Chapter 2

2.

I stormed upstairs and pushed open the office door. It was empty except for a voice coming from the innermost room.

I pushed that door open and saw Brielle, sitting at a desk and live-streaming to her phone. Behind her, the door to a lounge was open, and a Hermès bag was tossed carelessly on the sofa.

I froze―this wasn't the design plan I had originally approved.

As I got closer, my heart sank like a stone.

That wasn’t an office lounge area. It had been converted into a luxury apartment suite.

The suite was twice the size of the original plan; they had knocked down a wall to an adjacent office to expand it. It was filled with professional live-streaming equipment and signs of being lived in everywhere.

The bed was from a custom Italian luxury brand―a model I had been eyeing for years but never brought myself to buy.

No wonder the renovation crew said the furnishings were over budget and needed more funding.

To keep my parents from worrying, most of the money I'd saved these past few years came from selling my old jewelry and bags. Buying the building and paying for the renovations had nearly wiped me out.

I had initially refused the budget increase, but Liam convinced me. He said that only with proper rest could he work better, earn more money, and give me a better life.

And I believed him.

It turns out, all of it was for Brielle.

I was shaking with rage. I grabbed the nearest thing on the desk and started smashing everything I could get my hands on.

Brielle suddenly appeared behind me, pointing her phone at my face.

"Chloe, have you no shame? You've been mooching off Liam for years, living here for free, and now that he wants to break up with you, you come to his office to throw a tantrum?"

I shoved the camera away and pointed at her.

"Get the hell out of my property right now, or I'm calling the cops."

Brielle covered her mouth in a fake laugh. "Your property? Chloe, yesterday you were living in a rundown apartment in Queens, and today you're claiming a midtown Manhattan skyscraper is yours?"

She let out a few dramatic wails, drawing the attention of the friends she had brought with her.

"Brielle, don't be scared, Liam is on his way!"

"Liam wouldn't be where he is today without Brielle supporting him from behind the scenes! Women like you just know how to take advantage!"

The group became more aggressive, starting to shove me.

I took a step back and yelled, "The property deed is a legally binding document! You're trespassing on my property and assaulting me, aren't you afraid of getting sued?"

Their shoves became harder.

I finally snapped. I lunged forward and slapped Brielle across the face. Her phone went flying, the screen shattering on the floor.

And at that exact moment, Liam pushed the door open.