Chapter 4

One of the coworkers said, "Mr. Schmidt, Melanie is totally out of control! Not only did she bully Ms. Gordon, but earlier, when we asked for a quick hand, she threw a massive tantrum and tossed our files in the trash!"

Robert's temper flared again at that. "Melanie, apologize to Ellie and everyone else right now, or you can consider yourself fired!"

Everyone was convinced I would never dream of leaving the company. They held their chins high, waiting for me to apologize.

Right then, my phone buzzed with a notification. "Ms. Reid, your patent application has been approved."

I looked up at Robert, completely unfazed. "Do whatever you want."

Now that the patents were officially mine, I could report Robert for infringement whenever I pleased. The company was going down regardless, so there was no point in my staying.

For a moment, everyone was stunned.

Ellie seized the moment to stoke the fire. "Robert, look at her! You can't just let this slide!"

The coworkers chimed in to agree.

Just when I thought Robert would take the opportunity to punish me, he took a deep breath and said in a calmer tone, "Melanie, I'm docking half a month's pay as a warning, and we'll leave it at that. Follow me into the office."

Ellie stood frozen, unable to believe Robert was actually letting me off the hook.

I was just as surprised. Robert had always favored Ellie, so why was he letting me off so easily? Had he changed?

But I quickly realized I had been overthinking it.

In the office, Robert took my hand and asked in a serious tone, "Melanie, are you throwing a tantrum because I brought up the divorce? I'm doing this to protect you. Why can't you see that I have your best interests at heart?

"I promise you, if the company manages to survive this crisis, we will get remarried immediately."

I sneered internally. Robert could lie with a straight face like an absolute professional.

But he was right about one thing—the company was indeed about to go under. I just hoped he'd still be smiling when it happened.

Seeing the faint smile on my face, Robert assumed he had convinced me. He pulled a thick stack of documents from his drawer, sliding them toward me with that same faux-caring look.

"This is a project transfer agreement. I need you to hand your current accounts over to Ellie. Don't worry, I'll compensate you fairly for it. I just hate seeing you work yourself ragged. I want Ellie to take some of the pressure off so you can finally get some rest.

"Once things settle down, we can start trying for a baby. It'll make you happy too, right?"

So that was why he had defended me out there—he wanted my projects.

Fortunately for him, I was already stressing over how to ditch these ticking time bombs. Getting them off my hands while getting paid for it was a win-win.

I nodded and signed the paperwork without hesitation.

Highly satisfied, Robert transferred the payout to my account and asked me to send Ellie in on my way out.

As we crossed paths at the door, she shot me a triumphant look.

I ignored her, walked down to the stairwell, and popped in my headphones.

What neither of them knew was that I had left my spare phone recording under the desk.

The moment the audio connected, their voices came through loud and clear.

"Robert, why did you side with that old hag out there?"

"Babe, I was just setting things up for you. Look, all of Melanie's projects belong to you now! Besides, the divorce papers are already signed. If it makes you feel better, we can register our marriage later. Then I'll buy you that necklace you wanted, okay?"