Chapter 4

With nowhere else to go, I dragged my suitcase to a corner of a cheap, 24-hour coffee shop and spent the night.

The server kept glancing at me as if she wanted to say something, but she left me alone.

I ordered the cheapest black coffee they had and let it go cold. I was leaving the city for good.

After sunrise, I went to the trading company to resign.

I walked into the manager's office and handed him my resignation letter. He looked genuinely surprised.

"You're resigning? Did Don Valenti approve your resignation?"

"Don Valenti? Why would I need his approval to quit?"

He paused and stared at me, confused. He must've thought I'd lost my memory.

"By the way, since you're leaving this month, there's not much of your bonus left. Your regular salary is another matter. It'll be split between your two accounts as usual."

"My two accounts?"

The manager looked even more confused. "Don't you know? Aren't you and Don Valenti together? He's the real owner of this company. He personally told the finance team to split your pay between two accounts. Your base salary goes into your regular account, and your bonuses go into a separate one.

"He said he wants you to save the money. I always wondered how you could be struggling so much when you're with Don Valenti."

I stood there for a few seconds before everything finally clicked.

I had never worked at some ordinary trading company. The man who had been paying my salary all these years was the same man I shared a bed with every night.

The small amount that went into my account each month, barely enough to cover the rent, was nothing more than the allowance he'd carefully calculated to give me.

The ridiculous part was that I hadn't known a thing.

I went to the finance department and asked for three years of my salary records.

Under "Bonuses Owned", there it was in black and white—500 dollars.

I stared at the page, feeling strangely calm.

I had lost my baby over 500 dollars.

All the while, he had been playing the devoted man who supported me in front of everyone else.

I took the records and headed outside. I ran straight into Enzo at the company entrance.

"Sienna, we have one little argument, and you run off? Now you're quitting your job too?"

Vivian was close behind. She looked like she was enjoying the show.

"Why don't you explain this, Don Valenti? Have I ever agreed to this?" I asked, shoving the records in front of him.

"You found out? I kept it from you because I didn't want money to change what we had. I was only trying to help you save. Weren't you always saying you wanted to put some money aside? I was just doing what you wanted so no one could gossip about you."

"I suppose I should thank you."

He sounded completely casual. "You don't have to. I'll pretend today never happened. Take the day off and come home with me. You missed work for one day, but I won't deduct it from your pay."

His words almost made me laugh.