Chapter 2

Shane spoke in a very low and humble voice as if I'd just scolded him earlier. He then carefully nudged the work badge toward me a little.

Gianna hurried up to him and immediately slammed her purse against my car windshield. There was a very loud thump.

She then started yelling at me.

"Brandon Hemsworth! Don't you know how to get out of the car when Shane is talking to you? What if you accidentally ran over him? Don't you know that is also considered workplace harassment?"

A mocking grin played on my lips.

I rolled down my window, wanting to say that I didn't want the position anymore. However, Shane thought that I wanted to snatch the work badge away from him, and a hint of panic appeared in his eyes momentarily. He hurriedly wound his fingers around the lanyard and gripped it tightly.

A split second later, he suddenly doubled over, seemingly in pain. He was clutching his stomach. His face paled as he whispered weakly that his stomach hurt.

His acting was horrible. However, that didn't stop certain people from falling for it.

Gianna stopped talking to me and immediately went over to help Shane up. Then, she rummaged in her bag for some painkillers and gave them to him.

Not knowing what to do next, she then turned to me and hollered, "Brandon Hemsworth! Get your ass down here and help me send him to the hospital!"

I rolled my eyes internally, starting up my engine once more and wanting to leave.

However, Gianna stood in front of the car to stop me from leaving. Her face was grim and serious. She looked as though she would rather let me run her over if I refused to take them to the hospital.

How ridiculous.

Some time ago, I had drunk a little too much at an intercompany event one night and suffered from stomach bleeding. While I was busy throwing up blood in the toilet, Gianna simply ignored my plight and suggested that I take some painkillers and call it a day.

Now, Shane was just pretending to be sick, and it got Gianna, who was always calm and aloof, to get all flustered and panicked without even caring about her own safety.

I frowned and gave in. I sent both of them to the nearest hospital, feeling frustrated.

At the hospital, Gianna finally heaved a sigh of relief after hearing from the doctor that Shane was fine. Her eyes were filled with gratitude.

However, I wasn't interested in continuing to watch them put on their bittersweet lovey-dovey act. I turned to leave.

Gianna ran up to me and cornered me in the hallway, grabbing me by my arm.

I frowned again. I thought that she was going to yell at me and blame me for making Shane sick. But moments later, she put the work badge on my shirt again and even helped me straighten out my coat, which had crumpled up a little.

She said softly, "Brandon, Shane's just fond of cracking harmless jokes here and there. It's not like you don't know there are still plenty more chances for us to make our relationship public next time. Just wait a while longer.

"The project manager position is a very crucial one. You shouldn't fool around with it. I won't hold what happened this time against you."

I just hummed nonchalantly in response.

Gianna looked up at me for a moment, looking like she was in a helpless dilemma, before handing me a crumpled-up box.

"Alright, Brandon. I saw the roses you prepared for me in the front passenger seat. I like them a lot. Go home and put the flowers in a vase for me, okay?

"Actually, I also prepared a gift for you."

I knew that this was one of Gianna's carrot-and-stick tricks again. She always used this tactic on me.

The box in her hand looked quite familiar. I recalled Shane posting a photo of a similar box on his Instagram feed before.

At that time, Shane had accidentally gotten some grease on a necktie that she had given to him. So, he said that he had no choice but to throw it away. Yet, there were clear elements of boasting in his caption.

Gianna had then commented on the post, saying that she would buy him ten more neckties as compensation.

I took the box from Gianna and opened it. In it lay a replica of a very expensive, designer necktie. I only rubbed my fingers against the edge of the tie, and the color faded immediately.

I also noticed that the receipt was still tucked inside the box.

Gianna never flinched whenever it came to buying luxury, designer items for Shane. And yet, now, she was trying to bribe me back with fake goods.

I didn't even bother exposing her. I simply replied, "Got it. If there's nothing else, I'm leaving now."

When I turned the corner, I caught sight of a trash can and threw the gift box into it without a second thought.

After that, I fished out my phone and called the company that had been trying to poach me for a long time, saying, "I've decided to accept your offer and work at your company."

Byte Technology, or Byte Tech, was a Wealth 500 company, and they had been trying to convince me to jump ship and work for them for the past few years.