Chapter 2

2.

I turned around to head back to my desk.

As I passed the breakroom, a group of coworkers were huddled together, whispering intensely.

They gave me a strange, dirty look and immediately looked away when I glanced back.

I stopped in my tracks, and the chatter died down instantly.

They scattered, pretending to be busy with their phones or coffee.

But I caught a few words through the silence― "sugar baby," "side piece," and "scandalous photos."

My stomach dropped. I had a very bad feeling about this.

Back at my desk, a notification for a company-wide blast email popped up.

I clicked it, and everything suddenly made sense.

There was a photo attached to the email.

It was a picture of me and a man. He was wearing an expensive, tailored suit with his arm draped around my shoulder.

From the angle, it looked like I was leaning into him, my lips nearly brushing his cheek. It looked incredibly intimate.

I sneered. The sender was an anonymous burner account―how pathetic.

A shadow suddenly blocked my light.

I looked up to see Liam Logan, Gary's distant nephew.

He had tried to hit on me when I first started, using a mix of cheesy lines and subtle threats.

"My uncle is the boss here," he had said. "You'd be smart to be nice to me."

After I rejected him, he went around telling everyone he was the one who dumped me.

Now, he was standing there with a smug, disgusting grin on his face.

"Wow, Gwen. You're really making headlines today!"

"I was wondering how a rookie like you got such high sales numbers. I guess we finally know who's paying your bills."

I looked at him and said nothing.

Taking my silence for weakness, he leaned against my desk, his tone turning even more vile.

"Honestly, Gwen, life must be so easy for girls like you. All you have to do is―"

I snapped my head toward him, my eyes like ice.

"Finish that sentence. I dare you."

He flinched, looking startled for a second. But he quickly recovered, trying to act tough.

"What? Guilty conscience much?"

"I'm just glad I saw your true colors before I got involved with someone like you."

He squinted at me and shook his head like he was disappointed. "A woman like you? I wouldn't take you even if you were free."