Chapter 5

Before long, the audio was filled with the sound of their giggling and flirting.

I took off my headphones with a cold smile, pulled out my phone, and immediately reported Robert's company to the authorities for patent infringement.

The agent informed me that processing the claim would take a bit of time.

I locked my phone.

"Just you wait, Robert. I'm taking back everything you owed me in my last life in this one," I thought to myself.

By the time I walked back to my desk, Robert and Ellie had already left for the day.

Instead of throwing myself into my work like I usually did, I spent the rest of the afternoon slacking off.

After work, I caught a cab back home and started packing my things. It was time to move out and cut ties with Robert for good.

I didn't have much, so it went quickly. Despite living there for seven years, my clothes didn't even fill a single suitcase.

After I finished packing up, I was about to rest when my phone buzzed.

I unlocked it to see that Ellie had posted an update on Instagram—customized to be visible only to me.

The post showed a fresh marriage certificate next to her brand-new necklace.

In one of the photos, her fingers were tightly intertwined with a hand I knew all too well—Robert's.

I knew Ellie was trying to provoke me.

In my last life, this would have driven me mad with jealousy. But now, I simply liked the post and left a comment. "Congratulations! Wishing you both a lifetime together."

I meant it. Now that they were legally bound, neither of them would be able to escape the fallout when the company went under.

Robert didn't come home that night. For the first time in ages, I slept like a baby.

The next morning, I got up early, eager to head to the office and watch the drama unfold.

But when I arrived, the facial recognition scanner at the entrance rejected my scan.

Right on cue, Ellie swaggered out, crossing her arms with a smug smirk. "Oh, Melanie, didn't you hear? You've been fired.

"It's a shame, really. Your new product line launches today. You'd have made a fortune in bonuses, and your net worth would've skyrocketed. Too bad none of that has anything to do with you anymore. Sucks to be you!"

A moment later, Robert walked out to join her.

"You fired me?" I asked.

He met my gaze with total indifference. "Yes. But it was the shareholders' decision.

"Your toxic attitude toward your coworkers has been causing too much disruption. The shareholders insisted on letting you go, and I had to vote with the majority. You're no longer an employee here, Melanie. You should leave."

Talk about burning the bridge after crossing it.

Yet, far from being angry, I actually smiled.

Ellie looked at me like I had lost my mind. "What are you smiling at?"

My smile widened. "Oh, just enjoying the irony of your impending doom."

Early this morning, my infringement report had been officially processed, and news of Schmidt Corp's patent violation was already trending online.

I was just about to break the news to them when a swarm of reporters suddenly crowded the entrance of the building.

Robert assumed the reporters were there to interview them and smiled, saying, "Wow, you guys are incredibly well-informed! We were just getting ready for our new product launch event, but it looks like you caught wind of it early!"

Ellie was practically glowing with arrogance as she threw a haughty glance my way. "So what if you designed this product, Melanie? I'm the one in charge now. The bonuses and the glory belong entirely to me. You must be absolutely dying inside. Now move aside. Don't block my camera angle!"

Ellie shoved past me, joining Robert in front of the flashing cameras. Both of them were ready to deliver a grand speech about their upcoming release.

But the very next second, a reporter thrust a microphone forward and asked, "Mr. Schmidt, what is your comment on the allegations that your company has committed major patent infringement?"