Chapter 3

I clapped a hand over my mouth in mock surprise and gasped.

"What? That beggar was actually Dr. Whitmore?"

"Babe, why didn't you say something sooner? After the way you and Tiff treated him yesterday, he must be furious."

Adrian stopped short and glared at me.

"How was I supposed to know it was him?"

"Dressed like that, who could've recognized him?"

"And you, why didn't you stop Tiff yesterday? You're the COO. Are those eyes just for decoration?"

Without a second thought, he dumped the blame on me.

In my last life, I ran myself ragged and talked myself hoarse cleaning up his messes.

And he took every bit of it for granted.

This time, my eyes reddened at once and the tears came spilling down.

"That's not fair, babe."

"Yesterday you were defending Tiff so hard, I assumed the old man was some nobody con artist."

"I was only going along with what you wanted."

"And you're the one who said Tiff had a hard day and wanted to buy her that bag."

I left him speechless, his face reddening and then draining pale.

Just then, Tiffany came out of the guest room rubbing her eyes.

She was still in the designer pajamas she had bought yesterday, the million-dollar bag dangling from her hand.

"Adrian, what's all the yelling about this early? I haven’t gotten enough sleep yet."

The sight of her set him off. He stormed over, snatched the bag, and hurled it to the floor.

"Sleep, sleep, sleep. Is eating, drinking, and partying all you're good for?"

"Do you have any idea what you started yesterday? Dr. Whitmore pulled out, and the company is going under."

Tiffany shrieked, then burst into tears at the sight of her bag on the floor.

"Why are you yelling at me? I didn't know he was Dr. Whitmore."

"And Vivian went off on him too. Why am I the only one getting blamed?"

She turned the spotlight on me in a heartbeat.

I let myself sink onto the bed, buried my face in my hands, and wept.

"Fine. It's all my fault."

"I'm a failure as a COO. I couldn't even recognize our most important partner."

"Punish me, then, babe. I'll take responsibility and resign. I'll give up my position."

The instant Adrian heard me say resign, panic set in.

I was the one running every last thing at the company. He was CEO in name only.

If I walked, the company would grind to a halt immediately.

He came over quickly, softening his tone, and put an arm around my shoulders.

"I didn't mean it like that, honey. I'm just stressed."

"Right now the priority is winning Dr. Whitmore back. You always have the clever ideas. Think of something."

I sneered inwardly while wearing a mask of deep self-blame.

"Babe, Dr. Whitmore is furious right now. The more we chase him, the more he'll resent us."

"Let's give it a few days to cool off. Once he's calmer, I'll go apologize in person."

"In the meantime, you'll have to handle the company. I honestly can't face the staff right now."

Adrian didn't like it, but he had no better plan.

He gritted his teeth and agreed.

"Fine. Rest at home for a few days. I'll hold down the company."

He turned and shot Tiffany a hard glare.

"You're staying home, and you're not to set foot anywhere."

Tiffany pouted, wounded, but didn't dare say another word.

Adrian threw on a suit and rushed off to the office.

I watched his harried back and let a flicker of mockery cross my eyes.

Cool off?

By the time he was done cooling off, the Vances would be six feet under with grass growing over them.

That afternoon, Vance Pharmaceuticals' stock went into free fall.

Dr. Whitmore was deeply respected in the industry, and the moment word broke that he had cut ties, it set off a chain reaction.

Several venture firms that had been circling pulled their money.

The banks started calling in loans.

The shareholders crowded into Adrian's office, demanding an explanation.

Cornered and overwhelmed, Adrian called me one time after another.

I set my phone to silent and lounged on the couch with a face mask on.

This was just the appetizer. The real storm was still coming.

Over the next three days, Vance Pharmaceuticals spiraled into crisis.

Adrian went around begging everyone for help.

He tried to reach Dr. Whitmore but couldn't even get through the doors of his research institute.

He looked for other experts, but everyone in the field knew he had made an enemy of Dr. Whitmore, and no one dared touch the project.

Tiffany wouldn't sit still at home either, complaining every day that Adrian had cut off her allowance.

"Adrian, are you losing your touch? You can't even handle one old man."

"My friends invited me for a spa day, and my card got declined. It was humiliating."