Esme didn't seem the least bit bothered by my attitude.

"Understood. I'll relay your message to Ben," she replied swiftly and hung up.

Of course, to them, my emotions probably just came across as petty and pathetic.

Suppressing the sting in my eyes, I gazed deeply at Dad's tombstone before I hailed a cab back to Benji's villa.

It was a snowy day, and the roads were treacherous. By the time I arrived, Benji had already returned from the gala.

Under the dim yellow light, he was sprawled lazily on the sofa, eyes half-closed.

He no longer exuded the commanding presence he did at the office. Instead, he looked soft and harmless, like a docile puppy.

The stark contrast was enough to tug at anyone's heartstrings.

Instinctively, I lightened my footsteps and moved closer.

Just then, a gentle voice came from the kitchen.

"Ben, the hangover soup is ready. Want me to feed it to you?"

The voice was followed by Esme carrying a bowl of soup out of the kitchen.

While her presence didn't surprise me, what caught me off guard was that she was wearing nothing but one of Benji's white shirts.

And not just any shirt—it was the one I had gifted him on our first Valentine's Day together. I had spent half a month's salary and meticulously compared dozens of brands to pick out the perfect one.

Now, it was on Esme.

"Mr. Warren," I uttered with a mocking tone, "it seems you've moved on. But don't you think it's only fair to notify your ex so she can clear out first? This is quite the awkward situation."

Ignoring their flirtatious atmosphere, I turned to leave.

But Benji shot up and grabbed my arm. "Sydney, what's your problem this time? Esme spilled wine on her dress, so I just gave her something to change into. Stop making a scene."

I hadn't intended to argue. After all, I was getting married to another man in five days. My only reason for coming back was to resign from my job and give this relationship a proper ending.

Whatever was going on between him and Esme, I should have pretended not to notice. However, seeing my gift on her was something I just couldn't stomach.

I looked back and stared at the lipstick stain on Benji's jawline.

"So, what you're saying is that I should be okay with another woman waltzing into my boyfriend's home, wearing his shirt, and leaving lipstick marks on him?"

My sharp glare made Benji reflexively grab a tissue to wipe his jaw with a hint of unease.

Esme, however, showed no shame. She said, "Only a dirty mind would see something improper. So what if it's my lipstick? Ben and I grew up together. Even if there were something between us, what does it have to do with you?

"Stop using threats like moving out to manipulate Ben. He's already under enough pressure running Warren Group. If you can't help, at least don't make things harder. Since you don't like me here, I won't come next time."

How impressive.

As Benji's top assistant, she had a talent for turning the tables.

Nonetheless, I wasn't about to back down this time.

Just as I opened my mouth to retort, Benji frowned and cut me off.

"Sydney, apologize to Esme. She's only helping you since you refused to prepare the soup. The least you could do is thank her instead of accusing her. Did your parents not teach you manners?"

His mention of parents reminded me of Dad.

Suppressing the pain welling up inside me, I glared at Benji. "Apologize? Neither of you deserves it."

With that, I stormed upstairs to my room.

Benji was seemingly intent on teaching me my place as he decided to drive Esme home. As I listened to the sound of his car engine fading into the night, I sat in the darkness and let out a bitter laugh.

If I were honest, calling myself Benji's girlfriend was a stretch. I was more like a pet to pass his time.

When he was bored, I had to be at his beck and call. But when I wanted to see him, I had to schedule through Esme. And nine times out of ten, I wouldn't even get to.

But it didn't matter anymore. After all, I was about to marry someone else.

The next morning, as I headed out to the company to resign, I immediately noticed Benji's car parked at the entrance. He opened the door and motioned for me to get in.

"Come on, let's head to work together," he said.

I knew this was his way of making up.

In the past, I would have happily accepted, even if it meant getting out a block early and walking in heels the rest of the way. But this time, I simply waved my phone at him.

"No need, I've called a ride."

"Are you seriously throwing a tantrum because I asked you to apologize to Esme?"

Benji extended his hand again and continued, "Warren Group is preparing to be listed. We need to handle high-level negotiations and elite business circles. Esme is taking care of all that. Can you handle the consequences if you drive her away?"

Five years hadn't left much of a mark on Benji physically, but to me, the man standing before me was nothing like the Benji who had once pursued me.

We'd met at the company's annual gala. I was a rookie intern from the project department, unfamiliar with the occasion, while he was the CEO stepping out for air.

Mistaking him for a colleague, I'd chatted freely with him for the entire evening. From then on, he started courting me and claimed he liked my authenticity and how unpretentious I was.

He'd showered me with flowers, gifts, and candlelit dinners—the clichés of romance. But as someone who'd never been in love before, I lasted only six months before I fell for him.

In the beginning, we were happy. He'd fret over my small lunches during my diet and buy snacks for the entire office just to make sure I wouldn't go hungry.

When I was sick, he'd cook for me.

Because he didn't want to go public with our relationship, he often felt guilty and would cram his work into weekdays just to free up weekends to travel with me.

Back then, Benji was head over heels for me.

However, everything changed when Esme returned to the country.

What he once admired as my authenticity turned into my incompetence. My unpretentiousness became a lack of emotional intelligence.

I couldn't even remember the last time we'd sat down for a proper meal together. The difference between love and indifference was glaringly obvious.

I asked with a faint smile, "If Esme's so perfect, why don't you just marry her?"

"Sydney!" Benji's tone sharpened with impatience.

I knew he wanted to accuse me of being unreasonable, so I spoke first.

"Benji, let's break u—"

Before I could finish, his phone rang. Esme's voice came through, saying, "Ben, I've scheduled breakfast with Mrs. Graham. Come pick me up."

Without a word, Benji shut the car door and drove off.

I sneered.

In the end, the most painful thing in a relationship wasn't a heated argument but this cold indifference, when even the opportunity to fight was denied.

After calming myself, I headed to the company. I still had one last big project to wrap up, and I wanted to ensure the contract was signed before I left.

The moment I stepped into the office, I was met with a guilty look from my supervisor, Amy Myers.

She said, "Sydney, I'm so sorry. You're being taken off this project."

"Why?" I asked, confused. This was a project I had been handling from the beginning. Why would I be removed right before the contract was signed?

Seeing my bewilderment, Amy pulled me into her office.

"Sydney, I've been meaning to ask you something. Have you offended someone higher up? This isn't the first time you've been replaced at the last minute."

She was right. This had happened to me before, and it was one of the reasons I was so eager to resign.

In my five years at the company, I had worked diligently and secured hundreds of deals, big and small. But every time a project reached the final stages, I would be removed.

Because of that, promotions and bonuses always seemed to pass me by.

Benji once told me he'd propose to me if I could make it to the position of project director. Yet no matter how hard I worked, I was always stopped short of that goal.

I had confronted him about it before, but he would only dismiss me.

"There are plenty of employees who work harder and are more capable than you. What makes you think you're the best? Instead of feeling wronged, why not reflect on your own shortcomings?"

The first time he said that, I was devastated by both his dismissal of my efforts and my repeated failures at work.

But now I understood that Benji had never respected me. He didn't think I deserved success, and he'd been gaslighting me all this while.

Noticing the concern on Amy's face, I slid my resignation letter across the table and forced a lighthearted smile. "It's fine. I wasn't planning on staying anyway. I'm getting married."

"You're getting married? To whom?"

A surprised voice came from the doorway.

Turning around, I saw Benji standing there with his brows furrowed in confusion.

"Sydney, come to my office."

Benji's sudden appearance brought tension. He shot me a cold glance before leaving first.

I didn't want to go, but Amy gave me a gentle push.

"Mr. Warren is a reasonable man. You should talk to him, and see if you can get the project back. The deal is about to be signed, and there's a big bonus involved."

Amy had been the one to guide me when I first joined the company, and she'd seen all my hard work over the years. That was why she wanted me to try again.

Nevertheless, she was wrong about how Benji would react.

As soon as the door to the CEO's office closed, Benji began to reprimand me with sarcasm.

"Sydney, are you really that desperate to marry me? The company is in a critical stage of development. If you're not going to help, at least don't make things worse. Do you know how much our stock will drop if word gets out that I'm marrying a project assistant?"

I didn't want to feel hurt as I knew breaking up was inevitable. But when I saw the contempt in his eyes, my heart couldn't help but ache.

I clenched my hands and was about to speak when Esme walked in holding a photo frame.

"Ben, the family portrait's ready. I've put it by your computer, is that okay?"

It was indeed a "family" portrait. Benji's parents sat in the front while Esme and Benji stood behind with their arms around each other, looking perfectly intimate.

It was laughable. After five years of dating, I was only seeing Benji's parents for the first time in a photo with him and another woman.

I forced a chuckle despite the ache in my heart.

"Don't worry, Mr. Warren. Although I'm just a project assistant, I would never interfere in other people's relationships. As for who I marry, that's a private matter. You don't need to worry about it."

Fearing I might reveal my vulnerability if I stayed any longer, I quickly left his office. It wasn't until I reached the stairwell that I finally allowed myself to cry.

I cried for the Sydney who had loved Benji so deeply for five years only to be met with disdain, and for the Sydney who had worked tirelessly and never been recognized.

As I wiped away my tears, I heard voices coming from behind the door.

"Hey, did you hear? That gal Sydney thought working overtime all those days would get her promoted and married to Mr. Warren. What a joke."

"It's all thanks to you, Ms. Lopez, for giving us this opportunity. We'll make sure to handle this project well."

Esme sneered and said, "She's still a country bumpkin at the end of the day. No matter how much she tries to fit into high society, she'll never succeed. If I could remove her from the project once, I could do it multiple times.

"She dreams of getting promoted by having Ben marry her. I have to say she's quite resilient, though. Even after getting denied her bonuses for years, she still can't bring herself to leave."

A surge of anger filled my gut.

I thought about my meager salary over the past five years and all the projects I'd worked on that had been stolen from me.

I thought of Dad, lying in pain on his hospital bed, while I couldn't even afford to pay for his treatment.

So, it was Esme all along, pulling the strings behind the scenes.

I slammed open the fire exit door and rushed out, throwing my handbag at her as I yelled, "Esme, if you want to steal my man, just say it. Why must you stoop so low as to sabotage my projects?"

"Sydney, what are you doing?"

The bag's embellishments caught in Esme's hair, and the metal studs scratched her face. Her cheeks flushed red with anger as she glared at me.

I thought she was about to lunge at me, but to my surprise, she suddenly dropped to her knees and cried pitifully, "Ms. Carroll, I'm sorry. I didn't know you cared so much about me being childhood friends with Ben. Don't worry, I'll resign right now.

"Just please, don't hit me or insult my parents. I was wrong. Please, let me go. You're right, you're Ben's girlfriend. Warren Group is yours. I shouldn't have tried to poke into your business. I won't ever show up in front of you again."

Esme's actions left me stunned.

Just as I wanted to get some clarity, someone came out of the elevator and shoved me away.

"So, now you've resorted to violence, huh? Sydney, this is the office, not some street corner where you can act like a petty street brawler. Apologize to Esme right now."