For the company’s latest project, I worked tirelessly for twenty-four hours straight—leading the team to success.

While waiting to sign the contract, I slipped into the stairwell for a quick cigarette, trying to stay awake.

I never expected that by the next day, I’d be reported by my fiancée’s newly hired male assistant—and fired from the company.

When I confronted my fiancée, Valeria Brooks, she simply said, “Didn’t you know the company has a no-smoking policy? Honestly, getting fired is the least of your concerns.”

She added casually, “If you weren’t my fiancé, I’d fine you too.”

With no other choice, I packed up my things and left. But just as I was about to exit, I saw Valeria and her new assistant enjoying a spa session in the office.

Their lower bodies were practically touching.

Disgusted, I pulled out my phone and dialed the number of our competitor.

“I’m bringing the new project to your company,” I said.

“Terms? Just one—can I smoke in the stairwell?”

——

A chuckle came from the other end of the line.

“Andy Gerrin, you’re still as humorous as ever,” Lucy Russell replied with a teasing laugh. “As long as you’re willing to join us, I don’t care if you smoke in the stairwell—or in the office!”

But I wasn’t in the mood for jokes.

“Then it’s settled. I’ll join your company.”

“As soon as the onboarding process is complete, the DeWalt project will be yours.”

The moment I hung up, an onboarding invitation popped up on my phone. I filled in my details and hit send. As soon as I received the confirmation, I forwarded the complete materials for the new project.

But Lucy didn’t immediately accept. Instead, she messaged me.

[Andy, are you serious] she asked.

[You built the Brooks Group from the ground up for Valeria. Just a while back, I offered you a high salary to be our technical advisor and you turned me down. You said it would be a betrayal to Valeria. How could you…]

[I’m warning you—don’t joke about business with me. I’ll get angry.]

Joke? When I got the termination notice that morning, I thought it was some kind of cruel prank too.

After all, Valeria and I had been together for ten years since we’re in high school. We had stuck through the hardest times together. We were part of each other’s biggest life moments. We were even planning to get married later this year.

But in the office, she looked at me like I was a stranger.

“Andy, you do know there’s a no-smoking policy here, don’t you?” she said sternly.

I explained that I had been working with the team nonstop for twenty-four hours. That after finally securing the project, while waiting for the contract, I just needed a break—so I stepped into the stairwell for a smoke.

She scoffed.

“Are you kidding me Andy?”

“That project was clearly secured by Brian Sanders. Do you really think I’ll let you steal credit just because you say so?”

“Go take care of your resignation. You’re lucky you’re my fiancé—I don’t want to make a scene.”

I was kicked out.

And then Brian walked in.

He looked freshly groomed, his skin smooth, his face well-rested.

Seeing me—with dark circles under my eyes, my face rough with stubble after a sleepless night—he instinctively covered his mouth.

“Andy,” he said with mock concern, “I know you’re not into appearances, but this is a cosmetics company. As an executive, you should at least look presentable.”

“If a client saw you like this, they’d think we’re selling counterfeit products.”

Already in a terrible mood, I didn’t bother to be polite. I answered coldly,

“Since you know I’m an executive, maybe you should show me the respect due to one.”

“Disrespecting your superiors—what exactly did you learn in your onboarding training?”

Brian's eyes filled with tears as he looked at Valeria and apologized pitifully.

"Ms. Brooks, I’m sorry. I was just thinking about the company’s image..."

Valeria immediately pulled him to her side and shot me a sharp glare.

"Andy, do you think this is funny? Just because you’re a vice president, does that give you the right to act arrogant all the time?"

"When it comes to contributions to the company, Brian has done far more than you ever have."

"And let me remind you—you’ve already been fired. You’re no longer a senior executive. Now apologize to Brian immediately!"

Contributions? I had no idea what so-called 'contributions' Brian had made.

But what I did know was this: in less than three months of his employment, the company's policies—unchanged since its founding three years ago—had already been revised several times because of him.

And the company-wide no-smoking rule? It was created because of him.

He had rhinitis and was allergic to cigarette smoke. That alone was enough for the entire company to change.

I watched as Valeria took Brian by the hand, gently seated him in the boss’s chair, then pulled out a bottle of essential oil to give him a personal massage—right there in the office.

In that moment, everything felt meaningless.

I ripped off my ID badge and slammed it onto the desk. Then I walked out without looking back.

On the other end of the phone, Lucy was still waiting for my reply. When nothing came, she finally sent a single question mark.

Then her voice came through the speaker.

"Wait—you actually broke up?"

"Can I get in line? Andy, you do know I’ve liked you for a long time."

I ignored her teasing.

"Cut the nonsense. I’m in a bad mood. Book me a ticket to Paris. I need a long vacation."

After settling everything, I returned home to pack my things.

But when I got there, the door lock wouldn’t open.

The password had been changed.

I called Valeria dozens of times. Not a single call was answered.

Just as I was about to leave, I noticed the lights inside flicker on.

On the bedroom curtains, two shadows appeared—a man and a woman—clinging to each other in an intimate embrace.

I dialed Brian’s number.

The moment I did, a familiar ringtone came from upstairs.

What more was there to understand?

I let out a short laugh and called the smart lock’s manufacturer.

"I need to go on a trip, but my smart lock is broken. I can’t lock it manually. Can you lock it remotely for me?"

Once that was done, I booked a hotel, turned off my phone and slept until dawn.

The next morning, just as expected, my phone was flooded with calls and messages—over a hundred of them—all from Valeria.

The most recent one had come just three minutes ago.

I tried to block her number, but accidentally tapped "call back" instead.

She picked up immediately and her furious voice blasted through the line.

"Andy! Are you insane? Why the hell did you lock the door like that? Do you know what happened to me and Brian last night—"

"Oh?" I interrupted. "What did happen?"

Realizing she had nearly exposed herself, Valeria quickly changed her tone.

"We were locked outside all night!"

"Andy, I’m already exhausted from working at the company every day. Can you stop being so childish?"

I nodded to myself, voice calm.

"Right. Massaging your assistant in the office during the day wasn’t enough, huh? You had to bring him home at night too? Even professional therapists don’t work that hard. No wonder you’re so tired."

Her voice instantly rose, like I’d hit a nerve.

"You were spying on me?"

"Andy! Have you no shame? You were the one who violated company policy first!"

"And there’s nothing between me and Brian! I was just working late and he offered to drive me home. Why are you being so petty?"

Valeria was so sure of herself, she must have forgotten—our home had surveillance cameras.

I immediately copied the footage from last night and sent it to her.

Her reaction was even more hysterical than before.

"Andy! You're even more disgusting than I thought! Installing surveillance cameras at home—what kind of sick game are you playing?"

"I’m giving you thirty minutes to delete all of it and come apologize to both me and Brian!"

My head throbbed from the sheer nonsense.

I hung up on her and added her number to my block list.

Lucy had already booked my flight to Paris.

Just as I was grabbing my bags and calling a taxi, another call came in—this time from Brian.

I didn’t even hesitate. Blocked.

Suddenly, the company group chat started blowing up.

Everyone began tagging me at once.

"Mr. Gerrin! You should head to the hospital! Ms. Brooks’s been in an accident!"

I wasn’t planning to respond.

But someone sent a blurry photo of the crash.

It was quickly deleted, but not before I saw clearly—the bloodied figure lying on the ground was Valeria.

Despite everything, I hesitated for only a second before telling the driver to turn around and take me straight to the hospital.

When I arrived, there was someone lying in the hospital bed—but it wasn’t Valeria.

It was Brian.

His leg was in a cast and Valeria was sitting at his side, gently blowing on a spoonful of chicken soup before feeding it to him.

In the ten years I’d been with Valeria, she had never once done anything remotely like that for me.

Not even ordered me takeout.

Just as I turned to leave, she suddenly stood up and grabbed my arm.

Without explanation, she shoved a set of car keys into my hand and said sharply,

"If anyone asks later, just say you were the one driving today."

Everything clicked into place.

"You want me to take the blame for Brian?"

Valeria scoffed and waved her hand.

"Why do you make it sound so dramatic? It’s not taking the blame. It’s just a small favor."

I yanked my arm from her grip.

"I'm sorry, I can’t help you with this."

Her face turned ice cold.

"Andy! You’re my fiancé! If you can’t even help me with this, how do you expect me to trust you enough to marry you?"

"Then let’s cancel the engagement." The moment the words left my mouth, her eyes flew open in shock.

Before she could respond, my phone rang again.

“Mr. Gerrin? This is the traffic police. A vehicle registered in your name was involved in a collision on McCross Road. We suspect a hit-and-run. I’d like to confirm—were you the one driving the car this morning?”

Before I could say a word, Valeria snatched the phone from my hand.

“Yes, it was him.”

“I’m his fiancée. I was in the passenger seat when the accident happened.”

“Sorry for the trouble. I’ll convince him to turn himself in right away.”

She ended the call before I even had the chance to breathe, let alone speak.

Then she did something she had never done before—she clung to my arm with desperation.

“Andy, I know there’ve been a lot of misunderstandings between us lately. So once you help Brian with this one small favor, we’ll get married. Okay?”

How could she say something so shameless with a straight face?

It was one thing to flirt with Brian at the office.

But now she wanted me to take the fall for him—go to prison for him?

I ripped my arm away from her and looked her dead in the eye.

“I won’t agree to something that insane. Don’t even bother asking again.”