He Never Finishes His Sentences, I Finish Him

The moment I pushed open the conference room door, more than a dozen pairs of eyes snapped toward me.

"Well, Ms. Hartwell. You finally decided to show up."

Theodore Wesley, who was seated at the head of the table, glanced at his watch. He stood and waved a hand at the others. "Don't blame Meg. She had her reasons for being late."

He paused, glancing over my exhausted expression, then let out a faint, knowing sigh. "Last night, we were at it until very late at my place."

The atmosphere shifted instantly.

A few of the women exchanged knowing looks, while the men wore lewd smiles.

There he went again, leaving things half-said just to stir up misunderstandings.

I took a steady breath and said calmly, "Mr. Wesley, I'd appreciate it if you made yourself clear. You were the one who insisted I come over last night to revise the branding proposal. From the moment I arrived until I left, my boyfriend and my best friend were both there with me."

Theodore froze for a moment. After all, I had never contradicted him in public before.

He quickly put on an apologetic expression. "Right, the proposal. That's what I meant. I can't even get my words straight when I'm nervous."

As he spoke, he casually patted my shoulder. "Meg, don't be mad. I know you'd rather keep what's between us private. I won't say any more. I shouldn't have said that, not as your brother-in-law. You must be tired. Go on, sit down and rest."

The room had fallen so silent it felt suffocating. Every word he said was clearly meant for everyone present.

A scoff came from the corner of the table.

Someone said boldly, "Damn, you two are in-laws? That's wild."

Snickers and mocking whispers quickly spread through the room.

I tightened my grip on the folder until my knuckles turned white.

Theodore was trying to ruin me.

"Alright, settle down. Now that Meg is here, let's begin. As for this round of outstanding employee selection, I've been quite torn…"

Starting a scene now would only leave me in a worse position, so I forced myself back into my seat.

The next second, I heard Theodore bring up my name again. "Although Meg ranks first in performance, and became an assistant manager at such a young age…"

He paused, just as expected. Everyone looked at me with that same knowing gaze, already convinced I had gotten there through connections.

I bit down so hard on my lip it almost bled.

I had been personally recruited by the company's president, Eva Taylor, right after I graduated from college. It took me three years to reach this position, all through my own ability.

I still remembered the day I got promoted. My sister, Beatrice Hartwell, had been so happy she said she would take me on a trip, but then…

Recalling Beatrice's gentle smile, I clenched my fists.

However, Theodore still wasn't letting me off the hook. "But Meg, you're still young. You tend to make impulsive decisions and act emotionally, so why don't you give up the overseas assignment to the Amberton branch to someone else?"

I shot to my feet. "Why should I give it up?"

I had spent nearly a month working overtime every night just to secure that overseas position. My boyfriend had even applied early for a study program in the same region to match my plans.

All I needed was one more step to leave this place behind, along with all its painful memories, including that disgusting ex-brother-in-law.

Why wouldn't he just leave me alone?

A male colleague who had always disliked me said, "I guess you used the wrong approach, Ms. Hartwell. Why not pull another all-nighter?"

Others echoed him with mocking laughter.

Theodore gave me a faint, helpless smile. "See? You really are young and impulsive. It's not that we won't send you, just not this year."

I had no interest in hearing another word of his empty excuses. Suppressing the anger rising in my chest, I forced a polite smile. "Fine. Then I won't go."

He looked momentarily caught off guard by how easily I backed down, then quickly broke into a satisfied, approving smile. "That's more like it."

After the meeting, I picked up my phone and sent a message.

"Ms. Taylor, I'm sorry. I won't be able to accompany you to the branch office for market expansion. My spot has been reassigned."

Almost at the same time, my phone buzzed with an incoming call. I picked up, and a cold, displeased female voice came through. "Who the hell dared to touch the person I chose?"