Chapter 1

Alex Warner's POV

By the time I limped my way to the elevator, Sadie Jensen caught up to me. As if worried about my reaction, she said, "Don't kick up a fuss about it. I only had one plaster, so I gave it to Connor to avoid arousing suspicion about our relationship."

Even as she spoke to me, she stood three feet away and kept her arms folded in front of her.

I was abruptly reminded of something.

During a break in an interview, she'd ordered takeout for the entire department. I'd picked the roast beef for myself, but she'd brought it over to Connor Lewis before handing me the box with garlic-baked cod instead.

When Connor practically leaned against her for support, she didn't back away. In fact, she ran her fingers through his hair, completely unconcerned about whether anyone saw them.

My eyes stung as I watched her then. Seemingly noticing my gaze, she looked up and gave me a searching look, silently asking if something was wrong.

I pointed at the garlic and shook my head. "I can't eat this. It'll give me bad breath."

Sadie stiffened. She glanced at the takeout container in Connor's hands but said nothing.

"Whoops! Sorry about that. I ordered the cod, but I forgot to ask them to leave out the garlic. Why don't we share the beef?" Connor offered while holding out his takeout container to me.

However, Sadie pushed it back toward him, saying, "Don't be silly. If you don't eat your fill, you'll end up with stomach cramps again."

Then she turned to me and pointed to an extra iced drink on the nearby table. "You can drink that to fill your stomach instead."

Throughout the entire exchange, she hadn't let herself touch me once. She avoided me like the plague, as if I weren't her boyfriend.

Sadie remembered that Connor got stomach cramps when he went hungry. However, she'd forgotten that I'd only been discharged from the hospital not too long ago after suffering from gastric bleeding.

I had to avoid consuming anything too cold, and if I went hungry, my blood sugar level would drop, making me feel faint.

I forced myself to hang in there until I finished the interviews.

In the end, it was Bethany Gould, the final interviewee, who noticed my pallid complexion and handed me a chocolate bar.

"You have a master's degree and a PhD in finance, Mr. Warner. Don't you think you're wasting your talent by working as a financial journalist? Why don't you join my company?" she offered.

In the past, I would've refused the offer on the spot. This time, I smiled, accepted her business card, and said I would think about it.

Someone must have witnessed the exchange. Before long, my colleagues began gossiping about me.

"Guess someone has found himself a new target after failing to latch onto Ms. Jensen."

"He doesn't have Connor's talent, so he's trying to cozy up to a rich woman and rely on nepotism to get ahead. His presence alone is a disgrace to us all."

I was about to step forward and confront them when Connor grabbed my arm and stopped me. I'd thought he would at least say a few words in my defense. Instead, he made a show of trying to talk some sense into me.

"Alex, there's no way you can handle a rich woman like that. Don't throw away your dignity just for a shot at becoming a producer."

My colleagues, still somewhat skeptical, were now completely convinced.

"What more proof do we need? Even his best friend has already confirmed it. He may look like an upright gentleman, but I guess he's just a lowly schemer after all!"

Sadie had heard every word, yet she acted as if she hadn't.

Yet whenever anyone criticized Connor's professional abilities or pointed out that he lacked the proper educational background, she would immediately step in to defend him.

Remembering all of this, I clenched my fists so tightly that I nearly crushed my knuckles.

"Are you still upset? I'll make it up to you by making you some pasta tonight, okay?" Sadie said quietly.

She reached toward me without much thought at first, only to pause halfway and pull her hand back.

Every time she hurt me in the name of avoiding suspicion, she would make it up to me by cooking me pasta afterward. She'd kick me down and toss me a bone after.

However, I'd seen the exact same plate of pasta in one of Connor's social media posts. The pasta had been carefully plated and topped with a sprig of basil. The sauce had even been ladled on to form a heart shape.

Connor's caption read, "I was groggy all morning, but this lovingly prepared lunch from the best boss in the world certainly woke me up!"

Nothing could ever make up for the pain and bitterness that had built up over many long years. I looked down at the blood seeping out of my ankle and shook my head.

"Don't bother. Let's break up, Sadie."