Chapter 2

"Seriously? Are the Sinclair Group security guards completely useless? How did they let every random stray wander in here?"

I had almost no strength left in my body. Trembling violently, I curled up on the floor, clutching the document pouch against my chest like my life depended on it.

I had worked for a classified government unit for seven years. The project was finally nearing completion, and my brother, who now led the department, had once been David's student.

Before I left, he specifically told me to deliver these documents to him personally, without a single thing missing.

However, the way I desperately protected the pouch immediately caught Sophie's attention.

She raised a brow, cruelty flickering through her probing gaze.

I instantly understood what she was thinking and shook my head frantically.

"Sophie, look at her. She's already in this state and still won't let go of that stupid bag. Bet it's filled with love letters for Mr. Sinclair."

"Girls these days are all trying to take shortcuts. I even saw a story online recently about an intern trying to seduce her boss by swapping out her resume with provocative photos..."

Those words were like gasoline thrown onto a fire, completely igniting the rage simmering inside Sophie.

Grinding her teeth, she stalked toward me step by step, her eyes icy.

"You little sl*t. Love seducing men, do you?

"Fine. I'll make sure you remember this lesson for the rest of your life. After today, you'll want to avoid every man you see."

Suddenly, a brutal force yanked me off the ground.

The women on either side grabbed an arm each and hoisted me into the air.

Through the chaos, I saw Sophie rummage through her handbag and pull out an eyebrow razor. Smirking coldly, she walked toward me.

"N-No... please.

"You've got it wrong. I'm really not here to seduce my brother!"

The moment the words left my mouth, Sophie lifted her leg and drove the pointed heel of her stiletto straight into my stomach without hesitation.

"Ahhh!"

The sudden pain exploded through me. My vision went black, cold sweat instantly soaking my back. A metallic taste surged up my throat, and my stomach lurched violently before I threw up all over the floor.

"Holy sh*t, that's disgusting!"

The two girls holding me recoiled immediately, letting go as if they had been electrocuted. I collapsed limply onto the ground, hurting so badly I could not even speak.

However, Sophie still was not satisfied.

Instead, she climbed on top of me.

"You little tramp. At your age, you could be doing anything else, but you just had to come out here and seduce men.

"I'm going to be the future Mrs. Sinclair. What the hell are you compared to me?"

She bent down slowly, sliding her fingers into my hair before suddenly tightening her grip and yanking my head back hard.

Then, smiling the entire time, she began dragging the eyebrow razor across my face again and again.

"Today I'm only shaving your eyebrows. If you keep acting like a sl*t next time, I'll shave every last hair off your body."

She used a frightening amount of force. Thin cuts spread across my skin wherever the blade passed, tiny beads of blood surfacing one after another.

But by then, I had already been tortured to the edge of unconsciousness. I could barely even register what she was doing to me anymore.

"Hahaha! Oh my god, she looks like a freak without eyebrows!"

"Serves her right. sl*ts like this should be stripped naked, photographed, and pasted all over the company building as a warning to every b*tch who thinks she can steal Sophie's man!"

As they laughed, someone eagerly pulled out a phone and pointed the camera at me.

Seeing that, Sophie ignored my desperate begging and ripped open the buttons on my blouse in one violent motion.

The fabric fell apart instantly, exposing my chest to the open air.

The male employees nearby let out whistles and jeers. Some even turned on their flashlights to capture my humiliation more clearly.

"Damn it, I've seen plenty of women like you!

"As long as I'm here, no woman is getting anywhere near Mr. Sinclair in one piece!"

She grabbed my phone and opened my contacts list.

The moment she saw that my pinned contacts were my parents and Dylan...

She brought her high heel down hard onto the back of my hand.