"What are you crying for on New Year's? So unlucky," Quinn frowned and muttered.

Juno’s expression darkened even more. "Who are you trying to curse? Stop making a fool of yourself here!"

Quinn quickly called over a bodyguard. "Get this woman out of here!"

Juno opened his mouth as if to stop it, but seeing Sasha’s defiant expression, he swallowed his words.

She was so out of control, so she needed to face some consequences and learn a lesson.

Sasha was tossed out by the bodyguards.

The room had the heater on, but outside was freezing cold. She only had a wet and drafty dress on, making her shiver so hard that her teeth chattered.

She hugged herself tightly and ran outside.

Suddenly, a firework exploded in the sky, dazzlingly beautiful.

Sasha couldn’t help but look back, only to see Juno and Quinn cuddling on the villa’s terrace under the fireworks.

They both looked up at the sky and Quinn smiled so happily.

Sasha vaguely remembered the past three years when Juno would always take her to watch fireworks.

He gently said, "You love fireworks the most, so every year, I’ll be with you to watch them."

Sasha was surprised at the time. She had never said she liked fireworks, yet he knew.

She had thought it was a shared understanding, but it turned out that it was actually Quinn who loved them.

The biting cold wind pierced through her body, creeping deep into her heart.

The fireworks this year were so beautiful, yet Sasha suddenly found she didn’t like them anymore.

She would never love either fireworks and this man again.

When Sasha walked back to the factory, the clock struck twelve.

The new year had arrived.

At a time meant for family reunion and celebration, she was alone in her dorm, hugging herself and crying in frustration.

She felt so lonely and homesick.

After changing into some clothes, Sasha lay down, but the cold had already gotten to her and she came down with a fever.

She had hoped to rest and recover on the first day of the new year, but early in the morning, as she slept deeply, the blanket was suddenly ripped away and a biting chill rushed in.

Sasha struggled to open her heavy eyelids, only to see Juno's dark face staring down at her.

“Quinn said you’re pretending to be sick. I didn’t believe it at first, but now I see it’s true! Even though it's a holiday, the construction can’t stop. I already told you about the shift schedule. You’re skipping work!”

Sasha felt a chill all over her body and she weakly spoke, "What shift schedule?"

Seeing her clueless expression, Juno glanced at Quinn.

Quinn’s eyes instantly reddened. "Sasha, even if you have a problem with me, you can't twist the facts! I clearly confirmed with you. You have no family here, so I asked you to work during the holiday. You'll get overtime pay for it."

Sasha realized she had been set up once again, but her dizziness left her with no strength to argue.

"I’m really sick... I can’t work. I’m just so tired..."

Unable to hold on any longer, she lay back down.

Juno hesitated for only a second before the anger in his eyes flared, fueled by memories of her past actions.

He grabbed the nearby thermos and poured the water over her.

"Still refusing to learn? Addicted to lying, huh? Does this wake you up?"

Caught off guard, Sasha couldn't dodge in time. Her upper body was completely soaked and the bed was drenched as well.

Thankfully, she hadn’t gone to fetch hot water yesterday after being dragged away by Juno. The water in the thermos was now lukewarm, not scalding.

Otherwise, she would have been burned.

Sasha felt both relieved and deeply saddened.

Was it because he didn’t love her? Was it because she was just a stand-in? Did that give him the right to treat her so cruelly, with no regard for her well-being?

But Juno was the factory manager, holding all the power here. She knew that resisting further would only provoke him to greater extremes.

Left with no choice, she forced herself to head to the workshop despite her fever and weakness.

The workshop supervisor felt both distressed and angry seeing Sasha so ill yet still reporting for work.

"How did Mr. Marlow become like this?" she muttered in frustration.

She handed Sasha some fever medicine and let her rest in the workshop for the morning.

"That’s enough. I’ll take responsibility. You’ve done your shift. Go back and rest now," the supervisor said firmly.

With a pale face, Sasha softly murmured, "Thank you.”

Then she slowly made her way back to the dormitory.

As Sasha passed by the scenic lake, she was stopped by Quinn.

"Yesterday, Juno gave me a diamond ring. You must have seen it. Now, look at the ring he gave you—it’s pathetic!"

Sasha found it hard to understand Quinn’s spiteful tone. In just a few days, she had fully realized that she meant nothing to Juno.

Why did Quinn have to treat her like a thorn in her side despite knowing she was just a stand-in?

"I’ll step back. I won’t bother you anymore," Sasha said quietly.

But Quinn snorted coldly. "Then throw that ring away. Throw it into the lake. You don’t deserve to wear something Juno gave you."

Sasha lowered her head and took off the ring. Once something she treasured dearly, never wanting to part with it, she now tossed it into the lake without hesitation.

She thought this would finally put Quinn’s mind at ease, but to her surprise, Quinn, with a sobbing tone, cried out.

"Why did you throw away my diamond ring?"

Quinn rushed into Juno’s arms, crying uncontrollably.

"That was a gift from Juno! No matter how jealous you are, you can’t just throw it away! You’re trying to take my life! No, I’m going to get the ring back!"

Juno steadied Quinn and turned to Sasha, asking coldly, “Did you throw the ring away?”

His tone was harsh, but beneath the coldness, there was a hint of hidden satisfaction.

He was pleased that no matter how cruelly he treated her, Sasha still loved him so much and felt jealous over him.

Sasha wanted to deny it, but knowing no one would believe her, she simply pressed her lips together tightly.

The smile in Juno’s eyes widened.

“If you really like it…”

He paused, waiting for Sasha to give in.

As long as she promised not to be so arrogant in the future and apologized sincerely to Quinn, he would buy her one too.

He could even buy something bigger and better.

But under his burning gaze, Sasha simply replied in a soft voice, "I don't like it."

If she loved someone, even the simplest silver ring would be a treasure to her. But if she didn't love him anymore, even if he gave her the stars and the moon, she wouldn't want them.

Seeing her refusal to take the opportunity, Juno’s eyes turned icy cold.

“Ungrateful! Since that’s the case, you should pay the price for your jealousy!”

Juno pushed Sasha with both hands and she fell into the lake.

"Don't come up until you find the ring!"

The lake was only a meter deep, but Sasha was so weak. The biting cold water soaked through her clothes, flooding her body through the collar.

In an instant, her limbs stiffened from the cold. She struggled desperately, choking on large mouthfuls of water, suffocating in pain.

The feeling of nearing death overwhelmed her and her vision faded into darkness.

When Sasha woke up, Juno let out a sigh of relief, but his face quickly hardened again.

"I told you I'd explain, so why did you keep provoking her? What is your status, trying to challenge a young lady from a wealthy family? You're simply out of your league!"

"Go kneel and apologize to her properly, do you hear me? She’s so kind, she’ll definitely forgive you."

Sasha was deeply saddened, but no tears came. She softly asked one last time, "If I say I didn’t do anything, would you still want me to apologize?"

"Unbelievable! I'm warning you, you have only seven days left. If you don't admit your mistake, I will definitely fire you and there will be no chance for us anymore! I will leave you completely."

Juno left in a huff.

In his view, this was a significant threat, enough to force Sasha to comply.

But he didn't know that Sasha now dreamed of leaving him.

So, the referral letter had to be stamped.

Sasha hesitated for a long time before deciding to take a gamble.

She waited until Juno had left the office, then knocked on the door of the factory office.

"Miss Ledger, if you help me with the stamp, I will leave in seven days and never interfere with you again."

She handed the newly prepared referral letter to Quinn.

Quinn only found it amusing, thinking, ‘Leave on the tenth day? No, Sasha, you won’t make it to that day.’

After a moment of thought, she decided to agree. "I’ll stamp it, but you’ll need to help me put on a show."

Sasha smiled bitterly in agreement. Hadn't she already been forced to play roles for so many days?

Seeing her compliance, Quinn smiled with satisfaction.

Following Quinn's instructions, Sasha wrote a note to Juno, inviting him to the factory's guesthouse.

She found it strange. Juno had never been interested in her before and now that Quinn, the main person, was back, how could he possibly accept the invitation?

But to her surprise, he actually came.

"You have no other choice but to use this to seduce me, right? You are really good at it,” Juno said with disdain, but there was a joyful glint in his eyes

"Then I will reluctantly agree."

He pulled Sasha into his arms, one hand mischievously slipping into her clothes, trying to unbutton them.

Sasha's body stiffened and she forced a smile. "You should blindfold your eyes first."

"You really know how to play with moods!"

Juno became surprisingly cooperative, like a tiger turned into a big cat, allowing Sasha to tie the cloth around his eyes and then lying down on the bed.

Seeing this, Sasha immediately tiptoed to open the door and swapped Quinn, who had been waiting outside, into the room.

She didn't understand why this unnecessary step was needed.

Maybe it was for the ambiance.

Hearing the ambiguous sounds of the man she once deeply loved with another woman just a wall away, Sasha felt a mix of emotions in her heart. Just as she was about to leave, Juno's voice questioning her came from inside.

"Why are you here?"

He opened the door and the anger in his eyes seemed as if it would devour Sasha.

"Good. Very good!"

He looked so angry, so disappointed, as if he had loved her. But Sasha knew that was impossible. If he truly loved her, how could he repeatedly hurt her so deeply?

Juno stormed off in anger and Quinn hurriedly chased after him.

As for Sasha, she had completed the task Quinn had assigned to her. In seven days, she would be able to leave.

After that, everything became calm.

Sasha's fever had subsided and she spent her days working and returning to the dormitory in a steady routine.

The New Year wasn't over yet. The colorful lamps and Spring Festival couplets were hanging everywhere. Workers gradually returned and the factory became increasingly lively.

Soon, it was the ninth day of the New Year.

Sasha touched the referral letter in her pocket. Tomorrow, she could finally go home.

But after work, Quinn stopped her.

"Come to the office. These files need to be sorted."

Sasha didn’t want to cause any unnecessary trouble, so she worked overtime. By the time she finished organizing everything, it was past nine o'clock.

Quinn then said, "Go to the shop across the factory and buy me a bottle of orange soda.”

Compared to previous difficulties, running an errand like this was nothing.