Chapter 3 May We Never Meet Again

I steadied my breath before speaking again. "So your idea of being meticulous is letting someone who can't even organize a report hold the core data hostage?"

Sadie's eyes immediately filled with tears. Her voice trembled, dripping with wounded innocence. "Elara, I know I'm not as smart as you, but I've really been trying my best…"

"It's not your fault, Sadie," Jace interrupted, slipping an arm around her shoulders. His voice softened tenderly, but when he turned toward me, his expression shifted—his eyes filled with irritation. "Elara, are you done? You nitpick over every little thing. Honestly, you're acting more and more like an old crow."

The word hit me like a slap. For a moment, I just stared at him, stunned.

He ignored the hurt on my face, his tone rising with every word. "Not only can't you do your job right, but you even constantly cause drama! Calling you an old crow is putting it lightly. Look at Sadie—so humble, so gentle. I'm saying this for your own good!"

Sadie leaned closer against him, a faintly smug smile tugging at her lips.

"Alright, Mr. Pryor, I understand. I'll handle the data myself." I turned to leave, and behind me came his low, coaxing voice. "Don't cry, Sadie. Don't let her get to you. She's just jealous—bitter, twisted inside."

The humiliation didn't end there—it only grew worse. Jace's indulgence became Sadie's shield and everyone else's permission slip. "Old crow" turned into an open joke, whispered—and sometimes not even whispered—through the office halls.

When I passed by a pair of new interns once, they smiled crookedly at me. Then, one of their whispers traveled to my ears. "Quick, the old crow's coming. Watch out, or she'll peck you."

"I heard there's a group chat just for her," the other replied, snickering. "Are you in it?"

"Not yet. Add me!"

Scenes like this played out nearly every day, and it finally came to a head during a major project presentation.

After my last report had disappointed the CEO, I had prepared meticulously this time—every number, every slide, flawless. But ten minutes before the meeting began, Jace walked in with Sadie.

"Sadie's been following this project closely," he said easily. "She'll present today—you can fill in where needed."

I stood up immediately. "Mr. Pryor, I've handled this project from start to finish. No one knows it better than I do."

He scoffed. "You do? Funny, I don't recall your last presentation impressing the boss."

Then he turned to Sadie with a look of encouragement. "Go ahead, Sadie. You're up."

She stepped forward, plugged in her USB drive, and began her presentation.

Jace nodded approvingly throughout, his face glowing with pride. I watched in silence, numb.

But as she switched windows on her computer, she accidentally opened the bottom corner of her screen. Her personal WhatsApp interface popped up and was instantly mirrored onto the large meeting screen for everyone to see.

At the top was a pinned group chat titled 'Old Crow Observation Diary.' Inside were photos of me—secretly taken around the office—and snide commentary.

'The old crow's at it again—yoga pants and coffee, what a classy lifestyle!'

'Please, she's been living off Mr. Pryor for eight years. I'd have dumped her ages ago.'

Even through the screen, I could almost taste Sadie's false modesty in her reply. 'You guys shouldn't talk about her like that.'

And right beneath it, Jace's name appeared. 'Stay away from the old crow, Sadie, lest she cause you trouble again.'

When I looked at Jace, he didn't even flinch. His face stayed calm, almost amused. Something in me went completely still. Eight years of loyalty and love—all of it, nothing but a joke.

Before the meeting even ended, I walked out and went straight to HR to hand in my resignation.

As I carried my box of things down the hallway, I ran right into Jace and Sadie, chatting happily. He glanced at me but said nothing.

'Farewell, Pryor,' I whispered to myself. 'May we never meet again.'