Chapter 2

A few days later, I saw Chelsea's post. It was a collage of our family photos, except I wasn't in them. The caption dripped with a sarcastic tone.

"A family should stick together. If you don't appreciate it, don't come back."

I scrolled away without a word.

When the holidays ended, Cameron suddenly called.

"Cass, I need you to do me a favor. My girlfriend's a senior this year. Can you get her an internship position? Nothing too fancy, just a placeholder job. Pay her whatever—maybe ten or 20 thousand—it doesn't matter."

He said it as if it were perfectly reasonable. I frowned so hard it hurt, and refused without thinking.

"No way. The company has its standard hiring procedures. We don't employ people to do nothing," I said. "Besides, paying up to 20 thousand for an intern who won't do a thing? Do you think my money grows on trees?"

"Geez. You're so—"

I hung up before he could say more.

I thought that would be the end of it, but that afternoon, someone showed up at the company building. I couldn't tell security to throw them out, as it would look terrible if things escalated.

And so, Cameron's girlfriend, Lexie Houston, bowed the moment she saw me. She looked shy.

"Nice to meet you, Cassidy. Cam told me to see you…" she said softly. "I hope I'm not causing any trouble."

Seeing her so polite and well-mannered, I felt half of my anger subsiding. I figured, maybe Cameron had been talking nonsense, and his girlfriend actually seemed sincere.

"Well, since you came all this way, I can't just send you home empty-handed, can I?" I said, looking over her resume. "But there are no special privileges here. You'll do the same work as every other intern and get the same pay. Can you accept that?"

Lexie's eyes lit up. "Yes, of course! Thank you for the opportunity, Cassidy! I promise to work hard!"

So, I let her join. She was assigned to the administration department, doing basic tasks alongside the other interns.

Three days later, Cameron called again, furious.

"Cassidy, did you put Lexie through hell over the last three days? She came home crying, saying you're picking on her and making things difficult! Are you trying to embarrass me? Move her to an easier position and pay her at least 30 thousand—now!"

I laughed in disbelief and hung up. I hadn't expected that the sweet, timid Lexie was talking behind my back, twisting the truth.

That afternoon, I decided to talk to her face-to-face. However, in the break room, I overheard her chatting with other colleagues.

"Hey, Lexie. Is Ms. Cage really your boyfriend's sister?"

"Yeah…" Lexie answered. "But I'm telling you, she's in her 30s and still unmarried because her personal life is a mess. I heard she used to offer… special services. I bet she has plenty of sugar daddies out there. Otherwise, how could a woman possibly be so successful?"

"Oh my gosh, really? She seems pretty proper to me."

"Probably just a front. I mean, you never really know how some people are…"

I pushed the door open, and the break room went completely silent. Lexie froze, panic written all over her face as she looked at me. "M-Ms. Cage…"

I pointed coldly toward the door. "I heard everything you just said, Lexie. Pack your stuff and leave right now. My company can't afford a freeloader like you."

Her eyes instantly welled up. She bit her lip, looking like the world had just done her a huge injustice. There was a hard edge in her gaze as she left.