Anger surged through me.

"I only use it for my personal emails. All core project data is encrypted. What gives you the right to inspect my personal laptop?"

She acted like she did not hear me and signaled the security to seize my laptop.

I held on desperately and shouted, "These are my personal belongings. You have no right to touch them!"

However, the security guards were much stronger. I was pinned in place, and my laptop was ripped from my hands and taken by Maeve.

She smiled disdainfully.

"How would we know if you didn't secretly back up company intel if we don't run a formal check?" she mocked.

I turned to Chance and said, "What she's doing is illegal. Are you sure you want to allow this?"

He replied indifferently, "Maeve is just following protocol. If you didn't do anything wrong, you shouldn't be afraid of an inspection."

I forced myself to calm down and stopped struggling.

Chance then added, "Vera, if you don't want to make this ugly, transfer that new energy project to the company tomorrow. I'll overlook this incident, and your laptop will be returned immediately."

I let out a cold laugh.

He wanted me to transfer my personal project to him? In his dreams!

Even if I had launched the project, I would never have handed it over to them and let them steal my work.

Besides, the atmosphere in the company had become strange.

Chance once personally took a client out to dinner for a deal worth a few hundred thousand dollars.

However, Maeve, who was trying to save costs, ordered the cheapest set meal for the client and would not even get him an extra bottle of water.

She then used the entertainment budget to order a full table of takeout for herself.

Chance still thought she was being smart and cost-conscious.

As one would expect, that deal fell through spectacularly.

Afterward, Chance blamed my project evaluation report for not being attractive enough and causing the client to lose interest.

I contacted the client privately and apologized endlessly before he agreed to reconsider.

After the contract was signed, Chance gave all the credit to Maeve, calling her the company's 'cost-control genius'.

He was wrapped around her fingers at that point. Only then did I realize the signs that had been there all along.

She shoved my laptop and document boxes aside.

"These are the tablet, recorder, and portable hard drive you applied for through the company… All project backups that were made using company equipment," she said.

She took each item out of the box and displayed it one by one.

I did not care about the rest, but when she pulled out the hard drive, I nearly lost it.

I stared at her and tried to rush forward.

"That contains all my personal portfolio and design drafts. Give it back to me!" I demanded.

She raised an eyebrow and casually formatted the hard drive.

She announced mockingly, "What do you mean, yours? Any intellectual work created during your employment belongs to the company!"

I was so angry at her shamelessness that I laughed.

In that hard drive wasn't just all my work since college. It also contained private projects unrelated to the company, all done in my spare time.

I had planned for a clean handover and to go our separate ways.

Since Chance allowed her to do this, it finally cut off my last bit of attachment.

I picked up the few personal belongings she had left behind and prepared to leave.

"These should be mine, right?" I asked.

Maeve sternly shouted again before I tried to leave.

"You can take your personal belongings, but you haven't paid for the price of your violation. This penalty must be settled since you're no longer an employee of this company," she said.

I did not want to argue anymore.

"How much is the penalty? I'll pay," I said.

She tapped on a calculator. I was holding my belongings when she asked me for thirty thousand dollars.

I was baffled. The amount was sheer absurdity, even if I was not short on money.

I demanded incredulously, "These charges add up to thirty thousand dollars?"

She replied confidently, "Of course. Five thousand dollars for violating travel policy, twenty thousand dollars for emergency information security department services, plus overtime pay for me and Mr. Goode over your fiasco, two thousand five hundred dollars for each person. The total is thirty thousand dollars."

She listed every item clearly.

I could not hold back anymore and snapped back.

"Two thousand five hundred dollars each for overtime? Why don't you rob the bank instead? You seized my laptop by force. I wouldn't have delayed you for a minute if you hadn't ordered the security guards to grab me. Why should I pay thirty thousand dollars?" I exclaimed.

Chance frowned and cut in impatiently.

"Enough! Why are you so petty, Vera? I pay you a seven-figure annual salary. Can't you even afford a mere thirty thousand dollars?" he asked.

He took out his phone, his face cold and contemptuous.

However, I was the top employee in the company, the one who made him the most profit.

My salary was far below market rate.

He transferred the money to me with scorn. "I'll pay it for you. Once you accept it, our engagement is over!"

Fine by me. That was exactly what I wanted anyway!

Early in the next morning, I took the summary of the project proposal to meet Mr. Zeke and completed the final step of the contract signing.

Mr. Zeke's company was a forerunner in the new energy sector, with huge demand for next-generation energy storage materials.

Securing a deal with him was something everyone in the industry longed for.

His schedule was always kept secret. There was no way I could have caught a window of opportunity if I had not learned about his itinerary a week in advance through special connections.

After a full week of presenting technical concepts to him, he was finally convinced by my professionalism and vision for the future. He decided to put me in charge of the project.

I had thought that once the project was finalized, Chance and I could peacefully prepare for our wedding.

However, maybe none of that was on his mind anymore, ever since the day Maeve was promoted.

I walked out after signing the contract and ran into Maeve in the lobby of the office building.

The moment she noticed me, she called out after me, her voice loud and filled with contempt.

"Are you here to trade your body with a sponsor for the project?" she asked.

I glared at her. Her words made me feel like my professional integrity was being disrespected like never before.

"Mind your words!" I exclaimed.

Her gaze dropped to the coffee stain on the hem of my skirt, and she sneered.

"A cup of coffee in this building costs over a hundred dollars. You dragged your feet paying thirty thousand dollars in penalties, yet you showed up in a place like this? Who knows what kind of under-the-table deals you're making with the clients? Look at you, you're such a mess. It must've been a pretty intense negotiation, huh?"

She noticed the document folder in my hand, so she reached out to grab it.

"Oh? You actually got the contract. Are you that desperate to go back to Chance's company?" she asked.

"I never planned to go back," I replied.

She chuckled and said, "Sure. You won't give up until you hit a wall!"

I tried to grab my folder, but she snatched it first.

"I'll say, women like you with a bit of experience are the most calculating. Always looking for shortcuts, selling your body, using dirty tricks to get results. Don't you feel ashamed? People like you are what ruins our industry. No professional ethics, how disgusting!" she scolded.

I had had enough. I grabbed the cup of water nearby and splashed it on her face, then I glared at her coldly.

"Say one more slanderous word and see what happens. My lawyer will show you what defamation means," I warned.

Her eyes teared up as she hid behind Chance, who had just arrived.

He looked at her soaked and pitiful state with concern, then glared at me in anger.

"How can you hit someone, Vera? It was only a misunderstanding, right? Maeve and I have a purely professional relationship. Not everyone thinks as dirty as you do," he insulted.

I laughed coldly inside.

"She's slandering me in public. Why shouldn't I teach her a lesson? And whatever relationship you two have, I don't care at all!" I exclaimed.

Chance snorted lightly and asked, "You don't care? Why did you refuse to cancel our engagement and refuse to accept my transfer then? Now you're hurting Maeve just to get my attention. This is a low blow, even for you, Vera."

"Transfer the money to me now. Satisfied?"

Chance froze in shock.

Behind him, Maeve started crying softly. She pointed at the document folder in my hand. "I only wanted to help you, Mr. Goode. I've been following this project the whole time, and I finally got the letter of intent, but Vera got jealous and accused me of selling company interests, and she also tried to destroy the document. I only wanted to help the company, but she splashed water on me!"

With such stellar acting skills and ability to manipulate her audience, it was truly a loss for the entertainment industry that she worked for Chance.

Chance believed every word. He called the security guards and ordered them to grab my wrists.

"I'll stand up for you. I'll make her pay for the injustice you suffered!" he exclaimed.

I glared at him in disbelief that he would step in for Maeve.

"Touch me and see what happens, Chance!" I warned.

Even though I knew he might have changed, I still could not believe he could be so heartless about our past.

Back when the company was just starting, I followed him everywhere to secure investments, working so hard until I was hospitalized.

When I was pushed out of the ward, he held my hand and swore he would never betray me.

Maeve brought over a cup of boiling water and splashed it onto my face. The sharp pain made me scream.

"This is the price of your impulsiveness, Vera Lynn!" she exclaimed.

I was stunned by the pain.

However, she was not done. She brought over a large cup of boiling water and poured it over my head.

My scalp blistered and split from the burn. Blood blurred my vision.

Chance did not even bother to look at me. All the while, Maeve clung to his arm and acted sweet.

"You're so nice to me, Mr. Goode!"

I was dragged out of the building like trash by the security guards.

Chance gently wiped the water from her face and comforted, "Were you scared? I'll take you out for a good meal later to calm your nerves."

Sebastian sent me a teasing message.

[You said you'd start today. First day on the job and you're already missing? That's not very professional of you, is it, partner?]

I told him I was in the hospital.

When he saw the thick bandages wrapped around my head, he rushed over with a tensed expression.

He asked nervously, "What happened to you?"

I took out the USB necklace I had hidden in my bag.

"It's only a minor injury. I'm alright, nothing a few days of rest won't fix. This contains the full proposal for the cooperation with Mr. Zeke. Have a look, his project has new material needs every quarter, and each purchase is worth tens of millions of dollars. I proposed providing customized technical support for him…" I explained.

Luckily, I had been careful.

Everything went wrong lately, so I had encrypted and backed up the core files in advance.

The version Maeve took was only a draft without any key data.

Sebastian turned unusually serious.

His lips stayed tightly pressed, and he finally asked, "Was it Chance?"

I did not want him to know that my ex-fiancé and his new assistant had teamed up to bully me, so I stayed silent.

Sebastian quietly stayed with me for a while. He said, "You should focus on your recovery. I'll handle the follow-up work. Don't worry! As your partner, I'll make sure you get your payback!"

I nodded lightly, and I felt like he was someone I could rely on.

My injuries had mostly healed, and it was time for ITIS, the Industry Technology Innovation Summit.

Chance showed up as expected, with Maeve beside him in a sharp suit.

I kept a blank expression, but Sebastian clenched his fist quietly.

I patted the back of his hand to signal him to stay calm. Maeve noticed the small gesture, raised her brows, and said in a mocking tone, "How impressive. You broke up with Mr. Goode, and just days later, you've found a new sponsor."

Sebastian glanced at her and warned coldly, "Watch your tongue."

Chance raised an eyebrow and judged, "You do these things, but you don't want to be judged? You accused Maeve of sleeping her way to the top, Vera. I think the most scandalous one here is you."

He stared into my eyes and said in a mocking tone, "You always said you'd wait until after marriage to live together. I thought you were conservative. It turns out you were afraid I'd find out what you were doing on the side. I see you got yourself a backup plan. Clever, really!"

Sebastian had been holding back. After hearing the insult, he finally snapped and punched Chance in the face.

"Shut your filthy mouth!" yelled Sebastian.

Chance staggered back, then shouted in rage.

"How could you let your sponsor hit me, Vera? How do you two have the nerve to show up in front of me? If you hadn't stolen the plan Maeve finalized with Mr. Zeke, we wouldn't have lost contact with him these past few days! I wouldn't be at this summit. I'd be holding a launch event!"

He looked furious, but quickly adjusted his expression and smiled.

He then looked at us with contempt, as if victory were surely in his hands.

"You're just here today to watch anyway! We can't reach Mr. Zeke for now, but that project isn't going anywhere. The strategic partner will be announced at today's summit, and Mr. Zeke's future material supplier can only be us!"

Just as Sebastian was about to tell him off, the voice of the host cut through the hall, asking everyone to take their seats.

The host announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, today we will all witness an important collaboration. We have confirmed the exclusive strategic partner for the new energy project!"

Chance grew so excited that he almost stood up on the spot.

He rose smugly, threw us a provocative look, and started to walk towards the stage ahead of time.

He smirked when he passed us by and insulted, "Losers!"

However, in the very next second, he paused in his tracks in disbelief.