Chapter 2

2

The next day, I arrived at the office with the divorce settlement. I was stopped before I could even reach the executive elevator.

It was Gideon's new assistant, Miller.

Ever since I rejected his advances, he had been constantly making things difficult for me.

"An intern trying to get into the CEO's office? Are you lost?" Miller asked, looking at me with a disgusting grin.

"You rejected me just so you could try to climb the social ladder? You? Why would Mr. Caldwell ever look at you?"

"And to think I wasted so much time chasing you." He was still bitter that I had turned down his cheap plastic ring.

He leaned in close, blocking the view of others, and brushed his hand against my shoulder.

"If you get with me now, I might let this slide," he whispered in my ear.

I angrily slapped his hand away. At that moment, the crowd parted.

I saw Gideon walking toward the elevator with Lyla following closely behind him.

Lyla raised her voice intentionally.

"Elara, what are you doing with Assistant Miller? Public displays of affection are prohibited in the office. This is unprofessional!"

The surrounding colleagues immediately began to whisper.

"Yeah, Miller has been chasing Elara for a while. Even if he's persistent, we shouldn't break the rules like this."

To my surprise, Miller immediately distanced himself from me.

"Mr. Caldwell, I wasn't doing anything. I was stopping her. Why is an intern trying to use the private elevator? I thought she might be a corporate spy, so I intercepted her!"

The male colleagues started laughing, covering their mouths and whispering.

"Maybe she was trying to... catch someone's eye?"

Miller glanced at Gideon and chuckled meaningfully.

Everyone knew what he was implying.

I gripped the divorce papers tightly.

To gain the trust of the Caldwell family and ensure the partnership with the Sterlings continued, I had taken an internship at Gideon's company.

Our marriage was a secret here.

I cleared my throat and spoke up.

"Don't lie. I am here to―"

"To do what? Tell us," Lyla interrupted mockingly.

Gideon looked at the papers in my hand and narrowed his eyes. He realized exactly what they were.

In an instant, his face turned livid with rage.

"Elara, do you want to lose your job?" His eyes were full of threats.

"Don't bring your personal drama into the workplace. You are disrupting the atmosphere!"

I was speechless, my face turning pale.

But everyone around me took my silence as a confession of guilt.

They thought I was just an attention-seeker trying to seduce the boss.

Hearing the whispers grow louder, Gideon frowned.

He turned and led Lyla into the executive elevator.

Before the doors closed, he spoke coldly to me.

"You want me to sign those papers? Fine. Then climb the stairs to the 36th floor!"

One flight, then another. Sweat soaked my blouse. My head began to throb, and I felt dizzy from the heat.

I gritted my teeth and kept going.

As long as I made it to the top, Gideon would sign. I would finally be free.

But I was wrong.

When I finally reached the 36th floor, Gideon casually flipped through the papers.

Then, he ripped them into tiny shreds.

He looked at me with nothing but boredom and contempt.

"Elara, there is no need to go this far."

He rubbed his temples as if he were the exhausted one.

"It seems you haven't learned your lesson yet."

His icy words felt like a plunge into an abyss.

Lyla walked in carrying a coffee, a smug smile on her lips.

"Elara, why bother?"

"The Sterlings aren't even in the same league as the Caldwells. You don't want to disappoint your family, do you?"

"Even as an intern, I know your family business is a total mess. Gideon didn't look down on you. He helped you and even gave you a job here."

She looked at Gideon with a gaze full of longing and a hidden sense of ownership.

"No one has ever been this good to me. If someone treated me like that, I'd do anything for them."

"Elara, Gideon spends so much time picking out gifts for you. Not only have you failed to give him a child, but you constantly doubt him."

"Even the strongest man gets tired. Gideon, I'm sorry. I can't stand by and watch you suffer like this."

Lyla looked at me with pure provocation.

I let out a sharp, mocking laugh.

"Is that so? You feel so bad for him that you felt the need to crawl into his bed?"

The coffee cup in Gideon's hand shattered on the floor. He stood up and pointed a finger at me.

"Don't you dare slander us! Don't think everyone is as shameless as you and Miller!"

"Forget about the divorce! And as for this job, you're done. Go home and reflect on your behavior!"