That afternoon, Melanie knocked on the director's office door. She tried to explain that her project still had too many flaws and asked if it could be withdrawn and replaced with another.

The director gave her a polite but firm reply: the project had already been submitted, and the CEO himself had approved it. If she wanted to pull it back, she'd have to wait until he returned from his business trip.

As she stepped into the hallway, her phone buzzed a few times.

It was a message from Maurice, along with a photo.

[Melanie!!! OMG! OMG!!!!! Edwin proposed! We're going to look for wedding rings later. Can you help me pick from these designs? Which one do you think is best?]

The attached photo wasn't of rings, though. It showed Maurice nestled in Edwin's arms, gazing up at him like she was about to kiss him.

Two seconds later, the photo was deleted and replaced by photos of diamond rings.

[Oops! Sorry! Wrong pic!]

This wasn't the first time Maurice had "accidentally" sent pictures like this. Every time Melanie would stare at their intimate photos, they left her crying and sitting in silence for hours, struggling to keep the pain at bay.

But this time was different. She had decided to quit loving Edwin, so she could look at such intimate photos now.

She studied the pictures of rings, feeling oddly calm. After carefully considering the options, she picked one and replied with her suggestion.

Less than an hour later, another photo came through. This time, it was Maurice wearing the ring Melanie had suggested.

[Here, does it look beautiful in my finger?]

The diamond was huge and clearly expensive.

Melanie stared at the photo for a moment, her expression still calm. Then she typed a short reply.

[It looks perfect. Congratulations to you both!]

Later that day, her company's private group chat exploded with two pieces of gossip.

The first: [the new girl in Game Development, Melanie, is President Setchfield's sister!]

The second: [President Setchfield has proposed to Mr. Steffensen's daughter!]

The chat lit up like wildfire, with one comment after another scrolling by.

Sitting on the bus, Melanie scrolled through the messages, her heart sinking as she read them.

She had just joined the group that afternoon. She hadn't even updated her display name or introduced herself yet before those two "explosive" messages shoved her into the spotlight.

[No wonder a rookie's project got approved! Nepotism much?]

[Yep! Did you see the budget for that project? No way they'd greenlight it, right? Well, turns out the CEO's her brother, so he doesn't mind investing in such a risky proposal!]

[I was working so hard for a promotion, but what's the point? She's obviously getting the lead role in this. Gosh, can you imagine a rookie bossing around?!]

[Please don't assign her project to my team. I don't want to waste my time making her look good.]

The comments just kept piling up. Different words, same meaning—they were all mocking her, painting her as incompetent, relying entirely on connections to get ahead.

But Melanie didn't bother defending herself. She simply turned off her phone, leaned back in her seat, and stared out the window.

By the time she got home, the sky was dark.

Mrs. Claire, the housekeeper, had dinner ready, but Melanie barely touched her food before heading upstairs.

She tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep.

The next morning, when she finally came downstairs, Edwin and Maurice were already back. They were sitting at the dining table, waiting for breakfast.

Melanie noticed that her usual seat had been taken by Maurice. But without saying a word, she just sat at the far end of the table.

She didn't want to sit next to Edwin.

Breakfast was unbearable—the couple giggled and chatted like they were the only two people there.

Melanie just kept her head down, quietly sipping her coffee.

Usually, Melanie would sit beside Edwin, chatting away about everything that happened the day before—who got teased by the teacher, who suddenly started dating, or which new idol everyone was obsessing over.

But today, she was quiet. Too quiet.

Edwin wasn't used to it.

"I'm full. I'll head to work now." Melanie grabbed her bag and was about to leave when his voice stopped her.

"It's raining outside. The roads are slippery. I'll drive you later."

She froze for a second. It had been so long since she'd heard something like that from him. For a moment, she felt… disoriented.

Turning back, she replied calmly, "No need, I'll take the bus. It's convenient enough."

Edwin frowned, about to insist, but Maurice spoke first.

"Melanie, it's no trouble at all! Edwin and I are going to the company anyway. We can drop you off on the way," she said with a sweet smile.

Melanie blinked, glancing at Edwin. "I thought you two were going to pick out wedding outfits today?"

Yesterday, Maurice had sent her pictures of dresses, asking for her opinion before the photoshoot.

Maurice looked up at Edwin with adoration, her hand slipping into his. "Well, that's for later," she clarified. "This morning, babe's taking me to the company for a little tour. Soon, Melanie, we'll be colleagues!"

For some reason, hearing that made Melanie feel uneasy.

And her instincts were right.

At the company, she was called into the CEO's office.

Edwin didn't waste time. "Gummy Gem—I've decided to assign that project to Maurice. She has more experience. You'll work under her and learn from her."

Gummy Gem wasn't her baby. She'd spent countless hour and resources and sacrificed other opportunities to perfectly conceptualize that game.

And Edwin knew that. He knew exactly how much it meant to her.

Yet here he was, handing it over to someone else—without even discussing it with her first.

Melanie let out a bitter laugh. "President Setchfield, I don't agree."

Edwin's expression darkened, his fingers tapping lightly on the desk. "Why not?"

Why not?

He knew the answer. But he was cold and distant, still pushing her to accept his decision.

Was it because he didn't love her? Was that why he had to trample all over her like this?

Melanie blinked back the tears building in her eyes, forcing herself to meet Edwin's gaze. "Because Gummy Gem is my work. I put my heart into it, and I won't hand it over to someone else. Besides, has Maurice ever developed a game on her own? Has she led a team to win awards in international competitions? She—"

"Enough, Melanie." His tone was sharp, cutting her off. "This is business. It's not about your personal feelings but profits. Stop acting like a child."

"I'm not!" Her voice shook, but she held firm. "I'm just being logical. I don't—"

"This isn't up for discussion." His voice dropped, cold and final. "The announcement will be made later today. I'm just informing you."

The CEO's face darkened a little, and it was obvious his tone left no room for argument.

Melanie stared at him, and it was at that moment that she realized how that man in front of her felt like a stranger.

This was the same person who once told her she could do anything and encouraged her to dream. But now? He was dismissing her passion like it was nothing, calling it childish.

It hit her then—he really did love Maurice. So much so that he was willing to throw away his principles and standards, even use Melanie as a stepping stone to pave the way.

"Ed," Melanie said, "are you happy now?"

The light in the office flickered unevenly, casting shadows over Edwin as he leaned back in his chair, looking up at her.

For the first time, he realized that the girl who used to follow him around had grown up. But somehow, the bright, cheerful Melanie he used to know wasn't there anymore.

And yet…

The silence was broken when the door opened.

Maurice strolled in, wearing a chic little tweed outfit, her heels clicking against the floor. Without hesitation, she walked up to Edwin, clasping his hand with a playful pout.

"Babe, I've decided! I want the office right next to yours. The view is perfect, and I love the décor!"

Edwin instinctively wanted to refuse, and his eyes couldn't help but drift to Melanie. "This office isn't supposed to be—"

"President Setchfield, I'm stepping down." Melanie forced a smile, turned around, and walked out.

That office had been meant for her. He'd promised her that when she joined the company, she'd work there close to him, so it would be convenient to look after her.

But none of it mattered anymore.

She didn't want it. She didn't want anything anymore.

Half an hour before lunch, the announcement was released.

Just as expected, the Gummy Gem project was handed over to Maurice and the third game development team.

Melanie couldn't forget how, not long ago, the staff in that team were the ones complaining about the project the most. Yet, as soon as the news broke, they all suddenly changed their attitude, throwing compliments at Maurice.

Of course, Maurice was the future wife of the company's CEO. Who wouldn't want to flatter her?

But Melanie? She wasn't anyone special. She could be ignored or insulted.

When she looked at the assignment list, barely paying attention, she had to scroll through it until she finally saw her name at the very bottom.

She'd been assigned to the third team, responsible for the simplest task—building the frontend framework.

That was fine. Once she finished her part, she could focus on her freelance projects. The sooner she wrapped those up, the sooner she could pay back Edwin.

After work, Crista came by to ask if she wanted to grab dinner, but Melanie declined.

Instead, she pulled a sandwich out of her bag, ate quickly, and got back to coding.

When she heard footsteps approaching behind her, she hurriedly switched her screen before turning around. Edwin stood there in his usual black suit, his face calm but distant.

"Why aren't you eating?" he asked.

Melanie got up and stood in front of her computer, answering lightly, "I already ate."

He frowned. "You're new here. Aside from Gummy Gem, did Director Shaw assign you anything else?"

She hesitated, then saw him pull out his phone, clearly about to call the director. Panicking, she quickly said, "No, Director Shaw has been really kind to me. I was just practicing earlier."

Her explanation didn't convince him. She watched nervously as he found Director Shaw's number and was about to dial.

Before he could, someone knocked on the door.

"Babe, there you are! I've been looking all over for you!"

Maurice walked in with a bright smile and casually linked her arm to his. "Come on, I'm starving!"

Edwin glanced briefly at Melanie before putting his phone away. "Alright."

Maurice's eyes landed on Melanie as if noticing her for the first time. The former's smile widened as she invited the latter. "Melanie, why don't you join us for dinner?"

As she spoke, her fingers played with the ring on Edwin's hand, almost like she was showing off.

Melanie wasn't naive. She could see right through Edwin's fiancée.

"No, thank you. I've already eaten."

Edwin didn't say anything. He just left with Maurice.

Ten minutes later, a message popped on Melanie's phone.

It was from Maurice.

The message was deleted almost immediately, but not before Melanie saw it.

It said: [Edwin and I are getting married soon. I hope you'll learn to keep your distance, you know.]

Melanie stared at the "Maurice unsent a message" notification on her screen and let out a bitter laugh. She didn't reply. She just went back to her work.

Over the next few days, Melanie made sure to leave early and return late, carefully avoiding Edwin and Maurice.

Her goal was simple: finish her freelance projects as soon as possible, collect her client's payments, and pay back Edwin. Then she could leave for good.

After several busy days, she finally completed all her freelance projects. When she added up the payments she was about to receive, she realized it was finally enough.