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.

Melanie stretched her arms and glanced at the clock. It was six in the evening.

Packing up her things, she slung her bag over her shoulder and left the office. On her way out, she called her client.

The client answered the call right away and asked her to first pick up a document from his company's finance department, and then meet him at a restaurant to get it signed. Once signed, she could submit it to the finance team the next day to process her payment.

It was getting late, and she didn't feel like going. However, the client said he was leaving on a business trip tonight and wouldn't be back for a week.

Considering Edwin's upcoming wedding and Maurice's hostility toward her, she couldn't wait that long.

Right then, she called a cab and went to the client's company. Luckily, the finance department was still open, and they handed her the document she needed.

By the time she arrived at the restaurant, it was completely dark outside.

The private room she entered was loud and lively. Melanie knocked on the door before stepping in. She handed the document to the client for his signature.

But before she could say much, a man in his late 30s wearing a gray suit came up to her.

He casually draped an arm over her shoulder "Hey, babe," the man said with a grin, "are you a friend of Walter? Come sit with us and have a drink!"

He reeked of alcohol as he spoke.

The room had four or five men, all dressed sharply. But the table only had alcohol—no food. It seemed they were waiting for someone.

Probably out of boredom, the man's words made the others laugh loudly.

Melanie glanced at the client, who was busy looking for a pen and didn't seem to care about what was happening. Her expression darkened.

"Sorry, I don't drink. I'm just here to get something signed by Mr. Dettman," she said firmly.

But the man didn't back off. His big hand slid from her shoulder down to her hand.

"What kind of document? Need me to sign it for you?" he asked, smirking.

Melanie quickly shook off his hand and turned to the client. "Mr. Dettman, is it ready yet?"

The client ignored her. The man, annoyed at being pushed away, grabbed her shoulder and tried to force her into a chair.

"Just have a drink, and I'll sign it for you," he sneered.

Melanie struggled but couldn't free herself. She was about to say something to scare them off when the door suddenly opened.

Edwin and Maurice walked in.

The men in the room immediately straightened up, plastering on polite smiles as they went to greet Edwin.

The client, who had been stalling, quickly scribbled his signature on the document and threw it to Melanie. "I've got important business here. You should leave now," he said in a rush, shoving her toward the door.

The push made her stumble, almost falling to the floor.

Before she could hit the ground, Edwin stepped forward and caught her in his arms.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice cold and distant. He smelled faintly of men's cologne mixed with a woman's perfume.

Stunned, Melanie quickly stepped out of his arms and backed away. Her heart raced as she mumbled, "I… I walked into the wrong room. It's nothing. I'll leave now."

Without waiting for a response, she turned and left in a hurry.

Edwin didn't return home until almost midnight.

Melanie, who had been half-asleep, heard his footsteps approaching and immediately woke up.

A few seconds later, there was a knock at her door.

She hesitated for a moment, hoping he'd leave. But when the footsteps didn't go away, she reluctantly got out of bed and opened the door.

The scent of cologne and perfume hit her.

Edwin stood at the door, his usual composed expression replaced by frustration. "Are you short on money?"

Melanie shook her head. "No."

He frowned. "Mr. Dettman said you've been working on a game design for him."

She had known the moment she saw him at the restaurant that this wouldn't stay hidden.

"I was just practicing," she said lightly. "I didn't want to lose my touch."

Hearing this, Edwin's expression softened slightly. He asked, "Are you still mad at me?"

Melanie met Edwin's gaze for a moment before shaking her head. "No, I'm not mad. I won't take on any more work like that. It's late, Ed. You should get some rest."

With that, she closed the door. She turned to her open half-packed suitcase, let out a long sigh, and crouched down to zip it shut.

The next morning, after Edwin left the house, she went to his study and placed a letter and a bank card on the desk.

As she pulled her suitcase out of the house, her heart, which had felt numb for so long, suddenly began to ache.

The pain was sharp like someone was slowly tearing away all the memories she had made here.

She had wanted to say goodbye to Edwin properly, but she didn't know how to face him.

Eight years of her life—days and nights they had been through together—had finally come to an end.

The words she couldn't bring herself to say, she wrote in that letter. In the end, she wished him happiness, peace, and joy for the rest of his life.

That was it.

As the cab drove her toward the airport, her phone rang. It was Maurice calling.

Melanie ignored it. She had already made her decision to leave. There was no point in getting tangled up with Maurice and Edwin anymore.

But the phone rang again. And again. On the third call, she gave in and picked it up.

Maurice's voice was hoarse and desperate, begging Melanie to bring money to save her and Edwin. Before Melanie could respond, Maurice blurted out an address.

Then a rough male voice came on the line. He warned Melanie not to try anything clever or they'd kill her.

The call abruptly ended.

For a moment, Melanie was overwhelmed by fear. Then she snapped out of it and told the cab driver to turn around and head back to the Setchfields' villa.

As the cab sped toward the address, Melanie called Iverson, Edwin's assistant, who told her the CEO wasn't at the company and had canceled all his plans for the day.

Melanie tried calling a few of Edwin's friends, but none of them were with him.

An hour later, Melanie arrived at a dock with the money and boarded a yacht.

"The money's here," she said, trying to steady her voice. "Now let my brother go."

On the deck, a man wearing sunglasses smirked and motioned to one of the bodyguards nearby.

The bodyguard stepped forward and grabbed the card from Melanie's hands. A moment later, Maurice, tied up and disheveled, was dragged out onto the deck.

When she saw her fiancé's adopted sister, Maurice's face lit up. The bodyguard ripped the tape off her mouth, and she immediately dropped to her knees in front of the man in sunglasses.

"Mr. Fournier, now that she's here, you'll let me go, right?" she pleaded.

Myron, the man called Mr. Fournier, stood a few steps away and looked lazily at her. A wicked smile spread across his face.

"Oh, not so fast. The real fun is just beginning!"

His gaze shifted to Melanie. "Miss Henley, don't blame me. Blame Edwin for making too many enemies! And blame this dear sister-in-law of yours for her stupidity. She didn't just owe me money; she ran off and started a new life with the one person I despise the most! Did you really think I'd let her off that easily?"

It hit Melanie all at once. There was no Edwin here. Maurice had betrayed her.

Maurice, now trembling on the verge of collapse, looked up at Myron with wide eyes. "You said if I paid you back, you'd let me go!"

Myron sneered. "That money was hers, not yours. But don't worry—you still have a chance. When Edwin gets here, pray he chooses you. If he does, well, you might be saved."

Maurice's lips parted slightly as a bitter smile crept onto her face. "Son of a bitch! Aren't you afraid of being punished for this?!"