When Sasha woke up again, the night had already settled in.

The moment she opened her eyes, she saw Aidan standing at the foot of her bed.

She jumped in shock. "What are you doing? You scared the life out of me."

With a loud snap, the lights in the room suddenly blazed on.

"Why didn't you answer your phone? I told you. Mr. Conley is coming tonight."

As Aidan spoke, he angrily yanked his tie off and kicked the foot of the bed.

Seeing the fury on his face, Sasha cautiously asked, "Did something go wrong tonight? That can't be. I arranged everything with Heidi. She's more than capable. There's no way anything went wrong."

She sat up quickly, reaching for her phone.

In the moment she was searching for it, Aidan's expression darkened even further.

"Did something go wrong? You have the nerve to ask me that? Do you have any idea that because of your tantrum and your refusal to show up, I've offended Mr. Conley tonight? He canceled the 20-million-dollar deal."

Sasha, who had found her phone, froze at his words.

In a panic, she dialed her assistant, Heidi Moore's number and rushed out of the room.

The moment the call connected, Heidi's angry voice exploded from the other end.

"OMG! Finally! You have no idea what a disaster tonight was. Mr. Gallagher tried to reach you all night. When he couldn't get through, Natalie insisted he take her to Mr. Conley's party.

"Fine, she can go, but she's such an idiot. Mr. Conley tries to toast her, and she refuses to drink. Then, when he talks to her, she just shuts up and doesn't say a word.

"Okay, she doesn't want to socialize. That's fine. But when Mr. Conley went to toast Mr. Gallagher, she grabbed his drink and took it away.

"And then, she had the nerve to say to Mr. Conley, 'Can you stop pressuring my boyfriend to drink? I hate filthy men like you who corrupt my boyfriend!'"

After a sigh, Heidi continued, "Mr. Conley's face darkened, but since Natalie's young, he let it slide. Finally, when the party ended, Natalie heard Mr. Conley mention going to the club, and she flipped out. She called him a shameless man and told him to get lost, saying he was ruining her boyfriend.

"Mr. Conley got furious and stood up like he was about to slap her. Mr. Gallagher didn't even try to calm him down. Instead, he jumped in and started fighting with him. Now, Mr. Conley's in the hospital, and our 20 million deal is completely dead."

Heidi's furious voice made Sasha's anger flare up.

The Brian Conley deal was one she and her team had worked hard on for six months. If they had closed it, their team would have earned millions in bonuses.

To have it all fall apart at the last moment was infuriating.

But before Sasha could catch her breath, Aidan's angry voice echoed from behind her.

"Now you finally know what happened. I'm giving you two days, Sasha. I don't care if you have to beg or spend a few days with Mr. Conley, but you're going to fix this deal."

Already upset, Sasha grew even more furious at his words.

"You ruined the deal with your 'heroic rescue,' so why should I clean up your mess?"

Aidan froze for a second.

"Why? Because I'm your boss, Sasha. Don't forget. If it weren't for me promoting you and bringing you into my company, you'd still be out there working in a club and flirting for tips."

Sasha's lips twisted into a bitter smile.

Aidan seemed to realize he'd gone too far with his words.

"Sorry, I-I didn't mean it like that. Just forget what I said. I'm just panicking because we lost Mr. Conley's deal. You know how serious this is. I've already placed the orders with the factory. If Mr. Conley pulls out now, the whole company is screwed."

Aidan walked over and grabbed Sasha's hand.

"Sasha, I know you have connections. You need to figure something out. Whatever you do, you need to handle that shipment first."

Looking at Aidan's pleading face, Sasha finally agreed. However, it was not because of Aidan but because of the employees under her.

Even though she was planning to leave Aidan, the company, and the city in three days, she didn't want to leave them with a ticking time bomb.

Seeing Sasha agree, Aidan immediately rushed over to hug her tightly.

Feeling the warmth of his body through their clothes, Sasha shuddered slightly.

In the past, whenever Aidan landed a big deal, he'd come running to hug her excitedly, just like now.

"You're my lucky star, Sasha.

"How did I get so lucky to find someone like you, Sasha?

"You're never leaving me, Sasha, never."

Thinking back to those happy moments, Sasha instinctively wanted to hug him back. But before her hands could reach his back, Aidan's phone rang.

When he saw the word "babe" on the screen, he immediately pushed her away, as if he'd been struck by lightning.

Sasha, caught off guard, was pushed to the ground. Her back slammed hard against the floor. The sharp pain made her break out in cold sweat.

But Aidan didn't seem to notice the agony on her face. He hurriedly motioned for her to be quiet.

When the phone finally connected, Natalie's crying voice came through.

"I'm so sorry, Aidan. It's my fault. I lost control and messed up the deal with Mr. Conley. You know I'm not like Sasha. I have self-respect. I just can't bring myself to drink with men.

"Besides, you're my boyfriend, Aidan. When I heard you were going to that kind of place, I just got jealous."

Aidan didn't even glance at Sasha as he rushed to comfort Natalie.

"Don't say that, babe. This is not your fault. If anyone's to blame, it's Sasha. If she hadn't stood me up, you wouldn't have been stuck at the party with me. You're pure-hearted, and you're not used to this business stuff. It's normal for things to go wrong sometimes."

Listening to their affectionate words, Sasha stayed silent. She bit back the pain in her back as she struggled to get up from the floor. With a limp, she made her way back to her room.

But when she lay down under the blankets, the tears flowed freely, like a string of pearls falling from her eyes.

Aidan left about an hour later.

He glanced at her shaking figure hidden under the covers but didn't ask if she was okay. He only told her that she needed to handle the shipment, no matter what.

As Sasha watched his back fade away, her already red, swollen eyes filled with more tears.

Aidan's indifference to her had always been so obvious.

She'd just refused to see it for the past seven years.

Sasha and Aidan had met at an upscale nightclub.

At that time, her mother, Ella Barlow, was battling uremia. She required dialysis every week and was in desperate need of a kidney transplant.

To make quick money, Sasha worked as a PR officer at the club, using her looks to interact with wealthy customers.

Aidan was like a desperate sycophant back then, flattering and serving a group of people. He poured drinks and lit cigarettes for them, hoping they would throw some business his way.

At first, Sasha and Aidan's relationship was nothing more than occasional greetings.

That changed one day when Sasha was set up by another PR officer at the club. She was tricked into serving a rich heir who had a disease.

In an attempt to make sure she got infected, the PR officer had even drugged her, knowing she never left the club with customers.

Just as she was about to be assaulted by the heir, Aidan came to her rescue.

On that day, Aidan lost a deal worth millions, and the heir crushed his hand as they fought.

Maybe it was from that moment on that Sasha had fallen for Aidan.

After that, whether out of gratitude for Aidan saving her or the lingering, subtle feelings that had taken root, she used her connections from the club and her position to help him close several big deals.

Aidan, sensing her abilities, hired her the following year. He brought her into his company as a PR manager.

From then on, they became the perfect team. He dealt with the socializing, and she handled the drinking duties. He brought in resources, and she secured deals with key decision-makers.

A year into her job at Aidan's company, the two of them ended up in bed together.

Sasha had always known that Aidan didn't truly care about her.

Even the first time they were intimate, Aidan made a crude remark. "By the way, where did you get that tightening procedure done? The results are impressive. Ladies from your club always know where to find the best places."

That was the first time she felt humiliated by Aidan.

In truth, that night with him was her first time.

She wanted to tell Aidan the truth, but she knew he wouldn't believe her. After all, he had seen her in so many compromising situations back at the club.

Even now, when she secured deals, she still had to play along with the clients.

But Aidan was the only one who had touched her body, and she had truly loved him to the core.

Love had never been fair. She knew that all too well.

Sasha had promised Aidan to handle the shipment for the company, so despite the lingering effects of the abortion, she pushed herself to visit Brian in the hospital early the next morning.

As soon as she reached the door of his ward, a cup of water came flying toward her before she could step inside.

"Get out, you bitch! I'm telling you. Even if you beg me on your knees today, I won't give Ridgeco Corporation any more business!"

Sasha rubbed her forehead where the cup had struck.

Noticing there was no hope of reconciliation, she turned around and left.

When she arrived at the office, Heidi approached her. "Sasha, did you meet Mr. Conley? Did he hit you on the forehead?"

Sasha didn't respond to Heidi's question. Instead, she calmly instructed, "Bring me the shipment list from the factory and contact all the business teams for a meeting at 10:00 am. We probably can't smooth things over with Mr. Conley for now, so let's focus on finding other distributors for the factory's goods."

As she spoke, she walked toward her office.

As soon as she entered the office and shut the door, Natalie walked in without even knocking.

She shot Sasha a disdainful look before placing a fine in front of her.

"Please sign this penalty notice, Ms. Barlow. Aidan said you abandoned your post yesterday, which caused the company huge losses. You'll be docked a quarter of your bonus as punishment."

Before Sasha could respond, Heidi, standing beside her, snapped.

"Why should Sasha take the blame for your mess? If you'd kept your mouth shut last night, Mr. Conley wouldn't have been angry!"

Natalie sneered at Heidi's words and mocked, "You think I'm as shameless as you? You still smiled at Mr. Conley when he touched your leg. Let me tell you. I'm a respectable person, not like you, who will do anything to land a deal.

"Also, I'm Aidan's girlfriend. I'm basically the boss. You work for Aidan, so you better do whatever I tell you."

Heidi turned red with anger.

Meanwhile, Sasha's lips curved into a faint smile.

When Natalie had first come to the company, Sasha had no idea she was Aidan's girlfriend. Back then, she'd thought Natalie was just an ordinary intern.

Once, Natalie accidentally sent everyone's salary details to the company group, so Sasha called her into her office.

She'd just planned to lecture her a little, but before she could get a word in, Natalie had snapped back, "Who are you to lecture me? Don't think I don't know. You only got to where you are by seducing Aidan.

"Listen carefully. Aidan's mine. He's been in love with me for ten years. All this time, he's only been with you because he wasn't good enough to marry me yet. If you had any sense, you'd leave the company now."

It was then that she learned Natalie was Aidan's first love, the one he had been harboring feelings for all these years. He was working hard to make enough money to eventually marry her.

At that time, Sasha still had expectations for Aidan. Filled with an overwhelming sense of jealousy, she immediately went to HR, wanting to get Natalie fired.

But just as she had spoken to HR, Aidan came in right after.

"Are you bullying Natalie because she's my girlfriend? Sasha, this is not a place for your jealousy. If you intentionally make things difficult for Natalie again, I'll have you kicked out of the company.

"And remember your place. All these years, I've only seen you as a bed partner, an employee, and a subordinate. I've never liked you, and I never thought of having any feelings for you. The only person I've ever loved is Natalie."

Sasha finally realized how naive she was.

She remembered overhearing Aidan and his friends speaking about her with disgust, but she hadn't given up on her feelings for him.

She remembered the countless times Aidan had hinted that she needed to please their clients, but she still had done as he wished.

She'd always known Aidan loved someone else and couldn't give her the love she wanted, but he shouldn't have broken the one principle she had clung to.

Because long ago, she had told Aidan that he didn't have to love her, but if he found another girlfriend, he had to let her leave with dignity.

This was because Sasha had grown up as the daughter of a mistress.

The one thing she loathed more than anything else in the world was being called a mistress.

This insistence might seem laughable for someone like her, who had been through countless experiences with men. It was just like how she had once refused to sleep with anyone at the club.

In the seven years she fought alongside Aidan, she had been flirtatious and touched the line with clients, but she had never crossed that line.

Yet now, Aidan had forgotten her principle.

The day Aidan declared Natalie his first love, Sasha had steeled herself, still hoping against hope, and looked into his eyes.

"What if I told you I'm pregnant with your child?"

Aidan paused for two seconds and replied, "If you're pregnant, keep it. I'll give you money, even raise it, but I won't marry you."

After receiving the answer she had expected, Sasha accepted it calmly.

That day, without even taking a leave, she grabbed her handbag and walked out of the company.

Her heart ached terribly, but she endured the pain and went straight to the hospital to terminate the pregnancy.

As she thought about the lost child, her hand instinctively rested on her abdomen, and a sharp pain echoed in her heart.

Standing up, Sasha took a pen and signed the penalty notice.

Heidi was immediately frantic. "Why are you signing this, Sasha? Why should you?"

Why? Because her place had never been rightful.

Because after seven years, she hadn't been able to make Aidan forget Natalie.