Alice immediately called Macie, venting all her frustration about Sean. She cursed him as much as she could, even bringing up stories from their childhood to illustrate just how terrible he had been.Macie listened to how Alice described her miserable childhood, living under the shadow of Sean, enduring various "torments".As Alice spoke, Macie couldn't help but picture that insufferable face, and she felt that it wasn't surprising he could do such things. If he treated his own sister that way, what would he do to her? Indeed, some people's bad habits formed when they were young. Macie felt sympathy for Alice, and what started as one person venting turned into a united front, two people joining in on the complaints."Ugh, my brother's the worst. When we were kids, he ripped the ears off my plush bunny, and then claimed it was the turtle pillow that did it." Alice continued, venting, "I love cake, but I got cavities. He'd eat it right in front of me and mock me for not being able
It looked like Macie hadn't just been flustered—she'd fully entered rage monster mode. Sean could imagine her fists flew, as if they could actually do damage, even though they barely stung. He genuinely found it endearing.When Sean finished reading the last screenshot, he closed the chat and saw a new message from Alice. Her text read, "So, are you going to explain why you were flirting with my friend? "And what about the things you said to Edward last night? It sounds like you meant what you said. You weren't just playing along with me."Did you put your arm around Macie's waist? Hold her hand? You had better come clean!" Sean just typed a simple response. He typed, "Go ask her if I did that." Alice, on the other end, was speechless.Sometimes, Alice really wondered if Sean was just a brooding, black-bellied guy with an obsession with keeping things mysterious. She didn't respond right away. Instead, she stormed over to his office, yanked a chair out, and took a seat rig
Two incidents happened on the day Macie Smith decided to get a divorce.Firstly, Edward Fowler's first love, Sharon Emerson, returned to the country. To celebrate the occasion, he spent a fortune to rent a cruise, where he spent two wild days and nights with her.The media widely covered the rumors of them potentially getting back together.Secondly, Macie had accepted the invitation of a college senior to rejoin the company they had founded before as a director.She would leave this place after a month. Naturally, no one cared about her plans. To Edward, she was akin to a maid who had married into the Fowler family.During this time, Macie quietly removed all traces of her in the Fowler residence. She bought a flight ticket out of the city without anyone knowing.In three days, nothing here would concern her anymore. She and Edward would become strangers.…"I need two portions of soup. Get it delivered now."A text notification popped up on Macie's phone. She frowned at Ed
Edward left in great strides, holding Sharon in his arms. When he walked through the door, he accidentally bumped into Macie's shoulder, causing her to stumble and fall down beside the door frame.The searing pain coming from the top of her foot and her shin made her hold on tightly to the door frame.People in the room shot her funny looks. Some looked on with disdain.But that didn't matter to Macie anymore. She slowly got up and turned around. Holding onto the wall, she inched out of the room with much difficulty.When Macie arrived at the hospital, the nurse who approached to treat her wound inhaled sharply upon seeing the injury on Macie's foot.She took in the massive and tiny blisters around Macie's wound, gasping, "Oh my God! How did this happen?"Macie clenched her jaw from the excruciating pain. Her cheek muscles were sore, and she struggled to answer the nurse.The nurse sighed while applying the medication. She explained, "Just now, we had a patient with burns. Her b
Edward paused in surprise and pursed his lips. He stared ahead of him but ultimately said nothing.Macie listened to the conversation between him and Sharon. A mocking smile was played on her lips. She might be Edward's legal spouse, but in reality, she felt like the third wheel between Edward and Sharon.Edward walked on while Sharon trotted beside him. Macie did not want to interact with Sharon, but that didn't stop the latter from stirring up trouble."May, it must have hurt. I'm so sorry. Edward had sent me to the hospital first because he was worried about the impact on my career. I hope you don't blame him," Sharon said.Smirking, Macie replied flatly, "I don't blame you. You're the most important person to him."Although Macie was speaking the truth, it sounded like she was taking a jab at Edward. Displeased, he fired back, "What's with that tone? Even if Sharon was the one who lost her grip on the container, you were also responsible for not securing the lid."Macie did
It was 11:00 pm when Macie got home. She didn't keep the lights in the living room on because she knew that Edward might spend the night with Sharon elsewhere. He wouldn't come home.She carried the first-aid kit and hauled her pain-ridden body to her small bedroom.Her two-year marriage was just a sham. Edward saved himself for Sharon and refused to let Macie anywhere near his main bedroom.When she thought back to it, she realized that it wasn't that bad after all. She'd be disgusted with herself if Edward took her.She quickly disinfected the wounds on her elbow and the back of her feet. When she was done, she was too spent to even store away the first-aid kit. She left it on her bedside table, thinking to put it away the next morning.She changed into her pajamas and lay in bed. Pain shot up from the base of her spine as she shifted, forcing her to inhale sharply.She softened her movements. Eyes closed, she shut all the thoughts out of her mind. Soon, she grew drowsy.Meanw
Macie had almost fallen asleep, but she stirred awake and frowned when Edward banged on the door.She got up and turned on the lights, her brows furrowed. Then, she limped to the door.Edward's fist hit the air when she opened the door."Mac—""Why are you home, and why the heck are you banging on my door at midnight?" she snapped at him impatiently.Her attitude fueled his anger further. He immediately grabbed her arm and yelled at her, "What's with that question? Can't I return to my house?"Macie's impatience immediately vanished. Instead, she lowered her head and looked upset.At first, Edward thought that she had caved in from being intimidated, but she reached out to take his hand off hers. At that moment, he sensed something amiss. He released her hand and spotted blood on his palm.It turned out that he had hurt her wound by squeezing her arm too hard.Macie stared at the man before her through tears. He had caused a scene in the middle of the night."Are you hurt?"
Edward didn't sleep well through the night. His stomach had become sensitive, and even medication only provided slight relief. It was far from recovery or comfort.He woke up early before the alarm rang. As he stepped out of his room, he nearly collided with Macie, who was leaving her room that was just across the corridor."What are you doing?" he asked instinctively."Making breakfast," Macie replied flatly as she stumbled toward the kitchen.Edward stood frozen in place. He had always woken up and had breakfast without paying attention to who prepared the meals. It never occurred to him that she had been waking up at 5:00 am every morning to cook.Watching her slightly unsteady figure, he said, "You don't have to."Macie stopped in her tracks and turned her head back.For two years, she had attended to Edward. She had to get up and cook even when she had a fever. He had tormented her in every possible way. This was the first time he had told her that she didn't have to cook.
It looked like Macie hadn't just been flustered—she'd fully entered rage monster mode. Sean could imagine her fists flew, as if they could actually do damage, even though they barely stung. He genuinely found it endearing.When Sean finished reading the last screenshot, he closed the chat and saw a new message from Alice. Her text read, "So, are you going to explain why you were flirting with my friend? "And what about the things you said to Edward last night? It sounds like you meant what you said. You weren't just playing along with me."Did you put your arm around Macie's waist? Hold her hand? You had better come clean!" Sean just typed a simple response. He typed, "Go ask her if I did that." Alice, on the other end, was speechless.Sometimes, Alice really wondered if Sean was just a brooding, black-bellied guy with an obsession with keeping things mysterious. She didn't respond right away. Instead, she stormed over to his office, yanked a chair out, and took a seat rig
Alice immediately called Macie, venting all her frustration about Sean. She cursed him as much as she could, even bringing up stories from their childhood to illustrate just how terrible he had been.Macie listened to how Alice described her miserable childhood, living under the shadow of Sean, enduring various "torments".As Alice spoke, Macie couldn't help but picture that insufferable face, and she felt that it wasn't surprising he could do such things. If he treated his own sister that way, what would he do to her? Indeed, some people's bad habits formed when they were young. Macie felt sympathy for Alice, and what started as one person venting turned into a united front, two people joining in on the complaints."Ugh, my brother's the worst. When we were kids, he ripped the ears off my plush bunny, and then claimed it was the turtle pillow that did it." Alice continued, venting, "I love cake, but I got cavities. He'd eat it right in front of me and mock me for not being able
Not far from Macie's workstation, Lily had been listening to their conversation, especially when Macie, with a hint of pride, casually mentioned her good relationship with Sean. Lily's fists tightened, and a flash of hatred and jealousy crossed her eyes. There was also a sense of helplessness and resentment. Julian hadn't fired her, but had only made her apologize publicly in the company's group chat, and now this happened.Macie was not only Alice's friend, but she also had a close relationship with Sean. Moreover, Julian clearly favored Macie, openly confessing his admiration for her.Macie's relationships within the department would only be stronger. Her promotion to team leader would only be a matter of time. Lily had crossed her, and sooner or later, she'd be the one getting sidelined. Lily was already worried about her future and deeply regretted causing trouble for Macie on her first day. She shouldn't have tried to embarrass her last night either. At her desk, with ju
Now that Macie knew who Sean was, she was sure she wouldn't just sit there and take it like she did that day if he ever visited again."It's my fault. I didn't know that Mr. Hart and Macie had a history," Palmer said, breaking the silence."I didn't know either," Macie replied, her voice tight. "And even if I had known, I still wouldn't have recognized Sean. I would've gone to the meeting, and I'd have still been bullied."She clenched her fists, anger rising inside her. She didn't owe Sean anything. Indeed, the two companies were collaborating, but she couldn't understand why he should make her his personal target.Still, she couldn't care less now. She would let him think whatever he wanted. He was the one who crossed the line first. Back in the design department, only Macie and Palmer remained. Palmer, still curious, asked, "Macie, did you offend Mr. Hart?" That seemed to be the only explanation for Sean's strange behavior that day. Although there had been some "tension" bet
Macie managed to hold back her anger, reminding herself that Sean was a client and that her supervisor had emphasized how important this collaboration was.Sean smiled at her. He was still watching Macie, who was silently glaring at him. He then casually pulled a business card from his pocket and handed it to her.Macie glanced down at the card. Despite not wanting to take it, she accepted it out of politeness and flipped it over to read it.In bold, gold letters, it read, "Chief Executive Officer, Hart Group."Macie froze for a moment when she read "Hart Group". She was familiar with the name because it was Alice's family's company. And then, her eyes landed on Sean's printed name. She began to wonder if he was related to Alice.Suddenly, she looked up, her gaze shifting toward the elevator. No wonder he had seemed familiar—she now realized his features resembled Alice's.The answer was almost painfully obvious.Inside the elevator, Sean stood in front of his employees, smili
Macie clenched her fists, gritting her teeth as she took two steps forward and said, "You say five minutes, then five minutes it is. There's no need to bother the technician." She tried to remain calm, though inside she felt a little flustered. The idea that Sean would actually want to check the security footage over something so trivial seemed ridiculous. However, the fact that Sean was so insistent, almost as if he were out to get her, left her feeling uneasy. Sean, sensing her discomfort, stepped to the side and casually said, "Ms. Smith, you were so adamant in denying it earlier. Let's just check the footage anyway. I said I'd apologize if I were wrong. You have my word as a man." He was so precise with the timing, down to the second, and had even given her his solemn word. Macie couldn't help but snap. She looked up at him and, unable to hold back her anger anymore, said, "Then shouldn't you be apologizing to me for what happened that night?"I already explained everythin
Julian continued his explanation, but as he turned his head, he noticed that Sean was still staring at Macie. His words slowed, and his expression darkened.Brightech Studios wasn't a large company. It occupied just one full floor. And since they didn't actually tour any of the departments in detail, they only gave a quick walk-through of the hallways, the whole visit wrapped up in no time.After the tour, the Hart Group employees were ready to head to the elevator. Since Macie couldn't leave midway, she followed along as part of the group. Finally, Sean got the chance to speak. During the tour, Julian had been explaining everything in great detail, doing his job well, but Sean had barely been listening. "Why were you staring at me earlier?" His deep voice cut through the quiet. Since the room was still, everyone clearly heard him speak, and they all turned to look, wondering who Sean was talking to. When they saw his gaze fixed on Macie, it became clear, but no one spoke up.
Sean raised an eyebrow and said, "It's fine. I don't need a detailed explanation. I've already learned everything I need to know about the collaboration during the meeting." Macie was at a loss for words."I don't really visit other departments, and I don't even know the layout of the office," Macie said. "Ah, I see," Sean said, as if pondering something. "Well, you could have one of the more experienced employees show you around. You'll definitely have a better experience," Macie quickly added. Nearby, employees from Hart Group noticed that Sean was once again giving a female employee from another company a hard time. While they wanted to step in and speak up, they weren't sure how to intervene. From Brightech Studios' side, Palmer and a few others saw what was happening and spoke up. "Mr. Hart, Macie is still new and doesn't know much. Anyone else here can show you around our company." Even Julian spoke up, saying, "Mr. Hart, I'm not busy at the moment. Let me show you a
For the rest of the meeting, Macie kept her eyes firmly on the screen, not daring to glance sideways. Even though she didn't understand the technical content, her focus was as serious as someone swearing an oath of allegiance.Meanwhile, on her left, Sean glanced over and noticed that she wasn't looking at him anymore. He returned his gaze to the slide presentation, silently thinking to himself that Macie couldn't even understand it, yet she appeared solemn. He was rather impressed.The entire meeting lasted for 50 minutes. The team from Brightech Studios had come well-prepared, but Hart Group didn't immediately give their final decision. They were likely still planning to evaluate other companies before making a decision.Once the meeting concluded, both sides stood up, exchanging handshakes and pleasantries. Macie began packing up her laptop, preparing to leave with the other two team leads. But just as she was about to step out of the conference room, she heard that infuriating