Chapter 4

The faint scent of perfume lingered near my face. When I turned, I saw long curled lashes and familiar features.

It was Yvette who had saved me. She took my hand and led me into a quiet alley, panting as she asked if I was hurt.

"Cassandra was fired for taking kickbacks. If you go out now, you're done for! Stay here and wait for me. I'll distract her!"

Before I could respond, she lifted the hem of her skirt and hurried off. Sure enough, voices could soon be heard in the distance.

Why would Yvette save me?

Just as the question formed in my mind, several vagrants with lecherous expressions appeared at the entrance of the alley.

It was a dead end. I kept retreating, but there was nowhere to escape.

Looking past the men, I saw Yvette standing at the alley's entrance. She held up her phone and recorded my humiliation while speaking to someone on the screen.

"I can't believe how stupid she is! How could she trust me after she's gotten on my bad side? What do you have to say about this as her ex-boyfriend?"

A passerby eventually called the police, but the incident left a shadow that would haunt me for the rest of my life.

There were no surveillance cameras in the alley, and the vagrants slipped away without consequence.

The passerby took me to the hospital for a checkup. After confirming that I wasn't physically injured, they advised me not to go out at night.

The next morning, I woke up with a fever. Even so, I forced myself out of bed and went to the office, for I wanted to expose what Yvette had done.

However, the moment I stepped inside, I saw her in Mitchell's office, crying bitterly.

When she saw me enter, she quickly wiped her tears and fell silent. To my surprise, Mitchell's expression darkened the instant he noticed me.

Pointing at me angrily, he scolded, "I know you don't like Yvette, but she's pregnant and fragile. How could you be so vicious as to hire vagrants to assault her? Have you lost your mind?

Yvette shrank into Preston's arms. Her eyes were darting around as if she were a frightened animal.

She said nothing, yet Mitchell immediately pulled out his phone to call the police.

"You should leave the company. You've offended the chairman's daughter. Even if the chairman himself comes, I won't be able to protect you! Pack your things and get out right now!"

He cleared out my workstation with a single command. My cup and desk fan were smashed violently to the ground, shattering into worthless debris.

Only Preston stopped me. This time, he didn't demand an apology. Instead, he demanded compensation.

"You frightened Yvette so badly that she can't sleep. You must pay for what you've done! You've earned so much money over the years. One million dollars isn't much to you, right? Consider it compensation for Yvette's emotional distress, and we won't pursue the matter further."

I laughed in disbelief. Yvette had video-called him just yesterday.

How could he not know the truth? Was it simply because I was a pushover? Was it because I had no one backing me?

I sneered and shook off his hand, about to reveal the truth, when a sudden commotion erupted at the door.

"Someone from Saccone Group is here!"

I turned around and immediately saw my cousin, Timothy Saccone, hurrying in with a look of urgency.

He strode toward me with long, confident steps. "Annabeth? What are you doing here?"

Preston's face lit up with delight as he glared at me triumphantly. "Someone from Saccone Group is here to back Yvette up. If you refuse to pay, you'll end up in prison!"

Everyone in the company wore expressions of anticipation. They were eager to watch me be thoroughly dealt with.