Chapter 3

I gave Travis a friendly smile and pushed his hand back.

“How could I be mad? I’m not upset at all. You’re a real talent. Of course, you deserve the best!”

Vanessa shot me a suspicious glance, but when she saw no trace of displeasure on my face, she just pouted and added, “Travis, just take it. Don’t feel embarrassed. After all, he’s doing it willingly. We didn’t force him!”

Travis thanked me repeatedly, pretending to be humble, but the smug look on his face gave him away.

I secretly let out a smirk. I had managed to finalize the material that would actually make the product work just a couple of days ago.

The formula was complicated, and no one else could replicate it.

Besides, Travis had no idea that being chief was not as easy as it looked. The chief was the core of the team and bore all the responsibility.

Without me, the product they had spent a year developing would be nothing more than a pile of junk. If Travis could not deliver, Vanessa’s company would be on the hook for all the losses and face a massive compensation bill.

Noticing my silence after handing over the chief position, Vanessa looked slightly uneasy. She cleared her throat and awkwardly said, “Alright, Stephen, stop standing here. It’s sweltering outside. Come on into the office and get ready to cut the celebration cake.”

She tilted her chin like she was granting me some grand favor.

I almost laughed at the absurdity. I was deliberately left out of the ribbon-cutting, and they thought a stupid cake could make me feel better.

What a joke!

The thought of cutting the cake with Vanessa made me feel inexplicably sick.

I was about to speak when Travis suddenly piped up, “Yeah, Stephen, you go ahead and get some cake first. A lot of confetti fell during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. I’ll stay behind and clean it up.”

He theatrically grabbed a broom and dustpan, dabbing at the sweat on his forehead.

I nearly forgot that they were supposed to cut the cake together. Travis was clearly playing the victim, trying to see how much Vanessa cared about him.

Sure enough, she snatched the broom from him and said in a coquettish tone, “Travis, your hands need to stay steady for delicate work. You shouldn’t do jobs like this!”

Then, she tossed the broom at my feet and said in disdain, “Stephen, clean this up before going inside. Or don’t even think about joining the lunch later.”

I looked at the broom at my feet and could not help but let out a cold chuckle.

Vanessa had always done this. It was the carrot and the stick approach.

My schedule at work had always been packed full. I had never had a seat at the lunch table.

Now, she was granting me this privilege? It was absolutely disgusting!

Travis, who was holding the dustpan, deliberately tilted it toward me. A piece of tissue smeared with snot landed on my shoe.

He covered his mouth and said in a pretentious tone, “Sorry, Stephen, I didn’t hold it steady.”

I said nothing and simply reached for the cleaning tools.

Travis’ smugness grew as his mouth twitched into a grin. He said in a falsely courteous tone, all while flaunting his pride, “Stephen, sorry for the trouble. I’ll leave it to you, then. Once Vanessa and I finish cutting the cake, you—ah!”

Before he could finish speaking, Travis’ expression suddenly twisted, and he exclaimed in shock.

I dumped the trash from the dustpan over his head, curling my lips in a mocking grin.