Chapter 2

Chapter 2

After the doctor confirmed my burns were superficial, I was discharged from the hospital.

I took an Uber straight to my office to hand in my resignation.

My manager looked troubled and repeatedly tried to convince me to stay.

Before I could walk out of his office, my phone buzzed with an incoming call from Cyrus.

"You're quitting?" his voice came through cold and displeased.

I froze in disbelief.

"How do you know that?"

Watching the manager nervously rub his forehead, the pieces clicked together.

"This company belongs to your family, doesn't it?"

I clenched my fists as my head spun.

Every humiliation and struggle I had endured at work suddenly made sickening sense.

No wonder I was always assigned the dirtiest, most exhausting tasks.

No wonder my top sales performance never earned me a single bonus.

The entire office treated me like a useless freeloader who got hired through nepotism.

A shiver ran down my spine when I realized Cyrus had orchestrated every bit of it.

Hearing my silence, Cyrus clicked his tongue impatiently.

"I only hid it because your pathetic pride would never accept my help. Don't be ungrateful, Gwen."

"So you let everyone treat me like garbage?" I demanded, my voice shaking. "Did you ever care about what I went through?"

He brushed it off dismissively.

"I can just tell the team to back off. It's not a big deal."

"Don't bother," I said firmly. "I'm done. I quit."

Cyrus raised his voice, his tone laced with annoyance.

"Why are you always clinging to your useless pride? Without me, you'd still be scraping pennies in the gutter!"

In the background, a sweet, familiar female voice called out, asking when he would be ready.

Cyrus abruptly ended the call.

"Whatever. I'll deal with you later."

The line went dead.

I packed up my desk, walked out of the building, and headed toward the alley leading to my rented apartment.

A sudden whistle cut through the quiet street.

A young man with bleached-blonde hair stepped out from the shadows.

"Well, well. Where are you heading, sweetheart?"

I recognized that voice instantly―he was one of Cyrus's rich fraternity buddies who had laughed at me during the fire.

I clutched my bag and sprinted backward.

Before I could make it three steps, another masked man blocked my path.

A heavy hand grabbed my hair and yanked my head back.

"Don't be scared, baby. We're gonna show you a real good time."

The smell of stale whiskey rolled off him as his hands slid down to grip my waist tightly.

Nausea surged in my throat, and I kicked upward with all my might.

"Get off me, you creep!"

The masked man grunted in pain and stumbled back.

The blonde guy grabbed my throat from behind and shouted to his partner.

"Strip her down and get the camera ready!"

The masked man recovered and landed a vicious slap across my cheek.

They pinned me against the brick wall and tore at my clothes until I was left in only my bra.

Tears streamed down my face in sheer terror.

Suddenly, the weight crushing me vanished.

A jacket was thrown over my trembling shoulders as the sound of brutal punches echoed through the alley.

"Get the hell out of here!" Cyrus's icy roar followed.

I slid down the wall, curling into a ball.

Cyrus knelt in front of me with bloodshot eyes, his hands trembling as he pulled the jacket over my bare skin.

"I'm sorry, Gwen. I got here as fast as I could."

He reached out to lift me, but I shoved his arms away.

Using the damp brick wall for support, I forced myself to stand and stumbled forward.

Cyrus trailed behind in dead silence until my vision faded to black and I collapsed onto the pavement.

When I regained consciousness, hushed, angry voices drifted from outside the bedroom door.

"When you set up that alley scene, why didn't you clear it with me first?" Cyrus hissed. "She's still my woman!"

"Come on, man! We just wanted to teach her a lesson after she gave you attitude earlier. Don't tell me you're actually falling for that charity case?"

Cyrus's voice spiked with sharp defensiveness.

"Are you out of your mind? She's the most pathetic, disgusting thing in my life!"

A heavy fist slammed against the drywall.

"Just don't touch her without my orders again!"

The bedroom door swung open.

I didn't have time to close my eyes, and our gazes locked instantly.

Cyrus's face drained of all color.

"Did you... hear that?"