Chapter 6

Laura could barely hide the smugness in her eyes, even as she put on a fragile, wounded look.

"Cindy, if I'd known you were this upset, I never would've taken your proposal or the project. And I definitely wouldn't have taken your head designer position. Why don't I give it all back?

"You have so much experience. You should stay and keep things running. Maybe I'm the one who should quit. I should just leave—"

I cut her off before she could finish and gave her a friendly smile. "Don't be silly. You're so talented. The company can't possibly do without you."

Sebastian's face darkened as he glared at me, his eyes blazing with anger. "Cindy, are you done making a scene? Don't forget, you're not getting any younger, and you're nowhere near as capable as you used to be.

"Without me, who do you think would even hire you? What kind of decent job could you possibly get now?"

Realizing he'd gone too far, Sebastian softened his tone. "If you apologize to Laura, I'll let you work as her assistant and stay involved with the project."

I laughed in disbelief.

So that was the deal. I'd do all the work, and Laura would get all the credit. Not a chance.

I looked at Sebastian coldly. "No thanks. Just sign the resignation letter."

The company was about to go under, and I had no intention of getting dragged down with it. The sooner I left, the better.

When he realized I wasn't backing down, Sebastian gritted his teeth, signed the letter, and tossed it back to me.

I took it without hesitation. Then, ignoring the furious look on his face, I added, "Oh, and one more thing. We're done."

For a moment, Sebastian looked stunned.

"What? You're breaking up with me?"

Laura gave a smug smile, but she still pretended to play peacemaker. "Cindy, are you still upset about what happened at the business dinner? You've got it all wrong.

"There's nothing going on between Sebastian and me, so please don't read too much into it. And don't let me cause trouble between you two."

Her words only fueled Sebastian's anger. He clenched his fists and growled through gritted teeth, "Cindy, are you done yet? Don't test my patience!"

I smiled and pushed him toward Laura.

"You two obviously want each other. If I kept standing in your way, I'd be the unreasonable one. And Sebastian, this breakup isn't up for discussion. I'm telling you it's over."

Sebastian gave me a cold look, a vein throbbing at his temple. "Fine. Have it your way. Just don't regret it!"

Just then, one of the coworkers nearby got a phone call. When it ended, he turned to Sebastian excitedly.

"Mr. Lambert, our business partners were very impressed with the design proposal. They're willing to invest another five million dollars to fund the project."

Laura smiled at the news and looked at me smugly. "Cindy, you were way too impulsive. You just quit, and they're already investing more money. At this rate, Sebastian's company will be leading the industry in no time. The future's looking pretty bright."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow at me, a mocking look in his eyes. "Regretting it now? Too late."

I scoffed. "We'll see who ends up regretting this."

"Keep acting like you don't care. Come on, everyone. Let's go celebrate!"

Sebastian and the others walked off looking pleased with themselves. They even started humming as they left.

I watched them go with a smile, then pulled out my phone and called Mom and Dad.

"Mom, Dad, pull all our investments and cut all business ties with Lambert Group."