The week had barely begun before Theodore ruined it.

The handover that was supposed to land on my desk never came. Even the interns who used to greet me with polite nods now made a point of detouring around me in the hallway.

Whispers clung to me like a shadow I could not shake.

"Disgusting. Her sister just passed, and she's already this eager."

"Good performance means nothing. With that attitude, she'll be gone sooner or later."

When the day finally came to an end, I packed up and stood to leave, only to collide head-on with Theodore's assistant, Joyce Cooper.

She was holding a stack of documents. The moment she saw me, she rolled her eyes without even trying to hide it. "Ms. Hartwell, Mr. Wesley wants you in his office. He says it's urgent."

I looked at her, feeling a sense of helplessness rise within me.

When Joyce first joined the company, she had been sidelined by senior staff for not understanding the work. I was the one who taught her how to build reports and handle clients. We had even eaten together a few times outside of work.

But ever since Theodore began twisting his words and spreading rumors about me, her attitude toward me had changed entirely.

I knew she was pressured into exhaustion by Theodore and had started believing the rumors, assuming I was no better than he was.

"Got it," I replied calmly.

I pulled out a sticky note, quickly wrote my home address on it, and handed it over. "If you can trust me one more time, come and meet me at my place."

She shot me a puzzled look. Her lips parted slightly as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she took the sticky note and said nothing.

I didn't say anything else and turned to leave.

When I pushed open Theodore's office door, he was lounging in his chair, smoking.

As I stepped in, he tapped the document on his desk. "Meg, this is a new client's pre-launch promotion plan. I want it revised tonight. You can stay here and work on it. If anything comes up, we'll discuss it immediately."

There it was again.

I walked straight over, grabbed the document, and threw it at his face. The papers scattered across the floor.

Theodore's expression darkened instantly. He shot up from his chair and shouted, "Megan Hartwell! Have you lost your mind?"

I let out a cold laugh. "Theodore, cut the act. You want me to revise it in your office so people will misunderstand me even more. That way, it's easier for you to control me, isn't it?"

He spat on the floor and threatened darkly, "Megan, don't push it. You know exactly what your reputation is like in this company.

"If I choose to make things hard for you, I can make sure you won't last in this industry. As for the overseas placement, one word from me and you'll never get that opportunity."

I looked at him, at his pathetic attempt to sound powerful, and found it almost laughable.

He probably still didn't know that I had been personally recruited by the president three years ago. She had promised to train me properly, and once the time was right, I would join her in expanding overseas and return as her deputy.

Over these three years, I had worked my way up in branch offices. My performance kept improving over time, and I had long since proven myself to her.

This so-called overseas assignment had never been anything more than something I chose not to make a big deal about. I never expected it would end up giving someone like him leverage.

"Theodore, you really think too highly of yourself. I used to show you respect because of my sister. Now, you're nothing but trash."

With that, I turned and walked out, leaving him behind to vent his rage and slam things around.

When I got to the underground parking lot, I stopped in my tracks as a sudden thought struck me.

Was Beatrice's car accident really just an accident?

Theodore had always played the role of a decent husband. And because Beatrice had died while driving to the airport to pick me up, guilt had blinded me to everything else.

But now that I thought about it carefully, Beatrice had always been a careful driver. Why would she have taken a road that was under maintenance, especially in the middle of a heavy rainstorm?

And what about Theodore? Had he really been working late at the office that night?

I clenched my fists without realizing it.

Whether her death was an accident or something else entirely, I was going to unearth the truth.

That night, my phone kept buzzing nonstop.

I opened the company chat group. The pinned message was last month's performance summary.

I glanced over it. My name was dead last, at the very bottom of the rankings.

All the project results that should have been credited to me had been reassigned to Theodore. He was now in first place, far ahead of everyone else.

The group chat had long since blown up, overflowing with flattery and bootlicking comments.

"Mr. Wesley is amazing! No wonder he's the star of our department!"

"If you want a future, stick with Mr. Wesley. Not like some hacks who only know how to cheat their way up."

"Exactly. She's ranked at the bottom and still dares to hold on to an assistant manager role. I would've resigned a long time ago if I were her."

All of it, overt or not, was meant for me. It turned my stomach inside out.

Ever since I was transferred to Theodore's department, he had been routinely taking at least 30% of my performance and putting it under his own name.

Whenever I confronted him, he would just grin and say, "We're family. What's yours is mine anyway."

There was no mistaking it. By blatantly placing my name at the very bottom this time, he was clearly trying to get back at me for what had happened during the day.

I simply sent a clapping emoji in the group chat.

The group instantly went silent.

Petty exclusion really was childish, even for adults.

Then Theodore messaged me privately. "Do you finally understand who's in charge around here? Meg, women like you should learn not to be so ambitious. That's how you end up alone.

"Then again, it doesn't matter if you don't get married. As long as you behave, I can take care of you for the rest of your life."

I almost gagged on my dinner right then and there.

Then a photo popped up. It was from last week, when I had accompanied a client to an exhibition.

Next, he sent a voice message. The moment I played it, I could almost smell the nauseating stench of alcohol coming through the speaker.

"Meg, you look just like your sister in that dress… Why don't you keep me company tonight? I'm so lonely."

Goosebumps broke out all over my skin.

Before I could even respond, a second voice message came in.

"The company's annual celebration is in three days. Ms. Eva Taylor from headquarters will be attending in person. I'm quite familiar with her secretary. If you still want that Amberton assignment, you know what to do. Fix the proposal for me."

I felt my eyebrow twitch. Unexpectedly, there was a useful piece of information buried in all that filth.

Two days ago, Ms. Taylor had already complained to me that internal company information kept leaking. Several deals had been poached by competitors at the last minute because of it.

It looked like there was a mole inside the company.

My disgust eased just a fraction as I sent my reply.

"If you're lonely, Mr. Wesley, try a graveyard. There's plenty of company there. It's perfect for someone like you."

The moment I arrived at the office the next day, I heard Theodore's voice drifting out of the break room.

He was surrounded by a few coworkers, putting on his usual pitiful act as he sighed dramatically. "You have no idea. Meg probably thinks I'm too old for her now. Ever since I forgot her favorite designer brand last time, she's been giving me the cold shoulder.

"Her sister entrusted me to take care of her before she passed away, but that doesn't mean I can buy her everything she wants. Still, what can I do? I'm her brother-in-law."

It was the same old routine he always used, and I had long since grown numb to it.

With my mug in hand, I stopped at the doorway and gave him a cold look before silently turning to leave.

Theodore clearly hadn't expected me to stay so calm. After I walked away, he leaned over and whispered something to the others, instantly making the group burst into snickers.

Over the next two days, Theodore kept finding ways to make things difficult for me.

Sometimes, he would claim there was something wrong with my reports and force me to redo them. Other times, he would say the client wasn't satisfied with the proposal and make me stay late to revise it overnight.

Even an idiot could tell he was intentionally picking on me.

Late that night, while I was still buried in overtime work, Joyce came in with a cup of coffee and quietly set it on my desk. She stood there for a moment before finally saying, "Megan, I need to talk to you."

The serious look on her face made me pause. I nodded lightly. "Go ahead."

She pulled over a chair and sat across from me, looking like she wanted to say something but couldn't bring herself to do it.

I didn't rush her. Instead, I picked up the coffee and took a sip.

"Megan, I'm sorry…"

Her unexpected apology threw me off. Before I could even question her, a sudden wave of dizziness crashed over me.

My body went weak. My vision blurred, and my eyelids grew heavier with every passing second.

I snapped my gaze toward Joyce. She wouldn't meet my eyes. Her face was full of guilt.

"You… Why?"

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she choked out an apology. "Megan, I'm sorry… My mother is sick, and I still have to support her. I can't afford to lose this job…"

A wave of bitter resignation swept through me, and I slowly closed my eyes.

Theodore really was ruthless.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself in an unfamiliar room. A familiar scent of tobacco lingered in the air. Theodore was here.

"Meg, don't blame me. If you want to blame someone, blame yourself for being too stubborn," he whispered in my ear. "As long as you give in to me, I guarantee no one in the company will dare bully you again. I can even give you that overseas assignment."

He reached out, trying to touch my face.

I jerked my head away and used all my strength to kick him hard. "Get the hell away from me!"

Theodore's expression darkened instantly, and he shot me a vicious, furious look.

"You're picking the hard way, then."

Just as he raised his hand to strike me, the door suddenly flew open.

Joyce hurried in, looking pale with panic. "Mr. Wesley! Something's wrong! Ms. Taylor arrived early. She's waiting in the meeting room right now!"