Chapter 3

I ignored Stacy and Zack's conversation and walked out of the company without looking back.

Once I was outside, I pulled out my phone. I found Belle Sidman's contact and messaged her.

"Ms. Sidman, I've finished my resignation paperwork. I can start right away."

A moment later, Belle replied.

"I'll come pick you up right now!"

Belle was the Sidman family's heiress and Stacy's biggest rival.

Stacy had once fired two employees simultaneously because Human Resources had mistakenly hired some people named Sidman. She wouldn't let anyone cross her.

…

With Belle, the CEO, handling things, I finished my onboarding at Sidman Group in no time.

Around lunchtime, Belle and I sat down to eat.

She clicked her tongue in amazement, her normally cool expression full of curiosity.

"Jacob, I can't believe you put up with Stacy for that long. It's unbelievable! You once flew all the way to Heston to buy her cinnamon rolls, and she threw them on the ground in front of everyone.

"That's when I knew she didn't deserve you!"

I stopped with my fork halfway to my mouth.

Belle was right.

That day, Stacy was having afternoon tea with some socialites, and I heard her thoughts. She wanted to try the famous cinnamon rolls from Heston.

To make her wish come true, I caught an early flight to Heston and flew straight back.

But the cinnamon rolls I had gone through all that trouble to bring her were thrown onto the floor because they had gotten a little cold.

What no one knew was that Stacy's thoughts were practically screaming with excitement, eager to show off.

"Jake really does love me! Oh my, the cinnamon rolls he brought back smell amazing! None of you will ever find a husband this amazing. I bet you're all jealous!"

Back then, I didn't understand why her words never matched her thoughts. I did everything I could to make her happy.

Then, I finally understood—she had only enjoyed the attention it brought her.

I said nothing in response to Belle's exaggerated reaction. I just smiled and took a bite of pasta.

Before I knew it, evening had come.

I thanked Belle and headed home to pack my things. I planned to move into the company dorm.

But when I opened the front door, I saw a pair of limited-edition sneakers in the entryway. Stacy had bought them especially for Zack.

I walked farther inside.

My bedroom was a complete mess. The closet doors were wide open, and clothes were scattered everywhere.

Stacy stood with her back to me. She was helping Zack put on a suit jacket.

If I had seen this before, jealousy would have driven me crazy.

But at the moment, I only found it absurd. I felt nothing.

Zack turned to face me, his tone clearly meant to provoke me.

"Ms. Levine, is my build really as good as you said? I don't think I look as good in this as Mr. Sawyer does."

Stacy answered without hesitation, "You've got a great figure. Wear this to the business dinner tonight."

She seemed to sense something and turned around, only to meet my eyes as I leaned casually against the doorframe.

She immediately let go of Zack's collar.

For once, she looked a little nervous as she explained, "Zack has a business dinner to attend tonight, so he's borrowing a couple of your clothes. You're not going to need them now that you've quit, anyway."

But inside, she was frantic. "Damn it, Zack! I told him I would buy him one, but he wouldn't listen. Now Jake is definitely going to get jealous again. I'll have to make it up to him later."

Stacy once told me that clothes were personal and had to be treated with care. She insisted that no one else was allowed to borrow them.

So all these years, I washed every piece of clothing thoroughly and folded them neatly.

But now, I couldn't even be bothered to argue with her.

I said flatly, "Fine. If he likes them, take them all."

With that, I walked into the bedroom and picked out a few changes of clothes. Then I went to the bathroom for my toiletries.

Stacy's eyes widened when she saw what I was doing, and she blurted out, "You're running away from home?"

She raised an eyebrow. Then she leaned against the doorframe just as I had and said icily, "Fine. Leave if you want. If you've got the nerve, don't ever come back."

I still said nothing. I merely grabbed my suitcase and walked out the front door.