At the hospital, the doctor, Gregory Chase, took one look at Macie's injuries and began berating her for not taking care of herself. The blisters on her feet had all ruptured. It could be dangerous if they were to get infected.Macie kept her head low, keeping her silence as she stared at her painfully red and battered feet.It wasn't that she didn't take care of herself.It was just that some people refused to leave her alone.Gregory did more checks and found that her lower back and tailbone were severely bruised. There were injuries on her arms as well, and her eyes were swollen from crying. Throughout the entire examination, she did not say a single word, nor was there anyone accompanying her.The doctor could guess what had happened. "You need an X-ray of your lower back. Let's get you hospitalized. You shouldn't go home for a few days.""Thank you, Dr. Chase," Macie replied hoarsely.One of the nurses helped her handle the hospitalization procedure. Macie couldn't lie on h
Edward slammed the door shut with a loud bang and turned back to the kitchen. The food he had brought back now looked like a joke. In a fit of anger, he threw everything into the trash.Then, he took out his phone and called Macie. The busy tone beeped for a long time, yet no one answered. Just as he was about to lose his temper again, he remembered that Macie's phone was broken.He didn't call again. His expression remained cold as he returned to his bedroom to shower and go to bed.Macie could go wherever she liked. It had nothing to do with her.…At 2:00 am, Edward woke up to an agonizing pain in his stomach. Irritated, he snapped, "Macie, where's the…"The door across from his was ajar—still in the same position as when he had slammed it shut earlier. Edward clenched his fists and went to find himself some antacid.The burgers from dinner had been too much for his sensitive stomach, so he hadn't eaten much. On top of that, he had drunk some alcohol, and now it was all catch
"What's wrong, Ed?" Sharon sat up and hugged him around the waist from behind.Edward pushed her hands off and said hoarsely, "Sorry, I overstepped just now. Get some rest."With that, he hurriedly got out of bed and fled the scene."Ed! Ed!" she called out hurriedly and followed him. But when she opened the door, the hallway was already empty.She bit her lower lip, nails digging into the doorframe as her eyes filled with resentment.…In the parking lot, Edward got into his car, his expression dazed and unfocused. He was still shaken by what had happened earlier. He buried his head in his hands, full of regret.Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the newly bought phone lying on the passenger seat. His gaze flickered away almost guiltily.…Meanwhile, Sharon closed the door and went to the bathroom. In the mirror, she saw the hickeys on her neck. She smiled deviously as she snapped a photo and sent it out.…It was already 11:00 pm when Edward got home. He entered the elev
"Keep looking. I refuse to believe that she could just vanish into thin air!" Edward gritted out.Nathan had really tried everything. He had even called Macie multiple times, but she wouldn't answer.Just as he was about to lose all hope, he called one last time—and this time, Macie picked up."Mrs. Fowler! Where are you?" Nathan asked excitedly."What do you need from me?" Macie returned his question with her own, her tone indifferent."Mr. Fowler—" Nathan blurted out but stopped himself just in time. He quickly came up with an excuse. "Mr. Fowler asked me for a document, but I couldn't find it, so I wanted to check with you. But you weren't around, and we need the document urgently…"Macie was exasperated. Edward had lost something and couldn't find it, yet he was now making his assistant ask her."Tell him to look for it himself," Macie said coldly."Mrs. Fowler, Mr. Fowler has been in meetings all day long. He's busy," Nathan said. He was clever. He made his voice sound urg
The doctor arrived after the nurse drove Edward out of the room. Macie only bit her bottom lip. Her tears were overflowing from the intense pain.The ward fell silent once again, except for the sound of her sobs. The other patients looked at her with sympathy for this unfortunate woman."Domestic violence is against the law. I'm calling the police right now." The nurse, unable to stand it any longer, took out her phone.Edward snapped back to his senses and immediately snatched the phone away."I didn't do it! Domestic violence? What are you talking about? If you keep making things up, I'll make sure you lose your job!" he threatened."The patient has a fractured coccyx. Were you not the one who did this?" The nurse looked at him questioningly.A fractured coccyx...Edward froze again and looked at the injured area.The first time, he had thrown her to the ground. The second time, he had pushed her down hard.Could it be…Seeing that he had fallen silent, the nurse picked u
"You were the one who was about to stab her with a kitchen knife! I saw it with my own eyes!" Edward argued."Oh? Then did she actually get hurt?" Macie shot back.Edward was instantly at a loss for words.Sharon's so-called "injury" wasn't even as bad as a scratch from a fingernail. She didn't even need a band-aid."You say I'm making things up, but it seems to me that you're the real expert at twisting the truth." Macie sneered when he remained silent. "And as for your question about whether I went home last night… What's the matter? Were you so eager for me to catch you in bed with that woman?"You sure are self-righteous for someone who's cheating while still married."Edward's back stiffened instantly at those words. He then retorted forcefully, "I didn't!""Oh? Then what left that hickey on your neck?" Macie mocked.Edward's hand flew to his neck. He then quickly pulled out his phone to check his reflection. Lifting his collar, he saw a hickey on the side of his neck."L
Nathan didn't understand why Edward was so upset. After giving it some thought, he realized it was because…"She could have told me directly! Why did she have to tell you instead?!" Edward roared.Why go through his assistant? Would it kill her to call or text him?Nathan stared blankly ahead, his silence speaking volumes. He wondered if the method of communication really mattered that much and if it was worth Edward flying into a rage.He didn't get it.Why was Edward so desperate to find her if he didn't love Macie? But if he did love her, why would he sleep with another woman and hurt her so deeply?Meanwhile, Macie declined the concerns of her fellow patients in the ward. She just wanted to be left alone.What she had told Nathan was the truth. Out of respect for Yosef, she wouldn't expose Edward and Sharon's affair.Besides, she would be gone in just 25 days. As long as the couple didn't provoke her again, they could do whatever they wanted.…Edward was completely out o
Edward was in a much better mood. He even crossed his legs leisurely while sipping his coffee in the office.At exactly 5:30 pm, he got up, grabbed his coat, and clocked out to have dinner with Sharon.As soon as he started the car, his phone rang. He took it out, glanced at the screen, and then laughed coldly before hanging up and putting it back in his pocket."Weren't you cursing me out just this afternoon? I called 100 times, and you ignored me. Now that you need something, you're calling me?" Edward sneered, stepping on the gas and driving off.He could already guess why Macie was calling. He figured that it was probably about money for her hospital stay. After all, where else would she get the money when she hadn't worked in the past two years?Thinking about all the times he'd put up with her and all the kindness that went unappreciated, he gripped the steering wheel tighter. Just the night before, she had splashed water on him and gone crazy, hitting him with a toilet brus
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