I looked at the mess. The evidence of another woman had invaded my space like a virus.

The old me might have cried. Demanded to know why he hadn’t consulted me. But now? There was no storm in my chest, just a cold, hollowed-out void.

"She can stay as long as she wants," I said. "I don't care." I walked past him to retrieve my personal files from the study.

Grayson stood there, shocked by my compliance. It seemed to unnerve him. Watching me walk away, he reached out as if to help with my boxes.

"Cassia, are you upset? I promise, it's only for a week..."

I sidestepped his hand. "Don't bother. I can manage."

Grayson's hand froze in mid-air. He pressed his lips together, his jaw tightening. "Let the butler do it," he said softly. "Listen, if you're still angry about last night, I can..."

Before he could finish, his assistant, Liam O’Connell, materialized at his elbow, announcing an urgent board call.

Grayson hesitated, then tossed a hurried sentence over his shoulder. "I have to take this. We'll talk later." He turned and strode away.

Not long after he was gone, Scarlett appeared at the end of the hallway. She was still wearing that ill-fitting silk robe, and I could smell the faint scent of Grayson's expensive cologne on the collar.

She glided toward me with a provocative glint in her eyes, though her voice feigned weakness. "Moving out so soon? You must be exhausted. Grayson stayed with me all night, you know, helping me calm down... I feel so much better."

Then, she leaned in, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial hiss. “See? You can’t keep what was never really yours to begin with.”

Just then, I heard Grayson's footsteps descending the stairs.

The malice on Scarlett's face was wiped clean, replaced by a look of sheer terror. She had just reached the million-dollar white carpet when she deliberately tipped the glass of red wine in her hand, then threw herself backward with a piercing shriek.

"Cassia! It's okay, I won't take your room!"

Grayson arrived like a whirlwind. He saw the glaring red wine stain on the floor and the "frightened" Scarlett, and his composure completely shattered.

He whirled on me, his eyes blazing with disappointment and fury. "Cassia! I thought you were finally being reasonable, but I never imagined you could be so vicious! She's a patient!"

I said nothing. I just met his gaze coldly.

He didn't wait for an explanation. He rushed to Scarlett's side, helping her up as if she were a fragile porcelain doll.

In that moment, I remembered a business merger two years ago. To protect his company from a hostile takeover, I had pulled multiple all-nighters analyzing data for him, even shelving one of my own crucial research projects. I collapsed in the lab from hypoglycemia. When I woke up, the only thing beside me was a cold IV drip.

What had he said then? "There's too much to deal with after the merger. As the future Mrs. Sterling, I need you to be stronger."

So, he wasn't incapable of gentleness. He just reserved it for someone else.

A spilled glass of wine, and he acted as if Scarlett had taken a bullet. That blatant double standard finally extinguished the last flicker of love I had for him.

I watched their retreating backs and let out a self-mocking smile. My phone vibrated.

It was a text from Ronan Blackwood.

[Cassia, your extraction team is on standby. You can leave whenever you're ready.]

I replied without hesitation: [See you in two hours.]

I went back to my room to pack the last of my files and my mother's belongings.

However, when I opened the safe, my mind went blank.

It was gone. The paper manuscript of my mother's research was gone. It was the only original copy, a priceless treasure, and the last memento she had left me.

I knew exactly who had taken it. At that moment, my rage finally erupted.

Burning with a fury I could no longer contain, I stormed toward the lab.

I kicked the door open.

Scarlett was sitting alone at a lab bench. She was carelessly flipping through the manuscript, a vicious smirk on her face.

"Looking for this piece of junk?" She saw me, but there was no fear in her eyes, only crazed satisfaction. "Something this outdated doesn't belong here. It's an eyesore. I don't want this trash dirtying the office I'll be sharing with Grayson."

With that, she “accidentally” tipped over a bottle of corrosive acid sitting on the bench beside her.

The liquid splashed onto the manuscript, sending up plumes of acrid white smoke. My mother's precious handwriting dissolved into nothing.

"No—!"

Thought ceased. All that remained was a pure, searing hatred that eclipsed everything else.

I lunged. Before Scarlett could react, I slapped her across the face with all my might. The crisp sound echoed through the lab, and her cheek immediately began to swell.

The force of the blow sent her staggering into the lab bench. She let out a blood-curdling scream, but just as she fell, her eyes darted over my shoulder toward the door.

Heavy footsteps were approaching. Scarlett looked at the door and shot me a triumphant, defiant smile.