Chapter 3

I stood up and glanced at her sideways.

"Marry him? I won't object. I'll even explain everything to your parents myself."

Vanessa's composure cracked. Before she could finish, she stepped in front of me to block my way.

She stared hard at me, a trace of unease in her eyes.

"You used to deal with this kind of thing right away. Why aren't you doing anything this time?"

Vanessa had threatened suicide ninety-nine times. The first ninety-eight had all been over different men.

But now, she said she'd found true love.

The corner of my mouth lifted in a bitter smile.

"You said it's true love, so I'm stepping aside."

The conversation ended badly.

Maybe she was deliberately trying to get under my skin, because the very next day, Vanessa brought Lucas into the company.

The moment I opened my office door, I heard Lucas's hearty laugh.

"You guys don't have to feel pressured just because of Vanessa's position. Just treat me like any other coworker."

He was sprawled in my chair as if he owned the place. He casually tossed the photo of Vanessa and me from my desk into the trash.

When he saw me, he shot me a smug, provocative look.

"Sorry, Mr. Hale. Vanessa said this office is mine from now on. Obviously, the stuff on this desk has to go, too. If you still want it, you'll have to fish it out of the trash yourself."

He glanced pointedly at the photo in the trash can.

The employees around us let out stifled laughs.

Then he picked up the proposal on my desk.

It was a project I'd spent years building. Just as I reached to snatch it back, Lucas stepped away.

"Mr. Hale, I don't think this project suits you. Same as Vanessa. She said she'll give me whatever I want, so I'm taking this project."

Over the years, I'd grown used to Vanessa's lovers taunting me.

But hearing Lucas say that, my heart sank like a stone.

Vanessa knew how much this project meant to me. I'd poured nearly everything I had into it.

My voice went cold.

"I've always been the lead on this project. Who do you think you are? Even if you got in through connections, you'd still have to start as an intern."

Lucas smiled.

"So what? Vanessa doesn't care about you at all. You've been clinging to her for years. You really think people call you Mr. Hale out of respect? I'm sure everyone's seen those cheating compilations of yours by now.

"She even said she'd have my baby. Oh, sorry. Did I bring up a sore subject? That's rough. Your baby was only twenty weeks along, wasn't it..."

Before he could finish, I clenched my fist and slammed it into his face.

"How dare you bring up the baby to my face!"

Every punch landed hard. Lucas covered his face and kept yelling for help.

Vanessa rushed over as soon as she heard.

"Evan, have you lost your mind? If anything happens to Lucas, I'll never let you get away with it!"

She shoved me away with all her strength.

My lower back slammed into the sharp corner of the desk. The color drained from my face, and I dropped to my knees.

Blood seeped from my back and stained my shirt red.

Vanessa turned anxiously to Lucas.

"Lucas, are you okay? This is all my fault. I shouldn't have brought you here on my own..."

There was a time when Vanessa had been this tender with me, too.

I fought through the pain, got to my feet, and laughed at myself.

"He'll be fine. You like him, right? I won't stand in your way anymore. Not now, not ever. Whether you live or die has nothing to do with me anymore."

In that instant, it was as if I'd let go of every feeling and obsession I'd held for Vanessa for more than ten years.