Chapter 2

The next day, I started looking for a flight out of the country.

But just the plane ticket alone was no small expense.

I went through every bank card I had and managed to scrape together only two hundred dollars. Pathetic.

After I joined the Moretti family's company, no matter how much I gave, it was treated as an obligation—something I owed. Enzo had never once paid me a salary.

I'd been forced to burn through my savings, and now I was flat broke.

But I was leaving no matter what. I reached out to Finance, hoping to get half a year's pay in advance.

The accountant stammered, "Mr. Moretti already told me—no special favors for you..."

"How is this a special favor?!" My voice shot up, disbelief cutting through.

The Moretti family prided itself on taking care of its people. When other employees made similar requests, they were always approved. Why was it different when it came to me?

Furious, I headed straight to the Moretti corporate tower.

Enzo was in a meeting. I told the assistant I had something important to discuss with him. She stood firm, blocking my way. "Sorry. Mr. Moretti isn't to be disturbed during meetings."

"Especially you, ma'am. You of all people should follow the rules."

But the very next second, I saw Elara Reed hugging a laptop, jogging through the meeting room doors.

Enzo's eyes, cold as frost, melted the moment they landed on her.

His long, defined fingers lifted, signaling the meeting to pause. He smiled at Elara, his tone gentle. "What's wrong?"

Elara's voice was soft and sweet. "Enzo, I forgot how to adjust the document formatting."

And so, in front of everyone, Enzo personally taught Elara.

Outside the meeting room, looks of mockery and pity landed on me, one after another.

"Miss Reed really is Mr. Moretti's exception. And look at Miss Worth—those who know she's his fiancée, and those who don't would think she's just free labor."

"Last time I was busy cleaning up the team's mess, Mr. Moretti took Elara to a five-star restaurant for a candlelit dinner. Hundreds of thousands in one night!"

I smiled bitterly.

Enzo dropped six figures on Elara in a single night, while I couldn't even scrape together a few hundred.

Enzo taught Elara the most basic things, while when I came to him with a real problem, he just glanced coldly at the door. "Get out."

"My fiancée shouldn't be ignorant of even this."

Enzo's patience was reserved only for the people he liked.

Such a simple truth—and I didn't understand it until I was covered in wounds.

When the meeting finally ended, I took a deep breath and looked Enzo straight in the eye. "I need my salary advanced."

I thought Enzo would refuse.

But the man nodded, his profile sharp and clear in the light. "Fine."

"But I have a condition. There's a project with a tight deadline. You'll complete it with Elara."

Everything Enzo gave me came with a price.

I went silent for a moment, then forced out a bleak smile and croaked, "Okay."

I'd assessed it. The proposal wasn't hard. With my abilities, it would take two days.

But I never imagined how much trouble Elara would cause.

First, she accidentally spilled coffee on my laptop, wiping out all the files. Then she sent the draft to a competitor by mistake, forcing me to produce an even more flawless version.

Two days dragged into seven.

When I finally submitted the new proposal, my eyes were bloodshot from a week without sleep—and I got the notification that my salary had been deposited.

But when I looked closer, I'd asked for half a year's pay in advance, and it was only two thousand dollars.

I couldn't believe it. I went to my coworker to demand an explanation.

The coworker insisted nothing was wrong. "Your pay is issued at the company's minimum standard."

"On top of that, Mr. Moretti deducted most of it. The reason... you failed to complete the task to his requirements."

Just then, Elara walked over.

The moment my coworker saw her, a warm, fawning smile spread across her face. "Elara, the five-hundred-thousand project bonus has arrived. Mr. Moretti even rushed it through personally. Congratulations!"

"Enzo, you're too kind." Elara bit her lip shyly, then her eyes landed on me, and she smiled. "I should thank Corinne too. The project rating was high, and the bonus was generous."

Her voice was soft, but the provocation underneath was unmistakable.

My heart dropped to the bottom of my stomach. My voice was ice. "I did this entire project from start to finish! You had zero involvement. What gives you the right to take the bonus?"

Elara looked startled, her face going pale. "This was Enzo's arrangement..."

I didn't bother with her fake, overdone act. I called Enzo on the spot.