One of the coworkers said, "Mr. Schmidt, Melanie is totally out of control! Not only did she bully Ms. Gordon, but earlier, when we asked for a quick hand, she threw a massive tantrum and tossed our files in the trash!"

Robert's temper flared again at that. "Melanie, apologize to Ellie and everyone else right now, or you can consider yourself fired!"

Everyone was convinced I would never dream of leaving the company. They held their chins high, waiting for me to apologize.

Right then, my phone buzzed with a notification. "Ms. Reid, your patent application has been approved."

I looked up at Robert, completely unfazed. "Do whatever you want."

Now that the patents were officially mine, I could report Robert for infringement whenever I pleased. The company was going down regardless, so there was no point in my staying.

For a moment, everyone was stunned.

Ellie seized the moment to stoke the fire. "Robert, look at her! You can't just let this slide!"

The coworkers chimed in to agree.

Just when I thought Robert would take the opportunity to punish me, he took a deep breath and said in a calmer tone, "Melanie, I'm docking half a month's pay as a warning, and we'll leave it at that. Follow me into the office."

Ellie stood frozen, unable to believe Robert was actually letting me off the hook.

I was just as surprised. Robert had always favored Ellie, so why was he letting me off so easily? Had he changed?

But I quickly realized I had been overthinking it.

In the office, Robert took my hand and asked in a serious tone, "Melanie, are you throwing a tantrum because I brought up the divorce? I'm doing this to protect you. Why can't you see that I have your best interests at heart?

"I promise you, if the company manages to survive this crisis, we will get remarried immediately."

I sneered internally. Robert could lie with a straight face like an absolute professional.

But he was right about one thing—the company was indeed about to go under. I just hoped he'd still be smiling when it happened.

Seeing the faint smile on my face, Robert assumed he had convinced me. He pulled a thick stack of documents from his drawer, sliding them toward me with that same faux-caring look.

"This is a project transfer agreement. I need you to hand your current accounts over to Ellie. Don't worry, I'll compensate you fairly for it. I just hate seeing you work yourself ragged. I want Ellie to take some of the pressure off so you can finally get some rest.

"Once things settle down, we can start trying for a baby. It'll make you happy too, right?"

So that was why he had defended me out there—he wanted my projects.

Fortunately for him, I was already stressing over how to ditch these ticking time bombs. Getting them off my hands while getting paid for it was a win-win.

I nodded and signed the paperwork without hesitation.

Highly satisfied, Robert transferred the payout to my account and asked me to send Ellie in on my way out.

As we crossed paths at the door, she shot me a triumphant look.

I ignored her, walked down to the stairwell, and popped in my headphones.

What neither of them knew was that I had left my spare phone recording under the desk.

The moment the audio connected, their voices came through loud and clear.

"Robert, why did you side with that old hag out there?"

"Babe, I was just setting things up for you. Look, all of Melanie's projects belong to you now! Besides, the divorce papers are already signed. If it makes you feel better, we can register our marriage later. Then I'll buy you that necklace you wanted, okay?"

Before long, the audio was filled with the sound of their giggling and flirting.

I took off my headphones with a cold smile, pulled out my phone, and immediately reported Robert's company to the authorities for patent infringement.

The agent informed me that processing the claim would take a bit of time.

I locked my phone.

"Just you wait, Robert. I'm taking back everything you owed me in my last life in this one," I thought to myself.

By the time I walked back to my desk, Robert and Ellie had already left for the day.

Instead of throwing myself into my work like I usually did, I spent the rest of the afternoon slacking off.

After work, I caught a cab back home and started packing my things. It was time to move out and cut ties with Robert for good.

I didn't have much, so it went quickly. Despite living there for seven years, my clothes didn't even fill a single suitcase.

After I finished packing up, I was about to rest when my phone buzzed.

I unlocked it to see that Ellie had posted an update on Instagram—customized to be visible only to me.

The post showed a fresh marriage certificate next to her brand-new necklace.

In one of the photos, her fingers were tightly intertwined with a hand I knew all too well—Robert's.

I knew Ellie was trying to provoke me.

In my last life, this would have driven me mad with jealousy. But now, I simply liked the post and left a comment. "Congratulations! Wishing you both a lifetime together."

I meant it. Now that they were legally bound, neither of them would be able to escape the fallout when the company went under.

Robert didn't come home that night. For the first time in ages, I slept like a baby.

The next morning, I got up early, eager to head to the office and watch the drama unfold.

But when I arrived, the facial recognition scanner at the entrance rejected my scan.

Right on cue, Ellie swaggered out, crossing her arms with a smug smirk. "Oh, Melanie, didn't you hear? You've been fired.

"It's a shame, really. Your new product line launches today. You'd have made a fortune in bonuses, and your net worth would've skyrocketed. Too bad none of that has anything to do with you anymore. Sucks to be you!"

A moment later, Robert walked out to join her.

"You fired me?" I asked.

He met my gaze with total indifference. "Yes. But it was the shareholders' decision.

"Your toxic attitude toward your coworkers has been causing too much disruption. The shareholders insisted on letting you go, and I had to vote with the majority. You're no longer an employee here, Melanie. You should leave."

Talk about burning the bridge after crossing it.

Yet, far from being angry, I actually smiled.

Ellie looked at me like I had lost my mind. "What are you smiling at?"

My smile widened. "Oh, just enjoying the irony of your impending doom."

Early this morning, my infringement report had been officially processed, and news of Schmidt Corp's patent violation was already trending online.

I was just about to break the news to them when a swarm of reporters suddenly crowded the entrance of the building.

Robert assumed the reporters were there to interview them and smiled, saying, "Wow, you guys are incredibly well-informed! We were just getting ready for our new product launch event, but it looks like you caught wind of it early!"

Ellie was practically glowing with arrogance as she threw a haughty glance my way. "So what if you designed this product, Melanie? I'm the one in charge now. The bonuses and the glory belong entirely to me. You must be absolutely dying inside. Now move aside. Don't block my camera angle!"

Ellie shoved past me, joining Robert in front of the flashing cameras. Both of them were ready to deliver a grand speech about their upcoming release.

But the very next second, a reporter thrust a microphone forward and asked, "Mr. Schmidt, what is your comment on the allegations that your company has committed major patent infringement?"