Chapter 2

2

Mark and Ashley were silent.

It was like a movie scene frozen in place.

I wasn't going to let Ashley off the hook easily. I decided to call her out directly.

"Mark, it seems your assistant didn't just 'forget' to book my ticket."

"She did it on purpose."

Ashley shook her head like a little rag doll.

Mark also rejected my theory.

He accused me of having no class.

He said that since he hired Ashley, I'd been trying to make trouble for her.

Hearing that, Ashley tugged timidly at Mark's sleeve.

"Mark, I don't know Sarah. Why does she hate me so much?"

She called me "Sarah."

She didn't even have the guts to call me Mrs. Stone.

Before, Mark would have corrected her.

But this time, he just pursed his lips.

Ashley suddenly started bowing to me.

Tears fell to the floor. Her shoulders shook as she choked back sobs.

"I'm sorry, Sarah. I don't know what I did, but if I made you upset, then I should apologize."

"If bowing isn't enough, I'll get on my knees."

And she started to bend.

I watched this whole performance, then gave a cold chuckle.

"Ashley, can you stop with the pathetic act?"

Mark's jaw twitched. He quickly scooped up Ashley, who was pretending to kneel.

He then exploded.

"Enough, Sarah! Do you have to pick on a young girl who just graduated to feel better?"

"Did you forget how you were mistreated by bosses? Are you so quick to forget your past experiences? It's unbelievable!"

My heart did a flip.

He'd actually brought up old trauma to defend Ashley.

He took Ashley's hand and turned to leave.

Ashley asked him to wait.

Then, she grabbed a wet wipe.

She half-knelt on the ground and started cleaning the spot on his pants where I'd kicked him.

While she did, Mark seemed to have calmed down slightly.

He spoke in a softer tone, like he was trying to reason with me.

"Sarah, apologize to Ashley, and I'll take you back to the show."

I just watched them, like they were some random couple I didn't know.

I was happy with my impromptu slap routine, so there was no way I'd apologize.

Mark was enraged by my apathy. He took Ashley, and without looking back, they left.

And left me alone at the fashion show in a foreign country.

They didn't even stick around to hear my big news: I was pregnant.