Julian took out his phone to check his messages. Macie had asked for the company's security number earlier but never said why. He still hadn't heard back from her. She had arrived early that morning, more than an hour ahead of schedule, just to avoid running into him. Sighing quietly, he shook his head.…Macie couldn't focus entirely on her tasks as she worked that morning. She kept thinking of ways to avoid Edward and make her way upstairs. She wasn't ready to talk to Julian yet. She'd only just joined the company, and the last thing she wanted was to let her personal life become office gossip.Macie was already feeling irritated, and things got worse when her team didn't cooperate, causing the project to stall. So she called a quick meeting to set things straight. "I know some of you aren't happy with me being the team leader, thinking that I don't deserve it because I've only just joined the company. But I'm only the interim team lead, and right now, I only want to finish th
Edward was shaken. Macie's cold words echoed in his ears, and he mumbled back in disbelief, "No… That's not what I meant…"Macie snapped, "You've got some nerve saying that. Then again, I guess you've always been full of yourself. You only believe your own version of the story. Even if you killed me, you'd probably say that it was suicide.""I wouldn't have! I never wanted to hurt you!" he yelled. "If you're talking about the time I pushed you, fracturing your bones, I'm sorry. I'll do whatever it takes for you to forgive me. Moving forward, I won't ask you to cook or clean. You can just stay home and—""You actually think I want to go back to that hellhole?" she cut him off coldly.That hit him hard. Panic started to bubble up in Edward's chest. It seemed that she really had no intention of coming back."Are you still mad at me? Look. I swear that it won't happen again! I've already cleared out your room. Sharon's gone," he explained. "What happened that day… I didn't mean to hur
"Have you fallen for someone else? That must be it, right?" Edward couldn't think of any other reason. This was the only explanation that seemed remotely possible."Who is he? Is it that senior of yours? When did you two start hooking up?" His voice rose in a jealous rage, accusations spilling out in a storm. But as soon as the words left his mouth, the memory of his own entanglement with Sharon and how deeply it had hurt Macie slammed into him. In that instant, even he realized that he had no right to be mad at Macie. "Break things off with him right now. I won't hold it against you," he said, attempting to hold it together. "We're even now, so let's not point fingers. Where are you? I'll come get you."On the other end of the line, Macie was so stunned by his audacity that she let out a breathless, exasperated chuckle. "Are you deaf or just stupid? I told you—I'm done. Don't you love Sharon? We're divorced now, so you two can get married. "I wish you both a lifetime of happin
"Shut up! Not you, too!" Edward exploded. "Are you deliberately rubbing salt into my wounds? Do you want me to have you pack up and leave?" With that, he furiously ended the call.On the other end of the line, Nathan stared at his phone, his expression blank. His boss had finally realized what he'd taken for granted now that he had lost his wife. But it was too late to do anything about it.…Later that night, even though he knew that he wouldn't be able to see Macie that day, Edward still waited until 10:00 pm outside the office building before reluctantly heading home. Not long after his car pulled away, a figure stepped out from the building's main entrance and made her way toward the subway entrance.Macie looked at her phone. Tomorrow was the last workday before the weekend. With two days off ahead, she was relieved she wouldn't have to worry about bumping into Edward. Nevertheless, she couldn't avoid him forever. She just hoped he'd stop acting crazy and give up soon.Her mi
"Is it true, Macie?" Macie's colleague asked.Around them, others subtly leaned in, clearly eavesdropping while pretending to work.Macie's voice was calm but firm. "Nothing is going on between Mr. Atkins and me. As for everything else, it's personal, and I'd rather not talk about it."That was all the confirmation anyone needed. She had been married. The group exchanged discreet glances, many of them visibly surprised.But it made sense. They thought that Macie was gorgeous and had heard that she graduated from a top university. Someone like that getting married young wasn't hard to imagine. As for her relationship with Julian… Well, no one believed they were completely innocent. Some whispered that he was pursuing he, while others were convinced they were already secretly involved. But no one really knew for sure. Soon, the rumors spread beyond the design department. Everyone was talking about it, thanks to a few people who had too much time and too little sense.Around lunc
"You've got the wrong person," Macie said under her breath before attempting to yank her arm away. "I'd never mistake you for someone else! Even if you turned to ashes, I'd still recognize you. If you've got nothing to hide, show me your face!" Edward gritted out.Before she could react, he grabbed both her arms, locking her in place. His grip was so tight that it made her wince, her brows drawing together in pain.Macie tried to break free or use her phone to call the police, but his hold was unrelenting, like iron. Her high heels didn't help either. In the struggle, she lost her balance and stumbled backward.Her back slammed into Edward's chest, and he took the chance to yank off her sunglasses. As soon as their eyes met—hers wide with panic and fury—he knew. There was no doubt about it anymore."You still want to pretend you're not Macie? Why else would you be covering your face like this?" he snapped.He reached for her mask next, but she had already regained her balance. M
Edward had one goal—to get Macie into the car, take her home, and tell her everything he had been holding inside. He wasn't going to let her hide anymore."Let go of me! Let me go!" she yelled as she stumbled along, attempting to wrench herself free. Her nails dug into his skin, leaving red welts on the back of his hand, but his grip didn't loosen at all. His grip was like iron. "What do you think you're doing, you crazy son of a bitch? Let me go, or I'll scream for help!" she threatened, looking around for someone to help."Go ahead! I'm taking my wife home. Let's see who dares to stop me," he growled. The way Edward addressed her made her skin crawl. Macie lifted her leg to kick him in the calf. But with one foot on the ground and the other midair, she lost her balance and pitched forward. The pavement was solid concrete, and it was summer. Her clothes were light, offering no protection. She was going to fall flat on her face. Macie shut her eyes tight and raised her arm to p
It was like someone flipped a switch inside Edward when he heard Macie yell Julian's name. His whole body tensed. He stopped fastening Macie's seatbelt. Instead, he slammed the car door shut and locked it. Then, he turned around and glared at the man approaching.Edward had seen Julian earlier that morning. Now, staring at his face again, it finally clicked. He realized why Julian had looked familiar to him. Julian wasn't a business associate. He was that guy from the college competitions Macie used to enter. Back then, Edward had watched some of her old footage, and this man had been in them... a lot. So, it turned out that this man was Julian. Edward couldn't believe this rotten luck."Mr. Fowler, may I ask why you're—" Julian started to say, frowning as he reached the car. But he never got to finish his sentence as Edward's fist came out of nowhere, slamming into Julian's face with full force. The blow was so sudden and clean that Julian stumbled back and almost lost his balan
"Dammit! Hurry up and go after Mr. Fowler," one of the bodyguards shouted anxiously.Without an elevator access card, they could only take the staff elevator. One ran down to chase after Edward, while the other called the control room to stop the elevators and contacted the security personnel outside the building to intercept him.Inside the elevator, Edward clenched his fist as his eyes locked on the floor numbers that crawled by in the panel display. He wished that it would go down faster.Finally, the elevator reached the second basement floor. As the doors opened, he was taken aback to find a line of security guards waiting for him.He hadn't expected them to move so fast. Gritting his teeth, he shot them a glare, hit the button, and sent the elevator racing back up to the first floor.Most of the security had already shifted to the underground garage, leaving the first floor sparsely guarded when Edward arrived.He dashed forward, shoved past four security personnel, and ran
Alice and Macie had dinner, then went home. After Macie took a shower, Alice offered to help her apply the medicine. Once she was done, she said, "Don't move. I need to take a couple of pictures."Macie looked confused. But before she could ask, Alice explained, "It's for the injury assessment. They need it for the police report. I mean, we are asking for five million dollars."Macie didn't question it.Alice snapped a few photos but wasn't satisfied. So, she edited them and added filters to make Macie's injuries appear more severe, then sent them to Edward.…At Fowler Group, Edward continued to work overtime in the office. When a message popped up on his phone, he quickly reached for it.The moment he opened it, his eyes landed on the picture of Macie's arm. There were several red welts across her arm, dark and vivid, like she'd been whipped. With her fair skin and slender arms, the wounds looked even more shocking.Edward's eyes began to sting. At that moment, a sharp, ac
When Edward fired off that sharp, accusing message, he froze. It felt like he was calling himself out.After all, how many times had Macie cooked for him while she was sick or injured? What right did he have to say something like that now?He couldn't stop thinking about the last time. Macie's feet were covered in blisters, and her lower back was injured. Yet, he still said something heartless. "If your foot's hurt, just stand still."She had worked hard to prepare the meal, but he hadn't even touched it. Instead, he scolded her, pushed her, and ended up fracturing her tailbone.Edward regretted it deeply. His guilt weighed so heavily that he slapped himself across the face. The sound echoed loudly in his office.He was worse than an animal.It was no wonder Macie finally lost it that day. She sprayed him with water in the bathroom and screamed at him to get out.He thought that deserved it and had brought it on himself. And now, all he could do was regret it.While he was lo
"We're heading off now, Sean." Alice waved as she spoke.Sean quietly hummed in acknowledgment, his eyes still fixed on Macie.Alice didn't pay much attention and simply walked over to Macie. Julian also said goodbye and left, noticing that Sean's gaze never left Macie.The three of them walked away together. A minute later, Julian glanced back and saw Sean still standing in the same spot, watching them.To be more precise, he was watching Macie.Julian pressed his lips together. He was now entirely sure that Sean liked Macie.Back where Sean stood, he watched them walk farther and farther away, never once getting close to him or even sparing him a single glance.Only now did Sean finally understand what it meant to shoot himself in the foot.Just that morning, he had demanded to know why Macie had been staring at him for so long. Well, now she wouldn't be staring anymore.She wouldn't even look at him.Sean let out a quiet sigh, walked over to the roadside, and drove back to
"Obviously, I'm going to do a good deed and inform the woman inside," Sean said.Alice was about to snap at him, but when she saw the mischievous smile on his face, she simply followed him.Inside the interrogation room, Sharon had stopped crying. Now she was just sniffling, her makeup smeared beyond recognition, looking absolutely dreadful. But she didn't care. Her mind raced with how to come up with five million dollars and the fact that she still had 15 days to serve in detention."Hey, Edward paid for you. You don't have to compensate anymore," Sean said.Sharon froze at first, then stared in disbelief, her eyes widening."What? But he—" she mumbled."He called me again after I left," Sean cut her off. "He had a change of heart. In the end, he just couldn't bear it."He sighed, his face full of sincerity. "See? Edward still likes you. Regardless of what he said before, he still wired five million dollars to me right away, didn't he?"Sharon's stunned expression shifted into
One of the bodyguards restraining Edward took out his phone, answered it, and held it to his ear. Sean's voice came through, "Mr. Fowler, are you here yet? My time is very valuable, you know."Edward gritted his teeth and said, "Tell me how badly Macie's injuries are. Where is she injured?"Sean replied, "Weren't you planning to come see for yourself?"Edward snapped, "Something came up and I can't go! Just tell me how she is!""And why should I tell you?" Sean answered lazily."You!" Edward was about to explode. At that moment, Sean officially became his number-one enemy."Didn't you want that five million dollars? I'll give it to you!" Edward growled.Hearing that he was willing to pay, Sean's lips curved slightly. However, Edward kept talking. "But I have conditions. You have to tell me exactly how Macie is, where she's hurt, and you're not allowed to take care of her. Alice will.""Alright," Sean agreed."Then hurry up and tell me!" Edward demanded."No can do. What if I
"Get out of my way! I'm going to a business meeting! If this causes a delay, can you afford to pay the penalty for breach of contract?" Edward snapped viciously.The bodyguards hesitated, doubt flickering on their faces. They wondered if Edward was really headed to a meeting. They questioned when a meeting had ever been that urgent without a heads-up from his assistant."Still not letting me through?" Edward barked again.The bodyguards exchanged looks and decided to follow him just in case."So this is why you've been behaving lately. You're being watched." Sean's mocking voice came through the phone."It's none of your damn business," Edward coldly retorted. "Is Macie hurt?" he asked.In the police station lobby, Sean looked at the woman now standing just outside the main doors and said, "Of course she's hurt. Think about it—your girlfriend sent three men to abduct her.""Sharon is not my girlfriend! Don't disgust me!" Edward snapped. "Is Macie seriously hurt? Where is she hur
Edward froze when he heard Sharon's name. He pressed his lips together and replied over the phone, "No. I have nothing to do with her."The finality of his words made Sharon break down completely, her sobs choking her voice."Yeah, sure. Who would believe that? Weren't you the one who made headlines with her in all those gossip scandals?" Sean sneered.Edward clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, replying weakly, "That was all a misunderstanding.""I don't care whether it was or not. Five million dollars. Transfer it now," Sean said."In your dreams! Whoever caused this incident should pay. Don't come to me like I'm some kind of lapdog!" Edward snapped. "I have nothing to do with Sharon anymore. We're done. Completely."He said it with complete determination, his tone cold and devoid of any emotion. And because the phone was on speaker, Sharon heard every word loud and clear. Her tears flowed even harder."Edward…"Her sobs hung in the air, but Edward's expression remained
Sharon's face turned pale under Sean's intense questioning. She trembled and stammered, "N-No, I didn't. I swear, I never meant for it to go that far. I just wanted to scare Macie into staying away from Edward. How could I do anything illegal? I'm a good person."Sean looked at her. He thought that if she truly were a good person, then everyone else in the world must be evil."Either resolve this with compensation or face it in court. Your choice," Sean said, throwing the decision to her.Sharon couldn't bring herself to say a single word about going to court. She didn't dare to. If Sean were to get involved, she would lose and probably have to pay even more. If he made this situation public, it would ruin her career. There was nothing to gain and everything to lose.After weighing all her options, Sharon clenched her teeth and asked the man, "Can I pay less? I can't come up with five million dollars."She turned on the charm, tears brimming in her eyes as she played the pity card