attack Phoebe with her sharp and harsh words.

That same night, Phoebe sent out her résumé—not to Russell Group, but to Spectrum Group. Spectrum Group was a tech company that had only been established five years ago, but it already had a market value exceeding a trillion dollars.

As a top-tier firm, even a secretarial position would only accept candidates who were graduates from the best institutions in the country.

Phoebe was an Alden College graduate with a degree in the highly sought-after field of computer science, which qualified her for a position in the R&D department.

However, technical positions usually meant long hours. If she were assigned to a major project, it would typically demand around-the-clock work. Then, she wouldn't have time to care for Connor.

And so, Phoebe had opted for a relatively relaxed administrative role—a secretary in the CEO's office's secretariat.

Philip had asked her to work at Russell Group upon hearing about this. After all, working at the family's company would mean flexible hours, less strain, and overall more freedom.

But Phoebe knew how much Amelia despised her. If she worked at Russell Group, she knew Amelia would only pick on her more and accuse her of chasing the Russell family fortune. She wouldn't have to face those issues if she worked at Spectrum Group.

Because of her pregnancy, Phoebe had written a resignation letter the previous week. Now, however, she decided not to submit it.

Since she wanted to rewrite her paper, she would need to know more about the industry. Spectrum Group was at the forefront of technology, offering her numerous opportunities and resources that she could leverage. At the same time, her leisurely secretarial job would give her plenty of time to focus on her research.

"Phoebe, why haven't you brought a lunchbox today?" a colleague at the next desk asked curiously.

Phoebe occasionally brought an elaborate lunchbox to work, but she would leave the company with it at noon. No one knew who she delivered the food to.

The lunchbox had been for Connor.

When he drank at social events, she usually woke up early the next day to prepare a meal that would be gentle on his stomach. Taking the lunchbox to the office with him would have been the easiest option, but he refused to do it, finding it a bother, even though it didn't require any extra effort on his part.

And so, Phoebe had no choice but to take his portion to the office and take a cab to his company during her lunch break to deliver it. Fortunately, it wasn't too far away, so she always had enough time for that.

Phoebe simply said, "I didn't feel like making one."

And she no longer needed to.

Just then, Natalie Moore, the head of the secretariat, hurried in to make an important announcement. "The company's CEO will be back in Dalea next Monday. We need to compile and organize all departmental documents to ensure they have complete and accurate files to review."

She rapped her knuckles on a table. "Get moving, everyone!"

Spectrum Group's growth over the years was nothing short of a miracle, but the most enigmatic thing about it was its founder. He had been abroad expanding the company's market share all these years, while the deputy CEO, Ian Faulker, managed domestic operations.

Phoebe had never seen the group's true decision-maker.

After the initial excitement, everyone dove into a busy day.

…

A woman abruptly showed up in Connor's office at Russell Group.

If anyone wanted to see Connor, they had to schedule an appointment in advance. However, the woman hadn't been on the list. But what was more surprising was that Lance had gone downstairs in person to bring her up so she could see Connor. He'd even shut the door to Connor's office when he left it.

The special treatment piqued the curiosity of all the employees in the secretariat.

"Who is she? She's so pretty and gracious. She looks like she could be a celebrity!"

"Mr. Russell hates unscheduled interruptions, but he made an exception for her. That's so unlike him."

"Mr. Russell always keeps his distance from other women. In all my years here, I've never seen him alone with a woman in his office."

A theory began to form among them. "Do you think she's his wife-to-be?"

Connor had kept his marriage to Phoebe a secret, so only his close friends were aware of it. As a man with a spotless reputation and no hint of scandal, his rare preferential treatment of a woman only made it more plausible to guess that she was his future wife.

Inside the office, Connor set his work aside when he saw Vanessa.

She walked toward him and stopped before his desk, placing her hands on it as she leaned forward. Then, she looked down at his bare fingers and asked, "Didn't you get the ring?"

He faltered. "That was from you?"

He was surprised to learn that the ring hadn't been from Phoebe.

"I promised to have dinner with you last night, but I had to stand you up because something came up with Professor Dupont. I got you the ring to make up for it." She showed him the one she wore on her ring finger.

Vanessa continued, "This brand doesn't have many rings for men, and the only one I liked was the one that matched mine as a set. I just wear this one for fun, so I picked a nice style for you, too. You don't mind, do you?"

Despite her question, she knew that he wouldn't.

Connor returned to his senses and remembered that he'd thrown the ring away. He bent down to retrieve it from his trash can. As he inspected it, the earlier disgust in his eyes was nowhere to be seen.

Vanessa stiffened and asked, "You threw it away?"

He glanced at her, noticing her minute change. He opened the box and slipped the ring onto his left ring finger. His gaze was tender as he said, "I didn't know it was from you."

Vanessa relaxed at his words. Evan had mentioned that Connor never wore his wedding ring unless it was absolutely necessary. It wasn't hard for her to guess why.

Connor asked, "Are you upset?"

She shook her head and said, "No. After all, it wasn't the ring that you disliked."

It was the person he thought had given it to him.

She asked, "Do you like it?"

"It's nice." He nodded. Then, he asked, "What were you busy with last night?"

"Professor Dupont's project hit a snag. I spent all night reviewing materials, but I didn't make much progress. Fortunately, a classmate's company is working on a project related to this technology. I'm planning to reach out to her soon."

The owner of said company was named Alexandra Cooper. Coincidentally, they were both alumni of Alden College. Alexandra was Vanessa's junior by a few years.

As fellow top-tier graduates, Vanessa believed that it would be easy enough to connect with her.

Connor remarked, "You're impressive."

Vanessa saw the deep admiration in his eyes, which was the reaction she'd expected. After all, Russell Group was collaborating with Harry's lab. If Harry's project succeeded, Russell Group would naturally benefit.

Vanessa had returned to Dalea with one goal in mind—to be the key figure in cracking the code of this core technology. She had complete confidence that she would be able to do it.

This was no longer an era in which sweet, naive women could cook a few meals and turn on the charm to win a man's heart.

Men would only spare women their attention if the women were outstanding enough. That was exactly what Vanessa wanted to be.

…

After a busy morning, Phoebe went to the pantry to make a cup of coffee, grabbing one for her colleague as well.

Suddenly, she received a call from Valerie Jones, Connor's secretary. The only time they'd had anything to do with each other was when Phoebe had called her to find out where Connor was.

Phoebe didn't want to have anything to do with anyone related to Connor anymore, but Valerie was kind. After a moment of hesitation, she answered the call.

"Phoebe, are you doing okay?" Valerie's voice was barely above a whisper.

"I'm fine." Phoebe didn't understand why she was asking that.

Valerie said worriedly, "Mr. Russell had just shown another woman around our company, and it caused quite a stir. All the senior executives treated her as if she were Mr. Russell's future wife… I wanted to tell you about it in case you weren't aware. Her name is Va—"

Her voice cut off abruptly. Then, she gasped. "Mr. Stone! I…"

Valerie had hidden in a corner before making this call. She hadn't expected Lance to sneak up on her from behind.

Lance snatched Valerie's phone from her and glanced at the screen. Then, he scowled. "Did she call you to find out about Mr. Russell's whereabouts again?"

Valerie spotted Connor and Vanessa standing behind him. She was so terrified that her mind went blank, leaving her speechless.

Lance didn't wait for her to reply. He turned to Connor and said briskly, "Mr. Russell, it's Phoebe on the line. She was asking about your whereabouts again."

He didn't end the call as he wasn't afraid of Phoebe hearing him.

On the other end of the line, Phoebe frowned. She didn't care that Lance was accusing her of something she hadn't done. She was about to hang up when she heard Connor's icy response. "Ignore her."

That was how he'd always treated her, so she wasn't surprised. However, she didn't like that he'd assumed the worst of her without bothering to find out the truth.

The old Phoebe would've scrambled to explain because she was deathly afraid of Connor misunderstanding her and getting mad at her. But now, they were divorced. She no longer needed to care about how he felt, nor did she need to find out about him and Vanessa.

A second later, she heard Connor's voice ring out again, frostier than before. "Don't bother coming in tomorrow!"

Phoebe was taken aback. Was he firing Valerie?

She remembered now—Connor had already wanted to fire Valerie the first time Phoebe had contacted her. Phoebe had pleaded with him for a long time to make sure that Valerie got to keep her job, but he'd warned her that there wouldn't be a next time.

As expected, there wasn't a next time. Connor wouldn't show Valerie any mercy.

"Connor, there's no need to get so mad over a secretary," a woman said.

Phoebe guessed that it was probably Vanessa's voice. She sounded gentle and gracious.

Vanessa continued, "How about this? I'll buy you lunch later, and you have to promise not to be mad anymore. Do it for me."

A few seconds later, Connor said, "Okay."

His tone was cool, but it was much gentler than the frosty one he'd used earlier.

Vanessa chuckled. "Let's go, then."

Their voices then disappeared from the other end of the line. Phoebe curled her lip self-deprecatingly, feeling bitter. She had always thought that Connor wasn't easy to please. She had always had to spend days doing everything she could to placate him before he would be civil toward her.

The process was psychological torment for her. She would lose her appetite and go for nights without sleep. For as long as he remained upset, she wouldn't be able to focus on anything she did.

But with Vanessa, a single sentence was enough to soothe him. It was so effortless for her.

Lance looked at the ongoing call, knowing that Phoebe had heard everything. He knew that she didn't like troubling others, so she would no doubt be weighed down by guilt, knowing that Valerie had been fired because of her.

Although the punishment would fall on Valerie, Phoebe was the one who would feel the psychological reprimand. Lance felt that this was the only way to ensure that she wouldn't do anything strange behind their backs anymore.

He believed that if anyone was to blame, it was Phoebe. It was her fault for constantly checking up on Connor. Lance put himself in Connor's shoes and imagined what it was like to have a woman keep tabs on him at all times. He felt suffocated on Connor's behalf.

He waved a hand, and the chief secretary, who was waiting nearby, stepped forward. She said, "The termination will be processed and dealt with by the end of the day."

Lance made a soft sound of acknowledgment before leaving. Vanessa's birthday was on Wednesday, and Connor had instructed him to book out a restaurant called Luminosity, located on Bayview Avenue, for the celebration. He also needed to speak to the restaurant's owner about preparing a birthday surprise for Vanessa.

He was busy, so he didn't have time to monitor the termination of a mere secretary.

The chief secretary took Valerie's phone from Lance. She was about to return it to Valerie when she caught a glimpse of the caller ID and saw Phoebe's name.

She frowned, taking a few seconds to remember who exactly this was. Then, she said in frustration, "You're really something else. She's just a maid who delivers Mr. Russell's lunchboxes! Did you have to upset him over someone like her?"

Valerie had been too stunned to speak after getting caught red-handed by Connor himself. Now, she returned to her senses, but her voice still shook as she said, "S-She's not a maid. She's Mr. Russell's wife…"

"Are you blind? Didn't you see that Mr. Russell and Ms. Somner wore matching rings? There's no doubt that she is the future Mrs. Russell!"

"No, I—"

"I've heard enough. Hurry up and hand over your work!"

Valerie didn't dare say anything else. She silently took her phone and looked down at it once the chief secretary left. Then, she realized that her call with Phoebe was still ongoing.

She jolted and asked, "P-Phoebe, are you okay? You didn't hear what just happened, did you?"

She prayed that Phoebe hadn't heard a thing, but she knew it was impossible. She continued miserably, "Don't listen to their nonsense. You're not a maid. I'm sorry about this. I'm so, so sorry…"

Connor had kept his marriage a secret and forbade Phoebe from entering his office. Each time she brought his lunchbox, it would be handed off through a secretary. So, it wasn't surprising that she was mistaken for a maid.

Phoebe didn't care about that. The only thing that surprised her was that Connor wore a ring matching Vanessa's, even though he rarely wore his own wedding ring.

He had beautiful hands that were slender and well-proportioned. They were delicate yet strong, and the wedding ring on his left ring finger added an indescribable charm.

Whenever Phoebe had the chance, she would steal long glances at it. Unfortunately, she could count on one hand the number of times Connor had worn his wedding ring.

She had always thought it was because he disliked the feeling of restraint that came with wearing accessories, but she had read too much into it. He just didn't want to wear his wedding ring.

She pulled herself out of her reverie and said, "I'm sorry. I can't do anything to save your job now."

Although Valerie had spoken to Phoebe only once before, she could tell that she was a genuinely kind person. She'd been worried about Connor suddenly being so attentive to another woman, so she'd informed Phoebe about it to give her some notice. However, she'd messed up.

Valerie was wracked with guilt. "It's fine, really! I've told you before that I planned to return to my hometown to help my parents, haven't I? Getting fired isn't a big deal to me. I was already halfway through drafting my resignation letter, anyway!"

Phoebe felt relieved to hear that Valerie genuinely meant it and wasn't just trying to comfort her.

Valerie lowered her voice to a whisper as she said, "I still don't get it, though. You're Mr. Russell's wife. Why would he treat you like this?"

He wouldn't even let Phoebe into his office, yet Vanessa could come and go as she wished. Valerie couldn't understand why.

Even if Connor wanted to keep the marriage a secret, he could just tell everyone that Phoebe was his relative or friend. No one would think much of it.

Phoebe worked hard to prepare those lunchboxes and bring them over during her lunch break, only to be denied access to Connor's office. Valerie believed that his actions were far too hurtful!