Chapter 4

I followed the voices and saw a middle-aged couple dripping in jewelry swagger into the office.

They dropped onto one of the couches as though they owned the place and immediately started taking off their shoes.

The woman pointed at me. "You. Make me some premium green tea."

Her husband had already stuck a cigarette between his lips and was reaching for his lighter.

I frowned, took it from his hand before he could light up, and set it on the table.

"Sorry, there's no smoking in the office. Do you have an appointment?"

The woman actually laughed, planting her hands on her hips.

"Do you have any idea who we are? We're your boss's in-laws! These earrings cost over two hundred grand. And the Rolex on my husband's wrist? He bought that too. Five hundred grand!"

She thrust all five fingers into my face, practically spraying me as she spoke.

"You'd better take good care of us. Maybe we'll tell him to give you a raise and a promotion. Otherwise, we'll have him fire you."

So these were Yara's parents.

My heart sank.

I hadn't realized Caleb could be this generous when he wanted to impress her family.

When I'd once asked him to pick out a nice outfit for my mother before meeting her, he'd flown into a rage. He said he had his pride, and if a family member or partner needed gifts to maintain a relationship, then they weren't worth having.

Liar.

When I didn't react with the fear she'd clearly expected, Mrs. Cole's expression turned awkward.

Then she grabbed the kettle and hurled the water at me.

"Are you deaf?"

I had no time to dodge. Cold water drenched me from head to toe, leaving me frozen in shock.

The moment my coworkers saw what she'd done, they surged forward, furious.

"I'd like to see which one of you dares touch them!"

Caleb's voice cut through the room.

He had finally arrived with Yara.

There was still grease around the corners of her mouth. She had obviously just finished breakfast.

Not long ago, I'd eaten a piece of chocolate during overtime because my blood sugar had dropped, and Caleb had torn into me for slacking off on company time.

Now there was no mistaking just how differently he treated her.

His gaze swept over my dripping hair, and instead of asking what had happened, he glared at me.

"Why are you still standing there? Go clean yourself up. You're embarrassing yourself."

Then his entire expression changed as he turned to Yara's parents. Smiling ingratiatingly, he moved over to support them by the arms.

"Mom, Dad, why did you come all the way to the office? I told you we'd pick you up at the hotel, and then we'd go look at places together. Yara and I both took the day off so we could spend it with you."

I'd seen Caleb negotiate with billionaires without ever looking this eager to please.

Everyone around us looked stunned.

Caleb was a notorious workaholic who practically never took a day off.

And now he was skipping work just to entertain Yara's parents?

One by one, my coworkers turned sympathetic eyes toward me.

I could only watch with bitter amusement.

Once the four of them left, I told everyone I was resigning and wanted to finish handing over my work before the end of the day.

They panicked at first. With my mother gone and my relationship falling apart, they were afraid I might do something drastic.

Only after I explained that I had accepted a position with a major company overseas did they finally relax.

Meanwhile, Yara spent the entire day showing off online.

Her first post showed the $1.5 million luxury condo Caleb had bought her parents.

The second showed the $3,000 massage chair he'd bought them.

More posts followed.

By the ninth, she had uploaded a photo of Caleb personally washing her parents' feet after they'd gotten tired from walking.

Finally, she put together a nine-photo collage.

[Mom and Dad are very happy with the husband I picked. So filial!]

He certainly was.

If Caleb had shown my mother even half that much care, he wouldn't have deliberately crawled along on the way to the hospital and cost her the chance to survive.

It was almost time to leave when Caleb and Yara finally returned.

Caleb always made a round through the office before heading home, so I'd deliberately waited for him.

When I knocked and entered his office, Yara was standing behind his chair, massaging his shoulders.

Caleb froze.

He immediately brushed her hands away and lowered his voice as he explained, "Yara's parents aren't bad people. Her mom didn't mean to throw water on you. And everything I bought them was just a high-quality knockoff. The condo was a reward for Yara, too. That way she can focus on her work without worrying about anything else."

The excuses were so ridiculous that I almost laughed.

"It's fine. You're their son-in-law. Of course you should take care of your wife's parents."

Caleb paused.

He had clearly expected a fight and had come prepared to explain himself first, even soften his tone to head me off.

But when I genuinely showed no reaction, his brows drew together instead.

"Stop being passive-aggressive. If you have something to say, just say it."

I nodded.

"Actually, there is something I need from you."

A smug look crossed his face.

"So you do want something. Then stop pretending you don't care. Whatever it is, I'll give it to you."

I pulled out my resignation letter and placed it in front of him.

"Sign it."